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Three NHL teams under major pressure this offseason

Minnesota Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes | Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

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Three NHL teams under major pressure this offseason

By Alex Wiederspiel | Last updated Jun 5, 2026 2:02 PM ET

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The summer heat isn’t confined to the sandy beaches where NHL players vacation. It’s arguably even more intense inside the back rooms and front offices of teams.

Three franchises, in particular, enter the offseason under pressure that could ignite an already simmering trade and free-agent market.

The Avalanche loaded up at the March trade deadline like they do almost every year. The additions of centers Nazem Kadri and Nicolas Roy added $8.1 million in salary next season at a time when Colorado has a salary-cap squeeze. Per PuckPedia, the Avs have $2,979,159 in cap space — the least in the NHL.

Colorado's cap crunch is a short-term problem. It must reserve money next summer to potentially double defenseman Cale Makar's salary, but the fast-rising cap environment has given Colorado options. Forwards Artturi Lehkonen, Ross Colton and Nicolas Roy -- who are entering the final years of their contracts -- represent a combined $11.5 million in cap space. Lehkonen and Colton can reject trades to 12 teams, according to PuckPedia.

Colorado is in win-now mode even with the departure of GM Chris MacFarland to lead Nashville's front office. Young forwards Gavin Brindley and T.J. Hughes are on entry-level contracts and could have meaningful roles in September. This flexibility means Colorado could wheel and deal — both in the market to reduce dollars owed for 2026-27 but with plenty of room in future years.

In Colorado, President of Hockey Operations Joe Sakic will have the GM role returned to his portfolio…as he did before promoting MacFarland in 2022
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) June 2, 2026

Minnesota Wild

The Wild have only 10 forwards under contract, and perhaps no team in the NHL has been as transparent about their need for a top center. The Wild and GM Bill Guerin were heavily connected to New York Rangers center Vincent Trocheck before the trade deadline. Guerin selected Trocheck to the U.S. Olympic roster, but he ultimately did not trade for the two-way center.

Minnesota is contending with a few major challenges. The Wild don't have a 2026 first-round draft pick, having sent the selection to Vancouver as part of an in-season deal for superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes. Plus, the Wild emptied the top of their prospect pool in that same trade.

Hughes can sign a contract extension beginning July 1. The issue isn't cap space — Minnesota has more than $48 million available next summer, according to PuckPedia. Rather, Minnesota must stack up compelling reasons for Hughes not to test the open market.

Guerin had reportedly been unwilling to include young center Danila Yurov in trade talks with the Rangers, according to Vince Mercogliano of The Athletic. Perhaps for a different center — Robert Thomas or Dylan Larkin — the gold-medal winning executive might think differently about this.

New Jersey Devils

The only team on this list with a new GM, the Devils are positioned for a fascinating offseason. Sunny Mehta has a strong background in analytics, but his experience in Florida's championship-winning front office has shown him how important it is to acquire talent via trade.

New Jersey has a number of appealing assets if it wants to get aggressive in supplementing a core that's dying on the vine. New Jersey owns the 12th pick in the NHL Draft. And it has three young defensemen who won't all be able to play for New Jersey (Simon Nemec, Anton Silayev and Seamus Casey).

Nemec, the second overall draft pick in 2022, is a restricted free agent and a significant trade chip for a team that was second worst in the NHL last season in five-on-five goal differential.

Alex Wiederspiel

Alex Wiederspiel is a professional play-by-play broadcaster and co-host of Locked On NHL Game Night, recapping the full slate of NHL games in 30 minutes for fans three nights a week.

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