NHL: Latest signings leading up to free agency 2022
Anthony Scultore
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NHL Free Agency begins on Wednesday at 12:00 PM ET. A lot of big names will be available including Pittsburgh Penguins star Evgeni Malkin and Stanley Cup champion with the Colorado Avalanche Nazem Kadri.
Another big name that may also be available are Johnny Gaudreau of the Calgary Flames, who has until 11:59 PM to accept a reported 8-year offer.
Here’s a quick look at some recent signings.
NHL Signings
The Pittsburgh Penguins re-signed forward Alex Nylander for the 2022-23 season on Monday. General manager Ron Hextall announced a two-way contract worth $750,000 at the NHL level.
Nylander was acquired in a Jan. 5 trade that sent forward Sam Lafferty to the Chicago Blackhawks AND spent the rest of the season at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL, tallying 32 points (16 goals, 16 assists) in 44 games.
The 24-year old has 32 points (13 goals, 19 assists) in 84 career NHL games with Buffalo and Chicago.
Nylander was a first-round pick (eighth overall) by the Sabres in 2016. He is the younger brother of Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander.
The Los Angeles Kings re-signed forwards Carl Grundstrom and Lias Andersson on Monday.
Grundstrom’s is a two-year deal worth $2.6 million and Andersson’s is a one-year deal worth $750,000, the team announced.
Grundstrom, 24, registered career highs in goals (nine), assists (six) and points (15) in 54 games this season. He also appeared in six Stanley Cup Playoff games, tying for the team lead with three goals.
Andersson, 23, tallied one goal and an assist in 20 games for Los Angeles this past season. He was originally drafted seventh overall by the New York Rangers in the 2017 NHL Draft.
On Sunday, the Kings made the signing of Adrian Kempe to a four-year contract extension worth $22 million official.
Kempe recorded career-high totals in goals (35), points (54), power-play goals (six) and game-winning goals (seven) over 78 games last season. He also was voted to his first NHL All-Star Game.
The 25-year-old Swede is coming off a three-year, $6 million contract.
Kempe has 186 points (90 goals, 96 assists) in 390 career games since being selected by the Kings with the 29th overall pick in the 2014 NHL Draft.
The Arizona Coyotes re-signed forward Christian Fischer to a one-year contract Monday. Terms were not disclosed.
Fischer, 25, tallied 10 points (five goals, five assists) in 53 games in his sixth season with the Coyotes in 2021-22.
“We are very pleased to sign Christian,” general manager Bill Armstrong said in a news release. “He is a hard-working forward and a great teammate who is well-respected in our dressing room. We look forward to having him back next season.”
A second-round draft pick by Arizona in 2015, Fischer has accumulated 84 points (43 goals, 41 assists) in 318 career games.
The New York Rangers announced a one-year contract extension Tuesday for defenseman Libor Hajek.
Terms were not disclosed but multiple outlets reported Hajek will earn $800,000 for the 2022-23 season.
Hajek, 24, posted one assist in 17 games for the Rangers last season. He added two assists in five games with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack.
A second-round pick by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2016, Hajek was traded to the Rangers in February 2018.
He has amassed 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in 94 NHL games, all with New York.
The Minnesota Wild re-signed goaltender Zane McIntyre to a one-year, two-way contract for 2022-23.
Under terms of the deal announced Tuesday, he will earn $750,000 at the NHL level and $300,000 at the AHL level.
McIntyre, 29, has not played in the NHL since going 0-4-1 with a 3.97 goals-against average and .858 save percentage in eight games (three starts) with the Boston Bruins in 2016-17.
He was 19-14-3 with two shutouts, a 2.45 GAA and a .920 save percentage in 37 games last season with the AHL’s Iowa Wild.
–Field Level Media