NHL offseason grades: Panthers conduct masterclass, Golden Knights swing for fences

It Nhl The low season is in full evolution with the majority of the free agency and the 2025 NHL project in the rearview mirror. While in 2026 it could be even more wild, this summer there was a great talent available.

A few weeks after lifting the Stanley Cup for the second consecutive season, the Florida panthers clashed with an upward battle to the free agency with Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad and Brad Marchand, who reached the open market. However, Panthers CEO Bill Zito used his innovative wizard to re -sign the star players trio in multi -year offers.

In addition to the panthers who make waves, the tastes of Mitch Marner, Nikolaj Ehlers, Noah Dobson and Trevor Zegras changed all the addresses for the 2025-26 season.

With most free agents signed with their new teams and trades, we take a closer look at the Low Season of the NHL, ranking each of the great movements.

Mitch marner

Vegas Golden Knights made the greatest splash of the Lower Season to disembark Witch Marner in a sign and trade with the leaves of Toronto’s maple. Signed an eight -year contract with an annual lid of $ 12.0 million. It was seen as a previous conclusion that Marner would take his talent elsewhere this summer. Vegas has never been swinging away from fences when acquiring final talents with previous acquisitions, such as Jack Eichel, Mark Stone and Noah Hanifin. Now Marner has the opportunity to play on the team’s upper line with an elite player like Eichel. Marner brings an expansive offensive arsenal to the Golden Knights and should immediately return them to the Stanley Cup conversation. Degree: A

Sam Bennett

Although the panthers could not maintain their free agents, Sam Bennett is the only asset that the franchise needed to retain. Throughout the Playoffs of the Stanley Cup of 2025, Bennett was raised many times and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as a Playoff MVP in the process. Bennett cut real estate in front of the network and made it difficult for Edmonton Oilers to the entire Stanley Cup final. Talented Winger signed a very friendly eight -year contract extension worth $ 8.0 million per season, and may be a good offer. It was clear that Bennett wanted to stay with the Panthers and who could blame him after winning Stanley’s Cups. Degree: A

Aaron oak leaf

Of the three free agents in Florida, the defender Aaron Ekblad was probably the most likely to leave the sunny beaches of South Florida. The main blue paids do not grow exactly in the trees and Ekblad could have been collected in the free agent market. Instead, Ekblad returned to the Panthers with an eight -year contract extension that will pay $ 6.1 million a year. Again, win -despite allowing Bill Zito to keep these agents free of marquee with the team during the long journey. The Panthers lost Brandon Montour to the free agency last summer and did not suffer the destination to lose a talented defender for the second consecutive season. Degree: B+

Brad Marchand

The Panthers landed Brad Marchand in a trade with the moments of Boston Bruins before the commercial term passed this winter. As a result of the move, Marchand brought his post -season capacity, veteran leadership and a love for Queen Lacti. If it weren’t for Sam Bennett’s sensational playoff throw, Marchand would probably have been the winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy. Marchand perfectly adapts to the Panthers’ program and scored goals for Will Florida Stanley Cup Run. The extension of Marchand’s contract was a bit questionable at the age of six, considering that he is 37 years old, but the success of the lid is quite affordable to $ 5.25 million per season. Veteran Winger is a player who could not help but return after the amount of culture of the team. Grade: B

Nikolaj ehlers

After the Panthers Trio and Mitch Marner filled before the free agency was opened, the former -Protagonist of the former star of Winnipeg Jets, Nikolaj Ehlers, became the jewel of this year’s class crown. Ehlers took his time to decide his next destination and finally landed with Carolina hurricanes in a six -year agreement worth $ 8.5 million a year. It was clear that the six hurricanes’ tops needed a great boost after Mikko Rantanen’s bankruptcy was bad. Ehlers gives Carolina a depth scoring and a little speed on the wing next season. It could be the missing piece, as hurricanes are aimed at overthrowing the panthers at the Eastern Conference than next season. Degree: A

Noah Dobson

The Montreal Canadiens returned to the Playoffs of the Stanley Cup for the first time in four seasons and seek to continue their upward trend. All hours before the NHL project of 2025 was launched, the Canadians disembarked the defender Noah Dobson in a trade with the islanders in New York. Dobson signed an extension of eight -year contract, which has a blow of $ 9.5 million per season. It gives the Canadians another talented two -way defender within the first four places after Lane Hutson settled with a winning season of the Calder Trophy this past campaign. Dobson is the kind of talented defender that can join the offensive end and could be an asset if it can return to its 2023-24 form in which it exceeded a 70-point season. Degree: B+

The New York Rangers consolidated their first defensive pairing with the signing of the former defender of Los Angeles Kings, Vladislav Gavrikov. Gavrikov signed a seven -year contract worth $ 7.0 million per season. He will play with the former Norris Trophy winner, Adam Fox, to help stabilize the team’s end. Gavrikov makes sense on paper, but Rangers may be clinging to Gloria’s days with this signing. After all, this is a list of aging that lost the post-season in 2024-25 and commercialized the icon of the Chris Kreider franchise before this season. The movement will definitely help the defensive end, but will it be enough for the Rangers to return to the Playoffs of the Stanley Cup? Degree: B-

JJ Peterka

Utah’s Mammoth almost made the Playoffs of the Stanley Cup in the first season in Salt Lake City. They continue to build impulse. The team added some fire power to their group forward in the form of Wingers JJ Peterka. Peterka, a restricted free agent, was acquired from the Buffalo Sabers and immediately signed an extension of five -year contract worth $ 7.7 million per season. The 23-year-old immediately strengthens the first six places of the Mamut and is in a campaign of 68 points in his career by 2024-25. Utah could easily break and make the post -season with the additions of Peterka and former Pantherian defender, Nate Schmidt. GRade: B+

Trevor Zegras

Philadelphia’s Flyers have had their good part of struggles in recent years, but CEO Danny Briere tries to turn the franchise. The Flyers disembarked with Trevor Zegras in a trade with Anaheim ducks. For Philadelphia, it is a low-risk and high reward movement considering that Zegras is a free agent after the 2025-26 season. Zegras had 60 points seasons to start his career at the NHL, but has been affected by injuries during the last two campaigns. Its versatility is a complement welcome to the new coach Rick Tocchet, as Zegras can play the wing and the center. If Zegras cannot rediscover its old form, it only cost the Flyers a selection of the second round of 2025 (which had several) and forwarded Ryan Poehling. Degree: A

Nikolaj Ehlers was not the only daring movement that hurricanes made this season. The team also acquired the defender K’Andre Miller in a trade with the Rangers and signed it to an eight -year contract extension of a $ 7.5 million stroke. Miller has seen his play work decrease for the last two seasons, but the other way around there is certainly for the 25-year-old blue-liner. Miller is a bidirectional defender who has the skating capacity higher than average and can shoot the starting shot. One of the main points of sale of this agreement is the fact that Miller will not be forced to enter a leading role as the team already has Jaccob Slavin on the left side. Carolina hopes that Miller can return to his 2022-23 form when he got 47 career points. The header can be considered as a little risk, but it is worth playing the hurricanes. Degree: B-

Mikael Granlund was one of the main centers available in the open market. Grandlund adapted to Dallas stars after being acquired in the commercial term of 2025. However, the stars did not have the capture room to return to the fold, and ended up signing a three -year agreement with the Anaheim ducks worth $ 7.0 million a year. The ducks needed a little depth after negotiating Trevor Zegras on the Flyers. The Grandlund agreement is quite expensive, but it is also a risk that ducks can take when they try to return to the season after 2025-26. Degree: B-

Jonathan Toews has been far from the sport for the last two seasons, but will return as a member of the Jets of Winnipeg. The veteran center signed a one-year agreement with the incentives full of incentives after taking a hiatus to focus on his health. It will be interesting to see how Toews looks on his return to the ice at the age of 37. If nothing is, Touws should provide a veteran leadership for a jet team who won the presidents’ trophy last season. However, it was not an ideal scenario to see that Nikolaj Ehlers would go out to the free agency, and now the jets will have to wait for Toews to recover part of their legendary form. Degree: C+