Offseason Roadmap: Northwest Division

It's officially the offseason, meaning the time is right to look into the future. We continue our division-by-division preview of the potential wheeling and dealing with the Northwest Division.

It appears we are setting up for an offseason of significant change in the Northwest Division. Only the Vancouver Canucks will have the same coach as last year, and there could be some real upheaval in terms of personnel. Not only that, but two teams (Minnesota and Colorado) have changed general managers.

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Calgary Flames: The Flames were active at the trade deadline, adding Olli Jokinen and Jordan Leopold as they tried to strengthen themselves for a Stanley Cup run. Obviously, it didn't work, and Calgary's first-round playoff elimination triggered a coaching change (Mike Keenan out, Brent Sutter in). Major roster changes could be on the way, too.

See, the Flames have committed over $47 million to 16 players for next season. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that they're probably not going to re-sign Todd Bertuzzi, Mike Cammalleri, and Leopold, all of whom are unrestricted free agents. If they have to pick one, it should easily be Cammalleri, who should draw some real interest on the open market.

It's also not beyond the realm of possibility for general manager Darryl Sutter to try to swing a deal for a guy like Jokinen, who enters the last year of his contract. However, that would set the team back offensively, which probably wouldn't be a good idea.

Colorado Avalanche: While this past season was an unmitigated disaster for the Avalanche, there is reason for hope.

New general manager Craig Sherman doesn't have much salary cap flexibility to work with. On the other hand, it's hard to imagine the injury bug striking this team's top players the way it did in 2008-2009. That factor alone could do wonders for Sherman and new coach Joe Sacco.

While Colorado was last in the Western Conference, they do have some upside on the roster. Paul Stastny has evolved into their best player, even if he's a bit fragile. Milan Hejduk turns 34 during the upcoming season, but he is still capable of 25-30 goals. The Avalanche also have promising youngsters Cody McLeod and T.J. Hensick ready to be more of a factor in the offense.

The defense is expensive, but also experienced, thanks to guys like Scott Hannan, John-Michael Liles, and Brett Clark. If they decide they really need cap space, they should be able to find takers for one of these guys.

Sherman's biggest tasks are finding some cap flexibility and deciding on a goalie. Both Peter Budaj (restricted) and Andrew Raycroft (unrestricted) are free agents.

It sounds like Sherman is considering a deal for forward Ryan Smyth to help stabilize the team's cap situation. Smyth will be tough to unload, however, because of his advancing age and huge cap number.

Edmonton Oilers: After a disappointing regular season that saw the Oilers miss the playoffs for a third straight year since their Cup Finals run in 2006, owner Darryl Katz finally had enough.

By jettisoning longtime coach Craig MacTavish and luring veteran NHL bench bosses Pat Quinn (head coach) and Tom Renney (assistant), Katz immediately raised the bar in the organization. Near-misses will not be tolerated anymore. Quinn and Renney will be expected to hold players accountable and get this team to the playoffs.

During his introductory press conference, Quinn referenced the possibility that some of Edmonton's veteran players were "in the easy chair" for a chunk of the season. This is something that Quinn said he wouldn't tolerate. Pressure will be on guys like Shawn Horcoff, Dustin Penner, and Ales Hemsky, who are all being paid like offensive leaders, but too often disappear into the dark of night.

The Oilers have some room to maneuver this summer, with nearly $47 million committed to 18 players. Jay Bouwmeester is floating around in the dreams of Oiler fans, but unless Edmonton unloads a high salary, this move is unlikely. Rumors have Edmonton also in the mix for Dany Heatley, and they have a ton of young players that could be attractive to Ottawa.

Minnesota Wild: For the first time in franchise history, Doug Risebrough is not calling the shots. New general manager Chuck Fletcher hired former Minnesota Gopher Todd Richards to take over as head coach, and now the two are going to work on reshaping a team that has known nothing but the more defensive brand of hockey since its inception.

While promising a more wide-open brand of hockey, Fletcher has to figure out who on his team is best-suited for that style. Major decisions are coming with the likes of youngsters James Sheppard and Colton Gillies, who hardly dazzled under former coach Jacques Lemaire. Sheppard especially struggled with Lemaire's style, but he clearly has the talent to be a solid NHL forward.

Fletcher has 17 players signed for over $43 million total, giving him some cap room to play with, but few assets to use for potential trades. A move for a guy like Heatley is attractive, but the Wild just don't have a lot of chips to play with. One of them, forward Pierre-Marc Bouchard, has a verbal no-trade clause with his contract, and Fletcher should tread carefully if he thinks moving Bouchard is a good idea. The one forward who should be truly untouchable is Mikko Koivu, a great leader and one of the more underrated two-way players in the game.

One trade that appears to be a certainty is a deal involving backup goalie Josh Harding. He wants to be a starter, and he is probably good enough, but with Vezina Trophy finalist Niklas Backstrom signed to a four-year deal, it's unlikely Harding will get that shot in Minnesota.

Last but not least, Fletcher has to find a way to re-sign Marian Gaborik. If nothing else, he almost has to trade Gaborik's negotiating rights to a team that has a shot at him. This gives Fletcher at least a chance to get something for the star forward.

Vancouver Canucks: General manager Mike Gillis has some very stressful days ahead of him. Two of the biggest names on the free agent market next week are twin forwards Daniel and Henrik Sedin (pictured above). The pair are still considered a package deal, so the team that signs them will probably be looking at identical $7.5 million (or so) cap hits.

If that isn't enough to make Gillis ingest Maalox every hour on the hour, defenseman Mattias Ohlund and forwards Mats Sundin, Taylor Pyatt, and Kyle Wellwood (restricted) are also free agents. Gillis also has goalie Roberto Luongo set to make $7.5 million in his walk year, so a contract extension would be well-advised (and a much better idea than a trade).

Since Gillis has 13 players signed for under $34 million, his cap situation is actually manageable, and he can make the Sedin deal happen if they choose to stay. If they don't, word on the street is that Gaborik has bought a house in Vancouver. Not to talk down about that area of the world (I've never been there), but odds are that, if true, this isn't a coincidence.

No matter what, the Canucks will need some young guys to step up and become front-line players. 23-year-olds Jannik Hansen and Mason Raymond are front-and-center on this list.