Key Acquisitions: Linus Ullmark, Nick Foligno, Erik Haula
Key Departures: David Krejci, Sean Kuraly, Jaroslav Halak
The Boston Bruins had a huge offseason, loading up for one last run with their aging core. The Bruins added big forward depth with Nick Foligno and Erik Haula. Their most interesting signing was Linus Ullmark, who they inked to a 4-year contract, with the uncertainty of Tuukka Rask’s future with the Bruins in net. The biggest hole the Bruins are left with is their 2nd line center with the retirement of David Krejci, however, the Bruins still built an extremely deep team.
Grade: A
Key Acquisitions: Owen Power, Will Butcher, Robert Hagg,
Key Departures: Rasmus Ristolainen, Sam Reinhart, Linus Ullmark
The Sabres are going full rebuild mode again, trading away players that wanted out for picks and prospects. The Sabres first fleeced the Flyers by trading Rasmus Ristolainen for a 1st, 2nd, and Hagg. The Sabres also dealt Sam Reinhart to the Panthers for a 1st and Devon Levi. Then, the Sabres drafted Owen Power with the 1st overall pick. After a disastrous 2020-21 season, the Sabres got much worse and are planning to tank for Shane Wright in 2022.
Grade: B
Key Acquisitions: Nick Leddy, Pius Suter, Alex Nedeljkovic
Key Departures: Jonathan Bernier, Darren Helm, Luke Glendening
The Detroit Red Wings continue to perfectly execute their rebuild by adding some big pieces for the future. The Red Wings replaced their veteran goalie Jonathan Bernier with a younger and better goalie in Alex Nedeljkovic. The Red Wings then signed Pius Suter and traded for Nick Leddy. Even in the draft, the Red Wings made some great moves, drafting Simon Edvinsson with the 6th pick and trading up for Sebastian Cossa, their goalie of the future. The Red Wings have made some fantastic moves this offseason, shaping up their bright future.
Grade: A
Key Acquisitions: Sam Reinhart, Joe Thornton, Brandon Montour (re-signed)
Key Departures: Alexander Wennberg, Chris Driedger, Keith Yandle
The Florida Panthers had a very underrated offseason, improving their team without giving up too much. Their biggest move this offseason was acquiring Sam Reinhart for a very reasonable price of a 1st round pick and Devon Levi. The Panthers only lost Alexander Wennberg, Chris Driedger, and Keith Yandle, who all could be easily replaced by the Panthers. The Panthers had a well-thought offseason and could make a deep run in the postseason this year.
Grade: A-
Key Acquisitions: Mike Hoffman, Christian Dvorak, David Savard
Key Departures: Phillip Danault, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Tomas Tatar
The Montreal Canadiens have had a very interesting offseason, surprisingly shaking up their core despite making the Stanley Cup Finals last season. The Canadiens lost a bunch of their core players including Phillip Danault, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and Tomas Tatar. However, they did a great job replacing those players with Christian Dvorak, David Savard, and Mike Hoffman. The Canadiens had a solid offseason based on the situation they faced.
Grade: B
Key Acquisitions: Nick Holden, Michael Del Zotto, Tyler Boucher
Key Departures: Evgenii Dadonov, Derek Stepan, Ryan Dzingel
The Senators didn’t do much this offseason, which is surprising based on the fact that the Senators GM proclaimed “The rebuild is done”. The Senators started the offseason with a horrible draft, reaching on most of their picks. In free agency they weren’t much better, only making some minor moves despite having the most cap space. For a team that is “done” with their rebuild, the Senators could have done much more.
Grade: D
Key Acquisitions: Corey Perry, Zach Bogosian, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare
Key Departures: Blake Coleman, Yanni Gourde, Barclay Goodrow
Even though it looks like the Tampa Bay Lightning lost a bunch of key players, the Lightning did a fantastic job this offseason keeping their team at a championship level. The Lightning started the offseason with $-4M in cap space but managed to sign some depth players such as Corey Perry, Zach Bogosian, and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare while also keeping their core intact. With no cap space, the Lightning successfully kept their team together and still are a championship-caliber team.
Grade: B+
Key Acquisitions: Petr Mrazek, Nick Ritchie, Ondrej Kase
Key Departures: Frederik Andersen, Zach Hyman, Joe Thornton
The Maple Leafs had a ton of pressure going into the offseason, trying to build a team that would get finally past the first round. The Maple Leafs prioritized depth this offseason, attempting to bolster the bottom 6 by signing Nick Ritchie and Ondrej Kase. The Maple Leafs even added some stability in net with Petr Mrazek. Based on the limited cap space the Maple Leafs had, they did a solid job improving their depth.
Grade: B
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