Faces in new places for the 2020-21 NHL season

The top free agent on the market this offseason, Pietrangelo moved from St. Louis to Vegas where he will take over as their new No. 1 defenseman. He is a significant addition, but it came at a pretty steep price for Vegas. Not only in the form of a seven-year, $61.6 million contract but also with the other moves they had to make to clear salary-cap space (trading Paul Stastny and Nate Schmidt specifically). The good news is he is still a top-tier defenseman that can impact the game offensively and play a shutdown defensive game. 

Losing Pietrangelo is a significant loss to the Blues' defense, but Torey Krug is probably the best possible replacement they could have found this offseason. Krug may not be quite the defensive player that Pietrangelo is, but he can quarterback the power play and is a legit top-pairing blueliner. He will allow the Blues to still be a contender. 

This was probably the most shocking signing of the offseason. Or move. Not only because Hall, the top free-agent forward on the market, signed a one-year deal, but also because he signed that one-year deal in Buffalo. He will make them better in the short-term and give Jack Eichel a great sidecar on the wing, but the Sabres are in a brutal division and still have some long-term issues. 

The Flames are all in on Markstrom as their long-term goalie. Markstrom has been an excellent starter the past few years, consistently posting above-average numbers and durability. That is a good combination. In the short-term, he should solidify the Flames' crease. But how will that contract hold up two or three years from now? That is the big question. 

The Canucks could not afford to re-sign Markstrom given their salary cap situation, so they needed a replacement. At his peak, Holtby was one of the top goalies in the league and a consistent Vezina Trophy contender. He has not consistently played at that level for a couple of years now, and he is coming off the worst single-season performance of his career. Can he bounce back? Expect him to share the net with Thatcher Demko in Vancouver. 

The Avalanche just keep adding to their roster. Saad may only be a one-year rental in Colorado, and he may not have become the star the Blackhawks thought he would be initially, but he should be another fantastic complementary addition to what is quickly becoming the league's best team on paper. Playing on that roster, in that system, could lead to a huge season for Saad in a contract year. 

Thornton is still chasing the Stanley Cup, and he is moving to Toronto in an effort to get there. He is 41 years old and going to be mostly a bottom-six option, but he still has the vision and the playmaking ability to contribute. 

The Maple Leafs needed to strengthen their defense and Brodie is a strong veteran pickup. The big questions: Is he still anything close to the player he was at his peak, and how will he perform away from Mark Giordano? The pressure is on in Toronto to finally make a big move in the playoffs. Will Brodie be one of the new faces that can help get them there?

After winning two Stanley Cups in Pittsburgh, the Penguins moved on from Murray this offseason by trading him to the Senators. The Senators wasted no time in signing him to a four-year contract extension that was one of the biggest goalie signings of the offseason. It is a big gamble given how inconsistent Murray has been the past couple of years. Which goalie are they going to get?

This might prove to be one of the best contracts of the offseason. The Bruins added Smith on a three-year deal for just a little more than $3 million per season. He is going to score 25 goals, play a strong two-way game, and drive possession and give an already deep team just one more scoring option up front. 

After acquiring him from Columbus, the Canadiens signed Anderson to a seven-year $38 million contract. It is a sizable contract, and also a massive risk given that he is coming off of a major injury and scored just one goal in 26 games a year ago. The Canadiens are gambling that he is healthy and can return to form. 

The Blue Jackets needed some help at center, and they hope Domi can help provide that. He is a creative playmaker that should be able to help their power play. He may not ever repeat his 28-goal, 70-point season from two years ago, but you can pencil him in for 20 goals and 50 points in a normal year. That is strong second line production, and as long as the Blue Jackets have Pierre-Luc Dubois, that is all they need from Domi. 

After being bought out by the New York Rangers, Shattenkirk landed in Tampa Bay on a one-year contract and it could not have worked out any better. He won a Stanley Cup and played a big enough role that he was able to rebuild his value and turn it into a multi-year deal with the Ducks. Shattenkirk is a good player, but it is hard to see how he makes sense for a Ducks team that is still pretty far away from contending anytime soon. 

The Sabres acquired Staal in a trade with the Minnesota Wild that sent Marcus Johansson the other way. Initial returns say this is a big win for a Sabres team that needs to balance its lineup and improve its scoring depth. Staal may be getting older, but he is still a very productive player. The problem: Just like Taylor Hall, he is only a one-year addition and this Sabres team still may not be good enough to make the playoffs. Especially in the division, it has to play in. 

The Canadiens were extremely busy this offseason, and this was their best move. Toffoli is a fantastic two-way player signed to a very fair contract. After spending years playing in a Los Angeles system that sucked the life out of the offense, it will be interesting to see what he can do in a system that might free him up a little bit. We saw a glimpse of it during his brief time in Vancouver this past season, and it was exciting. 

After a wildly successful career in Chicago, Crawford moved on to the Devils this offseason. When healthy he can still be a fantastic goalie and along with MacKenzie Blackwood should help the Devils turn the biggest weakness from a year ago (goaltending) into its biggest strength this season. 

The forwards are what brings attention to the Avalanche, but the defense is what makes it such a strong Stanley Cup contender. It is young, good, and full of potential. It also managed to get a lot better with the addition of Toews from the New York Islanders. His transition game makes him a perfect fit for the Avalanche system, and given the talent, he will have around him offensively he could be in line for a breakout performance. 

The Penguins draft Kapanen back in 2014 and then traded him for Phil Kessel. Now he is back after being acquired for a first-round pick. It was a high price to pay (the Penguins also traded one of their top prospects for him) but he brings some more speed, skill, and youth to the Penguins lineup and helps round out their top-two lines. He could find himself on a line with Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel at the start of the season. 

A salary cap crunch forced the Golden Knights to dump Stastny, and the Jets were there to benefit. He will give the Jets a significant upgrade at center and provide some much-needed scoring depth. This will be his second stint with Winnipeg, and while he does not address its biggest need (defense) he will still upgrade an area the team was lacking. 

The Senators are still a long way from competing as they continue their massive rebuilding project, but in the meantime, they still need to piece together an NHL roster. Dadonov is a legitimate top-line scorer and should give a bad offense a significant boost. He could also be another trade chip to bring in more young assets in the coming seasons. 

The Sharks desperately needed to upgrade their goaltending situation, and they finally attempted to do that by acquiring Dubnyk (and Ryan Donato) from the Wild. But will this be enough? Dubnyk was a rock-solid goalie for most of his Minnesota tenure, but he struggled through a brutal 2019-20 season. He seems to be a strong bounce-back candidate, but will he bounce back enough to help the Sharks rebound from one of the worst seasons in franchise history?

Goaltending was a big issue for the Wild during the 2019-20 season, so they dipped into the crowded free-agent market and added Talbot. He was outstanding for the Flames in a split role a year ago. If he can repeat that for the Wild it could help get them back into a playoff spot this season. 

The Canucks benefitted from Vegas' cap crunch in a big way. They were able to add Schmidt for next to nothing (a mid-round draft pick) to give a significant lift to their defense. He should immediately step in and be their second-best defenseman behind second-year sensation Quinn Hughes. 

The Panthers are always one of the busiest teams every offseason, and this year turned out to be no exception. Hornqvist and Radko Gudas are two of their most significant additions, and both should add a ton of grit to their lineup. Hornqvist is one of the league's most tenacious net-front forwards and should be a big boost to their power play unit. 

This is a fascinating addition because the Canadiens already have Carey Price signed to a massive contract. The addition of Allen, along with the multi-year extension they signed him to, gives the Canadiens one of the league's most expensive goalie duos for the next few seasons. It could be significant because giving Price a quality backup it should cut down on his workload and keep him fresher. That could lead to better results. There is a lot of reason to be optimistic about this Canadiens team this season and the goaltending duo is a big reason why. 

Addressing the center position was a top priority for the Blue Jackets this offseason. They did it in two significant ways with Domi and Koivu. Koivu's offensive game is a fraction of what it used to be, but he can still make a big impact defensively. The trio of Dubois-Domi-Koivu is a big upgrade over what the Blue Jackets had at center a year ago. 

The Flyers have had an extremely quiet offseason, but they did add Gustafsson to their blue line on a short-term contract. He is not going to do much to make an impact defensively, but he can provide a potentially big offensive boost. 

Matheson joined the Penguins in the trade that sent Hornqvist to Florida. He and Cody Ceci will replace Jack Johnson (New York Rangers) and Schultz on the blue line. Matheson brings some much needed speed and mobility to their defense, but he carries a massive contract and is currently under contract longer than any player on the Penguins' roster. 

When Schultz arrived in Pittsburgh in the middle of the 2015-16 season his career was at rock bottom. But playing for the Penguins turned his career around in a significant way as he played a key role on two Stanley Cup-winning teams. Injuries, however, have really slowed him down the past couple of years and his overall production has slowed considerably when he has been healthy. He has to score to make an impact. 

The Wild completely revamped their center position this offseason with the departure of Koivu and the additions of Bonino, Nick Bjugstad, and the drafting of Marco Rossi. Bonino is the most significant of the additions in the short term (Rossi the most significant long-term addition) and will help to replace Koivu's defensive presence and perhaps provide an upgrade offensively. 

Bobby Ryan is not going to help turn the Red Wings into a playoff team, but it is a great opportunity for him to show he can still be a productive NHL player and maybe turn that into a chance with somebody else at the trade deadline. The Red Wings made a lot of smart short-term deals this offseason (Vladislav Namestnikov is another) that could be used as trade chips later in the season. 

His one year in Toronto did not work out exactly as anyone planned, but it probably was not as bad as the critics would have you believe. He is a fantastic addition for the Oilers on a one year deal and will get a big opportunity to boost his value playing on the best power play unit in the league. Expect a big season from him, especially as he takes on a bigger role now that Oscar Klefbom is officially out for the season for the Oilers. 

Greiss has been one of the more underrated goalies in the league for a few years now, consistently posting better than league average numbers as a member of the New York Islanders. He joins the Red Wings to form a tandem with Jonathan Bernier. They will face a significant workload this season behind a weak defense and rebuilding team, but they might be able to keep things close and competitive for a while. 

The Oilers have actually had a really productive offseason adding some quality depth on cheap, short-term contracts. Dominik Kahun, Barrie, and Kyle Turris help round out what has been one of the league's most top-heavy lineups the past couple of seasons. Turris was a disappointment in Nashville, resulting in a buyout, but the Oilers do not need him to be someone that carries the offense. They just need him to help center a third-line and provide some complementary scoring. He should be able to do that.