🏒 From A+ to D+: Grading NHL offseasons

The compressed NHL offseason -- draft, mega-trades and free agency all within a 10-day period -- is an opportunity for every front office to improve its roster. Some general managers need just a few players to remain a top Stanley Cup contender -- or ascend to that status. Others need to be a bit more aggressive to raise their club's competitive level, or perhaps their vision is on 2026-27 or beyond for a serious playoff push.

With the initial wave of additions and adjustments complete, it's time for an honest assessment of each front office based on what was reasonably expected.

Here are report cards for all 32 NHL teams, based on the moves made through Monday. These are based on the moves they made, the moves they perhaps wanted to make, and their needs entering the proverbial dog days of mid-July through training camps in September.

Note: Advanced statistics are from Natural Stat Trick and Evolving Hockey. Cap and contract information is from PuckPedia as of July 8; teams with negative remaining cap space are that much over the cap, and must be cap-compliant by opening night. Kristen Shilton covered the Atlantic and Metro teams, Ryan S. Clark the Central and Pacific clubs. Teams are listed alphabetically within each letter-grade tier.

Draft recap: All 224 picks Grades for all 32 teams Winners and losers

Key players added: D Jeff Petry, G Daniil Tarasov Key players lost: D Nate Schmidt, G Vitek Vanecek Remaining cap space: None (projected $2,950,000 over)

Overall grade: A+

Florida GM Bill Zito gets top marks for somehow keeping all the key pieces of the Panthers' recent Stanley Cup runs off the open market. Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad and Brad Marchand received long-term contracts from the club that will chisel its name onto hockey's holy grail for the second straight season. And there's no doubt Zito was aided by willing participants who left millions on the table by not exploring their options elsewhere. Winning has that sort of appeal.

Zito also found a young netminder in Tarasov to back up Sergei Bobrovsky next season as a possible upgrade over Vanecek.

There were other under-the-radar adds across the board for Florida too from Zito -- replacing the departing Schmidt with Petry, re-signing fourth-liner Tomas Nosek and bringing in Brandon Bussi and Nolan Foote.

The Panthers' depth has been a weapon over long postseason runs and Florida is well-positioned again thanks to Zito's savvy business moves to be elite again over the next 12 months. Honestly, he couldn't have done much more to give Florida a chance to create a true dynasty.

Key players added: F Mikael Granlund, G Ville Husso, F Chris Kreider, G Petr Mrazek, F Ryan Poehling Key players lost: G John Gibson, F Trevor Zegras Remaining cap space: $28,988,812

Overall grade: A

Simply put, the Ducks might have had one of the strongest offseasons of any team in the NHL. Having "a window" in the NHL is talk that's usually reserved for championship challengers trying to win before it falls apart. In the Ducks' case, their "window" is still having a talented core of young players on team-friendly deals that allows them to spend more money elsewhere. For now.

That's what the Ducks did by trading for Kreider, who has two years left at $6.5 million average annual value. Trading Gibson and Zegras shed $12.15 million in salary.

Some of those savings went toward signing top-nine forward Granlund. What the Ducks received in return from their trades allowed them to fill holes at team-friendly prices. Once July 1 ended, it left Ducks GM Pat Verbeek with what appears to be more than enough money to sign his RFA class of Lukas Dostal, Drew Helleson and Mason McTavish to new contracts.

Key players added: F Nick Bjugstad, D Logan Mailloux, F Pius Suter Key players lost: F Zach Bolduc, F Radek Faksa Remaining cap space: $625,150

Overall grade: A

Blues GM Doug Armstrong didn't need to do a lot this offseason, but the three moves he made were quite impactful.

Armstrong could afford to move on from Bolduc because he had six forwards on the roster who scored more than 18 goals, while also factoring in the role for prized prospect Jimmy Snuggerud. Trading Bolduc for Mailloux provided them with a young blue-line option knowing that Torey Krug won't play next season (or possibly beyond).

In signing Bjugstad, the Blues added an experienced and sizable third-line center who could anchor a bottom six. Getting Suter on a two-year deal gives the Blues one of the strongest center setups in the league, and another forward who scored more than 18 goals last season.

Key players added: F JJ Peterka, D Nate Schmidt, F Brandon Tanev, G Vitek Vanecek Key players lost: F Josh Doan, D Michael Kesslering, F Matias Maccelli Remaining cap space: $6,657,143

Overall grade: A

The Mammoth are either going to be a playoff team this season, or come extremely close.

They swung one of the biggest trades of the offseason to get Peterka, and immediately signed him to a five-year extension, giving them another top-six scorer. That left Mammoth GM Bill Armstrong with more than enough space to sign veterans in other areas.

Schmidt's arrival means there are seven proven blue-line options under contract. Utah can either stick with that group -- to provide insurance against injury -- or trade one for help elsewhere.

Key players added: D K'Andre Miller, F Nikolaj Ehlers Key players lost: D Brent Burns Remaining cap space: $10,644,291

Overall grade: A-

Carolina finally did the thing. After several swings -- and misses -- trying to get a top-six scoring winger into their midst, GM Erik Tulsky secured a game-changer by signing coveted free agent Ehlers to a six-year, $51 million contract. That immediately gives Carolina the boost it has been looking for the past two years (at least).

Before Tulsky signed Ehlers, he also pulled off an impressive sign-and-trade with New York for Miller, a promising blueliner who should make Carolina's back end even better (especially now that Burns has moved on to Colorado in free agency).

While Ehlers is an excellent add, Tulsky has yet to address the Hurricanes' second-line center position. There's still time to work something out there.

In the meantime, what Carolina has done is more than enough to put them back as odds-on favorites to make another Eastern Conference finals appearance -- or beyond.

Key players added: D Noah Dobson, F Zachary Bolduc Key players lost: D Logan Mailloux, F Emil Heineman Remaining cap space: $-4,454,167

Overall grade: A-

The Canadiens won't be surprise entrants to the NHL playoff field this season. GM Kent Hughes made sure of that when he pulled off a blockbuster trade with the New York Islanders to acquire right-shot defenseman Dobson (and sign him to an eight-year deal with a $9.5 million AAV).

Cheap? No. Worth it? Yes. Montreal has been rebuilding long enough. It's time to capitalize on the best years Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki & Co. have. Dobson will be a major part of any Canadiens' success moving forward. Bringing Dobson in also allowed Hughes to flip Mailloux -- now with a lesser opportunity in Montreal -- to St. Louis for a solid, 22-year-old depth scorer in Bolduc.

Hughes even managed to get Kaapo Kahkonen in the fold for some goalie competition. The Canadiens seem to have hit all the right notes to make sure their playoff appearance in 2025 wasn't a one-and-done affair.

Key players added: D Matthew Schaefer, F Jonathan Drouin, F Emil Heineman Key players lost: D Noah Dobson Remaining cap space: $3,936,667

Overall grade: B+

It's all happening for the Islanders right now.

They have a new GM in Matheiu Darche, who selected Schaefer as the No. 1 pick in the draft, giving the Islanders a top-tier defensive prospect the likes of which they haven't had in, well, a very long time. That cushions the blow of moving on from Dobson, but the return on that trade -- a pair of first-round picks used on Swedish forward Viktor Eklund and throwback defenseman Kashawn Aitcheson, as well as forward Heineman -- allowed Darche to load up at the draft and set New York up for current and future success.

He filled in some edges for the Islanders by signing a veteran forward in Drouin and doled out extensions to Adam Boqvist and Simon Holmstrom. The Islanders have needed to carve out a new identity for some time. Based on what Darche has done -- and probably will keep doing -- it actually feels as if New York is finding its way toward a truly fresh start.

Key players added: G Dan Vladar, F Christian Dvorak, F Trevor Zegras Key players lost: F Ryan Poehling Remaining cap space: $5,520,238

Overall grade: B+

The centerpiece of Philadelphia's offseason was trading for Zegras from Anaheim in the hopes he can be a top center for them going forward. If that happens, it'll be a job well done by GM Danny Briere to tap into the potential of a player who maybe hasn't shown all he has to give just yet (and the Flyers didn't have to give up a great deal in return).

Briere's other major score was a five-year extension for Cam York, at a healthy -- but not overpriced -- $5.15 million AAV. Well done.

Briere's work at the draft -- including the selection of Porter Martone at No. 6 -- is notable too because of how well it continues setting Philadelphia up for longer-term success in the future.

For now, it'll be Zegras and the veteran Dvorak attempting to improve the Flyers' offense, while Vladar will provide some possible competition for the crease. And in turn, Philadelphia might be closer to being past its rebuilding phase toward something more competitive.

Key players added: F Adam Gaudette, D Dmitry Orlov, D John Klingberg, F Philipp Kurashev, F Michael Misa, G Alex Nedeljkovic Key players lost: D Marc-Edouard Vlasic Remaining cap space: $23,890,832

Overall grade: B+

Sharks GM Mike Grier's plan was to focus on the here and now in a rebuild that appears to be one of the NHL's most promising. To help the cause, he added veterans who can help shape their young players build a culture but could also later be moved ahead of the trade deadline in the next two years.

The Sharks added Misa, the No. 2 pick of the draft, to a group that already had Yaroslav Askarov, Macklin Celebrini, William Eklund and Will Smith. They also inked Gaudette, Klingberg, Kurashev, Nedeljkovic and Orlov, who will help improve in areas that resulted in the worst record in the league. Three of those players are on one-year deals, and Gaudette has a two-year contract worth $2 million annually. If the Sharks are not in playoff contention by the trade deadline, those players can be moved for draft capital.

Plus, it leaves the Sharks with eight defensemen on their roster, which suggests they could be open to moving one of them before the season begins.

Key players added: F Viktor Arvidsson, F Tanner Jeannot, F Sean Kuraly, F Michael Eyssimont Key players lost: None Remaining cap space: $2,081,667

Overall grade: B

Boston added a haul of forwards via free agency and one trade (for Arvidsson, who cost the Bruins' a 2027 fifth-round pick). And yet, Boston didn't address its largest need -- a true top-six winger. Instead GM Don Sweeney bolstered the Bruins' bottom six with a number of players, some of whom probably will have to play higher in the lineup at some point anyway.

The most eye-opening decision by Sweeney was to ink Jeannot to a five-year, $17 million contract. That's a sizable investment in a third-line (at best) skater who will carry a $3.4 million AAV until he's 33. He's physical and feisty. But the Bruins need real scoring help (only two players on their roster finished last season with more than 20 goals), and it's not clear that Sweeney was able to accomplish that so far.

Key players added: G John Gibson, F Mason Appleton Key players lost: G Petr Mrazek Remaining cap space: $12,086,628

Overall grade: B

Credit to GM Steve Yzerman for finally finding a new home for Gibson. That pre-free agency trade felt like a long time coming and not only gives Gibson a fresh start but also upgrades Detroit's goaltending situation (which was a clear priority heading into the offseason).

But Yzerman seemed content to let that be the only serious changes to the Red Wings' roster. He filled in the edges a bit with bottom-six wingers Appleton and James van Riemsdyk, and has another third-pairing defense option in Jacob Bernard-Docker, but beyond that Detroit will (barring any other movement) enter this season much the way it exited the last.

Depth is a good thing to have. But the Red Wings needed a bigger name to boost their back end, and would have also have benefitted from improved top-six scoring potential. Those areas might still need to be addressed.

Key players added: F Connor Brown, F Evgenii Dadonov Key players lost: D Brian Dumoulin, F Erik Haula, F Curtis Lazar Remaining cap space: $6,906,667

Overall grade: B

New Jersey wasn't looking to overhaul its roster. But GM Tom Fitzgerald has made sensible moves to give the Devils added oomph.

Brown is a superb depth forward with experience and leadership potential. Dadonov could prove to be the same. Both players should take over bottom-six jobs with ease.

New Jersey also held onto some of its own pending UFAs, keeping Jake Allen on a five-year deal (at a time when the dearth of available goalies is an issue for other teams) and inking trade deadline acquisition Cody Glass on a two-year extension.

That's all good. What Fitzgerald hasn't done yet -- and insists will be priority one from here -- is get restricted free agent Luke Hughes signed to a long-term deal. Fitzgerald acknowledged there might be more New Jersey could do this summer -- like improve its top six -- but it can't happen without figuring out where Hughes' extension falls on the payment scale. So, stay tuned?

Key players added: D Vladislav Gavrikov, D Scott Morrow, F Taylor Raddysh Key players lost: D K'Andre Miller Remaining cap space: $777,976

Overall grade: B

New York came out of the gate hard going after one of the open market's best available defenders in Gavrikov. GM Chris Drury doled out a seven-year, $49 million contract for Gavrikov -- and that subsequently cost him the ability to keep Miller, a restricted free agent. Drury traded Miller to Carolina for draft picks and Morrow.

It remains to be seen what sort of long-term implications there are on that deal -- for both sides -- but in the moment it was the only way Drury was getting Gavrikov into the fold. No risk, no reward.

Drury's other moves were more low-key, getting breakout star Will Cuylle signed to an extension and adding bottom-six forward Raddysh. The Rangers' offseason will be defined by Gavrikov, and how he fits onto their blue line.

Key players added: D Jeremy Lauzon, F Mitch Marner, F Colton Sissons Key players lost: D Nicolas Hague, F Tanner Pearson, F Nicolas Roy Remaining cap space: None (projected $7,638,571 over)

Overall grade: B

Vegas was strategic in that it re-signed Brandon Saad and Reilly Smith to one-year contracts to have middle-six forward depth. Moving on from Hague allowed them to get another depth forward with Sissons and another NHL defenseman in Lauzon.

Then came the summer's biggest move: packaging Roy in the sign-and-trade deal for Marner, adding one of the NHL's top stars to a team that remains among the West's top contenders. As always, Kelly McCrimmon and the Knights' front office found a way to make a blockbuster happen.

The announcement that Alex Pietrangelo will sit out next season -- and possibly never play again -- to recover from femur reconstruction surgery creates questions about what Vegas will do on the back end, given the absence left by its No. 1 defenseman.

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Key players added: None Key players lost: G Dan Vladar Remaining cap space: $15,412,500

Overall grade: B-

Flames GM Craig Conroy said that once the players his team targeted in free agency were gone, there was no need to deviate from their original plan of trusting the team's youth. Conroy added that he wanted to continue to provide opportunities for the Flames' young players, who he hopes look at what they didn't do on July 1 and think, "I'm going to work even harder this summer because I want to make that team."

Obviously, there's a belief that the club's homegrown talent could make enough of a difference so that the Flames go from narrowly missing the 2025 playoffs to making it in 2026.

It's a prudent approach, not only because of the message it sends to their young players, but because it also allows them to spend their money on re-signing RFA forwards such as Connor Zary along with Morgan Frost, who later signed a two-year extension worth $4.38 million annually.

Key players added: F Curtis Lazar, F Andrew Mangiapane Key players lost: F Viktor Arvidsson, F Connor Brown, D John Klingberg, F Evander Kane, F Corey Perry Remaining cap space: $175,834

Overall grade: B-

The new deals for Evan Bouchard and Trent Frederic played a major role in another challenging offseason for Edmonton.

Like other teams in championship windows, the goal for the Oilers was about strategically maximizing their cap space. For example, Oilers GM Stan Bowman's decision to trade Kane ($5.125 million cap hit) was followed up by signing Mangiapane and Lazar ($4.375 million combined) to stretch their dollars.

One other way the team can help manage their salary concerns is trusting young players such as Matt Savoie with a bigger role, while determining whether David Tomasek, the 29-year-old Czechia forward they signed in April, could earn a roster spot out of training camp.

Key players added: F Joel Armia, D Cody Ceci, D Brian Dumoulin, G Anton Forsberg, D Nick Leddy, F Corey Perry Key players lost: D Vladislav Gavrikov, F Tanner Jeannot, G David Rittich, D Jordan Spence Remaining cap space: $6,768,333

Overall grade: B-

Was it a more prudent use of salary cap space to sign two free agent defensemen while knowing an additional $1.5 million per year could have prevented Vladislav Gavrikov from signing with the Rangers instead?

This is one of a few questions facing Kings GM Ken Holland following his first offseason in charge. Holland used the Kings' cap space to essentially buy in bulk, adding five players to reinforce their bottom-six forward group, their defensive options and a backup goalie.

As for whether those moves can get the Kings beyond the first round of the playoffs? That remains to be seen.

Key players added: F Nico Sturm, F Vladimir Tarasenko Key players lost: F Frederick Gaudreau Remaining cap space: $10,186,835

Overall grade: B-

Moving on from Gaudreau provided the Wild a cushion that allowed them to trade for Tarasenko, who gives them a potential top-six forward in a market in which most potential options remained in place.

Bringing back a two-time Stanley Cup champion in Sturm after a three-year hiatus provides additional bottom-six depth, while serving as a potential Gaudreau replacement.

But there are still other items that must be addressed. There's a new contract for RFA Marco Rossi, along with decisions on how to use that cap space: Should they bring in veterans to fill holes in their lineup, or save it for later by relying on prospects from one of the NHL's strongest farm systems?

Key players added: D Nicolas Hague, F Eric Haula, D Nick Perbix Key players lost: F Colton Sissons, D Jeremy Lauzon Remaining cap space: $10,116,039

Overall grade: B-

The Predators' dismal finish in 2024-25 made it clear the team had holes it needed to fill this summer, with the aim of finding experienced players. That process started by getting an experienced top-nine, two-way winger in Haula, who is an eight-time 20-goal scorer and can also be an anchor on a penalty kill.

GM Barry Trotz also landed a pair of defensemen in Hague and Perbix. Both have logged top-four minutes as fill-in replacements. Could they be entrusted with those types of roles on a more permanent basis in Nashville?

Key players added: F Frederick Gaudreau, D Ryan Lindgren, F Mason Marchment Key players lost: F Andre Burakovsky, Michael Eyssimont Remaining cap space: $10,757,621

Overall grade: B-

New GM Jason Botterill utilized the Kraken's cap space in ways that others couldn't, which was crucial to his first offseason in the role.

It all started by trading Burakovsky and his $5.5 million cap hit to the Blackhawks. From there, he took advantage of the Stars' cap issues to get another winger with consecutive 22-goal seasons in Marchment, then added a two-way, bottom-six anchor down the middle in Gaudreau from the Wild.

They still had to have enough space to sign Lindgren in free agency and re-sign RFA Tye Kartye, while Ryker Evans and Kaapo Kakko await new deals.

Key players added: F Pontus Holmberg, F Jakob Pelletier Key players lost: D Nick Perbix Remaining cap space: $1,180,001

Overall grade: B-

Tampa Bay has been conservative in its offseason signings, and that's to be expected given the Lightning's general lack of cap space or glaring holes to fill.

GM Julien BriseBois signed Yanni Gourde and Gage Goncalves to contract extensions to protect scoring depth, then added Holmberg and Pelletier to further help in that area. Pelletier especially will insulate the team's core, and will be a factor in the bottom six.

What BriseBois didn't do was either keep free agent Perbix or sign someone to replace him on the blue line. The Lightning are looking light on the back end, and it could be a problem if BriseBois doesn't have anything else up his sleeve before training camp. Right now it doesn't look as if Tampa Bay is any worse -- or better -- than it was at season's end.

Key players added: F Evander Kane Key players lost: D Noah Juulsen, F Pius Suter Remaining cap space: $556,667

Overall grade: B-

Might that be some optimism emanating from Vancouver? The Canucks brought back Brock Boeser -- one of the most coveted free agents this summer -- and goaltender Thatcher Demko and forward Conor Garland signed contract extensions.

Of course, many have wondered if the $5.125 million AAV they committed to top-six winger Kane, who arrived in a trade, would have been better spent to address the situation around their centers. Especially when they face questions about who can replace Suter in the bottom six, and if they can create the cap space to find that answer at some point before or during training camp.

Key players added: F Gustav Nyquist, F Tanner Pearson, F Jonathan Toews Key players lost: F Mason Appleton, F Nikolaj Ehlers, F Brandon Tanev Remaining cap space: $19,898,810

Overall grade: B-

Knowing that they were going to lose Ehlers led to a conversation about how the Jets would fill the gap created by his exit. Signing Nyquist to a one-year contract was done with the belief that he can help the Jets retain the offensive balance they had last season, when 12 players finished with more than 10 goals. Pearson, who has scored more than 10 goals in nine seasons, could also play a role on that front.

The same could be said for future Hall of Famer Jonathan Toews, with the caveat he hasn't played since 2023 because of health issues.

Those arrivals still left the Jets with more than $18 million in cap space as they still seek to find a new contract with pending RFA forward Gabriel Vilardi, who was third on the team with 27 goals last season.

Key players added: D Jordan Spence, F Lars Eller Key players lost: D Travis Hamonic, F Adam Gaudette, G Anton Forsberg Remaining cap space: $4,294,286

Overall grade: C+

Ottawa's most exciting offseason signing was probably the one-year extension doled out for Claude Giroux. Retaining the services of a key forward and leader in the room was GM Steve Staois' priority, and that's done.

Staois also showed the value he puts on right-side blue-line depth by grabbing Spence -- a potential upgrade over Hamonic -- in a trade with the Kings. And Eller -- who scored 10 goals last season -- has a chance to add some punch to the Senators' fourth line.

It's all fine. Whether anything Staois has done will move the needle for Ottawa and help them stay on pace in the ultracompetitive Atlantic Division remains to be seen.

The Senators' goaltending tandem is also a question, given that Forsberg is gone and 22-year-old Leevi Merilainen signed a one-year extension to be Linus Ullmark's backup. Will that be enough? It could be that Staois simply replaced one kind of player with another, and that complacency could hurt Ottawa. Or, the fresh energy coming off a season in which the Senators did get back to the playoffs will have everyone hitting a new stride. Time will tell.

Key players added: D Alexander Alexeyev, D Parker Wotherspoon, F Justin Brazeau, F Anthony Mantha Key players lost: G Alex Nedeljkovic Remaining cap space: $15,816,904

Overall grade: C+

This has been a very ... uninspired offseason thus for the Penguins. But perhaps that's GM Kyle Dubas' grand plan. Pittsburgh is in that mushy middle of not entirely rebuilding and not entirely able to go all-in for one last kick at the can (they've tried it before and it didn't work). In that sense, Dubas did all right with some straightforward signings.

Mantha and Brazeau should give the Penguins' bottom six some solid depth, and there are third-pairing minutes up for grabs if you're Wotherspoon and Alexeyev. Dealing away Nedeljkovic puts some of the Penguins' younger goaltenders -- such as Joel Blomqvist -- in the spotlight. But it also gives an air that maybe Dubas isn't done just yet?

Perhaps free agency was just the first wave and those long-rumored trades -- involving Erik Karlsson, maybe? -- are still in the offing.

Key players added: F Matias Maccelli, F Michael Pezzetta, F Nicolas Roy Key players lost: F Mitch Marner, F Max Pacioretty Remaining cap space: $4,983,081

Overall grade: C+

There are no two ways about it; the Maple Leafs are a worse team without Marner. The silver lining is that GM Brad Treliving was able to get something for his departing free agent in a sign-and-trade with Vegas for depth forward Roy. Treliving carried on adding third- and fourth-line skaters in Maccelli and Pezzetta.

Now, any of those three could prove to be valuable assets. But they don't remotely replace what Toronto lost in Marner. What can you do?

Well, Treliving shouldn't have stopped making moves. Another scoring winger with potential to contribute in the top six would be huge, and the Leafs also could use help on the back end.

Getting extensions done for John Tavares and Matthew Knies was undoubtedly important (and bumped up the Leafs' grade here) but how Toronto gets over the loss of Marner will be enormous in how next season plays out.

Key players added: D Michael Kesselring, G Alex Lyon Key players lost: F JJ Peterka Remaining cap space: $13,640,319

Overall grade: C

Buffalo did fine taking care of their own by getting key RFAs such as Jack Quinn, Ryan McLeod and Ryan Johnson signed to new deals. The return of Kesselring from Utah in the Peterka trade also boosts the Sabres' blue line on the right side, where the team was lacking depth.

Otherwise, Buffalo hasn't done much to make itself better heading into next season. There was no splashy move or even a notable acquisition on July 1. Buffalo had money to spend and didn't. That's not the sort of noncommitment to improvement that fans -- or, frankly, ownership -- should want to be settling for when the Sabres are staring down a potential 15th consecutive season without making the playoffs.

There's just not much left to say in defending the Sabres if they're not going to invest in taking a swing -- at anyone -- when they have the resources to do it.

Key players added: F Andre Burakovsky, F Sam Lafferty Key players lost: None Remaining cap space: $22,312,024

Overall grade: C

Some will argue that the Blackhawks should have done more. Others will say they didn't need to do anything else. Those who believe they could have done more will point to how they could have used their cap space to acquire proven scorers to help address the challenges on offense they faced last season in addition to their issues on defense.

But for the audience that feels otherwise? They'll point out how a key step for the Blackhawks' future is seeing how their young core performs, with the idea that they have 15 players on their active roster who are younger than 25 and one of the NHL's most impressive young pipelines.

Key players added: D Brent Burns Key players lost: F Charlie Coyle, F Jonathan Drouin, D Ryan Lindgren, F Miles Wood Remaining cap space: $4,123,333

Overall grade: C

Everything about the decision to sign Burns to a one-year deal is indicative of a much larger dynamic.

Teams like the Avs that are in championship windows face the annual task of either rebuilding or revamping their bottom six and/or third defense pairing. Finding and then signing those players at team-friendly prices was and will remain the mission for Avalanche GM Chris MacFarland and his front office staff until camp starts.

Having a little more than $4 million in cap space is flexibility that they'll look to maximize to build upon a roster that has failed to get out of the first two rounds since winning the Stanley Cup in 2022.

Key players added: F Radek Faksa Key players lost: D Cody Ceci, F Evgenii Dadonov, F Mikael Granlund, F Mason Marchment Remaining cap space: None (projected $1,794,916 over)

Overall grade: C

The decisions made by Stars GM Jim Nill that paved the way for his team to advance to three consecutive conference finals are now why the team can't use that road map anymore.

Extensions for the Stars' core players used quite a bit of cap space, which is why they traded Marchment to Seattle and let Ceci, Dadonov and Granlund sign elsewhere.

Their most notable move to this point was signing Faksa, who returned to the club that drafted him in 2012 after spending last season with the Blues. But even that decision left the Stars needing to clear cap space to become compliant by opening night, and be in a position to add should they feel it's necessary.

Key players added: D Declan Chisholm Key players lost: None Remaining cap space: $4,125,000

Overall grade: C-

It's not that Washington didn't try to address its needs. GM Chris Patrick was in on the Nikolaj Ehlers sweepstakes right up until Ehlers chose Carolina over a Capitals' club that topped the Eastern Conference standings last season. All Patrick could do from there was re-sign Anthony Beauvillier, a fine player but not one who is going to bring the top-six skill set of Ehlers. That's how the free agency carousel goes, though.

The Capitals get some blue-line depth in Chisholm, but other than that they haven't significantly re-tooled anywhere to suggest they'll be even tougher to play against next season. Patrick has time to correct that with some trades and will need to be in the mood for a little homework this summer.

Key players added: F Charlie Coyle, F Miles Wood Key players lost: F Justin Danforth, F Sean Kuraly Remaining cap space: $16,342,501

Overall grade: D+

Columbus had a decent list of players for free agency. But the Blue Jackets didn't actually go ahead and make an abundance of moves.

Instead of finding a winger to improve their top six or a right-side defenseman to bolster their top-four group, GM Don Waddell decided to massively overpay Columbus' own pending free agent defender Ivan Provorov with a seven-year, $59.5 million contract. That was not ideal.

The skaters Waddell did add from the outside -- namely Coyle and Wood -- will replace the bottom-six players who left Columbus in free agency, including Danforth and Kuraly. So that's not improving the Blue Jackets' prospects, either.

It's all just going to be more of the same for Columbus -- which fell just short of a postseason berth last season -- if Waddell doesn't do something this summer to actively make the team better than it was.