Steven Stamkos. Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

Steven Stamkos headlines Predators’ haul on Day 1 of NHL free agency

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated Jul 1, 2024 1:34 PM ET

Fifteen minutes into NHL free agency many had already crowned the Nashville Predators as the day’s biggest winners.

The team agreed to terms with three of the top players available in center Steven Stamkos, right winger Jonathan Marchessault and defenseman Brady Skjei.

The moves give the Predators two 40-goal scorers to add to their top six plus a veteran top-four defenseman with an excellent shots who can put up points in bunches from the blue line.

As reported earlier but now a done deal, Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei all agree to terms in Nashville.
Stamkos, 4 years x $8 M AAV
Marchessault, 5 years x $5.5 M AAV
Brady Skjei, 7 years x $7 M AAV
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) July 1, 2024

A two-time Rocket Richard Trophy winner, given annually to the top scorer in the NHL, Stamkos is coming off a 40-goal, 81-point season in 2023. The 34-year-old forward is a seven-time All-Star and two-time Stanley Cup champion.

Since his rookie year in 2008, Stamkos is second to only Alex Ovechkin in goals, and he ranks first in shooting percentage (16.7), second in power-play goals (214) and game-winning goals (85) and third in points (1,137) and power-play points (422).

Marchessault spent the last season with the Vegas Golden Knights. He scored a career-high 42 goals and his 69 points were the second-most of his career. In his last eight seasons, Marchessault has scored 20 or more goals seven times and 50 or more points six times.

The 33-year-old won a Stanley Cup with Vegas in 2022 and he also became the 10th undrafted player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded to the most valuable player in the NHL postseason.

Skjei, 30, is coming off arguably the two best seasons of his career with the Carolina Hurricanes. He posted a career-best 18 goals and 38 points in 2022 and 13 goals and a career-high 47 points last season.

Nashville also parted ways with forwards Jason Zucker, who signed a one-year, $5M deal with the Buffalo Sabres, and Kiefer Sherwood, who signed a two-year, $3M contract with the Vancouver Canucks.

Michael Gallagher

Michael Gallagher is a longtime sports journalist based out of Nashville with a decade of experience covering college football, mixed martial arts and prep sports plus the NFL and NHL — specifically the Tennessee Titans and Nashville Predators. He’s covered several notable sporting events including an AFC Championship game, a Stanley Cup Final, an NHL All-Star Game and an NHL Stadium Series. Some of his past bylines can be found at the Nashville Scene, SB Nation, The Hockey News and Fox Sports Knoxville

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