NHL Notes for July 1st

Chicago Blackhawks: Still in salary cap hell even after trading Saad. They still need to sign Kruger and need 1 more defenseman. I think they will trade Patrick Sharp unless they find someone to eat Bickells contract. The defenseman they would target would be someone like Barrett Jackman, Johnny Oduya, or Anton Volchenkov.

Tampa Bay Lightning: Lock up Stamkos long term

Boston Bruins: Miss Peter Chirelli already? A puzzling offseason and they will still be slammed against the cap and got much worse. They should really add a defenseman and have to sign Brett Connoly who could be an offer sheet suspect. Watch Chara and Eriksson here.

Philadelphia Flyers: They have to sign a backup goalie and Del Zotto but seem set after that. They could possibly move a defenseman like Luke Schenn. They should also try to extend Voracek.

Montreal Canadiens: A big extension for Galchenyuk and thats about it.

Minnesota Wild: They could use some 3rd line forwards and another defenseman. Locking up Granlund could be a focus for them.

Vancouver Canucks: Sign a 3 or 4 defenseman especially after trading away Bieksa.

Los Angeles Kings: Sign a backup goalie and lock up Kopitar and Lucic long term. They may also need a depth defenseman.

San Jose Sharks: Sign some second line forwards. Sign a top 4 defenseman like Francois Beachumen. This is a crucial year in San Jose and risks maybe taken.

Dallas Stars: Try getting a 1st or 2nd line Winger and top 4 defenseman

Ottawa Senators: They seem set and at their max budget

Pittsburgh Penguins: Pursue a top winger or two such as Alex Semin, Martin ST Louis or even PHil Kessel? Sharp/ Skinner. I would also get some defensive depth.

New York Rangers: They will have about 6M after the Stepan extension. They need forward depth and a RW badly. An extension for Kreider will be pursued. They have some RFAs to be signed to low $$$ deals.

New York Islanders: They have to sign Brock Nelson and a backup goalie.

Carolina Hurricanes: They need a winger and to sign Eric Staal to an extension. They may trade Skiner for depth.

Columbus Blue Jackets: They will sign Saad for big $$$. Calvert RFA and a 4th line player.

St. Louis Blues: They have some RFAs to sign including Tarasenko, Allen and Magnus Paajarvi. They should extend David Backes who has been the backbone of this team and may trade TJ Oshie.

Detroit Red Wings: After signing their 4 big RFAs including Nyquist they could look for a winger. This could be a team that makes a big deal at the deadline.

Calgary Flames: They locked up Dougie and now have to sign some lower tier RFAs. A backup goalie is possible unless they want to stick to Jon Gillies. While they have lots of cap space now there are no immediate holes. They have some intriguing RFAs next season which they have to sign to bridges or long term extensions including Monahan, Gaudreau, Granlund, Colbourne and UFAs next year including Giordano, Hudler, Russell, and possibly David Jones. They will have room at the deadline.

Edmonton Oilers: Sign Schultz but the time is NOW for the Oilers.

Toronto Maple Leafs: What A Mess! They have to sign Bernier to an extension. Kadri and PAnik are RFAs. They will likely trade Kessel to give them some chips for the future. They should pursue deals with mid tier UFAs to give them some chips for the deadline when they are out of contention.

Colorado Avalanche: They need a top 2 or top 4 badly. They also have to turn Grigorenkos career around.

Winnipeg Jets: They can explore trading Byfuglien for some forwards. They need to pursue about 2-3 forwards ranging from 2nd line players to 3rd liners. PRoblem is Winnipeg isn’t exactly a hot destination.

Washington Capitals: They have 3 big RFAs including Holtby which will take up about 12M of the their salary cap space. They should also pursue a top line winger to play with Ovechkin.

Buffalo Sabres: An O’Reilly extension is a must which will cost about 7M a season. They should also look for some top defenseman. They could potentially sign some depth.

Florida Panthers: Sign an offensive defenseman and trade for a top winger like Kessel or Sharp.

Anaheim Ducks: Status quo but maybe someone like St Louis would help.

New Jersey Devils: They need a big name forward but I don’t know if now is the time.

Nashville Predators: Lock up some RFAs and focus on Mike Ribero.

Arizona Coyotes: Sign Vermette. Tank the season and get ready for Vegas!