One big off-season question facing each NHL team eliminated in Round 1

The second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs goes on with some outstanding series. Colorado and Carolina -- two big favourites -- are already through to their conference finals, while the other two series are very tight with some big games ahead.

But eight other teams had their playoff runs end early in the first round, in disappointment for some, but in a somewhat acceptable (or expected) way for others. We'll take one more look back at those teams that were ousted in Round 1, with a big question they are all facing this off-season.

Boston Bruins: After 100-point season, how will they stay afloat in difficult Atlantic Division?

After they missed the playoffs last season, our big question in regard to the Bruins was how long it would take them to become a contender again. They had started 2024-25 still perceived as a Cup challenger, but became a deadline seller and had to pivot.

We noted that Jeremy Swayman, perhaps, would have a better season in 2025-26 with the benefit of a full training camp. Check. We acknowledge they would be looking for a full-time coaching hire, and Marco Sturm had a tremendous impact in his first season behind the bench. And we raised the question about GM Don Sweeney's future since, at the 2025 year-end press conference, the team didn't commit to him beyond the following season. They later signed him to a two-year contract extension.

Boston improved by 24 points in 2025-26 to reach 100 points again, but that only got them a wild-card berth. They couldn't handle the emerging Buffalo Sabres in Round 1, falling in six games. There are young players coming along, namely Fraser Minten, who scored 35 points and nearly reached 20 goals in his rookie season, and James Hagens, who joined the team at the end of the season and gained a few games of playoff experience. But how do they come back better next season?

There are plenty of teams looking for a top-six centre, and Boston is one of them -- in fact, they could really use a No. 1 centre. They could use another scoring winger as well. And they also need to tighten up as a defensive unit after allowing the fourth-most expected goals against at 5-on-5 this season, with much better actual results thanks to Swayman. Do they seek another blueliner, or will that be more tweaking from the coach and buy-in from the players?

All this and the backdrop is the Atlantic Division, which is full of legitimate contenders and upstart teams quickly becoming ones. Buffalo and Montreal are still alive in Round 2. Ottawa, despite being swept by Carolina, has a lot of promise behind it. Tampa Bay is a fixture. Florida is bound to be healthier and return as a force. Toronto just landed the first overall pick, and Detroit figures to at least challenge for a playoff spot again. That's a lot of strong teams, and some are destined to be left out. Boston's challenge will be staying ahead of at least three or four teams from this group.

"Albeit we're proud of the accomplishments and the productive year we had, we have work to be done. We need to continue to deepen on our skill set and our speed of our club," Sweeney said at the end of the season. "It's going to be an uphill climb. Every team is getting better."

Tampa Bay Lightning: How open is the Stanley Cup window?

When a Stanley Cup window opens and a set core is in place, it can sometimes seem like you have a longer time to go after it than you really do. The Pittsburgh Penguins won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Crosby-Malkin-Letang core in 2016 and 2017, but have won a single playoff round since. When the St. Louis Blues won in 2019 after going on a second-half tear with a new No. 1 goalie on the come-up, they had a great mix of young and experienced talent that suggested they could have multiple runs ahead. They've also won a single playoff round since.

The Tampa Bay Lightning went to three straight Stanley Cup Finals from 2020 to 2022, winning two of them, and although they've had to endure some roster attrition due to the salary cap, most of the core has remained intact. But now they have also been ejected in the first round four years in a row.

As mentioned above, the Atlantic Division, which the Lightning call home, is getting better every season. This year's playoff exit was against one of those up-and-coming teams, as the Canadiens look to be just at the beginning of their window. It's hard to say Tampa's Cup window has slammed shut, but it's fair to wonder where they really are in this timeline.

"Our window, we're still in it," GM Julien BriseBois said. "I don't know how long we're going to be able to extend it. My job is to extend it for as long as possible. I don't see the end in sight."

Victor Hedman played just 33 games this season and none in the playoffs for personal reasons. He'll turn 35 early next season. Andrei Vasilevskiy had another fantastic regular season and is a Vezina finalist, but he is 7-16 with an .886 save percentage in his past 23 post-season games over four years. He'll turn 32 this summer. Nikita Kucherov is a Hart Trophy finalist this season, but has just two playoff goals in the past four years. He'll turn 33 this summer and, interestingly, has just one season left on his contract. Eligible for an extension in July, how much of a raise will he get on his $9.5 million AAV?

Are the early-to-mid-20s players going to be able to pick up the flag and keep the window ajar?

"We have players that are getting better," BriseBois said. "Conor Geekie is getting better, Emil Lilleberg's getting better, J.J. Moser's getting better. I think if you looked at the age of our players, if it hadn't been for our success, people wouldn't be talking about our age as much. It's just we've been on this stage for so many years."

Ottawa Senators: What happens next with Brady Tkachuk?

Had the Senators played better, earlier this season, they may have drawn a better first-round opponent for themselves and perhaps had a better result. But a four-game sweep at the hands of Carolina was certainly a disappointing way for it to end after the Senators had played so well for a few months and, as far as underlying metrics go, were a buzzsaw team down the stretch.

There are things to figure out here. Linus Ullmark had a bumpy enough season that the Senators will want to make sure they have a reliable backup who could step in for long stretches. They'll want to start the process of getting Artem Zub re-signed as he heads into the final season of his contract. And though the team did improve on offence, they still would ideally like to add a truly elite goal scorer.

But the Brady Tkachuk watch also begins. He now has two years left on his contract, both seasons with a full no-move clause. Just as was the case with Quinn Hughes when he was two years away from UFA, and just as is happening now with Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews, these teams have to start considering all options and planning for any outcome in this scenario. Tkachuk hasn't asked out and has never indicated he's not happy in Ottawa, but after a point-less playoff, especially, some hard discussions will need to be had.

Tkachuk was asked, again, about his outlook at the end of the season, and it's clearly beginning to wear on him.

"Quite honestly, it's just getting frustrating," he said about rumblings regarding his future in Ottawa. "It's becoming a distraction because I have been fully committed to this team, the city, and it's just becoming a distraction, frustrating to deal with."

Pittsburgh Penguins: What are the real takeaways from the season, and will Evgeni Malkin be back?

Few saw an 18-point improvement for the Penguins this season, but it launched them back into the playoffs after missing three in a row. Part of the reason for that success was some shrewd acquisitions for younger players by GM Kyle Dubas: Ben Kindel became an instant every-day NHLer after being drafted 11th overall; Yegor Chinakhov scored 18 goals and 36 points in barely over half a season after being traded from Columbus; Arturs Silovs started the majority of games after an off-season trade.

But a teardown rebuild can't be done here as long as Sidney Crosby is around and he's on the books for another season, most likely still to finish his career as a Penguin whenever that time comes. There are other core vets, too. Erik Karlsson had a great season, but has one more season left on his contract. Evgeni Malkin had one of his better seasons in years, but he is on track for free agency.

The Penguins do want to keep getting younger and bring in more players like Kindel and Chinakhov. But after getting back to the playoffs, what is the real takeaway the team sees here? Was this a blip? A legit and sustainable bounce back? Something in between? And how will that influence their off-season plans?

Malkin, for his part, made it clear he still wants to play another NHL season at age 40.

"I want to play in NHL for sure, but I know it's not easy for Kyle," Malkin said. "Maybe he wants new blood here. I understand it's a business. I understand he wants maybe new team, like (to) see new faces here. For me, I want to play one more year in the NHL. I'm not looking back to the KHL. If not Pittsburgh, I hope some team."

Los Angeles Kings: How do they replace Anze Kopitar?

Your team needs a top-six centre? Good luck. So does most of the rest of the league. Unfortunately for the Kings, they have to replace a future Hall of Famer as Anze Kopitar walks off into retirement.

While Los Angeles has made the playoffs five years in a row, they have been eliminated in the first round each time, and this year were swept out by Colorado.

If you think the answer to this should be taking a step back or (gasp) rebuilding, that doesn't seem likely. Remember, Los Angeles traded for Artemi Panarin in-season and extended him for another two years. Perhaps if Kevin Fiala's season didn't end at the Olympics, they would have finished stronger and drawn a more favourable first-round opponent.

But Los Angeles is undoubtedly in a tough situation now, with no recent playoff success and an older core with some younger players sprinkled in. By now, they would have hoped Quinton Byfield would be a strong first-line centre who could drive a productive line, but he's gone from 55 to 54 to 49 points over the past three years. Turning 24 over the summer, it is time for him to deliver on that hope, but the Kings can't sit back and count on it.

So where is that centre coming from? The trade market seems the only way, but that will be a competitive field with all sorts of teams looking for an upgrade at the position. If the Kings can't do it, they are definitely at risk of really slipping into the mushy middle part of the league -- the no man's land where nobody wants to be.

Dallas Stars: Will Jason Robertson sign long-term, short-term, or be traded?

It's not a great year for UFAs, but Jason Robertson's contract situation has him close enough to unrestricted free agency that, in all likelihood, his long-term future will be determined (somewhere) this off-season.

On July 1, Robertson will become an arbitration-eligible RFA, but if he were to take just a one-year award, it would put him on track to become a UFA in the summer of 2027. The Stars would rather not walk him to free agency, and Robertson is in a great place to cash in now at 26 years old, coming off a 45-goal season. So we should expect a contract with a term.

As the salary cap climbs to $104 million next season, it's not like a few years ago, when half the league will be bumping up against the ceiling. Fewer teams will be "capped out" now, but Dallas is one of the unfortunate ones. They are projected to have about $11 million in cap space this off-season, and it's reasonable to suspect that Robertson alone could ask to at least match Mikko Rantanen's team-high $12 million AAV, if not go higher than that.

GM Jim Nill acknowledged that figuring out Robertson's extension was a high priority for him ("I'd like to get that done sooner than later"), and it will set the tone for what follows. Mavrik Bourque, another pending RFA, might then be difficult to fit in after his 20-goal season, which will lead to a sizeable raise out of his entry-level contract. Whether it's Bourque or someone else on the roster, a Robertson extension -- maximum term or something shorter than that -- would force Nill into other moves.

Or, if Robertson's extension talks become difficult, perhaps trading him will have to be considered.

Utah Mammoth: Can they get in on a summer blockbuster?

After qualifying for the playoffs and giving the much more established Vegas Golden Knights a solid opening series, Utah has evolved as a hockey club. No longer are they just waiting on prospects to arrive and fully form an NHL roster (although there are still plenty of prospects on the way). This is a competitive team now, with a young core that has taken an important step up.

A lot of the most important contracts are already done. Dylan Guenther has even years left on his contract, Nick Schmaltz will begin an $8 million AAV deal next season, and Logan Cooley will begin a $10 million AAV contract in the fall. At their year-end press conference, GM Bill Armstrong talked about how many depth chart spots are now established, and it's no longer a guessing game in training camp as to who will fit, where. He acknowledged that some minor adjustments and additions could be made, but noted that the Mammoth are in a really nice place right now.

For a while now, Utah has been linked in trade rumours for the biggest names because of all the draft picks and prospects they've accumulated over the years. And the front office has been active on the trade front. JJ Peterka was brought in last summer, and MacKenzie Weegar was an important pickup at the deadline. But we still have to wonder, if the opportunity arises, could the Mammoth pull off a blockbuster move?

In Nick Kypreos' latest piece looking at Auston Matthews' uncertain future in Toronto, he named Utah as one team keeping a close eye on that situation. Whenever a big name like that comes up, the Mammoth aren't too far away from the rumour mill. Their team's success this season might even make them more motivated to really go all-in.

Edmonton Oilers: Can Stan Bowman 'win' an important off-season?

The clock is ticking on the Connor McDavid window as he enters into the first of a two-year contract signed last season. If the 2026-27 season goes or ends poorly, however, we will be left questioning how long he has left in an Oilers jersey.

So the 2026 off-season is a hugely important one for the Oilers organization as they make another attempt to surround McDavid and Leon Draisaitl with the right mix of players to complement them, and the right goalie (or goalies) to get them all the way through the playoffs.

The first move of the off-season was made on Thursday, firing Kris Knoblauch, the coach who led this bunch to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals. Bruce Cassidy may be his replacement -- we'll see -- but that's just step one on a long list of things to do. and, arguably, it may not have been the most necessary thing to do.

Centres Adam Henrique and Jason Dickinson are free agents at a crucial position behind the two stars. Kasperi Kapanen evolved into a difficult-to-play-against player and is also a free agent to figure out, or replace. Deadline pickup Connor Murphy became an important shutdown blue liner for this year's team, and is another free agent to resolve. The goaltending? Connor Ingram turned out to be the starter, and he's also a pending UFA, leaving underperforming Tristan Jarry as the only one left under contract.

Under Stan Bowman and Jeff Jackson's leadership, Edmonton's moves have been a mixed bag. The Jarry trade turned into a disaster. The signings of Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson two years ago didn't work out, and letting Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway leave to St. Louis via offer sheets was a tough pill at the time, and looks terrible in hindsight.

And now, there is no more room for error. This very well may be the last off-season to really go at it with McDavid before -- gasp -- we're contemplating the thought of a trade vs. walking him to free agency in two years. That job is still in the hands of Bowman and Jackson, who need this to be their best summer yet.