NHL Rumors: Analyzing Gossip on Alex Pietrangelo, Chris Tanev and More

The NHL trade deadline is now more than a week in the rearview mirror, which means the only remaining drama for this season involves the playoff chase, right? Well, not exactly.

For teams that don't make the postseason, the 2020 offseason isn't too far away. For them, this means it's already time to begin the process of planning for free agency.

Though the Toronto Maple Leafs are in position to make the playoffs, they could already be looking to upgrade in July.

According to Sportsnet's Luke Fox, Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas would like to improve his defensive depth. Fox mentioned St. Louis Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo as option No. 1, though he would like to work out an extension.

"He is a 30-year-old pro. He's the captain of our franchise," St. Louis general manager Doug Armstrong said. "He's someone I have the utmost respect for. Our goal is to try to get him signed. Our focus is to see if we can get him signed."

Per Fox, "one side is going to have to bend on money at some point" for the Blues and the defenseman to reach an extension.

Pietrangelo isn't the only option for Toronto, though. Chris Tanev and Travis Hamonic could also be top options, according to Fox.

"The Leafs have expressed interest in Hamonic and Tanev, a Toronto native, in the past. Count them as sturdy candidates," he wrote.

Tanev is particularly interesting. Fox noted he played his minor hockey in the Greater Toronto Hockey League. The 2010 undrafted free agent could be interested in a homecoming of sorts, though he's played his entire NHL career with the Vancouver Canucks. He also had a stint with the AHL's Chicago Wolves from 2011-13.

If Pietrangelo does reach free agency, the Leafs will have competition for his services. According to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun, the Florida Panthers could make a move for him in the offseason.

"There have been whispers of Florida taking a run at Pietrangelo, although if the Panthers miss the playoffs after last summer's splash of activity, who knows what that means for this offseason," he wrote.

Florida sits in fourth place in the Atlantic Division and could miss the postseason. If so, the Panthers may look to shake things up significantly this summer.

While the Panthers could rebuild this offseason, the Seattle expansion franchise is expected to begin building next offseason. The yet-to-be-nicknamed squad is scheduled to begin play during the 2021-22 season.

According to LeBrun, the original plan was to identify a new head coach within a year of beginning play, but that plan could be changing:

"GM Ron Francis had told me back in the fall that his coaching hiring window was likely to fall between January and June 2021, which makes sense. ... It all comes down to money, of course, if you hire a coach this summer he's getting paid a full year ahead of puck drop. According to a source on Thursday, Seattle has indeed discussed the potential to move up the coaching hire and what's driving it is the right fit potentially being there."

Waiting to hire a coach could indeed save Seattle some cash. However, it could also cause them to miss out on the guy they really want. With experienced coaches such as Gerard Gallant, Bruce Boudreau and Mike Babcock unemployed, the guy it wants could be out there right now. There's no guarantee that guy will be there a year from now.