Divisions: Metropolitan | Central | Pacific (Sept. 22) | Atlantic (Sept. 23)

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

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

Arizona Coyotes

Key arrivals

Key departures

Re-signed

N/A

Rookies who could crack the lineup

The Coyotes had themselves an offseason for the ages, holding a fire sale and taking on bad contracts from teams all over the league.

Longtime captain Ekman-Larsson and the up-and-coming Garland were offloaded to Vancouver in exchange for a trio of veterans on expiring deals. Raanta and Kuemper are out of the picture after sharing the crease for the last several campaigns. The upcoming season will be miserable for an Arizona roster that will find it extremely difficult to compete on most nights.

This isn't all for nothing, though. The Coyotes stockpiled an absurd amount of draft picks over the last few months. They have three first-round selections in next year's deep draft, alongside a whopping five in the second round, and they'll surely be in the mix for the No. 1 pick. Plus, the club will be selling at this year's deadline to tack on more assets. The rebuild is on in Arizona.

Grade: B+

Chicago Blackhawks

Key arrivals

Key departures

Re-signed

Rookies who could crack the lineup

Not many teams had a busier offseason than the Blackhawks.

The club scored a massive win by virtually acquiring both Fleury and Johnson for free. Fleury proved last campaign that he can still perform as one of the league's best goalies, which was a position of desperate need for Chicago. Meanwhile, Johnson's price tag may look slightly high, but he's still a more than capable middle-six center that played a key role on Tampa Bay's Stanley Cup squads.

The Blackhawks also bolstered their defense in a number of ways. They brought in Seth Jones to be the team's No. 1 blue-liner, as well as McCabe and Seth's brother, Caleb, to provide considerable depth. Trading away team legend Duncan Keith wasn't an easy decision, but it was necessary to improve the team.

If Toews returns this season, as expected, the Blackhawks will find themselves with a deep, talented lineup that could surprise many.

Grade: A-

Colorado Avalanche

Key arrivals

Key departures

Re-signed

Rookies who could crack lineup

The Avalanche didn't do a whole lot this offseason, likely due to a looming Nathan MacKinnon extension that has to be signed within the next two years. They did lock up Makar and Landeskog on long-term, relatively team-friendly deals, which will bolster the club for the coming seasons.

However, Colorado lost a number of key contributors from last campaign, such as Saad, Grubauer, and Donskoi. The team acquired Kuemper - who's been great when he's been healthy - to take over in the crease, but he carries a big injury risk.

The Avalanche should still, once again, be a legitimate Stanley Cup contender with all of their core stars returning. But those players will have to be on the top of their games.

Grade: C

Dallas Stars

Key arrivals

Key departures

Re-signed

Rookies who could crack lineup

The Stars are largely running it back with the same lineup that missed the postseason last campaign, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Dallas' season was derailed by a massive COVID-19 outbreak early on. Add in the team's lengthy Stanley Cup Final run just months prior and a number of injuries to key players, and it's not all that surprising that the club didn't get the results it wanted in a shortened campaign.

With Ben Bishop's health for the upcoming season uncertain, the Stars went out and fetched Holtby, who'll be a reliable counterpart to Anton Khudobin. The club's other big move was bringing in Suter, who'll slot into the team's top four. With players like Tyler Seguin and Alexander Radulov expected to be back at full health, Dallas will have one of the NHL's deepest lineups.

Grade: B-

Minnesota Wild

Key arrivals

Key departures

Re-signed

Rookies who could crack lineup

The main focus of the Wild's offseason was to sign rookie phenom Kirill Kaprizov to a new deal. In the final moments before training camp opened, general manager Bill Guerin finally hammered one out.

Guerin had to cough up a significant amount of money to keep the 24-year-old in Minnesota, but it should be worth it. Kaprizov breathed life into Minnesota's lineup as he led the team to a playoff berth. He's the star the Wild have been desperately searching for, and getting a deal done with him was paramount.

Buying out Parise and Suter were slightly head-scratching moves despite their big price tags, since both veterans were still playing solid hockey. Minnesota is surely hoping youngsters Rossi and Boldy make the jump to the NHL at some point this season, and if they can, Minnesota should once again be a dark horse.

Grade: B

Nashville Predators

Key arrivals

Key departures

Re-signed

Rookies who could crack lineup

The Predators' offseason was a mixed bag, with a number of key players leaving and not a whole lot coming in.

Things began with the team dealing Arvidsson to the Los Angeles Kings out of fear of losing him for nothing to Seattle in the expansion draft. The club then lost the underrated Jarnkrok to the Kraken and later dealt away Ellis to the Philadelphia Flyers, getting back a solid top-four defenseman in Myers and a risky gamble in Glass.

Nashville seems to be in a bit of a tricky spot. Ryan Johansen and Matt Duchene's massive contracts will make it hard for the club to undergo any sort of true rebuild. Filip Forsberg and Mattias Ekholm are playing on expiring contracts this year. If there's no extension on the horizon for either player, GM David Poile would've been better off trading them this summer to maximize the return.

Grade: D+

St. Louis Blues

Key arrivals

Key departures

Re-signed

Rookies who could crack lineup

The Blues had a relatively quiet yet effective offseason overall.

Although the team lost both Hoffman and Schwartz - two top-six wingers who provided offensive firepower - replacing them with Saad and Buchnevich was some tidy work. St. Louis also dished out solid contracts to depth players like Barbashev and Sanford, and the club locked up the always reliable Parayko to a long-term deal at a reasonable price.

Rumors swirled around all summer long that Vladimir Tarasenko would be traded, but he's still around and looks like he'll be in the lineup, at least to start the season. This was a smart move by GM Doug Armstrong with Tarasenko's trade value at an all-time low, as there's a good chance he returns to his old goal-scoring ways now that he's fully healthy.

Grade: B+

Winnipeg Jets

Key arrivals

Key departures

Re-signed

Rookies who could crack lineup

The Jets addressed their one glaring issue this offseason: a porous defense.

With one of the league's best goaltenders in Connor Hellebuyck and an extremely talented forward group highlighted by Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, Blake Wheeler, and Nikolaj Ehlers, Winnipeg's blue line has been its ultimate downfall for years.

But with the additions of Dillon and Schmidt, the Jets will now be able to roll out three really solid pairings next season. The club now has enough defensive depth to withstand an injury or two, especially if a youngster like Heinola is ready to make the jump. Not losing one of Stanley or Dylan DeMelo to the Kraken in the expansion draft was huge. This could be the team's best lineup of the past few years.

Grade: B

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The Minnesota Wild re-signed forward Kirill Kaprizov to a five-year contract with an average annual value of $9 million, the team announced Tuesday.

Contract negotiations between the two sides were ongoing for the entire offseason, with general manager Bill Guerin saying on Sept. 13 that there were "obstacles" holding up talks. There were also rumors Kaprizov would return to the KHL.

Kaprizov, 24, dominated in his first year in the NHL. He was the near-unanimous winner of the Calder Trophy - receiving 99 of 100 first-place votes - after scoring 27 goals and adding 24 assists in 55 games en route to the club's trip to the postseason.

The Wild selected Kaprizov in the fifth round of the 2015 NHL Draft, but he first spent five seasons playing in the KHL.

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The Columbus Blue Jackets signed goaltender Elvis Merzlikins to a five-year contract extension worth $27 million, the team announced Tuesday.

Merzlikins will play out the 2021-22 campaign on his current deal, which pays him $4 million. His extension kicks in for 2022-23.

"Goaltending is a position of strength for our team and Elvis Merzlikins has been an important part of that over the past two seasons so we are very excited to have agreed to terms on a contract extension that will keep him in Columbus for at least the next six years," said general manager Jarmo Kekalainen.

He added: "He is big, athletic, and has a tremendous passion for the game and we believe he will be an integral part of our success in the coming years."

Columbus drafted Merzlikins in the third round in 2014. He broke into the NHL in 2019-20 and has posted a .920 save percentage across 61 appearances.

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Columbus Blue Jackets president of hockey operations John Davidson confirmed Tuesday that forward Zac Rinaldo was not invited to training camp because he is not vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the Columbus Dispatch's Brian Hedger.

Davidson added that the rest of the Blue Jackets' 67 camp invitees are all vaccinated and Rinaldo will start with the club's AHL affiliate once it begins to practice.

Ronaldo, a 31-year-old Ontario native, appeared at a right-wing political rally in Canada last week and gave a speech against vaccine passports. "I'm not anti-vax, I'm not anti-mask. I'm pro choice," he said, according to the Hamilton Spectator's Matthew Van Dongen.

"The ball is in his court right now," Columbus general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said Tuesday, per The Athletic's Aaron Portzline. "We do everything as a team. That's a requirement of being a Blue Jacket. We're going with the group we have here, which is 100% vaccinated. We'll see how it develops."

This isn't the first time that the Blue Jackets have had to navigate the NHL's new vaccination protocols. They had to replace assistant coach Sylvain Lefebvre earlier in September after he refused to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

The NHL released a memo in August saying all hockey operations personnel must be fully vaccinated. Teams can reportedly suspend unvaccinated players if they are unable to participate in league activities. Players can apparently be excepted from that policy for medical reasons or due to strong religious beliefs.

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly projected 98% of players will be vaccinated by the time the 2021-22 season begins in October.

Rinaldo signed a one-year, two-way $750,000 deal with Columbus this offseason.

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A fixture in the broadcast booth is stepping away, as Jim Hughson called it a career Tuesday after 42 years behind the mic.

"This is a decision I made in consultation with my family, and I'm very much at peace with it," the veteran play-by-play voice said in a statement. "My only goal in this industry was to work at the highest level and on the last day of the season. I've had that opportunity a number of times and will always be grateful for it."

Hughson was a prominent broadcaster on Hockey Night in Canada for years. In 2019, the Hockey Hall of Fame gave him the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award to recognize his contributions to the sport.

The British Columbia-born commentator was limited to calling Vancouver Canucks home games last season because he didn't travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hughson called 12 Stanley Cup Finals and the Olympic men's hockey tournaments in 2006 and 2014. He worked primarily on Canucks and Maple Leafs broadcasts for HNIC. Hughson also called Major League Baseball games earlier in his career and frequently voiced EA Sports' NHL video games.

He'll turn 65 on Oct. 9.

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Alex Galchenyuk is apparently giving it another go with the Arizona Coyotes.

The 27-year-old forward signed a professional tryout deal in the desert Tuesday, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.

Galchenyuk played for the Coyotes during the 2018-19 season, recording 41 points over 72 games. He's played for six teams throughout his NHL career thus far, including the Montreal Canadiens, Pittsburgh Penguins, Minnesota Wild, Ottawa Senators, and, most recently, Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Leafs were pleasantly surprised by Galchenyuk's performance last campaign after acquiring him midseason. Galchenyuk registered 12 points across 26 regular-season contests in Toronto.

He's coming off a one-year deal worth $1.05 million.

Galchenyuk has scored 140 goals and 193 assists over 583 career games.

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The Detroit Red Wings are bringing back forward Bobby Ryan on a professional tryout, the team announced Tuesday.

Ryan suited up for the club in 2020-21 after signing a one-year deal worth $1 million during the offseason.

He registered 14 points over 33 contests while averaging 15:19 minutes per game, but his campaign was cut short after the veteran suffered an upper-body injury in late March. The 34-year-old underwent surgery a month later.

The winger spent the first 14 seasons of his NHL career with the Anaheim Ducks and Ottawa Senators. He's recorded 569 points over 866 games.

Ryan was awarded the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy in 2020.

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The Detroit Red Wings are bringing back forward Bobby Ryan on a professional tryout, the team announced Tuesday.

Ryan suited up for the club in 2020-21 after signing a one-year deal worth $1 million during the offseason.

He registered 14 points over 33 contests while averaging 15:19 minutes per game, but his campaign was cut short after the veteran suffered an upper-body injury in late March. The 34-year-old underwent surgery a month later.

The winger spent the first 14 seasons of his NHL career with the Anaheim Ducks and Ottawa Senators. He's recorded 569 points over 866 games.

Ryan was awarded the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy in 2020.

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