Ranking the Best 10 Trades and Free-Agent Signings from the 2025 NHL Offseason
Now that NHL training camps and the 2025-26 season are just around the corner, it's time to take a look back at some of the best moves made during the 2025 offseason.
Specifically, we are going to look at the 10-best trades and free-agent signings that were made this summer.
When identifying the best moves, we are only looking at moves that involved a player actually changing teams via unrestricted free agency or in a trade (so no Brad Marchand or Sam Bennett re-signing in Florida, or Brock Boeser re-signing in Vancouver), and also taking into account potential impact, value and what it took for the team to land that player.
Let's get into it.
10. Evgenii Dadonov, New Jersey Devils
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One of the things that makes this such a great move for the Devils is simply the value with the contract. New Jersey needed to add some scoring depth, and ended up getting a 20-goal scorer for just $1 million for the season.
Dadonov is 36 years old and can be a pretty one-dimensional player at this point, but there is virtually no risk in the signing.
He's only there for one year, and all the Devils are asking for is for him to do exactly what he did for the Dallas Stars a year ago: Chip in some offense in a middle-six role. He is perfectly capable of that and should be a great value pickup.
9. Trevor Zegras, Philadelphia Flyers
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Zegras is still a huge mystery as a player because nobody really knows what he is at the moment or what he can become.
His name was involved in trade rumors out of Anaheim for more than a year, and the Ducks finally decided to move on this offseason by trading him to the Philadelphia Flyers for Ryan Poehling and two draft picks.
It's a worthwhile gamble for the Flyers to take.
Zegras' development and career have kind of stalled the past two years due to injury and inconsistent play both with and without the puck, and it's led to some really disappointing results.
But he's still only 24 years old and still has the talent that made him one of the most intriguing young players in the NHL a couple of years ago.
This might be a situation where a talented player just needs a fresh start in a new environment, especially if the Flyers move him back to his natural position of center more consistently and let him truly develop there.
Is there some risk for the Flyers in acquiring Zegras? Sure. Is it guaranteed to work? Not at all. But the is significant if it does, and it could give them another core player to build around.
8. Jonathan Drouin, New York Islanders
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The Islanders had a potentially franchise-altering offseason that saw them part ways with general manager Lou Lamoriello, setting the wheels in motion for a significant offseason.
Not only did the Islanders win the NHL draft lottery where they took defenseman Matthew Schaefer with the No. 1 overall pick, but they also traded defenseman Noah Dobson for two first-round picks to further rebuild their farm system.
All of those are more long-term moves that fit in more with a rebuild.
In the short term, they made one of the best value signings in the free-agent market when they signed veteran forward Jonathan Drouin to a two-year, $8 million contract in unrestricted free agency.
Drouin is not a franchise-changing player by any means, but he is an outstanding playmaker and brings some much-needed offense to what has been a rather boring and bland team in recent years.
He's also signed to an affordable contract that should make him a great trade asset before the end of his contract.
7. Zac Bolduc, Montreal Canadiens
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Montreal shocked the NHL a year ago by making the playoffs and taking a huge step forward in its rebuild.
For as promising as that progress was, and for as promising as the young talent is, the club had to know the process behind the results was not going to be sustainable without some more outside additions.
They made two big moves this offseason, and getting Bolduc from the St. Louis Blues was the smaller of those. That does not mean it is not going to be impactful, though.
Bolduc is still only 22 years old and coming off a 19-goal performance (in 71 games) for the Blues, and joins a young, rapidly improving Montreal core that already includes Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Ivan Demidov and Lane Hutson.
He is an ideal fit within that core and gives Montreal some additional middle-six scoring while also still having some untapped offensive potential.
6. JJ Peterka, Utah Mammoth
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Utah spent last offseason making big investments in its defense.
This offseason it went for more offense, adding Peterka from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Josh Doan and defenseman Michael Kesselring.
Last summer's investment in the defense made a solid player like Kesselring expendable, especially for a player with the offensive upside of Peterka.
Peterka is far from a complete player given his shortcomings away from the puck, but he has 30-35 goal ability and offers the Mammoth another top-six scoring option.
If he keeps progressing offensively, and if returning young players like Logan Cooley can really take a big step forward offensively, this could be a playoff team this season.
5. K'Andre Miller, Carolina Hurricanes
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There are times when K'Andre Miller looks like a blossoming star with the type of skating and puck skills that organizations typically only dream of acquiring. There are also times where he can look like a huge liability.
But the pros tend to outweigh the cons in his game, and his playing style seems to be a perfect fit for the way the Hurricanes like to play and their defense as a whole.
It's also going to be fascinating to see how his game develops with a fresh start in Carolina.
Player development has not been a strong suit of the New York Rangers in recent years, and getting into an organization that has excelled in bringing out the best in young players could be a huge positive for Miller's career.
He is not Carolina's biggest move this offseason, but he is still a significant add for a Hurricanes team looking to break through into the Stanley Cup Final.
4. Vladislav Gavrikov, New York Rangers
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The worst-kept secret in the NHL going into the offseason was that the Rangers were going to sign Gavrikov away from the Los Angeles Kings as soon as the free-agent signing period began. There were some wild numbers being thrown around with those rumors as well.
As it turns out, the Rangers got the 29-year-old on a seven-year, $49 million contract after he was rumored to get a deal closer to $10 million per season, and they landed one of the best defensive players available on the open market.
He should be a perfect complement to Adam Fox and could give them a dominant top-pairing on their blue line.
That's important because the Rangers have badly needed to improve their 5-on-5 play and defensive zone play for years.
Is Gavrikov alone enough to fix their issues? Probably not. They would have also been better off had they not made some bad investments in their defense a year ago, been able to keep Miller, and go into this season with both Gavrikov and Miller on their defense. But the other mistakes do not take away from how good the Gavrikov addition is on its own.
His contract might age poorly, but the Rangers are desperate to win now and he should still have a few good years in him.
3. Nikolaj Ehlers, Carolina Hurricanes
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While Miller was a nice addition to the Hurricanes' defense, Nikolaj Ehlers has a chance to be a game-changer.
For as good as the Hurricanes have been in recent years, they always seem to get held back in the playoffs due to a lack of offense and finishing ability.
Ehlers can help solve that problem.
He's also going to be an interesting player to watch because he has consistently been one of the league's most efficient goal and point producers when you look at his production from a per minute and per 60 minute basis.
He just never really seemed to get the role, usage or trust in Winnipeg to get more ice time. He should get that sort of role and ice-time here.
Will the rate stats translate into bigger box score stats? Carolina is betting on yes.
2. Mitch Marner, Vegas Golden Knights
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The Toronto Maple Leafs finally made a significant change to their core, and it saw them part ways with Marner in a sign-and-trade deal with the Vegas Golden Knights.
It's clear Toronto's core was not working out as expected and not good enough to get the Maple Leafs to a championship level.
Whether what they have done is going to be enough to make them better remains to be seen. But this fresh start for Marner could be exactly what he needs.
For one, by going from Toronto to Vegas he is going from an organization that has known nothing but losing in recent years to one that has known nothing but success and winning.
He is also going into a situation where he will no longer have a target on his back for criticism.
In Toronto, Marner was not only playing in a 24/7 pressure-cooker with an overbearing media and a passionate fanbase with sky-high expectations, he was also the person who took most of the blame for the team's failures.
The Golden Knights are Jack Eichel's team. And Mark Stone's team. And Shea Theodore's team. And William Karlsson's team. Even though Marner is coming in with a $12 million per year salary-cap number, he is joining an established core.
That could be perfect for him, and it could even be his Phil Kessel moment where he goes from being the focal point in Toronto to a complementary piece and is able to just relax and play.
It's also a great fit for Vegas because the Golden Knights badly needed another top-line scoring winger, and they got the best available this offseason.
This is a perfect match for team and player.
1. Noah Dobson, Montreal Canadiens
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Montreal's other big move this offseason was to get Dobson from the New York Islanders for two first-round draft picks.
That's a steep price, but it's a worthwhile one to pay for a bona fide top-pairing defenseman who can help a rapidly improving core group.
Dobson's offense took a big step backwards in 2024-25, but a lot of that could have been the fact that he was playing in a system where offense was a constant struggle.
Going to Montreal and getting a chance to play around a young, talented core that is rapidly improving could be just what he needs to see his offense jump back up.
Montreal needed to make big moves this offseason, and this was a huge winner on paper. It should be on the ice as well.
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