{"id":742803,"date":"2026-07-04T13:32:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-04T13:32:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/742803\/"},"modified":"2026-07-04T13:32:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-04T13:32:13","slug":"grading-every-nhl-teams-free-agency-moves-so-far-this-offseason","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/742803\/","title":{"rendered":"Grading every NHL team\u2019s free-agency moves so far this offseason"},"content":{"rendered":"

Four days into 2026 NHL free agency, the list of impact players remaining on the market of an already thin class is \u2026 not lengthy<\/a>. That hasn\u2019t stopped teams from making shocking moves<\/a> to improve their rosters.<\/p>\n

Has your favorite team gotten the help it needed?<\/p>\n

The Athletic asked its NHL staff this week for their assessments of the early moves. The analysis is subjective to each beat, not based on a scale, and factors in a team\u2019s ability to make moves under the salary cap. Trades and re-signings since the season ended are also considered.<\/p>\n

Here are the grades our writers assigned for the work done so far.<\/p>\n

NHL free agency: Early winners and losers<\/p>\n

Shayna Goldman and Madison Eades<\/p>\n

Anaheim Ducks: D<\/p>\n

Their big move was trading Mason McTavish to St. Louis for futures, and they\u2019re betting on Nikita Klepov becoming a skilled NHL winger one day. But it\u2019s been an offseason of roster losses with the right side of their defense and depth forwards lost to free agency. Some were allowed to walk, but A.J. Greer is a pricey fourth-line winger, and Nick Jensen won\u2019t fill all the holes in the defense. Then they were hammered with the Flyers\u2019 massive offer sheet to Leo Carlsson, Anaheim\u2019s best player. It\u2019s been an underwhelming summer so far, and it could become disastrous if they don\u2019t match. \u2014 Eric Stephens<\/p>\n

Boston Bruins: B-<\/p>\n

The Bruins improved their offense by acquiring JJ Peterka for two first-round picks. Peterka, 24, should increase his production with greater ice time in Boston. But the Bruins did not upgrade their defense by acquiring Will Borgen and signing Connor Clifton. Neither pushes the offensive needle. \u2014 Fluto Shinzawa<\/p>\n

Buffalo Sabres: B<\/p>\n

The Sabres weren\u2019t busy on July 1, but they made some sharp moves ahead of free agency to avoid long-term mistakes. Replacing Bowen Byram with Olen Zellweger and Louis Crevier gave the Sabres some needed cap savings. They still haven\u2019t added a forward, but Jarmo Kek\u00e4l\u00e4inen believes that Buffalo\u2019s young players will take another step. Zach Benson\u2019s seven-year contract extension was also a good piece of business. \u2014 Matthew Fairburn<\/p>\n

Calgary Flames: B+<\/p>\n

The Flames weren\u2019t expected to be a busy team this offseason. But the moves they have made were smart. They flipped draft capital for a 23-year-old puck-moving defenseman in S\u030cimon Nemec, and they received draft capital and a player for Blake Coleman and Olli M\u00e4\u00e4tt\u00e4. Connor Zary is reportedly on the market, so we\u2019ll wait to see how the rest of the Flames\u2019 offseason goes. \u2014 Julian McKenzie<\/p>\n

Carolina Hurricanes: C<\/p>\n

There wasn\u2019t much to do on a championship team that had nearly all its players signed for next season. Carolina took a run at signing John Carlson, trading for his rights before the opening of free agency, but the defenseman opted to sign in Tampa Bay. The Hurricanes also saw the end of Frederik Andersen\u2019s tenure with the club after he signed a one-year deal with Edmonton. Carolina still has cap space and a willingness to improve, but it may be more likely to do that via trade than what\u2019s left on the free-agent market. \u2014 Cory Lavalette<\/p>\n

Chicago Blackhawks: C<\/p>\n

Kyle Davidson finally took a big swing on an established player. The price Davidson paid to acquire Byram and extend him was substantial. Whether Byram is worth it and can prove to be a No. 1 defenseman will be judged by his play this season. The Blackhawks are banking on Byram elevating their whole group. Davidson also added a few role players to fill holes, but didn\u2019t bring in a proven player to play with Connor Bedard. The plan is for Roman Kantserov, last season\u2019s KHL leading goal scorer, and likely another young winger to start the season with Bedard. \u2014 Scott Powers<\/p>\n

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\n Jaden Schwartz signed a three-year, $9.75 million deal with the Avalanche. (Steph Chambers \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Colorado Avalanche: B<\/p>\n

It was a quiet July 1 for the Avalanche, which can often be a good thing. Colorado made only one signing of note, bringing in veteran winger Jaden Schwartz for three years at an incredibly reasonable $3.25 million cap hit. Schwartz is coming off a season in Seattle where he played only 50 games and scored just 11 goals, but he\u2019s a solid middle-six winger with offensive skills that should shine on this fast-paced team. Also, locking up Brett Kulak for five years at $4.5 million AAV earlier in the week was a good bit of business. \u2014 Jesse Granger<\/p>\n

Columbus Blue Jackets: B<\/p>\n

The big addition for the Blue Jackets took place before the draft, when they acquired Valeri Nichushkin from Colorado for three draft picks, including this year\u2019s second-rounder. Nichushkin gives them another top-six winger. The Blue Jackets also signed fourth-line winger Ryan Lomberg to boost the forecheck, and goaltender Pheonix Copley to push Elvis Merz\u013cikins for the backup role behind Jet Greaves. Those moves, plus the departures of UFA forwards Boone Jenner and Mason Marchment, will give Columbus a different feel next season. But is it enough for the team to make a big stride forward? \u2014 Aaron Portzline<\/p>\n

Dallas Stars: C<\/p>\n

Had Zach Werenski not vetoed a trade to Dallas, this all would have looked quite a bit different. And if the Mavrik Bourque cap dump frees up enough money to re-sign Jason Robertson, it will have been worth it. But for now, all Dallas has to show for this offseason is the loss of Bourque, Ilya Lyubushkin and Alex Petrovic, and the return of depth forward Joel Kiviranta. Jim Nill is trying, but he still has plenty of work to do. \u2014 Mark Lazerus<\/p>\n

Detroit Red Wings: C+<\/p>\n

The more accurate grade would be \u201cincomplete.\u201d The most important moves for Detroit this offseason are still unfinished and could take a while. But the Red Wings did add solid players to address their needs, bringing in Viktor Arvidsson to help their five-on-five scoring, signing Daniil Tarasov as a backup goalie and trading for Keegan Kolesar to bring toughness and improved forechecking to the bottom six. This grade doesn\u2019t reflect the quality of those moves, which are more like a B, but rather it reflects how much work remains, especially with the Dylan Larkin trade. \u2014 Max Bultman<\/p>\n

Edmonton Oilers: A<\/p>\n

The Oilers were top-heavy and needed to move the Darnell Nurse contract. The club also needed general manager Stan Bowman to address multiple needs with bona fide plug-and-play options. In adding goalies Frederik Andersen, Devon Levi, defensemen Ryan Shea and Shakir Mukhamadullin, along with forwards Kasperi Kapanen and Mathieu Joseph, Bowman delivered a focused and reasonable July 1. Not all decisions will work out, but there\u2019s depth in these moves and even some cap room to address additional needs such as a scoring winger. \u2014 Allan Mitchell<\/p>\n

Florida Panthers: B<\/p>\n

The big bet for the Panthers was Brady Tkachuk. That\u2019s where they put their newfound cap space and energy, and that\u2019s where the roster will have the most positive change. Swapping out the goalies for a couple of questionable bets in Jacob Markstr\u00f6m and Akira Schmid will be interesting to monitor, but given that this will be a much healthier team and how deep it is up front, Florida should be a contender yet again. \u2014 James Mirtle<\/p>\n

Los Angeles Kings: B-<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll give Ken Holland credit for striking sound extensions for Brandt Clarke and Scott Laughton, where their value could increase further as the cap continues to rise. But the free-agent additions only made them older. Mats Zuccarello still has game. Erik Haula and Corey Perry have remained effective. But L.A. is still shy a true top-six center and didn\u2019t bring in a notable mobile, puck-moving upgrade for the defense. Sorry, Erik Gustafsson isn\u2019t nearly enough. \u2014 Eric Stephens<\/p>\n

Minnesota Wild: C<\/p>\n

As of now, the Wild still have not added that long-coveted No. 1 center, and they\u2019ve lost 50-plus goals and 150 points of production in Mats Zuccarello, Vladimir Tarasenko and Marcus Johansson, replacing them with Blake Coleman, Maxim Shabanov and kinda sorta Bobby Brink. Coleman should add some offensive pop, and along with Olli M\u00e4\u00e4tt\u00e4, should help the penalty kill. But scoring is a concern. \u2014 Michael Russo<\/p>\n

Montreal Canadiens: C+<\/p>\n

The Canadiens added yet another team-friendly deal to their young core by signing Ivan Demidov to an eight-year extension worth $9.15 million a year. The three-year extension worth roughly $5.4 million a year given to Jakub Dobe\u0161 has some risk, but not much. Still, the Canadiens have not accomplished their stated goal of improving their team compared to last season, at least not yet, and until they do so it is difficult to give them a stronger grade than this. \u2014 Arpon Basu<\/p>\n

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\n Mavrik Bourque was traded from the Stars to the Predators. (Peter Creveling \/ Imagn Images)<\/p>\n

Nashville Predators: B<\/p>\n

Chris MacFarland\u2019s first signature move as Preds GM was the trade to get Mavrik Bourque from Dallas, sending a second and third and taking on Ilya Lyubushkin. If Bourque becomes a top-six staple with increased opportunity, it will be looked back on as brilliant. He\u2019s making the roster younger and faster; next up, can MacFarland find takers for any well-paid veteran players? \u2014 Joseph Rexrode<\/p>\n

New Jersey Devils: B<\/p>\n

New Devils GM Sunny Mehta got a strong return for S\u030cimon Nemec, and he was able to move Jacob Markstr\u00f6m\u2019s contract and got two quality forwards, including Evan Rodrigues, in return. He got Nico Hischier\u2019s extension done, and he still could add more with two first-round picks in each of the next two drafts. Big question: Is Jake Allen, Nico Daws and David Rittich enough in net, or will the team need to add there? \u2014 Peter Baugh<\/p>\n

New York Islanders: C+<\/p>\n

The direction of the Islanders is honestly just confusing after a trade deadline that took a promising retool off the rails. This team should have been all over trade targets such as JJ Peterka and Jordan Kyrou to add top-six talent in the right age range for this team. Instead, Anders Lee walked in free agency and signed a reasonable contract in Utah, and there\u2019s no clear replacement for him. Matias Maccelli is a nice add, but no other offseason move really moves the needle. \u2014 Shayna Goldman<\/p>\n

New York Rangers: B<\/p>\n

The Rangers made moves to give themselves an above-average defensive corps to go along with elite goaltending, and the forward group added punch with Pavel Dorofeyev and Oliver Bjorkstrand. The team is unquestionably better than it was at the end of last season, but Chris Drury still has to find a way to turn it into a true contender. And moving three first-round picks (two for Dorofeyev, one for Marcus Pettersson) comes with risk. \u2014 Peter Baugh<\/p>\n

Ottawa Senators: C-<\/p>\n

The Senators\u2019 offseason will be highlighted by the loss of Brady Tkachuk. All things considered, they could\u2019ve done worse than three first-round picks and a second-round pick in return. But they could\u2019ve added a player, and it all leaves fans wanting more. William Eklund is a good pickup from San Jose, and they got two prospects out of it, but it\u2019s not entirely clear if their following moves, such as trading for Samuel Ersson when he could\u2019ve been a free agent or accommodating Andre Burakovsky\u2019s $5.5 million contract, actually make them better. \u2014 Julian McKenzie<\/p>\n

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\n The Flyers signed Leo Carlsson to a five-year offer sheet with an average annual value of $18 million on Friday. (William Liang \/ Imagn Images)<\/p>\n

Philadelphia Flyers: C+<\/p>\n

If the Flyers actually do land Leo Carlsson after offer-sheeting him on Friday, this will be a solid A+. If not \u2014 and at this rate, it\u2019s difficult to envision the Ducks not matching \u2014 they snagged a solid depth piece in free agency with Noel Acciari, who should give their fourth line a boost, and upgraded their backup goalie position, too, with Joseph Woll. If Carlsson doesn\u2019t become a Flyer, this is still a team in playoff-bubble territory. \u2014 Kevin Kurz<\/p>\n

Pittsburgh Penguins: B-<\/p>\n

Kyle Dubas did nothing to hurt the Penguins\u2019 long-term outlook, which is important. He\u2019s essentially trying to emulate last summer\u2019s short-term free agency success with this class. That will be hard to pull off. The left side of his blue line appears to be a problem. \u2014 Josh Yohe<\/p>\n

San Jose Sharks: B<\/p>\n

Mason Marchment can be a nuisance with some scoring touch, so the Sharks add some grit to balance out all their playmaking skill on their loaded top three lines. And they addressed some obvious needs on defense with Jacob Trouba and Darnell Nurse, who was another pricey addition through trade. Those two will help now, but those contracts might age poorly. But with the battle-tested duo and Michael Kesselring, San Jose should ice an improved blue line. If the goaltending holds up, this should be a playoff team. \u2014 Eric Stephens<\/p>\n

Seattle Kraken: C<\/p>\n

The Kraken didn\u2019t do anything too reckless or irresponsible. The Bobby McMann extension is a bit long, as they would\u2019ve been better off paying a higher salary to keep the term more manageable. They incurred too much opportunity cost in bridging Mackie Samoskevich, and they failed to land the impact superstar when Jason Robertson declined to sign an extension with Seattle. Chase Reid falling to No. 7 in the draft was a steal value-wise, and he may be the superstar the Kraken need more than anything, but otherwise it was another summer treading water.\u00a0\u2014 Thomas Drance<\/p>\n

St. Louis Blues: B+<\/p>\n

The Blues needed centers, a veteran defenseman and toughness, and they got all three. They traded for Anaheim\u2019s Mason McTavish, who will be the No. 2 center, and drafted centers Tynan Lawrence (No. 11 overall) and Maddox Dagenais (No. 16). They traded for defenseman Brandon Carlo, which will allow 2024 first-round pick Adam Jiricek to grow at his own rate. And they signed enforcer Ross Johnston, who will make opponents think twice. None of the moves were flashy, but they were necessary. \u2014 Jeremy Rutherford<\/p>\n

Tampa Bay Lightning: B<\/p>\n

The Lightning probably should have tried to get a little younger and faster this summer. Ilya Mikheyev, at least, addresses the latter. His speed and disruptive game should be a real plus in the bottom six and on the penalty kill. John Carlson\u2019s declining footspeed is a little concerning, but his offensive dependability on a two-year deal is a great bet, and less risky than a long-term deal for Darren Raddysh. The one real head-scratcher, though, is a five-year commitment to a fourth-liner such as Jeffrey Viel. \u2014 Shayna Goldman<\/p>\n

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\n Sergei Bobrovsky signed a three-year, $21 million contract with the Maple Leafs. (Carmen Mandato \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Toronto Maple Leafs: B-<\/p>\n

Whether this grade goes up or down will depend on whether the big bets on Darren Raddysh and Sergei Bobrovsky pay off. Both have something to prove. For Raddysh, that last year wasn\u2019t a one-off. For Bobrovsky, that last year wasn\u2019t the beginning of the end. The depth forward additions make sense \u2014 particularly the added variety at center \u2014 even if the cost was a little high. \u2014 Jonas Siegel<\/p>\n

Utah Mammoth: B+<\/p>\n

Utah added a top-six center without surrendering any prime future assets in the Vincent Trocheck deal. Signing Anders Lee to a reasonable three-year deal is also a nice addition. His size and net-front skill set will be a sweet complement to the team\u2019s fast, dynamic forward group. \u2014 Harman Dayal<\/p>\n

Vancouver Canucks: B<\/p>\n

The Canucks have had a solid rebuilding offseason to date. The club probably would\u2019ve been even better off if it could\u2019ve subtracted more, but pulled off two subtractions \u2014 Nils H\u00f6glander and Marcus Pettersson \u2014 got paid, and replaced them adequately with players attached to no acquisition cost, less term and some sell-on value to aid in continued accumulation. Vancouver drafted a bunch of good prospects, revamped the character and feel of its dressing room, did nothing reckless and added some much-needed high-character people to the group. A solid B. \u2014 Thomas Drance<\/p>\n

Vegas Golden Knights: C<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t a disastrous start to free agency, but for a team that typically finds great value, this year felt different. The seven-year extension to Rasmus Andersson at $8.5 million per season felt a bit rich, compared to how he performed for the Golden Knights. Trading Kaedan Korczak and his $3.25 million cap hit to Pittsburgh felt like a solid cost-saving move until they signed their much-older bottom-pair defenseman, Jeremy Lauzon, for six years at $4 million AAV. Vegas lost top-scorer Pavel Dorofeyev and doesn\u2019t currently have much space to replace him, so it likely got worse this summer. \u2014 Jesse Granger<\/p>\n

Washington Capitals: B+<\/p>\n

There\u2019s some long-term risk with the Alex Tuch contract, but between him, the excellent trade for Jordan Kyrou, adding Boone Jenner and the cherry on top of Alex Ovechkin\u2019s return, the Capitals improved significantly and have a chance to emerge as the second-best team in the Metro Division. A lot of hockey fans made fun of the Vincent Desharnais contract, but I don\u2019t think people realize how dramatically his game improved in San Jose, and how he\u2019s quietly become an analytical, shutdown darling. \u2014 Harman Dayal<\/p>\n

Winnipeg Jets: B+<\/p>\n

Winnipeg\u2019s two key signings, Stuart Skinner and Mario Ferraro, are solid bets at sensible cap hits. Skinner in particular gives the Jets flexibility, with a contract and ability level that make him a serviceable starter, a strong tandem option, or even Connor Hellebuyck\u2019s backup if Hellebuyck is somehow not moved. Ferraro is a legitimate third-pairing defenseman. Everything that\u2019s been done has been good, but Hellebuyck\u2019s uncertain future and a big hole on the second line loom large. \u2014 Murat Ates<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Four days into 2026 NHL free agency, the list of impact players remaining on the market of an…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":742804,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[66],"tags":[4830,1785,1809,4047,4821,4824,1223,392,4825,1786,1792,4832,4820,393,4828,1787,4826,4822,394,4823,385,1319,1789,1790,835,4831,99,1610,4819,1788,4829,1320,1793,1791,4827],"class_list":["post-742803","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nhl","tag-anaheim-ducks","tag-boston-bruins","tag-buffalo-sabres","tag-calgary-flames","tag-carolina-hurricanes","tag-chicago-blackhawks","tag-colorado-avalanche","tag-columbus-blue-jackets","tag-dallas-stars","tag-detroit-red-wings","tag-edmonton-oilers","tag-fantasy-hockey","tag-florida-panthers","tag-los-angeles-kings","tag-minnesota-wild","tag-montreal-canadiens","tag-nashville-predators","tag-new-jersey-devils","tag-new-york-islanders","tag-new-york-rangers","tag-nhl","tag-ottawa-senators","tag-philadelphia-flyers","tag-pittsburgh-penguins","tag-san-jose-sharks","tag-seattle-kraken","tag-sports","tag-st-louis-blues","tag-tampa-bay-lightning","tag-toronto-maple-leafs","tag-utah-mammoth","tag-vancouver-canucks","tag-vegas-golden-knights","tag-washington-capitals","tag-winnipeg-jets"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/742803","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=742803"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/742803\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/742804"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=742803"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=742803"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=742803"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}