NHL free agency tracker: Nikolaj Ehlers signs with Carolina Hurricanes
TheCarolina Hurricaneslanded the biggest remaining name on the free agent list. Winger Nikolaj Ehlers, who was No. 3 onUSA TODAY's June 30 free agent list, agreed to terms with the Hurricanes on a six-year deal averaging $8.5 million a year. He made his decision on the third day of free agency after many of his peers had chosen their 2025-26 teams. No. 1 free agent Mitch Marner went to theVegas Golden Knightsin a sign and trade on June 30, and several key players re-signed, including Florida's Aaron Ekblad and No. 2 Brad Marchand, plus Detroit's Patrick Kane. Vancouver's Brock Boeser and New Jersey's Jake Allen decided on the July 1 free agency opening day to stay. In addition to Ehlers, Mikael Granlund, Vladislav Gavrikov, Pius Suter, Brent Burns and others have changed teams. Here are the signings and trades that have taken place since free agency opened: NHL trade tracker:Hurricanes acquire K'Andre Miller, plus other moves The Hurricanes had acquired a skilled offensive player the last two seasons via trade only to see Jake Guentzel and Mikko Rantanen go elsewhere. This signing means Ehlers is locked in until 2031. He's known for his speed and he takes a lot of shots, which fits in well with Carolina's system. He's never had a 30-goal season, but he's consistently in the mid to high 20s. He could hit 30 if he gets more than the 16-plus minutes he averaged with the Winnipeg Jets. Ehlers has been named to the DanishOlympic team, along with his new teammate, goalie Frederik Andersen. He'll average $6.5 million in his two-year deal. Orlov is the third veteran defenseman that the Sharks have added this season after signing John Klingberg and reportedly claiming Nick Leddy off waivers. Orlov, 33, had 28 points and 101 hits with the Hurricanes in 2024-25. He won a Stanley Cup with the Capitals in 2018. The additions of Orlov and Leddy bring the Sharks up to the salary cap floor and they have room to make other moves if they want. The 40-year-old defenseman gets one year. Sportsnet reports it's a $1 million deal and he could get another $3 million in bonuses. Burns has the longest active consecutive games streak in the NHL at 925 games. He last missed a game in 2013-14. His offensive numbers have dropped the past two seasons (he had 29 points in 2024-25), but he has a booming shot and averaged nearly 21 minutes a game in the regular season and nearly 23 in the postseason. He's still looking for his first Stanley Cup title. The Avalanche could give him a chance. The Wings gave Appleton two years at $2.9 million average, a hefty price for a forward who topped out at 14 goals in one season in 2023-24 while a member of the high-octane Jets. Appleton had 10 goals in 71 games last season with the Jets. He has 57 goals and 138 points in 400 career NHL games. Appleton played at Michigan State from 2015-17.- Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press The center will average $2.5 million in the two-year deal. The restricted free agent was acquired at the trade deadline from the Penguins. Nyquist landed a one-year, $3.25 million contract. He had 28 points in 79 games between the Minnesota Wild and Nashville Predators last season but had a 75-point season in 2023-24. The Jets are losing Ehlers in free agency. TheIslanderssigned Kontinental Hockey League free agent forward Shabanov, 24, to a one-year entry-level deal. He averaged more than a point a game last season with Chelyabinsk and had 25 goals the season before. The Islanders also signed Heineman, acquired in theNoah Dobson trade, to a two-year contract. The forward will average $4.125 million over two years. Suter set career highs with 25 goals and 46 points in 2024-25 with the Canucks while tying his career best of 21 assists. The Blues earlierplaced defenseman Nick Leddy on waivers. The Penguins have signed forwards Anthony Mantha ($2.5 million) and Rafael Harvey-Pinard ($775,000) to one-year contracts. Mantha was limited to 13 games in 2024-25 because of ACL surgery. Lazar gets a one-year, $775,000 deal for a likely bottom six role. The NHL veteran played his junior hockey in Edmonton and has 47 goals and 78 assists in 572 career games. Bedard, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 draft, and the Blackhawks are talking about an extension. He's eligible for one because he's entering the final year of his contract. "I probably don't want to get too far into it, but we are talking," Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson said,according to NHL.com. "So, I think that's an indicator of an openness to discuss. He made his thoughts very clear at the end of the season and subsequently in other interviews, that he's committed to Chicago and wants to be here long-term and we obviously want him here long-term, so there's mutual agreement there." Bedard won rookie of the year in 2023-24 and has 45 goals and 123 points through 150 games over two seasons. He'll average $3.6 million in the two-year deal. The Oilers needed scoring depth aftertrading Viktor Arvidsson. Mangiapane did score 35 goals in 2021-22, though mostly he's in the 14 to 18 range, including 14 this past season with the Capitals. The Oilers got to see Mangiapane a lot when he played for the Flames from 2017-24. The Hurricanes signed defenseman K'Andre Miller to an eight-year deal with a $7.5 million cap hit after acquiring him in atradewith the Rangers. Carolina gives up defenseman Scott Morrow, a conditional first-round pick and Carolina's 2026 second-rounder in the trade. The Rangers dealt Miller, 25, to free up the space to signtop free agentdefenseman Vladislav Gavrikov. Miller gives the Hurricanes a young defenseman for their roster with Dmitry Orlov and Brent Burns hitting free agency. "Right now, I do not anticipate either of them being back with us," general manager Eric Tulsky said. "Obviously that could change with one phone call." The Hurricanes also signed free agent defenseman Mike Reilly to a one-year, $1.1 million deal. He played for the Islanders last season. New Yorklocked up its top restricted free-agent priorityto a two-year, $7.8 million deal on July 1, as first reported by Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman. It will carry an average annual value of $3.9 million. Cuylle's coming off a sophomore NHL season in which he scored 20 goals whilebreaking the franchise's single-season recordwith 301 hits.- Vince Z. Mercogliano, lohud.com The veteran defenseman gets a one-year, $4 million deal. He had played for the Oilers last season, suiting up for 19 playoff games and four in the final. The Sharks also signed forwards Philip Kurashev (one year, $1.2 million) and Adam Gaudette (two years, $2 million average) and traded for goalie Alex Nedeljkovic. He'll get a one-year, $1 million deal that could grow with bonuses. He's coming off a 20-goal season in Dallas, but his ice time shrank in the playoffs. His three-year deal will average $2 million. Faksa played his entire career in Dallas, except for 2024-25, when the depth forward played for the Blues. He won 57% of his faceoffs this past season and he kills penalties. The Stars also are bringing back forward Colin Blackwell on a two-year deal with a $775,000 cap hit. The goalie signs a one-year, $1.5 million contract. He split time between San Jose and Florida last season, getting to lift the Stanley Cup. Utah backup goalie Connor Ingram is out indefinitely after entering the NHL/NHLPA Players Assistance Program. He gets a three-year deal, with areported $7 million cap hit. Granlund played on an all-Finland in Dallas after arriving in a trade, but the Stars didn't have the cap room to keep him. The Ducks continue to be aggressive in trying to get back to the playoffs after earliertrading for Chris Kreider. He'll average $2 million in the two-year deal. Sturm is strong on faceoffs and kills penalties. He spilt time the past between the Sharks and Panthers, winning a Stanley Cup with Florida. He started his career in Minnesota. He gets a two-year contract with a reported $4 million average. He averaged 0.76 points per game in two seasons in Colorado but missed nearly half of the 2024-25 season. He'll average $3 million in the four-year deal. Brown has reached the Stanley Cup Final the past two seasons with the Oilers. He can move up and down the lineup and teams appreciate that versatility. He'll average $2.5 million in the three-year contract. The forward is fast, kills penalties and has the league's best team head shots. New Brandon Tanev headshot just dropped 📸pic.twitter.com/M2dvWyaWg8 — NHL (@NHL)March 11, 2025 The forward gets a one-year, $1 million contract. His 16 goals this past season were his most since 2021-22. Defenseman Cody Ceci (four years, $4.5 million average) and Brian Dumoulin (three years, $4 million average) will fill the roster spots of Vladislav Gavrikov (signed by Rangers) and Jordan Spence (traded to Senators). Goalie Anton Forsberg gets two years at a $2.25 million cap hit. Kings goalie David Rittich signed a free agent deal with the Islanders. Perry, 40, had 10 playoff goals during the Oilers' run to the Stanley Cup Final. He has been to the final five times in the last six seasons, losing all five (he won in 2007). But for a Kings team that has lost four years to the Oilers. they'll gladly accept a player who regularly gets past the first round and more. Armia is a penalty killing forward with 17 career short-handed goals. Perry gets a one-year, $2 million contract and can earn other $2 million in bonuses. Armia averages $2.5 million his two-year deal. The defenseman will average $3.5 million in the three-year deal. Schmidt had been bought out in Winnipeg last summer and joined coach Paul Maurice in Florida, where he played a key role in the Stanley Cup run. The Mammoth were in need of a defenseman after trading Michael Kesselring to the Sabres. The Mammoth also signed defenseman Scott Perunovich and forward Kailer Yamamoto to one-year, two-way deals. The forward is returning after previously playing in Chicago for parts of two seasons. He struggled in Buffalo with seven points in 60 games. The Sabres get a 2026 sixth-round pick in return. The defenseman will average $4.5 million over four years. He kills penalties and is known for putting his body on the line, but that takes its toll. The team later signed goalie Matt Murray to a one-year, $1 million contract. He'll get $5.4 million in the one-year deal. He kills penalties and wins faceoffs. The Flyers ranked 20th in penalty killing and were just below 50% in faceoff winning percentage. The three-year deal, starting in 2026-27, will average $5.6 million. He finished second on the Sharks this past season with 58 points. His brother, Victor, was justdrafted by the Islanders. He'll average $3.4 million in the five-year contract,per reports. Jeannot is a rugged forward with 211 hits in each of the past two seasons. He scored 24 goals in his second season but hasn't had more than seven goals since. He'll average $7 million over seven years, according to multiple reports. He was the top defensive defenseman in the free agent pool and can slot in next to Adam Fox. The Rangers needed shoring up defensively and Gavrikov (140 blocked shots) will fill that role. He also had 30 points, second best in his career. Does this mean K'Andre Miller gets moved out? He'll average $3.35 million in the two-year deal. Goaltending was an issue with the Flyers last season, and Vladar will make sure that Samuel Ersson has a steadier backup. He'll average $6 million in the seven-year extension that kicks in during the 2026-27 season. He had career highs with 20 assists and 25 points this past season. He'll get four years at a reported $1.7 million average. He's staying with a seven-year deal worth $7.25 million a year. That's key for the Canucks after he scored 40 goals two seasons ago. His agent, Ben Hankinson, posted that the deal was reached "in the final minutes, really, did you expect him to sign anywhere else?" It's noon and teams can officially pursue players on other teams. The Bruins acquire forward Viktor Arvidsson from the Oilers for a 2027 fifth-round draft pick, Arvidsson had signed a two-year deal with Edmonton last season and did not work out. He was in and out of the lineup in the playoffs. But he did score 26 goals two seasons ago and could fill a middle-six role in Boston. Edmonton saves $4 million in cap space. The Canadiens acquire forward Zack Bolduc for defenseman Logan Mailloux. Bolduc adds secondary scoring after scoring 19 goals and 36 points in his first full season. Mailloux, who was taken in the first round of the 2021 draft despiteasking not to be drafted, has played eight NHL games. The Canadiens recently acquired Noah Dobson, who fills the role of offensive defenseman. He'll average $1.8 million over five years and will remain in a tandem with Jacob Markstrom. That will disappoint teams that may have been looking for a goalie. He was the top netminder out there. The defenseman gets a one-year deal worth a reported $1.75 million. His offensive role will grow with the Islanders trading Noah Dobson to the Canadiens. He'll average $6 million in the eight-year deal. Stankoven, 22, was the key return when the Hurricanestraded Mikko Rantanento the Stars. He scored five game-winning goals last season. The contract kicks in during the 2026-27 season. The goalie, recently acquired from the Blue Jackets, will get one year at $1.05 million, according to reports. Demko will average $8.5 million in his three-year contract and Garland will average $6 million in his six-year contract. Both deals will take effect in 2026-27. Demko has dealt with injuries but was a Vezina Trophy runner-up in 2023-24. Garland is a two-time 50-point scorer. He'll get one year at $775,000. Nosek joined the lineup with the Panthers down 2-0 to the Maple Leafs in the second round. The new-look fourth line helped lead the Panthers' comeback and theteam rallied around Nosekafter his overtime delay of game penalty proved costly in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final. The Panthers have all 12 forwards from their clinching game under contract. He'll get six years at a reported $7.75 million per year. Knies, a restricted agent, played on the top line with Auston Matthews and just-departed Mitch Marner. He had a career-best 29 goals, 29 assists and 58 points. The Golden Knights officially announced theMitch Marner dealon July 1. He was acquired from the Maple Leafs for center Nicolas Roy and will get an eight-year, $96 million contract. The $12 million average makes him Vegas' top-paid player ahead of Jack Eichel ($10 million). Marner will wear No. 93, his junior hockey number with the Ontario Hockey League's London Knights. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:NHL free agent tracker 2025: Nikolaj Ehlers contract, signings, trades
NHL free agency tracker: Nikolaj Ehlers signs with Carolina Hurricanes TheCarolina Hurricaneslanded the biggest remaining name on the free a...
