Biggest Priority for Every NHL Team in the 2025 Offseason
Now that the 2024-25 NHL season is complete and the Florida Panthers are parading the Stanley Cup for the second year in a row, it's time to move into the offseason.
Roster movement has already started to kick off with major trades involving Chris Kreider (New York to Anaheim) and Trevor Zegras (Anaheim to Philadelphia) and the head coaching cycle, and there will be plenty more in the coming weeks.
Things will really start to get exciting this week with the NHL draft on Friday and Saturday, plus the start of free agency in the days that follow.
Every team has its list of needs and priorities for the offseason, but there is always going to be one that stands out above the rest. So let's take a quick team-by-team look at everybody's biggest offseason priority.
Sometimes, it will be a tangible, objective need (like a certain position) or something more subjective like a shift in mindset or organizational philosophy.
Let's get into it.
Anaheim Ducks: Get Key Young Players Signed
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The Ducks have already been one of the busiest teams in the NHL this offseason, hiring new head coach Joel Quenneville and making two trades.
After acquiring Chris Kreider from the New York Rangers, they sent away Trevor Zegras following years of trade rumors and speculation.
Whether those moves make them better remains to be seen. Kreider might still have something left in the tank at 34, but they clearly traded Zegras at his lowest possible value.
What is clear, though, is that the Ducks' young talent is what is ultimately going to determine whether they take a step forward this season. They have to make big decisions on two of those young players this summer as forward Mason McTavish and starting goalie Lukas Dostal are unsigned as restricted free agents.
Dostal ended up taking the starting job away from veteran John Gibson this season (and played very well), while McTavish set career highs with 22 goals and 52 total points.
The big question for Anaheim will be whether he gets a shorter-term bridge deal where he will have an opportunity to further prove himself, or if the team will just go all-in with a long-term contract extension right now.
Boston Bruins: Upgrade at Center
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Center has been a huge need for the Bruins ever since Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci retired, but they have not done a great job addressing it.
They have brought in a lot of new faces at the position (Pavel Zacha, Charlie Coyle, Elias Lindholm, Casey Mittelstadt), but nobody who really gives them a top-line presence to help carry a contending team.
They're all pretty much 15-goal, 45-point players who all produce and play the same. They're not bad players, but nobody here is moving the team closer to contention.
The Bruins have to keep taking swings at the position until they find somebody who can do that.
Buffalo Sabres: Don't Mess Up These Trades
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The Sabres' playoff drought has reached 14 consecutive seasons, and they are not getting any closer to snapping it.
The 2024-25 season was especially brutal, and they seem to be headed toward another offseason of change as both JJ Peterka and Bowen Byram have been mentioned in trade speculation.
It's surprising because both are really productive and also in what should be the prime part of their careers.
But with both players up for new contracts as restricted free agents, and there also being some doubt on their willingness to re-sign in Buffalo, speculation has rapidly built up.
If the Sabres end up moving one or both, they have to make sure they get strong returns back. They can't mess it up.
It has to be disappointing for Sabres fans to be stuck in the middle of this seemingly never-ending run of futility, knowing your franchise went into last season with millions in unused salary-cap space and might now be trading two solid young players who could be long-term pieces. It's a grim situation.
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Calgary Flames: Find Some Offense
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The Flames exceeded pretty much every preseason expectation this season and hung around in the playoff race until the very end of the season.
In a year that was supposed to be a rebuilding one, they took a big step forward and competed all season.
Their defense and goaltending was a big part of that. But their biggest weakness was an offense that finished the season 29th in goals scored, only had two players top 47 points and nobody score more than 65 points.
This team needs offense desperately. With just a few more goals, they could have easily made up the remaining gap in the playoff race.
Carolina Hurricanes: Get a Star
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The Hurricanes keep running into the same ceiling in the Eastern Conference Final. It's an objectively good team across the board; and over the course of an 82-game season and postseason run, they are going to win a lot of games and go deep into the playoffs.
But they are still coming up short against teams that can not only match their depth and style but also have top-tier stars in their lineup.
The Hurricanes need to find one of those stars for themselves.
They have taken some big swings the past two years by acquiring Jake Guentzel at last year's trade deadline and attempting to make it work with Mikko Rantanen this season, but neither remained in Carolina long-term. The latter did not even make it through the rest of the season before being traded again.
The good news for the Hurricanes is they have every possible resource imaginable to land the type of impact player they are lacking.
They have more salary-cap space than pretty much every other contending team in the league, they have major trade assets in the form of prospects and draft picks (four first-round picks over the next three years) and an aggressive general manager in Eric Tulsky who has regularly taken big swings in his career.
Whether it be a free agent (Mitch Marner) or a trade (Jason Robertson), they should be in the market to make a major addition this summer.
Chicago Blackhawks: Become Respectable
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This is one of those broad "mindset" priorities we mentioned at the top, but Chicago has to make progress this summer. And a lot of it.
Perhaps the most embarrassing part of the rebuild to this point is that the Blackhawks won fewer games in year two of Connor Bedard's career than they did in the year they actively tanked the roster in an attempt to win his draft lottery.
It's not supposed to play out that way.
Chicago has a lot of young talent in its prospect pool, but if you just passively sit back and wait for those players to mature and develop, you're probably going to create a mess of a situation for yourself.
Not all of those prospects will pan out. Most of them won't. And if you create an environment where young players keep losing, it's going to keep breeding that feeling.
Chicago needs to be aggressive with its salary-cap space, and perhaps even dip into its draft pick and prospect pool to land some impact talent that can help the roster right now.
Colorado Avalanche: Make a Decision on Martin Necas
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Martin Necas was the main part of the return when the Avalanche traded Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes, and he performed mostly well after joining with 28 points in 30 regular-season games (and five points in seven playoff games).
But is he a part of the Avalanche's long-term plans?
The 26-year-old is signed for one more season at $6.5 million, but with the Avalanche dealing with a salary-cap crunch, needing to make improvements to their roster, and not knowing whether Necas is willing to re-sign in Colorado (or how much it will cost), it could put him on the trade market going into this offseason.
Necas is a very good and productive player, but if the Avs are not convinced he will re-sign with them or they don't like the cost, a trade could be a way to create some long-term salary cap flexibility and help restock their depth.
Columbus Blue Jackets: Swing for the Fences
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The Blue Jackets have a chance to be one of the most fascinating teams in the NHL this offseason.
Their rebuild took a massive, and somewhat unexpected, step forward in 2024-25, and they not only have an outstanding young core and one of the NHL's best prospect pools, but they are also swimming in salary-cap space and have multiple first-round picks this year.
With a big move or two, as well as some continued development from players like Adam Fantilli and Kent Johnson, they could find themselves as serious contenders a lot sooner than anybody expected.
If there is a top-line player available, especially on defense, Columbus should be in on it. It has the means to make it happen.
Dallas Stars: Upgrade Right-Side Defense
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Figuring out the Jason Robertson situation is a big priority, but despite trade speculation, it seems a reach to think the Stars would actually move him this season unless they 1) get a ridiculous offer, or 2) are convinced they can not re-sign him.
However, the short-term issue here is finding help on the right side of the defense.
Their left side is pretty much set with Miro Heiskanen, Esa Lindell and Thomas Harley. But the right side? It's a massive divide from what they have on the other side and one of their biggest weaknesses.
If they do trade Robertson, getting back a high-level right-side defenseman would have to be one of the biggest priorities.
Detroit Red Wings: Some Urgency from Steve Yzerman
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The Red Wings' playoff drought is now at nine years, including six under general manager Steve Yzerman.
He might have inherited a mess, and rebuilds might take time, but there is not enough progress being made here.
Even though the Red Wings have some really good core pieces in place (Lucas Raymond, Dylan Larkin, Alex DeBrincat, Moritz Seider, Simon Edvinsson), they have needs across the board in terms of both their scoring and defense.
Team captain Larkin was critical of the Red Wings' lack of activity at the trade deadline, which might be the first sign that maybe some people are getting a little tired of the methodical nature of this process.
Given the needs on the roster and the trade assets he could have to work with, Yzerman needs to display a little urgency this summer and work to get his team back into the playoffs sooner rather than later.
Edmonton Oilers: Connor McDavid's Contract
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The Oilers have needs to address this offseason relating to their goaltending and forward depth, but the biggest issue facing the organization is going to be the contract status of Connor McDavid.
The 28-year-old is entering the final year of his current deal and will be eligible for unrestricted free agency after next season.
Following the team's second consecutive Stanley Cup Final defeat, he made some interesting comments about his future and said he has to do what's best for him and his family.
The Oilers do not want this hanging over them throughout the summer, and especially not into next season.
It doesn't matter what else they do to the roster in the short or long term, McDavid is the engine that drives the whole thing. If they lose him, there is no replacing that.
He is eligible to sign a new contract extension this summer, and it would be in Edmonton's best interests to get that sorted.
Florida Panthers: Keeping the Rats
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Getting some rest would be a big priority, because this team has played a ton of hockey over the past three seasons.
But it does not seem to be slowing the Florida Panthers down, and they will enter next season among the top Stanley Cup contenders.
They have some huge potential free agents to deal with this offseason, including forwards Sam Bennett and Brad Marchand. Not only did they both play a huge role in the Panthers' playoff run offensively, but they also perfectly embody everything Florida has become as a team given their style of play. They are agitating, they are physical, and most importantly, they are outstanding hockey players.
Keeping both will be difficult given their salary-cap constraints, as well as the fact that Bennett has probably played his way into a huge contract, but if the Panthers can find a way to retain one or both it would significantly upgrade their chances at a three-peat next season.
Los Angeles Kings: A Top-Line Scorer
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We know the Los Angeles Kings can win a lot of regular-season games and make the playoffs.
What they can't do is beat the Edmonton Oilers are get beyond the first round.
This season was their fourth consecutive first-round loss to the Oilers, and as long as they play in the same division, they are going to have to figure out a way to get through them.
They could start by adding another top-line scorer to give them some much-needed offense.
The Kings are one of the league's best defensive teams and found a goaltending solution in Darcy Kuemper, but their offense is still mostly middle of the pack and lacking in game-breaking talent.
Over the past four years, they have not ranked higher than 10th in goals scored in any of those seasons, and higher than 14th just once.
Minnesota Wild: Actually Build the Team You Want
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The Wild deserve credit for building a playoff team the past few years despite dealing with some dreadful salary-cap conditions due to the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts.
The worst years of those buyouts are now finished, giving Minnesota some salary-cap flexibility to work with. They can now work to build a deeper, more balanced team that isn't as restricted as it was financially.
The Wild have to deal with a potential Kirill Kaprizov contract extension and figure out what they are going to do with Marco Rossi, but they should have an opportunity to be active beyond those moves and give Kaprizov some additional help.
Montreal Canadiens: Somebody Who Can Bring it All Together
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The Canadiens were one of the biggest surprises in the NHL this season, going from rebuilding team to playoff team much faster than anybody could have anticipated.
Their young core is outstanding with Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Ivan Demidov and Lane Hutson leading the way, and it could be the centerpiece of a contending team for the foreseeable future.
Now they just need something to bring it all together: A productive veteran forward, a big-time scorer, another top defenseman.
They have multiple first-round picks to use as trade bait and some salary-cap flexibility. They took a big step forward, but they can not be satisfied or content with that because it is not guaranteed to keep getting better without some aggressive roster movement.
Nashville Predators: Figure Out What They Are
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The Predators thought they were a bona fide Cup contender going into the 2024-25 season and acted like it in the offseason.
They extended starting goalie Juuse Saros, and then went wild in free agency by signing Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei.
It did not work, though, and the Predators ended up finishing as not only one of the most disappointing teams in the league but also one of the worst.
Now they are left trying to figure out what they are. Is there something here to salvage as a contender? Or is it a team that needs to slam the reset button? If it's the former, they need to address pretty much everything after finishing 31st in goals scored and 27th in goals against.
Despite last season's free-agent spending spree, they still have some salary-cap space to work with this offseason.
New Jersey Devils: Center Depth
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The Devils being able to bounce back and return to the playoffs should have been expected, but it still ended with them fizzling out down the stretch and going out with a whimper in the first round. The injury to Jack Hughes did not help.
Overall, this is a very solid roster, but the Devils could use more center depth, especially given the injury concerns Hughes has had and how often they play him on the wing. There is a significant dropoff at the position, and that's an issue.
Contending teams typically need to go three or four deep down the middle, and the Devils just do not have that as currently constructed.
New York Islanders: The Noah Dobson Situation
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Adding more offense is a must for the Islanders, but the biggest priority is figuring out what they have in Noah Dobson, how much they should pay him, if they should pay him or if they should trade him.
That's a lot of questions, and it's why the situation is so important to figure out.
Is he the 70-point player he showed in 2023-24? Or is he the 39-point player who took a huge step backwards in 2024-25?
The 25-year-old is a restricted free agent this offseason, and if the Islanders aren't convinced he can duplicate that 2023-24 performance, they might have to explore what sort of trade package would be available for him.
New York Rangers: Meaningful Improvements Across the Board
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The Rangers have already made two big moves this offseason to fix the mess that was the 2024-25 season.
First, they fired head coach Peter Laviolette and replaced him with Mike Sullivan.
Then they continued to remake their core by trading away their longest-tenured forward, Chris Kreider, to create more salary-cap space.
The latter move was probably necessary, and the salary-cap space is a must-have.
Now they just need to use it smartly.
The Rangers defense needs more mobility and puck-movers. The forward group needs more depth and more high-end scoring help down the middle (even after acquiring J.T. Miller at the trade deadline). Their 5-on-5 play remains as bad as it has been over the past six years and is one of the biggest issues with the roster.
That is a lot that needs fixing in one offseason, and a lot of those issues have existed for years. Management has failed to address them in previous seasons. It needs to fix that this offseason.
Ottawa Senators: Defensive Upgrade
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The Senators finally made some progress in their rebuild and qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since their Eastern Conference Final run in 2017.
While there is a lot to like about the top part of the roster, the bottom half could use some improved depth at both forward and defense.
At no position is this more necessary than the right side of their defense.
Thomas Chabot and Jake Sanderson have things locked down on the left, but there is a significant drop in performance on the other side of the ice.
Philadelphia Flyers: Goaltending Stability
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In what is a tale as old as the franchise, the Philadelphia Flyers had a goaltending problem during the 2024-25 season.
In fact, it was not only their biggest weakness but also the single biggest issue that held the team back. Despite having some of the best defensive and 5-on-5 metrics in the NHL, the Flyers still badly regressed from where they were during the 2023-24 season due in large part to their goaltending.
They finished last in the NHL in terms of both 5-on-5 save percentage and even-strength save percentage.
If they had managed even league-average goaltending, the season might have gone differently.
They already landed Trevor Zegras this offseason in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks and hired Rick Tocchet to be their next head coach. Now they need to find a goalie. If not, it's going to be another long season no matter what anybody else does.
Pittsburgh Penguins: Thinking Long-Term
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Even though Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang remain on the roster, it is pretty obvious the Pittsburgh Penguins' rebuild has arrived.
General manager Kyle Dubas has done a strong job in rebuilding the farm system and stockpiling draft picks (30 over the next three years, more than any other team in the NHL), and he needs to continue that this offseason.
What that will look like remains to be seen.
An Erik Karlsson trade seems likely, and Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust would have strong trade value. They would love to get rid of Tristan Jarry's contract. While they do not figure to be overly aggressive in free agency, they should be quite active on the trade market.
The Penguins would like to contend again while Crosby is still playing, but their focus for the 2025-26 season should simply be trying to find some more young talent.
They need to flip some of that draft pick capital for younger NHL players, they need to keep adding to the farm system, and they need to accept this season is probably not going to result in the playoffs and might instead position them to potentially land Gavin McKenna at the top of the 2026 draft.
San Jose Sharks: Keep Building
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The Sharks already have in place the hardest and most difficult piece of a rebuild to find: the franchise cornerstone player.
Macklin Celebrini already looks like a rising star, and he should be the face of the franchise for the next decade-plus. They also have a nice collection of young players around him to help kick-start their rebuild.
But they can't just sit around waiting for their prospects to pan out.
They need to start giving Celebrini some help so they can take a meaningful step forward this season and not dip even further into a perpetual rebuild with no end in sight.
The Sharks' goal shouldn't be addressing any one specific position this offseason. It should just be adding talent, regardless of position. There are holes all over this roster and everything should be open to an upgrade
Seattle Kraken: More Offense
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The Kraken have mostly underwhelmed since their entrance into the league, failing to duplicate the early success of the Vegas Golden Knights as an expansion franchise.
A lot of it has been due to some poor roster management and decision-making.
Among the many flaws on the roster is a lack of offense and no real star-power. Matty Beniers and Shane Wright are talented and still have big-time upside, but they have not yet taken a major leap forward.
The Kraken were 16th in the NHL in goals scored in 2024-25 (after being 29th in 2023-24) but did not have anybody record more than 61 points or score more than 26 goals.
Finding more offense has to be at the top of their offseason shopping list.
St. Louis Blues: Center Depth
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The Blues completely turned their season around after hiring Jim Montgomery as head coach. Under his leadership, they finished the regular season as one of the best teams in the league and stormed into the playoffs as one of the best defensive teams in the NHL.
Montgomery helped change their identity, as well as the additions of defensemen Philip Broberg and Cam Fowler.
One of the big weaknesses going into the offseason is now going to be upgrading their center depth.
Robert Thomas is an outstanding No. 1 center, and Brayden Schenn gave them 50 points in a second-line role. But they had almost no offense at the position once you got beyond those two, and even Schenn could be upgraded on as a second-line player.
If the Blues are going to get back to the playoffs and compete in a tough Western Conference, they need way more help down the middle.
Tampa Bay Lightning: Keep Fixing Depth
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The top of the Lightning lineup is still championship-caliber with Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, Victor Hedman, Brandon Hagel, Jake Guentzel and Andrei Vasilevskiy all playing at high levels.
The problem they need to address is their depth at all levels of the roster.
Their bottom-six needs work, their defensive depth needs an upgrade and Vasilevskiy could use a more reliable backup to help limit his minutes and workload during the regular season.
Toronto Maple Leafs: Change....Something
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The Maple Leafs keep telling us who they are and what they are with this current core.
We should start believing them.
Their depth is not good enough to pick up the slack for their stars when they struggle in the playoffs.
Their stars have not proved to be good enough to carry the team in big moments the way other star players on contenders have.
It is a brutal combination that has kept producing the same disappointing results year after year. Can you really pay big money to Mitch Marner and John Tavares to run it back again with this group and expect a different result?
They have put off changes to this core long enough. They can't avoid it any longer this offseason.
The question is going to be whether general manager Brad Treliving is able to offset the potential departure of Marner with enough quality depth to help make up for it.
Utah Mammoth: Go for Big Score on Offense
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Utah has the potential to have a significant offseason, owning more than $20 million in salary-cap space and the No. 4 overall pick in the draft following its big jump in the lottery.
The Mammoth made a huge investment in their defense last offseason by adding Mikhail Sergachev and John Marino.
They need a similar investment in the offense this offseason.
Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther have the potential to be big-time contributors on offense, but they need more around them.
Given their salary-cap space and draft pick capital, there is no excuse for them not being able to add a legitimate star to their roster this summer. The playoffs should be within reach if they spend smartly and aggressively.
Vancouver Canucks: Figure Out What's Going On with Their Best Players
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The 2024-25 season was a mess for the Canucks. They not only significantly regressed and missed the playoffs, but their two best forwards (Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller) also had such a bad relationship that the team ended up trading one of them and very nearly both.
Pettersson remains in Vancouver and is under contract for the long term, but the Canucks need to figure out a way to get him to bounce back offensively and become the 100-point player he showed he can be a couple of years ago.
The other big pressing issue is the future of defenseman Quinn Hughes.
He is signed for two more years at a team-friendly rate of $7.8 million per season, but there are already rumblings that he may be interested in joining his brothers, Jack and Luke, in New Jersey.
Those rumblings were magnified by Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford who has never been afraid to loudly say whatever pops into his head.
Keeping Hughes happy and convincing him Vancouver is the place for him to be has to be a priority because the Canucks are not really going to be able to find another defenseman like him.
Fixing Pettersson and keeping Hughes happy are the two biggest things the Canucks have to focus on this summer.
Vegas Golden Knights: Jack Eichel's Contract
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The Golden Knights need to add some wingers to their lineup, and they almost certainly will. But they also have to start thinking about what Jack Eichel's next contract is going to look like.
The 28-year-old is entering the final year of a deal that pays him $10 million per season, and he will be eligible to sign a new contract in July.
Just as the case will be for the Edmonton Oilers and Connor McDavid, it would probably be in Vegas' best interest to get this situation taken care of sooner rather than later so it's not hanging over the offseason and season.
Eichel is their best player, one of the best players in the league, and getting him locked in on a new contract should be a big priority.
Washington Capitals: Get Younger
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The Capitals deserve a ton of credit for how much they improved in 2024-25, going from one of the worst playoff teams in the modern era to the second-best regular-season team in the NHL.
Their offseason does not figure to be as aggressive as the 2024 version, but they still have some work to do to make sure they maintain their current standard.
They could use a third-line center, another impact player offensively and an upgrade at backup goalie behind Logan Thompson. But despite the emergence of some key young players like Aliaksei Protas and Connor McMichael, it is still an older team that could use an infusion of young talent.
That should be the big priority this offseason: Find more young talent to complement a still-productive veteran core.
Winnipeg Jets: Backup goalie
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Addressing the backup goalie spot for a team that has the league MVP and a three-time Vezina winner in goal might seem a little silly. But there is a reason for why it might be a necessity. Or at least a bigger priority than you might think.
Connor Hellebuyck simply needs a break.
He plays more games and more minutes than any other goalie in the NHL, and there is not really another goalie close to him in terms of workload over the past five or six seasons. That has to take its toll physically. I would argue that heavy workload is one of the reasons why he has struggled so much in the playoffs the past few seasons. He's getting worn down. If the Jets could find a reliable, consistent goalie to take some of the pressure off of him during the regular season and give him more time off, he might not be as worn down when the playoffs roll around and he might have more to give them when the games matter the most.
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