from Matt Larkin of The Daily Faceoff,

Which franchises have gotten noticeably worse on paper as training camps approach? I’ve marked down five.

5. Winnipeg Jets

Out: Pierre-Luc Dubois, Blake Wheeler, David Rittich, Sam Gagner

In: Gabe Vilardi, Alex Iafallo, Rasmus Kupari, Laurent Brossoit

If you’re a Jets fan, would you rather see them higher on this list, having also traded Connor Hellebuyck and Mark Scheifele? We knew GM Kevin Cheveldayoff eyed some significant changes entering the offseason, but he’s opted for more of a half measure at the moment after shipping out Pierre-Luc Dubois in a blockbuster with the Los Angeles Kings and buying out Blake Wheeler. As it stands, the Jets have replaced two of their top-nine forwards with lower-ceiling depth, albeit Gabe Vilardi did break out for 23 goals last season. But they’re also still in possession of Hellebuyck and Scheifele for now, meaning they haven’t totally turned over their team identity. Is this team a contender or stuck in limbo between retool and rebuild? Whatever they are, they don’t look like a better team than they were a year ago.

4. Toronto Maple Leafs

Out: Michael Bunting, Ryan O’Reilly, Luke Schenn, Noel Acciari, Alex Kerfoot, Erik Gustafsson, Justin Holl, Zach Aston-Reese

In: Tyler Bertuzzi, John Klingberg, Max Domi, Ryan Reaves, Martin Jones, Simon Benoit

New GM Brad Treliving took over as GM of the Leafs in late May and, after roughly a month of assessing his roster, went to work making over the team with an evident focus on intangibles. The likes of Tyler Bertuzzi, Max Domi and Ryan Reaves don’t constitute upgrades over the losses in Toronto’s top nine, but they theoretically bring more of the pushback Toronto lacked at crucial moments during their Round-2 defeat to the Florida Panthers last spring. John Klingberg makes for an interesting reclamation project, but he’s a wobbly replacement for Luke Schenn, who was Toronto’s best all-around defenseman after coming over as a trade-deadline rental last winter. This team has injected plenty of personality and vigor but looks decidedly shallower and less defensively conscientious than it was by the 2022-23 season’s end. If you’re trying to see a silver lining? Tell yourself that the Leafs have traded in a few regular-season wins for the fiery types of players who help will them to a few more playoff wins.

3 more teams....