NHL
NHL Preseason
With camps finally opening, we can say goodbye to the 2025 offseason. And that can only mean one thing: It’s time to fire up the bizarro-meter and figure out which teams had the strangest offseasons.
We’ve been doing this on various sites since all the way back in 2013, when the David Clarkson signing nearly shattered the bizarro-meter on its very first use. Ever since, we’ve used the gimmick to rate each team’s offseason, which we define as everything that happened since their season ended — transactions, hirings, firings and anything else that made headlines.
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Here’s a quick spoiler: This year’s offseason was not all that bizarre.
Yep, the weirdest thing about the 2025 offseason is that it wasn’t that weird. Oh, it had its moments, but after years of a stagnant cap finally gave way to a summer in which everyone had money to spend, we were expecting some serious fireworks. Instead, we mostly got business as usual. Let’s just say the Ottawa Senators and their infamous 10/10 rating from 2018 don’t have to worry about anyone stealing their thunder.
Still, we soldier on. Today we’ll cover the East; tomorrow we’ll do the West. Let’s fire up the trusty bizarro-meter and see what it has to say about a summer of leaky roofs, angry dads and accidental retirements.
The offseason so far: For once, they weren’t grabbing headlines, thanks to a tight cap and a bunch of long-term deals they’re already locked into. The biggest move was probably losing their assistant GM to the New York Islanders, but even that felt like it was coming sooner or later.
But their strangest story was: By default, it would be the Isaac Howard trade. You don’t often see a team with a weak pipeline decide to move the reigning Hobey Baker winner, although the other option was probably going to be losing him for nothing.
Bizarro-meter ranking: 3.4/10. Not much to see here.
The offseason so far: They went in looking for a top-six forward and came out with Lars Eller. However, they got Claude Giroux back on a no-risk deal, and the Jordan Spence trade got decent reviews.
But their strangest story was: Signing on with Dr Pepper? I don’t know, man, it was a slow summer.
Bizarro-meter ranking: 3.6/10. The biggest news is that the arena project is slowly but surely moving along. Other than that, this is an up-and-coming team that clearly wants to ride with what they’ve already built.
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The offseason so far: They added a few pieces, most notably Viktor Arvidsson. However, they avoided any temptation to try to immediately get back into contention after last year’s disaster. Which is a good thing, obviously.
But their strangest story was: Signing Tanner Jeannot. The player is fine, but the contract … oof.
Bizarro-meter ranking: 4.3/10. When the biggest story of your offseason is the release of Happy Gilmore 2, you’re not going to set the meter on fire.
The offseason so far: They kept Patrick Kane while adding James van Riemsdyk and Mason “Red Delicious” Appleton, and took a big swing on goaltending by landing John Gibson. But fans hoping for a trade for a skater are still waiting.
But their strangest story was: Finally announcing they’ll retire Sergei Fedorov’s number, which is odd only in that it took them this long.
Bizarro-meter ranking: 4.6/10. The fan base hasn’t run out of patience with the Yzerplan, but they’re slowly but surely getting there. So once again, it feels like a make-or-break playoff push coming this year.
The offseason so far: They lost Mitch Marner, but at least managed to salvage Nic Roy out of the deal. They also added Matias Maccelli and Dakota Joshua, and got Matthew Knies and John Tavares signed to reasonable extensions, which must be some sort of brand-new team policy.
But their strangest story was: The summer-long assumption that they’d easily be able to find takers for David Kämpf and Calle Järnkrok, who remain on the roster (and on the books).
Bizarro-meter ranking: 5.5/10. Maybe Kämpf and Järnkrok can play with Nick Robertson on the “awkwardly somehow still around” line.
The offseason so far: They had three big-name UFAs and couldn’t possibly keep them all, except somehow they did. For most teams, that would rank highly, but these are the Panthers — we’re used to it. I wonder what the tax rates are like in Florida? Nobody ever mentions this.
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But their strangest story was: Their front office getting raided by … the NBA? They lost their CEO to the Minnesota Timberwolves and Shawn Thornton to the Hawks. No, the other Hawks.
Bizarro-meter ranking: 5.9/10. Seriously, imagine going back in time 10 years and telling a hockey fan the Florida Panthers were such a model franchise that their business side was being raided by other pro leagues.
The offseason so far: They pulled off two big trades, landing Noah Dobson and Zack Bolduc. They also found a taker for Carey Price’s contract, and didn’t even have to give the Sharks much to make it happen. That said, they still have a glaring need at second-line center … or do they?
But their strangest story was: Lane Hutson being snubbed from the Team USA Olympic camp, leading to his father threatening that his son could pull a reverse Brett Hull and play for Canada instead. It went over about as well as you’d expect.
Bizarro-meter ranking: 6.5/10. I can’t believe his dad went on a podcast and said that, instead of keeping it secret until the gold medal game like we all decided at the last meeting.
The offseason so far: After 14 years of missing the playoffs, the Sabres ramped up the urgency by (checks notes) trading their highest-scoring winger. The JJ Peterka deal was fine, and they added some cheap depth in other moves, but it’s fair to say this wasn’t the big swing some of us were hoping for. Now their goalie is hurt badly enough that they’re bringing in insurance.
But their strangest story was: It could have been their arena springing a leak. Or their GM rambling about “misinformation.” Or their director of player development getting arrested. Or their beloved owner moonlighting as a fashion model.
Bizarro-meter ranking: 7.7/10. The Sabres are a lot of things, but they’re rarely boring.
The offseason so far: They traded for Trevor Zegras, which feels like a decent gamble on a player with upside. Far more importantly, given how last year went, they addressed the goaltending.
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But their strangest story was: Addressing the goaltending with … Dan Vladar? Pretty much anything is an upgrade, but it’s fair to say the position is still a question mark.
Bizarro-meter ranking: 3.8/10. The key word in Philadelphia these days is “patience,” which isn’t a bad approach as long as your fans are on board.
The offseason so far: It was basically about tinkering around the edges, although Charlie Coyle could help. They also traded for a Flyers goalie, just in case you were wondering if that position is in good shape.
But their strangest story was: Re-signing Ivan Provorov to an extension that just about everyone thinks is too high. The Columbus Tax is real, at least in some cases, but this deal has some obvious potential for problems down the line.
Bizarro-meter ranking: 4.3/10. The Provorov extension will probably age poorly, but I’m not sure it’s all that bizarre. A surprisingly good team wants to keep a key piece in place, and overpays to do it. You can at least see the vision.
The offseason so far: It was active, as expected. They signed Vladislav Gavrikov, traded Chris Kreider and K’Andre Miller, hired Mike Sullivan as head coach and even shook up the front office.
But their strangest story was: Not only did they not extend Artemi Panarin, you barely even heard much about it, at least compared to some of the league’s other 2026 UFAs.
Bizarro-meter ranking: 4.7/10. The Rangers were a classic case of a team that made lots of news, but wasn’t especially weird about it.
The offseason so far: They were busy, with a handful of low-risk UFA pickups and a Noah Dobson blockbuster to go with taking Matthew Schaefer No. 1. However, the biggest news was the hiring of Mathieu Darche as GM, replacing Lou Lamoriello.
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But their strangest story was: Not using the picks from the Dobson deal to trade back up and get local kid James Hagens, which may or may not have been the right move, but would have made me look smart.
Bizarro-meter ranking: 5.5/10. Moving on from Lamoriello was absolutely the right move and probably overdue, but it still feels deeply strange to not have Lou running a team for the first time in almost four decades.
The offseason so far: It was very quiet, especially in comparison to 2024. Then again, when the standings say you’re the best team in the conference, maybe you don’t need to do much.
But their strangest story was: That weird moment when we thought the Capitals’ ticket sales department had accidentally announced Alexander Ovechkin’s retirement.
Bizarro-meter ranking: 5.6/10. For what it’s worth, I’m not counting the developing Mitch Love story, since we’re not sure what’s happening there.
The offseason so far: They landed Nikolaj Ehlers, like we all figured they probably would. They also dealt for K’Andre Miller and immediately gave him a max-length extension that feels at least a little bit shiny. Logan Stankoven got eight years as well.
But their strangest story was: Signing rookie Jackson Blake to yet another eight-year extension after only 81 career games, which could pay off beautifully but certainly carries risk. Bonus points for using deferred money in the deal even though the new CBA makes that illegal.
Bizarro-meter ranking: 5.9/10. The Hurricanes’ approach to extensions makes some sense — GM Eric Tulsky gets into the logic here — but their deals always seem to have some interesting wrinkle.
The offseason so far: They upgraded the forward depth a bit, but were otherwise quiet.
But their strangest story was: Jack Hughes openly lobbying for a chance to play with his brother, which isn’t strange at all except that you’re not supposed to say stuff like that out loud.
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Bizarro-meter ranking: 6.2/10. The Hughes stuff is tricky. On one hand, it feels like a classic case of the same media that complains players never say anything interesting going nuts over a soundbite that wasn’t even all that surprising. But it’s also not hard to see where this is all leading, and that’s a story whether the teams involved want it to be or not.
The offseason so far: Lots of shuffling around the edges of the roster, but no big moves — despite the rumored availability of guys like Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell, and maybe even Erik Karlsson. Instead, the big news was behind the bench, where Mike Sullivan is gone and the relatively unknown Dan Muse gets his shot.
Also very weird: bringing back Marc-Andre Fleury to play in the preseason. Look, I enjoyed our running “Fleury gets a goodbye game every week” gag on “The Athletic Hockey Show” as much as anyone, but this might be taking commitment to the bit too far.
But their strangest story was: The Sidney Crosby trade speculation blowing up again, though this time feeling it may be more than wishful thinking from the rest of the league. Crosby’s agent lit the fuse, and now it suddenly feels like the unthinkable might actually be on the horizon.
Bizarro-meter ranking: 7.8/10. I was going to go with the symbolic 8.7 ranking, but that would feel like overkill given we’re still very much in the speculation phase. Still, it’s hard not to feel like we might know where this is all headed. And if so, it will be one of the bigger stunners in recent history.
(Top photo of Sam Reinhart during the Panthers’ Stanley Cup parade: Eliot J. Schechter / Getty Images)
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Sean McIndoe has been a senior NHL writer with The Athletic since 2018. He launched Down Goes Brown in 2008 and has been writing about hockey ever since, with stops including Grantland, Sportsnet and Vice Sports. His book, “The Down Goes Brown History of the NHL,” is available in book stores now. Follow Sean on Twitter @DownGoesBrown
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