The NHL offseason is coming soon after the Stanley Cup playoffs and that means trade rumors and names like Ryan Kesler, Brad Marchand, Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Dion Phaneuf, Shea Weber, Jason Spezza, Kris Letang, James Reimer, Paul Martin and Cam Ward all could be on the trading block this summer, while Ryan Miller is a free agent and could sign with a new team after he was traded in 2014.
The trade deadline this year showed that teams can be successful making deals in the middle of the season, as both the NY Rangers and LA Kings made huge pickups that helped get them to the finals. The Rangers traded away captain Ryan Callahan for Martin St. Louis with the Tampa Bay Lightning and that is one reason why they are into the finals right now. The Kings traded for former Rangers star Marian Gaborik (who was traded for Rick Nash) from Columbus at the deadline and he has been fantastic for the team, leading the league in scoring in the playoffs with a dozen goals and now he has the chance for revenge against his old team in the finals.
The Penguins and Sharks are two teams to watch this offseason, as they could look at unloading some players based on how they performed in the postseason. The Penguins were eliminated by the Rangers after being up 3-1 and that means players like Kris Letang, Paul Martin, Marc-Andre Fleury or Evgeni Malkin could be moved, while the Sharks are still reeling from their loss to the Kings. The team allowed the Kings to come back from 3-0 down and now long tenured players like Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau could get moved.
The Bruins lost and they could have some changes as well, with Marchand one option that could move after a so-so performance against the Rangers and Penguins in the playoffs last year and that came after a 2012 performance that wasn't great either in the playoffs. Marchand is a good player and he had 25 goals this season, but he did not play well in the postseason and ended up getting the Canadiens fired up and while that doesn't make him the reason they lost, he could end up out of town this offseason.
Miller is heading into free agency after this season and he hits the market after signing a five year deal worth over $30 million with the Buffalo Sabres. Miller was traded to the Blues this season and played well for the most part before the playoffs and now it looks like St. Louis is okay with letting him leave after giving up a nice package in return for the deal with forward Chris Stewart, Jaroslav Halak and a 2015 first-round pick. Miller was solid in 31 games and had a 1.96 GAA, but he wasn't all that great in the playoffs, as the team lost to the Chicago Blackhawks after winning the first two games. The team signed Brian Elliott to a new deal and that extension means Miller is likely gone.