The offseason in the NHL is a time where success can be born. General managers use this space between the seasons to improve their rosters and make crucial changes. The ultimate goal remains the same: win the Stanley Cup.
Every club in the league wants to be successful, but risky trades and new long-term contracts are now always the best way to get better. Have a look at the most important trades during this NHL offseason. Some of the biggest stars in the league will play for new organizations. Steven Stamkos in Nashville and Jake Guentzel in Tampa? And there is more!
The 2024 NHL Offseason: The Most Interesting Moves
One of the biggest moves of this offseason was made by the reigning champions Florida Panthers. Forward Sam Reinhart was without a contract, but the Cats knew, that he is one of the crucial players for their organization. Reinhart signed an 8-year contract with an annual salary of 8.6 million dollars. In the perspective of the modern hockey market, and the increase of salary cap coming in the next seasons, this is a bargain.
The New Jersey Devils solved their problems in the net when they traded Kevin Bahl and draft pick for Swedish goalie Jacob Markström from the Calgary Flames. Mattias Janmark signed a new contract with the Edmonton Oilers (3 years, 1.45M AAV), Matt Duchene stayed in Dallas and the Colorado Avalanche gave a new deal to Jonathan Drouin.
The Boston Bruins separated their goalie duo; as Linus Ullmark was traded to the Ottawa Senators. Cody Class switched from Nashville Predators to the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Reilly Smith is a new forward for the New York Rangers.
Tomáš Tatar is back with the Devils, and Ryan McDonagh is back with the Bolts. Martin Nečas signed a new contract with the Carolina Hurricanes, and the Vegas Golden Knights have new interesting players in Alex Holtz, Akira Schmid (both New Jersey Devils), and Victor Olofsson (Buffalo Sabres).
American forward Jake Guentzel is the new star of the Tampa Bay Lightning, and the Bolts lost one of their most important defensemen, Mikhail Serghachev (now Utah HC).
The Nashville Predators acquired superstars like Steven Stamkos from the Tampa Bay Lightning and Jonathan Marchessault from the Vegas Golden Knights. Jakob Chychrun moved from Ottawa to Washington, and the Capitals also got Andrew Mangiapane from the Calgary Flames. You can learn the other interesting offseason moves in the NHL in the chart below.
| Name | From | To |
| Tyler Bertuzzi | Toronto Maple Leafs | Chicago Blackhawks |
| Jake Walman | Detroit Red Wings | San Jose Sharks |
| Jakub Lauko | Boston Bruins | Minnesota Wild |
| Kevin Hayes | St. Louis Blues | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| Tyler Toffoli | Winnipeg Jets | San Jose Sharks |
| Alec Martinez | Vegas Golden Knights | Chicago Blackhawks |
| Alexandre Texier | Columbus Blue Jackets | St. Louis Blues |
| Pierre-Luc Dubois | Los Angeles Kings | Washington Capitals |
| Darcy Kuemper | Washington Capitals | Los Angeles Kings |
| Teuvo Teräväinen | Carolina Hurricanes | Chicago Blackhawks |
The 2024 NHL Offseason: The Winners
One of the clear winners of the offseason are the Washington Capitals. They snuck into the playoffs with one of the worst goal-differentials of the modern era in last season, but they should be stronger. The Caps traded Darcy Kuemper for Pierre-Luc Dubois, signed Jakob Chychrun from the Senators and also landed goalie Logan Thompson from the Golden Knights and forward Andrew Mangiapane from the Flames. They also signed Matt Roy in free agency. Quite a summer, Washington! The Capitals look solid, which can help Alexander Ovechkin in chasing Wayne Gretzky's record in total goals scored in the NHL.
The Nashville Predators are probably the biggest winners of the 2024 offseason. The Preds signed Steven Stamkos (ex-Tampa Bay Lightning), Jonathan Marchessault (ex-Vegas Golden Knights) and Brady Skjei (ex-Carolina Hurricanes) in free agency. They also managed to keep starting goalie Juuse Saros on a long-term contract. Is it enough to become a Stanley Cup team? Maybe yes, but time will tell.
The Devills needed to find a right goalie for their project and they found him. Jacob Markström came from the Calgary Flames. They also signed one of the top players on the market - Brett Pesce (ex-Hurricane). It's important to mention that Tomáš Tatar is back in New Jersey after unsuccessful periods with the Avalanche and the Kraken.
The 2024 NHL Offseason: The Losers
When you have winners, you have also losers. The Flyers almost made the playoffs last year and there was room for the optimism, but things in Philadelphia dooesn't seem to go in the right way. They bought Cam Atkinson out of his contract and signed 2023 first-round draft pick Matvei Michkov. But that's all. There definitely could and should have been more changes. Coach John Tortorella is standing in front of the another huge challenge.
When you watch the Kraken's steps during the offseason, you are probably confused. Seattle signed Brandon Mountour from the Panthers and Chandler Stephenson from the Golden Knights, but these contracts are not cheap. They needed to upgrade their offense (4th worst in the league), but changes they made are not sufficient.
The Sabres have very good core of talent, but this organization followed the problematic season with a disappointing offseason. They bought out Jeff Skinner and lost Zemgus Girgensons and Victor Olofsson in free agency. Yes, Zucker and Aube-Kubel came, but it's likely, that Buffalo's fans need to be ready for another difficult year of missing the playoffs.
The 2024 NHL Offseason: The Aftermath
The NHL season is slowly approaching, and many teams would like to win the Cup. There will be some of the same favorites, like the Golden Knights, the Stars, the Panthers, the Rangers, the Canes, or the Oilers.
But there will also be the new contenders, such as the Predators, the Devils, or maybe someone else. The season is long, and anything can happen. The Sharks and the Blackhawks will be stronger, the Capitals look promising, and never underestimate the teams led by John Tortorella, most recently the Flyers.
If the trades and moves mentioned above become a road to success or flop, will become quite clear in the next months. Offseason is coming to an end, but it's not October yet.
PHOTO SOURCES: ESPN, The New York Times, The Globe and Mail, Sportsnet, NHLPA, CTV News Vancouver, NESN, Talk Hockey
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