Off-Season Grades: Southeast Division

Atlanta Thrashers
UFA’s re-signed: Chris Thorburn, Marty Reasoner
Additions: Nik Antropov, Pavel Kubina, Anthony Stewart, Tim Stapleton
Subtractions: Garnet Exelby, Eric Perrin
Remaining needs: Top-9 forward
Note: Atlanta improved their club with the additions of Kubina and Antropov, but I don’t think it’s enough to join the playoff discussion. GM Don Waddell is on the hot seat this season.
Grade: B

Carolina Hurricanes
UFA’s re-signed: Erik Cole, Chad LaRose
Additions: Aaron Ward, Tom Kostopolous, Andrew Alberts
Subtractions: Dennis Seidenberg, Dwight Helminen, Patrick Eaves
Remaining needs: Depth forward
Note: The ‘Canes have had a very productive summer, even though they haven’t added many new faces. Re-signing Cole and LaRose was huge, and they brought back RFA’s Ruutu and Jokinen. The additions of Ward and Kostopolous will pay dividends.
Grade: B+

Florida Panthers
UFA’s re-signed: Radek Dvorak
Additions: Jordan Leopold, Scott Clemmensen, Ville Koistinen
Subtractions: Jay Bouwmeester, Craig Anderson, Richard Zednik, Nick Boynton, Karlis Skrastins, Ville Peltonen, Steve Eminger
Remaining needs: Top-4 defenseman, depth forwards
Note: Booooo! I hate this off-season from the Panthers. Maybe they aren’t done and will add a couple more players… but they aren’t contending for a playoff spot the way they look right now. They lost a lot of key parts from their team last year.
Grade: F

Tampa Bay Lightning
UFA’s re-signed: None
Additions: Mattias Ohlund, Antero Niittymaki, Matt Walker, Kurtis Foster, Todd Fedoruk, David Hale
Subtractions: Marek Malik, Karri Ramo, Radim Vrbata, Cory Murphy, Matt Pettinger, Jason Ward, David Koci
Remaining needs: Top-6 forward
Note: Contrary to last summer, I’ve liked what the Bolts have done in the last month. Not only did they sign Ohlund, Walker, and Foster, but they added a future cornerstone in Victor Hedman to their blue line. Tampa Bay could compete for a playoff spot this season if they can stay healthy.
Grade: A-

Washington Capitals
UFA’s re-signed: None
Additions: Mike Knuble, Brendan Morrison
Subtractions: Sergei Fedorov, Viktor Kozlov, Brent Johnson, Donald Brashear
Remaining needs: Depth forward
Note: Washington has been relatively quiet this summer. Knuble is a nice addition – he’ll be a great complement to the stars up front. But not signing a defensive-minded d-man is a bit confusing to me, and they still have issues in net.
Grade: C+