The Senators failed to qualify for the postseason for the second time in three years, thanks in large part to poor defending, as Ottawa ranked 26th with 2.94 goals against per game.
Lazar scored 20 points in 76 games in his second NHL season.
Tavares put the Islanders on his back when they needed it the most, scoring nine points (four goals, five assists) in four games to clinch New York a playoff spot.
Kane iced the Art Ross trophy in the final week, expanding the lead he's held nearly all season to become the first American-born player to win the scoring race. Kane scored three goals and three assists in a trio of games as the Blackhawks locked up another playoff position.
Ovechkin closed out his season in style, scoring a hat trick in the season finale against the St. Louis Blues to record the seventh 50-goal season of his career. Only Wayne Gretzky and Mike Bossy have surpassed that feat. Ovechkin also captured his fourth consecutive "Rocket" Richard Trophy, and his sixth in total.
Connor was unstoppable for the Michigan Wolverines in his first collegiate season, scoring 35 goals and adding 36 assists for 71 points in only 38 games. He was also a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award.
A 6-foot-1, 177-pound winger, Connor is one of many bright prospects in the Jets system.
The Philadelphia Flyers will be doing all they can to make the late Ed Snider's dream come true.
Snider, the team's founder, died Monday at age 83, two days after the Flyers clinched a playoff spot, and for forward Wayne Simmonds, the goal is to make good on the opportunity before them.
"Mr. Snider was all about hockey, this is what we wanted. (I'm) so glad we got into the playoffs for him," Simmonds told reporters. "Although we will be playing with a heavy heart there's nothing we'd want more than to win him another Stanley Cup."
Simmonds later took to Twitter to offer some words of condolence:
First off I want to send my condolences to the Snider family. It's been a pleasure being able to put on the flyers uniform and play for
There's a lot on the line in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Winning 16 high-intensity games after a grueling 82-game season is far from easy.
For some players in the playoffs, even more will be on the line than a last name eternally inscribed on the Stanley Cup. A number of playoff participants are playing for new contracts.
Here are three players who would benefit most from a dominant spring.
Kyle Okposo
Okposo, a lifelong New York Islander, is set for unrestricted free agency at only 27. A seventh overall pick in 2006, he's a three-time 20-goal scorer and has recorded three straight fifty-point seasons, finishing second on the club in scoring each time. His 64 points in 2015-16 were only five off his career high. Playing with John Tavares has its benefits.
The St. Paul native may not be playing in Brooklyn next season, though, thanks to some long-term contracts that aren't looking so good for the Islanders. Mikhail Grabovski and Nikolay Kulemin are not worth their salary cap hits of $5 million and $4.188 million based on their production.
While Okposo made $4.5 million this season, his salary against the cap was only $2.8 million. He signed a five-year, $14-million contract in 2011 that certainly paid off for New York. He's in line for a massive raise, based on his age and production.
He's a solid possession player with five goals and two assists in 13 career playoff games. Should he help fuel a deep Islanders postseason run, he's going to cash in even more than after the second-best regular season of his NHL career.
Keith Yandle
Keith Yandle's going to get paid this summer. We know that. But he can guarantee a few more riches with a big spring in Manhattan.
Yandle will be 29 on July 1, when he can take offers from the highest bidders. He'll turn 30 on Sept. 29, which means he's in for a multi-year extension at very big money. Think Brent Seabrook, who signed an eight-year extension worth close to $55 million, with a cap number of $6.875 million.
Seabrook has three 40-point seasons, his 49 this campaign a career high. Yandle's scored 40 or more points six times, and 50 or more three times. And Yandle's a positive possession player on a New York Rangers team that doesn't often have the puck.
Teams know what Yandle can do, and he's performed well in the playoffs, with 30 points in 46 career games. The Rangers are looking to go deep again, and always have a chance to do so thanks to Henrik Lundqvist. A big playoff run from Yandle could make him the seventh defenseman in history to carry a cap hit of over $7 million.
Defenseman
Cap Hit
P.K. Subban
$9M
Shea Weber
$7.857M
Ryan Suter
$7.538M
Kris Letang
$7.25M
Brian Campbell*
$7.14M
Drew Doughty
$7M
* Campbell will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
He can do it all. A center, he's a six-time 20-goal scorer, hitting 30 or more twice. He hit the 20 mark for the third straight season in 2015-16 after a nightmare lockout-shortened 2013, when he scored only six goals in 48 games. He's a two-way forward who plays with sandpaper, a perennial Selke candidate, a possession beast, and he produces - Backes has five 50-point seasons and one 60-point season to his name.
Problem is, the Blues have been bounced from the playoffs in the first round in three straight years. Backes has two goals and four assists in 16 playoff games over that time, and only five goals and eight assists in 29 career postseason games.
Jobs are on the line in St. Louis; the Blues need a big postseason. And so does Backes, who turned 31 on May 31. Backes' last contract paid him $22.5 million over five years. A successful spring could bank him $30 million over five years, maybe more.
Arizona missed out on the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season, but the firing comes at a peculiar time as the draft approaches, and the Coyotes have a decent shot at a lottery pick.
There was an "ongoing power struggle" within Coyotes management, TSN's Darren Dreger reports.
Maloney faced the tough task of cultivating hockey in Arizona, as the franchise has been rumored to be on the outs for years, and has endured problems surrounding their financial situation, arena lease, and fan support.
The 57-year-old has a strong relationship with head coach Dave Tippett, who's future with the team is unclear.
Maloney took over as Coyotes GM in 2007, and won GM of the year in 2010.
With multiple young stars, and more on the way, Arizona looks poised to begin a climb up the Western Conference ranks, albeit without the architect of the plan.
Krejci admitted the issue bothered him for the final quarter of the season, and is related to what limited him to 47 games in 2014-15.
Although he felt he was in good enough shape to help the team down the stretch in hopes of qualifying for the playoffs, he's looking forward to the opportunity to return to full health and maximum his effectiveness.
Krejci had same surgery on his other hip 6 years ago. "Looking fwd to getting it done & be the player I can be, w/ nothing holding me back"
The star defenseman, who was perceived to have been slighted by not receiving the honor, threw cold water on that in hilarious fashion as the team gathered for exit meetings Monday.
"Do I have to make out with (Pacioretty) to prove I like him?" he asked reporters.
2/2 #Habs Subban then immediately interrupted Pacioretty's scrum to go over and hug him in the middle of an answer.
Barring a trade, both players are set to be foundational players in Montreal until at least 2019, when Pacioretty can become an unrestricted free agent.
The West may still be the stronger conference, but the rising talent in the East cannot be ignored.
A number of playoff teams from the Atlantic and Metropolitan Divisions are led by young stars looking to dominate the conference for the next decade.
Here are three playoff teams from the Eastern Conference with a solid base for the future:
Florida Panthers
While their rise to the top of the Atlantic Division has seemingly come out of nowhere, the Panthers have shown signs of improvement in each of their past two seasons, and their blend of rising stars and veteran leadership has them primed for success for years to come.
It's a similar story on defense with Brian Campbell providing the veteran presence for an impressive young group starring Calder winner Aaron Ekblad.
As long as Roberto Luongo continues to play at a high level, it shouldn't be long before prospects Lawson Crouse and Mike Matheson are joining one of the best teams in the East.
Tampa Bay Lightning
While there are questions surrounding a number of their forwards heading into the offseason, it's hard to find a team with more young talent at every position than the Lightning.
In goal, the team boast's one of the league's best netminders in Ben Bishop and one of the position's best prospects in 21-year-old Andrei Vasilevskiy.
Steve Yzerman's biggest decisions will be directed up front with captain Steven Stamkos hitting free agency at the same time rising stars Nikita Kucherov and Vladislav Namestnikov become RFA's. Though Jonathan Drouin's future remains in doubt, it's hard not to envy the wealth of depth in Tampa Bay.
There's no doubt the Lightning will be a postseason mainstay for years to come, but this offseason will reveal which players get to be a part of it.
Philadelphia Flyers
In his second season as Flyers general manager, Ron Hextall maintains that his focus is still on the long term, but with his team's surprising success, he can't help but be optimistic that a deep playoff run may come sooner rather than later.
Calder Trophy candidate Shayne Gostisbehere was a revelation on the team's blue line this season, while prospects Ivan Provorov, Samuel Morin, and Travis Sanheim will all look to join the most promising defense core the Flyers have seen in years.
Most importantly, a solid season in net from the duo of Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth may have proven goaltending will no longer be the team's Achilles heel.
