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For fans of the non-playoff teams, the final stretch of the season is the toughest time of the year.
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Should the Caps re-sign T.J. Oshie? What kind of deal should the Bruins give David Pastrnak? We break down the big decisions for every NHL team.
Ceiling for the Maple Leafs, Oilers
Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews have their teams' rebuilds well ahead of schedule. But how far can they realistically get in the playoffs this spring (if they qualify)?
There is no more hope for a miraculous run to slip into the postseason, so the only thing left to root for is spoiling rivals' postseason chances and looking for signs of a bright future.
But not all fan bases head into this offseason with the same level of optimism for 2017-18. Some teams are on the rise, some are on the decline and others are stuck in the middle.
With that said, let's have a look at which teams have the best chance to make noise next season and which clubs have a long way to go.
Eastern Conference: Bright futures
Buffalo Sabres
Offseason goal: Acquire a puck-moving defenseman
It has turned out to be a disappointing season in Buffalo, where the Sabres expected to compete for a playoff spot after signing Kyle Okposo in the offseason. There are concerns about some of the moves made (and not made) by general manager Tim Murray as the team entered this season with a weak blue line and hardly any scoring depth. However, former No. 2 overall pick Jack Eichel has emerged as an elite player with 50 points in 52 games. With a franchise player in place, the Sabres can focus on filling in around him.
A major part of that focus needs to be on defense. Aside from Rasmus Ristolainen, who has back-to-back 40-point seasons at just 22 years old, Buffalo's group on the back end is pretty barren. It severely lacks any defensemen with puck skills. Finding the next Torey Krug or Jared Spurgeon should be at the top of Buffalo's to-do list.
Florida Panthers
Offseason goal: Find scoring wingers
Injuries to Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau put a damper on a Panthers season that had high expectations. But Florida probably could have weathered the storm if secondary scorers had stepped up to the challenge. Instead, Jussi Jokinen and Reilly Smith combined for just 22 goals, and Jaromir Jagr's production came back to Earth after a 27-goal campaign in 2015-16.
Florida has the pieces in place to bounce right back. But having Barkov, one of the league's best two-way centers, and top defenseman Aaron Ekblad aren't enough if second- and third-line wingers aren't contributing. It could start by trying to re-sign Thomas Vanek, who was acquired at the trade deadline.
Philadelphia Flyers
Offseason goal: Improve depth, don't do anything crazy
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The Flyers came into 2016-17 thinking they should build on last season's playoff appearance; instead they have drifted back in the pack. Goaltending has been the biggest issue, as Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth both saw huge drops in save percentage this season. Maybe next season is the one where they turn to 2012 second-round pick Anthony Stolarz in a more substantial fashion. Philadelphia also struggled to score at even strength, ranking 28th in goals for per 60 minutes at 5-on-5.
With star players like Claude Giroux, Wayne Simmonds and Jakub Voracek entering the latter part of their primes, the Flyers have some urgency, but their young core and prospect system offers lots of promise for the future. Maybe you've noticed this: The Flyers have a tendency to look for a big splash move. In this case, however, they should stay the course and just make some tweaks here and there.
Eastern Conference: Long way to go
New Jersey Devils
Offseason goal: Draft a future No. 1 defenseman
It turns out that winning a trade does not mean you will actually win on the ice. The Devils made the best move of last offseason by acquiring Taylor Hall from the Edmonton Oilers, but the rest of the roster was far too weak to make the postseason without otherworldly goaltending. And for the first time as a Devil, Cory Schneider has not been one of the league's best netminders.
New Jersey will wind up in a spot near the top of the draft, and it should aim to land a puck-moving defenseman prospect. Otherwise, it will be looking long and hard to find a defenseman capable of making them a contender.
Carolina Hurricanes
Offseason goal: Find a No. 1 goalie, trade futures for forwards
For years, the Hurricanes have continued to turn to Cam Ward as their No. 1 goaltender, despite a mounting pile of evidence that he's not of that caliber. Since 2012-13, Ward has a .906 save percentage in 200 starts, which has cost Carolina around 42 goals below an average goaltender. So, despite scoring more even-strength goals per 60 minutes than playoff contenders Ottawa and Tampa Bay, the Canes still ended up nowhere close to contention. Ward is signed through 2017-18 (as is backup Eddie Lack), but it's time to explore some other options.
Carolina has a decent core of recent high draft picks, but until it finds a legitimate goaltender, it will continue to flounder. The Hurricanes have seven draft picks in the first three rounds of this year's draft. It's time to spin some of those picks into players.
Detroit Red Wings
Offseason goal: Trade some of the over-30 crowd
Within the course of one season, the Wings went from the playoffs to dead last in the Atlantic Division. With a catastrophic cap situation and very few young players to build around, it's hard to see Detroit recovering quickly.
The Red Wings currently have eight players who are 30 or older, seven of whom are under contract through next season and six of whom have deals through 2018-19. Any opportunity to trade those players and pick up some pieces for the rebuild should be welcomed.
Western Conference: Bright futures
Winnipeg Jets
Offseason goal: Find a new head coach
One would be hard-pressed to find a roster as littered with terrific young talent as the Jets, yet they are on the outside of the playoff race for the third time in four seasons under Paul Maurice. In their only playoff appearance under Maurice, they were swept in the first round. In fact, in his career, Maurice has only made the postseason six times in 20 years as an NHL head coach. Winnipeg might be in a similar position as Calgary was last season, in need of a change behind the bench to spark a jump into contention. And given the talented bench bosses currently without an NHL head coaching job, it would have its pick of some very good options.
A reliable goaltender and more defensive talent around Jacob Trouba would also help the Jets, but their group of superstars up front, now led by Calder Trophy contender Patrik Laine, will be tough to stop during the next few seasons.
Arizona Coyotes
Offseason goal: Make a big-splash trade
The Coyotes made a few offseason signings last year with their sights set on being a surprise playoff team, but instead they have landed right back in the lottery. Arizona could either stay the course and continue to let prospects like Dylan Strome develop into NHLers, or it could look to make a big jump next season by dealing assets for an established star. With two picks in each of the first two rounds of the draft, and one of the highest ranked prospect systems, the Yotes could pull off a major move without crushing their future.
If Arizona doesn't take a swing at landing a star, it is still in very good shape. But it will likely take another two years for quality young players to make a significant impact.
Dallas Stars
Offseason goal: Avoid giving out a bad contract
After an extremely disappointing season, the natural reaction for the Stars would be to seek a blockbuster trade or throw huge dollars at a free agent. But that's how mistakes happen. Andrew Ladd, Milan Lucic and David Backes all scored big-money, long-term deals for teams desperate to make a run, and have produced disappointing results.
Stars Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn can carry the Stars back to the playoffs in a tough division, but they will need some help from their coach and from their goaltenders. Playing high-risk, wide-open hockey has been quite successful at times in Dallas, but it has also put a lot of pressure on goalies Antti Niemi and Kari Lehtonen, who have not been up to the challenge.
Western Conference: Long way to go
Colorado Avalanche
Offseason goal: Break up the core
Teams never want to be in a position to trade a star player, but something has to change for the Avalanche. Whether it's center Matt Duchene, winger Gabriel Landeskog or defenseman Tyson Barrie, Colorado has very valuable players that have not been successful together. And all of them could fetch a nice return in trade this summer.
One significant change could be the spark to get the Avs back on track, along with adding some fresh young talent in the draft.
Vancouver Canucks
Offseason goal: Keep stocking the system
With a few nice rebuilding moves by the Canucks at the deadline, Vancouver has started in the right direction. It isn't a club that can really tank as long as Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin are still on the team, but it can keep adding young pieces and draft picks to increase its chances of finding future stars.
It has been proved many times over that it's extremely difficult to maintain relevance without elite players, and there is no clear path to the Canucks landing that caliber of star any time soon unless -- or until -- they bottom out.
