Free Agency Open Thread

As if an Entry Draft in October wasn’t strange enough, today Free Agency opens up in the NHL. Will we see fireworks or will things get bogged down in the mud with so much uncertainty hanging over the league? Follow along here, as we’ll be updating with some of the more notable moves throughout the day.

8:34 PM: The St. Louis Blues just inked Torey Krug to a 7x$6.5M deal. This would seem to seal the fate of Alex Pietrangelo, as well. Krug is a bit of a downgrade from Pietrangelo, but he’s a legitimate first pairing guy. The Blues might still be quite strong next year. — nkb

5:08 PM: The Sens ink a pair of two-way deals, retaining Matthew Peca and bringing Logan Shaw into the fold. The former gets one year at $700k in the NHL, $300k in the AHL, while the latter gets two years at $725k/$375k.

4:15 PM: The goalie trend continues with Jacob Markström signing a 6-year deal ($6M AAV) with the Calgary Flames. —Dew

3:55 PM: In a “glad it’s not the Sens” piece of news; the New York Rangers have signed Jack Johnson to a 1-year deal worth $1.15M. —Dew

3:20 PM: Some bigger names hitting the news now with Stanley Cup winner Kevin Shattenkirk signing a 3-year deal with the Anaheim Ducks with an AVV of $3.9M. —Dew

3:04 PM: It’s been decided a while ago that Mark Borowiecki was not returning to Ottawa, but it is now official that he has a new home. The one-time Senators veteran has signed a 2-year deal with the Nashville Predators worth $4M. Congrats and good luck, Boro! —Dew

2:50 PM: Still lots of exciting names in the market but a few minor signings taking place. Tyler Ennis will be returning to the Edmonton Oilers on a 1-year deal worth $1M and the Florida Panthers have signed Alexander Wennberg to a 1-year deal worth $2.25M —Dew

2:16 PM: More goalie news as the Dallas Stars have decided to bring back Anton Khudobin for 3 more years at $3.33M. The 34-year old goalie surprised everyone in the playoffs by taking the team to the Stanley Cup Finals. —Dew

1:24 PM: Some goalie signings

• The Vancouver Canucks have signed Braden Holtby to a 2-year deal worth $8.6M ($4.3M AAV) after it was confirmed this morning that Jacob Markström would not be returning to the team.
• The Minnesota Wild have signed Cam Talbot to a 3-year deal worth $11M ($3.67M AAV) —Dew/

1:01 PM: The Edmonton Oilers have agreed to a 2-year contract ($1.65M) with former Ottawa Senator favourite Kyle Turris. A fresh start for Turris to turn things around and some much needed leadership among a great young core in Edmonton. —Dew

12:55 PM: It is now official; Henrik Lundqvist signs with the Washington Capitals (1x$1.5M). Could be a good opportunity for Lundqvist to show he still has some talent in him or at least go out on a winning note. —Dew

12:33 PM: Some other minor move: Tyler Motte re-signs with Vancouver (2x$1.225M) and Radko Gudas will land in Florida with the Panthers but terms have yet to be released —nkb

12:26 PM: Speaking of Tampa, Patrick Maroon (2x $900k) and Luke Schenn (1x$800k) have agreed to return to the champs. —nkb

12:14 PM: In some good news, our beloved Bobby Ryan has signed a 1-year deal with the Detroit Red Wings for $1M. Good luck Bobby! —Dew

12:10 PM: In something of a surprise, the Tampa Bay Lightning have placed Tyler Johnson on waivers. The Bolts were always going to be pressed to keep their core together, so this could be just the first of several moves to clear space. —nkb

12:04 PM: We have our first two signings as the Toronto Maple Leafs have agreed to terms on a 1 year, $1.5M contract with Wayne Simmonds. Meanwhile, Chicago got itself a steal with a 2 year, $7.4M contract with Dominik Kubalik. — nkb

Dominik Kubalik (2x3.7m extension) is extremely good at 5v5 and had a tremendous year shooting. Less useful creating on the power-play. pic.twitter.com/wMTqCl1ED4

— Micah Blake McCurdy (@IneffectiveMath) October 9, 2020