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The Five Best NHL Teams On Paper After The Start Of Free Agency
Adam Proteaufeatured
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As the NHL’s 2026 off-season continues unfolding, there are teams that look destined to be at or near the top of the NHL standings next year. Which five teams are the league’s best teams on paper? Here’s our best ranking
We’re in the early days of the NHL’s 2026 off-season, with a slew of moves changing the landscape of the league. Although trades and free agency have made their mark on just about every team in the league, there’s still a familiar hierarchy at the very top of the NHL’s pecking order.
As you’ll see below, the best teams in the league on paper this off-season are extremely accomplished and very hungry to impose their will in 2026-27 and win a Stanley Cup championship
Which teams are the best five teams in the league on paper? In reverse order, this is this writer’s opinion of the cream of the crop in hockey’s top league:
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The Montreal Canadiens didn’t make many high-profile moves this summer, but Montreal also didn’t lose much. So a Habs team that finished tied for fifth place in the league in the 2025-26 regular season is still going to be one of the fastest, most-skilled teams in the league. And they’ve got $13.3 million in salary cap space, meaning they’re only likely to improve with trades
Meanwhile, the Dallas Stars finished with the league’s third-best record this past season, but they’ve taken a couple of major hits this summer, trading youngster Mavrik Bourque to the Nashville Predators and not replacing him with another dynamic young forward
Stars GM Jim Nill has $10.6 million in cap space, but all of that will have to go to RFA left winger Jason Robertson – and that’s only if Dallas is fortunate enough to retain Robertson’s services.
If he wants out, the Stars will take a massive hit to their offensive totals. So Dallas may slip out of the top five on paper if Robertson moves on. But if Robertson does stay, the Stars are deep enough and talented enough to give every team in the league a run for their money.
The Minnesota Wild have been shooting for the moon for years now. They finished this past season with the NHL’s sixth-best record, and Minnesota GM Bill Guerin landed the biggest fish in the trade market last year when he acquired superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks. So there was an expectation that Guerin would go all in with roster moves this summer
Although Guerin hasn’t acquired a legitimate first-line center to bolster his forward group, he improved his overall depth with the acquisition of veteran winger Blake Coleman and defenseman Olli Maata from the Calgary Flames. Coleman and Maata aren’t the final pieces of the Wild’s puzzle, but they do improve the team’s overall quality
Guerin currently has only $1.1 million in cap space, but he has his next three first-round draft picks. He also has terrific depth in goal with Filip Gustavsson and Jesper Wallstedt, so when training camp arrives, Minnesota could be even stronger through additional trades. But as-is, the Wild have elite talent, a strong two-way game and a management and ownership motivated to do big things
The Wild have the horses to run with the NHL’s best teams next year
thehockeynews.comThe Five Worst NHL Teams On Paper After The Start To Free AgencyThe NHL’s 2026 off-season started with a bang, but there are still teams severely lacking in talent and overall depth. Which five teams look like they could be in the league basement?
The Tampa Bay Lightning finished tied for fifth in the NHL standings this past season, but they couldn’t get past the Canadiens in the first round of this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs. Tampa Bay GM Julien BriseBois made significant moves to improve his lineup so that it won’t happen again.
Out the door went veteran defenseman Darren Raddysh in a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but in the door came star free-agent defender John Carlson
While veteran winger Corey Perry leftnter Nick Paul was traded to the Leafs, BriseBois signed secondary scorer Ilya Mikheyev, then acquired a solid young goalie when he traded with Toronto for netminder Dennis Hildeby.
All in all, Tampa Bay’s roster is notably improved. If Hildeby can come in and give star goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy some more rest, the Lightning will be in a better place when the 2027 post-season arrives
But you can’t deny how strong, balanced and experienced the Bolts are. BriseBois is giving his group another great chance at a championship, and Tampa will be at or near the top of the NHL standings this coming season
First things first – the Colorado Avalanche organization has taken a hit on the ice and off it this off-season. They lost GM Chris MacFarland to the Nashville Predators. Then, they traded winger Valeri Nichushkin to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Then, they traded forwards Jack Drury and Ross Colton to the Preds in separate trades
There’s no question the Avs’ cap crunch has resulted in them being a less deep, less talented bunch. But there’s still plenty of generational and high-end talent in Denver
The Avalanche’s defense corps is again one of the league’s deepest, especially considering that veterans Brett Kulak and Brent Burns are returning to Colorado. The Avs will also have a full season with center Nazem Kadri in tow. Remember, they didn’t re-acquire Kadri until the 2026 trade deadline, so having Kadri for the entire year will help their bottom six
The Avs aren’t flawless. We saw them hit a brick wall when the Vegas Golden Knights swept them in the Western Conference final. But this list ranks the best teams on paper this summer, and on paper, the Avalanche have the skill, speed and snarl to win many more games than they lose in the highly competitive Central Division
thehockeynews.comDid The Avalanche, Stars And Wild Improve At All This Off-Season?Three of the NHL’s top teams in 2025-26 – the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild – have done little to help their roster this summer, writes Adam Proteau.
When you’re the reigning Cup-winner with few off-season changes, you get the benefit of the doubt when it comes to being named one of the best teams on paper the following season
That’s where the Carolina Hurricanes are right now. Canes GM Erik Tulsky has brought back virtually the entire team for the 2026-27 season, from forwards Seth Jarvis and Sebastian Aho to defensemen Jaccob Slavin and K’Andre Miller
The most notable change is in net, as veteran Frederik Andersen lefti and Pyotr Kochetkov as his goalie tandem, but the Hurricanes have $9.8 million in cap space, and it should surprise no one if Tulsky uses it to trade for a high-end netminder – preferably, Winnipeg Jets superstar Connor Hellebuyck.
Another Cup-winning goalie could be available in the form of St. Louis Blues veteran Jordan Binnington. Tulsky wouldn’t have to pay as high a price for Binnington as for the exorbitant price required to acquire Hellebuyck
The Canes’ biggest trade chip could be young blueliner Alexander Nikishin, but Tulsky has four first-round draft picks in the next three years. So an already-potent Carolina squad will likely be extremely imposing next season
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