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Who aced the NHL offseason? Grading all 32 teams on their moves
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- Who aced the NHL offseason? Grading all 32 teams on their moves
(This story was updated to reflect new transactions.)
The NHL began cranking up again this month when training camps opened on Wednesday. Preseason games start Saturday and the 2024-25 regular season opens on Oct. 4 in Europe.
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There are plenty of new faces in new places after a busy offseason in which the Tampa Bay Lightning let longtime captain Steven Stamkos go to free agency and join the Nashville Predators . There were two successful offer sheets and Boston Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman is among the restricted free agents who still need contracts.
USA TODAY Sports grades all 32 NHL teams on the moves that they made during the offseason.
Steven Stamkos (91) and Jonathan Marchessault (81) will be teammates after signing with the Nashville Predators.
Anaheim Ducks : C-
The Ducks were relatively quiet this offseason (adding Brian Dumoulin and Robby Fabbri ) after being busy in the 2022 and 2023 offseasons. They have a good group of young players, including incoming rookie Cutter Gauthier , but they've been seventh or eighth in the Pacific Division the last four seasons. That seems likely again.
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Boston Bruins: B
They spent a lot of money to land free agent center Elias Lindholm and defenseman Nikita Zadorov . Lindholm gives them a much-needed two-way No. 1 center and Zadorov is gritty and showed a scoring touch after his trade to Vancouver . The Bruins also broke up the friendliest goalie duo in the NHL by trading former Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark to the Senators. No. 1 goalie Swayman, still unsigned, will be backed up by Joonas Korpisalo , who came the other way in the Ullmark trade.
Buffalo Sabres : C+
Bringing back coach Lindy Ruff was their best move. He was the Sabres' coach the last time they made the playoffs in 2011. But he had better players back then. The Sabres got a speedy penalty killer in Ryan McLeod but gave up 2022 first-round pick Matthew Savoie to land him. Buffalo bought out Jeff Skinner and could use a top six forward.
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Calgary Flames: D
The Flames are rebuilding and trading goalie Jacob Markstrom and forward Andrew Mangiapane is further proof of that. They added Ryan Lomberg and Anthony Mantha , but this is a lottery team again.
Carolina Hurricanes : C-
Their big trade deadline splashes, Jake Guentzel ( Tampa Bay ) and Evgeny Kuznetsov (Kontinental Hockey League), are gone. The Hurricanes had one of the NHL's top defenses, but now, it isn't as strong. Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce left in free agency, replaced by Shayne Gostisbehere and Sean Walker . Teuvo Teravainen (25 goals) also left and signee Jack Roslovic can't match his offense. The Hurricanes also announced that Jesper Fast isn't expected to play this season after having neck surgery.
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On the plus side, Seth Jarvis was re-signed for eight years and Martin Necas for two years. Also, coach Rod Brind'Amour, who gets the best out of players received a contract extension.
Chicago Blackhawks : B+
Connor Bedard didn't get much help last season and when he suffered a broken jaw , the team faltered. The Blackhawks got him help this offseason. Tyler Bertuzzi 's puck retrieval skills could make him a good linemate for Bedard. Teravainen, a four-time 20-goal scorer with the Hurricanes, is returning to Chicago. Laurent Brossoit will help the goaltending, though he had knee surgery and could miss all of training camp.
Colorado Avalanche : C+
They have little room to maneuver because they have to factor the possible early season return of injured captain Gabriel Landeskog and suspended Valeri Nichushkin into their salary cap equation. They re-signed Jonathan Drouin for a reasonable $2.5 million and signed defenseman Oliver Kylington . But if they get back Landeskog after two missed seasons, that would be a major addition.
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Columbus Blue Jackets : No grade
No grade is being assigned because the Blue Jackets are mourning the death of Johnny Gaudreau . This is a terrible tragedy for a team that had been building around the star forward on and off the ice after landing him in free agency in 2022.
In offseason transactions, new general manager Don Waddell fired coach Pascal Vincent and hired Dean Evason, signed free agent center Sean Monahan , Gaudreau's former teammate, and granted Patrik Laine his trade wish . Free agent James van Riemsdyk was signed just before training camp opened.
Dallas Stars: C+
Joe Pavelski retired and he will be tough to replace. The Stars couldn't get defenseman Chris Tanev re-signed and brought in free agent defenseman Matt Dumba as a replacement. Brendan Smith and Ilya Lyubushkin also joined the blue line, replacing Jani Hakanpaa and bought-out Ryan Suter . Rising defenseman Thomas Harley got a two-year bridge deal for a $4 million cap hit and Esa Lindell received a five-year extension for a $5.25 million cap hit. Casey DeSmith replaces Scott Wedgewood as backup to goalie Jake Oettinger.
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Detroit Red Wings : C
They re-signed Patrick Kane for another year and added two-time Cup winner Vladimir Tarasenko . Kane had 20 goals in 50 games after joining Detroit following hip surgery, so those moves should boost the offense. But Daniel Sprong (18 goals), Fabbri (18) and David Perron (17) are gone as is a 56-point defenseman in Gostisbehere. Detroit signed Erik Gustafsson (31 points and better defensively) to take his place. The Red Wings had inconsistent goaltending last season and added Cam Talbot and Jack Campbell to the mix.
Detroit had to save money for restricted free agents Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider . GM Steve Yzerman managed to get Raymond and Seider under contract long term for less than captain Dylan Larkin 's $8.7 million cap hit.
Edmonton Oilers : B
There were three parts to the Stanley Cup finalist's offseason. Executive Jeff Jackson brought back the team's third line for a cheap price and added secondary scoring with Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner. He also got prospect Savoie in a trade.
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Then Jackson hired Stan Bowman , fresh off reinstatement after he'd been ruled ineligible to work in the NHL following the Blackhawks scandal , as general manager. Bowman was quickly hit with two St. Louis Blues offer sheets to Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway . Bowman dealt Cody Ceci to create cap space, leading to the belief that he would match at least one offer sheet — but he let both players leave. Before that decision, he added Ty Emberson and Vasily Podkolzin for depth.
The third part was signing Leon Draisaitl to an eight-year extension with a record $14 million cap hit. The Oilers remain a threat to win it all next season.
Florida Panthers: B-
Getting 57-goal scorer Sam Reinhart signed to a team-friendly $8.625 million cap hit was crucial, but there still were key departures, notably Tarasenko, defensemen Brandon Montour and Oliver Ekman-Larsson and backup goalie Anthony Stolarz . Reuniting defenseman Nate Schmidt with coach Paul Maurice was a good move.
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Los Angeles Kings: B-
They admitted a mistake by shipping out underperforming Pierre-Luc Dubois (without retaining salary) and getting goalie Darcy Kuemper in the deal. They also traded for Tanner Jeannot , who underperformed in Tampa Bay. Warren Foegele scored 20 goals last season in Edmonton. Coach Jim Hiller had his interim tag removed .
Minnesota Wild : C+
Again hampered by the cap hits from earlier buyouts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, the Wild had little room to maneuver and added Yakov Trenin . But they signed defenseman Brock Faber to an eight-year extension after he finished second in Calder Trophy voting.
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Montreal Canadiens : B
The Canadiens' trade for Laine could have a major payoff if he returns to the production he had before injuries and a stint in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. They even got a second-round pick in the deal for taking on his whole salary. This is a young team that's growing together. Montreal gave an eight-year extension to 2022 No. 1 overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky after he experienced a 40-point jump in his second season.
Nashville Predators : A
They added 40-goal scorers and Stanley Cup winners in Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault , plus defenseman Skjei. Getting Juuse Saros signed to an eight-year extension was also big, and they traded prized goalie prospect Yaroslav Askarov later in the summer after he reportedly asked to be moved. This is a deeper team that should be in a playoff position all season instead of having to make a late push.
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New Jersey Devils : A-
The Devils' issues last year were goaltending and defensive depth and they addressed both. Markstrom is the veteran goalie they needed. Adding Pesce and Brenden Dillon means the Devils won't have to overuse young defensemen Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec in case of injury. The signings took on extra meaning when Hughes and Nemec suffered offseason injuries.
Tomas Tatar and Stefan Noesen , coming back to the franchise, will provide secondary scoring. New coach Sheldon Keefe has had regular-season success, though not playoff success. The Devils need the first at the moment after two playoff appearances in 12 years.
New York Islanders: C
Free agent forward Anthony Duclair adds speed to the lineup and played for coach Patrick Roy in junior hockey. But otherwise, not much was done to improve a team that ranked 22nd in scoring last season.
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New York Rangers: C
No bold moves to get the team past the conference final. They traded for Reilly Smith , gave Kaapo Kakko another chance to prove himself with a one-year deal and waived Barclay Goodrow and his $3.6 million cap hit. Sam Carrick moves onto his role at a $1 million cap hit. A trade of captain Jacob Trouba never happened.
Ottawa Senators: B
Ullmark gives them an upgrade in net over Korpisalo. They finally pulled the plug on trading defenseman Jakob Chychrun , landing second-pairing defenseman Nick Jensen. Free agents Perron and Michael Amadio will boost their secondary scoring. They also signed Stanley Cup winner Nick Cousins on a one-year deal. Travis Green was named coach .
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Philadelphia Flyers : B-
They're essentially running it back with the team that was in the playoff race until Game 82. The big difference: Skilled forward Matvei Michkov came over from Russia earlier than expected and should push for rookie of the year. Cam Atkinson was bought out and the Flyers terminated the contract of Ryan Johansen , who never played for them after a trade. That move is being challenged.
Pittsburgh Penguins : B
Kyle Dubas' summer looked a lot better after he swung a trade for University of Michigan forward Rutger McGroarty , sending Penguins top prospect Brayden Yager to the Jets for a prospect who could play in the NHL this season. He followed that up by signing captain Sidney Crosby to a two-year extension two days before camp opened.
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Before that, he essentially shuffled the bottom six forwards by shipping out Reilly Smith, trading for forwards Kevin Hayes and Cody Glass and signing forwards Anthony Beauvillier and Blake Lizotte . At some point, captain Sidney Crosby will get a contract extension.
St. Louis Blues: B
Kudos to GM Doug Armstrong for sizing up the Oilers' cap situation and throwing some excitement into the dog days of the offseason by landing Broberg and Holloway via offer sheets. Both looked good during Edmonton's playoff run and could grow into their contracts. The additions of Broberg and Suter look better with the Blues confirming that defenseman Torey Krug needs season-ending ankle surgery. Coach Drew Bannister had his interim tag removed .
San Jose Sharks: B+
GM Mike Grier pared down the team last season, ended up with the No. 1 pick and drafted Macklin Celebrini . Now, he has added back with three-time 30-goal scorer Tyler Toffoli , Alex Wennberg , Ty Dellandrea , Goodrow and Ceci. They also made an aggressive trade for goalie prospect Askarov. Rookies Celebrini and Will Smith won't have to carry the team and first-time NHL head coach Ryan Warsofsky will try to put it all together.
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Seattle Kraken: B-
The Kraken hired former Stanley Cup winner Dan Bylsma as coach and free agent signees Montour and Chandler Stephenson have won championships. They also locked in former No. 2 overall pick Matty Beniers to a seven-year extension worth nearly $50 million after a 20-point drop-off in his second full NHL season. The 2023 rookie of the year should be able to rebound. Defenseman Adam Larsson got a four-year, $21 million extension. The Kraken also made history with their hiring of assistant coach Jessica Campbell .
Tampa Bay Lightning: B+
It will be strange not seeing longtime captain Stamkos and fellow two-time Cup winner Mikhail Sergachev in a Tampa jersey this season. Guentzel can make up for Stamkos' offense, though he doesn't have the same power play numbers. Reacquired defenseman Ryan McDonagh will help the team's five-on-five play and J.J. Moser can provide some offense from the blue line.
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Toronto Maple Leafs: B
The Maple Leafs changed captains from John Tavares to Auston Matthews and coaches from Keefe to former Stanley Cup winner Craig Berube . He preaches accountability, important to a team that has trouble advancing in the playoffs . GM Brad Treliving also boosted the defense with shot-blocking Tanev and Cup winner Ekman-Larsson. He brought back Max Domi and signed Stolarz to back up oft-injured Joseph Woll.
Utah Hockey Club: A-
The former Coyotes made a splash in their new location by trading for defensemen Sergachev and John Marino . They also signed defenseman Ian Cole. This is a team looking to win, not taking on contracts to get to the salary cap floor as it did in Arizona.
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Vancouver Canucks: B
Their free agent moves almost felt like a trade. Lindholm and Zadorov (both trade deadline acquisitions) went to Boston in free agency and Bruins players Jake DeBrusk , Danton Heinen and Derek Forbort signed with Vancouver. Signing Sprong (39 goals over the last two seasons) will add secondary scoring. Backup goalie DeSmith left in free agency, but goalie Arturs Silovs showed his worth in the playoffs.
Vegas Golden Knights : D
The team's depth took a major hit when Marchessault, Stephenson, Amadio and William Carrier left in free agency. Their goaltending will also look different with Logan Thompson being granted a trade wish and Ilya Samsonov signed to pair with Adin Hill. You can always count on the Golden Knights making a big move , but for now, they have taken a step back.
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Washington Capitals: B+
By trading for Dubois (assuming he finds his game), Mangiapane and Chychrun, the Capitals will improve on their 28th-ranked offense. The Capitals acquired a good goaltending partner for Charlie Lindgren in Thompson and signed solid defenseman Matt Roy, who kills penalties and blocks shots. Washington should be able to improve on its -37 goal differential and Alex Ovechkin will have more help as he continues his chase of Wayne Gretzky's goal record .
Winnipeg Jets: D
Trade deadline acquisitions Toffoli and Monahan, defensemen Schmidt (buyout) and Dillon, backup goalie Brossoit and top prospect McGroarty (trade) are gone. They did get solid prospect Yager in the McGroarty trade. Coach Rick Bowness retired and assistant Scott Arniel replaced him .
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NHL offseason grades: Which teams had the best moves?
