The NHL’s top under-the-radar moves of the offseason

Training camps are set to open across the NHL next week, which will inevitably lead to surprising moments for hockey fans.

There is always an adjustment period seeing established players with new teams.

And undoubtedly, it will take time to get used to seeing Taylor Hall play for Chicago. And Pierre-Luc Dubois with the Los Angeles Kings. Or Vladimir Tarasenko in an Ottawa Senators jersey.

There’s a very good chance you remember most of the major transactions from the summer, it might just take your brain a few weeks to process the familiar faces in new threads in September.

But there are probably a handful of moves that may have slipped past you over the past couple of months while you were in summer mode.

The kind of transactions that will make you say, “Whoa, when did that happen?” when training camp opens next week.

So to help you prepare for the opening of camp, here is a list of recognizable names and impact players who have new homes for the 2023-24 season — with many of these transactions happening under the radar.

This trade may have been lost in the shuffle since it happened as the free-agency window was opening July 1. The Sharks sent forward Steven Lorentz and a fifth-round pick to Florida to land Duclair from the cap-strapped Panthers. Duclair has one season remaining on a three-year deal that carries a $3 million average annual value. The 28-year-old missed the majority of last season recovering from an Achilles tendon injury but returned down the stretch and produced 11 points in 20 playoff games as the Panthers reached the Stanley Cup Final. A big season ahead could make Duclair a prime asset for general manager Mike Grier at the trade deadline.

Pacioretty is another player whose 2022-23 campaign was severely affected by an Achilles tendon injury. Pacioretty appeared in only five games for the Carolina Hurricanes last season, after he tore his right Achilles tendon — not once but twice. There are plenty of questions surrounding the durability of the 34-year-old winger, which is a big reason why Washington was able to sign him to a relatively cheap one-year, $2 million deal. Pacioretty’s timeline for recovery is still a bit of a question mark, and he’s not likely to make his regular-season debut until November at the earliest. But if he can stay healthy, this might be a sneaky good gamble by the Capitals. Pacioretty has scored 46 goals over his last 92 games played, a 0.50 goals/game mark that still has him among the most lethal and consistent snipers in the game.

For more than a decade, Gudas has been a thorn in the side of Eastern Conference opponents with his nasty and physical play on the blue line. But now he’s taking his gritty act to the West Coast, inking a three-year deal that comes with a $4 million AAV with the Ducks. The defenseman is 33 years old with plenty of…