Photo by Jeff Bottari/NHLI via Getty Images
With the frenzy of trades and free agent signings this offseason in the rearview, we can start to see who is trending forwards or backwards the most looking towards the 2024-25 season after some teams added, lost a lot and could not adequately replace those gone due to salary cap constraints, or stood pat for the most part. NoVa Caps picks three winners and losers from the NHL offseason so far.
Winners
Honorable Mentions: New Jersey Devils, Edmonton Oilers
Chicago Blackhawks
Chicago is looking to take a big step forward after adding Teuvo Teravainen, a four-time 20-goal, 60-point scorer, respectively; Tyler Bertuzzi, a four-time 20-goal, 40-point getter, respectively; and Ilya Mikheyev, a two-time 30-point scorer who they were able to get an asset for taking on. Chicago finished last in the NHL with an average of 2.17 goals-per-game last season and got Connor Bedard some big help.
In their bottom-six, the Blackhawks brought on Pat Maroon and Craig Smith.
The team also upgraded their defense with the additions of T.J. Brodie and Alec Martinez after their 3.52 goals-against per game was the fourth-worst and .758 penalty-killing rate was the sixth-worst. All six players should also show Bedard, Kevin Korchinski, Frank Nazar, and Alex Vlasic the ropes as Chicago looks to speed up their rebuild.
Though, this team still has very suspect goaltending after bringing in Laurent Brossoit to work with Arvid Soderblom.
Nashville Predators
Nashville brought in Jonathan Marchessault, who has scored at least 25 goals in a season six times and 30 three, and Steven Stamkos, who has tallied 116 goals and 271 points in 241 games over the past three seasons, to improve an offense that finished 10th with a 3.24 goals-per-game and a league-average .216 power-play efficiency.
On defense, the Predators signed Brady Skjei, who tied a personal best with 34 points; set one with 47 points; and recorded .582 five-on-five Corsi-for percentage, .5404 five-on-five expected goals-for percentage, and .5527 five-on-five scoring chances-for percentage in 80 games, after they allowed 3.02 goals-per-game (just slightly below the league average). Skjei ranked second among Hurricanes defenseman with an average of 21:17 per game, including 59 seconds on the power play (third) and 2:12 on the penalty kill (fourth). They also re-upped Alexandre Carrier.
In goal, Nashville re-signed starter Juuse Saros to an eight-year contract extension and brought in Scott Wedgewood to back him up.
Washington Capitals
After seeing Nick Jensen, Trevor Van Riemsdyk, and Rasmus Sandin all miss time in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and posting an average of 3.07 goals-against per game (tied with the Colorado Avalanche for the NHL average), .79 penalty-killing efficiency (19th) during the regular season, Washington jacked their defensive corps. The team acquired Jakob Chychrun, who earned 14 goals, 41 points, a -30 rating, .5002 five-on-five Corsi-for, .4755 expected goals-for, and .4858 scoring chances-for percentages in 82 games during 2023-24, from the Ottawa Senators for only Jensen and a third-round pick just exactly 16 months after Ottawa sent the 12th overall pick in 2023, 49th overall pick in 2024 (which was ultimately flipped), and a 2026 second-round pick to the Arizona Coyotes to lure Chychrun in. Last season, he averaged 22:23 per game (third among Senators defensemen), including 2:41 on the power play (second).
The team also signed Matt Roy, who posted five goals, 25 points, a .5363 five-on-five Corsi-for percentage, .5557 five-on-five expected goals-for percentage, and .5354 five-on-five scoring chances-for percentage in 81 contests, where he averaged 20:54 per game (second among Los Angeles Kings defensemen), including a team-leading 2:51 on a penalty kill that ranked second in the NHL with an .846 efficiency during the regular season, to a six-year contract.
At the draft, they acquired goaltender Logan Thompson, who has gone 56-32-11 with a .912 save percentage, 2.67 goals-against average, and four shutouts in 103 career NHL games, all with the Vegas Golden Knights, for a very reasonable price of two third-round picks to split time with Charlie Lindgren.
Up front, Washington might have acquired a couple of rich contracts that come with Pierre-Luc Dubois and Andrew Mangiapane but only gave up their 33-year-old backup goaltender whose eye might not be fully recovered after suffering an injury in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs and a late second-round pick. Dubois scored at least 27 goals and 60 points, respectively, in a single season three times over his seven-season NHL career and 40 points in every season. Mangiapane scored 14 goals and 40 points in 75 games with the Calgary Flames last year.
Washington, who gave up just one pick higher than the third round, also signed Brandon Duhaime and Taylor Raddysh to bolster their fourth-line after acquiring defenseman Cole Hutson with the 43rd overall pick, which they got after sending Beck Malenstyn to the Buffalo Sabres.
Losers
Honorable Mentions: Buffalo Sabres, Tampa Bay Lightning
Vegas Golden Knights
In addition to letting Marchessault, the 2023 Conn Smythe Trophy winner, and Thompson walk, Vegas lost Martinez, Chandler Stephenson, Michael Amadio, Anthony Mantha, and William Carrier.
While Vegas lost a lot of big names, they also made a few good moves, acquiring Holtz (who scored 16 goals and 28 points in 82 games), Victor Olofsson (a three-time 20-goal, 40-point scorer, respectively), and Ilya Samsonov (27-10-4, .919 save percentage, 2.33 goals-against average, four shutouts in 42 games with Toronto Maple Leafs in 2022-23 before going 23-7-8 with an .890 save percentage, 3.13 goals-against average, and three shutouts last season) to back up Adin Hill.
The Golden Knights also signed Akira Schmid, Robert Hagg, and Zach Aston-Reese. The team did some good things but their acquisitions will almost certainly not replace what headed out the door.
Carolina Hurricanes
On top of cutting bait on Pesce, Noesen, Teravainen, and Skjei, the Hurricanes let Jake Guentzel walk in free agency. They were dealt tremendous blows to their infamously strong defensive corps, which helped the team finish fourth with a 2.57 goals-against per game. Carolina also traded Dylan Coghlan.
They brought in Carrier, Jack Roslovic, and Tyson Jost to support their bottom-six forward group but they will not replace the production Guentzel and Teravainen left behind.
Their defense looks worse than it did for years but Shayne Gostisbehere and Sean Walker are still both serviceable blueliners. Carolina also grabbed Riley Stillman for depth at the position.
While it has been a rough offseason in Raleigh, the extensions given out to Jaccob Slavin, Jordan Martinook, and Jalen Chatfield were all wins for the organization.
Los Angeles Kings
While Los Angeles freed up salary by trading Dubois for Kuemper, what does Kuemper have left to offer at age 34 after losing the starting job in Washington last season? It seemed awfully soon to cut bait on Dubois, who had pretty consistent production in a bigger role with the Winnipeg Jets and was acquired for Gabriel Vilardi, Rasmus Kupari, Alex Iafallo, and a second-round pick just 12 and a half months ago.
The Kings got bigger by adding Tanner Jeannot and Warren Foegele up front but lost some speed when letting Viktor Arvidsson, Carl Grundstrom, and Blake Lizotte out the door.
On the blueline, they let analytical darling Roy go and signed depth blueliners Caleb Jones  and Kyle Burroughs. Los Angeles also signed Joel Edmundson to a very expensive four-year contract.
With Kuemper in, Los Angeles parted ways with starting goaltender Cam Talbot.
By Harrison Brown
