NHL Free Agents 2010: 10 Teams That Have Most Improved this Offseason

After the NHL rejected his 17-year deal, Kovalchuk is still without a home.

However, many other players have found their home for the 2010 season. While a few teams have gotten worse, most will be more competitive going into next season.

The following are the top 10 teams that have improved going into next season.

Credit to USA Today Free Agent Tracker and NHL.com Trade Tracker for information about free agents and offseason trades.

10) Minnesota Wild

Overall Trend:
Since winning their division in 2007, the Minnesota Wild have been left out of the playoffs and desperately need to be competitive this year in order to avoid losing their loyal fanbase.

Free Agents:

In
LW Guillaume Latendresse, two years, $5 million (re-signed)
C Matt Cullen, three years, $10.5 million (Senators)
LW Eric Nystrom, three years, $4.2 million (Flames)
G Josh Harding, one year, $1.2 million (re-signed)
LW Robbie Earl, one year (re-signed)

Out
LW Derek Boogaard (Rangers)
D John Scott (Blackhawks)
C Andrew Ebbett (Coyotes)

Trade:
June 21, 2010
Minnesota Wild acquire:
RW Brad Staubitz

San Jose Sharks acquire:
2010 5th round pick

Analysis:
The Minnesota got an excellent second-line center by adding hometown star Matt Cullen to the Twin Cities, and Eric Nystrom has plenty of upside as he enters his prime.

Additionally, they added Brad Staubitz, a player who loves to drop the gloves but also is relatively productive with his ice time to replace fan favorite Derek Boogaard.

Cullen's experience as a Stanley Cup champion on an underdog team should help the young Minnesota Wild take the next step towards the postseason. He is projected to play alongside Martin Havlat and Guillaume Latendresse, two players who have a lot of talent and could benefit from his presence on their line.

Nystrom is an interesting pickup because he is a bit of a project, and the Wild have a lot of players on their rosters who are underperforming. A change of scenery may help Nystrom, and if he plays to his potential, he could greatly help the Wild.

Wild fans will be upset that the team let enforcer Derek Boogaard leave in free agency, especially because he joined Gaborik in New York, but Brad Staubitz is an intense fighter (search his fight against Jordin Tootoo on YouTube) and plays well defensively.

9) Toronto Maple Leafs

Overall Trend:
The Maple Leafs have been very active in the offseason, trying to improve upon the team they have developed over the last few years.

Free Agents:

In:
RW Colby Armstrong, three years, $9 million (Thrashers)
D Brett Lebda, two years (Red Wings)
RW Nikolai Kulemin, two years, $4.7 million (re-signed)

Out:
C Jamie Lundmark (Predators)

Trades:
June 26, 2010
Toronto Maple Leafs acquire:
RW Mike Brown

Anaheim Ducks acquire:
2010 5th round pick (122nd overall)

June 26, 2010
Chicago Blackhawks acquire:
RW Jimmy Hayes

Toronto Maple Leafs acquire:
2010 2nd round pick (43rd overall)

June 30, 2010
Toronto Maple Leafs acquire:
LW Kris Versteeg
LW Bill Sweatt

Chicago Blackhawks acquire:
LW Viktor Stalberg
C Phillippe Paradis
C Christopher DiDomenico

Analysis:
Time will tell whether the team is playoff-ready, but the Maple Leafs are inching closer to the postseason every year. Although many players entered and were dismissed from the Maple Leafs' organization this year, three additions—Colby Armstrong, Brett Lebda, and Kris Versteeg—should make an impact with the Leafs next year.

A WHL standout who spent three and a half years in the Penguins' minor league system before joining the team as a full-time member in 2006, Armstrong was a part of the deal that sent Marian Hossa to the Penguins.

Armstrong has only eclipsed the 20-goal mark once, but his offensive numbers are improving and his gritty play on the ice and his ability to brighten the mood in the locker room will be valuable to the Maple Leafs.

The undrafted Brett Lebda was a consistent player in Detroit for five seasons before joining Toronto. At age 28, he's experienced and entering his prime as a player. With an expanded role playing for the Leafs, Lebda should play well and be a great addition to their roster.

Another WHL standout who spent years bouncing around in the minor leagues, Versteeg played his first full NHL season with the Hawks in 2008. Since that time, he has had two 20-goal seasons and will provide an offensive boost to the Maple Leafs next year.

8) Pittsburgh Penguins

Overall Trend:

Free Agents:

In
D Zbynek Michalek, five years, $20M (Coyotes)
D Paul Martin, five years, $25M (Devils)

Out
D Sergei Gonchar (Senators)
D Jordan Leopold (Sabres)
D Mark Eaton (Islanders)

Trades:
None

Analysis:
Two years removed from a Stanley Cup and the Pittsburgh Penguins are still a difficult team to play against in the Eastern Conference. Without dismantling their core, the Pens are looking to get younger and remain competitive.

Losing a player in his prime like Jordan Leopold is never good, but Zbynek Michalek is a solid replacement. The undrafted defenseman, whose brother Milan plays for the Senators, was highly sought after because of his strong defensive skills, durability, and shot-blocking.

On a team that loves to generate offense, Michalek is a great player to break up an odd man counterattack.

A longtime Devil, Martin joins Pittsburgh in pursuit of a championship. Not including last year, when injury prevented Martin from playing 60 games, Martin routinely puts up around 30 points a season and should remain on pace feeding Crosby, Malkin, and Staal.

7) Buffalo Sabres

Overall Trend:
The small-market, homegrown Sabres rarely make big moves in the offseason, but with Boston getting better and Ottawa nipping at their heels, the Sabres had to dip into free agency to improve their team.

Free Agents:
In
D Jordan Leopold, three years, $9 million (Penguins)
C Cody McCormick, one year, $500,000 (re-signed)
C Rob Niedermayer, one year, $1.15 million (Devils)
G Patrick Lalime, one year, $600,000 (re-signed)
RW Patrick Kaleta, two years, $1.815M (re-signed)

Out
D Toni Lydman (Ducks)
D Henrik Tallinder (Devils)

Trades:
None

Analysis:
With Toni Lydman and Henrik Tallinder leaving western New York and the Bruins greatly improving, Buffalo acquired Jordan Leopold to strengthen the defensive corps and veteran Rob Niedermayer to help the Sabres navigate through the playoffs.

The Minnesota native and former Gopher, Leopold is entering the prime of his career and should improve with more responsibility in Buffalo. Leopold does a great job of staying out of the box while providing offense from the back end. His 11 goals last year were a career high.

Niedermayer is entering the latter part of his career and after stops in Florida, Calgary, Anaheim, and New Jersey, he joins the Sabres with plenty of experience to draw from. He's a team player that makes the men on the ice around him more productive.

6) St. Louis Blues

Overall Trend:
Jaroslav Halak's ability to perform in the playoffs makes him a perfect fit for the homegrown Blues. St. Louis missed the postseason last year, but look poised to contend in the West this year and will greatly benefit from great goaltending in crunch time.

Free Agents:

In
C Alex Steen, four years (re-signed)
C Vladimir Sobotka, one year, $750,000 (re-signed)
LW Brad Winchester, one year, $700,000 (re-signed)
RW Cam Janssen, one year, $600,000 (re-signed)
D Carlo Colaiacovo, two years, $4.25 million (re-signed)
LW David Perron, two years (re-signed)

Out
G Chris Mason (Thrashers)

Trades:
June 17, 2010
St. Louis Blues acquire:
G Jaroslav Halak

Montreal Canadiens acquire:
C Lars Eller
RW Ian Schultz

June 25, 2010
Ottawa Senators acquire:
D David Rundblad

St. Louis Blues acquire:
2010 1st round pick (16th overall)

Analysis:
St. Louis' offseason consisted of resigning key players such as Carlo Colaiacovo and signing David Perron to a two-year, $4.3 million contract. The Blues' management feels that their team is playoff-ready, and more ice time will just mean more development for their young players.

The biggest addition for the Blues in the offseason was Jaroslav Halak. An upgrade from Chris Mason, Halak knows how to perform in the postseason and can help the young Blues catch the Western Conference by surprise and possibly make a playoff run this year.

5) Atlanta Thrashers

Overall Trend:
The Thrashers picked up a lot of talent, but only time will tell if the new influx of NHL-proven players will mesh with the young core established in Atlanta. The Thrashers must win now in order to keep the franchise from leaving the city.

Free Agents:
In
G Chris Mason, two years, $3.7 million (Blues)
LW Andrew Ladd (trade from Blackhawks, filed for arbitration)

Out
RW Colby Armstrong (Maple Leafs)
G Johan Hedberg (Devils)
D Pavel Kubina (Lightning)

Trades:
June 24, 2010
Atlanta Thrashers acquire:
LW Dustin Byfuglien
C Ben Eager
D Brent Sopel
RW Akim Aliu

Chicago Blackhawks acquire:
2010 1st round pick (24th overall)
2010 2nd round pick (54th overall)
C Marty Reasoner
LW Jeremy Morin
RW Joseph Crabb

July 1, 2010
Atlanta Thrashers acquire:
LW Andrew Ladd

Chicago Blackhawks acquire:
D Ivan Vishnevskiy
2011 2nd round pick

Analysis:
The Thrash capitalized on the Blackhawks' cap issues and picked up four players that should have an immediate impact in Atlanta: Dustin Byfuglien, Ben Eager, Brent Sopel, and Andrew Ladd. Additionally, picking up Chris Mason gives them a quality goaltender in net while Ondrej Pavelec develops.

Byfuglien made a name for himself during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. An eighth round pick in 2003, the gargantuan forward spent most of his career being overlooked. However, in the last three years, he has been inching towards the 20-goal mark and was a major reason why Chicago brought home the Stanley Cup last season.

Known to rack up plenty of penalty minutes, Eager is an intense player that will intimidate players entering the offensive zone.

A seasoned veteran who spent many years in the minor leagues before establishing himself in the NHL in 2000, Sopel is not extremely productive but provides a great veteran presence on a very young team.

A lot was expected of Ladd, a first rounder, when he entered the league. He was never extremely productive for either the Hurricanes or the Blackhawks, but his production is climbing and should benefit from increased ice time.

In need of a goaltender while Pavelec develops, Mason was a great acquisition for the Thrash. His two-year deal provides enough time for Pavelec to learn without impeding his progress. Mason is not a long-term solution, but management in Atlanta indicated they had a lot of faith in Pavelec when they dealt Kari Lehtonen to Dallas last year.

4) Vancouver Canucks

Overall Trend:
Entering the 2010 season, the Canucks have one of the best defensive corps in the league. Adding Malhotra also makes the team tougher to play against. The 'Nucks are inching closer to a Stanley Cup Finals berth.

Free Agents:

In
C Manny Malhotra, three years, $7.5 million (Sharks)
LW Jeff Tambellini, one year, $500,000 (Islanders)
D Dan Hamhuis, six years, $27M (Penguins)
D Shane O'Brien, one year, $1.6M (re-signed)
LW Tanner Glass, one year, $625,000 (re-signed)

Out
G Andrew Raycroft (Stars)
D Brad Lukowich (Stars)

Trade:
June 25, 2010
Vancouver Canucks acquire:
D Keith Ballard
RW Victor Oreskovich

Florida Panthers acquire:
RW Michael Grabner
RW Steve Bernier
2010 1st round pick (25th overall)

Analysis:
The biggest grab of this offseason for the Canucks is the acquisition of Dan Hamhuis. The former Nashville defenseman is solid in his own end and had more than 20 assists in every season since he entered the league in 2003.

Although the team had to give up a first-round pick and Steve Bernier, Keith Ballard is another great offseason pickup. Since entering the league in 2005, Ballard has had at least 20 points a season and lays down the cleanest hip check in the league. Having worn out his welcome in Florida—he accidentally hit goaltender Tomas Voukoun in the face with his stick last year—Ballard has come to the right place to turn his career around.

The acquisitions of Manny Malhotra and Jeff Tambellini should not go overlooked by the NHL community. Malhotra brings grit to a team that loves to staple players to the boards, and Tambellini has bounced around between the NHL and AHL, but has great upside and may flourish in Vancouver.

3) Tampa Bay Lightning

Overall Trend:
The Lighting underachieved last year and have fallen from grace since their Stanley Cup victory in 2004. Bringing in hockey legend Steve Yzerman should help the Bolts make better decisions in the offseason.

Free Agents:

In
G Dan Ellis, two years, $3 million (Canadiens)
D Pavel Kubina, two years (Thrashers)
F Niklas Persson, one year (KHL)
D Brett Clark, two years (Avalanche)
RW Teddy Purcell, one year, $750,000 (re-signed)
D Mike Lundin, one year, $750,000 (re-signed)
C Nate Thompson, one year, $625,000 (re-signed)
C Blair Jones, one year, $550,000 (re-signed)
C Paul Szczechura, one year, $550,000 (re-signed)

Out
G Antero Niittymaki (Sharks)
LW Alex Tanguay (Flames)
C Zenon Konopka (Islanders)

Trades:
July 1, 2010
Tampa Bay Lightning acquire:
2012 2nd round pick

Philadelphia Flyers acquire:
D Andrej Meszaros

July 19, 2010
Tampa Bay Lightning acquire:
LW Simon Gagne

Philadelphia Flyers acquire:
D Matt Walker
2011 4th round pick

Analysis:
Their acquisition of Simon Gagne gives the Lightning, and Steve Yzerman, instant credibility. The Bolts look like a playoff team going into the season now that they have a scorer to play with Lecavalier, St. Louis, Stamkos, and Co.

In Gagne, the Lightning have a player that has had two 40-goal seasons since the lockout and, should he stay healthy, his production should go up with the talent around him.

Trading away Andrej Meszaros is addition by subtraction. Since coming over from Ottawa, Meszaros has been a disappointing waste of cap space. In trading him, they hit two birds with one stone: they freed up room to land Gagne and landed a second round pick that can be used to pick up quality talent in the future.

Finally, the acquisition of Dan Ellis gives the Lightning a competent goaltending tandem. Incumbent Mike Smith is anything but spectacular, and Ellis was a solid goaltender in Nashville, but was ousted by standout netminder Pekka Rinne.

2) New Jersey Devils

Overall Trend:
After a disappointing season last year when the Devils tallied 103 points and earned the second seed in the East, only to fall to the Flyers in five games. The Devils have been among the best teams in the NHL, going to the playoffs every year since the lockout and should be poised for a Stanley Cup run this year.

Free Agents:

In
RW David Clarkson, three years, $8 million (re-signed)
D Henrik Tallinder, four years, $13.5 million (Sabres)
D Anton Volchenkov, six years, $25.5 million (Senators)
G Johan Hedberg, one year, $1.5 million (Thrashers)
LW Ilya Kovalchuk, 17 years, $102 million (re-signed. Deal rejected by NHL)

Out
D Paul Martin (Penguins)
C Rob Niedermayer (Sabres)

Trades:
June 19, 2010
New Jersey Devils acquire:
C Jason Arnott

Nashville Predators acquire:
RW Matt Halischuk
2011 2nd round pick

Analysis:
Jury is still out on Kovalchuk because of the questionable motivations behind his deal, but the feeling is he is going to stay in New Jersey.

However, Kovy is not the only difference maker acquired by the Devils. In a trade with the Predators, the Devils brought Jason Arnott back to New Jersey and signing Anton Volchenkov and Henrik Tallinder will bolster a defensive corps that lost defensive stalwart Paul Martin.

Arnott is getting older and his production slumped last year, but his previous three seasons in Nashville, he eclipsed the 20 goal mark and in 2008 set a team record with 33 goals.

Volchenkov and Tallinder both are experienced defensemen that will fit well in the Devil's defense-first regime. Both players will focus will be in their own zone, where they can throw their bodies around and force offensive threats off of the puck.

1) Boston Bruins

Overall Trend:
Team was on the playoff bubble last year, but should overtake Buffalo and Ottawa for the Northeast Division and contend for the Cup after offseason moves.

Free Agents:
In
LW Daniel Paille, two years, $2.15 million (re-signed)
D Mark Stuart, one year, $1.675 million (re-signed)

Out
None

Trade:
June 22, 2010
Boston Bruins acquire:
RW Nathan Horton
C Gregory Campbell

Florida Panthers acquire:
D Dennis Wideman
2010 first round pick (15th overall)
2011 third round pick

Analysis:
The Bruins managed to keep Marc Savard and remain under the cap while adding first round draft pick Tyler Seguin and Nathan Horton and retaining Daniel Paille and Mark Stuart.

Seguin, Horton, and Paille all have tremendous upside and should perform well with the supporting cast they have in Boston.

Seguin, a Brampton, Ontario native, had 48 goals and 106 points with the Plymouth Whalers of the OHL. He is NHL-ready and should produce from game one.

The third overall pick in the stacked 2003 NHL Draft—which produced players like Zach Parise, Shea Weber, Joe Pavelski, and Dustin Byfuglien—Horton's past six seasons with the Panthers have been less than admirable considering how high he was drafted. With a better team, he should have a breakout season in 2010.

With the Buffalo Sabres in 2007 Paille, had 19 goals and 35 points. His production has dropped off since then, but another season in a familiar system should help him produce.

The B's have a solid core and should not have problems scoring with their improved team this year. This team should be expected to make the playoffs and contend for a title next year.