Jarmo Kekalainen is indirectly tapping the brakes on trade speculation revolving around Colorado forward Matt Duchene and his Columbus Blue Jackets.
While he'd like to add a high-end player at the center position, Kekalainen isn't prepared to break the bank to get it done this summer.
"We have until the (trade) deadline next spring," Kekalainen told Aaron Portzline of The Dispatch. "We're always trying to improve our team, but we've always said we're not going to go crazy and mortgage the future to try and get a short-term fix.
"We feel like our window is just starting to crack open. We're a young team. We don't see any reason to try and go crazy. We don't want to be kicking ourselves two or three years from now."
The Blue Jackets are reported to be in the mix for Duchene's services, along with Nashville and Boston.
The NHL's free-agent signing period produced a bevy of action out of the gate, but things are cooling off a bit, with rather slim pickings remaining.
There are, however, still a few notable names out there.
Here's a look at the top 10 available unrestricted free agents based on 2016-17 performance.
Player
Position
Age
Goals
Points
Salary
Thomas Vanek
F
33
17
48
$2.6M
Jaromir Jagr
F
45
16
46
$4M
Mike Fisher
F
37
18
42
$4M
Andrei Markov
D
38
6
36
$4.25M
Brian Gionta
F
38
15
35
$3.25M
Matt Cullen
F
40
13
31
$1M
P.A. Parenteau
F
34
13
28
$1.25M
Jussi Jokinen
F
34
11
28
$4M
Jarome Iginla
F
40
14
27
$5M
Shane Doan
F
40
6
27
$3.867M
Vanek and Jokinen are the youngest of the bunch, and could very well kick off the next, small wave of signings.
Meanwhile, Cullen and Fisher appear to be contemplating their futures in the game, and Jagr, Iginla, and Doan may have to wait until Stanley Cup contenders get their salary-cap situations in order before being able to sign on.
And with Alexander Radulov having signed in Dallas, all signs point to Markov returning to Montreal.
Worst-case scenario: those who don't sign during the summer could be headed for professional tryouts come training camp, with no guarantee of a job come opening night.
Radulov decided to return to the NHL last summer after spending the previous several seasons in the KHL. He registered 18 goals and 36 assists during his brief stint in Montreal, and became a fan favorite along the way.
The winger was rewarded with term and a hefty raise from the Stars, reportedly turning down a similar offer from Montreal after having already agreed to sign with Dallas.
The Dallas Stars had a concrete to-do list entering the offseason, and so far, they've completed each task with flying colors.
After his team failed to qualify for the playoffs in 2016-17, general manager Jim Nill replaced Lindy Ruff behind the bench, luring Ken Hitchcock out of retirement. Hitchcock, a stickler for defensive structure throughout his lengthy coaching career, identified Dallas, where he won a Stanley Cup in 1999, as the only place for him.
He'll be tasked with helping a team known for its high-powered offense to defend as well as it scores goals, and Nill has done an outstanding job supplying his new coach with the personnel to make it happen.
In the crease
(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)
Defense certainly wasn't Dallas' strong suit as Ruff's tenure flamed out, but its goaltending was a flat-out disaster. The duo of Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi surrendered 260 goals - second-most behind the lowly Colorado Avalanche. Among all netminders with at least 30 games played last season, Niemi ranked dead last in save percentage at a dreadful .892, while Lehtonen was just two spots ahead, with a measly .902 mark.
In light of this, Nill went out and acquired the rights to Ben Bishop (who owns a career save percentage of .919) from Los Angeles, then quickly signed the hulking goalie to a six-year, $29.5-million deal to give the club a new No. 1.
On the blue line
In terms of improving Dallas' defense, Nill acquired veteran defender Marc Methot from the Vegas Golden Knights - a move that helps solidify the D corps, and should provide a stabilizing presence for young, offensive-minded blue-liners John Klingberg and Esa Lindell.
Dallas also addressed the future of its defense with the third overall pick, drafting Miro Heiskanen, who ranked fourth among international skaters on the NHL Central Scouting final rankings.
Goals, goals, goals
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
Perhaps most impressively, Nill has managed to build on his main position of strength: scoring. The Stars landed the big fish, signing Alexander Radulov to a five-year pact worth $31.25 million Monday. The soon-to-be 31-year-old resurrected his NHL career with the Montreal Canadiens a season ago, netting 54 points in 76 games.
Radulov often lacked a playmaker to match his capabilities during his pit stop in Montreal, and now he joins an offense that already features Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, Jason Spezza, and Martin Hanzal - Nill's other free-agent acquisition. This blend of size, skill, and speed has to be frightening for Western Conference opponents, and immediately provides the Stars with one of the most prolific forward platoons in the NHL.
Despite finishing 25th in league standings at 79 points last season, Dallas ranked 16th in goals scored with 222, a mark that placed the Stars ahead of the Calgary Flames, Anaheim Ducks, San Jose Sharks, and Ottawa Senators - all of which qualified for the postseason. Dallas also averaged 30.5 shots on goal per game, good for 12th in the NHL. Adding the likes of Radulov and Hanzal - two players who move the needle in terms of shot generation - make the Stars even tougher to defend.
Now, Hitchock may need time to implement the proper system. Chemistry, of course, is also a key factor in development when infusing new talent into a lineup. But in terms of addressing team needs, Nill and the Stars have stepped up and delivered, and are undoubtedly the early winners of the offseason.
Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill has been swinging for the fences lately, and so far, he's hitting nothing but jacks.
Nill's successful offseason continued Monday with the signing of prize free-agent winger Alexander Radulov to a five-year, $31.25-million deal. The Stars already boast some of the best offensive talent in the league in Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn, so it's understandable that he's excited about his crop of forwards.
"To add a forward of this stature to our lineup makes our top six as deep and talented as any group in this league," Nill said Monday.
The trio of offensive studs may not line up together on every shift, but they'll be expected to combine for a ton of points while giving opposing goalies nightmares.
If Dallas can find some form of consistent goaltending, which should be a lot easier with Ben Bishop in town and Antti Niemi now a Penguin, its depth up front should be enough to push the team back into the postseason for only the third time in a decade.
The charismatic winger signed a five-year, $31.25 million contract with the Stars on Monday, but reportedly turned down the same offer from the Canadiens, according to Renaud Lavioe of TVA Sports.
There was a catch in it all, however:
Alex Radulov says Habs offered same deal as Stars only after he agreed with Stars. At that point it was too late because he already agreed.
Radulov was seeking term and high value no matter where he signed, and after Marc Bergevin awarded netminder Carey Price an eight-year, $84-million contract extension on Sunday, he conceded keeping Radulov - and fellow UFA Andrei Markov - was impossible at their respective demands.
Last offseason, Bergevin took a chance on Radulov, who joined the Canadiens on a one-year contract after four years in the KHL. He recorded 18 goals and 36 assists during his brief stint in Montreal, and parlayed the success into a lucrative deal in free agency.
Washington Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan has been one of the busier GMs this offseason, and for good reason. His Capitals are up against the salary cap, and their roster has more holes in it than any Cup contender should.
As of Monday, MacLellan had just over $8 million remaining in available cap space for next season, while still needing at least another six players (three forwards, two defenseman, and a backup goalie) to fill out his roster.
So, when he took the stage to address some of those looming issues, all eyes and ears were on the Washington executive.
Here are four takeaways from MacLellan's press conference:
No Cup, but still hung over
After a team wins a Stanley Cup, you usually hear about it suffering from a "Cup hangover" - a clouded, thumping head full of confidence from the season prior.
According to MacLellan, the Caps are suffering from a similar hangover - minus the hardware, of course.
Here's the full GM Brian MacLellan quote on the Capitals going all-in, whiffing and suffering the consequences pic.twitter.com/h232IfE4B9
Going all in with his roster is commendable, but when you're left with the lineup Washington has, questions about MacLellan's future are bound to be raised. And soon.
On the surface, the moves don't seem like anything to write home about, but both decisions were apparently heavily influenced by the possibility of Kuznetsov bolting to Russia and the KHL.
#Caps GM Brian MacLellan admits Evgeny Kuznetsov had huge leverage. Could leave for Russia in 2 years. "We had to comply with his demands."
GMBM felt like there was a choice between allowing Kuznetsov to go to Russia for two years, then become UFA. Or trading Johansson.
— Isabelle Khurshudyan (@ikhurshudyan) July 3, 2017
It will be interesting to see if fellow Russians use the same kind of leverage in negotiations going forward.
Oshie, Kuznetsov signings mean cheap bottom-six options
Here's a classic case of "you can't have your cake and eat it too."
Locking down T.J. Oshie and Kuznetsov to long-term deals may seem kosher, but really it sets the team behind the eight ball in terms of cap management.
MacLellan was candid about that fact, admitting that the club will have to scrape the bottom of the bargain barrel for some cheap, bottom-six talent to fill out the roster.
GM MacLellan says that the Kuznetsov and Oshie signings mean a bargain basement fourth line this year.
It appears there will be a lot more Devante Smith-Pelly-type players joining the Capitals in the near future.
Orpik won't be bought out, will serve as mentor to younger players
One of the changes expected from Washington's front office this summer was the team moving on from veteran blue-liner Brooks Orpik, with a buyout being one of the options. After all, he'll be 37 years old at the start of next season.
According to MacLellan, however, the Capitals still value what Orpik brings to the table, and he'll be spending the foreseeable future on their back end.
I asked Capitals GM Brian MacLellan why they didn't buy out Brooks Orpik. His response: pic.twitter.com/JgofHkyjWK
As one of the most sought-after free-agent names of the summer, Radulov was targeted by a number of clubs, but his decision came down to the Stars and Montreal Canadiens.
In 76 regular-season games for the Habs last season, the 30-year-old registered 18 goals and 54 points - good enough for second in team scoring behind Max Pacioretty.
The contract carries an average annual value of $6.25 million, making it the richest deal handed out so far during free agency, topping Kevin Shattenkirk's $26.6 million pact with the New York Rangers.
Due to surgery to repair a labral tear in his hip, Hemsky was limited to just 15 games for the Dallas Stars last season, in which he recorded four goals and three assists.
The signing of the 33-year-old is just the latest move in what's already been a busy summer for general Marc Bergevin, already signing free agent defenseman Karl Alzner to a five-year contract, as well as dishing out an eight-year extension to all-star goaltender Carey Price.
