The summer calm has arrived, the time of the offseason where player movement slows to a crawl and most teams look set for next season — for better or worse. Some things can still change, but now feels like a good time to look at which teams improved (or declined) most this summer.
As usual, this article is about external changes only: who’s in and who’s out. There are a lot of internal reasons as to why a team gets better or worse from year to year, but that’s not the focus here. It’s all about whether a team looks stronger on paper now compared to where they were at the start of the offseason. That’s based on the change in their Net Rating from their current roster to the one they ended the 2024-25 season with (including players acquired at the deadline).
This is not an exact science, nor is it a list of how good each team is expected to be next season — just how much they’ve changed. A great team with a poor offseason can still be a great team next season. Same with a bad team after an excellent offseason.
From most value added to least, here’s how each team has changed this summer.
1. San Jose Sharks
Net Rating added: +26
In: Jeff Skinner, Adam Gaudette, Philipp Kurashev, Dmitry Orlov, John Klingberg, Nick Leddy, Alex Nedeljkovic
Out: Nikolai Kovalenko, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Henry Thrun, Alexandar Georgiev
Addition by subtraction is often the most powerful tool when it comes to meaningful offseason change, especially for the league’s worst teams. The Sharks added three new forwards, three new defensemen and one new goalie and even though all but one are below average, they’re all upgrades over what’s being replaced.
Jeff Skinner is one of the bigger names and he’s usually at his best on bad teams. He has the offensive ability to play in the top six, but doesn’t have the defensive chops to make it work in the bottom six on a good team. Here, he’s home and should fit the Mikael Granlund void fine.
The bigger story here is on the back end. Dmitry Orlov gives the Sharks a legitimate top-four defenseman, while John Klingberg has the potential to be that if he can keep up his playoff turnaround. At the very least, one of the two will give the Sharks a real power-play QB, something they were missing after moving Jake Walman. Nick Leddy isn’t more than a third-pair defenseman, but even that is an improvement over someone such as Marc-Edouard Vlasic or Henry Thrun.
San Jose will still likely be one of the league’s worst teams next year, but they’ve given themselves a chance to be more competitive.
The Canadiens acquired Noah Dobson in a trade with the Islanders. (Russell LaBounty / Imagn Images)2. Montreal Canadiens
Net Rating added: +23
In: Zack Bolduc, Noah Dobson
Out: Emil Heineman, Logan Mailloux, David Savard, Christian Dvorak, Joel Armia
If you’re a Canadiens fan, it’s time to get excited. Only one team has improved more over the last summer externally and it’s likely that few teams will improve more internally, given the collective age of Montreal’s roster.
That doesn’t necessarily mean the Canadiens will improve over last year’s finish, but it does mean they are far less likely to regress with significantly more substance behind their results.
The big get is Noah Dobson, who has the potential to be Lane Hutson’s Devon Toews. Dobson is a true top-pair defenseman, someone who adds tremendous upside to Montreal’s back end with his puck-moving ability. He’s a substantial get on his own, but the fact that it also means no more David Savard almost doubles the joy. Between the two, it’s a 16-goal swing.
It’s a similar effect in giving up Emil Heineman for Dobson, and then trading for Zack Bolduc soon after. Heineman is a fine bottom-six player on the rise, but Bolduc showed he’s already top-six caliber in his rookie season. What’s exciting about Bolduc is his defensive game, a sorely missing element from Montreal’s forward ranks beyond Nick Suzuki.
If Montreal stood pat this summer, there was a good chance the team would take a step back after taking several steps forward last season. With Dobson and Bolduc in the fold, Montreal looks poised to build on last year’s surprise playoff berth and prove they belong for the long haul.
3. Anaheim Ducks
Net Rating added: +15
In: Chris Kreider, Mikael Granlund, Ryan Poehling, Petr Mrazek
Out: Trevor Zegras, Isac Lundestrom, John Gibson
The biggest addition for the Ducks is not one that the model is going to capture. It’s the new guy behind the bench: Joel Quenneville. That’s likely to be a significant tactical upgrade for the franchise, one that brings about numerous internal improvements.
Beyond that, Anaheim has also fortified its forward group with two major additions and one intriguing trade. Chris Kreider and Mikael Granlund aren’t young or without flaws, but they are both top-six caliber players who can bolster Anaheim’s attack. Those additions give young centers Mason McTavish and Leo Carlsson some actual help to work with on the wing, enough for the Ducks to start digging out from the league’s basement.
As for Ryan Poehling, he may not possess the offensive flash that Trevor Zegras has, but he does bring the defensive substance the Ducks desperately need. He provides a big boost to Anaheim’s bottom six.
4. Carolina Hurricanes
Net Rating added: +9
In: Nikolaj Ehlers, K’Andre Miller
Out: Brent Burns, Dmitry Orlov
At long last, the Hurricanes got their guy. There’s no doubt that Nikolaj Ehlers will be a game-changer for the Hurricanes, the exact kind of dynamic offensive talent Carolina has needed for a while. Carolina may still be a 2C short, but the team’s winger room is stacked.
The back end is a bit trickier to evaluate, given K’Andre Miller’s last season. Miller took a step back along with the rest of the Rangers and doesn’t currently grade out as a huge needle-mover relative to what the Hurricanes lost. The fit, though, is hard to ignore and it wouldn’t be a shock to see Miller elevate to his best self in Carolina’s system.
With Alexander Nikishin ready to rock, Carolina’s defense looks promising, even if on paper it arguably took a step back. It’s up to the new guys to deliver, but regardless, the addition of Ehlers is huge. It’s enough to make the Hurricanes one of the league’s most improved teams this summer, which speaks volumes about a team that’s coming off a trip to the conference finals.
5. Vegas Golden Knights
Net Rating added: +9
In: Mitch Marner, Colton Sissons, Jeremy Lauzon
Out: Nicolas Roy, Victor Olofsson, Alex Pietrangelo, Nicolas Hague, Ilya Samsonov
No team added a better player this summer than Vegas, snagging a franchise star in Mitch Marner at a fair price. Marner completely changes Vegas’ forward dynamic, adding an elite point producer with serious defensive chops at the top of the lineup. Adding Marner to a team that already features Jack Eichel, Mark Stone and William Karlsson is a serious luxury to Vegas’ two-way ability.
The Golden Knights are going to be a force next season thanks to one of the league’s most stacked forward groups. Losing Nicolas Roy and Victor Olofsson isn’t a big deal when the team has so much depth already and they’re adding a top 15 forward to the mix on top of that.
Adding Marner wasn’t the only news of the summer, though. Vegas’ standing took a hit when it was revealed that Alex Pietrangelo’s playing days were likely over. While Pietrangelo may not be the player he once was, likely due to injury, he was still a very capable top-four option that brought stability to the back end. It’s a hole that will be difficult to fill and while Kaedan Korczak is an extremely interesting internal option, Vegas’ defense corps is still obviously worse without Pietrangelo around. He’s a big loss that dampens the effect of adding a superstar.
6. Seattle Kraken
Net Rating added: +9
In: Mason Marchment, Frederick Gaudreau, Ryan Lindgren
Out: Andre Burakovsky, Michael Eyssimont
Dumping Andre Burakovsky and adding Mason Marchment was tidy business for Seattle. Burakovsky had been floundering the last couple of years for the Kraken while Marchment looked like top-six caliber for the Stars — for $1 million less, too. Couple that with the veteran presence of Ryan Lindgren pushing Josh Mahura out of the lineup, and the Kraken look a bit more competitive going into next season.
Whether that should’ve been the plan, given the current league landscape and the prize waiting for the league’s worst team at the end of this season, is an argument for another article.
7. Buffalo Sabres
Net Rating added: +9
In: Josh Doan, Justin Danforth, Michael Kesselring, Conor Timmins, Alex Lyon
Out: JJ Peterka, Sam Lafferty, Connor Clifton, Jacob Bernard-Docker
There are a lot of folks who haven’t been thrilled with Buffalo’s offseason and that’s understandable. For the third straight year, it feels like it’s been time to push the chips in, spend some money and gun for a playoff spot. Instead, the Sabres made depth moves and shipped off a true top-six scorer without addressing the void afterward.
It feels like a wasted opportunity, which probably makes Buffalo’s placement here seem out of touch with reality.
Maybe it is — betting on the Sabres has been a terrible idea for over a decade. But maybe this is the year Buffalo does turn the corner, thanks to internal jumps buoyed by cleaned-up depth.
Josh Doan is not as good as JJ Peterka. That’s a downgrade without question. But his underrated defensive game compared to Peterka’s issues without the puck does mean the gap might not be as large as their point totals suggest. Add more Justin Danforth and less Beck Malenstyn on the fourth line and it’s possible the Sabres can cover up the loss in the aggregate. There is arguably enough young, developing forward depth to sustain a Peterka-sized loss.
The more important factor, though, is that the jump from Connor Clifton to Michael Kesselring is substantially larger than the drop from Peterka to Doan. Buffalo’s defense corps was a major weakness last season, one that Kesselring’s presence can help fix. He did well in a top-pair role when Utah ran into injuries last season, enough to believe he’s a true top-four defenseman. Pair him with Owen Power and Buffalo’s top four looks genuinely decent for the first time in a long time.
The addition of Conor Timmins should help with things as well. He showed some promise in an elevated role with Pittsburgh, enough to believe he can form an actually good third pair with the defensively stout Mattias Samuelsson. Timmins isn’t much, but he’s probably a better option than what Buffalo was toiling with last year in the same role.
Defensive depth is something this team has been missing for a while. If everything goes according to plan after this offseason, it’ll finally be a source of strength for Buffalo. And that could be what changes everything for this team. The Sabres have gone from one good pair led by Rasmus Dahlin to potentially three.
8. Ottawa Senators
Net Rating added: +7
In: Lars Eller, Jordan Spence
Out: Adam Gaudette, Travis Hamonic, Anton Forsberg
One of Ottawa’s biggest issues last season was a wretched third pair. No matter what combination of Tyler Kleven, Nikolas Matinpalo and Travis Hamonic was out there, things did not go well. The addition of Jordan Spence helps alleviate that. He’s someone with a proven ability to crush sheltered minutes. Some may scoff at the idea of a third-pair powerhouse, but the Senators weren’t getting anything close to what Spence can offer in the same role.
Spence, based on his numbers after accounting for usage, looks like a player who has the potential to make a top-four jump. That’s the best-case scenario, which would push Nick Jensen to a more appropriate role. If the worst case is that Spence can’t (likely due to his smaller stature), but keeps crushing soft minutes, that’s still a big win that has moved the needle considerably for the Senators.
Ottawa may not have filled its biggest need (a top-line forward), but cleaning up the edges of the roster has put them on more stable playoff footing going into next season.
9. Detroit Red Wings
Net Rating added: +6
In: James van Riemsdyk, Mason Appleton, Jacob Bernard-Docker, John Gibson
Out: Vladimir Tarasenko, Tyler Motte, Jeff Petry, Alex Lyon, Petr Mrazek
The Red Wings may have mostly operated around the edges, but the team looks better because of it, even if none of the players the team brought in look like they bring a lot to the table. James van Riemsdyk and Mason Appleton aren’t anything special, but it beats playing someone such as Tyler Motte. Jacob Bernard-Docker doesn’t look like much either, but if the alternative is Jeff Petry or Justin Holl, that’s a small win for the Red Wings, too.
The biggest change, though, is between the pipes. John Gibson’s track record has been spotty of late, but he looked genuinely locked in last season and should provide a more stable presence over Alex Lyon.
It’s a patchwork job and the team still needs work overall to make the postseason, but the Red Wings do look incrementally more competitive.
10. Tampa Bay Lightning
Net Rating added: +6
In: Pontus Holmberg, Jakob Pelletier
Out: Luke Glendening, Nick Perbix
Just how bad was Tampa Bay’s depth last year? The simple addition of two slightly more competent bottom-six forwards, Pontus Holmberg and Jakob Pelletier, looks like a major contribution for a contending team. Holmberg, in particular, is a massive upgrade over Luke Glendening, whose Net Rating drifted below minus-10 last year, one of the worst marks in the league. With the Lightning’s elite top six still in place, a couple of fixes at the bottom has them looking like one of the teams to beat this year.
11. Boston Bruins
Net Rating added: +4
In: Viktor Arvidsson, Tanner Jeannot, Sean Kuraly, Michael Eyssimont
Out: Cole Koepke, Parker Wotherspoon
The Bruins look better for just one reason and that’s the addition of Viktor Arvidsson. His presence as a top-nine level player helps push one of Boston’s lesser options out of the lineup. The rest? They mostly just replace other similarly poor players at a much higher cost. Between Tanner Jeannot and Sean Kuraly, the Bruins are spending $5.25 million on two replacement-level players. If only there were a smarter way to spend $5.25 million …
12. New York Rangers
Net Rating added: +3
In: Taylor Raddysh, Vladislav Gavrikov, Scott Morrow
Out: K’Andre Miller, Chris Kreider
At the very least, Vladislav Gavrikov looks like he can be a significant upgrade over K’Andre Miller. Gavrikov was a true top-pair defenseman for the Kings last season and a defensive beast. He should look great on a pair with Adam Fox, or drive a matchup pair behind him — something Miller struggled to do last season.
Still, it would’ve been nice to add Gavrikov to a blue line that still had Miller rather than choose one over the other. The Rangers went from being short two top-four defensemen to being short two top-four defensemen. It’s possible that Scott Morrow can step in and be that right away for them, but it doesn’t feel like a likely bet in Year 1, considering how green he looked during the playoffs for Carolina.
As for the forwards, things still look really thin. Taylor Raddysh is probably a fourth liner and the Rangers already have enough of those.
13. Chicago Blackhawks
Net Rating added: +3
In: Andre Burakovsky, Sam Lafferty
Out: Philipp Kurashev, Patrick Maroon, Alec Martinez, TJ Brodie
It’s probably not a good sign that one of the league’s absolute worst teams only marginally improved compared to last season. Andre Burakovsky is not the top-six forward he once was and is probably only a minor upgrade over what was already here.
A lot is riding on internal improvement for Chicago this year. With no reinforcements coming in, it’s up to the youngsters to step up. Good luck.
14. New Jersey Devils
Net Rating added: +2
In: Connor Brown, Evgenii Dadonov
Out: Erik Haula, Curtis Lazar, Brian Dumoulin
With Connor Brown and Evgenii Dadonov in the fold, New Jersey’s bottom six is slightly better. Slightly. There’s still a lot of work to do in order to make this team a contender, though. The Devils desperately need one more top-six forward to move up a tier.
15. Philadelphia Flyers
Net Rating added: +1
In: Trevor Zegras, Christian Dvorak, Dan Vladar
Out: Ryan Poehling
Sorry, but it was really funny to see the Flyers address their biggest problem, goaltending, with one of the worst options around. Hopefully, Dan Vladar can do well here, but his track record is rough.
Trevor Zegras and Christian Dvorak are a lot more interesting. Zegras offers a potential offensive spark that’s seriously missing among the team’s forward group, while Dvorak should help replace some of the depth defense that was lost when the team dealt Ryan Poehling for Zegras.
The Flyers probably won’t be much better than last year, but the addition of Zegras is at least intriguing. The upside there is obvious — he just needs to make due on his promise.
16. Minnesota Wild
Net Rating added: 0
In: Vladimir Tarasenko, Nico Sturm
Out: Gustav Nyquist, Frederick Gaudreau, Declan Chisholm
The Wild spent the summer rearranging deck chairs. Vladimir Tarasenko and Nico Sturm are pretty close in impact to Gustav Nyquist and Frederick Gaudreau. The real wild card here will be how much value Zeev Buium can bring in from the jump. The Wild moved Declan Chisholm to make room for the rookie defender — will it pay off?
17. Calgary Flames
Net Rating added: 0
In: Ivan Prosvetov
Out: Dan Vladar
Does losing Anthony Mantha count? Probably not. In that case, we get one replacement-level goalie replacing another. Boring!
18. Columbus Blue Jackets
Net Rating added: 0
In: Charlie Coyle, Miles Wood, Isac Lundestrom
Out: James van Riemsdyk, Sean Kuraly, Justin Danforth, Jordan Harris, Daniil Tarasov
The Blue Jackets shuffled a few things around, mostly to end up in the same place. Miles Wood and Isac Lundestrom dragging things down is the primary culprit for that, though Wood adds some jam that could be helpful for a young team.
At the very least, Charlie Coyle is a stabilizing piece down the middle for the team’s top nine. He offers some positional flexibility as a utility player and was a decent get — even if the cost to acquire him felt high.
19. Washington Capitals
Net Rating added: 0
In: Justin Sourdif
Out: Andrew Mangiapane, Lars Eller
After having one of the strongest offseasons last year, the Capitals mostly moved around the edges this summer. The hope is that internal improvements from key young players will be able to replace what the team lost in Andrew Mangiapane and Lars Eller. Ryan Leonard and Hendrix Lapierre look like they can adequately fill those shoes.
Newcomer Justin Sourdif is the wild card here, considering his lack of NHL experience (four games) and Washington’s high acquisition cost. I don’t currently have a projection for him, but it doesn’t feel likely he will move the needle a considerable degree here.
20. St. Louis Blues
Net Rating added: -1
In: Pius Suter, Nick Bjugstad, Logan Mailloux
Out: Zack Bolduc, Radek Faksa, Nick Leddy, Ryan Suter
St. Louis’ placement here is not a product of what seems like a decent summer, but rather the lack of a projection for Logan Mailloux. The young defender played just seven chaotic games for Montreal last year and it wouldn’t be fair to judge what he can do based on that data. In theory, he’s the exact kind of defender the Blues need: one who can bring a lot of offense from the blue line.
In practice, though, Mailloux is a giant question mark. Zack Bolduc isn’t — he looks like a potentially strong top-six player with defensive upside. The difference there is what colors the Blues’ placement here. If Mailloux can be as impactful as Bolduc already is, the Blues would shoot up considerably. That’s still a big if at this juncture, but at the very least, it was probably a worthy bet considering St. Louis’ surplus of winger talent. The presence of Jimmy Snuggerud for a full season should help offset the loss of Bolduc internally.
Aside from that, it’s easy to like what the Blues did nabbing Pius Suter and Nick Bjugstad. Those two considerably bolster the team’s center depth, with the latter being a notable upgrade over Radek Faksa.
21. Pittsburgh Penguins
Net Rating added: -1
In: Anthony Mantha, Justin Brazeau, Matt Dumba, Parker Wotherspoon, Connor Clifton, Arturs Silovs
Out: Matt Grzelcyk, Conor Timmins, Vladislav Kolyachonok, Alex Nedeljkovic
The problem with Pittsburgh’s summer is that the Penguins have not become bad enough yet. If they want to be serious about Gavin McKenna, there’s still a lot of work to get to Chicago and San Jose territory.
The additions that Pittsburgh did make do look like decent lottery tickets, though. Anthony Mantha, if healthy, looks like a great bounce-back candidate while Justin Brazeau showed some nice promise two seasons ago. On defense, Parker Wotherspoon’s underlying numbers suggest he has some upside while Matt Dumba has the name recognition to potentially get flipped for value at the deadline. The Penguins gave themselves a lot of future mid-round pick ammo here.
Until Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell or Erik Karlsson get moved, though, this has been a very mid summer. There’s a lot of room to get worse.
Brent Burns brings borderline top-four value to the Avalanche. (Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images)22. Colorado Avalanche
Net Rating added: -2
In: Brent Burns
Out: Jonathan Drouin, Charlie Coyle, Miles Wood, Ryan Lindgren
It feels like many are underrating the Colorado Avalanche, at least if Gabriel Landeskog looks as good as he did during the playoffs. He could be the biggest difference between last year’s team and this year’s, helping to replace some of the void left by Mikko Rantanen. Retaining Brock Nelson is also underappreciated.
In terms of who’s in and who’s out from this summer, though, the Avalanche did take a small step back. Jonathan Drouin and Charlie Coyle are notable losses from the top nine that will be felt; there’s no denying that. But it does help that the Avalanche let Ryan Lindgren walk and signed Brent Burns instead. Even at his advanced age, Burns still has some game left and brings borderline top-four value to the Avalanche as a puck-mover. With the team’s second pair being one of the biggest problems last year, Burns is a savvy addition that keeps Colorado in the contender’s circle.
23. Florida Panthers
Net Rating added: -2
In: Jeff Petry, Daniil Tarasov
Out: Nate Schmidt, Vitek Vanecek
The defending back-to-back champs are basically running it back. Be very afraid that the Panthers only lost two goals of value and were able to keep all three of their key free agents: Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand and Aaron Ekblad. Florida looked likely to be at the bottom of this list after the parade ended and management’s ability to minimize the damage has been commendable.
The only notable difference here is Jeff Petry in to take Nate Schmidt’s role. It’s a downgrade given what Schmidt was able to do for the Panthers last season, but a small one. Petry wasn’t great in Detroit’s top four, but should be adequate in a sheltered role.
24. New York Islanders
Net Rating added: -2
In: Jonathan Drouin, Maxim Shabanov, Emil Heineman, David Rittich
Out: Noah Dobson
Noah Dobson — even if he’s not exactly beloved by those on Long Island — is a big loss. While he’s probably not as good as his 2023-24 breakout, he’s probably also not as bad as he looked in 2024-25 (though the numbers don’t exactly agree with that sentiment either). He’s a top-pair defenseman and any team losing that is going to take a big hit. Until Matthew Schaefer arrives, the Islanders’ defense corps is going to be a lot worse.
What’s going a bit unnoticed is that the team’s forward group looks a lot better. Beyond a healthy Mathew Barzal, the addition of Jonathan Drouin looks like a nice bet given what he’s shown in Colorado the last two seasons. It’s possible he’s completely a product of Nathan MacKinnon, but the reward is worth that risk if he’s truly found his game as a top-six forward. Emil Heineman, while not a needle-mover, is a decent bottom-six improvement over a big drag like Kyle MacLean.
The wild card is Maxim Shabanov, who signed with the Islanders after scoring 67 points in 65 games in the KHL. It’s hard to know what Shabanov can do in the NHL given his size, but it’s worth noting that Maxim Tsyplakov, whose KHL numbers were worse, ended up being a decent third liner. If Shabanov can mirror that, the Islanders’ forward group looks a lot deeper than given credit for, even if it lacks high-end upside.
25. Vancouver Canucks
Net Rating added: -2
In: Evander Kane
Out: Pius Suter
The trade is one-for-one and it’s not a win for Vancouver. Evander Kane looks like a downgrade.
Kane is probably better than his underlying numbers give him credit for and he was a noticeable force during the playoffs … aside from his penalty box parade, of course. He brings a different element to Vancouver’s top six and should add some offensive pop. But it would’ve been nice to see the Canucks retain Pius Suter on top of that. If it was either or, Vancouver made a questionable choice — especially when factoring for position.
Without Suter, the Canucks remain thin up front and especially down the middle. His defensive presence will be seriously missed. Depending on Filip Chytil to stay available for an entire season is a huge gamble and the Canucks will be in trouble the minute he’s out.
It’s not a disastrous offseason, but these being the only moves so far doesn’t inspire much confidence.
26. Dallas Stars
Net Rating added: -4
In: Radek Faksa, Vladislav Kolyachonok
Out: Mikael Granlund, Evgenii Dadonov, Mason Marchment, Cody Ceci, Matt Dumba
The Stars had one mission this offseason: fit under the cap. Dumping Mason Marchment and Matt Dumba fit the bill and what remains should still be a good team. There are internal solutions to both that minimize their losses, especially Dumba, whose game is closer to addition by subtraction territory. Vladislav Kolyachonok looks like a boilerplate third-pair guy, but even that feels like an upgrade on Dumba.
For many, the big loss on paper is probably Mikael Granlund. The Stars are more than deep enough to survive his absence. His empty-calorie points probably won’t be missed much — especially if someone such as Mavrik Bourque takes a big step.
27. Nashville Predators
Net Rating added: -4
In: Erik Haula, Nicolas Hague, Nick Perbix
Out: Colton Sissons, Jeremy Lauzon
After “winning” the offseason last year, the Predators decided to go in a different direction this summer. Erik Haula isn’t much of an upgrade over Colton Sissons, and while Nicolas Hague holds some promise, he doesn’t have the top-four experience that Jeremy Lauzon has. Nick Perbix also feels a little redundant to some of the lesser-known options the team already has, too. The end result is more of the same, but probably a little worse.
28. Utah Mammoth
Net Rating added: -8
In: JJ Peterka, Brandon Tanev, Nate Schmidt
Out: Matias Maccelli, Josh Doan, Nick Bjugstad, Michael Kesselring
Of all the team placements on this list, Utah’s might be the most perplexing. JJ Peterka was one of the biggest additions of the summer, but he’s far from a perfect player and it did come at a depth cost.
Peterka has a bit of defensive baggage that limits his overall value. The upside is there for him to be a star and make the trade a big win, but cleaning things up without the puck is a priority. Stylistically, he’s a strong fit for a rush-oriented team, but Utah’s depth has taken a hit in the process. Josh Doan looks like a capable top-nine player, while Michael Kesselring has proven he has top-four upside.
In the grand scheme of things, it’s always better to get the best player in the deal. But in this case, the Mammoth’s depth options aren’t strong enough to make up the difference. The loss of Matias Maccelli exacerbates that up front, while the addition of Nate Schmidt doesn’t do enough to cover Kesselring’s departure. Adding to that is a seemingly small swap with notable ramifications. Going from Nick Bjugstad to Brandon Tanev is a three-goal drop itself, considering Tanev’s recent decline over the last two years.
Utah’s top six is stronger now and some internal growth should still put the Mammoth in the thick of the playoff race. But this team isn’t as deep as it was at the start of the summer.
29. Edmonton Oilers
Net Rating added: -8
In: Andrew Mangiapane, Ike Howard, Curtis Lazar
Out: Evander Kane, Viktor Arvidsson, Connor Brown, Corey Perry, John Klingberg
For the Oilers, everything hinges on their two rookies. They need one or both of Ike Howard and Matthew Savoie to be good from the jump.
That’s because a lot of their forward depth has been turned over this summer. Gone are Evander Kane, Viktor Arvidsson, Connor Brown and Corey Perry — all of whom looked like serviceable middle-six talents. In their place is only Andrew Mangiapane, who could have some upside in a bigger role, but is coming off a down year with the Capitals.
The Oilers have lost a lot on paper. They’re still an elite team, but how Edmonton responds internally — with the rookies as focal points — will dictate how far the Oilers can go next season.
30. Winnipeg Jets
Net Rating added: -13
In: Gustav Nyquist, Jonathan Toews, Tanner Pearson
Out: Nikolaj Ehlers, Mason Appleton, Brandon Tanev
If it makes Jets fans feel any better, this is roughly where the Jets ended up on last year’s list — mostly as a result of being unable to retain several key deadline additions. This time around, it’s harder to see a silver lining, not after losing one of their most important forwards in Nikolaj Ehlers. He’s a true top-six scorer, one whose absence will be felt heavily in the team’s top six. Gustav Nyquist is far from an ideal stop-gap.
On top of that, the Jets are betting heavily on hometown hero Jonathan Toews. It’s a wonderful story for Manitobans, but it’s fair to be skeptical about how much on-ice value Toews can actually provide, given his age, a significant absence from hockey and what he already was when he left. The best guess based on his previous trajectory is that Toews can be an OK 4C for the Jets this season. Winnipeg seems to be penciling him in as the team’s 2C, an incredibly ambitious goal that Toews will likely have a hard time reaching.
31. Toronto Maple Leafs
Net Rating added: -13
In: Matias Maccelli, Nicolas Roy
Out: Mitch Marner
There is a gigantic Mitch Marner-sized hole in the Leafs’ forward group that remains unfilled. The Leafs badly needed a true top-six forward to fill that void, but didn’t have a lot of options to do so. What they did to get Matias Maccelli and Nicolas Roy was savvy and has bolstered the team’s forward depth, but it obviously doesn’t come anywhere close to equaling the value Marner brings.
Without Marner and without an adequate top-six forward replacement, the Leafs enter the 2025-26 season a lot worse on paper. They’re still a quality playoff team, but they’ve fallen outside the contending tier. Toronto is now arguably closer to the Ottawa and Montreal tier of the Atlantic than it is to the Florida and Tampa Bay tier.
32. Los Angeles Kings
Net Rating added: -18
In: Corey Perry, Joel Armia, Cody Ceci, Brian Dumoulin, Anton Forsberg
Out: Tanner Jeannot, Vladislav Gavrikov, Jordan Spence, David Rittich
You’ve heard of addition by subtraction? Well, the Kings pulled off the rare feat of subtraction by addition. On defense, the team turned Vladislav Gavrikov, an actual top-pair defenseman, into Cody Ceci and Brian Dumoulin, two low-end third-pair defensemen — at best. They also parted ways with Jordan Spence, an undersized defender who looked promising in a sheltered role last year.
The series of decisions is among the strangest in recent memory, where the team ended up paying the exact same amount of money ($8.5 million total) to downgrade their blue line by 18 goals.
It is possible that The System is all that matters in Los Angeles, that both Ceci and Dumoulin will be better than they look because of it and vice versa for the departed. Given the age and track record of the two new guys coming in, consider me highly skeptical of the bet the Kings made here — one where they saved zero dollars and got a lot worse in the process.
(Top photos of Nikolaj Ehlers and Mitch Marner: Harry How and Claus Andersen / Getty Images)