07/01/25 11:27:00
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07/01 11:25 CDT Start of NHL's free agency expected to lack frenzy with many
high-profile players off the board
Start of NHL's free agency expected to lack frenzy with many high-profile
players off the board
By JOHN WAWROW
AP Hockey Writer
No Mitch Marner. No Aaron Ekblad. No Brad Marchand.
No frenzy?
With a majority of the NHL's top-projected free-agent talent already off the
market, the 32 teams face relatively slim pickings entering the league's annual
signing period opening Tuesday.
A record $7.5 million jump in the NHL's salary cap led to many teams locking up
their own talent to long-term deals in advance of free agency.
The Vegas Golden Knights proved the big winners, acquiring Marner in a
sign-and-trade deal agreed to Monday with Toronto to land free-agency's most
prized player. And the two-time defending champion Florida Panthers took Ekblad
and Marchand off the board by re-signing each to a lengthy contract.
The Panthers weren't done securing their Cup core, re-signing Tomas Nosek to a
one-year contract on Tuesday. The 32-year-old center played a valuable
defensive role on Florida's checking line against opposing teams' top talent.
As the dust settled, the top players entering the market include forwards,
Winnipeg's Nikolaj Ehlers and Vancouver's Brock Boeser, Los Angeles defenseman
Vladislav Gavrikov, and New Jersey goalie Jake Allen. Teams are expected to
turn to the trade route in bids to improve their rosters.
The Philadelphia Flyers were among the first out of the gate in signing
nine-year veteran forward Christian Dvorak to a one-year, $5.4 million
contract, according to a person familiar with the deal. The person spoke to The
Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the signing had not been
announced.
Earlier, the Montreal Canadiens kicked things off on the trade market by
acquiring forward Zachary Bolduc in a deal that sent defenseman Logan Mailloux
to the St. Louis Blues. Bolduc had 19 goals and 39 points as a rookie last
year. Mailloux was a 2021 first-round draft pick and spent a majority of last
season in the minors.
Two-time defending Western Conference champion Edmonton cleared salary cap
space by sending winger Viktor Arvidsson, an 11-year veteran, to Boston for a
2027 fifth-round pick.
The Buffalo Sabres are among teams that could be active in not ruling out the
possibility of dealing 24-year-old defenseman Bowen Byram. Another, and older,
defenseman, Erik Karlsson, could be on the move from Pittsburgh. And Minnesota
Wild center Marco Rossi's name has come up in trade buzz.
Teams also focused their attention on signing pending restricted free agents
and extending contracts.
With Marner's departure, the Maple Leafs announced the signing of pending
restricted free agent forward Matthew Knies to a six-year, $46.5 million
contract. The 22-year-old Knies is from Phoenix. He had 29 goals and 58 points
in his second full season in Toronto.
The Vancouver Canucks reached agreements to sign goalie Thatcher Demko to a
three-year, $25.5 million contract extension and forward Conor Garland to a
six-year, $30 million contract extension. Both players were entering the final
years of their contracts and Tuesday was the first day they were eligible to
sign extensions.
Carolina signed young forward Logan Stankoven to an eight-year extension worth
$48 million. Stankoven, acquired from Dallas at the trade deadline as part of
the return for Mikko Rantanen, will count $6 million against the salary cap
through 2034.
By no means is this year's free agency period expected to generate the
headline-grabbing moves made a year ago, when the Nashville Predators spent a
combined $115 million in salary to secure forwards Steven Stamkos and Jonathan
Marchessault, defenseman Brady Skjei and goalie Scott Wedgewood.
But plenty of money is set to be spent. San Jose is nearly $20 million below
the salary floor, and teams from Anaheim to Carolina and beyond have room under
the cap to get better.
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AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno contributed to this report.
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
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