If the NHL and NHLPA grow up and get a deal done in time to save at least part of the season, it will be very interesting to see how certain big deals work out. There were some blockbuster moves in the offseason, and many of these moves strengthened an ultra-competitive Western Conference even more.

The most notable signings of the offseason were obviously those of Ryan Suter and Zach Parise; both of whom packed their bags from Nashville and New Jersey, respectively, and went North to Minnesota. Parise has just come off of a season for the ages, as he was a big part of the unlikely run to the Stanley Cup Final by the New Jersey Devils. This offseason, however, he decided to sign a huge contract to go to his home state of Minnesota and play alongside his friend and Wisconsin native Ryan Suter.

On paper, Minnesota seems to be the most improved Western Conference team. Zach Parise will undoubtedly provide the big scoring spark that the Wild have been looking for forever, and Suter adds some experience to a young defensive corps. Whether or not Suter’s play will decline from not being able to play next to superstar Shea Weber anymore remains to be seen, but the Suter and Parise signings were definitely the two most news-worthy of the summer.

The Detroit Red Wings are another team that made some significant moves. Nicklas Lidstrom retired, Jiri Hudler signed with Calgary, and Brad Stuart was traded to San Jose. To replace Hudler, the Red Wings signed former Red Wing Mikael Samuelsson as well as Predators tough-guy Jordin Tootoo. Jonas Gustavsson was also added as a backup goalie and defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo joined the roster last week as Detroit finally managed to bring in a defenseman.

The Dallas Stars made a big splash in the offseason, but their moves could prove ineffective with a cancelled season. The team signed two over-40 veterans in Ray Whitney and Jaromir Jagr, and also traded for Derek Roy. The Stars have greatly improved from last year, but a lost season would be detrimental to the aging Whitney and Jagr.

Two underrated signings were made by Northwest Division teams not from Minnesota. The first was made by the Colorado Avalanche, as they snared P.A. Parenteau from the New York Islanders. A big deal was being made about Parise, but Parenteau unbelievably scored only two less goals than Parise last season despite being on a much worse team. It will be interesting to see how he does with young stars like Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog. Second, the Vancouver Canucks inked the young offensive defenseman they needed in Vancouver native Jason Garrison. He should become a great powerplay quarterback and fit in great with Vancouver’s needs.

Hopefully, the NHL and NHLPA will be able to reach an agreement soon and salvage this season. All hockey fans can agree that some of the moves made this offseason will make the Western Conference, which was already at an all-time high in parity, even more exciting this season.