The offseason frenzy has started to settle down and most teams look fairly set going into next year — for better or worse. Things may still change, but now feels like a good time to check in on which teams improved (or declined) the most this summer.
There are a lot of internal factors that can dictate how a team’s record changes from year to year. This article aims to focus solely on external changes: Who’s in and who’s out.
That’s the goal here, a look at which teams look better on paper now compared to where they were at the start of the offseason. That number is based on what the team’s Net Rating is now compared to what it would’ve been at the end of the 2023-24 season.
From most value added to least, here’s how each team has changed this offseason.
1. Chicago Blackhawks
Net Rating added: +51
Salary added: $26 million
Key Additions: Tyler Bertuzzi, Teuvo Teravainen, Ilya Mikheyev, Pat Maroon, Alec Martinez, TJ Brodie, Laurent Brossoit
Key Departures: Taylor Raddysh, Tyler Johnson, MacKenzie Entwistle, Nikita Zaitsev
The Blackhawks got rid of a whole lot of flotsam (addition by subtraction!) while adding two top-six forwards, a top-nine forward, two actual NHL-caliber defensemen and a goalie with stellar numbers. Yeah, they’re going to be a lot better next year and are the easy choice for this summer’s most improved team. That’s something our Scott Powers has dug deeper into.
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Chicago will still be a bad team, but won’t be an unwatchable mess whenever Connor Bedard is on the bench. That’s a big win for the next phase of the team’s build and Bedard’s future — he deserves more support to foster his growth as the NHL’s next big thing.
2. New Jersey Devils
Net Rating added: +38
Salary added: $11 million
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Key Additions: Stefan Noesen, Tomas Tatar, Paul Cotter, Brett Pesce, Brenden Dillon, Jacob Markstrom
Key Departures: Alexander Holtz, Tomas Nosek, John Marino, Kevin Bahl, Kaapo Kahkonen
The Devils are back to looking like a solid playoff bet and that’s mostly a result of finally adding a goalie. Jacob Markstrom grades out as an average starter and that’s a hell of an upgrade for this team in particular. The difference between Markstrom and Jake Allen relative to Allen and Kaapo Kahkonen is enormous.
The addition of Brett Pesce and Brenden Dillon on the blue line should help bolster that further. That duo is a nice defensive upgrade over John Marino and Kevin Bahl; both should pair nicely with the Devils’ future star defenders while making life easier for the team’s goalies.
Up front, New Jersey’s moves were mostly around the edges in the bottom six. The trio of Stefan Noesen, Tomas Tatar and Paul Cotter should at least provide a bit more substance than the guys they’re replacing.
3. Washington Capitals
Net Rating added: +31
Salary added: $16 million
Key Additions: Andrew Mangiapane, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Brandon Duhaime, Matt Roy, Jakob Chychrun, Logan Thompson
Key Departures: Max Pacioretty, Nicolas Aube-Kubel, Beck Malenstyn, Nick Jensen, Darcy Kuemper
The Capitals refuse to go quietly into the night. One of the league’s oldest teams looked destined for the basement as a prime regression candidate, but after a busy summer, Washington has added enough reinforcements to stay in the playoff mix.
The Capitals made the playoffs with a minus-37 goal differential and the odds of them repeating that feat looked slim. They recognized that and bolstered their lineup heavily, adding enough goals to move up the East’s hierarchy considerably. This group looks average-ish, and that gives them an OK playoff chance going into next year.
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Both Andrew Mangiapane and Pierre-Luc Dubois give the Capitals some top-six oomph that’s been missing the last few years. Even more importantly, they made some serious upgrades on the blue line with Matt Roy and Jakob Chychrun, both of whom grade out as top-pair caliber. The duo seriously strengthens the team’s top four and the Chychrun trade in particular was quite a coup with an in-decline Nick Jensen going the other way.
Washington’s lineup isn’t the belle of the ball, but it definitely looks a lot more formidable now.
4. Utah HC
Net Rating added: +25
Salary added: $15 million
Key Additions: Mikhail Sergachev, John Marino, Ian Cole
Key Departures: J.J. Moser, Travis Dermott, Josh Brown
I already waxed poetic about Utah’s offseason and while I was a little overzealous about their playoff chances before free agency, this is still a much-improved team. That’s all thanks to a revamped blue line that trades out three third-pair (or worse) guys for one top-pair stud, a legit top-four option, and a more dependable third-pair player. With Mikhail Sergachev, John Marino and Ian Cole in tow, Utah’s defense group finally looks NHL-caliber. That should be enough to put them in the playoff mix.
5. San Jose Sharks
Net Rating added: +25
Salary added: $17 million
Key Additions: Tyler Toffoli, Alex Wennberg, Barclay Goodrow, Jake Walman
Key Departures: Alex Barabanov, Filip Zadina, Mike Hoffman, Kyle Burroughs
Addition by subtraction goes a long way for one of the worst teams we’ve ever seen. The four players that San Jose added aren’t even all that great, combining for a minus-seven Net Rating. But that’s a huge gain from the four being replaced who sit at minus-32 combined.
San Jose still projects to be one of the league’s worst teams next season. But getting four actual NHL-caliber players headlined by one legit top-six forward should go a long way for watchability. It also adds some much-needed support for Macklin Celebrini in his first year. No one wants to see a repeat of what Connor Bedard went through last season.
6. Nashville Predators
Net Rating added: +21
Salary added: $9 million
Key Additions: Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, Brady Skjei, Scott Wedgewood
Key Departures: Jason Zucker, Kiefer Sherwood, Ryan McDonagh, Kevin Lankinen
The big winners of free agency land just outside the top five. The only thing standing in their way? A backup goalie swap that looks like a four-goal downgrade.
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Other than that, things look great in Nashville. The Predators added two bona fide top-six forwards, seriously boosting their attack. Replacing two bottom-six forwards with Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault is a big deal for the team’s bottom line. Now, a team that once looked destined for a rebuild has found new life with a re-tool that should keep Nashville in the playoff mix.
Add Brady Skjei — a modest upgrade on Ryan McDonagh with more offensive flair — to that and the Predators had a strong offseason. They sacrificed some defense to do so, but it was worth it for the added firepower. Only two teams improved their Offensive Rating more than Nashville and that’s a key consideration for a team coached by Andrew Brunette. The Predators’ roster now looks a lot closer to one he can do some damage with.
7. Seattle Kraken
Net Rating added: +21
Salary added: $10 million
Key Additions: Chandler Stephenson, Brandon Montour
Key Departures: Kailer Yamamoto, Justin Schultz, Brian Dumoulin
I don’t love what Seattle did this summer from a financial perspective, but the Kraken do look better going into next season as a result. Brandon Montour is a top-pair caliber defenseman and serves as a massive upgrade over Justin Schultz. With Ryker Evans serving as an internal upgrade over Brian Dumoulin, Seattle’s back end looks the strongest it has ever been.
Up front, Chandler Stephenson isn’t what he once was, but he’s certainly stronger than Kailer Yamamoto. He may not be worth the money, but his addition reinforces the Kraken’s advantage from 2022-23: a deep forward group.
Together, those two give Seattle a big offensive boost, something the Kraken seriously lacked last season. While the team’s offense still grades out as below average, it’s a big step up from their bottom-three ranking prior to free agency.
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8. Toronto Maple Leafs
Net Rating added: +14
Salary added: -$4 million
Key Additions: Chris Tanev, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Anthony Stolarz
Key Departures: Tyler Bertuzzi, Joel Edmundson, Ilya Lyubushkin, Ilya Samsonov
It’s looking more and more likely that the Leafs are running it back. Will this time be different? Maybe!
What helps make that decision feel like the best path forward is seeing where all of the league’s top contenders lie — at the bottom of this list. Almost every contender from last season looks demonstrably worse going into 2024-25. The Leafs? They look better, and that closes the gap between them and the league’s best considerably. The Leafs’ 2024 offseason has put the team back on track after last season’s questionable summer.
That stems entirely from the Leafs turning Joel Edmundson and Ilya Lyubushkin into Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Those are comparatively strong upgrades that give Toronto one of its best blue lines during this era. Adding Anthony Stolarz, who was stellar last season, to replace Ilya Samsonov looks like a great move too.
The Leafs could still use a top-six winger to replace Tyler Bertuzzi, but were right to prioritize the back end. It could be what finally pushes the team toward a deep playoff run. This is a much stronger defensive group.
9. Buffalo Sabres
Net Rating added: +12
Salary added: $5 million
Key Additions: Ryan McLeod, Jason Zucker, Nicolas Aube-Kubel, Beck Malenstyn, Sam Lafferty
Key Departures: Jeff Skinner, Victor Olofsson, Zemgus Girgensons
The Sabres completely revamped their bottom six and the result is a much more formidable group. That’s headlined by Ryan McLeod who looks like a great bet as the team’s defensive third-line center for years to come. He came at a high price, yes, but he’s exactly what the Sabres needed.
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The rest of the guys don’t move the needle much individually, but together they’re an improvement over what Buffalo previously had in its bottom six. If the team’s star players can look closer to the version of themselves from 2022-23, the Sabres should find themselves in the playoff mix.
10. Ottawa Senators
Net Rating added: +11
Salary added: $3 million
Key Additions: David Perron, Michael Amadio, Noah Gregor, Nick Jensen, Linus Ullmark
Key Departures: Mathieu Joseph, Dominik Kubalik, Parker Kelly, Mark Kastelic, Jakob Chychrun, Erik Brannstrom, Joonas Korpisalo
I wish Ottawa’s front office put its phone away after landing Linus Ullmark. That was a home run that put the Senators in the league’s upper half, one that added 18 goals alone to the roster.
Everything else the Senators have done has only hurt their playoff chances. The Jakob Chychrun trade was a disaster. Not qualifying Erik Brannstrom probably wasn’t wise. And signing Michael Amadio at the expense of Mathieu Joseph didn’t make a whole lot of sense given the latter is probably cheaper and better.
David Perron is fine and Ullmark is still a huge win — but the Senators left a lot of value on the board here.
11. New York Islanders
Net Rating added: +11
Salary added: $4 million
Key Additions: Anthony Duclair
Key Departures: Cal Clutterbuck, Matt Martin
It’s been evident for a while now that the Islanders’ fourth line wasn’t working — Cal Clutterbuck and Matt Martin didn’t have it anymore. Take those guys out and the team is already working in some addition by subtraction. Add a legitimate top-six scorer in Anthony Duclair and that turns into a big offensive win for the Islanders. Duclair feels like a great fit for the team’s top six, one that should help maintain the Islanders’ playoff staying power. They look like a solid bet to make it again this season.
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12. Anaheim Ducks
Net Rating added: +7
Salary added: $6 million
Key Additions: Robby Fabbri, Brian Dumoulin
Key Departures: Max Jones
The Ducks took on some salary and got slightly less awful in the process. Robby Fabbri doesn’t offer much value, but he should be an upgrade over Max Jones. Brian Dumoulin adds some much-needed defensive upside to the team’s blue line and at the very least he’s better than some of the guys Anaheim was trotting out last year.
13. Minnesota Wild
Net Rating added: +7
Salary added: $4 million
Key Additions: Yakov Trenin, Jakub Lauko
Key Departures: Vinni Lettieri
While I wasn’t a fan of the Yakov Trenin contract, he is at least an upgrade for the team’s bottom six compared to what the Wild were rolling out last season. It may not be earth-shattering, but it is an on-brand move that adds some defensive punch to Minnesota’s depth. Swapping Vinni Lettieri for Jakub Lauko was a subtle win as well.
14. St. Louis Blues
Net Rating added: +5
Salary added: $5 million
Key Additions: Mathieu Joseph, Alexandre Texier, Radek Faksa
Key Departures: Kevin Hayes
St. Louis’ new forwards don’t move the needle much, but they do help to push some less effective players out. Mathieu Joseph in particular appears to be a savvy add to the middle six, giving the Blues some depth there that they lacked last season. He grades out as a high-end third-line player, well worth the deal that the Senators apparently had to add a sweetener to in order to get rid of.
15. Montreal Canadiens
Net Rating added: +4
Salary added: -$1 million
Key Additions: None
Key Departures: Johnathan Kovacevic
Montreal didn’t do much this summer aside from trading Johnathan Kovacevic away. He grades out as a replaceable defender and there’s a strong chance the Canadiens can improve on what he offers internally. They have a stacked pool of defensive prospects ready to step in.
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16. Edmonton Oilers
Net Rating added: +3
Salary added: $1 million
Key Additions: Viktor Arvidsson, Jeff Skinner
Key Departures: Ryan McLeod, Warren Foegele
Most Stanley Cup finalists don’t get to run it back. Usually, they have to lose some key pieces to make the cap work the following year. Lucky for Edmonton, the Oilers not only didn’t have to lose any vitals cogs, they actually got to add reinforcements.
The Oilers were able to keep Adam Henrique around while also adding Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner. That gives Edmonton a seriously deep top nine that may be the best forward group we’ve seen in the cap era. Ryan McLeod and Warren Foegele offered a bit more defense, but it never hurts to have more scoring weapons up front. Arvidsson and Skinner are both obvious upgrades on that front and it’s possible Matt Savoie can factor in on that too.
The moves don’t move the needle as much as the name-brand value might suggest, but a team that was a goal away from glory getting better — even marginally so — is a big deal.
17. Vancouver Canucks
Net Rating added: +1
Salary added: -$8 million
Key Additions: Jake DeBrusk, Danton Heinen, Kiefer Sherwood, Derek Forbort, Vincent Desharnais
Key Departures: Elias Lindholm, Ilya Mikheyev, Ian Cole, Nikita Zadorov
The Canucks didn’t break the bank on Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov and that was probably for the best. Up front they replaced Lindholm’s value and then some with some key winger additions that should offer more support to the team’s two pillars at center. Jake DeBrusk feels like a fantastic fit for the Canucks and Danton Heinen is an underrated addition too.
On defense, the team’s new look third pair is probably a downgrade though. While the model isn’t super high on Zadorov or Ian Cole, it’s even lower on Derek Forbort and Vincent Desharnais. The duo will help the team’s defensive structure, but it comes at an offensive cost.
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18. Philadelphia Flyers
Net Rating added: 0
Salary added: -$6 million
Key Additions: None
Key Departures: Cam Atkinson
Taking last year’s Flyers and replacing Cam Atkinson with Matvei Michkov sounds like a huge win for Flyers fans. That’s probably an upgrade, even if it’s not accounted for here.
19. Pittsburgh Penguins
Net Rating added: 0
Salary added: $2 million
Key Additions: Kevin Hayes, Anthony Beauvillier, Matt Grzelcyk
Key Departures: Reilly Smith, Jeff Carter, Pierre-Olivier Joseph
Technically the Penguins finally improved on Jeff Carter in the bottom six. Technically Kevin Hayes is a sizeable upgrade. Technically.
Perhaps they should’ve aimed higher though as Hayes isn’t a great answer. The downgrade from Reilly Smith to Anthony Beauvillier nullifies whatever advantage is earned on that upgrade.
This probably won’t be a fun season for Sid and friends.
20. Columbus Blue Jackets
Net Rating added: 0
Salary added: $4 million
Key Additions: Sean Monahan, Jack Johnson
Key Departures: Alex Nylander, Alexandre Texier, Adam Boqvist
It’s not great for the Blue Jackets that the rest of the league’s basement looks tangibly better and Columbus is essentially running it back. It’s likely going to be another rough season, but at least they signed Johnny Gaudreau’s Calgary bestie to help boost morale. The model does not factor for friendship, but maybe that provides a boost for the Blue Jackets.
21. Tampa Bay Lightning
Net Rating added: -1
Salary added: -$8 million
Key Additions: Jake Guentzel, Cam Atkinson, Zemgus Girgensons, Ryan McDonagh, J.J. Moser
Key Departures: Steven Stamkos, Anthony Duclair, Tanner Jeannot, Mikhail Sergachev, Matt Dumba
The Lightning didn’t rest on their laurels after a first-round exit, they made some huge changes to keep this era alive. Steven Stamkos and Mikhail Sergachev out; Jake Guentzel and Ryan McDonagh in. That move is the essence of Tampa Bay’s summer where the team got three goals better while saving a million bucks. Tidy business.
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Stamkos is a franchise legend so his departure stings, but Guentzel’s addition should lessen the pain. That he costs only one million more is huge considering how much more value he brings to the table, especially at five-on-five. That’s an area of Stamkos’ game that was starting to lack. That came with a sacrifice on defense, but it’s one the Lightning should be able to live with. Sergachev was a luxury in Tampa Bay and McDonagh fits a lot better with the team’s current plans.
22. Colorado Avalanche
Net Rating added: -5
Salary added: -$5 million
Key Additions: Parker Kelly, Erik Brannstrom, Calvin de Haan
Key Departures: Yakov Trenin, Zach Parise, Andrew Cogliano, Sean Walker, Jack Johnson
Not much of note from the Avalanche this summer — just moves around the edges that make the team slightly worse from the post-deadline version. No biggie.
I love the bet they made on Erik Brannstrom though. He might be able to finally find his top-four potential in a better environment here.
23. Detroit Red Wings
Net Rating added: -9
Salary added: -$5 million
Key Additions: Vladimir Tarasenko, Tyler Motte, Erik Gustafsson, Cam Talbot
Key Departures: David Perron, Daniel Sprong, Robby Fabbri, Shayne Gostisbehere, Jake Walman
There seem to be a lot of Red Wings fans out there who believe Detroit did enough to jump into the playoffs. I am of the opposite opinion — it feels like the Red Wings got worse in an already difficult conference that got even harder.
Let’s go line-by-line.
Vladimir Tarasenko offers more offense than David Perron, but it comes at the expense of defense. That might be a wash.
Tyler Motte is probably a downgrade from Robby Fabbri and there’s no adequate replacement for Daniel Sprong and the depth offense he brought.
I like Erik Gustafsson more than any reasonable person should, but he’s still just an off-brand Shayne Gostisbehere. No Jake Walman means more Justin Holl too. The team’s already weak defense probably got worse.
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And while Cam Talbot had an excellent season with the Kings, I’m not sure he will repeat that at his age with this team. He’s likely more of the same as what the Red Wings already have in Alex Lyon and Ville Husso.
The Red Wings can still be a playoff team, but it probably won’t be because of anything they did this summer. It’ll take a lot of internal improvement from the team’s core to get there.
24. New York Rangers
Net Rating added: -11
Salary added: -$5 million
Key Additions: Reilly Smith
Key Departures: Jack Roslovic, Alex Wennberg, Barclay Goodrow, Erik Gustafsson
Losing Barclay Goodrow is probably addition by subtraction for the Rangers and while they weren’t able to keep their deadline adds, Reilly Smith should be serviceable in the middle six. Boring, but fine.
The “big” loss is Erik Gustafsson. The Rangers have long had issues with their third pair and his presence changed that giving the team much-needed defensive depth. Maybe Zac Jones can show some growth and soften the blow, but for now, the Rangers are left with a hole to fill on the third pair. Not a big one, but it’s one to consider.
25. Calgary Flames
Net Rating added: -11
Salary added: -$4 million
Key Additions: Anthony Mantha, Kevin Bahl, Jake Bean
Key Departures: Andrew Mangiapane, Oliver Kylington, Jacob Markstrom
The Flames just completed the next phase of their teardown and the team looks ready to net a high pick next season because of it. Trading away Jacob Markstrom leaves Calgary with some awfully questionable goaltending (unless Dustin Wolf takes a big leap in the majors), and the loss of Andrew Mangiapane makes the team’s top six much less threatening. Everything is going according to plan here.
26. Boston Bruins
Net Rating added: -18
Salary added: None
Key Additions: Elias Lindholm, Mark Kastelic, Nikita Zadorov, Joonas Korpisalo
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Key Departures: Jake DeBrusk, Danton Heinen, James van Riemsdyk, Pat Maroon, Matt Grzelcyk, Linus Ullmark
The Bruins made some key bets on re-distributing money and talent on their roster, I’m just not convinced it gave them a stronger one.
That all stems from the team giving up its regular-season superpower: The best goalie tandem in the league. It makes sense to move on from Linus Ullmark when Boston has someone as good as Jeremy Swayman, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t an overall downgrade between the pipes. Especially with Joonas Korpisalo coming the other way.
It’s a similar story up front where the Bruins gave up a lot of talent on the wings and went all-in on a new center. After the season Elias Lindholm just had, I’m not sure he moves the needle as much as he’s being paid to. The same goes for Boston’s other big acquisition: Nikita Zadorov, a career third-pair guy.
The two players should fit well on this team and could put up a lot more value than projected as a result, but it’ll still be hard for the Bruins to make up for what they’ve lost. This might finally be the year the Bruins lose a step in the Atlantic.
27. Los Angeles Kings
Net Rating added: -19
Salary added: -$9 million
Key Additions: Warren Foegele, Tanner Jeannot, Joel Edmundson, Darcy Kuemper
Key Departures: Viktor Arvidsson, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Carl Grundstrom, Blake Lizotte, Matt Roy, Cam Talbot
If it wasn’t already clear from three straight playoffs that there’s a massive gap between the Kings and Oilers, it should be even clearer now after a low-key bad offseason in Los Angeles.
The Kings cut bait on Pierre-Luc Dubois which is fine given the circumstances, but still leaves them with one less top-six caliber forward. The same goes for Viktor Arvidsson. Warren Foegele and Tanner Jeannot are far from adequate replacements there.
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Los Angeles received Darcy Kuemper the other way in the Dubois deal and I’m not sold he’s much of an improvement over Cam Talbot — at over twice the cost.
On defense, there may not be a bigger downgrade for a team than going from Matt Roy to Joel Edmundson. Maybe that’s mitigated by Brandt Clarke immediately ascending to top-four status, but that feels like a risk.
This Kings team already wasn’t good enough to go deep and they just got worse.
28. Carolina Hurricanes
Net Rating added: -21
Salary added: -$13 million
Key Additions: Jack Roslovic, William Carrier, Sean Walker, Shayne Gostisbehere
Key Departures: Jake Guentzel, Stefan Noesen, Brady Skjei, Brett Pesce
It shouldn’t be a shock to see Carolina down here. The Hurricanes lost their second pair and the superstar winger they acquired at the deadline and only made moves around the margins to replace them.
Both Sean Walker and Shayne Gostisbehere grade out well and come in a lot cheaper than Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce. But the latter have more experience in a top-four role. It’s a downgrade, even if Dmitry Orlov and Jalen Chatfield can help mitigate the damage in bigger roles.
Up front, both Jack Roslovic and William Carrier are fine middle-six additions, but the void left by Jake Guentzel lingers. The Canes are once again missing some oomph. Maybe a Martin Necas trade changes that.
29. Florida Panthers
Net Rating added: -23
Salary added: -$13 million
Key Additions: Jesper Boqvist, A.J. Greer, Tomas Nosek, Nate Schmidt, Adam Boqvist
Key Departures: Vladimir Tarasenko, Kevin Stenlund, Nick Cousins, Ryan Lomberg, Brandon Montour, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Anthony Stolarz
Flags fly forever and that’s all that matters for the Panthers. But they may learn quickly how difficult it is to repeat.
The team’s core remains intact and the Panthers should still be among the league’s best, but their depth took a serious hit this summer. That’s felt most on defense where the Panthers lost their best offensive defenseman in Brandon Montour, and their fourth-best defender in Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Both provided plus-offense from the blue line, an element that’s seriously missing from the current group — though the recent acquisition of Adam Boqvist helps to an extent. No team saw their Offensive Rating drop more than the Panthers this summer.
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The Panthers always find a way to make things work, but the group’s current defense corps leaves a lot to be desired. A bottom four featuring Niko Mikkola, Dmitry Kulikov, Nate Schmidt and Adam Boqvist is not ideal for a team with hopes of going back-to-back.
30. Dallas Stars
Net Rating added: -27
Salary added: -$1 million
Key Additions: Colin Blackwell, Matt Dumba, Brendan Smith, Ilya Lyubushkin, Casey DeSmith
Key Departures: Joe Pavelski, Chris Tanev, Ryan Suter, Jani Hakanpaa, Scott Wedgewood
Dallas’ immediate future will rely heavily on internal growth at forward to nullify the loss of Joe Pavelski. With Wyatt Johnston ready to take a leap and Logan Stankoven on the come-up, the Stars are fine there.
On defense? That’s a different story.
Matt Dumba is an incredibly worrying replacement for Chris Tanev and provides nowhere close to the same value as a shutdown option. The third pair doesn’t inspire much confidence either. The Stars are looking seriously top-heavy on the back end and defensive depth may once again be the team’s Achilles’ heel. Dallas once again enters the season with a clear hole on the second pair.
31. Vegas Golden Knights
Net Rating added: -28
Salary added: -$17 million
Key Additions: Alexander Holtz, Victor Olofsson, Ilya Samsonov
Key Departures: Jonathan Marchessault, Anthony Mantha, Chandler Stephenson, William Carrier, Michael Amadio, Logan Thompson
It’s time for Vegas to pay the piper after all its cap shenanigans. The Golden Knights are left with a cap-compliant group that looks awfully thin at forward without many immediate internal successors.
Most of Vegas’ free agency losses were understandable; this franchise is smart enough not to give Chandler Stephenson that contract. But losing Jonathan Marchessault without so much as a backup plan feels like an incredible fumble given the perfectly reasonable deal he signed with Nashville. Maybe giving Ivan Barbashev $5 million was a bad idea — who knew?
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Vegas may not be done yet and can still operate from a position of strength, its defense, to clean things up at forward. For now, it’s been a very underwhelming summer that threatens to drastically lower the Golden Knights standing in the West’s pecking order.
32. Winnipeg Jets
Net Rating added: -36
Salary added: -$20 million
Key Additions: Kaapo Kahkonen
Key Departures: Tyler Toffoli, Sean Monahan, Brenden Dillon, Nate Schmidt, Laurent Brossoit
Last year’s post-deadline Jets featured one of the deepest forward groups in the league. With Tyler Toffoli and Sean Monahan moving on, Winnipeg is back to square one with some key holes in its lineup. The same thing goes on defense where the drop-off from Brenden Dillon and Nate Schmidt to Logan Stanley and Colin Miller is considerable. In net, Kaapo Kahkonen is a huge downgrade from Laurent Brossoit.
Put that all together and the 2024-25 Jets look a lot weaker than the one that bowed out of the first round after just five games.
— Data via Evolving Hockey and CapFriendly
(Top photos of Tyler Bertuzzi and Jacob Markstrom: Jerome Miron / USA Today; Rich Graessle / NHLI via Getty Images)
