Toronto Maple Leafs: What Every NHL Team Did In Free-Agency
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings quiet on July 1 with the only relevant name was bringing in veteran goalie Cam Talbot on a one-year deal and the reasons they were was because they were busy in the days leading up.
First the club re-signed trade deadline acquisition Vladislav Gavrikov who averaged over 21-minutes a night after joining the Kings. The hulking defenseman agreed on a two-year deal worth $5.88M per season.
The bigger move by Los Angeles was acquiring Pierre-Luc Dubois from the Winnipeg Jets and signing him to an eight-year extension worth $8.5 Million per season. The tall center is a three-time 60-point player that should give the Kings three star guys up the middle.
Seattle Kraken
The newest team in the league may have any lifelong fans to join the team, but they did sign a hometown kid by adding Kailer Yamamoto to the fold. The Spokane, Washington native was traded by the Edmonton Oilers to the Detroit Red Wings who proceeded to buy him out and make him a free agent. “Yamo” would sign a one-year deal worth $1.5 Million.
The Kraken also signed veteran defenseman Brian Dumoulin to a two-year deal worth $3.15 Million per year. The left handed shooting defender had spent his entire 10-year NHL career with the Pittsburgh Penguins after he was acquired as part of the Jordan Staal deal.
Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames were one of the more quiet teams on free agency and their biggest move was adding 31-year old defenseman Jordan Oesterle on a deal just under a million dollars. Oesterle was an undrafted college free agent and could reach 400-career games this season.
Vancouver Canucks
The steal of free agency may have been the Vancouver Canucks signing massive defenseman Carson Soucy to a three-year deal at just $3.25 Million per season. Soucy collected 143 hits in 78 games last season, while averaging 16:18 a night. Soucy will become one of the top shutdown guys in Vancouver.
The Canucks also signed Teddy Blueger to a one-year $1.9 Million dollar deal and veteran defenseman Ian Cole to a one-year $3 Million.
San Jose Sharks
Once thought of as the future number one goalie in New Jersey, Mackenzie Blackwood will get a fresh start in California. The San Jose Sharks signed the 26-year old netminder to a two-year deal worth $2.35 Million a year. After posting a 2.72 GAA and .916 save percentage over his first two seasons, he has dropped to 3.19 GAA and .897 save percentage over the last three seasons.
Anaheim Ducks
The Anaheim Ducks made a big splash bringing in two giants to the fold. Radko Gudas received a three-year deal worth $4 Million a season, while Alex Killorn surprised many people by getting one of the largest free agent contracts at four years and $6.25 Million per season.
Killorn will be 34-years old before the start of the season and is coming off his career best season where he scored 27-goals and 64-points. This deal looks to be regretful in a year. Gudas’ contract does not look quite as bad, but he is 33-years old and signed a three-year deal.
Carolina Hurricanes
One of the busiest teams this past weekend was the Carolina Hurricanes and along with bringing back both their goalies (Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta), they also re-signed captain Jordan Staal and Jesper Fast.
On the unrestricted free agent market they added defenseman Dmitri Orlov and former Maple Leaf Michael Bunting. Orlov received a two-year deal worth $7.75 Million per season, which will allow him to cash in on the salary cap rise.
Bunting cashed in on his two seasons in Toronto where he collected 23-goals in both years. Bunting will earn $4.5 Million for the next three years.
New Jersey Devils
Another team that stayed relatively quiet on July 1 was the New Jersey Devils, but that was because they signed their own free agent in the days leading up.
Timo Meier re-upped with the Devils on an eight-year deal worth $8.8 Million per season. The power forward was a trade deadline acquisition that collected nine goals in 21 games, but just two in the playoffs.
Of note to Torontno Maple Leafs fans, Erik Kallgren signed with the Devils on a two-way contract that will see him earn $450,000 in the minors and $775,000 in the NHL.
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers signed several veteran free agents, all for under a million dollars which included Blake Wheeler, Nick Bonino, Jonathan Quick and Riley Nash.
Wheeler was bought out earlier in the week by the Winnipeg Jets, but the 37-year old could still have some hockey left in him after collecting 55-points last season.
Maple Leafs trade deadline acquisition Erik Gustafsson also took a one-year deal at just over the league minimum. The veteran puck moving defenseman suited up for just 11-games in a Maple Leafs uniform, but was able to pick up five points in that time.
New York Islanders
Uncle Lou (Lamoreillo) made some head scratcher signings by bringing back four of his players. He locked up stud goalie Ilya Sorokin to an eight-year deal worth $8.25 Million per season.
But he also gave seven-year deals to Pierre Engvall ($3M AAV) and Scott Mayfield ($3.5M AAV). Engvall could be a steal of a deal, but Mayfield’s contract will take him through his age 37 season.
The biggest surprise was locking up back-up goalie Semyon Varlamov to a four-year deal worth $2.75M per season.
The veteran Russian will be turning 39 years old during the playoff run in the last year of his deal.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Kyle Dubas was active on July 1, but his biggest signing was re-signing goalie Tristan Jarry to a five-year deal worth $5.38 Million per season.
The former Edmonton Oil King has played his entire professional career in the Pittsburgh organization and is coming off a down season.
Dubas was able to bring Noel Acciari over from the Toronto Maple Leafs on a three-year deal worth $2 Million per season. Acciari was acquired by Dubas just before the trade deadline deal this past season.
Washington Capitals
The biggest move of the day for the Washington Capitals was giving Max Pacioretty a two-year deal worth $2 Million per season. The six-time 30-goal scorer missed all but five games last season, but was able to score three goals in that game. If healthy, Pacioretty should be able to have a big season in Washington and cash in next season, but that is a big “if” as he missed half of the season before.
Philadelphia Flyers
Over the last two seasons, Garnett Hathaway has collected 13 and 14 goals split between Washington and Boston. He must like the east coast as he signed a two-year deal with the Philadelphia Flyers for $2.38 Million per season.
On Monday, the Flyers quietly added Marc Staal to their blue line on a one-year deal worth $1.1 Million. Staal suited up in 21-games during the Florida Panthers run to the Stanley Cup finals, but did not register a point.
Columbus Blue Jackets
The big move the Columbus Blue Jackets did this past week was announcing Mike Babcock as their new head coach, as well as drafting Adam Fantilli third overall as they have not made a signing at the time of writing.
Colorado Avalanche
Jonathan Drouin was once thought of as the first overall pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, but he dropped to third and has had his own struggles through his career.
He is hoping that by joining former junior teammate Nathan MacKinnon he can get his career going again. The former top prospect signed a one-year deal worth $825,000.
The club also signed Bowen Byram to a two-year bridge deal worth $3.85 Million per season. The 22-year old is setting himself for a huge pay day at the end of the deal as he already has 43 points through 91 career games.
Dallas Stars
In a surprising move, Matt Duchene was bought out of the final three years of his contract in Nashville. Duchene was coming off a 56-point season which was one year after collecting 43-goals and 86-points the year previous.
Dallas scooped in a signed the Ontario native to a one-year deal worth $3 Million. If you look at points per dollar average this upcoming season, Duchene could take the win against other free agent signings.
Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild’s cap space was very limited as they are hit with the next two years of nearly $15 Million being eaten up from the buyouts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter’s contracts.
The Wild’s biggest signing was that of Vinni Lettieri to a two-year deal at the league minimum. Lettieri signed with his hometown team, but he may not get a chance with the club as he is more of an AHL caliber player.
Winnipeg Jets
The Winipeg Jets were busy leading up to the trade deadline when they traded Pierre-Luc Dubois to the Los Angeles Kings and then bought out Blake Wheeler.
During free agency day, they brought back Laurent Brossoit to the team on a one-year deal worth $1.75 Million.
Brossoit brings his Stanley Cup experience to Winnipeg after playing three seasons for the organization back from 2018-2021.
Nashville Predators
Freshly hired GM Barry Trotz made some head scratcher moves heading to the end of June when he traded Ryan Johansen and retained half his salary. He then bought out the final three years of Duchene’s contract that carries a cap hit in two of the next three years near what it would have been had he been playing for the team.
In response to the subtractions, Trotz signed former Toronto Maple Leafs Ryan O’Reilly to a four-year deal worth $4.5 Million per season and shocked the hockey world by giving Luke Schenn $2.75 Million per season for three years.
Trotz now has seven defenseman making at least $2 Million and O’Reilly looks to be the teams top center.
St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues are going through a rebuild and it was evident after they sold off a lot of their veterans at last year’s trade deadline.
Malcolm Subban, along with three others had minor league contracts signed with the club. Subban was the most notable name and he spent the entire 2022-23 season in the AHL.
Arizona Coyotes
The Arizona Coyotes jumped into the Toronto Maple Leafs market by signing former fan favourite Alexander Kerfoot to a two-year deal worth $3.5 Million per season.
Kerfoot is the player known that the Tornto Maple Leafs got for Nazem Kadri and struggled to match his output. Kerfoot scored 40-goals over four seasons and it was rumoured he and the Leafs were trying to work out a contract, but they couldn’t make the money work.
The Coyotes are also hoping third time is a charm by bringing back another former Leafs, Alex Galchenyuk as they signed him to a league minimum deal.
Chicago Blackhawks
If you were to give an award to the team with the most bizarre contracts signed it would go to the Chicago Blackhawks.
Leading up to free agency, the Hawks acquired the rights to veterans Corey Perry and Nick Foligno who both signed identical one-year $4 Million deals.
Both players are good veterans that are better suited for the fourth lines, but can still pot in some goals; Perry collected 12 this past season with Foligno notching 10.
Perry comes with a ton of playoff experience as he has won a cup and made it to the finals three times, while Foligno has made it out of the first round just once in his career.
On Saturday, the Hawks also added Ryan Donato by signing him to a two-year deal worth $2 Million per season after scoring 30-goals combined over the previous two seasons in Seattle.
Boston Bruins
The President Trophy winning Boston Bruins are in a bit of a conundrum as they have not got confirmation yet from David Krejci or Patrice Bergeron on whether or not either are returning for another season.
For now, the Bruins signed several veterans for a million dollars, which included bringing back Milan Lucic who had played 566 games with the organization over eight seasons.
He has now creeping up to 1,100 career games and he isn’t the same type of player he was when he left back in 2015 but he can be a solid fourth line contributor.
The Bruins also added James van Riemsdyk and Kevin Shattenkirk to matching contracts that Lucic received.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Speaking of bringing someone back to the organization, the Toronto Maple Leafs bring back Max Domi. Okay, he comes back to the organization as a former son of a player, but he was around the organization as a kid.
Domi is joining his seventh team since 2018 which can cause some concerns, but he can be a key contributor. It looks like he’ll play primarily left wing and he can bring in some much needed secondary scoring. Domi scored 20-goals for the second time in his career last season and went on to collect 13 points in 19 playoff games.
The big addition was adding Tyler Bertuzzi in to the fold on a one-year deal worth $5.5 Million. Since the 2018-19 season, Bertuzzi has averaged 26-goals over an 82 game span. You can imagine that should go up playing in the Toronto Maple Leafs top six.
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay enticement of getting players signing for less than their value appeared to end this off-season after they saw Alex Killorn leave for more money.
They tried to replace him with Connor Sheary who they signed for three-years at $2 Million per season. Sheary has not been able to replicate his breakout season he had in Pittsburgh back in 2016-17 when he scored 23 goals and 53 points in 61 games, but he has been able to carve out a solid NHL career. Sheary has been able to collect in the mid double digits since 2017 and has averaged 17-goals per 82 games.
The Lightning also add former 11th overall pick Logan Brown on a one-year deal at league minimum. The 6’6″ center has had trouble since turning pro and the now 25-year old is joining his third organization.
Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers were busy signing players that were recently bought out to cap friendly contracts. The big name was Oliver Ekman-Larsson who they signed to a one-year deal at $2.25 Million. OEL will be a huge upgrade on recently departed Marc Staal who signed with the Flyers. Larsson can still fill a role of a second pairing defenseman and the Panthers got a great deal.
The second player was defenseman Mike Rielly who the Boston Bruins bought out. Rielly spent the majority of 2022-23 season in the AHL and will be in tough to make the Panthers roster.
The big signing of the day though was forward Evan Rodrigues who they locked in at four-years and $3 Million per year. The undrafted Toronto native has collected 35-goals over the last two seasons and should fit the third line well in Florida.
Buffalo Sabres
If the Buffalo Sabres get goaltending next year they may just push for a playoff spot. They have two of the best young defenseman in Owen Power and Rasmus Dahlin.
Now they added veteran defenseman Erik Johnson to the back end. Johnson helped the Colorado Avalanche win the Stanley Cup in 2022 and signed with the Sabres on a one-year deal at $3.25 Million.
The team also added Connor Clifton on a three-year deal worth $3.33 Million to help on the backend.
Ottawa Senators
Considering how big of a signing it was, inking goalie Joonas Korpisalo went relatively quiet outside of Ottawa.
Korpisalo was acquired at the trade deadline by the Los Angeles Kings and was lights out down the stretch, but had the unfortunate luck of drawing Connor McDavid in the first round. The Finnish goalie signed on with the Senators for five years at a $4 Million cap hit, which now gives the Senators a legit starting goalie for the first time in years.
Detroit Red Wings
GM Steve Yzerman went shopping in the Toronto Maple Leafs scrap pile as he signed Justin Holl to a three-year deal that carries a cap hit of $3.4 Million, as well as James Reimer to a one-year contract for $1.5 Million.
Yzerman remained busy as he made several notable signings including: J.T. Compher, Shayne Gostisbehere and Daniel Sprong.
Compher was the biggest contract as he was signed for five-years at a cap hit of $5.1 Million. The former Avalanche forward is coming off a career 52-point season.
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens were one of the quietest teams this past week as their biggest signing was Rafael Harvey-Pinard to a two-year deal at a cap hit of $1.1 Million.
Next. Top 10 Free Agents Who Were Available This Year. dark
If you don’t know him, it is because he has not a lot of NHL experience, but he did score 30-goals last year split between Laval and Montreal. He did get 34 games for the Canadiens and scored 14-goals.