9th year center Carter Rowney(24) waits fairly deep into unrestricted free agency after a down season hampered by injury and the last of his 3-year deal with Anaheim Ducks for a new 1-year contract to Detroit Red Wings in 2021/2022.
The 6’1″ 208 lbs. forward started his 1st three seasons on AHL deals with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, where he was almost literally climbing the ranks.
By his 3rd year the former University Of North Dakota Fighting Hawks‘ 4-year skater was 100% with the team and took his scoring up to a new level with 24 goals and 32 assists with a +23 rating, then added another 12 points (4-8) in 10 playoff contests.
This earned him his first NHL contract with Pittsburgh Penguins, where you split time during the season between the two leagues, but were mostly up near the end and figured in 20 playoff games, scoring 3 assists and a +3 rating on the way to the 2017 Stanley Cup Championship.
An unrestricted free agent going into the next frame, he signed his three year deal worth $1.133,333 AAV.
Other than last season’s bit of a fiasco, he’s a pretty decent scorer, who earn the money he was getting on a team almost in constant rebuild.
The 32-year old should find good space with his new team to be a contributor on the scoresheet.
For his 10th season, he leaves for Germany’s top league DEL and signs for 2022/2023 with Lowen Franfort, already putting up 2 assists in his debut game.
Through 55 games, he had a career best 37 assists and 58 points to earn him easily another year to stay German.
11th defenseman Mark Borowiecki(90) is in the 2nd year of his deal he signed as an unrestricted free agent with Nashville Predators after spending his first 375 NHL games with draft club Ottawa Senators (5th round, 2008, #139 overall).
Through 40 games in the current frame, the 6’2″ 204 lbs. blue liner has a pair of assists and is a +2 rating to earn a midseason 1-year extension worth $900K AAV to stay on in music city.
The Ottawa native attended Clarkson University Golden Knights for 3 seasons, including serving as captain in his junior year.
He was a huge part of Binghamton Senators’ 2011 Calder Cup Championship after finishing up school and signing an entry level contract.
The 32-year old has to wearing a huge smile on his face looking back over his huge career.
Limited to only 4 games last season, he has to rethink his position moving forward and decides it’s time to leave the game for a different look and quickly is hired up by his last team to become NHL Pro Development Coach, a role he will be perfect in.
After getting scooped off waivers from Boston Bruins, Seattle Kracken‘s 5th year center Karson Kuhlman(25) re-ups to stay a full season after scoring career bests 6 assists and 8 points in 25 games for his new club.
He finished last season having appeared in his 100th NHL game, scoring 9 goals and 14 assists with a 0 rating.
The 5’10” 190 lbs. forward was a twice 10+ goal scorer at University Of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs and team captain as a senior.
From Esko, MN, the just turned 27-year old may be starting to arrive.
Not sure what his team was thinking putting him on waivers to not be claimed with his easily digestible contract, and Winnipeg Jets step in and claim his rights.
He would get 2 goals and 2 assists in 33 games, but as an unrestricted free agent he is able to look around and sees a 1-year deal from New York Islanders to come back east that appeals to him for 2023/2024.
Boston Bruins‘ unrestricted free agent signing, consecutive NCAA Division 1 Champion, University Of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs in 2018 and 2019, but was unavailable due to COVID shutting down hockey to finish 2020, defenseman Nick Wolff(65) signed a 1-year entry level deal just as the season was going belly up.
The Minnesota native who stands at a gigantic 6’5″ 224 lbs. was captain in his final year at college hockey.
Never the biggest scorer he finished up his senior year with 10 assists in 33 games.
He started his first pro season by heading over to Slovakia‘s top league joining DVTK Jegesvedmek and sort of came alive a little with 3 goals and 2 assists in 18 games.
The 24-year old has two assists in 24 AHL games on reassignment with Providence Bruins but we’re betting that as his career goes, goals are going to start to go with it.
For 2021/2022, he was fairly quickly retained on a 1-year 2-way deal, which we think could be counted as his rookie campaign.
He is currently in contract club, Black & Gold training camp.
After coming away from last season with 8 assists in 32 games with a +7 rating and adding his 1st league goal in 2 playoff appearances, he signs for 2022/2023 on another one year, two-way NHL deal.
Almost 3 years with one club out of college and it’s time to move on for the Eagan, MN native, who signs for 2023/2024 with San Diego Gulls, who could definitely use him to sure up their zone.
9th year right wing Josh Archibald(15) circles back to the team that drafted him in the 6th round of 2011 (#174 overall), Pittsburgh Penguins to sign a 1-year NHL deal for 2022/2023.
The 5’10” 176 lbs. oddly played his fewest games with the team he 1st skated for before being traded to Arizona Coyotes, where he finished playing 39 games, his rookie season 4 years into his playing career.
He would next sign a 1-year deal with Edmonton Oilers, where he was decent enough with 12 goals to keep on board for another two years, but in the 2nd year of that contract came down with a weird heart condition that sidelined him until the playoffs, where he returned for 13 games, recording an assist.
The 29-year old, former University Of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks from Regina, SK will likely find some room to possible put up some career numbers.
Through 62 games, he scores 6 goals and 6 assists with a +6 rating, but as an unrestricted free agent looks around to find a 2-year deal with Tampa Bay Lightning to hopefully increase those numbers.
Unrestricted 4th year, free agent center Ryan Donato(9) picks up a 1-way NHL at the league minimum to start skating with Seattle Kracken 2021/2022.
The 6′ 192 lbs. forward had a career high 14 assists in 2020/2021 for San Jose Sharks, but was not given a qualifying offer to stay.
Originally a Boston Bruins‘ 2nd round draft pick in the 2014 draft (#56 overall), he left Harvard University Crimson after 3 years to sign his entry level contract.
He played only a short time in junior hockey after graduating Dexter Southfield School, originally joining USPHL Premiere South Shore Kings before moving along to 4 games with the US National U18 Team and finally 8 contests in the USHL for Omaha Lancers, scoring 5 goals and 5 assists, then adding another tally in 3 playoff games.
The Scituate, MA native was traded during his rookie season to Minnesota Wild, where he really seemed to gel, but was traded as the new season approached.
Old enough to know the league pretty well at this point, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the 25-year old connects in a new environment.
After playing a career high 74 games, he scores a new best 16 goals and 15 assists, but is left unsigned at the beginning of free agency to negotiate his comeback: 1-year, $1.2M AAV for 2022/2023 and he will try to add to his totals on what’s definitely going to be a better 2nd year team.
He finds success in his 2nd frame in the Pacific Northwest, but is a free agent and heads off to the big rebuilding rink in the sky, signing through 2024/2025 for $2M AAV with Chicago Blackhawks.
11th year defenseman Chad Billins(41) re-signs with HV71 for 2022/2023, but gets an SHL promotion after helping his team to the 2022 HockeyAllsvenskan Championship with a league most 35 assists in the regular season.
It will be his 6th year in the top Swedish hockey league.
Undrafted, he signed with Grand Rapids Griffins as a rookie after completing four years at Ferris State University Bulldogs.
The 5’10” 181 lbs. won the 2013 Calder Cup in that season and he managed a nifty 2 goals and 12 assists in 24 AHL Playoff games with a +5 rating.
He was subsequently signed by Calgary Flames, giving him a 1st NHL contract, skated 10 games over a pair of recalls and grab an assist in each of his 1st 2 appearances, but was reassigned back down.
The Marysville, MI would leave for the KHL in the next session, but only lasted half a campaign before leaving for Sweden.
He would return a couple years later under contract to Vancouver Canucks, but skated the entire frame as veteran presence with affiliate Utica Comets.
To follow that up, he made the easy return to Linkoping HC and was once again the assist king.
At 33-years old, it’s still got to be a thrill to play for someone who always seems to show a lot of passion for the game on ice.
He must be having some sort of hockey laugh to himself with his current deal to head back to his 3rd team, Brynas IF, but walking back down a rung to Allsvenskan for 2023/2024.
14th year right wing Ryan Lasch(19) will return to Liiga, a league he spent the COVID 2020/2021 with, signing to Pelicans for 2023/2024.
He has spent 7 of his seasons skating for Frolunda HC.
The 5’7″ 157 lbs. forward was a 2-time 20+ goal scorer and 4-time assists at St. Cloud State University Huskies, then immediately headed overseas to start his pro career.
He only returned for his third season, but didn’t fully stay.
The 36-year old Lake Forest, CA native is likely happy to still be playing some pretty great hockey
13th year center Cory Conacher(10) initially played a couple of games for Belleville Senators, but that was short lived and is likely going to be more comfortable joining Charlotte Checkers for the remainder of 2023.
Undrafted, he was initially signed to a minor league deal and won the fantasy run 2012 Calder Cup for Norfolk Admirals.
The 5’8″ 185 lbs. forward was next signed for a pair of seasons on a 2-way deal with Tampa Bay Lightning, but traded midway through his debut campaign to Ottawa Senators.
They lost him in the 2nd year of his term to Buffalo Sabres, who claimed him off waivers.
He would next sign the 1st of 4 1-way NHL contracts with New York Islanders, but toiled more time in the minors.
The Burlington, ON native would leave for the NL, hooking up with SC Bern, striking for more than point-per-game numbers en route to a 2016 Championship.
He would return on nice deals for the next few runs with the Lightning before again returning to Switzerland to win more titles.
The 33-year old former Canisius College Golden Griffins standout is likely just smiling, still playing hockey.
In 15 games he grabs 4 goals and 5 assists with a +3 rating, then adds another 3 points in 7 playoff matchups.
For 2023/2024, he moves on in the league to sign with Chicago Wolves.
11th year right wing Brodie Reid(21) spent last season closer to home pumping the scoresheet for Kansas City Mavericks, scoring 25 goals and 35 assists in 60 ECHL games, returning from 5 years in Austria’s EBEL, skating 2 campaigns with HC Bolzano, then 2 for Dornbirner EC and 1 at Villacher SV.
He was mostly a 40-point player in that league.
The 6′ 187 lbs. forward has decided to switch things up, agreeing to terms for 2021/2022 with Cardiff Devils and he’s just exploded the stat sheet with 9 goals and 1 assists in 6 EIHL games.
After only a year at Northeastern University, he turned pro on a 2-year entry level deal with San Jose Sharks that was extended once, but he was never recalled from affiliate Worcester Sharks, where he was a 20-point performer.
He would next sign late to join Elmira Jackals, but lasted only 9 games before he was loaned up to the AHL for the remainder of the session.
It was after that season, when the now 32-year old left for overseas and has stuck nicely with good success.
He comes off a career year for goals, 31 and points, 59 with his new club and decides to stay put for in Cardiff for 2022/2023.
After 2 successful seasons, he will push off for a new adventure, joining Ducs D’Angers of Ligue Magnus for 2023/2024.
