The 5 NHL Teams Headed for a Rebuild After This Season

The NHL can best be described as a system of gears. Some gears spin faster and longer than others while others start to slow and eventually come to a grinding halt. Once an NHL team stops spinning in the right direction, it is time to trim up, slim down, and get the gears working towards the future. This is better known as a rebuild or, in extreme cases, a firesale.

Several teams such as Detroit and in recent memory San Jose seem to never have to rebuild while others have already started their build for the future. That is one distinction that needs to be made before this starts. These five teams haven't already started their rebuild like the Oilers, Islanders, and Blues have. These teams were Stanley Cup contenders in the past 3-4 years and are now on the decline. 

Whether it be because of financial and salary cap binds or because of aging talent, these next five teams may have to mortgage some players to start the inevitable build for the future. Keep in mind that hockey is an unpredictable game and that any of these teams could pull of a miracle during the next season.

5. Dallas Stars

With the loss of star center Brad Richards, the Stars are stuck without a real face of their franchise. Gone are the days of Turco and Modano and in are the days of Ribeiro and Eriksson. Jamie Benn is also a bright spot and will prove to be valuable in the future.

Although financially the Stars are fine, they desperately need to replace the lost talent up the middle and shore up the defense before they are contenders again.

Realistically they can't expect to make the playoffs with their current talent. Eriksson and his $4.25 million cap hit is an extremely valuable player that needs to be kept in order to make Dallas a contender again. Overall this rebuild is fifth on this list because it may happen with more of a whimper than a bang. Dallas needs to continue to draft well with their 8-12th picks they are likely to see in the next couple of years. If several of their prospects can pan out, Dallas could be shoring a playoff team in 2-3 years.

Most valuable trade options:

• Loui Eriksson- Putting up 73 points in 79 games last season while only taking up a very small chunk of change has risen Eriksson's stock tremendously. Although it may be against their best interest, Dallas could get a lot in return if they decided to move Eriksson. 
• Steve Ott- Ott could be very useful to any contender looking for a grinding veteran player who can still contribute somewhat offensively. This would be a very viable trade option for Dallas if they are caught near the bottom come January/February.  

4. Montreal Canadiens

Montreal may have made the playoffs for the past 4 years and are on the road to the playoffs again this year. However Montreal has over $23 million locked up into only four forwards, none of which put up more than 60 points last season.

Gomez, who only managed 38 points in 80 games last season is the biggest culprit with over a $7 million cap hit. Montreal needs to figure out what they can do to move his contract if they want to have any chance of building a powerhouse team like they used to have. This is especially urgent if they plan on re-signing key pieces like Subban and Price who are expecting big raises after next season. 

Prospects wise, Montreal is rated 20th in terms of their prospect pool with high end forward talent being the main problem. Montreal's future in goaltending and defense isn't a concern but their aging crop of forwards seems to be slowing down the overall progress in Montreal.

The rebuild must stem from these moves:

• Scott Gomez- Although probably impossible to trade, Gomez's contract must be bought out or moved in some manner especially if he continues to decline. This is the cornerstone of their rebuild.
• Andrei Kostitsyn- A possible trade deadline move if Montreal's season is on the decline. His one year contract and relatively strong numbers make him an easy acquisition for a Stanley Cup team. 

Even if Montreal does in fact do well with the team it has now, one day in the near future the Canadiens must restructure their roster.

3. Phoenix Coyotes

Relocation and rebuild may be the two biggest words that Phoenix will be hearing after next year. Obviously losing millions of dollars a year looks bad on the NHL, the team, and the city of Phoenix itself. Although Phoenix has had some recent playoff success being that they actually made it there, they can't be expected to repeat this season. With the loss of Bryzgalov, Phoenix lost the one player that seemingly turned their franchise around.

Now the Coyotes have the 19th worst prospect pool and only have their blue line as a possible strength. Their goaltending is laughable at best from top to bottom and their offensive depth is severely lacking. Although offense has never been Phoenix's strong suit, they need to develop a couple of top six forwards to become competitive. 

Phoenix may be in the best position to pull a firesale. If they sell off a lot of aged talent in exchange for younger stars, Phoenix could be a competitor in 3-4 years. Although they probably won't be in Phoenix at that point.

The top players that could be traded are:

• Shane Doan- Captain Coyote could look to be moved to a contender at the trade deadline. Any team would be lucky to have Doan's talent and veteran leadership. It is very possible that he could be moved at the deadline or in the offseason. 
• Ray Whitney- Whitney was one of the more productive Phoenix forwards last season, posting up 57points at the age of 39. If Whitney wants another shot at the cup, his one year contract would be easy to move to a Stanley Cup favorite.
• Lee Stempniak- Stempniak is only 28 and is signed for under $2 million for one more year. If a team needs to add a third liner to shore up their top 9, it is very possible he could be moved.

2. Ottawa Senators

The Sens dropped a full 20 points in the standings from 2009-2010 and 2010-2011, not only missing the playoffs but proving to management that their once star studded roster may be on its last legs. One move, acquiring the supposed draft dud Nikita Filatov could prove genius if Filatov can find his scoring touch in the NHL. However, another forward, Daniel Alfredsson could be on the decline. Alfredsson may be one of the best Swedes to ever play but at the old age of 38 and being hampered by injuries this season, this could be the final year for the long time captain. 

Obviously at this stage in his career it is unlikely that the career Ottawa veteran would switch teams so any rebuild predictions with him being traded should be thrown at the window. 

Financially the Senators are alright with enough cap room to make some big moves if they needed to. However certain things must happen for the Senators to rebuild their relatively weak forward prospect pool. .

The eventual rebuild of Ottawa could stem from a couple of key pieces:

• Sergei Gonchar- The 37 year old blue liner could be the object of many trade discussions at the trade deadline this season. If the Senators are not in playoff position, and it looks like they won't be, it is a reasonable option for Ottawa to trade the offensive defenseman to a contender, shoring up their prospect pool.
• Milan Michalek- Michalek's contract may prove to be difficult to move at the deadline but any team could use his scoring ability. One interesting team would be San Jose, who could use another top nine winger to round out their best roster ever.
• Jason Spezza- Obviously the most skilled player on the Ottawa roster, Spezza would have to be involved in a blockbuster trade to see him off the Sens roster. If the management here really wants to take Ottawa in a new direction, it may happen sooner rather than later. 

1. Calgary Flames

The Flames are in trouble from a couple of angles.

After narrowly missing the postseason for the second season in a row, this once dominant Flames team has done little to modify their aging roster. Financially they are fourth worst in terms of cap space and have huge contracts locked up in old players. Superstar Jarome Iginla is most likely looking to play for a contender soon and Calgary could really use the $7 million he takes up in cap space.

Rated as having the worst prospect pool out of all the 30 teams, Calgary needs to take advantage of the aging talent they have by moving them to actual Stanley Cup favorites. Several teams such as Tampa Bay, Detroit, and Toronto seem like plausible candidates for a trade. In return the Flames need picks, prospects or cap safe players. Look for Calgary to make several moves to stockpile picks for the upcoming 2012 draft, projecting to be the deepest in recent memory. 

Here are several players that Calgary will think about expending in order to initiate a rebuild:

• Jarome Iginla- The future Hall of Famer captain will be the most delectable option for GMs across the board. It wouldn't surprise most if he moves at the deadline.
• Jay Bouwmeester- The one time Florida Panther All-Star has fallen from grace in his two years in Calgary. His $6.6 million cap hit will be tough to swallow for a lot of teams but at the trade deadline it could be handled if a team is a need to win now or never situation.
• Scott Hannan- By locking Hannan up to a one year, $1 million dollar contract, Calgary aims to entice several GMs at the trade deadline. Look for Hannan to move to a contender who needs a stay at home defender and doesn't have a lot of cap space available. The deal could easily be done for a 2nd or 3rd rounder and be fair to both sides.
• Miika Kiprusoff- This move would only make sense if Calgary could acquire an elite goaltending prospect in return so it is the least likely on the list. The Flames desperately need to get younger and it needs to start in goal.