In the dog days of summer, news isn’t as busy for hockey. However, with the recent retirements of Bruins’ legends Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, there’s a big opportunity for some teams who missed the playoffs last season.

Boston subtracted a lot of key players off the record-breaking team that won 65 games and had 135 points in 2022-23. Of course, most disappointing was that in what amounted to the last hurrah for future Hall Of Famer Bergeron along with the under appreciated Krejci, they were upset by the Matthew Tkachuk led Panthers in the first round.

The sight of an emotional Bergeron waving to Bruins fans was goodbye. His close friend Brad Marchand shed tears. Deep down, they knew that was it for the classy player who should have the Selke Trophy named after him. He won a record six, including his final one in a memorable final season. For a player who battled numerous injuries, Bergeron finished his 19th year with 27 goals, 31 assists, 58 points, and a plus-35 rating in 78 games. Unfortunately, injuries limited him to three games in the first round defeat to Florida.

Ironically, both Bergeron and Krejci were unable to play the full seven games. Had they been able to, maybe it’s a different script than the one that saw Boston fans salute their heroes even following an excruciating loss. Sometimes, there are moments that are bigger than wins and losses. The cheers Bergeron received were well deserved. Ditto for a team that gave them a great season. One that was unexpected. Nobody had the Bruins being that good. It was the end of a chapter for Boston.

Due in large part to the salary cap, the Bruins had to cut payroll. Taylor Hall was sent to the Blackhawks in a salary dump, along with Nick Foligno. Both should be instrumental in helping top pick Connor Bedard get acclimated to the NHL. They also lost key deadline additions Dmitry Orlov (Canes), Tyler Bertuzzi (Maple Leafs), and Garnet Hathaway (Flyers). Connor Clifton signed with the Sabres. Tomas Nosek went to New Jersey.

Can a roster that had so many departures get back to the postseason? At the very least, they still boast a solid nucleus that features captain in waiting, Marchand, David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy, Jake DeBrusk, Hampus Lindholm, and goalie tandem Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman. Center is a bit thinner due to the losses of Bergeron and Krejci. It’ll be up to Charlie Coyle and Pavel Zacha to perform. They have big shoes to fill.

Meanwhile, the Metro Division continues to improve. The strong off-seasons of the Hurricanes and Devils have been well documented. Not to be outdone, the Pens continue to make key additions to a roster that missed the playoffs. After team president and GM Kyle Dubas signed Ryan Graves, Noel Acciari, and Lars Eller, he completed the much rumored blockbuster deal for Erik Karlsson over the weekend. The 33-year-old Norris winner should be a big help to the blue line. What he can add offensively at both even strength and on the power play will be a daunting task for opponents.

Astonishingly, the Sharks only retained $1.5 million of Karlsson’s contract. With the Pens responsible for $9.99 million of the contract, they only had to part with one first round pick in 2024. It’s even top 10 protected. With the Canadiens getting involved in the three-team trade, they took back Jeff Petry at a discount. The Pens retained $1.562 million of his salary. They were able to get a 2025 second round pick from Pittsburgh, along with Petry ($4.687 million), Casey DeSmith, and Nathan Legare.

San Jose received Mike Hoffman ($4.5 million), Mikael Granlund ($5 million), who the Pens couldn’t wait to get rid of. They also took Jan Rutta ($2.75 million). So, GM Mike Grier was willing to acquire three veterans to only add one first round pick that’ll be outside the top 10. He didn’t do well. Why the Sharks didn’t pick up more of the tab on Karlsson is questionable. Had they, they could’ve bought a good prospect along with the first  round pick. They look like losers in this deal.

Even if Karlsson can’t match the remarkable numbers he put up on a dreadful Sharks roster in which he was unfairly criticized for a minus-26 rating during a Norris year, he will undoubtedly help the Pens. Kris Letang isn’t what he once was. Injuries have hindered him. The big addition of Karlsson will certainly relieve some pressure from Letang, who’s been a warrior in the Steel City.

Sidney Crosby is still playing at an elite level. He just blew out the candles on his 36th birthday yesterday. With the Pens committed to Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Letang, it made sense to take a big swing by adding Karlsson. A star player who proved he’s all the way back by playing in all 82 games and producing at a high level. He became the first defenseman to crack the 100-point mark since Brian Leetch did it in 1991-92. By re-signing Tristan Jarry, who played through injuries last year, the Pens stick with the number one goalie who’s capable of bouncing back. They subtracted DeSmith, who now moves up north to Montreal. Alex Nedeljkovic takes over as the backup.

Jake Guentzel had ankle surgery. He’s likely to start the 2023-24 season on LTIR. That’s $6 million they’ll be without. Guentzel is the top finisher on the roster. He’s in his prime. The Pens are banking on him to come back healthy. Adding veteran Reilly Smith from Vegas should help improve secondary scoring. Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust will be counted on.

The defense will look different. They added Graves to provide the nuts and bolts. He is also capable of contributing due to his big shot. Karlsson and Letang will log the big minutes while providing most of the offense. After Marcus Pettersson, it gets thin with Chad Ruhwedel, Pierre-Oliver Joseph, and former Devils first round pick Ty Smith. That could be the only question. Otherwise, it looks like the Pens plan on returning to the postseason.

While the key teams they’re competing with improved, the Rangers are stuck in wait and see mode with Alexis Lafreniere. After adding quality depth in proven vets Blake Wheeler and Nick Bonino, they gave K’Andre Miller a bridge deal worth $7.74 million. Along with former Cap Erik Gustafsson, who played under new bench boss Peter Laviolette, they’re hoping that new assistant Phil Housley can help improve the defense. It sure would benefit Miller, who at times was unsteady despite achieving personal bests in goals (9), assists (34), and points (43).

Like most key Blueshirts, Miller didn’t have a good first round. He was victimized on a few goals by the Devils. He and Jacob Trouba struggled mightily. It’ll be interesting to see if Laviolette decides to revamp the defensive pairs. Could Miller team with Adam Fox? Stay tuned.

Lafreniere has to wait, unfortunately. He has no arbitration rights. The Rangers have just over three million left on the cap. Lafreniere should come in around $2.5 million. He will have to prove himself under Laviolette, who believes both the former top pick and Kaapo Kakko have more to give. That will be a key to the season.

With Chris Drury deciding to keep checking forward Barclay Goodrow, our guess is Laviolette will utilize him the way former coach Gerard Gallant did in his first year. The versatile Goodrow was moved up and down a lot to inject energy into whatever line needed it. He is a good penalty killer and diligent checker. Maybe we get to see Goodrow play with Vincent Trocheck on a match-up line. Something Gallant didn’t believe in. That could be a good fit.

The Rangers added Tyler Pitlick and Alex Belzile. Pitlick is more proven and might be a hard-working fourth liner. He is the type of player fans should like. He plays with hustle.

Zac Jones will compete with Gustafsson for time on the third pair. He’s a good skater with offensive potential. A similar skill set to Gustafsson, who can provide power play help on the second unit. An area Gallant never established. Hopefully, it’ll be a good competition that leads to both players receiving playing time. Gallant had no use for Jones.

The other potential players are Will Cuylle and Brennan Othmann. Cuylle finished strong in his first pro season for Hartford. Othmann will have to have a big camp to even be considered. He’ll likely begin his professional career with the Wolf Pack. That isn’t the worst thing for his development. Development is an area the Rangers want to improve at. See Kakko and Lafreniere.

If the division is between the Hurricanes and Devils, then third place is likely to be hotly contested between the Rangers and Pens. The Islanders weren’t able to make a big splash. Basically, they stuck with their aging core that at least includes Ilya Sorokin, Mat Barzal, Bo Horvat, Brock Nelson, Anders Lee, Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock. Unless you consider Julien Gauthier as a key addition, there won’t be much difference on the roster. It might be the last chance for former first rounder Oliver Wahlstrom to prove himself. Injuries limited him to 35 games. Still only 23, Wahlstrom must make it happen.

At this point, those are likely the top five teams in the division. The Capitals still boast Alexander Ovechkin, who’s chasing Gretzky. They foolishly gave popular forward Tom Wilson a seven-year contract extension worth nearly $7 million. He’s a good player who certainly makes his presence felt. But he’s 29. He will be 30 when the new deal kicks in.

Nicklas Backstrom likely won’t ever return to the elite level that made him one of the game’s best centers. Evgeny Kuznetsov had a bounce back season, but there was an inkling that he wanted out. Even with top defenseman John Carlson and T.J. Oshie, the core is getting older. They were wise to keep Dylan Strome. He had a good first year in DC. He can be counted on. Anthony Mantha is in a contract year. If they’re not in the playoff mix, he could get moved. Veteran Max Pacioretty took an incentive laden $2 million deal. Can he hold up and produce following another career threatening injury?

At least Rasmus Sandin should make them look smart for dealing away Gustafsson to the Leafs as a rental. Darcy Kuemper remains the starter with Charlie Lindgren backing up. Maybe having a new voice behind the bench will help. We’ll see how Spencer Carberry does in his first NHL job as a head coach.

Both the Flyers and Blue Jackets look like the bottom of the barrel. While each boasts talent, there are still big questions in goal and on the blue line. Scoring shouldn’t be an issue for Columbus. Keeping pucks out remains a concern. If they can’t improve, how long before Johnny Gaudreau regrets uprooting his family to Ohio?

The Flyers will have a different look. Gone are Kevin Hayes, Ivan Provorov, Tony DeAngelo, and James van Riemsdyk. If Owen Tippett can continue to improve, power forward status is on the cusp. Cam York will be a big key to the back end. He really needs to grab it. How will both Sean Couturier and Cam Atkinson look following missing all of last season. Travis Konecny is a free agent next summer. He could be an interesting name to watch.

There’s a lot to look forward to. If the Leafs and Panthers are the class of the Atlantic, where are the Lightning, who continue to lose key parts of their championship teams? What about the Bruins? Are any of the upstart teams such as the Red Wings, Sabres, or Senators ready to make the quantum leap? At this point, one definitely should. Two is a possibility.

We’ll have more if anything else breaks. Still no action with Connor Hellebuyck, John Gibson, or some unhappy Flames. See you soon.