{"id":40822,"date":"2025-07-05T13:10:10","date_gmt":"2025-07-05T13:10:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/40822\/"},"modified":"2025-07-05T13:10:10","modified_gmt":"2025-07-05T13:10:10","slug":"nhl-free-agency-report-cards-grading-every-teams-early-offseason-moves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/40822\/","title":{"rendered":"NHL free-agency report cards: Grading every team\u2019s early offseason moves"},"content":{"rendered":"

Four days into NHL free agency, the list of impact players remaining on the market is \u2026 not lengthy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Has your favorite team gotten the help it needed<\/a>?<\/p>\n

The Athletic asked its NHL staff this week for their assessments of the early moves. The analysis is subjective to each beat, not based on a scale, and factors in a team\u2019s ability to make moves under the salary cap. Trades and re-signings since the season ended are also considered.<\/p>\n

Here are the grades our writers assigned for the work done so far.<\/p>\n

Anaheim Ducks: C+<\/strong><\/p>\n

All that salary cap space and the Ducks \u2026 still have all that cap space. Not that they had a prime shot at Mitch Marner \u2014 and it\u2019s obvious that he had Vegas on his mind from when he was set to leave Toronto \u2014 but coming away with a 33-year-old Mikael Granlund has to be underwhelming given the possibilities. Granlund is a fine player and can help, but the next thing should be improving from within and re-signing RFAs Luk\u00e1\u0161 Dost\u00e1l and Mason McTavish. \u2014 Eric Stephens<\/p>\n

Boston Bruins: C-<\/strong><\/p>\n

There was a purpose behind their signings. Tanner Jeannot, Sean Kuraly, Mikey Eyssimont and Viktor Arvidsson are hard on pucks and opponents. The identity of the 2025-26 Bruins is clear. But there is a shortage of offensive skill. The Bruins did not improve their middle-six forwards. \u2014 Fluto Shinzawa<\/p>\n

Buffalo Sabres: C+<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Sabres did well to fill two needs when they traded JJ Peterka to Utah for right-handed defenseman Michael Kesselring and winger Josh Doan. But replacing Peterka\u2019s scoring won\u2019t be easy. The depth additions of Justin Danforth, Alex Lyon and Conor Timmins were worthwhile additions, but there is still more work to do to bring this grade up. \u2014 Matthew Fairburn<\/p>\n

Calgary Flames: C-<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Flames didn\u2019t overspend again, which is good as they continue their rebuild\/retool. But they still have Connor Zary left on their docket to re-sign. And the biggest question mark is what they\u2019ll do with Rasmus Andersson. They are prepared to start the season with him on their roster, but they risk missing out on a window of opportunity if they don\u2019t, considering the UFA class on defensemen. A C- is as good as we can do, because we can\u2019t write \u201cincomplete\u201d just yet. \u2014 Julian McKenzie<\/p>\n

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Nikolaj Ehlers signed a six-year, $51 million deal with the Hurricanes. (Sean M. Haffey \/ Getty Images)Carolina Hurricanes: A-<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Hurricanes have swung big this offseason, orchestrating a sign-and-trade for defenseman K\u2019Andre Miller and then landing one of the biggest free agents on the market by inking Nikolaj Ehlers to a six-year, $51 million deal. The moves bolster Carolina both up front and on the back end, though the Hurricanes must still figure out who is going to center their second line. Still, both of the team\u2019s major moves have the potential to be home runs and solidify Carolina\u2019s spot as a Cup contender. \u2014 Cory Lavalette<\/p>\n

Chicago Blackhawks: D<\/strong><\/p>\n

What the Blackhawks did this offseason seems to make sense within the context of their long-term rebuild, but it\u2019d be hard to say job well done and hand out a favorable grade for a team that ultimately did very little and is sitting on $20-plus million in cap space. Re-signing Ryan Donato was imperative and they accomplished that. Andr\u00e9 Burakovsky is intriguing if he can return to form. Overall, the lack of moves creates a path for the young players. \u2014 Scott Powers<\/p>\n

Colorado Avalanche: B<\/strong><\/p>\n

Colorado didn\u2019t do a ton in free agency, but that\u2019s not necessarily a bad thing. The Avalanche signed Parker Kelly to a four-year extension while watching Jonathan Drouin and Ryan Lindgren walk on the open market. The biggest signing was adding veteran Brent Burns to the blue line. He\u2019s 40, but with a base salary of only $1 million (according to Sportsnet\u2019s Elliotte Friedman<\/a>), he could be an incredible value. Burns\u2019 offense has regressed over the last couple of years, but playing on a fast-skating transition team such as Colorado could revive it a bit. \u2014 Jesse Granger<\/p>\n

Columbus Blue Jackets: D<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Blue Jackets had grand plans to transform their lineup on both ends of the ice, but their attempts to add a top-six scoring winger and a top-four right-side defender never materialized. To cut their losses, they circled back and signed their own blueliner, Ivan Provorov, to a massive seven-year, $59.5 million deal to keep him off the market. The Jackets added three bottom-six forwards in centers Charlie Coyle and Isac Lundestrom, and winger Miles Wood. But they take over for three veterans who were allowed to depart \u2014 Justin Danforth, Sean Kuraly and James van Riemsdyk. \u2014 Aaron Portzline<\/p>\n

Dallas Stars: B<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dallas lost a couple of pieces, led by Mikael Granlund, but that was inevitable after adding Mikko Rantanen on a big ticket at the deadline. Jim Nill gets high marks for heavily discounted contracts for Matt Duchene and Jamie Benn, however, and basically balancing the cap books. There\u2019s another million or so to shed, with Matt Dumba the likely casualty, but they have young defensemen coming such as Lian Bichsel and a bit of flexibility to make it work. The big question: How do they take a step forward with a similar cast that has stalled out in Round 3 the past three years? Perhaps another deadline swing? \u2014 James Mirtle<\/p>\n

Detroit Red Wings: B-<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to quibble with anything the Red Wings did, and in adding John Gibson, James van Riemsdyk and Mason Appleton, they probably improved the overall roster. The middling grade, though, is because while those moves should help, they\u2019re also not major needle-movers. In a weak market, that\u2019s not totally unexpected, but for a team trying to snap a nine-year playoff drought, it\u2019s also not particularly exciting. \u2014 Max Bultman<\/p>\n

Edmonton Oilers: B-<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Oilers didn\u2019t have much cap space after re-signing Trent Frederic and Evan Bouchard. They were sensible in their approach by bringing in speedy scoring option Andrew Mangiapane and the versatile Curtis Lazar, who could fill needs on the PK and as a right-handed faceoff guy. It\u2019s hard to foresee those two players offsetting all the losses the Oilers incurred so far this offseason, and neither is a sure-fire top-six forward. \u2014 Daniel Nugent-Bowman<\/p>\n

Florida Panthers: A+<\/strong><\/p>\n

How can you possibly criticize bringing back one of the most dominant teams in NHL history? No one thought when GM Bill Zito said he would be able to bring his big three UFAs back that it was possible, but he pulled it off in dramatic fashion in signing Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad and Brad Marchand in the four days before July 1. \u2014 James Mirtle<\/p>\n

Los Angeles Kings: C-<\/strong><\/p>\n

I get it. Many have already given the Kings\u2019 offseason an F and many more probably feel this meager grade is way too generous. Let a game or two be played first before concluding that Cody Ceci (or Ken Holland) and Brian Dumoulin (or Luc Robitaille) have permanently destroyed the franchise. The fourth line is instantly better, and Corey Perry is the net-front nuisance\/occupant\/finisher they need. But, no, they don\u2019t have Mitch Marner or Bowen Byram. \u2014 Eric Stephens<\/p>\n

Minnesota Wild: C+<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Wild had hoped to sign Brock Nelson in free agency, but he re-signed in Colorado. They wanted to sign Brock Boeser, but when it became clear he had other options, they pivoted to Vladimir Tarasenko on a one-year bet that his career can be reinvigorated. Nico Sturm should help their penalty-kill and faceoff needs, but this was not the July 1 \u201cChristmas\u201d fans expected after four years of buyout shackles limiting their every move. \u2014 Michael Russo<\/p>\n

Montreal Canadiens: B<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Canadiens weren\u2019t very active in free agency; they got their work done via trades (acquiring Noah Dobson and Zack Bolduc).\u00a0Staying out of this free-agent market could be given a good grade on its own, but two sneaky signings addressed needed depth. Veteran goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen will serve as a mentor and tandem partner for top goalie prospect Jacob Fowler in the AHL, and Sammy Blais is the perfect extra forward\/fourth-line energy guy\/AHL veteran. The Canadiens didn\u2019t sign anyone who moves the needle a whole lot, but they filled needs. Still, the loss of Christian Dvorak and Joel Armia left holes that were not filled. \u2014 Arpon Basu<\/p>\n

Nashville Predators: C-<\/strong><\/p>\n

Nick Perbix is an effective signing of a much-needed right-shot defenseman at a good price, to lift the grade a bit. But trading for Nicolas Hague and giving him a deal well beyond reasonable expectation? Doing nothing to address the worst center group in the league? More size and physicality on defense were needed, but it\u2019s far from enough. \u2014 Joe Rexrode<\/p>\n

New Jersey Devils: B+<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tom Fitzgerald didn\u2019t make any huge splashes, but he shored up the forward group in a way that should really help if the team can stay healthy. Bringing back Cody Glass made sense, and Evgenii Dadonov and Connor Brown will both bolster a forward group that lacked depth in the playoffs. \u2014 Peter Baugh<\/p>\n

New York Islanders: B+<\/strong><\/p>\n

As much as the Noah Dobson trade can be rationalized, that ticks off some points from the Islanders\u2019 grade. But otherwise, management gets credit for taking the team in a new direction. The team drafted well for a change, made some savvy short-term signings such as Jonathan Drouin and Maxim Shabanov, and extended players such as Adam Boqvist, Simon Holmstrom and Emil Heineman to cost-effective deals. \u2014 Shayna Goldman<\/p>\n

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Vladislav Gavrikov signed a seven-year, $49 million contract with the Rangers. (Ronald Martinez \/ Getty Images)New York Rangers: B+<\/strong><\/p>\n

The K\u2019Andre Miller trade is risky, especially considering he\u2019s going to a division rival, but the Rangers signed a strong player in Vladislav Gavrikov, took care of Will Cuylle\u2019s second contract and added a depth winger in Taylor Raddysh. Plus, they did well on the Miller return, adding good draft capital and young defenseman Scott Morrow. \u2014 Peter Baugh<\/p>\n

Ottawa Senators: C<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Senators weren\u2019t expected to be big players in free agency. So their small moves, adding Lars Eller and re-signing Claude Giroux and Nick Cousins, aren\u2019t too surprising. Trading for Jordan Spence could prove to be a solid move, too. Ottawa still could use another scorer on its top line, though. \u2014 Julian McKenzie<\/p>\n

Philadelphia Flyers: B+<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Flyers acquired Trevor Zegras without having to give up much. They plugged a couple more holes in free agency, with depth center Christian Dvorak and goalie Dan Vladar. At the draft, they selected five players in the top 50, including potential top-line winger Porter Martone. While they still don\u2019t have a No. 1 center (Zegras will get a shot at it, but there are no guarantees he\u2019s the long-term solution), and Vladar\u2019s career stats are pretty meh, Daniel Briere has managed to improve the current team while maintaining flexibility for the 2026 offseason. \u2014 Kevin Kurz<\/p>\n

Pittsburgh Penguins: B<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kyle Dubas didn\u2019t sign anyone to long-term money and he made a couple of sensible, cheap additions. Thus, he did fine. The Penguins aren\u2019t in a place to be aggressive during this time of year. The real test will come when Dubas makes some trades this summer. And they are coming. \u2014 Josh Yohe<\/p>\n

San Jose Sharks: B<\/strong><\/p>\n

At this time in their evolution, it might be hard to distinguish if the Sharks are more in the filling-out-the-roster stage than a building-it-back-up stage, but they\u2019ve wisely made useful additions with their vast amount of cap space without taking on or handing out max-term contracts on middling players. That way, San Jose isn\u2019t restricted for the future as it tries to build a team around future leader Macklin Celebrini. \u2014 Eric Stephens<\/p>\n

Seattle Kraken: C<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Kraken weren\u2019t able to use their cap space to land an impact game-breaking piece, which remains this club\u2019s greatest need. But they did sign Ryan Lindgren to a four-year contract with a $4.5 million cap hit. Lindgren is only 27, but his black-and-blue style of defensive hockey has resulted in a steady flow of injuries and his five-on-five form fell off last season. Meanwhile, the club\u2019s three RFAs \u2014 Kaapo Kakko, Tye Kartye and Ryker Evans \u2014 remain unsigned. Locking up Kakko and Evans long-term could improve this grade, but to this point, Seattle\u2019s offseason hasn\u2019t moved the needle. \u2014 Thomas Drance<\/p>\n

St. Louis Blues: B+<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Blues tried to do everything imaginable. They went after Noah Dobson, but he wanted to play in the East. They entertained the idea of trading Jordan Kyrou but didn\u2019t find a good enough deal. They added young right-shot defenseman Logan Mailloux in a trade for Zack Bolduc. They added reliable vets Pius Suter and Nick Bjugstad in free agency. They put Nick Leddy on waivers and removed his $4 million cap hit when he was picked up by San Jose. This grade would be an A if there wasn\u2019t concern about Bolduc\u2019s bright future, but you\u2019ve got to give to get. \u2014 Jeremy Rutherford<\/p>\n

Tampa Bay Lightning: B-<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Lightning made three low-key moves to round out the forward depth, including extending Yanni Gourde and signing Pontus Holmberg and Jakob Pelletier. Those kinds of contracts help balance the book around Tampa Bay\u2019s core players. The Pelletier contract is the exact buy-low deal this team needs to find, considering its budget. But management didn\u2019t sign a Nick Perbix replacement (or just a seventh defenseman). And the team hasn\u2019t been able to land any needle-movers, either. Had management been able to move out some salary, maybe the Lightning could have done more. \u2014 Shayna Goldman<\/p>\n

Toronto Maple Leafs: C<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s difficult to fully grade even the early offseason because the Leafs have clearly gotten worse in the wake of Mitch Marner\u2019s departure, with no major additions as of yet and the same look on defense. At this point, it\u2019s Marner, Pontus Holmberg and Max Pacioretty (for now) out and Nicolas Roy, Matias Maccelli and Michael Pezzetta in. Roy and Maccelli both could be shrewd additions, but that\u2019s still a significant downgrade in talent. The Leafs did well on the Matthew Knies and John Tavares contract extensions and a sharp trade for a top-six forward could push this grade higher. \u2014 Jonas Siegel<\/p>\n

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The Mammoth acquired JJ Peterka from the Sabres for Michael Kesselring and Josh Doan. (Timothy T. Ludwig \/ Imagn Images)Utah Mammoth: A-<\/strong><\/p>\n

Acquiring JJ Peterka without giving up the No. 4 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft was a home run. He\u2019s another dynamic young star to add to Utah\u2019s impressive collection of rush-attacking forwards. The Mammoth did solid work filling out depth roles by signing Nate Schmidt, Brandon Tanev and Vitek Vanecek at reasonable prices. \u2014 Harman Dayal<\/p>\n

Vancouver Canucks: C+<\/strong><\/p>\n

To this point in the offseason, the Canucks have yet to address their significant needs at center. They even lost a center-capable forward in unrestricted free agency when Pius Suter signed in St. Louis. That\u2019s a gaping hole in the lineup, one the club will need to address over the rest of the summer or in-season. Vancouver paid a modest price for Evander Kane, which gives the team a different element in its top six. The Canucks also extended Conor Garland, Brock Boeser and Thatcher Demko, doubling down on their core. There is still work to be done in this lineup. \u2014 Thomas Drance<\/p>\n

Vegas Golden Knights: A+<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Golden Knights\u2019 biggest need this offseason was scoring on the wing, and they signed the third-highest scoring winger in the NHL since 2016. Mitch Marner gives Vegas an elite, play-driving winger to go with its already deep group of centers. Alex Pietrangelo announcing he\u2019s out for the foreseeable future<\/a> is troubling on the blue line, but there\u2019s not a lot the team could\u2019ve done on that front, so they earned the highest grade in free agency. \u2014 Jesse Granger<\/p>\n

Washington Capitals: C-<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Capitals needed a third-line center and, if possible, some top-six skill. That hasn\u2019t changed, though they made a run at Nikolaj Ehlers for the latter. Anthony Beauvillier is useful and Declan Chisholm adds quality depth on the blue line, but they\u2019re not needle-movers. \u2014 Sean Gentille<\/p>\n

Winnipeg Jets: B<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Jets landed Jonathan Toews, creating the potential for a homecoming story that resonates with fans for a long time. They added Gustav Nyquist, Tanner Pearson and Cole Koepke, too, and there isn\u2019t an albatross contract among them: one-year term in all cases. Nikolaj Ehlers\u2019 departure will hurt, while the new additions come with enough question marks to cause concern, such as whether Winnipeg will be slow this year. A special season from Toews would change everything. \u2014 Murat Ates<\/p>\n

(Illustration: Demetrius Robinson \/ The Athletic; Photos: Chase Stevens \/ Las Vegas Review-Journal \/ Tribune News Service, Ezra Shaw, Steph Chambers \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Four days into NHL free agency, the list of impact players remaining on the market is \u2026 not…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":40823,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[3115,3103,1720,3113,3107,291,2995,3110,1320,2993,2997,3000,1323,2081,3112,3104,3111,2994,1301,1302,293,3105,3108,1334,1328,2999,62,2996,3106,1304,67,132,68,2082,3114,3116,3109,292],"class_list":{"0":"post-40822","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"tag-anaheim-ducks","9":"tag-boston-bruins","10":"tag-buffalo-sabres","11":"tag-calgary-flames","12":"tag-carolina-hurricanes","13":"tag-chicago-blackhawks","14":"tag-colorado-avalanche","15":"tag-columbus-blue-jackets","16":"tag-dallas-stars","17":"tag-detroit-red-wings","18":"tag-edmonton-oilers","19":"tag-fantasy-hockey","20":"tag-florida-panthers","21":"tag-los-angeles-kings","22":"tag-minnesota-wild","23":"tag-montreal-canadiens","24":"tag-nashville-predators","25":"tag-new-jersey-devils","26":"tag-new-york-islanders","27":"tag-new-york-rangers","28":"tag-nhl","29":"tag-ottawa-senators","30":"tag-philadelphia-flyers","31":"tag-pittsburgh-penguins","32":"tag-san-jose-sharks","33":"tag-seattle-kraken","34":"tag-sports","35":"tag-st-louis-blues","36":"tag-tampa-bay-lightning","37":"tag-toronto-maple-leafs","38":"tag-united-states","39":"tag-unitedstates","40":"tag-us","41":"tag-utah-mammoth","42":"tag-vancouver-canucks","43":"tag-vegas-golden-knights","44":"tag-washington-capitals","45":"tag-winnipeg-jets"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114800795456600523","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40822","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40822"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40822\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40823"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40822"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40822"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40822"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}