With the offseason underway for a number of teams and 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: B+

The Wild set a franchise record with 106 points during the regular season. A milestone like this would usually lead to an A grade, but being upset by the St. Louis Blues in the first round of the playoffs brings it down a notch. Even though they largely outplayed the Blues, wrapping up such a great season with only one playoff win leaves a bitter taste.

Free Agents

Unfortunately for the Wild, they have some key names that will need new contracts this summer, specifically on the RFA side:

2017 Draft Picks

The Wild have six picks in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft, though none in the first two rounds.

(Photo courtesy: Action Images)

Summer Priorities

1. Lock up Mikael Granlund

A full-time move to the wing paid huge dividends for Granlund, and will likely result in a nice contract this offseason. He set career highs with 26 goals, 43 assists, a plus-23 rating, and 177 shots on goal. It took some time for the former ninth overall pick to develop, but he has finally arrived.

The 25-year-old is highly skilled and should only continue to get better. The Wild need to ensure that he is a part of their future moving forward. The only problem is, it will cost a pretty penny.

2. Re-sign Nino Niederreiter

While locking up Granlund should remain priority No. 1, extending Niederreiter shouldn't be too far behind. Niederreiter's breakout season wasn't as extreme, but he too set career highs in goals (25), assists (32), plus/minus (+17), and shots on goal (186).

Niederreiter can not only produce offensively, but he plays a rugged style of game. The 6-foot-2, 211-pound winger has recorded at least 120 hits in each of the past five seasons.

Niederreiter is only 24 years old and should continue to progress at a steady rate. He's a versatile player who can skate in the top six, but can also be used as a checker on the third line if needed. Locking him up to a four- or five-year deal shouldn't cost an absurd amount, either.

3. Get rid of Jason Pominville somehow

Pominville has averaged 14 goals and 45.6 points per season over the last three years. The 34-year-old has a cap hit of $5.6 million for the next two seasons.

It's hard to imagine any team wanting Pominville given his waning production and his expensive contract. The only team that might be willing to take a chance on the veteran would be the Vegas Golden Knights, but it's unlikely Pominville would waive his no-movement clause to go to a team not ready to compete.

Even if Pominville were to allow the move Vegas, Minnesota would need to sweeten to the deal by giving up a prospect or a draft pick.

If the Wild can't find a suitor for Pominville (even if they retain some salary), buying him out is the most logical solution. Here is how Pominville's buyout would be spread out, according to Cap Friendly.

As you can see, the first year is a bit of a tough pill to swallow, but it's smooth sailing afterwards. Buying him out as soon as possible is ideal. Teams have to submit their protection lists for the expansion draft by June 17. If the Wild doesn't buy him out before then, they could risk losing a player such as Jason Zucker to Vegas.

2017-18 Outlook

Minnesota's 2016-17 season was no fluke. The Wild are a team with insurmountable depth both up front and on the back end. Plus, they have a great goaltender in Devan Dubnyk.

The Wild can't even be totally blamed for getting ousted in the first round by the Blues. Their expected goals for per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 in the series was 2.47, while their expected goals against per 60 minutes was just 1.58. They simply ran into a red-hot goalie in Jake Allen. The Wild averaged 36.4 shots per game in the playoffs, but Allen's save percentage was an absurd .956.

If they stay healthy, the Wild could very well contend for first in the Western Conference once again.

Offseason Outlook Series

COL | VAN | NJD | ARI | BUF
DET | DAL | FLA | LAK | CAR
WPG | PHI | TBL | NYI | WAS
TOR | CGY | BOS | SJ | OTT
STL | NYR | EDM | MTL | ANH
MIN

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A former NHL head coach is officially a free agent.

Paul MacLean will not return as assistant coach of the Anaheim Ducks next season in what the club described as a mutual decision following the expiration of his contract.

The 59-year-old had been a Ducks assistant since joining former Anaheim bench boss Bruce Boudreau's staff in June 2015.

MacLean spent three-plus seasons as head coach of the Ottawa Senators from 2011-14. He was a finalist for the Jack Adams Award in 2012 and 2013, but was fired in December 2014 after the Senators started 11-11-5.

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The fact that Ryan Johansen has been forced to watch his club from the sidelines hasn't been as hard as he expected.

The Nashville Predators center was ruled out for the remainder of the playoffs following Game 4 of the Western Conference Final after undergoing surgery for acute compartment syndrome.

Since then, the 24-year-old has watched his club win two games to knock out the Anaheim Ducks, but subsequently drop two games to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Cup Final.

The Predators surely miss having Johansen in the lineup, but the star forward admits it's been easy to watch his team from afar simply because they have fared so well in his absence.

"Watching the game, obviously I really want to be out there, just being a part of the team and stuff," Johansen said during a press conference on Thursday.

"Which I've said to everyone that asked me that question, it's been a lot easier than I thought. The identity and the character of our team, how we're built, it's been pretty easy to watch because, I mean, these guys, every time they're on the ice, they throw everything they've got. They're not going to stop for anything."

More specifically, Johansen said he's been blown away by the play of some of the team's unsung heroes.

"As I've been sitting on the couch basically for the last two weeks, it's been really inspiring watching guys like Freddy Gaudreau, Austin Watson, Pontus Aberg, just elevating their games," Johansen said.

As for how the injury is doing now, Johansen admits it's been a slow process, but that it continues to get better with each passing day.

Meanwhile, he elaborated on how exactly he suffered the injury, noting that it came during the Predators' overtime loss in Game 4 against the Ducks.

"It just happened really fast. I mean, the second period, knee hit my leg," Johansen said. "As it happened, I was just like, Oh, that's going to hurt in the morning. It was kind of one of those.

"As the period went along, third period went along, by the time I was in overtime, I could barely stand up. Ended up scoring, but right before they scored I was about to go up to coach and be like, 'Coach, I feel like I'm going to hurt the team out here right now.' The game ended up ending. But it got pretty bad pretty quick."

Johansen is expected to make a full recover in time for next season.

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The New York Islanders are one summer away from a massive rebuild. The moves they make in the summer of '17 and the results based off those moves will decide the direction of the coming roster overhaul.

The Isles are coming off their fifth season without a playoff appearance in captain John Tavares' eight-year career. In the three occasions they qualified for the postseason, they couldn't made it out of the second round.

Islanders head coach Doug Weight stressed Thursday how committed Tavares is to winning, and winning often.

"Ultimately for him, that's his goal, and if it has to be somewhere else, I think it would be," Weight told Sirius XM NHL Network Radio.

The Islanders are heading into a pivotal offseason with an estimated $2 million in cap space, and defenseman Calvin De Haan listed as a restricted free agent. In the final year of Tavares' contract, they'll start almost the exact same roster that went 41-29-12 and missed the playoffs by a single point in 2016-17.

In order to convince their star he can win his desired "multiple Stanley Cups" in New York, they'll need to show a commitment to winning with little wiggle room under the projected $73-million salary cap. Any significant alterations to their roster will have to occur via trade.

Whether it's with the Islanders or a new team, Tavares will see himself as the centerpiece of a much different roster in two years.

Should he ultimately elect to stay in The Big Apple, he'd join the nine players currently under contract for the 2018-19 season.

(Courtesy: CapFriendly.com)

These nine players account for an estimated cap hit of $35,684,643, leaving the team roughly $37 million in salary room, assuming a $73-million cap.

Here's a look at some ways the Islanders can turn themselves into a perennial winner and show Tavares they're as committed to his future as they want him to be to theirs:

Get Ovechkin

Washington Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan mentioned earlier this week that while he's not actively seeking out a trade partner with maligned forward Alex Ovechkin, he would accept a "hockey deal." Ovechkin's massive cap hit makes him a tough fit for New York, but the team could put together a competitive package of similar overall salaries. For example:

To New York: Ovechkin ($9.54 millions through 2020/21)

To Washington: F Ryan Strome ($2.5 million for 2017/18), D Nick Leddy ($5.5 million through 2021/22), F Joshua Ho-Sang ($863,333 through 2018/19), D Ryan Pulock ($853,333 for 2017/18)

The four pieces coming back in exchange for the declining Ovechkin could interest the Capitals. The NHL salaries are similar, leaving New York with just a little fine tuning to be in compliance with the cap. It weakens the Islanders' long-term outlook, but with so much freedom just one more year away, they might be able to bring Batman back with a new and improved Robin, and worry about the rest of the supporting cast when the time comes.

Get a head start on the 2018-19 free-agent class

Another difficult path Islanders GM Garth Snow can take to show his commitment to Tavares is acquiring players with just one year left on their contracts and re-signing them prior to the team's 2018-19 rebuild. This move would help the team be competitive as soon as next year, while also bolstering its long-term outlook.

Columbus Blue Jackets forward Cam Atkinson represents the best of the forwards expected to be available next summer. He's owed $3.5 million in real salary and in cap hit for 2017-18, and is coming off a career-best 62-point campaign. The Blue Jackets have more than $20 million in projected cap space for 2018-19, and Atkinson quickly became their top offensive star, making him a very tough get. Snow may be forced into overpaying both in trade assets and salary.

Nothing they give up, though, would be as detrimental as Tavares leaving for free.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

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Tampa Bay's gain is Pyeongchang's loss.

After revealing plans for the Lightning to host the 2018 All-Star Game and associated festivities earlier this week, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman attended a press conference Thursday in Tampa Bay, where he snuffed out any lasting hope that NHL players would participate in the 2018 Winter Olympics.

"No possibility," Bettman said, per Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times. "I think we've been about as clear on this subject as we can.

"I know there's a lot of people saying, the National Ice Hockey Federation, the IOC, even the players association, 'Oh no, this can still happen.' No it can't. We'll be here, looking forward to being here, and the Olympics should not be a concern."

The league didn't hold All-Star Games in the three past Olympic years (2014, 2010, 2006) due to already compressed schedules that allowed NHL players to travel to Sochi, Vancouver, and Turin.

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Facilitating Ilya Kovalchuk's NHL return isn't at the top of New Jersey Devils general manager Ray Shero's to-do list quite yet.

The Russian forward is interested in returning to North America following a four-year KHL hiatus, but - pending the approval of all 31 owners - can only do so via the Devils, either as a member of the team or by way of a sign-and-trade.

Related: 5 logical destinations for Ilya Kovalchuk

Shero, for his part, remains in wait-and-see mode.

"Kovalchuk kind of drives the bus on this in terms of talking to teams or where he could want to play," he said Thursday, per Mike Morreale of NHL.com.

"I can't go out calling teams because that's a waste of my time. He's going to tell (us) where he wants to play and in the end, if that does work out and it's not the Devils, then I've got to see if that makes sense for us to do that."

Despite Kovalchuk's contract being terminated in 2013 upon taking on voluntary retirement, New Jersey retains his NHL rights until he turns 35 on April 15, 2018.

Kovalchuk is fresh off his second Gagarin Cup win as a member of SKA Saint Petersburg, for whom he's been playing the past four seasons.

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Nashville Predators head coach Peter Laviolette was given two specific opportunities to address Pekka Rinne's status following a Game 2 loss in which the goaltender was pulled, but didn't come outright and say if he plans to go right back to a player largely responsible for getting his team to the Stanley Cup Final in the first place.

Instead, Laviolette pointed to how good Rinne has been for the Predators through the regular season and playoffs, calling his play both "terrific" and "excellent" while adding the team as a whole can do better.

Again, an endorsement, but one that left the door open ever so slightly for speculation to arise as to whether Laviolette would be willing to turn to rookie Juuse Saros for Game 3.

First, a look at Rinne's numbers round-by-round to show how steep a drop they've taken in the championship round.

Let's be clear about one thing: there was no way Rinne was going to replicate the success he had against Chicago or even St. Louis, with his numbers against Anaheim falling more in line with his career regular season save percentage of .917. But what's happened to date against Pittsburgh has been nothing short of catastrophic, leaving Nashville with zero margin for error.

And turning to Saros at this point would be just that: an error in judgement.

For one thing, Nashville has yet to play a Final game at home, where Rinne has been nothing short of brilliant:

Saros, by the way, posted a record of 3-3-3 with a save percentage of .918 in nine appearances at home this season. Good, but not mind blowing.

And here's the thing: through the first two games, the Predators have largely been driving possession and hold a 64-39 advantage in shots, but ultimately had wins taken from them on opportunities created by some Nashville mistakes leading to Penguins odd-man rushes and, to be clear, some shoddy goaltending on Rinne's part.

But two poor road games in which the Predators weren't blown out by any standard should not warrant turning to Saros, who brings just two AHL playoff appearances and 16 minutes of NHL postseason experience to the table.

While Saros is likely the starter of the future for the Predators, Rinne deserves the opportunity to prove himself in Game 3, where the raucous hometown crowd should provide the whole team with a boost.

"Five and a half periods we really liked things we did," Laviolette said after Game 2. "There's a stretch where they gained some momentum. They're able to capitalize, be opportunistic. Swung two games in their favor.

"Maybe (we need) a little bit more consistency. But certainly we're happy to get home. Our home building has been a good place for us."

In short, tighten up the defense, light the lamp early, Rinne gains confidence from a few timely saves, and the Predators are right back in this thing.

Should Rinne falter early, however, Laviolette should be quick to pull the trigger on a switch in favor of Saros.

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Sidney Crosby's autograph is now permanently inked onto the arm of one Pittsburgh Penguins fan.

Rebecca Raetz and her husband, Austin, drove from Illinois to PPG Paints Arena to watch the Penguins defeat the Nashville Predators in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday, and stuck around afterward in the hopes of getting an autograph or two. She ended up getting Crosby to sign her arm and promised him she would have it tattooed as soon as she got home.

Crosby seemed skeptical.

"I don't know if he believed me," Raetz told KDKA-TV. "He was like, 'Okay ...'"

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