NHL Signings & Free Agents

Bennett's career with the Flames did not go as planned but he paid immediate dividends once arriving in Florida. The 25-year-old had 15 points (6G / 9A) in 10 regular seasons games and five points (1G / 4A) in five playoff games. Bennett seems to have solidified the Panthers' 2C role behind Aleksander Barkov and signed for a very affordable $4.4M AAV. Pairing up with Jonathan Huberdeau on the second line should help Bennett have his best season to date in 2021-22.

Carlsson was a fourth-round pick of the Blackhawks and was traded to the Panthers as part of the deal that sent Henrik Borgstrom and Brett Connolly to Chicago. Carlssson had one assist in 12 games with the Blackhawks last year, as well as 12 points (3G / 9A) in 18 games between his two AHL homes. The Panthers don't have the strongest blueline at the moment, so he could factor into their top-6 at some point in 2021-22.

Allard spent most of the season in the AHL but made his season debut with the Predators in 2021. The 23-year-old, former third-round pick had 18 points (3G / 15A) in 25 games with Chicago (AHL) and will likely be a fringe roster player for the Predators in 2021-22.

Juulsen was claimed off of waivers in January but didn't play a lot of hockey afterwards. He went pointless in four games with the Panthers and had just one assist in five games with Syracuse (AHL). Headaches derailed his career in Montreal but he'll be looking to get back on track with the Panthers in 2021-22.

Smallman was a fifth-round pick of the Hurricanes in 2015 but has bounced around between the AHL and ECHL since. In 2021, he had two assists in six AHL games and 12 points (6G / 6A) in eight ECHL games. He will not be a factor in the NHL in 2021-22.

Staal struggled mightily in 2019 and 2020 but had a nice bounce-back campaign with the Red Wings in 2021. He found some comfort on a pairing with Troy Stecher and the duo performed well as veteran minute-eaters for Detroit. In 2021-22, he should see slightly less playing time following the additions of Nick Leddy and the potential arrival of Moritz Seider but should still play with Stecher most nights.

Moore had a career-year in Los Angeles in 2021, scoring 10 goals with 13 assists (23 points) in 56 games. Moore became an integral part during a rebuilding year but with so many high-end prospects coming up through the ranks, his spot in 2021-22 may not be as secure.

Bjorkqvist was a second-round pick in 2016 and played briefly with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL) after going to KooKoo (Liiga) during COVID-19. Bjorkqvist had 11 goals with 15 assists (26 points) in 44 games in Finland.

Makar appeared in 10 playoff games in 2019, burning the first year of his entry-level contract, so he needed to be re-signed after just two regular seasons in the NHL. Over that time, the 2017 No.4 overall pick is tied for fourth among defensemen in points (94) but second in points-per-game (0.93) while appearing in 101 of the 126 games. As of now, Makar is tied for the fourth highest-paid defenseman ($9.0M AAV) heading into 2021-22.

Hall had a slow start with the Sabres in 2021 but found his stride after a midseason trade to the Bruins. Once in Boston, Hall was tied for 32nd with 14 points (8G / 6A) in 16 games. Hall was the perfect fit for the Bruins' second line and signs a very reasonable $6.0M AAV deal to stay with them for the next four years.

Stevens was a fifth-round pick in 2016 and has spent the last three years in the AHL. The 25-year-old forward had six goals and 12 assists (18 points) in 27 games with Utica last year. Look for Stevens to start the 2021-22 season in the AHL once again.

Smith only played in eight games between the AHL and NHL in 2021. The 27-year-old had three assists in five games with the Lightning but sat out as a healthy scratch most of the time. With some key bottom-6 players hitting the free agent market, Smith could have a spot on the roster to start the 2021-22 season.

Sherwood split his 2020-21 campaign between the AHL and NHL. Sherwood played as a point-per-game player with 16 points (10G / 6A) in 16 games with the Colorado Eagles (AHL) but struggled to find the same level of offence with the Avalanche. Depending on what the Avlanahce do with their $20.26M in cap-space, Sherwood could have a spot on the NHL roster to start 2021-22 season.

Blichfeld spent most of the 2020-21 season in the AHL, where he led the Barracuda with 12 goals and 10 assists (22 points) in 25 games. Blichfeld was a seventh-round pick in 2016 but is trending towards being an NHLer in 2021-22.

Balcers was claimed off of waivers from the Senators in January and went on to score eight goals and nine assists (17 points) in 41 games with San Jose. Balcers showed he was capable of playing in the Sharks' top-6 at times in 2021 but is probably best suited to play on their third-line.

Goodrow won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Lightning but they did not have the cap-space to keep him around for the future. He was acquired by the Rangers for a seventh-round pick on July 19th and signed a six-year extension a few days later. He brings very little offensively but will be a huge part of the Rangers' bottom-6 and penalty kill.

The Red Wings acquired Nedeljkovic from the Hurricanes and immediately signed him to a two-year contract. Nedeljkovic led the NHL in GAA and SV% in 2020-21 and helps solidify the Red Wings' crease moving forward and gives them a young goalie to build around.

Smith struggled in 2020 but the Oilers brought him back for 2021 and he flourished. At age-38, Smith went 21-6-2 with a 2.31 GAA and .923 SV% in 32 games and will head into 2021-22 as the Oilers' No.1 starting goalie with a more certain future after signing a two-year contract.

Rasmussen played almost the entire 2020-21 NHL season in the NHL, scoring three goals with nine assists (12 points) in 40 games. The former No.9 overall pick (2017) made serious strides this season and will look to be an important part of the Red Wings' middle-6 in 2021-22.

Driedger's selection in the Expansion Draft was the worst kept secret of the process. The 27-year-old has been outstanding over the last two seasons, leading the NHL in GAA (2.07) and SV% (.931) while going 21-8-4 in 34 starts. Driedger will get a shot to be a No.1 for the first time in his career with Vitek Vanecek serving as his backup.