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The first day of the NHL's free agency period started slowly, but certainly picked up speed as the afternoon went on.
Now that we're past July 1, NHL clubs can sign unrestricted free agents to contracts and the offseason can finally, truly begin. We saw a ton of movement on Wednesday, mostly in the form of major trades from teams like the San Jose Sharks and New York Rangers. There were also, thankfully, free agent signings to talk about as well, though not as many as you'd hope even with the thin market this summer.
Day 1 of NHL free agency often contains the most impactful moves, as now that the afternoon is winding down, teams will take their time to sort out their contracts as the summer chugs along. With the (likely) biggest deals of the day behind us, let's take a look at the major winners and losers of Day 1 of the NHL's 2026 free agency period.
The Canadiens continue to make incredibly smart moves. Re-signing Ivan Demidov to an eight-year, $73 million deal is tidy work. It's a high number now, but it's an incredibly team-friendly deal considering the kind of player he projects out to be. The Canadiens are certainly going to be a force for years to come and it'll be because of these savvy deals made with their young players.
For now, it seems as if Zach Werenski is staying a Blue Jacket. The defenseman could be moved via a trade this summer, but after all the smoke these last few days it felt like the writing was on the wall for Columbus. With reports suggesting that Werenski is "comfortable" returning to the Blue Jackets after talks with the front office, it certainly seems as if things have cooled off here to possibly Columbus' benefit.
It was a busy Wednesday for Chris Drury and company. Vincent Trocheck is out the door for a beefy return, Marcus Pettersson is reportedly on the move to New York from Vancouver, goaltender Joonas Korpisalo joined the team in a trade and Rangers signed Oliver Bjorkstrand to a midrange one-year deal. An active day, but a productive one for the Rangers that saw the departure of a veteran for the influx of new talent.
Wednesday was more of a mixed bag for Toronto than anything. Sending Nicholas Robertson to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a fourth-round draft pick is good asset management. Teddy Blueger is a great pickup for two years as well. However, with the news that Werenski is comfortable staying in Columbus despite the rampant rumors that Toronto was one of his preferred destinations threw a lot of cold water on the day. A deal could still happen, of course, but it feels much less certain that before. That plus overpaying for a three-year contract for 37-year-old Sergei Bobrovsky just kind of put a damper on some of the more interesting moves from John Chayka and crew.
Just over a week ago, the Blackhawks looked like slight winners of the Bowen Byram deal. Now? It feels like they've taken a step back after signing Byram to a massive six-year, $75 million deal that will pay him $12.5 million a season. The salary cap going up certainly helps the Blackhawks here, but $12.5 million a year is No. 1 defenseman money and Byram has yet to show that he's top-pair defenseman material. A very "it's a bold strategy, Cotton. Let's see if it pays off for him" kind of move.
San Jose absolutely overpaid for Jacob Trouba, Mason Marchment and Darnell Nurse on Wednesday. Nurse was part of a trade, sure, but having $17.5 million tied up in Trouba and Nurse is rough even with the salary cap increase. After the high of the Sharks' stellar draft selections, this is definitely a letdown.
This year's free agency day certainly didn't have the spark previous ones had. The free agent class was certainly thinner than usual, but the build up for possible big trades like Werenski and Jason Robertson ultimately not bearing fruit felt very much like a let down. Maybe we'll see bigger trades as the summer goes on, but July 1 was definitely a disappointment in the big splash department.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: 2026 NHL free agency winners and losers from Day 1
Continue reading...
Now that we're past July 1, NHL clubs can sign unrestricted free agents to contracts and the offseason can finally, truly begin. We saw a ton of movement on Wednesday, mostly in the form of major trades from teams like the San Jose Sharks and New York Rangers. There were also, thankfully, free agent signings to talk about as well, though not as many as you'd hope even with the thin market this summer.
Day 1 of NHL free agency often contains the most impactful moves, as now that the afternoon is winding down, teams will take their time to sort out their contracts as the summer chugs along. With the (likely) biggest deals of the day behind us, let's take a look at the major winners and losers of Day 1 of the NHL's 2026 free agency period.
Winner: Montreal Canadiens
The Canadiens continue to make incredibly smart moves. Re-signing Ivan Demidov to an eight-year, $73 million deal is tidy work. It's a high number now, but it's an incredibly team-friendly deal considering the kind of player he projects out to be. The Canadiens are certainly going to be a force for years to come and it'll be because of these savvy deals made with their young players.
Winner: Columbus Blue Jackets
For now, it seems as if Zach Werenski is staying a Blue Jacket. The defenseman could be moved via a trade this summer, but after all the smoke these last few days it felt like the writing was on the wall for Columbus. With reports suggesting that Werenski is "comfortable" returning to the Blue Jackets after talks with the front office, it certainly seems as if things have cooled off here to possibly Columbus' benefit.
Winner: New York Rangers
It was a busy Wednesday for Chris Drury and company. Vincent Trocheck is out the door for a beefy return, Marcus Pettersson is reportedly on the move to New York from Vancouver, goaltender Joonas Korpisalo joined the team in a trade and Rangers signed Oliver Bjorkstrand to a midrange one-year deal. An active day, but a productive one for the Rangers that saw the departure of a veteran for the influx of new talent.
Loser: Toronto Maple Leafs
Wednesday was more of a mixed bag for Toronto than anything. Sending Nicholas Robertson to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a fourth-round draft pick is good asset management. Teddy Blueger is a great pickup for two years as well. However, with the news that Werenski is comfortable staying in Columbus despite the rampant rumors that Toronto was one of his preferred destinations threw a lot of cold water on the day. A deal could still happen, of course, but it feels much less certain that before. That plus overpaying for a three-year contract for 37-year-old Sergei Bobrovsky just kind of put a damper on some of the more interesting moves from John Chayka and crew.
Loser: Chicago Blackhawks
Just over a week ago, the Blackhawks looked like slight winners of the Bowen Byram deal. Now? It feels like they've taken a step back after signing Byram to a massive six-year, $75 million deal that will pay him $12.5 million a season. The salary cap going up certainly helps the Blackhawks here, but $12.5 million a year is No. 1 defenseman money and Byram has yet to show that he's top-pair defenseman material. A very "it's a bold strategy, Cotton. Let's see if it pays off for him" kind of move.
Loser: San Jose Sharks
San Jose absolutely overpaid for Jacob Trouba, Mason Marchment and Darnell Nurse on Wednesday. Nurse was part of a trade, sure, but having $17.5 million tied up in Trouba and Nurse is rough even with the salary cap increase. After the high of the Sharks' stellar draft selections, this is definitely a letdown.
Loser: Hockey fans
This year's free agency day certainly didn't have the spark previous ones had. The free agent class was certainly thinner than usual, but the build up for possible big trades like Werenski and Jason Robertson ultimately not bearing fruit felt very much like a let down. Maybe we'll see bigger trades as the summer goes on, but July 1 was definitely a disappointment in the big splash department.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: 2026 NHL free agency winners and losers from Day 1
Continue reading...
