When the biggest moves were done, the major signings completed, we did what we always do in this space. We graded.
In the middle of July last year, we evaluated the offseason moves of every team until that point. With the 2016-17 season winding down into its final week, it’s the perfect time to check two things: How accurate the grades were, and how effective the offseason additions were.
So with that, let's regrade each team's moves from last offseason:
Anaheim Ducks
July grade: C+
We liked the trade for Jonathan Bernier, and that has turned out to be one of the offseason's better values, with Bernier rebounding with a .917 save percentage this season. The low grade at the time was because of the firing of Bruce Boudreau and hiring of Randy Carlyle. Well, Carlyle version 2.0 has gone much better than projected. The Ducks are going to win the Pacific Division and are poised for a strong postseason.
April grade: B+
Arizona Coyotes
July grade: B+
We loved the addition of Clayton Keller and Jakob Chychrun in the first round of the draft, as they are two possible cornerstones of the rebuild. The signing of Alex Goligoski was also applauded, as was the trade for Anthony DeAngelo. After a slow start, Goligoski is going to finish near his career average in points and is playing over 23 minutes per night. It’s been a disappointing season in Arizona, but the summer additions from 2016 aren’t the reason.
April grade: B
Boston Bruins
July grade: C
We were definitely lukewarm on the David Backes signing, not so much because of his impact this season, but because of the costs down the road. Boston certainly got the benefit of having Backes around, but his offensive production has continued to decline. The summer grade was before Brad Marchand signed, and that contract and his subsequent season help bump the grade up slightly.
April grade: C+
Buffalo Sabres
July grade: B
The back injury to Dmitry Kulikov ended up negating one of GM Tim Murray’s bigger moves in addressing his defense. Kulikov never got going in Buffalo, and the defense suffered because of it. When healthy, free agent signing Kyle Okposo performed as advertised.
April grade: C
Calgary Flames
July grade: B+
GM Brad Treliving was credited for adding a veteran in Troy Brouwer, while also applauded for passing on overpaying for more expensive players like Backes and Loui Eriksson. I liked the Brian Elliott trade -- a solution in goal without giving up too many assets.
The pick of Matthew Tkachuk was universally liked. After the July assessment, the Flames also got Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau signed. It was an important summer for the Flames, and Treliving navigated it well.
April grade: A
Carolina Hurricanes
July grade: B-
The Victor Rask contract got a thumbs up, as did the trade for Teuvo Teravainen. The Cam Ward signing was questioned, and GM Ron Francis' decision to not upgrade in goal last summer remains hard to justify. The Hurricanes have a .913 even-strength save percentage this season, No. 28 in the league. If they were even close to average, they might be in a playoff spot.
April grade: C-
Chicago Blackhawks
July grade: C
Brian Campbell signing on the cheap was easy to like, but the Blackhawks received an average grade because of the trades that sent Teuvo Teravainen and Andrew Shaw out of town. In retrospect, the young forwards in the system were ready, and the Blackhawks haven’t missed Shaw as much as we thought they might. Maybe they will miss his presence in the playoffs, but things are still clicking in Chicago.
April grade: B+
Colorado Avalanche
July grade: Incomplete
At the time of publication, Tyson Barrie still needed to be signed, and there was a lot of speculation surrounding the Avs that he might be dealt. Barrie signed a four-year, $22 million deal, and not too long after that Patrick Roy stepped down as head coach. Barrie was pressed into tougher minutes this season because of the Erik Johnson injury, and that’s not a role he’s best suited to play. None of the offseason additions significantly helped the Avalanche. This team needs lots of work.
April grade: C-
Columbus Blue Jackets
July grade: B-
We loved the Seth Jones contract. Still do. That alone should give the Blue Jackets a strong offseason grade. But in July, the belief was that the 2016 offseason would hinge on the selection of Pierre-Luc Dubois over Jesse Puljujarvi -- and it still does. The jury is still out on those two players, although Dubois is coming on following a slow start, putting up 37 points in 28 games since joining Blainville-Boisbriand (QMJHL) in a midseason trade, while Puljujarvi has 25 points in 33 games for Bakersfield in the AHL.
April grade: B
Dallas Stars
July grade: B
The loss of veteran defensemen Jason Demers, Kris Russell and Alex Goligoski was acknowledged, but perhaps not enough. The Stars' defense really felt the loss of those veterans, and it took time to sort through the depth of young defensemen who were still finding their way. The goaltending wasn’t addressed, and that was an issue.
Injuries were probably the biggest issue in Dallas this season, but this coming offseason is a big one for GM Jim Nill, who may have a coaching vacancy to deal with now, too.
April grade: C-
Detroit Red Wings
July grade: C
The signing of Thomas Vanek on the cheap was one I liked, and that worked out just fine for the Red Wings. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him back in Detroit next season. We also liked the Frans Nielsen addition. On the other hand, the Red Wings didn’t address their biggest needs on defense, and still haven’t. It’s one of the reasons the playoff streak is over.
April grade: C
Edmonton Oilers
July grade: B+
We liked GM Peter Chiarelli’s bold moves to change the direction of the Oilers, adding muscle in Milan Lucic and addressing the defense in Adam Larsson. At that point, we thought the Oilers still needed another top-four defenseman, and they added it in Kris Russell later in the summer.
The Oilers are back in the playoffs and trending in the right direction. As suggested in July, the Lucic deal will eventually look bad, but that’s a problem for another day.
April grade: A-
Florida Panthers
July grade: A
The opening sentence in July just about sums up the Panthers season: “This grade is a reflection only of the Panthers’ roster construction and not the series of sometimes-puzzling firings and promotions that seemed to bubble up every other day in South Florida.” And that was before the Gerard Gallant firing.
The additions of Jason Demers, Keith Yandle and James Reimer are still solid moves, but I’m willing to admit I was a little too excited about the Aaron Ekblad contract. There were people in the game that suggested the Panthers overpaid (eight years, $60 million) for a player they controlled, and it’s starting to look like that may be the case.
April grade: B-
Los Angeles Kings
July grade: C
The Kings lost Milan Lucic, stripped Dustin Brown of his captaincy and weren’t able to adequately address needs on defense due to bad contracts on the books.
I don’t know how he’s going to do it, but GM Dean Lombardi has to find a way to move some of the money on the books in Los Angeles if they’re going to rebuild that roster around a strong core of Drew Doughty, Anze Kopitar and Jonathan Quick.
April grade: C-
Minnesota Wild
July grade: B+
The Eric Staal signing was seen as a plus, although I’ll admit right now that I didn’t think he’d be as good as he’s been. The Wild received strong marks mostly for the aggressive pursuit and hiring of Bruce Boudreau, who has helped Minnesota move back up the Central Division standings. The additions of Staal and Boudreau were good ones for the Wild.
April grade: A
Montreal Canadiens
July grade: C+
I liked Montreal’s moves -- trading for Shea Weber and signing Alexander Radulov -- in the short term, but had long-term concerns about Weber’s regression and Andrew Shaw's contract. I still do. If the Canadiens win a Stanley Cup this spring, it’s all moot.
April grade: B
Nashville Predators
July grade: A
The P.K. Subban trade got high marks, while the leadership void created by Shea Weber's departure was acknowledged. “There will probably be growing pains as this group learns to win together,” was how it was summed up, and it’s played out that way.
It hasn’t been a perfect season in Nashville, but the Predators aren’t a team you want to face in the playoffs either.
April grade: B+
New Jersey Devils
July grade: A
Acquiring Taylor Hall earned GM Ray Shero a high grade, with the caveat that it wouldn’t be easy to replace Adam Larsson's minutes. That has proven to be true, and the Devils still have work to do on that front. The Devils have bottomed out in the Eastern Conference, and they should get an important piece to the rebuild with a lottery pick in the draft.
April grade: A
New York Islanders
July grade: C-
The contract for Andrew Ladd was called excessive. With 29 points in 75 games and six years remaining on that deal for a player who is 31 years old, that’s a fair assessment. Frans Nielsen was missed greatly by this team. In an important season, with John Tavares contract-extension talks looming, the Islanders took a step back, and it started in the offseason.
April grade: C-
New York Rangers
July grade: Incomplete
At the point of publication, Chris Kreider and Kevin Hayes needed new contracts, and GM Jeff Gorton did well to get those done at reasonable numbers. Hayes’ deal has an average annual value of $2.6 million, pretty good for someone who will finish north of 50 points.
The signing of Michael Grabner and trade for Nick Holden didn’t make a splash but turned out to be great additions. Those are just the kind of shrewd moves a team navigating the salary cap needs to make. It turned out to be a sneaky good offseason for the Rangers.
April grade: A
Ottawa Senators
July grade: C-
The hiring of Guy Boucher was called smart, and it proved to be. But there wasn’t anything done beyond that hiring that would have given any indication for growth. Yet, here we are with the Senators on the verge of clinching a playoff spot. Erik Karlsson completely buying in to Boucher’s system is a big reason for that, not necessarily any additions made in the offseason.
April grade: C
Philadelphia Flyers
July grade: B
The Flyers got a good offseason grade because Ron Hextall stayed with his patient plan to build through the draft and not do anything major in free agency, like the Flyers might have done in the past. Philadelphia took a step back in the standings, but that often happens at this point in the development of a young team.
April grade: C+
Pittsburgh Penguins
July grade: B-
Cap restraints meant GM Jim Rutherford couldn’t do anything of note to improve the defending Stanley Cup champions. We liked the Justin Schultz contract -- one year at $1.4 million -- but didn’t give it the credit it deserves. Schultz has been great for the Penguins this season, and that might have been the biggest value signing of last summer. He’s going to eclipse 50 points and is a plus-26. That was a great signing.
April grade: A
San Jose Sharks
July grade: B+
I liked the Mikkel Boedker signing way too much, thinking his speed and reunion with Peter DeBoer would benefit the Sharks more than it has. Boedker is playing under 15 minutes per game and may not crack double digits in goals. Getting a long-term contract done for Brent Burns helps average things out overall for the new, slightly lower grade.
April grade: B-
St. Louis Blues
July grade: B-
The conclusion was the Blues' offseason couldn’t be judged until we saw what Jaden Schwartz's contract looked like and what the return for a predicted Kevin Shattenkirk trade looked like.
Schwartz is now signed through 2020-21 at a deal that averages $5.35 million per season. No issues at all with that contract for a player who is still just 24 years old. The Shattenkirk return was less than many had hoped. The lesson here is to deal players like Shattenkirk earlier rather than later. It’s a lesson the Islanders should learn from if a John Tavares contract extension isn’t done in early July.
April grade: B-
Tampa Bay Lightning
July grade: A+
The contracts signed in the summer of 2016 for Steven Stamkos, Victor Hedman, Andrei Vasilevskiy and Nikita Kucherov are all team-friendly. They’re great, really. I stand by this high grade, even with the Lightning on the verge of playoff elimination.
April grade: A+
Toronto Maple Leafs
July grade: A+
If the only thing the Maple Leafs were able to do last offseason was draft Auston Matthews, they would get high marks. But I liked the Frederik Andersen addition too, and he’s a big reason why the Leafs are going to make the playoffs. The conclusion in July is the same conclusion now: “Things went about as well as you could have asked for in Toronto this offseason.”
April grade: A+
Vancouver Canucks
July grade: C
The evaluation in the summer was that the Canucks were destined for mediocrity -- and that’s exactly where they’ve landed. Not good enough to make the playoffs. Not bad enough to win the lottery. Vancouver is in hockey purgatory, which is not a great place to be.
April grade: C
Washington Capitals
July grade: B
It was a fairly quiet offseason in Washington, but the understated moves to add Lars Eller via trade and Brett Connolly on the cheap in free agency have given the Capitals the forward depth that has helped make them great. We liked them in the summer but didn’t appreciate those moves as much as we should have.
April grade: A-
Winnipeg Jets
July grade: A-
The Mark Scheifele contract extension, at $6.125 million annually, was called a win. All he did was go out and average more than a point per game this season. "Win" might not have been a strong enough description. That’s a great contract for the Jets, who have a few of them thanks to the quiet work of assistant GM Larry Simmons.
The Jets also landed Patrik Laine in the draft, which was a franchise-shifting moment. They didn’t make the playoffs this season, but the high grade holds because of those two moves.
April grade: A-