The 5 Best Signings on Opening Day of NHL Free Agency

Jonathan Drouin

When you are as tight against the cap as the Colorado Avalanche are, you have to convince players to sign for less than what they could earn on the open market. It's mission accomplished with Jonathan Drouin, who will stay in Denver for just $2.5 million. 

Skating next to Nathan MacKinnon was enough reason for Drouin to stay in Denver. The former highly touted prospect had a banner year in 2023-24, setting a career-high 56 points. Further, his 19 goals left him just two shy of his previous benchmark. 

Surely, Drouin could have commanded more term or money from any other number of teams. Instead, he decided to stand pat with an Avs team that helped him unlock his full potential.

Dmitry Kulikov

The rate for replacement-level defensemen is going up. Depending on how desperate teams may be, a stay-at-home defenseman can fetch up to $4.5 million per season. That's how much Dmitry Kulikov will make throughout his next four years with the Florida Panthers. 

The Russian blueliner will earn $1.15 million annually through the 2027-28 campaign, likely hanging up his skates with the team that drafted him in the first round of the 2009 NHL Draft. 

Kulikov fills an underappreciated need and took a pay cut to stay with the team with which he had just won the Stanley Cup. 

Ilya Samsonov

If there was one team that deserved a team-friendly break, it's not the Vegas Golden Knights. The second-most recent expansion franchise has skirted the salary cap rules for the past couple of seasons but used their allure to convince Ilya Samsonov to take a discounted rate by playing in the desert. 

Samsonov signed for a modest $1.8 million to play with the Golden Knights next season. The Russian has been a quality netminder throughout his career, posting a respectable 103-42-22 record with a 90.3% save percentage and 2.77 goals against average.

The net effect of the opening day of free agency still left the Golden Knights in a deficit. But the Samsonov signing softens that blow and gives Vegas more room to move this summer. 

Jeff Skinner

The Edmonton Oilers had to unburden themselves from their Jack Campbell signing, buying out their former goaltender ahead of the free agency period. But the universe quickly balanced itself out as the Western Conference Champions secured one of the best signings of the opening day. 

Money wasn't an issue for Jeff Skinner after the forward was bought out by the Buffalo Sabres earlier in the week. Consequently, he inked a team-friendly deal in Edmonton, getting to play alongside some of the best players in the game. Skinner agreed to a one-year pact worth just $3 million, affording the Oilers the flexibility to pursue several other prominent names. 

A six-time 30-goal scorer, Skinner will slot in as a catalyst among the top six, helping the Oilers defend their title as the best team in the West. 

Jonathan Drouin

When you are as tight against the cap as the Colorado Avalanche are, you have to convince players to sign for less than what they could earn on the open market. It's mission accomplished with Jonathan Drouin, who will stay in Denver for just $2.5 million. 

Skating next to Nathan MacKinnon was enough reason for Drouin to stay in Denver. The former highly touted prospect had a banner year in 2023-24, setting a career-high 56 points. Further, his 19 goals left him just two shy of his previous benchmark. 

Surely, Drouin could have commanded more term or money from any other number of teams. Instead, he decided to stand pat with an Avs team that helped him unlock his full potential.