With the playoffs on the horizon, free agency will be in the back of the minds of general managers around the NHL. The league's non-playoff teams will start planning player contracts or trade plans for next season while the playoff GMs will be considering the increased prices that could come along with a strong postseason.
With that said, we take a look at each team in the Eastern Conference's most interesting upcoming free-agent situation:
Boston Bruins
LW Rick Nash (UFA)
The B's acquired Nash as a rental to take a big swing at the Stanley Cup. At the time of the deal, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that the former Blue Jacket and Ranger would only be hanging around for a few months, but Boston has nearly the entire roster locked up for next season (following the extension for Zdeno Chara), and they will still be in win-now mode, so there is a chance they could attempt to keep Nash. His actual value might not be as high as his name suggests. If Nash plays a key role in a deep playoff run, the Bruins could find a way to re-sign him.
Buffalo Sabres
C Sam Reinhart (RFA)
If you asked Sabres fans in January whether Reinhart should be a part of the rebuild, the majority might have voted for him to relocate. But in the past two months, the former No. 2 overall pick has gone a long way toward winning over his doubters. Reinhart has 32 points in 38 games since the start of January. He's set to finish his third NHL season averaging around 45 points per season. That's not quite the level of production you want from a top-3 pick, but it's also far from bust range. As the Sabres' totals improve, Reinhart's likely will too. The difficult part is trying to figure out his next contract. Alex Galchenyuk, another top pick who has had ups and downs, was given a three-year, $14.7 million deal last July. Reinhart should be in that range.
Carolina Hurricanes
D Noah Hanifin (RFA)
Something has to change eventually in Carolina. They have not made the postseason since 2009 and haven't finished higher than sixth under head coach Bill Peters. With a change in the front office, there's a chance we could see the Hurricanes try to improve via trade. Hanifin, the No. 5 pick in 2015, has not become a dominant defenseman yet but is young enough to still have value on the market. He could be a player the Canes consider moving in an attempt to bolster their scoring. If not, Carolina should make a short-term, prove-it deal for Hanifin.
Columbus Blue Jackets
C Boone Jenner (RFA)
After the 2015-16 season, you would have thought Jenner was turning into a force. But a dip in shooting percentage and lack of power-play time has caused his goal total to slide from 30 to just 11 this season. But Jenner, who has a 59.3 percent defensive zone start percentage, has been an effective role player for John Tortorella. That may give the Jackets incentive to re-sign him to a reasonable deal and hope the goal scoring returns rather than look for trade partners. However, two years down the line, Columbus will be looking at huge contracts for Artemi Panarin and Zach Werenski. They must be savvy now.
Detroit Red Wings
RW Anthony Mantha (RFA)
Detroit had its doubts about the 6-foot-5 winger, but he has scored at a consistent pace during the past two seasons, averaging 0.60 points per game in 2016-17 and 0.58 this season. Detroit isn't in any position to move young talent -- unless it's to acquire more young talent. Even if they don't see him as an unmovable player, it might behoove the Red Wings to wrap up Mantha to a reasonable deal for an extra year or two rather than taking the risk of inking him to a short-term bridge deal and then having the 23-year-old winger break out (and be way more expensive on the next deal).
Florida Panthers
C Jared McCann (RFA)
The Panthers have gone through a bit of a roller coaster the past two seasons, but they are still in the hunt for a playoff spot with a team that is largely under contract for 2018-19. While McCann has scored only 23 points and averaged 13 minutes per game, he's set to turn 22 in May. The former first-round pick should be looking for a short-term contract and an opportunity to earn a bigger role next season. A bridge deal makes sense for both sides.
Montreal Canadiens
C Phillip Danault (RFA)
Barring any big trades, Montreal's roster is set to have very little turnover. Ales Hemsky is the most notable unrestricted free agent, and the next most notable restricted free agent past Danault has 12 points this season (Jacob De La Rose). The 25-year-old, who was picked in the first round back in 2011 by Chicago, has become a decent depth producer with 40 points in 2016-17 and 25 in 52 games this season. The Habs shouldn't have to spend much to keep him.
New Jersey Devils
LW Patrick Maroon (UFA)
Maroon's statistics were pumped up by playing with Connor McDavid while with the Oilers, but McDavid's Corsi for percentage was also better while playing with the veteran winger. His early results in New Jersey have also been solid, with two goals and six assists in his first 11 games. Maroon fits the profile of a player who will be overpaid on the open market. If he is interested in returning to the Devils, they should be cautious, rather than jumping to pay him top dollar.
New York Islanders
C John Tavares (UFA)
The Islanders could have dealt Tavares for a massive return at the trade deadline. Instead, they held on to him and promptly slid to the bottom of the Metropolitan Division. If their superstar center decides to leave, the Isles will have badly botched the situation. On the other hand, keeping him could mean handing Tavares the most lucrative contract in NHL history, which could hinder them from adding other talent through the free-agent market. The Islanders are between a rock and a hard place.
New York Rangers
C Kevin Hayes (RFA)
Hayes' name has been bandied about in trade rumors for years, but the Rangers' decision to deal J.T. Miller in the Ryan McDonagh trade with Tampa Bay may be an indicator that Hayes will be in the Big Apple for a while. The former Boston College star has played more than 70 games in each of his four seasons and produced at a consistent rate, scoring between 36 and 49 points in each. At 25, he should be a player involved in the Rangers' reboot/refresh/rebuild.
Ottawa Senators
RW Mark Stone (RFA)
The Sens were in position to have an epic fire sale at the deadline, but they elected to keep Stone and Erik Karlsson, the latter of whom will hit unrestricted free agency after next season. Signing Karlsson to a long-term contract extension this summer could make it much more difficult to keep Stone, who has scored between 54 and 64 points every season of the past four. If the Sens can't afford Stone, they could snag assets with which to rebuild by putting his rights on the trade block. If Karlsson is not interested in an extension, retaining Stone could be a consolation prize.
Philadelphia Flyers
G Petr Mrazek (RFA)
It hasn't been a smooth ride for Mrazek since he joined the Flyers. The 26-year-old netminder has gone 5-5-2 with an .886 save percentage since being traded to Philly. But all it takes is one or two strong playoff series to jack up his price tag. The Flyers have two goalies under contract for next season in veterans Brian Elliott and Michal Neuvirth. Both have question marks with age, injuries and consistency. Philadelphia would welcome the problem of having to pay Mrazek following a quality postseason performance.
Pittsburgh Penguins
RW Bryan Rust (RFA)
Rust has quietly played a nice role in the Penguins' past two Stanley Cups, scoring 13 goals in 46 playoff games. He's added 38 points in 63 games this season. With every key player under long-term contract, Pittsburgh shouldn't have a problem retaining this solid forward.
Tampa Bay Lightning
C J.T. Miller (RFA)
Miller was overlooked by some in the Lightning's trade for Ryan McDonagh, but he's notched 13 points in 13 games in Tampa Bay. With speed and scoring ability, Miller gives the Lightning another impressive player in their stacked top-nine forward group. Keeping him for years to come will take some work, especially if he continues his point-per-game pace into the postseason. With little cap room to work with, GM Steve Yzerman will need to make subsequent moves to create space, such as buying out Ryan Callahan or trading winger Ondrej Palat, who is under contract through 2022 at $5.3 million per season.
Toronto Maple Leafs
LW James van Riemsdyk (UFA)
Once a 21-minutes-per-game player, JVR is down to a shade under 15 minutes per night, but he keeps scoring. With 34 goals, the Leafs' winger sits 11th in the NHL in goals. While that might seem impossible to walk away from, Toronto has to plan for the future. William Nylander becomes a restricted free agent after next season, and Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner will be RFAs in 2020. The Leafs should hope to get the most out of JVR now and then move on.
Washington Capitals
D John Carlson (UFA)
The Capitals got incredibly good value out of Carlson's six-year, $23.8 million deal signed in 2012. He currently leads all defensemen in points and has 10 more than P.K. Subban, who carries a $9 million cap hit. While he might not be as dominating on the defensive and possession side as some other top blueliners, he will be looking for a payday similar to the $6.6 million per year that Kevin Shattenkirk got from the Rangers last summer. That could be a challenge for the cap-strapped Capitals. Even more reason Washington might be taking its last swing at a Cup of the Ovechkin era.