The NHL expansion draft has been completed, and so has the rookie draft. The first wave of free-agent signing is over, too, so that means that NHL has finally reached its offseason.
Yes, there are still trades to be made and free agents to be signed, but both of those are likely to come in slow drips, as the spigots have been turned to a nearly closed position.
The hottest name in the trade rumor mill—and perhaps the only one—is Matt Duchene of the Colorado Avalanche.
Duchene's name has been on the trade block since the in-season trade deadline, and general manager Joe Sakic is not proving to be an easy trade partner for any of the NHL teams that are interested.