After a weekend off to cool down, apply some security patches and reassure it that the whole \u201cMike Babcock to the Edmonton Oilers\u201c thing was not a joke, the Bizarro-meter is back.<\/p>\n
Every year, we like to try to figure out which NHL teams had the weirdest offseason. On Friday, we ran through the Western Conference<\/a>, featuring a record-smashing offer sheet, a blockbuster that wasn\u2019t and some Pacific Division coaching shenanigans. When the dust settled, the top score in the conference went to the Oilers, with an impressive 9.1 out of 10.<\/p>\n Will anyone in the Eastern Conference beat that mark? Let\u2019s find out \u2026<\/p>\n Which next gen superstars jumped the highest in the NHL player tiers?<\/p>\n Metro DivisionNew York Islanders<\/p>\n The offseason so far: It was mostly quiet, with Matias Maccelli added and a change at backup goalie, neither of which should move their outlook much.<\/p>\n But their strangest story was: Replacing coach Patrick Roy with Pete DeBoer, which wasn\u2019t the offseason but came so late in the season that it kind of felt like it. For our purposes, seeing Anders Lee in another uniform will take some adjusting.<\/p>\n Bizarro-meter ranking: 3.7\/10. It was mildly surprising to see a new GM in his first full offseason mostly stay the course. But only mildly.<\/p>\n Pittsburgh Penguins<\/p>\n The offseason so far: They shuffled a few depth pieces and kept Evgeni Malkin, although the biggest offseason move was probably Anthony Mantha\u2019s departure.<\/p>\n But their strangest story was: Giving a max-length deal to a guy you had definitely heard of<\/a>.<\/p>\n Bizarro-meter ranking: 3.9\/10. We\u2019re still waiting on Sidney Crosby\u2019s extension, and that deal going sideways would bump up this score significantly. It won\u2019t, though<\/a>.<\/p>\n Carolina Hurricanes<\/p>\n The offseason so far: Champagne. Lots of champagne. John Carlson was technically a Hurricane for like a minute<\/a>. And they also let Frederik Andersen go to Edmonton, which seems like a cruel way to treat a Stanley Cup hero.<\/p>\n But their strangest story was: Other than letting their egomaniac owner inexcusably deface the Stanley Cup<\/a>, it was pretty standard stuff.<\/p>\n Bizarro-meter ranking: 4.2\/10. Oh, look at us, we don\u2019t have to add any players because we\u2019re already too good. Show offs.<\/p>\n New Jersey Devils<\/p>\n The offseason so far: It\u2019s been busy under new GM Sunny Mehta, with \u0160imon Nemec and Jacob Markstr\u00f6m among those on the way out while Evan Rodrigues and Anthony Mantha are in.<\/p>\n But their strangest story was: Mehta dropping this jacket photo<\/a>, only because if spending the early \u201990s wearing an NHL Starter jacket everywhere helps you get hired then I should have had a dozen interviews by now.<\/p>\n Bizarro-meter ranking: 4.5\/10. Count me among those who think Mehta is going to cook in New Jersey<\/a>. For now, it\u2019s been a busy but not especially bizarre first few months.<\/p>\n New York Rangers<\/p>\n The offseason so far: They were busy, making a series of moves highlights by trades that added Pavel Dorofeyev and subtracted Vincent Trocheck. Dom Luszczsyzyn\u2019s model liked their summer a lot, and while they\u2019re still not expected to be good, they might be respectable<\/a>.<\/p>\n But their strangest story was: A James Dolan-run team winning a championship, which didn\u2019t really have anything to do with the Rangers but was still super weird.<\/p>\n Bizarro-meter ranking: 5.1\/10. Speaking of Dolan, he\u2019s found a successor to take over running the team, and in a wild coincidence the very best candidate turned out to be his own son<\/a>.<\/p>\n Washington Capitals<\/p>\n The offseason so far: It was a summer of big-name additions, with Jordan Kyrou, Alex Tuch and Boone Jenner all arriving. There were costs and risks associated with each, of course, but it all left the Caps looking like a legit contender in the Metro. As Dom put it in his offseason roundup<\/a>, they look like \u201ca true beacon of what a proper retool should look like.\u201d<\/p>\n But their strangest story was: Alexander Ovechkin\u2019s decision over whether to return for another season, which felt like it should have been a huge story even as he was just kind of chill about it<\/a>.<\/p>\n Bizarro-meter ranking: 5.3\/10. None of the individual moves were all that weird, but \u201cWashington Capitals, offseason destination of choice\u201d kind of was.<\/p>\n Philadelphia Flyers<\/p>\n The offseason so far: They didn\u2019t make any major changes. Same GM, same coach, and mostly the same roster aside from Joseph Woll and Noel Acciari showing up. But of course, it\u2019s not like they didn\u2019t try.<\/p>\n But their strangest story was: The Leo Carlsson offer sheet, obviously. Not just the eye-popping dollar amount, but what it said about where the Flyers think they are<\/a> in the contending cycle.<\/p>\n Bizarro-meter ranking: 7.4\/10. I\u2019m awarding a bonus point for Matvei Michkov apparently being in shape.<\/p>\n Columbus Blue Jackets<\/p>\n The offseason so far: They added Valeri Nichushkin but lost Mason Marchment and captain Boone Jenner. But since we\u2019re defining the offseason as everything that happens after the final buzzer of a team\u2019s last game, we have to start with Rick Bowness absolutely nuking his team after the finale<\/a>, basically calling them losers and vowing to change the culture if he returned. Don Waddell apparently agreed, as Bowness shed the interim label days later.<\/p>\n But their strangest story was: The Zach Werenski saga, which saw the reigning Norris winner go from reportedly seeking a trade to vetoing a deal with the Stars to apparently deciding to stick around<\/a>, at least for the start of the season. That was a happy ending of sorts, but combined with leading scorer Kirill Marchenko wanting out, it puts the Blue Jackets in a tough spot heading into what now feels like a make-or-break season.<\/p>\n Bizarro-meter ranking: 8.5\/10. Is it weird that the best player they\u2019ve ever had basically said \u201cbuild a winner or I\u2019m gone\u201d and then they didn\u2019t really make any major moves at all? Because it feels a bit weird.<\/p>\n Atlantic DivisionBoston Bruins<\/p>\n The offseason so far: Their only major move was trading for JJ Peterka, which cost them a pair of first-round picks.<\/p>\n But their strangest story was: Settling for adding Will Borgen and Connor Clifton to a blue line that probably needed more of a top-four boost<\/a>.<\/p>\n Bizarro-meter ranking: 3.7\/10. One of last year\u2019s surprises, the Bruins were reportedly looking at some bigger names but couldn\u2019t make it happen. That\u2019s maybe disappointing, but it\u2019s not especially weird.<\/p>\n Tampa Bay Lightning<\/p>\n The offseason so far: The big moves were replacing Darren Raddysh with John Carlson. They also traded Nick Paul.<\/p>\n But their strangest story was: Sending both Paul and Raddysh to the Toronto Maple Leafs, the latter in a sign-and-trade. You normally wouldn\u2019t do that with a division rival with whom you\u2019re fighting for a playoff spot \u2026 which suggests the Lightning don\u2019t view the Leafs that way.<\/p>\n Bizarro-meter ranking: 4.1\/10. The Lightning don\u2019t tend to make huge changes in the offseason, and this was another largely quiet one.<\/p>\n Buffalo Sabres<\/p>\n The offseason so far: They saw two top contributors leave town in Alex Tuch and Bowen Byram, although they got a decent return for both, especially Byram<\/a>. Still, it\u2019s fair to wonder if one of last year\u2019s best stories took a significant step backwards<\/a>, at least in the short term.<\/p>\n But their strangest story was: The Connor Hellebuyck trade saga, which saw the Sabres reportedly get very close to a deal for the three-time Vezina winner at the draft only for it to fall apart. It still feels like they could land him, maybe any day now. A big chunk of their fan base is banking on it<\/a>.<\/p>\n Bizarro-meter ranking: 4.6\/10. Maybe the best news of the summer is that one of the best players in the league was willing to be dealt to Buffalo. A year ago, that would have been extremely bizarre. After last season, not so much.<\/p>\n Why was Zach Benson No. 124 on the U23 rankings?<\/p>\n Corey Pronman, Scott Wheeler and more<\/p>\n Florida Panthers<\/p>\n The offseason so far: They got Brady Tkachuk, just like we all knew they eventually would, although they had to give up a decent haul<\/a> to get him. They also parted with Evan Rodrigues and Mackie Samoskevich, and replaced old goalie Sergei Bobrovsky with old goalie Jacob Markstr\u00f6m.<\/p>\n But their strangest story was: Giving 36-year-old Radko Gudas a six-year deal<\/a> that he will definitely play the full length of, because the league would never have approved it otherwise.<\/p>\n Bizarro-meter ranking: 5.2\/10. The Panthers generated some big headlines in the offseason, but the biggest was one we\u2019d all expected for years, so it wasn\u2019t that bizarre.<\/p>\n Ottawa Senators<\/p>\n The offseason so far: Brady Tkachuk told us he was tired of everyone always saying he\u2019d eventually orchestrate a trade to the Panthers. Then he orchestrated a trade to the Panthers. The Senators at least got a nice package of picks for him, and turned one of them into William Eklund.<\/p>\n But their strangest story was: Daniel Alfredsson, Toronto Maple Leaf<\/a>.<\/p>\n Bizarro-meter ranking: 5.9\/10. It was certainly a newsworthy summer. But as with the Panthers, I can\u2019t rank it as being all that bizarre when the main move was one we\u2019d all seen coming forever.<\/p>\n Montreal Canadiens<\/p>\n The offseason so far: Ho hum, they signed another future star to a contract that was miles below market value, in this case Ivan Demidov going max length<\/a> just hours before Leo Carlsson completely reset the market for young forwards. Is having your entire young core locked in for millions less than other teams pay their guys a good thing? You\u2019d have to be an idiot to think otherwise<\/a>.<\/p>\n But their strangest story was: Signing Chris Kreider over the weekend, which makes perfect sense from a roster construction point of view as long as you ignore the part where the fan base has hated him for a decade<\/a> because of this<\/a>.<\/p>\n Bizarro-meter ranking: 6.1\/10. I\u2019m giving them a bonus nudge for that weird post-playoff moment where Patrik Laine admitted he wasn\u2019t really hurt anymore<\/a> even though he ended the season on LTIR, and everyone kind of just shrugged. But yeah, this is mostly Kreider.<\/p>\n Toronto Maple Leafs<\/p>\n The offseason so far: It was one of the league\u2019s busiest, featuring a surprising new GM<\/a>, a surprising new coach<\/a>, a new top-pair defenseman, multiple goaltending moves, a completely rebuilt bottom six, and a ton of rumors about Morgan Rielly and Matthew Knies that didn\u2019t lead anywhere. The whole thing got decidedly mixed reviews, especially on the day they unveiled their new front-office structure at a press conference that went almost completely off the rails<\/a>.<\/p>\n But their strangest story was: Winning the draft lottery the day after that disastrous introduction. The hockey gods letting something good happening to the Maple Leafs? I\u2019m so confused.<\/p>\n Bizarro-meter ranking: 7.7\/10. The Leafs looked like the early bizarro-meter favorites in May, but the lottery win seemed to calm things down and generate some much-needed optimism. There\u2019s a foundation being built here, but it still feels like a shaky one.<\/p>\n Detroit Red Wings<\/p>\n The offseason so far: The summer was dominated by the Dylan Larkin saga, as the team\u2019s (then) captain decided he wanted out, shooting him to the top of the offseason trade board<\/a> and making him public enemy number one for the vast majority of Wings fans. That was especially true once we found out he intended to use his no-trade clause to narrow his list of potential destinations down to just a reported three.<\/p>\n The response from around the hockey world was nearly unanimous: Hold the line, Steve Yzerman<\/a>!<\/p>\n Uh, Steve? You still there, Steve?<\/p>\n But their strangest story was: Ditching Yzerman as GM, which is something a lot of us figured they\u2019d never have the courage to do. (Even if it was framed as a promotion to senior advisor or whatever.)<\/p>\n But what made this situation even weirder is the timing. The move didn\u2019t come after the season ended, or even after some sort of multi-week organizational review. Instead, the Wings waited until mid-July to drop the bomb<\/a>. And they somehow still haven\u2019t hired a replacement.<\/p>\n