Tip: NHL Teams with the Most Offseason Improvements

Chicago Blackhawks

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 have revamped their roster, adding significant talent and shedding less effective players. They aim to improve next season, particularly when Connor Bedard is off the ice.

Washington Capitals

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

Washington strengthened their roster with key offensive and defensive additions, aiming to remain competitive in the playoff race despite an aging core.

San Jose Sharks

Salary added: $17 million

Key Additions: Tyler Toffoli, Alex Wennberg, Barclay Goodrow, Jake Walman

Key Departures: Alex Barabanov, Filip Zadina, Mike Hoffman, Kyle Burroughs

The Sharks have made improvements by adding NHL-caliber players, providing better support for their young stars.

Utah HC

Salary added: $15 million

Key Additions: Mikhail Sergachev, John Marino, Ian Cole

Key Departures: J.J. Moser, Travis Dermott, Josh Brown

Utah strengthened their defense significantly, adding top-tier talent and boosting their playoff prospects.

Nashville Predators

Salary added: $9 million

Key Additions: Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, Brady Skjei, Scott Wedgewood

Key Departures: Jason Zucker, Kiefer Sherwood, Ryan McDonagh, Kevin Lankinen

Nashville added offensive firepower and made strategic defensive changes, maintaining their playoff potential.

Seattle Kraken

Salary added: $10 million

Key Additions: Chandler Stephenson, Brandon Montour

Key Departures: Kailer Yamamoto, Justin Schultz, Brian Dumoulin

Seattle improved defensively and added depth up front, aiming to boost their offensive output next season.

New Jersey Devils

Salary added: $11 million

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 addressed key areas, notably in goal and defense, enhancing their playoff chances.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Salary added: -$4 million

Key Additions: Chris Tanev, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Anthony Stolarz

Key Departures: Tyler Bertuzzi, Joel Edmundson, Ilya Lyubushkin, Ilya Samsonov

Toronto focused on strengthening their defense, aiming to close the gap with top contenders.

Buffalo Sabres

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

Buffalo overhauled their bottom six, aiming to improve depth and playoff prospects.

Ottawa Senators

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

Ottawa made key additions but left some potential upgrades on the table, impacting their overall improvement.

New York Islanders

Salary added: $4 million

Key Additions: Anthony Duclair

Key Departures: Cal Clutterbuck, Matt Martin

The Islanders improved their offense by adding Duclair and moving on from less effective players.

Anaheim Ducks

Salary added: $6 million

Key Additions: Robby Fabbri, Brian Dumoulin

Key Departures: Max Jones

Anaheim added slight improvements, aiming for better performance next season.

Minnesota Wild

Salary added: $4 million

Key Additions: Yakov Trenin, Jakub Lauko

Key Departures: Vinni Lettieri

Minnesota made modest improvements, focusing on adding defensive depth to their bottom six.

St. Louis Blues

Salary added: $5 million

Key Additions: Mathieu Joseph, Alexandre Texier, Radek Faksa

Key Departures: Kevin Hayes

St. Louis made strategic additions to improve depth, particularly in the middle six.

Montreal Canadiens

Salary added: -$1 million

Key Additions: None

Key Departures: Johnathan Kovacevic

Montreal remained mostly quiet, relying on internal growth to replace departed players.

Edmonton Oilers

Salary added: $1 million

Key Additions: Viktor Arvidsson, Jeff Skinner

Key Departures: Ryan McLeod, Warren Foegele

Edmonton strengthened their already deep forward group, aiming to build on their recent success.

Vancouver Canucks

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

Vancouver made strategic additions to replace key departures, focusing on supporting their core.

Philadelphia Flyers

Salary added: -$6 million

Key Additions: None

Key Departures: Cam Atkinson

Philadelphia made minimal changes, likely banking on internal development to drive improvement.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Salary added: $2 million

Key Additions: Kevin Hayes, Anthony Beauvillier, Matt Grzelcyk

Key Departures: Reilly Smith, Jeff Carter, Pierre-Olivier Joseph

Pittsburgh made some upgrades but may still face challenges in the upcoming season.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Salary added: $4 million

Key Additions: Sean Monahan, Jack Johnson

Key Departures: Alex Nylander, Alexandre Texier, Adam Boqvist

Columbus made minor changes, likely facing another tough season without significant upgrades.

Tampa Bay Lightning

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

Tampa Bay made major changes, balancing departures with strategic additions to remain competitive.

Colorado Avalanche

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

Colorado made minor moves, betting on internal growth to maintain their competitive edge.

Detroit Red Wings

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

Detroit made several changes but may still face challenges in a tough conference.

New York Rangers

Salary added: -$5 million

Key Additions: Reilly Smith

Key Departures: Jack Roslovic, Alex Wennberg, Barclay Goodrow, Erik Gustafsson

The Rangers made minimal changes, focusing on maintaining their defensive depth.

Calgary Flames

Salary added: -$4 million

Key Additions: Anthony Mantha, Kevin Bahl, Jake Bean

Key Departures: Andrew Mangiapane, Oliver Kylington, Jacob Markstrom

Calgary continued their teardown, likely positioning themselves for a high draft pick.

Boston Bruins

Salary added: None

Key Additions: Elias Lindholm, Mark Kastelic, Nikita Zadorov, Joonas Korpisalo

Key Departures: Jake DeBrusk, Danton Heinen, James van Riemsdyk, Pat Maroon, Matt Grzelcyk, Linus Ullmark

Boston redistributed talent and finances but may face challenges maintaining their competitive edge.

Los Angeles Kings

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

Los Angeles made significant changes but may have weakened their overall roster strength.

Carolina Hurricanes

Salary added: -$13 million

Key Additions: Jack Roslovic, William Carrier, Sean Walker, Shayne Gostisbehere

Key Departures: Jake Guentzel, Stefan Noesen, Brady Skjei, Brett Pesce

Carolina lost key players and made only minor replacements, potentially impacting their competitiveness.

Florida Panthers

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

Florida saw significant depth losses, particularly on defense, which could challenge their hopes of repeating last season's success.

Dallas Stars

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 will rely on internal growth to offset Joe Pavelski's loss, with Wyatt Johnston and Logan Stankoven expected to step up. However, defensively, Matt Dumba is a worrying replacement for Chris Tanev, and the Stars' defensive depth remains a concern.

Vegas Golden Knights

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

Vegas faces a thinner forward lineup after offseason cap adjustments, losing key players like Jonathan Marchessault. While understandable, these losses have weakened their roster. They may need to leverage their defensive strength to improve their forward group.

Winnipeg Jets

Salary added: -$20 million

Key Additions: Kaapo Kahkonen

Key Departures: Tyler Toffoli, Sean Monahan, Brenden Dillon, Nate Schmidt, Laurent Brossoit

The Jets' roster took a significant hit with the departures of key players. The drop-off in defense and goaltending positions them weaker than last season, making the 2024-25 Jets a less formidable team.