The Nashville Predators opened their wallets to a healthy number of names in the past month, but they weren't the only one.
Free Agency began yesterday at 11 a.m. CST and man, there was a lot of action. For the Predators, they reeled in Mavrik Bourque, Ilya Lyubushkin and Alex Kerfoot to add some depth scoring and defense. Around the league we saw a similar theme, with teams spending their money to acquire crucial pieces to construct winning rosters.
Among the chaos, there appeared a few familiar names who signed new contracts with new teams.
Colton Sissons, Toronto Maple Leafs
Colton Sissons served a crucial role on the Predators, playing as a reliable middle-six center who can both score and defend. Prior to being dealt to the Vegas Golden Knights in the trade for Nicolas Hague in the summer of 2025, Sissons played 650 regular season games with Nashville. In his 11-season tenure, he scored 95 goals and 221 points with a +18 rating. He failed to post a single season following his rookie campaign with a faceoff percentage below .50, proving his dependability at center.
After losing in six games in the Stanley Cup Finals with Vegas, Sissons headed out east to join the Toronto Maple Leafs, signing his most expensive AAV deal yet: two years at $4.25 million per. He'll join first overall pick Gavin McKenna in hopes to bring Toronto back into the playoffs.
Jeremy Lauzon, Vegas Golden Knights
Jeremy Lauzon was also packaged in the deal for Hague, but he stuck around with the Golden Knights. The now 29-year-old spent just over three seasons with the Predators, becoming their number one defensive defenseman. In his time with Nashville, he set an NHL record for most hits in a single season with 383. He also recorded career-highs in goals (6) and points (14).
He would later set a new career-high in assists (12) in Vegas. Lauzon continued his elite defense with the Golden Knights. When he came back from injury in the playoffs, he gave it his all, and that ultimately paid off, literally. He re-signed to a six-year, $24 million extension worth around $4 million AAV. He will help the team stay contenders for plenty of years to come.
Cole Smith, Chicago Blackhawks
Cole Smith's journey into the Predators organization is an interesting one. The undrafted forward spent the first two years of his professional career in and out of the minor leagues, alternating with the Milwaukee Admirals in the AHL and Florida Everblades in the ECHL, with the occasional NHL start. In his third, and first full season, he scored four goals and 17 points. He followed it up with nine goals and 23 points the season after, proving his worth for Nashville.
With the organization undergoing turmoil, Smith was dealt to the Golden Knights in March, only scoring two goals with them. In the playoffs, he tallied his first six points split evenly. Entering Free Agency, he signed a three-year, $9 million contract worth $3 million AAV. Predators fans will get watch him play more now that he is in the Central Division with the team.
Erik Haula, Los Angeles Kings
Prior to playing with the Predators last season, Erik Haula had a season-stint with the club in the 2020-21 season, scoring nine goals and 21 points. After being acquired in a deal from the New Jersey Devils in 2025, Haula posted his highest point total in over two seasons with 38 in 81 games (14g, 24a). He won bronze at the 2026 Winter Olympics with Team Finland, alongside Predators goalie Juuse Saros.
Rather than being a trade piece as intended, Preds former general manager Barry Trotz kept him around in pursuit of returning to the playoffs. While the mission was never fulfilled, Haula played a crucial role in the locker room, providing veteran presence to the younger core. He signed a two-year, $7.2 million contract worth $3.6 million AAV with the Los Angeles Kings, making it the eighth separate franchise he's played for in his career.
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