Calgary Flames star Johnny Gaudreau is the top free agent available as he is expected to test the open market. Gaudreau is coming off the best year of his professional career as he scored 115 points (40 goals and 75 assists). The veteran winger is likely to command high wages in the range of $10-12 million per season. While Gaudreau is easily the biggest fish available, several other big names will be on the move. Check below for the latest signings and trades.
Claude Giroux signs with the Senators
Veteran forward Claude Giroux has agreed to a three-year, $19.5 million contract with the Ottawa Senators. The deal will be for $6.5 million per season. Giroux hails from Hearst, Ontario and will now be playing close to home for the first time in his career. Giroux previously spent the first 15 seasons of his NHL career with the Philadelphia Flyers before the franchise traded him to the Florida Panthers before last season’s trade deadline. The star forward is coming off a season in which he scored 65 points (21 goals and 44 assists) between the Flyers and Panthers. After moving to Florida, Giroud had three goals and 20 assists to close out the 2021-22 season. The Senators have been extremely active this offseason. Prior to the draft, the Senators acquired star winger Alex DeBrincat from the Chicago Blackhawks. Ottawa now has significant star power in Brady Tkachuk, DeBrincat and Giroux to solidify their top six forward group.
Mason Marchment to Stars
Marchment is one of the most exciting members of this free agent class. At 26 in his third NHL season last year, Marchment played a major role for the Panthers and thrived. He scored 18 goals and totaled 29 assists in just 54 games played, and the Panthers controlled a high percentage of scoring chances with Marchment on the ice. As a result of his incredible performance, Marchment received a four-year, $18 million contract from the Dallas Stars. Marchment should play in the lineup in Dallas, so it will be interesting to see if he can continue to produce at a high level in an increased role.
Avalanche Patience to Arturi Lehonen
The Colorado Avalanche continue to try to keep their Stanley Cup winning team intact. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, winger Arturi Lekkonen has agreed to a five-year contract worth $4.5 million per season. The Avalanche acquired Lehkonen from the Montreal Canadiens at the trade deadline. Lehkonen, 27, was a huge asset for Colorado in the second half of the season, scoring six goals and providing three assists in 16 regular season games. Lehkonen really rose to the occasion throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs. In Game 4 against the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference Finals, Lekkonen scored the game-winning goal in overtime to send the Avalanche to the Stanley Cup Final. He also scored the Stanley Cup-clinching goal in Game 6 against the Tampa Bay Lightning when he found the back of the net in the second period. After spending the first six seasons of his NHL career with the Canadiens, Lehkonen has truly found a great niche in Colorado and will now spend the next five seasons with the Avalanche.
Kraken Upgrade Breach with Andrew Burakovsky
The Seattle Kraken have money to spend this summer, and after a rough debut season, they’re getting help on offense. The Kraken have signed former Colorado Avalanche winger Andre Burakovsky to a five-year, $27.5 million contract, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Since joining Colorado ahead of the 2019-20 season, Burakovsky has been excellent at creating scoring opportunities and totaled 22 goals and 61 points last year. Seattle scored just 216 goals last season, which ranked 30th in the NHL. Burakovsky fills a need as a top-six forward.
The initials are signed Darcy Kuemper
The Washington Capitals are solidifying the goalie position. They signed former Avs netminder Darcy Kuemper to a five-year, $26.25 million contract. Kuemper is coming off a season in which he posted a 37-12-4 record to go along with a 2.54 goals-against average and .921 save percentage. The veteran goaltender also posted a 10-4 record, 2.57 goals-against average and .902 save percentage in 16 games during Colorado’s run to the Stanley Cup. The Avalanche simply didn’t have the cap space to retain Kuemper’s services, so they decided to acquire goaltender Alexandar Georgiev from the New York Rangers. The Capitals have been trying to solidify their goaltending situation since winning the Stanley Cup in 2018. The team traded Vitek Vanecek to the New Jersey Devils earlier in the offseason, and Ilya Samsonov signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs when free agency opened.
Bruins, Devils trade centers
The Bruins acquired Pavel Zacha from the Devils in exchange for Erik Haula. Zacha is coming off a 36-point season (15 goals and 21 assists) for the Devils. In his seven years with the franchise, Zacha scored 179 points (69 goals and 110 assists) after being selected with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. Meanwhile, Haula scored 44 points (18 goals and 26 assists) for the Bruins last season. The Devils will be the seventh team for Haula in his NHL career, as in addition to the Bruins he has also spent time with the Minnesota Wild, Vegas Golden Knights, Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers and Nashville Predators. The Bruins are still trying to solidify their center position as they try to get Patrice Bergeron to return for a 19th season. Additionally, Boston has also been linked to veteran center David Krejci in a possible reunion. Krejci spent the first 15 years of his NHL career with the Bruins before playing in Switzerland last season.
Andrew Copp to the Red Wings
As the Detroit Red Wings continue their rebuild, they made a splash in free agency by signing center Andrew Copp to a five-year, $28.125 million contract. Copp spent all of his first seven NHL seasons with the Winnipeg Jets and earned a reputation as a solid defensive forward. Last season, Copp bent some offensive minds, especially after being traded to the New York Rangers. In total, he found the back of the net 21 times while collecting 53 points between Winnipeg and New York. The Red Wings look ready to take the next step, and Copp should help with that. The team has already solidified the goaltending situation by trading Ville Husso, and young stars like Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond give fans in Detroit reason to be optimistic about the future.
Vincent Trocheck signs with the Rangers
With Andrew Copp and Ryan Strome both hitting free agency, the Rangers have made the center field a priority by adding former Carolina Hurricane Vincent Trocheck. Trocheck’s deal is for seven years and $39 million with an average annual value of $5.625 million. In his final two seasons in Carolina, Trocheck was an incredibly efficient and underrated player. Last season, Trocheck tallied 21 goals and 30 assists, making him a potent second-line center. If the Rangers were looking for someone to play behind Mika Zibanejad in the middle, they could have done a lot worse than Trocek,
Nazem Kadri’s possible destinations
The Avalanche likely won’t be able to retain Kadri’s services because they have to pay forward Artturi Lehkonen and defenseman Josh Manson, who are also free agents. The New York Rangers have shown interest but appear to be signing former Carolina Hurricanes center Vincent Trocheck to solidify their second line. That leaves the Detroit Red Wings as a team that would make a lot of sense for Kadri given their young forward group. The Boston Bruins could also be an option if they can’t do something to bring Patrice Bergeron back for his 19th season.
Jack Campbell is expected to sign with Edmonton
The Oilers addressed their unlikely goaltending situation by signing former Maple Leaf Jack Campbell to a five-year, $25 million contract. He should be a marked upgrade over Mike Smith, who is floundering in the postseason. However, Campbell has some questions of his own. Through the first three months of the 2021-22 season, Campbell looked like the Vezina Trophy favorite, but fell into a crater. If he can rebound, Edmonton will be much better between the pipes.
Gaudreau informs Flames he is leaving
On Tuesday night, Johnny Gaudreau informed the Calgary Flames that he plans to enter free agency and will not re-sign with the team. Gaudreau, who hails from New Jersey, has been linked to the New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders and Philadelphia Flyers. “I strongly believe this was a family decision and I fully respect it,” Flames general manager Brad Treliving said Tuesday night. “John has every right and we have nothing but respect for John the player and John the man. I firmly believe we couldn’t have done any more. We respect that… I think this was a really difficult decision for John… I think they all operated with the right intentions.” The Flyers would have to clear significant cap space to land a deal with Gaudreau’s job. On the other hand, the Devils have a ton of cap space — if the franchise wants to pair Gaudreau with star Jack Hughes.
Malkin is staying with the Penguins
In a surprising turn of events, Evgeni Malkin is re-signing with the Pittsburgh Penguins after declaring he will test free agency. Malkin signed a four-year, $24.4 million contract to remain with the Penguins, according to a team press release. Malkin’s new deal has an average annual value of $6.1 million. Penguins general manager Ron…
