The season is winding down, with the playoffs now only two weeks away. While a number of teams battle for playoff positioning, others know their postseason dreams are over, leaving their respective managements to plan offseason changes.
In the Western Conference, the Edmonton Oilers have been out of the playoff chase since midseason. Given they're at the bottom of the league's overall standings, they are in good position to win the rights to the first overall pick in the NHL Entry Draft for the second straight year.
That might not be the only pick they could have in the top 10. The Edmonton Journal recently suggested the possibility Oilers management could package the first-round pick received from the Los Angeles Kings as part of the Dustin Penner trade in February) along with their own second-round pick (which could be 31st overall) for another high pick.
Their notable free agents this summer include restricted free agents Ladislav Smid and Andrew Cogliano. Re-signing them to affordable contracts would leave general manager Steve Tambellini with plenty of available cap space to add veteran talent via trades or free agency, though he probably will continue the youth movement for another season.
Veteran winger Ales Hemsky has one season left on his current contract and is recovering from shoulder surgery. In a recent blog post, I recommended the Oilers consider shopping Hemsky this summer, but it remains to be seen if they will consider that option.
The Colorado Avalanche, meanwhile, have been in a free fall since midseason and should end up with a top-three draft pick for the second time in three years.
After Colorado spent the first half of this season in playoff contention, injuries to key players plus a lack of quality defensive and goaltending depth scuttled its postseason hopes. The Avalanche then traded of goalie Craig Anderson to Ottawa for Brian Elliott, and dealt Chris Stewart and Kevin Shattenkirk to St. Louis for Erik Johnson and Jay McClement.
Avalanche GM Greg Sherman must decide if he will re-sign Tomas Fleischmann (acquired earlier in the season) and veteran winger Milan Hejduk. Sherman also must find a replacement for retiring defenseman Adam Foote.
Despite having plenty of cap space, Avalanche management kept payroll close to the league minimum in recent years, which doesn't bode well this summer for bringing in experienced veteran talent — especially on defense — to help the younger players.
The St. Louis Blues had a strong start this season, but injuries and inconsistency sent them tumbling out of playoff contention and facing an uncertain future.
Owner David Checketts has put the team up for sale, saying management will stay the club's course of rebuilding primarily with youth from within in the meantime.
That means GM Doug Armstrong won't be pursuing top free-agent talent and likely will reinvest in such restricted free agents as T.J. Oshie, Patrik Berglund and Vladimir Sobotka. He also must find a suitable backup to replace goalie Ty Conklin, who's expected to depart via free agency.
Armstrong did, however, show willingness this season to make a significant trade, landing Stewart and Shattenkirk from Colorado. They had an almost immediate positive impact.
With the Blues' depth in young talent, it's possible Armstrong could go the trade route again in the offseason, but only if such a move doesn't push his payroll too far above next season's anticipated salary cap minimum of $46 million.
A lack of depth on the blue line and at center were considered the main factors that crippled the playoff hopes of the Columbus Blue Jackets, putting pressure on GM Scott Howson to address those needs this summer.
Howson also must re-sign some key players, including blue-liners Marc Methot and Grant Clitsome and forwards Jakub Voracek and Scottie Upshall, who was acquired from Phoenix at the trade deadline.
The Jackets' GM probably won't find much in this summer's shallow free-agent pool to address his needs but one shouldn't rule out the possibility he targets teams with limited cap space looking to shed salary.
Finally, there's the Minnesota Wild, whose anemic offense once again killed their postseason dreams.
After years of sellout crowds, the Wild's recent mediocrity is starting to adversely impact a fan base that has grown weary of the club's inability to improve.
That's led to speculation GM Chuck Fletcher could be forced to shop a notable blue-liner, such as Brent Burns, for a scoring forward, perhaps by dealing with a cap-strapped club.
Fletcher must do something, as Mikko Koivu cannot continue to carry the bulk of the offense, Martin Havlat isn't getting any younger, injuries could remain a concern for Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Guillaume Lantendresse, and the aging Andrew Brunette probably won't be back.
It also appears coach Todd Richards could become a scapegoat for the Wild's inability to make the playoffs. It has been rumored in recent weeks he could be fired at season's end.
