It’s going to be a busy and long offseason in the NHL. After the Los Angeles Kings, who was among the least-picked Playoffs team to win the Stanley Cup by experts, won it again last season, the focus the league’s upper management turns towards making trades, acquiring free agents , and coaching staff changes in preparation for the next season.
Read on for the biggest stories of the 2014-2015 NHL offseason, and check out our NHL futures odds to get a sense of how oddsmakers expect the season to go.
[sc:NHLArticles ]2014-2015 NHL Hockey Offseason and Regular Season Preview
1. The Pittsburgh Penguins’ Search for a New Coach
[sc:NHL240 ]Clearly disappointed that the Pittsburgh Penguins did not make it past the second round yet again, the team’s ownership decided that it was time to clean house, beginning with the front office. The first shot was fired when general manager Ray Shero was handed his walking papers and the second one came three weeks later as coach Dan Bylsma was removed from his post.
The third shot they fired was at their own foot, when they hired ex-Carolina Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford to replace Shero.
Rutherford did not have any semblance of success with the Hurricanes in his last few years at Carolina and it makes little sense that of all people, he was the one the Pens thought could do a better job than Shero. As for the head coaching job, the position is still vacant, and Rutherford is having a difficult time finding Bylsma’s replacement.
The Pens have missed a number of chances to hire quality coaches in the market, including Barry Trotz (Washington Capitals), and Willie Desjardins (Vancouver Canucks). Amid their struggles to find a new bench boss, the Pens are still installed as among the faves to win the Stanley Cup next season with a price of +800.
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2. Destinations for Top Free Agents – Ryan Miller, Thomas Vanek
Big names like goalie Ryan Miller and Thomas Vanek lead the cast of players who could be free agents by July 1. Both players would certainly come at a hefty price tag, but that shouldn’t deter teams from chasing after them – unless of course they don’t have the cap space to absorb such contracts.
The spending began with Marion Gaborik being signed to a massive seven-year contract, setting the bar for the free agents still out there.
Ryan Miller began last season with the Buffalo Sabres – arguably, the worst team this past year – and was subsequently traded to the St. Louis Blues, where he posted a .903 SV% and a 2.47 GAA. There are teams out there who would pay big bucks to acquire a goalie of Miller’s caliber (Edmonton Oilers, Florida Panthers, etc.), but they’ll be in competition with the Blues, who are among the Cup contenders and have plenty of cap space left (roughly $22.6 million free) to accommodate a big contract.
Vanek powered the Montreal Canadiens to a deep playoff run, having come in at the deadline to add scoring pop. The time has come for the Habs to decide whether they are willing to tender a large, lengthy contracts for Vanek like the Kings have done with Gaborik.
3. Where Will the Trade Winds Take Ryan Kesler and Jason Spezza?
Free agents aren’t the only hot commodities on the market today. There are players like Ryan Kesler and Jason Spezza, who are currently signed by the Canucks and the Ottawa Senators, being shopped by their teams.
Kesler is signed to Vancouver through the 2015-2016 season and comes with a $5 million cap hit. The Canuck has a no-trade clause included in his contract, which he’s willing to waive it so long as he’s going to be headed to a team of his preference. Leading candidates to get the 29-year old center are the Chicago Blackhawks and the Anaheim Ducks, two teams looking to add a center to their second line.
Meanwhile, Spezza, like Kesler, has a no-trade clause in his contract. However, Spezza could submit a list of 10-teams where he doesn’t want to get traded by the Sens. Ottawa are coming off a disastrous season, and a major rebuilding project could be on the horizon for the Sens. Trading Spezza is one way to overhaul their roster. Spezza is signed by Ottawa through 2015, and has a heavy cap hit worth $7 million.
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