Just one month into his new gig, it's clear Rob Blake assumed power in the Los Angeles Kings' front office with a plan.
The franchise icon, whose No. 4 hangs from the rafters at Staples Center, took over for two-time Stanley Cup visionary Dean Lombardi as the Kings' general manager when ownership decided to clean house upon missing the postseason for the second time in three years.
On Tuesday afternoon, Blake conducted his first orders of business, trading Ben Bishop's rights to Dallas and inking forward Tanner Pearson to a team-friendly four-year extension.
The Bishop deal was an inevitability, and fetching a fourth-round pick is a reasonable return for a player who started seven games for the organization. However, it's the latter move, a shrewd signing of one of Los Angeles' best forwards, that sticks out as a step in the right direction.
Pearson, just 24, was one of two Kings players to eclipse 20 goals last season, and set career highs in that mark (24) and points (44). His four-year, $15-million extension makes him the fifth-richest forward on Blake's roster - a bargain for a player of his caliber.
Working with new head coach John Stevens, Blake's No. 1 priority this offseason has to be improving the Kings' dismal offense, and locking down Pearson secures one of the top possession drivers on the team. Among all Los Angeles forwards with similar minutes, he ranked third with a 56.7 Corsi For rating, and trailed only Jeff Carter with 25 primary points at even strength.
Re-upping on Pearson at an appropriate price was a necessity if Blake and the Kings are seeking a retool rather than a full-fledged rebuild.
Blake still has plenty of work to do to return the Kings to relevance in the Western Conference, particularly unloading salary to create more cap flexibility, and infusing youth into a team that looked flat-out slow down the stretch. Not to mention, Pearson's linemate, Tyler Toffoli, needs a contract, too.
It's just a small sample at the beginning of his tenure, but the Kings' new GM is off to a good start heading into a summer with a long to-do list.
With the offseason underway for a number of teams, with the remainder to join them in a few weeks, we're looking at what's in store for each club in the coming months.
2016-17 Grade: F
After finishing the 2015-16 season with the worst offense in the league, it seemed like the addition of Taylor Hall meant things could only get better.
Wrong.
After managing 2.22 goals per game in 2016, the team averaged 2.20 goals per game this past campaign. They also gave up the sixth-most goals, had the 22nd-ranked power play, and the 23rd-ranked penalty kill. They were bad all over. So the grade is well earned.
Free Agents
Obviously, Marc Savard has not played in the league since 2011, so his contract ending means little to nothing for the team. Meanwhile, the club has four restricted free agents, with Damon Severson being the most important.
Player (Position)
2017-18 Status
Age
2016-17 Cap Hit
'16-17 Points
Marc Savard (F)
UFA
39
$4 029 429
DNP
Jacob Josefson (F)
RFA
26
$1.1M
10
Beau Bennett (F)
RFA
25
$725K
19
Stefan Noesen (F)
RFA
24
$600K
8
Damon Severson (D)
RFA
22
$605 833
31
The only questionable unrestricted free agent on the Devils' hands is Keith Kinkaid. He played in a career-high 26 games this past season and after posting a respectable .916 save percentage, he could be a cheap backup option once again.
Player (Position)
2017-18 Status
Age
2016-17 Cap Hit
'16-17 SV%
Keith Kinkaid (G)
UFA
27
$725K
.916
2017 Draft Picks
The Devils have 10 picks in the upcoming draft including the all-encompassing No. 1 selection after pulling off the mother of all upsets at the draft lottery.
It appears to be a done deal that Ilya Kovalchuk will be returning to the NHL next season and - unlike the draft lottery - the Devils hold the best chances of landing the veteran sniper.
Kovalchuk is on voluntary retirement and the Devils already own his rights until the 2024-25 season. He remains an incredible talent and would be an asset for the team's aforementioned weak offense.
However, if Kovalchuk does not want to play with the Devils the team must make sure to at least agree to a sign-and-trade with him so they can recoup assets for the sniper.
Kovalchuk must sign with the Devils or receive consent from every club if he wishes to sign elsewhere. Ray Shero should be in the driver's seat here as he can easily veto a signing anywhere else.
Fix Schneider's game
It's easier said than done, but the fact is despite posting far and away his worst statistical season during the 2017 campaign, Schneider has the ability to be among the elite goaltenders in the league.
Be it some help on the blue line, a new goaltending coach, or even just some more rest, the Devils need to find a way to get Schneider playing to his proven potential.
Capitalize at draft
The debate between Nolan Patrick and Nico Hischier appears to be razor thin, a good sign for the Devils. They posses the first overall pick and shouldn't go wrong with either.
However, where the Devils need to capitalize is the rest of the draft where they have 10 picks in total with half of those coming in the first three rounds. The Devils aren't in full rebuild mode, so they must take advantage of this abundance of picks.
2017-18 Outlook
The Devils looked like they were going to take a big step forward in 2017. After an admirable 84 points in 2016 and 30-goal campaigns from Adam Henrique and Kyle Palmieri, the team added Hall.
Although it seemed the offense had gotten a huge boost, we know how that went. Hall still had a solid season, potting 20 goals and 53 points in 72 games, but the rest of the cast was uninspiring.
Heading into next season the Devils are an enigma. They have proven goal-scorers at their disposal and could add the likes of Kovalchuk and one of Patrick or Hischier to the mix as well. So the potential is there.
On the back end they could use some help, but players such as Severson continue to grow and mature and could take a big step forward.
Ultimately it comes down to Schneider. Can he be the goalie that kept the Devils above water in his first few seasons with the club? If he can, the Devils could challenge for a playoff spot.
Change is inevitable for the last-place Colorado Avalanche, but Joe Sakic says the overhaul of the team's roster this offseason is likely to be significant nonetheless.
"There's going to be a lot of turnover and we're going to get some younger guys in here," the general manager told Altitude Sports Radio on Tuesday. "We're expecting to be a quicker team and a much more competitive team."
The Avalanche were anything but competitive this season, posting a mere 48 points and compiling the worst record since the 1999-2000 Atlanta Thrashers.
Colorado does have some encouraging young forwards in the fold, with Tyson Jost and J.T. Compher debuting for the club in 2016-17, while Mikko Rantanen excelled in his first full NHL season.
On defense, Sakic said the Avalanche are hopeful they'll soon be able to announce the signing of KHL defenseman Andrei Mironov, who was drafted in the fourth round by Colorado in 2015.
The availability of both Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog was no secret this season, and while trades remain possible, Sakic says the free-agent market is one avenue the Avalanche won't be exploring.
"We're not going to be players in free agency," the GM said. "We want to grow our kids, keep the youth movement going and try and develop and have them grow together."
The Caps were left for dead after falling behind 3-1 in the best-of-seven series, but they're alive, and now have a chance to exorcise some demons - as major as hockey demons get, really - on home ice.
This the most Canadian thing ever: Sens fans partying in the street, but only when the light turns red. Back to the sidewalk on green. pic.twitter.com/rXDykia3BN
The Ottawa Senators advanced to the conference finals for the first time since 2007 with a 4-2 win over the New York Rangers in Game 6 of their second-round series Tuesday night. Needless to say, Senators fans were pretty pumped about the whole thing.
With the team moving on to the next round, fans took to the streets in Ottawa to engage in a wild round of celebrations, but they made sure to do so without inconveniencing motorists by waiting until red lights to party.
The New York Rangers will spend the rest of the postseason on the sidelines, and forward Derek Stepan was quick to criticize his own play in the second-round loss to the Ottawa Senators.
"Individually, I'm disappointed and ashamed and flat out embarrassed," Stepan told Dan Rosen of NHL.com after the Game 6 defeat. "It kills me that I was not able to find my game."
It's a slight change of tune for the Senators coach, who has long proclaimed his team as the underdog in an effort to keep his squad's focus on the ice.
The Senators eliminated the Rangers in Game 6 of their second-round series, punching their ticket with a 4-2 victory at Madison Square Garden.
After knocking off the Bruins and Rangers, the Senators are one of three teams left standing in the East. Their next opponent will be determined Wednesday, when the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins face off in Game 7.
Tuesday's victory paved the way for Ottawa's first trip to the conference finals since 2007, and just its third visit there in franchise history, after also doing so in 2003.
