Top Offseason Priorities for Teams Eliminated in 1st Round of 2016 NHL Playoffs
Some famous franchises were kicked to the curb in the first round of the 2016 NHL playoffs, including the two most successful teams of the last six years. Springtime for fans of the Chicago Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings is going to feel strange this year, but both clubs are expected to return to the playoffs and have deep runs in the postseason in 2017.
There are a few teams that might have longer building programs. The New York Rangers looked slow and old on the blue line, and the Detroit Red Wings are at a crossroads as Pavel Datsyuk prepares for the next phase of his career.
This summer will be anything but boring, and some of the marquee franchises in the game are impatient for change. Here are the top priorities for teams eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, with a quick look at some possible solutions.
Anaheim Ducks
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The Priority: The Anaheim Ducks need a new head coach. Under Bruce Boudreau, the club went all the way to the Western Conference Final in 2015, and many felt 2016 would be the season the Stanley Cup was back in Anaheim. It did not happen, and the Ducks wasted little time firing Boudreau, per the Associated Press (via ESPN).
Why It Must Be Addressed: In the AP article, general manager Bob Murray made it clear that each of the last four seasons—which ended with Game 7 losses after the team held 3-2 series leads—made him feel a need to switch coaches. Based on Murray's comments, fans can expect more changes over the summer in terms of roster movement.
Analysis: The Ducks will probably look to add a scoring winger and may have to make a decision on one of their restricted free-agent defenders. The new head coach could come from an internal source, as Paul MacLean, Trent Yawney and Dallas Eakins are all in the system and have previous experience as NHL head coaches.
Chicago Blackhawks
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The Priority: The Chicago Blackhawks are in cap trouble and need relief. The website General Fanager has the team already at $65 million for next season with a plethora of free agents to sign. The dual $10.5 million-per-year deals of Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane are going to make this summer an adventure for general manager Stan Bowman.
Why It Must Be Addressed: The Blackhawks have some cracks forming on the roster. Bowman and his staff have performed brilliantly, but in the cap world, even brilliant signings—like Artemi Panarin—have bonus dollars attached that can impact the salary cap the following season.
Analysis: Chicago will likely send away some veteran talent this summer for less expensive help. The major problem is many of its biggest stars have no-movement clauses or limited no-trade deals. We could see a player like Bryan Bickell, who has a limited no-trade pact, dealt with a sweetener just to get his money off the books. Other players who may be in a similar spot include Artem Anisimov, Marcus Kruger and Andrew Shaw. As painful as dealing one or more of these guys could be, Bowman has shown an exceptional ability to juggle assets each summer and deliver a quality team every winter.
Detroit Red Wings
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The Priority: Mitch Albom of the Detroit Free Press reported April 11 that Detroit Red Wings legend Pavel Datsyuk was set to leave the team and head home to Russia after the playoffs. This would effectively end his NHL career.
Why It Must Be Addressed: The Red Wings are losing the face of the franchise—an iconic figure across the league—and are still on the hook for a $7.5 million cap hit.
Analysis: This is a potentially massive development, and Detroit must act quickly. There is a chance the club can trade the contract to a franchise in need of cap dollars to reach the salary floor, but replacing the complete talent of Datsyuk is a different matter. This exit could signal a changing of the guard in the Motor City and possibly a season or two outside the playoffs. Detroit general manager Ken Holland is one of the great tacticians in the game and needs to be innovative.
Florida Panthers
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The Priority: The Florida Panthers must act quickly to get some important free agents under contract for next season. Before their early playoff exit, the Panthers won the Atlantic Division, and they appear close to becoming a Stanley Cup contender.
Why It Must Be Addressed: Many of the Panthers' veterans entering free agency—Jaromir Jagr and Brian Campbell among them—have been key for a young and emerging team. Keeping those quality players will be even more important than expected with the news from the Associated Press (via ESPN) that captain Willie Mitchell is unlikely to return.
Analysis: General manager Dale Tallon has consistently added quality veterans like Campbell and Jagr, and getting their names on contracts for next season will be vital for the team to take that next step. George Richards of the Miami Herald reported Tuesday that Tallon and Jagr are talking, and we could see the big forward re-sign in Florida soon.
Los Angeles Kings
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The Priority: The Los Angeles Kings were bumped from the playoffs early, but there were signs of trouble all season. The Kings have several players drawing major dollars without delivering results commensurate with their pay grade. Dustin Brown and Marian Gaborik are the two obvious examples of big dollars being spent on disappointing production.
Why It Must Be Addressed: Los Angeles is an attractive free-agent destination, and Milan Lucic is a player who could help the Kings for years to come. Like most teams that have had success, L.A. has too many players making major money, so re-signing even one free agent—like Lucic—is an ordeal.
Analysis: We may see some offloading from the Kings this summer. The defense behind Drew Doughty, Jake Muzzin and Alec Martinez is thin, and re-signing Lucic will be costly. Counting the new deal for Anze Kopitar that kicks in this fall, money is tight in Los Angeles.
Minnesota Wild
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The Priority: The Minnesota Wild have to make a decision on a head coach. The Wild had an unusual year. For the first time in team history, they released a head coach—Mike Yeo—in the middle of a season. His replacement was John Torchetti, who did a solid job after taking over.
Why It Must Be Addressed: Minnesota has to make a decision on its coach before drilling down possible solutions to its roster issues. If the Wild want to pursue a higher-profile candidate—like the newly available Bruce Boudreau—they must make a quick decision on Torchetti's future.
Analysis: Torchetti may be the man for the job, as the Associated Press (via ESPN) quoted general manager Chuck Fletcher saying Torchetti is a serious candidate. But there are other options. The talent on Minnesota's roster is a veteran group, and a proven coach like Boudreau has to be tempting.
New York Rangers
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The Priority: The New York Rangers had a strong regular season—finishing with 101 points—but were exposed as slow and old by the faster Pittsburgh Penguins in Round 1 of the playoffs. The big issue was on defense, where erosion and a reliance on slower, one-dimensional players had a major impact on the series.
Why It Must Be Addressed: The Rangers have one of the best goalies in the NHL. Henrik Lundqvist had another great regular season, but he was no match for Pittsburgh because the Penguins got great looks consistently.
Analysis: New York has two expensive defensemen who will reach free-agent status this summer: Keith Yandle and Dan Boyle. So, the team will be able to maneuver with so much coming off the cap. It also has a curious habit of collecting one-dimensional defensive types—Marc Staal, Dan Girardi and young Dylan McIlrath are three examples—and avoiding two-way types who can fill multiple roles. In some cases, that Rangers back line got old in a hurry, but the bigger problem was lack of mobility—even among the players in their 20s. There is an enormous amount of work to do in Manhattan this summer.
Philadelphia Flyers
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The Priority: The Philadelphia Flyers made fantastic progress with their defense in 2015-16. With several outstanding prospects on the way, including Ivan Provorov and Travis Sanheim, they need that solid group to establish itself and ease the transition for newcomers.
Why It Must Be Addressed: An effective defense is vital for NHL teams, and Philadelphia has struggled since Chris Pronger's last game. This season, the Flyers finally showed signs of cobbling together three useful units. It's important they bring back the entire productive foundation from last season.
Analysis: Shayne Gostisbehere received a lot of attention this season and with good reason, but Radko Gudas was also a revelation. A restricted free agent, Gudas is in line for a substantial raise, and the Flyers need to get that contract done. Philadelphia may have to find a way to offload Andrew MacDonald, Nick Schultz or Mark Streit in order to make the money work, but much of the hard work has been done. General manager Ron Hextall needs to retain the best Flyers defensemen, and that probably means some turnover this summer.
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