The Toronto Maple Leafs were one of if not the busiest team in the NHL in this year’s free agency period. After getting ahead of the pack and acquiring the rights to defenceman Darren Raddysh from the Tampa Bay Lightning, who was one of the top free agents available, they made several other signings on July 1 including inking veteran goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky to a three-year contract.

It’s also important to keep an eye on what teams around the league are doing, especially now that there’s a new wave of contending hopefuls coming out of their division. With that being said, here are eight free agency stories from around the league that you might have missed.

This offseason might have been the first ‘summer of the offer sheet’ since the Carolina Hurricanes snatched Jesperi Kotkaniemi from the Montreal Canadiens in an effort to troll them. Long story short, the Philadelphia Flyers offer-sheeted Anaheim Ducks star forward Leo Carlsson to the tune of a contract worth $18 million a year. If the Ducks didn’t match, the Flyers would have had to fork over their next four first-round picks. They did, however, and Carlsson is set to be the highest-paid player annually in NHL history.

Meanwhile the Devils attempted to offer sheet Utah Mammoth centre Barrett Hayton, but the Mammoth came to an agreement on a one-year contract worth $4.775 million. Not as much of a headline grabber as the Carlsson drama, but still interesting.

Shifting our attention from a Carlsson to a Carlson, the Lightning did what the Lightning do and signed longtime star defenceman John Carlson to a two-year contract. With the move coming right after Darren Raddysh’s breakout season, it has similar vibes to when they let Steven Stamkos walk and signed Jake Guentzel in his place. Don’t tell the Lightning that there’s a changing of the guard in the Atlantic Division?

Well, do we know for sure that it’s only one more ride? One of the biggest storylines of the 2025-26 season was Alex Ovechkin’s pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s record for the NHL’s all-time goals leader. He hit the milestone, now occupying sole possession of first place with 929 goals. It’s probably unlikely that he becomes the first player in NHL history to score 1000 goals, but he’s coming back for his 22nd season after signing a one-year contract worth just north of $4 million.

We tend to avoid saying nice things about the Montreal Canadiens when plausible, but it’s hard to ignore their trend of signing their core players to team-friendly deals. 2024 fifth-overall pick Ivan Demidov is the latest example of that, inking an eight-year deal worth $9.15 million annually after recording 62 points in 82 games for his rookie season.

The Sharks were one of the other busiest teams this season, both in the draft and free agency. After getting a stroke of luck by winning the second overall pick and adding Ivar Stenberg to their organization, the Sharks clearly believe they can make a push next season. Longtime New York Rangers captain Jacob Trouba will head to the Sharks on a four-year contract worth just over $8 million annually, after spending the last year and a half with the Anaheim Ducks.

This move is significant because the Sabres emerged as one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference last season after over a decade of being basement dwellers. The Sabres added some youth this season, including a deal that sent Bowen Byram to the Chicago Blackhawks for the fourth-overall pick, and adding defenceman Louis Crevier in return along with Olen Zellweger from the Ducks. They did, however, lose one of their best players from last season, sending Alex Tuch to the Capitals to join an already-deep forward group in a sign-and-trade.

It’s been an offseason from hell for Senators fans, starting with Brady Tkachuk requesting a trade to join the Florida Panthers and most recently having to watch their franchise’s all-time leader in points accept a coaching job with their biggest rival. They did, however, celebrate the return of veteran Claude Giroux on a one-year deal worth $2 million. The Leafs reportedly offered Giroux more money, but he elected to stay in Ottawa. Fair play, Sens! We’ll give you this one.

The Utah Mammoth made the playoffs this year for the first time under their new name, and while it was a first-round exit to the Vegas Golden Knights, they’re thrilled with the steps forward that they’ve taken. They signed longtime New York Islanders captain Anders Lee to a three-year contract and acquiring Vincent Trocheck from the Rangers in exchange for Sean Durzi, prospect Cole Beaudoin, and a third-round pick. Keep an eye on these fellas!