It's still early in the off-season, but from the end of the playoffs to the first hours of NHL free agency, the Maple Leafs, Sharks and three other squads made major moves that improved their futures.
The first eight hours of the NHL's 2026 free agency frenzy saw a slew of notable changes across the league.
There will certainly be more moves to come during the rest of July 1 and the off-season as well. The Detroit Red Wings haven't traded Dylan Larkin yet, and there are some intriguing free agents still on the market.
But if we're judging which teams were the winners of the off-season so far, we're looking at five squads that are focused on winning now by remaking their rosters.
Here are those teams:
Toronto Maple Leafs
Notable additions: Sergei Bobrovsky (G), Gavin McKenna (LW), Jack Roslovic (C/RW), Nick Paul (LW), Colton Sissons (C), Emil Andrae (D), Brandon Duhaime (RW), Teddy Blueger (C), Darren Raddysh (D), Zack MacEwen (RW)
Notable departures: Joseph Woll (G), Nick Robertson (LW), Dennis Hildeby (G), Brandon Carlo (D), Simon Benoit (D), Matias Maccelli (RW)
No team has made more changes this off-season than the Maple Leafs – and the changes may not be over in Toronto.
Leafs GM John Chayka made the most of his goaltending depth – which he created by signing longtime Florida Panthers netminder Sergei Bobrovsky – by turning Dennis Hildeby into an effective third-liner in Nick Paul.
Even if the Leafs didn't make another move for the rest of the summer, they've remade their roster in a way that should please Leafs captain Auston Matthews.
Other than Bobrovsky, the Leafs didn't add star players in the off-season, unless you count drafting Gavin McKenna first overall.
Instead, Chayka made his moves on some mid-tier players who will drastically improve Toronto's overall depth. And if newcomers like Jack Roslovic and Darren Raddysh can step up, the Maple Leafs will easily be a playoff team in the highly competitive Atlantic Division.
San Jose Sharks
Notable additions: Ivar Stenberg (LW), Michael Kesselring (D), Darnell Nurse (D), Jacob Trouba (D), Mason Marchment (LW), Eric Comrie (G)
Notable departures: William Eklund (LW), Mario Ferraro (D), Shakir Mukhamadullin (D), Vincent Desharnais (D), Nick Leddy (D), John Klingberg (D)
The Sharks knew they'd need extensive work on their defense corps. That's exactly what San Jose GM Mike Grier did in the early days of the off-season.
In came three newcomer D-men: former Buffalo Sabre Michael Kesselring, former Edmonton Oiler Darnell Nurse and former Anaheim Duck Jacob Trouba. That's a clear upgrade, even if the Nurse and Trouba contracts could cause cap constraints further down the line.
Grier made some other additions, including veteran left winger Mason Marchment, who helps their scoring and physicality. And veteran goalie Eric Comrie leaves the Winnipeg Jets to be third on San Jose's goalie depth chart.
Add to these additions top draft pick Ivar Stenberg, and what you have in San Jose is an up-and-coming group with generational bedrock talent in Macklin Celebrini.
If you're a Sharks fan, you should be stoked. And teams in the weak Pacific Division are on notice – San Jose is shaping up as a playoff team next season.
Florida Panthers
Notable additions: Brady Tkachuk (LW), Akira Schmid (G), Jacob Markstrom (G), Radko Gudas (D), Lars Eller (C), Sam Lafferty (C), Garnet Hathaway (RW)
Notable departures: Sergei Bobrovsky (G), Mackie Samoskevich (RW), A.J. Greer (LW), Evan Rodrigues (RW), Jesper Boqvist (LW), Daniil Tarasov (G)
The Panthers have been in win-now mode for years now, and they've restocked for what looks like a bounce-back season for the organization.
The Panthers' top-six group of forwards got a major boost with the addition of star left winger Brady Tkachuk. Tkachuk, former Philadelphia Flyers bruiser Garnet Hathaway and defenseman Radko Gudas will make Florida even tougher to play against. They were already unbearable to face.
Panthers GM Bill Zito changed up his goalie picture, bidding farewell to free-agent Sergei Bobrovsky and backup Daniil Tarasov and welcoming former New Jersey Devils goalie Jacob Markstrom and former Vegas Golden Knights netminder Akira Schmid. Florida probably got worse in net, but the upgrades elsewhere make up for it.
Zito has done yeoman's work putting the pieces together to get Florida back into the playoff picture next season. The Panthers are one of the league's most hated teams with the additions of Brady Tkachuk and Gudas, but Florida fans should be thrilled at the changes the organization has made.
Washington Capitals
Notable additions: Alex Tuch (RW), Jordan Kyrou (RW), Boone Jenner (C), Vincent Desharnais (D), Justin Holl (D), Jonny Brodzinski (RW)
Notable departures: Connor McMichael (C), Hendrix Lapierre (LW), Trevor van Riemsdyk (D), Brandon Duhaime (RW)
The Capitals are focused on a bounce-back season after missing the playoffs, and they're continuing to craft a new Cup-contending core without having to rebuild.
They've pulled off some of the biggest moves of this off-season, acquiring star right winger Alex Tuch from the Sabres, trading for former St. Louis Blues right winger Jordan Kyrou and signing former Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner and former Sharks defenseman Vincent Desharnais. That's about as good an off-season as it gets.
The big question in Washington is whether Alexander Ovechkin will be returning, and that question hasn't yet been answered.
However, after Caps GM Chris Patrick's wheeling and dealing, Washington now has only $2.6 million in salary cap space. So unless Ovechkin is returning on a serious hometown discount, the Capitals need to move out more salary to pay him at his market value if he does want to return.
Regardless, the Caps have done a terrific job restocking in the relatively weak Metropolitan Division. Washington added all kinds of experience and above-average skill this summer, and they now have what it takes to be a realistic contender for a post-season spot.
Utah Mammoth
Notable additions: Vincent Trocheck (C), Sebastian Cossa (G), Anders Lee (LW)
Notable departures: JJ Peterka (LW), Sean Durzi (D), Alexander Kerfoot (C), Ian Cole (D)
The Mammoth took a step forward this past season, making the playoffs and putting a scare into the Vegas Golden Knights.
Utah GM Bill Armstrong has pushed forward this summer, addressing a number of areas to improve his team.
The first area is the center position, and that's what Armstrong improved by acquiring Vincent Trocheck from the New York Rangers.
Utah also improved its netminding for potentially years to come, picking up youngster Sebastian Cossa from the Detroit Red Wings.
The Mammoth even improved their experience, leadership and secondary signing with the signing of former New York Islanders captain Anders Lee.
The future of Barrett Hayton is in question after he signed an offer sheet with the New Jersey Devils worth $4.775 million for one year. Utah has one week to decide whether to match the contract or not. With Nick Schmaltz, Logan Cooley, Trocheck and Kevin Stenlund down the middle, they could just take the second-round draft pick as compensation and move on.
All in all, the Mammoth will be more competitive in the difficult Central Division. Armstrong did move some younger players in JJ Peterka and Sean Durzi, but on the whole, Utah is clearly better than it was at the end of the season. That's the name of the game.
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