With a majority of the big free agents off the board, there probably will not be any big moves for the time being as General Managers and team executives start to begin their summers.
With that in mind, here are my early winners and losers of the first wave of NHL Free Agency.
Winner: Edmonton Oilers
Nearly two weeks after completing the greatest comeback in the history of the NHL, Edmonton is now a better team than the one who went up against the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final.
Despite a key depth piece in Warren Foegle, the Oilers bolstered their top six by bringing in wingers Jeff Skinner, and Victor Arvidsson, who will both slide in somewhere on the top two lines with Connor McDavid & Leon Draisaitl. To go along with Skinner, and Arvidsson, the Oilers were able to retain contributors in their bottom six bringing back forwards, Mattias Janmark, Adam Henrique, Corey Perry, and Connor Brown on reasonable contracts.
With their successful off-season so far which will be capped off by hiring a new GM, the Oilers are in a prime position to compete for the Stanley Cup once again throughout the 2024-25 season.
Loser: Toronto Maple Leafs
After another early playoff exit, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that there would be major changes in Toronto with not only the coaching staff but personnel.
After their loss to the Bruins, Sheldon Keefe was let go after five seasons as Maple Leafs head coach, and Stanley Cup Champion Craig Berube was brought in. This was a good sign for Leaf fans, but despite the expected breakup of the "core four", it seems as if the Maple Leafs will be running back it yet again. Specifically, with him having one year left on his deal, Mitch Marner was the one by many who was expected to be dealt elsewhere this summer but it appears he will be playing his contract year out in Toronto.
The two biggest roster moves Toronto has made thus far have been adding depth to their blueline by bringing in Chris Tanev, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson.
For almost any other team, bringing in great pieces on the back end would be considered great moves, but this isn't any other team.
We have seen the Leafs do this over and over again and until there is a major change with their forward group, I do not expect any result other than a first-round exit come playoff time.
Winner: New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils are coming off a disastrous season that began with Stanley Cup expectations.
New Jersey's 2023-24 season was defined by bad goaltending and injuries. The Devils finished 8th in man games lost to injury with 39 on the year, as well as 23rd in league-wide save percentage where their goalies combined for a number of .886.
With Jack Hughes and Dougie Hamilton set to return to the lineup, New Jersey has brought in goaltender Jakob Markstrom, who has the potential to be one of the league's best netminders when he is on his game. To pair with their new goalie, the Devils brought in veterans to help shape their blueline with the signing of Brett Pesce, and Brendan Dillon.
If the Devils can bounce back and meet the expectations that had a year ago, I would not be shocked to see them playing for the Cup in June.
Loser: Tampa Bay Lightning
I have already written about why I disagree with how the Lightning have handled this summer thus far and my points remain the same. I believe this team has gotten worse and further away from contention. Conor Gekie is a nice addition who will be able to contribute in a couple of years but unfortunately, that does not match the timeline of star players Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman, and Brayden Point.
I just do not believe swapping out Mikhail Sergachev, Steven Stamkos, and Anthony Duclair for Jake Guentzel, Cam Atkinson, and Janis Moser makes you a better hockey club.
Time will tell but for now, I don't love the direction this team is trending in.
Winner: Nashville Predators
I usually do not love simply going big-name hunting in free agency, but because Nashville was already such a tough out for teams in the West, I love that they used their cap space on areas of need, specifically goal scoring.
Over the past two summers, the Predators have begun to lay down the foundation of a legitimate Stanley Cup contender by continuing to develop their young players, while spending on championship veterans who are still playing great hockey and still have something to prove.
Last July, Nashville signed Ryan O'Reilly who is the type of two-way centre you need to have in your lineup to win playoff games and helped bring the Predators back to the post-season this past year.
Although O'Reilly is a terrific hockey player, goal-scoring is not exactly his area of expertise.
That is why this summer, Barry Trotz went out and added a combined 82 regular season goals to their lineup by signing Steven Stamkos, and Jonathan Marchessault, along with bringing another defenseman to add that impressive unit in Brady Skej.
Not to mention, the Preds also locked up Juuse Saros to an eight-year extension which means one of two things, Nashville will either have the best goaltending tandem in the league to go with their elite defense group, or they will get an absolute haul back for top goaltending prospect Yaroslav Askarov.
Either way, the future is bright in Nashville.
Loser: Vegas Golden Knights
For a team that loves to spend money, the Vegas Golden Knights have been awfully quiet this summer. Has the salary cap finally come for them at last? It appears so.
The team appeared to be in on Steven Stamkos if they were unable to resign Jonathan Marchessault, and somehow they missed out on both to the same team.
I like the addition of Alexander Holtz but he is probably not the ideal replacement for Marchessault.
Although they are losers now, I am sure they will find a way to put someone on LTIR around playoff time to add the key pieces they will need for another deep playoff run.
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