The Capitals had the best regular season in their history, won the Presidents' Trophy and were favored to win the Stanley Cup but had another early exit from the Stanley Cup Playoffs, eliminated by the eventual champion Pittsburgh Penguins in six games in the Eastern Conference Second Round. The Capitals decided to take a page out the Penguins' book and this offseason focused on fine-tuning their bottom six forwards, building a stronger top nine, and adding some speed to a lineup headlined by left wing Alex Ovechkin, center Nicklas Backstrom and goalie Braden Holtby.
Washington traded a second-round pick in the 2017 and 2018 NHL Drafts to the Montreal Canadiens for forward Lars Eller on June 24. He is expected to center the third line, a position that operated much like a revolving door last season.
Chimera played seven seasons for Washington and scored 20 goals last season, but signed a two-year, $4.5 million contract with the Islanders on July 1.
MacLellan said Chimera was a casualty of NHL salary cap space. Though he was a player they would have liked to keep, it was hard to allocate money for him when there were restricted free agents who needed to be re-signed.
The Capitals were active in free agency the past two offseasons, but other than acquiring Eller and re-signing their restricted free agents, there wasn't a lot of money left to go around and they were content to stand by, adding one more player, free agent forward Brett Connolly, who signed a one-year, $850,000 contract on July 1. Connolly could fit in on the third or fourth line for coach Barry Trotz, but that won't be decided until training camp. There are two positions open in the bottom six, holes left by free agents Jason Chimera (New York Islanders) and Mike Richards (unsigned).
MacLellan said Chimera was a casualty of NHL salary cap space. Though he was a player they would have liked to keep, it was hard to allocate money for him when there were restricted free agents who needed to be re-signed.
New York Rangers
The Rangers know their window to win the Stanley Cup may be closing. After reaching the Eastern Conference Final three times from 2012-2015, they were eliminated in the first round last season by the eventual Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins (hee hee). The Rangers made a big splash last week in hopes of avoiding another early exit, signing highly coveted forward Jimmy Vesey on Friday. The 23-year-old met with seven teams after becoming an unrestricted free agent Tuesday before deciding he would begin his professional career in New York. Vesey could be a linemate of another player acquired by the Rangers this offseason, center Mika Zibanejad, who on July 18 was traded from the Ottawa Senators with a second-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft for center Derick Brassard and a seventh-round pick in 2018.
New York made several other moves to attempt to shore up its penalty kill, which ranked 26th (78.2 percent) in the NHL last season; in the previous two seasons, the penalty kill ranked sixth and third, respectively. Other players new to the Rangers this season include defenseman Nick Holden and forwards Michael Grabner, Josh Jooris, and Nathan Gerbe.
The first-round loss last season wasn't something the Rangers were expecting, but having an extended summer could help considering they have played 81 postseason games since 2012, most in the League. Four players who scored more than 20 goals last season will return for New York: Mats Zuccarello (26), Derek Stepan (22), J.T. Miller (22) and Chris Kreider (21). The Rangers also hope left wing Rick Nash will bounce back from an injury-plagued season (15 goals after 42 in 2014-15), and they will look for forward Kevin Hayes to increase his production (14 goals last season, 17 as a rookie in 2014-15).
The first-round loss last season wasn't something the Rangers were expecting, but having an extended summer could help considering they have played 81 postseason games since 2012, most in the League. Four players who scored more than 20 goals last season will return for New York: Mats Zuccarello (26), Derek Stepan (22), J.T. Miller (22) and Chris Kreider (21). The Rangers also hope left wing Rick Nash will bounce back from an injury-plagued season (15 goals after 42 in 2014-15), and they will look for forward Kevin Hayes to increase his production (14 goals last season, 17 as a rookie in 2014-15).
New York Islanders
It's no secret the Islanders' hopes of winning the Stanley Cup begin and end with the health and production of their captain, John Tavares. But three important members of Tavares' supporting cast signed elsewhere as unrestricted free agents on July 1. Frans Nielsen, arguably one of the better two-way centers in the NHL, signed a six-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings. Right wing Kyle Okposo, a first-round pick (No. 7) in 2006 and three-time 20-goal scorer, left for a seven-year contract with the Buffalo Sabres. Left wing Matt Martin, annually among the NHL's leading hitters and a key component of New York's dynamic fourth line, signed a four-year contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The timing of the departures wasn't great; the Islanders, for the first time since 1993, won a series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season when they defeated the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference First Round in six games. New York's season ended with a five-game loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second round, but it was a solid start in their new home after the Islanders moved to Barclays Center in Brooklyn following 43 years at Nassau Coliseum.
General manager Garth Snow did his best to keep New York headed in the right direction. The Islanders signed left wing Andrew Ladd, a two-time Stanley Cup champion, to a seven-year contract reportedly worth $38.5 million (average annual value $5.5 million). Left wing Jason Chimera, who is 37 but skates like he's 25, signed a two-year, $4.5 million contract (AAV $2.25 million) after scoring 20 goals for the Washington Capitals last season. Right wing PA Parenteau, who had 120 points over two seasons from 2010-12 playing with Tavares, returns to New York on a one-year contract reportedly worth $1.25 million.
Snow has the backing of his new co-majority owners, Scott Malkin and Jon Ledecky, who took control of the Islanders from Charles Wang on July 1, the same day Ladd, 30, agreed to spend what could be the rest of his career with the Islanders. The chance to play with Tavares obviously was enticing to Ladd, who scored 25 goals last season between the Winnipeg Jets and Chicago Blackhawks, and brings 64 games of NHL playoff experience. A phone call from Malkin on June 30 also may have played a major role in Ladd's decision.
Ladd said Malkin's message was simple: We're here to win. We're serious. Whatever is required to deliver a championship, the resources will be there. Join us.
New Jersey DevilsSnow has the backing of his new co-majority owners, Scott Malkin and Jon Ledecky, who took control of the Islanders from Charles Wang on July 1, the same day Ladd, 30, agreed to spend what could be the rest of his career with the Islanders. The chance to play with Tavares obviously was enticing to Ladd, who scored 25 goals last season between the Winnipeg Jets and Chicago Blackhawks, and brings 64 games of NHL playoff experience. A phone call from Malkin on June 30 also may have played a major role in Ladd's decision.
Ladd said Malkin's message was simple: We're here to win. We're serious. Whatever is required to deliver a championship, the resources will be there. Join us.
The New Jersey Devils believe they have a deeper, more talented team than they did at the end of last season. Looking to upgrade an offense that was last in non-shootout goals (182) scored, the Devils acquired left wing Taylor Hall from the Edmonton Oilers in a trade for defenseman Adam Larsson on June 29.
New Jersey then signed defensemen Ben Lovejoy and Brandon Gormley, and forwards Vernon Fiddler and Luke Gazdic, traded for and signed forward Beau Bennett, and re-signed forwards Kyle Palmieri, Jacob Josefson, Devante Smith-Pelly, Reid Boucher and Sergey Kalinin, and defenseman Jon Merrill. Add to that the prospects waiting for an opportunity, including center Pavel Zacha and defenseman Steven Santini, and there's reason to believe the Devils could challenge for a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
When Shero hired coach John Hynes on June 2, 2015, he stressed the importance of being fast, attacking and supportive. It meant not only practicing fast, but thinking and defending fast. The Devils selected Zacha, a powerful center with skill and speed, with the No. 6 pick of the 2015 NHL Draft. The same day, New Jersey acquired Palmieri in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks.
Palmieri played all 82 games last season with NHL career highs in goals (30), assists (27) and points (57); his previous highs were 14 goals, 17 assists and 31 points. He signed a five-year, $23.25 million contract on July 7.
There are many familiar faces in the Devils lineup ready to resume their roles. Goaltender Cory Schneider was New Jersey's most valuable player last season; he went 27-25-6 with a 2.15 goals-against average and .924 save percentage in 58 games, and played in his first NHL All-Star Game. He missed 12 games with a right knee injury before returning April 2.
Center Adam Henrique and Palmieri each scored 30 goals for the first time in his NHL career, the first time in four seasons the Devils had two 30-goal scorers (in 2011-12, Ilya Kovalchuk scored 37, Zach Parise 31 and David Clarkson 30).
Left wing Michael Cammalleri might have scord 30 goals last season if not for an inflamed tendon in his right hand; he had 14 in 42 games. The Devils return three defensemen 25 or younger: Merrill (24), Damon Severson (22) and John Moore (25). There's a good chance Santini, 21, will join them. Captain Andy Greene, 33, is the glue holding the unit together. He'll return for his 11th NHL season. The additions of Lovejoy, 32, and Fiddler, 36, should pay dividends.
When Shero hired coach John Hynes on June 2, 2015, he stressed the importance of being fast, attacking and supportive. It meant not only practicing fast, but thinking and defending fast. The Devils selected Zacha, a powerful center with skill and speed, with the No. 6 pick of the 2015 NHL Draft. The same day, New Jersey acquired Palmieri in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks.
Palmieri played all 82 games last season with NHL career highs in goals (30), assists (27) and points (57); his previous highs were 14 goals, 17 assists and 31 points. He signed a five-year, $23.25 million contract on July 7.
Center Adam Henrique and Palmieri each scored 30 goals for the first time in his NHL career, the first time in four seasons the Devils had two 30-goal scorers (in 2011-12, Ilya Kovalchuk scored 37, Zach Parise 31 and David Clarkson 30).
Left wing Michael Cammalleri might have scord 30 goals last season if not for an inflamed tendon in his right hand; he had 14 in 42 games. The Devils return three defensemen 25 or younger: Merrill (24), Damon Severson (22) and John Moore (25). There's a good chance Santini, 21, will join them. Captain Andy Greene, 33, is the glue holding the unit together. He'll return for his 11th NHL season. The additions of Lovejoy, 32, and Fiddler, 36, should pay dividends.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Even though the Columbus Blue Jackets missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for a second straight season, the expected roster overhaul never materialized.
Aside from trading minor league forward Kerby Rychel and parting with a few familiar faces, the Blue Jackets return the core that finished 27th in the NHL (34-40-8) last season. Two notable moves were keeping restricted free agent defenseman Seth Jones by signing him to a six-year, $32.4 million contract on June 29 and signing unrestricted free agent center Sam Gagner to a one-year, $650,000 contract on Aug. 1. Gagner, selected by the Edmonton Oilers with the No. 6 pick in the 2007 NHL Draft, had eight goals and eight assists in 53 games for the Philadelphia Flyers last season. He has 124 goals and 352 points in 615 NHL games and will turn 27 on Wednesday. Gagner could play on the second line if forwards Alexander Wennberg (eight goals) and William Karlsson (nine) aren't more productive. That could allow Boone Jenner (30 goals) to move from center to left wing and make Brandon Dubinsky the top center.
Two other offseason additions are on the coaching staff. Brad Shaw, who was with the St. Louis Blues for the past 10 seasons, will be an assistant, and former Blues strength and conditioning coach Nelson Ayotte will hold the newly created position of high performance director. Shaw replaces retired Craig Hartsburg and will coach the defense and penalty kill. Ayotte is expected to work on reducing injuries, including the reoccurring groin problems for goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky.
There were no big offseason moves to match trades for forward Brandon Saad on June 30, 2015, and forward Scott Hartnell on June 23, 2014. Yet the Blue Jackets believe this season will be better than 2015-16, when an 0-7-0 start cost coach Todd Richards his job. The odious John Tortorella was hired Oct. 21 and lost his first game before Columbus went a respectable 34-32-8 over its final 74 games.
Columbus bases its optimism on two ideas: Those who underachieved, most notably Bobrovsky (15-19-1, 2.75 goals-against average, .908 save percentage) and forward Nick Foligno (12 goals, 37 points in 72 games), will rebound, and a crop of prospects who helped Lake Erie of the American Hockey League win the Calder Cup will make a difference. Defenseman Zach Werenski, forwards Oliver Bjorkstrand, Josh Anderson, Sonny Milano and Lukas Sedlak, and goaltenders Anton Forsberg and Joonas Korpisalo each will be given a serious look to make the Blue Jackets out of training camp.
There were no big offseason moves to match trades for forward Brandon Saad on June 30, 2015, and forward Scott Hartnell on June 23, 2014. Yet the Blue Jackets believe this season will be better than 2015-16, when an 0-7-0 start cost coach Todd Richards his job. The odious John Tortorella was hired Oct. 21 and lost his first game before Columbus went a respectable 34-32-8 over its final 74 games.
Columbus bases its optimism on two ideas: Those who underachieved, most notably Bobrovsky (15-19-1, 2.75 goals-against average, .908 save percentage) and forward Nick Foligno (12 goals, 37 points in 72 games), will rebound, and a crop of prospects who helped Lake Erie of the American Hockey League win the Calder Cup will make a difference. Defenseman Zach Werenski, forwards Oliver Bjorkstrand, Josh Anderson, Sonny Milano and Lukas Sedlak, and goaltenders Anton Forsberg and Joonas Korpisalo each will be given a serious look to make the Blue Jackets out of training camp.
Carolina Hurricanes
Two years into Ron Francis' tenure as general manager of the Carolina Hurricanes, he is certain what they need most: more skill. The Hurricanes finished 27th in scoring each of the past two seasons and decided not to re-sign six forwards with expiring contracts. Carolina traded captain Eric Staal and Kris Versteeg prior to the 2016 NHL Trade Deadline, and allowed Riley Nash, Chris Terry, Nathan Gerbe and Brad Malone to leave through free agency. Carolina acquired forward Teuvo Teravainen, who had 35 points (13 goals, 22 assists) in 78 games in his first full season in the NHL, in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks on June 15. A strong skater with playmaking ability, the 21-year-old is expected to claim a top-six role. In the same trade, the Hurricanes acquired forward Bryan Bickell, hoping he can recapture his previous form in the final year of his contract. He had an NHL career-best 17 goals in 2010-11 and 14 goals in 2014-15.
On July 1 the Hurricanes signed unrestricted free agent forwards Lee Stempniak and Viktor Stalberg. Stempniak agreed to a two-year, $5 million contract after having 51 points (19 goals, 32 assists) in 82 games with the New Jersey Devils and Boston Bruins last season. Stalberg signed a one-year contract after a 20-point season (nine goals, 11 assists) with the New York Rangers. The Hurricanes also believe 19-year-old forward prospect Sebastian Aho will be ready for the NHL after he led Karpat of Liiga, Finland's top professional league, with 45 points (20 goals, 25 assists) in 45 games. Though the Hurricanes have a new look at forward, they gambled a bit by re-signing goaltender Cam Ward to a two-year contract. The tandem of Ward and Eddie Lack finished 29th in the League with a .902 save percentage last season.
Though the new forwards appear similar to the outgoing group in terms of productivity, the Hurricanes are hoping Teravainen and other young players are ready to blossom.
Center Victor Rask jumped from 11 goals to 21 in his second NHL season, and the 23-year-old demonstrated he can play a strong two-way game. Left wing Joakim Nordstrom was a pleasant surprise, scoring 10 goals in 71 games after being held to one goal in his first 54 games in two seasons with Chicago.
The goal-scoring outlook could improve quickly if center Elias Lindholm can deliver on his considerable potential in his fourth NHL season. The No. 5 pick of the 2013 NHL Draft, Lindholm's goal output dipped from 17 in 2014-15 to 11 last season. Carolina will continue to rely on its young defense, which surprised last season. Jaccob Slavin (22), Brett Pesce (21) and Noah Hanifin (19) helped anchor the group. Expectations were high for Hanifin, selected with the No. 5 pick of the 2015 draft, but Slavin was a revelation. He averaged 20:59 of ice time as a rookie and likely will start the season on the top pair in a shutdown role.
Coach Bill Peters signed a two-year contract extension July 27 that takes him through the 2018-19 season. Although the Hurricanes missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs in Peters' first two seasons, extending its drought to seven, Peters has the full confidence of Francis, who said he believes the team is on a path toward sustained success. The Hurricanes' 86-point season was a 15-point improvement from 2014-15. Those tempered expectations largely are because of a commitment to a more youthful, faster team. Eight players remain from the 2014-15 opening-night roster, and the Hurricanes likely will start 2016-17 with at least 10 players 24 or younger. So there may be more growing pains ahead.
Center Victor Rask jumped from 11 goals to 21 in his second NHL season, and the 23-year-old demonstrated he can play a strong two-way game. Left wing Joakim Nordstrom was a pleasant surprise, scoring 10 goals in 71 games after being held to one goal in his first 54 games in two seasons with Chicago.
The goal-scoring outlook could improve quickly if center Elias Lindholm can deliver on his considerable potential in his fourth NHL season. The No. 5 pick of the 2013 NHL Draft, Lindholm's goal output dipped from 17 in 2014-15 to 11 last season. Carolina will continue to rely on its young defense, which surprised last season. Jaccob Slavin (22), Brett Pesce (21) and Noah Hanifin (19) helped anchor the group. Expectations were high for Hanifin, selected with the No. 5 pick of the 2015 draft, but Slavin was a revelation. He averaged 20:59 of ice time as a rookie and likely will start the season on the top pair in a shutdown role.
And exactly where they should be, at the bottom of the frickin list the dirty:
Philadelphia Flyers
The Phillie Goon's season ended in the Eastern Conference First Round against the Washington Capitals with six goals in six games. But their attempt to add scoring resulted in minimal changes this offseason, led by the signing of unrestricted free agent forward Dale Weise, who finished last season with one goal in 19 regular-season and Stanley Cup Playoff games with the Chicago Blackhawks. The Flyers also signed unrestricted free agent forward Boyd Gordon, who had two goals in 65 games last season with the Coyotes. Prior to being traded to the Blackhawks, Weise had 14 goals in 56 games with the Montreal Canadiens, a personal NHL best. Weise has 24 goals in 150 games during the past two seasons, nearly double the 13 goals he scored in his first 179 games.
The Flyers re-signed three restricted free agents, among them left wing Brayden Schenn, who agreed to a four-year contract to avoid arbitration. Forwards Nick Cousins and Jordan Weal also signed. Schenn's signing keeps the Flyers' best line intact, which included center Claude Giroux and right wing Wayne Simmonds. It combined to score 80 of the Flyers' 211 non-shootout goals (37.9 percent). Weise likely will play on the third line in place of Sam Gagner, who signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Gordon takes the fourth-line spot left by Ryan White, who signed with the Coyotes. The Flyers bought out the final year of R.J. Umberger's contract. He was a healthy scratch in 23 of the final 24 regular-season games and all six playoff games. Last season the Flyers' forwards averaged 2.07 goals per game, 24th in the League, so it's up to the holdovers from that group to raise their level. Atop that list is right wing Jakub Voracek, who had 55 points last season after he finished fourth in the League with 81 points in 2014-15. On July 30, 2015, he signed an eight-year contract that has an average annual value of $8.25 million.
The defense will return almost fully intact, with Brandon Manning agreeing to a contract to avoid arbitration and Michael Del Zotto expected to be healthy after a wrist injury ended his season Feb. 13. Evgeny Medvedev, who was a frequent healthy scratch in the second half of the season, signed in Russia. Top prospect Ivan Provorov, 19, the seventh pick of the 2015 NHL Draft who was voted the top defenseman in the Canadian Hockey League last season, could push for a spot. If he doesn't make it, he will play with Brandon of the Western Hockey League.
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