2021 NHL year in review: July

However, that record didn’t last too long – only a week, in fact, as Cale Makar and Colorado worked out a six-year, $54 million contract, making his $9 million average annual value the new benchmark for post-ELC rearguards. Makar has quickly become one of the most dynamic defensemen in the league and was the Norris Trophy runner-up last season. Unlike Heiskanen, however, the Avalanche didn’t gain a lot of team control for their money; with Makar's first playoff appearance being exempted from counting toward service time, the six-year term bought them only a single extra season of control.

Seattle Has A Team: All eyes were on Seattle before the free-agent frenzy began as it got to select its inaugural team in expansion. While some prominent veterans were made available – including Carey Price (Montreal), Vladimir Tarasenko (St. Louis) and Jakub Voracek (Philadelphia) – GM Ron Francis instead opted for a more modest roster, one that barely met the minimum spending threshold, allowing the Kraken to have some cap flexibility and spend in free agency. The early results haven’t been great as they’re near the bottom of the Western Conference, but that’s usually the case for expansion teams with Vegas being a significant exception back in 2017-18.

The Eichel Saga Continues: Frustrated with the fact that Jack Eichel hadn’t been traded yet, his now-former agents released a statement saying that the “process is not working”.  Buffalo had hoped a rehab approach would work for Eichel’s neck injury, but that didn’t happen, and the Sabres still weren’t relenting on his desired surgery. It’s likely the statement was intended to help move the trade process along, but that didn’t exactly happen, although it provided more insight into how much of a divide there was between the two sides.

Big Draft Day Trades: Trade activity around the draft typically hasn’t lived up to the hype in recent years, but this last draft was an exception. First, the Canucks surprised many by taking a big swing, acquiring defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson (with 12% salary retention) and winger Conor Garland from Arizona for a package headlined by the ninth overall pick (Dylan Guenther) and several salary dumps to make the money work. Garland has fit in quite well with his new squad so far, while Ekman-Larsson hasn’t rebounded to being the top-pairing player he was in his prime. With five more years left on Ekman-Larsson's deal, this swap carried some significant risk for now-former GM Jim Benning.

Meanwhile, while Seth Jones wouldn’t extend with Columbus, he would with Chicago, so the Blackhawks acquired the blueliner from the Blue Jackets in exchange for Adam Boqvist and a pair of first-round picks (including the one that turned into Kent Johnson); there was also a swap of second-rounders in the deal. Adding to the high cost paid for Jones, Chicago quickly worked out an eight-year, $76 million contract extension, one that carries a full no-move clause and ensures he’ll be the focal point of their back end for the better part of a decade.

Long-Term Extensions: A trio of eight-year extensions were also handed out.  Colorado narrowly avoided their captain Gabriel Landeskog hitting the open market as the two sides eventually reached a max-term contract that carries a cap hit of $7 million. Tampa Bay wasted little time working out a max-term deal with Brayden Point as mere hours after the calendar flipped to the start of the 2021-22 year (when extensions could be made official), they inked the center to a deal that will carry a $9.5 million average annual value from 2022-23 through 2029-30. Meanwhile, earlier in the month, Minnesota avoided having Joel Eriksson Ek go through arbitration, instead signing their top pivot to a deal that carries a $5.25 million price tag, a move that already looks like a team-friendly pact.