The Los Angeles Kings lost franchise center Anze Kopitar to retirement while adding only 38-year-old Mats Zuccarello and 41-year-old Corey Perry on July 1.
Pacific Division sides settle for veterans
Los Angeles signed Erik Haula, Corey Perry, Erik Gustafson and Mats Zuccarello after Kopitar retired and Andrei Kuzmenko departed. The four additions average 36.5 years old. GM Ken Holland secured short-term scoring but left the club without a young top-six center for the second straight summer.
Anaheim traded Mason McTavish for two first-round picks yet lost John Carlson, Jacob Trouba, Radko Gudas and Olen Zellweger on the blue line. The Ducks added 33-year-old Nick Jensen and 32-year-old Laurent Brossoit. The net result removed 1,248 career NHL games of experience while adding only 312.
Both clubs remain in a weak Pacific Division, but neither roster projects to advance past the first round. The Kings and Ducks each carry more than $12 million in cap space committed to players over age 38.
Eastern clubs lose impact players without adequate replacements
Ottawa acquired William Eklund and Samuel Ersson after trading Brady Tkachuk. The Senators also added Andre Burakovsky while Claude Giroux tested free agency. Ersson posted an .870 save percentage and 3.12 goals-against average during the 2025-26 season.
Detroit signed Viktor Arvidsson, Daniil Tarasov, Jacob Bryson and Keegan Kolesar after losing Cam Talbot, Patrick Kane and David Perron. The Red Wings still lack a second-line center and have not resolved Dylan Larkin’s trade request.
Ottawa and Detroit each enter training camp with goaltending tandems that combined for sub-.880 save percentages in 2025-26. Neither team added a proven middle-six scorer capable of 55-plus points.
Cap and experience gaps persist into summer
Anaheim must still re-sign Leo Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier, limiting further spending. Ottawa carries similar restrictions after the Eklund acquisition. Both clubs hold less than $8 million in projected cap flexibility for the remainder of July.
The four teams combined added 14 players whose average age exceeds 32. They lost 11 players whose combined career point totals surpass 4,800. The resulting age and production imbalance leaves each club at least one top-pair defenseman or top-six forward short of projected contention.
The height they rise to in 2026-27 will be directly connected to the off-season moves each front office completes before training camp.
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Par Mike Jonderson
Mike Jonderson is a passionate hockey analyst and expert in advanced NHL statistics. A former college player and mathematics graduate, he combines his understanding of the game with technical expertise to develop innovative predictive models and contribute to the evolution of modern hockey analytics.