The Four Most Improved NHL Teams During the 2023 Off-Season

Anything can change later in the summer, but these four teams have done the most to improve their roster so far, writes Mike Stephens.

This has been quite the busy NHL off-season. 

With the free agent and trade markets in full swing, half the rosters across the league look largely different than they did at the end of last season. 

Let's look at the four teams who have improved the most since the summer officially started. 

Biggest Moves: Dmitry Orlov, Michael Bunting, Jordan Staal (re-sign), Jesper Fast (re-sign), Frederik Andersen (re-sign), Antti Raanta (re-sign)
Departures: Shayne Gostisbehere, Max Pacioretty

The rich get richer. 

The Hurricanes were already the class of the Metropolitan Division heading into the off-season, having captured the division crown and made it all the way to the Eastern Conference final before one of the most unprecedented runs of goaltending seen in the Modern Era ended their season. 

Frankly, the Canes could've just sat on their hands this summer, run it back, and been mostly fine. But that's not what contenders do. They always seek improvement. And signing the best player on the market and one of the best forwards available is a great way to do that. 

Orlov gives one of the NHL's best bluelines another legitimate top-pairing option at a reasonable price and little term. Bunting, on the other hand, brings a tenacious forecheck, relentless motor and undeniable pest ability that could thrive away from the bright lights of Toronto. Adding in the returns of Jordan Staal and Jesper Fast on remarkably fair deals, the Canes basically upgraded both position groups with very little risk. 

Bringing back the brittle duo of Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta in net is a bit quizzical, given each's never-ending injury issues that always crop up at the worst possible time. But having goalie-of-the-future Pyotr Kochetkov in the fold is a pretty comfy safety net.  

Even with all these moves, the Hurricanes still have about $2.5 million in cap space, according to PuckPedia. They still have room to add someone if they want. Erik Karlsson, anybody?

Biggest Moves: Timo Meier (re-sign), Jesper Bratt (re-sign), Tyler Toffoli, Colin Miller, Erik Haula (re-sign)
Departures: Ryan Graves, Tomas Tatar, Yegor Sharangovich

The only team stopping the Hurricanes from running the table in the Metro again is the Devils. And, boy, do they seem ready to live up to their name. 

Given just how dominant New Jersey's offense was last season, GM Tom Fitzgerald's biggest priority heading into the summer was to keep his forward corps intact. Getting Timo Meier and Jesper Bratt locked into max-term extensions at eye-popping frugal rates would've landed the Devils on this list regardless of what came next. But to follow up those moves by going out and nabbing Tyler Toffoli for pennies on the dollar and re-upping Erik Haula? That's a masterstroke. 

Did the Devils lose a few pieces in free agency? Yes, of course. Every team did. Ryan Graves is a very effective defender, and Tomas Tatar's 20 goals won't go unnoticed. But when you have one of the top prospect pipelines in the sport, those holes can be plugged. 

Goaltending remains the biggest question mark for the Devils next season, just as it has since Corey Schneider lost his fastball. Yet Vitek Vanecek proved capable of holding down the fort in 2022-23 while Akira Schmid exploded onto the scene in the playoffs. If either takes a step, this is a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. 

Biggest Moves: Connor Bedard, Taylor Hall, Corey Perry, Nick Foligno, Ryan Donato
Departures: Jonathan Toews, Caleb Jones 

Will the Blackhawks be good next year? Absolutely not. This is still a rebuilding hockey team with only four defenders signed to one-way deals at the moment, zero offensive depth, and a goaltending duo comprised of a cap dump and a 23-year-old who needs more development in the AHL. 

The Blackhawks will be bad. But that doesn't mean they'll be unwatchable. When it comes to which teams improved the most this off-season, they take the cake purely by finally being able to justify their standing as a team in hockey's highest professional league. The 2022-23 version of the club couldn't say the same, and bringing in Connor Bedard might even be enough to land the Blackhawks on this list alone if he lives up to the hype. 

Biggest Moves: Alex DeBrincat, Justin Holl, Klim Kostin, J.T. Compher, Daniel Sprong, Shayne Gostisbehere, Christian Fischer, James Reimer, Alex Lyon
Departures: Dominik Kubalik, Filip Zadina, Pius Suter, Mark Pysyk, Robert Hagg, Alex Nedeljkovic

In a vacuum, the Red Wings are a much better hockey team now than they were last season. Authoring one of the busiest off-seasons in the NHL has juiced their depth at all three roster positions, headlined by adding a legitimate offensive weapon in Alex DeBrincat. 

Does that mean they'll make the playoffs in 2023-24? It'll be tough. 

Outside of DeBrincat, GM Steve Yzerman didn't really add any difference-makers to a roster that desperately needed some, opting for quantity over quality. Compher is a second-line center at best. Holl can play second-pair minutes with mixed results. Kostin, Sprong, and Fischer have all only been bottom-six grinders. Reimer and Lyon are 1Bs at best. There are a lot of new names on Detroit's roster that can play a brand of hockey that is more serviceable than the names they're replacing. But that's all they are – serviceable players. 

The Red Wings' future hinges on two players: DeBrincat and Lucas Raymond. If DeBrincat can go back to his perennial 40-goal form, and Raymond can get back onto the trajectory that made him seem destined for stardom as a rookie in 2021-22, then the Red Wings are in a very good position. But both players regressed last season – particularly DeBrincat, who took a step back in the goal-scoring department the second he was stripped from Patrick Kane's wing. 

There are a lot of "ifs" at play with the Red Wings here. But no one can deny they're a better team overall.