NHL trade tracker: Capitals acquire Jakob Chychrun in deal with Senators

The NHL offseason is off to a roaring start

By Austin Nivison Jul 1, 2024 at 12:49 pm ET• 5 min read

The NHL offseason is here, and that means the wheeling and dealing is in full swing. This time of year is always an active one in the NHL as teams are trying to upgrade their rosters or move up in the draft. The fact that the NHL salary cap is going up to $88 million for the 2024-25 season only gives clubs more wiggle room to take some big swings.

The Tampa Bay Lightning were among the busiest teams around the league during draft weekend. They kicked off the action on Saturday by dealing defenseman Mikhail Sergachev to the Utah Hockey Club in exchange for a couple of players and picks. They also acquired the rights to star winger Jake Guentzel, who is set to become a free agent on Monday.

It's clear that the Lightning are trying to set up some bigger moves and they've been clearing salary cap space to make that happen.

Looking ahead, some big names could be on the move in the coming days and weeks. For starters, all eyes are on Mitch Marner and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Marner has one year left on his current contract, and the Maple Leafs may be looking to shake things up after several years of playoff futility.