NHL Signings & Free Agents

The Blues added some depth to their crease on Wednesday, signing goalie Georgi Romanov to a one-year, two-way contract. The 25-year-old Romanov played in eight games for the Sharks last season (0-6-0), posting a troubling 3.89 GAA and .877 SV%.

Entering his age-35 season, Ekholm has agreed to a three-year contract extension worth $12 million ($4M AAV). The veteran defenseman has been a great addition to the Oilers since joining them prior to the 2022-23 trade deadline. In 165 games with Edmonton, Ekholm is averaging 21:28 time-on-ice and has 92 points (24G / 68A).

Heading into their season-opening matchup on Thursday against the Dallas Stars, the Winnipeg Jets announced their most lucrative contract in franchise history, signing Kyle Connor to a massive eight-year extension worth $96 million ($12 million AAV). The 28-year-old Connor was Winnipeg's seventh overall pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft and has consistently been one of the NHL's most consistent scorers since his rookie season in 2017-18. Connor scored a career-high 97 points (41G / 56A) in 82 games last season and will be relied upon again in 2025-26 to spearhead Winnipeg's offence.

Holtz was the seventh-overall pick of the New Jersey Devils in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. After three years in the Devils organization, he made his Golden Knights debut last season, scoring 12 points (4G / 8A) in 53 games.

Erne joined the Stars for a PTO in training camp and has been rewarded with a one-year, two-way contract. With Jamie Benn and Oskar Back both on Injured Reserve, Erne could have an opportunity to crack the Stars' opening night roster on the fourth line. The 30-year-old Erne last played in the NHL in the 2023-24 season and has 91 points (41G / 50A) in 379 career games.

Gregor joined the Panthers during training camp on a PTO that has materialized into a one-year, two-way contract. The 27-year-old Gregor split time last season between the Ottawa Senators and San Jose Sharks, playing a total of 52 games and scoring seven points (4G / 3A).

Rooney had been on a PTO with New Jersey but signed with Utah on Monday for a one-year, two-way contract. The 32-year-old appeared in a career high 70 games with Calgary in 2024-25, picking up five goals, 10 points and 14 PIMs. He should provide forward depth for the bottom six in Utah.

After extending Connor McDavid with a two-year contract, the Oilers took care of additional business on Monday, signing Walman to a seven-year extension. The 29-year-old Walman is gearing up for his first full season as an Oiler. He had eight points (1G / 7A) in 15 games with the Oilers after being acquired from the San Jose Sharks before the trade deadline last season. He is currently battling an undisclosed injury and is questionable for Edmonton's season opener on Wednesday.

After being an NHL regular for nine straight seasons, Sheary was limited to a career-low five games with the Tampa Bay Lightning last season, spending the majority of the campaign with the Syracuse Crunch (AHL), scoring 61 points (20G / 41A) in 59 games. The 593-game NHL veteran will hope for more NHL exposure with the Rangers this season, though he may again be hard-pressed to do so with a two-way contract.

A week after Kirill Kaprizov signed an enormous eight-year, $17 million AAV contract, the Oilers signed McDavid to a team-friendly two-year extension worth $12.5 million AAV. McDavid has led the NHL in points in three of his last five seasons and is continually among the league leaders for point production. The 29-year-old is coming off consecutive unsuccessful visits to the Stanley Cup Finals and will be poised to win a championship in his next three years with the Oilers.

Davies' deal is a two-day contract and provides the Golden Knights with some organizational depth on the blueline. The 28-year-old has appeared in 23 career NHL games with the Predators and Sabres, but has spent the last four seasons almost exclusively in the AHL, most recently with Belleville, where he had 48 points (11G / 37A) in 72 games.

Grzelcyk joined Chicago in training camp on a PTO and has earned himself a one-year, $1 million contract with the Blackhawks just before the start of the regular season. Grzelcyk is entering his 10th NHL season after putting up a goal and 40 points in 82 games with Pittsburgh in 2024-25.

Smith only played 13 NHL games last season, split between the San Jose Sharks and Colorado Avalanche, and has been signed to a two-way contract with the Carolina Hurricanes. The 27-year-old Smith has 22 points (9G / 13A) in 168 career games.

LaCombe had an outstanding sophomore campaign with the Ducks in 2024-25, scoring a career-high 43 point (14G / 29A) in 75 games, earning himself a massive eight-year, $72 million contract ($9M AAV). The talented 24-year-old defenseman is poised to start the 2025-26 season on the top powerplay unit for an improving young Ducks team and could be destined for another career-best season.

The Panthers have orchestrated another long-term extension to a member of their core, inking Mikkola to an additional eight-years worth $40 million total ($5M AAV). The 29-year-old Mikkola played a career-high 20:12 time-on-ice last season and scored 22 points (6G / 16A) in 76 games.

After a long summer of back-and-forth contract negotiations, New Jersey and Luke Hughes have agreed to a seven-year extension worth $9 million AAV ($63M total). The 22-year-old was New Jersey's 2021 1st round pick (4th overall) and is entering his third full season with the Devils after putting up seven goals, 44 points and 121 SOG in 71 games played.

After countless trade speculations and a deliberate back-and-forth between Kaprizov and the Minnesota Wild, the two parties have agreed on an NHL record-breaking eight-year, $17 million AAV contract. Since his introduction in the NHL in the 2020-21 season, Kaprizov has been among the top point producers in the league, with 386 points (185G / 201A) in 319 games. The 28-year-old superstar forward battled injuries last season and was limited to only 41 games, scoring 56 points (25G / 31A), and will hope to return to speed as one of the NHL's most productive players in the 2025-26 season.