Atlanta
The Thrashers added some punch to their offense and experience to their defense during the offseason. Goaltending remains an issue in the short term, but Atlanta used its second overall pick to draft Kari Lehtonen, a Finnish phenom who is a couple of years away from the NHL but considered a potential franchise player. Trades brought forwards Shawn MacEachern from Ottawa and Slava Kozlov from Buffalo. They're both coming off disappointing seasons but stand to rebound this year because of the added ice time they'll get. Atlanta dipped into the free-agent market as well for defensemen Richard Smehlik and Uwe Krupp, a pair of veterans who represent a major upgrade. Grade: A
New York Rangers
The Rangers began their makeover in March when they picked up $10 million man Pavel Bure to bolster their offense, and then they spent the summer concentrating on players who will add character and a tough, physical presence. New York signed free agents Bobby Holik from New Jersey and Darius Kasparaitis from Colorado and traded for heavyweight Krzysztof Oliwa, while allowing problem child Theo Fleury and comeback experiment Bryan Berard to go elsewhere. The Rangers kept their goaltending stable by re-signing veteran Mike Richter but remain uncertain about Mark Messier's future. The team's biggest move was handing the coaching reins to rookie Bryan Trottier, the former Islander who is now charged with bringing the franchise he once despised back to glory. Grade: A
New Jersey
The Devils are sending mixed signals about the coming season. After a disappointing first-round playoff exit, the Devils named Pat Burns as their fourth coach in three seasons. Burns likes defense, but New Jersey altered its lineup, adding speed and attacking ability by trading right wing Petr Sykora and two of its top young prospects to Anaheim for offensive defenseman Oleg Tverdovsky, speedy right wing Jeff Friesen and a prospect. This after trading for Joe Nieuwendyk and Jamie Langenbrunner in March. The Devils hit the free-agent market as well, signing backup goalie Corey Schwab from Toronto and free-agent center Craig Darby. On the downside, they lost Holik to the Rangers, and they're facing a potential holdout from Scott Gomez. Grade: B+
Carolina
Coming off their most successful season, the Hurricanes decided to keep the ship steady and their newfound fans happy. Carolina lost veteran free-agent left wing Martin Gelinas to Calgary but otherwise re-signed everyone who helped take the team to the Stanley Cup Finals last spring. The 'Canes rewarded the players with expired contracts, giving generous new deals to veterans Ron Francis and Bret Hedican. GM Jim Rutherford also avoided battles with mainstays Sami Kapanen and Aaron Ward by working out deals before arbitration. Carolina made two minor moves on the free-agent market, re-acquiring defenseman Steve Halko from St. Louis and signing center Mike Watt from the Flyers organization. Grade: B
New York Islanders
Unwilling to spend the kind of money it took to sign high-scoring free agents Tony Amonte or Bill Guerin, the Islanders decided to solidify what is already an impressive roster. Facing months without injured captain Michael Peca, the Islanders traded for hard-nosed center Jason Wiemer, whose grit will help offset Peca's absence and improve New York's overall toughness along with Arron Asham, acquired from Montreal. New York sent disappointing Mariusz Czerkawski to the Habs to get Asham and saw several of the depth players who bounced up and down from the minors sign with other teams. But the Islanders managed to avoid any contract squabbles at training camp by re-signing all of the key players. Grade: B
Toronto
The Maples Leafs struck out in their attempts to sign big-name free agents Bill Guerin, Bobby Holik, Tony Amonte and even Theo Fleury. But in acquiring goalie Ed Belfour, they did manage to get a quality replacement for departed free agent Curtis Joseph, and Trevor Kidd will be at least as good a backup as Corey Schwab. Getting defenseman Robert Svehla in a trade for Dmitri Yushkevich could turn out to be a coup, and free-agent forwards Tom Fitzgerald and Aaron Downey will add the kind of depth and grit the team needs on the third and fourth lines, especially with Gary Roberts missing for a few months because of a bad shoulder. Grade: B
Washington
The Caps made one big move this summer, signing free-agent center Robert Lang from Pittsburgh, and a minor one, getting veteran forward Kip Miller, but otherwise made no substantial changes to a lineup that was decimated by injuries last year. Washington will have a new face directing the hopefully healthy charges though; rookie Bruce Cassidy takes over as coach from the fired Ron Wilson with a mandate to open up the team's style. That should sit well with snipers Jaromir Jagr and Peter Bondra. The team chose not to re-sign Ulf Dahlen but still have intact the bulk of the roster that won two consecutive division titles before last year. Grade: B-
Ottawa
New GM John Muckler took over in late June and had little time to figure out which pieces he needs to add to the puzzle. Predecessor Marshall Johnston had already traded Shawn MacEachern to Atlanta for young defenseman Brian Pothier, so Muckler concentrated on stability, at least for the near future, for key components of the team that took Toronto to a Game 7 in last year's conference semifinals. Ottawa let marginal veterans Bill Muckalt and Juha Ylonen walk away but quickly signed Daniel Alfredsson and used arbitration to get Radek Bonk and Chris Phillips re-upped. The Sens also added free-agent center Shaun Van Allen from Montreal and young defenseman Josef Boumedienne from Tampa Bay to add some depth. Grade: B-
Montreal
They haven't signed Hart and Vezina Trophy winner Jose Theodore, and there's no guarantee they'll do so by training camp or the start of the season. That would be a disaster for a team that relies so much on this goaltender. On the plus side, Saku Koivu has been training hard and should be in great shape, and veteran Doug Gilmour has decided to come back for another year. Montreal also added gritty right winger Randy McKay and potential 30-goal man Mariusz Czerkawski over the summer, while signing 2001 first-round pick Mike Komisarek. The big Michigan defenseman and another promising collegian, Ron Hainsey, will have good shots at making the team. The only defections of note were Shaun Van Allen to Ottawa and Craig Darby to New Jersey. Grade: C+
Philadelphia
The biggest change for the Flyers will be behind the bench, where noted disciplinarian Ken Hitchcock takes over. Hitchcock will be working with essentially the same level of talent predecessor Bill Barber had, since Philadelphia uncharacteristically refrained from plunging into the free-agent waters. The Flyers made their big moves of the summer before free-agency began, making trades that brought them hulking center Michal Handzus and backup goaltender Robert Esche while ridding the team of Brian Boucher, Jiri Dopita and Ruslan Fedetenko. Philadelphia also lost defenseman Luke Richardson and center Adam Oates as free agents and has a potential holdout problem with budding young superstar Simon Gagne. Grade: C
Florida
The Panthers will be younger, cheaper and more hopeful this season, but fans won't be able to tell their team without a scorecard. Florida overhauled its roster using the draft, trades and a couple of dips into the free-agent waters. Arriving were veteran defensemen Dmitri Yushkevich from Toronto, coach Mike Keenan favorite Stephane Matteau from San Jose and hulking young blue-liner Branislav Mezei from the Islanders, along with several second-tier free agents who will provide depth for the big-league club or its top farm team. The Panthers gave up defenseman Robert Svehla and center Jason Wiemer in trades and bought out goalie Trevor Kidd but expect several of its recent high draft choices -- including last year's top prospect, Jay Bouwemeester -- to make the team. Grade: C
Boston
The Bruins figured they were going to lose right wing Bill Guerin and goalie Byron Dafoe, so they made no attempt to keep them. Instead, they made a June deal to get veteran goalie Steve Shields and signed several minor-league forwards and one questionable NHL player in Michal Grosak. Boston went out on a limb as well by signing Bryan Berard, who struggled with the Rangers last year when he came back from an injury that cost him an eye, but it has yet to come to terms with Kyle McLaren, who has made noises about wanting to be traded. However, he is the only one of their core restricted free agents to be unsigned so far. Grade: C-
The Thrashers added some punch to their offense and experience to their defense during the offseason. Goaltending remains an issue in the short term, but Atlanta used its second overall pick to draft Kari Lehtonen, a Finnish phenom who is a couple of years away from the NHL but considered a potential franchise player. Trades brought forwards Shawn MacEachern from Ottawa and Slava Kozlov from Buffalo. They're both coming off disappointing seasons but stand to rebound this year because of the added ice time they'll get. Atlanta dipped into the free-agent market as well for defensemen Richard Smehlik and Uwe Krupp, a pair of veterans who represent a major upgrade. Grade: A
New York Rangers
The Rangers began their makeover in March when they picked up $10 million man Pavel Bure to bolster their offense, and then they spent the summer concentrating on players who will add character and a tough, physical presence. New York signed free agents Bobby Holik from New Jersey and Darius Kasparaitis from Colorado and traded for heavyweight Krzysztof Oliwa, while allowing problem child Theo Fleury and comeback experiment Bryan Berard to go elsewhere. The Rangers kept their goaltending stable by re-signing veteran Mike Richter but remain uncertain about Mark Messier's future. The team's biggest move was handing the coaching reins to rookie Bryan Trottier, the former Islander who is now charged with bringing the franchise he once despised back to glory. Grade: A
New Jersey
The Devils are sending mixed signals about the coming season. After a disappointing first-round playoff exit, the Devils named Pat Burns as their fourth coach in three seasons. Burns likes defense, but New Jersey altered its lineup, adding speed and attacking ability by trading right wing Petr Sykora and two of its top young prospects to Anaheim for offensive defenseman Oleg Tverdovsky, speedy right wing Jeff Friesen and a prospect. This after trading for Joe Nieuwendyk and Jamie Langenbrunner in March. The Devils hit the free-agent market as well, signing backup goalie Corey Schwab from Toronto and free-agent center Craig Darby. On the downside, they lost Holik to the Rangers, and they're facing a potential holdout from Scott Gomez. Grade: B+
Carolina
Coming off their most successful season, the Hurricanes decided to keep the ship steady and their newfound fans happy. Carolina lost veteran free-agent left wing Martin Gelinas to Calgary but otherwise re-signed everyone who helped take the team to the Stanley Cup Finals last spring. The 'Canes rewarded the players with expired contracts, giving generous new deals to veterans Ron Francis and Bret Hedican. GM Jim Rutherford also avoided battles with mainstays Sami Kapanen and Aaron Ward by working out deals before arbitration. Carolina made two minor moves on the free-agent market, re-acquiring defenseman Steve Halko from St. Louis and signing center Mike Watt from the Flyers organization. Grade: B
New York Islanders
Unwilling to spend the kind of money it took to sign high-scoring free agents Tony Amonte or Bill Guerin, the Islanders decided to solidify what is already an impressive roster. Facing months without injured captain Michael Peca, the Islanders traded for hard-nosed center Jason Wiemer, whose grit will help offset Peca's absence and improve New York's overall toughness along with Arron Asham, acquired from Montreal. New York sent disappointing Mariusz Czerkawski to the Habs to get Asham and saw several of the depth players who bounced up and down from the minors sign with other teams. But the Islanders managed to avoid any contract squabbles at training camp by re-signing all of the key players. Grade: B
Toronto
The Maples Leafs struck out in their attempts to sign big-name free agents Bill Guerin, Bobby Holik, Tony Amonte and even Theo Fleury. But in acquiring goalie Ed Belfour, they did manage to get a quality replacement for departed free agent Curtis Joseph, and Trevor Kidd will be at least as good a backup as Corey Schwab. Getting defenseman Robert Svehla in a trade for Dmitri Yushkevich could turn out to be a coup, and free-agent forwards Tom Fitzgerald and Aaron Downey will add the kind of depth and grit the team needs on the third and fourth lines, especially with Gary Roberts missing for a few months because of a bad shoulder. Grade: B
Washington
The Caps made one big move this summer, signing free-agent center Robert Lang from Pittsburgh, and a minor one, getting veteran forward Kip Miller, but otherwise made no substantial changes to a lineup that was decimated by injuries last year. Washington will have a new face directing the hopefully healthy charges though; rookie Bruce Cassidy takes over as coach from the fired Ron Wilson with a mandate to open up the team's style. That should sit well with snipers Jaromir Jagr and Peter Bondra. The team chose not to re-sign Ulf Dahlen but still have intact the bulk of the roster that won two consecutive division titles before last year. Grade: B-
Ottawa
New GM John Muckler took over in late June and had little time to figure out which pieces he needs to add to the puzzle. Predecessor Marshall Johnston had already traded Shawn MacEachern to Atlanta for young defenseman Brian Pothier, so Muckler concentrated on stability, at least for the near future, for key components of the team that took Toronto to a Game 7 in last year's conference semifinals. Ottawa let marginal veterans Bill Muckalt and Juha Ylonen walk away but quickly signed Daniel Alfredsson and used arbitration to get Radek Bonk and Chris Phillips re-upped. The Sens also added free-agent center Shaun Van Allen from Montreal and young defenseman Josef Boumedienne from Tampa Bay to add some depth. Grade: B-
Montreal
They haven't signed Hart and Vezina Trophy winner Jose Theodore, and there's no guarantee they'll do so by training camp or the start of the season. That would be a disaster for a team that relies so much on this goaltender. On the plus side, Saku Koivu has been training hard and should be in great shape, and veteran Doug Gilmour has decided to come back for another year. Montreal also added gritty right winger Randy McKay and potential 30-goal man Mariusz Czerkawski over the summer, while signing 2001 first-round pick Mike Komisarek. The big Michigan defenseman and another promising collegian, Ron Hainsey, will have good shots at making the team. The only defections of note were Shaun Van Allen to Ottawa and Craig Darby to New Jersey. Grade: C+
Philadelphia
The biggest change for the Flyers will be behind the bench, where noted disciplinarian Ken Hitchcock takes over. Hitchcock will be working with essentially the same level of talent predecessor Bill Barber had, since Philadelphia uncharacteristically refrained from plunging into the free-agent waters. The Flyers made their big moves of the summer before free-agency began, making trades that brought them hulking center Michal Handzus and backup goaltender Robert Esche while ridding the team of Brian Boucher, Jiri Dopita and Ruslan Fedetenko. Philadelphia also lost defenseman Luke Richardson and center Adam Oates as free agents and has a potential holdout problem with budding young superstar Simon Gagne. Grade: C
Florida
The Panthers will be younger, cheaper and more hopeful this season, but fans won't be able to tell their team without a scorecard. Florida overhauled its roster using the draft, trades and a couple of dips into the free-agent waters. Arriving were veteran defensemen Dmitri Yushkevich from Toronto, coach Mike Keenan favorite Stephane Matteau from San Jose and hulking young blue-liner Branislav Mezei from the Islanders, along with several second-tier free agents who will provide depth for the big-league club or its top farm team. The Panthers gave up defenseman Robert Svehla and center Jason Wiemer in trades and bought out goalie Trevor Kidd but expect several of its recent high draft choices -- including last year's top prospect, Jay Bouwemeester -- to make the team. Grade: C
Boston
The Bruins figured they were going to lose right wing Bill Guerin and goalie Byron Dafoe, so they made no attempt to keep them. Instead, they made a June deal to get veteran goalie Steve Shields and signed several minor-league forwards and one questionable NHL player in Michal Grosak. Boston went out on a limb as well by signing Bryan Berard, who struggled with the Rangers last year when he came back from an injury that cost him an eye, but it has yet to come to terms with Kyle McLaren, who has made noises about wanting to be traded. However, he is the only one of their core restricted free agents to be unsigned so far. Grade: C-
