Even when Mikko Rantanen signed a $96 million contract with the Dallas Stars shortly after being traded there in February, the free agent class of 2025 looked spicier than typical years.
Well, the past couple of days removed a lot of the seasoning.
Fifteen players have signed contracts worth $5 million per season or more in the past week, while veteran players Jamie Benn, Patrick Kane, John Tavares and Jonathan Toews have all agreed to deals below that threshold as well. Several of the big deals went to pending restricted free agents, but the top of the UFA class disappeared when Mitch Marner, Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad, Brad Marchand and others took their names off the market.