NHL Signings & Free Agents

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.

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.

Jaros immediately signed a two-way contract with the Devils after being dealt from San Jose. Jaros has spent most of his time in the AHL over the last two seasons, so expect that to be the case again in 2021-22.

Walker has put up strong AHL numbers over the years but hasn't been much of a factor at the NHL level. Over the last three years, he has scored two goals with two assists (four points) in 16 games with the Capitals and Blues. Look for him to remain in the AHL for most of 2021-22.

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.