The dog days of the NHL offseason are upon us. Time for a quick look at what the teams in the Central Division did this summer (so far) and decide whether they got stronger or weaker!
Listed in order of finish this past season:
| Team | Gained | Lost | +/- |
| Chicago | Bouma, Berube, Oesterle, Wingels, Sharp, Saad |
Kruger to Vegas, Panarin to Columbus |
Getting the band back together never works. Cap trouble still. |
| Minnesota | Foligno, Ennis |
Haula to Vegas, Pominville, Scandella |
Lost more than they gained. Heading towards cap trouble. |
| St. Louis | Thorburn, B Schenn |
Lehtera | Probably a wash |
| Nashville | Bonino, Emelin, Hartnell, Poile |
Wilson, Klein |
The only GM in the history of the franchise |
| Winnipeg | Mason, Kulikov, |
Stuart, Pavalec, Thorburn |
Stabilized in goal? |
| Dallas | Bishop, Methot, Hanzal, Radulov |
Eakin to Vegas | Undisputed winners of the off season. Will it translate onto the ice? |
| Colorado | Yakupov, Bernier |
Still can’t get Duchesne traded | This season is probably it for Sakic. |
Trending UP
Winnipeg, Dallas – Both teams have addressed their below league average goaltending. Dallas also addressed their lack of RW depth and brought in a veteran left D.
Treading water
Colorado: can’t really get any worse, can they?
Nashville: Can’t really get any better on the blue line, can they?
St. Louis: Lateral moves. More importantly, will Head Coach Mike Yeo, in his first full season in charge, be able to get St Louis into the playoffs in a tough division?
Trending DOWN
Chicago: Three cups make the roster turnover a little easier to swallow, but even with Sharp on a sweetheart deal, losing Panarin will hurt the Hawks offensive output.
Minnesota: Without the benefit of having won three cups, or even one, the Wild are starting to face the same cap issues that have been plaguing Chicago the past two offseasons. All three players they lost were important depth pieces.