Tag: nhl free agency

2023 NHL Free Agency live tracker: Catch up on all the major signings

Keep track of all the major NHL free agent signings this summer right here!

The 2023 NHL free agency period is officially open!

As 12 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 1 has come to pass, NHL teams can now sign unrestricted free agents to contracts for the upcoming 2023-24 season and beyond. It’s now open season on the NHL’s biggest available stars, with general managers across the league looking to better their teams’ fortunes.

While there have been a handful of trades ahead of the start of free agency, the 2023 offseason has been somewhat subdued so far. Surprisingly, the first round of the 2023 NHL Draft featured no trades whatsoever during the course of the night. Still, a slow draft likely won’t be a precursor to an easy-going free agency period, as there are still many moves to be made this summer.

MORE NHL FREE AGENCY: Ranking the 20 best NHL free agents in the 2023 offseason.

Here are all the major free agent signings of the 2023 NHL free agency period.

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The best NHL free agents remaining on the 2023 offseason market

Who are the top NHL free agents remaining on the market?

The busiest period of NHL free agency is over as the long summer looms over us all.

The first day of the 2023 NHL free agency period came and went and with it, many deals were struck by teams looking to bolster their fortunes for the upcoming season and beyond. It was a hectic day with deals being made across the board, though some NHL teams stood out more than others — for good and for ill.

MORE NHL FREE AGENCY: Catch up on all the major signings with our live tracker.

Now that the chaos has passed, the board has been picked pretty clean of any major dealbreakers, though some still remain unsigned as of yet. So, who are the best NHL free agents remaining on the market? Let’s dive in.

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Ranking the 20 best NHL free agents in the 2023 offseason

These are the best NHL free agents of the 2023 offseason.

After a few chaotic years, the 2023 NHL free agency period is finally back on its usual day: July 1.

On Saturday, the NHL’s free agency period will open to all 32 teams, officially ushering in the start of summer season for hockey. With the Stanley Cup awarded and the 2023 NHL Draft still ongoing, free agency is the last big event of the hockey calendar until players hit the ice for training camp in the fall.

This year, the 2023 free agency class is a bit weaker than usual. While there is talent to be had, there are not as many superstar players up for grabs as there have been in the past. At the very least, that means NHL general managers will likely have to get creative in the form of trades to spice things up this summer.

With 12 p.m. ET on July 1 come and gone, here are the top 20 UFAs headed to market that you should watch out for.

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2023 NHL free agency winners (Bruins) and losers (Maple Leafs) from the first day

NHL free agency is open and these are the teams that made the strongest impressions on Day 1.

The first day of NHL free agency is always a hectic one and 2023 did not disappoint.

While the NHL free agency class of 2023 is notably weaker than previous years, that didn’t stop general managers from wheeling and dealing as soon as 12 p.m. ET hit. Already, tons of money and term have been tossed around as teams look to improve their stock for the upcoming 2023-24 season and beyond.

MORE NHL FREE AGENCY: Catch up on all the major signings with our 2023 live tracker.

Saturday saw a bunch of players in our top 20 sign new contracts — such as Ryan O’Reilly and Dmitry Orlov — but hockey fans are still waiting to hear news on other big names like Tyler Bertuzzi, Vladimir Tarasenko, and Patrick Kane. Still, free agency is a long process and Saturday was only the beginning for teams ahead of a lengthy summer.

That being said, first impressions still matter, as the busiest time in the free agency period has come to an end. Here are the biggest winners and losers of the first day of the 2023 NHL free agency period.

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2022 NHL free agency winners and losers from the first day

The first day of NHL free agency was busy, but not as chaotic as expected.

The first day of the 2022 NHL free agency period did not go as many thought it would.

While there have been a torrent of contracts signed by free agents that opened the floodgates, there weren’t any real surprises on Wednesday that hockey fans were hoping for. Of course, free agency is only beginning, as teams will have all summer to ruminate on their needs while courting some of the big names still available.

For now, however, it seems as if the busiest time of the free agency period has passed. After the first day of business, here are the biggest winners and losers of the 2022 NHL free agency period!

Blue Jays fired manager Charlie Montoyo right at the start of NHL free agency and fans had jokes

When you REALLY know your audience …

Those in the PR field know that it’s always easiest to deliver bad news when the audience’s attention is directed elsewhere. The Toronto Blue Jays certainly seemed to know that.

Wednesday marked the start of NHL free agency, which is a huge deal for a city full of hockey fans like Toronto. You have Maple Leafs fans frantically checking their phones to see if anything can be done to end their 55-year Stanley Cup drought. So, the Blue Jays thought it was a solid time to announce that they had fired manager Charlie Montoyo just as the NHL free agency frenzy got underway.

From a baseball standpoint, it was a shocking move. The Blue Jays’ issues this season have mainly been in their bullpen (4.26 bullpen ERA). Despite that, they are currently the third Wild Card team in the American League. And though they haven’t played at last season’s 91-win pace, they’re 1.5 games out of the top Wild Card spot. Toronto also won on Tuesday night. The timing was curious — to say the least.

So, you really can’t blame fans for making plenty of jokes about NHL free agency.

2022 NHL Free Agency tracker: Catch up on all the major signings

Keep track of all the major NHL free agent signings in 2022 here!

The gates to the 2022 NHL free agency period have officially been thrown open!

As of Wednesday, July 13 at 12 p.m. ET, NHL teams will now be able to sign unrestricted free agents to contracts as clubs look to bolster their rosters ahead of yet another 82-game season. It’s now open season on the NHL’s biggest unsigned stars, with a flurry of activity likely as noon ET hits and more deals slowly trickling in during the summer months.

Headed into the free agency period, NHL teams were active at the draft, with players such as Alex DeBrincat and Matt Murray moving on from their respective clubs. A handful of big UFA targets were also taken off the board in the days leading up to free agency, with Evgeni Malkin re-signing in Pittsburgh at the eleventh hour and Valeri Nichushkin sticking around in Colorado, among others.

Oh, and make sure you take a look at our top 20 free agents headed into this offseason before all of the major players get signed! Here are all the major free agent signings of the 2022 NHL free agency period.

Ranking the 20 best NHL free agents in the 2022 offseason

The 2022 NHL free agency class is incredibly strong.

The 2022 NHL free agency period will open its doors on Wednesday, July 13 and chaos will surely follow in its wake. It’s been some time since we’ve seen a free agent class this strong, as some true star power will be available to sign this offseason.

Now that the Stanley Cup has been awarded and the NHL Draft has come and gone, only free agency remains between hockey fans and a long summer. And yet, this free agency period should be a real fun one. There are a ton of great players set to hit the market on Wednesday, with term and money likely free flowing as teams look to make a big splash.

Even before free agency begins, there were a handful of moves made that shook up the landscape. The Blackhawks set in motion their rebuild by trading away Alex DeBrincat and Kirby Dach, a series of moves that confused many Chicago fans. Alexandar Georgiev will now be the starting goaltender for the Avalanche after the Rangers traded the netminder ahead of the draft.

All that, plus a few major signings for good measure, from Kris Letang remaining with the Penguins and Valeri Nichushkin getting big money from the Avalanche to stick around. With 12 p.m. ET on July 13 rapidly approaching, here are the top 20 UFAs headed to market that you should watch out for.

Ranking the 20 best NHL free agents in 2021

The biggest NHL free agents this summer, ranked.

It’s been a few short weeks since the Tampa Bay Lightning became back-to-back Stanley Cup champions and less than a week since the Seattle Kraken assembled their first full roster. Hockey fans are now facing down the last major calendar event before the offseason kicks into full gear: free agency.

The 2021 NHL free agency period is set to be a pretty explosive one. Between the deep free agency pool available and general managers and players looking to change things up after a shortened NHL season, we are likely to see a lot of quality players change hands in the next few weeks.

Even before the free agency period, we’ve seen a lot of movement already this offseason. The Philadelphia Flyers shipped out a bunch of roster mainstays and brought in Ryan Ellis, Rasmus Ristolainen, and Cam Atkinson. Seth Jones is officially Chicago bound from Columbus and Sam Reinhart is now a member of the Florida Panthers. The NHL offseason has only just begun, and there is sure to be more trades made in the coming weeks.

With the NHL’s free agency set to begin on July 28 at 12 p.m. ET, we’ve ranked the top 20 UFAs teams will likely be vying for here for your convenience.

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