After the first few days of free agency, there are plenty of players who will be donning new jerseys next season, while others have chosen to stay with their current teams on long-term deals. But one common factor between those two groups has been the number of high-salary contracts as we start to see the effects of the cap increase.
While we've also seen a few general managers crunch numbers to get players on a bargain, there have also been big deals carrying a very high dollar value. Here are the largest contracts signed during the offseason thus far.
K'Andre Miller: $7.5 million AAV
The 25-year-old defenseman got a nice payday from the Carolina Hurricanes after signing an eight-year deal with them on July 1, marking his departure from the New York Rangers. Miller earned his $60 million contract through his tough-to-beat brand of hockey that saw him record 110 blocks and 107 hits this season as well as 27 points in 74 games. In his five NHL seasons, Miller has logged an average of 21:27 per game, eclipsing the 20-minute mark in every single campaign. He will play big minutes at even strength and on the PK for the Hurricanes, and has the versatility to play on his off-side as well.
Matthew Knies: $7.75 million AAV
At age 22, Knies could have potentially gotten even more in his contract extension with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but $46.5 million over six years is nothing to shake your head at. The young forward was one of just three players to record 150 hits and 25 goals in the same season, along with Brady Tkachuk and Tom Wilson. Knies had a breakout season in his sophomore year in 2024-25 and he plays a well-rounded and competitive game that will continue to develop, especially with a top roster spot opening up after Mitch Marner left the team.
Nikolaj Ehlers: $8.5 million AAV
At long last, the Danish winger finally settled on signing with the Carolina Hurricanes on a six-year, $51 million deal earning him a spot on this list. Ehlers is a consistent, reliable playmaker that can accurately predict where his linemates will be, and is known for his skilled passing. But Ehlers can just as effectively hit the net, scoring five goals in eight playoff games this year as well as 63 points in 69 regular season games. He will no doubt be a seamless addition to Carolina's lineup and a high-level producer for the team's top six.
Ivan Provorov: $8.5 million AAV
In the eleventh hour of July 1, the Columbus Blue Jackets got a deal done with pending UFA Ivan Provorov on a seven-year, $59.5 million contract. He would have been the top defenseman on the market had he made it that far, but GM Don Waddell didn't want to risk letting the 28-year-old walk. Waddell described that Provorov is "smart, talented, can play in all situations and has been remarkably consistent and durable." Provorov also moves the puck well, resulting in 33 points this past season.
Thatcher Demko: $8.5 million AAV
In one of the more surprising contract extensions, the Vancouver Canucks goalie inked a three-year, $25.5 million deal. The shock is that Demko has been brought up in trade rumors for some time now, especially after an uncharacteristically poor season that was hampered by injuries. But Demko has proven to have the potential to be a reliable starter, with a career statline of .910 SV%, 2.80 GAA and nine shutouts across eight seasons. The Canucks made some big noise on July 1 by extending Demko as well as re-signing Brock Boeser at the last minute.
Evan Bouchard: $10.5 million AAV
Bouchard was a standout for the Edmonton Oilers on the blueline this year, and it paid off with a four-year, $42 million contract extension. The 25-year-old 67 points in 82 regular season games, following that up with an impressive 23 points in 22 playoff games for Edmonton. He is an offensive-minded defenseman with a bomb of a shot and he is still fine-tuning some of his play in the defensive zone, but has improved greatly in that regard over the past season.
Mitch Marner: $12 million AAV
No free agency list would be complete without the show-stopping sign-and-trade that sent Marner from the Leafs to the Vegas Golden Knights on an eight-year, $96 million contract. It is undoubtedly the biggest move of the offseason, as Marner instantly became the highest-paid player on the Vegas roster. He earned every penny, too, coming off of his first (but certainly not last) 100-point season with 27 goals and 75 assists in 81 games this year. Marner has the chance to prove the naysayers wrong wearing the black and gold.