The action on the ice is getting pretty intense. We are only a week away from the start of the 2013 Stanley Cup Final. Only four teams remain in the playoffs, and though each series sits at 2-0, there will be plenty of hockey to decide the conference finalists.
Meanwhile, do you think that the 26 other NHL teams are sitting around watching and waiting for the next game? The answer is obviously no. There is a time to decompress for the players as they shave off their beards and lick their wounds (metaphorically, I hope).
The action behind the scenes is getting ready to pick up. Tough decisions about rosters, salary caps and draft picks will need to be sorted out. Free agency will be upon us in July and with the season being abbreviated; the Stanley Cup will be lifted later in June than normal. This means the NHL Entry Draft will happen only two weeks after the “official” end of the season.
There is always disappointment when you are eliminated from the playoffs. Whether it is a skunking at 4-0 or an epic seven game battle, a decision has to be made about whether the core of players should be kept together or altered. The fine line that a salary cap creates can keep a group together, or split them apart and rebuild if the financial picture doesn’t work. Here are five teams that have a great core in place and need to reload and not rebuild.
5. Detroit Red Wings-At the beginning of the season I would have suggested that Detroit needs to rebuild. Losing Niklas Lidstrom to retirement and replacing him with essentially no one looked like a disaster in the making. However, the emergence of young players like Gustav Nyquist, Danny Dekeyser, Brendan Smith and Joakim Andersson have the Red Wing faithful believing in general manager Ken Holland yet again. Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg are getting older but seem to be as good as ever.
4. San Jose Sharks-The window looks like it is well on it’s way to being shut for the Sharks. However, the Sharks have some young stars in Logan Couture and Joe Pavelski to support the gracefully aging Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau. If San Jose could figure out how to win on the road, they might still be playing for the Stanley Cup.
3. New York Rangers-Much has been made about how poor the Rangers looked in the series loss to Boston. Not as much has been made about how good Boston actually is. John Tortorella paid the price with his job, but the Rangers have the personnel in place to be much better in 2013-14. Rick Nash will be back with one of the best young defensive corps in the NHL. Anytime your goaltender is Henrik Lundqvist, you are in good shape.
2. Anaheim Ducks-The Ducks were a bit of a surprise this year, and managed to finish with the third-best record in the league. Bruce Boudreau will hope that he doesn’t repeat the regular season success/postseason failure that got him bounced in Washington. Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry both signed extensions and will be the core of this club for the next six years. The young talent that the Ducks have groomed Emerson Etem, Nick Bonino, Kyle Palmieri ensure that Anaheim will be a contender for a while.
1. Columbus Blue Jackets-Though they missed the playoffs by a whisker, the Jackets were one of the best stories of the season. The trade deadline acquisition of Marian Gaborik seemed to inject Columbus with instant offense while Sergei Bobrovsky kept pucks out of the Columbus net. Coach Todd Richards did an amazing job convincing his team that they could not only be competitive, but can win. Look out for the Blue Jackets next season.