The NHL's Eight Best Offseasons

Keith Harrison by Contributor Written on August 26, 2009

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CALGARY, AB - APRIL 22: Jarome Iginla #12 and Dion Phaneuf #3 of the Calgary Flames celebrate Iginla's empty net goal to seal the win against the Chicago Blackhawks in Game Four of the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs on A
Mike Ridewood/Getty Images

This offseason came with many teams spending tons of money and other teams going quietly about their business, making the best of their cap space.

The draft, free agency, trades, and so on are all fair game, and money spent doesn't necessarily mean a great offseason.

As well, these are not predictions for the season.

Just because a team had a good offseason doesn't mean it will have a great year; a team may have had a great draft and done a good job in free agency, yet finish near the bottom of the standings this season.

As long as the team has made good moves that are beneficial in the long run, it can have a great offseason.

New York Islanders

MONTREAL, QC - JUNE 26:  John Tavares poses for a portrait after being picked number one overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft by the New York Islander at the Bell Centre on June 26, 2009 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.  (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

The New York Islanders are a wreck for sure, but with the first overall pick this season, the Islanders did exactly what they needed to do: Draft a player that can not only help them on the ice, but help them as an organization.

If it wasn't for the signing of three (yes, three!) free agent goaltenders as backups for the very injury-prone Rick DiPietro, they would've done even better.

Philadelphia Flyers

PHILADELPHIA - JULY 06: (EDITORS NOTE: THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN DIGITALLY ALTERED) Chris Pronger #20 of the Philadelphia Flyers poses for a portrait after his first press conference as a Philadelphia Flyer at Flyer's Skate Zone on July 6, 2009 in Philadelphia,

The Chris Pronger trade gives Philly the best defense in the East, and puts them firmly into win-now mode.

They gave up quite a bit to get him, and the extension may hurt them if he plays into his 40s, but if they win a Cup, it makes it worth it.

Bringing in Ray Emery to start is a risky decision and could be a great move for this team or could bite them hard.

It will be interesting to watch for sure.

Edmonton Oilers

ANAHEIM, CA - MARCH 27:  Andrew Cogliano #13 of the Edmonton Oilers (R) looks to celebrate a goal by teammate Fernando Pisani #34 with teammates Tom Gilbert #77 and Denis Grebeshkov #37 in the first period against the Anaheim Ducks during the NHL game at

This pick will definitely raise some eyebrows, but the new coaching staff, Pat Quinn and Tom Renney, will be a big boost for this young, talented team.

Nikolai Khabibulin is past his prime, but played great for Chicago last season.

They may not be instantly competitive, but this team will improve and not getting Dany Heatley may have been a blessing in disguise.

Vancouver Canucks

CHICAGO - MAY 11:  (L-R) Kevin Bieksa #3, Daniel Sedin #22, Henrik Sedin #33 and Sami Salo #6 of the Vancouver Canucks celebrate after Daniel Sedin scored a goal in the third period against the Chicago Blackhawks during Game Six of the Western Conference

The Canucks' resigning of the Sedins for a very good deal (not the 12-year deal that was rumoured) with a very manageable cap hit was a great move for this team.

Losing Mattias Ohlund is a bigger loss than some people realize, but if the signing of Schneider happens for less than $2.5 million or so, Vancouver could have given itself a very good chance at resigning Roberto Luongo, which is the ultimate goal.

Anaheim Ducks

DETROIT - MAY 14: Bobby Ryan #9 of the Anaheim Ducks celebrates his third period goal with Corey Perry #10 and Ryan Getzlaf #15 while playing the Detroit Red Wings in Game Seven of the Western Conference Semifinals of the 2009 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs on

The Pronger trade was a trade that benefits both teams.

The bounty they got from Philly will be a big help in keeping the cupboards stocked with good young talent, and it also freed up some cap space.

After the Ryan Getzlaf/Corey Perry/Bobby Ryan line, there wasn't much offense, so Saku Koivu was brought in to get his Finnish teammate, Teemu Selanne, producing again.

The defense is not as mean as it was with Pronger there, but it is a solid group.

Toronto Maple Leafs

MONTREAL - JUNE 26:  (L-R)  Toronto Maple Leafs President & GM Brian Burke, Special Advisor Cliff Fletcher, First Round Draft Pick Nazem Kadri, Senior VP of Hockey Operations Dave Nonis and Head Coach Ron Wilson stand on the stage during the first round o

Toronto is another team that won't have a great season this year, but that doesn't diminish the fact that this was a very good offseason for this team.

They built a good foundation moving forward with the signing of Mike Komaserik.

He is not a flashy pickup, but every good team has a player like him and that is not a coincidence.

Combine those pickups with a very solid draft and the Maple Leafs have done well this offseason.

Tampa Bay Lightning

MONTREAL, QC - JUNE 26:  Second overall draft pick, Victor Hedman of the Tampa Bay Lightning poses for a portrait durng the 2009 NHL Entry Draft at the Bell Centre on June 26, 2009 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.  (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Tampa Bay has a great group of forwards, but with the additions of Victor Hedman and Mattias Ohlund, the back end improved immensely.

Hedman is the franchise D-man that Tampa has been lacking and Ohlund provides a steady presence to mentor him.

This defense, along with Steven Stamkos, will be a major cornerstone for this franchise for a long time.

This offseason will be the basis of many years of good hockey in Tampa.

Calgary Flames

NEWARK, NJ - FEBRUARY 28:  Jay Bouwmeester #4 of the Florida Panthers skates against the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center on February 28, 2009 in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils defeated the Panthers 7-2.  (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

The Calgary Flames managed to add the best defenseman on the market on a very good contract before the market even opened.

They brought in Brent Sutter to coach and actually added depth at many positions. The team wanted to focus on defense this season and both of these moves point to that very goal.

This team is very firmly in win-now mode.

Teams That Have People Fooled about Their Offseason

MONTREAL- APRIL 22:  Members of the Montreal Canadiens huddle after being defeated by the Boston Bruins 4-1 after Game Four of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals of the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Bell Centre on April 22, 2009 in Montreal, Quebec,

Einstein defined insanity as, "repeating the same task over and over again, and expecting different results."

Montreal spent millions on bringing in small, talented forwards to replace the ones that left.

The New York Rangers created cap space by trading away a bad, long-term signee and then used that cap space on another bad, long-term signing.

Chicago destroyed its cap space by signing Marian Hossa and finds itself in a fiasco with restricted free agents, meaning they have $45 million committed to 12 players (not including Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, and Duncan Keith).

All three teams added talent, but this offseason will haunt those teams for the next decade.

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written on August 26, 2009 Opinion

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