The NHL offseason is heating up with teams already making big moves ahead of free agency.
The Dallas Stars aren’t wasting any time after their third straight Western Conference Final loss. They’ve locked up Matt Duchene to a four-year deal worth $18 million, keeping him off the free agent market this summer.
It’s a smart move by Dallas. Duchene was incredible this season, putting up 82 points including a career-best 52 assists. He led the Stars in scoring and proved he’s still got plenty left in the tank at age 33.
The Colorado Avalanche are making moves too. They’ve signed Brock Nelson to a three-year extension worth $7.5 million per year. Nelson came over from the Islanders at the trade deadline and made an immediate impact, scoring 13 points in just 19 games.
That trade wasn’t cheap – the Avs gave up forward Calum Ritchie, defenseman Oliver Kylington, and two draft picks to get him. But clearly they liked what they saw.
The real fireworks are still to come though. NHL free agency kicks off July 1st at noon ET, and there are some big names up for grabs.
Mitch Marner of the Toronto Maple Leafs is probably the biggest prize. The talented forward will have teams lining up with their checkbooks ready.
Other notable free agents include:
- Sam Bennett (Florida Panthers)
- Brock Boeser (Vancouver Canucks)
- Aaron Ekblad (Florida Panthers)
For Dallas, keeping Duchene was crucial. His 30 goals and 52 assists in 82 games showed he’s still one of the league’s top forwards. He added another six points in the playoffs too.
The Avalanche are betting Nelson can keep producing well into his mid-30s. He’ll likely center their second line between Gabriel Landeskog and Valeri Nichushkin – a pretty dangerous trio if they can stay healthy.
With these early moves, both teams have shown they’re serious about contending next season. But there’s still plenty of offseason drama ahead as July 1st approaches.
