Author Archives: Joe Bartnick

Bartnick previews the Pittsburgh Penguins

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For the first time in the Sidney Crosby era the Pittsburgh Penguins are predicted not to make the playoffs. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang have played together nineteen seasons. They have won three Stanley Cups. They made the playoffs their first seventeen years playing together but they have missed the past two seasons. They missed by only two points last season. If the Penguins want to make the playoffs this season they need to improve in a few key areas. They needed to improve their dismal powerplay. Their powerplay was filled with four Hall of Famers, the Big Three and Erik Karlsson yet finished thirtieth in the league.

The Penguins also need to improve their record in overtime and shootouts. Pittsburgh needs more consistent goaltending from Tristan Jarry. They also need to replace Jake Guentzel’s scoring. Former NHL Head Coach David Quinn was brought in to coach the powerplay. Guentzel’s production will hopefully be filled by committee. Jarry will either play to his potential or be replaced by capable backup Alex Nedeljkovic.

Forwards- Sidney Crosby while already on hockey’s Mt Rushmore is still a top five center in the NHL. Bryan Rust is Crosby’s trusted right wing. He’s the only Penguin besides the Big Three who played on last two Cup teams of 2016 and 2017. Drew O’Connor came into his own last season on Crosby’s left side after Guentzel was traded. Malkin is the second line center. While Geno is not near his Hall of Fame prime, he still shows flashes. Malkin puts up good numbers for a second line center. Critics harp on Malkin’s age but his play is sufficient for his contract. Malkin’s right winger Rickard Rakell has not lived up to his contract. Rakell is not a great fit on Malkin’s line but it’s the only spot for him. The pesky Michael Bunting is a perfect fit on Malkin’s line. Straight line players bring out the best in Malkin as opposed to floaters like Rakell. The bottom two lines look to provide more physicality than the Penguins have had in a long time. The also should score a few goals. The Penguins have had an embarrassing lack of scoring in their bottom six since the Cup teams. The third line center Lars Eller is a prototypical checking center. He can also provide some offense.  Left Wing Jesse Puljujarvi finally looks healthy. He may finally live up to his pedigree after an impressive camp. Rutger McGroarty also had an impressive camp. The highly touted prospect who came over from Winnipeg will start the season in Pittsburgh. The Penguins 4th line will consist of large men. Kevin Hayes, Noel Accairi and Cody Glass are big and capable of chipping in a few goals. Anthony Beauvillier and Valtteri Puustinen are extra forwards who have speed and decent hands.  Prospects Vasily Ponomarev and Ville Koivunen will start in the AHL but could see time with the NHL club before the holidays.

Defensemen- Kris Letang was having one of the best seasons of his Hall of Fame career until the last six weeks of the season when he played the worst hockey of his career. Erik Karlsson was okay, but definitely not what the Penguins hoped for when the traded for the reigning Norris Trophy winner with a ten-million-dollar contract. Marcus Pettersson is the Penguins best defensive defensemen. After the Penguins top three defensemen there more questions than answers. Ryan Graves was awful last year and has looked just as bad in camp. Graves has a huge contract but may not be one of the ten best defensemen in the organization. Matt Grzelcyk was acquired over the summer. Grzelcyk needs to play better they he did last year in Boston. Jack St. Ivany will start the season in the top six. He was impressive at the end of last season. He gave the Penguins some much needed grit on the blueline. Ryan Shea also played well at the end of last season. Shea was steady but not as impactful as St. Ivany. Sebastian Aho will provide depth after an underwhelming camp. Harrison Brunicke had the best camp of any defensemen but is only eighteen. He was sent back to his junior team. Owen Pickering also looked good in camp but will start the season in Wilkes Barre.

Goaltending – Tristan Jarry is a two-time All-Star who lost his job at the end of last season to journeyman Alex Nedeljkovic. Ned starts the campaign on the IR so Jarry has a few weeks to prove he’s the Penguins franchise goalie again. The Penguin organization has good depth in net.   Joel Blomqvist will start the season backing up Jarry.

Sharks goalie Aaron Dell stops a shot by Sidney Crosby (87) – Photo by Jack Lima

Outlook – The Penguins have a tough October. Their first three games are against the Rangers, Red Wings and Leafs. They also have their Western Canada trip before Halloween. A good start is essential for this team which has faded due to age the last few seasons. A better powerplay, consistent goaltending and tertiary scoring are also needed if the Penguins are going to make the playoffs in a very mediocre Metropolitan Division. It would hard for Penguins Czar/GM Kyle Dubas to keep two- time Cup winner Head Coach Mike Sullivan after another disappointing season.

 

Bartnick handicaps the Pacific

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The Pacific Division is the NHL’s most exciting division. There is offensive firepower scattered throughout this division. Almost every team in the division either has a Hall of Famer or superstar in the making. It’s definitely the season to stay up and watch the late game.

  1. Edmonton- The Oilers have the best hockey player on earth, Connor McDavid. They also have one of the ten best players in the world, Leon Draisaitl. Zach Hyman fits perfectly in Edmonton. He goes to the net, finds open areas and buries passes from McDavid and Draisaitl. Viktor Arvidsson’s prickly game was added over the summer. Edmonton has championship depth but Evander Kane will miss the start of the season. Kane’s importance to the team showed when he didn’t play in the playoffs. Evan Bouchard emerged last season as a true number one defenseman. Darnell Nurse must at least play like a top four defenseman. Mattias Ekholm is a physical force on the backend. Stuart Skinner is now entrenched as the starting goalie.
  1. Vancouver- Rick Tocchet’s Canucks took the NHL by storm last season. They will not sneak up on anyone this season. JT Miller, Elias Petterson and Brock Boeser put aside previous disfunction and had monster years. Jake Debrusk will add even more offense. Depth forwards Teddy Blueger, Conor Garland and Dakota Joshua’s abrasive play make Vancouver complete team upfront. Quinn Hughes won the Norris Trophy as the league’s best defenseman. Philip Hronek partners perfectly with Hughes on the top pair. Goaltender Thatcher Demko is one of the best in the NHL. The only thing he can’t stop consistently is the injury bug.
  1. Los Angeles- The Los Angeles Kings are led by their captain Anze Kopitar. Kopitar is a great leader as well as a Hall of Fame two -way center. If he played in a traditional hockey market there would already be a statue built of him. Adrian Kempe is the most underrated winger in the league. He’s a big- time scorer who is sneaky physical. Quinton Byfield showed last season why he was a number two overall pick. Byfield’s size, speed and hands were on display as he kept improving all season. The Kings need more out of Kevin Fiala. The rugged Tanner Jeannot hopes to resurrect his career in LA. Hall of Famer Drew Doughty leads a defense. Jordan Spence and Brandt Clarke are highly touted kids. Veterans Joel Edmundson and Vlad Gavrikov will handle the nasty stuff. Darcy Kuemper should stabilize the Kings goaltending situation which has been their Achilles heel of late.
  1. Vegas – The Golden Knights always push their chips to the middle of the table. Jack Eichel, Mark Stone and Tomas Hertl are aces. Ivan Barbashev and William Karlsson are jacks. Vegas doesn’t have as many face cards as they used to. Alex Pietrangelo is still the leader of a very good blueline. Adin Hill and Ilya Samsonov will battle for time in net. If either has an All – Star season Vegas could move back to the top of the division.
  1. Seattle- The Kraken have a bunch of pretty good players. What they need is a superstar. Center Matty Beniers has shown signs he maybe it. Chandler Stephenson is certainly being paid like a superstar. Forwards Yanni Gourde and Brandon Tanev bring an energy that makes Seattle a fun team to watch. Brandon Montour comes over from Florida to lead better than average defense. Vince Dunn and Adam Larsson are more than just minute eaters. Phillip Grubauer’s play in net will determine if Seattle finishes in the top or bottom half of the division.
  1. Anaheim- Is this the year goaltender John Gibson is not worn out by Thanksgiving? He might be worn out but he’ll have more wins. The Ducks have a massive amount of young offense talent in Leo Carlsson, Trevor Zegras, Cutter Gauthier, Mason MacTavish. Veterans Troy Terry, Alex Killorn, Robby Fabbri and Frank Vatrano also light the lamp consistently. The Ducks defense isn’t nearly as talented. Long time Duck Cam Fowler is steady not flashy. New Captain Radko Gudas has gone from goon to solid defenseman. Brian Dumoulin hopes to regain one of the two steps he’s lost.
  1. Calgary- The Flames have lost a ton of high-end talent recently. Jonathan Huberdeau, Mikael Backlund. Nazem Kadri remain. Connor Zary is a bright spot on the roster because he’s young and skilled. Blake Coleman, Ryan Lomberg and Martin Pospisil play the rough brand of hockey this franchise is known for. Calgary used to have a top-notch defense. Now MacKenzie Weegar is their only above average defensemen. Dustin Wolf and Daniel Vladar will try and fill the hole in net left by Jacob Markstrom.
  1. San Jose- The Sharks will have number one overall pick Macklin Celebrini in their lineup opening night. Will Smith the Sharks other top prospect will also be on the ice. Veteran forwards Tyler Toffoli, Mikael Granlund and Alex Wennberg are there to assist in both youngsters development. The Sharks defensemen are all fifth and sixth defensemen on good teams. Hot shot goalie Yaroslav Askarov will have plenty of opportunities to make highlight reel saves.

Bartnick opines on NHL Central Division for 2024-25

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The Central Division is the most unpredictable division in the NHL. The Central has two great teams with Stanley Cup or bust aspirations. The remaining six teams could finish almost anywhere in the standings.  None of these teams stink. It’s what makes the Central so intriguing.

  1. Dallas – The Stars are the Central’s best team for many reasons. Dallas has an abundance of high- end talent upfront. Roope Hintz, Jason Robertson and Wyatt Johnston are young, fast and skilled. So are the even younger Mason Marchment and Logan Stankoven. Veterans Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and Matt Duchene still contribute. The defense is led by the excellent Miro Heiskanen and rising star Thomas Harley. Esa Lindell, Matt Dumba and Ilya Lyubushkin provide physicality on the blueline. Goaltender Jake Oettinger is excellent in the regular season but wears out in the playoffs.
  1. Colorado- The Avalanche have a few of the brightest stars in the NHL. Center Nathan MacKinnon, winger Mikko Rantanen and defenseman Cale Makar are going to the Hall of Fame. Avs secondary scoring forward depth of Casey Mittlestadt, Jonathan Drouin, and Artturi Lehkonen is strong. Miles Wood and Ross Colton make a tough third line. What separates Colorado from Dallas is their lack of depth on defense and in net. Makar’s partner Devon Toews is a star in his own right. Josh Manson is a force on defense but after him they’re thin.  Alexandar Georgiev is serviceable in net but won’t steal you a game or series in the spring. The Avs don’t concern themselves with the regular season and maybe Gabriel Landeskog and Val Nichushkin will back for the playoffs.
  1. Nashville- The Predators acquired former Tampa Bay Lightning Captain Steven Stamkos. Stamkos and the also acquired former Golden Knight Jonathan Marchessault vault Nashville over the remaining six Central teams. Teaming Stamkos and Marchessault with Ryan O’Reilly and Filip Forsberg gives the Predators two impressive scoring lines. Colton Sissons and Michael McCarren center the rugged and hardworking bottom two lines. The blueline is led by All – World Roman Josi. The additions of Brady Skjei and Jeremy Lauzon reinforce an always steady defense. Goaltender Juuse Saros is one of the best in the NHL. Saros’ new contract gives him stability. He will be stopping everything in Nashville for years to come.
  1. Utah- This is the first time Utah has been in the NHL. It’s also the first time this franchise (formerly the Arizona Coyotes) has been preseason ranked in the top half of standings. Clayton Keller is an underrated offensive leader on the top line with Nick Schmaltz and Barrett Hayton. Superstar in waiting Logan Cooley ready to explode after a fine rookie campaign. Lawson Crouse is the power forward every team craves. The defense core needed an upgrade and was given a huge boost this summer by acquiring Mikhail Sergachev. They also added Ian Cole and John Marino. The versatile Sean Durzi will pair nicely with Sergachev. Utah has the best goalie combo in the division with Connor Ingram and Karel Vejmelka. Head Coach Andre Tourigny got the best out of this team when they were a bankrupt in the desert. He and the team will flourish in their new city.
  1. St. Louis- The Blues are a decent hockey team. Young stars Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou always fall just short of expectations . Veterans Brandon Saad, Pavel Buchnevich and Brayden Schenn ensure St. Louis will never fall to far out of playoff contention. The Blues defense after Colton Parayko and Justin Faulk have have many question marks. As does the goaltender, the mercurial Jordan Binnington.
  1. Winnipeg- The Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck is only mercurial in the playoffs. The Vezina winner had a rough playoff then threw his team under the bus. Great regular seasons and disappointing post seasons are the norm in Winnipeg. Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, Nic Ehlers and Gabe Vilardi will continue to put up points. Captain Adam Lowry and linemate Nino Niederreiter will continue to play hard. The blueline of Josh Morrissey , Neal Pionk and Dylan Demelo needed to be upgraded over the summer. It wasn’t. Former Head Coach Rick Bowness got the most out of this team. Will new coach Scott Arniel be able to do the same? The Jets are due to crash.
  1. Chicago- The Chicago Blackhawks are poised to climb out of the Central basement. NHL phenom Connor Bedard received help this summer in with the signing of professional scoring wingers Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teravainen. Taylor Hall and Andreas Athanasiou will also provide scoring. Pat Maroon will provide Bedard on- ice protection. The Hawks defense will improve with the additions of TJ Brodie and Alec Martinez. Seth Jones has to play better than he did last year. Netminder Peter Mrazek will adequately keep Chicago in the game most nights.
  1. Minnesota- The Wild not only have the worst logo in the NHL they also have the worst cap situation. The dead cap weight due to buyouts have left the Wild woefully light on talent. Forward Kirill Kaprizov is a superstar but after him the forwards depth is shaky. Matt Boldy is a fine forward but Minnesota needs more. The Wild need a huge year out of aging Mats Zuccarello. Blueliner Brock Faber had an outstanding rookie year but can’t play more minutes than he already does. Goaltenders Filip Gustavsson and Marc- Andre Fleury need to play better than they did last year or the fire sale will be a Christmas sale in Minnesota.

Bartnick picks the Metropolitan Division for the coming campaign

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The Metropolitan Division is the worst in the NHL. The division has a few good teams but is mostly filled with mediocre or worse teams. The New York Metro area has three of the four best teams insuring at least the national hockey media will be intrigued.

  1. New York Rangers – The Rangers are the reigning President’s Trophy winner. They are the best team in the Metro. Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider are great players. At least until the playoffs arrive. Vince Trocheck is the perfect second line center. Former number one overall pick Alexis Lafreniere came into his own last season. Goon Matt Rempe is a fun sideshow. The Rangers defense is better on paper than on ice. Adam Fox is overrated. Captain Jacob Trouba throws big hits but serves pizza passes. K’Andre Miller is exceptional but receives less fanfare. Goaltender Igor Shesterkin receives an abundance of fanfare but isn’t quite as good as New York  fans and media claim he is. The Rangers are flawed but the best team in a very flawed division.
  1. New Jersey – The Devils have the best top center combination in the division. Jack Hughes is a superstar. Nico Hischier is a natural two-way center. Timo Meier, Ondrej Palat . Jesper Bratt and Dawson Mercer are legitimate top six forwards. Dougie Hamilton leads an improved blue line with the addition of Brent Pesce. Horrible goaltending destroyed New Jersey last season.  Jacob Markstrom will make goaltending not be an issue. New Head Coach Sheldon Keefe will prosper being out of the bright lights of Toronto.
  1. Carolina- The Hurricanes lost some power over the summer and may only be a category four storm this season. Rod Brind’Amour’s teams always win games in the regular season. Sebastian Aho is an elite center. Andrei Svechnikov, Marty Necas and Seth Jarvis are very capable of having big seasons. Carolina’s organizational frugality cost the Canes depth upfront and on the backend. Jaccob Slavin anchors the defense which is still formidable with Brent Burns and Dmitry Orlov. Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov. will still be adequate in net.
  1. New York Islanders – The Islanders are the best of the rest of the division due to their superior goaltending. Ilya Sorokin and Seymon Varlamov were not lights out last season but still very good. Bo Hovat and Matthew Barzal need to produce more offense. The speedy Anthony Duclair puss the top line. The vaunted 4th line has been dismantled but don’t expect the Fishermen to start playing finesse hockey. Noah Dobson jumped over Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock to lead the defense. Head Coach Patrick Roy now has a full season to put his stamp on the team.
  1. Pittsburgh- The Penguins did not make the playoffs for the second straight season. The Penguins got a remarkable season out franchise legend Sidney Crosby. A great first half out of 3 -time Cup winning defenseman Kris Letang. Hall of Fame center Geno Malkin was great until the Christmas break. The Penguins need much more out of Erik Karlsson who was only one year removed form a Norris Trophy. The Penguins have more depth this season but only forward Bryan Rust and defenseman Marcus Petterson can be considered reliable. Goaltender Tristen Jarry is unreliable. Head Coach Mike Sullivan will probably be turn to backup Alex Nedeljkovic before Thanksgiving.
  1. Washington – The Capitals want Alexander Ovechkin to break Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal scoring record. Hopefully winning some hockey games along the way. The Capitals will start the season without Nicklas Backstrom and TJ Oshie. Their careers appear to be over. Tom Wilson will be there but he’s not the force he used to be. Washington made some great offseason moves. The Capitals acquired forward Andrew Mangiapane and defenseman Jacob Chychrun. Trading Darcy Kuemper for locker room cancer Pierre – Luc Dubois was not one of them. If goaltender Charlie Lindgren doesn’t have another great season, the Capitals will be sellers at the trade deadline.
  1. Philadelphia – The Flyers are not a good hockey team, but they will play hard for the NHL’s media favorite despot John Tortorella. The Flyers front office did not address the Flyers need for a number one center or number one defenseman. Instead of finding stable goaltending the Philly brass made sure to smear the good name of a few players and agents. It felt like a throwback to when Bobby Clarke ran the team. Nicolas Deslauries and Garnet Hathaway ensure Philly will still be the Broad Street Bullies.
  1. Columbus -The Blue Jackets were a horrible hockey team before Johnny Gaudreau’s tragic death.

Bartnick predicts the Atlantic Division for 2024-25

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The Atlantic Division is the best division in the NHL. Its Eastern Conference counterpart, the Metropolitan is the weakest division the NHL. This will enable five teams to make the playoffs out of the Atlantic. This is great news for the perennial bottom four teams Detroit, Buffalo, Montreal and Ottawa. Each of those teams has improved but not enough to enter the perennial top four of Toronto, Florida, Tampa Bay and Boston. Each top four team has gotten weaker but not by enough to miss the playoffs.

  1. Toronto – The Maple Leafs newly minted Captain Auston Matthews is one the NHL’s five best players. He’s the league’s best goal scorer and plays Selke level defense. William Nylander lived up to his new contract last season by becoming a superstar. If the other member of the Big Four Mitch Marner and John Tavares don’t become distractions because of their contract statuses the Leafs should have a potent offense. Newcomers Chris Tanev and Oliver Eckman – Larsson will improve the defense. The Leafs are still relying on hope in net with unproven kid Joseph Woll and veteran Anthony Stolarz. New Head Coach Craig Berube will make sure the Leafs have a wonderful regular season as always. What happens in the playoffs is anyone’s guess including team czar Brendan Shanahan’s
  1. Florida- The Panthers are defending Stanley Cup Champions who have played a lot of hockey the past two seasons. They will get tired in the spring, but they will dominate the winter on inertia. Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Reinhart are too good not too. While the Big Cats lost depth up front, but they still have Sam Bennett, Carter Verhaeghe and Anton Lundell. Aaron Ekblad and Gustav Forsling were Florida’s most important defensemen last season. They are returning. Sergei Bobrovsky is now a Hall of Famer. So is Head Coach Paul Maurice.
  1. Boston – The Bruins are always my choice to fall out of the top four in the Atlantic. It never happens. The Bruins lose Zdeno Chara then Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci no problem. That’s because they still have David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand. Adding Elias Lindholm this summer gives the Bs a much-needed legitimate number one center. Charlie Coyle cannot be expected to play above his pay grade indefinitely. Nikita Zadorov gives the defense more size, skill and nastiness. Teaming with Charlie McAvoy gives Boston an elite top pair. Jeremy Swayman will be formidable in net. He won’t have to share it with Linus Ullmark. The jury is still out on Head Coach Jim Montgomery whose big decisions are usually wrong.
  1. Tampa Bay – The Lightning shook up their locker room this summer. They let franchise legend and Captain Steven Stamkos leave in free agency. They traded defenseman Mikhail Sergachev. Stamkos was replaced by younger Jake Guentzel. Sergachev by older Ryan McDonagh. McDonagh returns to the team. If anyone can navigate a changed locker room its Head Coach Jon Cooper. He’s the league’s most tenured coach. Cooper is a surefire Hall of Famer. Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point are two of the very best forwards in the NHL. Anthony Cirelli and Brandon Hagel are fine complimentary pieces. The Bolts haven’t  found the right depth up front since their Cup teams. Victor Hedman is still leading the defense. He has not have lost a step. It appears goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy haslost. He needs to regain his magic in net.
  1. Detroit- The Red Wings Captain Dylan Larkin missed a couple weeks of last season due to injury. It cost Detroit a playoff spot. Larkin is vital to the Wings success. He centers the top line that includes professional scorer Alex DeBrincat and budding star Lucas Raymond. Wings scoring depth was aided by signing Vlad Tarasenko and resigning of Patrick Kane. Moe Seider continues to excel in all facets on the blueline. Cam Talbot and Alex Lyon will need to play better than average in net. If they do GM Steve Yzerman should finally have Detroit in the playoffs after an eight-year drought.
  1. Buffalo – The last time the Sabres were in the playoffs was seventeen years ago. Lindy Ruff was the Head Coach. Ruff has returned to Buffalo. Ineptitude behind the bench and in net have been the Swords biggest problems recently. Clueless and cheap describe the front office and owners box. Buffalo hopes to have found their goaltender Ukko -Pekka Luukkenon. They signed him to a lengthy contract. Most Buffalo defensemen have big contracts. Rasmus Dahlin and Bowen Byram are worth those contracts. Center Tage Thompson must play better than he did last season. Thompson’s play should spur on Alex Tuch who also disappointed last season.
  1. Montreal- The Canadians will score a lot of goals. Head Coach Martin St. Louis lets his team play an open brand of hockey. Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky are all potent scorers. Patrik Laine was added this summer. Laine is motivated. Pencil Laine in the at least thirty goals. The Habs blue line is thin. Goalies Sam Montembeault and Cayden Primeau will be asked to make a inordinate amount of quality saves.
  1. Ottawa – The Senators never can put it together. It’s never a matter of talent. It’s coaching and personal pride that stunts the Senators. Brady Tkachuk never takes a night off which most of his teammates do often. Everyone on Ottawa’s roster is always on the way out or at least hoping to be. Goaltender Linus Ullmark will be the later when he realizes he’s not backstopping the Boston Bruins anymore.

Bartnick grades the NHL free agency season

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We are nearing the end of the silly season. NHL GMs are heading to their cabins before the nine-month marathon to Lord Stanley.

I’m reviewing their work and giving grades like the assistant volleyball coach who needs to teach summer school to keep his healthcare.

METRO-

Penguins – For the first time in the Crosby/Malkin era the Penguins are not pretending they are contenders. Matt Grzelcyk, Blake Lizotte and Kevin Hayes make them a marginally better team they ended last season with. Fact is no one wanted Rickard Rackell or Tristen Jarry. C-

Rangers – Sam Carrick is a solid, gritty 4th liner. Reilly Smith needs to prove he wants to play somewhere besides Vegas. C

Islanders- The Fishermen added Anthony Duclair. Love the Duke but that was all they added. C

Flyers – The Flyers lost a pretty good Flyer Cam Atkinson but kept the quintessential Flyer Garnet Hathaway. C-

Blue Jackets- What’s in the water in Columbus that as soon a Don Waddell gets there, he makes a stupid move. Sean Monahan 5 years at 5.5. WTF. D

Capitals- The Capitals did an excellent job of rebuilding their roster with Brandon  Duhaime, Jakob Chychrun, Andrew  Mangiapane, Matt Roy, Taylor Raddysh and Logan Thompson. Then they traded for the malignant Pierre – Luc Dubois. B

Devils- The Devils assured themselves a spot in the playoffs next seaon by shoring up the defense with Brett Pesce and Brenden Dillion. They also got a top notch goaltender in Jacob Markstrom. A

Hurricanes- Carolina will remain a close but not quite championship team. They kept Jaccob Slavin at a good number but lost Brett Pesce. The didn’t come close to signing or replacing deadline acquisition Jake Guentzal. B-

ATLANTIC-

Bruins- The Bruins got big and bad again with another Big Z Nikita Zadorov. Elias Lindholm solves their need for a top six center. Swapping Joonas Korpisalo for  Limus Ullmark was a mistake.  A-

Leafs- Toronto fixed their blueline issue with Chris Tanev, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Jani Hakanpaa. They didn’t fix their goaltending. B

Canadien- The Habs locked up Juri Slafkovsky. That’s it. D

Senators- Ottawa signed David Perron who will be going somewhere else at the trade deadline. Ullmark is an upgrade over Korpisalo in net. C+

Red Wings- Steve Yzerman could have solidified his goaltending but instead signed Jack Campbell and Cam Talbot. At least the Wings will score a ton of goals with Patrick Kane resigning and Vlad Tarasenko joining the club. B

Sabres- The Swords biggest move was giving Jason Zucker five million bucks. D+

Panthers- Stanley Cup winners always lose important players. The Big Cats lost Brandon Montour, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Ryan Lomberg, Vlad Tarasenko, Kevin Stenlund and others. They did keep integral players Sam Reinhart and Anton Lundell. B+

Lightning- The Bolts let their Captain, Hall of Famer and civic institution Steven Stamkos walk. They traded away Mikhail Sergachev. They traded for Ryan McDonagh. They brought in Jake Guentzel. B-

CENTRAL-

Predators- Predators GM Barry Trotz absolutely won the summer. He signed Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei. He locked up his great netminder Juuse Saros. A+

BlackHawks- Chicago decided to put a professional team around Connor Bedard. Tuevo Teravainen and Tyler Bertuzzi are top six wingers. Alec Martinez is the definition of reliable defenseman. Pat Maroon will keep everybody safe. A

Wild- GM Bill Guerin is still in cap hell but did sign Yakov Trenin. Trenin fits what the Wild are about. B+

Utah- Utah is no longer your broke ass Coyotes.  Trading for Mikhail Sergachev, signing Ian Cole and keeping Sean Durzi solidifies the blue back end.Adding responsible forward Kevin Stenlund to the mix will help the talented kids flourish upfront. A

Stars- Resigning Matt Duchene was necessary. Signing Matt Dumba and Ilya Lyubushkin was smart. Signing Casay DeSmith was not. B-

Avalanche- The Avs don’t know really why they collapsed last season so they didn’t know what to address other than keep Jonathan Drouin. B-

Blues- GM Doug Armstrong gave Pavel Buchnevich too much money and too much term.  Radek Faksa is a nice gritty center tho. B-

Jets- Is Kevin Cheveldayoff waiting to move back to Arizona ? D-

PACIFIC-

Kings- LA got bigger and tougher with the acquisitions of Joel Edmundson and Tanner Jeannot. They now have a legitimate number one goalie in Darcy Kuemper. Most importantly they rid themselves of Pierre – Luc Dubois. A

Ducks- The Ducks got Brian Dumoulin. I hope his family enjoys the OC. D

Golden Knights- Vegas is sitting on 16. C

Kraken- GM Ronnie Francis probably overpaid for Brandon Montour. He definitely overpaid for Chandler Stephenson. B-

Flames- Ryan Lomberg is a steal and 2×2 but he’ll never play in a meaningful game. C-

Sharks- San Jose aquired three legitimate NHL players Wennberg, Toffoli and Grundstrom. It’s a start. B

Canucks – GM JR pulled out his magic wand. Jake Debrusk signed a contract way under market value. Dakota Joshua resigned for pennies. He also acquired a lot of depth. A-

Edmonton- The Oilers reinforced their chances to get back to the Stanley Cup Final by keeping Adam Henrique, Corey Perry, Mattias Janmark and Connor Brown. Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner bring them closer to winning the Final. A-