As roster activity slows down following the start of the NHL’s free-agent frenzy, it’s becoming clearer what Stanley Cup contenders have done (and in some cases, haven’t done). In this list, we’ll be breaking down a handful of Cup contenders that either improved, got worse or stayed the same after the start of NHL free agency [https://thehockeynews.com/news/latest-news/nhl-free-agency-2025-five-winners-after-day-1]. CAROLINA HURRICANES Improved, got worse, or stayed the same? Improved Why? The Hurricanes’ defense corps took a hit with the departures of veteran blueliners Brent Burns and Dmitry Orlov. But Carolina GM Eric Tulsky addressed that area with the acquisition of former New York Rangers [http://thn.com/nyrangers] D-man K’Andre Miller and 31-year-old Mike Reilly. The Hurricanes will be depend on youngster Alexander Nikishin to prove himself as a regular defenseman, but Carolina is an improved group overall with the addition of left winger Nikolaj Ehlers. The former Winnipeg Jets [http://thn.com/winnipeg] veteran can slot in on the top line along with star center Sebastian Aho and right winger Seth Jarvis, which would be one of the NHL’s very best first lines. At the very least, he will be an effective top-six player for the long term with a strong balance of goals and assists. Carolina may still address its goaltending tandem, but in early July, this Hurricanes team [http://thn.com/carolina] looks deep, skilled and determined to push deeper into the post-season than it’s done in recent memory. COLORADO AVALANCHE Improved, got worse, or stayed the same? Improved Why? The Avalanche are in the ultra-competitive Central Division, and GM Chris MacFarland proved last season he’s ready, willing and able to take big swings when it comes to changing up his roster. This summer, the Avs have already made tough decisions, including letting veteran left winger Jonathan Drouin leave via free agency and trading Charlie Coyle to the Columbus Blue Jackets [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/columbus-blue-jackets] to free cap space. However, the Avalanche [http://thn.com/colorado] did double down on veteran center Brock Nelson as their second-line pivot, and they got an incredible bargain when greybeard defenseman Brent Burns signed a one-year, $1-million contract. The addition of Burns means that, once again, Colorado’s defense corps is going to be one of the best in the game. The Avs still have about $4.12 million in cap space [https://puckpedia.com/team/colorado-avalanche]. They’ve got outstanding players at the high end of their pay scale and sturdy secondary components to fill out the roster. We dare say Colorado will push higher in the Central next season. DALLAS STARS Improved, got worse, or stayed the same? Stayed the same Why? The Stars came into the off-season knowing they’d have to shed some talent to fit under the cap ceiling. They did that by trading left winger Mason Marchment to Seattle [http://thn.com/seattle], but otherwise, they’ve been able to stay at least as competitive as last year’s team. That’s partially because captain Jamie Benn agreed to a one-year, $1-million contract with performance bonuses [https://puckpedia.com/player/jamie-benn] that could turn into one of the league’s better bargains. That said, we don’t see the Stars [http://thn.com/dallas] as an improved team. Yes, they brought back veteran center Radek Faksa [http://ardholder.jokercard.ca] for a second tour of duty with the team, but Dallas is still slightly over the cap ceiling [https://puckpedia.com/team/dallas-stars], so GM Jim Nill will have to move some money around by the time the season begins. Still, there’s a lot to like about this Stars team. We believe they’ll still perform about as well as they did last year. William Karlsson, Connor McDavid and Zach Hyman (Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/839d618d-4f64-4931-ad8d-f0f1c7fad353.jpeg] William Karlsson, Connor McDavid and Zach Hyman (Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images) EDMONTON OILERS Improved, got worse, or stayed the same? Got worse Why? The Oilers [http://thn.com/edmonton] did find a way to fit in star defenseman Evan Bouchard’s new contract [https://puckpedia.com/player/evan-bouchard]with their cap structure, but it came at the expense of veteran winger Evander Kane, who was traded to the Vancouver Canucks [http://thn.com/vancouver]. And Edmonton’s cap limitations also meant that valuable veterans Corey Perry and Connor Brown departed for Los Angeles and New Jersey, respectively. Oilers GM Stan Bowman ostensibly replaced the offense lost with Perry and Brown moving on by signing former Washington Capitals [http://thn.com/washington] winger Andrew Mangiapane. But other than re-signing secondary pieces Kasperi Kapanen and Trent Frederic, Edmonton has more or less been slowly picked away at by its cap constraints. We still think the Oilers will compete for top spot in the Pacific Division, but if they go far in the playoffs again, it could be with a roster that currently looks worse on paper. FLORIDA PANTHERS Improved, got worse, or stayed the same? Stayed the same Why? When you’re coming off back-to-back Cup championships, it’s basically impossible to improve on that performance. So we say that, with all due respect to Panthers GM Bill Zito and the brilliant job he’s done by retaining free agents Aaron Ekblad, Brad Marchand and Sam Bennett, Florida basically stayed the same. That’s a very good thing. The Panthers [http://thn.com/florida] did lose some depth on defense with the departure of veteran Nate Schmidt, and given that Florida is now $2.95 million over the cap ceiling [https://puckpedia.com/team/florida-panthers], Zito will have to make more cost-cutting moves in the days and weeks ahead. But when they’re getting their first full season with Marchand and defenseman Seth Jones, that should frighten every team in the NHL. VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS Improved, got worse, or stayed the same? Improved Why? The Golden Knights [http://thn.com/vegas] landed the biggest fish in the UFA market this summer with the trade for and signing of former Maple Leafs [http://thn.com/toronto] star right winger Mitch Marner. To do so, they had to part ways with defenseman Nicolas Hague and center Nic Roy, but when you’ve added the instant offense that Marner will bring, it’s clear to just about everyone that Vegas is already a better team than the one that won the Pacific last season. Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon is one of the savviest managers in the game, and he’s put together a lineup for 2025-26 that is clearly capable of going on a deep post-season run. Marner has something to prove, as do the other Vegas players who weren’t around for the franchise’s first Cup victory. So, much of the roster is hungry and determined to push deep into the playoffs. That’s why we believe the Golden Knights are better now than they were at the end of the 2024-25 campaign. Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA%3Aen] and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.
