5 NHL Teams In Desperate Need of a Rebuild in the Offseason
Playoff contenders are jockeying for position with only a month remaining in the 2022-23 NHL regular season. For those with fading hopes or whose aspirations are already dashed, it's time to focus on the offseason and plans for 2023-24.
Some teams that narrowly miss the cut will likely make only minor adjustments to their rosters. Others could pursue significant additions via the summer's trade or free-agent markets.
Several bottom-feeding teams, such as the Arizona Coyotes, Chicago Blackhawks and Montréal Canadiens, are already at various stages of rebuilding. Meanwhile, there are a handful of clubs in dire need of overhauls.
Some, including the San Jose Sharks, appear to be embracing a form of a roster rebuild. Others, such as the Vancouver Canucks, seem focused more on short-term gains than long-term fixes.
Here's a look at five clubs that desperately need to rebuild—starting this offseason. Feel free to express your thoughts on this topic in the comments section below.
Philadelphia Flyers
1 of 5
On March 10, the Philadelphia Flyers replaced general manager Chuck Fletcher with Daniel Brière on an interim basis. Two days later, Brière expressed confidence he could do the job on a full-time basis, uttering a word that his predecessor was reluctant to say: rebuild.
Brière was quick to add that didn't mean he was looking at a fire sale.
"We have some good players here, some players that are in certain roles that we're going to keep," he said.
The Flyers have needed to rebuild for a while. They're poised to miss the playoffs for the seventh time since 2012. Returning to their once-dominant form will require bold, significant moves. Brière can't go the quick-fix route as Fletcher did.
The first order of business could be deciding which veterans on long-term contracts fit into the long-term plans. That includes forward Kevin Hayes and his $7.1 million average annual value through 2025-26, defenseman Ivan Provorov and his $6.8 million AAV through 2024-25 and blueliner Rasmus Ristolainen and his $5.1 million annual salary through 2026-27.
Brière must also decide whether younger players such as Carter Hart, Joel Farabee, Owen Tippett, Cam York, Bobby Brink and Morgan Frost will be part of a rebuilt core. Anyone who becomes a trade chip could help the team stock up with draft picks. Brière must determine if the club can improve how it selects and develops prospects.
Pittsburgh Penguins
2 of 5
The Pittsburgh Penguins kept their 30-something core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang intact by re-signing Malkin and Letang to long-term extensions in the summer. However, those moves did little to bring the Penguins closer to regaining their Stanley Cup form of 2015-16 and 2016-17.
Along with 28-year-old winger Jake Guentzel, their aging stars are holding up their end of the bargain. Crosby and Malkin remain exceptional players, as they lead the club by exceeding a point per game. Letang missed five games because of a stroke and another 11 with a lower-body injury and following the death of his father, but he is still the Penguins' best defenseman.
The cost of keeping the trio together, however, made it difficult for general manager Ron Hextall to bolster the supporting cast. Pittsburgh is the oldest team in the league and looks like it most nights. It has an injury-riddled defense, starting goalie Tristan Jarry is struggling, and the Pens are in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2006.
It's clear that the glory days are over. Even if the Penguins make the playoffs, they're not Stanley Cup contenders. In fact, they haven't won a playoff series since 2018. With one of the shallowest prospects pools in the league, they could fall even further as age catches up with Crosby, Malkin and Letang over the remaining tenures of their contracts.
Hextall could attempt to boost the roster via trades or free agency, but it won't be easy with $64.1 million already invested in 15 players for 2023-24. He must lay the groundwork in the summer for the eventual (and inevitable) transition from the aging stars to their replacements even if it means missing the playoffs for the next two or three years.
San Jose Sharks
3 of 5
When he took over in July, San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier told reporters he didn't intend to completely rebuild the roster. He instead planned to use last year's draft and free agency with the hope of reversing the club's decline and returning it to playoff contention.
That process didn't work out, as the Sharks are wallowing near the bottom of the standings. They've been eliminated from playoff contention for the fourth straight year. The only upside is that they have a good chance to win the draft lottery in May and secure the rights to generational prospect Connor Bedard.
Grier still won't acknowledge he's engaging in a rebuild, but his trade activity suggests that's the path he's taking. Since the summer, he has dealt veterans such as Brent Burns, Timo Meier and Nick Bonino for draft picks, prospects and young players. Perhaps similar moves are in store for this offseason.
The Sharks still have Logan Couture, Erik Karlsson and Tomas Hertl on expensive long-term contracts. Trading them could prove difficult even if Grier finds serious suitors. Such moves could involve retaining salary, leaving San Jose with significant dead cap space over the remainder of the deals.
Even if the Sharks win the draft lottery, Grier must look into trading some of his expensive veterans for returns that can improve the team's long-term fortunes. He must also make room for promising youngsters within their system such as William Eklund and Thomas Bordeleau.
Vancouver Canucks
4 of 5
The Vancouver Canucks are a long way from the days when they reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2011 and won the second of back-to-back Presidents' Trophies in 2011-12. They're on the verge of missing the postseason for the eighth time since 2013. In that span, they're on their third full-time general manager in Patrik Allvin and fifth head coach in Rick Tocchet.
Rebuilding is something the Canucks have largely avoided, preferring to retool around older veterans. That's what they tried when long-time stars Daniel and Henrik Sedin were in their final seasons. It's what they appear to be attempting with J.T. Miller after trading Bo Horvat to the New York Islanders in January.
The Canucks possess two young stars in center Elias Pettersson and defenseman Quinn Hughes. They also, however, made an expensive seven-year commitment to the 30-year-old Miller. They're carrying aging blueliners Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Tyler Myers, whose contracts are taking up a lot of valuable salary-cap space.
Freeing cap space could become the priority in the summer. Vancouver could attempt to move Miller before his new contract (with its no-trade clause) kicks in July 1. Brock Boeser and his $6.7 million cap hit could also be on the trade block. Ekman-Larsson and Myers may be bought out if they can't be traded.
Allvin cannot continue to emulate his predecessors. He must focus on rebuilding around Pettersson and Hughes. He also needs to replenish a shallow prospect pool by shopping Miller and Boeser for high draft picks and/or high-quality prospects.
Washington Capitals
5 of 5
On Dec. 12, ESPN's Greg Wyshynski reported that Washington Capitals principal partner Ted Leonsis rejected the notion of rebuilding the roster like he did nearly 20 years ago. Leonsis said he will maintain a competitive club while team captain Alex Ovechkin chases Wayne Gretzky's goal-scoring record.
Before the March 3 trade deadline, however, general manager Brian MacLellan was a seller. With the Capitals falling out of playoff contention, he shipped out Dmitry Orlov, Garnet Hathaway, Lars Eller, Marcus Johansson and Erik Gustafsson. They were slated to become unrestricted free agents in July and no longer fit the club's plans.
MacLellan's acquisition of promising defenseman Rasmus Sandin in the Gustafsson trade suggests he's looking at a quick turnaround. With core players Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, John Carlson, T.J. Oshie and Evgeny Kuznetsov now 30 or older, however, the Capitals would be better off making a commitment to rebuilding.
The Capitals are the NHL's second-oldest club. They might've remained in playoff contention if Backstrom, Carlson, Oshie and Tom Wilson hadn't been sidelined by injuries. All but Wilson are in their 30s with their best seasons behind them. Speaking of Wilson, his physical style of play could take a toll on his body in the coming years.
Keeping the Capitals competitive to help Ovechkin surpass Gretzky isn't a long-term formula for a winning team. With an aging core and no immediate replacements within their prospect pool, they're going to get worse instead of better the longer they put off rebuilding.
Stats accurate through Sunday and via NHL.com and Hockey Reference. Salary-cap info via Cap Friendly. Prospect info via The Athletic.
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