Now that the Stanley Cup has been handed out to the Vegas Golden Knights, it’s time to officially look forward to the NHL offseason and what every team needs to do over the next couple of months to prepare for the 2023-24 season.
Several teams have already got a start on that by hiring new general managers and coaches, and even making some big roster moves with some trades and re-signings.
With that in mind, we’re going to take a team-by-team look at some offseason to-do lists, ranging from re-signings that need to be made, buyouts that need to be completed and changes that need to happen.
For some teams, it might only be one thing that needs to be the focus. Others might have multiple pressing needs. Let’s get into it.
1. Get Trevor Zegras and Troy Terry signed
The 2022-23 season was miserable for the Ducks, but there is still some real talent here to build around and a couple of significant cornerstone pieces already in place.
Two of those players are Zegras and Terry, who also just happen to be restricted free agents this summer.
The question for the Ducks will be whether or not they go all-in and give them long-term deals with cost certainty, or if they go with shorter bridge deals.
Terry has turned out to be an excellent player for the Ducks but is probably already in the prime of his career and not likely to get much better than he already is. And that is fine. But Zegras is still only 21 years old and already the team’s go-to offensive star and one of the league’s most exciting players. Getting him locked in through his prime years and buying out some free agency years should be at the top of the team’s wishlist.
2. Land a superstar in the draft
The bad news for the Ducks is they didn’t land the top pick in the NHL draft lottery, losing out on a potential franchise-changing player for the second time in franchise history. It was the 2005 draft where they narrowly missed out on a chance to land Sidney Crosby and instead walked away with Bobby Ryan.
This year, they fell short of landing Connor Bedard.
The good news is that, unlike the 2005 class, there is a likely superstar and franchise talent ready to go No. 2 overall. Michigan’s Adam Fantilli is the odds-on favorite for that slot, and in most years he would probably be a high-level No. 1 overall pick.
Adding him to a core that already has Zegras and Mason McTavish would do a lot to change the long-term outlook here.
1. Re-sign Matias Maccelli
Maccelli was one of the few bright spots for the Coyotes this past season, emerging as a top playmaking rookie in the league and finishing as one of the team’s top point producers.
He is also one of the Coyotes’ top restricted free-agent priorities and is in need of a new contract.
They’re not in any real danger of losing him on an offer sheet, but it is simply a formality to get him signed to a new deal.
As bleak as the situation can look for the Coyotes at times, they do have some intriguing talent coming through their system. If they can get Logan Cooley signed, he is a potential star. They have another high pick in the 2023 class and saw some real progress from players like Logan Crouse and Barrett Hayton this season.
2. Get Clayton Keller some help
Every year, the Coyotes’ main front-office objective seems to be to serve as a dumping ground for the NHL’s bad contracts.
They take on those contracts in exchange for a draft pick, fudge their cap numbers and put a lousy team on the ice.
Keller is one of the bright spots here and his 2022-23 performance was a welcome development for the Coyotes. He not only came back completely healthy from a brutal injury, he looked even better.
He is a bonafide top-line scorer in the NHL and signed to a very good contract long-term.
The Coyotes need to make him a focal point and not only build around him, but do right by him and give him some help this offseason. They have draft picks to trade. They have salary-cap space to use. Put it to good use and get your best player somebody that can give him a chance.
1. Have a plan B in place for the center position
The priority here is hope that veterans Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci want to run it back and come back for another season on team-friendly deals.
If they do, the Bruins should still be set down the middle and be a strong Stanley Cup contender.
Given their age, that isn’t a guarantee that they’re going to return and the Bruins have to be prepared for the possibility that one — or both — decides to call it a career. Charlie Coyle and Pavel Zacha are nice depth players, but neither one is going to lead a Stanley Cup contender down the middle.
2. Figure out what to do with Jeremy Swayman
The Bruins had one of the NHL’s best goalie duos a year ago with Linus Ullmark and Swayman dominating for much of the season.
Ullmark, who seems destined to win the Vezina Trophy for his play this season, is still signed while Swayman is a restricted free agent this summer.
What, exactly, do the Bruins plan to do about that?
In a perfect world, the Bruins would simply re-sign him, keep a top goalie duo together, and allow them to continue sharing the net until Ullmark leaves and Swayman takes over. But the Bruins might need some cap space and potentially a significant trade chip if they need help down the middle. Moving Swayman could help achieve both goals.
1. Bring in another goalie to take some pressure off Devon Levi
The Sabres have something special brewing with an offense that is already one of the league’s most dynamic and a young defense led by Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power and Mattias Samuelsson.
The one issue they had this season that kept them from ending their playoff drought?
No reliable goalie.
Devon Levi is the future of the position in Buffalo, and he impressed during his first cup of coffee in the NHL at the end of this season. But it is a big ask to expect him to go from college to a No. 1 goalie on a playoff-hopeful NHL team so he is going to need some help.
It could be a great landing spot for a goalie like Connor Hellebuyck who has one year left on his deal and could play the bulk of the games. It would give Levi an opportunity to ease into the role and then take it over the next season.
2. Try to get Rasmus Dahlin signed
This is not a huge priority because Dahlin is entering the final year of his contract and is still only a restricted free agent after this season, but it would still be a great time to strike if you are the Sabres.
Buffalo acted in a similar manner when it signed Tage Thompson and Mattias Samuelsson to long-term deals last year, and both of them look like they are going to be bargains.
Getting Dahlin signed would lock in another core player through his prime years.
Figure out what went wrong with Jonathan Huberdeau
Honestly, this might be the only thing that matters for the Flames in both the short-term and the long-term.
Because if he doesn’t bounce back from one of the worst offensive seasons of his career, then nothing else that happens here is likely to matter.
Huberdeau was the centerpiece of last year’s Matthew Tkachuk trade for Florida and after being one of the top-five scorers in the NHL over the previous four seasons Huberdeau’s debut season in Calgary saw him produce a rather pedestrian 15-goal, 55-point season. That is nowhere near good enough, especially as he gets ready to start a new eight-year, $84 million contract extension.
Was it a clash with head coach Darryl Sutter or a bad fit with his style of play? Or something far more concerning that is not as easy to fix? Huberdeau is not good enough away from the puck to not score at an elite level. They need the return of the Florida Huberdeau or else that contract is going to be one of the worst in hockey.
1. Get another goal-scorer
The Hurricanes do not have many weaknesses in their lineup, but the one thing they have been consistently lacking during this recent run of success is another high-level finisher.
They thought they had acquired one a year ago in Max Pacioretty, but lost him for all but three games of the season due to injury.
Making matters worse, Andrei Svechnikov was also lost for the season late in the year.
They have cap space (more than $24 million) and assets to trade. While the free-agent market is not exactly full of enticing options, the trade market with Alex DeBrincat and a collection of players from Winnipeg could be an area where the Hurricanes could strike.
2. Solidify goaltending
Goaltending was not necessarily a problem for the Hurricanes this past season, but Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta are both set to be unrestricted free agents this summer and are both in their mid-30s with recent track records of injury issues. Pyotr Kochetkov is the in-house option and already signed long-term to a very team-friendly contract, but they will need more depth beyond him.
It is not a strong class for free-agent goalies, but a veteran like Semyon Varlamov could be an intriguing option to pair alongside Kochetkov.
1. Draft Connor Bedard
This one is easy.
It was very clear from the beginning that the only objection for the 2022-23 Chicago Blackhawks was for them to lose and lose often to secure the best possible odds to land Connor Bedard in the draft.
Their problem was they were almost not quite bad enough as they failed to finish with the league’s worst record.
But the draft lottery balls were still on their side and gave them the top pick for a potentially franchise-altering superstar.
Nothing can accelerate a rebuild like a megastar prospect and Chicago is on the verge of getting that. Now they just need to make it official when they are on the clock.
2. Weaponize their salary-cap space
While Bedard is the most important piece of the rebuild, he alone is not going to be enough.
After spending the better part of two years tearing the team down to the foundation, Chicago now needs to start adding pieces to make sure Bedard has the type of supporting cast he will need to compete.
The Blackhawks have almost no long-term commitments on their salary cap and are swimming in salary cap space this offseason, entering the summer with more than $37 million to spend.
They are also loaded with draft picks, owning multiple first-round picks in each of the next three years (as well as multiple second-round picks each year) and eight picks in the first three rounds of this year’s class. That includes six picks in the first two rounds. They aren’r going to make all of those picks. That combination of salary-cap space and tradable assets could make them surprising players for almost any player they want this offseason.
1. Add scoring depth
After boasting one of the deepest and most balanced teams in the league on their way to a Stanley Cup in 2022, the Avalanche’s scoring depth took a major hit this past season.
They never found a suitable replacement for Nazem Kadri as the team’s No. 2 center and then Gabriel Landeskog ended up missing the entire season. That does not even get into the departure of Andre Burakovsky.
That was a lot of offensive production to try and replace in one year. They never looked the same.
Those same issues still exist this offseason. They still need a No. 2 center while Landeskog is set to miss yet another full season as his career seems to be in jeopardy. They’re still a playoff team as presently constructed, but whether or not they can win a Stanley Cup remains to be seen.
They might need more firepower for that.
2. Make a decision on Devon Toews
This is going to be a fascinating situation to watch unfold.
The trade for Toews — and his ensuing contract — proved to be a steal for the Avalanche a few years ago and a significant part of their 2022 Stanley Cup. He has proven to be one of the best transition defenders in the league and a major piece of the NHL’s best defense corps.
But he is entering the final year of his contract, will command a significant raise beyond this season, and the Avalanche already have significant resources tied into the blue line, while also having another potential star emerging in Bowen Byram.
Given Toews’ contract situation, as well as Colorado’s need for more scoring depth at center and on the wing, it does present an interesting trade scenario for Toews. He could certainly bring back a lot if they decided to go that route.
1. Figure out goaltending
Columbus already got a significant start on its offseason by trying to significantly improve its defense with the trades for Ivan Provorov and Damon Severson.
How much those moves actually improve the team is certainly up for some debate, especially given the cost in terms of assets and salary-cap space.
The fact remains that Columbus, one of the league’s worst defensive teams a year ago, needed to make sweeping changes to its blue line and goaltending situation. The blue line situation has already been taken care of.
Next up: Goaltending.
Goaltending has been a huge issue in each of the past two seasons as Elvis Merzlikins has been unable to regain the form and promise he showed during his first two years in the league.
His .876 save percentage this past season was one of the worst goalie performances in the NHL. He is still signed long-term for another four years at more than $5 million per season. He has not played up to that level. Columbus either needs to move on, or find something that can push him and complement him.
2. Get more help at center
The Blue Jackets weren’t only one of the worst defensive teams in the NHL a year ago, they were also one of the worst offensive teams despite signing Johnny Gaudreau in free agency.
Part of the reason for the offensive struggles is a black hole at center.
Cole Sillinger is the best long-term hope at the position, but he had a miserable sophomore slump after a promising rookie season. Boone Jenner, Sean Kuraly and Jack Roslovic were the top centers on the team a year ago, but none of them played at a level necessary for a top line on a contending team.
1. Buyout Ryan Suter
Suter is already being paid by one NHL as part of a buyout (the Minnesota Wild) and he should add a second team to that list this offseason.
Suter was clearly starting to show his age this season and was terrible at times in the playoffs.
Trading him is not really an option given his age and no-movement clause.
That leaves a buyout as the next most logical option. It would result in a cap hit of just $833,000 the next two years and save the Stars more than $2 million against the cap each season, but jumping up to a $1.4 million hit in each of the next two years after that.
That is a reasonable price for the Stars to pay to move on from a player that seems to be at the end of his career.
They need that extra $2 million in space over the next two years to continue filling in the roster around their core group. The championship window is wide open, and every little bit of salary cap space helps. Take the hit and move on.
2. Keep solidifying scoring depth
The Stars have some of the best top-end talent in the NHL with Jason Robertson, Joe Pavelski, Roope Hintz, Miro Heiskanen and Jake Oettinger at the top of the roster. They also have an emerging young star in Wyatt Johnston.
They have the superstar core in place with impact players at each level of the roster.
They just need to make sure they keep adding the right pieces around them. Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn had nice bounce-back seasons, but neither remains a true impact player, while trade deadline acquisitions Max Domi and Evgenii Dadonov are set to be unrestricted free agents.
When it comes to adding to the roster, scoring depth should be the top priority.
1. Make a blockbuster move to get an impact player
The Red Wings’ rebuild has reached a point where it is time to see some significant progress or the Steve Yzerman plan will have to be called into question.
It is time for this team to not only compete for a playoff spot, but make a serious push to get in.
They have some important pieces in place with Lucas Raymond, Moritz Seider and Dylan Larkin to build around, and they have some major flexibility when it comes to the roster this offseason.
They are entering the offseason with more than $30 million in salary-cap space and have five picks in the first two rounds, including two first-round selections. Some of those picks should be trade bait to help land some immediate help to finally help the team show progress.
Being a 75-80 point team this far into the rebuild should not be accepted. The Red Wings were extremely busy in free agency a year ago with the additions of Andrew Copp, David Perron, Dominik Kubalik and Ville Husso, and even though they were strong additions they are not difference-makers.
The Red Wings have the ability to take a swing for one of those this offseason.
2. Make a decision on Filip Zadina
Zadina might be the most disappointing aspect of the Red Wings’ rebuild at this point.
When he was drafted with the No. 6 overall pick, he was regarded as one of the best pure goal scorers in his draft and a potential star.
Six years later, he has managed just 28 goals in 190 NHL games and has never come close to looking like the player the Red Wings hoped he would be.
On one hand, he is still signed to a dirt cheap price for the next two years and there is a definite incentive for the Red Wings to want to keep giving him chances to figure it out. Not only because he is cheap and still has potential, but he also probably has minimal trade value at this point.
But he is also going to be 24 years old and has played enough in the NHL that he is no longer a prospect and is now very much a suspect.
1. Get Evan Bouchard signed
This is going to be a tricky situation for the Oilers.
Bouchard is their most significant contract situation this offseason, and given his production the past two years he is going to be in line for a significant pay raise as a restricted free agent.
Given his importance on the team’s blue line, the Oilers need to get him signed.
But the Oilers’ salary-cap situation is a mess due to the combination of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl eating up a significant chunk of that allotted salary-cap space, as well as some very questionable contracts to players like Darnell Nurse and Jack Campbell.
Edmonton has just $5 million in cap space to work with entering the offseason. They need to not only find a way to create space to re-sign Bouchard, but also address their other issues to make the team better.
If offer sheets were a real thing NHL teams did, Bouchard would be a prime candidate to get snagged by another club.
2. Keep addressing defense
The Oilers actually solved one of their biggest long-standing issues last season: Scoring depth beyond McDavid and Draisaitl. For the first time in years, the Oilers actually managed to outscore their opponents when neither player was on the ice and they finally seem to have the right forward combination in place.
The problem remains on defense and in goal.
Adding Mattias Ekholm at the trade deadline was arguably the best move Ken Holland has made during his time in Edmonton, and along with Bouchard, does give the Oilers some high-end talent on the blue line.
But they need more.
Nurse hasn’t been the answer they hoped he would be as a No. 1 defender, and there is simply not enough high-end defensive or goaltending to make this a true Stanley Cup team. Ideally, they would find a way to get out from under the contracts to Nurse or Campbell, but the cost and no-movement clauses with each make that nearly impossible.
Make a decision on Brandon Montour’s future
One of the biggest developments for the Panthers this season was Montour’s rapid rise to Norris Trophy contender with a dominant season that carried over into the playoffs.
He shattered all of his previous career highs and put everything together to become an impact player on Florida’s defense.
That creates an interesting situation for the front office this offseason.
He is entering the final year of his current contract which pays him $3.5 million against the salary cap. At the rate he produced this season, it would make him one of the biggest steals in the league.
The question is whether or not he is going to repeat that performance.
Montour is going to be 29 at the start of next season and has never really produced at that level. Some players are late bloomers. Some just need the right opportunity and the right mix of teammates to help them reach their full potential. It is entirely possible that is what happened with Montour this season. He got an opportunity to play a big role, and everything clicked for him at the same time.
If the Panthers are confident he can repeat that, maybe you consider a new contract extension.
Over the past two years, this Panthers team has won the Presidents’ Trophy and reached a Stanley Cup Final. It is an excellent team that does not have a lot of glaring weaknesses. It has superstars at the top, nice complementary pieces around them and two big-money goalies under contract. There is not a lot that needs to be done (or can be done) with this roster as it is. Montour’s future might be something to focus on.
Get a better solution in goal
It is a testament to how good the Kings’ roster is that they posted the record they did while getting some of the worst goaltending in the NHL.
There is every reason to believe that the Kings could be a top team in the Western Conference given their depth at forward and on defense. Anze Kopitar is still outstanding. Their veteran forwards around him (Phillip Danault, Viktor Arvidsson and Kevin Fiala) have been tremendous additions. Even though they have not all panned out as expected at this point, they also have a deep collection of prospects and young NHL talent in Arthur Kaliyev, Quinton Byfield and Alex Turcotte.
If they can get one or two of them to take a significant step forward, it would be a game-changer.
Defensively, the Kings were one of the stingiest teams in the league last season in terms of limiting chances against. They can smother you and shut you down.
A goalie is the one thing they need to tie it all together.
Pheonix Copley and Joonas Korpisalo helped salvage the position in the second half of the season, but neither is a legitimate Stanley Cup solution. This would be a great opportunity for the Kings to try and land somebody like Connor Hellebuyck or Juuse Saros in a blockbuster offseason trade. Doing that could really put them over the top in a very winnable Western Conference.
1. Get Filip Gustavsson signed
One of the most impactful trades of the 2022 offseason was Minnesota’s decision to trade Cam Talbot to Ottawa for Gustavsson.
The Senators were hoping that Talbot could provide a veteran presence and solidify their goaltending situation, while the Wild were just looking to create some salary-cap space and get rid of a player that wanted a change of scenery.
Talbot struggled mightily in Ottawa while Gustavsson had one of the best goaltending performances in the entire league and ultimately took over the starting job from veteran Marc-Andre Fleury.
Gustavsson is not only the future of the position for the Wild, he is their best goalie right now. He is also a restricted free agent and needs a new contract. Given the importance of goaltending, Gustavsson’s talent level, age and potential, getting him signed long-term has to be the team’s No. 1 priority.
2. Clear salary-cap space
The other priority needs to be clearing as much salary-cap space as possible.
General manager Bill Guerin is backed into a corner the next two years when it comes to constructing his roster due to the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts that are eating up more than $14 million in salary cap space per season.
That leaves the Wild with only $9 million in salary-cap space and only 15 players signed for the 2023-24 season.
Gustavsson’s next deal (along with a new deal for Calen Addison) will eat up a significant chunk of that space.
That means a big-money player on the roster will almost certainly have to be moved. It is just a matter of who. No-movement clauses (Mats Zuccarello, Jonas Brodin and Jared Spurgeon complicate that process a little, but if the Wild are going to keep their best young players and keep adding to the roster some money is going to have to move.
1. Get Pierre-Luc Dubois
It might be the worst-kept secret in hockey at this point that Dubois wants to play for Montreal and the Canadiens should be willing to oblige to make that a reality.
Dubois is an outstanding player and wants to play there.
The Canadiens have a need for a big-time, two-way center.
And if they can get him it would give the team an outstanding 1-2 punch at center with Dubois and Nick Suzuki.
It might cost them somebody like Kirby Dach and a high pick and they would still need to clear salary-cap space to pay him, but it would all be worth it for a Canadiens team that has a good young core in place and needs to start building around it.
2. Improve goaltending
The best way to help a young, rebuilding team gain some confidence is to give them a goalie that can steal some games and get them some extra wins.
The duo of Jake Allen and Sam Montembeault is not likely to do that.
Maybe the Canadiens are not yet in a position to acquire Connor Hellebuyck or Juuse Saros, but that does not mean they can not be active for another veteran that can be an upgrade over last year’s duo.
Let Barry Trotz rebuild the team from the ground up
For the first time in franchise history, the Predators have a new general manager with Barry Trotz officially taking over for David Poile.
Poile did Trotz quite a favor by nearly giving him a clean slate to work with in trading several players at the deadline and stockpiling a cupboard full of draft picks and salary-cap space.
It was a good start.
Now Trotz needs to finish it.
The Predators made a valiant run at a playoff spot at the end of the season, but that is pretty much the best this roster can hope for. It has shown over the past two years that it needs absolutely every little thing to go absolutely perfect just to have a chance to maybe sneak into the playoffs as a No. 8 seed and get bulldozed by a Stanley Cup contender.
Who really wants that for their team?
The Predators already moved on from Mattias Ekholm at the deadline, a major core player for a long time and it might be time to move on from another this offseason — starting goalie Juuse Saros.
Saros can be one of the best goalies in the NHL, but there is only so far he can drag this team every year. Goalie trade value is sometimes lower than you might expect it to be, even for their elites at the position, but given how weak the free-agent market is this offseason the Predators might be able to land a nice haul if they put Saros on the market.
You do not want to be stuck in mediocrity. This core is not going to get any better than it is right now, and right now it is a fringe playoff team. Let the new GM start fresh.
1. Make a decision on Timo Meier
The Devils entered the offseason with two of the most significant restricted free agent situations in the league with Jesper Bratt and Timo Meier.
Bratt has already been signed to a new long-term deal, leaving Meier is the next priority.
Meier was one of the biggest trade-deadline acquisitions made this past season and would look awfully nice skating alongside a young New Jersey core that is already overflowing with talent.
Forty-goal power forwards do not exactly grow on trees and when you are lucky enough to get one in the prime of their career you should do everything in your power to keep it.
Even after signing Bratt for $7.6 million per year the Devils still have more than $26 million in salary-cap space to work with. If they want, they could pay Meier and add him to their core.
If they don’t feel he is worth it, a trade of his RFA rights would be the next option.
2. Improve goaltending
The Devils are another Stanley Cup contender that has every possible piece it could possibly need to win a championship except for one of the most valuable positions in the sport.
Vitek Vanecek and MacKenzie Blackwood are probably not the answer and that resulted in Akira Schmid taking over the goaltending duties in the playoffs.
He handled himself well, but it would be quite a risk for the Devils to assume he can backstop the team over the course of a full season and playoff run.
If the Devils decided to part ways with Meier it would create even more cap space to potentially make a big push for one of the top-tier goalies that could be available.
Make sure Ilya Sorokin does not go anywhere
There is only one primary reason the Islanders in their current form are even remotely competitive.
Sorokin is that reason.
He is one of the top-three goalies (at worst) in hockey and every night masks a series of defensive and offensive shortcomings on Long Island.
He should not only be a Vezina Trophy contender, but he should also be getting serious MVP consideration.
He is also entering the final year of his contract and is one year away from unrestricted free agency.
Before the Islanders do anything else this offseason, before they make any other additions or changes to their team, they should try to get Sorokin signed to a long-term deal as soon as he is eligible for that in early July.
They do not even sniff the playoffs without him and he is the type of goalie that just might be good enough to consistently elevate a mediocre team.
Address scoring depth and figure out how to get the most out of their young prospects
After reaching the Eastern Conference Finals a year ago and then adding two huge names in Vladimir Tarasenko and Patrick Kane at the trade deadline, the New York Rangers were supposed to be a favorite to win the Stanley Cup this season.
In the end, they did not even make it out of the first round of the playoffs and it was some of the same concerns that existed coming into the season.
Specifically, whether or not they had enough scoring depth and if their young players would take a big step forward.
They did not have enough depth and the young players did not take any sort of a step.
Will bringing in Peter Laviolette to replace Gerard Gallant help fix that?
The bottom line for the Rangers is this: If players like Alexis Lafrenière, Kaapo Kakko and K’Andre Miller do not become top-tier players, this rebuild isn’t going to have the result it was supposed to have. The veterans like Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider and Vincent Trocheck are going to start losing a step and slowing down at some point in the near future if they already have not.
That means it is going to be time for the top draft picks to take the torch and become the focal point of the team. If they can, and if they can start playing like the No. 1 and 2 overall picks they were, the Rangers might have a chance to do something special and bring the Stanley Cup back to broadway.
If they do not, none of it is going to work.
No offseason move, hiring, signing or trade will change that fact.
1. Trade Alex DeBrincat
You can’t blame the Senators for taking a major swing and trading for Alex DeBrincat a year ago.
He was a two-time 40-goal scorer in the prime of his career and it kickstarted an aggressive offseason that should have actually given Senators fans some real hope for the first time in years.
But it seems unlikely that a long-term contract extension is in the cards for the Senators and DeBrincat, so a trade might be the logical outcome here.
It would help them recoup some of the draft picks they lost over the last two years in trading for him and defenseman Jakob Chychru and it would help them save salary-cap space to address other areas.
The Senators’ roster is loaded with offensive talent that is mostly all signed long-term, so dealing DeBrincat to help fill out other areas would not be terribly damaging. If anything, it makes complete sense given the uncertainty around his willingness to sign a long-term deal with the team.
They took a chance, it didn’t work long-term. Nobody is to blame. Time to hit the reset button on that transaction.
2. Improve goaltending
Trading DeBrincat for more assets and saving that salary-cap space could also help the Senators fix its biggest issue: Goaltending.
It is an issue not only because the Senators did not get quality goaltending this season, but also because Anton Forsberg is the only NHL goalie under contract.
The Senators had some of the worst goaltending in the league this season and if they’re going to make a push for a playoff spot in a tough division and Eastern Conference, they’re going to have to fix that.
Figure out where they are and where they are going
Are you trying to compete? Are you trying to rebuild? What are you and where do you want to be?
Those are the only questions that matter for general manager Danny Brière and his new front office.
The Flyers keep getting themselves stuck in a messy middle ground between competing and rebuilding, trying to do both at the same time. That never works out well for anybody. The decision to trade Ivan Provorov seems to indicate what direction this thing might be going in and, if you’re at a point where you’re making that move, similar moves should be on the horizon.
That means Travis Konecny, Kevin Hayes and perhaps even starting goalie Carter Hart should be put up on the market with a giant for sale sign in the front yard.
The Flyers have put this off for too long. Time to rip off the band-aid and do it right.
1. Buyout Mikael Granlund
The decision to trade for Granlund at the trade deadline was the real turning point for former general manager Ron Hextall. It was at that point that everybody knew for certain he was in over his head as the team’s GM and had no real sense of what sort of job needed to be done.
Granlund solved none of the Penguins’ issues and simply added another big contract to a player on the wrong side of 30 to a roster that already had too many of those players.
Unless Hextall gets hired somewhere else nobody is likely to trade for that contract, so a buyout is the most sensible option. And it is actually pretty favorable for the Penguins over the next two years and would create an additional $4 million in salary-cap space. That will enable the Penguins to aggressively try to restock their depth around Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.
2. Make a goalie decision
Goaltending has been a huge issue the past couple of seasons for the Penguins and their starter, Tristan Jarry, is set to become an unrestricted free agent.
They have salary-cap space to play with, but no, hockey ops leader Kyle Dubas has never made it a habit to spend big on goaltending.
If Jarry were a free agent on another team, he might actually be the type of player Dubas might target based on what we saw during his time in Toronto. The question with Jarry is not as much ability as it is the ability to stay healthy.
If the Penguins can get this position right this offseason, their window might stay open for another year or two. If not, it is going to be more of the same.
Continue the rebuild and move Erik Karlsson
It simply needs to happen and this is the best time to do it.
It stinks for Sharks fans, but it is the best outcome for everybody involved.
By trading Timo Meier at the deadline, the Sharks were basically telling the world they are kicking the rebuild into overdrive, and, after four consecutive non-playoff seasons this team still seems years away from being a contender.
That should make it easy for Karlsson to be accepting of a trade as he looks to complete his Hall of Fame resume with a Stanley Cup.
Karlsson’s contract will be tough for contenders to take on, but the fact he is coming off a 100-point season and showed the NHL he is still an elite player certainly makes him way more attractive on the trade market. It also means his trade value for the Sharks is probably at an all-time high.
The Sharks need to badly restock their cupboard. Karlsson needs to get to a contender. Make it happen.
1. Get Vince Dunn signed
One of the more curious decisions in Seattle’s expansion draft was the decision to pass on Vladimir Tarasenko from the St. Louis Blues and instead opt for defenseman Vince Dunn.
In hindsight, it was the correct move.
Tarasenko has run out of steam over the past two years, while Dunn has emerged as one of the leaders and most impactful players on Seattle’s defense.
Now it is time for him to get paid.
He is one of Seattle’s top contract priorities this offseason as a restricted free agent and is coming off of an outstanding 14-goal, 64-point season from the Kraken blue line. That type of production is extremely valuable from a defenseman, and Dunn is still only 26 years old, in the prime of his career. He should be the focal point of their defense for the foreseeable future.
2. Improve goaltending
When the Kraken entered the league they made a huge commitment to trying to build their roster from the net out, paying big money to Philipp Grubauer and Chris Driedger.
Goaltending has actually been the biggest weakness the first two years of their existence, even through their playoff journey this season.
Grubauer is still signed for a couple of more years, but Driedger is a potential buyout candidate while this year’s backup — Martin Jones — is a pending unrestricted free agent.
They either need to get a capable backup for Grubauer that can push him for playing time, or somebody that is a clear upgrade.
Give this team a goalie and they might be a top Western Conference Stanley Cup contender.
1. Figure out a way to get out of Jordan Binnington’s contract
Binnington’s career with the Blues peaked in his first season when he came out of nowhere to lead the team to a Stanley Cup victory.
It has been mostly downhill ever since then, featuring playoff meltdowns, on-ice meltdowns, bad play and poor production.
He is a headache on the ice with a cap-crushing contract off of it.
His no-trade clause, as well as the $6 million salary-cap hit, will make a trade extremely difficult but there are always ways around that stuff. Clauses can be waived, salary can be retained and hidden elsewhere if you are creative enough.
That should be the Blues’ top priority.
The Blues’ roster has taken a big step backward from where it was during its Stanley Cup year, but there is still a lot of talent here, especially offensively, that can still compete with better goaltending.
2. Address the defense
Binnington, however, is not the only problem with the Blues’ ability to prevent goals.
The defense is also an issue and it has a lot of problems.
There are some big contracts there (with no-trade clauses) and it is simply a unit that has significantly regressed over the past few years thanks to the departures of Alex Pietrangelo and Vince Dunn.
They needed to get help for it a year ago and still need to now.
The Blues have the potential to score a lot of goals this season. But they also have the potential to give up a lot as presently constructed.
Clear salary-cap space and recoup some draft picks
The Lightning went all in once again on trying to get back to the Stanley Cup Final, and as a result, they’ve nearly erased all of their draft pick capital over the next two years.
In the 2023 class they own three picks: A sixth-round pick and two seventh-round picks.
They do not have a pick until the third round in 2024 and they have no first-round pick in 2025.
They also have almost no salary-cap space with only 17 players under contract.
The good news is most of their most important players are already signed long-term. The bad news is they still need to fill out a roster.
They might be able to accomplish the cap-clearing and draft pick recapturing at the same time depending on who they move.
Anthony Cirelli, Mikhail Sergachev and Erik Cernak all have big contracts, while still having big trade value with no-trade limitations on their deals. If the Lightning wanted to be bold, they could probably get back a haul for one of them while also creating some much-needed breathing room under the cap.
Tanner Jeannot is also an interesting name to watch. The Lightning paid a massive price to acquire him at the deadline from Nashville, sending five draft picks and Cal Foote to Nashville in exchange for him. The value with him was his cheap contract and team control for the next few years. But it was an insane price to pay for Jeannot and he never really seemed to click offensively. Would they want to pay him and further contribute to their cap crunch?
1. Buyout Matt Murray
The Maple Leafs rolled the dice in the hopes that Murray could regain the form he showed early in his career with the Pittsburgh Penguins, but it simply didn’t work out. It reached the point that even when he was healthy in the playoffs, he was relegated to healthy scratch status and watched from the press box.
He has one year remaining on his contract, but the Maple Leafs do not have the salary-cap flexibility to hope for a rebound.
A buyout would actually be very favorable to them and save more than $5 million in salary-cap space. There is a minimal hit in 2024-25, but Toronto needs the extra cap space now.
2. Make a decision on the core four
After another playoff flameout, the focus is again going to be on Toronto’s core of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares and William Nylander.
Is this the offseason that one of them goes? New general manager Brad Treliving is not afraid to be bold and make significant trades involving star players.
Matthews is the face of the franchise and its best player, so probably not him.
Tavares has a contract that is probably impossible to move.
Marner would take quite a return given his production.
But what about William Nylander? In the short term, he is probably the best bargain out of the group given his salary-cap hit and production. But he is also entering the final year of his contract and Toronto might not have the ability to pay him what he could command after this season.
That might be the player to watch.
1. Get out from J.T. Miller’s contract
Miller is by no means a bad player, especially right now at this point in his career.
But his contract could be very problematic in the future and Vancouver has a very small window before July 1 where they can still move it without Miller being able to restrict it with his no-trade clause.
The Canucks tried to move him to Pittsburgh at the deadline, but that deal fell through. Now that Ron Hextall is out of the picture those talks are probably finished.
But Vancouver should still try to aggressively shop Miller and try to get out of that deal before it becomes another drain on their salary cap in the future. They already have too many of those deals on the books. They do not need another.
Between Miller, Brock Boeser and Conor Garland, the Canucks have a handful of significant forwards that should probably be dealt this offseason. Every year, Vancouver gets this idea in its head that it is closer to competing than it really is and it just further prolongs the mediocrity they are stuck in.
2. Sign Elias Pettersson to a contract extension
He is their best player and showed this past season that he can be one of the league’s elite offensive players. He will be eligible for a new contract extension when the new league year begins in July and Vancouver should make getting him signed to an extension a top priority.
He will be a restricted free agent after this season, and that should be a headache the Canucks want to avoid.
Get him signed now and lock him in through his prime years and several UFA years.
Re-sign Adin Hill
If you are expecting him to repeat exactly what he did in the playoffs, you might be setting yourself up for disappointment. But even if does not duplicate that production, Hill should still be a very capable goalie for the Golden Knights and give them a potentially strong tandem alongside a healthy Logan Thompson.
It is going to be a tricky negotiation, though, because he has the Stanley Cup performance to hang his hat on, but not a significant body of work overall. There is some projection that has to happen here for both sides. And that can be almost impossible with goalies. But he earned a new deal and it would make perfect sense for him to remain right where he is to help defend their title.
Beyond that, Vegas does not really have much else high on its priority list.
The core players are in place, the roster is obviously good, and other than Ivan Barbashev and Phil Kessel, there isn’t a significant free-agent situation to deal with.
1. Buyout Anthony Mantha
Mantha arrived in Washington with huge expectations, but it simply hasn’t worked out as anybody hoped.
That entire trade with Detroit (which saw Jakub Vrana go to the Red Wings) looked like the type of deal where both teams were getting exactly what they wanted and needed, but in the end nobody actually won.
Mantha has one year left on his contract, and a buyout this year would clear $4.3 million under the salary cap for the Capitals.
Even though the team is re-tooling a little bit, it is still not going to completely throw in the towel and rebuild as long as Alex Ovechkin is on the roster chasing Wayne Gretzky’s goal record. Every little bit of salary cap space matters, and the Capitals can clear a lot of it here.
2. Aggressively shop Evgeny Kuznetsov
With Nicklas Backstrom’s career breaking down due to health and Kuznetsov rapidly declining the Capitals need to do something about their center depth.
Kuznetsov is a name that has been in trade speculation for a couple of years now and his value is not likely to get any higher than it is. Getting out from the last two years of his contract would also be beneficial.
There is still enough talent there that a center-needy team with salary-cap space might want to roll the dice and hope for a bounceback.
This just seems like a situation where everybody needs a change and a fresh start.
Contract and financial information provided by CapFriendly.com
Finally make some real changes
During his tenure as Winnipeg Jets general manager, Kevin Cheveldayoff has been one of the most inactive GMs in the league.
He rarely makes significant free agent signings.
Trades are rare and often times inconsequential.
And on the rare occasion a significant trade is made, it is usually because a player has forced their way out.
That seems like it could change this offseason.
The Jets are clearly a team that has grown stale with this core and has reached its mediocre ceiling. Pierre-Luc Dubois does not want to re-sign here. Connor Hellebuyck does not want to be a part of a rebuild. Mark Scheifele could probably bring a significant return in a trade. Any and all of those players could be on the move over the next few weeks, and it might be exactly what the Jets needs.
It would signify a pretty substantial rebuild, but that would probably be better than the alternative of continuing to be stuck in mud not going anywhere. This core has proven it is not good enough to win. It is time to find a core that might have that potential.