Stock Up, Stock Down for NHL Teams After First Week of Free Agency

At the heart of this piece is a simple question: Is [insert team here] as currently constructed better than it was at the end of last season?

For the purposes of this piece, we aren't worried about the salary cap, asset management or grading teams on a curve based on their unique individual circumstances. Rather, what we want to know is whether the roster has improved. 

In the case of each team under consideration, we've divided the slide into three categories. The first looks at new additions and runs them down, while the second does the same for recent departures. Finally, we add a "bottom-line" analysis that summarizes the change in the team over the course of the offseason. 

There is one caveat to much of what follows: The summer isn't done yet. There are several situations around the league that may require a trade to resolve, and the collection of unsigned unrestricted free agents still holds some substantial talent. So rather than considering this a final mark, it's probably best to regard the following as an "in-progress" grade. 

Stock Up: Florida Panthers

Billy Hurst/Associated Press

Key Additions

• Forward: C Jonathan Marchessault, C Jared McCann, RW Colton Sceviour
• Defence: RD Jason Demers, RD Mark Pysyk, LD Keith Yandle
• Goal: Reto Berra, James Reimer

The Florida Panthers have added a bunch of good players this summer. 

McCann, an NHL rookie, was a first-round pick in 2014 and has a bright future. Marchessault and Sceviour are both cheap additions with a good chance of outperforming their contracts. Attention was really given to the back end, where Demers and Pysyk upgrade the right side, Yandle adds a primary offensive weapon and Reimer gives the club a long-term goaltending option. 

Key Subtractions

• Forward: RW Jiri Hudler, RW Teddy Purcell
• Defence: LD Brian Campbell, RD Erik Gudbranson, LD Dmitry Kulikov, LD Willie Mitchell
• Goal: Al Montoya

There are some good players in this pile, too, notably on defence. Campbell is still an impact player at 37, while Gudbranson and Kulikov are solid NHL'ers. Montoya did a nice job in the backup role last season. 

The forwards lost were trade-deadline additions, which takes some of the sting out of their departures.

Bottom Line

Florida is clearly building for the long term, adding a pile of talent under the age of 30. McCann and Pysyk are both nice gets for a building team, while Demers and Yandle are young veterans who should compensate for the offseason losses. Reimer solves the goaltending situation at a modest price for the foreseeable future.  

Stock Down: Anaheim Ducks

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Key Additions

• Forward: RW Jared Boll, LW Mason Raymond
• Defence: RD Nate Guenin, LD Jeff Schultz

The Anaheim Ducks actually signed a bunch of fringe NHL types, of which Raymond is the most famous. A one-time 25-goal man, Raymond was bought out by the Calgary Flames after scoring four goals in 29 contests this past season. He's a nice low-risk reclamation project who might rebound. 

There's not much to say about Guenin, Schultz or Boll. The trio combined for 60 NHL games and one major league goal last season. 

Key Subtractions

• Forward: C Shawn Horcoff, LW Jamie McGinn, RW David Perron, LW Brandon Pirri, C Mike Santorelli, RW Chris Stewart
• Goal: Anton Khudobin

The list above represents two complete forward lines, and while most of those players have some sort of flaw, that's a lot of talent to flush away in a single offseason. 

Many of these losses were midseason additions. Perron, Pirri and McGinn all did pretty well after coming over in various trades; together they combined for 19 goals and 37 points in just 58 games, with Perron in particular bringing some scoring depth to the team. 

Bottom Line

Anaheim entered the offseason in need of a quality left wing. Not only has it so far failed to acquire said player, but the club has bled a lot of secondary talent up front. There is, however, still time for the Ducks to pull off a trade or bring in complementary free agents. 

Stock Up: New Jersey Devils

Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports

Key Additions

• Forward: RW Beau Bennett, C Vern Fiddler, LW Taylor Hall, LW Luke Gazdic
• Defence: RD Ben Lovejoy

It's difficult to overstate the impact the addition of Hall has on a team that has long lacked elite five-on-five scorers and possession players. Hall ranks third among NHL forwards in five-on-five points per 60 minutes since the 2012 lockout and instantly becomes the club's most dynamic talent.  

Lovejoy will help fill the void created by trading Adam Larsson to secure Hall, while both Bennett and Fiddler are competent NHL'ers who don't cost too much. 

Key Subtractions

• Forward: LW Patrik Elias, RW Bobby Farnham, RW Stephen Gionta, RW Tyler Kennedy, LW Tuomo Ruutu, RW Jordin Tootoo, LW Jiri Tlusty
• Defence: RD Adam Larsson, LD David Schlemko

There isn't one name on that long list of forwards that the New Jersey Devils couldn't have done without last season. Losing Schlemko is a bit of an annoyance but hardly fatal, while Larsson's reliable presence will be missed. 

Bottom Line

New Jersey added the kind of elite scoring talent that is only very rarely available in the trade market. The addition of Lovejoy helps compensate for the loss of Larsson, while most of the forward departures are replaceable internally. 

Stock Down: Dallas Stars

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Key Additions

• Forward: RW Adam Cracknell
• Defence: LD Andrew Bodnarchuk, LD Dan Hamhuis

Hamhuis is the only particularly notable name on the incoming list. The 33-year-old has had a tough couple of seasons with the Vancouver Canucks and hasn't played 60 games since 2013-14, but he can still play and should help serve as a stopgap until the Dallas Stars' young players arrive. 

Key Subtractions

• Forward: C Vern Fiddler, LW Travis Moen, RW Colton Sceviour
• Defence: RD Jason Demers, LD Alex Goligoski, LD Kris Russell

Dallas lost a couple of quality depth forwards in Fiddler and Sceviour, but it's on defence where the real damage was done. Goligoski and Demers are both important players, and their departures are going to hurt the Stars' already suspect ability to defend. Russell, a trade-deadline addition, is less important, but losing him doesn't particularly help either. 

Bottom Line

Consider this a provisional rating, because if general manager Jim Nill can fix the goaltending before the start of the year things will look better. As it stands, however, the team's glaring weakness in net is only going to get worse thanks to the demolition of the defence corps. 

Stock Up: Nashville Predators

Bruce Fedyck-USA TODAY Sports

Key Additions

• Defence: LD Matt Irwin, RD P.K. Subban, RD Yannick Weber

Subban adds a dynamic element to the Nashville Predators' blue line, and gives the team perhaps the best puck-moving top four in the entire league. Irwin and particularly Weber were nice depth additions.

Key Subtractions

• Forward: LW Gabriel Bourque, C Paul Gaustad, C Cody Hodgson, LW Eric Nystrom
• Defence: LD Barret Jackman, RD Shea Weber
• Goal: Carter Hutton

The loss of Weber hurts, but is more than compensated for by the arrival of Subban. None of the other players on this list is particularly difficult to replace internally. 

Bottom Line

Mostly, the Predators frittered away at the edges, but the Subban-for-Weber deal is a massive move that makes the team better in the present and in the future. The only concern here is with regard to goalie Pekka Rinne, who struggled last year but appears set to reprise his role as starter without any competition.  

Stock Down: New York Rangers

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Key Additions

• Forward: LW Nathan Gerbe, RW Michael Grabner
• Defence: RD Adam Clendening, LD Nick Holden, RD Michael Paliotta

The New York Rangers have a long reputation of going out and grabbing the shiniest baubles of free agency. Not so much this season, though. The team added a quintet of depth pieces, with the capable Grabner being the best of the bunch but none of them moving the needle much. 

Key Subtractions

• Forward: RW Jayson Megna, C Dominic Moore, LW Daniel Paille, C Eric Staal, LW Viktor Stalberg 
• Defence: RD Dan Boyle, RD Raphael Diaz, LD Keith Yandle

The loss of Stalberg in a lot of ways counterbalances the addition of Grabner, and for the most part the arriving depth pieces make up for various departing depth pieces. One exception is Staal, who underperformed after coming over at midseason anyway. The other exception is Yandle, who added a unique element to a moribund defence and who will be missed.  

Bottom Line

The Rangers fell into sharp decline last season. This version of the team looks a lot like that version of the team, except now New York is also down its best offensive defenceman. 

Stock Up: Minnesota Wild

Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Key Additions

• Forward: C Eric Staal, RW Chris Stewart
• Defence: LD Victor Bartley
• Goal: Alex Stalock

The Minnesota Wild added four players, but it's hard to imagine that Bartley or Stalock fit into the NHL plans except as potential call-ups in the event of injury. 

Staal and Stewart are both veteran players with the potential to outproduce their modest contracts. Staal adds a much-needed centre to the organization, and the team's hopes for next year are going to depend to a large degree on Staal's ability to bounce back from an underwhelming campaign.

Key Subtractions

• Forward: C Ryan Carter, RW Justin Fontaine, RW David Jones, LW Chris Porter, C Jarret Stoll, RW Thomas Vanek
• Defence: RD Tyson Strachan

For the most part, the departures on this list are unremarkable, and of course it's still possible for the Wild to circle back to any of these depth players that they like. 

The two exceptions are Fontaine and Vanek. Fontaine is a solid player, a versatile depth forward with decent scoring punch for his position, and he may end up being missed if the Wild don't bring him back. Vanek is a famous player who still puts up points, but his skills have eroded with age and his defensive game has abandoned him completely; his departure is arguably addition by subtraction. 

Bottom Line

The Wild made smart, cheap additions and should be better for it.

Transaction information via CBS Sports transaction tracker.