"Sergachev to Utah" "Markstrom to Devils" — NHL fans debate which offseason trade will be most impactful in upcoming season

The NHL offseason has produced blockbuster trades that have drastically altered the landscape of the league. After the conclusion of the 2023-24 Stanley Cup Playoffs, front offices around the league went to work bolstering their rosters for the season ahead.

While perennial contenders looked to acquire big pieces to get them over the championship hurdle, other teams who failed to make the playoffs have focused on righting the ship and improving on recent years.

For example, the Edmonton Oilers, who narrowly missed out on becoming just the fifth team in NHL history to come back from down 3-0 in a playoff series, are looking to finally win a Stanley Cup with the pairing of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. The Panthers will look to go back-to-back after winning their first Cup.

At the same time, teams like the Dallas Stars, Colorado Avalanche and New York Rangers are all looking to build on last season in hopes of making it to the Stanley Cup. With signings and trades taking place across the league, fans are eager for pucks to drop and the 2024-25 NHL season to get underway.

Recently, NHL Network posted a list of the most notable trades this offseason, asking fans which trade would be the most impactful.

NHL fans were quick to react with a wide range of opinions:

"Sergachev to Utah, pushes them to another level" - One wrote

"Markstrom to NJ Devils is honestly legendary" - Another added

"Logan Thompson could very well win the Vezina. It’s such bull crap he got traded. Logan Thompson deserved to be a Knight for life!" - Another wrote

Other fans offered different perspectives:

"It could be the DuBois trade, and not necessarily for a positive impact." - One wrote

"This is a very tough decision but I believe that it is going to be Guenzel PLD could make huge impact if he shows up and is motivated he had everything he wanted last year and he was mismanaged" - Another wrote

Many seemed confident in Linus Ullmark being a big X-factor in Ottawa:

"I think Ullmark will allow the Sens to go deep." - One wrote

"Senators they have stability in net in Ullmark. Which can make them push for a playoffs position." - Another added

Looking at the betting odds for the 2024-25 NHL Stanley Cup

While fans were quick to go back and forth in the comments section of the NHL Network post, there are some clear-cut favorites for the 2024-25 Stanley Cup. The Edmonton Oilers have the best betting odds to win the Stanley Cup on FanDuel Sportsbook at +850.

This seems to be largely fueled by the lack of turnover from last season, whereas teams like the Panthers have been forced to work around the departure of players such as Ryan Lomberg, Brandon Montour and Kevin Stenlund.

Despite that, the Panthers sit in second place with +1000 odds to win the Stanley Cup, followed by a three-way tie between the New Jersey Devils, Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars, who all have +1100 odds to win.

New Jersey, as seen in the graphic from NHL Network, made a big acquisition in Jacob Markstrom this summer. Additionally, the team also signed defenceman Brett Pesce to a six-year deal while drafting Anton Silayev with the 10 pick of the draft.

The Avalanche extended Casey Mittelstadt and added promising young talent in Parker Kelly and Erik Brannstrom. Last, but certainly not least, the Dallas Stars, led by two-time general manager of the year Jim Nill, bolstered their roster with Casey DeSmith and Ilya Lyubushkin.

With plenty of time before the start of the season, it will be interesting to see what other deals pop up around the league.