NHL Signings & Free Agents

The Predators have moved Anthony Bitetto to IR and Ryan Ellis is out, so they needed an NHL body. Pardy had been playing with the Predators’ AHL affiliate on an AHL deal, where he has collected two goals and three assists (five points) in 12 games.

Burns is a special player and that forced the Sharks to sign him to the longest contract in franchise history. Burns will be 32 in March, so he will be 40-year-old in the final year of his contract, which isn’t ideal, but was necessary to get him signed. After a historic 2015-16 season, Burns has picked up 16 points (7G / 9A) in 19 games, to put him on pace for a career-high 30 goals and 38 assists (68 points)

After holding out of training camp and the first month of the season, the Jets were finally able to sign restricted free agent Jacob Trouba to a two-year deal. Trouba is regarded as one of the best young defenseman in the NHL and signing him is huge for the Jets' success in 2016-17. Trouba had 21 points (6G / 15A) in 81 games with the Jets last season.

Lindholm missed the first eight games of the season due to a contract holdout, but now that he is signed, you can probably expect him to be in the lineup over the weekend. Lindholm is one of the best young defensemen in the NHL and comes in having scored 10 goals and 18 assists (28 points) in 80 games last year.

The Kings would be Lindback’s fifth team in four years. He has played for the Lightning, Stars, Sabres and Coyotes over the last three years and he went 5-7-1 with a 3.11 GAA and .894 SV% in 19 games with Arizona last year. With Jonathan Quick out, the Kings are desperately searching for some help in net.

Bernier, 31, had six points (1G / 5A) in 24 games with the Islanders last season. The veteran forward has 230 career points (105G / 125A) in 633 games with the Sharks, Sabres, Canucks, Panthers, Devils and Islanders.

The 22-year-old netminder hasn’t appeared in a game this season thanks to a broken hand that he suffered in the World Cup of Hockey, but earned an extension with an excellent postseason, en route to a Stanley Cup. Murray was 9-2-1 with a 2.00 GAA and .930 SV% in 13 regular season starts a season ago. Marc-Andre Fleury is off to a good start to the year, but Murray should rejoin the fold in the next week or so.

McCollum was the 30th overall pick in 2008, but never made it to the NHL. Last year he was 15-13-0 with a 2.42 GAA and .923 SV% in 30 games with Grand Rapids (AHL).

Fontaine, 28, spent the last five seasons with the Wild organization, compiling 68 points (27G / 41A) in 197 career NHL games. He will start the year with Hartford (AHL).

Rakell missed the first game of the season because of a contract holdout, but the Ducks were able to sign him to a six-year deal this afternoon. Rakell is imperative to the Ducks success as their second/third line centre. He is coming off of a career-year, having scored 20 goals with 23 assists (43 points) in 72 games.

Skille, 29, appeared in four preseason games during his professional tryout with the Canucks. Skill is coming off of 14 points (8G / 6A) in 74 games with the Avalanche last season.

Grossmann was with the Flames on a professional tryout and made the team as a depth defenseman. Grossmann spent last season with the Coyotes where he had seven points (3G / 4A) in 58 games. He will not have any fantasy relevance in 2016-17.

Ristolainen, 21, is coming off of a great sophomore season in which he tallied nine goals and 32 assists (41 points) in 82 games. Ristolainen led all Sabres players in ice-time last year as well, eating up a monstrous 25:16 per night, which ranked 10th in the NHL. Ristolianen’s possession numbers leave the Sabres wanting more, but as a 21-year-old defenseman, he is just scratching the surface of what he can become.

Versteeg was in Oilers’ training camp on a professional tryout, but signed with the Flames one day before they are set to meet in the season opener. Versteeg split his 2015-16 campaign between the Hurricanes and Kings, amassing 15 goals and 23 assists (38 points) across 74 games. The Flames are fairly thin at right wing, so Versteeg could earn himself a top-6 role early in the year.

Gryba was with the Oilers on a professional tryout and did enough during training camp to earn a contract. Gryba was with the Oilers last year, tallying just six points (1G / 5A) in 53 games.

Kucherov burst onto the fantasy scene as a member of “The Triplets” line, only to improve on his numbers in 2015-16. Kucherov is coming off of 66 points (30G / 36A) in 77 games and has the potential to be a 70-plus point player who makes under $5 million per year. That’s unheard of.

Gaudreau and the Flames waited until the final hour to get a deal done, but it was worth it for both the player and the team. Gaudreau gets $6.75 million per season and the Flames get one of the most dynamic wingers in the league for under $7 million per seasons. In his first two years in the NHL, Gaudreau is 12th in scoring, having picked up 54 goals and 88 assists (142 points) in 159 games. He definitely a top-5 left wing heading into 2016-17, with the potential to be among the top-3 at the position.

Bourque, 26, has spent his entire career in Nashville, picking up just 78 points (31G / 47A) in 242 career games. However, he was let go by the Predators this summer and has made the Avalanche out of training camp after being brought in on a professional tryout.

Bourque only appeared in 49 games with the Blue Jackets last season, picking up just eight points (3G / 5A). The 34-year-old winger makes the Avalanche opening night roster after being invited into training camp on a professional tryout.

Korpikoski was just released by the Flames, but signed on with the Stars, who have been brutalized by injuries in the preseason. Korpikoski is coming off of 22 points (10G / 12A) in 71 games with the Oilers last year and should play in the Stars’ bottom-6.