All the signings, trades, rumors with market opening at noon ET
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NHL free agency begins at noon ET Monday, with plenty of players expected to sign with new teams, and some players expected to sign contracts with their current teams. There could also be a bevy of trades on what should be a busy day.
NHL.com senior writer Dan Rosen will be following the action all day, providing updates on any signings, trades and rumors with NHL.com’s free agency live blog.
5:39 p.m. ET
It's been a wild Monday in the NHL, the start of a new league year that featured a lot, and we mean a lot, of player movement.
The Nashville Predators made the most noise by signing forwards Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and defenseman Brady Skjei.
The Tampa Bay Lightning replaced Stamkos with Jake Guentzel.
The Boston Bruins got their new No. 1 center in Elias Lindholm while also signing defenseman Nikita Zadorov.
The Florida Panthers brought back Sam Reinhart and Dmitry Kulikov, but watched Brandon Montour (Seattle Kraken), Ryan Lomberg (Calgary Flames), Oliver Ekman-Larsson (Toronto Maple Leafs), Kevin Stenlund (Utah Hockey Club) and Anthony Stolarz (Maple Leafs) leave.
The Washington Capitals bolstered their blue line with the addition of Matt Roy through free agency and Jakob Chychrun through a trade that sent defenseman Nick Jensen to the Ottawa Senators.
The New Jersey Devils also bolstered their defense group with the additions of Brett Pesce and Brenden Dillon.
The Maple Leafs did the same by adding defenseman Chris Tanev and Ekman-Larsson. Toronto also signed Stolarz and re-signed Joseph Woll. That will be the Maple Leafs' goaltending tandem.
Anthony Duclair signed with the New York Islanders, a move that should give their offense a boost.
The same thing happened with the Columbus Blue Jackets, who signed Sean Monahan, reuniting him with former Flames teammate and linemate Johnny Gaudreau.
The New York Rangers acquired Reilly Smith in a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins and signed center Sam Carrick, two moves that they feel fill out their forward depth for now.
The Chicago Blackhawks made seven additions in forwards Teuvo Teravainen, Tyler Bertuzzi, Craig Smith, Pat Maroon and Joey Anderson, defenseman Alec Martinez and goalie Laurent Broissoit. Experience and depth are the keys for Chicago.
The Carolina Hurricanes lost Skjei and Pesce along with Guentzel, Teravianen and Stefan Noesen (Devils), but they replaced them with defensemen Shayne Gostisbehere and Sean Walker, and forwards Eric Robinson, Tyson Jost and William Carrier. Are they better? It's murky at best.
Carolina also re-signed defenseman Jaccob Slavin and forward Jordan Martinook.
Seattle did well by signing Montour and forward Chandler Stephenson.
The Vegas Golden Knights lost Marchessault (Nashville), Stephenson (Seattle), Carrier (Carolina), Martinez (Chicago) and Anthony Mantha (Calgary).
Jake DeBrusk went to the Vancouver Canucks. Tyler Toffoli and Alex Wennberg bought into the rebuild by signing with the San Jose Sharks. Warren Foegele and Joel Edmundson are going to Southern California to play for the Los Angeles Kings. Connor Brown and Corey Perry re-signed with the Edmonton Oilers, who also signed Viktor Arvidsson and Josh Brown.
The Montreal Canadiens went in big on their future by signing Juraj Slafkovsky to an eight-year, $60.8 million contract.
And this is only Day 1 of the so-called offseason.
4:42 p.m. ET
The Los Angeles Kings have signed forward Warren Foegele to a three-year contract ($3.5 million AAV) and defenseman Joel Edmundson to a four-year contract ($3.85 million AAV).
Foegele has the speed and offensive ability to play in the Kings' top-nine forward group. That's where he was with the Edmonton Oilers last season, when he had 41 points (20 goals, 21 assists) in 82 games.
Edmundson is a big, physical defenseman, but four years seems like a lot of term to give him after he played only 53 games split between the Washington Capitals and Toronto Maple Leafs last season and had six points (one goal, five assists). He's 31 years old.
4:41 p.m. ET
The Carolina Hurricanes have been busy, as expected, but when you look at the totality of everything, assuming the reports that Shayne Gostisbehere is signing with them, it begs the question are they better today than they were yesterday?
In: Sean Walker, D; Eric Robinson, F; Tyson Jost, F; William Carrier, F; Shayne Gostisbehere, D
Out: Jake Guentzel, F (Tampa Bay Lightning); Brady Skjei, D (Nashville Predators); Teuvo Teravainen (Chicago Blackhawks); Brett Pesce, D (New Jersey Devils); Stefan Noesen, F (New Jersey Devils)
Re-signed: Jaccob Slavin, D; Jordan Martinook, F
The ins and outs in the forward group don't add up to being even, not when you consider the Hurricanes lost two top-six forwards in Guentzel and Teravainen, a top-12 forward in Noesen, and replaced them with bottom six forwards in Robinson, Jost and Carrier.
Gostisbehere and Walker could both be top-four defenseman, easing the pain of losing Skjei and Pesce.
But as new Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky said, "Today is not the only day of the offseason."
The Hurricanes, Tulsky said, are a work in progress so it'll be interesting to see what else they do this offseason. So, the answer to the question of are they better today than yesterday isn’t so easy.
Short answer: No.
Long answer: We’ll see.
3:55 p.m. ET
The Montreal Canadiens took care of some future business by signing forward .
Slafkovsky, the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, still has one year remaining on his entry level contract, so his eight-year contract doesn't start until 2025-26 and runs through 2032-33.
Montreal is clearly hoping this contract turns into a bargain soon after it starts. The other way to do this would be to let Slafkovsky play out the last year of his entry-level contract and then decide which way it goes for him.
They're betting big on Slafkovsky's future by guaranteeing him $60.8 million. If his game continues to blossom clearly he won't get cheaper as the years go on.
The 20-year-old forward had 50 points (20 goals, 30 assists) in 82 games with the Canadiens last season. He became the first player in Montreal history to have 40 or more points in a single season before turning 20 years old when he got an assist on March 26.
Slafkovsky turned 20 on March 30. He has 60 points (24 goals, 36 assists) in 121 games.
3:45 p.m. ET
Who is still available?
Here are some of the players who remain on the UFA market that could sign at some point Monday or shortly after:
Sean Walker, D
Shayne Gostisbehere, D
Ryan Suter, D
Vladimir Tarasenko, F
Adam Henrique, F
Mattias Janmark, F
Jeff Skinner, F
Daniel Sprong, F
James van Riemsdyk, F
Tyler Johnson, F
Jack Roslovic, F
Alex Wennberg, F
Cam Atkinson, F
Tomas Tatar, F
Kyle Okposo, F
3:35 p.m. ET
Add Corey Perry to the Edmonton Oilers' haul for the day.
Perry, who of course was already playing for the Oilers, signed a one-year, $1.4 million contract to stay in Edmonton.
The Oilers also re-signed forward Connor Brown to a one-year, $1 million contract, and added forward Viktor Arvidsson with a two-year, $8 million ($4.0 million AAV) contract and defenseman Josh Brown on a three-year, $3 million deal ($1 million AAV).
But the Oilers are losing forward Warren Foegle to the Los Angeles Kings. He signed a three-year contract with the Kings, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman. The deal has not been made official by the Kings.
There's also still uncertainty around Adam Henrique, who is an unrestricted free agent.
3:16 p.m. ET
The Calgary Flames have done some business today.
The Flames re-signed Yegor Sharangovich to a five-year contract ($5.5 million AAV) that kicks in in the 2025-26 season. He still has one year, $3.1 million AAV left on his current contract. Sharangovich led the Flames with 31 goals last season.
Calgary also dipped into the free-agent market to sign forward Anthony Mantha to a one-year, $3.5 million contract and defenseman Jake Bean to a two-year, $3.5 million contract ($1.75 million AAV). They reportedly have signed forward Ryan Lomberg to a two-year, $4 million contract ($2.0 million AAV).
Mantha had 44 points (23 goals, 21 assists) in 74 games split between the Washington Capitals and Vegas Golden Knights last season. Lomberg helped the Florida Panthers win the Stanley Cup. He's a fourth-line forward who brings energy. Bean is a depth defenseman.
These moves don't necessarily put the Flames over the top to make them a Stanley Cup Playoff contender, but they provide important depth and security, particularly with Sharangovich, to a team that is in the middle of a retool.
3:06 p.m. ET
The New Jersey Devils should be much better at keeping the puck out of their net this season with the additions of goalie Jacob Markstrom through a trade with the Calgary Flames and their signings Monday of defensemen and Brenden Dillon (three years, $4.0 million AAV).
The Devils were 26th in the NHL in goals-against per game last season at 3.43.
But Pesce is not only a strong defender, he's a player that typically drives possession too. Dillon brings size and physicality to the back end of the blue line.
With the return of Dougie Hamilton, who was limited to 20 games last season because of surgery to repair a torn left pectoral muscle, the Devils now seem to have their defensive depth in order.
In fact, the defense pairs could look something like this:
Jonas Siegenthaler -- Dougie Hamilton
Luke Hughes -- Brett Pesce
Brenden Dillon -- Simon Nemec
With Markstrom and Jake Allen in net, the Devils could become one of the better defensive teams in the League this coming season after being one of the worst last season.
2:48 p.m. ET
The New York Rangers have acquired two forwards, Reilly Smith via a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Sam Carrick, who they signed to a three-year, $3 million contract ($1 million AAV).
Smith's AAV for the Rangers will be $3.75 million because the Penguins are retaining 25 percent of his $5 million salary cap charge. He is entering the last year of his contract.
New York sent a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft and a second-round pick in the 2027 draft to the Penguins for Smith. The fifth round pick in 2025 will be the worse of New York's two fifth-round picks; its own or the Minnesota Wild's pick that was acquired previously.
Smith should fit in somewhere in the Rangers' top nine forward group, but it's unclear if he's the right answer to play right wing on their top line with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider.
The Rangers have been searching for a player to fill that spot and short of another move Smith will likely get a look there, but we'll see if he can be a fit.
Smith struggled with the Penguins last season after they acquired him from the Vegas Golden Knights. He had 40 points (16 goals, 27 assists) in 76 games after putting up 56 points (26 goals, 30 assists) in 78 games with Vegas in 2022-23, when he helped the Golden Knights win the Stanley Cup.
If Smith, 33, can get back to being the player he was for Vegas, an almost 30-goal scorer, this trade will turn into a steal for the Rangers.
Carrick is essentially New York's replacement for Barclay Goodrow, but his $1 million AAV is more befitting a fourth-line center than Goodrow's $3.64 million AAV for the next three years.
The Rangers cleared Goodrow's full contract from their books last month. They waived him and he was claimed by the San Jose Sharks.
2:32 p.m. ET
A couple of notable signings are now official.
Brett Pesce to the New Jersey Devils; six years, $5.5 million AAV
Tyler Bertuzzi to the Chicago Blackhawks; four years, $5.5 million AAV.
Chandler Stephenson to the Seattle Kraken; seven years, $6.25 million AAV.
Jason Zucker to the Buffalo Sabres; 1 year, $5.0 million AAV.
2:25 p.m. ET
The Edmonton Oilers signed Viktor Arvidsson to a two-year, $8 million contract ($4 million AAV). He could get the chance to play with Leon Draisaitl.
Arvidsson was limited by injuries last season, but still had 15 points (six goals, nine assists) in 18 games with the Los Angeles Kings. He had 59 points (26 goals, 33 assists) in 77 games with the Kings in 2022-23. He has scored at least 20 goals five times, including 30 twice.
Arvidsson could be the right wing for Draisaitl, who himself has one year left on his contract and is eligible to sign a new contract that will kick in starting in the 2025-26 season.
Connor McDavid has Zach Hyman on the right wing on his line.
2:15 p.m. ET
Not surprisingly, the New York Islanders, specifically general manager Lou Lamoriello, slipped a good signing in under the radar without any leaks to the media.
Anthony Duclair has signed a four-year contract with the Islanders. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Duclair will give the Islanders offense a bit of a boost. He had 42 points, including 24 goals, in 73 games last season with the San Jose Sharks and Tampa Bay Lightning. He had 15 points (eight goals, seven assists) in 17 games with the Lightning after they acquired Duclair from the Sharks on March 7.
He also scored 31 goals with the Florida Panthers in 2021-22 and helped them reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2023 with 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in 20 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Islanders averaged 2.99 goals per game last season, which was 22nd in the NHL. They had five players with at least 20 goals led by Brock Nelson's 34.
Duclair also knows Islanders coach Patrick Roy having played for him with the Quebec Remparts in the QMJHL.
The Islanders also re-signed defenseman Mike Reilly to a one year contract.
2:05 p.m. ET
Matt Roy's six-year, $34.5 million contract with the Washington Capitals is official. It's a $5.75 million average annual value.
The Capitals revamped their defense group Monday by signing Roy and acquiring Jakob Chychrun from the Ottawa Senators for defenseman Nick Jensen and a 2026 third-round pick.
"Matt is a steady right-handed defenseman who plays important minutes against the opposition's top players and is extremely responsible in his own end," Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan said. "We feel his addition will help strengthen our blueline for the next several years."
Roy had 25 points (five goals, 20 assists) and played 20:59 of ice time per game in 81 games with the Los Angeles Kings last season. The 29-year-old is 6-foot-2, 210 pounds.
It looks like the Capitals have their defense group set now with the addition of Roy and bringing in Chychrun for Jensen.
The top pair can remain the same as it has been with John Carlson on the right and Martin Fehervary on the left. Roy could play on the second pair with Chychrun, leaving a third pair of Trevor van Riemsdyk and Rasmus Sandin. Ethan Bear and Alexander Alexeyev are also available.
1:51 p.m. ET
Some tidy work done by the Edmonton Oilers, who have signed defenseman Josh Brown to a three-year contract worth $1 million annually.
Brown replaces Vincent Desharnais on Edmonton's blue line. Desharnais is an unrestricted free agent who is not expected to re-sign with the Oilers.
Brown is 30 years old and 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds. He is a right-handed shooter.
Desharnais is 6-foot-7 and 226 pounds. He's 28 and also a right-handed shooter.
Brown can be a bottom pair defenseman for the Oilers in the same way Desharnais was for them.
Brown has obvious size and bite to his game. He has played in 290 NHL games and has 34 points (11 goals, 23 assists). Desharnais has played in 114 games with 16 points (one goal, 15 assists).
1:48 p.m. ET
Teuvo Teravainen to the Chicago Blackhawks is official. It's a three-year contract worth $5.4 million annually.
"We're thrilled to have Teuvo back in Chicago," Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson said. "He was a big part of our 2015 Stanley Cup team and we're excited to have his leadership and experience back in our room."
Teravainen started his career with the Blackhawks. He had 44 points (17 goals, 27 assists) in 115 games from 2014-16 before he was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes on June 15, 2016. He had 415 points (138 goals, 277 assists) in 515 games with the Hurricanes from 2016-24.
Chicago has also signed Tyler Bertuzzi. We're waiting for them to make that official.
1:44 p.m. ET
The Boston Bruins have made the signings of Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov official. The terms have not yet been announced.
Bringing back what I wrote an hour ago about this, these signings fill two major needs for the Bruins.
Lindholm is essentially Patrice Bergeron lite in that he can drive a line offensively and be a candidate for the Selke Trophy, which goes to the NHL's best defensive forward and could easily be renamed the Patrice Bergeron Trophy considering he won it six times.
Zadorov beefs up the Bruins' back end that already features Charlie McAvoy, Brandon Carlo and Hampus Lindholm.
1:37 p.m. ET
The Vegas Golden Knights are losing another one of the players that helped them win the Stanley Cup just 12 and a half months ago.
Chandler Stephenson is joining the Seattle Kraken on a seven-year contract, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported. Friedman said the contract should have an AAV around $6.25 million.
Stephenson had 51 points (16 goals, 35 assists) in 75 games last season after putting up 65 points (16 goals, 49 assists) in 81 games in 2022-23 before he also had 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists) in 22 playoff games to help Vegas win the Stanley Cup.
Vegas has already lost Jonathan Marchessault to the Nashville Predators. He reportedly signed a five-year contract worth $5.5 million annually. Marchessault won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2023.
Friedman has reported William Carrier signed a six-year contract with the Carolina Hurricanes ($2 million AAV) and Michael Amadio signed a three-year contract with the Ottawa Senators ($2.6 million AAV).
In addition, defenseman Alec Martinez is reportedly signing a one-year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks.
1:10 p.m. ET
In the interview, Marchessault, who has been with the Vegas Golden Knights since they came into the League as an expansion team in 2017-18, said he doesn't think his now former team showed very much interest in re-signing him so he had to move on.
Marchessault told TSN that it was difficult to leave Vegas, but there wasn't a decent offer available to him and when he heard the rumors about Stamkos going to Nashville, he called his former Tampa Bay Lightning teammate and decided that was the place for him too.
When you combine Marchessault and Stamkos, the Predators are getting two forwards who have three Stanley Cup championships (two for Stamkos, one for Marchessault), six appearances in the Stanley Cup Final (four for Stamkos, two for Marchessault) and one Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the playoffs (Marchessault in 2022-23).
That's also what the Lightning and Golden Knights are losing. They are arguably the two most important players in each franchise's history.
1:08 p.m. ET
One of the reported signings that stuck out is Sean Monahan to the Columbus Blue Jackets on a five-year, $27.5 million contract ($5.5 million AAV).
Monahan played last season on a one-year, $1.985 million contract he signed with the Montreal Canadiens on June 20, 2023. He resurrected his career to earn the five-year contract he is getting from the Blue Jackets.
Last season, Monahan had 59 points (26 goals, 33 assists) in 83 games, 49 with the Canadiens and then 34 with the Winnipeg Jets, who acquired him from Montreal for a first-round draft pick on Feb. 2.
In Columbus, Monahan will reunite with former Calgary Flames teammate and linemate Johnny Gaudreau, who has five years left on his contract ($9.75 million AAV).
12:53 p.m. ET
Brandon Montour to the Seattle Kraken is official. It's a seven-year deal with an AAV of $7.14 million.
Also official is David Perron to the Ottawa Senators on a two-year contract. It's reportedly worth $4 million annually.
Jonathan Drouin is reportedly returning to the Colorado Avalanche on another one-year contract. Drouin had 56 points (19 goals, 37 assists) in 79 games with the Avalanche last season. It was a resurgent season for him.
TSN is reporting goalie Cam Talbot is signing a two-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings worth $2.5 million annually. The Red Wings wanted to improve their goaltending. They still have Ville Husso and Alex Lyon too, but one of them could be moved.
There are also multiple reports that the Washington Capitals are signing defenseman Matt Roy to a six-year contract. Washington made a trade earlier, acquiring defenseman Jakob Chychrun from the Ottawa Senators for defenseman Nick Jensen and a third-round pick in the 2026 draft.
More updates to come.
12:44 p.m. ET
Steven Stamkos was talking on TSN a few minutes ago and expressing his "pure excitement" to join the Nashville Predators.
Stamkos has signed with the Predators. It is reportedly a four-year, $32 million contract ($8 million AAV). Nashville has not officially announced the deal yet, but it's obviously done or Stamkos wouldn't be on TSN talking about signing with the Predators.
Stamkos also said he tried to find an agreement with the Tampa Bay Lightning, but eventually he had to move on. Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois also said over the weekend that they were talking with Stamkos but couldn't reach an agreement with him.
It's the end of an era in Tampa Bay as Stamkos leaves as the Lightning's all-time leader in many offensive statistical categories. But it's the start of what could be something big in Nashville.
Stamkos said he wanted to go to a team that is committed to winning. Nashville checks that box.
12:40 p.m. ET
DeBrusk, who is from Edmonton, is moving back to Western Canada after spending the first seven years of his career with the Boston Bruins. He had 40 points (19 goals, 21 assists) in 80 games and 266 points (138 goals, 128 assists) in 465 games in total.
The Canucks are losing Elias Lindholm. He's reportedly signing with the Bruins. It's possible, if not likely, that DeBrusk will slide into a top-six role with the Canucks joining Elias Pettersson, J.T. Miller, Brock Boeser, Conor Garland and maybe Dakota Joshua or Nils Hoglander.
He's certainly being paid that way.
The Canucks also signed Danton Heinen to a two-year contract with a $2.25 million AAV and Kiefer Sherwood to a two-year contract worth $1.5 million annually.
Heinen and Sherwood should fit into Vancouver's bottom six forward group.
12:26 p.m. ET
Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov are reportedly going to the Boston Bruins.
Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported Lindholm's contract is a seven-year deal worth $7.75 million annually and Zadorov's deal is six years with a $5 million AAV.
The deals are not yet official.
When they become official, the Bruins are getting the two-way No. 1 center they've needed since Patrice Bergeron retired after the 2022-23 season.
Lindholm is essentially Bergeron lite in that he can drive a line offensively and be a candidate for the Selke Trophy, which goes to the NHL's best defensive forward and could easily be renamed the Patrice Bergeron Trophy considering he won it six times.
Zadorov beefs up the Bruins' back end that already features Charlie McAvoy, Brandon Carlo and Hampus Lindholm.
The Bruins are also expected to sign goalie Jeremy Swayman to a long-term contract. He's a restricted free agent.
12:23 p.m. ET
Not yet official from the Nashville Predators, but TSN's Pierre Lebrun is reporting the terms of the contracts for Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei.
Stamkos: Four years, $8 million AAV
Marchessault: Five years, $5.5 million AAV
Skjei: Seven years, $7 million AAV
12:13 p.m. ET
Oliver Ekman-Larsson is signing a four-year contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs that is reportedly worth $3.5 million annually, according to TSN's Darren Dreger.
The Maple Leafs already signed Chris Tanev to a six-year contract with a $4.5 million AAV and goalie Joseph Woll to a three-year contract with a $3.66 million AAV.
Adding Tanev and Ekman-Larsson should fortify the Maple Leafs' blue line and give them a chance to play more to the style of first-year coach Craig Berube.
Tanev is physical with a terrific first pass. Ekman-Larsson is a puck-moving, offensive-minded defenseman.
In addition, NHL Network's Kevin Weekes reported that the Maple Leafs are signing goalie Anthony Stolarz to a two-year contract to join Woll as Toronto's goaltending tandem.
12:08 p.m. ET
Steven Stamkos has said goodbye to Tampa Bay.
Stamkos, the longtime Tampa Bay Lightning captain, is expected to sign a four-year contract with the Nashville Predators, but before officially ironing out his future he issued a statement to the Tampa Bay community through his account on X, @RealStamkos91.
"Thank you Tampa. I don't have the words yet…I will soon. It's still too early to process. Just wanted everyone to know how thankful we are for 16 years as a bolt. My family and I are excited for the next chapter…."
Stamkos' account, by the way, still identifies him as the Tampa Bay Lightning captain, but obviously that is changing.
11:57 a.m. ET
Tyler Toffoli is signing a four-year, $24 million contract ($6 million AAV) with the San Jose Sharks, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported.
Friedman also reported Jordan Martinook is returning to the Carolina Hurricanes on a three-year contract with a $3.05 million AAV.
Toffoli has played for six teams since the 2019-20 season, so getting a four-year contract with the Sharks has to be welcome news to him.
The Los Angeles Kings traded him to the Vancouver Canucks. He then played for the Montreal Canadiens, Calgary Flames, New Jersey Devils and Winnipeg Jets.
Martinook has been with the Hurricanes since 2018-19 and is a big part of their room and leadership group.
11:49 a.m. ET
If it all becomes official, Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault will be teammates with the Nashville Predators.
TSN's Pierre Lebrun is reporting that Stamkos' contract with the Predators will be four years in length and worth $8 million (or in the neighborhood of that much) annually, and Marchessault's deal will be five years and approximately $5.5 million annually.
Lebrun is also reporting Nashville is in on defenseman Brady Skjei.
The Predators are on target to be the team of the day if they get both Stamkos and Marchessault, and then Skjei as well.
The market opens in 15 minutes, so we'll know soon enough.
11:33 a.m. ET
Tyler Bertuzzi AND Teuvo Teravainen are signing with the Chicago Blackhawks when the market opens, according to Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic.
We wrote about Bertuzzi's reported signing in the 9:55 a.m. ET entry of this blog. It's expected to be a four-year contract worth $5.5 million annually.
Teravainen's contract is likely to be three years in length. We'll get to the financial terms when they become clearer, but figure it'll be north of $5 million AAV.
Teravainen started his career with the Blackhawks. He had 44 points (17 goals, 27 assists) in 115 games from 2014-16 before he was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes on June 15, 2016. He had 415 points (138 goals, 277 assists) in 515 games with the Hurricanes from 2016-24.
The Blackhawks are obviously putting some veteran forwards around Connor Bedard, building out a top-six forward group that once these signings become official should include Bedard, Bertuzzi, Teravainen, Taylor Hall and Philipp Kurashev.
It's not enough yet to make the Blackhawks a playoff contender, but their path to success is getting clearer.
11:25 a.m. ET
Brandon Montour is expected to sign with the Seattle Kraken, according to multiple media reports. Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported it will be a seven-year contract with a $7.14 million average annual value.
Montour won the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers, but he was expected to hit the open market Monday, especially after the champs re-signed Sam Reinhart to an eight-year contract reportedly worth $8.625 million per season.
Montour should become Seattle's top pair right-handed defenseman, likely slotting in ahead of Adam Larsson and Will Borgen.
He had 33 points (eight goals, 25 assists) in 66 games with the Panthers last season, playing primarily on the second pair with Niko Mikkola. Aaron Ekblad is Florida's right-handed shooter on the top pair with Gustav Forsling.
Montour also had 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in 24 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He was on the top power play unit until late in the Stanley Cup Final, when the power play was struggling and he was replaced by Oliver Ekman-Larsson.
Montour has 252 points (66 goals, 186 assists) in 520 NHL games with the Anaheim Ducks, Buffalo Sabres and Panthers.
11 a.m. ET
The market opens in an hour and there are reports that the Nashville Predators are swinging big and could land Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault.
TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported that all signs are pointing to Nashville being the frontrunner for Stamkos and Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported that the Predators have emerged as "serious contender" for Marchessault.
It would obviously be a huge day for the Predators if they were to land both. With Jake Guentzel (Tampa Bay Lightning), Sam Reinhart (Florida Panthers) and Patrick Kane (Detroit Red Wings) off the board, Stamkos and Marchessault are the two biggest names on the market.
Stay tuned.
10:40 a.m. ET
The Toronto Maple Leafs got $8.16 million of business done in advance of the market opening by signing defenseman Chris Tanev to a six-year contract with an AAV of $4.5 million and re-signing goalie Joseph Woll to a three-year contract with an AAV of $3.66 million.
TSN's Darren Dreger is reporting Toronto will sign UFA defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson after the market opens. Ekman-Larsson played well as a third-pair defenseman for the Florida Panthers in their Stanley Cup run and can execute a role on the power play.
The Maple Leafs acquired Tanev from the Dallas Stars on Saturday, giving them the exclusive negotiating window with the 34-year-old who could have become a UFA at noon.
Woll was a pending restricted free agent.
Tanev is exactly the type of defenseman Toronto needs, one who plays physical, has size (6-foot-2, 193 pounds) and experience (792 NHL games), but also has the ability to push the pace with a strong first pass out of the zone and join the rush if and when needed.
Woll will continue to make up half of the Maple Leafs' goaltending tandem. Who makes up the other half is still pending and could be resolved later Monday through a free-agent signing.
Dreger reported Toronto is one of the teams in the mix for Anthony Stolarz, who was the backup to Sergei Bobrovsky with the Florida Panthers.
Woll was 12-11-1 with a 2.94 goals-against average and .907 save percentage in 25 games last season. He was 2-0 with a 0.86 GAA and .964 save percentage in three games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
10:30 a.m. ET
Brett Pesce is expected to sign with the New Jersey Devils when the market opens at noon, according to Chris Johnston from TSN and The Athletic. Johnston is reporting it'll be a six-year contract with an AAV in the neighborhood of $5.5 million for the 29-year-old defenseman.
Pesce will add to the Devils' blue line on the right side with his physicality, strong first pass ability, and staunch defensive play. He is 6-foot-3 and 206 pounds.
He has spent his entire career to this point with the Carolina Hurricanes, scoring 198 points (39 goals, 159 assists) in 627 games, including 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) in 70 games last season.
Pesce has been a regular on the Hurricanes' second defense pair with Brady Skjei, who is also a pending UFA. Pesce will probably take that same role on the right side of the Devils' second defense pair, possibly with Luke Hughes on his left.
New Jersey has Dougie Hamilton, also a former Hurricanes defenseman, as its right-handed shooter on the top pair. Pesce's presence also could allow the Devils to keep 20-year-old Simon Nemec as their third-pair right-shot defenseman.
The Devils also added right-shot defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic in a trade with the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday.
Pesce essentially replaces John Marino, who the Devils traded to the Utah Hockey Club on Saturday.
They likely still want to get another left-handed defenseman in free agency or through a trade to replace Kevin Bahl, who was traded to the Calgary Flames in the deal that brought goalie Jacob Markstrom to New Jersey.
10:15 a.m. ET
Connor Brown is returning to the Edmonton Oilers. The forward signed a one-year, $1 million contract before the free-agent market opened Monday.
Brown played a key role for the Oilers in their run to the Stanley Cup Final. He had six points (two goals, four assists) in 19 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and was a big part of Edmonton's NHL-best penalty kill that was 94.3 percent.
He had 12 points (four goals, eight assists) in 71 regular season games.
9:55 a.m. ET
Tyler Bertuzzi is expected to sign a four-year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks when the market opens in a little more than two hours, according to TSN's Darren Dreger. The contract will reportedly have a $5.5 million AAV.
Bertuzzi played with the Toronto Maple Leafs last season on a one-year, $5.5 million contract. He had 43 points (21 goals, 22 assists) in 80 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs last season, including 22 points (15 goals, seven assists) in 29 games from Feb. 17 to the end of the season.
The 29-year-old has 261 points (113 goals, 148 assists) in 406 NHL games with the Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins and Maple Leafs.
The Blackhawks need to keep building around Connor Bedard and getting Bertuzzi signed long-term is a way to do that. He played the second half of last season with Auston Matthews and ideally will start this season on Bedard's line.
9:40 a.m. ET
Sam Reinhart's eight-year contract with the Florida Panthers is official. Financial terms were not officially disclosed by the Panthers. Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported the contract had a $8.625 million AAV.
"Since coming to South Florida, Sam has demonstrated his ability to be a powerful scoring threat while maintaining strong defensive play," Panthers general manager Bill Zito said. "His versatility and value as a player are only outshined by his premier personality and work ethic, and we are pleased to have him continue on with our group."
Reinhart, 28, led the Panthers and was second in the NHL with a career-high 57 goals last season. He also had 37 assists for 94 points in 82 games. His 27 power play goals were the most in Panthers history and led the NHL.
In the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Reinhart had 10 goals, including the Stanley Cup-winning goal, scoring the game-winner in Game 7 against the Edmonton Oilers a week ago.
9:10 a.m. ET
The Lightning acquired Guentzel from the Carolina Hurricanes for a third-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft on Sunday to have an exclusive negotiating window with him before the market opens at noon ET Monday.
They used that to their advantage to get him signed before he could become a UFA.
The signing pretty much guarantees Steven Stamkos, the longtime Lightning captain and their all-time leading scorer, to hit the open market today after 16 seasons in Tampa Bay.
With Guentzel and Patrick Kane (Detroit Red Wings) off the market before the market even opens, Stamkos is the biggest name that should be available as a UFA.
The 29-year-old Guentzel had 77 points (30 goals, 47 assists) in 67 games between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Hurricanes last season. He had 25 points (eight goals, 17 assists) in 17 games with the Hurricanes after they acquired him from the Penguins.
Guentzel has 491 points, including 227 goals, in 520 NHL games. He won the Stanley Cup with the Penguins in 2017.
9 a.m. ET
The Carolina Hurricanes announced that Jaccob Slavin is holding a press conference at PNC Arena at noon ET. It will be to announce his new contract with the Hurricanes.
Slavin, a 30-year-old defenseman, has one year remaining on his current contract ($5.3 million AAV) and can sign an extension as soon as the market opens Monday.
Slavin won the Lady Byng Trophy last season for the second time in his career. The trophy goes to the NHL player voted to best combine sportsmanship, gentlemanly conduct and ability.
Last season, he had 37 points (six goals, 31 assists) in 81 games and took four minor penalties averaging 20:56 of ice time.
That Slavin is re-signing is not a surprise. The question for the Hurricanes is what will happen with their pending UFAs, a list that includes defensemen Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce, and forward Teuvo Teravainen.
8:40 a.m. ET
Sam Reinhart had quite the Sunday.
After taking part in the Florida Panthers Stanley Cup championship parade, Reinhart, who scored the Cup-winning goal in Game 7 a week ago, reportedly signed an eight-year, $69 million contract ($8.625 average annual value) before midnight to remain with Florida.
The Panthers have not yet made this contract official.
Reinhart and the Panthers had until midnight Sunday to sign the maximum term eight-year contract. Had they missed the deadline, the Panthers would have been able to sign Reinhart to a max seven-year contract Monday. Had he not signed by noon ET, he would have been a UFA.
But Reinhart, as was expected, is remaining with the Panthers after finishing second in the NHL with 57 goals last season. He scored 10 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, none bigger than his goal that gave Florida a 2-1 lead at 15:11 of the second period of Game 7 against the Edmonton Oilers. The Panthers went on to win by that score to win their first Stanley Cup championship.
The Panthers still have a lot of work to do with now 10 players who become UFAs at noon ET, including defenseman Brandon Montour, who is expected to hit the open market.
11:15 pm ET Sunday
Patrick Kane came off the free agent board about an hour ago, when it was announced he signed a one-year contract to remain with the Detroit Red Wings. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Kane would have been one of the bigger names on the board if he got to free agency at noon ET on Monday. Instead, the Red Wings got a nice piece of business done to keep a player who had 47 points (20 goals, 27 assists) in 50 games for them last season without giving him term beyond one year.
TSN’s Pierre LeBrun also reported that Jake Guentzel and the Tampa Bay Lightning are close to an agreement on a seven-year contract and an announcement could come before the market opens Monday morning.
The Lightning acquired Guentzel from the Carolina Hurricanes for a third-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft on Sunday, giving them an exclusive window to negotiate with him.
10 p.m. ET
Steven Stamkos should have a new team after the free agent market opens at noon ET on Monday.
Is Guentzel going to be the one that replaces him in Tampa Bay?
Stamkos, who has spent his entire 16-year career with the Lightning, is expected to become an unrestricted free agent. There have been attempts from the Lightning and their captain to come to an agreement on a new contract, but short of striking an eleventh hour deal, it doesn’t seem likely.
If he hits the market, the 34-year-old forward should draw plenty of interest coming off a season where he had 81 points (40 goals, 41 assists).
But the question remains if Guentzel is going to sign with the Lightning after he was traded to Tampa Bay by Carolina for a third-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft on Sunday.
Guentzel can become a UFA on Monday, but the Lightning are clearly banking on that not happening after sending a pick to Carolina to acquire his exclusive negotiating rights in advance of the market opening.
The Lightning are also expected to sign defenseman Victor Hedman to a long-term contract that would start next season. Since Hedman is signed through the 2024-25 season, he can sign as soon as the market opens on Monday.
Regardless, Stamkos has likely reached the end of his legendary ride with Tampa Bay. He is a two-time Stanley Cup champion and the Lightning’s all-time leader in games played (1,082) and most pertinent offensive statistical categories, including goals (555) and points (1,137).
Where he winds up remains to be seen. We will know soon enough, just as we will for all of the players who are hitting the free agent market Monday.
The list is long and filled with some well-known players, including Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy and a Stanley Cup championship with the Vegas Golden Knights last year, and Brandon Montour, fresh off a championship parade with the Florida Panthers on Sunday.
Sam Reinhart, who scored 57 goals for the Panthers in the regular season and then scored the Cup-clinching goal, is also a pending UFA, but short of things falling apart, it is expected that Florida will be able to re-sign him.
If the Panthers can’t, Reinhart’s name will be high on the wish list for a lot of teams.
The Panthers alone have 11 players who could become UFAs Monday, meaning there are changes coming to the Stanley Cup champions.
In addition to the Panthers, Lightning and Golden Knights, here are some other teams to watch as the market opens:
Toronto Maple Leafs: They hope to have a need filled with defenseman Chris Tanev, who they acquired in a trade with the Dallas Stars on Friday but still have not signed. He’s a pending UFA but should be a lock to sign with the Maple Leafs. But they still have to get even better on the back end and in goal.
New York Rangers: Will they trade defenseman and captain Jacob Trouba and sign a big-ticket UFA?
Utah Hockey Club: They made a splash by acquiring defensemen Mikhail Sergachev and John Marino in separate trades Saturday, but Utah is in the hunt for some veteran forwards and potentially one more defenseman.
Montreal Canadiens: Is it time to accelerate their rebuild by spending to add a significant player or two in free agency?
Boston Bruins: Will they get the center they need? Is that center Elias Lindholm?
Carolina Hurricanes: Brett Pesce and Brady Skjei are pending UFAs. Does one or both return? Both of them leaving would make it a hard day for the Hurricanes.
This is just the primer. There’s a full day of activity to come. Follow along with us right here and we’ll have everything from updates to news to analysis.
