Defensemen found deals early and often, a handful of veterans returned to old homes and NHL free agency kicked off with a flurry of moves across the league.
Some teams paid steep prices for aging reserves. Others made their biggest upgrades beforehand thanks to the trade market. And a few, with headlines that trounced the rest, were obvious early winners of the offseason:
Dallas Stars
Getting Martin Hanzal for a reasonable price was a win for every party involved. The former Arizona Coyotes and Minnesota Wild center should make for an upgrade over Cody Eakin, and his addition is supplemented by an offseason already made admirable by general manager Jim Nill's aggressive approach.
Couple Hanzal, in a better-suited role and on a decent contract, with trade acquisitions Ben Bishop and Marc Methot along with new coach Ken Hitchcock, and Dallas is a team to watch.
New York Rangers
Trading both Derek Stepan and Antti Raanta after cutting ties with Dan Girardi all but ensured the Rangers would be in the mix for a splashy addition. They got exactly that by landing Kevin Shattenkirk, the consensus top free agent and both an ideal fit and blatant upgrade as Girardi's defensive replacement. And they did it without dishing out a blank check.
Shattenkirk's underwhelming Washington Capitals stint was a concern, but the gist here is this: The Rangers certainly got better, and they did so at a fair cost.
Nashville Predators
After losing James Neal to the Vegas Golden Knights in the expansion draft, the Stanley Cup runners-up needed to add some offensive talent, especially considering the murky future of Mike Fisher. They got the job done early, inking the Pittsburgh Penguins' Nick Bonino to a four-year deal and reuniting with Scott Hartnell for added depth.
Bonino, on a reasonable contract, should thrive with more time on the ice. Landing blue-liner Alexei Emelin in a trade with Vegas was simply a bonus.
