NHL Offseason Winners

The National Hockey League offseason is officially over and some teams did better than others. The teams that did well recognized the areas where they needed help and went out with specific targets in mind. Other general managers didn’t maybe didn’t have specific players in mind, but knew where their team needed help. There is always that last minute trade that just comes together and is so big that social media reacts accordingly, and that happened with a few trades this offseason. 

Some teams had a really good offseason but missed the cut because a key player isn’t under contract for the season yet. The Colorado Avalanche were this team for me because I really liked what they did in the offseason, but Mikko Rantanen is not signed yet, and he was a key offensive player for them last year. The following five teams found ways to not only improve the team this season, but into the future. 

1) New Jersey Devils- Metropolitan Division

The New Jersey Devils and general manager Ray Shero had one of the best offseasons in the NHL. The team managed to land defenseman P.K. Subban in a trade with the Nashville Predators. Sure, they had to give up a decent prospect in Jeremy Davies, but it was worth it for a player as dynamic as Subban. Subban is going to make the team so much better coming out of their own zone since he can skate and move the puck. The Devils re-signed key players like Pavel Zacha, Connor Carrick, and Will Butcher.

They upgraded the offense with the additions of John Hayden, Wayne Simmonds and Nikita Gusev. Hayden was acquired in a trade with the Blackhawks, while Simmonds signed a one-year, $5 million deal in free agency. Gusev was acquired in a  trade with the Vegas Golden Knights, and then re-signed a new contract with the Devils. The offense was also upgraded with the addition of Jack Hughes, who was taken first overall in the NHL Entry Draft. 

2) New York Rangers- Metropolitan Division

The New York Rangers may not have made the postseason last year and are in the rebuilding stage, but that didn’t stop them from landing a few big name players to upgrade the roster. They signed one of the biggest free agents this offseason in Artemi Panarin. Panarin comes with a big cap hit, but he can also flat out produce. He will help with the Rangers’ offense this season. The other big addition on offense is rookie Kaapo Kakko, who was taken second overall in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. He then promptly signed a three-year entry level contract and impressed at a rookie tournament the Rangers took part in before main camp started.

There were two additions on defense, one having a bigger impact than the other. The Rangers acquired Jacob Trouba from the Winnipeg Jets for defenseman Neal Poink and a 2019 first round draft pick. Trouba will be a nice addition to the blue line as he can log minutes and play a decent all around game. Adam Fox was the other blue line addition this offseason, and he could help with the Rangers or start the season in the AHL. The team also re-signed Vinni Lettieri, Pavel Buchnevich and Brendan Lemieux to new contracts. The Rangers may not make the postseason this year, but they will be much better than last season with the offseason moves made by management. 

3) Buffalo Sabres- Atlantic Division

The Buffalo Sabres had another strong offseason by re-signing key players and acquiring some players via trade to improve the team. The team was again in the running for the draft lottery picks after a disappointing 2018-19 season. The team signed the following key players to new one-year deals: goaltender Linus Ullmark, left wing Remi Elie, center Even Rodrigues, center Johan Larsson, and left wing Zemgus Girgensons. Jake McCabe and C.J. Smith were re-signed to new two-year deals. The Sabres added more forward depth with the addition of Dylan Cozens, who was drafted 8th overall. The team added Curtis Lazar and Marcus Johansson in free agency, and got Jeff Skinner to sign a new eight-year contract. 

There were two really good trades to improve the defense. The first was when the Sabres acquired Henri Jokiharju from the Chicago Blackhawks for forward Alex Nylander. Nylander needed a change of scenery and Jokiharju seemed like the odd man out in Chicago with the addition of some defenseman in the offseason. The Vegas Golden Knights needed cap space so they traded Colin Miller to the Sabres for two future draft picks. The final trade of the offseason came with the addition of Jimmy Vesey, who was acquired from the New York Rangers for a draft pick. 

4) Chicago Blackhawks- Central Division

The Chicago Blackhawks were another team that underachieved last season but got better in the offseason. They improved mostly via trade, but there was a free agent signing mixed in. The Blackhawks made a nice pick up in free agency when they signed goalie Robin Lehner to a one-year deal. Lehner is coming off of a great season with the New York Islanders, and proved that he can be the starter should Corey Crawford get hurt again. The Blackhawks re-signed John Quenneville and Dylan Sikura to new two-year deals, while Brendan Perlini signed for another year.

Chicago needed to get better while trying to get rid of some cap space. The team acquired left wing Zack Smith from the Ottawa Senators for forward Artem Anisimov, which was an upgrade. They also acquired right wing Alexander Nylander from the Buffalo Sabres for defenseman Henri Jokiharju. The team received defenseman Olli Määttä in a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins for Dominick Kahun and a draft pick. They also acquired defenseman Calvin de Haan and forwards Aleksi Saarela and Andrew Shaw in two separate trades. In all, the Blackhawks improved an aging blue line and got some depth scoring, which should help them be better positioned this season than last.

5) Arizona Coyotes- Pacific Division

There was no clear cut winner in the offseason for the Pacific Division, but the Arizona Coyotes may be the best positioned team for now and the future. Plus, they made some moves to get deeper up front  and kept a key member of the team for the next eight years. The Coyotes made sure to lock up young forward Clayton Keller for the foreseeable future with a new eight-year contract extension. 

The Coyotes pulled off one of the bigger trades this offseason when they landed Phil Kessel. Kessel came over with defenseman Dane Birks from the Penguins in exchange for forward Alex Galchenyuk and prospect Pierre-Olivier Joseph. If Kessel plays at a high level then he will be a huge addition for the team, and give them some scoring power in the top six. The team also acquired center Carl Soderberg from the Colorado Avalanche for defenseman Kevin Connauton and a draft pick. Soderberg will add some depth to the bottom six and is a decent defender.