The first major restricted free-agent domino has fallen.

The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed defenseman Zach Werenski to a three-year, $15-million contract, according to The Athletic's Aaron Portzline.

Werenski's new deal runs through the 2021-22 season, and he'll remain a restricted free agent with arbitration eligibility when it expires.

The 22-year-old has been an instrumental part of the Blue Jackets' blue line while recording 128 points over 237 contests throughout his entry-level deal. He also led all restricted free-agent defensemen in points during the 2018-19 campaign and ranked second in average ice time.

His 38 goals rank ninth among NHL rearguards since entering the league in 2016-17.

Getting Werenski signed prior to training camp has provided a bright spot after an otherwise difficult offseason for the Blue Jackets. The club watched forwards Matt Duchene and Artemi Panarin walk in free agency, along with netminder Sergei Bobrovsky.

The Blue Jackets hold $10.76 million in projected cap space with a nearly full roster and no remaining players needing a new contract, according to CapFriendly.

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The Montreal Canadiens and forward Max Domi have begun talks on a contract extension, according to TVA Sports' Renaud Lavoie.

Domi, 24, is heading into the final year of his current deal and is scheduled to become a restricted free agent after 2019-20.

The 5-foot-10 forward set career bests in his first campaign with the Habs, recording 28 goals and 44 assists for 72 points in 82 games.

Fellow Canadiens forwards Nick Cousins and Charles Hudon, along with defenseman Victor Mete, are also set to become restricted free agents next summer.

Domi was selected by the Arizona Coyotes with the 12th overall pick at the 2013 draft. The Canadiens acquired him from the Coyotes in June 2018.

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Divisions:
Metropolitan | Central (Sept. 10)
Pacific (Sept. 11) | Atlantic (Sept. 12)

The Metropolitan Division sent five teams to the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season and it projects to be tightly contested once again in 2019-20.

Multiple teams underwent drastic changes this summer to potentially shift the balance of power in the eight-team race. With signings, trades, and more all in the books, here's a look at how each Metro team fared in a busy offseason.

Some contract figures are reported. Most players on two-way deals have been omitted. Total contract value does not include bonuses.

Carolina Hurricanes

Key arrivals

Key departures

*Williams is yet to decide if he'll play in 2019-20.

Re-signed

Rookies who could crack the lineup

The Hurricanes underwent a ton of turnover for a team that finally took a step forward a season ago. However, they project to be even better in 2019-20. Gardiner fills a hole on the left side of the blue line, while both Haula and Dzingel were smart, low-risk additions to help bolster their forward corps. Reimer should be a solid backup option so long as he stays healthy.

Carolina has a ton of young, promising players coming up the pipeline, and the club had a tremendous draft in June to further boost its stock of prospects. With all that said, the biggest win of the offseason for general manager Don Waddell came from the Montreal Canadiens, who allowed the Canes to sign their franchise center to a reasonable cap hit due to an underwhelming offer sheet.

Grade: B+

Columbus Blue Jackets

Key arrivals

Key departures

Re-signed

Rookies who could crack the lineup

The Blue Jackets were hit harder than any team this summer, as all three of their unrestricted free-agent superstars opted to walk for brighter lights or warmer weather. Columbus' roster is now significantly worse after losing high-level offensive talent and one of the NHL's best starting goaltenders.

Jarmo Kekalainen's dicey series of trades last season left the club with only three selections in June's draft, and Columbus was unable to make any signings of impact aside from Nyquist, who likely isn't enough to move the needle much on his own. If star blue-liner and restricted free agent Zach Werenski remains unsigned as training camp begins, this summer can only be defined as a certified disaster.

Grade: D

New Jersey Devils

Key arrivals

Key departures

Re-signed

Rookies who could crack the lineup

Things simply couldn't have gone better for the Devils this summer, who quickly erased the memory of a disappointing 2018-19 season with a series of high-profile additions. Taking Hughes with the first pick was a no-brainer, but Ray Shero also swung for the fences to help his team become immediately more competitive.

Subban's market was reportedly hot around draft time, and Shero parted with no significant pieces to reel in one of the NHL's biggest stars. The Gusev deal was shrewd as well - Vegas couldn't afford him, and rather than hesitate at the Russian's experience level, Shero took a chance on a player with scintillating offensive upside.

The Devils were easily one of this offseason's biggest winners, and at the very least, should be incredibly fun to watch this year as a result.

Grade: A+

New York Islanders

Key arrivals

Key departures

Re-signed

Rookies who could crack the lineup

The Isles operated mostly in-house this summer, taking care of extensions for numerous key forwards. All the contracts are fairly reasonable, but without making a big free-agent splash, it's tough to make a convincing argument that New York is any better than it was a season ago.

It'll be a major blemish on Lou Lamoriello's ledger if Varlamov is worse in goal than Lehner, as the Vezina finalist made it clear he fully intended to remain an Islander. Will the Islanders' quiet offseason be enough for them to remain competitive in the ultra-tight Central? Only time will tell.

Grade: C

New York Rangers

Key arrivals

Key departures

Re-signed

Rookies who could crack the lineup

Much like the rival Devils across the Hudson River, the Rangers had a buzz-worthy summer. They brought in four huge building blocks in Panarin, Trouba, Kakko, and Fox, and suddenly the Blueshirts' rebuild looks well ahead of schedule.

It wasn't a perfect summer for the Rangers, however. Shattenkirk's underwhelming Broadway tenure came to an abrupt end in August, and his buyout is untidy business. There are still issues on the Rangers' blue line even with Shattenkirk out of the picture, and he'll remain on the books for four more seasons.

Overall, the Rangers had one of the most productive summers in the NHL and made significant strides toward progress.

Grade: A

Philadelphia Flyers

Key arrivals

Key departures

Re-signed

Rookies who could crack the lineup

The Flyers likely overpaid for Hayes, but their depth chart down the middle certainly looks better with him in the fold. But if the 27-year-old struggles to produce in Philly, GM Chuck Fletcher will be under heavy fire.

Elsewhere, Fletcher's pair of trades for defensemen were perplexing. He dished out a second-round and third-round pick for Braun - a middle-pairing contributor at best - and acquired Niskanen for the younger, cheaper, and more effective Gudas. We'll see how it works out, but on paper, it's tough to pinpoint Philadelphia's strategy.

Grade: C-

Pittsburgh Penguins

Key arrivals

Key departures

Re-signed

Rookies who could crack the lineup

N/A

It was a weird summer in Pennsylvania.

While the Flyers may have lined Hayes' pockets a little too lavishly, Penguins GM Jim Rutherford doled out one of the most obscene overpays in recent memory on July 1 for Tanev. The 27-year-old winger is certainly a good depth piece, but a six-year term for a player with a career high of 14 goals is pushing it.

The biggest move for the Pens, though, was the Kessel deal. They shipped the sniper to Arizona in exchange for Galchenyuk - an unrestricted free agent next summer - and prospect Pierre-Olivier Joseph. If the former doesn't find his stride in Pittsburgh, the trade will be a big black mark on Rutherford's resume.

Grade: D

Washington Capitals

Key arrivals

Key departures

Re-signed

Rookies who could crack the lineup

The Capitals had a fairly low-key offseason, and while that's not always a bad thing, general manager Brian MacLellan should have done more to improve the club with Braden Holtby and Nicklas Backstrom both now one season away from potential unrestricted free agency.

The GM did get Vrana under contract on a team-friendly bridge deal, but he also gave identical four-year deals to bottom-six forwards Panik and Hagelin, and he did both before taking care of his promising, young top-six winger.

Washington saved some money and got the younger of the two defensemen in the Gudas-for-Niskanen trade, but considering how much a few of the Capitals' Metropolitan Division rivals improved his summer (including the Hurricanes, who knocked them out of the first round in the spring), this team might regret not doing more.

Grade: C+

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Connor McDavid had an encouraging weekend, but it remains to be seen if he'll be able to suit up for the first game of the season.

The Edmonton Oilers superstar appeared content with his progress following an informal skate with some teammates Saturday as he continues to work his way back from a torn PCL suffered in Edmonton's 2018-19 season finale.

McDavid told the assembled media, including Sportsnet, his knee "felt good right away" during the session and that he's still "working toward" playing Oct. 2 when his team hosts the Vancouver Canucks.

The Oilers captain said he's already passed his team physical, though he hasn't yet been cleared for contact.

"I'm supposed to play hockey and I don't make those decisions," the 22-year-old said of his recovery timeline. "The doc will say when I'm good to go, and that's when I'll go."

The Oilers open training camp next week before hosting the Winnipeg Jets in both clubs' first preseason game Sept. 16.

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Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin says he's not interested in signing veteran defenseman Andrei Markov, as the club is looking to get younger.

“Two years ago, his contract was due, we made an offer,” Bergevin told Marc Denis of RDS on a special edition of “Table d’hote” that aired on Saturday night. “Efforts were made to sign it and he chose another direction that was the KHL. It was two years ago.

“Since that time, things have changed,” Bergevin added. “The player has aged. The organization has changed direction. We have a lot of young people growing up... We really want to give our young people a chance.”

Markov spent 16 years with the Canadiens before inking a deal with Kazan Ak-Bars of the KHL prior to the 2017-18 season. Last month, the 40-year-old who's pursuing an NHL return expressed his desire to play in Montreal again.

Bergevin regards defensemen Noah Juulsen, Victor Mete, Josh Brook, and Alexander Romanov as examples of young, promising prospects he's looking to develop.

Markov is just 10 games shy of becoming the sixth Canadiens player to play 1,000 contests for the team. The Russian rearguard ranks sixth in both games played (990) and assists (453) in franchise history.

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Every season we see a crop of talented players take their production to the next level.

If you missed out on emerging playmakers like Elias Lindholm, Alex DeBrincat, or Mitch Marner last campaign, you won't want to overlook these potential breakout candidates in 2019-20.

Nico Hischier, C, Devils

Although Hischier was mired by injuries in 2018-19, he was on pace for a higher point total than his rookie campaign. The Swiss talent is in the final year of his entry-level contract, giving him more incentive to put together his finest season yet.

Over the last 20 years, there's a steady track record of highly touted talents taking off during their third NHL season, and we expect Hischier to do the same - especially with Taylor Hall healthy.

The duo of Hischier and Hall appeared in only 29 games together last season. With Hall in the lineup, Hischier mustered 0.75 points per game compared to 0.63 without him. The latter mark is still commendable for a second-year center tasked with catalyzing an offensively weak roster while also fulfilling his defensive duties.

The Devils got stronger at both ends of the ice this offseason with the additions of P.K. Subban, Wayne Simmonds, Jack Hughes, and Nikita Gusev. The improved depth should give Hischier more opportunity to capitalize, particularly on the power play. Assuming he stays healthy, Hischier can certainly break the 70-point mark and muster 25-to-30 goals.

Ondrej Kase, RW, Ducks

Kase has shown he's got all the tools to produce at a high level - he just needs more opportunities to contribute. With Corey Perry out of the mix, Kase is a strong option to pair alongside perennial playmaker Ryan Getzlaf on the Ducks' top line.

The 5-foot-11 winger tallied 38 points in 66 games in 2017-18 and was on pace for a 54-point breakout campaign in 2018-19 before injuries derailed his season. When healthy, The 23-year-old has proven to be a consistent offensive threat, ranking second in the league in shots per 60 minutes and 13th in high-danger scoring chances (per 60) last season.

Kase is extremely skilled with the puck. He's among the top players in the league in terms of zone entries and exits, and is far better in this department when compared to Perry. The talented Czech also led the league in rush attempts per 60 minutes, and if he's penciled in on the top unit, he should help Ducks sniper Rickard Rakell return to form.

Philipp Grubauer, G, Avalanche

With longtime starter Semyon Varlamov signing in Long Island this offseason, Grubauer has finally landed the No. 1 role he's earned. The German has quietly been one of the best backup goalies in the league, posting a career 2.39 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage over 138 career games.

When the Avalanche leaned on him during a critical late-season stretch in 2018-19, his play never wavered. Grubauer went 9-2-2 with a .955 save percentage over his last 15 starts to help the club capture the final playoff berth in the Western Conference. He then went on to stifle the top-seeded Calgary Flames in Round 1, allowing just 10 goals in the team's five-game series victory.

Grubauer will likely start 50-plus games for an Avalanche team poised to take another step, which should translate to a high number of wins. A full year of Cale Makar on the back end will help, and the acquisition of two-way center Nazem Kadri also benefits the club defensively.

Andreas Johnsson, LW, Maple Leafs

The argument could be made Johnsson announced his arrival with a 43-point rookie season in 2018-19, but we'll consider him a breakout candidate because we believe he can take his production up another level.

The 24-year-old is likely to start the season on a line with Auston Matthews and William Nylander. That trio spent limited time together last season, but when aligned, posted a Corsi-For of 57.53 and owned a 61.5 share percentage of high-danger scoring chances. With the Tavares line drawing a ton of difficult matchups, expect those three to run wild once again.

Johnsson found the majority of his success (16 goals, 36 points) at even strength, which is a strong indication he doesn't need to rely on the man advantage to be effective. In fact, the electric winger ranked ninth among Leafs forwards in power-play ice time last season, and with the absence of Nazem Kadri, Patrick Marleau, and Tyler Ennis, he should become a staple on the second unit.

With his incredible speed and skill, Johnsson could certainly reach the 30-goal mark and land between 55-to-60 points.

Miro Heiskanen, D, Stars

Heiskanen had a sensational rookie season that landed him in a unique class. Only 12 first-year defensemen have hit the 33-point mark since 2009-10, and none of them scored more goals than the smooth-skating Finn, who tallied 12 last season.

What's more impressive about the then-19-year-old's early production is that he did it for an offensively thin team that finished 29th in scoring. However, the Stars bolstered their attack this offseason with the acquisitions of Joe Pavelski and Corey Perry, and expect more production out of developing talents Roope Hintz and Denis Gurianov.

The rookie logged an impressive 23:07 of ice time per game last season, including 1:39 on the power play. His minutes may not increase dramatically in Year 2, but he should receive an uptick in usage and see more opportunities with the man advantage.

All advanced stats courtesy of NaturalStatTrick / A3Z comparison by CJ Turtoro

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