LIVE BLOG: 2023 NHL FREE AGENCY
Live updates throughout the day as Free Agency begins...
Welcome to the Blogs Of Steele 2023 NHL Free Agency Live Blog!
NHL Free Agency begins at 12 P.M. ET and, while this isn’t the most exciting class, there are still some big names on the board.
I profiled some of the most intriguing players available, and their best fits, which you can read HERE.
I also took a look at the biggest needs the Buffalo Sabres have to address, and potential options available to them in Free Agency. You can read that HERE.
But, for now, stick with us as we keep you updated with all the moves happening across the NHL today…
Tapering Off
Things appear to be slowing down, so I’m going to cover these last few moves and we’ll probably call it a night.
Thanks for following along and make sure to keep following Blogs Of Steele for plenty of NHL coverage throughout the offseason!
The Avs announced they had re-signed veteran forward and Stanley Cup champion Andrew Cogliano.
Per Elliotte Friedman, the Detroit Red Wings have remained busy by signing defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere.
And, according to Craig Morgan, forward Alex Kerfoot has signed a two-year deal with the Coyotes with an AAV of $3.5 million.
We Have A Trade
Per Elliotte Friedman and Frank Seravalli, the Florida Panthers are dealing forward Anthony Duclair to the San Jose Sharks. It appears that this a cap-clearing move by the Panthers, who are perhaps gearing up for a bigger move. A run at free-agent forward Vladimir Tarasenko perhaps?
NYR Make More Moves
New York Rangers GM Chris Drury has been busy bargain shopping all day, adding a slew of depth without really breaking the bank. Well, he’s done it again with defenseman Erik Gustafsson signing a one-year, $825k deal with the Blueshirts. Gustafsson put up 42 points (7 G, 35 A) in 70 games for the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Washington Capitals in 2022-23.
More Moves!
We’re starting to get a slew of fairly notable deals come through now…
The Seattle Kraken have bolstered their blueline by signing veteran Brian Dumoulin to a two-year deal with a $3.15 million AAV. Dumoulin won a couple of cups in Pittsburgh and is due a bounce-back year. I like this deal for both parties.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed blueliner John Klingberg to a one-year deal.
The Detroit Red Wings have announced that they have signed center J.T. Compher to a five-year deal with an AAV of $5.1 million. I think this was an overpay but Detroit needs center depth and the market was hardly flooded with high-end pivots. So what are you going to do.
Pens Strike Again
I freaking love what Kyle Dubas and the Penguins are doing on Day 1 of NHL Free Agency. The biggest need the Pens needed to address this offseason was a glaring lack of depth, and they’ve wasted little time in doing so.
Their latest move today has been to sign veteran center Lars Eller to a two-year deal with an Average Annual Value of $2.45 million.
I was really high on Eller heading into Free Agency because he can be a real nice bottom-six piece for a contender. He won a Stanley Cup with Washington in 2018, he can win faceoffs, he can play on the penalty kill, he can finish his checks and he can provide some offense. The Penguins will have a much-better bottom-six in 2023-24, and Eller will be a big part of that.
Another Extension
Extensions are the name of the game right now as we continue to march on in NHL Free Agency.
The Colorado Avalanche have announced that they have signed defenseman Bowen Byram to a two-year bridge deal, which carries an AAV of $3.85 million.
Byram had a breakout year of sorts for the Avs in 2022-23, putting up 24 points (10 G, 14 A) in 42 games.
Isles Announce Slew Of Extensions
As I was typing out a destination prediction for Scott Mayfield below, the Islanders announced that they have signed the underrated defenseman to a seven-year deal.
The Isles also announced that they have signed goaltenders Semyon Varlamov and Ilya Sorokin to a four-year and eight-year contract respectively, while they have also signed forward Pierre Engvall to a seven-year deal. Big yikes on that last one.
Now, per CapFriendly, the terms for Sorokin is eight-years with an AAV of $8.25 million, while Engvall will have an AAV of $3 million over seven years. Now, I get the term for Sorokin because he is a franchise goalie, but I don’t understand why you would give effectively a middle-six guy in Engvall a seven-year deal. That won’t age well.
At the time of writing this, details aren’t available on Mayfield’s or Varlamov’s contracts.
Oh, by the way, I love that Isles President of Hockey Operations Lou Lamoriello basically dumped all this news out in fell swoop. Classic Lou.
Taking Stock
Things appear to be slowing down somewhat and, as predicted, we are seeing a lot of short-term deals being dished out by teams.
However, there are still some notable names hanging out there including Patrick Kane, Vladimir Tarasenko, Matt Dumba and Scott Mayfield.
Here’s some rapid predictions for those players:
Patrick Kane - I still think Showtime goes back to Broadway and signs with the New York Rangers, but this one could be a slow-burn. After all, Kane has recently undergone hip surgery and he’ll miss the first-half of the 2023-24 season, so there’s no rush. The Blueshirts could sign Kane at any point over the next few weeks, put him on LTIR and allow him to get back to full health ready for the postseason. That seems like the most likely bet to me.
Vladimir Tarasenko - This one is a bit more tricky. Tarasenko can still be a productive top-six forward in the NHL and he’s best off going to a contender. I wonder if a team like the Seattle Kraken would want to make a splash by bolstering their top-six with a proven scorer like Tarasenko. Again, this one may not get done for a while.
Matt Dumba - For any team looking for an offensive-minded defenseman for their top-four, Dumba would be a good fit on a long-term deal. I wonder if the Penguins may try to find a way to get this done given that it is unlikely they will be able to trade for Erik Karlsson. It could be that Dumba waits this out to see what happens with Karlsson because if either one of Seattle and Carolina, two of the reported frontrunners for Karlsson, miss out on the Sharks blueliner, then maybe Dumba could be an option. We’ll see. The Chicago Blackhawks are a team with a ton of cap space that could do with upgrading the blueline, so they could be in play.
Avs Making Moves
It was no secret that Colorado’s bottom-six was exposed during their First Round exit to the Seattle Kraken in the Stanley Cup Playoffs this past season. And, as the Vegas Golden Knights proved on their way to winning a championship, you need depth in order to be successful in a hard cap sport.
As such, it has been no surprise to see the Avs being aggressive in bolstering their bottom-six today. It was reported earlier that they had signed grinder Miles Wood, and now Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet is now reporting that is a six-year deal with an AAV of $2.5 million. That is a lot of term but, hey, if you really want a player you need to be prepared to give a little in negotiations.
It is also being reported by Frank Seravalli of The Daily Faceoff that Colorado has signed Jonathan Drouin. The forward was an old teammate of Avs star Nathan MacKinnon with Halifax, and now he’ll look to resurrect his career in Denver. Drouin put up 29 points (2 G, 27 A) in 58 games for the Montreal Canadiens in 2022-23.
Dubas Getting Busy
New President of Hockey Operations Kyle Dubas has made it clear that he intends on helping the core Big Three of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang continue to compete in Pittsburgh.
And Dubas has been busy to start NHL Free Agency.
According to multiple reports from the likes of Elliotte Friedman and Frank Seravalli, the Penguins have signed bottom-six forward Noel Acciari to a three-year deal with an AAV of $2 million, big-bodied defenseman Ryan Graves to a six-year contract with an AAV of $4.5 million, and goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic to a one-year deal worth $1.5 million. Oh, and the Penguins announced that they have re-signed netminder Tristan Jarry to a five-year deal that carries an AAV of $5.37 million.
Now, I’m not sure on the deal for Jarry both in terms of length and cap hit, and I’m also a little shaky on the term for Graves, but both Graves and Acciari are really nice additions and will bolster Pittsburgh’s depth, which was a huge need heading into the offseason. I’ve always been big on Graves and he’s the perfect type of addition for this Pittsburgh team, while Acciari was actually acquired by Dubas while he was with the Maple Leafs at last year’s Trade Deadline. Acciari is a hard-nosed player who can play in all situations and provide offense, and he’ll be a nice fit in that bottom six. Nedeljkovic isn’t a bad back-up netminder, either. I’m sure there are more moves to come, but this is a solid day for Dubas and the Pens so far.
Ducks Beefing Up
The Anaheim Ducks are having a very good start to Free Agency.
Per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the Ducks have signed veteran forward and two-time Stanley Cup champion Alex Killorn to a four-year deal with an AAV of $6.25 million.
This is a huge get for Anaheim who will be getting championship pedigree, leadership, experience and production from Killorn. The LW was a sneaky big free agent that was available, and it is easy to forget he put up 64 points (27 G, 37 A) for the Tampa Bay Lightning last year.
Vital Resource
I say this a lot but it really is true - on days like today you need to have CapFriendly on hand at all times.
They really do God’s work and they are hitting home runs all over the park today by keeping up to date with EVERY SINGLE signing going down across the NHL.
You can check them out HERE - you won’t regret it.
Throwing It Back
Hey, he’s not the player he once was - nowhere close to be blunt - but it’s gonna be pretty cool to see Milan Lucic back in a Bruins jersey. Even if it is just for nostalgia reasons.
Deals Keep Dripping Through
I suspect things may slow down a little bit now with a lot of the big names having already agreed to contracts with teams.
Here’s a few of the minor deals being reported:
John Hayden has signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Seattle Kraken, worth $775k. Hayden appeared in seven NHL games for Seattle last year.
The well-travelled Vlad Namestnikov is joining the Winnipeg Jets on a two-year deal, which carries a $2 million AAV.
This was a big one from earlier. Goalie Joonas Korpisalo has signed a five-year, $20 million ($4 million AAV) with the Ottawa Senators. That’s a big swing by the Sens.
Veteran netminder Frederik Andersen is staying with the Hurricanes after signing a two-year contract with a $3.4 million AAV.
The St. Louis Blues have signed Mackenzie MacEachern to a two-year, one-way contract with an AAV of $775,000.
Veteran goalie Laurent Brossoit, who spent the past two years with the Vegas Golden Knights, has returned home to Winnipeg after signing a one-year deal with the Jets worth $1.75 million.
ICYMI
Here’s some minor moves / details you may have missed:
Nick Bonino’s deal with the Rangers, according to Frank Seravalli of The Daily Faceoff, is worth $800,000. It is a one-year contract.
Cody Glass has signed a two-year extension with the Nashville Predators, worth $2.5 million annually.
Talk about a homecoming. Milan Lucic has signed a one-year, $1 million deal with the Boston Bruins. I am loving this for the 2011 nostalgia.
The Winnipeg Jets have signed back-up netminder Colin Delia to a one-year, $775k contract.
Veteran defenseman Matt Irwin has signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Canucks, worth $775k.
Per Frank Seravalli of The Daily Faceoff, bottom-six forward Ryan Donato has agreed to terms on a two-year, $2 million deal with the Chicago Blackhawks.
Forward Ryan Carpenter, who spent last season with the New York Rangers, has signed a one-year, $775k deal with the San Jose Sharks.
By the way, the Columbus Blue Jackets announced earlier on Saturday that they have signed forward Adam Fantilli, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, to a three-year entry-level contract. I love this. I’m a huge Fantilli fan and I would love to see him on the Opening Night roster for the Blue Jackets. Oh, Columbus also finally announced the appointment of Mike Babcock as the franchise’s new Head Coach on a two-year deal. Will be interesting to see how that one unfolds…
Big Names Going Quickly
We’re about three hours into NHL Free Agency but, already, a lot of big names are gone.
However, the likes of Matt Dumba, Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko are still hanging out there.
Take a look at my landing fits article to see where I predicted the above names could land.
Could We See A Huge Trade Today?
According to multiple reports, the Penguins, the Kraken and the Hurricanes are the three-teams engaged in talks with the San Jose Sharks over a potential trade for defenseman Erik Karlsson.
All three teams have the cap space in which to make a deal work, and they would be getting back a blueliner who just won the Norris Trophy.
Karlsson enjoyed a redemption year to end all redemption years in 2022-23, putting up 101 points (25 G, 76 A) in 82 games. In doing so, the veteran proved that, when healthy, he’s still one of the best offensive defensemen in the game today. He has four years remaining on his current deal with an annual cap hit of $11.5 million, but it wouldn’t surprise me if the Sharks retained a chunk of that salary in any deal.
For whatever team is lucky enough to obtain Karlsson, this is the kind of high-end skill and production they will be getting:
Duchene Off To Texas
Another big name can be crossed off the list. Per Frank Seravalli of The Daily Faceoff, Matt Duchene is signing a one-year, $3 million deal with the Dallas Stars. That’s a hell of a steal for Dallas, who is getting depth and a proven performer in Duchene at a team-friendly price.
Catching You Up
Here’s some moves you may have missed…
Former New Jersey Devils forward Miles Wood, who has 486 hits in 402 career NHL regular season games, has signed a deal with the Colorado Avalanche, per Elliotte Friedman. No term or details yet available on that one.
Forward Patrick Brown has signed a two-year deal with an AAV of $800k with the Bruins, per Elliotte Friedman.
Forward Givani Smith is on his way to the San Jose Sharks on a two-year deal.
Veteran goalie Dustin Tokarski is returning to the Buffalo Sabres on a two-way deal.
The Boston Bruins are signing veteran defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk to a one-year deal, per Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff.
Two-time Stanley Cup winner Trevor Lewis, who spent the past two seasons with the Calgary Flames, is returning to the scene of his glory years, signing a one-year, $775k deal with the LA Kings. The Kings have also signed 27-year-old defenseman Andreas Englund to a two-year deal.
The Vancouver Canucks have signed former Seattle Kraken blueliner Carson Soucy to a three-year contract with a $3.25 million AAV. I really like this one. Soucy logged an average of 16:55 minutes of total ice time in 142 regular season games with the Kraken, racking up 143 hits. He’ll give the Canucks a much-needed big body on the backend at decent term.
Per Rick Dhaliwal, defenseman Troy Stecher has signed a deal with the Arizona Coyotes. Elliotte Friedman is also reporting that the Coyotes are signing veteran forward Jason Zucker, who was recently with the Pittsburgh Pirates. That’s a nice piece for the Yotes.
The Detroit Red Wings have signed forward Daniel Sprong to a one-year deal worth $2 million. Sprong scored 21 goals and tallied 46 points for the Seattle Kraken in 2022-23.
The Dallas Stars have added to their center depth by signing Sam Steel to a one-year, $850,000 contract.
According to Jeff Marek of Sportsnet, Ryan Poehling has signed a one-year, $1.4 million deal with the Flyers.
Teddy Blueger, who was part of the Vegas Golden Knights team that won the Stanley Cup this past season, is on his way to Vancouver after agreeing to terms on a one-year, $1.9 million deal with the Canucks.
We did also see a trade earlier today with the New Jersey Devils sending a 2025 5th round pick to the Dallas Stars for veteran defenseman Colin Miller. The Devils also announced that they had re-signed forwards Michael McLeod and Nathan Bastian. Decent day, decent offseason for New Jersey.
Patches Heads To The Capital
Max Pacioretty has found himself a new deal. The veteran forward signed a one-year, $2 million deal with another potential $2 million due in bonuses. This is a low-risk, high-reward type deal for the Caps because, when healthy, Pacioretty can still be a very productive forward in the NHL. Really like this move for Pacioretty too.
Carolina Go Big Bear Hunting
One of the biggest names on the board is now gone with highly-valued defenseman Dmitry Orlov signing a two-year deal with an AAV of $7.75 million with the Carolina Hurricanes.
That is a hell of a statement by what is already one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.
Sabres Get Their Second-Pair D?
The Buffalo Sabres have announced that they have signed former Boston Bruins defenseman Connor Clifton to a three-year, $10 million contract.
Clifton played under Sabres Head Coach Don Granato at the United States National Team Development Program, and the Bruins had 52 percent of the Expected Goals when Clifton was on the ice at even-strength. That could mean Buffalo intends to pair Clifton with Owen Power on the second D-Pairing.
Nashville Continuing Big Day
New Preds GM Barry Trotz is wasting no time in putting his imprints on this Nashville team in his first Free Agency window. After signing Ryan O’Reilly, the Preds have now signed forward Gustav Nyquist to a two-year deal, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
Gudas Lands In Anaheim
The rebuilding Anaheim Ducks have signed grizzled defenseman Radko Gudas to a three-year deal with an AAV of $4 million. Now, that seems like a bit of an overpay, especially on term but, hey, the Ducks ranked dead last in the NHL in Goals Against Per Game (4.09) last year, and they are a young team so having a big-body like Gudas in the lineup who won’t take any liberties and who will protect his teammates make a lot of sense.
Sabres Add Depth
The Buffalo Sabres have been busy early in Free Agency. They fulfilled a need by bringing back Tyson Jost, signing the bottom-six forward to a one-year deal worth $2 million. They followed that up by signing veteran defenseman Erik Johnson to a one-year, $3.25 million contract. Johnson, who was the longest-tenured Denver athlete having been with the Colorado Avalanche since 2011, will give the Sabres some much-needed veteran depth on the backend.
Brown To Edmonton
The Edmonton Oilers have added a really nice depth piece by signing Connor Brown to a one-year, $4 million contract, per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. Although he missed most of last season, Brown can be relied upon to consistently put up between 30-40 points. This is a decent add for Edmonton.
NYR Making Moves
It has been a busy start to Free Agency for the New York Rangers.
They’ve made a couple of really nice veteran additions, signing three-time Stanley Cup champion Jonathan Quick to a one-year, $825k deal. Quick will be the backup to Igor Shesterkin, and it is a smart move.
New York also signed veteran forward Blake Wheeler to a one-year, $800k deal, which includes $300k in performance bonuses. Wheeler, who was bought out by the Winnipeg Jets on Friday, put up 55 points (16 G, 39 A) in 72 games in 2022-23. The Blueshirts add a big-bodied wing who should be a real nice depth piece.
The Rangers have also signed depth forwards Tyler Pitlick and Riley Nash, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
First Big Name Off The Board
The first big fish is off the market. Per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, Ryan O’Reilly has signed a four-year deal with an Average Annual Value of $4.5 million with the Nashville Predators.
O’Reilly was one of the best free agent forwards available, and this is a really nice get for a Preds team that is trying to rebuild on the fly. I like this signing a lot.
Leafs Add Reaves
The Toronto Maple Leafs have added a physical presence after signing the entertaining Ryan Reaves to a three-year deal with an AAV of $1.35 million. Now, I’m not sure on the term because Reaves will hardly offer much production, but he does bring a lot of intangibles and he will make sure the likes of Auston Matthews and Mitchell Marner aren’t touched, especially come Playoff time.
