The NHL Franchises Most in Need of Star Power

Some NHL teams are stacked with impact players and superstars, thanks mostly to finishing low enough to grab elite talent via the draft. Other teams have been top contenders for years, and their quality players are aging—no longer reaching impact status. Still others have stars on the rise and are in development mode with their future stars who are already under contract.

Teams can add star power via trade, the draft or free agency, but very few can be added by one team in any summer. It is rare, especially in the last five years, to find free-agent players of this type. There are three possibilities—Auston Matthews, Patrik Laine and Jesse Puljujarvi—available in the draft.

Here are eight teams in need of additional star power this summer.

Arizona Coyotes

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Are They A Successful Franchise? The Arizona Coyotes have not been a successful franchise during their entire history. They have been in the playoffs only three times in the last 10 years. 

Do They Have Impact Players? Oliver Ekman-Larsson is one of the best defensemen in the NHL. Martin Hanzal, when healthy, is a substantial two-way forward, and Max Domi (21) is an up-and-coming young scorer.

Why Do They Lack Star Power? The Coyotes are unable to utilize all procurement streams, and that impacts their overall effectiveness. The draft is their major resource, and the team has been somewhat successful in the trade market. As a small-market club, Arizona does not spend to the cap and is forced to trade off pending free agents because it is unable to sign them. The 2015 trade sending Keith Yandle to the New York Rangers was typical of the team—giving up a fine NHL player for prospects and picks. The Coyotes make good trades, but they are always too young to compete.

Carolina Hurricanes

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Are They A Successful Franchise? The Carolina Hurricanes have not been a successful organization since their Stanley Cup win in 2006. 

Do They Have Impact Players? The Hurricanes have a splendid offensive defenseman in Justin Faulk, but the trade of Eric Staal at the deadline signals a major shift for the franchise and a period of transition. 

Why Do They Lack Star Power? Since winning the Stanley Cup in 2006, the Hurricanes have been unable to draft and develop enough talent to compete consistently. Top-10 selections in the last three drafts—Elias Lindholm, Haydn Fleury and Noah Hanifin—should signal a brand new day for Hurricanes fans soon in Raleigh. Their improvement in goal differential and the return of Jeff Skinner as a scorer are good signs.

Columbus Blue Jackets

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Are They A Successful Franchise? The Columbus Blue Jackets are one of the least successful organizations in the modern NHL. 

Do They Have Impact Players? The Blue Jackets have no impact players at this time but do have some outstanding youth—including Brandon Saad (23), Ryan Murray (22) and Seth Jones (21). There is a good chance one or more of them will reach star status soon. 

Why Do They Lack Star Power? Columbus is spending a lot of money on poor performances. Underachieving players include Sergei Bobrovsky, David Clarkson and Fedor Tyutin. The Blue Jackets boast a lot of talent bubbling under, including college defenseman Zach Werenski. It is hard to see a path that finds them in the playoffs anytime soon.

Minnesota Wild

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Are They A Successful Franchise? The Minnesota Wild made the playoffs the last three seasons and are in the hunt again in 2015-16. 

Do They Have Impact Players? Defenseman Ryan Suter is a rock on defense who plays almost half the game and impacts all areas. Mikko Koivu and Zach Parise fill major roles and help the team win, although they may fall short of being considered impact forwards.

Why Do They Lack Star Power? The Wild are still a young franchise, having arrived in the NHL in 2000. Minnesota's management is well run, and the team is now at a point where high draft picks no longer come its way—the Wild finish too high in the standings to get them. The free-agent pickups—like Suter and Parise—are their main pipeline, and the cap keeps those acquisitions to a minimum. A bit of luck in the draft, with Mathew Dumba and Alex Tuch turning into impact players, is probably the best hope for the Wild. 

New Jersey Devils

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Are They A Successful Franchise? The New Jersey Devils have been a successful franchise but are going through difficult times during a rebuild. 

Do They Have Impact Players? The Devils have a top-flight goalie in Cory Schneider and some promising youngsters who may develop into franchise cornerstones. Patrik Elias personifies the team in some ways, as he played for the team this year and was a young impact player during the Stanley Cup seasons early in the century. 

Why Do They Lack Star Power? After the tremendous run through the late 1990s and early 2000s, New Jersey's roster became aged. The team was not as successful in adding quality because it was drafting too late in the first round. It takes time to rebuild, and names like Adam Larsson and Pavel Zacha may be stars when the Devils are back on top. The organization needs to draft and procure more impact players to help with the rebuild.

St. Louis Blues

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Are They A Successful Franchise? The St. Louis Blues are a very successful NHL team and are about to make the playoffs for the fifth year in a row.

Do They Have Impact Players? Winger Vladimir Tarasenko is inside the league's top 10 in goals this season. Jaden Schwartz has been injured for much of the season but is a dynamic player when healthy. Alex Pietrangelo is a big part of the St. Louis defense and has been a strong possession player for years. Although the roster is impressive, with youngsters such as Robby Fabbri (20) and Colton Parayko (22) pushing, St. Louis cannot compete with the star power available in other Central Division cities—in particular, the Chicago Blackhawks.

Why Do They Lack Star Power? The Blues spend a large amount of their cap on players who are not stars or impact players. Paul Stastny has a cap hit of $7 million, per General Fanager, and is not an impact player. Jay Bouwmeester will earn $5.6 million this year while not providing strong offensive numbers. More than any other team near the top of the standings, the Blues have some players who are not delivering enough, given the money they're being paid. It is also true that in some years—as in 2006, with Erik Johnson—St. Louis has drafted high when there were no obvious stars in the draft pool, which is bad luck as opposed to poor management.

Toronto Maple Leafs

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Are They A Successful Franchise? The Toronto Maple Leafs are not a successful franchise at this time. Despite having more resources than any other NHL team—the franchise worth $1 billion as of 2012, according to Forbes via NHL.com—Toronto has been unable to find on-ice success. 

Do They Have Impact Players? The Maple Leafs are in full rebuild mode, so they have traded away their famous players such as Phil Kessel and Dion Phaneuf. 

Why Do They Lack Star Power? Toronto made the decision to strip down the losing NHL product and build it back up with a cluster of youth that involves high draft picks and inexpensive role players. It is a long and difficult journey, and the future stars may not be in the system yet—to be drafted this summer and in 2017. Candidates to hang around for the good times include Morgan Rielly, William Nylander and Mitch Marner. Maple Leafs fans should take heart, as early signs have the organization doing things the right way.

Vancouver Canucks

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Are They A Successful Franchise? The Vancouver Canucks have been a consistent and successful organization over the last 15 years. The team has one trip to the Stanley Cup Final and has been in the playoffs in four of the last five campaigns. 

Do They Have Impact Players? The Canucks' most famous players—Daniel and Henrik Sedin and Ryan Miller—are no longer stars because they are too far past their prime. 

Why Do They Lack Star Power? Vancouver management has been shockingly slow to recognize the erosion of its 2011 team. The NHL is a league of constant change, but the inactivity at the most recent deadline—where the team should have dealt Dan Hamhuis and Radim Vrbata—indicates there is something wrong with the franchise. It also doesn't help that the last impact draft for the Canucks occurred in 1999—when both Sedins were chosen in the top three overall.