Eastern Conference Trades

The first two days of NHL free agency have come and gone, and nearly every team in the League has undergone changes, some significant and others less so. Here's a team-by-team look at what has transpired in the Eastern Conference and which key unrestricted free agents are still searching for a home for the 2013-14 season:

BOSTON BRUINS
Say hello to: RW Loui Eriksson, RW Jarome Iginla, RW Reilly Smith, D Joseph Morrow
Say goodbye to: RW Tyler Seguin, RW Nathan Horton, D Andrew Ference, C Rich Peverley, G Anton Khudobin
Still shopping: LW Kaspars Daugavins, RW Jaromir Jagr, D Wade Redden
Skinny: Six players who dressed during the Stanley Cup Final are gone, but Eriksson and Iginla are capable top-six replacements (Eriksson could be an upgrade). A handful of young defensemen (Dougie Hamilton, Torey Krug, Matt Bartkowski and Morrow) will assume greater roles, and goalie Niklas Svedberg is likely to be promoted from Providence to back up Tuukka Rask. Teams in their division improved, but the Bruins are still the ones to beat in Division C and among the top two in the East. Boston needs to sign two key RFAs -- Rask and forward Jordan Caron (who could battle with newcomer Smith for a third-line spot).
BUFFALO SABRES
Say hello to: C Matt Ellis (re-signed), D Alexander Sulzer (re-signed), D Jamie McBain
Say goodbye to: D Andrej Sekera, C Nathan Gerbe
Still shopping: No one

Skinny: There hasn't been much going on with Buffalo in the past week. The Sabres were lauded for their work at the 2013 NHL Draft, but the first-round picks (defensemen Rasmus Ristolainen and Nikita Zadorov) are likely to spend another year developing, even with Sekera gone in a trade. Buffalo could be active on the trade market, with enticing pieces (forward Thomas Vanek, goalie Ryan Miller) to dangle if the Sabres embrace a full-on rebuild. RFA centers Cody Hodgson, Luke Adam and goalie Matt Hackett need to be signed; Gerbe was bought out, creating another opening up front.
CAROLINA HURRICANES
Say hello to: G Anton Khudobin, D Andrej Sekera, D Mike Komisarek, C Elias Lindholm
Say goodbye to: D Jamie McBain, G Dan Ellis
Still shopping: D Marc-Andre Bergeron, C Tim Brent, D Joe Corvo, RW Chad Larose, RW Andreas Nodl, D Bobby Sanguinetti
Skinny: Adding Sekera at the draft in a trade didn't get a lot of attention, but he's a nice pickup and should see top-four minutes. Komisarek could be a career-revival candidate on the third pairing. Better goal prevention is the key for the Hurricanes. A healthy Cam Ward in net will help, as will having a better backup, Khudobin, to spell him. Lindholm, the sixth pick in the 2013 draft, will have a chance to make the team. The Hurricanes could use a veteran depth forward or two.
COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS
Say hello to: RW Nathan Horton, G Sergei Bobrovsky (re-signed)
Say goodbye to: D Nick Holden
Still shopping: D Adrian Aucoin, G Michael Leighton, LW Vinny Prospal
Skinny: The Blue Jackets made one big signing, adding Horton on a seven-year deal. They might have to wait on him because of offseason shoulder surgery, but he and Marian Gaborik give Columbus some scoring punch. How much better the Blue Jackets can be next season will depend on the growth of top young forwards Ryan Johansen and Cam Atkinson, and if prospects Ryan Murray (defenseman) and Boone Jenner (center) can be impact rookies. And on Bobrovsky proving this past season wasn't a fluke, of course.
DETROIT RED WINGS
Say hello to: C Stephen Weiss, RW Daniel Alfredsson
Say goodbye to: C Valtteri Filppula, D Carlo Colaiacovo
Still shopping: RW Damien Brunner, LW Danny Cleary, D Ian White
Skinny: The Red Wings added two impact forwards and could have more help on the way from prospects Tomas Tatar and Tomas Jurco. Despite buying out Colaiacovo, they are short on space below the salary cap, and need to sign RFA forwards Gustav Nyquist and Joakim Andersson and defenseman Brendan Smith, each of whom had big roles in a surprising playoff run. Forwards Mikael Samuelsson and Todd Bertuzzi are likely surplus parts at this point and cost a little more than $5 million against the cap; moving them would make a really good offseason a great one for general manager Ken Holland. Detroit could challenge Boston for the top spot in its new division.
FLORIDA PANTHERS
Say hello to: C Aleksander Barkov, D Mike Mottau, RW Joey Crabb
Say goodbye to: C Stephen Weiss, RW George Parros, RW Jack Skille
Still shopping: D Filip Kuba, RW Peter Mueller, D Tyson Strachan, G Jose Theodore
Skinny: The Panthers had an injury-ravaged season in 2012-13, so it was hard to judge how much regression there was from a surprising division title in 2011-12. Barkov, the No. 2 pick in the 2013 draft, will get the chance to step into Weiss' place in the middle of one of the top two lines immediately, and prospects Nick Bjugstad, Quinton Howden and Vincent Trochek will try to secure permanent roles up front during training camp. This team could use a veteran defenseman, but there might be budget concerns. Jacob Markstrom is now the man in net, but he's an RFA and needs to be signed.
MONTREAL CANADIENS
Say hello to: RW Danny Briere, RW George Parros
Say goodbye to: RW Michael Ryder, D Yannick Weber, D Tomas Kaberle
Still shopping: C Jeff Halpern, RW Colby Armstrong

George Parros

Right Wing - MTL

Goals: 1 | Assists: 1 | Pts: 2
Shots: 16 | +/-: -15

Skinny: The Canadiens are small up front, and Briere will have to reverse a trend of declining production to replace what Ryder gave them after he arrived from the Dallas Stars. The biggest question is, can goalie Carey Price rebound? The second-biggest question is, how much will a surprising club regress? The potential is there for forward Alex Galchenyuk to take a Tyler Seguin-sized step in year two (Seguin had 29 goals and 67 points in his second season). With Kaberle bought out, there's some cap space left to make an addition, though Montreal might be content with the lineup as it stands.
NEW JERSEY DEVILS
Say hello to: LW Ryane Clowe, RW Michael Ryder, C Patrick Elias (re-signed), G Cory Schneider, C Dainius Zubrus (re-signed), C Rostislav Olesz
Say goodbye to: RW David Clarkson, G Johan Hedberg
Still shopping: RW Cam Janssen, RW Tom Kostopoulos, LW Alexei Ponikarovsky, C Tim Sestito, LW Steve Sullivan, D Marek Zidlicky,
Skinny: Clowe and Ryder will be expected to replace the production lost with Clarkson's departure and improve a club that struggled to score goals. The Devils are thin up front, and losing Ilya Kovalchuk to an injury again would be as devastating as it was in 2012-13. They need to sign RFA Adam Henrique, and he needs to solidify the No. 2 center spot behind Travis Zajac. How Schneider and Martin Brodeur are deployed will be an interesting subplot (Hedberg was the odd man out and received a buyout), and the defense could be a weakness if Adam Larsson doesn't make a big improvement.
NEW YORK ISLANDERS
Say hello to: RW Pierre-Marc Bouchard, RW Cal Clutterbuck, C Peter Regin, G Evgeni Nabokov (re-signed), D Travis Hamonic (re-signed)
Say goodbye to: C Keith Aucoin, RW Nino Niederreiter; G Rick DiPietro
Still shopping: RW Brad Boyes, D Radek Martinek, C Marty Reasoner, G Tim Thomas, D Ty Wishart
Skinny: Bouchard could be a nice replacement for Boyes next to John Tavares and Matt Moulson. Clutterbuck and Regin could end up on the third line. The Islanders bought out oft-injured DiPietro and have a host of RFAs to sign, but the average annual value on Hamonic's seven-year deal (reportedly $3.86 million) is a bargain. This is another team that could use a veteran defenseman, but there are young options to fill a spot available. If a couple of the prospects -- forwards Ryan Strome and Anders Lee, and defenseman Matt Donovan -- end up being impact players, the Islanders might not regress as much as some pundits predict, or at all.
NEW YORK RANGERS
Say hello to: LW Benoit Pouliot, C Dominic Moore, D Aaron Johnson
Say goodbye to: LW Ryane Clowe
Still shopping: D Steve Eminger, D Matt Gilroy, D Roman Hamrlik
Skinny: The big decision for the Rangers was keeping underperforming center Brad Richards, but there is still plenty of work to be done. Key young players, including defenseman Ryan McDonagh and forwards Derek Stepan and Carl Hagelin, remain RFAs and need a new contract. Few teams in the League could have their long-term plan altered by a signed offer sheet or two like the Rangers right now. If all of the RFAs are locked up, there won't be much wiggle room below the salary cap. If defenseman Marc Staal is healthy, new coach Alain Vigneault will have essentially the same roster John Tortorella was working with.
OTTAWA SENATORS
Say hello to: LW Bobby Ryan, LW Clarke MacArthur
Say goodbye to: RW Daniel Alfredsson, RW Jakob Silfverberg, C Peter Regin, D Andre Benoit
Still shopping: LW Guillaume Latendresse, D Mike Lundin

Bobby Ryan

Right Wing - OTT

GOALS: 11 | ASST: 19 | PTS: 30
SOG: 101 | +/-: 3

Skinny: The team's captain for the past 14 years left town, and general manager Bryan Murray traded quality young assets to acquire one of the League's top goal-scoring wings who hasn't reached his 27th birthday. Will Ryan and MacArthur be better than Alfredsson and Silfverberg? It's possible, even likely, though Silfverberg might make a big leap forward. Obviously the Senators need better health in 2013-14, but even with all the injuries they finished about as expected.
PHILADELPHIA FLYERS
Say hello to: C Vincent Lecavalier, G Ray Emery, C Adam Hall (re-signed)
Say goodbye to: RW Danny Briere, G Ilya Bryzgalov, LW Ruslan Fedotenko
Still shopping: G Ilya Bryzgalov, G Brian Boucher, D Kurtis Foster, LW Simon Gagne, D Kent Huskins, RW Mike Knuble, D Andreas Lilja, LW Jody Shelley
Skinny: Outside of the change in goal (signing Emery after buying out Bryzgalov) and effectively swapping Briere for Lecavalier, the Flyers look similar to the team that didn't make the playoffs last season. They will hope 35-year-old Mark Streit can still log a lot of minutes on defense, and RFA Erik Gustafsson needs to be signed. There is a logjam on the blue line, and someone (or more than one) could be on the move. There is less than little cap space to make any other moves.
PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
Say hello to: D Rob Scuderi, LW Chris Kunitz (re-signed), RW Pascal Dupuis (re-signed), C Craig Adams (re-signed)
Say goodbye to: LW Matt Cooke, RW Jarome Iginla, RW Tyler Kennedy
Still shopping: D Mark Eaton, LW Brenden Morrow, D Douglas Murray
Skinny: The addition of Scuderi means it will be a lot harder for one of Pittsburgh's several defense prospects to make the roster, and it could mean Simon Despres is ticketed for third-pairing minutes again. Basically, GM Ray Shero decided to put the band back together (even retaining Scuderi after losing him in 2009), though depth at forward, which was an issue already, will remain a weakness without Cooke and Kennedy. On paper, the Penguins have perhaps the best top-six forwards and one of the best defense corps in the League. Goaltending and the bottom-six forwards are huge question marks, and there isn't much room for Shero to do anything else without trading salary.
TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
Say hello to: LW Jonathan Drouin, C Valtteri Filppula
Say goodbye to: C Vincent Lecavalier, LW Benoit Pouliot, RW JT Wyman
Still shopping: G Mathieu Garon
Skinny: Filppula might be better than Lecavalier in 2013-14, and adding impact rookie Drouin should make it tougher for teams to try to focus on Steven Stamkos and Martin St. Louis. The same issues remain in Tampa Bay -- forward depth and goal prevention -- unless some prospects are ready for permanent roles or GM Steve Yzerman has another move or two forthcoming. Depth up front is not a problem if a couple of players from a group that includes Tyler Johnson, Brett Connolly, Richard Panik and Alex Killorn are ready for full-time, top-nine duty. A healthy season from Ryan Malone would be a great help. A near-term solution on defense might have to come from outside the organization.
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
Say hello to: RW David Clarkson, C Dave Bolland, C Tyler Bozak (re-signed)
Say goodbye to: LW Clarke MacArthur, C Mikhail Grabovski
Still shopping: C Tim Connolly, D Michael Kostka, D Ryan O'Byrne
Skinny: Add in the contract for new goalie (from two weeks ago) Jonathan Bernier, and the Maple Leafs have spent a significant chunk of cap space to swap out Grabovski (a compliance buyout), MacArthur, Matt Frattin and Ben Scrivens for Bolland, Clarkson, Bernier and a raise for Bozak. Are the Maple Leafs better today than they were at the end of 2012-13? Eh, maybe. Bolland and Clarkson are certainly tough, gritty players, and coach Randy Carlyle will like that. There is plenty of advanced statistical data available to argue letting go of Grabovski and giving a big raise to Bozak was a mistake. It is also likely Nazem Kadri, the team's top RFA, regresses to some degree in 2013-14. Bernier could be great but is relatively untested at this level. Scoring goals was not a problem for Toronto; the defense corps looks to be similar, so a bounce-back year from Jake Gardiner would help a lot.
WASHINGTON CAPITALS
Say hello to: No one
Say goodbye to: C Mike Ribeiro, C Matt Hendricks, RW Joey Crabb, D Jeff Schultz
Still shopping: D Tom Poti, LW Wojtek Wolski
Skinny: Jokes about Crabb's few games on the "top line" aside, Ribeiro is the lone significant departure to this point. Hendricks was well-liked by his teammates and a weapon in the shootout. The Capitals need to figure out a replacement for Ribeiro, whose offensive numbers declined as the season progressed, and sign RFA defenseman Karl Alzner and forward Marcus Johansson. A healthy Brooks Laich and Martin Erat would be huge; they could be the two wings next to a to-be-determined No. 2 center. Capitals fans have become quite familiar with searching for a second-line center during the past five years. Internal candidates include Laich, Johansson and Mathieu Perreault. Cap space is tight, especially after Alzner gets an expected raise.