The NHL’s free agency kicks off July 1 at 12 PM ET and despite the lack of top talent available, there is plenty of value to be found in this year’s class.
Names like Tyler Bertuzzi, Dmitri Orlov and Matt Duchene are among the big fish to catch, while players like Alex Killornet JT Compher Blake Wheeler will be coveted by GMs looking to expand their rosters.
Many teams have already preempted the free-agent craze by locking up players who were about to go into the free market, with Ivan Barbashev, Eric Hula, and newly acquired Corey Perry offerings like staying with their teams, and there will certainly be more in the hours leading up to the official start of free agency.
Follow here on our live tracker and blog for all the latest signings, rumours, offers and more.
Duchene and Wheeler are among the 4 players bought
Matt Duchene, Blake Wheeler, Kyler Yamamoto and Mike Riley will become free agents on July 1 after buying out their contracts on Friday.
Duchene was the biggest surprise of the group. He’s coming off the regular season by his standards with 56 points in 71 games, but scored 43 goals and added 43 assists in 2021-22. His $8 million goal may not be good for the team, but he’s still a solid offensive player.
The Predators acquisition will save $5.44 million in 2023-24, but their savings will be more modest over the next two years ($2.44 million and $1.44 million, respectively). After that, they’ll have $1.55 million in the books from 2026-27 through 2028-29.
The Blackhawks signed Corey Perry to a one-year contract
The Chicago Blackhawks didn’t wait long to put pen to paper on their latest acquisition, signing veteran winger Corey Perry to a one-year, $4 million deal on Friday.
Perry brings plenty of leadership and experience to a Blackhawks team led by top draft pick Conor Bedard and joins Hall Taylor as a former Hart Trophy winner to join the organization in recent weeks.
The 38-year-old scored 12 goals and 25 points in 81 games while playing fourth line with the Lightning last season.
The Hurricanes quickly re-signed, parting ways with Bulgojarvi
The Carolina Hurricanes are reportedly close to a deal with suspended unrestricted free agent Jesper Rapid as they prepare to move to Jesse Polijärvi.
According to NHL insider Christ Johnston, the Hurricanes are finalizing a two-year extension with the Fast that will cost $2.4 million.
Fast, 31, has been a solid contributor for the Hurricanes over the past three seasons, scoring 10 goals and 29 points in 80 games and contributing on the downside.
Puljujarvi is facing a lengthy recovery after recently undergoing double hip surgery, and will not receive a qualifying offer from the Hurricanes, according to Johnston, making him a free agent.
It’s an unfortunate development for the 2016 team, which is fourth overall, and which struggled last season after arriving in Carolina in a trade from Edmonton, recording just two assists in 17 games. The 25-year-old scored just five goals and 16 points in 76 games between the two teams last season.
