10 burning offseason questions facing the NHL’s 16 non-playoff teams

The 16-team field is set for the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Matchups and home-ice advantage still need to be determined. But that means half the NHL’s 32 teams have two more days to play out the string before their relatively short summer begins.

With that, here are 10 burning offseason questions facing the 16 non-playoff teams:

1. Will Kelly McCrimmon survive in Vegas?

In Vegas, the hometown Golden Knights opened the season in the sportsbooks with the second-best odds to win the Stanley Cup. They were the consensus Pacific Division pick. And that was before they traded for Jack Eichel in November. It’s fair to say, then, that missing the playoffs with a $92-million payroll is an abject failure. Owner Bill Foley said Stanley Cup in six years, right? The Golden Knights’ quest for hockey’s holy grail has been admirable. There will be a refrain from the franchise about the tough luck of this season’s injury list. That played a factor, of course, but there was also near daily drama surrounding the Knights – who seem to have lost their way, from the do-no-wrong expansion darling to the hockey’s heel. They jettisoned the reigning Vezina Trophy winner Marc-Andre Fleury, then backed the bus over warrior Robin Lehner, and their roster of mercenaries played much more like a collection of jerseys than a team as seemingly everyone looks over their shoulder wondering who’s next to go. The Golden Knights have no cap space, no top draft picks, and a thin prospect cupboard. It feels like an inevitability that coach Pete DeBoer will be cut loose … but will GM Kelly McCrimmon follow him out the door?

2. Are Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews in the Blackhawks’ rebuild for the longhaul?

This is a potential decade-defining offseason for the Chicago Blackhawks, who will begin to chart a new course forward with a to-the-studs rebuild under new GM Kyle Davidson. It just so happens that Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, the only two franchise pillars remaining from their three-Stanley-Cup run, are also entering the final year of their twin $84 million contracts. In the hours before the press conference that announced his permanent promotion, Davidson pulled the Hawks’ leadership corps aside and let them know that he would be proclaiming a full rebuild is in order. Kane seemed to publicly support the plan. Given his critical comments after the Hawks moved Brandon Hagel for two first-round picks at the deadline, it would seem Toews was not as supportive. Difficult decisions loom. Will Toews return for a 15th and final season with the Hawks? Will he ask for a trade? Will Kane sign an extension to stay for the long-haul? Or given his productive play that shows little sign of drop-off, is he the trade chip the Hawks need to jumpstart the rebuild? And what happens with 40-goal scorer Alex DeBrincat, who needs an expensive new deal?

3. Will Lou Lamoriello double down with the Islanders’ core?

On the surface, it seems like Lamoriello has no choice but to do that, with 13 players signed for at least the next two seasons. In a lot of ways, it feels like the Isles got the short end of the stick this season. They survived a 13-game road trip to start the season and didn’t play their first home game of the season until Nov. 20 as the long-awaited UBS Arena was completed. As soon as they could exhale with that, COVID-19 ravaged their roster, and they were forced to play with a seriously decimated lineup – before the NHL finally agreed to postpone some games. In total, 13 Islander games were postponed and rescheduled. They could never recover from a 5-10-5 start that included the road trip and roster squeeze. Once things settled down, Barry Trotz’s back-to-back Conference finalists went on a 30-20-4 run, which still isn’t quite good enough for a playoff spot (.592), but certainly would’ve changed the conversation of the season. We learned a long time ago not to make predictions with Lamoriello. Every time you expect him to zig, he zags.

4. Has Mark Scheifele played his last games as a Winnipeg Jet?

On the list of seriously disappointing seasons: Golden Knights, Islanders, Kraken, Flyers and Jets. Some, ahem, may have even picked Winnipeg to win the Stanley Cup. Connor Hellebuyck recently called it a “wasted” year. Kevin Cheveldayoff’s tenure has been a measured one; he isn’t one to make rash decisions and he doesn’t typically act on emotion. That’s why his reaction to this season will be one to watch. Can the Jets pull a page from the Calgary Flames’ playbook and go from outside the playoffs to division champs in one year? It’s possible. But it feels like something is missing in Winnipeg. There is no shortage of whispers that the Jets’ core forwards – read: Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele – can be an ornery bunch. Wheeler’s contract is a tough one to move. Scheifele would have a ton of value. Change has already come in Winnipeg. Andrew Copp was dealt to the Rangers at the deadline; coach Paul Maurice stepped down in December after he felt the Jets needed a new voice. It will be interesting to watch how deep the changes are in Manitoba and to see whether any of them hit the seismic level.

5. How does a ‘blank check’ help the Flyers rebound?

It was one of the memorable quotes from a forgettable Flyers season: Comcast Spectacor CEO Dave Scott saying GM Chuck Fletcher would have a ‘blank check’ to fix Philadelphia’s woes. “I’m going to give him a blank check,” Scott said on Jan. 26. “We’re going to get this right. Whatever we need to do. Don’t want to wait; want to deal with it now.” If that didn’t set the course for the offseason, then this did: “I don’t really see this as being a three-, four-, five-year rebuild at all,” Scott said. The question is: Where do the Flyers even start? Missing Ryan Ellis and Sean Couturier for the bulk of the season unquestionably hurt. But the Flyers were hoping their offseason changes, coupled with a rebound by Carter Hart, would help them avoid missing the playoffs in back-to-back years for the first time since 1993-94. Hart was not the issue this season, hovering right around league average. The difficult part is there is seemingly no blueprint, no roadmap on how to quickly turn the Flyers around. Ten expensive players are locked up for at least each of the next three seasons. They have financial muscle, but little salary cap space. Worse than that, the Flyers really seem to lack an identity or calling card. And maybe that’s the best place to start.

6. Can the Canucks re-sign J.T. Miller?

That has to be the biggest offseason priority in Vancouver, as Jim Rutherford and Patrik Allvin begin to put their stamp on the Canucks. It’s going to be expensive. Miller had an all-world season for the Canucks. With two games to play, Miller has 31 goals and 97 points. He’ three points away from being just the sixth player to hit the century mark in a Canucks uniform. The list: Henrik and Daniel Sedin, Pavel Bure, Alex Mogilny, Markus Naslund. That’s it. More than that, Miller has established himself as perhaps the heartbeat of the team, their driver. Since arriving in Vancouver, Miller has 215 points in 200 games. He’s set to enter the final year of his deal at $5.25 million. It feels like his next contract will have an AAV that begins with a $9. Are the Canucks ready to pony up to keep him? Teams were salivating over the idea of acquiring Miller this season, and they will be downright horny this summer. How will the Canucks create the salary cap flexibility they’ve been craving? What about Bo Horvat’s next deal? Are the Canucks willing to enter next season without either/both Miller and Horvat unsigned? Buckle up.

7. Will the next Sharks GM break up their tenured triumvirate?

It’s been rather quiet on the San Jose Sharks’ general manager search, which is expected to ramp up soon with the close of the regular season. Reminder: the Sharks did say they are willing to wait, if need be, deep into the playoffs/summer to get their guy. As the Sharks look for their first GM in two decades, it will be interesting to see how much philosophy plays a part in the hiring process. Owner Hasso Plattner is not considered ‘hands on,’ but by most accounts, he is not a big believer in the tear-it-down rebuild process. The belief is his choice is to try and remain competitive while retooling. That may help determine who gets the job. Nonetheless, the question is an important one: How can the Sharks get back to the playoffs with the expensive, tenured triumvirate on the back end? This is three straight years in the NHL’s no-man’s land: not in the lottery, not in the playoffs. The money spent there limits their options up front. Given his severe drop-off in minutes, down to 15:12 per night, one would have to imagine Marc-Edouard Vlasic is a legitimate buyout candidate. Brent Burns had a bounceback year and Erik Karlsson was fine when healthy. Also: Tomas Hertl has been taken care of, but 35-goal scorer Timo Meier needs a new deal.

8. Can the Kraken run back the same goaltenders?

You could have a field day if you’d like to play Monday Morning QB on the Seattle Kraken’s Expansion Draft selection process. Hindsight is 20/20, but there was a lot of talent left on the table for the sake of salary cap flexibility. There were also a lot of holes on the ice this year as the Kraken had, well, a typical expansion experience with their NHL comeuppance. There are questions, too, about head coach Dave Hakstol and also the dollars doled out in free agency – particularly the $35.4 million spent on Philipp Grubauer in goal. The Kraken gave Grubauer, a Vezina Trophy finalist, a six-year deal on the first day of the frenzy last July 28. It’s a decision that may have repercussions for years to come. The argument could be made that the Kraken would have been better off going with the tandem they selected in Expansion – Chris Driedger and Vitek Vanecek. The results might have been similar, but it would have cost a lot less. Among goaltenders with 30 games played, Grubauer ranked dead last (44th) with an .889 save percentage. Can Grubauer turn it around and inspire confidence in a market where interest has already seemed to wane?

9. Will the Senators find a new owner?

The unexpected passing of owner Eugene Melnyk at the far-too-young age of 62 in March has made this a potentially pivotal summer for the franchise. The NHL and Senators are working with the executor of Melnyk’s estate to help determine the future, which for now, is run by CEO Anthony LeBlanc on the business side and GM Pierre Dorion on the hockey ops side. Many were expecting the Sens to take a bigger step forward this season in a rebuild that Melnyk was fully committed to seeing through. So in some ways, it was a disappointing year in that Ottawa didn’t put more pressure on the big dogs in the Atlantic. And they’re in competition with the Red Wings and Sabres to get there. In other ways, they’ve got positional pillars in Brady Tkachuk, Josh Norris and Thomas Chabot, with still elite talent on the way – particularly on the back end in Jake Sanderson. They’re more settled in net now with the emergence of Anton Forsberg as a steadying influence. They’re now in need of quality veteran support pieces to help get them over the hump – and the potential of increased spending or resources would certainly help in that endeavor.

10. What does the crystal ball hold for Carey Price?

What a trying season it has been for Price and the Canadiens. In exactly 294 days, the Habs went from the Stanley Cup final to clinching 32nd place. The positive spin on that is the Canadiens have the best odds (25.5 percent) to pick No. 1 overall in July’s Draft, to be held at the Bell Centre. They also have nine other picks in the first four rounds. Brighter days are ahead. Where does that leave Price? He underwent offseason knee surgery, then missed a large chunk of the season to tackle a personal issue in the Players’ Assistance program. When he returned in April, he went 0-4-0 with an .853 save percentage before traveling to New York to see his specialist again. In addition to his knee issue, there were rumblings last summer Price also had a nagging hip complaint. Some of it may be interrelated. Price, who turns 35 before next season starts, has four years remaining at $10.5 million. Can he get back to 100 percent health? If so, will he remain a Canadien? Price has a full “no-move” clause and can answer that question quickly. His commitment to the Canadiens has been steadfast. It’s fair to wonder what kind of interest would be out there in Price, if the Habs were willing to retain salary, as they try to re-jig their roster. Then again, perhaps their best chance to be competitive may be with Price in net, provided he can regain his form.

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