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 Western Conference's most interesting upcoming free-agent situation:
Note: Click here a look at every Eastern team's toughest call
Anaheim Ducks
D Brandon Montour (RFA)
When the Ducks traded Sami Vatanen to the New Jersey Devils for forward Adam Henrique, they put their hopes in Montour, who had played only 27 games in 2016-17. The 23-year-old defenseman has made the risk worthwhile. He has 30 points in 75 games to go along with a plus-1.9 percent Corsi percentage relative to his teammates, and over 20 minutes in ice time per game. With seven players set to come off the books, the Ducks' top offseason priority should be to wrap up Montour and solidify their excellent blue line for years to come.
Arizona Coyotes
G Antti Raanta (UFA)
There haven't been a lot of positives this season for the Yotes, who had aspirations of competing for a playoff spot following the acquisitions of Derek Stepan, Jason Demers and Niklas Hjalmarsson. But Raanta has been a Raavalation (sorry). The Finnish goalie is starting to build a resumé as a potential franchise goalie. He has an outstanding .927 save percentage in 42 starts, and a .925 save percentage in 98 starts since 2014-15. If Arizona wants to compete next season, they will have to get quality goaltending. That may require spending to keep Raanta. Otherwise, he will be a hot ticket in free agency for teams desperate for goaltending. The good news is they've got plenty of cap space to fit him in.
Calgary Flames
C Mark Jankowski (RFA)
The Flames have built an impressive core of scorers and defensemen, but struggle mightily with depth scoring and goaltending. Jankowski, a 2012 first-round pick, has taken time to develop, but he has become one of the only solid role players on the roster, with 13 goals in 67 games. However, Calgary shouldn't bet on any more than that from him going forward. With several players coming off the books, they should try to lure some free-agent talent this offseason while signing Jankowski to a reasonable bridge deal.
Chicago Blackhawks
LW Anthony Duclair (RFA)
Duclair is a mystery. He showed promise in 2015-16 by scoring 20 goals and adding 24 assists at age 20, but has since produced 16 goals and 22 assists in 114 games. His eight points in 23 games in Chicago have dispelled the idea that his fall was simply due to playing on a poor offensive team in Arizona. But given that he's just 22, the Blackhawks could elect to sign him to a cheap, short-team deal and hope Duclair regains his 2015-16 form.
Colorado Avalanche
G Jonathan Bernier (UFA)
There have been plenty of ups and downs since Bernier left his role as Jonathan Quick's backup in Los Angeles. This season has been an up, aside from an upper-body injury that has limited him recently. Bernier's .913 save percentage is simply average, but he's playing on a team that plays fast-paced, wide-open hockey. The Avs have some big decisions to make in goal this summer: They must determine if they want to pay Bernier to stay, and must also make a call on whether to buy Semyon Varlamov of his deal that carries a $5.9 million cap hit through 2020.
Dallas Stars
C Mattias Janmark (RFA)
There is no room for error in the Central Division, so the Stars' recent slump has dropped them almost completely out of the playoff picture. Janmark was one of the only point producers aside from Dallas's top line, providing 19 goals for Ken Hitchcock's club -- a jump from 15 in his rookie season. Retaining Janmark and filling out depth scoring will be a major offseason goal for the Stars, though we could see bigger changes on the way. Tyler Seguin, Alexander Radulov and Jamie Benn have done their jobs, but the Stars have come up well short of expectations after going all-in by signing Radulov and Ben Bishop last summer.
Edmonton Oilers
D Darnell Nurse (RFA)
This season has been a nightmare for Oilers fans, but if there's any silver lining outside of Connor McDavid's second straight magnificent season, it's the fact that Nurse played the whole season, produced at a higher rate than his first two campaigns (25 points in 77 games) and ended up on the right side of the shot and goal differential charts. His contract is tough to figure. The Oilers are already paying four defensemen over $4 million per year, and McDavid's $12.5 million cap hit kicks in next season. That could put Nurse on the trade block unless they can make some space somewhere else.
Los Angeles Kings
C Tobias Rieder (RFA)
When Tobias Rieder is the biggest upcoming free agent, that tells us one thing: Barring big trades this offseason, the Kings' roster now is going to be quite similar to the Kings' roster in 2018-19. The next big decision will come when Los Angeles will have to find a way to sign defenseman Drew Doughty long term. His contract is up after 2018-19.
Minnesota Wild
LW Jason Zucker (RFA) and D Matt Dumba (RFA)
With no cap space of which to speak, the Wild are in for some tough decisions this offseason. Zucker topped 30 goals for the first time in his career. It would be fair for him to expect a deal that rivals Mikael Granlund's $5.7 million-per-year deal that was signed last offseason.
With Dumba, the team might argue in contract negotiations that his struggles defensively are an issue, but he's been on the ice for the second-most even-strength goals for his team of any player in the NHL this season, and the Wild have outscored opponents by 18 with him on the ice at 5-on-5. Setting a career high in individual points, with 42, will also bump the price up. With offensive-minded defensemen at a premium, the Wild will have to shed cap space in order to keep both.
Nashville Predators
G Juuse Saros (RFA)
In 40 career starts, the 23-year-old goaltender has flashed brilliance, posting a .923 save percentage and giving his team a quality start in 62.5 percent of his starts. With Pekka Rinne in the Vezina Trophy conversation and under contract for one more season, the Preds should look at Saros as their succession plan. It would make sense for the young goalie to sign a short-term deal and bet that he will land a bigger payday after becoming Nashville's franchise goalie.
San Jose Sharks
LW Evander Kane (UFA)
Kane has been the shot in the arm offensively that the Sharks desperately needed. With nine goals in his first 14 games in San Jose, the power winger is making a case for a lucrative long-term deal. If he stays hot, Kane gives the Sharks one last shot at a Stanley Cup with Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski still leading the team. But especially if Thornton retires this summer, the Sharks will have to consider signing Kane unless they are planning a reboot.
St. Louis Blues
G Carter Hutton (UFA)
The Blues have a conundrum in net. They signed Jake Allen to a long-term deal worth $4.4 million annually through 2021, but Hutton has been decidedly the better netminder this season -- currently leading the league in both save percentage and goals-against average -- and has a .923 save percentage in his past 61 starts. St. Louis may be forced to consider re-signing Hutton and trading Allen, who has a .908 save percentage this season -- and that's if there are any takers. Otherwise, they will be on the hunt for another solid 1A option this summer.
Vancouver Canucks
C Henrik Sedin (UFA) and LW Daniel Sedin (UFA)
It would certainly be strange to see the Sedins in a different uniform. It appears they are likely to either return on much less expensive contracts or retire, but considering Henrik and Daniel have managed a combined 98 points this season, there might be interest around the league to add them both on low-money, one-year deals. The Canucks should want them back if they are aiming to make progress in the Pacific. However, if the organization's plan is to fully rebuild -- or if they want anything close to their current rate of $7 million per year -- letting them walk away is the right move.
Vegas Golden Knights
C William Karlsson (RFA)
Even the most brilliant hockey mind would not have predicted a 40-goal season for Karlsson, whose previous career high was nine. His next contract with the Golden Knights will be very interesting considering he has an unsustainable (and league-leading) 23.3 percent shooting percentage. It's probable that Karlsson slips back a bit, and his next deal should be made with a pinch of skepticism. Vegas will also have to consider whether (and how much) to pay UFAs David Perron and James Neal.
Winnipeg Jets
D Jacob Trouba (RFA)
Things got ugly the last time the Jets and Trouba negotiated a new deal, but winning may cure all in this situation. The outstanding all-around defenseman is a key part of the Jets sustaining a spot at the top of the Central Division, and his next contract should reflect that. One major consideration will be how much Winnipeg eventually will have to play young superstar Patrik Laine, but reasonable deals for Mark Scheifele and Nikolaj Ehlers should give the Jets the ability to keep their core together.