Five Teams With The Best Off-Season Moves

The off-season is never particularly fun for fans of any sport. However, there is something to be said for the excitement of off-season transactions and signings. This summer, a lot of teams seemed content to sit back and maintain their previous rosters. Nevertheless, there were a few moves that raised eyebrows and seriously shook up rosters. Here are the five teams with best off-season moves:



5. Minnesota Wild

Minnesota seriously struggled to score goals during the 2010-11 campaign. As a result, the additions of Dany Heatley and Devin Setoguchi have to be seen as great acquisitions for the Wild. Both players are top six offensive forwards, and Dany Heatley has the potential to pot 40 goals when he's playing like himself. These additions are made even better by the fact that they cost relatively little. Dany Heatley was traded in a one for one transaction with Martin Havlat. I don't care what your opinion of Martin Havlat or Dany Heatley is, there is no denying that that is an upgrade for the Wild. To get Setoguchi the Wild had to give up Brent Burns, however they also received Charlie Coyle and a first round pick in the deal. With these two moves, the Wild really boost their offensive prospects for the coming season. Putting Heatley with Koivu on the first line, and Setoguchi with Bouchard on the second line could potentially yield a dangerously deep offense for this season. Good moves, but the Wild will still need to do more to move beyond a seventh or eighth seed at best.


4. Washington Capitals

The Capitals needed to improve the grit, work ethic, and defensive prowess of the roster this year. They did a lot to change the culture by letting free agents Matt Bradley and Boyd Gordon walk. Trading center Eric Fehr also helped remove some of the cancer of previous years' failures. The Caps improved their goaltending situation by brining in veteran stud Tomas Vokoun, and parting ways with perennially injured question mark Semyon Varlamov. New additions Joel Ward and Troy Brouwer bring speed and grit to the forward position (thought they overpaid for Ward), while Roman Hamrlik could be a good veteran presence both on the ice and off it. I personally think that Hamrlik is a slow, slightly washed up defenseman that lacks toughness, but his presence may do a lot to help youngsters Karl Alzner and John Carlsson. The addition of Jeff Halpern adds depth at center, and should help with face-offs. However, his presence does not do enough to improve the situation at second pivot. If Marcus Johansson doesn't make a big jump, the Capitals offense may sputter once again without anybody to anchor the second line.

2. Los Angeles Kings

They gave up a lot for him, but the acquisition of Mike Richards has the potential to vault the Kings into being legitimate Cup contenders. Gritty winger Wayne Simmonds and smooth, skilled prospect Brayden Schenn are both gone from the organization, yet in their place the Kings have a 1-2 punch at center that is going to be very dangerous. Furthermore, they upgraded at left wing by shipping out Ryan Smyth and signing sniper Simon Gagne who, despite coming off of a slow season, has the potential to score 30+ goals this season either on a line with Anze Kopitar or Mike Richards. Colin Fraser, if healthy, might also improve the team's defensive depth at forward, yet I would not count on his health, personally.

2. Columbus Blue Jackets

Like the Kings, the Blue Jackets made off-season moves that significantly altered their identity as an organization. Though they're not contenders just yet, the acquisitions of Jeff Carter, James Wisniewski, and Vinny Prospal bring serious legitimacy to the Blue Jackets' playoff hopes this year. Carter is a solid goal scorer and he's going to complement star winger Rick Nash very well. Wisniewski will stabilize the blue line, and improve the powerplay significantly once he starts to quarterback it. Vinny Prospal adds a veteran presence that will improve the culture of the locker room, and the powerplay. All in all, Columbus' offense and special teams will look much improved. Thus, although the Kings' moves are arguably more significant, Columbus deserves to tie for the number two spot due to the magnitude of the moves. It's been a long time since big names have been in Columbus.

1. Florida Panthers

Tomas Fleischmann, Jose Theodore, Kris Versteeg, Sean Bergenheim, Ed Jovanovski, Marcel Goc, Scottie Upshall, Matt Bradley, and Brian Campbell all came into the fold this summer for the Panthers. That's nine new players, all of whom will most likely make the final roster for the regular season. Though the team may not be a Cup contender (or even a playoff team) these moves make Florida significant for the first time in years. They overpaid for some (Scottie Upshall- 3 years, $14 million??????), yet the value of adding this many players can't be understated. If the Panthers can scrape together some wins this season, and if youngsters Erik Gudbranson and Jacob Markstrom prove to be the real deal (assuming they make the roster), this could mean big things for the future of the Panthers. Add in the draft that the organization is coming off of, things could finally be looking up for the Florida Panthers....emphasis on could.