The NHL regular season gets underway a week from Tuesday when the Tampa Bay Lightning raise their second straight Stanley Cup banner against the Pittsburgh Penguins, while the Seattle Kraken open up their inaugural season against Vegas.
Over the course of the offseason there was a ton of movement among some of the game's most recognizable names, either through trade or free agency (not to mention an expansion draft). Are you all caught up with who went where over the last three months? We're here to help. Here are some old NHL faces who are in new places for the 2021-22 season:
Zdeno Chara: The oldest active player in the league is going back to where his NHL career started over two decades ago. The 44-year-old Chara signed a one-year deal with the Islanders, who drafted him in the third round of the 1996 draft and saw him play for parts of four seasons before being a part of an infamous 2001 trade for Alexei Yashin. The future Hall of Famer's career now comes full circle as he likely ends his career on Long Island.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson: One of the few bright spots in Arizona for a long time, OEL was seemingly an annual top trade target for a struggling team, but it never came to fruition until this summer. He is now in Edmonton as part of a huge deal that saw Ekman-Larsson and Conor Garland become Oilers in exchange for a 2021 first-rounder (Dylan Guenther), a 2022 second-rounder, another seventh-rounder and three veterans (Loui Eriksson, Antoine Roussel and Jay Beagle). At 30, OEL is coming off his worst season since his rookie campaign a decade ago, limited to just 46 games with 24 points.
Marc-Andre Fleury: The 36-year-old might be coming off the best season of his decorated career, winning his first Vezina Trophy while setting career bests in goals against (1.98) and save percentage (.928). But with Vegas needing to shed salary, after four years with the Golden Knights he's now in Chicago (he contemplated retirement, but has decided to play), where he'll look to continue his career-long streak of never missing the postseason.
Dougie Hamilton: The top defenseman available on the free agent market, the Devils made a big splash by paying the 28-year-old a seven-year, $63-million deal in July. Suddenly New Jersey looks like it could have a prolific defense for years to come, with Hamilton anchoring a blue-line boasting loads of young talent. The next step, though, is getting back to the playoffs for the first time since 2018 and just the second time since reaching the Cup Final in 2012.
Seth Jones: Another talented defenseman seemingly in the prime of his career, Jones was dealt from Columbus to Chicago in July. And he'll stick around with the Blackhawks for a while, as he immediately signed an eight-year, $76-million extension. One of the game's best offensive defensemen, Jones would have had at least 30 points in six straight seasons were it not for an injury last year that limited him to 56 games. He returned for the playoffs, most notably playing an NHL-record 65 minutes in the quintuple overtime loss to Tampa Bay in the first round.
Duncan Keith: It's a new era in Chicago. Fleury and Jones are among the new acquisitions, which means some folks have to go. Among them is franchise legend Keith (and his partner, who we'll get to in a bit). The future Hall of Famer is closer to home after being traded to Edmonton with Tim Soderlund in June for Caleb Jones and a draft pick. After 16 seasons, three Stanley Cups, two Norris Trophies and a Conn Smythe, Keith's No. 2 will one day hang in the United Center rafters.
Zach Parise: His dad is best known for his days with the Islanders, and now his son will try to have a similar impact late in his career. In July the Wild bought out the remaining four years on the mega 13-year, $98-million deal signed in 2012 along with Ryan Suter. But time hasn't been good to Parise, who failed to hit the 50-point mark in four of the last five seasons, including a 18-point campaign last year as an assortment of injuries have taken their toll. Now 37, he hopes to provide bottom-six depth for a true Cup contender.
Sam Reinhart: One of the most consistent 20-goal scorers in the league, the Panthers are banking on that production (and maybe more) after trading Devon Levi and a first-round pick for the 25-year-old. Shortly after the trade he inked a three-year deal with Florida, and he and Aleksander Barkov form a potent partnership on the top line.
Joe Thornton: We started with an aging icon in Chara, so it's fitting that we end with another in Thornton. After spending last year with Toronto, Thornton moves south and will join Reinhart in Florida after signing a one-year deal with the Panthers, where he'll provide bottom-six depth and invaluable veteran leadership in the locker room for a team looking to breakthrough in the East after a successful 2019-20 saw them finish second in the Central Division.