The NHL free agency period has been a roller-coaster ride for some, but a slow moving log ride for others. While the Minnesota Wild reaped the benefits of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter hitting the market, the New Jersey Devils were able to keep Martin Brodeur right where he belongs. What about the rest of the NHL?
In the 2011-2012 NHL offseason, the Florida Panthers were faced with a challenge: meet the NHL cap floor. After signing a large crop of free agents including Kris Versteeg and Tomáš Fleischmann, they did just that.
Not only did they meet the cap floor, but they made the NHL playoffs. Not only did they make the playoffs, but they won the Southeast division too, beating out teams like the Washington Capitals and the Tampa Bay Lightning. With the Minnesota Wild making the biggest splash so far, will other NHL teams take up a similar strategy this summer?
Some have to.
With a new NHL cap floor of $54.02 million, teams will be forced to make the minimum salary cap this offseason. With the free-agent market being a one-stop shop to fill out cap space, there remains a good group of teams that will need to act similar to the Florida Panthers.
Here are the 10 NHL teams that need to start making some moves and spending some dough.
**A special thank you to CapGeek.com, visit their website for details on all NHL teams and their finances.