NHL franchises are in the thick of reconstructing their rosters with 2019-20 regular seasonsetto begin Oct. 2.
The league is fresh off witnessing how heavily offseason move can impact a Stanley Cup run, as the St. Louis Blues traded for Ryan O'Reilly last July only for the 28-year-old center to lead them to their first championship in franchise history.
So far this summer, All-Star Matt Duchene departed Columbus on a seven-year, $56 million contract with the Nashville Predators in free agency, and top forward Artemi Panarin signed as a free agent with the New York Rangers.