Washington Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan has been one of the busier GMs this offseason, and for good reason. His Capitals are up against the salary cap, and their roster has more holes in it than any Cup contender should.

Related: Washington still in tight salary situation after Johansson deal

As of Monday, MacLellan had just over $8 million remaining in available cap space for next season, while still needing at least another six players (three forwards, two defenseman, and a backup goalie) to fill out his roster.

Related: Capitals sign Devante Smith-Pelly

So, when he took the stage to address some of those looming issues, all eyes and ears were on the Washington executive.

Here are four takeaways from MacLellan's press conference:

No Cup, but still hung over

After a team wins a Stanley Cup, you usually hear about it suffering from a "Cup hangover" - a clouded, thumping head full of confidence from the season prior.

According to MacLellan, the Caps are suffering from a similar hangover - minus the hardware, of course.

Going all in with his roster is commendable, but when you're left with the lineup Washington has, questions about MacLellan's future are bound to be raised. And soon.

Kuznetsov had KHL leverage

On Sunday, Washington made waves my inking Evgeny Kuznetsov to a lucrative eight-year, $62.4-million contract, and sending winger Marcus Johansson to the New Jersey Devils.

On the surface, the moves don't seem like anything to write home about, but both decisions were apparently heavily influenced by the possibility of Kuznetsov bolting to Russia and the KHL.

It will be interesting to see if fellow Russians use the same kind of leverage in negotiations going forward.

Oshie, Kuznetsov signings mean cheap bottom-six options

Here's a classic case of "you can't have your cake and eat it too."

Locking down T.J. Oshie and Kuznetsov to long-term deals may seem kosher, but really it sets the team behind the eight ball in terms of cap management.

MacLellan was candid about that fact, admitting that the club will have to scrape the bottom of the bargain barrel for some cheap, bottom-six talent to fill out the roster.

It appears there will be a lot more Devante Smith-Pelly-type players joining the Capitals in the near future.

Orpik won't be bought out, will serve as mentor to younger players

One of the changes expected from Washington's front office this summer was the team moving on from veteran blue-liner Brooks Orpik, with a buyout being one of the options. After all, he'll be 37 years old at the start of next season.

According to MacLellan, however, the Capitals still value what Orpik brings to the table, and he'll be spending the foreseeable future on their back end.

MacLellan and Co.'s next few weeks should be very interesting.

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The Dallas Stars signed forward Alexander Radulov to a five-year, $31.25-million deal, the club announced Monday.

As one of the most sought-after free-agent names of the summer, Radulov was targeted by a number of clubs, but his decision came down to the Stars and Montreal Canadiens.

In 76 regular-season games for the Habs last season, the 30-year-old registered 18 goals and 54 points - good enough for second in team scoring behind Max Pacioretty.

The contract carries an average annual value of $6.25 million, making it the richest deal handed out so far during free agency, topping Kevin Shattenkirk's $26.6 million pact with the New York Rangers.

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The Montreal Canadiens have signed veteran winger Ales Hemsky to a one-year contract, the team announced Monday.

The one-way deal is worth $1 million, according to Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports.

Due to surgery to repair a labral tear in his hip, Hemsky was limited to just 15 games for the Dallas Stars last season, in which he recorded four goals and three assists.

The signing of the 33-year-old is just the latest move in what's already been a busy summer for general Marc Bergevin, already signing free agent defenseman Karl Alzner to a five-year contract, as well as dishing out an eight-year extension to all-star goaltender Carey Price.

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Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL's offseason signing period was kicked into overdrive Sunday, as four star players were handsomely rewarded with fresh new contracts. The onslaught of news, which we'll get to below, created plenty of buzz in hockey circles, and rightfully so.

Alas, it's time to dole out some grades, and come to a verdict on which teams will benefit from, or come to regret their recent blockbuster roster decisions.

Carey Price

The Montreal Canadiens got things started, handing out an eight-year, $84-million contract extension to Price, which will make him the highest paid goalie in the NHL at the start of the 2018-19 campaign.

Price's new megadeal also ties him with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane for the highest AAV in the league at $10.5 million. That, of course, will only last until Connor McDavid puts pen to paper on an extension in Edmonton.

Price has undoubtedly asserted himself as one of the world's best, and the Canadiens' most important player. He's two seasons removed from winning the Vezina Trophy and MVP, but eight years for a netminder who's about to turn 30 might be a tad lengthy.

General manager Marc Bergevin isn't wrong to identify Price as the club's centerpiece, but whether the netminder can be just that until he's 38 remains to be seen.

Grade: B-

Patrick Marleau

The Toronto Maple Leafs made a considerable splash Sunday by landing Marleau, but what comes next will be paramount to determine the success of the three-year, $18.75-million deal.

Marleau will be 38 when next season begins, but he hasn't missed a game since 2008-09, and is coming off a 27-goal campaign in San Jose. He should contribute nicely to an already potent Leafs attack as a complementary piece to Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and Mitch Marner.

However, the addition of Marleau alone doesn't exactly push the young club over the top. If he can replace a forward that perhaps gets dealt for the defensive help Toronto so desperately covets, this contract could be a major step toward the Maple Leafs contending while their window is wide open.

Grade: B

Evgeny Kuznetsov

Kuznetsov can be a hell of a player, but his lucrative eight-year, $62.4-million extension certainly doesn't help the Washington Captials' salary cap conundrum.

After recording 77 points in 2015-16, Kuznetsov appeared to be on the fast track to superstardom, but he dipped to 59 points last year, and his $7.8-million annual cap hit, among other choices from Brian MacLellan, has already forced Marcus Johansson out the door to alleviate some financial pressure.

The cap hit for Kuznetsov, just 25, is reasonable, but offering max term with numerous key decisions still to make this offseason raises several questions for the Capitals' front office.

Grade: C

Joe Thornton

Despite many, many offers, and watching his partner in crime land in Toronto, Jumbo Joe opted to stay in San Jose on a one-year, $8-million contract.

Even though he turned 38 the same day he signed his new deal, Thornton is still one of the premier set-up men in the NHL. He's recorded at least 50 points in every full season since 1998-99, is elite at both ends of the ice and in the faceoff circle, and has showed few signs of slowing down.

The Sharks might face the same situation next offseason should Thornton decide to continue playing, but for now, retaining him for another year is a big win for San Jose's front office, especially when you consider the $10 million in cap space Doug Wilson still has to work with.

Grade: A

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)

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The Washington Capitals took another step toward fixing their salary-cap issues Monday, signing right-winger Devante Smith-Pelly to a one-year, two-way deal worth $650,000 at the NHL level, the team announced.

Smith-Pelly heads to Washington after spending the last year-plus with the New Jersey Devils.

Related: Washington still in tight salary situation after Johansson deal

The 25-year-old Scarborough, Ontario, native was a second-round pick of the Anaheim Ducks, and has 77 points over 266 career regular-season games.

Adding Smith-Pelly continues Washington GM Brian MacLellan's busy offseason, with more deals to come in the following days, as the Capitals struggle to fill out a roster that needs at least four more players to be complete.

It's sure to be a wild offseason in D.C.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs got their man Sunday.

The addition of Patrick Marleau not only adds some flair to what had been, up until this point, a relatively quiet offseason for the Leafs' front office, but it also marks an end to the rebuild in Toronto.

However, for Marleau, the decision to leave the Bay Area after two decades wasn't an easy one.

"I think I've worn out a few carpets pacing around the house trying to make this decision over the last couple days," Marleau said Sunday, according to Kevin Kurz of NBC Sports. "But, I'm extremely excited and happy to be a part of the Maple Leafs organization."

Related: Babcock not concerned with Marleau's age: 'Have you seen him skate?'

Marleau leaves behind an impressive legacy in San Jose that should have Leafs fans salivating. The 37-year-old Aneroid, Saskatchewan native finishes his career in teal and black as the Sharks' leader in goals (508), points (1,082), power-play goals (160), and game-winning goals (98).

With that being said, the veteran forward is excited to be spending the next three years in The Six.

"It's definitely an honor to be able to call myself a Maple Leaf. Obviously as a Canadian-born player," said Marleau. "This decision took me quite awhile to come to, but I've made it, and I'm happy with it."

"I can't wait to get started."

We're sure Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander feel the exact same way.

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Brian MacLellan had a productive Sunday, but he can't put the phone down just yet.

Even after trading Marcus Johansson to the New Jersey Devils on Sunday night, the Washington Capitals general manager remains in a bind as he attempts to fill out a depleted roster while simultaneously squeezing under the salary cap.

The Johansson deal freed up about $4.58 million, giving Washington approximately $9.24 million in cap space, according to CapFriendly.

That's an improvement over the $4.65 million of room they found themselves with after signing Evgeny Kuznetsov to an eight-year contract for a cap hit of $7.8 million, but the Capitals only have 14 players signed to their NHL roster following Johansson's departure.

Washington is now down to eight forwards, five defensemen, and one goaltender, with restricted free-agent winger Andre Burakovsky and RFA netminder Philipp Grubauer still requiring new deals.

The Capitals need to sign at least three more players up front and conceivably four more for depth, then at least two more on the back end, in addition to Burakovsky and Grubauer.

That would be eight new contracts with just over $9 million to work with.

Washington lost multiple impact players when free agency opened Saturday, as its No. 1 target Kevin Shattenkirk signed with the New York Rangers, durable defenseman Karl Alzner landed with the Montreal Canadiens, and veteran forward Justin Williams returned to the Carolina Hurricanes.

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