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Ryan S. Clark
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Kristen Shilton
Keeping track of who went where during the offseason, and the significance of it all, for 32 NHL teams can be a bit much. But relax. We’ve got you covered.
Every offseason has its tendencies. This year was no different in that timing was at the center of everything. With the NHL draft and free agency separated by 24 hours, executives throughout the league had no breaks in trying to figure out the best way to make their teams better ahead of next season and beyond.
Some teams were able to do quite a bit. Others … not so much. As for what it all means in the big picture? Here’s a team-by-team set of report cards, breaking down how each team handled the offseason with the caveat that some teams might not be done until the first puck drop of the regular season in October.
Note: Advanced statistics are from Natural Stat Trick and Evolving Hockey. Cap and contract information is from CapFriendly. Kristen Shilton covered the Atlantic and Metro teams, while Ryan S. Clark handled the Central and Pacific clubs.
Jump to a team:
ANA | ARI | BOS | BUF
CGY | CAR | CHI | COL
CBJ | DAL | DET | EDM
FLA | LA | MIN | MTL
NSH | NJ | NYI | NYR
OTT | PHI | PIT | SJ
SEA | STL | TB | TOR
VAN | VGS | WSH | WPG
A GRADES
Key players added: F Nick Bjugstad, D Sean Durzi, F Alexander Kerfoot, F Jason Zucker, D Travis Dermott
Key players lost: D Connor Mackey
Remaining cap space: $16,336,189
Coach status: Part of the reason why the Coyotes hired Andre Tourigny was his ability to teach the game and help players refine their game. So far, Tourigny and his staff have had results with the Coyotes seeing a production surge from Lawson Crouse, Clayton Keller, Matias Maccelli, Jack McBain and J.J. Moser.
Overall grade: A. How the Coyotes navigated the draft and free agency has led to them being in a strong position. Their draft class featured a pair of top-12 picks, and 12 players total. They added Sean Durzi via trade, to give them another young player on the back end, while signing Bjugstad, Kerfoot and Zucker in free agency. Altogether, it looks like a formula that could set the Coyotes up well into the future. Either they elect to keep some of their free agent signings, trade them or do a mix of both to bolster their young group.
Throw in the progress that’s been made by some of that current young core, and it means the Coyotes are able to go in a number of different directions.
Key players added: F Taylor Hall, F Ryan Donato, F Nick Foligno, F Corey Perry
Key players lost: D Ian Mitchell, F Jonathan Toews, G Alex Stalock
Remaining cap space: $17,965,710
Coach status: Luke Richardson is heading into his second season with a team that has been open about its rebuild. The work he does this upcoming season with Connor Bedard could offer even more insight into why the Blackhawks believe he can be the coach that can play a significant role in this new era of the franchise.
Overall grade: A. When the joke at the NHL draft is that your team could have stopped after the first round and still been fine, that’s a sign of progress. But that’s also what happens when your franchise drafts a generational talent in Bedard, along with a forward such as Oliver Moore, who was projected to have gone higher than where he landed at No. 19, as part of a 13-player class.
The decisions they made before and during free agency saw them add some veterans who can serve in various roles. They can be part of the supporting cast that helps Bedard in his rookie campaign, while some can also be traded in-season to add to the prospect pool or draft pick cupboard.
Key players added: F Pierre-Luc Dubois, D Vladislav Gavrikov, G David Rittich, F Trevor Lewis
Key players lost: D Sean Durzi, D Alexander Edler, F Alex Iafallo, G Joonas Korpisalo, F Rasmus Kupari, F Gabriel Vilardi
Remaining cap space: -$751,667
Coach status: Go through the list of Pacific coaches and you’ll see that Todd McLellan is already the longest tenured coach in the division, having been hired in April 2019. McLellan has played a major role in helping the Kings go from near the bottom of the standings to a team that is close to opening a championship window. The past two seasons have produced first-round playoff exits, which makes the need to get beyond the first round even more critical given what the Kings did this offseason.
Overall grade: A. Everything Kings general manager Rob Blake and his front office staff did this offseason shows they are ready for a long playoff run. They pulled off the massive sign-and-trade that allowed them to get Pierre-Luc Dubois. They re-signed trade deadline acquisition Vladislav Gavrikov to give them another dimension to their defensive structure. Dubois and Gavrikov are players that can help the Kings now and in the future.
Yet, their goaltending situation might be the most interesting aspect of their offseason. Finding consistent goaltending was an issue in 2022-23 which is why they made so many in-season changes. They kept Pheonix Copley, but signed Rittich and Cam Talbot to create the sort of three-goaltender approach that gives them multiple options — and all for the cap-friendly price of $3.375 million total.
Key players added: F Tyler Toffoli
Key players lost: D Damon Severson, G Mackenzie Blackwood
Remaining cap space: $5,607,500
Coach status: Lindy Ruff went from hearing “Fire Lindy” chants last October to being a Jack Adams Award finalist by June. That’s quite a journey. The Devils’ 112-point regular season effort was no doubt the highlight of Ruff’s three seasons with the team to date, and foreshadows what greater successes might be ahead for New Jersey with Ruff manning the bench. He seems to have a pulse on what makes the Devils tick, and the more last season went on, the clearer it became that Ruff was going to let New Jersey’s rising stars build an identity themselves — without too much heavy-handed help from their veteran coach. It’s a strategy that helped the Devils win a playoff round and get some invaluable experience winning meaningful games. Ruff deserves ample credit for his approach to guiding this team.
Overall grade: A. We really have no notes for New Jersey on how this offseason has played out. The Devils wasted no time getting to work before the bell sounded on July 1; GM Tom Fitzgerald traded away Severson and Blackwood, signed Jesper Bratt and Timo Meier to extensions and acquired Toffoli (via trade with Calgary) all before the calendar flipped from June. Those were some of the most intelligent moves New Jersey could make, given how shallow the free agent market was this season.
Now the Devils are poised to pick up where they left off last year as an Eastern Conference powerhouse — although this time, any potential dominance they exhibit will catch no one by surprise. In fact, it will practically be expected. New Jersey’s roster is stacked with young talents, the Devils have an excellent coach and clearly there’s no shortage of confidence in their ranks.
Key players added: D Radko Gudas, F Alex Killorn
Key players lost: F Derek Grant, D Kevin Shattenkirk
Remaining cap space: $29,873,333
Coach status: Greg Cronin will enter his first season with the Ducks having previously served as the coach of the Colorado Avalanche‘s AHL affiliate. Cronin is known for being a teacher who played a role in the development of several players, with his most recent examples coming in Colorado with Pavel Francouz, Logan O’Connor and Alex Newhook, who were members of their Cup-winning team. The expectation is he can be the coach who can help the Ducks’ young core take the next step in their development.
Overall grade: A-. Here’s another team with an offseason that was too hard to ignore, beyond the conflicting reports of goaltender John Gibson wanting out of Anaheim. They used the No. 2 pick to draft Leo Carlsson, a player some execs say can be the second-best player in this year’s draft class behind Bedard. They used some cap space to sign veterans such as Gudas and a two-time Cup winner in Killorn.
They also have plenty of remaining cap space to get a deal done for restricted free agents Jamie Drysdale, Troy Terry and Trevor Zegras, while also having a prospect pool that should start to challenge for roster spots in the coming years.
Key players added: F Michael Bunting, D Dmitry Orlov
Key players lost: D Shayne Gostisbehere
Remaining cap space: $3,320,583
Coach status: Rod Brind’Amour has propelled the Hurricanes to solid success throughout his five years behind the bench, reaching the postseason in each campaign and appearing twice in the Eastern Conference finals. Being a former player himself, it seems like Brind’Amour can work seamlessly with almost anyone GM Don Waddell throws into the mix, and Brind’Amour’s ability to keep Carolina as sound defensively as they are an offensive threat is part of what has made his tenure so successful. Even after the disappointment of a playoff sweep by Florida in the Hurricanes’ most recent conference finals stop, Brind’Amour should be nowhere near shaky ground in Carolina.
Overall grade: A-. The Hurricanes took care of business in free agency. First they re-signed both Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta to stabilize the club’s goaltending for another year or two, after inking captain Jordan Staal to a long-term pact that will help buoy the bottom six. Then Carolina reeled in the open market’s top defenseman, Dmitry Orlov, and one of the better available forwards — a prickly Michael Bunting — on contracts that were prudent in term and money.
Honestly, there wasn’t much else Carolina needed to do in order to position itself well for another run at an Eastern title next season. The Hurricanes are rightly in win-now mode, but they’re hardly desperate to fill in major gaps. The team’s even-keeled approach should pay off nicely.
Key players added: F Ross Colton, F Jonathan Drouin, F Ryan Johansen, F Miles Wood
Key players lost: F J.T. Compher, F Lars Eller, F Darren Helm, D Erik Johnson, F Denis Malgin, F Alex Newhook, F Evan Rodrigues
Remaining cap space: -$200,000
Coach status: Colorado’s front office has long maintained its faith in Jared Bednar. Even what he did last season with an oft-injured team that won the division and had the best record in the Western Conference was in the discussion for one of his best regular-season campaigns — right until they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. Despite that early exit, he’s a Stanley Cup-winning coach who could guide the Avs to another Cup in the near future.
Overall grade: A-. Secondary scoring help was a regular-season issue that bled into why the Avs were knocked out in the first round. The Avalanche addressed those needs, and did so while maximizing every cent of what was comparatively limited cap space. Drouin and Johansen give them those top-six players, while Colton and Wood can be used to anchor the bottom six.
Being in a championship window is why the Avs have had just 16 total picks since the 2020 draft. But trading Alex Newhook to get a second first-round pick — and using those picks on center Calum Ritchie and defenseman Mikhail Gulyayev — gave the Avs a potential starting point for restocking their farm system. That, and they signed Bowen Byram on a bridge deal to buy more time before his asking price considerably rises.
Key players added: F Alex DeBrincat, F J.T. Compher, F Klim Kostin, D Shayne Gostisbehere, D Justin Holl, G James Reimer
Key players lost: F Alex Chiasson, D Robert Hagg, G Alex Nedeljkovic
Remaining cap space: $8,162,777
Coach status: Derek Lalonde didn’t burst onto the scene in Detroit last season with the same vigor (or success) that, say, Jim Montgomery did in Boston. Lalonde is a first-time NHL head coach who went through growing pains of his own, along with a Red Wings team that struggled to find an identity and stick with it. Many of the problems Detroit exhibited under former coach Jeff Blashill came back to bite Lalonde’s group down the stretch of the 2022-23 season. But Lalonde was GM Steve Yzerman’s pick to take over, and he’ll have a chance to prove why with an improved Detroit team this season.
Overall grade: A-. Detroit added to every position in free agency. And its pièce de résistance was trading for — and ultimately extending — DeBrincat. Detroit made its move nine days into July and signed DeBrincat to a four-year, $31.5 million deal that truly cements how much better and deeper Detroit is now (on paper, at least) than it was in April. That’s not all DeBrincat, either. Compher brings a Stanley Cup-winning background and some sandpaper to a possible top-six forward role. Gostisbehere and Holl give Lalonde more potential looks and ability to juggle on the blue line. And Reimer is a veteran backup who can support Ville Husso.
That’s all good. Where Detroit has so often fallen short in recent years leads back to its lack of top-end scorers and a full-team buy-in on the defensive side of the puck. Yzerman reeled in a big catch with DeBrincat, who is poised to bounce back into the type of awe-inspiring player he was with Chicago. Now Yzerman just has to hope that defensive commitment from the group at large will materialize too.
Key players added: F Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, D Brian Dumoulin, F Kailer Yamamoto
Key players lost: F Ryan Donato, F Joonas Donskoi, F Morgan Geekie, G Martin Jones, D Carson Soucy, F Daniel Sprong
Remaining cap space: $9,068,424
Coach status: A year ago, Dave Hakstol faced questions about what went wrong in the Kraken’s inaugural season. But now Hakstol — a Jack Adams finalist — and the Kraken are taking questions about not being just a playoff team, but one that could potentially advance further than the second round.
Overall grade: A-. Know this about Kraken GM Ron Francis: His time in Carolina taught him how to be financially conscious, which underscores why development is one of his tenants as an NHL executive. This offseason was an example of that. They saved money by letting certain players leave, while adding Bellemare, Dumoulin and Yamamoto for a combined price of less than $6 million.
They have the sort of cap room that allows them to find a new deal for restricted free agent Vince Dunn — and possibly add more players if they want. And even if they don’t, they can tap into having prospects on team-friendly deals such as Ryker Evans and Tye Kartye fight for spots in training camp.
B GRADES
Key players added: D Damon Severson, D Ivan Provorov
Key players lost: None
Remaining cap space: $3,954,167
Coach status: Mike Babcock is back in the NHL as Columbus’ first-year head coach. The veteran bench boss was fired by Toronto in November 2019 but remained under contract with the Leafs until June 30, when he was free to be formally introduced as Columbus’ new leader. And it does feel like the Blue Jackets required a different voice after their debacle of a 2022-23 season. That’s not to say Columbus’ spiral was all the fault of former coach Brad Larsen. But Babcock will bring his own recipe to try coaxing more out of the Blue Jackets this season. The big question is: How has Babcock evolved since his previous coaching stint? Will he lean on what worked in the past to make him a Stanley Cup winner in Detroit? Or learn from past failures with Toronto? We’ll soon find out.
Overall grade: B+. Technically Columbus did most of its heavy lifting before the draft and free agency even began. GM Jarmo Kekalainen traded for both Provorov and Severson in June to bolster the Blue Jackets’ blue line, and those additions have wound up being all she wrote for Columbus on the open market.
The Blue Jackets were major winners at the draft though, when Adam Fantilli slipped past the Anaheim Ducks at No. 2 and fell into their lap at No. 3. That’s the (eventual) top-line center Columbus desperately needed, and they already signed Fantilli to a three-year entry-level contract. He could make it out of training camp and onto the opening night roster, ushering in a new era for the Blue Jackets that helps erase last season’s bad memories. And Kekalainen still has some cap space available to work with if necessary before the summer is out. Can’t be mad at that.
Key players added: F Matt Duchene, F Craig Smith, F Sam Steel
Key players lost: F Max Domi, F Luke Glendening
Remaining cap space: $582,171
Coach status: Pete DeBoer did in his first season with the Stars what many Pete DeBoer teams do in their first season under him: Win and go far in the postseason. DeBoer unlocked parts of the Stars that allowed them to go from first-round exit in 2021-22 to a team that pushed the eventual Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights to six games in the Western Conference finals. And with that comes another facet that is often tied to DeBoer teams: They are now officially in a championship window.
Overall grade: B+. Signing Duchene to a one-year, $3 million deal to essentially replace Max Domi appears to be a savvy decision. The same could be said by signing depth forwards such as Smith and Steel. Smith struggled to find offensive consistency but that was the narrative with Evgenii Dadonov before he became extremely productive for the rest of the regular season and into the playoffs; re-signing Dadonov was also a wise move.
As for their draft, the Stars did not have their first-round pick but still had six selections. Where it gets complicated is the Stars have found success in the first round, but have not had a player taken beyond the first reach 50 NHL games since drafting Jason Robertson, who was drafted in 2017.
Key players added: F Evan Rodrigues, D Oliver Ekman-Larsson, D Niko Mikkola, D Mike Reilly, G Anthony Stolarz
Key players lost: F Anthony Duclair, D Radko Gudas, D Marc Staal
Remaining cap space: $1,137,499
Coach status: Paul Maurice steered the sputtering early-season Panthers from a would-be embarrassment of a campaign to the Stanley Cup Final. Not bad for a “rookie.” Matthew Tkachuk said it’s “fun” playing for Maurice, and that does seem to be the longtime coach’s M.O. with the Panthers. He allows the team to be what it is, without applying undue pressure and killing the creativity. Maurice’s hiring as Florida’s coach over former interim Andrew Brunette was met with some raised eyebrows last fall, but it has proved to be the best decision for Florida.
Overall grade: B+. Florida has a history of splashy offseason moves in July (hello, 2022 Tkachuk trade!), so GM Bill Zito might have more tricks up his sleeve. But so far, the Panthers have put together a fine performance since their season ended just three wins from hoisting the Cup. What got Florida to that point was its depth, and how players could slot in as needed to play a role.
Granted, seeing Duclair and Gudas out of the mix now is tough — and uncertainty around the injury statuses of Tkachuk and Aaron Ekblad to open the 2023-24 campaign still looms — but Zito has spied out some stopgaps. Ekman-Larsson should be motivated by a long-awaited fresh start, and Rodrigues is a solid middle-six skater to boost the forward group. Despite Tkachuk’s rise in prominence in the past 12 months, the Panthers’ identity isn’t all about star power. Zito has kept that the case with how he’s orchestrated the offseason to date.
Key players added: F Gustav Nyquist, F Ryan O’Reilly, D Luke Schenn, F Denis Gurianov
Key players lost: F Matt Duchene, F Ryan Johansen
Remaining cap space: $8,779,135
Coach status: Andrew Brunette has yet to coach a game, but everything he has done the past two years has created the expectation the Predators could possibly have an answer for their scoring woes — they finished 28th in scoring last season. Brunette’s lone season in charge of the Panthers saw them lead the NHL in goals, while his one campaign as a New Jersey Devils assistant played a role in why they were top five in goals per game.
Overall grade: B+. New GM Barry Trotz wasted little time revamping the Predators, trading Johansen and buying out Duchene’s contract before signing Nyquist, O’Reilly and Schenn. The Preds retained 50% of Johansen’s $8 million cap hit, while the buyout means they’ll move on from Duchene with them owing $2.5 million in 2023-24, $5.55 million in 2024-25, and $6.55 million in 2025-26, before falling to $1.55 million for the following three years. Even with the dead cap space from Duchene, they should be in a position to retain players — something that will prove useful when it comes time for Juuse Saros to sign an extension.
The Preds had two first-round picks — Matthew Wood at No. 15 and Tanner Molendyk at No. 24 — and nearly a dozen new prospects entering their pool via the draft this summer. But the need to develop that talent is rather crucial, given that Philip Tomasino is the only Predator drafted since 2017 to play more than 100 games.
Key players added: F Dominik Kubalik, G Joonas Korpisalo
Key players lost: G Cam Talbot, F Alex DeBrincat
Remaining cap space: $7,532,620
Coach status: D.J. Smith is sitting on arguably the NHL’s hottest seat. He has been with the Senators for four seasons, and he produced a 120-139-32 record with zero playoff appearances. Still, GM Pierre Dorion put his support behind Smith for the coming campaign, an endorsement Smith likely earned — because if it weren’t for remarkably bad injury luck last season, the Senators might well have earned a playoff spot. How long is the leash for Smith now, though? Ottawa should have most of its important players available come fall, and it will be on Smith to show he is still the right candidate to lead the Senators back to contending status.
Overall grade: B+. Let’s face it: the Senators didn’t have much leverage in the DeBrincat trade negotiations. It’s no secret the restricted free agent didn’t feel his future was in Ottawa. Dorion likely took the best deal he could, sending DeBrincat to Detroit for essentially Kubalik and a conditional first-round draft pick in 2024. The return is underwhelming given all the Senators did to bring DeBrincat in. Kubalik might crack the top six, but he isn’t the game-changing force that DeBrincat can be. But what else could Ottawa do?
So, moving on. What Dorion also has accomplished is bringing in a new projected No. 1 goalie in Korpisalo on a five-year, $20 million deal that has Ottawa believing he’ll finally provide the goaltending stability the club has been sorely lacking in recent years. Dorion tried shoring up the Senators’ net most recently with Talbot, and it didn’t work out at all. Will Korpisalo’s tenure in Ottawa be better? Dorion has to hope it’s the highlight of his offseason work so far.
Key players added: F Noel Acciari, F Lars Eller, F Reilly Smith, D Ryan Graves
Key players lost: F Jason Zucker, D Brian Dumoulin
Remaining cap space: -$2,316,842
Coach status: Mike Sullivan will enter his eighth full season with the Penguins. The 2022-23 campaign was the first time under Sullivan that Pittsburgh didn’t reach the postseason, and it’s no surprise there was a serious front-office shake-up (GM Ron Hextall and president of hockey operations Brian Burke are out; new president of hockey ops Kyle Dubas and assistant GM Jason Spezza are in). What does that mean for Sullivan’s security with the Penguins? This season should tell us plenty. New executives often want to make their own coaching hires. However, given Sullivan’s tenure with the organization and his back-to-back Stanley Cup winning pedigree (from Pittsburgh’s runs in 2016 and 2017), you can expect Dubas won’t be hasty making any sort of switch behind the bench. But Sullivan will have to show he can still get the most out of these Penguins.
Overall grade: B+. Dubas came into Pittsburgh on a mission. He got started acquiring top-six forward Reilly Smith for only a third-round pick to give the Penguins a real boost up front. Then Dubas’ targeted a haul of free agents with the prize likely being defenseman Ryan Graves, who should slot next to Kris Letang on Pittsburgh’s top pairing (a spot previously held by the departed Brian Dumoulin). Noel Acciari and Lars Eller provide fine depth to the forward ranks. And Dubas inked Tristan Jarry to a five-year deal that indicates he has true confidence the netminder can bounce back and produce again for the Penguins.
On paper, it’s about as good a start for Dubas in Pittsburgh as the club could have hoped for. And after the Penguins’ free-fall out of playoff contention last season, it’s the exact shot in the arm the club needs heading into a pivotal campaign.
Key players added: G Mackenzie Blackwood, F Anthony Duclair, F Givani Smith, F Filip Zadina
Key players lost: F Andreas Johnsson, F Steven Lorentz, G James Reimer
Remaining cap space: $5,466,666
Coach status: It appears the Sharks are in a position to give David Quinn the time he needs as they are still in the early stages of their rebuild. Quinn’s first season saw the Sharks provide him and his staff with enough evidence to show there are a number of areas they can improve.
Overall grade: B+. An offseason that has centered around what they will do with reigning Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson in some ways has overshadowed what the Sharks have done elsewhere. Trading for Mackenzie Blackwood and Anthony Duclair addresses two of their biggest needs from last season. Players such as Duclair — in the final year of his contract — could offer the Sharks someone to move going into the trade deadline to attain even more draft capital.
And as for what the Sharks could do with that draft capital? They used it during the most recent draft to select Will Smith, Quinten Musty and a nine-player draft class that adds more promise to the prospect pool.
Key players added: G Laurent Brossoit, F Alex Iafallo, F Rasmus Kupari, F Gabriel Vilardi
Key players lost: F Pierre-Luc Dubois, G David Rittich, F Blake Wheeler
Remaining cap space: $8,567,143
Coach status: Culture was at the center of Rick Bowness’ first season in Winnipeg from the decision to strip Blake Wheeler of his captaincy to what he said after the Jets were eliminated in the postseason. So what will that culture look like in Bowness’ second season now that the Jets have started making changes? What is the realistic expectation for them in 2023-24?
Overall grade: B+. Changes were and still are expected in Winnipeg. Part of that means finding NHL players who can replace the ones who were traded. That’s what happened when the Jets traded Pierre-Luc Dubois to the Los Angeles Kings and got three NHL players in return in the form of Iafallo, Kupari and Vilardi. There was also the Blake Wheeler buyout that saw them clear cap space and will cost them $2.75 million over the next two seasons.
The Jets also re-signed Vladislav Namestnikov and brought back Laurent Brossoit after his stint with the Golden Knights, to help form a roster that will attempt to take aim at a consecutive playoff berth.
Key players added: F Morgan Geekie, F Milan Lucic, F James van Riemsdyk
Key players lost: F Patrice Bergeron, F Tyler Bertuzzi, F Taylor Hall, F Nick Foligno, F David Krejci, D Dmitry Orlov
Remaining cap space: $6,979,166
Coach status: Jim Montgomery was everything and more for the Bruins in his rookie campaign behind the bench (and he earned the 2022-23 Jack Adams Award to prove it). Montgomery guided Boston to the best statistical regular season in NHL history, complete with 65 wins and 132 points. The way he tapped into the Bruins’ potential and brought out a consistent degree of excellence from the team each night gave Boston a run it won’t soon forget — even if the Bruins did, of course, flame out in the first round of the playoffs. Despite that, there’s little doubt Boston believes in Montgomery moving ahead.
Overall grade: B. The Bruins haven’t tackled their biggest offseason challenge to date, which is re-signing restricted free agent goaltender Jeremy Swayman to a new deal. Until that’s done, there’s a pallor of sorts hanging over Boston. GM Don Sweeney had to earmark a majority of the Bruins’ available cap space to eventually use on Swayman, and freeing up dollars and cents is what sent Taylor Hall and Nick Foligno to Chicago in June. Sweeney brought back a fan favorite in Milan Lucic and added a sound veteran in James van Riemsdyk to fill in around the edges.
But until the Swayman contract is complete — and until the Bruins know for sure whether Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci will be back again — Boston’s success (or failure) to this point of the postseason might be too early to judge entirely.
Key players added: D Connor Clifton, D Erik Johnson
Key players lost: G Craig Anderson
Remaining cap space: $6,713,930
Coach status: Don Granato pushes the right buttons in Buffalo. Since joining the Sabres in 2019, he’s helped a young team grow and evolve more than maybe anyone would have expected over that stretch. Granato had Buffalo in the playoff hunt late last season, and even if the Sabres didn’t push their way into the mix, it was an invaluable experience for the club’s core to go through and learn from. For a franchise that’s been searching for stability, Granato has provided it on the coaching front.
Overall grade: B. The Sabres needed to bolster their blueline and GM Kevyn Adams took care of that adding Connor Clifton and Erik Johnson in free agency. And Adams shouldn’t stop there when it comes to retooling Buffalo’s roster. The Sabres could use an infusion of forward depth as well and there is cap room available to make that happen — although most of the best options are off the market by now. That doesn’t mean Adams won’t still be busy in the coming weeks.
Can Buffalo be comfortable goaltending-wise, with Eric Comrie and Devon Levi potentially working in tandem? And will Victor Olofsson end up being a potential trade chip? The Sabres have had a sound offseason. A few more moves could take them over the top.
Key players added: F Connor Brown, F Mattias Janmark, F Lane Pederson
Key players lost: F Nick Bjugstad, D Oscar Klefbom, F Klim Kostin, D William Lagesson, D Ryan Murray, G Mike Smith, F Kailer Yamamoto
Remaining cap space: $5,620,000
Coach status: Jay Woodcroft will enter his second full season with the expectation that the Oilers are in a championship window. Woodcroft and his staff created the sort of offensive strategies that gave the Oilers a chance to win every game — a needed quality with some of their defensive challenges before getting Mattias Ekholm at the trade deadline. The past two postseasons have ended with the Oilers losing to the eventual Cup champions, which could be viewed as a sign that Woodcroft & Co. might not be that far off.
Overall grade: B. Oilers GM Ken Holland and his front-office staff are following the playbook all contemporary Cup contenders must follow in a flat cap environment. They cleared cap space by trading Klim Kostin and Kailer Yamamoto. They maximized that cap space by signing Connor Brown and Mattias Janmark to team-friendly deals. They also harvested cap space knowing that restricted free agents such as Evan Bouchard and Ryan McLeod need new contracts.
Now it is a matter of seeing how those decisions play out in the Oilers’ bid to win a Stanley Cup for the first time in more than 30 years.
Key players added: F Kevin Hayes
Key players lost: F Josh Leivo, F Tyler Pitlick
Remaining cap space: $2,360,238
Coach status: One NHL executive told ESPN that they see Craig Berube as one of those coaches who could possibly be on the hot seat. The executive said the Blues are a franchise that is routinely in the playoffs and that another campaign without the postseason might not bode well for Berube, who guided the franchise to their its Stanley Cup during the 2018-19 season.
Overall grade: B. Say what you want about the Blues not doing more in free agency or having the reported super-trade with the Flyers fall through. They added a top-six center in Kevin Hayes for a 2024 sixth-round pick while having the Flyers retain 50% of his salary over the next three seasons.
Getting Hayes without having to give up any one of their three first-round picks — in a class led by Dalibor Dvorsky — is a move that allows the Blues to potentially find success both in the interim and in the future. Plus, they still have cap space left to add help at a time in which players on the open market could be more easily swayed to take team-friendly deals.
Key players added: None
Key players lost: F Teddy Blueger, G Laurent Brossoit, F Phil Kessel, G Jonathan Quick, F Reilly Smith
Remaining cap space: -$1,423,317
Coach status: Any questions about whether it would work out with Bruce Cassidy and the Golden Knights were crushed with the former Bruins coach leading the club to the first Stanley Cup in their six-year history. Cassidy and his staff made the Golden Knights a team that found success with all four lines, all three defensive pairings and they used a platoon of goalies.
Overall grade: B. Each win that brought the Golden Knights closer to a Stanley Cup also came with the discussion about what they would do with Ivan Barbashev and Adin Hill. They found a solution, which involved trading Reilly Smith to create the cap space needed to sign Barbashev before they eventually signed Hill.
Those cap constrictions are why the Golden Knights were not an active player in free agency, why they had to move on from certain players and why creating even more space is paramount to signing restricted free agent Brett Howden. Depth was at the heart of that Cup run. It’s what makes being able to tap into what they have with players such as Paul Cotter or those in the AHL rather important to their title defense.
Key players added: None
Key players lost: F Josh Bailey
Remaining cap space: $387,500
Coach status: Lane Lambert is entering his second season with the Islanders after a modestly successful rookie campaign that led New York back to the postseason (and ultimately a first-round loss). He was GM Lou Lamoriello’s choice to take over New York’s bench from Barry Trotz, and while that move was met with skepticism at the time it appears Lamoriello is happy enough with Lambert’s job to keep him off the hot seat — at least to start the season. Lamoriello is one of the league’s most notoriously unpredictable executives, but given Lambert is his guy and the Islanders responded well enough to him in 2022-23, Lambert deserves another chance to grow — and help New York evolve — for at least one more season.
Overall grade: B-. Lamoriello took a page from Drake’s playbook with a “no new friends” approach to free agency. As in, the Islanders gave (surprisingly) long-term extensions to three of their own pending unrestricted free agents in Pierre Engvall (seven years), Scott Mayfield (seven years) and Semyon Varlamov (four years). And then there was the eight-year extension for starting netminder Ilya Sorokin.
That just about used up all New York’s cap space, proving Lamoriello truly believes the Islanders already had a proper mix of players requiring no outside additions. Such is his right. How does that play out for New York going forward? That narrative will unspool on the ice. But after Lamoriello targeted Bo Horvat and inked him to a long-term deal last winter, it wasn’t all that shocking New York took care of its own this summer. Change for change’s sake can often go wrong; at least the Islanders know who, and what, they’ve invested in.
Key players added: F Blake Wheeler, D Erik Gustafsson, G Jonathan Quick
Key players lost: F Patrick Kane, F Vladimir Tarasenko, D Niko Mikkola
Remaining cap space: $6,175,417
Coach status: Peter Laviolette takes over behind the bench as the team’s third coach in six seasons. That’s a lot of turnover. Laviolette “mutually parted ways” with Washington in April and was subsequently tapped to replace Gerard Gallant after the latter’s firing by the Rangers in May. Laviolette boasts more than two decades of NHL coaching experience, and should provide New York with the reset it’s clearly looking for following that first-round playoff loss to New Jersey. And Laviolette is walking into an excellent situation, inheriting a roster packed with star talent. His transition projects to be fairly seamless; there’s no reason Laviolette can’t help New York rebound back into form.
Overall grade: B-. There’s nothing earth-shattering about what the Rangers have done. Wheeler was a low-risk addition who can anchor New York’s fourth line. Quick gives the Rangers goaltending depth behind Igor Shesterkin. Maybe Gustafsson stands out as a third-pairing defender. It’s all … fine. And perhaps that’s all the Rangers wanted.
GM Chris Drury took big swings at the trade deadline, acquiring Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko; those additions did little to help New York when it mattered most come playoffs. Drury has focused this summer on tinkering with the Rangers’ lineup as opposed to making it over entirely. Too much change can disrupt chemistry, and New York was lacking in that department down the stretch last season. Plus, the Rangers already have top-end players at every position. Laviolette will have a chance to put his own stamp on things too. And unless Drury decides to make use of the Rangers’ remaining cap space, the club will ride with its core for the coming campaign.
Key players added: F Tyler Bertuzzi, F Max Domi, F Ryan Reaves, D John Klingberg
Key players lost: F Michael Bunting, D Justin Holl
Remaining cap space: -$8,831,450
Coach status: Sheldon Keefe was twisting in the wind for a few weeks once outgoing GM Kyle Dubas was replaced by newly hired Brad Treliving. Ultimately, Treliving and Keefe caught up and the new GM committed to keeping Keefe for the season ahead. Was there a ringing endorsement for Keefe on his future with the organization? Not exactly. Keefe could consider the season ahead as a one-year “prove it” sort of deal, where he’s showing Toronto — or another team — why he’s a worthy head-coaching candidate beyond just years of experience working for — and being continuously re-hired by — Dubas. That sort of pressure can bring out the best, or the worst, in someone. The Leafs should find out quickly which camp Keefe falls into.
Overall grade: B-. Toronto loses a point here automatically for the strange Ryan Reaves signing. Inking an enforcer-type player in his late 30s to a three-year deal? Reaves’ game has centered around physicality and grit and the Leafs can certainly benefit from those qualities within the lineup, but how well can Reaves realistically hold up in that role over the life of his new contract? We’ll see. And adding Klingberg on the heels of another poor season? There’s a real element of here’s-hoping-for-the-best in both of those free agent signings.
Where Treliving did some excellent work was acquiring Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi on team-friendly deals to bolster the Leafs’ top six. Treliving said Toronto lacked “personality,” and Bertuzzi and Domi should punch their new team up in that category — both on and off the ice.
C GRADES
Key players added: F Yegor Sharangovich
Key players lost: F Trevor Lewis, F Milan Lucic, D Michael Stone, F Tyler Toffoli
Remaining cap space: $2,400,000
Coach status: Ryan Huska is another first-year head coach but one whose learning curve could be a bit different considering he was a Flames assistant last season. He takes over a team for which finding some semblance of consistency could prove vital. The Flames had only three separate streaks of winning more than three games last season, and 30 of their 44 combined regulation and overtime losses were by one goal. Of course, finding consistency amid the reality that certain parts of the Flames’ roster could change at any point will also be a challenge.
Overall grade: C+. We were close to giving the Flames an “Incomplete” at this point in time. Trading Toffoli might be only the beginning. They have a few players on one-year deals who could either be traded or potentially re-signed. Daily Faceoff has reported that Noah Hanifin does not plan on re-signing and that Mikael Backlund is leaning toward not re-signing — while telling reporters during the NHL Awards show, “It’s not my decision.” Meanwhile, the team is awaiting a decision from Elias Lindholm about his future.
Sorting through those situations also comes at a time when the Flames have quite a few players on long-term contracts; they must identify who is going to be part of this core for the future.
Key players added: F Pat Maroon
Key players lost: D Matt Dumba, D John Klingberg, F Gustav Nyquist, F Sam Steel
Remaining cap space: $8,281,412
Coach status: Dean Evason has gotten the Wild to the playoffs in each of his three campaigns. The 2022-23 season might have been among the most challenging, with the Wild going from the fifth-highest-scoring team in 2021-22 to one that was 23rd in goals per game — the lowest total for any team that made the playoffs. The next step for Evason is finding a way for the Wild to reach the second round, something they have not done since the 2014-15 season.
Overall grade: C+. How GM Bill Guerin and his front office staff managed the cap was going to determine the Wild’s offseason. That’s what made re-signing Frederick Gaudreau and Marcus Johansson for a combined $4.1 million cap hit just months before free agency started so critical. As of July 10, the Wild have around $8.2 million in available cap space to facilitate any other deals. It’s a strategy that could see them cash in on signing a player who is willing to take a team-friendly contract or use that money elsewhere.
The need to exercise financial responsibility was a given with the combined Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts costing the Wild $14.7 million in cap space in 2023-24 and again in 2024-25. It’s why they’re a team that had to add around the edges, which is what they did by trading for three-time Stanley Cup winner Maroon.
Key players added: F Alex Newhook
Key players lost: None
Remaining cap space: -$609,166
Coach status: Martin St. Louis is just getting started. He is growing into being an NHL coach right alongside the evolving Canadiens. Ideally, St. Louis will hit his stride further in the coming season — his second full campaign behind Montreal’s bench — and continue shepherding his young core toward its expectedly bright future. St. Louis has been the type of coach his players can relate to — and he to them — so continuing to foster those relationships and maximize the talent available will be a critical part of his job.
Overall grade: C+. Montreal hasn’t really done a ton at the NHL level. The Canadiens traded for Alex Newhook and signed him to a four-year, $11.6 million deal. Otherwise, the roster stands basically the same as where it was prior to the NHL draft — during which Montreal chose to pass on a potentially major talent in Matvei Michkov for defenseman David Reinbacher. It’ll be years before we know the ramifications of that decision (and surely the Canadiens had their reasons for not going with Michkov).
Essentially, the Canadiens have stuck to their guns when it comes to a slow-and-steady rebuild. That too we will continue to judge over the next season (and beyond).
Key players added: F Ryan Poehling, F Garnet Hathaway, D Marc Staal
Key players lost: F James van Riemsdyk
Remaining cap space: $2,872,905
Coach status: John Tortorella will bring his best Broad Street Bullies energy behind the Flyers’ bench for another season. The veteran coach has been vocal that he doesn’t want to be part of a long rebuild in Philadelphia, and it remains to be seen what sort of timeline the Flyers are on to get back to contending status. But you can expect Tortorella will lean on Philadelphia’s longer-tenured players to keep carrying the day — and possibly help the Flyers’ rack up a few more wins than they did in 2022-23. In the City of Brotherly Love, expect Tortorella to keep doling out the tough love he has always been known for — and, in years past, had some success with.
Overall grade: C+. The best thing Philadelphia has done this offseason — other than instating new GM Danny Briere — might have been drafting Matvei Michkov at No. 7. Controversial? Sure. But there’s a high ceiling for Michkov in the NHL and, as Briere pointed out at the draft, Philadelphia has time to be patient as he develops further in the Kontinental Hockey League. Certainly, the Flyers appear in no rush to reach contending status.
Briere made a series of low-key signings in Poehling, Hathaway and Staal coming in on short-term pacts. Those depth additions will give Tortorella some experience to work with, if nothing else. At the same time, can Philadelphia afford to rob some of its top prospects of playing time in favor of these new additions? Ideally, there should be a clear vision on where the club is at in terms of developing its own players. Philadelphia has time before the puck drops on another season to get aligned on how best to use this next year to its advantage.
Key players added: F Teddy Blueger, D Ian Cole, D Carson Soucy
Key players lost: G Collin Delia, D Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Remaining cap space: -$4,342,917
Coach status: Rick Tocchet is going into his first full season in charge, and he must find a way to build off what the Canucks did when he arrived. He wasn’t bashful about the work that remained to be done, but the team won 20 of 36 games on his watch, which was good enough for the 12th-most victories in the league during that span.
Overall grade: C+. If the Canucks’ offseason seemed a bit more conservative, there was a reason for that. Vancouver remains a cap-strapped team that has had to troubleshoot some of its financial challenges. The Ekman-Larsson buyout solved some of those issues, but the Canucks must still clear more cap space before the season opens.
Until then, they used their space to strengthen their blue line with a two-time Stanley Cup winner in Cole, while adding another physical presence in Soucy. They also added a bottom-six anchor with another Cup winner in Blueger.
Key players added: F Max Pacioretty, D Joel Edmundson
Key players lost: F Conor Sheary
Remaining cap space: $888,333
Coach status: Spencer Carbery steps into his first NHL head-coaching gig with the Capitals after his recent stint as an assistant in Toronto. The 41-year-old Carbery has ties with the franchise from his years coaching the team’s AHL affiliate Hershey Bears from 2018 to 2021; during that final season, Carbery led Hershey to a regular-season title and won coach of the year honors. Washington GM Brian MacLellan is hoping Carbery can translate that sort of success to a Capitals’ team in transition. Gone is the veteran voice of Peter Laviolette. Washington is getting a fresh-faced makeover on its coaching staff that likely couldn’t come at a better time.
Overall grade: C+. The Carbery addition is basically MacLellan’s top move of the offseason. Frankly, MacLellan didn’t have the cap space to do much with Washington’s roster.
Grabbing Edmundson in a trade with Montreal — which retained 50% of his cap hit — was a fine way to add some physicality onto Washington’s back end. Pacioretty might be a solid contributor if he can recover from the injuries that cost him all but five games last season with Carolina. And that’s as far as MacLellan has gone in reworking Washington’s roster. Will he be able to find a trade partner for Evgeny Kuznetsov? That could be huge. Are the Capitals destined to again be dumping players at the deadline, like MacLellan did in February? Or is there a bounce-back in sight? It’s hard to say at this point.
Not unlike a few other Eastern Conference clubs, Washington still feels like a work in progress. Keep an eye on MacLellan to potentially make waves as the summer rolls along.
Key players added: F Conor Sheary
Key players lost: F Ross Colton, F Alex Killorn, F Pat Maroon, F Corey Perry
Remaining cap space: -$3,895,833
Coach status: Jon Cooper is the NHL’s longest-tenured coach. He guided Tampa Bay to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships and another Cup Final to boot. Even with last season’s disappointing first-round playoff exit, it’s safe to say the Lightning like what they’ve got in Cooper. For now, anyway.
Overall grade: C. What can Tampa Bay do, really, with literally no money to spend? The Lightning used practically every dollar and high draft pick they had to fund those Cup runs, and surely the organization has no regrets given the results. At this point, though, Tampa Bay is saddled with long-term contracts doled out to some now-aging veterans and hoping that big commitments made to other key players (including Mikhail Sergachev and Anthony Cirelli) will continue paying dividends.
All that is to say, with the exception of bringing on Sheary and not extending Killorn, the Lightning won’t look too different in October than they did in April. Having to trade away Colton wasn’t ideal, but the cash wasn’t there to keep him in the fold. Tampa Bay had to know the well would eventually dry up and it would have to ride with decisions made in years past that fueled their success. Somehow, someway, the Lightning will have to pivot and find new ways to win with the personnel available.