Columbus Blue Jackets sniper Patrik Laine should have no problem exceeding his own expectations for the upcoming season.

"I've never been a numbers guy, like I don't set certain goals before the year, like 'I wanna score this many' or whatever," Laine told The Athletic's Aaron Portzline. "I just want to be a better player than I was last year, and that's gonna be easy this year, because I was pretty (much) shit last year."

Laine, who averaged 35 goals per season during his first four NHL campaigns, found twine just 12 times in 46 games last year - two of which came in his one tilt with the Winnipeg Jets before he was traded to the Blue Jackets.

The 23-year-old's underlying numbers were also dreadful: he posted a 40.4 expected goals share, and the Blue Jackets were outscored 45-22 when Laine was on the ice at five-on-five, per Natural Stat Trick.

A new season means a fresh start, and Laine should benefit from the offseason addition of established playmaker Jakub Voracek getting him the puck.

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Divisions: Metropolitan | Central | Pacific | Atlantic

With the NHL offseason all but wrapped up, we're handing out comprehensive grades for all 32 teams. The four-part series concludes with an in-depth look at each Atlantic Division club.

Some contract figures are reported. Most players on two-way deals have been omitted.

Boston Bruins

Key arrivals

Key departures

Re-signed

Rookies who could crack the lineup

The end of an era in Boston? Franchise pillars Krejci and Rask aren't with the team anymore, although it wouldn't be shocking if the latter re-signed in due time.

Krejci is clearly the bigger loss, though. Ullmark, who posted stellar numbers on some awful Sabres teams, should do just fine behind a perennially strong defensive club. However, Charlie Coyle, who tallied only 16 points over 51 games last year, has big shoes to fill to replace Krejci as the No. 2 center. Secondary scoring has always been a question mark for the Bruins, but perhaps never more so than now.

Veterans such as Foligno, Haula, Nosek, and Forbort should prove to be fine additions in supporting roles.

Replacing two cornerstones is never easy, but general manager Don Sweeney did some decent work this offseason - most notably re-signing Hall and Reilly for well below market value.

Grade: B-

Buffalo Sabres

Key arrivals

Key departures

Re-signed

Rookies who could crack the lineup

If the Sabres' goal is to tank this year and put themselves into the Fight for (Shane) Wright - the consensus top prospect in the upcoming draft - then, bravo. However, the Arizona Coyotes have a case for icing a worse roster.

Of course, this offseason can be viewed as nothing but incomplete until the Jack Eichel saga is settled. Keeping him is a major distraction, but GM Kevyn Adams is smart to wait until his asking price is met instead of accepting the best offer.

Adams did well in getting a surprisingly strong return for Ristolainen, but the package for Reinhart was underwhelming. Losing Ullmark and McCabe for nothing also stings.

It's slightly disappointing that Power, the 2021 No. 1 overall pick, will play another season at Michigan instead of turning pro, but that might be best for his development. He could still join the Sabres after his NCAA campaign finishes.

Grade: D

Detroit Red Wings

Key arrivals

Key departures

Re-signed

Rookies who could crack the lineup

Steve Yzerman made a few savvy moves and didn't lose anyone of significance as his slow rebuild of the Red Wings continued.

Suter and Nedeljkovic, specifically, were excellent additions. Both players are only 25, so they could potentially stick in Detroit once the club is ready to contend. The price for acquiring them was minimal, too. Suter was a free agent, and "Ned" only cost the team a third-round pick.

The Red Wings still have a ways to go, but Yzerman has his franchise on the right track.

Grade: B+

Florida Panthers

Key arrivals

Key departures

Re-signed

*extension beginning in 2022-23

Rookies who could crack the lineup

The Panthers had a clear offseason priority: keep the gang together. GM Bill Zito managed to do that by clearing cap space in the form of the Yandle buyout, Stralman trade, and allowing Wennberg and Driedger to walk.

The departures also created enough flexibility to add a much-needed top-six winger in Reinhart. Zito only gave up a first-round pick and a middling prospect to pluck the former Sabres winger and then signed him to a very reasonable contract.

This team still has question marks regarding the defense core and goaltending duo of veteran Sergei Bobrovsky and rookie Spencer Knight, but the Cats should still be an improved squad. The only thing preventing Zito from earning a higher grade is failing to get an Aleksander Barkov extension done.

Grade: B

Montreal Canadiens

Key arrivals

Key departures

Re-signed

Rookies who could crack the lineup

GM Marc Bergevin did a lot of good this offseason. Despite captain Shea Weber's long-term injuries leaving an enormous hole on the back end, the Habs brought in Savard - who will be a seamless fit - on a fair deal, considering what defensemen went for in free agency.

Bergevin also made the tough but smart decision not to match the Kotkaniemi offer sheet. Instead, he used those picks to acquire Dvorak, who, although older with less upside, is currently a better player on a better contract.

It wasn't all sunshine and roses for the Canadiens, though. Hoffman possesses a lethal shot and will help the power play, but he's very one-dimensional. It wouldn't be shocking if he ends up spending most of his time on the fourth line.

Of course, you can't discuss Montreal's offseason without mentioning the inexplicable decision to draft Logan Mailloux in the first round. That alone results in a full grade drop.

Grade: D+

Ottawa Senators

Key arrivals

Key departures

Re-signed

Rookies who could crack the lineup

Ottawa had a pretty underwhelming offseason for a team nearing the end of its rebuild and hoping to take the next step this year. The Senators have $24.5 million in cap space - and yes, Brady Tkachuk still needs a new contract - but their big offseason additions were Del Zotto and Holden?

The Sens are a small-market team and can have difficulty luring high-profile players, but it feels like GM Pierre Dorion could've done more to improve his club. Instead, he'll bank on the internal development of his young squad. Yes, the young core is very promising, but it surely could've benefited from adding an established veteran who can still play at a high level - ideally a center or defenseman.

Remember this quote from owner Eugene Melnyk in February 2019?

"The Senators will be all-in again for a five-year run of unparalleled success - where the team will plan to spend close to the NHL's salary cap every year from 2021 to 2025," he said.

It's safe to say Melnyk has failed to deliver on his promise thus far.

Grade: C-

Tampa Bay Lightning

Key arrivals

Key departures

Re-signed

*extension beginning in 2022-23

Rookies who could crack the lineup

The defending champs were inevitably going to lose some key pieces this offseason. Coleman and Goodrow were due for big pay raises, and they weren't going to get them in Tampa Bay. Plus, Nikita Kucherov's contract coming back on the books meant a couple of others would have to go. Gourde being taken in expansion and Johnson getting shipped to Chicago helped solve those cap issues.

Few NHL teams could lose four quality forwards and replace them with next to no cap space like the Lightning did. Bellemare is a solid fourth-line center, and Perry has shown that he still has some game left. Plus, the organization's incredible farm system continues to bear fruit: Barre-Boulet, Raddysh, and Katchouk appear ready for regular jobs, and Ross Colton and Mathieu Joseph should excel in 2021-22 with more responsibility.

GM Julien BriseBois was dealt a difficult hand this offseason, but he's put the Bolts in the best position possible to take a run at a third straight Stanley Cup.

Grade: A-

Toronto Maple Leafs

Key arrivals

Key departures

Re-signed

Rookies who could crack the lineup

Many thought a fifth straight opening-round exit would cause a massive shakeup in Leafland, but GM Kyle Dubas is sticking to his plan and keeping the Core Four together.

The strategy of paying four forwards half of the salary cap hasn't yielded playoff success yet, and it remains to be seen whether it can work at all. The Maple Leafs' forward depth could once again be an issue this coming season.

However, letting Zach Hyman walk was definitely the right call considering the massive contract he signed with the Oilers. Instead, Dubas opted to take a handful of low-risk, high-reward fliers on wingers like Ritchie, Kase, and Bunting. If two of them pan out, that's a win.

For the first time in nearly two decades, Toronto's defense was a strength of the team last season. The Leafs will miss Bogosian's physical presence, but this unit should remain effective - especially if 21-year-old Rasmus Sandin makes strides.

Failing to get an extension done with Morgan Rielly is concerning, though. It's too late to trade the 2022 pending UFA, and Dubas can't allow him to walk for free. One way or another, it would've been ideal to have Rielly's future resolved early in the offseason.

Grade: C

(Salary source: Cap Friendly)

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Few are looking forward to this season more than Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews, who didn't play in 2020-21.

"It feels really good to be back," he told reporters as the Blackhawks opened their training camp on Thursday, according to The Athletic's Scott Powers. "It's a brand new group in so many ways. It's a fresh start for the other guys, but for me especially."

The 33-year-old dealt with chronic immune response syndrome last season. The veteran was ruled out indefinitely in December 2020, saying at the time he was feeling "drained and lethargic."

Now Toews is reentering the mix alongside several new faces, including goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, defenseman Seth Jones, and forward Tyler Johnson.

Though Toews said he would love to play in the Blackhawks’ season opener, the center doesn't want to get ahead of himself since he's not yet "firing on all cylinders."

"I'm just taking it one day at a time, that's all I can really handle right now," he said. "I kind of got into the whole 'goals vs. expectations' thing and I had to think about that for a minute, but that’s my goal. I think I just have to keep being patient."

Toews has spent his entire career in Chicago. He's notched 815 points over 943 contests.

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New York Islanders prospect Bode Wilde confirmed he is not at the team's training camp because he has chosen not to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

"Hoping my human rights are enough to let me play ... what a world," the 21-year-old defenseman wrote in a comment on Instagram, according to Arthur Staple of The Athletic.

Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello said earlier this week that there was one minor-league player who wouldn't get vaccinated and the team planned for that person to play elsewhere this season.

"We will not allow any player in our organization (to) participate unless they are vaccinated," Lamoriello said, according to the New York Post's Mollie Walker.

The Islanders selected Wilde in the second round of the 2018 draft. He spent the 2020-21 season with the team's AHL affiliate, the Bridgeport Islanders, and registered six points in 22 games.

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Minnesota star Kirill Kaprizov seems just as relieved to put his contract negotiations behind him as Wild fans are.

"Obviously, it was stressful," Kaprizov said through a translator, according to The Athletic's Michael Russo. "The whole process was hard. Coming out of last season, I thought things would get done a little bit quicker. But these things take time. I completely understand.

"I'm really happy that I'm here now and I can just focus on hockey. Obviously extremely happy to be a part of the Minnesota Wild."

Kaprizov put pen to paper on a five-year, $45-million deal Tuesday following a summer full of obstacles, including a threat that the 24-year-old would sign with CSKA Moscow of the KHL.

When asked about the validity of that threat during his press conference with general manager Bill Guerin, the 2021 Calder Trophy winner said there was "no chance" he would have played in Russia this season.

Getting Kaprizov to stay in Minnesota was the most vital part of the Wild’s offseason. He stunned the league with 51 points in 55 games and he apparently isn't worried about a sophomore slump.

"There's not pressure, because now it's easy for me when I signed," Kaprizov said in English. "Now I just want to play. You know, it's like, 'Whew.' It's hockey."

Before signing his new deal, Kaprizov secretly flew to Florida so he could quarantine and receive an NHL-approved COVID-19 vaccination in hopes that he wouldn't have to miss any time in training camp.

On-ice sessions begin Thursday and Kaprizov is currently skating on his own. He needs one more negative test to join the team Friday, per Russo.

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Pittsburgh Penguins veteran Evgeni Malkin will miss at least the first two months of the season as he recovers from offseason knee surgery, general manager Ron Hextall announced Thursday, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

Malkin had the procedure in June.

More to come.

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In the surest sign that this NHL season matters across Canada, Pierre Dorion waxed optimistic. The general manager of the Ottawa Senators recently signed a contract extension, and when he spoke about the news, he asserted that his club has turned a corner: "The rebuild is done."

Even the Senators have playoff expectations in 2021-22.

Training camps are underway around the league, kicking off a pivotal year for the teams that briefly comprised the North Division. All seven have doubts to overcome or weighty objectives to fulfill. Ottawa bottomed out early in Dorion's GM tenure and fancies itself respectable again. The Montreal Canadiens just won three more playoff series than the Toronto Maple Leafs have in the salary-cap era. But Montreal's offseason was chaotic, and Stanley Cup finalists rarely repeat the feat.

On Friday, we'll cover why this season promises to be consequential for the Canadian franchises west of Ontario: the Winnipeg Jets, Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames, and Vancouver Canucks. For now, let's break down what Montreal, Toronto, and Ottawa are setting out to prove.

Can Montreal stay afloat in the Atlantic?

The North Division has disbanded and the Canadiens, fresh off charging as far as Game 5 of the Cup Final, must acclimate anew to life in the Atlantic. That would be the division that features the Tampa Bay Lightning, the NHL's back-to-back champions; the perennially good Boston Bruins and newly dangerous Florida Panthers; and the Leafs, playoff washouts who nonetheless played at a 100-point pace in three of the past four seasons.

The Detroit Red Wings and Buffalo Sabres figure to challenge for top odds in the draft lottery, so even if each of these heavyweights overtakes the Habs, they'd only need to beat Ottawa in the standings to contend for a wild-card berth against the middleweights in the Metro Division. Eke into the playoffs with a goaltender capable of greatness and victory is attainable in any matchup, as Carey Price proved in the spring against the Leafs, Jets, and Vegas Golden Knights.

Plenty has happened in Montreal since then. The Canadiens lost Phillip Danault to the Los Angeles Kings in free agency, Jesperi Kotkaniemi to the Carolina Hurricanes' cheeky offer sheet, and Shea Weber to a range of lower-body ailments that'll sideline the captain all season (and might force him to retire). Presented the chance to nab Price in the expansion draft, the Seattle Kraken instead selected AHL defenseman Cale Fleury.

When the dust settled, GM Marc Bergevin moved to acquire Christian Dvorak from the Arizona Coyotes, effectively offloading the draft-pick compensation he got from Carolina to plug a gap at center. Bergevin added Mike Hoffman and Mathieu Perreault up front and brokered a four-year deal with defenseman David Savard, Tampa Bay's main deadline addition in 2021. Price is expected to recover from knee surgery soon and Jonathan Drouin will return after missing the playoffs on personal leave.

Also back: Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, two of Montreal's three leading scorers in the postseason. They're the forwards who ought to anchor Les Glorieux for the next decade (barring any shenanigans when Suzuki hits restricted free agency next summer). But prolonging Montreal's contention window now is the priority, considering how many key players - Price, Savard, Jeff Petry, Ben Chiarot, Jake Allen - are into their 30s.

History suggests the Canadiens will struggle to mount another deep playoff run. No team that lost in the final has played for the Cup the following season since the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009. The last runner-up even to reach the conference finals the next year was Tampa Bay in 2016.

More recently, the Habs went 17-11-8 last season against Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, and Winnipeg, the Canadian teams they no longer face frequently. That's a .583 points percentage. Can they come close to matching that standard against Tampa Bay, Boston, and Florida?

Was Dubas right to keep Toronto's core intact?

Six players who dressed for Toronto's Game 7 defeat to Montreal in May went on to leave the team in free agency, charting new courses with the likes of Edmonton (Zach Hyman), Boston (Nick Foligno), Florida (Joe Thornton), and Tampa Bay (Zach Bogosian). Alex Galchenyuk signed a PTO with Arizona, and when Frederik Andersen joined Carolina, Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas signed Petr Mrazek in what amounted to a straight goalie swap.

Some of these departures were significant, but they don't represent the reset some corners of the fan base craved after the Leafs bungled yet another first-round playoff series. Dubas stood pat despite this fresh low, declining to explore trade packages for, say, Mitch Marner or William Nylander as they and Auston Matthews prepare to enter a sixth season together.

Nick Ritchie and Ondrej Kase were brought aboard to provide scoring punch, but it's this simple: Winning in the playoffs comes down to how the core performs.

Dubas deciding not to blow it up reflected his faith in Matthews, Marner, Nylander, and John Tavares, and the reality that Toronto needs them to deliver. Marner has to wait until next May for the chance to snap his infamous 18-game playoff goal drought. The Leafs might have ousted Montreal before Game 7 had Tavares not been concussed and suffered a knee injury in the series opener. But what-ifs are cheap when players of their collective caliber command 49.7% of the salary cap.

Is any Cup contender under comparable pressure? Maybe the Colorado Avalanche, who've yet to reach the conference finals with Nathan MacKinnon. Maybe the Vegas Golden Knights, who were massive favorites to beat Montreal. Maybe the Hurricanes, who've knocked on the door for a few years now. Maybe Pittsburgh and the Washington Capitals, whose superstar leaders are squarely in their mid-30s.

Those answers are all stretches, though; Toronto is uniquely stressed. The Leafs know well that this doesn't guarantee victory, but the path to a playoff run starts with winning the Atlantic, which should lock in a favorable matchup in Round 1. Matthews' comeback from wrist surgery and the reliability of the Mrazek-Jack Campbell netminding tandem are storylines to track in the meantime.

Is Ottawa ready to keep rising?

When Dorion succeeded the late Bryan Murray as Ottawa GM in 2016, he inherited a team that came one goal short of winning the following year's Eastern Conference title. Then the franchise's fortunes tanked. The Senators dealt Erik Karlsson and Mark Stone in a fire sale and went on to compile the second-worst record in the NHL between 2017-18 and 2019-20. (The Red Wings earned seven fewer points in that span.)

Finally, the Senators are out of the abyss. They got hot in 2021 amid Vancouver's late-season COVID-19 outbreak and overtook the Canucks by one point, finishing out of the North basement. The Sens flushed their 2-12-1 start and made genuine strides as the season continued. Ottawa played .561 hockey over the remaining 41 games - a league-average mark - and ended the year on a 10-3-1 roll. Progress!

The Senators were free of expectations last season; crowds were barred from Canadian arenas and the team's standings deficit was insurmountable by February. Spectators are about to return, and if they were inclined to generously spot the Sens another season to grow before demanding results, Dorion pre-empted this by declaring the rebuild complete.

The implication: Ottawa doesn't need more high-end prospects to complement the established core of Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle, Josh Norris, Drake Batherson, and Thomas Chabot. Tkachuk, whose RFA contract negotiations continue, led Ottawa with 36 points last season, which tied him for 85th in NHL scoring. The sooner these players boost their production a couple of notches, the smarter Dorion will look.

Improvement on defense needs to be coach D.J. Smith's priority. Ottawa ranked 27th in goals against last season, only slightly better than the prior three years. It's hard to see the Sens contending in the Atlantic until the blue line is equipped to trouble Tampa Bay and Toronto. Michael Del Zotto and Nick Holden were acquired as stopgaps, there to eat minutes until Jacob Bernard-Docker and Jake Sanderson make the leap from the AHL and the University of North Dakota, respectively.

Ottawa's best goaltenders last season were Anton Forsberg, Matt Murray's likely backup; Filip Gustavsson, who'll start for AHL Belleville; and Joey Daccord, whose play and expansion-draft exposure persuaded the Kraken to pick him. Murray ranked bottom five in the league in goals saved above expected, per Evolving-Hockey. If any Senator is embarking on a make-or-break year, it's him.

Nick Faris is a features writer at theScore.

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The NHL concluded its investigation into gambling allegations against Evander Kane and found no evidence the San Jose Sharks forward wagered on any games.

"The investigation uncovered no evidence to corroborate Ms. Kane’s accusations that Mr. Kane bet or otherwise participated in gambling on NHL games, and no evidence to corroborate the allegations that Mr. Kane 'threw' games or did not put forward his best effort to help the Sharks win games," the league announced Wednesday. "To the contrary, the evidence raises doubts about the veracity of the allegations."

Kane's wife, Anna, alleged online in July that he gambled and threw his own games as a result of deep gambling debts. Kane denied the claims at the time but did recently admit his gambling addiction led him to file for bankruptcy earlier this year.

While the NHL considers the gambling case closed, the league announced it will be investigating additional unrelated allegations against Kane involving potential wrongdoing. The league provided no additional comments on the matter.

Kane, 30, is under contract with the Sharks for four more years. He led the club in scoring with 49 points in 56 games last season. However, reports surfaced this offseason that San Jose tried to trade the winger and several teammates don't want him back with the team.

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