Somppi was a seventh-round pick in 2016 and has spent the last three seasons in the AHL and ECHL. In 2021, Somppi had 12 goals and 14 assists (24 points) in 32 games with Syracuse (AHL). Look for him to start 2021-22 in the AHL.
MacDermid had two goals, two assists, 46 hits and 35 blocked shots in 28 games with the Kings. MacDermid was selected by Seattle in the Expansion Draft but will go to Colorado for the 2021-22 season. Given the Avalanche's depth on defence, MacDermid will likely serve as a reserve.
Hirose spent almost all of 2021 in the AHL, where he was second on the Griffins with 28 points (5G / 23A) in 29 games. He played in six games with the Red Wings, giving him 16 points (3G / 13A) in 42 career NHL games. Hirose could fight for a spot with the Red Wings next season but he's likely headed for the AHL to start the season.
Ovechkin's cap-hit doesn't change much, going from $9.539M AAV to $9.5M for the next five seasons. Ovechkin currently sits sixth on the all-time goal-scoring list, 164 goals behind Wayne Gretzky for first. A five-year contract will take Ovechkin to 40-years-old and he will need to average 32.8 goals per season to reach Gretzky's mark. He has averaged 52 goals per 82 games over the last three seasons.
Buchnevich was acquired from the Rangers last week and the RFA quickly signed a four-year extension with his new team. In St. Louis, Buchnevich will play with either Ryan O'Reilly or Brayden Schenn and has averaged 25 goals and 33 assists (57 points) per 82 games over the last three seasons.
Garland was acquired from the Coyotes last week and the RFA quickly signed a five-year extension with his new team. In Vancouver, Garland will play with either Elias Pettersson or Bo Horvat and has averaged 24 goals and 31 assists (55 points) per 82 games over the last two seasons.
Neal was headed into the fourth year of a five-year contract that carried a $5.75M AAV cap-hit. The buy-out will save the Oilers $3.833M against the cap for the next two seasons but will cost them $1.917M in 2024 and 2025. Neal had 41 points (24G / 17A) in 84 games during his two seasons with Edmonton.
Jones was heading into the fourth year of a six-year contract that carried a $5.75M AAV cap-hit. The buy-out will save the Sharks $4.083M against the cap for the next three years but will cost them $1.67M from 2025-to-2027. Jones had an ugly 3.04 GAA and .896 SV% in 137 games during the first three years of that contract.
Holtby signed a two-year deal with the Canucks last offseason but had a tough season, going 7-11-3 with a 3.67 GAA and .889 SV%. Thatcher Demko showed he was capable of being a No.1 in the NHL last year, so the Canucks decided to cut ties with Holtby and free up $2.4M in cap space and will turn to Michael DiPietro as their No.2 in 2022.
The Golden Knights needed to clear some salary space ahead of Wednesday's free agency, so they gave up the reigning Vezina Trophy Winner for nothing but $7.0M in cap space. The last goalie to be traded the year after winning the Vezina Trophy was Dominik Hasek, who was traded to Detroit 20 years ago. Fleury will reportedly discuss his future with his family and could retire, one season after going 26-10-0 with a 1.98 GAA, .928 SV% and six shutouts.
After three years outside of the Red Wings organization, Criscuolo returned in 2021 and scored 11 goals and eight assists (19 points) in 29 games with the Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL). He's be back for another two years with the Griffins.
Dillon, who is 30-years-old, has three years left on a contract that carries a $3.9M AAV cap-hit. Dillon is a huge (6-foot-4, 225 lbs.) defenseman who brings a rugged style to the Jets' blueline that they were missing in 2020-21. Dillon ranked eighth among defensemen in hits (143) but is also capable of chipping in offensively, averaging three goals and 19 assists (22 points) per 82 games over the last four seasons. He'll likely eat up the minutes left by Derek Forbort (17:57 TOI/gm).
Stastny is still an effective veteran and will stick around with the Jets for another year. He had 29 points (13G / 16A) in 56 games last year and is still capable of filling a top-6 role in 2021-22.
Hammond spent the entire 2021 season in the AHL, going 16-12-3 with a 2.53 GAA and .908 SV% with the Rochester Americans. Hammond has not played in the NHL since 2018, so expect him to remain in the Wild's farm system during the 2021-22 campaign.
Wolf was an undrafted free agent, who turned pro in 2020-21 after four years at the University off Minnesota-Duluth. He started the year in Slovakia during the COVID-19 pandemic before coming to the AHL, where he had just two assists in 24 games with the Providence Bruins. He'll be in Providence to start the 2021-22 season.
Lindstrom appeared to have a track to being a full-time NHL player in 2021-22, until Marc Staal signed a one-year extension on Sunday. Still, Lindstrom appeared din 13 NHL games a season ago and should be a factor with both the Red Wings and Griffins (AHL) next season.
Gaudette was acquired from the Canucks for Matthew Highmore in April and contributed one goal and three assists in seven games with the Blackhawks. Gaudette will be battling with the likes of Henrik Borgstrom, Brett Connolly and Alex Nylander for playing time in 2021-22.
Kolyachonok was a second-round pick (No.52 overall) in 2019and split his 2021 campaign between the KHL and AHL. He started the year with Minsk (KHL) and collected six points (1G / 5A) in 46 games before returning to Syracuse (AHL). He had two assists in 10 AHL games and will likely report to the Coyotes AHL affiliate to start the 2021-22 season.
Stralman has one-year left at $5.5M AAV and moving him frees up space that the Panthers will use to re-sign Sam Reinhart. Stralman will join Jakob Chychrun, Ilya Lyubushkin and Shayne Gostisbehere as the only NHL regulars on the Coyotes' blueline right now.
Morin was supposed to make the move from defence to forward in 2021 but didn't make much of an impact at any level. Morin is an imposing figure (6-foot-6, 202 lbs.) and a former top-15 pick (No.11 overall in 2013) but has just one goal in 29 career NHL games to this point.
