Photo: The Tennessean
With the high-profile players on the free agent and trade boards taken, many teams across the NHL improved, worsened, or did not move very much at all after adding and/or losing pieces of their roster. NoVa Caps grades every team across the league’s offseason in our annual post free agency grades by division, starting with the Central.
Grading Scale
- A: significantly improved roster for both the long-term and short-term
- B: improved roster, though it may have come at a cost of the future or did not do so significantly
- C: did not do much to improve roster
- D: roster got worse and team put themselves in position to struggle in future
- F: roster got significantly worse and team put themselves in horrible position for future
Teams will earn a “+” if they achieved such a grade to a high degree, “-“ to a low degree, or not get a sign if not significantly in either direction
Chicago Blackhawks
Acquired: RW Craig Smith (one-year, $1 million contract), D Alec Martinez (one-year, $4 million contract), LW Pat Maroon (one-year, $1.3 million contract), D T.J. Brodie (two-year contract, $3.75 million cap hit), G Laurent Brossoit (two-year contract, $3.3 million cap hit), RW Tyler Bertuzzi (four-year contract, $5.5 million cap hit), LW Teuvo Teravainen (three-year contract, $5.4 million cap hit), 2024 92nd overall pick, 2024 27th overall pick, RW Ilya Mikheyev (.15 of $4.75 million cap hit for two more seasons retained), 2025 second-round pick, 2024 18th overall pick, 2024 50th overall pick
Re-signed: RW Joey Anderson (two-year contract, $800,000 cap hit), C Cole Guttman (one-year, two-way contract — $775,000), LW Zach Sanford (one-year, two-way contract — $775,000)
Lost: G Jaxson Stauber, RW MacKenzie Entwistle, D Filip Roos, RW Colin Blackwell, C Luke Philip, LW Mike Hardman, C Reese Johnson, C Brendan Gaunce, RW Taylor Raddysh, 2025 third-round pick, 2024 34th overall pick, 2024 50th overall pick, 2027 fourth-round pick, 2024 20th overall pick, 2024 54th overall pick, 2024 61st overall pick
First-Round Pick(s): D Artyom Levshunov (second), C Sasha Boisvert (18th), LW Marek Vanacker (27th)
Remaining RFAs: D Louis Crevier, D Isaak Phillips
Chicago got stronger for the second year of the Connor Bedard era, getting three top-six forwards who combined for 57 goals last season; two defensive defensemen; and a couple of veteran leaders for their bottom-six forward group. The Blackhawks also had a successful draft with three first-round picks but a goalie tandem of Brossoit and Petr Mrazek will just not cut it in a deep Western Conference.
Grade: A
Trending: Up
Utah Hockey Club
Acquired: Stauber, D Mikhail Sergachev, D John Marino, 2024 153rd overall pick, 2024 24th overall pick
Re-signed: D Michael Kesselring (two-year contract, $1.4 million cap hit), D Juuso Valimaki (two-year contract, $2 million cap hit), D Vladislav Kolyachonok (two-year, two-way contract — $775,000 cap hit), LW Liam O’Brien (three-year contract, $1 million cap hit), LW Ben McCartney (one-year, two-way contract — $775,000), D Patrik Koch (one-year, two-way contract — $847,500), G Matt Villalta (two-year, two-way contract — $775,000 cap hit)
Lost: D J.J. Moser, C Conor Geekie, 2025 second-round pick, 2024 199th overall pick, 2024 49th overall pick, 2025 second-round pick, 2024 38th overall pick, 2024 71st overall pick, 2025 Edmonton Oilers’ second-round pick, 2025 second-round pick, C Travis Boyd, D Cameron Crotty, D Joseph Cecconi
First-Round Pick(s): C Tij Iginla (sixth), C Cole Beaudoin (24th)
Remaining RFAs: D Victor Soderstrom
Utah is another team that has shown desire to take a step forward, adding two top-four defensemen in their primes. They may have given up a lot of draft capital and one of their top prospects in Geekie but also have a lot and picked twice in the first round this summer.
Grade: B+
Trending: Up
Minnesota Wild
Acquired: Boyd (one-year, two-way contract — $775,000), Crotty (one-year, two-way contract — $775,000), Gaunce (one-year, two-way contract — $775,000), Johnson (one-year, two-way contract — $775,000), Cecconi (one-year, two-way contract — $775,000), LW Jakub Lauko, 2024 122nd overall pick, 2024 12th overall pick, RW Graeme Clark, C Ben Jones (two-year, two-way contract — $775,000 cap hit), G Troy Grosenick (one-year, two-way contract — $775,000), C Devin Shore (one-year, two-way contract — $775,000), C Yakov Trenin (four-year contract, $3.5 million cap hit)
Re-signed: RW Adam Raska (one-year, two-way contract — $775,000), D Declan Chisholm (one-year, $1 million contract), D Jacob Middleton (four-year contract extension, $4.35 million cap hit)
Lost: C Mason Shaw, C Sam Hentges, D Simon Johansson, G Hunter Jones, C Dmitry Ovchinnikov, RW Vinni Letteri, 2024 110th overall pick, 2024 13th overall pick, 2025 third-round pick, LW Adam Beckman, D Dakota Mermis, C Jake Lucchini
First-Round Pick(s): D Zeev Buium (12th)
Remaining RFAs: Clarke, RW Sam Walker
Minnesota did not do a whole lot to significantly change their roster but added a big body in Trenin to their middle-six forward group and re-signed Middleton.
Grade: B-
Trending: Same
St. Louis Blues
Acquired: C Alexandre Texier, D Pierre-Olivier Joseph (one-year, $950,000 contract)
Re-signed: Texier (two-year contract, $2.1 million cap hit), D Scott Perunovich (one-year, $1.15 million contract), LW Pavel Buchnevich (six-year contract extension, $8 million cap hit), RW Kasperi Kapanen (one-year, $1 million contract), D Hunter Skinner (one-year, two-way contract — $775,000)
Lost: D Calle Rosen, 2025 fourth-round pick, C Adam Gaudette, C Kevin Hayes, 2025 second-round pick
First-Round Pick(s): D Adam Jiricek (16th)
Remaining RFAs: C Nikita Alexandrov, C Mikhail Abramov
St. Louis also has had a quiet offseason with just two minor acquisitions, a salary cap dump, and a big re-signing for them in Buchnevich, one of their lone bright spots on a rebuilding group.
Grade: C-
Trending: Same
Nashville Predators
Acquired: Lucchini (two-year, two-way contract — $775,000 cap hit), C Steven Stamkos (four-year contract, $8 million cap hit), RW Jonathan Marchessault (five-year contract, $5.5 million cap hit), 2024 127th overall pick, 2026 seventh-round pick, LW Kieffer Bellows (one-year, two-way contract — $775,000), 2024 77th overall pick, 2025 third-round pick, D Andrew Gibson, RW Ozzy Weisblatt, 2025 second-round pick, 2024 213th overall pick, RW Vinnie Hinostroza (two-year, two-way contract — $775,000 cap hit), D Nick Blankenberg (two-year, two-way contract — $775,000 cap hit), G Matt Murray (one-year, two-way contract — $775,000), D Brady Skjei (seven-year contract, $7 million cap hit), G Scott Wedgewood (two-year contract, $1.5 million cap hit)
Re-signed: G Juuse Saros (eight-year contract extension, $7.74 million cap hit), D Alexandre Carrier (three-year contract, $3.75 million cap hit)
Lost: 2024 119th overall pick, 2024 59th overall pick, 2024 53rd overall pick, RW Jesse Kiiskinen, LW Egor Afanasyev, D Ryan McDonagh, 2024 126th overall pick, G Troy Grosenick, D Jeremy Davies, LW Anthony Beauvillier, RW Kiefer Sherwood, RW Jason Zucker
First-Round Pick(s): C Egor Surin (22nd)
Remaining RFAs: LW Philip Tomasino, C Juuso Parssinen, D Marc Del Gaizo, D Spencer Stastny, D Adam Wilsby
Nashville has had one of the best offseasons in the league, upgrading their top-six forward group with two major additions in Stamkos and Marchessault. The team bolstered their blueline by bringing in Skjei with McDonagh wanting to return to the Tampa Bay Lightning and re-upping Carrier. The Predators extended Saros long-term and also got him some help, signing Wedgewood and Murray. Their bottom-six is also improved after signing Bellows and Hinostroza.
Grade: A
Trending: Up
Colorado Avalanche
Acquired: Rosen (one-year, two-way contract — $775,000), LW Chase Bradley (two-year contract, $872,500 cap hit), D Calvin de Haan (one-year, $800,000 contract), 2024 76th overall pick, 2024 161st overall pick, C T.J. Tynan (one-year, two-way contract — $775,000), 2024 38th overall pick, 2024 71st overall pick, 2025 second-round pick, D Erik Brannstrom (one-year, $900,000 contract), C Parker Kelly (two-year contract, $825,000 cap hit), D Jacob MacDonald (two-year contract, $775,000 cap hit)
Re-signed: D Wyatt Aamodt (one-year, two-way contract — $775,000), LW Joel Kiviranta (one-year, two-way contract — $775,000), C Casey Mittelstadt (three-year contract, $5.75 million cap hit), LW Jonathan Drouin (one-year, $2.5 million contract)
Lost: Trenin, LW Brandon Duhaime, 2024 71st overall pick, C Cedric Pare, 2024 24th overall pick, D Caleb Jones, D Jack Johnson, RW Spencer Smallman, LW Jeffery Truchon-Viel, C Riley Tufte, D Sean Walker, D Nathan Clurman
First-Round Pick(s): N/A
Remaining RFAs: D Gianni Fairbrother
Colorado is pretty much heading into this season with the same team as last as they just lost a couple of players they added at the trade deadline. De Haan was a nice add for their bottom defensive pairing. The Avalanche took on a reclamation project in Brannstrom, the 15th overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft who has shown promise with 62 assists and 69 points in 266 career games and will turn 25 in early September. Brannstrom also has a .5415 five-on-five expected goals-for percentage over the past two seasons. Did they need to add another goaltender, though?
Grade: C
Trending: Same
Winnipeg Jets
Acquired: Shaw (one-year, two-way contract — $775,000), 2024 109th overall pick, D Dylan Coghlan, C Jaret Anderson-Dolan (two-year, two-way contract — $775,000 cap hit), D Haydn Fleury (one-year, two-way contract — $775,000), G Kaapo Kahkonen (one-year, $1 million contract), Head Coach Scott Arniel
Re-signed: D Dylan DeMelo (four-year contract, $4.9 million cap hit), D Logan Stanley (two-year contract, $1.25 million cap hit), C David Gustafsson (two-year contract, $835,000 cap hit)
Lost: Brossoit, 2024 123rd overall pick, 2024 219th overall pick, LW Jeff Malott, G Collin Delia, C Sean Monahan, D Brenden Dillon, RW Tyler Toffoli, D Artemi Kniazev, G Oskari Salminen, D Nate Schmidt, Head Coach Rick Bowness
First-Round Pick(s): N/A
Remaining RFAs: Coghlan, LW Cole Perfetti, D Ville Heinola, D Simon Lundmark
Winnipeg did not change much this offseason, replacing Schmidt and Dillon with younger players in Fleury and Coghlan and making a swap in back-up goaltenders with Kahkonen coming in. They also re-signed DeMelo but lost trade deadline pickups Monahan and Toffoli. The Jets still have a little bit of business to take care of with Perfetti and Heinola, two former first-round picks, in addition to Coghlan among four restricted free agents remaining for them.
Grade: C
Trending: Down
Dallas Stars
Acquired: Blackwell (one-year, $775,000 contract), 2026 seventh-round pick, 2025 fourth-round pick, D Brendan Smith (one-year, $1 million contract), D Ilya Lybushkin (two-year contract, $3.25 million cap hit), D Matt Dumba (two-year contract, $3.75 million cap hit), G Casey DeSmith (one-year, $3 million contract)
Re-signed: C Sam Steel (one-year, $1.2 million contract), D Alexander Petrovic (two-year, two-way contract — $775,000 cap hit), C Oskar Bäck (one-year, two-way contract — $775,000), C Mathias Emilio Petersen (one-year, two-way contract — $775,000), RW Matej Blumel (one-year, two-way contract — $775,000), C Emilio Pettersen (one-year, two-way contract — $775,000), D Nils Lundkvist (one-year, $1.25 million contract), C Matt Duchene (one-year, $3 million contract)
Lost: Wedgewood, Murray, Craig Smith, D Christopher Tanev, D Ryan Suter, C Ty Dellandrea, D Derrick Pouliot, C Fredrik Karlstrom, D Jani Hakanpaa
First-Round Pick(s): RW Emil Hemming (29th)
Remaining RFAs: D Thomas Harley
Losing Tanev hurts but Dallas was able to get an asset for trading the pending unrestricted free agent’s rights in addition to adding defensive depth with him and Hakanpaa gone and DeSmith to be the understudy to Jake Oettinger with Wedgewood out. The Stars re-signed Duchene at a very good number but need to re-sign 22-year-old Harley, who is coming off of a breakout season. The team also replaced Smith with Blackwell in their bottom-six forward group.
Grade: C
Trending: Same
By Harrison Brown
