Predators give O’Reilly four years, $18 million
Barry Trotz on Saturday opened his tenure as Predators general manager with a major move by signing one of the game’s top two-way forwards, Ryan O’Reilly, to a four-year, $18 million contract, according to a person with knowledge of the deal. The Predators also signed winger Gustav Nyquist toa $6.37 million, two-year contract, according to a second person with knowledge of that deal.
The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the team had not announced the contracts.
Nashville also signed veteran defenseman Luke Schenn toa three-year, $8.25 million deal.
O’Reilly, who closed last season with Toronto and was the playoff MVP for the Stanley Cupwinning Blues in 2019, arrives in Music City after the Predators began purging high-priced veterans. They bought out Matt Duchene’s contract and traded Ryan Johansen to Colorado.
Duchene, 32, didn’t last long in free agency. The center got a one-year deal with Dallas worth $3 million, according to a person with knowledge of the pact.
Babcock to Blue Jackets
Mike Babcock, the 2008 Stanley Cup-winning coach with Detroit, was introduced as the new coach in Columbus, the front office believing he is the right fit for a team looking to win again. Now 3½ years removed from being fired by Toronto and word emerging about some of his polarizing old-school tactics, Babcock sounded like he has learned from his time in the college ranks and is ready to adjust to modern players.
“Change in all of us takes time,” he said. “I think what this has done is given me a chance to get outside my body and have a look and see what I’m doing and understand you needed to change, you needed to grow.”
Columbus decided early last month to hire Babcock but had to wait until July to make it official because of the significant money still owed to him on the $50 million, eight-year deal he signed with Toronto in 2015. This is a two-year pact, Babcock and Columbus general manager Jarmo Kekalainen confirmed.
Penguins make moves
The Penguins re-signed twotime All-Star goalie Tristan Jarry to a five-year deal worth almost $27 million and added netminder Alex Nedeljkovic from the Red Wings on a one-year deal.
Pittsburgh, which lost defenseman Brian Dumoulin to a twoyear deal with Seattle, lured blue liner Ryan Graves away from the Devils with a six-year deal at $4.5 million per, and signed forwards Noel Acciari (three years), Lars Eller (two years), and Matt Nieto (two years).
Goalies strike it rich
The Islanders extended franchise netminder Ilya Sorokin to an eight-year, $66 million deal through 2032, and re-signed Semyon Varlamov, for four years, $11 million. The Senators added
Joonas Korpisalo, the longtime Blue Jacket who finished last season with the Kings, for $20 million over five years.
Out West, the Kings signed Cam Talbot to a one-year deal worth $1 million, plus $1 million in potential incentives, and the Sharks gave Mackenzie
Blackwood $4.7 million for two years. Laurent Brossoit, who began the playoffs for the Golden Knights before being hurt in the second round, returned to Winnipeg for one year at $1.75 million.
Rangers add old hands
Rangers general manager Chris Drury made a flurry of moves, signing forward Blake Wheeler to a one-year deal worth $800,000 plus another $300,000 in incentives a day after the former Jets captain was placed on waivers by Winnipeg for the purpose of having his contract bought out. Wheeler is a 15-year veteran who has topped 20 goals eight times.
Goalie Jonathan Quick signed a one-year, $825,000 deal that includes $100,000 in incentives; the 16-year veteran is expected back up Igor Shesterkin.
Quick backstopped the Kings to two Stanley Cup titles and just won a third as a backup with the Golden Knights.
New York added forwards Nick Bonino and Tyler Pitlick on one-year deals with the team standing to lose Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko.
Carolina stands pat
The Hurricanes goalie tandem, which shared the Jennings Trophy in 2021-22 for allowing the fewest goals, will return for another season. Antti Raanta signed a one-year, $1.5 million pact before free agency began, and Frederik Andersen followed on a two-year, $6.8 million deal.
Carolina also re-signed forward Jesper Fast to a two-year contract worth $4.8 million.
Panthers retooling
The Eastern Conference champion Panthers loaded up on defensemen. Two-time AllStar Oliver Ekman-Larsson and former Panther Dmitry Kulikov signed one-year deals, as did exBruin Mike Reilly.
Another new defenseman, Niko Mikkola, signed a threeyear deal. Florida lost defenseman Radko Gudas ($12 million, three years) to Anaheim and goalie Alex Lyon — a huge part of the run to the playoffs this past season — to Detroit.
Florida also traded forward Anthony Duclair to San Jose for forward Steven Lorentz and a fifth-round draft pick in 2025.
Capitals roll the dice
The Capitals, looking to get back into the playoffs after their eight-year run ended, signed winger Max Pacioretty toa$2 million contract for next season with $2 million in possible incentives. Pacioretty is coming off tearing his right Achilles’ tendon twice in the past year while with Carolina. Washington acquired defenseman Joel Edmundson from Montreal for third- and seventh-round draft picks in 2024 . . . The Sabres signed exAvalanche defenseman Erik Johnson to a one-year, $3.25 million deal and re-signed forward Tyson Jost to a one-year, $2 million pact . . . The Maple Leafs added muscle by signing forward Ryan Reaves to a threeyear, $4.05 million contract, according to a person with knowledge of the deal . . . The Devils brought back Michael McLeod and Nathan Bastian. McLeod got $1.4 million for one year and Bastian $2.7 million over two. New Jersey also acquired defenseman Colin Miller from Dallas for a fifth-round pick in 2025 . . . The Stars re-signed defenseman Joel Hanley to a two-year, $1.58 million contract and added exBruins forward Craig Smith for $1 million for next season.