The Red Wings have already signed Bobby Ryan, Troy Stecher, Jon Merrill, and Thomas Greiss since the opening of the free agency period on Friday. General manager Steve Yzerman previously drafted Namestnikov in the first round of the 2011 NHL Draft with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The 27-year-old appeared in 65 games last season with the New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators, and Colorado Avalanche. He totaled 17 goals and 14 assists.
Namestnikov has played in 425 career games, amassing 83 goals and 106 assists.
The Buffalo Sabres added more depth down the middle, signing center Cody Eakin to a two-year contract carrying an average annual value of $2.25 million, the team announced Sunday.
New Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams already traded for Eric Staal earlier in the offseason to address the team's deficiencies down the middle. Eakin projects to serve as the club's third-line center behind Jack Eichel and Staal.
The moves give the Sabres the flexibility to play young pivots Casey Mittelstadt and Dylan Cozens on the wing - if they so desire - where there's less defensive responsibility.
Eakin is coming off a down year offensively with just five goals and 10 assists in 49 games split between the Winnipeg Jets and Vegas Golden Knights. But the 28-year-old averaged 15 goals and 17 assists per season in the six prior campaigns.
The Blackhawks are also reportedly retaining $1 million on Saad's contract, a source told The Athletic's Scott Powers. He's entering the final year of his deal that contains a $6-million cap hit.
Saad, a five-time 20-plus-goal scorer, potted 21 goals and added 12 helpers in 58 games this past season. The 27-year-old is a two-time Stanley Cup champion with 81 career playoff games under his belt. He's also proven to be an effective play-driver, as HockeyViz's five-on-five isolated impact shows:
Red is good in the offensive zone (top row), blue is good in the defensive zone (bottom)
hockeyviz.com
Zadorov fills a need on Chicago's blue line after the team traded Olli Maatta to the Los Angeles Kings earlier in the offseason. He's physically imposing at 6-foot-6 and 235 pounds, and Zadorov racked up 175 hits last season. The 25-year-old will earn $3.2 million next campaign after signing his qualifying offer.
The Blackhawks hold a projected $8.4 million in cap space with one restricted free agent (Dylan Strome) left to sign, according to CapFriendly. Chicago's goaltending depth chart also severely lacks experience, as Collin Delia and Malcolm Subban headline the group after the club let Corey Crawford walk.
Meanwhile, Gilbert was Chicago's third-round pick in 2015. The 23-year-old skated in 21 games with the Blackhawks this season, spending an additional 30 in the AHL.
Lindholm was Colorado's fifth-round pick in 2014. The 25-year-old blue-liner has tallied five assists in 66 career games across four seasons.
Bogosian split the 2019-20 campaign between the Buffalo Sabres and the Tampa Bay Lightning, tallying seven points in 27 games. He skated in 20 playoff contests during the Lightning's Stanley Cup title run, chipping in with four assists while averaging nearly 18 minutes per game.
The 30-year-old will add a much-needed imposing presence to Toronto's blue line. The right-handed defenseman stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 221 pounds, and he racked up 44 hits this past postseason.
Bogosian was drafted third overall in 2008 and has been widely considered a bust, but he's battled numerous injuries during his 12-year career.
However, while healthy and on a playoff team for the first time, Bogosian was a valuable contributor for the Lightning. He spent much of the playoffs paired with Victor Hedman and posting strong underlying numbers, including a 59% Corsi For percentage and a 52.5% expected goals percentage - although the former Norris Trophy winner certainly helped prop up Bogosian.
Toronto also added TJ Brodie to its back end on Friday.
Montour, 26, recorded 18 points in 54 games this past season, his first full year in Buffalo after being acquired from the Anaheim Ducks in February 2019.
His eight goals scored since Montour's team debut tops all Sabres defensemen over that span.
The Sabres announced Wednesday that Montour was among six of their restricted free agents who had been tendered a qualifying offer, allowing the club to match any other offers for the blue-liner, or at least receive draft-pick compensation if he signed an offer sheet elsewhere.
The Ducks selected Montour in the second round (55th overall) in 2014. He's tallied 91 points over 243 games across four NHL seasons.
The Maple Leafs needed to clear cap space after signing TJ Brodie on Friday, and Johnsson was the odd man out. He's inked for three more years with an annual cap hit of $3.4 million, according to CapFriendly.
Johnsson, 25, racked up 20 goals and 23 assists in 2018-19, finishing eighth in Calder Trophy voting. He took a step back during an injury-riddled 2019-20 campaign, though, recording eight goals and 13 assists in 43 games.
Anderson, the Devils' third-round pick in 2016, has tallied 13 points in 52 career NHL games. The 22-year-old is currently a restricted free agent.
