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Minor Free Agent Signings: Metropolitan Division

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With over 180 deals signed during the first day of free agency yesterday, some smaller names may have gotten lost in the shuffle. Here’s a list of names that have inked two-way deals with Metropolitan Division clubs since the market opened yesterday, per CapFriendly. Some of these may have been included in our main coverage yesterday, while others went under the radar. All contracts carry the league-minimum $775K cap hit unless stated otherwise). Those listed here are likely to begin 2024-25 with each team’s AHL affiliate.

Carolina Hurricanes

none

Columbus Blue Jackets

D Cole Clayton (one year, $950K entry-level cap hit)
F Owen Sillinger (one year)

New Jersey Devils

F Mike Hardman (two years)
D Colton White (two years)

New York Islanders

none

New York Rangers

none

Philadelphia Flyers

none

Pittsburgh Penguins

D Nathan Clurman (one year)
D Mac Hollowell (one year)
F Jimmy Huntington (one year)
F Bokondji Imama (one year)
D Ryan Shea (one year)

Washington Capitals

G Mitchell Gibson (one year)
D Chase Priskie (one year)

Minor Free Agent Signings: Atlantic Division

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With over 180 deals signed during the first day of free agency yesterday, some smaller names may have gotten lost in the shuffle. Here’s a list of names that have inked two-way deals with Atlantic Division clubs since the market opened yesterday, per CapFriendly. Some of these may have been included in our main coverage yesterday, while others went under the radar. All contracts carry the league-minimum $775K cap hit unless stated otherwise). Those listed here are likely to begin 2024-25 with each team’s AHL affiliate.

Boston Bruins

F Cole Koepke (one year)
D Jordan Oesterle (two years)
D Billy Sweezey (two years)
F Riley Tufte (one year)
F Jeffrey Viel (one year)

Buffalo Sabres

F Joshua Dunne (two years)
F Mason Jobst (one year)
F Brett Murray (one year)
D Jack Rathbone (one year)
G Felix Sandström (one year)

Detroit Red Wings

F Sheldon Dries (two years)
F Joe Snively (one year)

Florida Panthers

F Rasmus Asplund (one year)

Montreal Canadiens

none

Ottawa Senators

D Jeremy Davies (one year)
F Hayden Hodgson (one year)
F Garrett Pilon (two years)
D Filip Roos (one year)

Tampa Bay Lightning

D Derrick Pouliot (one year)
D Steven Santini (one year)
F Jesse Ylönen (one year)

Toronto Maple Leafs

none

Sabres Sign James Reimer

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Goaltender James Reimer has signed a one-year, one-way deal with the Sabres, per a team release. Initially announced as a two-way deal but quickly changed, the contract will pay him $1MM this season.

Reimer, 36, is coming off a middling 2023-24 campaign. He opened the season as part of a three-goalie rotation with the Red Wings alongside Ville Husso and Alex Lyon, but an injury to Husso early on upgraded him to a full-time backup role. The veteran netminder finished the season with decent numbers overall, posting a .904 SV% and 3.11 GAA with two shutouts in 25 games for the Wings with an 11-8-2 record. He was in no danger of ever stealing the starting role from the breakout journeyman Lyon, but he was serviceable and much-improved from a difficult 2022-23 season with the Sharks (.890 SV%, 3.48 GAA in 43 GP).

A league-average netminder over the course of his 14-year, 501-game career, it’s a bit surprising Reimer couldn’t find a home with more guaranteed playing opportunities next season. Instead, he’ll likely serve as veteran insurance for Buffalo’s young goalie duo of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Devon Levi, the latter of whom projects to be ready for full-time NHL action this season after recording a .927 SV% in 26 games with AHL Rochester last year.

Reimer’s $1MM cap hit will make it easier to sneak him through waivers if he doesn’t crack the roster out of camp compared to a league-minimum deal. If he ends up as third on their depth chart and is assigned to Rochester, it would be his first time in the minors since 2010-11 with the Maple Leafs.

Lightning Sign Victor Hedman To Four-Year Extension

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The Lightning have signed franchise defenseman Victor Hedman to a four-year contract extension worth $8MM per season, the team announced today. The deal kicks in beginning in 2025-26 and will keep him in Tampa through 2028-29.

The extension is signing-bonus heavy and carries a full no-move clause, The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reports.

Hedman and the Lightning were headed toward unrestricted free agency next summer, a fate both surely wanted to avoid after watching longtime captain Steven Stamkos depart for the Predators yesterday. Notably, Hedman’s extension is the exact same length and total value as Stamkos’ deal in Nashville. The new deal is a slight raise on his $7.875MM cap hit, which remains in effect for 2024-25 as he plays the final season of the eight-year, $63MM extension he signed in Tampa back in 2016. Hedman, 33, will now be 38 years old when his contract runs out.

Hedman, drafted second overall in 2009, remains Tampa’s undisputed top blue liner and is arguably the second-best talent in franchise history behind Stamkos. They don’t win back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021 without the 6’7″ Swede, who was crowned the Conn Smythe winner the first time around. He was a Norris finalist in every season from 2016-17 to 2021-22 (winning in 2017-18), a span in which he recorded 85 goals, 289 assists, 374 points and a +117 rating while averaging 24:34 across 428 games played.

Two years ago, however, it looked like Hedman’s decline might have started early. 2022-23 was a rough campaign for him on both sides of the puck, with his 0.64 points per game checking in as his worst offensive showing in seven years and his 50.1 xGF% at even strength running surprisingly mediocre despite over 60% of his zone starts coming in the offensive end.

He had a nice rebound campaign last season, though, erupting once again for 76 points (13 goals, 63 assists) in 78 games with a +13 rating. Hedman has also stayed relatively healthy as he ages, never missing more than six games in a season for the past four years. That’s a good sign for their highest-paid blue liner, who will be relied upon heavily next season to anchor a new-look defense that’s seen Ryan McDonagh re-acquired after two years away and Mikhail Sergachev swapped for J.J. Moser in a larger deal with Utah.

It’s the second big-money move from the Lightning in the past two days. They found Stamkos’ pricier but younger replacement, acquiring top free agent left wing Jake Guentzel’s signing rights from the Hurricanes and promptly inking him to a seven-year deal worth $9MM per season. Clearly, GM Julien BriseBois has no intention of letting the Bolts slip out of championship contention anytime soon, doing well to replenish their roster this past week with younger and, in some cases, more cost-effective talent. But keeping Hedman around was always a priority, too, and he becomes the overwhelming favorite to succeed Stamkos as captain this season.

Hedman’s marginal increase on his current deal means the move doesn’t have much of an impact on their long-term salary cap picture. They do still have one big-ticket item to check off their list this summer, though. Moser remains an unsigned RFA, and they’d surely prefer to get him inked to a new deal before he can file for arbitration. It shouldn’t be too big of a hassle, as the Lightning still have $6.65MM in projected cap space remaining with five open roster spots, per CapFriendly.

With Sergachev out and McDonagh and Moser in, Hedman joins Erik Černák as the only Tampa defenseman signed past 2025-26. They have considerably more long-term stability at forward, with Guentzel, Anthony Cirelli, Brandon Hagel and Brayden Point all locked up through the end of the decade.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

NHL 2024 Free Agency: Day 1 Recap

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Today was a ridiculously busy first day of NHL free agency – in fact, it’s the busiest of all time. With over 120 signings, today marked the first day in league history where more than $1B in total contract value was doled out, per CapFriendly. Most of our Top 50 UFAs are already off the board since the signing period officially began at 11:00 am CT, although many were reported in principle prior to the technical start of the new league year.

There was some notable action on the trade market, too, with a pair of deals to cap off a busy lead-up weekend of swaps.

Listed below are all the notable one-way free agent agreements, contract extensions, trades, and other notable news items from the first day of free agency.

Notable UFA signings

Note: Some of these salary figures may include options, incentives, or non-guaranteed money.

  1. Sam Reinhart, Panthers agree to eight-year, $69MM contract. (signed at the June 30 11:00 pm CT deadline)
  2. Jake Guentzel, Lightning agree to seven-year, $63MM contract.
  3. Elias Lindholm, Bruins agree to seven-year, $54.25MM contract.
  4. Brandon Montour, Kraken agree to seven-year, $50MM contract.
  5. Brady Skjei, Predators agree to seven-year, $49MM contract.
  6. Chandler Stephenson, Kraken agree to seven-year, $43.75MM contract.
  7. Jake DeBrusk, Canucks agree to seven-year, $38.5MM contract.
  8. Matt Roy, Capitals agree to six-year, $34.5MM contract.
  9. Brett Pesce, Devils agree to six-year, $33MM contract.
  10. Steven Stamkos, Predators agree to four-year, $32MM contract.
  11. Nikita Zadorov, Bruins agree to six-year, $30MM contract.
  12. Jonathan Marchessault, Predators agree to five-year, $27.5MM contract.
  13. Sean Monahan, Blue Jackets agree to five-year, $27.5MM contract.
  14. Chris Tanev, Maple Leafs agree to six-year, $27MM contract.
  15. Tyler Toffoli, Sharks agree to four-year, $24MM contract.
  16. Tyler Bertuzzi, Blackhawks agree to four-year, $22MM contract.
  17. Sean Walker, Hurricanes agree to five-year, $18MM contract.
  18. Teuvo Teräväinen, Blackhawks agree to three-year, $16.2MM contract.
  19. Joel Edmundson, Kings agree to four-year, $15.4MM contract.
  20. Anthony Duclair, Islanders agree to four-year, $14MM contract.
  21. Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Maple Leafs agree to four-year, $14MM contract.
  22. Yakov Trenin, Wild agree to four-year, $14MM contract.
  23. Brenden Dillon, Devils agree to three-year, $12MM contract.
  24. William Carrier, Hurricanes agree to six-year, $12MM contract.
  25. Alexandre Carrier, Predators agree to three-year, $11.25MM contract.
  26. Warren Foegele, Kings agree to three-year, $10.5MM contract.
  27. Alexander Wennberg, Sharks agree to two-year, $10MM contract.
  28. Shayne Gostisbehere, Hurricanes agree to three-year, $9.6MM contract.
  29. Jordan Martinook, Hurricanes agree to three-year, $9.15MM contract.
  30. Stefan Noesen, Devils agree to three-year, $8.25MM contract.
  31. Viktor Arvidsson, Oilers agree to two-year, $8MM contract.
  32. David Perron, Senators agree to two-year, $8MM contract.
  33. Michael Amadio, Senators agree to three-year, $7.8MM contract.
  34. T.J. Brodie, Blackhawks agree to two-year, $7.5MM contract.
  35. Mathew Dumba, Stars agree to two-year, $7.5MM contract.
  36. Laurent Brossoit, Blackhawks agree to two-year, $6.6MM contract.
  37. Ilya Lyubushkin, Stars agree to two-year, $6.5MM contract.
  38. Adam Henrique, Oilers agree to two-year, $6MM contract.
  39. Jason Zucker, Sabres agree to one-year, $5MM contract.
  40. Anthony Stolarz, Maple Leafs agree to two-year, $5MM contract.
  41. Cam Talbot, Red Wings agree to two-year, $5MM contract.
  42. Dmitry Kulikov, Panthers agree to four-year, $4.6MM contract.
  43. Danton Heinen, Canucks agree to two-year, $4.5MM contract.
  44. Mattias Janmark, Oilers agree to three-year, $4.35MM contract.
  45. Alec Martinez, Blackhawks agree to one-year, $4MM contract.
  46. Vincent Desharnais, Canucks agree to two-year, $4MM contract.
  47. Erik Gustafsson, Red Wings agree to two-year, $4MM contract.
  48. Sam Lafferty, Sabres agree to two-year, $4MM contract.
  49. Ryan Lomberg, Flames agree to two-year, $4MM contract.
  50. Kevin Stenlund, Utah agree to two-year, $4MM contract.
  51. Brandon Duhaime, Capitals agree to two-year, $3.7MM contract.
  52. Blake Lizotte, Penguins agree to two-year, $3.7MM contract.
  53. Pavel Dorofeyev, Golden Knights agree to two-year, $3.67MM contract.
  54. Anthony Mantha, Flames agree to one-year, $3.5MM contract.
  55. Jake Bean, Flames agree to two-year, $3.5MM contract.
  56. Ian Cole, Utah agree to one-year, $3.1MM contract.
  57. Matt Duchene, Stars agree to one-year, $3MM contract.
  58. Jeff Skinner, Oilers agree to one-year, $3MM contract.
  59. Jani Hakanpää, Maple Leafs agree to two-year, $3MM contract.
  60. Colin Miller, Jets agree to two-year, $3MM contract.
  61. Kiefer Sherwood, Canucks agree to two-year, $3MM contract.
  62. Scott Wedgewood, Predators agree to two-year, $3MM contract.
  63. Josh Brown, Oilers agree to three-year, $3MM contract.
  64. Sam Carrick, Rangers agree to three-year, $3MM contract.
  65. Casey DeSmith, Stars agree to three-year, $3MM contract.
  66. Matt Grzelcyk, Penguins agree to one-year, $2.75MM contract.
  67. Zemgus Girgensons, Lightning agree to three-year, $2.55MM contract.
  68. Jonathan Drouin, Avalanche agree to one-year, $2.5MM contract.
  69. Max Jones, Bruins agree to two-year, $2MM contract.
  70. Ilya Samsonov, Golden Knights agree to one-year, $1.8MM contract.
  71. A.J. Greer, Panthers agree to two-year, $1.7MM contract.
  72. Eric Comrie, Jets agree to two-year, $1.65MM contract.
  73. Parker Kelly, Avalanche agree to two-year, $1.65MM contract.
  74. Kaedan Korczak, Golden Knights agree to two-year, $1.65MM contract.
  75. Joey Anderson, Blackhawks agree to two-year, $1.6MM contract.
  76. Troy Stecher, Oilers agree to two-year, $1.575MM contract.
  77. Tanner Laczynski, Golden Knights agree to two-year, $1.55MM contract.
  78. Jeff Malott, Kings agree to two-year, $1.55MM contract.
  79. Nicolas Aubé-Kubel, Sabres agree to one-year, $1.5MM contract.
  80. Derek Forbort, Canucks agree to one-year, $1.5MM contract.
  81. Corey Perry, Oilers agree to one-year, $1.4MM contract.
  82. Pat Maroon, Blackhawks agree to one-year, $1.3MM contract.
  83. Anthony Beauvillier, Penguins agree to one-year, $1.25MM contract.
  84. Nils Lundkvist, Stars agree to one-year, $1.25MM contract.
  85. Mike Reilly, Islanders agree to one-year, $1.25MM contract.
  86. Christian Fischer, Red Wings agree to one-year, $1.125MM contract.
  87. Urho Vaakanainen, Ducks agree to one-year, $1.1MM contract.
  88. Brett Leason, Ducks agree to one-year, $1.05MM contract.
  89. Connor Brown, Oilers agree to one-year, $1MM contract.
  90. Erik Johnson, Flyers agree to one-year, $1MM contract.
  91. Kaapo Kähkönen, Jets agree to one-year, $1MM contract.
  92. Kasperi Kapanen, Blues agree to one-year, $1MM contract.
  93. Taylor Raddysh, Capitals agree to one-year, $1MM contract.
  94. Brendan Smith, Stars agree to one-year, $1MM contract.
  95. Craig Smith, Blackhawks agree to one-year, $1MM contract.
  96. Eric Robinson, Hurricanes agree to one-year, $950K contract.
  97. Jacob Bryson, Sabres agree to one-year, $900K contract.
  98. Matt Murray, Maple Leafs agree to one-year, $875K contract.
  99. Noah Gregor, Senators agree to one-year, $850K contract.
  100. Pheonix Copley, Kings agree to one-year, $825K contract.
  101. Dennis Gilbert, Sabres agree to one-year, $825K contract.
  102. Calvin de Haan, Avalanche agree to one-year, $800K contract.
  103. Trevor Lewis, Kings agree to one-year, $800K contract.
  104. Alex Barré-Boulet, Canadiens agree to one-year, $775K contract.
  105. Emil Bemström, Penguins agree to one-year, $775K contract.
  106. Jesper Boqvist, Panthers agree to one-year, $775K contract.
  107. Jack Campbell, Red Wings agree to one-year, $775K contract.
  108. Tyson Jost, Hurricanes agree to one-year, $775K contract.
  109. William Lagesson, Red Wings agree to one-year, $775K contract.
  110. Ben Meyers, Kraken agree to one-year, $775K contract.
  111. Tomáš Nosek, Panthers agree to one-year, $775K contract.

Contract extensions

  1. Juuse Saros, Predators agree to eight-year, $61.92MM extension.
  2. Juraj Slafkovsky, Canadiens agree to eight-year, $60.8MM extension.
  3. Jaccob Slavin, Hurricanes agree to eight-year, $51.69MM extension.
  4. Yegor Sharangovich, Flames agree to five-year, $28.75MM extension.
  5. Jacob Middleton, Wild agree to four-year, $17.4MM extension.
  6. Joseph Woll, Maple Leafs agree to three-year, $10.98MM extension.
  7. Garnet Hathaway, Flyers agree to two-year, $4.8MM extension.
  8. Connor McMichael, Capitals agree to two-year, $4.2MM extension.

Trades

  1. Senators trade Jakob Chychrun to Capitals in exchange for Nick Jensen and a 2026 third-round pick.
  2. Penguins trade Reilly Smith (25% retained) to Rangers in exchange for a conditional 2025 fifth-round pick and a 2027 second-round pick.

Other notable headlines

  1. NHL reinstates former Blackhawks executives/coaches Stan Bowman, Al MacIsaac and Joel Quenneville.
  2. Flyers officially sign top prospect Matvei Michkov to three-year, entry-level contract.

After yesterday’s craziness, only four players remain on our Top 50 UFAs list: Vladimir Tarasenko, Joe Pavelski, Jack Roslovic and Daniel Sprong.

Oilers Expected To Sign Adam Henrique

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The Oilers have made a couple of additions up front today with the signings of Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner while bringing back veteran wingers Connor Brown and Corey Perry as well.  It appears they have one more move to make at forward as TSN’s Ryan Rishaug reports that center Adam Henrique is expected to return to Edmonton.  The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta adds that the veteran will get a two-year deal, with Rishaug confirming a $3MM cap hit ($6MM total value).

A new deal for Henrique certainly makes the first-round pick Edmonton gave up for him at the trade deadline all the more worth it. After being acquired from the Ducks, the 34-year-old put up decent secondary scoring numbers but was a tad underwhelming, producing nine points in 22 games. That’s a 34-point pace over an 82-game season, less than he scored in only 60 games with Anaheim prior to the trade.

Henrique struggled with injuries in the playoffs, missing a few contests in Edmonton’s run to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, but elevated his game when it mattered. He averaged important third-line minutes, logging 14:06 per game, and contributed four goals and three assists in 17 games with a +3 rating. Two of his goals were game-winners.

Now, despite having limited cap space, Edmonton’s already improved their forward group from the one that just got them within one goal of a championship. It’s fair to assume one player may be moved out, though. A $3MM cap hit for Henrique puts Edmonton roughly $2.5MM over the $88MM salary cap next season. Whether a cap-clearing trade comes via a forward or defenseman remains to be seen.

If Henrique produces closer to the 50-point pace he’d logged the past few years with the Ducks, even for just the first half of this new deal, it’s a bargain contract for Oilers acting GM Jeff Jackson. It’s clear the Oilers have no intention of doing anything but running it back next season with Leon Draisaitl entering the final year of his contract and Connor McDavid having only two years left on his deal.

With Arvidsson’s and Skinner’s additions (and Jackson saying publicly he expects them in the top six), Henrique will slot into a third-line role for the Oil next season, likely on Ryan McLeod’s wing.

Golden Knights Sign Ilya Samsonov; Extend Pavel Dorofeyev, Kaedan Korczak

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The Golden Knights have found Logan Thompson’s replacement on the open market, inking Ilya Samsonov to a one-year pact today, per a team release. They’ve also re-signed RFA forward Pavel Dorofeyev ($1.835MM AAV) and defenseman Kaedan Korczak ($825K) to two-year deals (per PuckPedia). It’s a $1.8MM cap hit for Samsonov, GM Kelly McCrimmon confirmed.

Vegas may have honored a reported trade request by dealing Thompson to the Capitals for a pair of third-round picks over the weekend, but they’ve now had to settle for a more expensive and arguably worse replacement on the open market. Samsonov costs more than twice as much as Thompson, whose cap hit was in the $700K range, and is coming off a roller-coaster-like 2023-24 campaign with Toronto that saw him finish with an underwhelming .890 SV% and 3.13 GAA in 40 games.

Samsonov started in Game 1 of the Maple Leafs’ first-round series against the Bruins but struggled to the tune of a .896 SV% and 3.01 GAA in the series. He was briefly pulled for the younger Joseph Woll, who was nearly instrumental in Toronto’s Games 5 and 6 wins, but an injury to Woll forced Samsonov back into action for the Leafs’ Game 7 loss.

A quick look at Samsonov’s stats indicates he’s also been yo-yo-like from year to year, something Vegas is banking on with this signing. A rebound year could end up proving to be a good value for his cap hit, but it’s certainly more of a gamble than retaining Thompson. He’ll likely start the season as a pure backup to Adin Hill but could work his way into tandem consideration. Barring injuries, it’s unlikely he’ll play 40+ games like he has with Toronto the past two years. Samsonov had previously expressed a desire for a multi-year deal this summer, too, so settling for a one-year pact likely indicates there wasn’t much of a market.

Dorofeyev returns and will be relied upon heavily to provide cheap depth scoring over the course of his two-year bridge deal. The 23-year-old Russian was limited to 47 games last year and was routinely the 13th forward on a deep Vegas offense, but was a great tertiary scoring option when in the lineup. Going back over the last three years, Dorofeyev has 20 goals and 33 points through his first 67 NHL games – a 40-point pace. He’s proven he can handle third-line minutes, although with the Knights losing all of Michael Amadio, Jonathan Marchessault and Chandler Stephenson today, he may find his way into top-six duties by the end of the season.

Korczak should also be considered for a regular NHL role next season after Alec Martinez departed for the Blackhawks today. The 2019 second-round pick is still only 23 and was solid in major league action last year, accumulating nine points and a +12 rating in 29 games for Vegas. He’ll be in sure contention for a roster spot out of the gate.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Lightning Sign Zemgus Girgensons To Three-Year Deal

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The Lightning have signed forward Zemgus Girgensons to a three-year deal worth $2.55MM ($850K per season), per a team release. It’s Girgensons’ first NHL stop outside of Buffalo, where he spent the first 10 seasons and 688 games of his career.

Girgensons, now 30, will help replenish some of the forward depth the Lightning lost today at an extremely reasonable cost-controlled deal to boot. The 6’2″ Latvian will likely slot into a fourth-line role in Tampa, potentially skating on the wing alongside Luke Glendening and Jesse Ylönen, another one of Tampa’s UFA pickups today.

A decent middle-six checking forward with flexibility at center in his younger days, he’s slipped to fourth-line status in Buffalo the last two years. 2023-24 marked his first season without reaching the 10-goal mark since 2018-19, limited to eight goals and 14 points in 63 games. His 11:51 average time on ice was also a career-low, and it’s hard to imagine him earning much more with the Bolts with others like Mitchell Chaffee, Michael Eyssimont and Conor Sheary providing a bit more offensive upside at the moment.

Girgensons will now remain in Tampa through the 2026-27 season in his depth role, and could be buried in the minors without penalty if he declines past the point of being an NHL regular.

Panthers Sign Jesper Boqvist, Chris Driedger

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The Panthers have dipped their toes into the unqualified RFA market, inking former Bruins center Jesper Boqvist to a one-year deal, per a team announcement. Financial details weren’t disclosed. They’re also bringing back netminder Chris Driedger to the organization on a one-year deal, providing some competition for the backup role with Spencer Knight.

Boqvist, 25, was let go by Boston after recording six goals and 14 points in 47 games last year with a +12 rating. It’s his second straight year not receiving a qualifying offer. He was non-tendered by the Devils in 2023 as well.

The 2017 second-round pick has proven to be somewhat of a solid tertiary scorer, even if he’s been consistently buried in the lineup and is likely a fourth-line piece at his peak. He’s not a good option at center – he really struggles to win draws (36.1 FOW%), but he is an effective winger with good possession numbers over the past two seasons. That makes him a decent replacement for some of the depth forwards Florida lost on the open market today, such as Ryan Lomberg and Kevin Stenlund.

Driedger, meanwhile, could land his first stable NHL role in a while if he outperforms Knight in training camp. He was the Kraken’s expansion draft selection from Florida in 2021, but the three-year, $10.5MM extension he immediately signed in Seattle didn’t work out. Limited significantly by injuries in his first season, he ended up spending the back half of the deal almost exclusively in the minors on assignment to AHL Coachella Valley, where he’s backstopped the Firebirds to back-to-back Calder Cup Finals. His last extended NHL action with Seattle in 2021-22 wasn’t great, posting a .899 SV% and 2.96 GAA with one shutout in 27 games played.

However, the year prior saw him serve as one of the better backups in the league with Florida, tossing up a .927 SV% in 23 appearances. That’s eerily similar to the type of elite pinch-hitting performance they got from Anthony Stolarz last year, who moved onto the Maple Leafs on a two-year deal today. The Panthers will take a low-risk bet that Driedger can recapture the magic he last had in South Florida.

Blackhawks Sign T.J. Brodie To Two-Year Contract

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The Blackhawks have signed veteran defenseman T.J. Brodie to a two-year, $7.5MM contract, per a team announcement. It carries a $3.75MM cap hit in 2024-25 and 2025-26.

Brodie, 34, is coming off a four-year deal with the Maple Leafs that largely saw him serve as one of the better defensive d-men in the league – until he wasn’t. After three years of bonafide top-pairing play, Brodie trailed off in 2023-24, seeing his possession metrics dip and his speed decrease to the point where he was a frequent healthy scratch in the postseason, falling behind multiple trade deadline pickups on the Toronto depth chart.

Numbers still show he’s an effective NHL defender, though, one that should benefit a Chicago defense that didn’t play much defense last year (outside of rookie standout Alex Vlasic). He’s consistently controlled the majority of cumulative quality chances at even strength dating back to his Calgary days in the 2010s, and he averaged at least 21 minutes per game during his four years in Toronto. He should do the same in Chicago, teaming up with Vlasic, Seth Jones, Alec Martinez, and Kevin Korchinski to form a half-decent top-five group on the back end.

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