5 Teams That Are Still a Mess After 2024 NHL Free Agency

The opening days of the NHL's annual free-agent market are when general managers hustle to address significant roster needs by signing the best unrestricted free agents.

Some teams did well in this year's market. The Nashville Predators signed scoring stars Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and defenseman Brady Skjei. The New Jersey Devils added blueliners Brett Pesce and Brenden Dillon while the Seattle Kraken signed defenseman Brandon Montour and two-way center Chandler Stephenson.

Many clubs pursued affordable talent to bolster their depth on the checking lines, defense, and in goal.

Most quality talent has been signed up with the dust settled from the frenzy of signings within the opening day. That's bad news for some teams still hoping to boost their lineups for 2024-25.

Some are rebuilding teams like the San Jose Sharks. Others, like the Los Angeles Kings, were playoff teams last season in danger of falling out of contention this season.

Here's a look at five NHL teams that are still a mess following the opening days of the 2024 NHL free-agent market. You can express your views on this subject in the app comments below.

After spending the past two seasons rebuilding under general manager Pat Verbeek, the Anaheim Ducks did little to improve their roster thus far this offseason. They signed no unrestricted free agents, using their salary cap space to acquire winger Robby Fabbri from the Detroit Red Wings and defenseman Brian Dumoulin from the Seattle Kraken.

Those moves will provide an additional veteran depth presence but don't represent a significant leap forward in the Ducks' rebuilding program. Their lineup hasn't changed much compared to the one that finished near the bottom of the standings for the past two years.

The Ducks entered the offseason carrying plenty of salary cap space. Verbeek attempted to make a foray into the free agent market as he did last summer when he signed winger Alex Killorn. The Athletic's Eric Stephens reported Verbeek made pitches for Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault but struck out.

As things currently stand, the Ducks lack a skilled first-line left wing. They could also use another puck-moving top-four defenseman. If promising youngsters like winger Cutter Gauthier or blueliner Pavel Mintyukov fail to fill those roles suitably, it could be another miserable season in Anaheim.

The 2023-24 season was memorable for Chicago because of the addition of 2023 first-overall pick Conor Bedard to their depleted lineup. Their promising young center won the Calder Memorial Trophy and is the foundation for the club's rebuilding process.

Otherwise, last season was only marginally better than 2022-23 when Chicago finished third-last overall and won the draft lottery to secure the first-overall pick. Despite Bedard's addition, they finish second last in the overall standings with 52 points.

General manager Kyle Davidson knew he had to surround Bedard with veteran talent while rebuilding his roster with other promising youngsters. He made several significant free-agent additions, including forwards Tyler Bertuzzi, Teuvo Teravainen, and Pat Maroon, defensemen Alec Martinez and TJ Brodie, and backup goaltender Laurent Brossoit.

Chicago should be better in 2024-25 but they remain a rebuilding club lacking talented depth throughout their roster. Most of their veteran additions will be long gone by the time this team is ready to become a serious playoff contender again. Some, like Martinez, Brodie, and Maroon, are already past their prime.

After two promising seasons, including a 104-point performance in 2022-23 (the second-highest in franchise history), the Los Angeles Kings stumbled through last season. They set a league record for season-opening road wins, struggled through midseason, rallied following a coaching change, and got eliminated from the first round of the playoffs.

That inconsistency should be troubling to Kings fans hoping for a breakthrough last season, especially their inability to get past the Oilers in three straight opening-round playoff series. Management's moves during this offseason seemed to weaken their roster, failing to inspire confidence in the club's direction.

General manager Rob Blake shipped disappointing center Pierre-Luc Dubois to the Washington Capitals for goaltender Darcy Keumper. He freed up some cap space by acquiring Kuemper, but they now need an experienced middle-six center. Kuemper's struggles in Washington suggest his arrival won't significantly improve their goaltending.

The Kings also parted ways with scoring winger Viktor Arvidsson and top-four defenseman Matt Roy. Adding checking line forwards Warren Foegele and Tanner Jeannot won't substantially boost their scoring punch. Signing oft-injured, 31-year-old Joel Edmundson to replace Roy seems like a backward step.

After missing the playoffs in 2022-23, the Pittsburgh Penguins hired former Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas as GM and president of hockey operations. He made several moves last summer to return the Penguins to playoff contention, including acquiring All-Star defenseman Erik Karlsson last August.

Those moves did little to halt the once-dominant Penguins' decline. Despite a strong performance by team captain Sidney Crosby, they struggled through most of the season and traded away long-time scoring winger Jake Guentzel at the trade deadline. The Penguins narrowly missed the postseason despite a late-season surge.

Limited salary-cap space prevented Dubas from making a major addition to his roster this summer. He traded winger Reilly Smith to the New York Rangers and let Jeff Carter and Pierre-Olivier Joseph depart as free agents. He acquired aging center Kevin Hayes from the St. Louis Blues and signed winger Anthony Beauvillier and defenseman Matt Grzelczyk.

Those moves aren't much of an improvement over last season's roster. If anything, it could provide the final proof that the Penguins' days as perennial playoff contenders are well and truly over. They have too much money tied up in aging stars like Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, leaving little room to bring in the younger talent needed to return them to contention.

The San Jose Sharks are where the Chicago Blackhawks were at this point last summer. Like Chicago, they have a promising young center chosen first overall and wasted little time surrounding him with veterans via trades and free agency, sparking optimism of perhaps some real improvement after two painful years of rebuilding.

Chicago's efforts saw them finish second-last in the overall standings. First-overall pick Connor Bedard met expectations, leading the team in scoring and winning the Calder Memorial Trophy. However, one veteran addition (Taylor Hall) suffered a season-ending injury while another (Corey Perry) had his contract terminated for unacceptable behavior.

The Sharks will be pleased if Macklin Celebrini has a Calder-worthy performance. They'll hope for better luck with veteran additions Tyler Toffoli, Alex Wennberg, Barclay Goodrow and Jake Walman. While the Sharks should be a better club than last season's bottom-feeders, this roster remains what can be charitably called a "work in progress."

Goaltending remains a question mark with oft-injured Mackenzie Blackwood and the inconsistent Vitek Vanecek. They still haven't found a suitable replacement for the departed Erik Karlsson on their blue line. Their scoring lines will rely heavily on untested youngsters like Celebrini and Will Smith and the promising William Eklund.

Stats and standings via NHL.com. Salary info via PuckPedia. Line combinations via Daily Faceoff.