Team Needs and FA Predictions:

Starting with team needs, we take a look at needs for each team, and the positions they may try to fill in FA.

Central Division

Chicago:  Pretty straight forward for Dave here. With the loss of Carter, Backes, Sekera, and Burns, Dave will need to find a top line center, while Toews, acquired via trade, can slide in on the 2^nd line. The Hawks will also need to upgrade their defense with 85 as the highest DF rating on their back end. If Dave re-signs Burns, it will be real hard to accomplish his goal

                Needs: 1^st line Center, 2 DF DMen, 1 top 9 wing

Dallas:  Junya’s needs are also clear for his Stars. Needs a couple top 6 wingers and a good backup goalie. With plenty of center depth, and some decent RW depth, I would say Junya will target LW’s, at least 1 and maybe 2. The endurance of Reimer will also be an issue and so therefore a good backup goalie will be needed.

                Needs: Top 6 LW, Top 9 W, Backup Goalie

Minnesota:  I don’t get why Mika won’t commit to a full rebuild. He has massive needs all over his team. Needs a top line center, at least 3 top 6 forwards, and some puck moving DMen. Mika has a ton of prospects and youth, but needs to just give in and rebuild.

                Needs: 1^st line RW & C, 2^nd line wing(s), Puck Moving DMan

Colorado:  Bryce partially emptied his team to get McDavid in the offseason, and therefore has some big needs. 2^nd line center, a top line wing, and a top pair D would really help this squad. While Bryce still has a lot of depth, he’ll definitely need some top talent to compete this season.

                Needs: 2^nd line C, 1^st line wing, Top Pair D

Nashville:  Ty has a ton of work to do this offseason plain and simple and surprisingly hasn’t made many moves. There’s a big need a top line center, as well a multiple top 6 forwards. Luckily Shedden is super deep at D, so the need there is minimal. However with Luongo as a FA, the Preds biggest need will be goalie without a doubt.

                Needs: Goalie, Top line C, 2-3 Top 6 W’s

St. Louis:  I was shocked at how good Eric’s roster was when I really went over it. They have great center depth, and a very, very strong D Core and of course Matt Murray. By far the biggest needs will be in the top 6. Eric probably needs a top line center and 2-3 top 6 forwards to be real competitive, but its possible if Eric is able to be savvy with his cap.

                Needs: Top line C, 2-3 Top 6 W’s

Winnipeg: Jordan is in the middle of a rebuild or re-tool or re-something. Either way he’s added a ton of youth and dumped most of his bad contracts. My suggestions for Jordan would be, don’t worry about competing, just find the best deals and sign contracts to trade.

                Needs: Target a few players, trade them for younger assets

Pacific Division:

Calgary:  Kevin is always competitive, and there is no change this year. Craig Anderson is a damn good rated goalie, and with Backstrom and Monahan the top line center talent is impressive. Where the Flames need help is on the wing. While Gaudreau is a top talent, Kev could use a top line RW and another top 6 wing. 1 more elite DF DMan would solidify them too.

                Needs: Top line RW, Top 6 W, Elite DF DMan

Edmonton:  Not quite sure where Leon is headed this year. I’ve heard he wants to compete but he tells me otherwise. In my opinion Leon would be best tearing it down before FA, and signing buy-low candidates in FA as I don’t think he has a legit shot to compete.

                Needs: Buy-low candidates , or 1-2 key FA to deal for assets

Los Angeles:  Well we all know Rumpy’s teams always suck and don’t compete. Let’s move on from that. Most of LA’s D are rated poorly so adding there would help. The need for top 6 talent outside of Drouin, Laine, and Kuznetsov would help. Either way Rumpy isn’t competing….again.

                Needs: Top 6 forwards, DF DMen

San Jose:  San Jose has the least amount of NHL talent on the roster outside of maybe Philly. There isn’t a need they don’t have, so my suggestion would be to sign some talent to trade. That’s really it.

                Needs: Talent to trade

Arizona:  So Joel has an interesting team for sure. After trading Backstrom to me, he has some definite holes. The Yotes will need to fill the top 2 center spots, as well as another elite wing. Zona will also need 1 elite DMan as well, someone who can move the puck and pass the rock. Not sure Joel is a playoff team, so he should consider a re-tool.

                Needs: 1^st & 2^nd line C, 1^st line W, Elite D

Vancouver:  Rob’s Canucks are in the middle of a complete rebuild. However the Nucks have some decent NHL Talent. Tanev, Brassard, Prosser, and Tryamkin are all okay. Rob should try and sign some talent to trade, but in my opinion, he should focus more on the trade market for now. He has a lot of freedom to make moves, and should be able to turn his team around quick.

                Needs: Talent to trade

Anaheim:  Devon is obviously still rebuilding. No doubt about it. In fact the entire Pacific division is a joke besides Kevin’s Flames. With Marner, Galchenyuk, Gibson, and Manson, Devon is arguably the 3^rd best team in the division. Either way, he should mostly stay away from FA. Maybe 1 FA to trade, but staying away would be my suggestion.

                Needs: Stay away in FA, NO DUMB CONTRACTS

Atlantic Division:

Boston:  I don’t have the top talent to compete….yet. I still need a top line center or 2^nd line center, and definitely need to add a 3^rd line center too, but my biggest needs lie on D. I have Matheson, Chiarot, and DeAngelo, that’s it. Center and D will be my pursuits in FA most likely.

                Needs: 1^st/2^nd line C, 3^rd line C, Top 2-4 D (2-3), Backup Goalie

Ottawa:  Kirk’s team is still loaded. Shocker. He has 4 very good centers and 3 top 6 wings in Duchene, Seguin, and Ovechkin. Still Kirk’s for another top 6 LW and another 3^rd line wing. Kirk could also use at least 1 more very good DMan.

                Needs: Top 6 LW, 3^rd line Wing, and top 4 D

Detroit:  Nolan’s team pisses me off. Its really good and still very young, and that upsets me. Either way Nolan’s top 6 is pretty much set, minus one wing. He has a ton of 3^rd line depth, and his defense is fantastic minus Paul Martin. Rask is his goalie and one of the best in the league, and Helle is his bakcup. Nolan is my preseason sleeper to win it all despite his dumbass trade with Kirk last year.

                Needs: Top 6 W, 1 Top 6 D

Buffalo:  Where does Jared go from here? 2 year removed from a championship, Jared has a mix of top elite talent and a ton of youth. Radulov, Pomenville, Palat, and NyQuist are a decent top 4 wings. The Sabres biggest needs are absolutely a 2^nd line center and another top 6 D, probably a top 4. Oh and then there’s that big gaping hole at goalie….if Jared can get a goalie, he’ll have a good shot to compete.

                Needs: Goalie, 2^nd line C, Top 4 D

Tampa Bay:  Eric has done a great job re-tooling his team and I really do like what he is doing. I bet Eric is looking to add some top talent via FA, and his biggest need lies at top line center. There’s just no one on his roster who can fill that role. Meanwhile between Schwartz, Palmieri, and Huberdeau he should be okay at top 6, and potentially Nelson if he goes there. 1 more wing and 1 more D plus a top center should make this team a playoff contender in the East.

                Needs: Top line C, Top 6 Wing, Top 4 D

Florida:  Rex has a strong team again this season, and a very good top 6. Between Little and Kopitar his top 2 centers are set, and with Voracek, Kreider, Okposo, Vrbata, and Hall their forwards are strong. However Rex BADLY needs to find a goalie, by far his biggest need. One more top 4 D wouldn’t hurt either.
                Needs: Goalie, Top 4 D

Montreal:  While Steve’s team was fantastic last season, I expect a big step back for them this season. The Canadiens will need to add at least 1 top 6 center, with Trocheck and Hanzal likely slotting in at 2 and 3. Guentzel, Marschessault, and Skinner will be fantastic for Steve, but Mason and and Hutton are poor. I like Steve’s team more than I did when I started writing this, but he’ll still have a bunch of holes to fill.

                Needs: Goalie, 1^st line Center, Top 6 Wing, Top 6 D

Toronto:  Garrett’s defense is elite. Unfortunately, that’s about it. Turris is a nice piece. So is Lindholm, but Schneider and Lehtonen are rated very poorly. Garrett needs a 1^st or 2^nd line center, and at least 3 top 6 forwards. He has 8 D that he needs to protect for expansion and needs to lower some prices so he can make some deals before his defense gets ravaged by expansion.

                Needs: 1^st/2^nd Line C, 3 Top 6 Wings, Goalie

Metropolitan Division

Carolina:  What Rich will do in FA is the exact opposite of what I write here. Just know that off the bat. In my opinion Rich needs a 2^nd line center pretty bad. He also needs at least 1 more top 6 wing  unless he thinks Pearson can fill that role. He has 4-5 useable D, but could use an upgrade at 1-2 spots. However Rich’s goalies are elite, and that will keep him in the playoffs.

                Needs: 2^nd line C, Top 6 D, Top 6 Wing

Columbus:  Sounds like Jesse is finally set to compete. How? I don’t know yet. Point, Shore, Zibby, and Arvidsson are all good players but man they are far off from winning. Also, Carlo and Stoner are Jesse’s two best D. Finally his goalies are BRU-TAL. I don’t see Jesse doing much in my opinion.

                Needs: Goalie, Multiple Top 4 D, Multiple Top 6 Wings

Washington:  Joe’s team and mine are the exact opposite. Joe is extremely strong down the middle and on D, but has no wings. He finally added a wing in Forsberg, but he likely need 3 more top 6 wings and that’s not feasible. I do expect him to pursue some DMen as well, but his team likely has to take a step back from last season.

                Needs: Top 6 Wingers, 1 Top 4 D, 1 Top 6 D

New York Islanders:  Rich’s Isles are a legit Stanley Cup contender. His top 2 centers are Malkin and Eichel, with Marchand, Panarin, Silfverberg, Niederreiter and way more in depth. Murphy, Larsson, Hedman, Shattenkirk, and Myers on D, and Lehnen in goal. If Rich can add an elite RW and a good backup goalie, his team will be very tough to beat with all his depth.

                Needs: Top Line RW, Backup Goalie, D Depth

New Jersey:  Like a few others, I expect a step back for NJ. I know Dubnyk is awesome, but Stasny is not a #1 center. Foligno, Parise, Zuccarello, and Simmonds are good but far from top talent. Tim’s D is still very good, but his offense will need major work in the next few weeks. Adding top line talent and 2 more D will be very important to Tim during FA.

                Needs: Top line forward talent, 2 top 6 D

Philadelphia:  Theres only 1 team with possibly less talent, in San Jose. Anthony’s best option, sit out of FA. Maybe sign 1 guy, but in reality, hurting his tank even in a shit year like this year is not bright. My suggestion would be to sit of FA minus depth pieces and buy-low candidates.

                Needs: Buy-low candidates

Pittsburgh:  Billy’s biggest need? A  goalie. Followed closely by a top line center, and some 2^nd line talent. He could also use some more D. In reality, Billy has a lot of top talent, but has plenty of holes to fill. I would say that he will be a playoff team, but has some more work until he’s a real contender:

                Needs: Goalie, 1^st line C, 2^nd line LW/RW, 2 Top 6 D

New York Rangers:  Larry has a good team. His biggest issue is PA. His best passer is Letang at 85. That’s just not gonna get it done. Larry has plenty of scoring but if you don’t dish the puck it doesn’t matter. Larry might have the best depth in all of the East outside of Kirk, but he needs to make some moves to upgrade his centers.

 

                Needs: C/F with good PA, Backup Goalie