Ever since the salary cap was introduced to the NHL 16 years ago, we’ve accepted the idea that it is near-impossible to keep a quality team together. The logic of the statement is sound: to have a quality team, you need several players performing at a high level.
When players reach a level of top performance, they expect to be paid. Sometimes you can persuade them to take slightly less in the game of keeping the band together.
But sooner or later, you realize you can’t keep them all.
This season it was harder than usual because of the Covid-created flat salary cap. Plus, the NHL was adding an expansion team.
As a result, my calculation is that of the top 10 regular-season seasons in 2020-21, only two are as strong, or stronger, today as they were last season.
Here is an assessment of the top 10:
Colorado Avalanche: Weaker.
Came close to convincing myself that the Avalanche are just as strong as they were in 2020-21. Alex Newhook is a special prospect and he could help make up for some of the losses. But you are never sure how quickly they will adapt. The Avs lost their No. 1 goalie Philipp Grubauer, defenseman Ryan Graves, forwards Joonas Donskoi (expansion draft) and Brandon Saad (free agency). Perhaps the Avalanche made a miscalculation when it came to Philipp Grubauer, but maybe not. My thought is that Darcy Kuemper can adequately replace Grubauer, but when I asked people around the league they seemed less sure of that.
Plus, the Avs had to give up a first rounder to get him. The loss of Graves is significant. He is a perfect, shot-blocking playoff guy. The signing of Ryan Murray is noteworthy, but they are different kinds of players.
Vegas Golden Knights: Weaker.
They traded Marc-Andre Fleury. Do we need to go any further? You can’t give up the Vezina Trophy and expect to be the same team.
Carolina Hurricanes: Weaker.
The Hurricanes lost their No. 1 offensive defenseman in Dougie Hamilton and those kind of impact players are challenging to replace. Bringing in Tony DeAngelo to help in that regard comes with a different set of public relations problems. Trading away Alex Nedeljkovich didn’t sit well with their fan base.
Florida Panthers: Same.
Coach Joel Quenneville didn’t have faith in Keith Yandle. Buying him out was addition by subtraction. It didn’t hurt this impressive team. Alex Wennberg is coming off a good season, but he really wasn’t essential to their long-term competitive plan. Look for prospect Anton Lundell to provide a lift next season.
Pittsburgh Penguins: Weaker:
Just because the Penguins were better than expected last season doesn’t give management license to do nothing this offseason. They traded Jarred McCann because they thought they would lose him in the expansion draft and then lost Branden Tanev. Those guys were essential contributors. Evgeni Malkin will start the season injured. This team isn’t the same as last season’s team.
Toronto Maple Leafs: Weaker.
Can’t take Zach Hyman away and expect the Leafs to be the same team. The Ondrej Kase signing doesn’t help much. Like the Michael Bunting deal. Also, Petr Mrazek doesn’t feel like an upgrade over Freddie Andersen.
Washington Capitals: Weaker, although not by much.
If you are worried about Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom being on the back nine, I understand. But even after losing Brenden Dillon, the Caps’ defense is still OK. The inability to trade Evgeny Kuznetsov doesn’t help them. But keep an eye on young Connor McMichael to rise up this season and give the team a spark.
Tampa Bay Lightning: Weaker
They lost their entire third line (Yanni Gourde, Barclay Goodrow and Blake Coleman. Tyler Anderson and David Savard are gone. Curtis McElhinney. Their depth has been eroded. Still a chance to three-peat, but Julien BriseBois will need to replenish the depth. Of course he has chiseled out some salary cap room to do that.
Minnesota Wild: Same.
Depending on the impact Marco Rossi makes, the Wild might even be slightly better. The Wild will get some improvement out of the growth of their younger players such as Kirill Kaprizov, Jordan Greenway, Joel Eriksson Ek and Matthew Boldy. The decision to buy out Ryan Suter and Zach Parise won’t hurt the team this season. Alex Goligoski will eat Suter’s minutes. The Wild are also high on defenseman Caleb Anderson.
Boston Bruins: Weaker.
You aren’t the same when David Krejci tells you he is heading back to the Czech Republic. The word around the NHL this week has been the Bruins are in search of a replacement. Goalie Tuukka Rask had hip surgery and he won’t be with the team when the season starts. Nobody is making a big deal that he doesn’t have a contract. But maybe we should. He could retire or ask for more than the Bruins will pay. Linus Ullmark was a solid Plan B, but he is unproven. The Bruins will find a replacement, but today, they are a little weaker.