Every NHL team made changes over the summer. Some more than others. With that, we take a look at three teams who changed the most this summer – for better or worse.
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins underwent significant turnover, both in the front office and on the ice, following a disappointing 2014-15 where the club missed the playoffs. General manager Peter Chiarelli was replaced with Don Sweeney, while Dougie Hamitlon, Milan Lucic and Reilly Smith were all traded away.
Sweeney’s biggest task was attempting to rebuild a weak farm system, while trying to keep his team competitive. His efforts got off to a rough start, as trading young star Dougie Hamilton didn’t yield the enormous return it should have. Despite that, Sweeney ended up with three consecutive first-round picks in the 2015 draft and went off the board to draft Saint John Seadogs defenseman Jakub Zboril, Swift Current Broncos forward Jake DeBrusk and Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds forward Zachary Senyshyn.
On his current roster, Sweeney did a nice job adding supplemental scoring at a relatively cheap price. He dumped Marc Savard’s contract in a trade which saw Smith go to Florida for Jimmy Hayes. He immediately signed Hayes to a three-year deal worth $6.9 million. Matt Beleskey, one of the most coveted free agents this offseason, signed a five-year $19.8 million deal with the Bruins, which was way less money than expected. Beleskey is a grinder who should be counted on for 15-20 goals, with any more than that being considered a bonus. Not every move was impressive, as Sweeney made one of the biggest boneheaded moves of the offseason, trading a third-round pick for agitator Zac Rinaldo. Players like Rinaldo could have been had on the free agent market on a PTO.
The Bruins youngsters have a chance at cracking this year’s roster. There are some open roster spots, specifically in the bottom-six of the forward group that should be decided at training camp. Malcolm Subban will also get a chance to start between 15-20 games behind Tuukka Rask.
It’s hard to peg this club and where exactly they’ll fall in the standings. The team still has tons of talent, and is too good to be mediocre. 2015-16 will decide if the Bruins can continue to contend, or a rebuild looms.
Toronto Maple Leafs
SUNRISE, FL – JUNE 26: Head coach Mike Babcock of the Toronto Maple Leafs talks with Mitchell Marner after being selected fourth overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round of the 2015 NHL Draft at BB&T Center on June 26, 2015 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
The Toronto Maple Leafs look nothing like the team that slumped their way to the fourth-worst record in the NHL last season.
The biggest move the Leafs made was bringing in former Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock, on the richest contract in NHL history for a coach. Babcock is a huge upgrade from Randy Carlyle and Peter Horacek, and should demand more accountability out of his players. He will bring the best out of his players and should keep the team competitive, even if the roster suggests otherwise.
Speaking of the roster, it’s dramatically different from this time last year. The team let a handful of unrestricted free agents walk, and traded sniper Phil Kessel. The Leafs offseason strategy was signing low-risk medium-reward players like P.A Parenteau, Mark Arcobello, Daniel Winnik, Shawn Matthias to short, cheap deals, while letting those players rebuild their value, and possibly dealing them for draft picks later in the season. The same strategy applies to recently acquired Michael Grabner. The club also took full advantage of tryout contracts, bringing in Curtis Glencross, Devin Setoguchi and Brad Boyes to training camp. There will be no shortage of forward depth. The defense and goalie tandem largely remain the same as last year, with the hope Babcock can light a fire under returning players, namely captain Dion Phaneuf.
The Leafs have one of the most promising prospects groups in the NHL, which improved following the selection of London Knights star Mitch Marner. The club also brought in Kasperi Kapanen and defenseman Scott Harrington into the fold following the Kessel deal. When you factor in 2014 first-round pick William Nylander, the future is looking bright in Toronto. In just one year the team has done an amazing job with their prospect core.
The Leafs aren’t likely to compete for the Stanley Cup next year, and probably won’t be mediocre enough to have a top draft pick again, but considering the state of the team this year to last year, Leafs fans probably can endure a rebuild. It’s clear the right people are in charge.
Vancouver Canucks
SUNRISE, FL – JUNE 26: Jim Benning of the Vancouver Canucks attends the 2015 NHL Draft at BB&T Center on June 26, 2015 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
It’s hard to believe now that the Canucks put up 101 points in 2014-15, posting the second-best record in their division. Following a tremendously underwhelming offseason, I’d be surprised if the team made the playoffs in 2015-16.
So what changed? Well, general manager Jim Benning made questionable move after questionable move. Gone are Nick Bonino, Eddie Lack, Zach Kassian and Kevin Bieska. Replacing them are Brandon Sutter (plus a new five-year deal before playing a single game), Jakob Markstrom, Brandon Prust and Matt Bartkowski. Those players don’t exactly inspire confidence. It didn’t happen in the offseason, but it’s also hard to forget Benning inexplicably signed Lucas Sbisa and Derek Dorsett to long-term deals.
Benning could have traded Ryan Miller, but instead traded a much better goaltender in Eddie Lack, for just a third-round and seventh-round pick. He’s also trusting that Jakob Markstrom, who’s been abysmal during his small NHL sample size, is ready for the pros. Miller showed serious signs of decline last year, and is probably better suited to be a backup goalie than handle a 50-60 game load. It doesn’t make things easier with the Canucks lacking a top-pairing defensemen.
The Canucks aren’t completely bone dry when it comes to prospects. Brendan Gaunce, Hunter Shinkaruk, Jordan Subban, Cole Cassels and Jake Virtanen are all close to becoming NHLers. Bo Horvat also had a promising debut last year. Those players represent the future, but Vancouver’s current group are aging and trending downwards. The team desperately needs to inject some youth, for better of worse. The Sedins are still fine players, but what happens when they start to decline? That’s when things get scary. The aging Canucks are in for a long season.
