Five former Gophers standouts ink new contracts on Tuesday
NHL Free Agency officially opened up on Tuesday, and it was a big day for numerous former Golden Gophers.
Five former Minnesota stars on Tuesday signed deals either to stay with their current organization or to find their new homes within the National Hockey League.
Overall, the five deals inked by former Gophers totaled over $80 million in total contract value. Below, Gophers Nation goes over each signing.
LW Matthew Knies – Toronto Maple Leafs
It was a big day for Matthew Knies. While he wasn’t an unrestricted free agent, the 22-year-old Arizona native signed a lucrative six-year contract extension with the Toronto Maple Leafs worth $7.750 million annually. The total value of the contract will be $46.5 million.
Knies is coming off a 2024-25 campaign in which he set career-highs in goals, assists, and points for the Maple Leafs. In 78 games played, he totaled 29 goals and 29 assists. He was also strong during the Maple Leafs’ Stanley Cup Playoffs run, scoring seven points, including five goals, in 13 games played.
Before his time with the Maple Leafs, Knies played 73 games for the Golden Gophers, recording 75 career points thanks to 36 goals and 39 assists. He was the 2022-23 Big Ten Player of the Year as well as a Hobey Baker Finalist.
D Ryan Johnson – Buffalo Sabres
Former Gopher and 2019 first-round pick Ryan Johnson signed a three-year deal to stay with the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday. The deal is worth $775,000 annually with a total contract value of $2,325,000.
While the deal is a two-way contract for the 2025-26 season, allowing Buffalo to move Johnson between the NHL and their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, as needed, it will become a one-way contract starting in the 2026-27 season.
Johnson has played 44 games for Buffalo at the NHL level, recording seven assists in the process. This past season, Johnson spent most of his time with Rochester, playing in 66 games, recording two goals and 11 assists while posting a +13.
Johnson played four seasons for Minnesota from 2019-20 through 2022-23, totaling 59 points and a plus-minus of 33 in 143 career games.
F Nick Bjugstad – St. Louis Blues
After spending most of the last three seasons with the Arizona Coyotes/Utah Hockey Club, Bjustad will continue his NHL career with the St. Louis Blues.
The Blaine, Minnesota native signed a two-year deal with St. Louis on Tuesday worth $3.5 million total and $1.75 million annually. In 2024-25, Bjugstad played in 66 games for Utah, recording 19 points on eight goals and 11 assists.
The former first-round pick played for the Gophers from 2010-11 through 2012-13, totaling 98 points (54 goals and 44 assists) across 109 games played.
D Ryan Lindgren – Seattle Kraken
The Burnsville, Minnesota native signed a four-year deal with the Seattle Kraken, worth $4.5 million annually, a total contract value of $18 million. The former second-round pick has played 405 games across seven seasons in the NHL, totaling 102 points on 14 goals and 88 assists.
This past season, Lindgren played 72 games between the New York Rangers and Colorado Avalanche, recording a career high 22 points, including a career best 18 assists.
With the Kraken, Lindgren is expected to play a veteran leadership role while also playing top-four minutes for Seattle.
Lindgrens tied up for the Gophers during the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons, playing in 66 games, recording 16 points and a +7 in the plus-minus category.
D Nate Schmidt – Utah Mammoth
Stanley Cup winner Nate Schmidt is heading west. After a one-year stint with the Florida Panthers in which Schmidt helped lead the Panthers to their second-straight Stanley Cup, the St. Cloud native has cashed in.
The 33-year-old defenseman has signed a three-year deal worth $3.5 million annually and $10.5 million overall with the Utah Mammoth. For the Panthers in 2024-25, Schmidt recorded 19 points in 80 games as well as 12 points in 23 playoff games.
Schmidt played for the Golden Gophers for three seasons (2010-11 through 2012-13), recording 74 points in 96 games.
