The year is 2020, it is already October, and NHL Free Agency has finally arrived! The first day of free agency, usually occurring annually on July 1st, has been pushed to today’s date, October 9 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the National Hockey League deciding to finish off the season in the late summer and early fall.

Before free agency officially began at 12:00 PM E.T. today, some news regarding players and player movement were released. For example, Paul Stastny was traded to the Winnipeg Jets from the Vegas Golden Knights, in exchange for defenseman Carl Dahlstrom and a 2022 4th round pick. It is now almost certain that Oliver Ekman-Larsson will remain an Arizona Coyote next season, as trade rumors suggesting he would end up in Boston or Vancouver didn’t follow through. Additionally, Tyler Johnson was put on waivers by the Tampa Bay Lightning, and is available for any team to pick up.

NHL Free Agency 2020: Some Big Players yet to Sign

Usually in free agency, the “big name” players come flying off the market instantly. This year tells a much different tale. With the impending flat salary cap coming over the next two offseason, teams have to be careful with how much they spend, and may have to clear some cap space before reeling in a big fish in free agency. So, when or where some of these players will sign is still a major question mark. It can happen in the next 24 hours, or it may take weeks.

Alex Pietrangelo is the biggest name in the open market, and multiple reports have confirmed that the Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche are currently the frontrunners to land the right-handed defender.

Many other important defensemen still remain on the free agent market, including Tyson Barrie, Chris Tanev, Travis Hamonic, Sami Vatanen, and Erik Gustafsson. There is no real inkling of where these players will sign, whether they will sign with their current teams or look elsewhere, or when it will happen.

The same goes for some free agent forwards, the most notable being Taylor Hall. Unlike Ekman-Larsson, Hall will be wearing a new uniform this upcoming season. His name has been tied to the Columbus Blue jackets and Colorado Avalanche.

Mike Hoffman, Tyler Toffoli, Evgenii Dadonov, Andreas Athanasiou, Mikael Granlund, Erik Haula, Craig Smith, and Vladislav Namestnikov, among others have not signed with any team yet, and should be monitored closely.

NHL Free Agency 2020: The Goalie Market

The goalie market is as chaotic as ever this year, as a lot of teams are looking to create stability in between the pipes, or establish a 1A-1B goaltending rotation as lots of games will likely be back-to-backs next season.

A few goaltenders have avoided the free agent market, and signed with their current teams. After leading his team to a deep playoff run, Anton Khudobin was resigned by the Dallas Stars for 3 years, with a $3.33M AAV. Matt Murray, who the Ottawa Senators recently acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins, has signed a 4-year deal in Canada’s capital city, making $6.25M annually. Also, Malcolm Subban has re-signed with the Chicago Blackhawks for two years, making $850K per.

After the New York Rangers bought out Henrik Lundqvist last week, he has found a new home in Washington D.C., and signed a 1-year, $1.5M deal with the Capitals. Lundqvist should be a solid backup in Washington, playing with Ilya Samsonov.

After the Minnesota Wild traded Devan Dubnyk to the San Jose Sharks, they needed a starting goaltender. They rolled the dice and signed Cam Talbot to a 3 year contract, with a $3.66M AAV cap hit.

The Vancouver Canucks let Jacob Markstrom, who had an all-star caliber season, walk to free agency. The Calgary Flames did not hesitate to pay him, and inked Markstrom to a 6-year deal worth $6M annually. While the deal does carry on until he is 36, the Flames have finally landed a top goalie and can re-emerge as a top team in the Western Conference. However, Jim Benning and the Canucks were not ready to put all of their eggs into one basket with their likely goaltender of the future, Thatcher Demko, so they decided to sign Braden Holtby to a two-year contract with a $4.3M AAV. Holtby may remain unprotected in the Seattle expansion draft, and he may become the first goalie in Kraken history, with Demko officially taking the starting role at that point.

There are still solid teams who need starting goaltenders, such as the Edmonton Oilers and the Carolina Hurricanes. Marc-Andre Fleury has yet to be traded by the Vegas Golden Knights, and there are still some solid goaltenders left on the free agent market, including Corey Crawford, Thomas Greiss, Aaron Dell, and Ryan Miller.

NHL Free Agency 2020: Buyouts find New Homes

Henrik Lundqvist was not the only player to be bought out and find a new home on Friday. Across the league, several teams have taken chances with these bought out players, signing them on the cheap.

The Detroit Red Wings have signed Bobby Ryan to a one-year, $1 million contract. He can add some leadership and skill to a rebuilding Wings team.

The Edmonton Oilers have landed Kyle Turris, who was bought out by the Predators after a disappointing tenure in Nashville. Turris signed a two-year contract, worth $1.65M annually on Friday.

After being bought out by the Columbus Blue Jackets, Alexander Wennberg has signed a one-year, $2.25M contract with the Florida Panthers. It gives Florida some much needed-depth at a decent price.

Lastly, the New York Rangers have decided to invest in Jack Johnson, signing a one-year deal worth $1.5M, in hopes he can establish a bottom-six role in Manhattan.

NHL Free Agency 2020: Familiar Faces, New Places

Despite some players holding out and some teams having salary cap issues, a fair share of skaters came off the free agent market today and found new homes.

With Alex Pietrangelo likely leaving, the St. Louis Blues have signed Torey Krug to a seven-year contract, worth $6.5M annually.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have added a couple players in free agency today. Wayne Simmonds, who the Leafs signed on a one-year, $1.5M deal, can add some toughness and experience to a Toronto team that desperately needs it. The Maple Leafs also added a big-name defenseman in T.J. Brodie, who has signed for four years, making $5M annually.

Bill Zito and the Florida Panthers added three players from the free agent market today in hopes of adding some depth and defense to a team that already has a dangerous core. The Panthers inked Stanley Cup champion Carter Verhaeghe to a two-year deal, worth $1M per. In hopes of getting tougher on defense, Florida also added Radko Gudas for the next three years with a $2.5M cap hit per season. Finally, they added former Arizona Coyote Vinnie Hinostroza on a one-year deal, worth $1M. With the Coyotes losing Hinostroza, they added Tyler Pitlick to try to replace him, at a $1.75M cap hit for the next two seasons.

The Anaheim Ducks, who seemed committed to a full rebuild, have signed two solid NHL players that will be utilized in their roster, to the surprise of many California hockey fans. Anaheim signed Derek Grant to a three-year contract, worth $1.5M annually. They also agreed to terms with Kevin Shattenkirk, who will be making $3.9M annually for the next three years.

In an effort to bolster their depth, the Pittsburgh Penguins have signed Mark Jankowski to a very affordable one-year, $700K contract.

Lastly, the Nashville Predators brought in a couple players who will see playing time in the 2020-21 season as well. Mark Boroweicki signed a two-year contract worth $2M annually today, as did Nick Cousins, who will make $1.5M per year for the next two seasons in Tennessee.

NHL Free Agency 2020: Re-Signings

Despite all of this player movement and chaos, some players ended up signing contracts today and stayed put with their respective organizations.

After an impressive rookie season, Dominik Kubalik has signed a bridge deal with the Chicago Blackhawks, two-years at $3.7M annually.

The Edmonton Oilers have brought back Tyler Ennis for one-year, at a $1M cap hit.

The Montreal Canadiens were able to bring back defender Victor Mete for one year on the cheap, at just a $735K cap hit. Xavier Oullet was also resigned for the next two seasons, $737,500 annually.

In addition to acquiring Mark Jankowski, the Pittsburgh Penguins have brought back Evan Rodrigues for another season, at a  team-friendly $700K contract.

The Vegas Golden Knights have brought back Tomas Nosek for next season, who will be making $1.25 million.

Winnipeg has brought back a couple of players, including defender Nathan Beaulieu (2 years, $2.5M AAV) and forward Mason Appleton (2 years, $900K AAV).

Lastly, the Tampa Bay Lightning have brought back two players on their championship team on the cheap, being Patrick Maroon (2 years, $900K AAV) and Luke Schenn (1 year, $800K).

After an eventful Day One of NHL Free Agency, the sky is the limit in terms of transactions and surprises around the NHL in the following days and weeks. Expect some more singings, including big names, tomorrow and in the near future.