Ahead of the NHL draft and free agency - which opens July 1 - we're looking at three teams from each division facing integral summers. First up, the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division.
Florida Panthers
(103 Points)
Needs: Scoring forward, big-minute defenseman
The Panthers are deep up front, with six players scoring 50-or-more points last season. Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau are only getting started, and another high-scoring forward could keep the Panthers atop the Atlantic table - and put them in legitimate Stanley Cup contention.
Rumors have the club linked with Alexander Radulov, but Loui Eriksson or Andrew Ladd would look good on the wing in Florida's new uniforms.
On the blue line, the club's got to fill the minutes Brian Campbell - an unrestricted free agent - and Erik Gudbranson swallowed in 2015-16. Mike Matheson appears ready for full-time NHL duty, but the free-agent crop on the blue line isn't deep. Luke Schenn posted the best possession numbers of his career in 43 games with the Los Angeles Kings - though the Kings always have the puck - and could be a guy to look at for a short-term deal .
With the 23rd pick in the draft, the Panthers are in "best player available" territory, but adding a defensive prospect to the system would be ideal.
Tampa Bay Lightning
(97 points)
Needs: Contracts for RFAs, blue-line depth
Steve Yzerman's about to go to work.
What happens with Steven Stamkos will obviously dictate what the Lightning do over the summer, but Nikita Kucherov and Alex Killorn are restricted free agents, and Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat, Dan Boyle, Victor Hedman, Ben Bishop, and Jonathan Drouin all need new deals after 2016-17.
Drouin's pulled his trade request, and if Stamkos leaves, he and Kucherov are the future. The Lightning can forget about the free-agent market - they essentially must decide who of their own they're going to commit to long term - and just make the money work. Other than Stamkos - who still may not leave - the core of the 97-point 2015-16 club is returning.
The Lightning will draft 27th overall in the first round. With Jason Garrison, Braydon Coburn, and Matt Carle all 31 years old, a bunch of young, controllable talent up front, and solid prospects in goal, a defensive prospect should be the target.
Godspeed, Mr. Yzerman.
Detroit Red Wings
(93 Points)
Needs: Scoring forward, trade Jimmy Howard
No more Magic Man.
Pavel Datsyuk is going home to Russia, leaving the Red Wings with a gaping hole up front. While Dylan Larkin impressed as a rookie, only one Detroit player hit the 50-point mark last season: Henrik Zetterberg. He'll be 36 on Oct. 9 and is signed through 2019-20. He needs help.
Detroit was the lowest-scoring playoff team in the East, managing only 211 goals. The Red Wings allowed 224, making the club the only playoff team with a negative goal-differential.
Brad Richards' $4 million is off the books, and Darren Helm has an offer to stay, but Detroit will have to clear Datsyuk's $7.5-million cap hit in order to sign Stamkos, who they're rumored to be interested in. Shedding Kyle Quincey and his $4.25 million will help, too, so Detroit could make this work, especially if Ken Holland can find someone to take Jimmy Howard off his hands.
Petr Mrazek is 24 and the answer in goal moving forward. He's also a restricted free agent. Howard's signed through 2018-19 at a cap hit of $5.292 million, and that's far, far too much for a backup.
If Stamkos can't be had, the Red Wings could look to Kyle Okposo or Jamie McGinn, who are yet to turn 30 and both scored 22 goals last season. Somehow, someway, they must add goals, even if Anthony Mantha's in the NHL come the fall.
With the 16th overall pick in the draft, the Red Wings should continue to target offensive talent. Evgeny Svechnikov, a left winger selected 19th overall last year, is coming off back-to-back 30-goal seasons in the QMJHL and will cut his teeth in the AHL next season; so he's still years away, based on Detroit's player-development patterns.
Talent is in the system in Mantha, Tomas Jurco, Andreas Athanasiou, and Riley Sheahan, but another offensive prospect injected into the system is a must, because Zetterberg's decline has begun.
Another option - especially considering Howard isn't long for Detroit - is to draft a goalie to solidify depth at the position.
