Nesterov, 24, split last season between the Bolts and Habs, recording 17 points in 48 games. The Canadiens did not give him a qualifying offer after the season ended. Prior to the 2016-17 campaign, the Russian had logged 84 games with Tampa Bay from 2014-16.
Before coming over to North America, Nesterov was a member of Traktor Chelyabinsk of the KHL. It's possible he could return there, but there also appears to be a few open spots on Dynamo Moscow's back end.
The Edmonton Oilers locked up the forward's services with an extension that carries an AAV of $12.5 million for eight years. While that's a big leap from the $10.5 million that previously topped the NHL, here are three strong candidates to challenge McDavid's record extension by this time next year.
Potential challengers will of course need to combat potential changes to the NHL's salary cap, which is currently set at a ceiling of $75 million for the 2017-18 season.
Jack Eichel, Sabres
(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)
Current contract: 3 years, $925,000 AAV (ELC)
His case: No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, second to McDavid. Compiled 113 points over 142 games but boosted his point-per-game pace to 0.934 in 2016-17, good for 14th among qualified skaters.
While McDavid has Leon Draisaitl to help him out, he also has to share the Oilers' available cap space with his co-star. The Buffalo Sabres' current highest-paid player is Ryan O'Reilly, who's secured at a cap hit of $7.5 million through the end of the 2022-23 season. The third-highest-paid player is forward Kyle Okposo, who is earning $6 million per season.
Eichel's camp will make the case that he is more valuable to the Sabres than McDavid is to the Oilers, since there's an even greater drop-off between Eichel and the Sabres' No. 2 and No. 3 stars.
The Sabres already demonstrated a willingness to axe an experienced head coach and general manager to keep Eichel content. Face-of-the-franchise stars don't come around often, and the Sabres had to wait a long time to find one like Eichel. They won't be keen to search for another one when his three-year entry-level contract is up.
Expected contract: 8 years, $13 million AAV
Erik Karlsson, Senators
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
Current contract: 6 years, $6.5 million AAV
His case: Two-time Norris Trophy winner and runner-up for the award in each of the past two seasons. Averaged 0.820 points per game over 556 career regular-season games and collected 37 points in 48 career playoff games. Led the Ottawa Senators in points in each of the past four seasons.
The entire NHL became aware of Karlsson's excellent defensive play during the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs. His play without the puck improved under new head coach Guy Boucher in 2016-17, as he ranked second in the league in blocked shots.
Karlsson has two years remaining on his current contract at a $6.5 million cap hit - a tremendous bargain - and he'll be just 29 years old when it ends. The Senators have just one defenseman, one goalie, and four forwards signed for the 2019-20 season. Expect Karlsson to be signed to his impending mega-extension so the team can fill out the rest of the roster around its commitment to the captain.
The Senators may also be motivated to pay Karlsson back for taking a discount on his previous deal. They didn't do that for his mentor, longtime captain Daniel Alfredsson - and it's a mistake they likely don't want to repeat.
Expected contract: 8 years, $15 million AAV
Auston Matthews, Maple Leafs
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
Current contract: 3 years, $925,000 AAV (ELC)
His case: First overall pick in 2016 NHL Entry Draft. Scored 40 goals and helped the Toronto Maple Leafs make the playoffs in his first season in the league.
Selecting Matthews with the first overall pick signaled the next and most important step in what was expected to be a continued rebuild for the Maple Leafs. After he led them to a surprising playoff berth - and a surprisingly hard-fought series against the Washington Capitals - the Maple Leafs sped up their rebuild by signing 37-year-old Patrick Marleau to a three-year, $18.75-million contract. The early play of Matthews has hockey fans in Toronto clamoring for Stanley Cup contention as early as next season.
The biggest hindrance to Matthews' impending payday (likely to arrive next summer) is the fact he shares the limelight and credit with fellow sophomore-to-be Mitch Marner, while William Nylander needs a new contract after the 2017-18 season. Nylander's extension will set an early guideline for what Matthews could command, though the latter outproduced his senior teammate by 18 goals and eight points this past season.
The Leafs have just one goalie, two defensemen, and five forwards signed beyond the end of Matthews' entry-level deal. Matthews may have to defer some of what he's worth for Toronto to keep its promising young core together, meaning he'll probably fall just short of McDavid's mark.
Expected contract: 8 years, $11.5 million AAV
The current collective bargaining agreement runs through the 2021-22 NHL season, though both the league and NHLPA can opt out after the 2019-20 season.
McDavid's record deal and some of the provisions within - such as his $86-million signing bonus - have fans and experts speculating CBA changes may be inevitable.
Count Eichel, Karlsson, and Matthews among those likely to vote against any potential lockout.
"I don't think you can ever have enough guys in your room with playoff experience and, more importantly, playoff success," Francis said Wednesday while introducing Kruger, a two-time champion with Chicago who was acquired via the Vegas Golden Knights.
"We have a very young team trying to find their way. We think the guys we picked up this summer not only are very good hockey players but very good people and proven winners. We think that's invaluable in our locker room."
Kruger joins a Hurricanes team that boasts fellow Swedes Elias Lindholm, Victor Rask, and Joakim Nordstrom, with whom he recently won gold at the 2017 World Championship.
In Carolina, he'll be expected to win faceoffs, kill penalties, and chip in offensively, as he's done over the course of his career.
Fine by him.
"You always want to do as much as you can to help the team out," Kruger said. "I certainly want to take a step and get better and better. I'm going to go there, do my best and take the opportunity that's given."
Kruger added: "I got a real good feeling about everything. I'm happy and excited to be a part of this organization."
The contract will pay Hyman $2 million in 2017-18 and 2018-19, and $2.5 million in 2019-20 and 2020-21, coming in at an annual average value of $2.25 million.
The move puts the Maple Leafs nearly $4 million above the $75-million salary cap for next season at $78.929 million.
Hyman was used in a variety of different roles last season, but his most common linemates at five-on-five were Auston Matthews and William Nylander. He scored 10 goals and added 18 assists while playing 82 games and averaging 16:42 of ice time.
A fifth-round pick of the Florida Panthers in the 2010 draft, Hyman broke into the NHL as a 23-year-old in the 2015-16 season, playing 16 games and finishing with four goals and six points.
He was mostly the third offensive choice on the Maple Leafs' unofficial top line, and finished the season with 156 shots on goal but a horribly unlucky shooting percentage of just 6.4. Defensively responsible, Hyman owns a Corsi For rating of 52.5 over his two seasons, though he's started a staggering 61.6 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone.
While there was some uncertainty that Galchenyuk would be back in the fold, the restricted free agent agreed to a three-year extension with the Canadiens on Wednesday.
He'll have a few new teammates in Montreal, most notably Drouin, after the Canadiens acquired the Quebec-born forward from the Tampa Bay Lightning in June.
In their relatively short NHL careers, Galchenyuk and Drouin have both split time between the wing and the dot, and the similarities don't end there. Both players are former third overall picks, with the Lightning drafting Drouin in that spot in 2013, one year after the Canadiens did the same with Galchenyuk.
So far, Drouin has appeared in 164 games, notching 29 goals and 66 assists. As for Galchenyuk, who made the jump to the NHL in 2012-13, he's skated in more than double that amount of contests, with 336 under his belt. He's recorded 89 goals and 115 assists in that time.
Galchenyuk scored a career-high 30 goals in 2015-16, while Drouin's best year came last season with the Lightning when he tallied 53 points, good for third on the team.
Still, despite their respective offensive successes, both players have failed to grab a hold of the center position at the NHL level, with both struggling mightily in the faceoff circle.
Drouin did not become a regular center until last season, and he won just 96 of his 220 draws, or just under 44 percent. As for Galchenyuk, he's taken nearly 1,400 faceoffs combined over the past two seasons, but his 2016-17 finish fell more than five points from the previous campaign, as he slid to 42.7 percent.
Galchenyuk appeared in 61 games last season, and was off to a torrid start with former Canadiens coach Michel Therrien regularly using him as a center. Prior to suffering a knee injury in early December, he'd recorded 23 points in 25 games. However, upon his return, new bench boss Claude Julien used Galchenyuk more often as a winger.
Drouin was in search of a fresh start of his own. While he appeared to have mended fences in Tampa Bay, the Lightning were ready to move on from a player who originally requested a trade in January 2016.
So, what do you say? Does the job as the top center for hockey's most historic franchise belong to Galchenyuk, or should he shift to the side in favor of the new face in Drouin?
That works out to an average annual value of $812,500.
Dotchin recorded 11 assists in 35 games for the Lightning last season, his first at the NHL level since being drafted 161st overall in 2012. He ranked fourth among Lightning defensemen in average ice time with 18:25 per contest.
He also helped the AHL's Syracuse Crunch reach the Calder Cup Finals, contributing six assists in 19 playoff games.
Galchenyuk scored 17 goals and added 27 assists in 61 games last season, after posting 30 goals and 26 helpers in 2015-16.
He also missed a stretch of 18 games through December and January this past season after suffering a knee injury. Prior to the ailment, he'd registered 23 points in 25 games.
The Canadiens drafted Galchenyuk third overall in 2012.
NHL clubs can file for team-elected arbitration prior to Thursday's deadline.
Teams and players can continue to negotiate contract extensions in hopes of reaching a deal prior to arbitration. Hearings will be held in Toronto between July 20 and Aug. 4.
Last season, 25 players were involved in the arbitration process, but 24 of the cases were settled without going to a hearing.
Colorado Avalanche defenseman Tyson Barrie's case was the outlier, but the two sides reached an agreement prior to the announcement of the arbitrator's verdict. Barrie signed a four-year, $22-million deal.
