An off-season question facing each non-playoff team in the NHL

The first few days of the Stanley Cup Playoffs have provided loads of excitement, close games and even some overtime. No one should be counted out yet and, in fact, we should look for any teams trailing their series to bite back in the coming days and over the weekend.

Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs always gives the TV remote a workout.

For some playoff teams, just making it this far is a huge win. Others have immense pressure to take a deep run or else face difficult questions for the off-season.

The post-Round 1 fallout (good or bad) is still to come, but for half the league, their season is already over and they’ve begun to face the media and conduct meetings to figure out what’s next.

Some of those non-playoff teams figured they’d be on the outside looking in and will now get to work on changing their outlooks for next season. Others were planning on participating in the playoffs and are now left wondering what went wrong and how to fix it before any underlying issues get worse.

Today we’ll be focusing on the 16 non-playoff teams in the NHL and the biggest pressing question facing each of them this summer.

Anaheim Ducks: How can GM Pat Verbeek position them to take a run at the playoffs?

Overall, it was a positive season for the Ducks. Jackson LaCombe was a breakout sensation. Lukas Dostal gave some confidence that the team will be OK in the crease if they ever find a trade for John Gibson. There were some negatives — 30th in the NHL in goals, second-worst 82-game regular season power play of the cap era — but when the dust settled, Anaheim improved by 21 points year over year.

Now, there is still plenty of work to do. Despite winning eight more games than a year ago, Anaheim still missed the playoffs by 16 points. But it’s about time for them to make some moves and push out of this phase of their rebuild.

Head coach Greg Cronin was the first change, but roster adjustments should be expected next.

“This is going to be a big summer for Anaheim, and I think that factored into his decision (to replace the coach),” Elliotte Friedman said on 32 Thoughts: The Podcast.

“Of all the jobs that are going to be open, the sneaky one in terms of interest, I think, is going to be this one. I think there are a lot of coaches out there who are going to look at the Ducks and say that is a team on the upswing. They like their talent. They like their young players. They’ve got a lot of them. The thing too is they have a lot of cap room to do things, and if they can’t necessarily do it in free agency, they have the flexibility with their young players that if they want to make trades they have pieces.”

Boston Bruins: How quickly can they turn it around to become a contender again?

From Cup contenders at the start of the season to trade deadline sellers and a 28th overall finish, the Boston Bruins are at something of a crossroads. Injuries hit them hard, sure, and Jeremy Swayman did not have a great season after signing a lucrative contract. Perhaps a full training camp will set him up better and lead to a stronger season that itself pulls the Bruins back.

But the Bruins started acquiring picks and prospects at the deadline to reshape their future. Captain Brad Marchand was traded, a conclusion no one saw coming in October. Jim Montgomery was fired as head coach in November, then led St. Louis to a great second-half comeback to the playoffs. The Bruins will be seeking a permanent replacement this summer. Even GM Don Sweeney, who has one year remaining on his contract, might be in danger. The team did not commit to him past next season at the year-end press availability.

This doesn’t seem to be a team that’s about to curl up into a long rebuild, but with Ottawa and Montreal rising in the division and Tampa Bay, Toronto and Florida not looking to be going anywhere, it might be a tougher climb back.

Bruins president Cam Neely talked about building back better. But how exactly do they do that, and how quickly are they expecting to get back?

“I don’t want everybody to just focus on making the playoffs,” Neely said. “Yes, we do want to make the playoffs, but we do have bigger goals in mind. It’s not about just getting in and getting bounced in Round 1. We’re here to understand we have to build a team that’s going to compete for Stanley Cups.”

Buffalo Sabres: With Kevyn Adams or not, what is the plan from here?

The playoff drought is now at 14 years, so questions start from the top.

“I think there’s going to be changes in the front office,” Friedman said on a podcast last week. “I’m curious to see how it’s all going to work with Adams, but I do think at the very least some of the staff around him will be out. Does that mean Adams changes his title at all? I don’t know.”

With five years behind him as the Sabres GM, Adams has overseen Buffalo decline from 91 points to 84 to 79 over the past three. Will he continue calling the shots in that seat? Or will the front office around him go through a shuffle?

Whatever happens, how the heck will the Sabres respond to another crushing disappointment? Only Boston finished worse than them in the Atlantic Division and the Bruins were aggressive trade deadline sellers. Buffalo saw Ottawa and Montreal blow past them and into the playoffs this season, even trading one of their former core pieces (Dylan Cozens) to the Senators.

Whether or not you think the GM can stay, the team as built certainly can’t. This vision hasn’t worked, so outside of dropping back into yet another rebuild, what will the plan forward be now?

Calgary Flames: What is going to become of Rasmus Andersson?

Finishing with the same amount of points as the playoff-bound St. Louis Blues, and with more wins than the East wild card Montreal Canadiens, the Flames had a positive season they feel they can build from. Dustin Wolf is in the thick of Calder Trophy debates and will inspire confidence in the fan base for the future, but so too should Matt Coronato (24 goals) and Zayne Parekh (one goal in one game) among others.

The Flames have work to do, and will spend the summer seeking a young-ish centre through trade or, possibly, offer sheet. But the question with greatest significance is what’s going to happen with No. 1 defenceman Rasmus Andersson, who has one year remaining on his contract and is eligible to extend on July 1.

Eric Francis wrote that Andersson’s year-end media gathering felt like a farewell, and it might be time for the 28-year-old to aim for a massive payday elsewhere. The Flames have to weigh paying him big dollars through prime years when the core may not be ready to contend against trading Andersson now for a big return he should bring.

Chicago Blackhawks: What will Connor Bedard’s contract look like?

Finishing second-last in the league, Chicago is set up for another top prospect at the draft this summer. They also have to decide on a new head coach who will oversee the next phase in a rebuild, one where an upward climb will begin.

At the centre of it all will continue to be Connor Bedard, who followed up a Calder Trophy rookie season with lower goal and point per game rates. Frustration boiled over at times, criticism followed, and rumours became inevitable. Bedard, though, was more optimistic at his year-end meeting with the media after several young Blackhawks made an impression in the back end of the season.

“It was great to see a lot of guys’ growth and see what the future can hold,” Bedard said. “It was a lot of fun to get to play with these guys, and I’m looking forward to kinda growing up with these guys and keep improving.”

Two years into his NHL career, Bedard has one season left on his entry-level contract and is eligible to sign an extension as of July 1. At the same time, the salary cap is set to rapidly jump over multiple seasons, so direct comparisons to past AAVs are out the window. The market is being reset, and Bedard will be at the front of that for his age group (19 going on 20). How high will his salary go? Will he go full term or seek a bridge to maximize earnings? And will he sign quickly after the extension window opens, or slow-play it out, even into next season?

“I love it here and I have a great relationship with (GM Kyle Davidson) and everyone,” Bedard said. “I know I want to be here for a long time, so it’s not something I’m thinking about too much right now.”

Columbus Blue Jackets: Who will be their starting goalie next season?

For three years in a row now, Elvis Merzlikins has failed to have a .900 save percentage, finishing at .892 this season. He had his positive moments at times, but overall, inconsistency has plagued the No. 1 netminder who played 53 games. During a stretch in January when Merzlikins was made a healthy scratch for multiple games, he told the media he was seeking a “new scenario” which he later clarified to say he had asked for a trade from the team.

Merzlikins, 31, has two years left on a contract paying $5.4 million against the cap, and while a buyout could be a possibility, GM Don Waddell said the team wasn’t considering that option with anyone yet. Could the team seek a trade involving Merzlikins? The market for him would surely be thin — of 38 goalies who’ve played at least 100 games combined over the past three seasons, Merzlikins ranks 37th with an .890 save percentage.

Meantime, the way Jet Greaves played down the stretch — 5-0-0, .975 SV%, 0.80 GAA in April — gives some hope that the 24-year-old could play a more important role in the crease next season. He was also top five in save percentage at the AHL level.

Columbus has loads of cap space and will hope to build on a promising season. Finding greater stability in net would go a long way towards taking another step up.

“To say we’re just going to stay with the status quo, maybe that’s the way it ends up, but we’ve got to examine this position like all the positions and make decisions,” Waddell said. “If we don’t examine every position and dissect everything that we’ve done this year, we’re not doing our jobs. Certainly, the goaltending numbers aren’t as good as we would hope they’d be.”

Detroit Red Wings: How do they come back better in 2025-26?

Finishing 10th in the Eastern Conference, but passed on the playoff waiting list by Ottawa and Montreal, the Red Wings took a step back this season. It’s fair to wonder if this iteration of the roster has already peaked and needs more surgery to hit loftier goals.

The trade deadline was a critical point in Detroit’s season. Coming into that day, the Wings had lost four in a row and were struggling after the 4 Nations Face-Off. But they were still in the running, just one point out of a wild card. Rather than make an impactful move — like Ottawa did with Dylan Cozens and Fabian Zetterlund — GM Steve Yzerman brought in Petr Mrazek to a depth chart that already had three goalies on it. He went on to play five games the rest of the season.

“We didn’t gain any momentum from the trade deadline, and guys were kinda down about it. So it’d be nice to add something and bring a little bit of a spark on the ice and a morale boost as well,” team captain Dylan Larkin said at the end of the season.

Yzerman is facing a big summer to bring the Wings closer.

Nashville Predators: Was this season a one-off?

Winners of the 2024 off-season, Nashville was one of the biggest disappointments of the 2024-25 season, 28 points out of the playoffs and 30th overall in the league. Scoring, of all things after signing Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault, was an issue with a 2.59 goals per game mark that ranked 31st.

Late in the season, GM Barry Trotz suggested this result for the group could be a one-off and only minor selling at the deadline indicates he’s not inclined to have the team take a step back. Cap space is available just about everywhere in the league, but the Predators are more likely to be quieter on the UFA market after last summer’s flurry. The fact is the front office chose a path last summer it cannot deviate from yet.

So how do you make sure this was just a one-off? Perhaps it’s through depth additions or a change to the system. Or head coach Andrew Brunette has maybe run out of time here and a new direction will come from the bench.

New York Islanders: What will the vision be in the post-Lou Lamoriello era?

In seven years under Lamoriello’s guidance as GM, there were lots of good things with the Islanders. Upon his arrival, they immediately turned from a non-playoff team into one that reached the second round. The next season, in the bubble playoffs, New York made it to the conference final and did it again in 2021. But over the past three, the team has been treading water and struggling to find finishers and generate offence.

On Tuesday this week came the news that the 82-year-old was out and the Islanders were in the market for a new GM. Lamoriello had been fiercely loyal to this group of players, even beyond the roster’s best before date, and held off on making deeper cuts at the trade deadline for the longshot chance of going on a run from the wild card. It’s clear the status quo needs to be turned over and a refreshing new perspective could bring it about.

New York Rangers: How do they move on from a disastrous 2024-25 season?

Last year’s Presidents’ Trophy winners had a 12-4-1 start to the season, but there was trouble bubbling beneath the surface. Some underlying numbers (high quality chances allowed) were concerning, but then came early reports that the team had put Chris Kreider and Jacob Trouba on the trade block. A five-game losing streak followed, and the Rangers went 4-13-0 over the next month. Though New York had brief upticks later on in the season, the team never fully recovered and missed out by six points.

The locker room wasn’t happy with how the front office managed the season, and that leaves the Rangers in a weird place this off-season. Plenty of players could be traded yet, but their most expensive forwards all have some sort of trade protection.

“Do you look at it and say, ‘We are the team of a year ago and we can get back there,’ like the Messier Rangers did, or do you look at it and say, ‘Ya last year was a fluke, this year was more who we are and we have to change it again,’” Friedman said.

Head coach Peter Laviolette is out, so the top priority for now is finding the right person to replace him. But Chris Drury also has to figure out who’s in, who’s out, who can be part of the solution and who can be moved out to bring about a different result.

Philadelphia Flyers: Could they make headlines with an offer sheet?

If there is a team that might be at the right place, at the right time to make a huge splash, and has a history of doing so in the past, the Flyers might be it. Philadelphia is the only team that has signed at least one offer sheet in each of the previous three decades, the last a 14-year bid to Shea Weber that was ultimately matched by Nashville. Philadelphia has each of its draft picks through the first four rounds in 2026, plus a couple of first-rounders and five picks within the first three rounds in 2027, so they have all the compensation they’d need to get involved in another offer sheet if they wanted.

The salary cap is creating plenty of financial space for most teams, but you can still make a rival uneasy about matching one if the offer is high enough. The Flyers need a centre above all else and, given how difficult they can be to acquire, all avenues will be pursued.

“I do think this is a big summer for Philly to kind of go at their roster a little bit,” Friedman said. “If there’s going to be offer sheets, teams talk about Philly. That’s one of the teams definitely that people look at and say if this is going to be an offer sheet summer Philly’s going to be one of those teams.”

Pittsburgh Penguins: Will Erik Karlsson be traded?

On and off of Nick Kypreos’ trade board at times this season, Karlsson is easier to move in the off-season for several reasons. Not least of which is that, after a $5 million bonus is paid to him on July 1, Karlsson will be owed just $11.5 million in actual dollars over the last two years of his contract.

With a $10 million AAV on Pittsburgh’s books, the Penguins could even retain a chunk of that for two years to make him more palatable to buyers and drive the price up.

GM Kyle Dubas’ focus will be on acquiring younger players, and his eyes are fully on the future now. Karlsson does not fit into the window any longer, but while the Penguins could find an opportunity to move him in the summer, the decision is ultimately up to the player with a no-movement clause.

San Jose Sharks: How much would picking first overall again push them forward?

Even though San Jose finished at the bottom of the league and will have the best odds at the draft lottery, the Sharks were an overall fun team to watch and have some exciting youth already contributing. But, unlike teams such as Philadelphia or Utah or Buffalo, San Jose GM Mike Grier still isn’t under great pressure to push the rebuild forward. That’s still a year, or two, away.

So, the build up continues and if the Sharks do end up with the first overall pick they’d be in the driver’s seat to take Matthew Schaefer, still the projected top prospect in this class even though he hasn’t played since being injured at the WJC.

In the past four years, the Sharks have made six first-round picks, five of which have been forwards. Three of those players (Macklin Celebrini, William Eklund and Will Smith) were among the team’s top four scorers this season. Schaefer, a defenceman with superstar upside, was just beginning to separate himself from the pack in his draft class when he was injured and adding him to San Jose could be the perfect fit.

Seattle Kraken: How do they get back to the playoffs?

In the second year of their existence, the Kraken improved by 40 points, qualified for the playoffs and even won a seven-game series. But their point totals fell in the two years since and the team was a seller at the trade deadline. Now, the first moves of the off-season were to fire head coach Dan Bylsma, promote former GM Ron Francis to president and bring in Jason Botterill as the new GM.

“I think that organization wants to be aggressive. I think they feel they’ve been too conservative,” Friedman said on 32 Thoughts: The Podcast.

Botterill previously served as GM with the Buffalo Sabres for three seasons but failed to push that franchise forward. He comes to a Seattle franchise that was active in the free agency market last summer — signing Chandler Stephenson and Brandon Montour — and could again with more than $20 million in cap space. They also have a growing prospect cupboard and plenty of draft picks to possibly use in trade — five first-round picks and five second-round picks over the next three seasons.

Utah Hockey Club: Could this team “win” the summer?

After being hammered by injuries to the blue line out of the gate, Utah did well to hang in the race late into the season before ultimately fading out and missing by seven points. Had they been closer, perhaps they could have been more aggressive on the in-season trade market. But with more options in the summer, Utah is a team to watch in the months ahead.

We’ve written about it before, but the outlook for the former Coyotes is entirely different now. Rebuilding is over and now you have a team that has made oodles of draft picks in recent years, is swimming in cap space, and an owner who wants to invest in a winning organization. It’s reasonable to wonder if GM Bill Armstrong will look to move some of his prospects for more immediate and meaningful help to push this roster forward. Could they also be a potential player in the offer sheet market? The timing is lining up perfectly.

Vancouver Canucks: How can they start laying the foundation to keep Quinn Hughes?

In one of the most dramatic seasons in memory, the Canucks failed to build off the promise they showed in 2023-24 and instead became something of a circus. There are a number of big questions heading into this summer that need to be resolved. Will Elias Pettersson be traded before a no-move clause kicks in July 1? Will Rick Tocchet sign an extension or become a free agent coach?

All of that ties back to one critical storyline the team has two years (or less) to figure out. Quinn Hughes is undeniably the lifeblood of this organization — its captain, best player and the lynchpin keeping things from completely devolving into a longer-term plan. He’s also two seasons away from becoming eligible for unrestricted free agency, so every move and decision Vancouver makes has to have that in mind. Even though Hughes can’t sign an extension until July 2026, creating a climate in which he wants to stay has to be their top priority right away.

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