Offseason plans, the Stars will look to improve their forward group and maybe add a young rookie like Stankoven, While Carolina will look to give Aho a new deal and might try to trade Pesce.
Dallas Stars
Significant Pending UFA:
C,LW M.Domi 20-36-56 80GP
C,RW,LW L.Glendening 3-3-6 70GP
RW,LW J.Kiviranta 8-1-9 70GP
C,LW T.Kero 0-0-0 0GP
C,LW R.Gardner 0-0-0 0GP
LW R.Tufte 0-0-0 3GP
LD W.Butcher 0-0-0 0GP
LD/RD J.Hanley 0-2-2 26GP
Significant Pending RFA:
RW,C T.Dellandrea 9-19-28 82GP
LW,RW M.Studenic 0-0-0 3GP
LW,RW N.Caamano 0-0-0 0GP
C R.Damiani 0-0-0 0GP
G A.Scheel 0-0-0 REC 0.00 GAA .000 SV%
Current draft capital for Stars in 2023: 5
2RD DAL
4RD DAL
5RD DAL
6RD DAL
7RD DAL
What lead the Stars to exit the 3rd round of the playoffs this year: So for the Stars they had a really solid season as for most of the year they were a top 3 team in the Central and were competing for the top spot in the Central, and when the year ended they would up finishing 2nd in the Central a point back of Colorado which earned them a first round matchup against the Minnesota Wild, and after falling down in the series 1-0 and 2-1, they would win 3 straight to take the series in 6 games and face off against the Kraken in round 2, and after once again falling behind 1-0 and 2-1, the Stars would win 3 of the last four games to take the series in 7 over the Kraken and set themselves up in the Confrence Final against the Golden Knights and after falling into a 3-0 hole against the Kinghts they would win back to back games to get the series deficit to 3-2 but would wind up losing in game 6 and just two games away from the Cup Final, and even after a solid year from the Stars I definitely think there were two reasons this team wasn’t able to make the cup final.
Number one is the fact that the Stars had to continually come from behind against the Knights. Now in 5 of the 6 games in the Western Confrence Final the Stars found themselves down at some point in the game and the one time they actually had a lead entering the 3rd was in game 2 were the Knights were able to come from behind and beat the Stars in overtime, so they had to comeback to grove overtime in game 1, they had to come back and force overtime for the must win game in game 4, they also had to score 3 straight goals to defeat the Knights in game 5 and then they had now comeback attempt whatsoever in both games 3 and 6 when they got decked, so always playing from behind was a big problem for the Stars as the Knights are a team that once they got a lead they can usually shutdown the game and even though the Stars impressed and were able to come back twice in the series, it was not a winning solution and was a big reason as to why the team wound up falling in the conference finals.
And Finally would be the fact that the Stars did not get good goaltending during the Confrence final. Now during the season a big part of the success the Stars had was due to the amazing goaltending by Oettinger as he showed why he is one of the top goalies in the NHL, and he even did that in most of the playoff games as beside one bad game against the Wild he played quite well throughout round 1, but against the Kraken you could see the workload was getting to him as he he gave up 5 plus goals on multiple occasions and was pulled a couple times in the second round but came through when it mattered most in game 7, and then against a team like Vega should would probably need to keep them to 2 goals against to have a shot to win against them, and they were only able to do that as Oettinger held the Knights to only 2 goals one time and that was in game 5 when the Stats won, but in every other game the Knights at least scored 3 goals and although Oettinger would always keep thing interesting, his play just like some of his play in the 2nd round was not great and I think the play of Oettinger which wasn’t to his level of play in round 3 was another reason the Stars found themselves losing in the Confrence Final.
So in my opinion the fact that the Stars were not able to play much of the Confrence Final with a lead or the fact they continued to give up goals to Vegas and were only able to hold them to two goals once and Oettingers inconsistency from round 2 carried on to round 3 I think were major factors in the Stats losing this series in the conference final and another reason was the fact they dug themselves into a 3-0 hole and weren’t able to come out of it was another reason they lost the series, and although they got so close to making the Cup Final, they still had a solid season this year and with some tweaks in the offseason, they should be a Stanley Cup contender again next year.
3 ways of how I think the Stars can improve in the offseason.
.1) Add a top 6 forward.
Now the Stars have a solid forward group and after resigning Dadonov they do have a pretty good top 9, but in my eyes it still looks like they are missing that one key element in their top 6, so I wouldn’t be overly shocked if the Stars were able to find some cap room, that they would go out and add a top 6 forward to the team.
Now the Stars still have one of the best top lines in Hockey with Robertson, Hintz and Pavelski, while they have a solid middle six of guys like Dadonov, Dellandrea, Johnston, Marchment, Seguin and Benn, but I think they could add a solid goal scorer as with Benn only two years away from free agency and Pavelski in the final year of his contract, I do think they could use a younger player in the lineup who fits in the teams top 6 long term and can replace a guy like Benn or Pavelski whenever they leave. Now if they go the free agent route I could see them go in a variety of different directions, but I think Wheeler who is a solid veteran could be a good addition for them, the team was also linked to Tyler Bertuzzi at the deadline and I do wonder if he would be of interest to them, and maybe a guy like Tarasenko who is a sensational goal scorer and and would go right into the teams top 6 and most likely fit quite nicely, so if they were to look at the free agent market for a top 6 forward I think one of these guys could be of interest, and in the free agent market I think Konecny would be a guy who draws interest and would fit well, if a guy like Nylander is available in Toronto then I do wonder if the Stars go after him as he would really fit in well with that team, and we know that Dallas is a team that DeBrincat would be interested in signing with and while the Stars don’t have much cap space, if they can find a way to get some, I really do wonder if DeBrincat could be a target for them, but whether they try to add a top 6 forward via free agency or trade, I think getting another solid top six goal scorer who can help round out the Stars top six and improve their offense should be a big priority this offseason.
.2) Have young players like Stankoven, Bourque and Bichsel challenge for a roster spot.
Next with the Stars, I do think they could add some more of their younger players to the lineup next year as another way of rounding out their roster.
Now over the past couple of seasons, the Stars have added some younger players as a couple of years ago they added Dellandrea and last year guys like Johnston and Harley showed they have what it takes to be regular NHL players, and I do think there are a couple more young players who could challenge for roster spots next year. Now the Stars have a solid prospect pool at the moment and there are some young guys like Seminoff, Stranges, Grushnikov and Kyrou who are all solid prospect and I think over the next couple of years they could get these four players into the lineup in some sort of role, but I am looking at 3 other players who could make the NHL this year. First is Logan Stankoven, now Stankoven is a solid Center prospect who I think may be able to play the wing in the NHL level, and has had back to back stellar seasons over in the WHL with Kamloops as he put up 104 points in 59 games two years ago and put up 97 points in 48 games this year and looks like he will be a stellar top 6 forward in the future after being taken in round 2 of the 2021 draft, and although I could see him go to the AHL and continue developing, I think he is a good enough player to at least challenge for a top 9 role this year and I could see him play some consistent minutes on line 3 for the Stars and be a solid rookie, also on the forward group I could see Mavrik Bourque get a shot at the NHL, as he has been a really good player these past couple of years after being drafted in the 1st round of the 2020 draft, Bourque had a solid season in the QMJHL a few seasons ago putting up 68 points in 31 games and then played his first full pro season this past year and had 47 points in 70 games and I think he is one of the Stars top prospects and I would think he at least gets a shot to play in the NHL, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he was playing consistent 3rd like minutes at the NHL level next year, so in my eyes I could see both of those two young players make the team next year. While the other less likely player I could see make the team is Lian Bichsel, now Bichsel was a first round pick last year and I could easily see him continue his development instead of making the NHL, but after having a solid showing in the SHL last year putting up 6 points in 42 games, I could definitely see him being a solid 3rd pair defensemen on the team next year and really be a force on the defensive end, but like I said I wouldn’t be shocked if Bichsel continued to develop and grow his game, but either way I think continuing to add youth to this team is going to be important for the future of the Stars and I think guys like Stankoven, Bourque and Bichsel all stand a good chance to make the team in my opinion for next year.
Dan Hamilton USA Today Sports
.3) Add some bottom six help to their forward group.
Now the team also has some bottom six forward problems, as with guys like Glendening and Kiviranta both most likely leaving via free agency, that leaves their depth a bit depleted at the NHL level, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they went out and got some depth help in free agency or trade.
Now the Stars still have some solid 3rd line forwards like Dadonov and Marchment, but besides Faksa they really have no 4th line forwards with some players leaving via free agency, so I think adding some more depth and some guys who can maybe play a bit more of a physical game would be smart for the Stars, now I could see them look in the free agent market and I do think that this is the more likely route they go as they should be able to find some cheap forwards in free agency, and I would look at players like Watson who would bring some size and grit to the 4th line, Tyler Motte who has rounded out into a really good bottom six forward these past few years, or Acciari who is a solid 4th line Center to possibly fill in a role at the 4th line spot as all three would in my opinion would really bolster the Stars bottom six and make them a ton more lethal to play against. And if they go the forward route then maybe a guy like Lorentz, Trenin or Blackwell as all would be solid 4th line forwards in Dallas and would be able to play higher in the lineup if there were injuries, but I do think adding some more depth to this team would make them better and especially if they are able to add it to the bottom six where I do think there could be a few holes.
So in my eyes if the Stars can go out and add a top 6 forward, get some more bottom six help and have young rookies such as Bourque and Stankoven challenge for a roster spot next then the Stars will have improved a little bit, as Dallas still has a solid goaltender who has a solid defence in front of him and this Dallas team is really good defensively right now, so if they can add some things to their forward group and get younger and improve their offensive production which has hurt the Stars in the past this offseason, then I would have no doubt Dallas would once again compete for the Central title and should not only make the playoffs, but also should be Cup Contenders and I wouldn’t be surprised in the least bit if they were once again competing for the cup next year.
If you liked this blog post, then check out my YouTube video on the Stars offseason here. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=f5v6HRLphuE&t=1s
Carolina Hurricanes
Significant Pending UFA:
LW M.Pacioretty 3-0-3 5GP
RW J.Fast 10-19-29 80GP
RW O.Kase 0-0-0 1GP
C,LW P.Stastny 9-13-22 73GP
C,RW D.Stepan 5-6-11 73GP
LW,RW M.MacEachern 0-0-0 0GP
LD/RD S.Gostisbehere 13-28-41 75GP
LD/RD C.D Haan 2-10-12 53GP
LD M.Lajoie 0-0-0 3GP
LD W.Lagesson 0-0-0 0GP
G F.Andersen 21-11-1 REC 2.48 GAA .903 SV%
G A.Raanta 19-3-4 REC 2.23 GAA .910 SV%
Significant Pending RFA:
RW J.Puljujarvi 5-11-16 75GP
LW,RW D.Bokk 0-0-0 0GP
C S.Mattheos 0-0-0 0GP
RD D.Coghlan 0-3-3 17GP
Current draft capital for Hurricanes in 2023: 9
1RD CAR
2RD CAR
3RD PHI
4RD CAR
5RD VAN, CAR
6RD CHI, CAR
7RD CAR
What lead the Hurricanes to exit the 3rd round of the playoffs this year: Now the Hurricanes put up a fantastic season this year as they were able to basically lead the metro division for the entire season and even though the Devils made it really close toward the end of the season they were still able to hit 113 points and win the metro by 1 point over Jersey and would earn themselves a pretty good first round matchup against the New York Islanders, and even with a banged up forward group they were able to go up 2-0 and 3-1 in the series before eventually winning the 1st round series in 6 against the Islanders and setting themselves up for a second round matchup against the Devils and they wind the first two games of that series, lost one, and then wind two after that and easily were able to take down Jersey in 5 games but then ran into a hot team in the Florida Panthers in the Conference Finals and would lose back to back OT games before losing twice in regulation and would wind up getting swept by Florida in round 3, and although the Hurricanes did have a good season, they get swept in round 3 and I definitely think there were a couple reasons why they got bounced before they were able to make it to the Cup Final.
Now in my opinion I think the first reason the team lost in the Conference Finals was because they were not able to score. Now we knew entering the playoffs that the Hurricanes were banged up and really a very injured team with key offensive goal scorer Pacioretty and solid top six winger Svechnikov both out for the playoffs and then they lost Teravainen for one and a half rounds as well, so they were missing 3 key forwards for the last half of round one and all of round 2 and the team was still able to produce at a very high level offensively as they were able to get goals from depth players and special teams against both the Islanders and Devils, but even after having solid goal scoring in the first two rounds while being banged up, they were never able to get their offense going against the Panthers as the most they scored in one of their 4 games against the Panthers was 3 in game 4 and in their 4 game series against the Panthers the Canes scored a combined 6 goals, so averaging just 1.5 goals per game in the Conference Finals was never going to help them get past the Panthers and what I thought could’ve happened earlier in the playoffs finally did wind up happening and the Canes lost their scoring touch due to all the injuries they had sustained, so in my eyes the lack of offensive production in the conference finals was a major reason why the Panthers bowed out in round 3.
And lastly would be the Canes not too good power play in the playoffs. Now with so many key guys like Pacioretty and Svechnikov out of the lineup due to injuries, the Canes had to get scoring from other players these playoffs and one of the places they were able to get goals from was the power play. Now in round 1 they were able to put in a fifth of the goals on the power play they were getting and that really did help out the Canes against the Islanders, and although the PK was a bit bigger to the team then the Power play in round 2 against Jersey, the power play still came up clutch for them, and that is until round 3 as the Panthers were able to really shutdown the Canes power play unit and held them to only 2 PPG’s on 14 tries in the conference finals and that poor play had the Canes finish the playoffs at a 17.6% success rate in the playoffs which isn’t too good given the fact the Hurricanes were still a top 20 team on the power play in the regular season, and so I definitely think the lack of power play scoring really did the Canes in during round 3 and was another reason the team didn’t make it to the Stanley Cup Final.
So in my eyes the fact the Hurricanes were unable to get much going at all offensively against Florida and the fact the offense they were getting on the power play was also halted by Florida were the two key reasons in my opinion they lost as with a bit better of a power play and a more healthy and well rounded offense, I think the Canes may have been able to beat Florida and get to the Cup Final, but they still had a solid season and once again came out on top as Metro division winners, and I do think if this team can tweak their lineup a bit and maybe make it a bit more lethal offensively, I think the team could once again challenge for the Metro title and be one of the best teams in the Metro, but with a couple tweaks maybe they can make it back to the conference finals and maybe even the Stanley Cup next year.
3 Ways of how I think the Hurricanes can improve in the offseason.
.1) Get a Aho extension done.
Now this is something that has to be priority number one this offseason, as the offer sheet contract Aho signed with Montreal before Carolina matched is a year away from ending and at this time next year Aho would possibly be a UFA, but the Canes don’t want this under any circumstances and will try to work out a extension before the season starts.
Now Aho is a great top line Center in Carolina and has been a great center there his entire career, so I think I can see why the Canes would want to keep him around. Now not having a contract extension with him before the seasons starts is risky as he could walk to free agency the year after, so getting him signed in the next couple of weeks is a must for the Canes. Now Aho has had some stellar years these past couple of seasons, as he had 81 points in 69 games 2 years ago and was the second time he his the 80 points make while this year he had 36 goals and 67 points in 75 games and he has hit at least 49 points in every single season he has played and in my eyes if he hit the open market next year, he would be a extremely hot commodity as a legit top line Center, and his play over the past couple of years means that he is most likely going to get a raise on his new deal from the $8.46 AAV he has right now, so it would definitely be a hard deal to pull off, but I do think the Canes want him and Aho likes it in Carolina, so I think a extension with Carolina would look like a 6-8 year contract extension that has a AAV of $9-9.5 Million dollar as I think Aho is definitely worth $9 Million and it wouldn’t surprise me if he had another solid season and did go to market that he would be able to get a $10 Million dollar AAV from one or two teams, but in my eyes I think both the player and team like the situation and will come to terms on a new deal, and a even if it is a bit high for the Canes, I think they will still sign him to a extension this offseason to keep him in Carolina.
.2) Add one or two solid top 6 forwards.
Now the Canes once again didn’t have enough fire power on the top 6 to get the team to the Cup final, and while Svechnikov will be back next year, Pacioretty is a UFA and will most likely be gone, so the question now is who do they go after to improve their offense, as I do think the team should try to focus on adding at least one if not two top 6 forwards.
Now the Canes have a solid defensive game and some great goaltending which has really helped them go far and they also have a solid and balanced scoring attack that really helped in the playoffs without Svechnikov, but they still don’t have that elite goal scorer, and yes they have guys like Teravainen and Svechnikov and Aho, but they don’t have that solid goal scorer and they tried to get it last offseason with the Pacioretty acquisition but he was inured for most of the season last year, so now I think they will look for some scoring help this offseason. Now if they are looking at the forward group, I think Tarasenko with his scoring ability would be a prime target for Carolina, but I could also see them go after a guy like Killorn or Bertuzzi who are also pretty good top 6 forwards who can put up points and score goals, meanwhile if the Hurricanes were looking for some scoring help on the trade market again, I could see them have interest in the Leafs Nylander, Flyers Konecny or Coyotes Schmaltz as all three would fit nicely on the teams second line and would be really nice point producing forwards, so whether it is via free agency or via trade, I do think the Canes will look to improve their top 6 this year and depending on who they get and for how much money, I could see Carolina maybe even get two top 6 forwards, but I definitely think a scoring forward on this team to help them especially in the playoffs would go a long way for this team.
.3) Move or sign Pesce and figure out who will be the new goalie with Kochetkov.
And lastly here there are two more big things the Canes need to figure out this offseason, as we know that Pytor Kochetkov will be part of a tandem at the NHL level for the Hurricanes after his fantastic showing last year, but the question does remain who will be his partner, while the Canes are trying to keep Brett Pesce on a long term extension, but talks aren’t going well and a lot of people think if they can’t extend Pesce, there is a good chance Carolina will move him.
Now first with the goaltending, the Canes have Kochetkov who should be a solid goalie of the future for the Canes and based on how he did last year in the NHL, I think it is safe to say he will eventually be a starter in the NHL, but I think for know he will be part of a tandem in Carolina, the question currently is who will be his partner. Now both of the teams goalies who were part of the tandem this year in Andresen and Raanta are UFA’s and it seems like the Canes would be willing to re-sign one of those goalies to work with Kochetkov next year, but it isn’t a guarantee, so I think if they can’t bring either goalie back, they could look to a guy like Remier, Varlamov or Jarry in the free agent market to tandem with Kochetkov as all 3 are solid veterans who would be a perfect compliment piece to Kochetkov, while a guy like Vladar, Comrie or Ullmark would be possible targets in a tarde as once again, all three would be a good guy to have in a tandem and Ullmark especially could be a good 1A for the next few years, so this will be a interesting situation to watch, but I do think that the Canes will get a goalie who can play in a tandem with Kochetkov this offseason whether it is one of their current pending UFA’s or someone else via free agency or trade.
Meanwhile there is a lot of talk around Brett Pesce that he could be a guy the Canes may wind up moving in the not too distant future. Now Pesce has shown over the past couple of years that while he isn’t the best offensive defensemen, he is one of the better defensive defensemen around the NHL and has been playing quite well with Skjei on the Canes second pair the past couple of years, but he is entering the final year of his deal, just like Aho, and the Canes really want him to sign a extension with them prior to the season starting, but we know that Carolina has a place in mind for how high they are willing to go on contracts and if a player thinks they are worth more then want the Canes do, the Canes usually don’t resign the player and we saw this a couple years ago with Hamilton, but they don’t want to lost Pesce for nothing so if they can’t get a deal done (and things don’t sound to good right now) then there is a string chance he gets dealt, as I think the Canes could get quite a haul for Pesce if they do decide to move him and they would most likely need a top 4 defender in return, but it is another situation to watch as I think the Canes do like Pesce and would love to keep him, but if he isn’t signed and they aren’t close on a deal, then expect the Canes to move on from the solid defender in a trade.
So in my opinion the Canes have to take care of the Aho situation first as they need to sign their top line Center to a long term deal before the season starts, they should also look at a couple of top 6 forward options and try and get a good goal scoring forward, then with the goaltending I think they will find a tandem partner for young goalie Kochetkov next year and they will either sign or trade Pesce depending on if he can come to terms on a extension, so in my eyes if the Canes can keep Ahoon a extension, either re-sign Pesce or win a trade for him, add a solid tandem goalie and a top six scoring forward I think this team is much better then they were last year and they would once again be in the running to win the Metro division and in my eyes would be a Cup contender again and may even make it to the Cup this time.
And if you like this blog post, then check out my YouTube video about Carolina’s offseason right here. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=f5v6HRLphuE&t=1s
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