The Blues are looking to make their big moves a few years down the road, once their small army of prospects is ready to advance.
Meanwhile the Nashville Predators to make their move right now. A year ago, new Preds general manager Barry Trotz was designing a Blues-like retooling on the fly.
Then led by a resurgent Ryan O'Reilly, Trotz's team exceeded expectations. That inspired him to go for it this summer with a series of signings that will enrich veterans deep into their 30s. '
That will certainly become a problem someday, but right now ranks Nashville at No. 7 in its Super 16 rankings and ESPN had them at No. 8 in its offseason power rankings.
(ESPN has the Blues down at No. 23, which isn’t surprising given GM Doug Armstrong’s decision to stick with his long-range plan).
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Writing for The Defector, Lauren Theisen walks us through Trotz’s shift in direction:
One year ago, the Nashville Predators needed to change. In the summer of 2023, they'd just missed the playoffs for the first time in nine years and had completed a perfectly neat rise-and-fall arc. But rather than blow up the roster right away, they gave their off-ice personnel a dramatic makeover. Barry Trotz, the former Nashville head coach who went on to find success in Washington and on Long Island, was hired as just the franchise's second-ever GM. Andrew Brunette, who achieved regular-season success as the Panthers' interim coach in 2021–22 but didn't get the permanent gig, became the new man behind the bench.
Both these moves were head-turners, but that first year felt like a transitional one—a prelude to the team we'd see after they'd really been able to put their stamp on the Preds. True to those expectations, Nashville made a push in the latter part of the season to earn the seventh spot in the West, then were KOed by Vancouver. The roster, as it stood, was not that of a team on the rise. Of their top three skaters by ice time, the youngest was 33, and the same went for three of their top four goal-scorers. Particularly after they dealt Ryan McDonagh, one of those old ice-time guys, for draft picks, the Preds looked ready to grab some prospects, suffer some down years, and eye the long and difficult climb back up.
But then the Predators got their big knifey teeth into the free-agent market. Whereas some teams made one big move, and some others made a handful of medium moves, the Preds grabbed a trio of pricey veteran players to cement themselves as the destination for people in their 30s. Turn up the Arctic Monkeys and MGMT on your iPod Touch—it's a new kind of party in Nashville.
Going in ascending order of average annual value, the Preds' least burdensome add was Mr. Vegas himself, Jonathan Marchessault. I can't help but feel a little melancholy about the Knights losing one of their last original "Misfits," but he commanded a lot of executives' attention after a career-best 42-goal year at age 33. While there's no reason to believe he can better that mark, Marchessault's iron-man season at least indicates that the lovable winger has more miles left in him.
Down at the blue line, the Preds got a sought-after defenseman in Brady Skjei for seven years at $7 million per. That's a lot to be paying a guy until he's 37, but at least in the short term, Skjei is a replacement for McDonagh's minutes, bringing offensive pop and a steadfast mindset from a Hurricanes team that held the league to fewer shots on goal than any other.
Those two signings would have been a full week for any GM, but the real splash is Steven Stamkos. A lifelong Tampa icon who scored 555 goals with the club, the 34-year-old Cup-winning former captain answered the questions about his future with a four-year, $32 million contract that'll help defray his moving costs. Stammer racked up yet another 40 goals with the Bolts this past year, but he was beginning to look more one-dimensional than ever—an elite power play sniper and a defensive liability. It'll be on Brunette to find the right fit for him in his lines, but as a leader, he's the ideal.
Here is what folks have been writing about the NHL’s offseason:
Ryan S. Clark, : “The Red Wings had 13 players who finished with more than 10 goals during the 2023-24 season; however, they lost three of those players this offseason. (David) Perron and defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere left in free agency while Jake Walman was traded to the San Jose Sharks. It left an opening for a proven goal scorer for a team just barely missed the playoffs. So who better to call, or sign, than a two-time Stanley Cup winner who not only gives the Red Wings another top-six option but adds another figure to a power play that was ninth in the NHL with a 23.1% success rate? As for the actual contract itself, giving him two years at $4.75 million AAV is the type of deal that provides a sense of comfort for Red Wings. It's a pact that's long enough to build continuity, but not too long that it's an inescapable deal in the event he struggles to find consistency.”
Larry Brooks, New York Post: “The Cup can neither be won or lost the first week of July, but I dare you to tell me a team in the East that took more strides to lifting the chalice in 11 months than the Devils. GM Tom Fitzgerald and the New Jersey hierarchy followed their curious gap year with a strategic vengeance that, if it did not address every deficiency, seems to have come pretty darn close, and that started with the hiring of Sheldon Keefe behind the bench as head coach. Jacob Markstrom has filled the void in net, Brett Pesce and Brenden Dillon should solidify a defense that was way too skittish and young last season, the additions of Stefan Noesen and Paul Cotter should solidify and add physicality to the bottom six with Tomas Tatar adding depth to the middle of the lineup. The Devils have been a little bit too cool for school the past couple of years. Too much of a surfer vibe. That was obliquely referenced by Fitzgerald, who talked about having created ‘a more mature team.’â€
Ryan Lambert, EP Rinkside: “If this year's Sharks, with (Will) Smith, (Macklin) Celebrini, a couple other guys on ELCs, and some newly acquired, solid veterans, got to 80 points, that would be a borderline unfathomable achievement. I suspect they will not be doing that, mostly because the goaltending tandem is Mackenzie Blackwood and Vitek Vanecek , and their defense is still in rough shape. It was a little surprising to see Celebrini go pro. Not because he isn't good enough to be a full-time NHLer (he is) or had any work left to do at the NCAA level (he doesn't), but just because even after loading up on useful veterans, the Sharks' most likely outcome is ‘in the basement’ and, again, NHL teams generally don't want to expose even highly qualified teen rookies to that kind of environment. Lots of losses are in the offing, much like how things went for Chicago this past season. And obviously that team had the volume and severity of injuries you hopefully wouldn't wish on your worst enemy, but even if everyone was healthy and things go great, what are they, like a 23rd-place team? Might have been just as good to let the 18-year-old annihilate the NCAA again, but it's easy to see why he wanted to sign. Again, what's the goal if he's back at Boston University, like 100 points and more PK time? Not really that important in the grand scheme of things.â€
Scott Maxwell, Daily Faceoff: “I had rated Matt Duchene ‘s (one-year, $3 million) deal with the Stars last year very highly, as it was a great example of Duchene coming off a buyout and taking a discount to try and win with Dallas. It was a big reason why the Stars’ depth up front last season was so imposing, and he clearly benefitted from it with 65 points in 80 games. Going into the offseason, I thought that it would be a challenge for the Stars to replicate that depth this season, largely because I assumed that they would be priced out of bringing back Duchene. And yet, here Duchene is, back on the exact same deal for another season. While they did lose a couple pieces up front, they still managed to retain all of the important ones, so having Duchene back in the same spot again next season means that Dallas will likely be just as successful next season. What else is there to really say here? We already know how he does in this role and on this contract, so if it was a win last season, the only thing preventing it from being a win this season is that he’s one more year past 30.â€
Dan Rosen, : “Quinn Hughes, who won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman last season, said in Las Vegas that the Canucks learned a lot last season about being a winning team and what it takes to be a contender. He said they will be better for it. He might very well be right. They took strides in that direction this offseason by signing three players in forwards Jake DeBrusk and Danton Heinen, and defenseman Derek Forbort, who all come from a winning culture in Boston. They will bring that to the Canucks, who need to build on last season’s success in order to establish the winning culture they want to have in Vancouver. Re-signing defenseman Filip Hronek and signing defenseman Vincent Desharmais, who also comes from a winning culture in Edmonton, are two important moves as well.”
Adam Proteau, The Hockey News: “With 25 goals and 61 points in 82 games this past season, (Nikolai) Ehlers was one of Winnipeg’s best generators of offense. But he’s on the hot seat because of his contractual status. Ehlers is heading into the final season of his current contract, meaning Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff could deal him by next season’s trade deadline or sooner. There would be no shortage of suitors for Ehlers, either as a pure rental this season or as a long-term solution for a new team. His $6-million annual salary isn’t so bulky as to scare away many teams, and even with a raise beginning in 2025-26, Ehlers is still a high-value target who will create interest from inside and outside of Winnipeg.â€
MEGAPHONE
“I think he's going to be so good for the group. Obviously he's a proven winner, but just the way he plays, how hard he plays, I think a lot of players in general, not just young guys but the whole team will see how hard he works and how much effort he gives every shift and that's why he has a couple Stanley Cups to his name too.â€
Detroit Red Wings winger Patrick Kane, on the team signing Vladimir Tarasenko.