10 burning offseason questions facing the NHL’s 16 Non-Playoff teams

The field is set. On Monday, 16 teams will begin their quest for Lord Stanley’s silver chalice – at the exact same time the other half of the league will begin plotting their path back to the playoffs.

Some franchises will rip the band-aid off to start arduous rebuilds. Some will move heaven and earth to quickly bounce back, some will trust their process of drafting and development. And still others will spend the next days soul searching. There’s no shortage of drama and intrigue.

Here are 10 burning questions facing the NHL’s 16 non-playoff teams:

1. Will Ron Hextall survive the week as Penguins GM?

Chants of “Fire Hextall” emanated in PPG Paints Arena this week for at least the third time this season as the Pittsburgh Penguins punctured their own playoff hopes with a loss to the 31st place Chicago Blackhawks. This spring marks the first time since 2006, when Sidney Crosby was 19, that the Pens won’t have a ticket to the dance. Sources said there were strong indications Fenway Sports Group was beginning to put the wheels in motion for a complete change in Penguins leadership, which is likely to also include president of hockey operations Brian Burke. Fenway purchased the Pens in 2021, inheriting Hextall and Burke. Hextall’s track record as GM is abysmal: In seven seasons, his teams have made the playoffs four times and not won a single round. The postseason appearances are not as strong as they seem: two of them were with Penguins rosters he was handed. Hextall’s trade deadline was disastrous: Mikael Granlund, Nick Bonino and Dmitry Kulikov all hurt the team. And recent re-signings Jeff Carter (38), Evgeni Malkin (35), Kris Letang (35) will have the proud Pens feeling pain for years to come with no opening in sight to return to the playoff mix.

2. Is there a path for Darryl Sutter to return as coach in Calgary?

Reigning Jack Adams Award winner Darryl Sutter is in a precarious position. He pushed and pushed this season, pushing all of the wrong buttons, helping push the Flames out of the playoffs. The decision to send Nick Ritchie in on a season-deciding shootout was just the piece de resistance on a season full of head-scratching calls – from four months of Jonathan Huberdeau on the right wing to weeks of Milan Lucic in the top six. The handling of Jakob Pelletier and “What number is he?” rubbed the entire organization the wrong way. There are believed to be at least a handful of players expected to voice their disapproval at exit meetings, if they have not done so already. They’ll voice them to GM Brad Treliving, who does not have a contract for next season. Could Calgary actually continue with Sutter as coach? Cowtown doesn’t seem big enough for Treliving and Sutter. One could be back. Neither could be back. The only thing we know is change is coming in Calgary.

3. What changes will new ownership make in Ottawa?

There’s never been a more exciting time to be an Ottawa Senator, at least not in the last 15 years. That’s a fact. The first clause of that statement may be true, too, with all of the buzz surrounding a pending purchase and new well-heeled owners taking over. It’s not just the idea of finally breaking ground on a new downtown arena, or the resources provided by a new ownership group. It’s also the young pieces the Sens have in place, now bolstered by the addition of Jakob Chychrun. But after a season with increased expectations that again fell well short of a playoff spot, the next Sens owners are expected to look long and hard at Ottawa’s leadership in place. That includes both GM Pierre Dorion and coach D.J. Smith. The Sens’ season was sunk in November after another listless start at 6-12-1. There is word some potential bidders have already begun to internally form their candidate lists for those positions. There is no doubt those will be highly coveted positions now.

4. Is there a better positioned non-playoff team than Buffalo?

One rival NHL GM quietly predicted it months ago, so we wrote it down: “the Sabres will be the Beast of the East in two years.” Now that we’ve watched it all come together, it’s hard to argue with the notion – particularly with No. 1 overall picks Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power forming twin tower pillars on Buffalo’s blueline. Dahlin will receive Norris Trophy votes this spring and Power will appear on ballots for both the Calder and All-Rookie team. Oh, yeah, and center Tage Thompson was gunning to do something no player 6-foot-7 or taller has done in NHL history in scoring 50 goals and 100 points in the same season. That’s a pretty strong foundational core, bolstered now with the arrival of goaltender Devon Levi. More than that, as Buffalo battled for their playoff lives into the second week in April – trying to snap the longest current playoff drought in North American pro sports – coach Don Granato has them believing. It’s happening. And the Sabres have the most enviable salary cap table in the league. Tell us: Who is better positioned?

5. How will Barry Trotz put his stamp on the Preds?

For the first time since the Nashville Predators were founded in 1997, someone other than David Poile will sit in the general manager’s chair on July 1 when free agency opens. Poile will officially pass the baton to Barry Trotz, the franchise’s first-ever coach, when Nashville hosts the NHL Draft in late June. Poile began the teardown process, selling off Mattias Ekholm, Nino Niederreiter, Tanner Jeannot and Mikael Granlund during the deadline period. Nashville gained two additional first-round picks and three second-rounders. What will Trotz do to move the ball forward? Will he be aggressive in trying to move larger contracts? Will he consider dealing Juuse Saros? Poile said on a recent edition of Frankly Speaking that he had five goals for the deadline written on a piece of paper. He made four of them happen. What about the fifth? “I can’t tell you that, because the player is still here,” Poile quipped. Trotz likely has his own list.

6. Who will the St. Louis Blues target with their pick capital?

There are no guarantees in life, but it seems an almost certainty that Blues GM Doug Armstrong will not walk to the podium all three times in the first round of the Draft on June 28. Why? St. Louis is not rebuilding; with Jordan Kyrou, Robert Thomas and Torey Krug, there is no chance the Blues will bottom out. Even in what experts says is a historically deep draft class, the Blues will probably keep a pick, but leverage the additional two first-rounders they acquired in deals for Vladimir Tarasenko and Ryan O’Reilly to trade for more immediate support to help bolster the Blues back into contention. That’s at least been the play from Armstrong’s playbook in the past. In 2017, he traded the first from Kevin Shattenkirk to get Brayden Schenn. In 2018, he traded the first from Paul Stastny for Ryan O’Reilly. History tells us to be ready for the same. And by the way, a very constructive conversation between Armstrong and O’Reilly before his trade to Toronto seemed to leave the door wide open for a return this summer.

7. Has Erik Karlsson played his last game as a San Jose Shark?

Erik Karlsson is putting the finishing touches on the best offensive season by any defenseman not named Bobby Orr or Paul Coffey since the Great Depression. He’s the first 100-point defender since Brian Leetch in 1991-92 and his campaign is likely to culminate in a third career Norris Trophy. But the Sharks were eager to move him at the trade deadline and Karlsson was more than eager to move to a contender. Yet, the deadline passed during his magical season without a single team making a true offer to San Jose. Why? As the highest-paid defenseman at $11.5 million, a trade is one of the most complicated in NHL history. The Sharks were willing to retain, but asked for a haul that isn’t feasible in today’s NHL given the cap space required to fit him in. The Sharks seemed to not properly value the cap flexibility created for their own organization. Will that change this summer?

8. How will the Vancouver Canucks create salary cap flexibility?

Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford has stated on numerous occasions that one of Vancouver’s top priorities is to create salary cap flexibility. Rutherford took over on Dec. 9, 2021 and nearly 18 months later, the Canucks are actually over next season’s projected salary cap limit of $83.5 million. They kicked the can down the road at the deadline, actually adding in salary with Anthony Beauvillier and Filip Hronek. It seems like a fresh start is in order for Brock Boeser at long last, who put together a 55-point campaign. How aggressively will the Canucks re-engage in their conversations to move J.T. Miller before his contract and trade restrictions kick in? Will they attempt to move Conor Garland? How much more attractive does Tyler Myers become once his signing bonus is paid? Who will be Quinn Hughes’ long-term running mate? Will the Canucks peruse a buyout option? Will they strike a deal with Elias Pettersson for a massive long-term contract extension? There is no shortage of questions in the Lower Mainland, but some hope with Pettersson’s 100-point season and Thatcher Demko’s return to health and prominence.

9. Who will coach the Washington Capitals?

Very quietly, future Hall of Fame coach Peter Laviolette is into the final week of his contract as coach of the Washington Capitals. He does not have a contract for next season. That could change. But it also seems like change is on the horizon in general for the Capitals, who had an eight-year playoff streak snapped, a run that included a Stanley Cup in 2018 under Barry Trotz. The Caps have vowed to be competitive as the Great Eight chases down the Great One’s goal scoring record. A literal shrine has been built for Alex Ovechkin on the concourse at Capital One Arena. GM Brian MacLellan drew a line in the sand and sold at the deadline, also buying on 23-year-old pedigreed defenseman Rasmus Sandin. At the very least, the Caps have nine roster spots up for grabs for next season, and the team on the ice in October will look vastly different than the one that played out the string.

10. Who is the first to go as the Philadelphia Flyers begin their teardown?

“I see a rebuild is needed here. There’s no doubt in my mind that we need to do this the right way. I made it clear that was my vision. It might be a long road, but it needs to be done the right way, we can’t cut corners.” That was Flyers interim GM Danny Briere on a recent edition of Frankly Speaking, outlining his plan if selected to shed that interim tag. He seems to be in line to do that, with a hire of president of hockey operations to come, to work in conjunction with Briere and coach John Tortorella, who will have a seat and large voice at the decision making table. Briere acknowledged that some players on the current roster do not mesh with ‘Torts’ or the Flyers’ timeline. That includes Kevin Hayes, who is likely to be one of the first Flyers moved this offseason. But which of the other younger pieces will be plucked off? The candidates include Tony DeAngelo, Joel Farabee, Travis Sanheim and Ivan Provorov. The cuts may go deeper depending on the interest level in others and the Flyers’ projected timeline to compete again.

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