NHL Signings & Free Agents

Harpur has been around the NHL for a number of seasons, picking up seven assists in 34 games in his first season with the Predators. Harpur will likely be a reserve defenseman again in 2021-22 and is capable of stepping in when injuries occur.

Davies had nine assists in nine AHL games before being promoted to the Predators in 2021. He picked up just one assist in his first 16 career NHL games and should be a fringe NHL blueliner for the Predators in 2021-22.

Rau has been an AHL regular with a little NHL experience in recent years. The 28-year-old has picked up just four assists in 23 NHL games with the Wild over the last three seasons. At the AHL level, Rau had 14 goals and 29 assists (43 points) in 51 games with Iowa.

Mermis has been primarily an AHL defenseman in recent years, picking up six goals and 37 assists (43 points) in 115 AHL games in 2019 and 2020 combined. In 2021, the 27-year-old failed to record a point in three games with the Wild.

Armia has become a versatile part of the Canadiens' middle-6 in recent years and signs a nice $3.35M AAV extension the day before free agency. Armia's offence fell off a bit in 2021 but has averaged 19 goals and 16 assists (35 points) per 82-games in his three years in Montreal.

Things did not go well for Laine after he was traded to the Blue Jackets, scoring 10 goals with 11 assists (21 points) in 45 games--18-goal, 20-assist per 82 game pace. However, Laine should benefit from the Blue Jackets and John Tortorella parting ways and the one-year deal gives him an opportunity to have a bounce-back season and cash in next year.

Somppi was a seventh-round pick in 2016 and has spent the last three seasons in the AHL and ECHL. In 2021, Somppi had 12 goals and 14 assists (24 points) in 32 games with Syracuse (AHL). Look for him to start 2021-22 in the AHL.

Hirose spent almost all of 2021 in the AHL, where he was second on the Griffins with 28 points (5G / 23A) in 29 games. He played in six games with the Red Wings, giving him 16 points (3G / 13A) in 42 career NHL games. Hirose could fight for a spot with the Red Wings next season but he's likely headed for the AHL to start the season.

Ovechkin's cap-hit doesn't change much, going from $9.539M AAV to $9.5M for the next five seasons. Ovechkin currently sits sixth on the all-time goal-scoring list, 164 goals behind Wayne Gretzky for first. A five-year contract will take Ovechkin to 40-years-old and he will need to average 32.8 goals per season to reach Gretzky's mark. He has averaged 52 goals per 82 games over the last three seasons.

Buchnevich was acquired from the Rangers last week and the RFA quickly signed a four-year extension with his new team. In St. Louis, Buchnevich will play with either Ryan O'Reilly or Brayden Schenn and has averaged 25 goals and 33 assists (57 points) per 82 games over the last three seasons.

Garland was acquired from the Coyotes last week and the RFA quickly signed a five-year extension with his new team. In Vancouver, Garland will play with either Elias Pettersson or Bo Horvat and has averaged 24 goals and 31 assists (55 points) per 82 games over the last two seasons.

After three years outside of the Red Wings organization, Criscuolo returned in 2021 and scored 11 goals and eight assists (19 points) in 29 games with the Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL). He's be back for another two years with the Griffins.

Stastny is still an effective veteran and will stick around with the Jets for another year. He had 29 points (13G / 16A) in 56 games last year and is still capable of filling a top-6 role in 2021-22.

Hammond spent the entire 2021 season in the AHL, going 16-12-3 with a 2.53 GAA and .908 SV% with the Rochester Americans. Hammond has not played in the NHL since 2018, so expect him to remain in the Wild's farm system during the 2021-22 campaign.

Wolf was an undrafted free agent, who turned pro in 2020-21 after four years at the University off Minnesota-Duluth. He started the year in Slovakia during the COVID-19 pandemic before coming to the AHL, where he had just two assists in 24 games with the Providence Bruins. He'll be in Providence to start the 2021-22 season.

Lindstrom appeared to have a track to being a full-time NHL player in 2021-22, until Marc Staal signed a one-year extension on Sunday. Still, Lindstrom appeared din 13 NHL games a season ago and should be a factor with both the Red Wings and Griffins (AHL) next season.

Gaudette was acquired from the Canucks for Matthew Highmore in April and contributed one goal and three assists in seven games with the Blackhawks. Gaudette will be battling with the likes of Henrik Borgstrom, Brett Connolly and Alex Nylander for playing time in 2021-22.

Morin was supposed to make the move from defence to forward in 2021 but didn't make much of an impact at any level. Morin is an imposing figure (6-foot-6, 202 lbs.) and a former top-15 pick (No.11 overall in 2013) but has just one goal in 29 career NHL games to this point.

Jaros immediately signed a two-way contract with the Devils after being dealt from San Jose. Jaros has spent most of his time in the AHL over the last two seasons, so expect that to be the case again in 2021-22.

Walker has put up strong AHL numbers over the years but hasn't been much of a factor at the NHL level. Over the last three years, he has scored two goals with two assists (four points) in 16 games with the Capitals and Blues. Look for him to remain in the AHL for most of 2021-22.