Offseason needs for each NHL team

The Ducks need to get younger, at least at forward. Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Ryan Kesler aren't going to be able to carry the team offensively forever. It's time for a youth movement to start in Anaheim. Better to be a year too early than a year too late.

The Coyotes have been adding young talent for a while now, but they have yet to really make that leap out of the NHL's basement. There is no need for them to go for veterans yet. Keep adding young players in the draft, trades or even free agency, and prepare for the future. Having another top five pick in 2018 certainly helps.

The Bruins made the playoffs and finished in the top 10 in both goals scored and goals allowed, so they are in pretty good shape. However, Zdeno Chara is 41 now, and their defensemen outside of Torey Krug are young and unproven. Adding another veteran to the blue line would certainly be nice.

Well, they are bound to add Rasmus Dahlin in the NHL Draft with the first overall pick, so that will be a big step forward for their defense. That being said, the Sabres finished dead last in goals per game, so they are desperately in need for offensive support around Jack Eichel. In particular, they could use a couple of wingers.

Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan were the only Flames players to manage more than 50 points, and only eight players scored more than 30 points. They are in need of real depth offensively, and they aren't rich in young, promising forwards outside of Matthew Tkachuk. Just adding a couple players capable of scoring 20, or even 15, goals would help.

Can you add luck in the offseason? The Hurricanes finished fourth in shots per game and first in shots allowed, and yet they didn't make the playoffs. Of course, their terrible goaltending didn't help. Fixing that has to be their top goal.

The salary cap hit the Blackhawks hard this past season, and they finally missed the playoffs. Things aren't going to change on that front anytime soon. They need to take fliers on young, cheap talent with upside. If one or two become contributors, it could get them back to the postseason.

The Avalanche made the playoffs on the strength of their top line, which is centered by Hart Trophy candidate Nathan MacKinnon. They also have a couple decent young forwards with potential. Nevertheless, if they want to take their game to the next level, their second line needs to improve, and adding veteran forwards is the best way to make that happen in short order.

The Blue Jackets have two great defensemen in Zach Werenski and Seth Jones. After those two, though, the talent falls off precipitously. Adding to the blue line would be the best way forward.

Jason Spezza isn't quite capable of being a second-line center any longer, and Radek Faksa doesn't cut it either. Tyler Seguin is more than capable of leading the top line for the Stars, but they need somebody more talented to serve as their second-line pivot.

Honestly, the Wings could probably use a goalie. Jimmy Howard isn't cutting it, and they traded Petr Mrazek (who also wasn't cutting it). Despite that, they really need help on defense. It seems like forever since the days of Nicklas Lidstrom.

Despite the presence of Connor McDavid, the Oilers ranked 20th in goals per game last season and last on the power play. That simply shouldn't happen, especially when you trade a player like Taylor Hall for Adam Larsson. The problem is that they also finished 27th in goals allowed so they need help on defense too. Edmonton needs help all over the place. Maybe what they need is a new GM?

The Panthers have a couple of great forwards in Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau. After them, however, the depth dries up quickly. They are particularly shallow on the right wing, where Nick Bjugstad is arguably their best option.

The Kings had the best goals against average and top penalty kill in the league, so no worries there. Their defense is just fine as is, but they could use a little help at forward. You can't trust Dustin Brown to notch 28 goals again, and this is an older team. Maybe some young blood would do them well.

The Wild have a new general manager in Paul Fenton, and he's been left with a solid team. Minnesota's power play only ranked 17th, though, and that's with Eric Staal having a surprisingly resurgent season. Ryan Suter and Mikko Koivu are getting up there in years as well. Grabbing a player with a proven power-play track record can help the situation.

The Canadiens struggled defensively last season, but Carey Price getting injured played a big part in that. If he's healthy, they will be better there. Price won't help their offense, though, and they only had two forwards notch 20 goals — and one of them was an unusually lucky Paul Byron. This is a team with the potential to make some noise in the present, so adding a veteran goal scorer would be wise.

We know the Predators are set in goal and on defense, so that leaves only one area to look at for improvement. The thing is, Nashville is strong at forward as well. Adding some veteran forwards for depth to help roll four lines would be gilding the lily, but if we're talking offseason needs, that's as close as we can get.

Taylor Hall was amazing, but one man can't carry an offense. 2017's first overall pick Nico Hischier having a season under his belt would help, but the Devils should try and put another forward on their top line with those two.

Do the Islanders need a goalie? Yes, but it's obvious what the top offseason need is. They need to sign John Tavares to a new deal. If that can't do that, they might as well blow it up.

Henrik Lundqvist is 36 now and had a .915 save percentage and 2.98 goals against average this year. He's not going to be around forever. New York could use a better backup, and frankly the Rangers should be thinking about a not-too-distant future without the King.

They didn't trade Erik Karlsson, but maybe they should have, because this team needs to blow it up. Outside of Karlsson, the Sens have almost nothing. Most pressingly, their goalies were awful last season, and Craig Anderson is 37 and not likely to turn it around.

Carter Hart is arguably the top goaltending prospect out there, but he's only 19 and may not be ready to shoulder the load for the Flyers. However, the current crop of goalies on Philly's roster won't cut it either. Maybe adding a veteran on a one-year deal is the best move.

When you have Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, not to mention Phil Kessel, your offense is going to be just fine. However, the Penguins aren't quite as strong defensively, especially with Justin Schultz coming back to Earth after his surprise 2016-17 performance. Helping take some pressure off the oft-injured Kris Letang would behoove the Pens.

The Sharks already inked Evander Kane to a deal, which was a big move to help them offensively. Additionally, with the presence of Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture, they are ready to move Joe Thornton to a smaller role. All that said, their top right wing at the moment is Joonas Donskoi, which means they have room for improvement there.

The Blues finished 24th in goals scored and 30th in power-play percentage, so clearly they could use some help offensively. In particular, their top center is Brayden Schenn, and that won't cut it for a team with Stanley Cup aspirations. You aren't going to add a first-line center in free agency, and they don't have the assets for a trade, but they should do what they can to improve at that position anyway.

The Lightning were one of the best teams in the league, and they made it to the Eastern Conference Final. Tampa is loaded with talent. The Lightning could use some better depth forwards, but that's quibbling. A better backup goalie might be a good idea too.

Toronto struggled to prevent shots last season, which means Frederik Andersen was quite busy. The Leafs need to get better at shot prevention, and the quickest way to make that happen is to add a defensive-minded blue liner or two to get in the way of some pucks.

The Sedins have retired, and the rebuild is on in earnest. There is no need for the Canucks to add veterans. In fact, they should trade every forward not named Brock Boeser or Bo Horvat if they get the chance to add young talent and draft picks. Also, they could use an upgrade in net.

This offseason looks entirely different for the Golden Knights now given their surprise run to the Stanley Cup Final. The reason their success was such a surprise is because this team does not look, on paper, like a playoff team, to be frank. There is still need for talent pretty much everywhere, but the defense in particular could use a linchpin to build around if possible.

John Carlson had a season for the ages, and Dmitry Orlov has some offensive skill. Still, they need more talent on defense. No self-respecting playoff team should be giving Brooks Orpik regular minutes.

The Jets' top six forwards match up with almost any other team, and they even have a solid third line. They also have a few good right-sided defensemen. However, their left defensemen are a less impressive lot, so there's a place for potential improvement.