Crazy season in the NHL has begun.
With the draft coming Friday, free agency opening July 1 and the salary cap increasing significantly for the first time since the pandemic, teams are getting active.
What should fans be hoping their teams accomplish in the next few weeks? This week, The Athletic asked its NHL staff what each team should prioritize this offseason. In response, we heard about free-agent signings, cap dumps, trades and more.
Here’s one move we’d like to see each team make this offseason.
Acquire an impact top-six scorer: The Ducks have intriguing forward pieces. Trevor Zegras, Leo Carlsson and Mason McTavish have great upside. Cutter Gauthier was a top NCAA forward last season. Frank Vatrano led Anaheim with 37 goals. Troy Terry should consistently score 25 or more. This team should have an offense that’s better than 30th in the NHL. While the Ducks figure to be strong at center, they can use another major piece on the wing — particularly right wing. With around $33 million of cap space available, seven draft picks in the first three rounds and a bountiful prospect pool, they’ve got the means to make a big move in free agency or through trade. — Eric Stephens
Sign Elias Lindholm: While Lindholm isn’t a top-line center, he does enough of everything to play a big role for the Bruins. Signing Lindholm would let the Bruins move Pavel Zacha to left wing if necessary. It would allow the Bruins to roll Lindholm, Charlie Coyle and Matt Poitras down the middle, which would be a respectable rotation. — Fluto Shinzawa
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Trade for Pavel Buchnevich: The Sabres could use another forward in their top six, and Buchnevich would bring a different element to their forward group. He has three straight seasons of 60-plus points and plays with an edge that Buffalo lacks. He’s entering the final season of his contract, so maybe the Sabres could pry him away with some of the future assets they’ve stockpiled. — Matthew Fairburn
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Acquire a talented young player via trade: The Flames have eight picks within the first four rounds of next week’s NHL Draft. We’ve seen teams use their draft capital to swing trades for young talent who may have fallen out of favor in other markets. General manager Craig Conroy has said that he’s interested in seeing what’s out there to make such a move happen. There are a handful of…
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