As the NHL continues to evolve with a rising salary cap and a greater emphasis on youth and speed, a team’s window to win can open and close faster than ever.
That makes long-term roster planning more important than ever. Franchises that can secure their core, be conscious of the cap and maintain a steady flow of young talent are better positioned to remain competitive season after season, even as the rest of the NHL evolves.
Five NHL teams, in particular, are built for the long haul. These teams aren’t just competing for a Stanley Cup next season – they structured their rosters with a balance of proven and upcoming young talent signed long-term, giving them the chance to be perennial contenders.
Florida Panthers
It seemed nearly impossible for Florida Panthers GM Bill Zito to lock up Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad and Brad Marchand as they were all due for significant raises following a second straight Stanley Cup victory. A rising salary cap and a clear desire to win by all of those players helped put together one of the most remarkable off-seasons in the Salary Cap Era.
With Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart, Carter Verhaeghe, Anton Lundell, Bennett, Marchand, Seth Jones, Ekblad and Gustav Forsling all signed until at least 2030, there isn’t a team that is better constructed for the rest of the decade to consistently challenge for a Stanley Cup.
Sergei Bobrovsky is entering the final season of his contract with a $10-million cap hit. While he would undoubtedly deserve around the same average annual value, this summer is proof that nobody should be surprised if the 36-year-old ends up taking less to help Zito add even more talent to this incredible roster.
In every area of the ice, the Panthers have legitimate star-level talents who have proven to shine in the biggest moments. There’s no reason to believe they won’t stay competitive for a very long time.
Tampa Bay Lightning
While the Tampa Bay Lightning’s reign as back-to-back Stanley Cup champions in 2020 and 2021 may have felt like the end of the story for this core, there are many reasons to believe this group might not be done yet.
Brayden Point, Jake Guentzel, Brandon Hagel, Anthony Cirelli and Yanni Gourde are all under contract for at least the next five seasons. Victor Hedman and Erik Cernak will be leading the defensive core for the next four, and goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy is around for at least the next three seasons.
While Nikita Kucherov’s contract is just two seasons away from expiring, there are no indications that the perennial Hart Trophy candidate has any desire to leave. Why would he want to?
Not only do the Lightning have a core of remarkable forwards, but with no player earning more than $9.5 million per season, GM Julien Brisebois has a ton of flexibility with a rising cap to consistently build around the team’s depth year-over-year.
After trading prospect Isaac Howard this summer, a lack of upcoming prospects could be a cause for concern for this core as years progress, but there’s no doubt the Lightning have the foundation to compete for Stanley Cup championships continuously.
Dallas Stars
While Dallas fans may be disappointed with this Stars core’s inability to get past the Western Conference final over the last three seasons, adding a game-breaking talent, Mikko Rantanen, truly has changed the trajectory of this organization. It really feels like the question is not if, but when the Stars will hoist the Stanley Cup.
Even with Mason Marchment and Logan Stankoven being traded, Jason Robertson being a topic of trade speculation and Jamie Benn nearing the end of his career, the Stars still boast one of the most dangerous cores in the league.
Wyatt Johnston, Roope Hintz, Rantanen, Miro Heiskanen, Esa Lindell and Jake Oettinger are all signed for at least the next five seasons. They also have a mix of younger emerging talent they will likely retain for many years, highlighted by Mavrik Bourque and Thomas Harley.
Harley is obviously at a significantly different point in his development than Bourque as he potentially pushes for a roster spot on Team Canada at the 2026 Olympics. That said, with both players being just 23 years old, they reinforce how dominant the Stars look capable of being for the present and the foreseeable future.
New Jersey Devils
While the New Jersey Devils still need upgrades to truly be considered Stanley Cup contenders, having a core of Jack Hughes, Timo Meier, Jesper Bratt, Dougie Hamilton, Brett Pesce and Johnathan Kovacevic signed for at least three seasons makes it hard to believe they won’t find a way to make a deep run at some point.
That list excludes Nico Hischier, current RFA Luke Hughes and Jacob Markstrom, three integral players who are due for contracts over the next two years. The Devils likely won’t have issues retaining Hischier and Hughes, but they do have an important decision to make regarding Markstrom’s future with the club.
After extending Jake Allen to a five-year deal with a modest $1.8-million cap hit, how much salary and term are they willing to commit to another veteran goaltender in Markstrom? They must decide whether Nico Daws is ready to become a full-time NHL netminder or whether there are alternative options they can target. It’s tough to project, but the Devils’ competitive window will change drastically if they fail to maintain a strong one-two punch in the crease.
Carolina Hurricanes
The past few seasons have been a rollercoaster for the Carolina Hurricanes.
With multiple exits in the Eastern Conference final and failing to retain two major rental acquisitions – Guentzel and Rantanen – GM Eric Tulsky has still managed to build this team for long-term success somehow.
The Hurricanes’ homegrown core of Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, Seth Jarvis, Jackson Blake and Jaccob Slavin are all locked up for at least the next seven seasons. Tulsky also brought in Logan Stankoven, Nikolaj Ehlers and K’Andre Miller on long-term deals in the past few months.
Similarly to the Devils, the real question marks come in net, considering Frederik Andersen’s injury history and Pyotr Kochetkov’s unproven track record and struggles in the playoffs. However, the Hurricanes possess so much talent from top to bottom that it’s hard to deny their status as perennial contenders.
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