New owner Tom Dundon wasn't shy when discussing what he wants to see out of the Canes at his end-of-season press conference, saying the team needs a major shake-up, and adding that "either the players have to be tougher or you bring in tougher players."
While he didn't give specific names, Dundon clearly thought many of his team's players underachieved.
"Right now we have a lot of good assets," he said. "We didn't get enough out of any of those assets."
The Hurricanes were many experts' hot pick to leap into the postseason this year, but they didn't come close, finishing 14 points out of a playoff spot.
In many instances, the head coach takes the fall when a team fails to meet expectations, but Dundon says no decisions have been made on Bill Peters' future, per Michael Smith.
The search for the heir apparent to Ron Francis is ongoing, but Don Waddell will handle interim GM duties in the meantime, Dundon said, according to Smith.
There is no denying it: the Ottawa Senators' 2017-18 season was a complete dumpster fire, as the team finished with an embarrassing 67 points only one season removed from coming within a goal of the Stanley Cup Final.
However, all the losing isn't getting in the way of defenseman Erik Karlsson's desire to remain with the organization, as Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch reports that Karlsson still intends to sit down and discuss his future plans with Ottawa's front office.
"I'm going to deal with that as we move along this summer, but I'm still hopeful that the puck that I picked up is not going to be the one that's going to be the last," Karlsson said Monday during locker clean-out day.
The puck Karlsson mentions is the much-discussed piece of vulcanized rubber he tucked into his pants after the Senators' last home game of the season.
Karlsson is coming off his fifth consecutive campaign with at least 60 points, registering nine goals and 53 assists in 71 games.
There is no denying it: the Ottawa Senators' 2017-18 season was a complete dumpster fire, as the team finished with an embarrassing 67 points only one season removed from coming within a goal of the Stanley Cup Final.
However, all the losing isn't getting in the way of defenseman Erik Karlsson's desire to remain with the organization, as Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch reports that Karlsson still intends to sit down and discuss his future plans with Ottawa's front office.
"I'm going to deal with that as we move along this summer, but I'm still hopeful that the puck that I picked up is not going to be the one that's going to be the last," Karlsson said Monday during locker clean-out day.
The puck Karlsson mentions is the much-discussed piece of vulcanized rubber he tucked into his pants after the Senators' last home game of the season.
Karlsson is coming off his fifth consecutive campaign with at least 60 points, registering nine goals and 53 assists in 71 games.
Even though the Hawks had a down season, Kane was once again a stalwart, as he led the club with 76 points in 82 games. He brings a wealth of international experience to the table for what will likely be a youthful team.
The 20-year-old DeBrincat led Chicago with 28 goals in his rookie season, and finished right behind Kane with 52 points.
The tournament begins May 4 in Copenhagen and Herning, Denmark.
Since the NHL's current playoff format was implemented in 2013-14, fans have criticized the tendency for a conference's two best teams to square off in the second round rather than the conference final.
As unfair as that can be, it makes it much easier to predict the final four teams, and that's what NHL playoff pools are all about.
The goal isn't necessarily picking the best players, it's about choosing players from teams that will go the furthest. More games obviously result in more opportunities to collect goals and assists.
This is easier said than done, however. Stacking your roster with players from the Lightning and Predators seems like the best way to build your team, but those players will go early and often (or be ridiculously expensive in auction formats).
The best way to extract value is to stack your roster with players from a team that isn't expected to go deep into the playoffs. A wild-card team with a tough road matchup will be overlooked, but in a league with so much parity, any team is capable of getting hot at the right time and making a run to the Cup Final.
In fact, in each season since the playoff reformatting, the Stanley Cup Final has had at least one team that was a three seed in their division or a wild-card team and started the first round of the playoffs on the road. Anyone who stacked their playoff pool teams with Predators players last year, or Sharks players the year prior, likely reaped the benefits, given neither team was expected to make it out of the first round.
Using this strategy has its downsides, though. With a boom-or-bust philosophy, there's a chance one of the teams you bank on could lose in the first round. However, sprinkling in players from a variety of teams gives you a high floor, but virtually no shot at winning the whole thing - which is what it's all about.
With that being said, here are a few under-the-radar teams that could help you win your playoff pool this year:
Los Angeles Kings
The Kings will take on the Golden Knights in the first round. That seems like a daunting task, but it's a matchup they've fared well in this year, going 2-1-1 against the Knights, including back-to-back wins in late February.
More importantly, the Kings have played their best hockey over the past month or so. Beginning with those back-to-back wins, they're 12-5-3 in their last 20 games, which has unsurprisingly coincided with the return of Jeff Carter, who missed nearly four months due to injury.
The Kings are 17-5-4 with Carter in the lineup and 28-24-4 without.
This should go without saying, but if you take any Kings players, don't take any Ducks players, as only one of them can make it through to the conference finals.
Though the Ducks finished as the second seed in the Pacific, they've flown under the radar due to their injury problems. They're still not out of the woods, as Cam Fowler will likely miss the whole first round and John Gibson may not be ready for the series opener.
However, their opponent, the Sharks, doesn't have a clean bill of health either, as Joe Thornton hasn't played since Jan. 23. Thornton isn't the player he once was, and the Sharks have managed without him, but in what will surely be a physical series, not having the big-bodied center is a massive loss.
The Ducks enter the playoffs red-hot, having won five in a row, and are 10-1-1 in their last 12 games, while the Sharks stumbled to the finish line, going 1-5-2 in their last eight games.
Choosing a sleeper in the Eastern Conference is much more difficult than the West. Nonetheless, going through the Metropolitan Division will be a much easier road to the final four rather than going through the Atlantic Division, making the Blue Jackets an intriguing team to draft from.
The Jackets are seemingly built for playoff hockey. They're big, physical, and excellent at five-on-five. This is key because, in the past, referees have called far fewer penalties in the playoffs compared to the regular season.
Sergei Bobrovsky hasn't fared well against the Capitals in the past - or in the playoffs in general. He'll undoubtedly have to be Columbus' best player in order for it to come out on top. But if he gets hot, he can carry the team far.
Focusing on one of the three teams above is smart, but it doesn't mean you should target their players right off the hop. They're sleepers for a reason.
If you have the first overall pick, Nikita Kucherov is your safest bet. While the Lightning's second-round matchup will be tough, the Devils are the easiest first-round opponent any team will face.
Here's how you should value the remainder of the top players. Remember, don't take multiple players coming out of the same divisional bracket. Pick one or maybe two teams per conference and load up on their best players.
The 23-year-old enjoyed a breakout senior year at the University of Michigan, finishing first on the team with 25 goals, and second with 45 points in 40 games.
As the team captain, Calderone was also instrumental in leading the Wolverines to the Frozen Four semifinal, where they were defeated by the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
It's a shame the Stars were already out of postseason contention, because Benn had a week for the ages. He recorded two hat tricks in three games - becoming the seventh player in Stars history to do so - and seven goals in total during the final week of the season.
2nd star - Luongo
Luongo's dazzling performance was also all for not, as the Panthers were eliminated from the playoff race. The veteran netminder went 3-0-0 with a 1.59 goals-against average and .955 save percentage in four appearances.
3rd star - Giroux
Though Giroux was the third star of the week, his performance was much more meaningful than the other two. He collected five goals and two assists in three games, including his first career hat trick in the Flyers' playoff-clinching game against the Rangers.
After finishing at or near the bottom of the NHL standings in all three seasons since his trade to Buffalo, losing is starting to take its toll on Sabres center Ryan O'Reilly.
O'Reilly was asked about yet another tough season while Buffalo players cleared out their lockers Monday, and was candid in his response. "It's disappointing, it's sad," he told Joe Yerdon of NHL.com.
"I feel throughout the year I've lost the love of the game multiple times. I need to get back to it; it's eaten myself up and you can see other guys, too. It's eaten myself up. It's tough."
Buffalo managed only 25 wins this season, the lowest total since O'Reilly joined the team in 2015. Overall, the Sabres haven't qualified for the playoffs since 2011.
However, missing the playoffs with Buffalo has at least given O'Reilly the opportunity to compete in the IIHF World Championship the last two seasons (he also participated in 2012, 2013, and 2015 while playing for the Colorado Avalanche). And he announced last week that he'll be making the trip to Denmark next month to represent Canada once again.
The 27-year-old recorded 24 goals and 37 assists in 81 games this season for Buffalo.
Humboldt Broncos defenseman Ryan Straschnitzki suffered a broken back and is paralyzed from the chest down following the horrific bus crash that left 15 dead on Friday, but it hasn't stopped him from wanting to get back out on the ice.
"He keeps wanting to try and move his legs, of course, because he wants to go back skating," Ryan's father, Tom, told Sammy Hudes and Ryan Rumbolt of the Calgary Herald. "He just looked at me and his mother and he goes, 'Well, I'm gonna get onto the Olympic sledge hockey team.'
"He’s an amazing kid, that boy."
The 18-year-old Straschnitzki underwent a successful seven-hour surgery, in which rods and pins were placed in his back, and fluids were removed from his lungs where there had been bleeding.
It would be easy for Straschnitzki to dwell on the fact that he'll likely never walk again, but instead, he's apparently keeping a positive outlook on life. It's one of the lone positive stories to come out of this tragedy.
The Humboldt Broncos, the community, and the nation grieved as one Sunday night as hundreds gathered in Humboldt, Saskatchewan to mourn those killed and injured in Friday's tragic bus crash.
In a vigil at the Broncos' arena, team president Kevin Garinger struggled to hold back tears as he read aloud the names of the victims.
The vigil was organized by the provincial government and local faith leaders, according to CBC News' Guy Quenneville.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in attendance.
Of the 29 people on board the Broncos' bus Friday night, 15 died. One injured player has been released from hospital.
