While the free agency period opened up on Wednesday, the most noise being made throughout the National Hockey League is on the trade market.
Several teams have made key swaps as some clubs look to rid themselves of contract burdens while others hope to stock up for the 2015-16 season, which opens up on Oct. 7.
After a whirlwind couple of days throughout the league, here is a look at the three biggest trades that have been made this offseason.
Brandon Saad
The Chicago Blackhawks traded Saad to the Columbus Blue Jackets in a shocking development on Tuesday in a seven-player deal. Saad made an impact in Chicago this past season as the team won its third Stanley Cup in six years.
Saad, 22, set career-highs with 23 goals, 29 assists and 53 points and he then went 8-3--11 in 23 games en route to the Cup. Saad now joins a young Blue Jackets team that appears ready to compete in the Metropolitan Division after an injury-plagued season ruined what looked to be a promising campaign for Columbus in 2014-15.
Phil Kessel
After plenty of rumors surrounded the winger, Kessel was traded from the Toronto Blue Jays to the Pittsburgh Penguins in a blockbuster trade that involved six players and two draft picks. Kessel now joins Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin on what should be a formidable offense for the Penguins.
Kessel, 27, dipped in scoring a bit with 25 goals, 36 assists and 61 points this past season, but that's mostly due to the Maple Leafs being one of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference. While Pittsburgh has big money tied into only a few players, this was still a significant trade.
T.J. Oshie
The Washington Capitals may have had the best move of all in the last couple of days, as they acquired Oshie from the St. Louis Blues and didn't have to give up that much. The Capitals dealt forward Troy Brouwer, goalie Pheonix Copey and a third-rounder in the 2016 draft for Oshie.
Oshie, 28, had 19 goals, 36 assists and 55 points in 72 regular season games for St. Louis and then had one tally and one helper in six playoff games. He joins Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and emerging center Evgeny Kuznetsov to form a solid offensive attack for Washington.
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