1 Word to Describe Every NHL Team After the Draft and Free Agency
One of the worst NHL free agency classes in recent memory is in full swing, and the one-year deals are flowing, baby!
The nature of this free agency has been interesting partially due to the aforementioned caliber of free agents, but also because of the flat-ish cap that many expected to rise considerably more than it did head into next season.
What does that mean for your favorite team? Probably a shrug if you're anywhere from mid-to-above average, probably some tough goodbyes if you're a contender, probably some Shakespearean angst if you root for the Kraken who are ahead of schedule as a team, with all the cap space in the world to boot and the GM least likely to use it at the helm.
Let's try our best to invent new adjectives as we describe every NHL team with one word after the draft and the first chunk of free agency.
Atlantic Division
1 of 4
Boston Bruins: Heavy
Look, we all knew this free agency period wasn't going to be fun for the Bruins and that's part of what made the regular season so special. It also made the short playoff run more painful. I was around the locker room a bit and I can tell you the players in the room didn't feel like it was the "last dance" many were calling it, but they did know captain Patrice Bergeron was on a one-year contract and they wanted to win it for him with a golden opportunity.
Well, with Bergeron and David Krejฤรญi's decisions still up in the air, what have the Bruins done? They cleared some cap space in the painful-but-necessary trade that sent essential depth-scorer Taylor Hall and locker-room favorite Nick Foligno to the Blackhawks. Many thought that meant a Tyler Bertuzzi re-signing was imminent, but it seems like that situation was misread all around.
Incidentally (but not about this situation specifically) several agents and league sources alike have expressed frustration to me about the current flat-cap situation and how this year's negotiations were going to go. The Bertuzzi situation is a prime example of the precarious 2023 market, and maybe the Bruins could have figured it out if they'd seen Bertuzzi's market deal with the Maple Leafs at one year, $5.5 million.
To tell you the truth, though, breaking up the goalie tandem of Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman might be the biggest mistake the Bruins could make. As much as Ullmark's untimely mistakes led to the Bruins' first-round exit, he was one of their best regular-season goaltenders of all time and you can't let narratives trip you up when you consider sample size. There was also the possibility that he was injured, even though that conversation got murky. Ullmark was a top-three reason the Bruins even got to where they were and a goaltender who performed like that at a $5 million AAV is almost unheard of. Have some faith in him.
Anyways, Kevin Shattenkirk is a fine replacement for Connor Clifton at the price, Morgan Geekie has a lot of potential, and James van Riemsdyk, again, is fine at the price.
We all wait with bated breath as we look toward the futures of Bergeron and Krejฤรญ.
Buffalo Sabres: Upcoming
Speaking of Clifton, that was a great get for the Sabres to enhance their defensive core, as was Erik Johnson. Get these guys another sniper or two and I'm ready to declare them Stanley Cup Champions and be wrong for the 20th year in a row.
Detroit Red Wings: Time
I have trusted and trusted in the Yzerplan, I've been as patient as one woman can be and I've been the conductor on the Moritz Seider hype train. Now that Filip Zadina has cleared waivers, it's time to take that big swing on another star forward and take this rebuild to the next step.
Florida Panthers: Resourceful
Given the circumstances, the Panthers obviously couldn't field the same exact magical team that took them on their 2022-23 Cinderella run. It stings to lose Anthony Duclair and Radko Gudas, especially considering their respective roles on the team, but what are you going to do?
The Panthers made some shrewd moves in signing Evan Rodrigues, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Mike Reilly, and Dmitriy Kulikov. I bet this team is back making a deep run next season.
Montreal Canadiens: Expected
It would be a red flag if the Canadiens did anything other than trade away a few players this offseason. They're young, they're rebuilding, but they're not ready to make any significant moves just yet.
Ottawa Senators: Confusing
Ok, I'll be the one to ask: What are we doing here? Are we signing Jakub Chychrun and Joonas Korpisalo to assist in a rebuild for some reason? Or are we putting faith in Claude Giroux and the young core, that was injured but likely ready to go for next season? I hope the latter is true. It's so hard to tell until the Alex DeBrincat situation is resolved, but I really hope they find a way to keep him and keep going on this trajectory. They are right there, and it's frustrating!
Tampa Bay Lightning: Inevitable
All things considered, it's not the worst that the Lightning didn't overpay Alex Killorn and/or that they lost Ross Colton, but these are two significant blows to their heralded depth. After a first-round exit at the hands of the Leafs, what's in store for the Lightning this season?
Toronto Maple Leafs: Aggressive
We get it, Brad Treliving, you want some fight in your team! And honestly, the more I think about it, the Leafs obviously have their core players locked up (for the season, at least), and what else do you want them to do now?
I enjoy poking fun at the Leafs as much as the next girl, but the Ryan Reaves, Max Domi, and Tyler Bertuzzi combo signings have been growing on me by the day. This team already has enough skill to carry an EA Sports NHL 2025 roster, you might as well make it interesting and feisty.
Metropolitan Division
2 of 4
Carolina Hurricanes: Waitโฆ?
The Hurricanes have been involved in several reports involving interest in defensemen โ whether that's Brett Pesce potentially getting shipped out in a deal, or a growing interest in Norris winner Erik Karlsson. As I reported, they didn't budge with free agent Shayne Gostisbehere, extending a lower offer of two years x $3.25-3.3 million.
Then out of nowhere came a two-year, $15.5 million contract for the best free-agent defenseman available: Dmitry Orlov. You don't see the Canes taking big, expensive swings like this in free agency every day, but investment in the blue line has been the main priority since owner Tom Dundon and GM Don Waddell took over. I like the big swing and it's interesting that they don't appear to be out on Karlsson yet regardless.
The Canes also signed chippy, 23-goal scorer and former Leafs fan favorite Michael Bunting to a three-year contract with a $4.5 AAV. Slightly pricey, but a good read on the market and Bunting is trending up.
The in-house work hasn't been too shabby either, as the Canes have re-signed Jordan Staal, Jesper Fast, Antti Raanta, and Frederik Andersen. Nice work early on in a currently volatile market.
The Hurricanes have been in on quite a few more players, but what they've actually accomplished so far has been some of the best work of early free agency. Let's see what else they have up their sleeves.
Columbus Blue Jackets: Quiet
The Blue Jackets haven't done anything in post-draft free agency other than sign their prized 2023 No. 3 overall pick Adam Fantilli so far, but they aren't necessarily in the race for the best active players. There's not much they have to do or can do in the current position they're in, so being quiet is acceptable. The Blue Jackets had a great draft and the fact that Fantilli dropped to No. 3 at all was icing on the cake. You'll take that positivity while we see what new head coach Mike Babcock has or hasn't learned in his first season back behind an NHL bench.
New Jersey Devils: Housekeeping
Yes, the Devils have outsourced some brilliant swings already this free agency period, like the acquisition of Tyler Toffoli. But their best work so far has revolved around in-house free agents and extensions, like those of Timo Meier and Jesper Bratt. GM Tom Fitzgerald also let go of longtime goalie project Mackenzie Blackwood, freeing up more room for up-and-comer Akira Schmid, solid-season haver Vitek Vanecek, and/or potentially adding a more veteran name or two into the mix.
There's something to be said about taking care of business and having the room to make a few solid enhancement moves on top of that.
New York Islanders: Re-signing
Again, there's something to be said about taking care of your own business. But we're still pretty unclear about who these Islanders are after another instance of GM Lou Lamoriello doing what some may consider the bare minimum in simply re-signing his in-house UFAs. But two things are true: This free-agent pool leaves much to be desired and the night is still young. I'm not so quick to judge the Islanders' front office this time around, but I'm always skeptical.
Of course, the most important goal of all was accomplished in signing goalie phenom Ilya Sorokin to an eight-year deal with an $8.25 million cap hit -- I can't imagine a universe where that doesn't age well. But even he couldn't get the Islanders past the first round, so they might want to add another piece or two at some point.
New York Rangers: Busy
The Rangers have a bunch of new faces that will play a wide range of roles in Jonathan Quick, Blake Wheeler, Nick Bonino, Erik Gustafsson, Riley Nash, Tyler Pitlick, among a few more fringe pickups.
They weren't expected to make some huge splash, working against the cap with their core players already locked down. I like the idea of an Igor Shesterkin-Quick tandem, especially knowing Shesterkin will play a large majority of the games. I like the sub-$1 million Wheeler contract. Decent work, all things considered, but you wonder if they'll be able to do something to spiff up the power play ahead of the playoffs like they did last season.
Philadelphia Flyers: Smart
The Flyers went for value at the draft as they scooped up Matvei Michkov at No. 7 and it was the latest of plenty of good vibes since Danny Briรจre took over as GM. Briere is getting things done, letting go of past hopes in players like Ivan Provorov and getting big hauls in return.
Rebuilds are rarely easy to stomach, but it feels like under Briere you can at least take solace in the fact that things are moving in the right direction. Letting go of Kevin Hayes and adding Garnet Hathaway and Marc Staal to short-term deals in free agency is further proof that there's real intention and action happening in this rebuild.
Pittsburgh Penguins: Depth
The Penguins were openly seeking depth with $15 million in cap space and a less-than-ideal free agency pool in front of them. They added Reilly Smith to replace Jason Zucker before the draft, then bolstered their bottom six during free agency with Matthew Nieto, Noel Acciari, and Lars Eller. On top of the expected, they extended goaltender Tristan Jarry on a five-year, $5.375 million per year contract and added enticing goalie depth with Alex Nedeljkovic on a one-year, $1.5 million deal.
Who knows if Jarry is the guy, but that's a good contract when he's healthy, and Nedeljkovic adds an interesting twist to the plot.
Washington Capitals: Shrug
Stop me if you've heard this one already: This team is very close to the cap and already traded away its most valuable negotiation assets. With that being said, they managed to acquire free agent Max Pacioretty at a two-year, $2 million deal. If he returns to form that'll end up a steal. Then they acquired large defenseman Joel Edmundson with 50 percent of his $3.5 million cap hit retained. Edmundson is sneakily skilled with the right partner, so that contract could also age well.
There's a significant possibility the Capitals are still working on trading some of their veterans, so let's not close the book on their free agency quite yet. All things considered, so far it gets a positive shrug.
Central Division
3 of 4
Arizona Coyotes: Woah?
Breaking news: The Coyotes are resembling an actual hockey team so far this free agency. Instead of taking on the worst contracts around the league this off-season, they acquired some solid pieces to actually contribute to their season: Jason Zucker, Alex Kerfoot, and Nick Bjugstad. Not only does that bode well for the solid players still remaining in Arizona and the fans, but it also works for trade deadline rental possibility if things don't pan out.
Chicago Blackhawks: Good
Noted man on the street Kyle Davidson was gifted Connor Bedard and he followed it up with acquiring Taylor Hall and Nick Foligno in a solid package that capitalized off the Bruins' obvious cap space issues. That's good!
Colorado Avalanche: Different
The Avalanche are going to look different next year, and with captain Gabe Landeskog out for the entire season, they kind of had to. Jonathan Drouin, Ross Colton, Ryan Johansen and Miles Wood stand out as the most significant pieces. As different as the complexion of the team will be, they also brought back Jack Johnson and Andrew Cogliano for some reason. Perhaps re-signing RFA Bowen Byram was the most important move of all, but it'll be interesting to see how things shake out in Colorado with all the consequential moves -- and without the captain.
Dallas Stars: Great
Really liking the Stars' off-season so far. Evgenii Dadonov was an excellent addition for them and they re-signed him on a reasonable contract, I'm intrigued by Matt Duchene's desperation -- especially in lieu of a Max Domi overpay -- and there were a few more slick under-the-radar moves. This team has such a strong young core that has just needed experience, you don't want to mess with that too much.
Minnesota Wild: Meh
No cap space, no splashes, just vibes for the MID-esota Wild. I'm sorry, and I know their hands are tied, but it's tough to watch them do nothing -- so far. They have some significant RFAs to sign led by Filip Gustavsson, so we'll see what happens after that.
Nashville Predators: Thoughtful
The Barry Trotz front office era is here with a bang, and it's clear that even if a retool is coming up for Nashville, he wants to approach it with dignity. The Predators signed Ryan O'Reilly, Gustav Nyquist, and Luke Schenn. For as much as they've traded away recently, all three players will improve the team on and off the ice, and as the Predators usher in their top prospects into bigger roles, you want guys like O'Reilly and Co around.
St. Louis Blues: Understandable
Look, ya got Kevin Hayes. In this economy, you can't really expect much else. You'll also remember the pre-free agency acquisitions of Jakub Vrana and Kasperi Kapanen. I still don't know what this team is and I'm a little scared to find out, but I'm not going to rag on them for not making a move just to make a move, and for making a few solid ones via different routes.
Winnipeg Jets: Finally
Folks, the moment we've all been waiting for is here: The Jets are letting go of their franchise players that no longer want to be there. The only problem for us right now is most of it hasn't officially happened yet. The Pierre-Luc Dubois saga is officially done, though, and they got a decent return all things considered. It's tough to really evaluate this situation until all is said and done, but the wheels are at least in motion.
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Pacific Division
4 of 4
Anaheim Ducks: Fine
I have to admit, I'm running out of words to describe every team when so many teams are "meh" due to cap constraints and the below-average free-agent pool. I think the Ducks overpaid for Radko Gudas, and Alex Killorn is a gamble -- a gamble I like -- at four years, $25 million. But I'd rather cry myself to sleep at night for a year straight than be subjected to whatever it was they considered a hockey team last year, so go ahead and slightly overpay decent players for the sake of us all.
Calgary Flames: Disaster
Everyone's as good as gone for basically nothing. What a disaster GM Craig Conroy inherited but certainly hasn't improved.
Edmonton Oilers: Sensible
Connor Brown is a good re-signing, plus the Oilers found some much-needed cap relief in trading Kailer Yamamoto and Klim Kostin. I loved their trade deadline last season and they were essentially the only team to give the Golden Knights a real fight. Keep your guys and keep it pushing.
LA Kings: Gutsy
Betting on Pierre-Luc Dubois via an eight-year, $68 million contract is a gutsy move that could pay off in a way that has the rest of the league jealous or could handcuff them into a missed opportunity at a Cup run. Regardless, they have needed a player exactly like him at is best, and you know they're going to do everything they can to keep his vibes high. The two-year, $14 million extension for Anze Kopitar was perfect considering he's still one of the best two-way forwards in the league and provides leadership to a young team.
I kind of like a team that goes for the big, risky move, so we'll see how it plays out in LA.
San Jose Sharks: ?
Call me when the Erik Karlsson situation is resolved. The Sharks have interest of all kinds from all over the league on Karlsson, so there's a lot of warranted pressure for a high return.
Seattle Kraken: Options
The Kraken have cap space and options, the GM Ron Francis special. They've been rumored in on a few potential free agents and trades, though, and they're in one of the best positions in the league to build on what they have with actual cap space. But again, this free-agent market isn't the best and the team is already really dang good. There's no rush, and perhaps the trade deadline next year will be more fruitful.
Vancouver Canucks: Shrug (Bad)
I already used a positive shrug, so now it's time to whip out the bad shrug for the Canucks. They got tougher with some bottom-six players and penalty killers, and that was an obvious need for this team. But they still just don't have the depth around the core for sustainable playoff competition. What do you want us to say at this point?V
Vegas Golden Knights: Planned
Ahhh, everything went exactly according to plan. As the Stanley Cup Champion Golden Knights shed necessary cap space in unleashing Reilly Smith, they brought back Cup-winning goaltender and Adin Hill and second-biggest free agent Ivan Barbashev. All of this with $3 million to spare. Classic Knights!
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