NHL Free Agency 2024: 3 Winners, 1 Loser From Historic Day 1

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Not only was Canada Day on Monday, but it also marked the start of the 2024 NHL free agency period. It was a historic day around the league, according to CapFriendly, as over 100 players were signed to new deals that combined for $1.12 billion.

Yes; that’s billion with a ‘b,’ making it the largest single-day total in league history.

But just like every first day of free agency, the 32 NHL teams experienced varying levels of success. While some clubs crushed home runs that brought them one step closer to hoisting the Stanley Cup, others left their fanbase disappointed either by inking ugly deals or by not doing anything at all.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at three winners (and one loser) from the first day of NHL free agency.

NHL Free Agency 2024 Day 1 Winner: Nashville Predators

Notable Players Added:

• Brady Skjei, D (7 years, $49 million)
• Steven Stamkos, C (4 years, $32 million)
• Jonathan Marchessault (5 years, $27.5 million)

After failing to make it past Round 1 of the NHL playoff in each of the last six years, the Nashville Predators had a lot of work to do this offseason. Fortunately for Preds fans, general manager Barry Trotz didn’t hesitate to open his wallet for reinforcements.

The Predators landed three of this year’s biggest free agents on Monday forwards Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault, as well as defenseman Brady Skjei.

Stamkos, 34, is one of the NHL’s best goal-scorers from the last two decades. The two-time Stanley Cup winner has racked up over 1,200 points between 1,210 regular season/playoff games and while he might be past his prime, he still scored 40 goals and 81 points across 79 appearances with the Tampa Bay Lightning last season.

Marchessault, 33, will also provide the Predators with another scoring option. He’s another veteran forward who’s defying Father Time, having racked up a career-high 42 goals with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023-24. That’s without mentioning how Skjei, 30, is one of the league’s more well-rounded defensemen and will do a lot to take some pressure off Roman Josi’s shoulders.

Although these long-term contracts could age poorly, it won’t matter if the trio helps the Predators find immediate postseason success. If the goal of free agency is to get better in the present, Nashville passed the test with flying colors.

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NHL Free Agency 2024 Day 1 Winner: Washington Capitals

Notable Players Added:

• Matt Roy, D (9 years, $37.7 million)
• Jakob Chychrun, D (via trade)

It isn’t a secret that the 2023-24 NHL season didn’t go as the Washington Capitals planned. Alexander Ovechkin and the gang suffered their fifth first-round playoff exit in the last six years, dropping their postseason record to 7-20 since winning the 2018 Stanley Cup.

Washington didn’t waste any time improving the roster once the offseason hit, though. The Capitals were active participants in the early trade market, acquiring the likes of Pierre-Luc Dubois, Andrew Mangiapane, and Logan Thompson while only having to give up a handful of draft picks and veteran netminder Darcy Kuemper.

The Capitals then followed up those trades with a strong start to NHL free agency. In an effort to strengthen the backend, they signed defenseman Matt Roy to a nine-year, $37.7 million contract. Roy was one of the better right-handed two-way defensemen on the market and will play a big role on Washington’s blue line for the next near-decade.

While Roy was the Capitals’ only major free-agent signing, they weren’t done making moves. They also sent a third-round pick and RHD Nick Jensen to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for veteran defender Jakob Chychrun. Although Chychrun’s time in Ottawa left much to be desired, he’s still a talented D-man who can score 15-plus-goals and 40-plus points any given season.

The Capitals are evidently loading up for Ovechkin’s final years with the franchise, leaving time to tell how (and if) yesterday’s moves will pay off.

NHL Free Agency 2024 Day 1 Winner: Chicago Blackhawks

Notable Players Added:

• Tyler Bertuzzi, LW (4 years, $22 million)
• Teuvo Teravainen, C (3 years, $16.2 million)
• T.J. Brodie, D (2 years, $7.5 million)

The Chicago Blackhawks were among the NHL’s worst teams last season, but that wasn’t an issue. It was a rebuilding year for the organization and fans were more excited to see what Connor Bedard could accomplish as a pro, regardless of Chicago’s final win total.

But now that the 2023-24 slate is in the books, Blackhawks fans are ready for their team to be competitive. That’s why general manager Kyle Davidson wasted no time shelling out cash to ensure that his team is no longer a laughing stock.

The Blackhawks shored up their forward core by bringing in veterans Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teravainen, who are good for 20 goals and between 40 to 60 points any season. That’s without mentioning how Craig Smith and Patrick Maroon were also brought in to improve the bottom two lines.

GM Davidson also addressed the defense core by inking Alec Martinez and T.J. Brodie to a pair of deals. While neither man will win the Norris Trophy, they’ll be relied upon to eat minutes while helping mentor Chicago’s younger blueliners. Additionally, 31-year-old netminder Laurent Brossoit was brought in to serve as Petr Mrazek’s backup next year.

Will the Blackhawks make the 2024-25 playoffs? Time will tell, but one thing is certain: next year’s roster looks much better following Chicago’s successful start to NHL free agency.

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NHL Free Agency 2024 Day 1 Loser: Anaheim Ducks

Notable Players Added:

• None

At least every NHL made a minor signing to begin the free agency period on Monday. Well, every team except the Anaheim Ducks.

Despite having not made the playoffs since 2017-18, the Ducks chose not to sign a single free agent to begin the week. Other than re-signing Brett Leason and Urho Vaakanainen, it looks like Anaheim is going to wait until the other dominos fall before picking up the scraps.

With how many free agent signings wind up turning ugly in a few years, sometimes being one of the less active teams can be beneficial. At the same time, it’s hard to feel great about Anaheim next season when its only new lineup additions appear to be either rookies from the 2024 draft or minor-league call-ups.

There’s still plenty of time for the Ducks to flesh out the roster, so we’ll see what happens in the coming days. But until more help is added, you can argue that they’re one of the biggest free agent losers thus far.

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NHL Stanley Cup 2025 Odds Following Day 1 of Free Agency

All NHL Stanley Cup odds are courtesy of BetOnline as of 2:28 p.m. ET on Tuesday, July 2. 

• Florida Panthers (+750)
• Edmonton Oilers (+800)
• New Jersey Devils (+900)
• Dallas Stars (+1000)
• Colorado Avalanche (+1200)
• New York Rangers (+1400)
• Carolina Hurricanes (+1400)
• Toronto Maple Leafs (+1600)
• Nashville Predators (+1600)
• Vegas Golden Knights (+1800)
• Tampa Bay Lightning (+2000)
• Vancouver Canucks (+2200)
• Boston Bruins (+2500)
• Los Angeles Kings (+2500)
• Winnipeg Jets (+2500)
• Detroit Red Wings (+4000)
• Minnesota Wild (+4000)
• Ottawa Senators (+4000)
• New York Islanders (+5000)
• Buffalo Sabres (+5000)
• Pittsburgh Penguins (+5000)
• Philadelphia Flyers (+5500)
• St. Louis Blues (+6000)
• Seattle Kraken (+6000)
• Utah Hockey Club (+6600)
• Calgary Flames (+7500)
• Washington Capitals (+8000)
• Montreal Canadiens (+15000)
• Chicago Blackhawks (+15000)
• Anaheim Ducks (+30000)
• Columbus Blue Jackets (+30000)
• San Jose Sharks (+30000)

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