The NHL offseason has been in full swing for a few weeks now. Have you been mortally insulted yet?
Not necessarily. For plenty of teams and their fan bases, a modern NHL offseason is just a steady stream of being told how wonderful they are. Both Florida teams know the drill. So does Vegas. This summer, Minnesota is playing the role of the lifelong loner who finally gets invited to sit at the cool kids’ table. How long will that last? We’ll find out, but for now they’re living large
And then there are those other teams. You know the ones. They’re the markets nobody seems to want to play for, which means they’re at a disadvantage from day one. While other teams seem to have the wind behind their backs at all times, these teams are constantly pushing a boulder up a mountain, wondering when it will veer off course and they’ll have to start all over again
And yes, it’s all a little bit insulting. If you’re a fan of one of these teams, the act gets old. You can be all for player empowerment (and you should), but at a certain point a fan is going to look around and wonder: What’s wrong with us? What’s wrong with my team, or my city? And maybe worst of all: Is there hope?
Today, I’ve picked eight teams that I’d argue have had a particularly rough start to the player empowerment era. To be clear, these aren’t the worst teams in the league, or even the ones in the worst overall situation. You won’t see Vancouver or Calgary here, for example — those are bad teams whose short-term outlook is ugly, but that’s life in a rebuild. Instead, our focus is on teams that want to get good and/or stay good, but suddenly seem to be swimming against a tide of players saying “not you.”
We’ll go through each team and ask: Just how insulted should this team and their fans be right now? And of course, we’ll do it from the best situation all the way down to the worst
8. Buffalo Sabres
What happened:After a season that saw the dam finally burst on over a decade of frustration, the Sabres seemed set to chart a new course forward, much to the delight of the most loyal fans in the sport. Then two key players, Alex Tuch and Bowen Byram, both chose to land elsewhere rather than re-sign in Buffalo, eventually forcing trades that netted the team futures but left the Sabres worse on paper. Here we go again?
Not necessarily, because Jarmo Kekäläinen reportedly managed to put together a trade for the best goalie in the world. But then the Connor Hellebuyck trade fell apart at the last minute, just months after a deadline blockbuster fell victim to a no-trade clause. Yep, here we go again
The case for: After a year of teams re-signing their stars, and their quasi-stars, and also their scrubs, and pretty much anyone who could hold a hockey stick, of course it was a Sabre who was basically the only big name left when the market was ready to open. And with many young players around the league happily signing discount deals, of course it was a Sabre who insisted on big money — and more importantly, a bigger role Buffalo couldn’t realistically offer
The case against: The Sabres managed to get a pick from the Washington Capitals in exchange for facilitating a max-length Tuch deal that carries plenty of risk. But the bigger news came with Byram, who was dealt to the Chicago Blackhawks in a trade everyone thought the Sabres won handily and then signed a contract that everyone hates. Even if the team takes a step back in the short term, is that really a loss?
As for Hellebuyck, while the trade may have fallen through before the draft, there’s still time to get something done, and reports suggest a deal isn’t entirely dead. And maybe the bigger news for Sabres fans is that Hellebuyck was apparently willing to waive his NTC to come to Buffalo, something that’s been an issue for the franchise in the past
The insult-o-meter reads: 2/10. Seeing star players exit is never fun, but the Sabres handled the situations well enough that nothing that’s happened this summer can outweigh the optimism boost of last year
7. Dallas Stars
What happened:After years of being a destination for players — would you like to hear a fascinating fact about the state tax rates in Texas? — the Stars are having trouble keeping one of their own, as the Jason Robertson stalemate continues
And then there was the Zach Werenski mess, in which the Stars reportedly had a deal in place for the reigning Norris winner, only to have him block the move with his no-trade clause
The case for: A star preferred Columbus over Dallas? That’s not how this is supposed to work!
The case against: You’re still the Dallas Stars, a team whose current highest-paid player is only there because he handpicked them as a destination. The summer has offered a glimpse of how the other half lives, but you’ll be just fine
The insult-o-meter reads: 3.5/10, with the potential to go a bit higher if the Robertson story goes off the rails
6. Winnipeg Jets
What happened:It sure sounds like Connor Hellebuyck wants out. We don’t know how that story will end (although there are hints), but it’s hard to imagine the Jets winning a trade for the league’s best goalie, especially if other GMs know they have to make a move
The case for: Hellebuyck would just be the latest in a long line of star players who left Winnipeg. He was supposed to be different, having ostensibly committed to the Jets a few years ago when he signed his extension. If he wants out now, it would just be the same old story Jets fans have been hearing for decades
The case against: There’s a difference between wanting out and demanding a move, and we’re not sure exactly where Hellebuyck’s case falls. For now, it at least sounds like he’s open to multiple destinations, which puts the Jets in a better position than other teams faced with having to trade a star
The insult-o-meter reads: 5/10 and ready to go higher if things get ugly
5. Anaheim Ducks
What happened:Their best player, a young stud who we assumed the franchise would build around for the next decade, signed a massive offer sheet with the Flyers that they’ll probably have to match, even if that might not be a good idea
The case for: There really is no good outcome to the Leo Carlsson mess. Either you let him walk and get four picks that don’t help you much right now, or you overpay to keep him and potentially blow up your salary structure for years to come. And of course, even if you do keep him, you have to reconcile the fact that he signed a contract with another team. He may not want out, but he certainly doesn’t seem to have his heart set on being a Duck
And maybe worst of all, this feels like a self-inflicted wound, with GM Pat Verbeek’s reputation for nickel-and-diming his players coming back to haunt him
The case against: They’ll probably keep Carlsson, and assuming they do, the offer sheet can eventually be water under the bridge. You don’t see any lingering issues for Sebastian Aho in Carolina, after all. If we’re going to constantly say that the NHL is a business when a team does what’s in its best interests, we have to be willing to do the same for players. And as for the salary structure, there’s still a hard cap in place, so while it will make Verbeek’s job tougher, it won’t completely blow the budget.
The insult-o-meter reads: 6/10, assuming they match. Please enjoy the irony of the Carlsson news coming just days after the Flyers’ last mega offer sheet contract finally expired
The Ducks MUST match the Flyers’ offer sheet
Corey Pronman, Scott Wheeler and more
4. Columbus Blue Jackets
What happened:Arguably the best player in franchise history, Zach Werenski, told management he wouldn’t be signing an extension, opening the door to a trade the team could never win. Kirill Marchenko joined him in wanting out. The coach was blindsided. And when GM Don Waddell did find an offer he was willing to take, Werenski torpedoed it with his no-trade clause and was reportedly furious about a trade he’d essentially asked for
Then everyone apparently just changed their minds
The case for: Werenski saying he wants to stay sounds like a happy ending, and fans will no doubt want to forget the whole story ever happened. But not everyone is completely convinced that this is truly over, and it’s worth noting Werenski’s statement wasn’t as unequivocal about staying as it may have seemed — he says he wants to win in Columbus, which is something the team hasn’t done enough of lately
And of course, there’s still the whole Marchenko thing to figure out
The case against: For now, both players are sticking around, which is more than some teams can say for their stars. And while the whole ordeal adds even more pressure on the Blue Jackets to win something, at least it sounds like they’ll get the chance to try
The insult-o-meter reads: 6.5/10, which is significantly lower than it would have been 10 days ago. Let’s hope we don’t have to do this whole dance again next summer … or sooner
3. Ottawa Senators
What happened:For years, Ottawa fans had to hear other fan bases tell them that their captain would abandon them, even though both he and the organization swore it would never happen. This year, with the door cracked open for the first time, that captain stood up, made his decision, and … did exactly what everyone had always predicted he’d do
The case for: Brady Tkachuk’s exit for Florida was a true gut punch for Senators fans, especially the ones who’d spent years defending him. And it was made worse by the way it reportedly went down — with Tkachuk using his NTC to narrow his potential destinations down to just a handful of teams before further reducing it to just one
Ah well, at least they’ll always have Daniel Alfredsson. Now to take a big sip of water and check the news feed…
The case against: The Senators did as well as they could have done on the Tkachuk trade, and were able to flip one of the picks for immediate help in William Eklund. And while the whole brother act has worn thin over the years, it’s still hard to blame a guy for wanting the chance to play with family
And if we’re being honest, a lot of the Ottawa fan base had just about had it with Brady’s whole deal. And even those that had his back until the bitter end will find that he’s a remarkably fun guy to root against
The insult-o-meter reads: 8/10. The context here matters, with Tkachuk joining a long list of stars who decided they wanted out of Ottawa. That was supposed to end under new ownership, but here we are
2. Detroit Red Wings
What happened:With a team-record playoff drought hitting the ten-year mark, captain Dylan Larkin stood up and declared that enough was enough. As in: He’d had enough, and wanted to be traded to a good team that was already winning without him. You guys can figure out the whole “winning in Detroit” thing once he’s gone
The case for: While Larkin certainly wasn’t the only or the biggest star to demand a trade this summer, he was the only one to do so with five years left on his contract. And as has become the norm, he used his no-trade clause to limit his potential destinations to just three teams: Minnesota, Florida or Vegas, none of whom necessarily seemed to have the assets Steve Yzerman would need to make a deal
So far, Yzerman has been holding strong, waiting for Larkin to either change his mind or provide a longer list. Neither has happened yet, raising the possibility that we might get an extremely awkward September reunion when training camp opens
The case against: With no trade in place yet, there’s always the possibility that Larkin and Yzerman could work out their differences, similar to what we saw with Werenski in Columbus. And while Yzerman has been pushed into trades before by players like Martin St. Louis and Jonathan Drouin, his track record in those deals is solid, so he might be able to find a way to make this work for the Wings
The insult-o-meter reads: 8.5/10. Having a captain throw in the towel is a brutal look for a fan base, and barring an unexpected reconciliation, it’s hard to see this ending in anything other than more salt being poured in Wings fans’ wounds
1. Seattle Kraken
What happened:For the second time in a few months, the Kraken tried to go all-in on a star winger, offering trade assets and big dollars to get them to come to Seattle. Like Artemi Panarin before him, Jason Robertson took one look and said “nope.” But unlike Panarin, who was quickly shipped to his preferred destination in Los Angeles, Robertson is still in limbo in Dallas. In other words, he’s not sure where he’ll play next, he just knows he doesn’t want it to be in Seattle — even if they were willing to make him the second-highest-paid player in the league.
The case for: You have to give the Kraken credit for trying. After five mostly lackluster NHL seasons, and with the specter of an NBA return looming over the market, the team seems to realize it can’t tread water forever. They’ve been trying to land a difference-maker and are willing to pay up to do so. The problem is, nobody seems to want to take their money
That’s a tough look for a team trying to break through. And that’s especially true given the Seattle market should have plenty going for it, including being (for now) one of the fabled no-tax destinations players seem to love so much. Their expansion cousins down in Vegas always have a lineup out the door of players pleading for a chance to play there. But Seattle? They quite literally can’t buy a star
The case against: At least they haven’t had any superstars demand a trade out of town. Then again, you could argue that five years in, they’ve never had one
The insult-o-meter reads: 9/10, making the Kraken a somewhat surprising top pick for today’s list. But I think it makes sense — the only thing worse than having to say goodbye to a franchise icon is the realization that you can’t even get one in the first place
