4 NHL Teams That Will Rebound After Missing the Playoffs

The craziness of the NHL offseason is starting to cool off, and as the dust settles, it appears there will be some new faces donning playoff beards come next spring.

The Dallas Stars, Phoenix Coyotes, Philadelphia Flyers and Columbus Blue Jackets all missed the playoffs last season. Thanks to their success so far this offseason, however, it appears each of these teams is poised for a rebound 2013-2014 season.

Dallas Stars

The Stars made a big splash this offseason when they acquired Tyler Seguin and Rich Peverley from the Boston Bruins.

The acquisition of Seguin is huge for Dallas because they now have a young star who can be the face of their organization. While there are some red flags with Seguin, it appears this fresh start will be good for him and Dallas alike.

Seguin says he is excited to join the Dallas Stars organization:

"

On my last team, I was the only single guy. I’m excited to meet new faces and have a new start. I’m very excited for the new experience. I’m definitely excited to earn the respect of my new teammates, management, and definitely the fans.

"

The Stars also added depth on their blue line by signing Sergei Gonchar.

Their signing of Shawn Horcoff will also add depth up the middle as well as veteran leadership.

The Stars finished 11th in the Western Conference last year and finished the year on a five-game losing skid.

With the influx of new faces, though, the Stars will make a run at a playoff spot next year.

Phoenix Coyotes

Arguably the biggest change for the Coyotes this offseason is their new-found stability.

The Glendale City Council has approved the sale of the team to Renaissance Sports and Entertainment, and for the first time in a while, it appears the Coyotes will play a season without wondering if they will be uprooted the following offseason.

That in itself should help the Coyotes play better this year.

Take this new, calm feeling and the addition of Mike Ribeiro along with a long-term extension for Mike Smith, and it looks like the Coyotes may be a playoff team again.

Just two years removed from their playoff run that saw them lose in the Western Conference Final, the Coyotes are now a team with something to prove.

They need to prove that 2011 wasn't a fluke.

This is where Mike Ribeiro comes in.

Ribeiro had 49 points in 48 games last year as a member of the Washington Capitals. He also had 21 assists on the power play.

The Coyotes' offseason has seen the team lock down their goaltender for an extended period of time, add a top-flight center and find new ownership.

It appears their next stop is a playoff series in the 2013-14 season.

Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers fans were disappointed with their team's performance in 2012.

The Flyers finished 10th in the Eastern Conference and missed the playoffs just a year after advancing to the conference semifinals.

This offseason's theme seemed to be shedding big contracts, as the Flyers parted ways with Danny Briere and Ilya Bryzgalov.

To replace the scoring and veteran leadership of Briere, the Flyers brought in Vinny Lecavalier.

Philadelphia also acquired Ray Emery and Mark Streit this offseason. Both of these moves will help Philadelphia, because their defense struggled at times last year.

John Boruk of Comcast Sportsnet says the Flyers' signing of Emery may be the best free-agent signing of this offseason:

"

Disregard the organization, the player and the circumstances for a moment. Acquiring a goaltender who posted eye-popping numbers this previous season -- 17-1-0 record, 1.94 goals-against average and .922 save percentage -- and you’ve instantly solidified your goaltending position. Throw in the bargain-bin price tag of $1.65 million and Emery is an absolute steal.

"

With Ray Emery between the pipes, Mark Streit manning the blue line and Claude Giroux leading the team, look for Philadelphia to make a trip back to the playoffs next year.

Columbus Blue Jackets

After barely missing the playoffs last year, the Blue Jackets went out and signed one of the biggest names available in free agency.

Nathan Horton decided to leave Boston and sign with Columbus this offseason, and in doing so, he made the Blue Jackets a team to watch next year.

Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen says Horton is the complete package:

"

He is an elite power forward who brings size, skill and a great desire to compete to our lineup. He is also a person of great character and someone who will fit in very well with our team.

"

Horton could fill out their top line with Marian Gaborik and give Columbus a legitimate first line.

Columbus also solidified their goaltending for the next few years after signing Sergei Bobrovsky to a contract extension.

All of this and, if the rehab goes well, the call-up of Ryan Murray should send the Blue Jackets over the hump and into the playoffs next year.

All stats unless otherwise indicated come from ESPN.com