NHL off-season grades: Central Division

School’s still out, but for NHL clubs, it’s report card season. 

As we enter August, the focus shifts to the campaign ahead. But before it does, we’re looking back on the summer and the transactions made by each franchise. Although we won’t really know how these moves pan out until players are back on the ice, these off-season dealings give us a glimpse of what to expect. 

With that in mind, we’re looking at each division and assigning a grade to every club’s off-season. We kicked things off by examining the Metropolitan, then moved on to an Atlantic Division that feels very much in flux. Today, we turn our attention to the Central, where there’s no shortage of intrigue thanks to several unanswered questions on contending clubs that could still shake things up. 

(Teams are listed alphabetically)

Key arrivals: Bowen Byram, D; Patrick Kane, F; Ian Cole, D; Cole Smith, F; Jordan Greenway, F

Key departures: Sam Lafferty, F; Ilya Mikheyev, F; André Burakovsky, F

Kyle Davidson’s top task this summer was extending franchise face Connor Bedard, and the GM succeeded in that. Bedard’s shiny new five-year deal with a $15-million cap hit is a bargain compared to the other new AAVs inked this summer.

As for his other moves… the jury’s still out. 

Davidson had his pick of top defencemen from this year’s draft class, but instead opted to send the selection to Buffalo in exchange for Bowen Byram. That was a real statement-maker on his part. The statement? He’s no longer dealing in the future, but right now. That brings more than a few questions. Is Byram the best top-pairing D-man to build around? And is the rest of this roster ready to make the leap? 

If Davidson’s feelings about pushing Chicago into contention weren’t clear with the acquisition of Byram, surely his free agency decisions were: Signing Patrick Kane to a two-year contract worth $8 million a season feels like the opposite of opening a new chapter led by youth. Should it pan out, it’s a great full-circle story with Bedard and Kane at the forefront, giving young stars like Anton Frondell and Roman Kantserov lots of opportunity to grow with them. If it doesn’t, that’s a heavy cap hit. 

Key arrivals: Jaden Schwartz, F; Vinnie Hinostroza, F

Key departures: Valeri Nichushkin, F; Jack Drury, F; Ross Colton, F

Reprising his role as GM following Chris MacFarland’s departure for Nashville, Joe Sakic took a quiet approach to his first summer back at the helm. With neither the need nor the cap space to go big-game hunting, Sakic didn’t have much choice but to prioritize depth. After all, every move made this off-season must be done with an eye to the monumental task awaiting him next summer: extending franchise cornerstone Cale Makar, whose $9-million AAV could (should?) double come July 1. 

Trading Nichushkin ($6.125M AAV) to Columbus gave the GM a little flexibility this summer to take an affordable flyer on veteran Jaden Schwartz after the team lost Drury and Colton to free agency, and lock up deadline acquisition Brett Kulak. Tidy work. 

Key arrivals: Joel Kiviranta, F

Key departures: Mavrik Bourque, F; Ilya Lyubushkin, D

For a team that spent as much time in the early summer spotlight as the Stars did, Dallas has remarkably little to show for it. While a one-year resolution was (finally) reached with leading scorer Jason Robertson, is anyone happy with how that played out? A pair of vetoed trades — Robertson nixed a sign-and-trade with Seattle, then Columbus’ Zach Werenski refused a deal to Dallas — were ultimately out of GM Jim Nill’s control. (Oh, how different this league would look now, had both deals gone through!) Trading away Mavrik Bourque was a reality of the salary cap world, but still a tough pill to swallow — especially considering how the rest of the summer has played out. 

Key arrivals: Blake Coleman, F; Calvin Pickard, G

Key departures: Mats Zuccarello, F; Marcus Johansson, F; Vladimir Tarasenko, F; Jacob Middleton, D

GM Bill Guerin’s relatively quiet summer has come in stark contrast to the fireworks we saw during the season. That’s probably for the best, considering the arrival of Kirill Kaprizov’s $17-million extension on the books and franchise-altering decisions on the horizon for pending UFAs Quinn Hughes and captain Jared Spurgeon. 

Signing deadline acquisitions Michael McCarron (six years at $3.33 million per) and Nick Foligno (one year, just shy of a million) was important for both offensive depth and cap outlook, as was the trade for Blake Coleman, who should fit in nicely here. But the offence took a hit with the departure of Mats Zuccarello, Marcus Johansson, and Vladimir Tarasenko, and those losses will be felt. Minnesota has been a popular pick for players who’ve requested trades, and was reportedly a front-runner for Vincent Trocheck before he landed in Utah and the still-untraded Dylan Larkin. Trade assets are running thin, but if Guerin can pull off another blockbuster, watch out.  

Key arrivals: Mavrik Bourque, F; Jack Drury, F; Ross Colton, F; Alexander Kerfoot, F

Key departures: Zachary L’Heureux, F; Erik Haula, F; Fedor Svechkov, F

Former Avalanche GM Chris MacFarland has wasted no time making his mark in Nashville, starting his tenure with some savvy trades and signings that already have this aging roster looking like a team on the rise. 

He brought in familiar faces from Colorado in Jack Drury and Ross Colton to shore up depth and bring a little sandpaper. He happily took cap casualty Mavrik Bourque off Dallas’ books, then signed the 24-year-old centre to a six-year pact at a $5.5-million AAV that should soon look like a bargain. There’s still plenty of work to be done on this roster — and likely few life rafts for the heavy veteran contracts still on his books — but MacFarland’s tenure is starting strong. 

Key arrivals: Mason McTavish, F; Connor McMichael, F; Brandon Carlo, D; Ross Johnston, F

Key departures: Jordan Kyrou

Between outgoing GM Doug Armstrong and newly promoted Alex Steen, this is a front office and a roster in transition — and it’s been about as smooth a handover as you can get. The duo did some smart work on the trade market just ahead of and during June’s draft. Trading away Jordan Kyrou doesn’t look great — and will look worse if he excels in Washington — but it does feel like a necessary fresh start for both sides, and the Blues’ acquisitions of Mason McTavish and Connor McMichael to replace that production could wind up washing away any doubts. With the offensive core locked up — and no player exceeding Robert Thomas’ bargain AAV of $8.125 million — Steen can turn his attentions to reshaping his defence and addressing some pretty major goaltending questions on the horizon. 

The Blues remain a middling squad at the moment, which has Steen’s measured moves this summer looking all the better as he keeps options open. 

Key arrivals: Vincent Trochek, F; Anders Lee, F; Sebastian Cossa, G

Key departures: Sean Durzi, D; JJ Peterka, F; Alex Kerfoot, F; Ian Cole, D; Vitek Vaneck, G

The Mammoth got their first taste of playoff hockey this spring, and the lessons learned there informed their summer to-do list. 

After their big swing to land JJ Peterka ultimately didn’t yield the results expected, GM Bill Armstrong cut his losses and got a good return for the forward at the draft. That’s a win, as was another tidy draft-night trade for up-and-coming netminder Sebastian Cossa. His presence should ease the workload of Karel Vejmelka on the cheap (Cossa signed for two years at $2 million per).

After struggling to score in the post-season, the club got a pair of veterans to help finish on offence. Landing Vincent Trocheck via trade frees up plenty of options down the middle, while the presence of Anders Lee net-front could be a perfect fit. And then came extension season, which saw Armstrong lock in key contributors like Kailer Yamamoto, Kevin Stenlund, Barrett Hayton, and John Marino without weighing down the books. 

Key arrivals: Stuart Skinner, G; Mario Ferraro, D

Key departures: Eric Comrie, G; Gustav Nyqvist, F; Jonathan Toews, F

It’s early August, and Connor Hellebuyck is still a Jet. Will that hold true by September’s end? All that uncertainty makes the Jets’ season feel very much still in flux, but we’ll take the fact he remains in-house as a good sign for a team that has otherwise had a tidy little off-season.

Quiet, too. Kevn Cheveldayoff isn’t exactly known for stirring things up in the summer, so his calm approach to what could’ve been a chaotic off-season of rumours shouldn’t come as a surprise. Signing Mario Ferraro to a bargain three-year deal gives an affordable boost to the blue line’s third pairing while Stuart Skinner gives the club options in net: He’s a starter if you need him to be, and a really solid backup if Hellebuyck stays. Nice work there. Locking Cole Perfetti in at $6 million for the next five years looks good, too. Major questions still abound, but this is a roster just one season removed from the Presidents’ Trophy, and Cheveldayoff is staying the course.