Edmonton Oilers
Off-season needs
Sign or replace goalie Dwayne Roloson; sign or replace Sergei Samsonov; sign (or re-sign) some defensemen, as many were scheduled to go on the market.
Done so far
Edmonton's need on the back end became priority No. 1 when superstar Chris Pronger suddenly asked to be moved. The need became even more severe when Jaroslav Spacek signed with Buffalo instead of remaining an Oiler. GM Kevin Lowe did manage to re-sign Roloson and he used Pronger to replace Samsonov's offense in the form of Joffrey Lupul. Also brought in was rearguard Daniel Tjarnqvist.
Still left to do
The Oilers still need another defenseman but they may let Marc-Andre Bergeron quarterback their power play, with Pronger and Spacek now gone. Prospect Ladislav Smid, also acquired in the Pronger deal, will have a shot to make the big club in camp.
Los Angeles Kings
Off-season needs
Acquire a bonafide No. 1 goaltender; upgrade the power play and penalty kill.
Done so far
Dan Cloutier is a proven NHL goaltender but he has injury issues and has yet to lead his club deep in the postseason. With Mathieu Garon and Jason Labarbera also on board, the Kings are covered as far as decent goaltending is concerned. The signing of Rob Blake will certainly help the power play, while the signings of former Sharks Alyn McCauley and Scott Thornton will help the penalty kill.
Still left to do
The Kings hope that Mark Parrish's spot will be replaced by rookie Anze Kopitar. Blake replaces the offense (and then some) lost with the departure of Joe Corvobut they still need another body on the back end. Alexander Khavanov is a candidate.
Minnesota Wild
Off-season needs
A lot more offense; backup goaltender; depth at the blueline.
Done so far
Without touching their 2005-06 roster, they added an elite offensive forward in Pavol Demitra (although giving up blue-chip prospect Patrick O'Sullivan was not cheap). The Wild also signed 29-goal-man Mark Parrish and power play quarterback Kim Johnsson. Vet Keith Carney was a solid addition on the blueline.
Still left to do
Minnesota is still without a legitimate backup goaltender (Finnish veteran Niklas Backstromis a dark horse candidate) and they're still one more rearguard short (unless they think newly-acquired Petteri Nummelincan do the job).
Nashville Predators
Off-season needs
A first-line center; a third-line center; depth on defense.
Done so far
Nashville signed Jason Arnott, who should step into the No. 1 center role. His presence will push David Legwand to No. 2 for the time being, where he will feel more comfortable as he continues to grow as a player. Then they traded veteran Scott Walkerto the Hurricanes in exchange of Josef Vasicek, who should fit the bill of No. 3 pivot perfectly.
Still left to do
Finnish veteran Mikko Lehtonenwas signed and brought over but he still has to prove he can handle the North American game. A stay-at-home, depth defensemen wouldn't hurt.
Phoenix Coyotes
Off-season needs
Add a forward to one of the Top 2 lines; sign or replace Curtis Joseph; generally upgrade all positions.
Done so far
The Coyotes re-signed Joseph and added what they hope will be a rejuvenated Jeremy Roenick to their top lines. Their defense corps underwent a humongous upgrade with the addition of Ed Jovanovski. They now boast an excellent six-pack of NHL defensemen.
Still left to do
Phoenix has a lot depth on the lower lines, so they may eventually trade for some draft picks. Earlier in the summer, Mike Johnson was dealt to Montreal for a draft pick. Other than that, they seem ready for what the next season will bring.
San Jose Sharks
Off-season needs
The Sharks have a lot of depth in their system. Their most urgent issue is to solve the potential goaltending controversy by trading Evgeni Nabokov.
Done so far
They lost defensive forwards Alyn McCauley and Scott Thornton to Los Angeles, but the Sharks counter-attacked and signed free agents Curtis Brown and Mike Grier. We'll call it a wash. They then went on to trade away rearguard Tom Preissing and a pair of prospects to land that big, talented left-winger they have coveted to play with Joe Thornton and Jonathan Cheechoo: Mark Bell.
Still left to do
GM Doug Wilson is still looking for the best value for goaltender Nabokov. There's still two months before the season begins, so there's no rush.
St. Louis Blues
Off-season needs
Besides everything? Everything else.
Done so far
The Blues managed to hang onto Petr Cajanek and Dallas Drake and they have added Bill Guerin, Doug Weight, Dan Hinoteand Martin Rucinsky. Magnus Kahnberg will also be joining the team in the fall and suddenly St. Louis has a decent group of forwards. On the blueline, they added one of the better defensive rearguards in Jay McKee.
Still left to do
They need a co-No. 1 goalie, such as Manny Legace, and a power-play quarterback, such as Brian Leetch. If they were to add Leetch, he would join a contingent of U.S. Olympic hockey alumni (Weight, Guerin, and Keith Tkachuk.
Vancouver Canucks
Off-season needs
Sign or replace Anson Carter; add a third-line center; sign or replace Ed Jovanovski; add some NHL-caliber depth on defense.
Done so far
About 25 teams could always use an upgrade in goaltending and Vancouver rocked the hockey world by dishing off Todd Bertuzzi et al in exchange for star netminder Roberto Luongo. But while they more than fortified the No. 1 spot with Luongo, the backup role was opened when Mika Noronen, tired of playing second-fiddle, signed to play in Russia. In other matters, the 'Nucks also signed rearguard Willie Mitchell, wingers Jan Bulis and Marc Chouinard, and acquired the underachieving but still young Taylor Pyatt.
Still left to do
Unless they plan to build from within, the Canucks still need two defensemen to play on the bottom pairing. The hole on the right side is even more glaring now that Bertuzzi is gone. They may have addressed some of it, albeit slightly, by signing Bulis.
Off-season needs
Sign or replace goalie Dwayne Roloson; sign or replace Sergei Samsonov; sign (or re-sign) some defensemen, as many were scheduled to go on the market.
Done so far
Edmonton's need on the back end became priority No. 1 when superstar Chris Pronger suddenly asked to be moved. The need became even more severe when Jaroslav Spacek signed with Buffalo instead of remaining an Oiler. GM Kevin Lowe did manage to re-sign Roloson and he used Pronger to replace Samsonov's offense in the form of Joffrey Lupul. Also brought in was rearguard Daniel Tjarnqvist.
Still left to do
The Oilers still need another defenseman but they may let Marc-Andre Bergeron quarterback their power play, with Pronger and Spacek now gone. Prospect Ladislav Smid, also acquired in the Pronger deal, will have a shot to make the big club in camp.
Los Angeles Kings
Off-season needs
Acquire a bonafide No. 1 goaltender; upgrade the power play and penalty kill.
Done so far
Dan Cloutier is a proven NHL goaltender but he has injury issues and has yet to lead his club deep in the postseason. With Mathieu Garon and Jason Labarbera also on board, the Kings are covered as far as decent goaltending is concerned. The signing of Rob Blake will certainly help the power play, while the signings of former Sharks Alyn McCauley and Scott Thornton will help the penalty kill.
Still left to do
The Kings hope that Mark Parrish's spot will be replaced by rookie Anze Kopitar. Blake replaces the offense (and then some) lost with the departure of Joe Corvobut they still need another body on the back end. Alexander Khavanov is a candidate.
Minnesota Wild
Off-season needs
A lot more offense; backup goaltender; depth at the blueline.
Done so far
Without touching their 2005-06 roster, they added an elite offensive forward in Pavol Demitra (although giving up blue-chip prospect Patrick O'Sullivan was not cheap). The Wild also signed 29-goal-man Mark Parrish and power play quarterback Kim Johnsson. Vet Keith Carney was a solid addition on the blueline.
Still left to do
Minnesota is still without a legitimate backup goaltender (Finnish veteran Niklas Backstromis a dark horse candidate) and they're still one more rearguard short (unless they think newly-acquired Petteri Nummelincan do the job).
Nashville Predators
Off-season needs
A first-line center; a third-line center; depth on defense.
Done so far
Nashville signed Jason Arnott, who should step into the No. 1 center role. His presence will push David Legwand to No. 2 for the time being, where he will feel more comfortable as he continues to grow as a player. Then they traded veteran Scott Walkerto the Hurricanes in exchange of Josef Vasicek, who should fit the bill of No. 3 pivot perfectly.
Still left to do
Finnish veteran Mikko Lehtonenwas signed and brought over but he still has to prove he can handle the North American game. A stay-at-home, depth defensemen wouldn't hurt.
Phoenix Coyotes
Off-season needs
Add a forward to one of the Top 2 lines; sign or replace Curtis Joseph; generally upgrade all positions.
Done so far
The Coyotes re-signed Joseph and added what they hope will be a rejuvenated Jeremy Roenick to their top lines. Their defense corps underwent a humongous upgrade with the addition of Ed Jovanovski. They now boast an excellent six-pack of NHL defensemen.
Still left to do
Phoenix has a lot depth on the lower lines, so they may eventually trade for some draft picks. Earlier in the summer, Mike Johnson was dealt to Montreal for a draft pick. Other than that, they seem ready for what the next season will bring.
San Jose Sharks
Off-season needs
The Sharks have a lot of depth in their system. Their most urgent issue is to solve the potential goaltending controversy by trading Evgeni Nabokov.
Done so far
They lost defensive forwards Alyn McCauley and Scott Thornton to Los Angeles, but the Sharks counter-attacked and signed free agents Curtis Brown and Mike Grier. We'll call it a wash. They then went on to trade away rearguard Tom Preissing and a pair of prospects to land that big, talented left-winger they have coveted to play with Joe Thornton and Jonathan Cheechoo: Mark Bell.
Still left to do
GM Doug Wilson is still looking for the best value for goaltender Nabokov. There's still two months before the season begins, so there's no rush.
St. Louis Blues
Off-season needs
Besides everything? Everything else.
Done so far
The Blues managed to hang onto Petr Cajanek and Dallas Drake and they have added Bill Guerin, Doug Weight, Dan Hinoteand Martin Rucinsky. Magnus Kahnberg will also be joining the team in the fall and suddenly St. Louis has a decent group of forwards. On the blueline, they added one of the better defensive rearguards in Jay McKee.
Still left to do
They need a co-No. 1 goalie, such as Manny Legace, and a power-play quarterback, such as Brian Leetch. If they were to add Leetch, he would join a contingent of U.S. Olympic hockey alumni (Weight, Guerin, and Keith Tkachuk.
Vancouver Canucks
Off-season needs
Sign or replace Anson Carter; add a third-line center; sign or replace Ed Jovanovski; add some NHL-caliber depth on defense.
Done so far
About 25 teams could always use an upgrade in goaltending and Vancouver rocked the hockey world by dishing off Todd Bertuzzi et al in exchange for star netminder Roberto Luongo. But while they more than fortified the No. 1 spot with Luongo, the backup role was opened when Mika Noronen, tired of playing second-fiddle, signed to play in Russia. In other matters, the 'Nucks also signed rearguard Willie Mitchell, wingers Jan Bulis and Marc Chouinard, and acquired the underachieving but still young Taylor Pyatt.
Still left to do
Unless they plan to build from within, the Canucks still need two defensemen to play on the bottom pairing. The hole on the right side is even more glaring now that Bertuzzi is gone. They may have addressed some of it, albeit slightly, by signing Bulis.
