It was a wild start to NHL free agency.
More than 160 players signed new deals on July 1. There weren’t a ton of big contracts signed, but teams looking to snag some value and depth feasted on an open market. Things have since calmed down significantly, but we did see two more somewhat prominent UFAs sign this week: Denis Gurianov went to the Nashville Predators, while Oskar Sundqvist returned to the St. Louis Blues following stints in Detroit and Minnesota.
That leaves Vladimir Tarasenko, Patrick Kane and Matt Dumba as the best UFAs still on the market. Of Frank Seravalli’s final Top 75, just 13 players remain, including just three of the top 25. Tarasenko was reported earlier this month to be closing in on a deal with the Carolina Hurricanes, but nothing official has been announced, and he has since fired his agent. Kane’s agent Pat Brisson recently suggested Kane won’t sign before the start of the season and will wait until he’s recovered from his hip surgery.
An unexpected name is to going to market. The Philadelphia Flyers placed defenseman Tony DeAngelo on unconditional waivers for a buyout on Friday. Now that he cleared on Saturday, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent.