5 NHL Teams That Have Improved During the 2023 Offseason
The 2023 NHL offseason hasn't been notable for any trades or free-agent signings involving big-name talent.
A marginal rise in the salary cap by $1 million to $83.5 million for 2023-24 is one reason. With a large number of teams carrying limited cap space, they lack sufficient room to add top-tier talent to their rosters. A free-agent market thin on big-name stars in their playing prime also accounted for a lack of blockbuster contract signings.
As for the trade market, most of the activity before and after free agency began on July 1 involved cost-cutting trades for secondary talent or aging stars such as Taylor Hall and Corey Perry.
Nevertheless, there were a handful of clubs that managed to bolster their rosters through the early weeks of the offseason. Some, like the Carolina Hurricanes and New Jersey Devils, made moves that could push them closer to winning the Stanley Cup in 2024. Others, like the Columbus Blue Jackets, acquired players that could accelerate their rebuilding program.
Here's our take on 5 teams that have already improved thus far in the 2023 offseason. Feel free to express your views on this topic in the comments below.
Carolina Hurricanes
1 of 5
The Carolina Hurricanes targeted cap-strapped teams to make two of last summer's biggest moves in the trade market, acquiring defenseman Brent Burns from the San Jose Sharks and winger Max Pacioretty from the Vegas Golden Knights. Injuries sidelined Pacioretty for most of last season, but Burns proved a strong addition to their already deep defense corps.
This summer, Carolina used their cap space in the free-agent market. They added yet another defenseman by signing Dmitry Orlov to a two-year, $15.5 million contract with an average annual value of $7.8 million. The Hurricanes also boosted their depth at left wing by inking Michael Bunting to a three-year, $13.5 million deal with an AAV of $4.5 million.
After getting swept from the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals by the Florida Panthers, the Hurricanes needed to bolster their offense among their top-six forwards and gain more production and physical play on the blue line. The additions of Orlov and Bunting could help them address those issues heading into 2023-24.
Orlov, 31, was considered the best defenseman in this summer's thin free-agent market. A physical blueliner who can also contribute offensively, he should be a perfect match to skate alongside Burns on their top defense pairing.
The 27-year-old Bunting is a feisty winger coming off back-to-back 23-goal seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He proved he could hold his own skating alongside superstars Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. He can play on the Hurricanes' top line with Sebastian Aho but could also slide down into the second-line spot if necessary.
Chicago Blackhawks
2 of 5
Under general manager Kyle Davidson, Chicago remains very much in the middle of rebuilding their roster. They lack skilled, experienced depth throughout their roster for 2023-24 and it will probably be at least another three years before they become a postseason contender.
Reaching the playoffs next spring may be a pipe dream. Nevertheless, Chicago made several acquisitions that should ensure they don't finish near the bottom of the NHL standings.
The most notable was choosing Connor Bedard first overall in the 2023 NHL Draft. Considered a generational talent comparable to Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby and Edmonton's Connor McDavid, the 18-year-old center is the foundation on which their rebuild rests. A strong rookie season by Bedard should improve their overall performance in 2023-24.
Davidson also used his plentiful cap space to target clubs looking to shed salary. He acquired veteran forwards Taylor Hall and Nick Foligno from the Boston Bruins and Corey Perry from the Tampa Bay Lightning, signing the latter two to identical one-year, 35-plus contracts worth $4 million.
Having experienced leadership in Hall, Foligno and Perry will be invaluable in developing Chicago's promising young players. They'll also help young Bedard shoulder the burden of carrying this rebuilding franchise.
Columbus Blue Jackets
3 of 5
The Columbus Blue Jackets made the biggest splash in last summer's free-agent market by signing left winger Johnny Gaudreau to a seven-year, $68.3 million contract. Nevertheless, they finished near the bottom of the 2022-23 standings, prompting management to make several significant additions.
Their biggest moves for veteran talent came in June via the trade market. The Jackets boosted their thin defense corps by acquiring Ivan Provorov from the Philadelphia Flyers and Damon Severson from the New Jersey Devils. They subsequently signed the 28-year-old Severson to an eight-year, $50 million contract extension.
With the third-overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, the Blue Jackets chose highly-touted prospect Adam Fantilli from the University of Michigan. The 18-year-old center opted not to return to college, signing his three-year entry-level contract. He could make his NHL debut this fall and has the potential to become a top-line center one day.
On July 2, the Blue Jackets also announced the hiring of Mike Babcock as head coach. He lost his job in November 2019 with the Toronto Maple Leafs following a slow start to their season after which he faced allegations of bullying from several former players.
Nevertheless, there's no denying that Babcock has a long record of success as an NHL head coach. He insists that he has done the work to improve as a person and how he communicates as a coach. His experience should make the Jackets a better team than they were last season.
New Jersey Devils
4 of 5
Following several years of rebuilding, the New Jersey Devils emerged last season among the top teams in the NHL. Led by young stars such as Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier along with veteran defenseman Dougie Hamilton, the Devils should remain among the league's elite clubs for the next several years.
Devil general manager Tom Fitzgerald wasn't content to rest on his laurels. Having re-signed wingers Jesper Bratt and Timo Meier to long-term contracts, he looked to the trade market to add more experience to his lineup.
On June 27, Fitzgerald traded winger Yegor Sherangovich and a 2023 third-round to the Calgary Flames for Tyler Toffoli. A skillful two-way winger, the 31-year-old Toffoli is coming off a career-best season with 34 goals and 39 assists for 73 points. He was a Stanley Cup champion with the Los Angeles Kings in 2014.
The Devils GM made another trade on July 1, shipping a 2025 fifth-rounder to the Dallas Stars for defenseman Colin Miller. The 30-year-old Miller is a solid puck-moving blueliner who's reached or exceeded 21 points three times in his eight NHL seasons.
With the addition of Toffoli, the Devils now have one of the deepest top-six forward lines in the NHL. Miller, meanwhile, provides an additional measure of size, experience and mobility on their defense corps. If their goalie tandem of Akira Schmid and Vitek Vanecek improves, the Devils could be serious Stanley Cup contenders.
Toronto Maple Leafs
5 of 5
New general manager Brad Treliving wasted little time making his impression felt with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The former GM of the Calgary Flames went to work during the first two days of free agency to shake things up. Though he let Ryan O'Reilly, Michael Bunting, Luke Schenn and Noel Acciari depart as free agents, he quickly set about finding replacements.
Treliving signed forwards Tyler Bertuzzi, Max Domi and Ryan Reaves to fill the gaps left by the departures of O'Reilly, Bunting and Acciari. He filled the spot left by Scheen by signing John Klingberg.
Bertuzzi and Domi have proven that they can play a physical game while also contributing to the score sheet. Bertuzzi had 10 points in seven games with the Bruins during the 2023 playoffs while Domi had 13 points in 19 postseason games with the Dallas Stars. Reaves brings some character to the Leafs' dressing room and some toughness to their fourth line.
Klingberg, meanwhile, doesn't play a physical style like Schenn. However, he is a skilled, mobile defenseman whose puck-moving abilities could prove useful in transition and on the power play.
Despite winning their first playoff series in 19 years this spring, the Leafs lost to the Florida Panthers in the second round because they couldn't match their opponent's physical skill. Treliving is counting on his recent additions to help the Leafs better adjust to the heavy going of postseason play.
Stats via NHL.com with salary info and line combinations via Cap Friendly.
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