Here is what surprised me this offseason:


Calgary Flames didn’t deal Johnny Gaudreau:. How many years have we been talking about this? He becomes an unrestricted free agent next summer. Now is the time to trade him. Johnny Hockey would probably benefit from a change of venue.

The Pittsburgh Penguins didn’t make improvements: OK, we understand the Penguins want to give this team one more shot at winning at all. But they could still use help. Thought for sure they would change up their goaltending and perhaps add some size.

Edmonton Oilers couldn’t persuade defenseman Adam Larsson to stay: This loss is going to bite them. He is a dependable defender. It wasn't as if the Kraken broke the bank to pay him.

The Sabres didn't give their blessing for Jack Eichel to have the surgery he wants: Presuming it goes well, he will be easier to trade. It's not as if the Sabres' current Eichel plan is working.

Rangers didn’t get more for Pavel Buchnevich: Didn’t mind New York’s acquisition of Sammy Blais, but Buchnevich was too much to pay for him. Buchnevich scored 20 goals last season and has developed into an all-around player. The Rangers should have traded him for more value and then used other assets to land Blais.

Chicago didn’t quality Pius Suter : We are all excited about Jonathan Toews coming back, but there is no timetable. We simply don't know how the Toews' situation will play out. Don't see how losing Suter is helpful.

Dougie Hamilton didn’t stay in Carolina: He fit well with the Hurricanes and they are Stanley Cup contenders. Why leave? The Devils aren’t quite as advanced as the Hurricanes. Either Hamilton wanted to squeeze every last dollar out of his free agency or the Hurricanes weren’t in the ballpark. Maybe it was both.

Anaheim Ducks didn’t bolster their offense: They have strong goaltending, reasonable defense, and yet have been last in scoring in two of the past three seasons. They ranked 26th the other season. They have poked around the Jack Eichel trade situation, but the cost was too high. The Ducks can’t put their improvement all on Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale. If I were Anaheim's ownership, I would demand more aggressive management.

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