1 Word for Every NHL Team's Status After 2026 Free Agency and the Draft
We're almost one week into 2026 free agency, and things are finally starting to settle down.
Of course, the trade-heavy turn the NHL has taken this season ensures that several developing sagas will stay on our minds throughout the summer.
Will Dylan Larkin stay with the Red Wings despite reportedly requesting a trade? Did the Jets sign Stuart Skinner as a complement to Connor Hellebuyck or as a potential replacement? Will the Ducks match the Flyers' offer sheet for Leo Carlsson, which carries an $18 million AAV and would make him the highest-paid player in hockey?
While we (not so) patiently await the answers to these burning questions and more, here's one word for the state of every NHL team after the start of 2026 free agency and the draft.
Anaheim Ducks: Monumental
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Pat Verbeek and the Ducks have built one of the most exciting young cores in the NHL, but too many negotiations with these young players have dragged on for years.
Now they're paying, as the Flyers have officially tendered a five-year offer sheet to restricted free agent Leo Carlsson. The sheet comes with an AAV of $18 million, which would make the 21-year-old center the highest-paid player in hockey.
Carlsson is the most important player in this Ducks rebuild, and it's hard to imagine a future without him on the team, especially considering Anaheim got over the hump last season and made a two-round run in its return to the playoffs.
It's a steep price that is an overpay for most NHL playersāincluding Carlssonābut it's one the Ducks can afford. The return of four first-round picks sounds enticing at first, but there's a big drop-off in value past the top 10.
So much of this team revolves around Carlsson, who was expected to be the face of the Ducks' franchise in this new era. Still, it's incredibly tough for the Ducks to stomach paying him more than Kirill Kaprizov at this point in his career.
This is truly a conundrum I wouldn't wish upon any team.
Boston Bruins: Wanting
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The Bruins have made some solid moves so far, like acquiring JJ Peterka for two first-round picks. The generally productive forward has a great chance at a bounce-back season under fellow German Marco Sturm.
Trading for Will Borgen and signing Connor Clifton were decent moves to shore up the defense, but the Bruins will need more high-end help on the blue line if they are to remain competitive.
Buffalo Sabres: Eh?
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It was pretty clear the Sabres wouldn't be able to re-sign Alex Tuch given their cap space, but it was still disappointing to part ways with the hometown kid who was such an important part of their season.
Then they fleeced the Blackhawks, acquiring the No. 4 overall pick and plenty more for Bowen Byram. As great as the return in that deal was for the Sabres, they still lost another important player.
They reportedly made the Jets an offer for Connor Hellebuyck that the goalie himself signed off on, but the Jets opted to shop around a bit more.
If they circle back and end up acquiring Hellebuyck, the Sabres will have upgraded delightfully in an area of need. If they've parted ways with two important skaters and remain the same in net, it's tough to feel too excited about their offseason at the moment.
Calgary Flames: Decent
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The Flames made solid use of their ample draft capital, acquiring 23-year-old budding offensive defenseman Å imon Nemec, who will have a bigger opportunity to spread his wings on this Flames team.
Calgary did a lot of work over the past season to dive headfirst into this rebuild, flipping tons of roster players to end an unsuccessful era. We're all curious to see what the "building back up" portion of the process will look like, so the Nemec acquisition was a first peek into that.
Carolina Hurricanes: Undecided
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The Canes had a decent amount of cap space to work with ($11.9 million), headed into this post-Cup offseason, considering they had just three UFAs in Freddie Andersen, Mike Reilly, and Nicolas Deslauriers, and one big RFA in Alexander Nikishin.
They famously re-signed Deslauriers during the parade to a two-year contract carrying a less than $1 million AAV both years, and Andersen is off to Edmonton.
The Canes are going to have to figure out their answer in net, whether it's giving a Pytor Kochetkov-Brandon Bussi tandem a spin or adding more experience. We'll also have to see whether they end up trading Nikishin or overpaying for the unproven-but-intriguing defenseman.
All in all, the Canes put themselves in a decent spot, as they are effectively returning the same team that just won a Stanley Cup. But Andersen was an important piece of that team, and we always expect GM Eric Tulsky to look for the next improvement.
Chicago Blackhawks: Gutsy
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The Blackhawks took a huge gamble in trading the No. 4 overall pick for Byram. It was the first time a top-four pick had been knowingly traded in nearly 20 years, and there's a decent chance the player at this pick could grow into the winger we've been waiting for to complement Connor Bedard.
We will have to keep waiting for that, as the Blackhawks didn't do anything else to bring a proven winger to Bedard's side yet. But as risky as trading the No. 4 overall pick for Byram was, this was a down year for talent at the draft. We can't say for sure yet that this was an objective mistake by GM Kyle Davidson, but the pressure is certainly on for Byram to come in and make this team better overall.
Colorado Avalanche: Prioritizing
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All eyes are on Cale Makar in Colorado this offseason, as the league's best defenseman is now eligible to sign an extension with the Avalanche.
Makar has one year left on his current contract, carrying a $9 million AAV, and he would be well within his rights to seek a contract with a doubled AAV to become one of the highest-paid players in the league.
The Avalanche obviously can only do so much until their star defenseman's deserved raise is sorted out, so this has been an expectedly quiet offseason so far for Colorado.
Columbus Blue Jackets: Messy
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The Blue Jackets' summer got off to a particularly messy start, as some apparent miscommunications between the front office and Zach Werenski leaked to the public.
Werenski had informed the front office that he would likely not be re-signing with the team at the end of his contract in two years. The team took that as "let's trade this guy immediately," and Werenski objected.
Is any side wrong here, no? These are confusing times in the NHL as the salary cap is rising and players are flexing their no-trade clauses more than ever. You can't really blame the Blue Jackets for hearing this, realizing Werenski's value is probably at its peak after a Norris Trophy and a Gold Medal, and seeing what the return would look like.
Something like this was bound to happen after Brady Tkachuk careened his way to Florida and Dylan Larkin requested a trade out of Detroit.
Dallas Stars: Oops
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Speaking of Werenski, Dallas was the trade partner he vetoed to stay in Columbus. So now, key Stars player Thomas Harley (and the rest of the world) is aware he was about to be shipped away without a second thought, the Stars don't get Werenski, and Jason Robertson has filed for arbitration after he shut down the Stars' attempt to ship him off.
Oops!
Detroit Red Wings: Miserable
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Steve Yzerman can play hardball all he wants, and as justified as he may be in reminding us that Dylan Larkin has a contractual obligation to report to training camp, he can't force Larkin or any of us to enjoy what the Red Wings have (or haven't) become under his leadership.
It's been eight years of missed playoffs and lack of action from the Yzerplan, and doubling down as the captain and first-line center is just not the move.
Edmonton Oilers: Productive
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The Oilers have already addressed two big elephants in the room this offseason: offloading the Darnell Nurse contract and improving in net.
They shipped Nurse to the cap-space-laden Sharks and acquired reigning Cup champion Andersen and Devon Levi for a true starting goalie and some interesting depth in Levi.
The pressure's been on with Connor McDavid's bridge deal, and GM Stan Bowman has taken advantage of this off-season to get things moving after a first-round exit.
Florida Panthers: Intriguing
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Miss the Panthers after an injured roster led to the back-to-back Champions missing the 2025-26 playoffs entirely? You're in luck.
The Panthers reentered the national conversation with the blockbuster that shockingly awarded them Brady Tkachuk, as the team returns to health and embarks on another run this season.
They parted ways with goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky but added Jacob Markstrƶm and Akira Schmid to form an interesting tandem with some upside.
Los Angeles Kings: Old
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What else can you call the Kings, who signed four players, with an average age of 34? Erik Haula is 35. Corey Perry is 41. Mats Zuccarello was a good enough addition at a bargain for LA, but he is still almost 39. Scott Laughton, extended for three more years, is 32.
This team was supposed to be getting younger and faster to avoid another first-round sweep, no?
Minnesota Wild: Lackluster
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The Wild is still looking for an elite No. 1 center to take this team to Cup contender status. Losing Mats Zuccarello, Vladimir Tarasenko, and Marcus Johansson is going to sting on the production side, which was already an issue for depth.
Adding Blake Coleman in trade with Calgary should help, but there's work to be done by GM Bill Guerin.
Montreal Canadiens: Era-Ending
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Career-long Hab Brendan Gallagher is off to his hometown Canucks to finish his career, which was an understandable move on both ends.
As for the Canadiens, they made off well in extending Ivan Demidov to an eight-year extension with a $9.15 million AAV. They also re-signed goaltender Jakub DobeÅ” for three years with a ~$5.4 million AAV, which is a solid gamble on a young goaltender.
Nashville Predators: Optimistic
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New GM Chris MacFarland is officially in office, and he's doing some things that are starting to make sense in Nashville.
He made a solid move in acquiring Mavrik Bourque from Dallas for a second- and third-round pick and taking on Ilya Lyubushkin's contract. He also acquired Ross Colton and Jack Drury from his old team in Colorado, making the team younger and faster.
New Jersey Devils: Eventful
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New GM Sunny Mehta capitalized on the seller's market with a stellar return forĀ Å imon Nemec, who didn't appear to be in many of New Jersey's future plans behind Luke Hughes. He then got Evan Rodrigues and changed while getting out of Jacob Markstrƶm's contract.
Most crucially, he signed Nico Hischier to a five-year extension carrying an $11.7 million AAV. That'll age well, but looking around the league right now, his no-movement clause might not.
New York Islanders: Befuddling
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Can the Islanders bring in more goal scorers to build around Matthew Schaefer and keep the good vibes going? It seems they are allergic to any sort of practical move that would give them more opportunities to score.
New York Rangers: Beginning
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The Rangers have made about 4,000 moves through this first week of free agency, a blur that's becoming typicalābut likely slows down hereāfor this rebuilding team.
You could see the light at the end of the tunnel with some of these moves, shoring up the roster at every position. This is beginning to look like a different team with new potential.
Ottawa Senators: Distracting
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Through no fault of the Senators, the thing we're going to remember about their 2026 off-season was the Brady Tkachuk no-movement clause heard 'round the world.
On the plus side, the distraction and the trade speculation regarding their captain are finally behind them. It seems like a relief and could breathe new life into the locker room. It has to mean something good that veteran Claude Giroux is opting to return for a year, right?
Philadelphia Flyers: Villainous
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Muahahahha. We are the big, bad, Flyers.
Shockingly, we made it to the second round of the playoffs last year, and we had nearly $35 million in cap space to play with this offseason.
We used it in the most dramatic fashion possible, tending an offer sheet to Leo Carlsson with a $18 million AAV. They had more than enough money, room, and need for Carlsson to do this.
This is what we love to see from a team in this position, even if they're taking away the villain title from the Golden Knights for the week while we wait to see if the Ducks match their offer.
Pittsburgh Penguins: Tick-tock
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The Penguins are careful not to mess with the present or the future, and sometimes that means sacrificing the moves that would improve either to the fullest extent. That's fine, especially when you've got a legend in Sidney Crosby still performing at an elite level.
You do wonder how they're going to improve this defense, though.
San Jose Sharks: Older
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The extremely young Sharks' core got older in acquiring Jacob Trouba and Darnell Nurse on the blueline, but did it get wiser? Probably.
These players and contracts are risks for obvious reasons, but San Jose did need a veteran presence on the blue line. The Sharks had the wiggle room in cap space, and it's hard to argue they've improved.
They've been getting closer and closer to making the playoffs, but they've still got a few years to figure things out before we start worrying about them.
Seattle Kraken: Existing
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We'll give the Kraken credit for at least trying to go out and take a big swing on Jason Robertson, but it really stings that he turned down a $17 million AAV sign-and-trade to join the team.
You hate to see a team that needed to make a big swing to get an elite player get turned down like this, and you hope it doesn't discourage the Kraken from big-game hunting.
The Bobby McMann edition is solid, but they've got to do something bigger to wake this offense up.
St. Louis Blues: Finally
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After years of falling apart, stringing together a run convincing enough to fool the front office into not moving much, then falling apart even harder, the Blues as we knew them finally waved the white flag.
They said tough goodbyes and got rid of some franchise favorites, but they freed up cap space and acquired draft capital to start building around the promising younger guys. With that, they traded for Anaheim's Mason McTavish, and they also made out pretty well at the draft.
Tampa Bay Lightning: Relevant
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The Lightning have only so much cap space, and somehow the front office tends to make great decisions that keep them in playoff contention year after year.
When Darren Raddysh signed with the Leafs at a very hefty price, you understood why the Lightning couldn't swing it, but you wondered how they'd replace the role he grew into. Then along came John Carlson, on a two-year deal requiring less commitment, less money, and providing more veteran reliability for the Lightning.
Yep, they'll remain relevant.
Toronto Maple Leafs: Hopeful
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After a few monthsāthat felt more like yearsāof hell for the Leafs, there's already a light at the end of the tunnel one week into July.
Not only did they sign No. 1 overall pick Gavin McKenna to his entry-level contract, but they also made out pretty well in their first free-agent period under GM John Chayka.
Of course, both the Darren Raddysh and Sergei Bobrovsky acquisitions were expensive and carry some risk, but this is the time for the Leafs to take a few risks -- especially on defense and in goaltending.
Utah Mammoth: Smart
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The Mammoth are building an identity as a team that makes sly moves. They're not always going to take a gigantic swing, but they aren't afraid to make moves where they find value.
They acquired a playoff veteran, top-six center Vincent Trocheck, without giving up too much, and Anders Lee is heading to Salt Lake City as a free agent after 14 years with the Islanders.
Vancouver Canucks: Acceptable
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When it comes to the Canucks, "acceptable" is an upgrade. They've had a harmless off-season so far, making out well in the draft, tying up some loose ends, and bringing in hometown kid Brendan Gallagher as a veteran presence.
This is the "somewhere" the Canucks gotta start from.
Vegas Golden Knights: Karmaic
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It looks like the Golden Knights might be in the reaping what they sowed portion of the cycle, as luck and cap space are running out.
The seven-year extension for Rasmus Andersson at $8.5 millionĀ AAV could age poorly, given his disappointing playoff performance.
It also prevented the Golden Knights from re-signing top scorer Pavel Dorofeyev. How can they begin to replace him with virtually no cap space?
Washington Capitals: Ovi
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After he got the OK from his wife last week, Alex Ovechkin signed a one-year deal in 10 minutes that will bring him back to compete with the Capitals. Washington made several solid moves to make that signing such a no-brainer for the captain, like acquiring Alex Tuch and Jordan Kyrou.
Life feels good in Washington, especially when you remember Logan Thompson's in the net.
Winnipeg Jets: Ominous
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It's extremely hard to evaluate the Jets until we see how the Connor Hellebuyck situation plays out. Is the Stuart Skinner signing a sign that Hellebuyck's Jets era is over, or did GM Kevin Cheveldayoff just wake up one day and realize he's allowed to have depth on his roster? It remains to be seen.
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