The start of the 2024-25 NHL season is still a couple of months away, and that is good news for the teams that still need to make some moves to improve their rosters this offseason.
These four potential playoff teams are at the top of the list in terms of still having work to do.
Detroit Red Wings
The Red Wings have made some big moves this offseason, re-signing veteran forward Patrick Kane and adding forward Vladimir Tarasenko away from the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers. Kane will be great for the Red Wings’ power play, while Tarasenko is still a very productive top-line winger.
There is just one flaw here for the Red Wings: They were already one of the better offensive teams in the league last season (ninth in goals scored). Their problem was an inability to stop anybody else from scoring, finishing 24th in the league in goals against. So far this offseason, they have not really done anything to address their defensive shortcomings, and until they fix that, it is hard to see how their playoff drought (now at eight seasons) comes to an end, especially in a highly competitive Atlantic Division.
The Red Wings still have some salary cap flexibility to work with, and they need to figure out a way to put it to use to address their defense.
New York Rangers
Even though the Rangers were in the Eastern Conference Final for the second time in three years, they still have their share of flaws they need to fix, especially when it comes to their defensive zone play.
The biggest change they need to make is becoming more mobile on the back end to help transition play out of the defensive zone and give their goalie, Igor Shesterkin, more support. They have tried to address that by attempting to trade captain Jacob Trouba following his sharp decline over the past two years. But his contract ($8M per year over the next two years) and no-trade clause has complicated that process.
If they come back with the same roster and defense next season, they are still going to win a lot of games and potentially go far in the playoffs. But if they want to become a Stanley Cup team, something has to change on the defense.
Winnipeg Jets
The Jets have been one of the least active teams in the NHL this offseason and have really only lost talent off of their 52-win team. Like the Red Wings and Rangers, their biggest need is on defense, where they are lacking both impact players and depth.
Most of their success during the 2023-24 season was driven by their forward depth and the MVP-caliber player of starting goalie Connor Hellebuyck. There is no guarantee it all works out that well for them again this season.
They have lost significant forward depth due to the departures of Tyler Toffoli and Sean Monahan, and expecting Hellebuyck to post another season with a save percentage of .920 is expecting a lot. They have to add more to their defense before the season begins.
Vegas Golden Knights
The Golden Knights are always looking for the next blockbuster move and are typically one of the most aggressive teams in the NHL. They have been alarmingly quiet this offseason, however, losing free agents Jonathan Marchessault and Chandler Stephenson while also trading goalie Logan Thompson.
They still have a strong roster, but the general inactivity is enough to make you wonder if they have something big lurking this offseason. Could they be in the mix for Toronto’s Mitch Marner? They need to replace a lot of offense and lost out on the Steven Stamkos sweepstakes, so it could be something to monitor.