NHL free agency 2022

The NHL offseason is in full swing with the draft in the books. Now teams across the league will shift their focus toward free agency, which gets underway ...

However, the Blue Jackets clearly want to keep Laine as a cornerstone of the franchise after acquiring him from the Jets just two seasons ago. This one is more about the moves that don't need to be made. The Blue Jackets have missed the playoffs in each of the past two seasons as they try to retool their roster. The Flyers have also been linked to Gaudreau, who is originally from the southern New Jersey suburbs outside of Philadelphia. This is a team that is coming off a season in which it had the second-fewest wins in the Eastern Conference. The Flyers need to resist the temptation of backing up the Brinks truck for Gaudreau and build around young players like Owen Tippett, Joel Farabee, Cutter Gauthier and Carter Hart. A few mid-level signings to shore up the center position in the form of Dylan or Ryan Strome wouldn't be a bad idea, but lofty contracts are not what this team needs right now. It's safe to say that the Bruins need to address the middle of the ice and bringing back at least one, if not both, Bergeron and Krejci would be huge. The Oilers took the next step and advanced all the way to the Western Conference Final. However, it was Mike Smith's performance in net that ultimately led to Edmonton's demise. There's a ton of pressure on the Flames after winning the Pacific Division and having a strong season that resulted in them winning a playoff series. Some clever maneuvering will be required in order to add talent to the forward group. If the Bruins are able to add the two veteran centers to the 2022-23 roster, it would go a long way toward stabilizing the position. Their future depends on this deal getting done and keeping him in a Flames uniform for potentially the remainder of his career. There won't be a ton of star power up for grabs after the Nashville Predators re-signed star winger Filip Forsberg to a massive eight-year contract. After a career-best 115-point season, Gaudreau's value will never be higher and his importance to the Flames' franchise can't be measured.

That list is: Nino Niederreiter, Vincent Trocheck, Max Domi, Ian Cole, Brendan Smith, Derek Stepan, Josh Leivo, Sam Miletic, Andrew Poturalski, Spencer Smallman ...

- REPORT]: And the Burns trade appears to be done. - REPORT]: Goaltender Jack Campbell is headed to Edmonton on a five-year, $5 million AAV deal. - REPORT]: Claude Giroux is headed to Ottawa on a three-year, $6.5 million AAV deal. - OFFICIAL]: Goaltender Ilya Samsonov is going to Toronto on a one-year, $1.8 million AAV deal. As for the Hurricanes, there’s quite a few places where Carolina is going to need to make some moves to fill out the roster. It also appears that there are more players than just Burns involved in the deal. Brent Burns and Lane Pederson in exchange for Steven Lorentz, Eetu Makiniemi and a 2023 third-round pick. Any major Canes deal will show up here in the thread and will also get a separate article. - REPORT]: Kevin Rooney is headed to Calgary on a two-year, $1.3 million AAV contract. - REPORT]: Ilya Lyubushkin is going to Buffalo on a two-year, $2.75 million AAV contract. - REPORT]: Eric Comrie is headed to Buffalo on a two-year, $1.8 million AAV contract. - REPORT]: Colin White is going to the Panthers on a one-year, $1.2 million AAV deal.

Claude Giroux, Johnny Gaudreau and Evegni Malkin headline this year's free agent class.

He proved to be a versatile option, playing center in the bottom-six or playing on a ring on the top two lines. He never found a clear role in Buffalo, but he could play top-four minutes in the right system. Vatrano can play up and down the lineup, and his versatility should be appealing to a team in need of forward depth. He has a ton of skill and the signs are there and he can be an offensive weapon in this league. Given the package Colorado gave up for him at the deadline, it's likely that he stays in Denver, but they have a ton of free agents to deal with. When he was on, he was one of the best goalies in hockey. The age is a bit of concern, but he proved this year he's cut out to be a star starter. The 33-year-old winger continues to prove he still has a lot left in the tank after showing flashes over the years that he might be done. The only question with Dobson is will the Islanders sign him to a long-term extension or give him a bridge deal to allow him to prove this year wasn't a fluke. The Stars should not hesitate to get a deal to keep him in Texas. The Jets have a lot of questions that need answers to this offseason and Dubois is one of them. The Flames forward has found his offensive touch and is in for a big payday.

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.

"I want to win, and I believe after signing this deal, we will be able to add the right pieces along with myself to accomplish that goal: a championship." Malkin has spent his entire 16-year career with the Penguins. Only Mario Lemieux and Sidney Crosby have played more seasons in Pittsburgh with 17 to their credit. The Flyers would need to clear significant cap space in order to make a deal with Gaudreau work. In a surprising turn of events, Evgeni Malkin is re-signing with the Pittsburgh Penguins after stating that he would test free agency. Copp spent the entirety of his first seven NHL seasons with the Winnipeg Jets, and he earned a reputation as a steady defensive forward. After spending the first six seasons of his NHL career with the Canadiens, Lehkonen has really found a great spot in Colorado and now he'll spend the next five seasons with the Avalanche. On Tuesday evening, Johnny Gaudreau informed the Calgary Flames that he plans to enter free agency and won't be re-signing with the team. The team traded Vitek Vanecek to the New Jersey Devils earlier in the offseason and Ilya Samsonov signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs once free agency opened. Kuemper is fresh off of a season in which he put together a 37-12-4 record to go along with a 2.54 goals-against-average and a .921 save percentage. As a result of his incredible performance, Marchment got a four-year contract worth $18 million from the Dallas Stars. Marchment will have to play up in the lineup in Dallas, so it will be interesting to see whether he can continue to produce at a high level in an increased role. Following the move to Florida, Giroux had three goals and 20 assists to cap off the 2021-22 campaign. Giroux had previously spent the first 15 seasons of his NHL career with the Philadelphia Flyers before the franchise traded him to the Florida Panthers prior to last season's trade deadline.

The Pittsburgh Penguins' Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, Nashville Predators winger Filip Forsberg and Edmonton Oilers winger Evander Kane recently re-signed ...

Kuemper's age could become a concern over the course of this contract. Drury could be forced to make a cost-cutting move later in the summer to address this issue. He won 17 of his first 25 starts with a .939 save percentage, but that gave way to 14 wins in his final 24 games with an .888 mark. The pact left the Senators with $16 million in cap space. Following a trade from the Flyers to the Florida Panthers, Giroux tallied 23 points in 18 regular-season games along with eight points in 10 playoff contests. He won't be required to carry this club as he did in his heyday with the Philadelphia Flyers. Nevertheless, he will bring invaluable experience and leadership to the top-two forward lines. He'll be in the mid-30s in the latter half of the deal, which is when a scorer's production declines. He was the subject of investigations into domestic violence allegations, which the NHL determined could not be substantiated, and received a 21-game suspension last year before joining the Oilers for violating COVID-19 protocols. Nevertheless, the $6.1 million cap hit and the 10-team no-trade clause during those years could become a salary-cap headache. A future Hall of Famer, Malkin helped the Penguins win the Stanley Cup in 2009, 2016 and 2017. The bad news is they've made a long-term investment in a defenseman who will be 41 when this contract expires. The cap hit on Malkin's deal is similar to that of teammate Kris Letang's recently signed contract but for two fewer years.

The first day of the 2022 NHL free agency period was quite busy, but less chaotic than expected.

Not only that, the Flyers biggest adds in free agency as of this moment are… For years, it’s been no secret that Gaudreau wanted to be part of the Flyers organization due to being a native of Cherry Hill, New Jersey. And now that Gaudreau is available in free agency, the Flyers can’t clear the cap space to get him after signing Tony DeAngelo and Rasmus Ristolainen to a total of $10 million. As of the time this article was written, neither of the top two free agents in Johnny Gaudreau or Nazem Kadri signed deals with new teams. None of Sergachev, Cirelli, or Cernak had expiring contracts this season so the Lightning were quite proactive in locking up a bunch of their core pieces for the foreseeable future. For now, however, it seems as if the busiest time of the free agency period has passed. After a long few weeks, the Penguins managed to keep their core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang intact despite the salary cap crunch.

Free agents Claude Giroux, Andrew Copp, Darcy Kuemper, David Perron, Jack Campbell, Ryan Strome and Andre Burakovsky found new teams while Nazem Kadri, Ondrej ...

The first round saw projected No. 1 overall pick Shane Wright fall to No. 4 and the Seattle Kraken. Here's a look at scouting reports of all the first-round picks, plus a look at the winners and losers of the draft. Wright said he'll have a "chip on (his) shoulder" after falling, and he reiterated his "staredown" was not directed at the Montreal Canadiens, who picked first and selected Juraj Slafkovsky. The Penguins and the Russian star agreed to a four-year contract late Tuesday night worth $6.1 million annually that will keep Malkin in Pittsburgh after all. "John has every right and we have nothing but respect for John the player and John the person." The Washington Capitals have no NHL goaltenders under contract after trading Vitek Vanecek and not qualifying Ilya Samsonov. Goaltending was a weakness for the Edmonton Oilers on their run to the Western Conference final, plus backup Mikko Koskinen signed with the Swiss league. Sergachev has improved his point production (to 38) and ice time (to 22 minutes, 28 seconds) in each of the five seasons of his career. Cirelli is the team's shutdown center and Sergachev's and Cernak's role will grow after the trade of Ryan McDonagh. The Lightning also added defenseman Ian Cole ($3 million) and forward Vladislav Namestnikov ($2.5 million) to one-year, free agent deals. TSN reports that the five-year deal has a $5.625 million cap hit. He became a free agent when the Flyers bought out the final year of his contract. He's a veteran who has been very productive in three stints with the Blues and will provide offense and leadership in Detroit. The Red Wings also made a splash with versatile forward Andrew Copp, plus added defensemen Ben Chiarot and Olli Maatta. Detroit has been one of the busier teams on the opening day of free agency and this shows again that they're looking to move from rebuilding to pushing for a playoff spot. The center gets a reported $25 million over five years.

The last teams are off the draft clock. And the season's first puck drop is still three months away. But if you think that means it's a slow time in the NHL ...

"We've said since the end of the year that we were looking for someone who could play in our top six, and he's playing in our top six." A 31-year-old winger, Deslauriers arrives after totaling eight goals and 13 points in 81 games between Minnesota and Anaheim last season. I can't wait to be wearing the blue and orange." "Cam is experienced and provides us with greater goaltending stability heading into next season," Dorion said. That's always a lot of fun to be a part of. "The fan base is an amazing fan base," Campbell said. "He was instrumental in helping Minnesota reach the playoffs in each of his two seasons with the Wild. The tandem of he and Anton Forsberg sets us up nicely for the upcoming year." "The ability to add someone who is a consistent goal-scorer, someone whose age fits in with a lot of our core, someone that is a competitor, someone who has a proven track record," Senators general manager Pierre Dorion said. Braun is a 35-year-old defenseman who split last season between the Flyers and New York Rangers, and Marody, 25, signed for two years and just more than $1.5 million after scoring 55 points in 52 games last season with Bakersfield of the AHL. It's going to be a short summer, but I can't wait to get down there and meet the guys. Kuemper was 10-4 in the title run with the Avalanche but was made expendable when then-GM (and now president of hockey operations) Joe Sakic acquired Alexandar Georgiev from the New York Rangers at the draft and subsequently signed him to a three-year deal worth $10.2 million. Malkin, a 35-year-old with three Stanley Cups on his resume, was set to test free agency for the first time in his career before agreeing to a four-year, $24.4 million extension that'll presumably allow the Russian-born star to stay in the Steel City for the rest of his NHL stay.

NHL free agency opens at noon Wednesday. Follow along as The Athletic's staff reports on and analyzes all the notable signings, trades and rumors.

In the case of Malkin, who wanted a fourth year, it wasn't until the Penguins firmly offered one Tuesday that things began to fall into place. GO FURTHER Feels like we’re going to end up talking about the goalie carousel a whole bunch in a couple hours, so we’ll save most of that. GO FURTHER GO FURTHER GO FURTHER GO FURTHER GO FURTHER To draft a guy, see him blossom, invest in his ups and downs, buy the jerseys, get the tattoos, all of it, and then he just … leaves. GO FURTHER The Blue Jackets will be one of the NHL’s youngest teams again next year, but they’d like to add some veteran voices at the right positions. GO FURTHER