NHL Offseason Grades: Atlantic Division
The busiest days of the NHL offseason are officially in the rearview mirror. There is still plenty of work to be done before training camp opens, of course. Plenty of RFAs still need to be signed, a couple of big UFAs linger and there is a lot of talent on the trade block, especially in Winnipeg and Calgary — not to mention the reigning Norris Trophy winner. Some teams still aren’t even cap-compliant.
But the draft and the opening days of free agency have already come to pass. And with those deadlines behind us, we have a pretty good idea of what every team’s roster will look like. Hundreds of millions of dollars were handed out on Canada Day. There were a couple of stunners on the draft floor. And a handful of noteworthy trades as teams desperately try to navigate the final year of a flat cap environment.
For the most part, though, the dust has settled. Teams have answered their biggest questions, or at least attempted though. Their success in doing, of course, varies. The dog days of summer aren’t good for a lot of things hockey-wise, but analyzing those moves is one of them. We’ll go division by division, starting with arguably the deepest one in hockey: the Atlantic.
Boston Bruins (2022-23: 65-12-5, Lost in Round 1)
Additions: C Morgan Geekie, LW James van Riemsdyk, D Kevin Shattenkirk, C Patrick Brown
Subtractions: C Patrice Bergeron, C David Krejčí, LW Tyler Bertuzzi, LW Taylor Hall, RW Garnet Hathaway, D Mike Reilly
Cap Space: $6.20M
RFAs: G Jeremy Swayman, C Trent Frederic
Boston’s additions are good for what they are. Geekie was one of the top unqualified RFAs, a solid bottom-six center who is only 25. van Riemsdyk is no longer a premier goal scorer or a top-six-caliber player. But as a third-line scoring winger and PP2 threat, you could certainly do worse, especially given JVR’s underrated play-driving ability. Shattenkirk should be better than last year by default just by leaving Anaheim behind and is a good third-pair complement for the defensive-minded Derek Forbort. Brown is an adequate 12th or 13th forward with value in the faceoff dot and on the PK.
But the issue comes from what the Bruins have lost. None of the four players the Bruins added are suitable replacements for any of the key players they aren’t bringing back, especially down the middle… for now. We don’t know exactly what the future has in store for Bergeron and Krejčí, but the Bruins better hope at least the former returns. Boston’s first-line center as of now is Pavel Zacha, who has hit the 40-point plateau exactly once in seven NHL seasons. Granted, that was a 57-point season last year, his first in Boston. But apologies to him and Charlie Coyle – that’s not a Stanley Cup-caliber top-six combo down the middle.
Even if Bergeron or/and Krejci want to return, Boston still has to find a way to fit them under the cap. The duo combined for just $3.5 million against the cap last year (although they earned $4.5 million in bonuses that are tacked on to Boston’s figure this season), but with Frederic and Swayman in need of new deals, there’s really no way the Bruins can fit in all four as currently constructed. Add in the frustrating loss of Bertuzzi to a division rival and the necessary but still disappointing Hall cap dump, and it hasn’t exactly been a banner off-season. Although Bruins fans would probably prefer if you didn’t talk to them about banners right now anyway.
Grade: C
Buffalo Sabres (42-33-7, Missed Playoffs)
Additions: D Erik Johnson, D Connor Clifton
Cap Space: $6.71 Million
There was a chance for the Sabres to make a splash this offseason, but playing it safe is probably the better option. That being said, I’m disappointed they didn’t take a swing at Brett Pesce. The defensive-minded, underrated blue-liner seems like a perfect fit for Owen Power or Rasmus Dahlin in Buffalo’s top four for years to come.
Pesce could still become that piece next off-season when Johnson’s $3.25 million comes off the books. At his peak, Johnson would’ve been the same type of great fit next to Power or Dahlin. At 35 years old, with his injury history, Johnson is not that. Clifton is an interesting medium-risk, medium-reward bet. He generally performed pretty well in sheltered third-pair minutes, but a three-year, $10 million deal suggests Buffalo may see more in him.
Retaining Zemgus Girgensons and Kyle Okposo on one-year deals is a perfectly acceptable way to fill out Buffalo’s bottom six and leadership. But it feels like the Sabres may not be done. They were willing to alternate between three goalies last year when Devon Levi turned pro, but that may not be palatable for a full season. Buffalo also has a log jam on the backend now, with three of Jacob Bryson, Henri Jokiharju, Ilya Lyubushkin and Riley Stillman potentially on the outside looking in.
Detroit Red Wings (35-37-10, Missed Playoffs)
Additions: RW Alex DeBrincat, C J.T. Compher, D Shayne Gostisbehere, D Justin Holl, RW Daniel Sprong, LW Klim Kostin, RW Christian Fischer, G James Reimer
Subtractions: LW Dominik Kubalík, C Pius Suter, G Alex Nedeljkovic
Cap Space: $8.16 Million
RFAs: C Joe Veleno
The DeBrincat trade is a pretty good one for the Red Wings to make if they get last year’s version of ADB and even better if they get the 2021-22 edition. Detroit needs high-end talent, and DeBrincat certainly brings that to the table. Getting him for a package centered around a top-10 protected first and a solid middle-sixer in Kubalik is good value. An extra year or two on the contract would be better. But sometimes it’s better not to go max term anyways (although with a 25-year-old is generally not one of them).
The problem is that the DeBrincat trade only makes sense for a team ready to contend. The Red Wings acted like one that wants to be at the phase. But their actions may not be enough to get them there. It’s not all doom and gloom – the one-year bets on Sprong and Gostisbehere could provide needed depth scoring. Maybe Simon Edvinsson gives the defense a Mortiz Seider-esque shot in the arm. Perhaps Reimer throws back the clock to 2013 in a way Nedeljkovic never could (to 2021, in his case).
But for the second straight summer, the Red Wings overspent on middle-to-bottom-of-the-lineup players they be asking too much out of. Last summer, Ben Chiarot was the biggest culprit of that. This time around it’s Compher and Holl. The former has only one season of top-six-caliber play under his belt. And the latter lacked the consistency to hold down a top-four – and at times even a top-six – spot in Toronto. It’s not these bets can’t pan out for Steve Yzerman and company. But the price Detroit will have to pay if they don’t could be very steep.
Grade: B-
Florida Panthers (42-32-8, Lost in Stanley Cup Final)
Additions: C Evan Rodrigues, D Oliver Ekman-Larsson, D Niko Mikkola, D Dmitry Kulikov, C Steven Lorentz, G Anthony Stolarz
Subtractions: LW Anthony Duclair, D Radko Gudas, D Marc Staal, C Eric Staal, RW Colin White, G Alex Lyon
Cap Space: $360K
Florida had no choice but to bulk up on defensive depth with Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour potentially out to start the year. There’s no replacing players like them, but the Panthers are doing their best to survive the early months of the year and come on strong once they’re back to full strength. Hey, it worked for them last year.
The Duclair trade was tough – we’re talking about a guy who had 58 points in 2021-22, but between the Achilles injury and $3 million counting as close to a salary dump in year four of a flat cap world, I understand it – sort of. Still, a fourth-liner in Lorentz and a fifth is a tough pill to swallow. I guess having them and Rodrigues – a versatile middle-sixer who showed his breakout 2021-22 season with Pittsburgh could be sustained last year in Colorado – is better than just Duclair. Rodrigues may not be as strong of a fit in the top-six as Duclair was, but maybe he plays better in a support role on the third line for someone like Anton Lundell.
All of the three defensemen Florida brought are varying degrees of fine – they’ll probably be a bit overwhelmed early in the season if cast into a top-four spot (and at least one of them will be) but should come into their own once the big guys return. Ekman-Larsson is obviously the most intriguing name – he should get PP time with Ekblad and Montour out, maybe even PP1. The road back to the Final will be tough for Florida, and their offseason doesn’t really change the level of difficulty one way or the other.
Grade: B-
Montreal Canadiens (31-45-6, Missed Playoffs)
Additions: C Alex Newhook
Subtractions: D Joel Edmundson
Cap Space: $6.99M
Quiet offseasons are fine for a rebuilding team, and that’s generally what Montreal’s was – with one notable exception. The Edmundson trade was fine. Not an amazing return, but definitely strong enough for someone with one year left on their contract with a modified NTC to boot.
That being said, I’m not crazy about the Newhook trade. First, we’re talking about a 22-year-old first-round pick – there’s plenty of room for growth. The four-year extension with a $2.9 million AAV is a good contract. Maybe even very good.
But we’re also talking about a player who scored three fewer points in 11 extra games last season who is uncertain to stick at center. The Canadiens already have a decent amount of forward depth. They can definitely give Newhook a top-six spot, although they don’t have to force him up there, which could be a good thing in the long run. Newhook is the type of player I’m fine with a team taking a shot on – at the right price. A first and a second is not the right piece. Montreal needs high-end talent, and Newhook’s odds of providing that are too low to justify the cost.
Grade: C-
Ottawa Senators (39-35-8, Missed Playoffs)
Additions: G Joonas Korpisalo, LW Dominik Kubalík
Subtractions: RW Alex DeBrincat, C Patrick Brown
Cap Space: $5.03M
RFAs: C Shane Pinto, LW Egor Sokolov
It’s tough for Ottawa to lose the momentum they were sort of building up down the stretch last year with the DeBrincat trade, but that’s life in a Canadian market these days. I’m not sure if it’s comforting that Kubalik scored only seven fewer goals than DeBrincat last season or depressing because of how much Ottawa paid for ADB and how high their hopes were. Kubalik will be a UFA at season’s end like DeBrincat would’ve been, so Ottawa will have to make a decision.
Honestly, I feel the bigger story we’ll look back on about this Senators offseason is the Korpisalo signing. I’m just not sure what we’ll be saying about it. I probably would’ve shelled out the extra million for Tristan Jarry, but I understand this move. Korpisalo was once a highly touted prospect, showed promise biding time behind Sergei Bobrovsky, and after two brutal seasons, emerged as a quality starter just in time to get paid.
Korpisalo was 11th last year in goals saved above expected – Jarry, for reference, was 76th. Then again, one season earlier Jarry was 11th and Korpisalo 109th. Unless the Senators were willing to trade for one of the goalies on the market – and I think they were probably wise not to given they just splurged on Jakob Chychrun, even though they recouped some assets on DeBrincat – Korpisalo is a decent, but volatile risk to take on.
Grade: B-
Tampa Bay Lightning (46-30-6, Lost in Round 1)
Additions: LW Conor Sheary, C Logan Brown, C Luke Glendening, RW Josh Archibald, G Jonas Johansson
Subtractions: LW Alex Killorn, C Ross Colton, RW Corey Perry, LW Pat Maroon, C Pierre-Éduoard Bellemare, G Brian Elliott
Cap Space: $310K
Death The salary cap comes up for us all, and the Lightning are no exception. For the second straight summer, Tampa Bay says goodbye to a top-six winger, this time with Killorn taking a bloated contract on Anaheim. The Lightning were wise not to match, and Sheary is a solid replacement who has played alongside stars before.
Still, the days of the Lightning having one of the league’s most vaunted third lines are in the past. For starters, they weren’t really able to replace Colton, a quality two-way center who could play up in the lineup when needed. And things will only look dicier if Tanner Jeannot can’t return to 2021-22 form or Nick Perbix or Darren Raddysh regress on the right side. And the Lightning better hope the corner Johansson appeared to turn last year (at both the NHL and AHL levels) is for real. There’s still too much star power to expect a drop-off, but the Bolts are reeling at the very least.
Toronto Maple Leafs (50-21-11, Lost in Round 2)
Additions: LW Tyler Bertuzzi, D John Klingberg, C Max Domi, RW Ryan Reaves
Subtractions: LW Michael Bunting, C Ryan O’Reilly, D Luke Schenn, C Alex Kerfoot, C Noel Acciari, D Erik Gustafsson
Cap Space: -$3.21M
RFAs: G Ilya Samsonov
The Maple Leafs freed the first-round burden from themselves in April. But it will take more than that to clear the darkness that has hung over this team for over half a century. General consensus is that Toronto had a bad first day of free agency, signing enforcer and on-ice liability Reaves to a deal that expires when he’s 39 and paying Klingberg like he isn’t coming off of the worst season of his NHL career, but rebounded with smart one-year pacts with Bertuzzi and Domi to add a much-needed boost of scoring and tenacity to their forward core.
The good news is that it’s probably more likely the Day 1 players overachieve than the Day 2 players fall flat. Reaves has been in the playoffs each of the last 10 years, including two more conference final appearances than the Leafs have mustered in the last 20. Yes, he’ll probably hurt the Leafs on the ice in the regular season. But it’s not like that’s what Toronto’s worried out. And Klingberg could be a good fit next to the defensive-minded Jake McCabe, who has experienced helping anti-analytics-darlings improve. If you can turn Rasmus Ristolainen into a positive possession player, you can probably do the same for anyone.
There’s just one elephant in the room, though – Toronto’s cap situation. Even with starting goalie Ilya Samsonov unsigned, Toronto is already more than $3 million over the cap. And beyond Matt Murray’s $4.6875 million hit, there aren’t any obvious candidates to clear space. Trading or LTIRing Murray (if the latter is even an option) would make the Leafs cap compliant. But it still wouldn’t give them enough room to ink Samsonov. The Leafs are hoping Brad Treliving can achieve greater things than Kyle Dubas. But right now, they need Treliving to find a dose of their former GM’s creativity.
Grade: B
Follow Us on Twitter! And check out the Vendetta Shop!
