NHL free agency blog

Welcome to NHL free agency. The market opens at noon ET on Wednesday and there will be a flurry of signings, along with some potential trades. Several players will change teams, some will stay put. NHL.com senior writer Dan Rosen will follow the action all day with our free agency blog.

6:30 p.m. ET

It's six and a half hours into free agency and the fact that Johnny Gaudreau, Nazem Kadri and John Klingberg are still not signed is somewhat surprising but also understandable.
We tend to forget that these players are making major life decisions on these next contracts and it doesn't have to get done in a matter of minutes or hours. It could take days for this to happen.
Gaudreau reportedly is in talks with the New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders and Columbus Blue Jackets.
It's harder to get a read on what is going on with Kadri and Klingberg. Kadri could still return to the Colorado Avalanche, but it seems that Klingberg will not be going back to the Dallas Stars after they signed fellow 29-year-old right-shot defenseman Colin Miller.
The Stars still have to sign goalie Jake Oettinger and forward Jason Robertson. There doesn't seem to be enough money for them to get Klingberg signed too.
Ondrej Palat is also still available on the market. The Tampa Bay Lightning have talked about wanting him back, but they signed Vladislav Namestnikov to a one-year, $2.5 million contract and cap space is super tight.
Palat going back to the only team he has known seems unrealistic, but not out of the question.
Ryan Strome and Dylan Strome are also still available, as is Nino Niederreiter. Reilly Smith is expected to re-sign with the Vegas Golden Knights, who reportedly cleared cap space by trading Max Pacioretty ($7 million AAV) to the Carolina Hurricanes.
This isn't like the trade deadline; there's time, lots of it, for players to sign. They have all offseason. But it could be done in the next few minutes too, so stay tuned to NHL.com throughout the night and into Thursday.

6:05 p.m. ET

The Carolina Hurricanes needed a difference-making, goal-scoring forward. They are reportedly getting one by acquiring Max Pacioretty in a trade from the Vegas Golden Knights, according to Sportsnet.
The Hurricanes are also getting defenseman Dylan Coghlan giving up only future considerations to the Golden Knights, according to media reports. Vegas needs to move out salary to become cap compliant.
Pacioretty has one year remaining on a four-year, $28 million contract ($7 million average annual value) that he signed with the Golden Knights on Sept. 10, 2018.
He had 37 points (19 goals, 18 assists) in 39 games last season, when he was limited by injuries. He also had 24 goals in 48 games in 2020-21, which gives him 43 goals in 87 games over the past two seasons.
Carolina had three players score more than 43 goals in the past two seasons, but all of them (Sebastian Aho, 61; Andrei Svechnikov, 45; Nino Niederreiter, 44) played at least 131 games.
Niederreiter is an unrestricted free agent and unlikely to return to the Hurricanes. He scored 24 goals last season. Pacioretty could double that total if he stays healthy.
Coghlan had 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) in 59 games for Vegas last season.

5:55 p.m. ET

The Boston Bruins are still hopeful that they will be able to bring David Krejci back after the center spent the past season playing in his native Czech Republic.
Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said they have had discussions with Krejci throughout the day and they're hopeful of finding some common ground.
Sweeney also said the Bruins are waiting on Patrice Bergeron to give the word that he's coming back for next season and then they'll iron out a contract.
"I think we're in a good place with Patrice," Sweeney said.
It certainly looks like the Bruins are banking their offseason on reuniting Bergeron and Krejci as their top two centers and that's a huge part of their offseason plans.
They traded Erik Haula to the New Jersey Devils for Pavel Zacha earlier Wednesday. Zacha could be a winger or a center for the Bruins.

5:30 p.m. ET

The Dallas Stars have signed a 29-year-old right-shot defenseman.
It's not John Klingberg, at least not at this point.
Colin Miller signed a two-year contract with the Stars worth $1.85 million annually. Miller played the past three seasons with the Buffalo Sabres. He had 14 points (two goals, 12 assists) in 38 games last season.
But now back to Klingberg. There have been reports that he's negotiating again with the Stars, that the door that once seemed to be closed is now open.
But the Stars just got a right-shot defenseman and they still have to re-sign goalie Jake Oettinger and forward Jason Robertson, who are both restricted free agents. It's fair to wonder if there is enough money to get Klingberg done too.

5:20 p.m. ET

Just a quick update:
Philadelphia Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher said they are done with free agency and they were never involved in getting forward Johnny Gaudreau.
"We're out on all the remaining free agents," Fletcher said according to NHL.com's Adam Kimelman. "Reality of our cap situation right now, it probably precluded us from looking at some of the more expensive options in the market today."
If it wasn't confirmed already, it is now, the Flyers are out on Gaudreau and it's reportedly down to the New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders and Columbus Blue Jackets.

5 p.m. ET

The market has been open for five hours and plenty of the big names, including Johnny Gaudreau and Nazem Kadri are still out there.
And the Gaudreau market is really getting interesting.
Some reports say the Columbus Blue Jackets have entered the bidding, with one report saying it's possible they have offered him a seven-year contract with an AAV of $12 million a year. You read that right, $12 million a year.
As for actual signings, Andre Burakovky signed a five-year contract with the Seattle Kraken with an average annual value of $5.5 million.
The Colorado Avalanche have re-signed Darren Helm to a one-year contract.
The Chicago Blackhawks have announced their signings:
Forwards Max Domi ($3 million), Andreas Athanasiou ($3 million) got one-year contracts, and forward Colin Blackwell ($1.2 million AAV) got a two-year contract.
The Flyers announced they have signed forward Nicolas Deslauriers to a four-year contract with an AAV of $1.75 million and defenseman Justin Braun to a one-year contract with a AAV of $1.75 million.

3:45 p.m. ET

There was a question of how the Carolina Hurricanes were going to replace Tony DeAngelo and the production he brought to their back end once they traded him to the Philadelphia Flyers at the 2022 Upper Deck NHL Draft last week.
The Hurricanes solved that issue Wednesday by acquiring Brent Burns from the San Jose Sharks. They also got forward Lane Pederson and gave up forward Steven Lorentz, goalie Eetu Makiniemi and a conditional third-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft.
The Sharks will retain 33 percent of the remaining salary and cap charge on Burns' contract.
Burns will count for $5.6 million against the Hurricanes salary cap for the next three seasons. He's 37 years old, a right-shot defenseman and had 54 points (10 goals, 44 assists) in 82 games last season.
DeAngelo is 26 and signed a two-year, $10 million contract with the Flyers for a $5 million AAV. He's 26 years old, a right-shot defenseman and had 51 points (10 goals, 41 assists) in 64 games with the Hurricanes last season.
The Hurricanes may not be better with Burns than DeAngelo for the next two years at least, but they're not worse and the cost for the players isn't much different.
Burns will also bring personality to the Hurricanes and a bigger shot than DeAngelo's to their power play. His ability to pound the puck from the blue line might be the biggest factor in acquiring him. It was a missing ingredient in Carolina last season.

3:30 p.m. ET

The market has been open for 3 1/2-hours and some of the bigger names are still available.
Johnny Gaudreau is the biggest one. There's been reports that he's negotiating with the New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders.
Nazem Kadri is available. Could the Calgary Flames be interested in Kadri to play behind Elias Lindholm with Gaudreau leaving? Is a reunion with the Colorado Avalanche possible?
John Klingberg is the top defenseman available. There have been reports about him going into negotiations with the Dallas Stars.
Other forwards available include Ryan Strome and his brother Dylan Strome, Ondrej Palat, David Perron and Nino Niederreiter.

3:15 p.m. ET

The Colorado Avalanche got a nice bit of business done by signing forward Artturi Lehkonen to a five-year contract. No financial terms were disclosed. The forward was a restricted free agent.
The 27-year-old set NHL career highs in goals (19) and points (38) in 74 games split between the Montreal Canadiens and Avalanche last season. He then had 14 points (eight goals, six assists), including four game-winning goals, in 20 playoffs to help Colorado win the Stanley Cup.
TSN reported that the Florida Panthers have signed defenseman Marc Staal to a one-year contract and will be bringing his brother, forward Eric Staal, in for a professional tryout in training camp.
Eric did not play in the NHL last season. He and Marc played together with the New York Rangers late in the 2015-16 season.
Mason Marchment also reportedly signed with the Dallas Stars, a four-year contract reportedly worth $4.5 million per season.
It's been an emotional week the forward, who lost his father, Bryan Marchment, a former NHL player and scout with the San Jose Sharks, on Wednesday. He died suddenly in Montreal.
Marchment had 47 points (18 goals, 29 assists) in 54 games with the Panthers last season. He could play on a line with Tyler Seguin in Dallas.

3 p.m. ET

One of the top forwards is reportedly off the board with Andre Burakovsky going to the Seattle Kraken on a five-year contract, according to TSN. It's reportedly worth $5.5 million annually.
Burakovsky had 61 points (22 goals, 39 assists) in 80 games last season with the Colorado Avalanche and another eight points (three goals, five assists) in 12 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs to help them win the Stanley Cup.
Burakovsky has history with Seattle goalie Philipp Grubauer. They won the Stanley Cup together with the Washington Capitals in 2018.
We're three hours into this and we're awaiting word on some of the big names, including Johnny Gaudreau, Nazem Kadri and John Klingberg.
The Rangers also made the seven-year contract with Vincent Trocheck official. No financial terms were disclosed.

2:50 p.m. ET

Defensemen that are off the board:
Erik Gudbranson signed a four-year, $16 million contract ($4 million average annual value) with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
That's a lot of term and money for a 30-year-old stay-at-home defenseman, but Gudbranson is coming off what was arguably his best season, playing 78 games with the Calgary Flames with 17 points (six goals, 11 assists) and a plus-15 rating.
Jan Rutta signed a three-year, $8.25 million ($2.75 million AAV) with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Rutta, a defenseman, won the Stanley Cup twice with the Tampa Bay Lightning and played a lot of minutes with Victor Hedman. He's a right-shots defenseman. The Penguins already have Kris Letang, John Marino, Chad Ruhwedel and Mark Friedman on the right side.
It makes you wonder if another move is coming.
Ben Chiarot is going to the Detroit Red Wings on a four-year contract worth $4.75 million annually, according to Sportsnet. The 6-foot-3, 234-pound defenseman had 26 points (nine goals, 17 assists) split between the Montreal Canadiens and Florida Panthers last season.
John Klingberg is reportedly negotiating again with the Dallas Stars. That's the one to watch.
MacKenzie Weegar is also another name to keep an eye on. The 28-year-old has one year remaining before he can be a UFA and the Florida Panthers could be looking to trade him.

2:35 p.m. ET

Some signings to report:
Brendan Smith signed a two-year, $2.2 million contract ($1.1 million average annual value) with the New Jersey Devils. The 33-year-old defenseman played 45 games with the Carolina Hurricanes last season.
Vladislav Namestnikov signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning, his first team in the NHL. He had 30 points in 75 games split between the Detroit Red Wings and Dallas Stars last season.
The Lightning selected Namestnikov, 29, with the No. 27 pick in the 2011 NHL Draft. He had 123 points (53 goals, 70 assists) in 263 games with the Lightning from 2014-18.
Noel Acciari signed a one-year, $1.25 million contract with the St. Louis Blues. The 30-year-old forward had 46 points (27 goals, 19 assists) in 127 games with the Florida Panthers the past three seasons.
The New York Rangers also cleared some cap space by trading defenseman Patrik Nemeth to the Arizona Coyotes. They also sent the Coyotes a second-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft and Arizona's choice of New York's own 2024 third-round pick or its own 2026 second-round pick.

2:15 p.m. ET

Let's talk about the goalie market, which appears close to set.
Darcy Kuemper signed with the Washington Capitals for five years, $26.25 million ($5.25 million average annual value). That one was expected.
Jack Campbell signed with the Edmonton Oilers for five years, $25 million ($5 million AAV). So Kuemper gets the extra cash for winning the Stanley Cup. Campbell to Edmonton was also expected.
Ilya Samsonov signed a one-year, $1.8 million contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He'll form a tandem with Matt Murray and though it will be critiqued and criticized because the Maple Leafs did not re-sign Campbell, the only thing that will matter is if Toronto wins in the playoffs.
It'll be a great tandem if they do and a complete disaster if they don't. Simple.
Eric Comrie signed a two-year, $3.6 million contract ($1.8 million AAV) with the Buffalo Sabres. He'll have a chance to be the Sabres' new No. 1 goalie. They also have Craig Anderson and Malcolm Subban. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is a restricted free agent.
Thomas Greiss, Martin Jones and Charlie Lindgren headline the backup market. All three appear to be off the board.
Greiss is official to the St. Louis Blues for one year and $1.25 million (plus bonuses). He'll play behind Jordan Binnington, a spot that opened up because Ville Husso is now going to get a chance to be the No. 1 with the Detroit Red Wings.
Lindgren will be the backup to Kuemper in Washington. He signed a three-year, $3.3 million contract ($1.1 million AAV).
Jones is reportedly going to the Seattle Kraken to take the spot of Chris Driedger, who is expected to miss the start of next season with a torn right ACL, an injury he sustained in the 2022 IIHF World Championship.
The Rangers also announced they have signed Louis Domingue to a two-year contract. Maybe he'll find some more spicy pork and broccoli.
Got all that?

2 p.m. ET

Quick update from an hour and 45 minutes ago: Claude Giroux to the Ottawa Senators is now official.
The Senators confirmed the terms that were reported, a three-year contract worth $19.5 million ($6.5 million average annual value) for the 34-year-old veteran forward who lives in Ottawa in the offseason and now will do so in the regular season too.
The Senators now have Giroux, Alex DeBrincat, Brady Tkachuk, Drake Batherson, Tim Stutzle and Josh Norris as their top-six forward group. That could be playoff-ready, but the key now will be the key will be how their depth develops in the bottom six and how they do on defense.
The goalie tandem of Cam Talbot and Anton Forsberg should be good enough to allow the Senators to compete for a Stanley Cup Playoff spot.

1:50 p.m. ET

Darcy Kuemper is off the board and going exactly where we thought the goalie would go, to the Washington Capitals on a five-year, $26.25 million contract ($5.25 million average annual value).
Kuemper cashes in after winning the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche, who moved on from him last week, when they acquired Alexandar Georgiev from the New York Rangers. Colorado signed Georgiev, who was an RFA, to a three-year contract.
The Capitals still need a backup goalie because they also traded Vitek Vanecek to the New Jersey Devils last week and did not issue a qualifying offer to Ilya Samsonov, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Samsonov signed a one-year, $1.8 million contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday.
Just a quick update from the 1:30 p.m. ET entry: The Lightning made the one-year, $3 million contract with Ian Cole official.

1:30 p.m. ET

The Tampa Bay Lightning are handing out eight-year contract extensions.
Mikhail Sergachev: $68 million ($8.5 million average annual value)
Anthony Cirelli: $50 million ($6.25 million AAV)
Erik Cernak: $41.6 million ($5.2 million AAV)
All three contracts kick in at the start of the 2023-24 season because Sergachev ($4.8 million), Cirelli ($4.8 million) and Cernak ($2.95 million) all have one year remaining on their current contracts.
Sergachev will be the highest paid defenseman on the Lightning starting next season, making more than Norris Trophy-winner Victor Hedman, who has three years left on his contract that carries a $7.875 million AAV that he signed July 1, 2016.
So the Lightning are getting ahead of the game for next season, and it's obvious why they had to trade defenseman Ryan McDonagh to the Nashville Predators on July 3.
They couldn't keep his $6.75 million AAV on their salary cap for the next four seasons and re-sign Sergachev, Cirelli and Cernak.
The Lightning also reportedly signed Ian Cole to a one-year, $3 million contract. He'll likely be a lower-end replacement for McDonagh.

1:20 p.m. ET

Quick update: The Red Wings made their signing of forward Andrew Copp official, though they did not release the financial terms of the deal.
Copp told ESPN+ that he thinks the Red Wings can take a big step.
"The sky is the limit for us," he said.
Let's dig in quickly to the Vancouver Canucks signing forward Ilya Mikheyev to a four-year contract worth reported $4.75 million annually.
Mikheyev is 27 years old and had 32 points (21 goals, 11 assists) in 53 regular season games with the Toronto Maple Leafs last season. He also had two goals and two assists in seven Stanley Cup Playoff games.
The fact that Mikheyev scored 21 goals in 53 games is noteworthy. That's a 32-goal pace in an 82-game season. The Canucks had nobody with more than 32 goals last season (J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson each scored 32 in 80 games).
The Canucks were 18th in the NHL last season in goals per game (3.00). Mikheyev's offense should help them. If he can stay healthy and score 30 it'll be worth the $4.75 million.
The Anaheim Ducks are signing forward Frank Vatrano to a three-year contract worth $3.65 million annually, according to Sportsnet.
The Arizona Coyotes announced they signed forward Nick Bjugstad to a one-year contract.

1 p.m. ET

The Chicago Blackhawks are in the free-agent market, signing forwards Max Domi and Andreas Athanasiou to matching one-year, $3 million contracts, according to TSN.
The Blackhawks are in rebuilding mode after trading forward Alex DeBrincat to the Ottawa Senators and forward Kirby Dach to the Montreal Canadiens at the 2022 Upper Deck NHL Draft last week.
There could be more moves to come with the potential that the Blackhawks try to continue the tear down to rebuild by moving any of Patrick Kane, Seth Jones and/or Jonathan Toews.
If they do trade any of those players, getting Domi and Athanasiou will help offset some of the cap and get them to the salary cap floor this season.
The Vancouver Canucks agreed with forward Ilya Mikheyev on a four-year contract. It's worth $4.75 million annually according to Mikheyev's agent, Dan Millstein.

12:50 p.m. ET

Andrew Copp is going to the Detroit Red Wings on a five-year contract worth $5.625 million annually, according to TSN.
Interestingly, Vincent Trocheck's reported contract with the New York Rangers is seven years with a $5.625 million AAV.
Trocheck is 29. Copp is 28.
Copp was with the Rangers last season and played against Trocheck, who was with the Carolina Hurricanes, in the Eastern Conference Second Round.
The Rangers got a great scouting report on Trocheck in that series and signing him makes a lot of sense. He's versatile, like Copp. He can score, plays on both the power play and penalty kill, can play with high-end skilled wingers and be an effective 200-foot player.
There's also the fact that Rangers coach Gerard Gallant coached Trocheck with the Florida Panthers from 2014-16.
Look for Trocheck to play with Artemi Panarin.
Copp's versatility is his best attribute as well, which is why he's an ideal signing for the Red Wings, who need versatility and veteran leaders if they're going to take a big step this season.
Copp could play with Lucas Raymond.
The Blues also made it official that they've re-signed defenseman Nick Leddy to a four-year, $16 million contract.

12:35 p.m. ET

The New York Rangers are signing center Vincent Trocheck to a seven-year contract worth $5.625 million annually, according to The Athletic.
The Rangers need a second-line center with Ryan Strome and Andrew Copp going to the free-agent market today. Trocheck fits the bill.
More on the Rangers soon.
The Maple Leafs have made it official that they've signed goalie Ilya Samsonov to a one-year, $1.8 million contract.
It'll be Samsonov and Matt Murray as the goalie tandem in Toronto and the only thing that matters is if one or each help the Maple Leafs win at least one round in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
If they don't, the tandem will be deemed a failure regardless of the success they might have in the regular season.
Toronto also announced that it signed forward Nicolas Aube-Kubel to a one-year, $1 million contract. Aube-Kubel was not given a qualifying offer by the Colorado Avalanche, which made him an unrestricted free agent.
The St. Louis Blues announced they signed forward Robert Thomas to an eight-year, $65 million contract extension ($8.125 million average annual value) that won't kick in until after this season because the 23-year-old forward still has one year remaining on his current contract.
The Blues are also reportedly working on a four-year contract for defenseman Nick Leddy, who they acquired prior to the 2022 NHL Trade Deadline from the Detroit Red Wings.

12:15 p.m. ET

The market opened with three significant reported signings.
The Edmonton Oilers are signing goalie Jack Campbell to a five-year contract ($5 million average annual value), according to Sportsnet.
Claude Giroux is going to the Ottawa Senators on a three-year contract worth $6.5 million annually, according to TSN.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are signing goalie Ilya Samsonov, according to Sportsnet.
Campbell to Edmonton is not a surprise. The Oilers need a No. 1 goalie and there were two true top goalies on the market, Campbell and Darcy Kuemper, who has been linked to the Washington Capitals.
Campbell, 30, is coming off his best season, going 31-9-6 with five shutouts, a 2.64 goals-against average and .914 save percentage for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Mike Smith remains in Edmonton, but now likely in a backup role, if the 40-year-old veteran goalie stays.
Giroux to Ottawa is interesting, but there were reports that this would happen earlier in the week. Giroux, 34, is from Hearst, Ontario and he spends his offseasons in Ottawa.
Giroux had 23 points (three goals, 20 assists) in 18 games with the Florida Panthers after they acquired him in a trade from the Philadelphia Flyers. He has 923 points (294 goals, 629 assists) in 1,018 games.
The Senators are undoubtedly a different and more dangerous team with Alex DeBrincat (acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday) and Giroux in their top-six forward group with Brady Tkachuk, Drake Batherson and Tim Stutzle.
The Maple Leafs moved on from Campbell and now will have two-time Stanley Cup champion Matt Murray, who they acquired in a trade from the Senators, and Samsonov as their goalie tandem. They're hoping one of them will pop and become a true No. 1.

12 p.m. ET

The market is officially open.
Let's go crazy.

11:45 a.m. ET

Update with 15 minutes left until the market opens.
The Avalanche have made it official with Josh Manson. It's a four-year contract for the 30-year-old defenseman. Financials were not disclosed by the team.
Manson had seven points (two goals, five assists) in 22 games with the Avalanche after they acquired him from the Anaheim Ducks on March 14. He had a team-high 63 hits following the trade.
He had eight points (three goals, five assists) in 20 Stanley Cup Playoff games, helping Colorado win the Stanley Cup.
"Josh was a huge addition to our back end down the stretch and into the playoffs," Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland. "He played big minutes on our second pairing throughout the postseason, providing a tough, steady presence in the defensive zone while also contributing on the offensive end with some key goals. Getting him under contract for the next four years helps further solidify our blue line."

11:30 a.m. ET

Some developments in the past 30 minutes, with 30 minutes to go before the market opens.
Josh Manson is re-signing with the Colorado Avalanche, according to Sportsnet. The Avalanche have not yet announced that contract or the reported one-year contract for forward Darren Helm.
When Manson and Helm become official, the Avalanche will have re-signed four of their nine pending UFAs, including Andrew Cogliano (one year) and Valeri Nichushkin (eight years).
Forwards Nazem Kadri, Andre Burakovsky and Nico Sturm, defensemen Jack Johnson and goalie Darcy Kuemper are still scheduled to hit the market in 30 minutes.
The New Jersey Devils and Boston Bruins made a trade.
Erik Haula is going from Boston to New Jersey in exchange for Pavel Zacha, who is about to become a restricted free agent.
Haula has one year left on a two-year contract he signed with the Bruins on July 28, 2021. The average annual value is $2.375 million, which will not stop the Devils from doing something bigger Wednesday, like trying to sign forward Johnny Gaudreau.
Zacha is coming off a three-year contract that carried an AAV of $2.25 million.
Haula had 44 points (18 goals, 26 assists) in 78 games with the Bruins last season. Zacha had 36 points (15 goals, 21 assists) in 70 games with the Devils.

11 a.m. ET

The Colorado Avalanche are reportedly going to re-sign yet another one of their would-be UFAs, with center Darren Helm coming back to the Stanley Cup champions on a one-year contract, according to TSN.
Helm had five points (two goals, three assists) in 20 Stanley Cup Playoff games with the Avalanche last season. He had a goal and an assist in the Stanley Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Speed is Helm's biggest attribute. He's 35 years old but he can still skate well, which fits with exactly how the Avalanche want to continue playing.
Colorado had previously re-signed forwards Valeri Nichushkin (eight years) and Andrew Cogliano (one year). Both would have become UFAs in an hour if they didn't re-sign with the Avalanche.
Forwards Nazem Kadri, Andre Burakovsky and Nico Sturm, defensemen Josh Manson and Jack Johnson, and goalie Darcy Kuemper are all still expected to hit the open market in an hour.

10:15 a.m. ET

We have an hour and 45 minutes to go.
There has been reports from multiple media outlets linking forward Andrew Copp to the Detroit Red Wings. That would be basically a return home for Copp, who is from Ann Arbor, Michigan and played there at the University of Michigan.
Copp also grew up playing minor hockey in Detroit and then played at the USA Hockey National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor as well.
The Red Wings need a center and Copp fits the bill. He played right wing with the New York Rangers after they acquired him prior to the 2022 NHL Trade Deadline, but that was more out of necessity. Copp said after the season that his preference is to play center.
The Rangers need a second-line center with Copp and, most likely, Ryan Strome hitting the market and going elsewhere. It's possible Vincent Trocheck could be their target with the center expected to leave the Carolina Hurricanes.
Trocheck's versatility is similar to that of Copp's and the Rangers could put him on a line with Artemi Panarin.
The big question of the day is where will forward Johnny Gaudreau end up. He told the Calgary Flames on Tuesday that he wouldn't be signing with them.
Gaudreau, who is from Salem, New Jersey, could be seeking a return home of sorts, which puts the Philadelphia Flyers and New Jersey Devils directly in play. Perhaps the New York Islanders too.
It's almost time.

9:45 a.m. ET

The market will open in two hours and 15 minutes.
Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman is reporting that the Vegas Golden Knights are expected to announce new contracts for forwards Reilly Smith and Brett Howden, which means they may have to move out a player or two to create the salary cap space.
Friedman said he heard that forward Max Pacioretty's name is swirling in trade winds. Pacioretty has one season remaining on a four-year, $28 million contract ($7 million average annual value) that he signed with the Golden Knights on Sept. 10, 2018.
He had 37 points (19 goals, 18 assists) in 39 games last season, when he was limited by injuries.
TSN's Darren Dreger reported earlier that forward Mason Marchment likely will become an unrestricted free agent and leave the Florida Panthers.
Also of note, forward Evan Rodrigues, a pending UFA from the Pittsburgh Penguins, has changed agents with Quartexx Management, which is led by Darren Ferris, announcing on Twitter they now represent the forward who had 43 points (19 goals, 24 assists) in 82 games last season.
A lot more to come soon.

7 a.m. ET

Remove Evander Kane from your pending UFA list.
Kane announced on Twitter at 2 a.m. ET that he is re-signing with the Edmonton Oilers. It's a four-year contract worth $5.125 million annually, Kane wrote.
Kane thanked the Oilers "for giving me an opportunity to REMIND people who I am as a player and a person." He said a big reason why he's returning to Edmonton is because of the opportunity the Oilers gave him last season.
Kane signed a one-year contract with the Oilers on Jan. 27 after having his previous contract with the San Jose Sharks terminated. A grievance still is pending on that.
He had 39 points (22 goals, 17 assists) in 43 regular season games and then led Edmonton with 13 goals in 15 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

12 a.m. ET

The market will open in 12 hours and there will be a lot of action. There already was before the clock struck midnight Tuesday.
Johnny Gaudreau told the Calgary Flames
he was hitting the market
, becoming an unrestricted free agent.
Not long after, Evgeni Malkin took himself off the pending UFA board when the center
agreed to remain with the Pittsburgh Penguins
for four years and $24.4 million ($6.1 million average annual value).
Flames general manager Brad Treliving said they did everything possible to re-sign Gaudreau and it was not a financial decision for the forward; it was about family. It's likely the pull to go back East, where Gaudreau is from (Salem, New Jersey), is strong.
The Philadelphia Flyers, Gaudreau's hometown team, reportedly are interested. The New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders should be in the mix too. The New York Rangers probably want to be, but cap constraints ($82.5 million in 2022-23) and the need for a No. 2 center might make that impossible.
The Penguins appeared to be ready to walk away from Malkin earlier Tuesday, with president of hockey operations Brian Burke telling the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review on Tuesday that the 35-year-old would become a UFA, but there still was some hope he could stay.
Hope became reality hours later, when the Penguins announced Malkin, the 16-year veteran and three-time Stanley Cup champion, was returning to Pittsburgh.
Malkin's decision was supposed to be one of the biggest storylines Wednesday. Gaudreau's decision will be. He's not alone.
The strength of this class of unrestricted free agents is up front, with Gaudreau joined by a plethora of high-end forwards ready to become available at noon ET, including Nazem Kadri.
Kadri is likely going to leave the Colorado Avalanche as a Stanley Cup champion. The 31-year-old center should draw interest from several teams, including the Penguins, Rangers, Islanders and Detroit Red Wings, among others.
Vincent Trocheck (Carolina Hurricanes), Ondrej Palat (Tampa Bay Lightning), David Perron (St. Louis Blues), Claude Giroux (Florida Panthers), Andre Burakovsky (Avalanche), Ryan Strome (Rangers), Andrew Copp (Rangers), Dylan Strome (Chicago Blackhawks), Evander Kane (Edmonton Oilers), Nino Niederreiter (Hurricanes), Reilly Smith (Vegas Golden Knights) and Phil Kessel (Arizona Coyotes) are among the other forwards who can and likely will become UFAs in 12 hours.
So too can Patrice Bergeron, but it's likely the 37-year-old center either re-signs with the Boston Bruins or retires.
He could reunite with center
David Krejci
, who spent 15 seasons with Bergeron in Boston but opted last season to play in his native Czech Republic. A return to the Bruins is possible for Krejci.
John Klingberg (Dallas Stars) is the prize of the defensemen who are expected to be available in free agency. Josh Manson (Avalanche), Nick Leddy (Blues), Ben Chiarot (Panthers) and P.K. Subban (Devils) could also become available.
The top of the goalie market features Darcy Kuemper (Avalanche) and Jack Campbell (Toronto Maple Leafs).
Kuemper won the Stanley Cup with the Avalanche but will not re-sign with them; Colorado acquired Alexandar Georgiev in a trade with the Rangers and signed him to a three-year contract, assuring Kuemper's availability on the open market.
The Maple Leafs acquired Matt Murray in a trade with the Ottawa Senators on Monday. Does that mean they're out of the running to re-sign Campbell? We'll find out.
The Washington Capitals traded Vitek Vanecek to the Devils and did not tender a qualifying offer to Ilya Samsonov, which makes him an unrestricted free agent too, so they need goalies.
The Oilers certainly will be in the market for a goalie too.
Sleep well, the frenzy begins soon, if it hasn't already.