The rebuild is officially on for the Vancouver Canucks, and as a result, the moves they make will be viewed from a different perspective.

Now a week into free agency, the Canucks have added Paul Cotter, Luke Schenn, and Jamie Oleksiak on short-term deals, all of whom can be flipped for assets at the trade deadline. They made a key locker room addition by acquiring Brendan Gallagher for future considerations, while removing Nils Höglander and Marcus Pettersson from the roster in exchange for draft picks three and four years down the line.

Those are all moves that put the future at the forefront – positive first few steps in the rebuilding direction.

But the Canucks aren’t the only team going through a rebuild right now. While most of those other rebuilding teams are actively trying to get better and blossom into their contention windows, Vancouver seems to be the most dedicated team in subtracting from its roster for the future.

So, what did the other rebuilding teams around the NHL do this offseason?

To categorize who the rebuilding teams are, we only included teams that finished in the bottom 10 of the NHL standings last season and had missed the postseason in at least the last two years. That removes the Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets, and Florida Panthers, who aren’t showing any signs of rebuilding after missing the playoffs last season and picking in the top 10 this year.

That leaves us with a list of six teams: the Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers, Calgary Flames, Seattle Kraken, San Jose Sharks, and Nashville Predators. Let’s surf through all of their moves since the Stanley Cup was awarded.

Traded for: Bowen Byram, Jordan Greenway, and a 2027 sixth-round pick.

Traded away: Louis Crevier, the fourth overall pick in 2026 (Daxon Rudolph), the 45th overall pick in 2026 (traded), and Andre Burakovsky.

Signed/Extended: Bowen Byram, Cole Smith and Ian Cole.

Lost in free agency: Ilya Mikheyev (TBL) and Sam Lafferty (FLA).

Notable draft choices: Xavier Villeneuve and Ryan Roobroeck.

One of the biggest splashes of the summer came when the Blackhawks traded the fourth overall pick to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for defenceman Bowen Byram. Not only did they pay a hefty price to bring Byram in, they then had no choice but to sign him to a big-ticket contract. However, nobody expected they would make him the highest-paid defenceman in the league.

While many will still question the move and the contract, Byram undoubtedly makes the Blackhawks better. The other two players they brought in, Smith and Cole, will also help the depth of the roster. Here is how the projected roster looks as of this writing:

We aren’t so sure they’ve done enough to propel them out of the bottom of the NHL standings, but we’ll likely see a better version of the Chicago Blackhawks next year.

Traded for: Pavel Dorofeyev, Joonas Korpisalo, Sean Durzi, Cole Beaudoin, Marcus Pettersson, a 2027 second-round pick, a 2027 third-round pick, and a conditional 2028 third-round pick.

Traded away: Vincent Trocheck, Will Borgen, Kalle Väisänen, the 26th overall pick in 2026 (traded), the 92nd overall pick in 2026 (Ben Wilmott), conditional 2028 first-round pick, a 2028 fourth-round pick, and a conditional 2030 first-round pick.

Signed/Extended: Pavel Dorofeyev, Oliver Bjorkstrand and Joe Veleno.

Lost in free agency: Jonny Brodzinski (WSH) and Connor Sheary (BUF).

Notable draft choices: Alberts Smits and Ben Macbeath.

Like the Blackhawks, the Rangers were another team that made a questionable big splash when they sent two first-round picks for Pavel Dorofeyev. Now, the acquisition cost isn’t necessarily alarming considering the pick was 26th overall in 2026 and a top-10 protected pick in 2028; it was the contract they had to give him, inking him to a seven-year, $11 million AAV contract. Dorofeyev is a solid player who scored 35+ goals in the last two seasons, but he relied heavily on the playmaker he played with.

Their biggest loss has to be trading away Vincent Trocheck, but we actually liked the return. Sean Durzi, a 27-year-old right-shot defenceman, and a promising centre prospect in Cole Beaudoin. Beaudoin may need some conditioning in the AHL before making an impact in New York, but has a chance to crack a bottom-six centre role at points next season.

Along with Durzi, the Rangers added Marcus Pettersson from the Canucks. While Canucks fans are thrilled to get a first-round pick in return for Pettersson, GM Chris Drury has a strong, newly formed second pairing. Here is how the projected roster looks as of this writing:

Drury mortgaged some of the future to turn this ship around quickly. We’ll see if it pays off, or if the Canucks are sitting on a gold mine with the Rangers’ future first-round pick.

Traded for: Simon Nemec, Maxim Tsyplakov, Jacob Middleton, a 2027 third-round pick, a 2028 fourth-round pick, and a 2029 second-round pick.

Traded away: Blake Coleman, Olli Maatta, Etienne Morin, the 35th overall pick in 2026 (traded), a conditional 2027 first-round pick, and a conditional 2028 first-round pick.

Signed/Extended: Simon Nemec.

Lost in free agency: Ryan Lomberg (CBJ), Victor Olofsson (VGK), and John Beecher (FLA).

Notable draft choices: Carson Carels, Jack Hextall, Chase Harrington, Tobias Trejbal, and Alan Shaikhlislamov.

The Flames were the least active team on this list this summer. Calgary made a big splash when they acquired Simon Nemec and Maxim Tsyplakov from the New Jersey Devils. When you’re in the rebuilding stage like the Flames, trading first-round picks for immediate help doesn’t always pass the optics test. However, those picks are projected to be late, and the Flames have already made six first-round selections over the last three seasons. It seemed like an appropriate time to jumpstart some of those futures for a disgruntled 22-year-old right-shot defenceman.

They not only bolstered their blueline with Nemec, but acquired Jacob Middleton as part of the return from the Minnesota Wild in the Blake Coleman trade. The loss of Coleman will hurt Calgary’s forward corps, but the blueline is now much more competent. Here is how the projected roster looks as of this writing:

The Flames may not be must-watch TV next season, but they’re building an army with all of their recent top selections. It’s just a matter of when those players can help the roster in Calgary.

Traded for: Mackie Samoskevich.

Traded away: The 25th overall pick in 2026 (traded) and a conditional 2027 second-round pick.

Signed/Extended: Bobby McMann, Mackie Samoskevich, and Curtis Douglas.

Lost in free agency: Jamie Oleksiak (VAN) and Jaden Schwartz (COL).

Notable draft choices: Chase Reid and Casey Mutryn.

Will the Kraken ever escape mediocrity? We will give them a bit of credit; at least trying to make big swings. Last season, Seattle tried to acquire Artemi Panarin and offered $14 million to entice him, but he rejected the offer. They swung again less than a month ago when they worked out a deal with the Dallas Stars for Jason Robertson, only for him to turn down a $15 million AAV contract.

Instead, they extended Bobby McMann and traded for and extended Mackie Samoskevich. Those aren’t bad players by any means, but they aren’t necessarily the superstars the Kraken are after. Seattle has a team full of middle-sixers, and adding two more into the system doesn’t really help that narrative. Here is how the projected roster looks as of this writing:

Maybe the Kraken do go out there and acquire their superstar. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Kraken and Shane Wright may be heading toward a trade. While he may not have hit his full potential in Seattle, Wright could be part of the package that lands that superstar that helps put the Kraken on the map.

Traded for: Michael Kesselring, Darnell Nurse, the ninth overall pick in 2026 (Keaton Verhoeff), and the 27th overall pick in 2026 (traded).

Traded away: William Eklund, Kasper Halttunen, Brandon Svoboda, Shakir Mukhamadullin, Zack Sharp and the 20th overall pick in 2026 (Ilia Morozov).

Signed/Extended: Michael Kesselring, Jacob Trouba, Mason Marchment, Eric Comrie, and Zach Ostapchuk.

Lost in free agency: Laurent Brossoit (ANA), Vincent Desharnais (WSH), and Mario Ferraro (WPG).

Notable draft choices: Ivar Stenberg, Keaton Verhoeff and Ryan Lin.

The Sharks were the stars of the 2026 NHL Draft. The writing was on the wall that they would be selecting Ivar Stenberg once they traded William Eklund to the Ottawa Senators for the ninth overall pick. In doing so, they were able to nab one of the top two forwards in the draft, while also guaranteeing one of the top-tier defencemen. But they really stole the show when they traded up to select Ryan Lin at 21st overall.

However, after hitting a grand slam at the draft, the Sharks followed that up with a single in free agency. Mason Marchment helps round out a solid top-nine for the Sharks’ offence, and they managed to secure the second-best right-shot defenceman on the market in Jacob Trouba, but all that soured with the Darnell Nurse trade.

Now, two things can be true at once. Nurse is a fine defenceman who will certainly help a young Sharks team. However, to have to give up assets to take on his entire $9.25 million contract is where they start to lose me. Nurse gave the Oilers a three-team list he would waive to go to. Edmonton couldn’t find a deal, asked him to expand, and that’s when San Jose came into the picture. There’s your leverage to at least not have to give up assets to a cap-strapped team desperate to move him.

While not a perfect group, the Sharks’ blueline is better. It’s not contending level yet, but their forward corps will certainly help carry the load. Here is how the projected roster looks as of this writing:

In a weak Pacific Division, the moves made this offseason have the Sharks firmly in the postseason conversation next year.

Traded for: Ross Colton, Jack Drury, Nils Höglander, Mavrik Bourque, Ilya Lyubushkin, Chase Bradley, Isak Posch, and a 2029 third-round pick.

Traded away: Fyodor Svechkov, Zachary L’Heureux, Magnus Chorna, the 74th overall pick in 2026 (Beckett Hamilton), a 2027 second-round pick, a 2027 third-round pick, a 2028 third-round pick, and a 2029 third-round pick.

Signed/Extended: Mavrik Bourque, Jack Drury, Alex Kerfoot, and Justin Barron.

Lost in free agency: Erik Haula (LAK).

Notable draft choices: Wyatt Cullen, Tommy Bleyl, and Dmitri Borichev.

It’s been a busy first month on the job for new Predators general manager Chris MacFarland. He’s made four player trades, including acquiring Ross Colton and Jack Drury from his former team, the Colorado Avalanche. MacFarland also took advantage of a cap-strapped team by acquiring a promising forward, Mavrik Bourque, and buying low on a former 24-goal scorer, Nils Höglander, to round out his team’s depth.

Once known as a defenceman factory, the Predators’ strength is now their forward corps. The top four of their blueline is decent, but the bottom-pairing takes a hit. Here is how the projected roster looks as of this writing:

Nashville will surely play better next season. However, in a difficult Central Division, competing against beasts such as the Avalanche, Stars, and Wild, that hill might be too big for the Predators to climb out of.

Looking at all the moves these rebuilding teams have made this offseason, it’s clear that most of them are sick and tired of being at the bottom of the barrel, so most of these teams were aggressively trying to get better. That should be music to the Canucks’ ears as one of a very small few who are selling more assets than they’re buying, especially at these current trade market prices.