2014 NHL offseason grades

Anaheim Ducks: General manager Bob Murray transformed the Ducks into stronger contenders by acquiring Ryan Kesler to be the team's No. 2 center. The Ducks' one-two center punch of Ryan Getzlaf and Kesler is formidable. Adding winger Dany Heatley on a one-year, $1 million deal is a good roll of the dice. He could play the same role that Dustin Penner played last season before he was traded. Grade: A

Arizona Coyotes: With the buyout of Mike Ribeiro and the loss of free agent Radim Vrbata, the Coyotes have lost 36 goals and nearly 100 points from their offense. But the trade for Sam Gagner (pictured) might bring back 50 points. They also added role player Joe Vitale and backup goalie Devan Dubnyk. There's work left to do here. It's hard to say that the Coyotes are improved, unless some of their younger players step up. Grade: B-

Boston Bruins: A general manager must manage the salary cap to make sure the team has enough flexibility to solve problems when they arrive. Peter Chiarelli (pictured) has been a top GM but lacked the money to keep Jarome Iginla. They have not replaced his 30 goals, though Loui Eriksson could move up to his line. Chiarelli made a nice save during camp by persuading Torey Krug and Reilly Smith to sign cap-friendly, $1.4 million, one-year deals. He still had to trade defenseman Johnny Boychuk to the New York Islanders for draft pick to gain cap flexibility. Grade: C+

Buffalo Sabres: GM Tim Murray signed leader Brian Gionta, scorer Matt Moulson, role player Cody McCormick and defensemen Andrej Meszaros and Andre Benoit. When you factor in his drafting and the trade for defenseman Josh Gorges, Murray has put the team in the right position for rebuilding. But the Sabres will still be a bottom-five team this season. Grade: B

Calgary Flames: They lost Mike Cammalleri and added Mason Raymond, and surprisingly added goalie Jonas Hiller (pictured) for a good price (two years, $9 million) to create competition in net. They overpaid (three years, $8.75 million) for defenseman Deryk Engelland, though he will fit well into coach Bob Hartley's system. Brandon Bollig fits Brian Burke's desire for truculence. Devin Setoguchi is a good value signing at $750,000, particularly if he can get back to the 20-goal level. Grade: B-

Carolina Hurricanes: New GM Ron Francis improved team depth with forwards Brad Malone and Jay McClement and defenseman Tim Gleason. McClement (pictured) is a strong penalty killer. Grade: C+

Chicago Blackhawks: The Blackhawks are strong enough that only minor tinkering was required. They had no cap room, but GM Stan Bowman persuaded Brad Richards (pictured) to sign a one-year deal for $2 million. The smart, savvy playmaker is a significant upgrade from Michal Handzus at No. 2 center. Bowman also eliminated distractions by getting Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane under contract. Daniel Carcillo will replace traded Brandon Bollig, and Nick Leddy was dealt to get under the cap. Grade: A-

Colorado Avalanche: Given the strides the team made under Joe Sakic and Patrick Roy, it seems surprising the Avalanche would let Paul Stastny leave. But the signing of Jarome Iginla (pictured) is good because he offers goals, grit and experience. Acquiring Danny Briere for P.A. Parenteau also works because Briere is a proven playoff producer. Veteran Brad Stuart will help stabilize the defense. The most important move might have been locking up Ryan O'Reilly for two seasons. Grade: B

The trade for Scott Hartnell (pictured) makes them more playoff-ready. His entertaining news conference when he was introduced to the local media in late July showed he could be valuable to the marketing department as well. Depth forward Brian Gibbons also is a good pickup. Grade: B

Dallas Stars: Rather than wading into free agency, GM Jim Nill made a splash by acquiring Jason Spezza (pictured) from the Ottawa Senators. Now the Stars have a one-two center combination of Tyler Seguin and Spezza. He also signed play-making winger Ales Hemsky to play with Seguin and Jamie Benn, although he also worked well with Spezza in Ottawa. Spezza might play with Valeri Nichushkin. Grade: A

Detroit Red Wings: They wanted to sign a right-handed-shooting defenseman but couldn't win the recruiting battle and gave Kyle Quincey (pictured) a raise to return. Free agents seem reluctant to come to Detroit because it's difficult to project how good this team will be moving forward. The Red Wings are a mix of older players and skilled youngsters. Grade: D

Edmonton Oilers: Giving Benoit Pouliot (pictured) a five-year, $20 million deal seems like overpaying, but the Oilers need size and depth up front. Nikita Nikitin (two years, $9 million) and Mark Fayne ($14.5 million over four years) will help the defense, but their salaries constitute overpaying. But the Oilers must overpay to persuade players to go to Edmonton. Teddy Purcell, acquired in a trade, brings size and scoring. Grade: B-

Florida Panthers: GM Dale Tallon overpaid to land center Dave Bolland, winger Jussi Jokinen (pictured) and defenseman Willie Mitchell. But he has to overpay to get players. Fans would not have been happy if Tallon did nothing. At the least, Jokinen and Bolland will play all 200 feet of the ice. Mitchell showed in the playoffs that he can still play. Tough guy Shawn Thornton brings courage. Grade: B-

Los Angeles Kings: The champion Kings didn't need to do much, except re-sign Marian Gaborik, and GM Dean Lombardi accomplished that with an attractive $4.875 million cap hit on a seven-year deal. The only significant loss is Willie Mitchell, and championship teams sometimes have to make changes to make room for younger players. Grade: B

Minnesota Wild: The Wild need scoring, and Thomas Vanek has been one of the league's most prolific point producers the last several seasons. Despite his playoff struggles, he is an upgrade from Matt Moulson. The Wild have medical issues with their goalies but might have to wait until right before the season before they know where they stand. Grade: B-

Montreal Canadiens: When the smoke cleared, the Canadiens were not a better team. They traded Josh Gorges and signed Tom Gilbert. Manny Malhotra (pictured), a faceoff and defensive specialist, was a high-quality signing. But they lost Thomas Vanek and leader Brian Gionta and traded Danny Briere for P.A. Parenteau. Grade: C

Nashville Predators: The Predators desperately needed a proven scorer and got one by trading for James Neal (pictured). They reacted to the announcement that Mike Fisher will miss four to six months with a ruptured Achilles tendon by signing centers Mike Ribeiro and Derek Roy for a combined $2.05 million. Both have experienced a dropoff in production, but Ribeiro says he has addressed the issues that led to his buyout from the Arizona Coyotes. Earlier signee Olli Jokinen's best seasons are behind him, but he improves the team's size. Even with the additions of Ribeiro, Roy and Jokinen, the Predators still don't have a noteworthy signing. Defenseman Anton Volchenkov, at $1 million this season, is an inexpensive third-pairing option. Grade: B

New Jersey Devils: Mike Cammalleri should provide a spark. He could score 20 to 25 goals. Martin Havlat was an inexpensive pickup at $1.5 million, provided he stays healthy. He's good friends with Patrik Elias. The seven-year, $42 million for Cory Schneider seems steep for a goalie who hadn't made 45 appearances before last season. The Devils were smart to lock up steady, veteran defenseman Andy Greene with a five-year extension. Grade: B

New York Islanders: The Islanders upgraded in net - Evgeni Nabokov out, Jaroslav Halak (pictured) in - and added two skilled forwards in Mikhail Grabovski and Nikolai Kulemin. GM Garth Snow still must work on his defense. He has to be feeling pressure to make the playoffs. Grade: B

New York Rangers: They added center Matt Lombardi and winger Lee Stempniak, plus offensive defenseman Dan Boyle (pictured). Those players replace forwards Brad Richards and Brian Boyle, plus defenseman Anton Stralman. The loss of Brian Boyle will be felt mostly at playoff time. His style was very effective in the postseason. But Dan Boyle, Lombardi and Stempniak are all experienced players. Signing Kevin Hayes is a plus. He had a breakthrough senior year at Boston College. Ryan Malone, a late signing, is interesting. If he plays as he did three years ago, he's a bargain. If he plays as he did the past two seasons, he's on a two-way contract. Grade: B+

Ottawa Senators: The Senators seem to have taken a half-step backward since last season. They picked up winger Alex Chiasson (pictured) and two prospects they liked for Jason Spezza and signed skating center David Legwand as Spezza's replacement. Kyle Turris is the team's No. 1 center, and Legwand, a two-way center, should slot in at No. 2. Legwand can’t replace Spezza’s offense. Grade: C

Philadelphia Flyers: GM Ron Hextall hopes trading Scott Hartnell for R.J. Umberger (pictured, left,) will boost the offense. Hextall had no cap room available to make other significant moves and his situation is complicated by the uncertainty surrounding Kimmo Timonen (blood clots). He signed Michael Del Zotto, a former first-round pick who didn't live up to expectations in New York or Nashville. He could be a good roll of the dice on a one-year deal. Hextall earlier added defenseman Nick Schultz. He could create cap room if he can move Vincent Lecavalier, right. Grade: C

Pittsburgh Penguins: New GM Jim Rutherford made a bold move by shipping out James Neal for Patric Hornqvist (pictured) and Nick Spaling. He then made one of the best free agent signings, landing defenseman Christian Ehrhoff for one season at $4 million. The Penguins also added Steve Downie, a feisty forward with offensive skill. After re-signing Brandon Sutter for $3.3 million per season and Nick Spaling for $2.2 million per season, the Penguins still must add a player or two and have less than $1 million in cap space. Rutherford has a cap problem. Grade: A-

St. Louis Blues: GM Doug Armstrong signed the best available center in Paul Stastny (pictured) and signed center Jori Lehtera from the Kontinental Hockey League. This will allow David Backes to move to right wing. Vladimir Sobotka's departure to the KHL hurts, but Armstrong tried to make up for it by bringing back Steve Ott. They have added Carl Gunnarson and Chris Butler to their defense. The Blues have the NHL's top eight-man defense. The Blues also made a potentially nice signing with the addition of center Peter Mueller, who is looking to prove he belongs in the NHL. He played well in Switzerland last season. Grade: A

SSan Jose Sharks: Although the Sharks want to change their look, it appears they'll do it primarily from within. They waved goodbye to defensemen Dan Boyle and Brad Stuart and announced Brent Burns was moving back to defense. There's a lot of speculation about whether the Sharks will trade a major veteran such as Joe Thornton or Patrick Marleau, but that hasn't happened. Thornton no longer is captain, though. Tough guy John Scott (pictured) has been the Sharks' only free agent signing. Grade: D

Tampa Bay Lightning: GM Steve Yzerman was a clear winner in free agency, adding proven playoff performers Brian Boyle and Anton Stralman (pictured), plus trading for puck-moving defenseman Jason Garrison. The signing of Brenden Morrow adds grit. The Lightning's lack of playoff savvy (plus Ben Bishop's injury) had hurt them in their first-round loss to the Canadiens. Grade: A

Toronto Maple Leafs: Anyone expecting the Maple Leafs to make a major deal was disappointed. They mostly shuffled chairs. Dave Bolland and Mason Raymond signed elsewhere and Tim Gleason was bought out. Kontinental Hockey League forward Leo Komarov was signed, along with highly respected role player Daniel Winnik and David Booth (pictured), who has 20-goal potential. The Leafs also signed Mike Santorelli and defenseman Stephane Robidas, 37. The acquisition of Roman Polak in the Carl Gunnarsson trade makes them a little more rugged. Grade: B

Vancouver Canucks: Ryan Miller improves the goaltending, but it's hard to say the team is better after trading Ryan Kesler. Even though the Canucks received center Nick Bonino and defenseman Luca Sbisa, Kesler was the best player in the deal. The signing of Radim Vrbata (pictured) is intriguing. Dustin Jeffrey is a high-quality depth forward and Derek Dorsett is a desirable role player. Grade: C

Washington Capitals: New GM Brian MacLellan landed prize free agent Matt Niskanen (pictured), but overpaid to sign Brooks Orpik (five years, $27.5 million). The hockey world was stunned by how much Orpik got. But here is the good news for Washington fans: Both players will fit nicely into coach Barry Trotz's defensive system. He will squeeze whatever Orpik has left. The Caps will be better defensively. The only concern about Niskanen is whether he had a career year instead of a breakthrough season. The loss of Mikhail Grabovski creates another hole at center. We've seen that before in Washington. Grade: C