NHL free agency 2021 live: Breaking down the deals and rumors on July 28

The NHL's offseason has been in overdrive since the Tampa Bay Lightning won the Stanley Cup. In a matter of one week, the Seattle Kraken filled out their roster in their expansion draft, the 32 NHL teams completed the entry draft ... and free agency will open (at noon ET today).

It's very likely that many of USA TODAY Sports' top 25 unrestricted free agents will be signed to deals today.

Meanwhile, one player who was atop many teams' lists, Gabriel Landeskog, reached a deal with the Avalanche after it seemed like he was destined to hit the open market. Landeskog will earn $56 million over eight years.

Additionally, the Lightning continued their maneuvering by trading forward Tyler Johnson (and a second-round pick in 2023) to the Blackhawks for rights to defenseman Brent Seabrook, who will be put on long-term injured reserve.

The reigning Vezina Trophy winner, Marc-Andre Fleury, was dealt to the Blackhawks in a deal that essentially just cleared off his $7 million salary from the books. The Blackhawks have also added Seth Jones this offseason.

If that's not enough, Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin will be staying in Washington — on a five-year contract worth $9.5 million per season.

Follow along with this live blog for all the signings, rumors, news and more:

Sabres find goaltenders

With Linus Ullmark (Bruins) and Carter Hutton (Coyotes) gone, the Sabres signed Craig Anderson and Aaron Dell to one-year, $750,000 contracts.

Avalanche find a goalie

After losing free agent goalie Philipp Grubauer to the Kraken, the Avalanche went the trade route to find a replacement. They acquired Darcy Kuemper from the Coyotes for defenseman Conor Timmins, a 2022 first-round pick and a conditional fourth-rounder. Kuemper's Coyotes stats (2.40 goals-against average, .920 save percentage) are similar to Grubauer's in his time in Colorado (2.38 .918).

Vanecek returning

With the Kraken signing Philipp Grubauer, expansion draft pick Vitek Vanecek was traded back to the Capitals for a third-round 2023 pick. He'll return to a tandem with Ilya Samsonov, who still needs to be signed.

Ryan Getzlaf back for another year

Getzlaf, 36, is returning for one year at a reported $4.5 million. He has spent his entire career with Anaheim, has been captain since 2010 and won a Stanley Cup in 2007. He is seven points shy of passing Teemu Selanne (988) for Anaheim’s all-time points record.

Dougie Hamilton to Devils

The Devils make it official: seven years, $63 million for Hamilton, the biggest name in the free agent market. New Jersey, which recently traded for Ryan Graves and signed goaltender Jonathan Bernier, will be able to improve their 27th-ranked defense. Hamilton's skills will also help them with their 26th-ranked offense. The Devils later traded defenseman Will Butcher and a fifth-round pick to the Sabres for future considerations.

Hurricanes' new goalie tandem

The Hurricanes entered free agency with no goaltenders under contract. Their new tandem will be former Maple Leafs goalie Frederik Andersen (two years, $9 million) and former Coyotes goalie Antti Raanta (two years, $4 million). Alex Nedeljkovic emerged as a rookie of the year finalist, but Carolina dealt him to the Red Wings. Petr Mrazek (Maple Leafs) and James Reimer (Sharks) signed elsewhere. Andersen and Raanta, who have had some strong seasons, are coming off injury-filled seasons. Andersen never won a playoff round in Toronto and Raanta has 134 minutes of playoff experience.

Goalie heads to Bruins

Free agent goalie Tuukka Rask has a hip injury that will keep him out for months of the regular season and the tandem of Jeremy Swayman and Dan Vladar was inexperienced. Ullmark had a .917 save percentage last season with the NHL-worst Sabres and will slot in as the Bruins' No. 1 goalie with Swayman as backup. Vladar was traded to the Flames for a third-round pick. The Bruins were busy, re-signing Mike Reilly and signing Nick Foligno, Erik Haula and others.

Canadiens sign forward

Hoffman is being brought in to replace the scoring of Tomas Tatar, who was allowed to head to free agency. He had 17 goals last season and averaged 28 goals a season from 2014-20.

Brayden Point gets extension

The two-time Stanley Cup champion Lightning will have a different look next season, but they made sure again to hang on to core players. Brayden Point received an eight-year, $76 million extension that kicks in after next season. He led the team in scoring last season and led the team with 14 playoff goals.

Blue Jackets moves

Sean Kuraly, an Ohio native, got a four-year, $10 million contract. He had spent his entire career with the Bruins. The Blue Jackets also signed defenseman Gavin Bayreuther, who they had lost in the expansion draft. Patrik Laine signed his $7.5 million qualifying offer. He'll still be a restricted free agent again next summer. Alternate captain Boone Jenner signed a four-year, $15 million extension.

Canucks sign backup goalie

The Canucks, who bought out the final year of Braden Holtby's contract, signed goalie Jaroslav Halak to a one-year contract. His salary is $1.5 million, though he can earn another $1.5 million in performance bonuses. He'll back up Thatcher Demko. The Canucks also signed defensemen Luke Schenn (two years, $1.7 million) and Tucker Poolman (four years, $10 million).

Wild sign defensemen

Alex Goligoski, 35, got a one-year, $5 million contract. The Wild were in need of defensemen after losing Carson Soucy (expansion draft), Ryan Suter (buyout) and Ian Cole (free agency). The Wild later signed Dmitry Kulikov (two years, $4.5 million).

Oilers sign defensemen

Tyson Barrie, who signed a one-year, prove-it deal last season, re-signed with the Oilers for three years, $13.5 million. The Oilers also signed shot-blocking defenseman Cody Ceci (four years, $13 million). They dealt defenseman Ethan Bear to the Hurricanes for winger Warren Foegele.

Hurricanes sign DeAngelo

Defenseman Anthony DeAngelo (one year, $1 million) has high-end skill but also has issues. The Rangers put him on waivers and told him to stay away after a reported altercation with goalie Alexandar Georgiev. New York bought him out this summer. But Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell said, “We’ve done a lot of background work on this player and we are confident that he can be a positive addition to our group.” The Hurricanes also signed defenseman Ian Cole for one year and traded for defenseman Ethan Bear.

Kraken find goals

The Kraken reached terms with forward Jaden Schwartz (five years, $27.5 million) and Alexander Wennberg (three years, $13.5 million). Schwartz is coming off a tough season, but he is a four-time 20-goal scorer. Wennberg had a career-best 17 goals last season.

Kings land defensive forward

Phillip Danault is signed for $33 million over six years. He was impressive in the Canadiens' playoff run, shutting down star players in the first three rounds.

Kraken land big-name goalie

The Vezina Trophy finalist went from Stanley Cup favorite Colorado to an expansion team. But this gives Seattle an impressive tandem of Grubauer and Chris Driedger. If the Kraken want, they can trade expansion draft pickup Vitek Vanecek for assets. The Avalanche will have to scramble for a No. 1 goalie with most of the big names already moved.

Coleman to Flames

Back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Blake Coleman is headed to Calgary for $29.4 million over six years. The gritty forward has had three 20-goal seasons. The Lightning's highly effective third line is now in three different places. Yanni Gourde was taken in the Kraken expansion draft and Barclay Goodrow was traded to and signed by the Rangers.

Yandle to Flyers

Keith Yandle, who was bought out by the Panthers, signed a one-year, $900,000 deal. He's the reigning iron man and needs 43 games to break Doug Jarvis' NHL record (964 games). He's flawed on the defensive side of the game, but can help a power play.

Hamilton to Devils?

The Devils appear to land the top free agent and he'll become the No. 1 defenseman on a team that has promising young players but finished with the third-worst record last season. Nothing officially announced yet, but the Devils did say they signed goalie Jonathan Bernier to a two-year, $8.25 million contract.

Rangers sign rugged defenseman

The Rangers continued their bid to add size and physical play by signing Tinordi. The Rangers have been trying to get more physical players after an incident with Tom Wilson last season. Tinordi, who played for the Bruins, had fought Wilson after his hit on Brandon Carlo. The Rangers also signed 6-3 defenseman Patrik Nemeth and traded for wingers Barclay Goodrow and Sammy Blais.

Golden Knights moves

Free agent defenseman Alec Martinez is staying in a three-year, $15.75 million deal. They also got their backup goalie after trading Marc-Andre Fleury, signing Laurent Brossoit. Brossoit backed up Connor Hellebuyck in Winnipeg.

Flyers add goalie

Martin Jones will back up Carter Hart on the Flyers. Both are coming off tough seasons.

Canadiens sign defenseman

Savard goes from the Lightning to the team that they beat in the Stanley Cup Final. The shutdown defenseman can help the Canadiens overcome the loss of Shea Weber on the defensive end. The Montreal captain is expected to miss the season and might be done for his career because of injuries.

Blackhawks trade defenseman

With Seth Jones on board, the Blackhawks dealt rugged defenseman Nikita Zadorov to the Flames for a third-round pick.

Stars sign defenseman, goalie

Ryan Suter is heading to Dallas for $14.6 million over four years. He was bought out by the Wild. The Stars lost Jamie Oleksiak in the expansion draft, so Suter will take his roster spot, even though they play different styles. He joins a talented blue line that includes John Klingberg and Miro Heiskanen.

The Stars also signed goaltender Braden Holtby to a one-year, $2 million. Holtby was bought out after struggling in Vancouver, but he did win a Vezina Trophy and Stanley Cup with the Capitals.

Golden Knights acquire scoring winger

Dadonov, 32, notched 13 goals and 20 points in 55 games last year, but he does have three consecutive 25-goal seasons before that in a full season. Thus continues the Golden Knights' trend of building around the wings, even if their centers aren't necessarily considered elite. Dadonov has two years left on his contract at $5 million per season.

Oilers get valuable piece

But did they overpay? Zach Hyman had 15 goals and 33 points in 43 games last season, though he has never topped more than 21 goals and 41 points in a full season, and he is also 29 years old. His best years are likely behind him.

But gritty players with offensive skill and a max-effort style are coveted by teams these days.

Maple Leafs get a goalie

Frederik Andersen is an unrestricted free agent, and even with Jack Campbell seemingly assuming the No. 1 role, the team needed a backup with experience.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NHL free agency 2021 live: Breaking down deals, rumors on July 28