Every NHL Team's Biggest Fear This Offseason
Living a life without fear is something everyone would love to accomplish. Just think of what it would be like to never freeze up in a crucial moment or not do something because the terror involved in doing it is far too much to comprehend.
NHL teams cannot feel fear, but those in charge of them can. After all, only one team can win the Stanley Cup and the 31 other teams must figure out what went wrong. Trying to change that narrative next year requires smarts, luck, and guts to do what's needed to make it happen.
Making roster moves believed to be daring, reckless or outright dumb requires courage, but even teams and GMs able to do that still have that little voice of trepidation in the back of their minds that whatever they do just might not work out.
We're going to look at each team and what their greatest fear is this offseason. First thing's first: you can't get ahead of next season without attacking the offseason first. We'll break things down by division to make it easier to find who you're looking for.
Atlantic Division
1 of 4
Boston Bruins – Aging
After being upset in the first round by Florida, Boston's offseason full of questions began immediately and without a lot of answers immediately present. The biggest issue is the age of the team. Patrice Bergeron will be 38 next season, David Krejčí will be 37 and Brad Marchand is 35. David Pastrňák is incredible and will be 27 next season. Having young players be a team's top players is all the rage and the Bruins buck that trend big time. If Bergeron and Krejci hang it up, they'll be younger, but they won't be able to replace that production with their own prospects.
Buffalo Sabres – Goaltending
The Sabres will be everyone's "it" team next season and the plan seems clear for them to accomplish that: Find consistent goaltending. They love rookie Devon Levi, but he's only played seven NHL games. The 21-year-old could be really good, but is that something GM Kevyn Adams is willing to wager immediately for next season? Buffalo has missed the playoffs each season since 2011 and they missed out by two points this season. They have to get there next season and finding good goaltending will allay most of the worries. But finding good goaltending isn't exactly easy and might require a trade to make it happen.
Detroit Red Wings -- A Backup Plan
It's easy to pick on Ville Husso for not crushing it in his first season as Detroit's No. 1 goalie. His numbers didn't look hot, -- 26-22-7 with a 3.11 goals against average and a .896 save percentage -- but he had spells throughout the season in which he looked great. What would go a long way to helping him out, however, is finding a reliable alternative who can make it so Husso doesn't have to play constantly. The Atlantic is going to be a wicked division and flying into next season with one decent goalie and a prayer is a reckless gamble.
Florida Panthers -- Expectations
The Panthers thought the pressure was high this season after winning the Presidents' Trophy last year. Guess what? They one-upped themselves by getting to the Eastern Conference Final and taking a 2-0 series lead over the Hurricanes. If they lose to Carolina, the pressure will be on to at least get back to the ECF. If they get to the Stanley Cup Final, then the pressure will be on to get back there no matter what. If they win the Cup? Nothing hurts, everything is golden and no one can hurt them because they did the thing...but they will be expected to go back and win it again. These are nice problems to have all things considered, but getting back to this point in the playoffs is a high bar to clear.
Montréal Canadiens -- Maturity
There are a lot of young teams across the NHL and the Canadiens are under the radar as one of the youngest out there. They've got a lot of young talent and they dealt with a lot of injuries this season. The division will be really tough, but young talent can win a lot of games (just ask Buffalo) and the Canadiens will be in a similar position, particularly since they'll get another high pick in this year's draft. Nick Suzuki is young, but he's been a great leader for them already. With Juraj Slafkovský presumably healthy after losing this season to injury, and also getting Cole Caufield and Kaiden Guhle back, things are looking way up. Now they'll just have to be a bit more grown up to go with it.
Ottawa Senators -- The Unknown
Fear of not knowing is a normal, healthy thing and not a reason to be concerned...unless it has to do with team ownership, then that's a little different. Such is the case for the Ottawa Senators who will have a new owner or ownership group in place in the very near future. The names are big and the money is even bigger, but what we don't know is how any of them will run the organization. Whether they're very hands-on or hands-off, who knows, but that's why there are a lot of reasons to be nervous. Whether it's Ryan Reynolds, Snoop Dogg, Neko Sparks, or some combination of them together, we have no idea how they'll run a hockey team and that's reason enough to worry.
Tampa Bay Lightning -- Hitting The Wall
The Lightning losing to Toronto in the first round of the playoffs could've been reason enough to worry about them had they not been to the Stanley Cup Final the previous three season seasons. They'll have a longer than normal offseason to rest, recover and prepare for the 2023-2024 season, but...what if that loss is a sign of things to come? The Lightning have played so much hockey the past three seasons and if they're out of gas, who could fault them? Of course, if they're running out of gas now while the rest of the division is picking up steam and improving, that's a big problem. There's a chance they'll lose Alex Killorn in free agency this summer just like they lost Ondřej Palát last summer and they won't have the cap space to really address it. But that won't matter much if they can't keep up with the new kids on the block.
Toronto Maple Leafs - Indecision
The Leafs getting bounced by Florida in the second round in five games is proving to be a turning point for the organization and the changes that are coming are just starting to be realized. They're not bringing back Kyle Dubas as GM and coach Sheldon Keefe's future is up in the air. There are also questions about whether they'll shake up their core of players as well. Once the Stanley Cup is raised, the offseason approaches at light speed and the Leafs will need to have all their decisions figured out with the staff before they get the roster work going. Any hesitation in doing so will hurt them and the competitiveness of the division will force them to not screw it up.
Metropolitan Division
2 of 4
Carolina Hurricanes -- Contentment
The Hurricanes have been on a steady upward trajectory to where they are now in the Eastern Conference Final. Whether they get to the Stanley Cup Final this season or not, the result doesn't feel like it'll faze management because they've steadily built towards this. But there's something to be said for the all-is-well kind of thinking though because it can lead to believing a team will get there no matter what. Carolina's made adjustments in previous summers, but this version of them is as good as they've ever been. The belief that this is the group that can win the Cup is a good way for a team to get caught lacking.
Columbus Blue Jackets -- Stagnancy
Columbus did a lot last offseason to show they're not happy with where they've been and where they're going. Signing Johnny Gaudreau showed they mean business just like how firing Brad Larsen shows they're ready to move things ahead. They have the No. 3 pick in this year's draft which likely means they're going to land an elite talent. The problem is how are they going to improve. Sure, they could move Gaudreau or Patrik Laine or Kent Johnson...but why would they do that? They're good players and might not get equal value in a deal. Free agency also seems like a no-go, especially after spending so big on "Johnny Hockey" last offseason. The Jackets need to add to their team, but saying that and doing it has very different difficulty levels.
New Jersey Devils - Overreaction
The Devils had an incredible season out of the blue this year. They arrived on the scene as one of the NHL's most exciting teams led by Jack Hughes. They also were rudely humbled by the Hurricanes in the Divisional Final and were outclassed through most of the series. Call it experience overtaking inexperience, but Devils management cannot look at it as a colossal failure and look to shake things up too much. Tweaks are needed, not overhauls, particularly in one area that struggled the most in that series (goaltending). Lots of teams need help in goal, but a rash move isn't necessary. Akira Schmid is young and Vitek Vanecek did well in his first season.
New York Islanders - The definition of insanity
Doing the same thing over and over again and hoping for different results is what the Islanders have been determined to do for the past few seasons. After they made the Eastern Conference Final two years in a row, the Isles were seemingly on the right path to long-term success. They've managed the team as if that's the case even though some issues have persisted over the years (offensive depth and overall lacking offensive talent for instance). Good defense and goaltending can take you places, but you also need goals. With general manager Lou Lamoriello in charge, it's difficult to think there will be earth-shaking changes made, but Lou can surprise everyone now and again. If the Isles had more scoring, they'd be an impossibly hard team to handle, especially with Ilya Sorokin in net.
New York Rangers -- The Kids Not Growing Up
After a couple of seasons with Gerard Gallant in charge, the Rangers are in need of a new coach and they're at a time in their development they cannot afford to get this choice wrong. When the Blueshirts started the rebuild under David Quinn in 2018, the hope was their young talents like Alexis Lafrenière and Kaapo Kaako would flourish alongside established talents like Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad. As their top players get older, they'll need the younger player to carry the load. The Rangers have a lot of talent, and they can be Stanley Cup threats, but they don't have a lot of help in the minors, so they need Filip Chytil, Kakko and Lafrenière to take steps forward Another season in which those players show glimpses but not full pictures of what they can be is another season lost without a true shot at the Cup.
Philadelphia Flyers -- Letting the Outside Noise Seep In
It's always dramatic when it comes to the Flyers. Now that they've hired Danny Briere as GM full-time and brought in Keith Jones as president of hockey operations, they've got a chance to get things pointed in the right direction. Fans are unhappy, the team is relatively joyless to watch and John Tortorella's style rubs a lot of people the wrong way. The Flyers cannot allow the outside grumbling to harden them into thinking whatever they do is going to be hated so they can double down on what they think is the right move. It's going to get tougher before it gets better in Philly and they just have to accept that doing things the right way is worth the time it'll take to do it.
Pittsburgh Penguins -- Running Out of Time
We started this off by talking about how age is something to be afraid of in Boston, but in Pittsburgh, it's even more frightening when thinking about Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang. All three are brilliant players still but the trio cannot be the guys carrying the team into their mid-30s. They lack high-end prospects and they lack depth, too. They just missed out on the playoffs this past season for the first time since 2006, which could be the harbinger of doom and a wake-up call everyone in the city needs to make sure it doesn't happen again. It cost Ron Hextall and Brian Burke their jobs running the team, now they can't slip up on naming their replacements. If they want one more run at a title with these future Hall-of-Famers, they need to get serious about it ASAP.
Washington Capitals -- Being Out of Answers
Alex Ovechkin is going to be the story of the Capitals while he's chasing Wayne Gretzky's goal record, but he can't be the only story. After all the injuries they had last season, it made total sense why they didn't make the playoffs. But their farm team is in the AHL semifinals so there has to be some kind of young help on the way (Hendrix Lapierre, Connor McMichael) and Ivan Miroshnichenko just signed his ELC at the beginning of May. Help is coming...eventually, and injuries cannot be as harsh next season, right? Certainly, John Carlson, Carl Hagelin and Tom Wilson hope that's not the case at least. The possibility of trading Evgeny Kuznetsov can't be the only possibility for them to change things up though. They need to be a little younger and a little more skillful. If Ovechkin breaks Gretzky's record next season and they don't have a playoff run to go with it, boy that'd be a letdown.
Central Division
3 of 4
Arizona Coyotes -- The Future
It would be really easy for Coyotes management to let the failed arena vote in Tempe drag down their spirits heading into next season and beyond. That said, the up-in-the-air status is already having an impact. Their first-round pick in 2022, Logan Cooley, is staying at the University of Minnesota another year due to the uncertainty and whomever they select at No. 6 in June may not be too psyched not knowing if they'll be playing for a team without a defined future when they're ready to turn pro. All that said, their players for the future are good, but having everything else being a question mark is uneasy. They've got to dance like no one is watching and play hockey like everyone is paying very close attention.
Chicago -- Moving Too Quickly
When Chicago picks Connor Bedard No. 1 in June, their future becomes a reality. It would be easy for Chicago GM Kyle Davidson to slow-play things and make sure his team gets another high pick next season. Nuts to that, we say. They'll have a boatload of cap space this summer and anyone in Chicago should know well enough that windows to success don't stay open forever. If they want to make those moves to land a superstar to play with Bedard, why wait? Do it now and start shaking things up right away.
Colorado Avalanche -- Replacing Landeskog
Knowing well in advance they're going to be without captain Gabriel Landeskog for the 2023-2024 season is a good thing for Joe Sakic and the Avalanche. They know they'll have an extra $7 million in LTIR money to use from Landeskog's contract to spend how they need to replace him now that he'll be sidelined due to injury. Teams always want to be respectful to their injured players, but after losing in the first round of the playoffs to Seattle, it was clear Colorado didn't have the depth to keep up with them. That cannot happen again. The Avs have too much talent to get bumped out that early.
Dallas Stars -- Finding New Chemistry
The best thing about the Stars' lineup is that a lot of their elite talent is quite young (Jason Robertson, Miro Heiskanen). They've even got some young up-and-coming players like Wyatt Johnston too. But it's their role players who may not stick around beyond this season. Max Domi and Luke Glendening are free agents this summer and those "glue-guy" types can be tough losses. Winning breeds attachment and that's something Stars management can't allow them to affect what they do this offseason. If one or two or three guys like that sign elsewhere, that's OK, because these Stars have the horses to go deep every year. Winning creates chemistry more than anything and Pete DeBoer's style helps create wins.
Minnesota Wild -- Over/Underreaction
The Wild's exit from the playoffs showed they have a lot of flaws for a team that finished the season so strongly. It would be easy to be swept up in those issues after getting bounced in six games by Dallas and GM Bill Guerin definitely didn't come off pleased at how the season ended. That puts them in a tenuous position. They'll need more offense and that could come in the form of having Marco Rossi be in the NHL full-time next season...or it could mean making a trade to add more goals to a roster that desperately needs them. They're hampered by cap penalties for the buyouts to Zach Parise and Ryan Suter and they may lose Matt Dumba in free agency. Finding a way to replace his minutes on the blue line won't be easy. The Wild can't run it back, but trying to hold it together with spare parts won't work either.
Nashville Predators -- Not Doing Enough
The Predators' offense was decimated by injuries to Ryan Johansen and Filip Forsberg last season but their season was nearly saved by brilliant goaltending from Juuse Saros. That would point towards Nashville's season being better balanced with healthy seasons from their forwards and Saros playing like a Vezina contender all season long. That said, they need more offensive punch up front and just thinking that Johansen and Forsberg coming back healthy will be enough is a quick way to wind up in the same spot all over again. You can't just replace a 40-goal scorer or a top playmaker in the lineup no matter what, but you need some kind of a backup plan just in case. With Barry Trotz taking over as GM on July 1, there's no doubt he's well aware of that fact.
St. Louis Blues -- Running It Back
The good news for St. Louis is they'll have three first-round picks at the draft in June which should help them eventually fill their high-end prospect coffers. The bad news is they'll likely be bringing back most of their roster from this season that played inconsistently for coach Craig Berube. It's hard to believe they're four years past winning the Stanley Cup, but the players they've got under contract for next season aren't too bad, they just need more. They, uh, also might need a lot of help in goal with Jordan Binnington still under contract and coming off another brutal season and rookie Joel Hofer might be that guy. But that leaves so many "what-if" questions in the waiting should they bring this group back and again fall short of the postseason. GM Doug Armstrong has a fascinating offseason ahead and sitting tight cannot be the move he chooses.
Winnipeg Jets -- Starting Over
The Jets are bringing coach Rick Bowness back next season and seems reasonable considering they made the playoffs again. But that's only if you ignored everything he said following the Jets getting knocked out of the playoffs by Vegas in five games. Bowness remarked that he was "disgusted" by how his team played, something some players said they wish he'd told them himself rather than reporters. That kind of finish could lead to an exodus of players from Winnipeg for other locales and that might not be the worst idea, really. It's not that the team is bad at all, but it's been grumbly there the past couple of seasons, and fresh faces and new blood might not be the worst thing. Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele have been there since Day 1 in Winnipeg in 2011-2012, Pierre-Luc Dubois has seemingly wanted out since getting there and even Connor Hellebuyck might be ready to go as he's headed into the final year of his contract. Ripping the Band-Aid off might not be the worst idea.
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Pacific Division
4 of 4
Anaheim Ducks -- Overthinking It
The Ducks will have the No. 2 pick in the draft and that likely means Adam Fantilli will soon be in Anaheim. That's a nice way to kick off a fresh, new season. Fantilli joining Trevor Zegras, Troy Terry and a healthy Jamie Drysdale gives them an exciting young group to build on. Trying to move too quickly to get back into playoff competition would be a tough move for this group. The Ducks were brutal last season and that was even with Zegras and Terry having solid seasons. Anaheim needs more than Fantilli and a healthy Drysdale to get back into the mix and thinking they can turn it all around in one offseason is a fool's gambit.
Calgary Flames -- Not Changing Enough
Calgary parted ways with Darryl Sutter in part because he didn't get along well enough with his team. They also fired GM Brad Treliving perhaps in part because Matthew Tkachuk went off to Florida while Jonathan Huberdeau (in Sutter's system) produced less than half the amount of points he did last season with the Panthers in Calgary. Whoops. The Flames lacked consistency and got bad goaltending, two things that will sink any team. But they also showed they didn't have the kind of depth they did the season before and whether that's on Sutter for not making good use of it or Treliving for not providing enough of it is a fun argument. But the truth is, they need more help and they shouldn't think otherwise. A more modern style of attack would go a long way here.
Edmonton Oilers -- Stubbornness
Oilers GM Ken Holland was shown once again his team was lacking. They lack in depth, lack in consistent goaltending and defense and they lack in ways to score at even strength. Holland has made moves to address some of those issues. Trading for Mattias Ekholm was a great move, for instance. But he lucked out when Stuart Skinner performed so well he took over the starting job in goal while Jack Campbell, who he signed to a big-money contract, struggled. Having a team that can pile up goals on the power play is great for regular-season success, but it cannot be banked upon to get a team far in the playoffs, a lesson any Oilers management has yet to truly learn. Having Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl automatically puts a team into playoff contention, but you need some kind of depth to score when not on special teams. Maybe the Oilers will learn that lesson this summer.
Los Angeles Kings -- Yeah, Goaltending
Hey look, another team with goaltending to fear, albeit a little less so than others. The Kings were bailed out for most of the season by Pheonix Copley and late in the season and playoffs by Joonas Korpisalo. L.A. was able to win loads of games without solid goaltending this season and then got really hot when they got even-average netminding. They have to find a way to make goaltending, not necessarily a strength, but just be league average and they can give everyone in the West fits. Whether that's Korpisalo coming back full-time or finding someone else doesn't matter, but it has to be the first move. The Kings can score a ton and their defense is strong. Stop more pucks and stop drawing Edmonton in the first round of the playoffs and see what else can happen.
San Jose Sharks -- More of the Same
Times could be tough again in San Jose up front. Their cap situation next season is mostly OK, although they've got some bad money spent on defense. They've got their solid guys like Tomas Hertl and Logan Couture up front, but they're lacking in overall talent. Young guys like William Eklund and Thomas Bordeleau should be Sharks full-time next season, but the rest of the group is very thin. The Sharks would've benefitted massively if they'd won the NHL Draft Lottery, but luck wasn't on their side. San Jose isn't a place at the top of the charts for most players right now because they're not contenders and need time to get back to where they once were. They should be taking this time to make sure their prospects develop properly and to make sure their drafting is air-tight to make sure the pipeline gets refilled.
Seattle Kraken -- Making the Wright Call
The Kraken making the playoffs in their second season in existence and being a 100-point team are monster accomplishments for a new franchise. There's not a lot for them to fear, really, because this kind of success early on feels like it's all gravy. They have to keep the winning up, of course, and a good way to do that is to make sure their 2022 first-round pick Shane Wright can be a properly productive player in his first NHL season, presumably next year. It's been a dramatic season for Wright, but the hope is he'll be with the Kraken next season and able to contribute in a way not dissimilar to how Matty Beniers did this year. That bar might be high considering Beniers is the odds-on favorite to win the Calder. They can't afford to be wrong on Wright though and if that means a full year in the AHL next season, so be it.
Vancouver Canucks -- Doing Nothing and Liking It
When the Canucks brought in Rick Tocchet as head coach in place of Bruce Boudreau, he was able to get the team back to respectable form and even gave them a late push towards the playoff race. It was impressive to say the least but with such a short window of games, it may lead GM Patrik Allvin to believe all is well in Vancouver and that a full camp with Tocchet in charge and a healthy Thatcher Demko in goal can mean making it to the playoffs. The Canucks severely lack depth on defense and at forward and they'll have to give Elias Pettersson a big contract extension soon. If Tocchet's brand of hockey can keep them competitive despite these issues, that's good, but it's not a reason for them to sit tight and hope things work themselves out.
Vegas Golden Knights -- Uh...Goaltending?
For almost a full year now, goaltending has been a question mark for the Golden Knights and despite them being up 2-0 on Dallas in the Western Conference Final, it still kind of is looking ahead. Adin Hill has been incredible since stepping into the starter's net and the timing couldn't be better for him because he's due to be an unrestricted free agent this summer just like teammates Laurent Brossoit and Jonathan Quick. Vegas will have a presumably healthy Logan Thompson next summer as well as Robin Lehner back from hip surgery. Of course, penciling in two goalies coming off of extensive injuries often makes erasers necessary because who knows how those players will return to action. Each time the Golden Knights have thought they've figured out their goaltending, something unforeseen has come up. They'll need to figure out what the right move is whether they go on to win the Stanley Cup or not.
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