NHL free agency live blog

NHL free agency began at noon ET Tuesday, with plenty of players signing with new teams, and some signing contracts with their current teams. There were a few trades as well.

NHL.com senior writer Dan Rosen followed the action all day, providing updates on any signings, trades and rumors with NHL.com's free agency live blog.

5 p.m. ET

We're five hours into free agency. There's been plenty of business done already, millions of dollars spent today. And still some of the bigger names haven't moved.

We're cutting this blog off now, but you need to stay tuned because, remember, this isn't like trade deadline day. Today is just the beginning. There will be plenty of news to come.

Where will forward Nikolaj Ehlers wind up? What about defenseman Brent Burns and Dmitry Orlov?

Will the Edmonton Oilers shake up their goaltending depth? Are the Carolina Hurricanes going to add a top-six forward (hello, Ehlers).

The New York Rangers are supposed to be adding defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov and trading defenseman K'Andre Miller to the Carolina Hurricanes. What else will they do?

The San Jose Sharks still need to get to the salary cap floor. The Montreal Canadiens still need a No. 2 center.

Will Connor McDavid sign a new contract with the Oilers? What about Jack Eichel with the Vegas Golden Knights? There's no rush, but each can do that now.

And trades. Is there a blockbuster coming? Remember, Matthew Tkachuk wasn't traded to the Florida Panthers until July 22.

There's plenty more coming, so stay tuned to NHL.com and you will not miss anything.

4:36 p.m. ET

Mikael Granlund is off the board. The forward is going to the Anaheim Ducks on a three-year contract.

Granlund, 33, had 66 points (22 goals, 44 assists) in 83 games split between the San Jose Sharks and Dallas Stars last season.

This is another big move for the Ducks as they try to make a playoff push this coming season.

Beyond making the Ducks better right now, Granlund joins Troy Terry, Chris Kreider, Alex Killorn, Ryan Strome, Frank Vatrano, Ryan Poehling and Ross Johnston as the veteran forwards in Anaheim who can help bring along younger forwards like Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, Mason McTavish and eventually Beckett Sennecke.

Granlund has scored 60 or more points in three of the past four seasons.

4:30 p.m. ET

While waiting for further word on the reports of the New York Rangers signing defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov and trading defenseman K'Andre Miller to the Carolina Hurricanes…

Nico Sturm has signed a two-year, $4 million contract ($2 million AAV) with the Minnesota Wild. Sturm won the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers last season.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have re-signed forwards Philip Tomasino (one year, $1.75 million) and Connor Dewar (one year, $1.1 million).

Lars Eller signed a one-year, $1.25 million contract with the Ottawa Senators.

4:11 p.m. ET

The Buffalo Sabres are going for organizational depth in goal by signing Alex Lyon to a two-year, $3 million contract ($1.5 million average annual value).

Lyon joins Ukko-Pekka Lukkonen and Devon Levi in the Sabres' stable of goalies. He was 14-9-1 with a 2.81 goals-against average and .896 save percentage with the Detroit Red Wings last season.

Lyon, you may recall, was the Florida Panthers starting goalie for Games 1, 2 and 3 of their first-round series against the heavily-favored Boston Bruins in 2023. Sergei Bobrovsky replaced him in Game 3, and the Panthers have been basically a dynasty ever since.

3:51 p.m. ET

The market has been open for almost four hours. Here are some of the top players still available:

Forwards: Nikolaj Ehlers, Mikael Granlund, Pius Suter, Jack Roslovic, Andrew Mangiapane, Victor Olofsson, Evgeni Dadonov, Gustav Nyquist

Defensemen: Brent Burns, Dmitry Orlov, Matt Grzelcyk, John Klingberg

Goalies: Alexandar Georgiev, Ilya Samsonov, Alex Lyon

3:33 p.m. ET

It seems to always comes back to Dallas for Radek Faksa.

The Dallas Stars signed the 31-year-old forward to a three-year, $6 million contract ($2 million AAV).

Faksa played the first nine seasons of his career with the Stars before they traded him to the St. Louis Blues for future considerations on July 2, 2024. He had 15 points (five goals, 10 assists) and won 57.0 percent of his face-offs in 70 games with the Blues.

But now he's back in Dallas, where he had 200 points (89 goals, 111 assists) in 638 games from 2015-24.

Dallas knows exactly what its getting in Faksa, obviously. He wins face-offs. He kills penalties. He hits. He can pop in some offense.

2:57 p.m. ET

The New York Islanders have signed forward Jonathan Drouin to a two-year contract.

Drouin re-ignited his career playing with the Colorado Avalanche the past two seasons, scoring 30 goals and dishing out 63 assists for 93 points in 122 games after a four-year struggle with the Montreal Canadiens.

The Islanders could use a boost of offense after finishing last season with 2.71 goals per game, tied for 27th in the NHL.

2:51 p.m. ET

The Los Angeles Kings have gotten involved in the defense market after Vladislav Gavrikov reportedly left them to sign a seven-year contract with the New York Rangers.

The .

It wouldn't be surprising at all if Dumoulin and Ceci play together. Dumoulin is a lefty and Ceci is a righty.

Additionally, the Kings signed goalie Anton Forsberg to a two-year contract ($2.25 million AAV).

The Kings also announced the contracts for forwards .

Dumoulin, Ceci, Perry, Armia and Forsberg give the Kings experienced depth. It’s easy to see what first-year general manager Ken Holland is doing in L.A. He’s giving the team options up front and on the back end and in net.

They’ve lost to the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference First Round four years in a row. Holland was the general manager of the Oilers for the first three of those years. He knows firsthand how the Kings have been beaten and what they need to get over the hump.

Now, catching up with some signings that have been reported and/or confirmed:

Forward James van Riemsdyk to the Detroit Red Wings on a one-year contract. He's a replacement for Vladimir Tarasenko, who was traded to the Minnesota Wild on Monday.

Defenseman Jeff Petry to the Florida Panthers on a one-year contract. He's a possible replacement for Nate Schmidt, who signed a three-year contract with the Utah Mammoth.

Defenseman Nick Perbix to the Nashville Predators on a two-year contract ($2.75 million average annual value).

Forward Sean Kuraly to the Boston Bruins, his former team, on a two-year contract ($1.85 million AAV).

Forward Jacob Bernard-Docker to the Red Wings on a one-year contract ($875,000).

Forward Michael Pezzetta to the Toronto Maple Leafs on a two-year contract.

2:33 p.m. ET

Nate Schmidt is going to the Utah Mammoth on a three-year contract worth $3.5 million annually.

Schmidt, who won the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers, fills out a defense group that also has Mikhail Sergachev, Sean Durzi, John Marino, Olli Maatta, Ian Cole and Juuso Valimaki.

The Mammoth also signed defenseman Scott Perunovich to a one-year, two-way contract.

Schmidt fit perfectly with the Panthers in a third-pair role with Dmitry Kulikov, rushing the puck, joining the offense, seeing plays develop well from the left side and creating, while also defending well. His game is about skating and he was doing that well with Florida.

Utah also reportedly signed forward Brandon Tanev (read about that in the entry below).

The Mammoth should be a playoff contender in the loaded Central Division.

2:12 p.m. ET

Another one to touch on here with Brandon Tanev reportedly signing a three-year contract with the Utah Mammoth.

This one is simple; Utah is getting a predictable forward who will likely play in its bottom-six forward group, who will grind, forecheck, cause havoc around the net and maybe pop in 10-15 goals if he stays healthy for the entire season.

He scored 10 goals in 79 games split between the Seattle Kraken and Winnipeg Jets last year.

Utah should have Clayton Keller, JJ Peterka, Logan Cooley, Dylan Guenther, Nick Schmaltz and maybe Barrett Hayton in its top six. Tanev's game should fit well in the Mammoth's bottom six group that also features Kevin Stenlund, Lawson Crouse, Jack McBain, Alexander Kerfoot and Liam O'Brien.

Utah, of course, could still be doing more work on its depth chart, and none of what I just wrote is set in stone either, of course.

1:50 p.m. ET

A few more signings to talk about here.

Connor Brown is going to the New Jersey Devils. It's a reported four-year contract worth $3 million annually.

Brown told Sportsnet that going to a good team on the East Coast, not far from where he's from in Toronto, and a place where he thinks he will fit in, where he can play his role contributing at 5-on-5 and on the penalty kill. That's why he wanted to sign with the Devils.

He had 30 points (13 goals, 17 assists) in 82 games with the Oilers last season.

Nick Bjugstad is going to the St. Louis Blues on a two-year, $3.5 million contract ($1.75 million AAV). Bjugstad, who had 19 points (eight goals, 11 assists) in 66 games with the Utah Mammoth last season, gives the Blues a big bottom-six veteran center.

The New York Islanders signed goalie David Rittich to a one-year contract. He'll go to the Islanders as their third goalie behind Ilya Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov.

The Columbus Blue Jackets finally defenseman Ivan Provorov's seven-year, $59.5 million contract ($8.5 million) that was reported Monday.

In addition, the Seattle Kraken officially announced defenseman Ryan Lindgren's four-year, $18 million contract ($4.5 million AAV).

1:47 p.m. ET

Ryan Lindgren is reportedly ready to bring his heart and soul game to the Pacific Northwest, signing a four-year contract ($4.5 million average annual value) with the Seattle Kraken, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

Lindgren, 27, has been a battler for his entire career. He played 387 games with the New York Rangers until they traded him to the Colorado Avalanche on March 1. He finished last season with the Avalanche, playing 18 games in the regular season and seven in the playoffs.

Seemingly always sporting a cut on his face or a bruise somewhere, Lindgren is never afraid to dive in front of a shot, protect his goalie or battle in front of the net.

The Kraken are adding him to a back end that already features Vince Dunn, Jamie Oleksiak, Brandon Montour, Adam Larsson, Ryker Evans and Josh Mahura. Evans is a restricted free agent.

1:18 p.m. ET

Tanner Jeannot landed himself a big security blanket and the Boston Bruins are hoping he's worth it.

The Bruins have reportedly signed Jeannot to a five-year contract worth $3.4 million annually.

Jeannot scored 24 goals with the Nashville Predators in 2020-21. He has scored 20 goals in four seasons since.

But Jeannot goes to Boston not necessarily for his offense, but instead for his ability to play a hard-nosed, physical game in a bottom-six forward role.

1:09 p.m. ET

The New York Rangers have entered the conversation on this free-agent frenzy day.

The Rangers are reportedly, as of now not yet official, signing defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov to a seven-year contract. They are also reportedly, as of now not yet official, working on a deal to send defenseman K'Andre Miller to the Carolina Hurricanes.

If you scroll down to my entry from 9:45 a.m. ET, you'll see that I already wrote about this potentially happening.

The Hurricanes are reportedly working on a contract with Miller, which makes total sense. They're not doing this trade unless they can sign him.

The fact is signing Gavrikov and re-signing Miller, a restricted free agent, is a bit redundant for the Rangers, who don't have the cap space to make it happen anyway.

They're both left-handed shooters. In a perfect world the Rangers would be able to keep both, but they can't do that and re-sign forward Will Cuylle, an offer-sheet candidate, and potentially do some other things.

So Gavrikov is in, and expect coach Mike Sullivan to start him on the top pair with Adam Fox, the ideal lefty-righty combination the Rangers want on what will be a minute-munching top pair.

And with that, Miller is expected to be out, though staying in the Metropolitan Division, just like Brady Skjei did five-plus years ago when the Rangers traded him to the Hurricanes for a first-round pick on Feb. 24, 2020.

12:55 p.m. ET

Some goalie moves are official.

The Philadelphia Flyers have agreed to terms with Dan Vladar on a two-year, $6.7 million contract ($3.35 million average annual value).

Vladar went 12-11-6 with a 2.80 goals-against average and .898 save percentage in 30 games with the Calgary Flames last season.

The Flyers also have Samuel Ersson and Ivan Fedotov. It's possible one of them is on the move out of Philadelphia with Vladar coming in.

I wrote at 11:36 a.m. ET that Jake Allen was reportedly re-signing with the New Jersey Devils on a five-year contract with an average annual value of $1.8 million. Well, that's now official, with the Devils giving the full details of the contract.

It is a five-year, $9 million deal for Allen. He will make $2.25 million in each of the next two seasons, $1.8 million in 2027-28, and $1.35 million in each of the last two years of the deal.

12:45 p.m. ET

The San Jose Sharks got a head start on next offseason by signing forward William Eklund to a three-year, $16.8 million contract ($5.6 million average annual value) that begins with the 2026-27 season.

Eklund will play this coming season on the last year of his three-year entry-level contract, but the Sharks wanted to make sure they had the 22-year-old locked in, possibly before his production takes off and makes him even more expensive before they also have to consider new contracts for forwards Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith, who won't be due to start those until 2027-28.

Eklund set career highs in points (58), goals (17) and assists (41) last season. He scored six power play goals and two game-winning goals in 77 games.

Eklund, like Celebrini, Smith and Michael Misa, who was the No. 2 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, is a huge part of the Sharks' future.

12:40 p.m. ET

Brock Boeser isn't going anywhere. It took until after the free-agent market opened, but the Vancouver Canucks re-signed Boeser to a seven-year contract with an average annual value of $7.25 million.

Boeser technically became an unrestricted free agent, so he wasn't able to sign the eight-year max deal with the Canucks, but the point here is that one of the top UFA forwards decided the grass isn't greener elsewhere. He knows the Canucks and he's staying put.

Boeser had 50 points (25 goals, 25 assists) in 75 games last season. He scored 40 goals in 81 games two seasons ago.

With Boeser no longer on the market, it's clear now that the best UFA forward is Nikolaj Ehlers. Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported that he may not sign anywhere today. We'll have to wait and see on that.

12:25 p.m. ET

Christian Dvorak is reportedly signing with the Philadelphia Flyers. Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported it's a one-year, $5.4 million contract for Dvorak, who fills the Flyers short-term need for a middle-six center.

The Flyers recently acquired Trevor Zegras and they still have Sean Couturier, but they're thin down the middle, which is why Dvorak fits as they wait for Jett Luchanko and Jack Nesbitt, who was the No. 12 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.

Dvorak had 33 points (12 goals, 21 assists) in 82 games with the Montreal Canadiens last season.

12:15 p.m. ET

The market opened 15 minutes ago, meaning Jonathan Toews can officially sign his new one-year contract with the Winnipeg Jets to return to the NHL two years after becoming an unrestricted free agent.

Toews, 37, last played a game on April 13, 2023, his last with the Chicago Blackhawks.

He did not play the past two seasons as he tried to completely overcome Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome, which kept him out of the entire 2020-21 season and from Feb. 21-April 1, 2023.

11:53 a.m. ET

A trade between the St. Louis Blues and Montreal Canadiens has been announced.

The Blues are getting defenseman Logan Mailloux from the Canadiens with forward Zack Bolduc going to Montreal.

Mailloux and Bolduc are each 22-years-old. They were each first-round picks in the 2021 NHL Draft; Bolduc went No. 17 and Mailloux went No. 31.

On the surface, this seems like a trade for need or want; the Canadiens looking for a young forward and the Blues looking for a young defenseman.

Mailloux is 6-foot-3 and 213 pounds. He's a two-time American Hockey League all-star. He has played in only eight NHL games, including seven last season.

Bolduc is further along, but then again, they say it takes defenseman longer anyway. The 6-foot, 187-pound forward had 19 goals and 36 points in 72 games last season. He has played in 96 NHL games.

It's almost time for the market to open. Let's go.

11:45 a.m. ET

A trade has been reported.

The Boston Bruins are acquiring forward Viktor Arvidsson from the Edmonton Oilers for a fifth-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft, according to multiple media reports.

Arvidsson is entering the second year of a two-year, $8 million contract ($4 million AAV).

The Bruins need middle-six forward depth. Arvidsson is a middle-six forward.

The Bruins need offense. Arvidsson scored 15 goals in 67 games last season, and he's two seasons removed from scoring 26 goals in 77 games with the Los Angeles Kings in 2022-23.

The Bruins need shots on goal. They were 29th in the League last season with 26.5 per game.

Arvidsson will not need the fans at TD Garden to implore him to shoot the puck. He shoots a lot; 158 shots on goal in 67 games last season. He is averaging almost three shots on goal per game in his career.

For the price to acquire him and the $4 million AAV, this seems like a good bet by the Bruins.

11:36 a.m. ET

The goalie market is thinner now that Jake Allen has reportedly re-signed with the New Jersey Devils on a five-year contract worth $1.8 million annually.

Ilya Samsonov, Alexandar Georgiev and Alex Lyon, who is reportedly linked to the Buffalo Sabres, remain on the free-agent goalie market.

But Allen is off with the Devils getting their backup to Jacob Markstrom done before he could test the market.

Allen is 35 years old. It's easy think the term is way too long, but the term might have kept the average annual value of the deal down, and there's nothing suggesting that Allen can't be a serviceable backup until he's 40.

He won't have the wear and tear on his body as the backup playing 25-30 games.

Jonathan Quick will turn 40 on Jan. 21. He has been a perfect backup to Igor Shesterkin with the New York Rangers. Marc-Andre Fleury is 40 years old and he just retired after being solid in a 1B role with the Minnesota Wild.

And in the worst-case scenario, with the cap rising, it won't be too difficult for the Devils to get out of this contract if they absolutely had to. But Allen just posted a .908 save percentage and 2.66 goals-against average in 31 games last season. He and the Devils are in a good spot.

11:14 a.m. ET

The Carolina Hurricanes immediately identified forward Logan Stankoven as the perfect fit for their system. They celebrated when they were able to get him from the Dallas Stars as part of the trade for forward Mikko Rantanen.

They were right, and now they can have at least nine more seasons of Stankoven.

Carolina announced it has signed Stankoven to an eight-year, $48 million contract that will begin with the 2026-27 season. Stankoven still has one year left on his current three-year contract.

"From the moment he arrived in Raleigh, it was clear to us that Logan was a Hurricane," Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky said. "We're thrilled that he agrees, and is committed to being a big part of this organization long term."

This is an important piece of future business for the Hurricanes.

Stankoven is only 22 years old. He had 38 points (14 goals, 24 assists) in 78 games split between Dallas and Carolina last season.

His aggressive, in-your-face, grinding, forechecking game complete with skill fit perfectly with the Hurricanes style. He plays like they do, and he should keep getting better. The Hurricanes will have him as he grows into his prime years and through them.

Now we'll see what is next for the Hurricanes because they still need at least a No. 2 center, if not another skilled scorer to put into their top-six forward group. They could be eyeing forward Nikolaj Ehlers.

10:47 a.m. ET

Tony DeAngelo is staying with the New York Islanders on a one-year contract. Financial terms were not disclosed.

This was easy to see coming after the Islanders traded Noah Dobson to the Montreal Canadiens on Friday.

Dobson, like DeAngelo, is a right-handed shooting defenseman.

The Islanders now have Ryan Pulock, Scott Mayfield, DeAngelo and Adam Boqvist on the right side along with Alexander Romanov, Adam Pelech and potentially No. 1 pick Matthew Schaefer on the left side. Schaefer said his goal is to make the opening-night roster. He's 17 years old.

It's fair to think New York is still in the market for more depth on defense.

Righties like Brent Burns, Cody Ceci and John Klingberg are likely to be available as UFAs come noon ET.

With DeAngelo now re-signed, and the uncertainty of Schaefer being ready enough to play in the NHL right away, the Islanders could look on the left side of the blue line too. Targets in free agency include Dmitry Orlov, Ryan Lindgren, Nate Schmidt, Matt Grzelcyk and Brian Dumoulin.

10:28 a.m. ET

The Vancouver Canucks got some future business taken care of before the UFA market opens by getting goalie Thatcher Demko and forward Connor Garland to agree to new contracts that begin a year from now.

Each are getting a raise and the Canucks are getting cost certainty on the goalie who, when healthy, should be their No. 1, and a top-six forward who had 50 points (19 goals, 31 assists) in 81 games last season.

Demko agreed to terms on a three-year, $25.5 million contract ($8.5 million average annual value). He is entering the last year of a five-year, $25 million contract ($5 million AAV).

Garland agreed to stay in Vancouver on a six-year, $36 million contract ($6 million AAV). He's entering the last year of a five-year, $24.75 million contract ($4.95 million AAV).

The Canucks could lose forwards Brock Boeser and Pius Suter in free agency.

10:17 a.m. ET

The Florida Panthers did it.

General manager Bill Zito said during the on-ice celebration after winning their second straight Stanley Cup championship that he thought the Panthers could re-sign all three of their big-ticket pending UFAs -- and he got it done.

Florida announced a few minutes ago that forward Brad Marchand signed a six-year contract to stay with the Panthers, finalizing the Panthers' hat trick. They signed Conn Smythe Trophy-winning forward Sam Bennett to an eight-year contract on Saturday and defenseman Aaron Ekblad to an eight-year contract on Monday.

The Panthers do not disclose the financial terms of the contracts, but to get it all done you know that all three players had to leave some money on the table to stay in Florida.

It's the perfect example of how important it is to players to play for a team that has a strong organizational culture that fosters a winning environment year after year. It also helps that you really can't beat the South Florida climate.

They drive around in golf carts instead of worrying about putting on snow tires in the winter.

Marchand clearly fell in love with the environment he was in in Florida after getting traded to the Panthers from the Boston Bruins on March 7.

It's possible that Boston stays as Marchand's forever home and maybe one day he goes back to work for the Bruins in some capacity, but to finish out his playing career in Florida, on a team that is building a dynasty, that has a legitimate chance to go for the Threepeat, and possibly more, it's too good to pass up.

Bennett and Ekblad clearly felt the same way.

The Panthers, who are also reportedly close to a one-year contract with forward Tomas Nosek, one of their most important depth players as their reliable fourth-line center, are running it back with a purpose.

10 a.m. ET

The market opens in two hours. Who are the top players available?

At forward, assuming Brad Marchand is re-signing with the Florida Panthers, as has been widely reported, we're looking at Nikolaj Ehlers, Brock Boeser and Mikael Granlund. Corey Perry, Pius Suter and Jonathan Drouin are three more players to keep an eye on.

On defense, assuming it's Vladislav Gavrikov, Dmitry Orlov and Nate Schmidt. Brent Burns, Cody Ceci, Brian Dumoulin and Ryan Lindgren are also available.

In net, Jake Allen might make it to the market, though there are reports the New Jersey Devils are attempting to re-sign him before he can get there. Ilya Samsonov and Alexandar Georgiev are also set to become free agents. Alex Lyon is too, but he's been linked to the Buffalo Sabres.

9:45 a.m. ET

Some teams to watch with the market close to opening.

The New York Rangers need a left-shot defenseman to play with Adam Fox. They reportedly have their eyes on Vladislav Gavrikov of the Los Angeles Kings, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent.

If the Rangers are able to sign Gavrikov, it could in turn lead to them trading, or at least looking to trade, K'Andre Miller, who is also a left-shot defenseman but he's a restricted free agent and his price tag might be too rich for New York if it wants to do other things.

One thing the Rangers certainly want to do is re-sign forward Will Cuylle, who is a restricted free agent. Cuylle could be an offer-sheet target.

The Utah Mammoth already made one significant move by acquiring forward JJ Peterka in a trade from the Buffalo Sabres. They signed him to a five-year, $38.5 million contract ($7.7 million AAV).

But the Mammoth still have plenty of cap space and a desire to improve their roster to build on a strong first season in Utah.

The Carolina Hurricanes are always big-game hunting (see Mikko Rantanen, Jake Guentzel), but can they get something done in free agency that fits that bill. Will they attempt to go the offer sheet route to do it?

If the Jets can't re-sign forward Nikolaj Ehlers before or after the market opens, it'll be interesting to see their pivot. Forward Brock Boeser could be in play for them.

The San Jose Sharks are loaded with cap space. They have to be somewhat careful knowing down the road, meaning two years from now, forwards Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith will need new contracts, the same will be true next year for forward William Eklund.

However, the Sharks won't stand pat as is. They can't. They need players and they need to improve.

The Colorado Avalanche opened some cap space by trading Charlie Coyle to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Does that mean they're going to bring back forward Jonathan Drouin, or will he hit the market and they look elsewhere.

There's not a lot of cap wiggle room in Colorado with Gabriel Landeskog back.

The Los Angeles Kings and first-year general manager Ken Holland figure to be involved to get more scoring.

More to come.

9:05 a.m. ET

Mitch Marner to Vegas is official.

The forward was traded to the Golden Knights for Nicolas Roy. Vegas announced Marner has signed an eight-year, $96 million contract ($12 million average annual value).

The Maple Leafs obviously did not want to let Marner walk into free agency with nothing in return, so by working with the Golden Knights to help Marner go where he wanted to go and avoid becoming an unrestricted free agent, thereby allowing him to sign the eight-year max term, they were able to get Roy, who helped Vegas win the Stanley Cup in 2023.

Roy is signed for two more seasons with a $3 million AAV.

Shortly after the trade was announced, the Maple Leafs made official the re-signing of forward Matthew Knies to a six-year contract ($7.75 million AAV).

The Columbus Blue Jackets haven't announced defenseman Ivan Provorov's reported seven-year contract ($8.5 million AAV) and the Florida Panthers have yet to say anything public about Brad Marchand reportedly signing a six-year contract to stay with the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions.

Assuming those deals are still in play, it's fair to expect some announcements on them shortly.

The market opens in three hours.

One particularly hot name to watch is Vladislav Gavrikov, who it appears will be available as an unrestricted free agent as it was reported Monday night the Los Angeles Kings have been unable to come to terms with the defenseman.

The New York Rangers have been tied to Gavrikov in rumors, and it makes sense; the Rangers need a big, minute-munching, shot-blocking left-handed defenseman they ideally can pair with Adam Fox.

Gavrikov, 29, is 6-foot-3, 220 pounds. He led the Kings with 140 blocked shots last season, averaging 23:05 of ice time. He had 30 points (five goals, 25 assists) and was plus-26.

12:01 a.m. ET

There was so much activity Monday you'd think free agency started a day early.

Let’s look at Mitch Marner first. He's reportedly going to the Vegas Golden Knights in a landmark sign-and-trade deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Though it was not officially announced as of midnight Tuesday, multiple reports said Marner signed an eight-year, $96 million contract ($12 million average annual value) with the Maple Leafs. They then were trading him to Vegas. It's not yet known on the return, so more to come on this.

The sign-and-trade helps both parties. If Marner landed on the market Tuesday, he would have only been eligible to sign a seven-year contract as per the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. And now, Toronto doesn’t lose him for nothing.

The Maple Leafs are also reportedly signing forward Matthew Knies to a six-year, $46.5 million contract ($7.75 million AAV). They already signed center John Tavares to a team-friendly four-year, $17.52 million contract ($4.38 million AAV).

Essentially, they are keeping Knies and Tavares for approximately what Marner got from them to then be traded to Vegas.

Toronto also acquired forward Matias Maccelli from the Utah Mammoth for a conditional third-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft.

Maccelli, 24, had 57 points (17 goals, 40 assists) in 82 games with the then-Arizona Coyotes in 2023-24. He dropped to 18 points (eight goals, 10 assists) in 55 games with Utah last season.

In addition, the Maple Leafs signed forward Steven Lorentz to a three-year contract that has a $1.35 million AAV.

But wait, the Florida Panthers might have stolen the thunder from the Maple Leafs and Golden Knights because they accomplished what they set out to do.

They signed defenseman Aaron Ekblad to an eight-year contract. They are also reportedly signing forward Brad Marchand to a six-year contract. They already got forward Sam Bennett under contract for eight more years.

All three could have become unrestricted free agents.

It's a remarkable piece of business by the Panthers and general manager Bill Zito to get that done. He said they would do it, and he was able to make it happen, proof that culture, a winning environment and a good place to live with a favorable climate go a long way.

The two-time defending Stanley Cup champion is running it back for the three-peat.

In addition to apparently getting Marner, Vegas traded defenseman Nicolas Hague to the Nashville Predators for defenseman Jeremy Lauzon, forward Colton Sissons and a third-round pick in the 2027 draft. But there was bad news on the Golden Knights front, with defenseman Alex Pietrangelo announcing he was stepping away from the game for health reasons. It’s unclear if he will ever play again.

Nashville immediately signed Hague, who could have become a restricted free agent, to a four-year, $22 million contract ($5.5 million AAV).

Hague, 26, gives the Predators a big, physical defenseman that every team needs to win in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He helped Vegas win the Stanley Cup in 2023.

In Sissons, the Golden Knights pick up another likely bottom-six forward at the cost of a shade over $1.4 million. He's entering the last year of a seven-year, $20 million contract ($2.857 million AAV), but the Predators are retaining 50 percent of the remaining money on his deal.

Lauzon is entering the last of a four-year, $8 million contract ($2 million AAV). The 28-year-old should be a replacement for Hague on the Golden Knights' back end.

The Columbus Blue Jackets reportedly are reportedly signing defenseman Ivan Provorov to a seven-year, $59.5 million contract ($8.5 million AAV).

The New York Islanders also got some important work done by signing defenseman Alexander Romanov to an eight-year contract (financial terms were not disclosed). The 25-year-old could have been a restricted free agent Tuesday.

The Los Angeles Kings signed forward Andrei Kuzmenko to a one-year, $4.3 million contract. The 29-year-old had 37 points (11 goals, 26 assists) in 66 games with three teams this season, including 17 points (five goals, 12 assists) in 22 games with the Kings after he was acquired in a trade with the Philadelphia Flyers on March 7. He had six points (three goals, three assists) in six playoff games. He could have become an unrestricted free agent.

The Minnesota Wild landed forward Vladimir Tarasenko for future considerations in a trade with the Detroit Red Wings.

Later on Monday, the Red Wings signed forward Patrick Kane to a one-year, $3 million deal.

The Edmonton Oilers received some cost certainty when they signed defenseman Evan Bouchard to a four-year, $42 million contract ($10.5 million AAV). The 25-year-old could have been a restricted free agent Tuesday. The Oilers also signed forward Kasperi Kapanen to a one-year, $1.3 million contract. He had 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in 57 games with Edmonton after he was claimed off waivers on Nov. 19 from the St. Louis Blues.