Brock Boeser stayed put in Vancouver. The New York Rangers landed free agency’s top defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov. And Nikolaj Ehlers is taking his time before determining his future.

The frenzy of multiple signings when NHL free agency opened Tuesday was tempered by a free agent class thinned by teams making pre-emptive moves to keep top talent.

“The list wasn’t deep,” Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell said, before assessing how active he intended to be in the coming days. “No, I would say that where we’re at now, we’re comfortable with where we’re at if you look at our group here.”

That group includes defenseman Ivan Provorov, who was signed to a seven-year, $59.5 million contract.

Taking advantage of a record $7.5 million jump in the salary cap, the Vegas Golden Knights landed the biggest prize in a sign-and-trade deal to acquire Mitch Marner on Monday. On the same day, the two-time defending champion Florida Panthers used “home-Cup” advantage to re-sign defenseman Aaron Ekblad and forward Brad Marchand.

“It’s easy to want to stay here, and then the culture of winning is just a huge draw,” Ekblad said. “We’ve all been taken care of very well.”

Boeser, a six-time 20-goal-scorer, elected to stay in Vancouver by agreeing to a seven-year, $50.75 million contract a half-hour into the signing period.

Soon after, the Rangers signed Gavrikov to a seven-year contract worth $49 million, according to a person familiar with the agreement. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal had not been announced.

DUCKS LAND GRANLUND

The Ducks missed out on the biggest names in free agency despite billionaire owner Henry Samueli’s guarantee of a blank check but still added consistent scoring forward Mikael Granlund to a team that finished 30th in the NHL in goals last season. The Finnish veteran signed a three-year deal worth $21 million.

ALSO

San Jose, which entered the day $20 million below the salary cap floor, got a little closer by signing defenseman John Klingberg to a $4 million contract for next season.

As the dust settled, the top players available six hours in were Ehlers, fellow wingers Andrew Mangiapane and Anthony Beauvillier and defenseman Dmitry Orlov. Ehlers, who scored 20 or more goals in eight of his 10 seasons in Winnipeg, has informed teams he might take a day or two to decide where he’ll sign.

Several teams turned to the trade route to improve their rosters, with the Bruins acquiring winger Viktor Arvidsson from Edmonton for a 2027 fifth-round pick.

New Jersey re-signed backup goaltender Jake Allen for $9 million over five years and added winger Connor Brown for four years at $12 million.