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NHL Free Agency begins on Tuesday afternoon, but the market was shaken up in a major way less than 24 hours before. Mitch Marner is off to the Vegas Golden Knights, the Florida Panthers kept their stars, and now there is another star free agent off the board. The Columbus Blue Jackets have agreed to terms with left-shot defenseman Ivan Provorov.
The Blue Jackets and Provorov have reportedly agreed to terms on a seven-year contract, according to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun. This contract carries an $8.5 million cap hit through each season. And this deal will keep Provorov off the free agency market once it opens at 12 PM ET on Tuesday.
Provorov has spent the last two seasons in Columbus following a trade from the Philadelphia Flyers. The veteran defenseman has scored 12 goals and 65 points in 164 games with the Blue Jackets. During this span, he has averaged nearly 23 minutes a game as he's found a home on the top pairing alongside Norris Trophy finalist Zach Werenski.
What's next for Blue Jackets after Ivan Provorov signing
The Blue Jackets wanted to keep Provorov around for the long haul. Especially after they missed out on Noah Dobson, who was traded to the Montreal Canadiens before the 2025 NHL Draft. Columbus hopes this is the first step in an active offseason, but they may be limited in their options.
As mentioned, a lot of big-name free agents elected to remain with their teams. The Panthers re-signed their big three of Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad, and Brad Marchand. Even some names down the market, like Los Angeles Kings forward Andrei Kuzmenko, decided against hitting NHL Free Agency.
Of course, the biggest fish in the pond has already found a new home. The Toronto Maple Leafs traded forward Mitch Marner to the Vegas Golden Knights in a sign-and-trade deal. Marner signed an eight-year contract with Vegas following the move.
In short, the Blue Jackets want to make some moves. However, it's rather slim picking in NHL Free Agency. This could see the league shift toward an active trade market, though. Only time will tell what fireworks we see on Tuesday afternoon when NHL Free Agency begins.
