Ranking the NHL Teams with the Most Depth for the 2014-15 Season

For NHL franchises looking to build and develop roster depth, the salary cap is proving to be a formidable foe.

Today, every team's roster is a jigsaw puzzle. The pieces are shaped not just by players' ages, positions and skill sets, but also by salary commitments—both present and future.

Winning today while preparing for tomorrow is no easy task. Since the NHL's General Manager of the Year award was introduced in 2010, there have been no repeat winners. Two of the five honorees, 2013 winner Ray Shero and 2011 winner Mike Gillis, were dismissed from their jobs after the 2013-14 season.

For the moment, the best of the league's general managers are finding ways to build four-line teams that can share ice time and responsibilities now. They're also toward the future in terms of both developing young talent and figuring out how to keep key players in their lineups over the long term.

With preseason winding into its final week and teams getting closer to setting their lineups, here's a look at the teams that have become the NHL's deepest heading into 2014-15.

Honourable Mentions

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These three teams have good depth in their main rosters—for now. But each is facing an issue that could significantly impact that depth going forward, so they fall just short of making this list.

Boston Bruins

Boston's deep on defense, but its opening-night roster remains unclear as restricted free agents Torey Krug and Reilly Smith sit on the sidelines.

Boston's depth will take a hit once general manager Peter Chiarelli makes the moves he needs to get his team cap compliant by opening day.

Chicago Blackhawks

The Blackhawks have been here before. After winning the Stanley Cup in 2010 and triggering a glut of performance bonuses, general manager Stan Bowman was forced to take a hatchet to his winning roster to get under the salary cap.

The team rebuilt and won again in 2013, but will need to move one or more key players once again to become cap-compliant this season.

Columbus Blue Jackets

A promising team with plenty of up-and-coming young players, the Jackets are suddenly a team without a first line.

With Nathan Horton sidelined long-term and no resolution in sight for Ryan Johansen's contract dispute, the Jackets' depth will be tested as they fill some important holes in their lineup.

6. Vancouver Canucks

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Current Lineup Strengths

Coach John Tortorella wasn't the only problem facing the Vancouver Canucks in 2013-14. The team's lack of four-line talent, especially when dealing with injuries, led the coach to overuse his top players and turn to unheralded farmhands to fill roster spots.

Since the dismissal of Tortorella and general manager Mike Gillis last spring, new G.M. Jim Benning has gone out of his way to re-build the team's depth. Six experienced new faces, including goaltender Ryan Miller, sniper Radim Vrbata and playmaker Nick Bonino, will fill out Vancouver's depth chart in 2014.

Top Prospects

The prospect pool has been shallow in Vancouver for a while. The last Canucks draft pick to graduate to full-time NHL status was Cody Hodgson, drafted 10th overall in 2008 and now a member of the Buffalo Sabres.

This season, there's a noticeable improvement in the prospect pool. 2011 first-rounder Nicklas Jensen and 2013 first-rounders Hunter Shinkaruk and Bo Horvat are all showing well in preseason and have a chance to crack the team.

Potential Trouble Spots

After their biggest offseason makeover in franchise history, the Canucks look like a deep, balanced team that's set to try to compete again in the tough Pacific Division.

If Vancouver's returning players like twins Henrik and Daniel Sedin and defenseman Alex Edler don't bounce back from their poor performances last season, more changes will be needed.

5. Minnesota Wild

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Current Lineup Strengths

As Scott Burnside of ESPN says, "This might be the deepest team the Wild have iced since the NHL returned to Minnesota in 2000." 

After signing Ryan Suter and Zach Parise in 2012, general manager Chuck Fletcher has moved away from Minnesota's traditional defensive model, adding front-line forwards Jason Pominville and, this summer, Thomas Vanek.

Minnesota has also built an impressive stable of young talent through draft and trade, toplined by Nino Niederreiter, Mikael Granlund, Charlie Coyle and newcomer Erik Haula.

Top Prospects

Better overall team depth is allowing the Wild to take their time in bringing prospects along. Defensemen Mathew Dumba and Christian Folin will each get a chance to crack the Minnesota roster this season, according to NHL.com.

Potential Trouble Spots

Minnesota is the only team in the NHL that seems to need to carry four goalies—and use all of them. The Wild started the 2013-14 season with Josh Harding and Nicklas Backstrom, then turned to Darcy Kuemper before finishing off the playoffs with last-man-standing Ilya Bryzgalov. 

The Wild have made themselves deep in net by necessity and may need to rely on that depth again this season now that Josh Harding is out for several months with a broken foot.

Coach Mike Yeo told Burnside he's not sure how the situation will play out for the Wild. "I'll be honest in saying it's open right now." 

4. Montreal Canadiens

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Current Lineup Strengths

The Montreal Canadiens have taken huge leaps forward since Marc Bergevin was hired as the new general manager after the team's last-place finish in the Eastern Conference in 2011-12.

"A year ago, there were questions about us being a playoff team," points out defenseman P.K. Subban to Pierre LeBrun of ESPN. "Years ago, there were questions about our goaltender, there were questions about our defense, there were a lot of questions. Within that time, we've answered a lot of questions. Now the question is, are we deep enough to win a Stanley Cup?"

Subban, forward Max Pacioretty and goaltender Carey Price make up Montreal's next generation of leaders. Supported by veteran role players and talented youngsters, the Canadiens look like a team that's building for a long run near the top of the league.

Top Prospects

Young forwards Alex Galchenyuk and Brendan Gallagher have already staked permanent claims on their lineup spots. This season, coach Michel Therrien will focus on working highly touted defensive prospects Jarred Tinordi and Nathan Beaulieu into the lineup.

Twenty-two-year-old Czech right-winger Jiri Sekac was signed as a free agent in July and is also expected to make an impact as a rookie.

Potential Trouble Spots

The Canadiens gave up a lot of leadership this summer when they traded Josh Gorges and Danny Briere, then let captain Brian Gionta leave as a free agent. Entrusted with guiding the team to even loftier heights, it remains to be seen whether the group that remains is up for the task.

3. Tampa Bay Lightning

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Current Lineup Strengths

Since Steve Yzerman became general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning four years ago, he has completely re-made the team. Yzerman's been active in both the trade and free-agency markets and has developed young players successfully, making the Lightning a deep and balanced team from front to back.

Top Prospects

Last season, two Lightning prospects came out of nowhere to become finalists for the Calder Trophy: seventh-round draft pick Ondrej Palat and undrafted Tyler Johnson. This year, highly touted Jonathan Drouin is set to join the team, and that's just the tip of the iceberg.

"This is one of the NHL's deepest prospect pools and young players like Nikita Kucherov, Adam Erne, Vladislav Namestnikov and Slater Koekkoek could be called on to contribute this season," reports Katie Strang of ESPN.

Ben Bishop is locked in as the Lightning's No. 1 goalie for the next three seasons. Outstanding Russian netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy will be waiting in the wings a couple of years down the road.

Potential Trouble Spots

The Lightning couldn't parlay an impressive regular season into playoff success after Ben Bishop suffered a wrist injury that knocked him out of action in April. Evgeni Nabokov is an experienced upgrade over Anders Lindback, but Tampa Bay could be in trouble if Bishop is injured again.

2. Los Angeles Kings

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Current Lineup Strengths

The Los Angeles Kings won the Stanley Cup in 2014 thanks to their ability to roll four lines and three defensive pairings. Perhaps more impressively, they were able to keep almost their entire Cup-winning lineup intact for the new season.

L.A.'s not too shabby in goal, either. Martin Jones was outstanding during his 2013-14 rookie season and will back up 2012 Conn Smythe Trophy winner Jonathan Quick.

Top Prospects

The Kings' development system with the AHL Manchester Monarchs has paid big dividends in recent years. Alumni Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson were critical to the Cup run as two-thirds of the Kings' "That '70s Line" and their roles are expected to grow this season.

The L.A. Kings Insider pegs 23-year-old Brayden McNabb, acquired in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres last year, for the Kings' seventh defenseman spot.

Potential Trouble Spots

Though he hopes to play during the preseason, Jonathan Quick's still not back in action following offseason wrist surgery, according to Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times.

Martin Jones stepped in capably when Quick was out of action last season, but the Kings would like to have both their goaltenders in good health.

1. Anaheim Ducks

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Current Lineup Strengths

The Anaheim Ducks have been successfully supporting their superstars Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry with savvy signings and successful player development, earning G.M. Bob Murray the nod as the 2014 general manager of the year.

2012 draft picks Hampus Lindholm and Frederik Andersen became full-time Ducks last season, while older prospects Emerson Etem, Devante Smith-Pelly, Rickard Rakell and John Gibson should all be integrated into the lineup this year.

The Ducks' most important offseason move was to shore up their center position with the acquisition of two-way pivot Ryan Kesler from the Vancouver Canucks.

Top Prospects

The Ducks have done a great job of tailoring their talent development to players' individual needs over the past five years.

At one end of the spectrum, Class of 2010 defenseman Cam Fowler joined the Ducks as an 18-year-old and has already developed into an Olympian. Other players are being brought along more slowly, as their development warrants.

Buzz for the next wave surrounds 2013 first-rounder Shea Theodore and 2014's top pick, Nick Ritchie.

Potential Trouble Spots

Anaheim is a deep team with its eye on the big prize. If either Andersen or Gibson falters in net, the team might regret having parted ways with both Jonas Hiller and Viktor Fasth last season.