NHL Free Agency Articles - Page 3

The Chicago Blackhawks had a rough 2024-25 season. Many expected Chicago to take a step forward on the ice. Connor Bedard showed promise for a Blackhawks team needing a source of hope in 2023-24. However, things did not go well this past season. Bedard struggled at times, the team played poorly, and head coach Luke […]

The New York Islanders drafted Matthew Schaefer first overall in the 2025 NHL Draft. Schaefer separated himself from his peers in the draft this past season. And he certainly has a bright future ahead of him. On Monday, though, New York and Schaefer made a major decision regarding his more immediate future in hockey. Schaefer […]

The San Jose Sharks missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs as expected in 2025. However, there seemed to be a shift in perception around the team. Despite their lackluster results, the skill and quality were evident on many nights. San Jose is still rebuilding, but their performances at least showed that the future is bright for […]

The 2025 offseason for the Edmonton Oilers was one of both success and failure. The front office performed admirably in free agency, and they made a few key trades. One of the trades heavily addressed the future, as the franchise traded for Hobey Baker Award winner Isaac Howard from the Tampa Bay Lightning. Regardless, two […]

At the end of the 2009-10 season, the NHL created the Jim Gregory Award, given to the General Manager of the Year. With how the last three votes have gone, the NHL may need to consider renaming it after Jim Nill. Nill has now won the award three times in a row and has had another […]

The Winnipeg Jets signed defenseman Dylan Samberg to a three-year contract extension, which carries a $5.75 million cap hit. Samberg is 26 years old and played 60 games with the Jets in 2024-25. While he did miss some time with an injury, Samberg still managed 20 points and a plus-34 rating. He also averaged over […]

It was a disappointing finish to the 2024-25 season for the Toronto Maple Leafs. After making the playoffs for a ninth consecutive campaign, it was a second-round exit at the hands of the Florida Panthers. This would lead to Brendan Shanahan not seeing his contract renewed, and Brad Treliving reporting directly to the CEO as […]

For a fourth consecutive season, the Los Angeles Kings returned to the playoffs, but were eliminated by the Edmonton Oilers for a fourth straight time. The Kings brought in Ken Holland to be the new GM, and he made some solid moves in the NHL Free Agency. His latest move was to re-sign Alex Laferriere […]

The Montreal Canadiens made the Stanley Cup Playoffs in a surprising turn this past season. Many expected this year to be a rough one for the young Habs. They struggled early on, which drove the point home even further. At one point, the Canadiens were ripped for regressing on the ice due to their particularly […]

The Toronto Maple Leafs suffered another disappointing postseason exit in 2025. They faced the Florida Panthers in the second round and had a 2-0 series lead early on. In fact, they had a chance to go up 3-0 against Florida. But the defending champions found their stride, defeating Toronto in six games. And in NHL […]

The St. Louis Blues made the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2025 after a rather successful regular season. The Blues faced the Winnipeg Jets during the first round of the postseason. St. Louis dominated at points in the series, but could not close it out. Winnipeg defeated St. Louis in Game 7, sending the Blues into […]

The Pittsburgh Penguins entered the 2025 NHL offseason looking to sell. They had veteran trade candidates such as Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell, and Erik Karlsson. And they were really the only team open to trading roster players for futures. Entering NHL Free Agency, it felt as if Pittsburgh would be quite active in moving its […]

The Detroit Red Wings are hoping to contend in the 2025-26 season. They do not want to end up where they’ve been for the last nine seasons: outside of the playoffs and in the NHL Draft Lottery. Detroit entered NHL Free Agency hoping to make a significant move. Unfortunately, that significant move has yet to […]

One of the biggest disappointments in the 2024-25 NHL season was the Nashville Predators. In the summer of 2024, general manager Barry Trotz attempted to make the team a contender through NHL free agency. It turned into a failure in the 2024-25 season. The team would miss the playoffs for the second time in three […]

The Los Angeles Kings have become a consistent presence in the Western Conference as a team that contends for a playoff spot nearly every year, but they have continued running into the same ceiling. That ceiling is the Edmonton Oilers, who have eliminated Los Angeles in four consecutive seasons in the first round of the […]

The New Jersey Devils made the playoffs for the second time in three seasons. They would fall to the Carolina Hurricanes for the second time in three years as well in 2024-25. While injury issues were a major reason this past season, it was clear the franchise is on the right track to make another […]

The Buffalo Sabres got their last significant piece of business finished up on Thursday, signing restricted free agent goaltender Devon Levi to a two-year contract extension worth $1.625 million. It has an average annual value of $812,500. The 23-year-old spent most of the 2024-25 campaign with the Rochester Americans in the American Hockey League. He was […]

The Vegas Golden Knights knew they needed to make a big splash in 2025 NHL free agency after losing to the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Ultimately, there was a lack of scoring in that series. The Knights combined for 10 goals across five games against the Oilers. Somehow, they endured two shutouts […]

The Anaheim Ducks were struggling to attract any free agents to Orange County. Despite trading for Chris Kreider, Anaheim was having trouble getting anyone else through NHL free agency. The 2025 NHL offseason was going as badly as it could. Then, the Ducks’ offseason changed when they surprisingly signed the hottest veteran on the market. […]

The Calgary Flames will remain linked long-term with . The team has signed the Slovak forward to a three-year contract extension that will begin in the 2026–27 season. The deal, confirmed Wednesday by his agent Dan Milstein, carries an average annual value of $2.5 million. It marks a significant move following the draft. Pospisil, who […]

After one season with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Max Pacioretty is available again in NHL free agency. The former Montreal Canadiens captain is eligible for a one-year, bonus-laden deal. That should have contenders vying for his services to bolster depth and bring a veteran presence to their bottom six. According to Michael Aguello of The […]

The Buffalo Sabres signed defenseman Conor Timmins to a two-year contract on Sunday, which carries a $2.2 million cap hit. Timmins was acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins in June, as part of a trade that sent Connor Clifton the other way. The defenseman posted 15 points in 68 games split between the Penguins and Toronto […]

The Montreal Canadiens took a massive step forward in 2024-25. Following a scintillating run to the Stanley Cup Final four seasons ago, the Habs spent three years at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, finishing dead last in the Atlantic Division between 2022-24. But things are looking up for the National Hockey League’s most storied […]

Following their loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2020-21 Stanley Cup Final, the Montreal Canadiens have been in rebuild mode. Head coach Martin St. Louis and general manager Kent Hughes have cultivated a roster filled with young talent looking to be a part of the next contending core of Habs. On Monday, the […]

Last year, the Utah Mammoth missed the playoffs in their first year in Salt Lake City after Ryan Smith acquired the assets of the Arizona Coyotes franchise. The team was then known as the Utah Hockey Club and has officially rebranded as the Mammoth. In their first summer under the new name, it would be […]

The Florida Panthers are coming off winning their second straight Stanley Cup. It was also their third straight appearance in the Stanley Cup Final. Even with all the success, it was going to be a difficult summer for general manager Bill Zito. The club was tight on cap space and still will need to make […]

The Buffalo Sabres have missed the playoffs for 14 straight years. That ties them for the longest playoff drought in the Big Four American professional sports with the New York Jets. Long gone are the days of Dominik Hasek, Rob Ray, and Miroslav Satan, and with them, chances to compete for the Stanley Cup. Still, […]

For a ninth consecutive season, the Toronto Maple Leafs advanced to the playoffs. They would fall to the Florida Panthers in the second round for the second time in three years. The team has not advanced past the second round of the playoffs since 2002, when they lost in the conference finals. Hopes for a […]

The Detroit Red Wings made some intriguing moves during the 2025 NHL offseason. The totality of their moves has drawn a bit of skepticism from their fans. But overall, Detroit got better during the offseason. And they may have made no bigger upgrade than trading for goaltender John Gibson. Gibson spent his entire career with […]

The Edmonton Oilers made some intriguing moves this offseason. However, one of the more talked-about moves involved veteran forward Trent Frederic. Frederic, acquired at the NHL Trade Deadline from the Boston Bruins, signed an eight-year contract extension this summer. Despite public discourse, general manager Stan Bowman is not backing down from his decision. Bowman appeared […]

For the second time in three seasons, the Carolina Hurricanes were one of the final four teams standing in the National Hockey League in 2024-25. But as has been the case far too often, the Canes were defeated easily in the Eastern Conference Final, losing in five games to the eventual champion Florida Panthers. Carolina […]

The Tampa Bay Lightning were eliminated in the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. It was a disappointing exit for a Lightning team with Stanley Cup ambitions. It’s even more disappointing considering they didn’t give the Florida Panthers much of a fight. Entering NHL Free Agency, Tampa had to pick up the pieces […]

The Ottawa Senators have had a relatively quiet NHL offseason to this point. They didn’t make any huge splashes to add to their group in NHL Free Agency, but also didn’t lose any key pieces. We did see one notable trade, with the team acquiring Jordan Spence from the Los Angeles Kings. Meanwhile, the Senators […]

The New York Islanders missed the playoffs for the second time in the last four years. The team would make multiple moves this offseason to improve and rebuild. They have continued making moves this summer, signing Maxim Tsyplakov to a contract extension and avoiding arbitration. The Islanders have had a busy offseason thus far. They […]

The Washington Capitals have made the playoffs in 10 of the last 11 seasons. This includes being the top team in the Eastern Conference in 2024-25. They had a quiet 2025 NHL offseason, but despite that, still made one perfect move this offseason. The Caps missed out on the top free agents in the market […]

The Montreal Canadiens returned to the playoffs for the first time since losing in the Stanley Cup Final in 2021. The Canadiens would fall in the first round of the playoffs to the Washington Capitals. If the squad wants to advance further in the playoffs in 2025-26, they had to make some offseason moves in […]

The Vancouver Canucks have missed the playoffs for four of the last five seasons. They have often narrowly missed out on a playoff spot in recent years, and after a tumultuous 2024-25 campaign, in which they traded JT Miller, the team needed to make moves in NHL Free Agency. They did make some moves, but […]

The Carolina Hurricanes signed Logan Stankoven to a huge contract extension in NHL Free Agency. However, he is not the only young star Carolina has rewarded. Trade pickup K’Andre Miller also received a huge eight-year contract from the Hurricanes. And on Thursday, it was forward Jackson Blake receiving his big payday. Blake signed an eight-year […]

The Carolina Hurricanes made big splashes in NHL Free Agency this summer. And they’ve made sure to reward their own young stars, as well. Carolina is gearing up for a Stanley Cup run in 2026. On Thursday night, Carolina paid another key piece to the team. Forward Jackson Blake is sticking around for quite some […]