10 NHL Teams Having a Disappointing Offseason so Far
The 2020 NHL offseason is well underway. Despite the flattened salary cap for 2020-21, uncertainty over when next season will begin and what the schedule might look like, a number of teams have been busy bolstering their rosters in the trade and free-agent markets.
However, several teams aren't having the same success as their peers. Some, such as the Chicago Blackhawks, have had to part ways with longtime veterans. Others, like the Philadelphia Flyers, have yet to make a significant move. Even the Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning are having difficulties.
Here's a look at 10 NHL teams having a disappointing offseason. This list is based on their recent trades, free-agent signings and other attempted moves.
Arizona Coyotes
1 of 10
It's been a tough offseason for the Arizona Coyotes. They hired a new general manager in Bill Armstrong, but he's made mostly cost-cutting moves that aren't moving the club closer to becoming a perennial playoff contender. He bought out Michael Grabner's contract and let forwards Brad Richardson and Vinnie Hinostroza depart as free agents.
The biggest loss was Taylor Hall. Armstrong's predecessor, John Chayka, acquired the 28-year-old left winger in December, but he signed with the Buffalo Sabres on a one-year, $8 million contract. Hall's departure leaves the Coyotes without a marketable star and weakens their scoring punch.
Armstrong attempted to trade team captain Oliver Ekman-Larsson. However, the 29-year-old defenseman declined to waive his no-movement clause when attempts to ship him to the Boston Bruins or Vancouver Canucks fell through.
The Coyotes GM made two depth additions in Johan Larsson and Tyler Pitlick. Nevertheless, those moves won't offset Hall's departure and the effect that could have on their offense. Having signed Christian Fischer on Monday to a two-year deal worth an annual average value of $1 million, the Coyotes have exceeded the cap, though they will get some wiggle room with Marian Hossa on permanent long-term injured reserve.
Boston Bruins
2 of 10
Having been eliminated from the second round of the 2020 playoffs after winning the Presidents' Trophy in the regular season, the Boston Bruins haven't done much to improve their chances of a Stanley Cup run next season. So far, it's been an offseason of departures and bad news.
The most noteworthy farewell was to Torey Krug. The longtime Bruin signed a seven-year, $45.5 million contract with the St. Louis Blues. General manager Don Sweeney has yet to find a suitable replacement to fill that gaping hole on the left side of the blue line.
Sweeney re-signed Matt Grzelcyk but has yet to sign restricted free agent winger Jake DeBrusk, while team captain Zdeno Chara also remains an unrestricted free agent. Meanwhile, first-line forwards Brad Marchand (sports hernia) and David Pastrnak (right hip) recently underwent surgery and will be sidelined for four and five months, respectively.
The Bruins GM did sign former Nashville Predators forward Craig Smith to bring some much-needed depth to their right wing. Sweeney has $6.6 million in cap space to work with, but that probably won't be enough to address his remaining issues.
Carolina Hurricanes
3 of 10
A rising force in the Eastern Conference, the Carolina Hurricanes haven't made any big moves yet. GM Don Waddell's biggest trade was dealing the rights to defenseman Joel Edmundson to the Montreal Canadiens for a fifth-round pick in this year's draft. He also signed free-agent winger Jesper Fast to a three-year, $6 million contract and blueliner Joakim Ryan to a one-year, $700,000 deal.
The Hurricanes have depth in defense and a strong first line led by center Sebastian Aho and winger Andrei Svechnikov. However, they lack an established starting goaltender and could use secondary scoring depth. The Hurricanes also lost a key leader when winger Justin Williams announced his retirement.
Limited salary-cap space could be hampering Waddell's efforts to improve this roster. They've got $76.4 million already invested in 19 players with restricted free agents Warren Foegele and Haydn Fleury to re-sign.
Waddell could still make a significant move. Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported recently that the Hurricanes are exploring trade options for Jake Gardiner. The 30-year-old defenseman has three years remaining on his contract with an annual salary-cap hit of $4.05 million. Friedman said they are in the market for a goal scorer, which would be easier to obtain if they can move Gardiner's contract.
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Chicago Blackhawks
4 of 10
The flattened salary cap led to some noteworthy departures for the Chicago Blackhawks. Longtime starting goaltender Corey Crawford left via free agency for the New Jersey Devils. Winger Brandon Saad was shipped to the Colorado Avalanche in a cost-cutting trade. In another salary dump, defenseman Olli Maatta was dealt to the Los Angeles Kings.
On Oct. 11, The Athletic's Mark Lazerus reported those moves didn't sit well with the Blackhawks core veterans such as Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and captain Jonathan Toews. Those four, by the way, account for $33.4 million of the Blackhawks' salary-cap payroll next season.
With only $5.2 million in projected cap space even after those moves, general manager Stan Bowman had little option. He needed the cap room to re-sign Calder Trophy finalist Dominik Kubalik to a two-year, $7.4 million contract. Center Dylan Strome, meanwhile, remains to be signed.
Bowman got back physical defenseman Nikita Zadorov in the Saad trade and signed free-agent depth forwards Mattias Janmark and Lucas Wallmark. Nevertheless, those moves won't silence the grumbling or significantly improve a roster that still needs a reliable starting goalie and more help on the blue line.
Nashville Predators
5 of 10
A lack of scoring depth led to the Nashville Predators suffering an upset qualifying-round elimination by the underdog Arizona Coyotes. So far, GM David Poile hasn't done much to address that weakness.
Poile has been busy freeing up salary-cap space. He bought out center Kyle Turris, shipped Nick Bonino to the Minnesota Wild and let Mikael Granlund and Craig Smith depart via free agency. The Predators GM also made some depth moves, acquiring Luke Kunin in the Bonino deal and signing forwards Brad Richardson and Nick Cousins and defensemen Mark Borowiecki and Matt Benning.
The Predators have $12.9 million in salary-cap space thanks to Poile's moves. However, their secondary scoring looks no better than it did last season.
Poile could still make a big move for a scoring winger. The Athletic's Adam Vingan reported on Oct. 15 that he's looking for opportunities. TSN's Frank Seravalli said the Predators were among the suitors for free agent Mike Hoffman.
New York Islanders
6 of 10
It's been a quiet offseason for the New York Islanders. With $72.6 million invested in 20 players and first-line center Mathew Barzal and top-pairing defenseman Ryan Pulock still to re-sign, GM Lou Lamoriello has limited wiggle room to boost his roster via trades or free agency.
That lack of cap dollars explains why Lamoriello traded restricted free-agent blueliner Devon Toews to the Colorado Avalanche for a second-round pick in 2021 and another in 2022. Toews probably would have remained an Islander in a normal NHL offseason wherein the salary cap for 2020-21 rose as projected.
The flattened cap also affected the Islanders' efforts to re-sign veteran defenseman Andy Greene and winger Matt Martin. The Athletic's Arthur Staple reported on Oct. 15 that the Isles were working on a deal to bring back Martin, but Greene remains an unrestricted free agent.
Lamoriello is expected to re-sign Barzal and Pulock, but his limited cap space means there is likely no room to bolster his club's offense. Unless he can swing another cost-cutting deal, the Isles could struggle to score next season.
Philadelphia Flyers
7 of 10
The Philadelphia Flyers were a much-improved club last season, finishing among the top four in the Eastern Conference and reaching the second round of the 2020 playoffs. However, GM Chuck Fletcher hasn't made any significant moves to improve his lineup.
Fletcher's most notable decision thus far was signing free-agent defenseman Erik Gustafsson to a one-year, $3 million contract to fill the gap on his blue line created by Matt Niskanen's sudden retirement. He also ensured backup goalie Brian Elliott returned on a one-year, $1.5 million deal.
Flyers fans hoping for a big move to boost an offense that struggled during the playoffs must be disappointed. With $76.6 million committed to 19 players and top-four defenseman Philippe Myers to re-sign, Fletcher has no cap room to pursue any notable scorers in the free-agent market.
With the free-agent market almost depleted of affordable scorers, Fletcher could be forced to turn to the trade market. On Sept. 28, The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun reported defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere has been the subject of trade rumors, but his $4.5 million salary-cap hit through 2022-23 could prove difficult to move in the current economic environment.
Pittsburgh Penguins
8 of 10
It's been another busy offseason of wheeling-and-dealing for Pittsburgh Penguins GM Jim Rutherford. Most of his moves, however, have been of the cost-cutting variety and brought little back to substantially improve his roster.
He did acquire a speedy winger from the Toronto Maple Leafs in Kasperi Kapanen, but it came at the expense of a first-round pick. The return from the Ottawa Senators for Matt Murray (prospect forward Jonathan Gruden and a 2020 second-round pick) seemed rather light for a goalie with two Stanley Cups on his resume.
Rutherford's biggest move was sending gritty two-way winger Patric Hornqvist to the Florida Panthers for defenseman Mike Matheson and forward Colton Sceviour. Swapping the 33-year-old Hornqvist for two younger players looks good on paper, but the 26-year-old Matheson has struggled over the past two seasons, while the 31-year-old Sceviour seems destined for the minors.
The flattened cap meant Rutherford couldn't afford to take on much salary. He has a full 23-man roster for next season with $1.3 million in cap space. That roster, however, doesn't seem much improved over the one that was upset in the qualifying round by the Montreal Canadiens.
San Jose Sharks
9 of 10
After missing the cut for the 2020 NHL playoffs, San Jose Sharks general manager Doug Wilson decided not to rebuild his roster. He's instead made several moves in the hopes of a bounce-back performance in 2020-21. Apart from the goaltending, however, it's a roster that hasn't particularly improved.
Wilson acquired veteran goalie Devan Dubnyk from the Minnesota Wild for a 2022 fifth-round pick. Dubnyk, 34, struggled last season with a 3.35 goals-against average and .890 save percentage, but it would be understandable if he were distracted by his wife Jenn's illness. Now that she's recovered, he could regain his form and focus on splitting the goaltending duties with Martin Jones.
Wilson also acquired forward Ryan Donato from the Wild and brought back forwards Patrick Marleau and Matt Nieto on affordable one-year contracts. However, these moves are unlikely to improve the Sharks' sagging power play or their porous defense.
The Sharks have $2.3 million in cap space after re-signing winger Kevin Labanc to a four-year, $18.9 million contract. That doesn't leave much room for any free-agent additions. Any trades will probably have to be dollar-for-dollar.
Tampa Bay Lightning
10 of 10
The Tampa Bay Lightning are still basking in the glow of winning the 2020 Stanley Cup under bubble conditions. However, this is a club that could have a different look next season.
With $78.6 million invested in just 18 players for 2020-21, Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois must free up salary-cap space to re-sign rising stars Anthony Cirelli and Mikhail Sergachev. While it's still early in the offseason, he's having a difficult time shedding salary.
BriseBois attempted to clear Tyler Johnson's $5 million salary-cap hit by placing the winger on waivers but couldn't find any takers. He's trying to trade Johnson and may also consider offers for Alex Killorn and Yanni Gourde. However, rival general managers know BriseBois is in a bind and could squeeze him to include a draft pick, a quality prospect or a promising young player in the deal.
The Lightning's limited salary-cap space led to defensemen Kevin Shattenkirk and Zach Bogosian and forward Carter Verhaeghe departing via free agency. There's also the risk of another club attempting to sign Cirelli or Sergachev to an expensive offer sheet.
Stats via NHL.com. Salary info (as of Oct. 19, 2020) via CapFriendly.
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