The date circled is when unrestricted free agents begin signing with new teams, restricted free agents with arbitration rights begin having their next contracts dictated by a third party and general managers start playing the fun game of, “Should we or should we not do an offer sheet?”

This season’s list of unrestricted free agents is intriguing, with the likes of Alex Ovechkin, Dougie Hamilton and Gabriel Landeskog among the top players on the market. Have we seen the last of Zdeno Chara, Joe Thornton and the NHL’s leader in career games, Patrick Marleau? Will we see an offer sheet this year with Elias Pettersson and Brady Tkachuk among the notable RFAs?

It should be noted that this year is also a smidge different: The NHL’s newest club, the Kraken, did have an opportunity to sign players in advance. They selected and signed guys like Adam Larsson, Chris Driedger and Jamie Oleksiak.

Below is a list of each team’s major free agents.

NHL 2021 free agency

(UFA: unrestricted free agent; RFA: restricted free agent; NQO/UFA: no qualifying offer/unrestricted free agent; QO: given a qualifying offer; a player’s name in italics indicates a non-roster, taxi squad or AHL player)

Anaheim Ducks

Arizona Coyotes

*Acquired from Kings on July 24. ^Acquired in trade with Avalanche.

Boston Bruins

Buffalo Sabres

Calgary Flames

*Acquired in a trade with Chicago.

Carolina Hurricanes

*Selected by Kraken in expansion draft.

Chicago Blackhawks

*Selected by Kraken in expansion draft.

Colorado Avalanche

Columbus Blue Jackets

*Acquired from Hurricanes on July 23.

Dallas Stars

*Selected by Kraken in expansion draft.

Detroit Red Wings

*Acquired from Hurricanes on July 22. ^Selected by Kraken in expansion draft.

Edmonton Oilers

*Selected by Kraken in expansion draft.

**Acquired from Hurricanes on July 28.

Florida Panthers

*Selected by Kraken in expansion draft.

**Acquired from Sabres July 24.

Los Angeles Kings

Minnesota Wild

Montreal Canadiens

*Selected by Kraken in expansion draft.

Nashville Predators

New Jersey Devils

*Acquired from Sharks on July 26.

New York Islanders

New York Rangers

*Acquired from Lightning on July 17.

**Acquired in a three-way deal with Sharks and Golden Knights

Ottawa Senators

Philadelphia Flyers

*Selected by Kraken in expansion draft.

Pittsburgh Penguins

San Jose Sharks

*Acquired from Coyotes on July 17.

**Acquired from Devils on July 27.

St. Louis Blues

*Selected by Kraken in expansion draft. **Acquired from Rangers on July 23.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Toronto Maple Leafs

Vancouver Canucks

*Selected by Kraken in expansion draft. **Acquired from Coyotes July 23. ^Acquired from Stars.

Vegas Golden Knights

*Acquired in a three-way deal from Flyers on July 17

Washington Capitals

Winnipeg Jets

The above information is courtesy of CapFriendly.