John Tavares, the big prize of the 2018 NHL free agent class, will be in a Toronto Maple Leafs sweater next season. Tavares informed the Islanders, the only NHL franchise he had known in his nine seasons, that he was moving on Sunday afternoon as the league's free agency period opened, then signed with his hometown of Toronto in what he called a difficult decision.
Tavares may have been the only true superstar of this year's crop, but there are plenty of quality players who could have a significant impact on whichever team lands them this summer. A couple of the big-name defensemen, like the Capitals' John Carlson and the Red Wings' Mike Green, opted to stay put, however.
Free agency begins on July 1, so keep checking back to see where the top players have signed.
| Rank | Player | POS | Last Team | New Team | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
John Tavares
(34)
| C |  |  | Signs 7 years, $77 million |
| 2 |
John Carlson
(34)
| D |  | | Re-signs for 8 years, $64M |
| 3 |
James van Riemsdyk
(35)
| LW | |  | Signs 5 years, $35 million |
| 4 |
Paul Stastny
(38)
| C |  |  | Agrees to 3 years, $19.5 million |
| 5 |
James Neal
(37)
| LW | |  | Signs 5 years, $28.75 million |
| 6 |
Mike Green
(39)
| D |  | | Re-signs for 2 years, $10.75 million |
| 7 |
David Perron
(36)
| LW | |  | Agrees to 4 years, $16 million |
| 8 |
John Moore
(34)
| D |  |  | Agrees to 5 years, $13.75 million |
| 9 |
Rick Nash
(40)
| RW | | ||
| 10 |
Joe Thornton
(45)
| C |  | | Signs 1 year, $5 million |
| 11 |
Tyler Bozak
(38)
| C | | | Signs 3 years, $15 million |
| 12 |
Riley Nash
(35)
| C | |  | Signs 3 years, $8.25 million |
| 13 |
Patrick Maroon
(36)
| LW | | | Signs 1 year, $1.75 million |
| 14 |
Michael Grabner
(37)
| LW | |  | Signs 3 years, $10.05 million |
| 15 |
Thomas Vanek
(40)
| RW | | | Signs 1 year, $3 million |
| 16 |
Carter Hutton
(39)
| G | |  | Agrees to 3 years, $8.25 million |
| 17 |
Robin Lehner
(33)
| G | | | Signs 1 year, $1.5 million |
| 18 |
Calvin de Haan
(33)
| D | |  | Signs 4 years, $18.2 million |
| 19 |
Jaroslav Halak
(39)
| G | | | Signs 2 years, $5.5 million |
| 20 |
Valtteri Filppula
(40)
| C | | | Signs 1 year, $2.75 million |
| 21 |
Mark Letestu
(39)
| C | | ||
| 22 |
Derek Ryan
(37)
| C | | | Signs 3 years, $9.375 million |
| 23 |
Kari Lehtonen
(41)
| G |  | ||
| 24 |
Riley Sheahan
(33)
| C |  | | Re-signs 1 year, $2.1 million |
| 25 |
Devante Smith-Pelly
(32)
| RW | | | Re-signs for 1 year, $1M |
| 26 |
Ian Cole
(35)
| D | |  | Signs for 3 years, $12.75 million |
| 27 |
Tomas Plekanec
(42)
| C | |  | Signs 1 year, $2.25 million |
| 28 |
Leo Komarov
(37)
| RW | | | Signs 4 years, $12 million |
| 29 |
Petr Mrazek
(32)
| G | | | Signs 1 year, $1.5 million |
| 30 |
Jack Johnson
(37)
| D | | | Signs 5 years, $16.25 million |
