NHL 2024-25 Most Improved Teams Predictions

The NHL offseason is winding down, and teams are shaping up for the new season.

Rosters are mostly set as RFAs sign extensions and only a few veterans remain unsigned. Now, it’s time to see which teams have improved the most for the upcoming season. For hockey writers not on vacation, this means analyzing and ranking these changes.

The New Jersey Devils had a rough 2023-24 season with bad luck and poor goaltending. Despite being favorites for the Stanley Cup last offseason with big contracts for Jesper Bratt and Timo Meier, injuries and unproven goalies Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid led to a disappointing year. Rookies Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec tried to help an injury-hit defense, but even veteran goalie Jake Allen couldn’t save their season. They ended with a losing record (38-39-5) and coach Lindy Ruff was fired.

Simone Vagnozzi has made sure this won’t happen again by bringing in Jacob Markstrom (.909 career SV%) from the Flames as a primary goalie over Allen. The team also added bigger players like Brenden Dillon (6’4), Stefan Noesen (6’1), and Paul Cotter (6’2). Staying healthy is crucial: Dougie Hamilton tore his pec early last season, Jonas Siegenthaler missed many games due to various issues, while Hughes, Hischier, and Meier missed over 40 games combined .

Tier 2: High Rollers

These teams hope big moves will get them closer to winning the Cup after sneaking into last season’s playoffs as wild cards.

Nashville Predators’ GM Barry Trotz built for the future while giving coach Andrew Brunette enough talent to stay relevant now. Led by Roman Josi (85 P), Filip Forsberg (48 G), and Juuse Saros (64 starts), they secured a Wild Card spot from Vegas Golden Knights. This summer, Trotz brought in Jonathan Marchessault (42 G) and top UFA Brady Skjei (47 P). Adding Steven Stamkos was icing on the cake!

Fans might think these moves show Nashville is serious about winning while Josi is still at his peak.

Washington Capitals’ Spencer Carbery did well with limited talent last season. Alex Ovechkin scored his 18th 30-goal season as John Carlson led in ice time despite having mostly C+ young players around them. Capitals’ president Brian MacLellan saw potential in his roster despite their -37 goal difference playoff entry. He targeted talented but undervalued players like Pierre-Luc Dubois who had a tough year (-9). Defenseman Jakob Chykrun (41 P) and winger Andrew Mangiapane (.55 points per game since 2019) joined too along with goalie Logan Thompson (.912 career SV%).

Tier 3: Playoffs?! PLAYOFFS?!

These teams could make it back to playoffs in 2025 through circumstance or opportunism.

Seattle Kraken couldn’t replicate their surprise success of 2022-23 due to a drop in shooting percentage from second place at 11.6% down to twenty-ninth place at just nine-point-one percent! GM Ron Francis addressed this by signing Chandler Stephenson & Brandon Montour—key pieces of recent Stanley Cup champions—to expensive seven-year deals despite both being thirty already! Stephenson’s scoring may dip without Mark Stone but he offers new coach Dan Bylsma solid two-way play down center where Matty Beniers slumped last year; Montour adds creativity & physicality making Kraken’s blue line more dynamic than ever before!

Utah Hockey Club has clear runway towards successful first-season amidst crowded Central Division which yielded four playoff-teams last-season including Dallas Stars Colorado Avalanche Nashville Predators expecting returns come next year leaving rest wide open! Winnipeg Jets lost several prime contributors free agency whilst St Louis Blues Minnesota Wild remain tight against cap unable improve flawed rosters perhaps Salt Lake City’s shiny new toy climbs top pile!

Tier 4: Movin’ On Up

Don’t plan any parades yet—these teams aim just crack eighty-point mark!

Chicago Blackhawks signed goalie Peter Mrazek (.907 SV%), center Jason Dickinson (22 G +4), veteran Nick Foligno during Connor Bedard’s rookie-season seeing Bedard score twenty-two goals sixty-one points seventy-nine games alongside shutdown lefty Alex Vlasic averaging over twenty-one minutes ice-time per game teenaged D-man Kevin Korchinski flashed ability seventh-pick twenty-twenty-two Artem Levshunov number-two overall soon joining forwards Frank Nazar Oliver Moore loaded prospect pool shedding losing image keeping culture guys Dickinson Foligno around continuing overhaul roster adding Teuvo Teravainen Tyler Bertuzzi Alec Martinez TJ Brodie Laurent Brossoit pushing hard Mrazek crease upgrades unlikely immediate playoff return days AHL-caliber rosters United Center mercifully over!

If Blackhawks intend jogging development young stars pairing seasoned pros hoping formula yields better results Columbus Blue Jackets mixing seasoned pros Johnny Gaudreau Ivan Provorov talented prospects Adam Fantilli Yegor Chinakhov should’ve exciting on-ice experiment turned Mike Babcock everything went smoke didn’t coach seemingly intriguing roster ground compelled resign news broke asking players show private photos Toe Blake used replacement Pascal Vincent reluctant let kids play scuffled another disappointing finish roster won’t differ much next-season culture should be different Babcock gone Vincent gone Jarmo Kekalainen fiasco gone Don Waddell Dean Evason running show successful tenures organizations Gaudreau old buddy Sean Monahan board maybe initial mixture veteran presence youthful vigor yield results could hardly turn worse right?

What do you think? Will your favorite team make it?