NHL Free Agents: Each Team's Biggest Trouble Spot and Who Can Fill It for Them

Nearly halfway through August and the hockey world is beginning to boil with anticipation of a new NHL season.

Players and management are all feeling the same excitement as they make moves to improve their rosters before Opening Day.

As training camps get ever closer, teams continue to analyze their strengths and weaknesses as they search for players to enhance their strengths and lessen their weaknesses.

These adjustments continue throughout the season and up until the trade deadline when teams are forced to play with the cards that they have.

I took a different route with this particular piece. Rather than attempt it all by myself, I consulted with several Bleacher Report Featured Columnists about their specific teams.

Thanks to all of you for your willingness to share your knowledge.

So here is each team's biggest trouble spot and how they can address it.

Anaheim Ducks

The Anaheim Ducks have a lot running for them right now, but also a big question mark.

At the moment we're still not very certain whether or not Teemu Selanne will be back for one more year with the Ducks, or if his knee surgery will prove to be the final blow to his career.

If Selanne doesn't come back, the Ducks' biggest issue is secondary scoring.

Their first line is big and strong and can do pretty much anything they want, but after that there is a bit of a drop-off.

Alexander Steen, currently of the St. Louis Blues, could be a great pickup for the Ducks if they were able to make a trade for him.

Steen was a 50-point scorer for the Blues last season that would greatly improve the scoring depth of the Ducks whether Selanne comes back or not.

If Selanne does come back, Steen could see a big jump in his own production as well.

Boston Bruins

The Boston Bruins had one serious flaw throughout last season and the playoffs: their power play.

How they were able to overcome their dismal power play, especially in the playoffs, is a testament to how balanced of a team they have.

That being said, I will say that it will be incredibly difficult for the Bruins to repeat if they don't get anybody to help their power play out.

The Bruins also lost some players that gave them good power-play production. Tomas Kaberle, Michael Ryder and Mark Recchi are all players that worked on Boston's power play and left the team after this season.

The worst part is that the Bruins didn't really get anybody that could fill those holes.

Since Chara will play pretty much all two minutes of every power play, the quarterback and big shot isn't really the big need.

The Bruins mostly need more players to fill their second unit or hope that a player like Tyler Seguin will be ready to answer the bell early on.

Perhaps Sergei Samsonov could make a valuable addition to the Bruins. He did have his best years in the NHL as part of the Bruins.

It's possible that a return to Bean Town might help his production on a team that is already very balanced and excellent five-on-five.

Thanks to Nicholas Goss for his input. You can check out his latest piece here.

Buffalo Sabres

The Buffalo Sabres have done very well in the offseason so far, totally revamping their team and adding some big names.

The one thing they weren't able to address during free agency is their depth at center.

Their centers were some of the biggest problem spots on the team last season. They only had one center who scored more than 40 points last year, and he went to Toronto in free agency.

The Sabres are going to have to be very creative about how the solve this particular issue because they are currently over the salary cap.

I would say that the Sabres might consider looking at Scott Gomez, but his cap hit is way too big for them to absorb.

The Sabres might be able to pull something off with the Edmonton Oilers to get Shawn Horcoff, but he has a cap hit that is bigger than $5 million and they would have to give something up.

Still, Horcoff might be the best option for the Sabres.

Calgary Flames

Calgary has performed well offensively on a regular basis with last season being no different. The Flames ranked seventh in the NHL in goals scored.

The place where the Flames are weakest is on defense.

It may be the end of an era in Calgary, as Miikka Kiprusoff seems to continuously find his name in trade rumors despite being very consistent.

Still, dropping Kiprusoff's major salary could open the gates for a big-time name to join the Flames blue line.

The Flames did help themselves by adding Scott Hannan just a couple of days ago, but more is still needed.

Luke Schenn still has yet to sign anything in Toronto, and he is a fantastic young defender from a team that could use some depth in goal.

I have a feeling that the Calgary organization would love to have a young stud defender like Schenn help to solidify their blue line for years to come.

Carolina Hurricanes

Carolina is one of the few teams that has the advantage of knowing who their goalie is going to be for the next several seasons.

On the downside, Carolina had some of the worst special teams in the league last season.

The Hurricane power play was 24th in the NHL, while their penalty kill was ranked 20th. Both of these need to improve a great deal if the Canes want to return to the playoffs at all.

Having lost Erik Cole to free agency may offset the positives of obtaining Tomas Kaberle and Anthony Stewart.

Kaberle is good at moving the puck but doesn't really have that big shot that will send people scrambling out in front of the net.

One free agent that is still left on the market that does have that big shot is Bryan McCabe, who might find a great home on the Hurricane power-play unit and help the unit improve.

Thanks to Carolina FC Mark Jones for his input. You can check out his latest piece here.

Chicago Blackhawks

Chicago could have a couple of issues for next season.

First, while the players the Blackhawks signed during free agency do help add a lot of grit to the team and bring a good amount of experience to the team, they are pretty old.

It could be possible that the Blackhawks just get a bit run down as the season goes along.

The second issue is depth at the goalie position.

Corey Crawford did play very well for the Blackhawks, but young goalies are a lot like reaching into the garbage disposal in the sink. If all goes right then you're good to go, but if something goes wrong it's going to hurt, a lot.

If Crawford continues to play well then depth won't matter all that much, but if he starts to fall into a bit of a sophomore slump then the Hawks are going to need somebody there to help shoulder the responsibility.

Ray Emery is the perfect solution for the Hawks, and they are already allowing him to try out for their team.

While young goalie Alexander Salak no doubt wants to be on the big time, he'll probably benefit more from getting more action in the AHL.

Thanks to Tyler Juranovich for his input on this. You can check out his latest piece on the Blackhawks here.

Colorado Avalanche

The Avalanche have done a lot to address their biggest issues from last season, which were their size, poor defense and goaltending.

Bringing Jan Hejda and Shane O'Brien onto the Avalanche blue line has increased the size, strength and ability of what was easily the softest and smallest defense in the NHL last season. Kyle Quincey's return should help as well.

J.S. Giguere and Semyon Varlamov, if both players can remain healthy, should prove to be an effective duo in net.

The Avalanche drafted Gabriel Landeskog, who will most likely make the team straight out of camp this season, to play on one of the top two lines. My guess is that Landeskog will play with Duchene this year.

While Landeskog does help, the Avalanche need more help and depth at left wing, specifically on the defensive side of things.

T.J. Galiardi's return does help, but the Avalanche need somebody who can check and log a lot of good time on the penalty kill.

Neither Cody McLeod nor Kevin Porter are especially great defensively, which leaves Daniel Winnik to himself.

If I had my choice, I would have the Avalanche pick up Alex Semin. Semin does play right wing, but Milan Hejduk is capable of playing on either wing effectively.

Semin would help add another scorer to the team that also moves the puck very well. Adding Semin, depending on who the Avalanche gave up in return, would allow Landeskog to ease into a top-six position or rotate in and out of it so that he can mature.

Plus, Semin and Semyon Varlamov are countrymen and good friends, which could boost their morale. Strange how being happy can help a player play well.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Columbus took a lot of good steps forward this offseason by acquiring Jeff Carter and James Wisniewski through trades and free agency, but they aren't out of the woods quite yet.

Columbus still needs to solidify their defense, especially after losing Jan Hejda to the Avalanche in free agency.

If the Blue Jackets are really looking to make a huge splash that would make everybody in the NHL wake up, then they should find a way to acquire Drew Doughty from the Los Angeles Kings.

The Kings probably aren't that apt to make a deal for one of their best players, but if his contract dispute continues too much longer then the Kings may be forced to deal Doughty away and get whatever they can get in return, which would be a pretty penny.

Doughty is probably the best option for the Jackets if they can find a way to make a deal with the Kings.

Dallas Stars

The Dallas Stars suffered the biggest loss of all of the teams in the NHL because of the loss of Brad Richards.

This also leads straight to the biggest weakness for the Stars now as well, which is depth at the center position.

Without Richards, now Mike Ribiero is the Stars' top center, which isn't bad because he is an immensely talented power forward. The problem comes after Ribiero where Steve Ott is the next center on the depth chart.

Ott is a good player, but he's primarily a pest that doesn't do much scoring of his own.

Dallas needs a second-line center that can provide some scoring depth in a bad way.

Dallas might want to try and beat Nashville in calling Ottawa to see what it would take to get Jason Spezza down to Big D.

Spezza is another strong player that could give Dallas that depth they need at the center position.

Detroit Red Wings

The Red Wings are always one of the most well-rounded teams in the NHL, so it is often hard to find a real glaring weakness on paper.

Where the weakness has shown up is in the playoffs, particularly against teams like the San Jose Sharks that just seem to be bigger and stronger than the Red Wings.

Detroit is incredibly skilled and they do have some big bodies, but they aren't really the type of guys that play through people and make people think twice about trying to lay the body on them.

Detroit really could use more size and strength, especially in their bottom six forwards that can really throw their bodies around and wear the opponents down with the forecheck.

Mike Commodore helped address size on the blue line, but I don't see Commodore making a series changing impact for the Wings. He'll be solid, but he's not going to turn the tides of anything.

One particular forward that has made his life playing physically and being a pest for his opponents is Jarkko Ruutu.

Currently Ruutu hasn't found a home on an NHL team and is checking his prospects back in Finland, but he might find a nice home in Detroit as the hard-hitting pest that he is.

Thanks to Franklin Steele for his input on this piece. You can check out his latest article right here.

Edmonton Oilers

The Oilers are approaching the corner where their franchise hopes to change from the perennial loser back to a team that is constantly in the discussion for the Stanley Cup.

It's been a long time since that has happened, but the pieces are starting to fall into place for the Oilers; they just need to mature.

Edmonton has a ton of talent up front and has two big question marks on the blue line and in the crease.

If Nikolia Khabibulin can ever get his personal life straight, he might end up being a pretty good goalie for the Oilers, but it just doesn't seem like Khabibulin is going to be an answer in net.

There aren't really a lot of goalies available to help Edmonton, so I'm going to focus on the blue line.

This would be a huge move if the Oilers were able to pull it off, but the huge arbitration deal given to Shea Weber may have effectively put a countdown timer on his career with the Nashville Predators.

Edmonton has the cap space to pay Weber the salary he wants and still have space left to give extensions to Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle when the time comes.

Plus, Nashville needs offense and the Oilers have a few offensive pieces that they would probably be willing to part with if it meant they got Shea Weber in return.

Ales Hemsky and Shawn Horcoff could find themselves out of town if the Oilers could land Shea Weber.

I would still put the likelihood of this happening very low.

Florida Panthers

The Florida Panthers have done a very admirable job of addressing their utter lack of scoring from the previous season, and I think they will see some dividends paid for their aggressive actions.

Their defense is better, as well, but still not quite where it could be.

The place that is their biggest weakness, however, is in the crease.

The Panthers are relying on Jose Theodore to be the No. 1 goalie when he couldn't win the starting job in Minnesota and was never able to prove himself to be a better starter than Peter Budaj when he was in Colorado.

The Panthers are going to need some help at some point and will probably have to look to the trade market in order to get the help they need.

The best option for the Panthers resides about as geographically far away from them as possible in the NHL out in Vancouver.

Corey Schneider has served as backup to Roberto Luongo but has the potential to come into his own as a starter. If he does, it won't be in Vancouver as Luongo still has the better part of a decade left on his contract.

Florida is aggressive enough to find a way to get that deal done, and could afford to give Schneider a hefty contract extension if they were able to acquire him.

Bottom line, Theodore isn't the answer for anybody anymore.

Los Angeles Kings

The Los Angeles Kings made great moves this offseason and stand poised to knock the Sharks off the top of the Pacific Division this year.

I honestly can't wait to see how intensely physical the games between the Kings and Sharks are going to be this coming season.

At the moment, the Kings' biggest weakness is depth on their left wing. If they could get one more player at left wing who could add to the toughness of the team it would do the Kings a lot of good.

Ethan Moreau is still available and he brings each one of those things to the table.

Moreau can produce some offensively and get you about 30-40 points and be a physical presence at the same time.

If the Kings do want to knock the Sharks off the top of their division, they're going to need to be tough enough to do it, and Ethan Moreau could be a good step in the right direction.

Minnesota Wild

I have been very impressed with the moves that the Minnesota Wild have made during the offseason to improve their team.

Their offense has definitely taken a step in the right direction during this offseason, but I still think that their power play is the biggest weakness that the Wild have.

Obviously the additions of players like Dany Heatley and Devin Setoguchi will improve the power play, but the Wild still lack a really effective quarterback to their power play.

I've said this in several of my previous articles, but I think that Bryan McCabe would be a perfect addition to Minnesota because of his power-play ability.

He's good at moving the puck and has an absolute bomb from the blue line to help get Setoguchi and Heatley those rebounds that both highly skilled players will be able to bury.

Minnesota will surprise a lot of people this year.

Montreal Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens are a team on the rise and have a bright future in front of them.

Carey Price played great for the Habs last season, P.K. Subban emerged as a star player, Brian Gionta and Mike Cammalleri provide great offense and leadership, but there is still one problem.

The Montreal Canadiens are pretty small up front and don't have a lot of scoring depth, something that the Canadiens hope that Erik Cole can provide, but more is really needed.

Cory Stillman is a player that is still looking for a home, and he also put up some seriously impressive numbers after he was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes.

If Stillman can come with that same kind of intensity, he could add some great scoring depth to the Canadiens.

Plus, it wouldn't hurt to put as many Carolina pieces around Cole as humanly possible as he easily played his best hockey while he was with the Hurricanes.

Nashville Predators

The Predators need scoring, and they need scoring in a big way.

Only two players on the team even broke 50 points during last season. Luckily for them, the Predators were also one of the best defensive teams in the league and had one of the best goalies.

Still, the Predators need scoring in a bad way.

I've thought for a while that the Predators would do well to try and make another deal with the Ottawa Senators to acquire Jason Spezza.

Spezza is a big guy, can play physically, already has a chemistry with Mike Fisher and would fit really well with the Nashville system.

He'd also be a great addition to their power-play unit and could put up a lot of points for a team that needs somebody to take the scoring lead.

New Jersey Devils

The Devils are turning a page in the history of their franchise with head coach Jacques Lemaire retiring.

New Jersey is traditionally very strong on the defensive side of the puck, but perhaps the defense is where their greatest weakness lies.

Not in actually being able to defend, rather they don't really have much of a puck-moving defender that can join the rush and make things happen offensively.

Chris Campoli could be a perfect fit for the Devils and might end up being the steal of free agency because this kid is still just 26 years old.

Campoli could provide a lot of great offense for the Devils and also help out the power play with his ability to pass the puck.

Many thanks to Levinakl for his input on this piece. Check out his latest article here.

New York Islanders

The Islanders have done a few good things in this offseason and could be a team that surprises some folks next year.

Evgeni Nabakov seems to be content with the idea of playing on the Island after the hissy fit he threw last season, and his presence does give the Islanders some good depth in net with the constant threat of injury to Rick DiPietro if the wind is blowing the wrong way.

Ryan Strome helps with their offense, and the return of Mark Streit will help their blue line a great deal.

I still think that the Islanders need to get a change-of-pace defender that can skate like lightning and move the puck very effectively.

While he never really found a niche in Colorado, I really think that Kyle Cumiskey could have a positive impact on the Islanders if he has the right defensive partner.

He is so fast that you can't possibly prepare for it. Just when you think you've got him, he's already three strides by you.

He does need to improve in his own zone, but I truly believe that Kyle Cumiskey could help out the Islanders.

New York Rangers

The Rangers won the Brad Richards sweepstakes during free agency but still have one real glaring problem, and that is left wings.

Their current left wing roster reads Brandon Dubinsky, Wojtek Wolski, Sean Avery and Ruslan Fedotenko.

There were rumors around Wolski that he might be bought out by the Rangers and while that hasn't happened yet, it certainly doesn't bode well for his future in the Big Apple.

I don't think any team really enjoys having Sean Avery, and I'm sure the Rangers would be more than happy to part with him to free up a bit more room.

Just losing Wolski and Avery provides almost $6 million more in cap space which could allow the Rangers to make a deal with their neighbors to the stinkier south in New Jersey.

Zach Parise's one-year deal seems a bit dubious to me and makes me think that Parise might want out of New Jersey, and the Rangers could definitely put a package together to get him.

I think Parise would definitely like playing with Brad Richards and Ryan Callahan. Parise could make the Rangers a front-runner in the East.

Many thanks to Tom Urtz, Jr., for his input on this piece. You can check out his latest article right here.

Ottawa Senators

So far Ottawa's best offseason move has been drafting Mika Zibanejad who brings both skill and size to the Senators.

Ottawa was pretty pathetic overall last year, but showed some signs of life after acquiring Craig Anderson. They just have to make sure to keep him happy as he showed his ability to be a bit of a prima donna in Colorado.

Still, Ottawa needs offense and they need a big-time scorer.

One of the players that has been in trade rumors the most over the past year or so is Washington's Alex Semin.

Semin would provide some big-time scoring to a team that desperately needs it.

Chances are pretty good that Jason Spezza would be on his way out if that deal was able to come through, but the Senators aren't far away from blowing up their roster if you ask me.

Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers have been incredibly busy with free agency and trading this offseason and are a completely different team than they were as a result.

There are definitely a lot of questions as to whether or not the team will be able to come together and gel since there are so many new faces, but these guys are professionals and should be able to adapt soon enough.

The largest question mark that is around for the Flyers right now revolves around Chris Pronger, who has stated that he doesn't believe he'll be fully ready to go by the time training camp comes around.

So what do you do if you're the Flyers in this situation? Do you stand pat and hope for the best, or do you try and make one more move to be ready for the worst possible situation?

Pronger has such a huge effect on the team's defense and power play that his loss is definitely felt, but how do you address it?

Paul Mara is a big, physical defenseman that could help stem the tide until Pronger gets back. He probably wouldn't have the biggest effect on the power play, if any effect at all, but his ability to play a physical game would fit well with the Flyers for as long as they needed him.

Plus, when Pronger does get back it's highly unlikely that he would just jump right in and log all of the minutes that he's used to having, so having Mara around will continue to be useful until Pronger finally does hit 100 percent.

Thanks to Jason Sapunka for his input on this piece. Check out his latest piece here.

Phoenix Coyotes

The Coyotes were one of the biggest losers of NHL free agency this year.

They lost Ed Jovanovski, who was one of their better defenders. Most notably, the Coyotes had to trade the rights to Ilya Bryzgalov to the Flyers in order to make sure they got anything for him in return.

The Coyotes then signed Mike Smith to be the starter for the season and already have Jason Labarbera signed to be his backup.

This isn't exactly the most stellar goalie combination, and the Coyotes may end up needing to find another goalie in order to have the depth they might require.

Mike Smith didn't do so great in his first time around as a starter but could have more success after a few decent seasons serving as the backup in Tampa Bay.

Pascal Leclaire is a goalie that could come in and maybe start out in the AHL but just be that guy you know you have in the event you lose one goalie, or both aren't playing up to par.

Leclaire has had a lot of injuries so he isn't going to be very likely to land a starting position anywhere; a depth role might be the best thing that he can hope for, and the Coyotes could definitely use the depth that he would provide.

Pittsburgh Penguins

The Penguins were a team that was just hammered by injuries last season, so one of their biggest weaknesses is going to be fixed by the return of Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby, assuming that they are both ready to go.

The inability of the power play to score is really the thing that kept the Penguins from advancing in the playoffs last season, so getting their man-advantage back to its lethal best is definitely a need for the Penguins.

The Penguins are also a team that is primarily finesse and could really benefit from a player that is able to add that hard physical edge to their game.

A perfect match for the Penguins could be Mike Grier. Grier could provide scoring depth, add toughness to the team and provide some valuable ability on the second power-play unit.

Grier is also a great forechecker that could make life difficult for his opponents.

He also wouldn't cost the Penguins much as far as a cap hit is concerned.

Thanks to Alison Myers for her input on this piece. Check out her latest article right here.

San Jose Sharks

The San Jose Sharks have been very busy during the offseason, making several trades with the Minnesota Wild.

San Jose is a team that is always pretty stacked but seems to fall short for one reason or another.

When you look at them it is really hard to find a place where they are really weak, but something is obviously lacking.

If San Jose is looking to find the area where it can improve the most, it would have to be on their checking lines.

Their offense is loaded with Thornton, Pavelski, Havlat and Marleau, but they really are lacking that shutdown forward that can be out there for all important defensive situations.

A good veteran guy that is the absolute poster child for the effective defensive forward is John Madden.

He's won Stanley Cups with the Devils and can bring that into a locker room that is just killing to get the chance to play for the Cup.

The biggest benefit for Madden is that he can easily fit any role you want him to play. If you don't want him to play center, Madden can play wing and do it effectively on a checking line.

Plus, he kills penalties incredibly well and has made his living on the penalty kill.

Madden might be the best possible solution for the Sharks as they look to get over the hill once again this season.

Thanks to MJ Kasprzak for his input on this piece. You can check out his latest article on the Sharks here.

St. Louis Blues

St. Louis has done pretty well for themselves during the offseason, obtaining Jason Arnott and Jamie Langenbrunner.

You definitely can't forget the additions of Chris Stewart and Kevin Shattenkirk, who both made instant impacts on the team, and will continue to have an impact all season.

Really, the Blues' biggest weakness is their depth in net. Halak proved to be okay last season but did let in a few soft goals, and the Blues have only managed to get Brian Elliott to serve as his backup.

Elliott is definitely not a big help, and the Blues seem to know that as they signed him to a two-way contract.

St. Louis needs more depth in net, big time.

If there's a team that could give Marty Turco one last chance, it might be the St. Louis Blues.

Turco would clearly be a backup, but he's a veteran that knows how to get things done. If Turco could be a solid backup, he might help the Blues make a push for the playoffs.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Tampa Bay is surprisingly well rounded for a team that had the first overall draft pick just a couple of seasons ago.

The Lightning have two very solid scoring lines, solid defense and decent depth in net.

They have bought into a defensive system that makes it very hard for teams to get through the neutral zone but is also very effective against the dump-and-chase.

They don't have a lot of weaknesses. 

The thing about them that might need the most work is the defensive presence of their bottom six forwards.

Perhaps Tampa Bay might take a gander at a fellow by the name of Chris Drury.

At this point he won't be costing people much. He's a great leader and an awesome presence in the locker room. He could play your third-line center or even wing if needed, and he's great killing penalties.

Drury has always had that killer instinct and even though he is headed towards the end of a wonderful career, he could still help the Lightning make that last push to get back to the finals.

Toronto Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs could be a team that plays spoiler all around the league this coming season.

The Leafs came up just short of the playoffs and have made a couple of good moves this offseason but still have a couple of holes that they need to fill.

To me, there are two danger spots for the Maple Leafs.

First, James Reimer won the starting job for the Leafs last season but I share the same concern for him that I have with Corey Crawford of the Blackhawks. Young goalies are just so hard to predict.

More pressing, however, is the need for the Maple Leafs to improve their penalty kill. Toronto has a talented offense but has really suffered some losses because their penalty kill has trouble keeping teams out on a consistent basis.

I've used him before, but one of the players that can help any team's penalty kill is John Madden.

I think that Madden would definitely enjoy the idea of playing for the Leafs and would have a great impact on a team that is very close to being a contender in the East.

Many thanks for Jeff Langridge for his input on this piece. Check out his latest article here.

Vancouver Canucks

Vancouver was easily the best team in the NHL during last year's regular season, but they just came up a little bit short.

They have a great combination of speed and skill, but really lacked that toughness that the Bruins showed, and that's the thing that lost them the Cup.

Roberto Luongo will be great during the season again, and now has the confidence that he can make a run deep into the playoffs.

Vancouver will be back challenging for a place in the finals, but if they want to win it this time, they need to get tougher.

It would be a bit of a flight for him, but I think Mike Grier might be just what the doctor ordered for Vancouver.

He can still skate, he plays very physically and can chip in offensively. Grier would fit right into the spot left by Raffi Torres.

Washington Capitals

The Capitals are always one of the most exciting offensive teams in the league, and next season should be no different.

Before free-agent day, I would have said that the Capitals' biggest weak spot was in goal, but with the addition of Tomas Vokoun for probably the biggest steal in free agency, they are definitely set for the season.

So that would point to the defense as their biggest weakness.

The addition of Roman Hamrlik is a good one, but the Capitals do still have a very young defensive group that could use a savvy veteran to provide a bit more stability.

A defender that is still available that just won the Stanley Cup with the Bruins is Shane Hnidy, and that type of presence might help the rest of the Capitals to finally get over that hump in the playoffs.

Thanks to Ryan Davenport for his input on this piece. Check out his latest article here.

Winnipeg Jets

The Jets are going to have a lot of great things happening for them as they once again take the ice in the great city of Winnipeg.

Emotions are going to run high for the Jets all season, and that could definitely affect their play.

The biggest weakness for Winnipeg is right up the middle; they need better centers towards the top of their lineup.  

The Jets still have something like $15 million in cap space, so if they wanted to go out and get a big name with a big contract, they could.

At this point there aren't a lot of big-time centers on the market, and trading to obtain one is pretty tough.

If the Jets want to take a run at one, a No. 1 center that has been been surrounded by trade rumors since last year's trade deadline is Paul Stastny.

I don't see the Avalanche being willing to part with Stastny, but if the Jets were able to pay the right price then the Avalanche might be tempted, especially if the season doesn't start off very well.

I wouldn't count on this, but I also never thought that the Avalanche would move Chris Stewart.

Kevin Goff is an NHL Featured Columnist and a Featured Columnist for the Colorado Avalanche on Bleacher Report.

You can follow me on Twitter for more hockey discussion here.