NHL Free Agency Articles - Page 5

The Columbus Blue Jackets missed the playoffs for a fifth straight season. This year, they were the first team out of the playoffs in the Eastern Conference, missing the playoffs by just two points. Being this close to the playoffs, there was the expectation that general manager Don Waddell could be aggressive in NHL Free […]

The Seattle Kraken enter their fifth season with a new general manager and head coach. Ron Francis is still around, but has turned the GM reins over to Jason Botterill. And Lane Lambert is getting his second shot behind an NHL bench after a strong run as an assistant in Toronto. However, once NHL free […]

The Los Angeles Kings lost in the first round to the Edmonton Oilers for the fourth consecutive year in 2024-25. That forced Rob Blake’s exit as general manager, which brought Ken Holland in as the new head of hockey operations. The Hall-of-Famer made some big moves this summer, bringing in Corey Perry and Cody Ceci, […]

The Nashville Predators are coming off a disappointing season last year. This led to the expectation that the Predators would be aggressive in free agency and potentially use their multiple early draft picks in the 2025 NHL Draft to make moves. Still, Barry Trotz and the Predators made limited moves this offseason and did not […]

The San Jose Sharks were the worst team in the NHL last year. General manager Mike Grier is expecting improvement this year. With a young core of players already in place, led by Macklin Celebrini, William Eklund, and Will Smith, the team was aggressive in this 2025 NHL free-agency period. They brought in plenty of […]

The Toronto Maple Leafs returned to the playoffs for a ninth straight season, but would fall in the second round of the playoffs to the Florida Panthers. This led to the contract of Brendan Shanahan not being renewed by the franchise. Now, general manager Brad Treliving will have more of a say in the operation. […]

The New York Islanders were the team at the NHL Draft. They traded Noah Dobson to the Montreal Canadiens, drafted Matthew Schaefer first overall, and made two more first-round picks. New general manager Mathieu Darche made his splash, but he did not sit out on July 1. How did the Islanders fare on each of […]

The Carolina Hurricanes finally won a game in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2025. However, they were limited to just the one win in the penultimate round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Carolina were dominated by the Florida Panthers for most of the series. And they fell in five games as a result. The […]

The Boston Bruins missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2025 in rather surprising fashion. Many expected Boston to be a playoff contender, and potentially a contender for the Cup itself. However, they struggled out of the gate, leading to the firing of Jim Montgomery as head coach. In the end, the coaching change was not […]

The Detroit Red Wings needed to make some major moves in NHL Free Agency this summer. And to some extent, they did make big moves. The Red Wings traded for goaltender John Gibson to kick off their offseason activity. However, more was needed, and there was a bit of anticipation building to see what this […]

The Anaheim Ducks have made some moves during 2025 free agency that they believe will position them for success. Now, as they attempt to extend Mason McTavish and Lukas Dostal, it’s the best time to analyze the Ducks’ offseason and see how they did. While they certainly are not finished, the Ducks’ NHL offseason grades […]

The New Jersey Devils made the playoffs for the second time in three seasons, but were eliminated in the first round by the Carolina Hurricanes. It was injuries that doomed the end of the Devils’ season. With that, it was not expected that general manager Tom Fitzgerald would make major moves. They still have a […]

The Florida Panthers won their second consecutive Stanley Cup, joining a list of elite teams of NHL lore. Now, they look to become one of the few teams to win three consecutive Stanley Cups. Before they could do that, they needed to ensure they had the players. The Panthers’ offseason has agreed to numerous contract […]

The Minnesota Wild returned to the playoffs for the fifth time in the last six seasons. Still, they would fall in the first round to the Vegas Golden Knights. This was also the fifth time in six years, they failed to advance past the first round. Still, the offseason has not been a productive one […]

The Calgary Flames have missed the playoffs three straight years now. This year, they narrowly missed out on the playoffs, which led to the expectation that they would potentially be aggressive this offseason. That has not come to fruition, though. Still, they kept around some solid pieces while also making some signings in NHL free […]

The Washington Capitals finished as the top team in the Eastern Conference after the regular season. This would give them their tenth playoff berth in their last 11 seasons. Still, they would be eliminated in the second round of the playoffs by the Carolina Hurricanes. It has been a quiet NHL free agency period for […]

The Winnipeg Jets have already made waves this offseason by signing veteran player Jonathan Toews to a contract. Winnipeg is now doing even more with their roster, as the club signed a $3.7 million contract extension with forward Morgan Barron. Barron signed a two-year deal that will pay him $1.85 million a year, per NHL.com. […]

Michael Carcone isn’t going anywhere. The veteran forward has officially signed a one-year deal with the Utah Mammoth. At age 29, the winger has spent his entire NHL career with the Arizona/Utah franchise and is returning after a tough 2024-25 season in which he scored seven goals and produced just 19 points in 53 games. […]

The San Jose Sharks have made a ton of moves in NHL Free Agency to this point. In fact, they’ve completely changed the foundation of their team. One of the more intriguing signings came Friday when San Jose signed veteran forward Jeff Skinner to a one-year contract. Skinner joins San Jose after spending one season […]

The San Jose Sharks added grit through trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs recently. Toronto acquired defenseman Henry Thrun from the Sharks in exchange for veteran enforcer Ryan Reaves. It was a bit of a surprising deal, to say the least. But it’s one that both San Jose and Reaves are quite happy with. Reaves […]

The Buffalo Sabres have considered trading Bowen Byram for nearly a year at this point. Byram is a restricted free agent, which means he needs a new contract. Though the Sabres have prevented the possibility of an offer sheet, the young defenseman’s long-term future may not be in Buffalo. However, his short-term future is another […]

As the Utah Mammoth prepare for their second year as an NHL franchise, it certainly appears that the team is building something special. Under the direction of head coach Andre Tourigny and GM Bill Armstrong, the franchise formerly known as the Arizona Coyotes have a much brighter future in Salt Lake City. One of the […]

The San Jose Sharks and their fans are tired of losing. A two-year stay in the NHL basement will make anyone go mad. One can only trust the process for so long. A swift surge is unlikely to come during the 2025-26 season, but general manager Mike Grier is actively trying to speed up the […]

The Colorado Avalanche are keeping one of their more important defensemen around for a couple more seasons after re-signing Josh Manson to a two-year, $7.9 million contract extension on Thursday, the team announced. “Josh has been an important member of our blue line since joining the team during the 2022 stretch run,” general manager Chris […]

The Colorado Avalanche made a lot of moves this offseason after a disappointing first-round playoff exit. Extending Brock Nelson and trading Charlie Coyle made the biggest headlines, but one move could help the blue line. The Avalanche signed veteran Brent Burns to a one-year contract for his age-40 season. Was it the right team for […]

Two famous adversaries in the Atlantic Division emerge as possible landing spots for Pittsburgh Penguins offensive defenseman Erik Karlsson. The Toronto Maple Leafs and the Ottawa Senators are reported to be interested in acquiring the veteran blueliner, which is generating chatter regarding a potential blockbuster trade. The Maple Leafs have taken a close look at […]

The San Jose Sharks picked up an intriguing free agent last week as Dmitry Orlov to is coming over from the Carolina Hurricanes. Orlov has been in the NHL for a long time as he started his career in 2011 with the Washington Capitals. Orlov was with the Capitals for a long time, but he […]

The Toronto Maple Leafs lost one of their core pieces during NHL free agency. Even though they got Nicolas Roy in a sign-and-trade, losing Mitch Marner will hurt their forward unit. The Maple Leafs are looking to add more in the late stages of free agency, namely forward Jack Roslovic. But David Pagnotta of The […]

The Carolina Hurricanes made it back to the Eastern Conference Final for the second time in the last three seasons, but were once again dispatched by the Florida Panthers. In an effort to get them over the hump moving forward, the Hurricanes have made a handful of notable additions to their roster, including the acquisitions […]

After a disappointing 2024–25 season, the Boston Bruins are working to turn things around with a flurry of offseason moves. One unexpected NHL Free Agency storyline links Bruins goaltender Joonas Korpisalo to trade rumors suggesting he wants out of Boston. But his agent quickly denied it, saying Korpisalo never asked to be moved. He still […]

The Philadelphia Flyers, who have not been to the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2020, are banking on the latest moves from general manager Daniel Briere that their drought could soon come to an end. The Flyers have re-signed a handful of their current players, including Noah Cates and Cam York. Additionally, they acquired Trevor Zegras […]

Nikolaj Ehlers has officially closed a memorable chapter with the Winnipeg Jets, sharing a heartfelt letter with fans and teammates after signing with the Carolina Hurricanes. In a message posted on social media, Ehlers reflected on a decade spent with the franchise and expressed gratitude for the relationships and memories that defined his time in […]

The New Jersey Devils were eliminated by the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round of the NHL playoffs this past season. They have made some offseason moves to ideally make a run in the playoffs in 2025-26. The latest one is the signing of Connor Brown, who inked a four-year, $12 million contract in this […]

The Philadelphia Flyers missed the playoffs for a fifth straight season, but they have made a bevy of moves to make sure they return to the postseason this upcoming year. This kicked off with the hiring of Rick Tocchet to be the new head coach. The latest move was bringing back restricted free agent Cam […]

It has been a busy offseason for the Edmonton Oilers. They opened up the summer by bringing back Trent Frederic on an eight-year deal, after they fell in the Stanley Cup Final for a second straight season. They have made some other major moves in NHL Free Agency, with the latest being the signing of […]

In the throes of a five-year postseason drought, the Philadelphia Flyers have reached the point where it is time to effectively end their rebuilding phase and jump back into the Stanley Cup Playoffs picture. Though, before the franchise can become relevant again, it must determine who fits its long-term vision. Philly general manager Daniel Briere […]

The Winnipeg Jets are coming off winning the President’s Trophy this past season, but would fall to the Dallas Stars in the second round of the playoffs. The Jets have made moves to strengthen their roster while losing some key players. The franchise has added Gustav Nyquist on a one-year deal, which could be a […]

The San Jose Sharks recently announced what may prove to be one of the most beneficial value moves during the 2025 NHL free agency period. Signing Dmitry Orlov to a two-year, $13 million deal, San Jose added a proven veteran defenseman while hitting the  $70.6 million salary floor in the NHL this season. Orlov, at […]

The Seattle Kraken signed defenseman Ryan Lindgren to a four-year contract in free agency, which carries a $4.5 million cap hit. Beginning his career with the New York Rangers, Lindgren spent parts of six seasons with the organization. But as the Rangers made changes this past season amidst a disappointing year, the defender was dealt […]