This summer has had everything. Trades, offer sheets, front office shake-ups, top-10 draft pick movement and more.
The trade market has been extremely active, with players such as Brady Tkachuk, Bowen Byram, Vincent Trocheck, Darnell Nurse, Mason McTavish and Jordan Kyrou all on the move, among others. The No. 9 draft pick was flipped twice, and a top-five pick was traded (post-lottery) for the first time since 2008. The Zach Werenski situation spiraled into a vetoed trade to the Stars, then settled.
The threat of offer sheets facilitated trade movement. Then actual offer sheets were tendered, first to Barrett Hayton, then to Leo Carlsson, and the latter has the potential to change the salary landscape for up-and-coming stars.
All of this comes on the heels of a big year across hockey — one highlighted by franchise-altering trades, the Olympics, growth across the PWHL and a banger of a Stanley Cup Final. The offseason has actually built on that momentum, for a change. So there’s been a lot to get hyped about around the NHL this summer.
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What comes next
Hype-o-meter: 6/10
While the early frenzies around the draft and free agency may have quieted down, the offseason isn’t over yet. Just look at what is unfolding in Detroit. The organization announced general manager Steve Yzerman is moving into a senior adviser role, effectively marking the end of an era. That decision alone was on the radar, considering how disappointing the “Yzerplan” has been. But the domino effect is what is really exciting here. The Red Wings now have to hire a new general manager and navigate the Dylan Larkin situation. If he stays now that Yzerman has been replaced, teams such as the Golden Knights and Wild may have to reconsider their next steps after a relatively quiet offseason. If he goes, it will have a ripple effect through the trade market.
Larkin isn’t the only name lingering on the trade board. There is still the Connor Hellebuyck situation to unravel, and Jason Robertson’s, which is on a ticking clock with his arbitration hearing coming up.
The Ducks likely have to shed some salary to fit Cutter Gauthier’s next contract, after matching the Flyers’ $18 million offer for Leo Carlsson. And there is still the potential for more offer sheets, with unsigned RFAs such as Simon Edvinsson and Adam Fantilli. If the remaining free agents of the 2026 class aren’t interesting enough, there are 2027 stars bound to extend early — such as Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes, who could shake up the NHL salary landscape even more with true MVP-caliber contracts.
Front offices are diversifying
Hype-o-meter: 6.5/10
Whenever there is a front-office vacancy in the NHL, well-known traditional names will always be in the mix. In Detroit, that list includes Brendan Shanahan, Jim Nill and Marc Bergevin. But the field is expanding and evolving.
That same list for the Red Wings’ role includes more untraditional names with more diverse experiences. There is the agent path that Kent Hughes and Bill Zito are carving out, thanks to their respective successes in Montreal and Florida. And there’s the data-driven approach. Eric Tulsky’s rise highlights that best, from blogging and consulting to working his way up through roles in the Hurricanes’ analytics department and front office. Winning a championship in just his second season as general manager could open the door for other teams to explore this route.
The Devils already have, in naming Sunny Mehta general manager. Maybe it inspires the Red Wings or the next team with a vacancy to think more outside the box, with names such as Sam Ventura, Darryl Metcalf, Alexandra Mandrycky or Tim Barnes.
So while the same pool of hockey men will likely continue to circulate the NHL, teams are starting to widen the lens. There is still a lot of room for improvement. But the more front offices hire (and promote) different thinkers to high levels, from AGMs to GMs, the more it will diversify perspectives and build new competitive edges.
Washington’s offseason
Hype-o-meter: 7.5/10
Over the last few years, the Capitals’ front office has done a great job of resetting and retooling quickly. And this summer’s work looks like the latest example of that.
The Alex Tuch contract is undoubtedly concerning due to the dollars and cents, and more importantly, the term. But set that aside and focus in on the actual on-ice fit, and the acquisition makes a ton of sense. Washington needs someone with his speed and transition game, whether it’s in a complementary role on the top line or as more of a middle-six drive. The Jordan Kyrou add is even more intriguing. While there’s some risk to his puck management and decision-making, the reward is a highly skilled dual-threat who absolutely excels off the rush.
With these two wingers in the fold, alongside the likes of Tom Wilson and Aliaksei Protas, among others, this team has built a much deeper approach which should help preserve some of Alex Ovechkin’s scoring, and maximize him in very specific usage.
It just goes against the grain of some hockey philosophies. Like the fact that this is a strong-link game where star power matters a lot. As much talent as there is up and down the top-nine in Washington now, this team doesn’t have the same game-breaking or MVP-caliber skill of some of the top contenders. But maybe that’s fine in the footsteps of a Hurricanes’ championship that was highlighted by their deep approach. Maybe a team such as Washington is positioned well for it, with Spencer Carbery leading the way. It makes for a fascinating test, in a really competitive conference.
The Eastern Conference playoff race
Hype-o-meter: 8/10
The Atlantic Division is only getting more competitive.
The Canadiens have established themselves as a playoff team to watch. It started with a post-4 Nations turnaround in 2025; then Montreal built on that with a run to the Eastern Conference final this past spring. And that success looks sustainable, around a star-studded core signed to such team-friendly deals that give management a lot of leeway to add as needed.
The Sabres are officially back in the fold after ending a 14-year playoff drought. While Buffalo technically didn’t add a ton this summer (and actually lost a bit, between Tuch’s departure and the Byram trade), this team is betting on internal growth from last year’s breakouts Josh Doan and Zach Benson, plus some future impact players such as Noah Ostlund, Jiri Kulich and Konsta Helenius.
The Senators became a real dark horse in the East last spring. While the Tkachuk situation derailed some of that momentum, adding William Eklund (and more trade assets) helped restore some of it.
With those three in the mix, plus an expected contender such as the Lightning, the field is even deeper. The return of some playoff staples should only add to that.
After an injury-riddled year, the Panthers look ready to rebound back into the contender’s circle. The Maple Leafs, under new direction, are poised for a bounce-back year, too. So at minimum, that should lead to a division playoff race with six teams battling for, at most, five spots.
And that could get even tighter if the Metropolitan Division can compete for those wild-card seeds.
The Capitals weren’t the only Metro team to make moves this summer. The Rangers look a lot more competitive after some strong offseason work that cleaned up so much self-inflicted damage. The Devils, under Mehta, have also addressed some pressing needs to reshape their playoff hopes. The Blue Jackets and Flyers both have a lot of promise to build on from their second halves of last season, too. All of that points toward a banger of a playoff race in the East.
Prime contracts
Hype-o-meter: 9/10
There are two ways to look at this: The team outlook and the player perspective.
With the cap rising and free agency drying up, teams had to get more creative this summer — and that helped grease the wheels to more player movement. And unlike past years, it wasn’t just players on the wrong side of 30 going to new teams; general managers actually targeted players closer to their primes.
There was a ton of RFA movement compared to years past. The threat of offer sheets likely helped Seattle land Mackie Samoskevich and the Rangers land Pavel Dorofeyev. Chris MacFarland seemed to use that to his advantage in Nashville too, with some great work to bolster his supporting cast with Mavrik Bourque and Jack Drury, instead of targeting veterans on July 1.
The Sabres swapped Byram and found an even younger defenseman to replace him with Olen Zellweger. The Sharks added Michael Kesselring. The Blues bet on Mason McTavish and Connor McMichael.
All of those trades, and subsequent extensions, represented a shift in team-building, one that focuses on players in earlier stages of their careers. It’s a more sustainable path that relies on potential and upside, versus past performance.
The player perspective adds another layer to this because so many are advocating for shorter-term deals and a chance to sign multiple contracts that cover their prime years. Take Carlsson and Connor Bedard’s five-year terms; both players will be up for new deals that start when they’re 26, instead of 29. And that makes a pretty big difference in terms of earning potential in this growing cap world — whether those players opt for another short- or mid-term deal in a few years, or just cash in with the maximum then. The same goes for Trevor Zegras, whose four-year term leads him to unrestricted free agency at 29; anything longer could have limited his earnings potential on his next contract.
In hockey, it’s easy to mistake player empowerment for a selfish mentality, but this could actually be a good thing for the game; it could 1) lead to more player movement and shake-ups, and 2) force general managers out of complacency. Teams can take a more passive approach when core contracts are seven and eight years long; when there’s less term, there is more pressure to actively build a competitive lineup around those stars.
The rise of medium-term contracts for RFAs could even have a ripple effect on how teams navigate the middle class in the future. Because if stars aren’t getting maximum contracts, maybe some general managers stop over-extending themselves with longer-term deals for depth players. Maybe it finally forces some to rethink cap structures around core players, and limits unnecessary cap binds on the fringes of a lineup.
— Data via Natural Stat Trick, Evolving-Hockey, HockeyViz, HockeyStatCards, All Three Zones, Dom Luszczyszyn, CapWages and HockeyStats. This story relies on shot-based metrics; here is a primer on these numbers