Speculation: Most interesting off season teams to watch.

[JoeSakic13]

I gotta say Vancouver. They were on the way to a successful rebuild, but this season has them much higher than I ever expected.

Yet to see how they’ll fare in the playoffs, but they could very well go deep.

 

[KrisLetAngry]

Pittsburgh Penguins.

I'm expecting a lot of changes. Curious to see if it happens.

 

[Chapin Landvogt]

NYI:
Expected to move on are UFAs Matt Martin, Cal Clutterbuck, & Robert Bortuzzo as well as RFA Oliver Wahlstrom.

Dmen Sebastian Aho seems to have gained favor with Patrick Roy, but could just as easily hit the UFA market.

Mike Reilly on D is a UFA, but has been one of the few surprising bright spots this season. Looks like a player to continue working with.

***
There's a solid core to continue with, but changes simply must be made. The team remains so homogenous and continues to dwell in mediocreville.

The are precious few tradeable assets, but the most valuable (i.e. those who could bring a return) require a change in direction (and the locker room culture). Management will have to be ready to bite the bullet and make the hard to decision to alter the course a bit while opening up contract spots and simply getting a bit younger and faster in the process.

The trade deadline looked like a good time to start that process, but the team won 6 in a row and management clearly decided to ride this season out with what it's got.

***
Speaking of management, a change in direction on the ice and in the locker room may only come if there's a change in the GM position.

If Lamoriello were to be removed by the owners, then the Islanders become a very interesting franchise to watch this summer because anyone coming in will be doing so to bring a certain amount of change with him, surely looking to make his mark right off the bat.

***
PS) The team is in a fairly new building and the info that season ticket prices are going up at a time where fewer people are going to the games does not bode well for a plan that basically calls for "more of the same". Some kind of new incentive will need to be thrown out there.

 

[McJedi]

Pittsburgh Penguins.

I'm expecting a lot of changes. Curious to see if it happens.

How?

What teams are going to line up to acquire bad contracts on washed-up, aging ex-stars not named Crosby.

 

[Chainshot]

Hughes offersheet Jarvis to keep the Habs-Canes feud alieve.

I was like... why would New Jersey do this for a moment.

 

[KrisLetAngry]

How?

What teams are going to line up to acquire bad contracts on washed-up, aging ex-stars not named Crosby.

Graves try to find a D man swap or forward swap on another team not working.

Carter and Harkins gone (staples on 4th line) open spots for young guys

Smith with one year left. Teams will be interested.

Rakell - I don't really expect him to get traded and I don't expect any real value. Could be a piece in a trade similar to how Bunting was for Guentzel.

Cap space available to make a couple of moves and shape the roster.


We have things we can do. We have the cap space to get 1 high end forward if they want to come here.

 

[Bijelo]

Less interesting off season teams:

Toronto
Vancouver
Calgary

 

[barry halls]

It's gotta be the Oilers near the top - there is a chance that they have to trade Leon Draisaitl this summer which would obviously be one of the biggest off-season stories in hockey. The ramifications of this would be huge and would lead to speculation about potentially being forced to trade McDavid the following summer. This could be a franchise-altering off-season for the Oilers depending on what Leon decides to do.

 

[TurgPavs]

Vegas by far is going to have an interesting off season.
1 first round pick over the next 3 drafts, no 2nd, 3rd, 4th, of 5th round pick in the 24 draft.
They have drafted 1 player who has contributed to the current roster, Hague.
7 UFA's this summer, and they might be able to sign 2-3 of those guys.
Their Prospect pool is ranked 24-28 depending on which service you review.
They will have one of the oldest teams heading into next season.
They have drafted 50 players over the last 7 drafts, 40 of those guys have never played in an NHL game OR they where traded.
Not sure how this is sustainable.

Not to mention, they are hanging on to the last WC spot in the West right now. If they falter down the line, its going to get ugly in Vegas.

 

[TurgPavs]

As a Blues fan I cant see Army moving CP nor Binnington, unless its a ridiculous offer. Hofer has played well this season, and Zherdenko and Ellis have both preformed well in the A, so there is some depth at the position, however I think that might be a little early to move Binny.

I would imagine that Buch, possibly Kyrou could be available to upgrade the defense, however that would mean that Army would need to move out either Krug or Faulk, and not sure there are too many options for those contracts.
It will be interesting to see what Army does. Does he accelerate the rebuild/retool or does he use the 12+ million in cap space to add some middle 6 forwards or defensemen.

On the prospect front, while Dean, Kessel, and Bolduc have been called up this season, I am not sure if you will see a guy like Snuggy or Dvorsky jump full time in the NHL next season. More likely they may need some time in the AHL.

 

[Arthur Morgan]

I know that we are still 3 months away from the off season but I can't help but look forward a little bit because I'm intrigued by what several teams are going to do.

Not just my own either, although I do think Treliving will truly put his stamp on this team because he's not going to be coming in 5 weeks before the draft this time.

But the Blues too, if they miss the playoffs is Parayko really available? and what about Binnington? Hofer has played very well, has he done enough to make the Blues think about moving on from Binner is it rebuild time in St Louis?

What about Columbus? Merzlinks wants out, we know that he's said it but I also wonder about Laine, and Provrov.

What does Pittsburgh do? do they start looking towards the future? I don't think so, I don't think they can, I mean, I think they are going to trade Reilly Smith, but beyond that I don't think they can afford to focus on the future because last I checked they were in the bottom 10 of the league meaning they keep their 2024 1st round pick but lose their 2025, they can't afford to suck in 2025 so I think they go for it again because they have to but I'm not sure It's going to work.

Ottawa is another one what do they do with Chcyrun and Norris?

What does Carolina do if Pesce walks?

Does Winnipeg keep Monahan and Toffoli? I think they should.

The goalie Market is arguably overflowing

Ullmark
Gibson
Markstrom
Saros
Merzlinks
Binnington?
Jarry?
Vejmelka?
Kempeur?

Teams like

Colorado,
La,

Toronto because Toronto only has 1 goalie under contract next year so they have to bring in at least one goalie,

NJ Although they made a move already, although I find it hard to believe Jake Allen is truly their guy.

I think there are A LOT of interesting teams to watch over the next few months what happens with Stamkos?

Who are you keeping an eye on?

for Toronto it will likely be Woll/Hildeby and they grab something very cheap. like they did with Martin Jones. they got no cao

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

for Toronto it will likely be Woll/Hildeby and they grab something very cheap. like they did with Martin Jones. they got no cao

I don't think It's Hildeby that doesn't even make logical sense, you know Woll is injury prone because he's missed 3 months this year and the backup is going to be a guy who is currently in his first season in North America?

That's not the plan, it can't be.

 

[FriendlyGhost92]

Detroit will be interesting simply because they have to extend both Seider and Raymond.

How they handle those two contracts means a lot going forward.

 

[Arthur Morgan]

I don't think It's Hildeby that doesn't even make logical sense, you know Woll is injury prone because he's missed 3 months this year and the backup is going to be a guy who is currently in his first season in North America?

That's not the plan, it can't be.

well unfortunately the plan was to get Matthews and Nylander extended and rounding out the team last. chances are we wont see many big signings just bargain bin shopping and trying to solve our issues with our prospects. Hildeby is pretty solid. he deserves a shot.

right now we need to refill the cupboards for a season or two. get our core signed and let the cap continue to rise.

I mean who knows maybe we do but I think we run with Woll/Hildeby and see what we got. with Matthews, Nylander, Marner, Tavares and Rielly signed and needing I think 4 forwards and atleast 3 Dman to sign I just dunno how there will be any cap left for goalies

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

well unfortunately the plan was to get Matthews and Nylander extended and rounding out the team last. chances are we wont see many big signings just bargain bin shopping and trying to solve our issues with our prospects. Hildeby is pretty solid. he deserves a shot.

right now we need to refill the cupboards for a season or two. get our core signed and let the cap continue to rise.

I mean who knows maybe we do but I think we run with Woll/Hildeby and see what we got. with Matthews, Nylander, Marner, Tavares and Rielly signed and needing I think 4 forwards and atleast 3 Dman to sign I just dunno how there will be any cap left for goalies

I don't think they are spending less than 2 million on goaltending.

They have 20+ million in cap space without any trades, and while I do believe most of that should and will go to overhauling the defense teams don't spend less than 2 million on goaltending.

That's not going to realistically happen.

 

[Arthur Morgan]

I don't think they are spending less than 2 million on goaltending.

They have 20+ million in cap space without any trades, and while I do believe most of that should and will go to overhauling the defense teams don't spend less than 2 million on goaltending.

That's not going to realistically happen.

I dunno what they are really going to do, 20m isnt that much
Dewar, Robertson, Gregor, Simon and Liljegren need new contracts, we need to replace Bertuzzi, Domi, Brodie, Edmundson and Lyubushkin

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

I dunno what they are really going to do, 20m isnt that much
Dewar, Robertson, Gregor, Simon and Liljegren need new contracts, we need to replace Bertuzzi, Domi, Brodie, Edmundson and Lyubushkin

Thing is a lot of the guys you mentioned don't need new contracts they don't need to be brought back.

Gregor for example has done nothing to suggest he should be brought back.

Lilly is highly inconsistent he's either top 4 D or completely unplayable, It's been 7 years It's time to move on.

Robertson is the guy I wonder about, Keefe doesn't seem to trust him, I think he's getting packaged off.

Benoit yes, bring him back.

Rielly, McCabe and Benoit should be on next years defense, the rest need to go.

MAYBE Brodie can be effective as a 3rd pair guy, but he'd have to take a CHEAP deal.

 

[Golden_Jet]

I don't think they are spending less than 2 million on goaltending.

They have 20+ million in cap space without any trades, and while I do believe most of that should and will go to overhauling the defense teams don't spend less than 2 million on goaltending.

That's not going to realistically happen.

That 20 million need to sign
1 goalie
3 Defenders
4 forwards
to ice the minimum roster
Tight next year, be easier year after when JT salary comes down.

 

[Arthur Morgan]

Thing is a lot of the guys you mentioned don't need new contracts they don't need to be brought back.

Gregor for example has done nothing to suggest he should be brought back.

Lilly is highly inconsistent he's either top 4 D or completely unplayable, It's been 7 years It's time to move on.

Robertson is the guy I wonder about, Keefe doesn't seem to trust him, I think he's getting packaged off.

Benoit yes, bring him back.

Rielly, McCabe and Benoit should be on next years defense, the rest need to go.

MAYBE Brodie can be effective as a 3rd pair guy, but he'd have to take a CHEAP deal.

not saying they need to be brought back but their roster spot needs to be replaced by something
I dunno Im not willing to just move on from Liljegren hes still young and move on to what? replacing atleast 3 or 4 Dman on the open market likely isnt happening with only 20m actually less after we sign forwards

 

[Jeune Poulet]

So many teams to watch but I'll pick one for each division:

Atlantic: Sabres

13 years straight without making the playoffs. 3 of their key players are LHDs (lol). They have a ton of valuable assets that are turning into career losers. Kevyn Adams hasn't turned things around in 4 seasons and need to do something. Their coach is also on the hot seat.

Metropolitan: Canes

They have a ton of upcoming UFAs and they will also have a lot of players in their last contract season. I expect a lot of moves from Waddell, who is often a proactive guy. They have a lot of options and not much pressure.

Central: Coyotes

They have a ton of artificial cap money that is about to disappear. They have played 1 playoffs round the last 12 years. GM and coach have been there for three seasons without accomplishing anything. Their future in Arizona is in question. And whether they want to stay or leave, it's probably the right timing to try and improve their stock and drum up interest.

Pacific: Knights

They have the opposite problem to a lot of team: they will have too many contracts next season! They're packed with quality players. They are one of the most attractive destination in the league. It's going to be interesting to see how they assemble the puzzle next season.

 

[bringbacktheskate604]

Vancouver has a ton of cap like 58 million but have a ton of UFA's and Hronek.
Do they sign as many UFA's of their own, or do they go after Guentzel (sp) Peace etc?
Do we see Garland moved after rebuilding his value?
Is Mikheyev moved?
Lots of things I guess depend on how the playoffs go

 

[bringbacktheskate604]

I gotta say Vancouver. They were on the way to a successful rebuild, but this season has them much higher than I ever expected.

Yet to see how they’ll fare in the playoffs, but they could very well go deep.

Tons of cap, tons of UFA's, playoffs likely have a big say in who's coming back and who they might target July 1st

 

[LeonDraisaitl]

But they wouldn’t.

Well in his Be a Gm mode they did so..

 

[sxvnert]

Definitely pitt. Dubas will do everything possible to prove hes a real GM before the fanbase figures out he's full of crap.

 

[Gaud]

I am going to say the habs because they are in a phase that they have sold their best players to maximize assets, and now they have more contracts and picks than they can handle. They will soon enter a phase where they start consolidating these assets soon enough. We have too many D, so im looking at quality forwards (RW?) being targeted

Also, depending on how they view the youngsters' progress, they may end up selling on a few vets .