The Principality Stadium is 20 years old on 26 June 2019.

The arena, initially named the Millennium Stadium, has staged Six Nations Grand Slam showdowns, FA Cup finals, Rugby League Challenge Cup finals, Football League play-offs, World title boxing bouts, the 1999 Rugby World Cup final and the 2017 Champions League final.

The first event in the 2012 London Olympics took place there - a women's football match between Team GB and New Zealand.

The stadium has hosted some of the planet's top sporting stars, as well as musical acts from the Rolling Stones and Bruce Springsteen to Madonna and Ed Sheeran.

Here we recount 20 of the greatest sporting moments at Wales' iconic national stadium.

Opening day glory - Wales beat the Boks

In the beginning there was no roof as 27,000 fans and various construction workers watched Wales beat South Africa for the first time in the opening game at a half-finished stadium.

It was an historic homecoming for Graham Henry's team after more than two years in exile during the reconstruction.

Fly-half Neil Jenkins scored the first points and Mark Taylor scored the first try.

It was a timely victory for Wales with the World Cup later that year, but they had lost all momentum come the autumn.

Heavyweight attraction - October 2017 and March 2018

Anthony Joshua was not the first heavyweight to fight in Cardiff but he's among the biggest in terms of physical presence and drawing power.

Not since Frank Bruno and Lennox Lewis clashed had there been such a buzz about a heavyweight contest in the Welsh capital.

Joshua stopped Carlos Takam in front of an expectant crowd and the following March also beat Joseph Parker at a venue he describes as his "boxing home."

Olympics comes to Wales - summer 2012

The London 2012 Olympics actually started in Cardiff.

Before James Bond and the Queen had parachuted into the Olympic Stadium, Team GB's women's football team had beaten New Zealand 1-0 thanks to Steph Houghton's goal.

Other notable goal scorers in Cardiff during the tournament included Brazil's Marta and, in the men's tournament, Aaron Ramsey, Neymar and a then unknown Mohamed Salah.

The GB men's team saw their medal hopes ended in Cardiff when they lost to South Korea on penalties in the quarter-finals.

Waltzing Wallabies - 6 November 1999

In a stadium built to stage the World Cup, Australia crushed France 35-12 in the final, becoming the first country to win the trophy twice.

Full-back Matt Burke scored 25 points in a stadium which would normally resound with "Hymns and Arias" but on this day rocked to the sound of "Waltzing Matilda" as the Wallabies celebrated.

Owen's late show - 12 May 2001

The Millennium Stadium hosted six FA Cup finals between 2001 and 2006 while Wembley Stadium was rebuilt.

It proved a happy hunting ground for Liverpool, starting with this smash-and-grab raid against the Gunners.

Arsenal dominated most of the game and led 1-0 through Freddie Ljungberg, but Michael Owen scored twice in the last eight minutes to complete a thrilling comeback.

Wales stun the Azzurri - 16 October 2002

Mark Hughes' Wales team hit new heights as they recorded a memorable victory over the mighty Italy.

A fervent crowd, fired up by performances from the Manic Street Preachers and Bryn Terfel, saw Wales win 2-1.

Simon Davies opened the scoring before Alessandro Del Piero levelled, but Craig Bellamy's winner ensured Wales beat a top footballing nation in a competitive game for the first time in 11 years.

They finished runners-up in the group but hopes of making a first major championship since 1958 were dashed by Russia in the play-offs.

Charge downs and Grand Slams - 19 March 2005

Two years after an embarrassing wooden spoon, Wales celebrated their first Grand Slam since 1978 with a 32-20 victory over Ireland.

With Mike Ruddock at the helm, Wales played with an adventurous style and reaped the rewards.

They took the lead through prop Gethin Jenkins, a future captain who would become Wales' most-capped player before a famous try from full-back Kevin Morgan.

Wales would also seal Grand Slams in Cardiff in 2008 and 2012, but 2005 in the sunshine is perhaps the most fondly remembered.

A rugby league cracker - 27 August 2005

Eight tries and a last-minute conversion to clinch victory - there have been few, if any, matches more dramatic at the stadium than Hull's Rugby League Challenge Cup win against Leeds.

Leeds, the overwhelming favourites, were beaten 25-24 in one of the most memorable finals ever.

It was played in a city where only a decade earlier rugby league was the unmentionable "other" code played up north which took many of Wales' best rugby union players.

By 2005 that particular cold war had thawed and tens of thousands of fans gave the Welsh capital a Yorkshire accent for the weekend.

'The Gerrard final' - 13 May 2006

The last FA Cup final in Cardiff - like the first - was a story of a Liverpool comeback.

West Ham led 2-0 and 3-2 and had one hand on the trophy until Steven Gerrard's stunning 90th-minute strike from 35 yards forced extra-time.

Liverpool went on to triumph on penalties with Dietmar Hamann, Gerrard and John Arne Riise scoring from the spot as goalkeeper Pepe Reina proved the hero.

Grey day for the All Blacks - 6 October 2007

Playing in Cardiff despite being tournament hosts, France were given little chance in this World Cup quarter-final against hot favourites New Zealand.

But after facing the haka, they fought back from 13-0 behind to win 20-18.

Kiwi coach Graham Henry called it the "Train Crash at Cardiff", as the All Blacks failed to reach the semi-finals for the first time in the tournament's history.

Calzaghe's crowning moment - 3 November 2007

It was a night and a fight that secured Joe Calzaghe's place among the greats of British boxing.

The Welshman, then 35, gave the performance of a lifetime in his 44th outing, against Denmark's Mikkel Kessler, who Calzaghe says was his toughest opponent.

Both fighters were undefeated in a combined 82 bouts. Calzaghe held two super middleweight titles, Kessler had the others in a rare unification battle.

A crowd of 50,000 meant this was a far cry from the 2,800-capacity Wales National Ice Rink where Calzaghe had fought several opponents as the Welsh boxer sealed a unanimous points decision.

Staring down the haka - 22 November 2008

As sporting theatre goes, Wales staring down the New Zealand haka in 2008 takes some beating.

The teams stood eye to eye for what seemed an eternity before referee Jonathan Kaplan finally convinced them to take their starting places.

The hosts may have won the stand-off but the 29-9 defeat that followed extended their long wait for a victory over the All Blacks that stretches back to 1953.

Ireland end decades of hurt - 21 March 2009

After 61 years of waiting, Ireland's bid for a Grand Slam came down to the last two seconds and the last two metres.

An Irish team featuring the likes of Brian O'Driscoll, Paul O'Connell and Ronan O'Gara had promised much over the years, but failed to deliver when it mattered.

That changed on a dramatic day in Cardiff. Wales were on course for the Triple Crown thanks to Stephen Jones' drop goal with five minutes to go, but O'Gara responded in kind to put his side on top of the world.

Rugby union's first shootout - 3 May 2009

Professional rugby's first and so far only penalty shootout is one Wales legend Martyn Williams will want to forget.

Leicester and Cardiff Blues drew 26-26 in their Heineken Cup semi-final and could not be separated by extra time.

Cue a penalty shootout in front of the posts on the 22.

The specialist kickers safely navigated their shots at goal. Tigers' Johne Murphy was the first to miss, but Tom James was unable to take advantage.

With options running out in sudden death, flanker Williams - who once dropped a goal for Wales - stepped forward confidently.

But a wild hook was the cruellest of blows and allowed Jordan Crane to win it for Leicester.

The greatest comeback? - 13 February 2010

Wales were 10 points adrift of Scotland in the 76th minute and staring down the barrel of defeat, and some less optimistic home fans had left the stadium early.

In a breathless finale, Wales went through phase after phase until Scotland finally ran out of defenders and Shane Williams darted under the posts to clinch a dramatic win.

A Leinster spectacular - 21 May 2011

Leinster were crowned European champions for the second time in three years after one of the great Heineken Cup comebacks.

It wasn't so much about the points deficit, but the way in which they did it. Northampton were within sight of causing an upset at the interval, when they led 22-6.

Whatever coach Joe Schmidt said to Leinster prompted a devastating blitz of 27 unanswered points inside 26 minutes to overrun the Saints.

England's chastening finale - 16 March 2013

England arrived chasing a first Grand Slam in a decade, but they left shell-shocked.

Ten of Stuart Lancaster's starting side had never played at the stadium and they were greeted by an electric atmosphere.

Wales, coached by Rob Howley with Warren Gatland on Lions duty, had a chance to snatch the title, but needed a winning margin of at least seven points.

Carried on a wave of noise and elation, Wales romped to a 30-3 victory.

A stand-off in the tunnel - 6 February 2015

As if Wales v England on a Friday night in Cardiff was not dramatic enough, "tunnelgate" only added to the tension.

The stadium was drenched in darkness with all eyes on the light of the tunnel - but no players emerged.

Knowing Wales enjoyed letting their opponents stew in a cauldron of noise long before making their appearance, England captain Chris Robshaw stood his ground and waited, and waited with the game delayed by six minutes.

The pre-match psychology paid dividends as England won the game 21-16.

Bale's Real Madrid crush Juventus - 3 June 2017

The national stadium was always intended to attract world-class sport to Cardiff and they don't come bigger than the Uefa Champions League final.

Despite his homecoming, Gareth Bale played only a bit-part as a second half substitute as Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice to see Real on their way to a 4-1 win and a 12th European title.

Grand Slam again - 16 March 2019

Here's a fact to ponder. The Principality Stadium has already staged more Grand Slam victories for Wales than the National Ground which it replaced.

The "golden era" of the 1970s saw Wales clinch three clean sweeps in the old Five Nations, but only two of those - in 1976 and 1978 - saw the final match played in Cardiff. The 1971 Slam was achieved the hard way in Paris.

When coach Warren Gatland's final Six Nations game in charge saw Wales overpower Ireland 25-7, the victory clinched a fourth Grand Slam in 14 years.

As far as celebrations to mark 20th birthdays go, this party in the rain takes a lot of beating.

MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Front Row Motorsports, Shriners Int’l and Shriners Hospitals for Children will honor and remember fellow Shriner David Pearson during the Southern 500 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway later this year.

David Ragan, a Shiner himself, helped unveil his car that will replicate the livery of the Holman-Moody Racing Ford Tornio Cobra that Pearson raced to his third and final NASCAR Cup Series championship in 1969.

That title, earned 50 years ago, came during the same year that Pearson became a Shriner.

The scheme will honor the late Pearson and his life as a driver and a Shriner. The hood features a photo of Pearson during his Hall of Fame career and a photo of him in his Shriner fez. The remainder of the car will have the Shriners Hospitals for Children logos with the 1969 Holman-Moody blue and gold scheme.

The car was unveiled at the NASCAR Hall of Fame with members of the Pearson family, Shriners and patients from Shriners Hospitals for Children in attendance.

Ragan, Front Row Motorsports and the Shriners wanted to recognize Pearson at the track where he found so much success. Pearson is a 10-time winner at Darlington Raceway and won the Southern 500 three times.

In 1969, Pearson raced the Holman-Moody gold and blue Ford Tornio Cobra to 11 wins, 14 poles and to his third championship over his rival, Richard Petty. Off the track, Pearson gave back to his community through the Shriners – a practice that Ragan carries on today.

“When you remember or read about David Pearson, it’s all about the success he had on the track, and his legendary and Hall of Fame career,” said Ragan. “On the 50th anniversary of his last championship, and in one of the most iconic cars in our sport, we wanted to honor David Pearson and keep his memory alive. But, we also want his sons and family to talk about David away from the track and what he enjoyed about being a Shriner. This is going to be a great platform to do all of that. I’m humbled that I’ll get to race this car in honor of David, the Shriners and the Shriners Hospitals for Children.”

“David Pearson was one of our own and now we have a tremendous opportunity to recognize his life accomplishments on a national stage,” added Jim Cain, chairman of the Board of Directors for Shriners Hospitals for Children. “We want to thank David Ragan, Front Row Motorsports and the Pearson family for the opportunity to tell more people about the Shriners and the Shriners Hospitals for Children. We look forward to Labor Day weekend and seeing this car on the track.”

MOORESVILLE, N.C. – In a collaborative effort between AM Racing and Win-Tron Racing, NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series veteran Austin Wayne Self will return to the ARCA Menards Series for Thursday night’s Bounty 150 at Chicagoland Speedway.

Self, 23, will drive the team’s No. 32 Chevrolet with support from Win-Tron Performance and IceBox Helmet Coolers.

“I’m excited about getting back and racing in the ARCA Menards Series,” said Self, the 2014 ARCA Menards Series Rookie of the Year. “Win-Tron Racing has had some very competitive finishes this year and I know they are going to bring me a fast race car. I look forward to the opportunity to pull double duty this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway.”

Self, a native of Austin, Texas last competed in ARCA nearly two years ago at Road America, where he finished sixth after starting 12th in a second entry for Win-Tron Racing.

In all, over five years of competition in ARCA, Self has 47 career starts with one win, 13 top-five and 31 top-10 finishes. In two starts at Chicagoland, he finished a track-best 12th after starting fourth in 2015.

Win-Tron Racing has run a select schedule in the ARCA Series in 2019 with drivers Gus Dean and AM Racing development driver Cole Glasson.

Self, who will also compete in Friday night’s Camping World 225 NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series race at Chicagoland, is hopeful to run more ARCA races this season.

“We’re still looking at the schedule, but I think you’ll see me in or a race or two more after Chicagoland,” added Self. “I know that Kevin (Cywinski, Win-Tron Racing owner) and Jamie (Jones, crew chief) have put together a very competitive car and I look forward to our chance to go out there and contend for my second career ARCA win.”

Cywinski, who serves as team manager of Self’s Gander Truck Series team, says having Self compete in both races at Chicagoland will undoubtedly prove to be beneficial.

“Austin will do us a great job at Chicagoland,” sounded Cywinski. “The extra seat time will allow Austin to stay focused and bring back some positive feedback to not only the ARCA program but also acquire critical track time that should prove to be beneficial for the Truck Series program this weekend too.”

FAIRBURY, Ill. – Tradition runs deep at Fairbury Speedway.

Situated at the corner of 1st Street and Pine Street in a small Illinois farming community, what fans see today is rooted in more than 140 years of history.

Those charged with leading the next generation have gained the experience of those before them. Such is the case with Fairbury Speedway’s new owner, Matt Curl.

A native of Fairbury, there are no bigger believers in how big a role the tiny quarter-mile dirt oval can play on the national racing scene than Curl.

For many, it will become obvious at this year’s 30th running of the Prairie Dirt Classic, featuring the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series.

Racers from around the country will pour into the town of less than 4,000, bringing enough fans to more than double its size.

“Being born and raised in the town of Fairbury and growing up and attending the races every Saturday night, nothing excites me more than to make sure we preserve the history of the speedway and continue the success so many people have built throughout all the generations of people involved with the Fairbury Speedway,” said Curl in a rare moment to catch his breath, while making sure every aspect of the facility is ready for the next event.

Fairbury Speedway’s roots go back to 1876. As America celebrated its 100th birthday, the Fairbury Union Agriculture Board was formed in order to purchase land and start a fair for the citizens of the area.

In 1903, a patch of Cyprus trees was cleared to make way for a horse track, which is still between the front stretch of the speedway and the covered grandstands that are still standing today.

After several years of horse racing, a gentleman named Newt Folton – the Fairbury Fair Secretary and local newspaper editor – had wooden planks installed on the half-mile horse track in hopes of hosting amateur auto racing in the near future.

In 1917, Eddie Rickenbacker, an American Flying Ace in World War I and Medal of Honor recipient, visited the track in an attempt to break the world speed record on a motorcycle. There is no indication he was successful.

From 1922 to 1927, racing was held regularly at the track. Competitors would come from bordering states to battle it out for a top prize of $400. Adjusted for inflation that is nearly $6,000 in today’s economy. Offering a large purse and great racing surface was vital to the track’s early growth.

The 1920s saw a boom in motorsports as technology began to improve with every passing day.

Taking the first official checkered flag was Earl Worrick of Covington, Ind., on Sept. 15, 1922. The Hoosier outpaced 11 other cars, completing the 20-mile race in just under 24 minutes and taking the trophy home in his Chevrolet.

During the depression, the track lay mostly dormant. Only three races were held between the years 1927 to 1937.

In 1938 the track was brought back to life by local auto dealer and race fan Elias Eli “Spud” Schlipf. Spud put together a committee who laid out improvements to the facility and came up with a proper marketing plan. They were able to persuade county officials that they could fill the stands, and the green light was given.

Spud and his crew went to work with a long list of improvements — taking down the infield fences prepping the surface with chloride —  and managed to pull off a race in September of that year.

Racing was back at Fairbury.

Finishing off the list of improvements; the East turn was widened; new pits were built, and additional seats were installed in time for the 1939 races. Spud became known across the country as a premier promoter. His team would constantly monitor local conditions to ensure that Fairbury was not only the fastest track around but also the most entertaining and fan friendly.

Spud would go on to serve as the Fairbury race director until 1967, putting in a full 30 years at the track. It’s safe to say that without Spud and his vision, there would be no racing at Fairbury Speedway today.

To continue reading, advance to the next page.

RAPID CITY, S.D. — When the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series returns to Black Hills Speedway on Aug. 23, there will be a new boost of energy behind the race.

NOS Energy Drink is partnering with the event to reward the winner with an additional $10,000, making the now $20,000-to-win NOS Energy Drink Rushmore Showdown one of the highest-paying races of the year.

NOS Energy Drink already has a strong presence in the World of Outlaws, being the series’ title sponsor and a backer of the Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing team and driver Sheldon Haudenschild.

Haudenschild and the rest of the World of Outlaws stars are sure to put on another thrilling show at the NOS Energy Drink Rushmore Showdown, just as they did last year, when Brad Sweet came to the front and outdueled Shane Stewart and Jacob Allen to claim the victory.

KOKOMO, Ind. – Robert Ballou went from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows in the blink of an eye on Sunday night at Kokomo Speedway.

Ballou is now on the mend with a broken arm following a hard crash seconds after he picked up the win in Kokomo’s Bob Darland Memorial race for non-winged sprint cars.

“I want to thank everyone who has reached out and checked on me the last few days,” said Ballou. “It is disappointing to get hurt right when things really pick up out here, but I am thankful the injuries aren’t more serious. We will be out a while, but we will be back.”

MORE: Ballou Wins Kokomo, But Suffers Broken Arm

The Rocklin, Calif., native put together a strong weekend before his crash, finishing second on Friday night at Gas City I-69 Speedway before flexing his muscle on Sunday with the Bob Darland Memorial victory.

As he took the checkered flag, circumstances left the car of Koby Barksdale out of shape in front of him. With nowhere to go, Ballou tried to take evasive action, but couldn’t avoid making hard contact with Barksdale’s ailing machine.

Getting upside down following the hard hit, Ballou ended up with a compound fracture of the radius and ulna bones in one of his arms, which has led to multiple surgeries and forced him to the sidelines for an extended period of time.

“Hopefully I can heel up quick and get back to doing what I love in not time at all, but I want to make sure I am good to go before getting back behind the wheel,” Ballou noted. “Again, just want to thank my fellow drivers, fans, and everyone that has reached out and checked in on me.”

Prior to his injury, Ballou accrued three victories, six top-five and 12 top-10 finishes in 16 starts this season.

Goaltender Brian Elliott is returning to the Philadelphia Flyers on a one-year, $2 million contract, general manager Chuck Fletcher announced Wednesday.

Injuries limited the 34-year-old Elliott to 26 games last season, and the Flyers finally got off their goalie carousel by giving the job to youngster Carter Hart.

Elliott was 11-11-1 last season with a 2.96 goals-against average -- his worst since 2010-11 -- and .907 save percentage -- his worst since 2012-13.

He was coming off a two-year, $5.5 million deal he signed as a free agent after stints with Calgary, St. Louis, Colorado and Ottawa.

"Brian has played well for us the last two seasons," Fletcher said in a statement. "He is a proven, quality goaltender who competes and battles hard every time he has the net. We are excited to have him rejoin our team."

Elliott is a two-time All-Star who led the league in save percentage twice and GAA once.

Ahead of the free-agency shopping frenzy beginning on July 1, we're surveying the landscape and outlining the unique situation in which every team finds itself. That includes the key pending unrestricted and restricted free agents and the team's current cap space, along with the moves I'd make if I were sitting in the GM's chair. We'll go one division at a time. First up is the Atlantic.

Note: All contract information cited here is courtesy of Cap Friendly, and all underlying numbers are provided by one of Corsica, Natural Stat Trick, or Evolving Wild.

Boston Bruins

Key players hitting UFA: C/W Marcus Johansson, C/W Noel Acciari

Key players hitting RFA: D Charlie McAvoy, D Brandon Carlo, C/W Danton Heinen

Cap space: $12.80 million

The moves I'd make as GM: The Bruins are a somewhat boring team this summer, because there isn't much to do here aside from getting the two restricted free agent defensemen signed for years to come. Beyond that, the entirety of their foundational core is not only under contract, but already signed at team-friendly figures for the most part. They'll once again be a top contender barring some unforeseen events, considering that they'll be bringing back the full cast of characters that fell just one game short of winning it all. Most of the work will come in the margins.

With Boston, the question has always been whether they'll be able to scrounge together enough secondary scoring to supplement those big guns, and they certainly did after acquiring Charlie Coyle and Marcus Johansson at the trade deadline this past season. Retaining the latter isn't essential, but would be a nice luxury, considering the dynamic he provided the team throughout the postseason. He's an exceptional puck carrier, transition player, and in-zone passer, which fits in beautifully with how the Bruins like to attack offensively.

Of course it would be ideal if they could find a way to create more cap room to improve their team by getting David Backes and his $6 million cap hit off the books, but it looks like they're stuck with it for the time being. Complicating matters, he has an eight-team trade list; but even without that, the price they'd have to pay for another team to take him off their hands would likely be too rich. That's especially true considering that the Leafs had to send a first-round pick to Carolina to get Patrick Marleau off of their books, and that Backes has an extra year on his deal at nearly the same dollar figure. The other option would be to buy him out, but doing so would only afford the Bruins $333,000 in savings next season, which isn't nearly enough to justify going that route.

Buffalo Sabres

Key players hitting UFA: W Jason Pominville

Key players hitting RFA: G Linus Ullmark, C/W Evan Rodrigues, C/W Zemgus Girgensons, D Jake McCabe, C/W Johan Larsson

Cap space: $18.92 million

The moves I'd make as GM: In a sense, the Sabres already got their heavy lifting for the summer out of the way by locking up Jeff Skinner long term and not allowing him to test the open market. Eight years and $72 million is a lot of term and money, but legitimate 40-goal scorers who actually provide value elsewhere (in his case, positively impacting shot metrics and drawing significantly more penalties than he takes) are hard to come by, and their salaries tend to reflect that.

The Sabres now need to focus on finding undervalued forwards who can come in and provide a viable secondary source of scoring -- which sounds easy enough, but has proven to be a tough task for them in recent years. Saying they were lacking in it last year wouldn't be fair, because that would imply that it actually existed in some form in prior seasons. It's no surprise that Buffalo was significantly better with Skinner and Eichel out on the ice together at five-on-five considering that they're the team's two best players, but the degree to which things cratered without them were quite troubling:

The good news is that this is one area that the free-agent market often possesses help in greatest volume, and this year's class is no different. Because of that supply, they'll almost certainly be able to greatly improve their depth chart on the wing without actually paying a premium to do so. A player such as Joonas Donskoi is precisely the type of player that they should be targeting, because he'll do wonders for keeping them above water territorially and from a shot-share perspective -- all for a bargain price.

The other thing the Sabres need to do is cash in on Rasmus Ristolainen while they still can, and while the market is as hot as it is for blueliners. He's a 25-year-old right-hand shooting defenseman who is cost controlled for the next three years, which would make him a tremendously valuable asset if he were actually good at hockey. The fact that he isn't is irrelevant here, because history has taught us that there's at least one team out there that will talk itself into fixing him based on that profile, and will pay handsomely for the opportunity to do so. Considering some of the prices we've seen teams pay for such defensemen in recent years, it would be almost impossible for them to not come out ahead by doing so.

Detroit Red Wings

Key players hitting UFA: D Niklas Kronwall, W Thomas Vanek

Key players hitting RFA: None

Cap space: $12.03 million

The moves I'd make as GM: Timing is everything in a salary-cap world. One of the best skills a GM can have in his tool box is the ability to objectively read the room, and assess where his team realistically fits into the league's current power structure. It's really important to time things out with the windows of your contracts, so that you can make your move unabashedly when the opportunity to do so finally presents itself.

For the Red Wings, that window appears to really start to open two years from now, when they'll finally be out from under the financial anchors former GM Ken Holland saddled them with on his way out the door. Next summer, they'll have nearly $13 million in financial commitments come off the books with deals expiring for Mike Green, Trevor Daley and Jonathan Ericsson. The following summer, they'll clear another $10-plus million once Darren Helm, Jonathan Bernier, Luke Glendening and Stephen Weiss' buyouts are up. In that time, they'll also have Henrik Zetterberg and Johan Franzen's contracts finally come to an end as well, freeing up their long-term injured reserve slots and all of the inconveniences that come with filling them.

In the meantime, it would behoove the Red Wings to avoid taking on any bad future money. Everything that's not completely bolted down for the long haul should be in play, and every free-agent contract they hand out should be of the shorter-term variety. They should use this as an opportunity to figure out what they truly have in all of their young players, giving them a chance to play through growing pains and get the necessary reps at this level. If there are any veterans that either don't have other obvious landing spots or are looking to rebuild their value on the fly, they can offer them prime scoring minutes and the promise that they'll be moved to a contender at the deadline should they produce. They've made at least 10 picks over the past three drafts -- 32 total, although the 2017 class was disastrous, with five of their picks not even being signed as of this writing -- and already own nine picks in 2020, a number that'll only grow between now and the trade deadline.

The good news is that new GM Steve Yzerman comes in with a blank slate and a long leash, allowing the Red Wings to see this rebuild through properly without any real desperation to misguidedly fast track things with quick fixes. Missing the playoffs for three seasons in a row and counting is an especially bitter new reality for an organization that prided itself on the 25-year stretch that came before it, but at least there's finally light at the end of the tunnel in Detroit. That's something that couldn't be said a couple of years ago, when they were bad but also stuck with no cards to play.

Florida Panthers

Key players hitting UFA: C/W Riley Sheahan, W Troy Brouwer, W Jamie McGinn

Key players hitting RFA: C/W Denis Malgin, D Mackenzie Weegar, G Sam Montembeault

Cap space: $20.48 million

The moves I'd make as GM: The Panthers certainly haven't been shy about telegraphing their intentions for this summer. Thanks to a number of shrewd midseason trades, they not only recouped seven future draft picks, but just as importantly cleared a healthy chunk of cap space to play with in free agency. Considering that they've been heavily linked to a pair of former teammates who just so happen to be two of the biggest names available on the unrestricted market as a package deal, let's work under the assumption that that's indeed the direction they're going in.

Regardless of the price tag, landing a player of Artemi Panarin's caliber is so impactful that you simply do it, and make everything else fit around that deal afterward. In his two seasons as the primary offensive creator in Columbus, he was spectacular. Connor McDavid, Nikita Kucherov and Patrick Kane were the only players with more five-on-five points than Panarin in that time, with McDavid and Kucherov being the only two players to personally create more five-on-five goals than his 87. He was "only" 18th in overall points over the last two seasons, largely due to an anemic Blue Jackets power play. That shouldn't be a problem in Florida, where the Panthers' man advantage was outscored by only Tampa Bay's last season. Unlike most free agents that hit the open market in their late 20s, term shouldn't be a sticking point with Panarin either. He got a late start to his NHL career, having logged only 322 games (and another 27 in the postseason) to this point. With an elusive playing style that allows him to escape relatively unscathed -- he took the eighth fewest hits on a per-minute basis last season -- he should age rather gracefully into his 30s.

The case of pursuing Sergei Bobrvosky is more complicated. Considering that the Panthers were 30th in save percentage and 28th in goals against last season, it would certainly fit a need. And while his own .913 save percentage for the season in 2018-19 fell well below his usual lofty standards, it doesn't paint an entirely accurate picture. After the All-Star break, he stopped a clean 93% of the shots he faced, posting a whopping seven shutouts in just 26 games. Add on a .925 save percentage in 10 playoff games, in which he finally got the postseason monkey off his back, and he enters free agency on a significantly higher note. However, the issue is the idea of committing the type of dollars and term that he'll command given the volatile nature of the position. Bobrovsky turns 31 in September, which makes that type of investment risky for the Panthers. But when you've made the playoffs once in seven years, and gone 23 years since your last series win, you tend to feel a certain desperation to make splash moves.

Montreal Canadiens

Key players hitting UFA: D Jordie Benn

Key players hitting RFA: W Joel Armia, W Artturi Lehkonen, W Charles Hudon

Cap space: $10.21 million

The moves I'd make as GM: Montreal is in a good spot organizationally right now, despite having missed the playoffs in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the turn of the century. They have a loaded prospect pipeline that's considered to be one of the league's deepest groups, thanks to the 21 selections they've made over the past two drafts. Their main roster core is in its collective prime for the most part, and locked up for the next couple of seasons. They also have the financial flexibility to go out and improve their roster this summer, with the ability to create even more space next year by buying out Karl Alzner this summer (which would afford them an extra $3 million in space).

Their forward group is deep, fast, and incredibly effective. At five-on-five, they're quite the handful for opponents, clocking in somewhat surprisingly as the sixth-highest-ranked scoring offense last season. However, the power play was an entirely different story, where they couldn't buy a goal to save their lives. They were the 30th-ranked power-play offense, with only the Predators creating goals less frequently. Part of the issue is that they never really replaced Max Pacioretty's shot after his trade, which is why they should be in the hunt for another triggerman.

Paying for goals in free agency can be costly, but someone like Ryan Dzingel seems like a natural fit given his skating ability and playing style. Most importantly, he's a career 15% shooter in his three-plus NHL seasons, representing the type of threat the Canadiens desperately need. The other name to consider is Mike Hoffman, who could conceivably be a victim of a numbers game in Florida if they land Artemi Panarin in free agency.

The other area of need for them is skill and puck-moving ability from the blue line, which would help fuel their preferred relentless five-on-five attack through the transition game. Given his age and recent injury track record, expecting a full 82 games from Shea Weber seems quite ambitious; if he can't be counted on, there are a lot of question marks beyond Jeff Petry on the depth chart. It's a shame that Erik Karlsson was taken off the open market by the Sharks before he could ever get there, because the speculated interest between the former Senator and the Canadiens made a lot of sense. The next logical option is Jake Gardiner, depending on how high the bidding for his services gets, and whether the cost of acquisition becomes prohibitive.

Ottawa Senators

Key players hitting UFA: W Magnus Paajarvi, C/W Oscar Lindberg, C Brian Gibbons

Key players hitting RFA: D Cody Ceci, C/W Colin White, D Christian Wolanin

Cap space: $33.02 million

The moves I'd make as GM: The glass-half-full view of the Senators' current financial situation is that they're essentially a blank slate, meaning that there's ample opportunity for any number of young players to step up and earn minutes without any real depth-chart roadblocks in their way. At the moment, they don't have a single defenseman who isn't playing on his entry-level contract on their books past 2019-20, and Bobby Ryan is the only such player under contract beyond 2020-21. Heading into the 2019-20 season, Ryan is the only active skater they have making more than $4 million, their second- and fourth-highest paid players are on long-term injured reserve, and three of their top 10 salaries are devoted to goaltenders.

It's remarkable that in a league where teams are now scrambling to sell off pieces and find creative ways to get under the cap, the Senators are going to have to work hard just to reach the $60.2 million floor this summer. One thing they can do is throw those teams a life line of sorts by taking on front-loaded deals that have been largely paid out already, while also receiving future assets in the form of prospects or picks.

For example, shedding Milan Lucic's $6 million cap hit for the next four years would be immensely valuable to the Oilers. After his signing bonus is paid out this summer, he's owed "only" $16 million total in real cash over the final four years of his deal. Clearing that cap room to use on more productive present-day players would surely be of interest to Edmonton, as it would be for the Senators to take on a contract that helps them toward the floor without actually denting Eugene Melynk's pockets significantly. Jeff Carter similarly carries a $5.27 million cap hit for the next three seasons, but is owed just $7 million total in cash over that time. The difference there is that the Kings seem more likely to be content with their current rebuild, making it less likely they'd be willing to fork over valuable assets to scrub that contract from their books.

It's undoubtedly a flaw in the system and not a good look for the league, but one that the Senators are uniquely positioned to take advantage of in the present and benefit from in the future. Some teams cheer for raw points, while other teams cheer for cost per point.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Key players hitting UFA: D Anton Stralman, D Dan Girardi

Key players hitting RFA: C/W Brayden Point, W Adam Erne, C/W Cedric Paquette

Cap space: $10.63 million

The moves I'd make as GM: Just one week ago, this would be an entirely different discussion, but after Ryan Callahan's career being cut short by injury and J.T. Miller's contract being absorbed by the Canucks at the draft, the Lightning suddenly possess some much-needed financial breathing room. If push comes to shove and they need to shed even more salary, we could see at least one of Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat or Alex Killorn get flipped as well. While moving Johnson is complicated by the nature of his no-trade clause, the latter two names can both be freely traded before their own modified no-trade clauses get triggered in the future.

We see time and time again that the well-run teams in the NHL seem to find a way to craftily wiggle their way out of cap hell, somehow coming out on the other side looking even better for it. Because of their embarrassment of riches up front, even their expendable secondary and tertiary contributors carry more appeal around the league than they otherwise would. There are presumably many teams desperate for a talent infusion that would gladly take on a player like Tyler Johnson because of his 29 goals scored last season, not fully appreciating that it'll be more difficult to replicate that success once he's no longer riding shotgun alongside Nikita Kucherov or Brayden Point.

At this point the Lightning can afford to bleed out cap casualties because of how well they've drafted in past years, having younger and cheaper options primed for larger roles. Players like Anthony Cirelli and Mathieu Joseph can seamlessly slide up the depth chart and fill in without skipping a beat, while still playing on their entry-level deals, which is a luxury that can't go overlooked.

Because of the combination of the lack of a state income tax and the fact they provide veteran players with a chance to immediately compete for a Stanley Cup, Tampa Bay will continue to be linked to any big name that comes available. They need to be careful with how they proceed, however, because an important summer looms large in 2020. Andrei Vasilevskiy, Mikhail Sergachev, Erik Cernak, Cirelli and Joseph will all be restricted free agents, and they figure to see a sizeable contract inflation. It's understandable that the Lightning will do everything they can to try to win it all next season, especially after the bitter ending to their magical 62-win season that they just endured. But if they play this right and think ahead this summer, they can set themselves up for even more kicks at the can in the years to come.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Key players hitting UFA: D Jake Gardiner, D Ron Hainsey, D Martin Marincin, C/W Tyler Ennis

Key players hitting RFA: W Mitch Marner, W Andreas Johnsson, W Kasperi Kapanen

Cap space: $13.54 million

The moves I'd make as GM: The Leafs don't have much wiggle room this summer, hence the exorbitant price they paid to shed Patrick Marleau's salary, so they'll have to get creative. The first priority is taking care of their restricted free agents. While it's been reported that Johnsson and Kapanen have agreed to deals in principle, the remaining uncertainty surrounding Marner's demands promises to hog the headlines for the foreseeable future. He's a tremendous talent who excelled alongside John Tavares last season, but at some point the Leafs will have to think long and hard about how much those services are worth, and whether they're better off banking the draft picks and cap space to improve elsewhere should an offer sheet actually materialize.

Beyond that, the rest of their resources should be fully devoted to two tasks: revamping the blue line, and finding a reliable backup goaltender.

The first part is the most pressing concern. Of their top six defensemen last season, it's possible they'll have only two of them on opening night in 2019-20. Gardiner will likely walk for a massive pay day, Hainsey doesn't have much left in the tank and is probably gone too, Zaitsev has asked for a trade and Travis Dermott is set to miss an extended period after having offseason surgery. It's a dire situation for a team that already had plenty of question marks. The market for impactful defensemen dries up rather quickly, so they'll presumably try to patch up the holes through either trade or promoting from within (with Timothy Liljegren and Rasmus Sandin waiting in the wings after impressive showings in the AHL).

The goaltending situation is more of a champagne problem, but one that they'd do well to address. Since Frederik Andersen came to Toronto three seasons ago, no goalie has played more than him -- and the gap in the amount of shots faced between Andersen and the pack has been quite stunning:

He's held up admirably under the pressure, serving as a rare consistent performer at a typically unpredictable position. But if the Leafs have aspirations for finally getting over the hump and playing deep into the postseason, they'll need to do a better job of preserving him by dialing his usage back throughout the regular season. With how good their team is and their position in the playoff picture safe, there's no reason he should be sniffing anything approaching the 60 games played mark next year.

The landscape has been shifting toward 50-50 splits in net for some time now, and the success teams like the Islanders, Stars and Bruins enjoyed rotating their netminders will only push that agenda even further. In today's game you really need two goalies you can trust to give your team a chance to win on any given night, as well as to preserve your No. 1 for a long playoff run.

Ahead of the free-agency shopping frenzy beginning on July 1, we're surveying the landscape and outlining the unique situation in which every team finds itself. That includes the key pending unrestricted and restricted free agents and the team's current cap space, along with the moves I'd make if I were sitting in the GM's chair. We've already looked at the Atlantic, and this edition focuses on the eight teams in the Metropolitan.

Note: All contract information cited here is courtesy of Cap Friendly, and all underlying numbers are provided by one of Corsica, Natural Stat Trick or Evolving Wild.

Carolina Hurricanes

Key players hitting UFA: G Petr Mrazek, G Curtis McElhinney, W Justin Williams, W Micheal Ferland, C/W Greg McKegg

Key players hitting RFA: C/W Sebastian Aho, W Brock McGinn, D Haydn Fleury, G Anton Forsberg, G Alex Nedeljkovic

Cap space: $24.70 million

The moves I'd make as GM: When it comes to the Hurricanes, the "space available" figure above is just a technicality, because they're a team that operates around an internal budget which is presumably a fair bit below the actual salary cap ceiling.

We were reminded yet again of this sad reality over the past couple of days, when they made a pair of moves that ultimately resulted in a net neutral cost from a dollars coming in versus going out perspective. After essentially buying a first-round pick from the Leafs in exchange for buying out Patrick Marleau's contract, they shipped off Calvin de Haan's contract along with an interesting prospect in Aleksi Saarela for what amounts to spare parts.

Sebastian Aho blossomed into a legitimate superstar before our eyes this season, and he'll easily become the Hurricanes' highest-paid skater, though that's a low bar to clear considering no one is currently making north of $6 million on the team (once Marleau is officially bought out). Ensuring that he's in a Hurricanes uniform for the entirety of his prime years is the first priority this summer, and then after that we'll see how frisky the team is willing to get.

There was some thought that the de Haan trade signaled that the team opening up extra spending cash to go big-game hunting in free agency, although it's just as likely that they didn't want to spend $4.55 million per season on a third-pairing defenseman. He's more than that in a vacuum, but Carolina's strength is on the blue line, where they not only have Jaccob Slavin, Brett Pesce, Dougie Hamilton and Justin Faulk eating big minutes, but also top prospects like Haydn Fleury and Jake Bean looking like they're ready to compete for regular NHL minutes too.

If the Hurricanes are looking to deal from a position of strength and upgrade their forwards, it would make sense to deal Faulk while his value is still high after a strong postseason. He's an unrestricted free agent after this season, and considering how plodding a skater he already is, paying him big money into his 30s is an awfully risky proposition. His strength is his big booming shot from the point, but it was more of a curse than a blessing for the Hurricanes' power play last season because of how much they relied upon it. Not only was their formation too predictable, but it was far too perimeter-based and centered around low-probability shots. They'd likely be better off just giving those minutes to Hamilton anyway, which means that trading Faulk to a team that is desperate for defensemen and covets his skill set becomes an enticing idea to entertain.

With Martin Necas presumably stepping up and giving the Hurricanes another scoring center, the trickle-down effect bumps Jordan Staal to a defensively oriented gig that's far more suitable for his skill set, allowing everything to slide into its proper place. Potentially losing Justin Williams and everything he provided the team both on and off the ice hurts, but they should be able to find useful wingers for relatively cheap that can come in and fit in with the relentlessly dizzying pace at which they'd prefer to play. Andrei Svechnikov taking a leap in Year 2 would go a long way toward providing the team with some needed secondary scoring, which seems like a perfectly realistic expectation given the talent he flashed in abundance last season.

The biggest question is in net, where they finally got good goaltending from the unlikeliest of pairs between Curtis McElhinney and Petr Mrazek. While "slightly above league average" may not seem like anything to write home about, the Hurricanes had been on a hellishly abysmal run in goaltending the previous four seasons:

With both guys up for new contracts, it'll be fascinating to see how the Hurricanes play things. They're a franchise that likely won't want to play for career seasons, particularly at this position, which means that they could possibly be looking elsewhere for the next versions of those two that are currently undervalued. Mrazek is obviously the more interesting of the two because of his age and the run he went on down to stretch to carry the team into the postseason, but considering that he took a discount deal last summer to prove himself and rebuild his value, it's hard to see him not wanting to cash in somewhere else now.

Whether it's Alex Nedeljkovic coming up from the AHL and being given his first real extended look, Anton Forsberg being retained after coming back in the de Haan trade, or some other free agent netminder, you don't have to tell the Hurricanes about the importance of reliable goaltending after all they've been through at the position over the years.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Key players hitting UFA: W Artemi Panarin, G Sergei Bobrovsky, C Matt Duchene, C/W Ryan Dzingel, D Adam McQuaid

Key players hitting RFA: D Zach Werenski, D Ryan Murray, G Joonas Korpisalo

Cap space: $29.52 million

The moves I'd make as GM: Once Columbus chose to throw caution to the wind and go all-in at last year's trade deadline in an attempt to finally get over the postseason hump, there was a lot of concern voiced about the potential ramifications of their decision to do so without securing a real safety net or contingency plan afterward. Part of it had to do with the fact that it was such a unique situation, which completely went counter to the NHL's customary norms of conservatism and half measures.

But as strange as it is to say about a team that's about to lose its most prolific scorer, a two-time Vezina Trophy winner and a 70-point player -- that Nashville just presumably moved P.K. Subban for spare parts to try to sign -- for essentially nothing, the future outlook for the Blue Jackets just might be fine after all.

The loss of Panarin will certainly be felt, because the Blue Jackets don't have a pure talent of his caliber through which to consistently run the offense. Having him on the ice made life easier for players like Cam Atkinson and Pierre-Luc Dubois, because of all the extra space on the ice they were afforded with all the attention opposing defenses paid to Panarin.

While the Blue Jackets understandably won't be able to replace his production with any one player, they're uniquely positioned to survive the loss through the sheer volume of forward depth that remains. In Atkinson (25), Dubois (20), Josh Anderson (20), Oliver Bjorkstrand (19), and Nick Foligno (15), they had five of the top 80 5-on-5 goal scorers last season. The openings in the lineup up front also provide an opportunity for exciting prospects like Alexandre Texier (who tore up the Finnish pro league and didn't look out of place at all in his late-season cup of coffee in North America) and Emil Bemstrom (who led the Swedish Hockey League in goal-scoring as a teenager) to step in and make an impact immediately as well.

Sergei Bobrovsky was arguably the best goalie in the league in totality during his Blue Jackets seasons, but not having to pick up the expensive tab for the downswing of his 30s could be a blessing in disguise for Columbus. Right now, it looks like they'll go with some combination of Elvis Merzlikins, Joonas Korpisalo and Free Agent X in net, which at least has the potential to be a decent group for a fraction of the cost.

Columbus may have put a bunch of their eggs into last year's basket, but it's not like they'll start at square one now. They have two top-pairing defensemen in their early 20s, a 21-year-old top center, a deep roster of interesting talent, a loaded prospect pipeline, and more spending cash than they know what to do with. It's a minor setback in the present, but the Blue Jackets could be positioned to reload on the fly here.

New Jersey Devils

Key players hitting UFA: W Drew Stafford, W Kenny Agostino

Key players hitting RFA: D Will Butcher, W Stefan Noesen, D Mirco Mueller, D Connor Carrick

Cap space: $25.77 million

The moves I'd make as GM: The Devils are coming off a monster weekend for their franchise, having added two big-name stars to a roster that was in desperate need of game-changing talent wherever it could get it.

While they were lucky to have won the lottery and gotten the chance to draft Jack Hughes first overall, they fully earned their opportunity to swoop in and steal P.K. Subban from a vulnerable Predators team looking to clear money ahead of free agency. Considering the measly acquisition cost the Devils paid, any number of teams out there could've theoretically matched or provided a superior offer to theirs, but very few possessed New Jersey's financial flexibility that allowed them to fully absorb Subban's $9 million cap hit without blinking an eye.

Assets come in various shapes and sizes in this league, and cap space is one of them. There will always be teams that find themselves in a bind, and there will always be value in being the team that's sitting around waiting to throw them a life line -- with interest attached. Even after taking on the third highest paid defenseman in the league, the Devils still boast the fourth most spending power heading into free agency, making them a team to watch.

A big year looms for the Devils, as they try to convince Taylor Hall to stick around and sign a contract that'll presumably take him right through the remainder of his most productive seasons. Getting Subban and Hughes is an excellent first step, but there's more work to be done. If they want to put the latter in a position to succeed in his first spin around the league, the Devils could still realistically use another scoring winger (or two) to help arm Hughes with personnel that can take advantage of his expert passing, assuming he's not playing alongside Hall on the top line right out of the gate.

The biggest winner of all this talent infusion is head coach John Hynes, who endured a lean season in 2018-19 as the team battled through a litany of injuries and a talent deficit on a nightly basis. It goes against the ingrained image of the defensively oriented trapping Devils of the 90s, but New Jersey under Hynes would ideally like to play with pace and get up and down the ice with the best of them. They couldn't really do it last season because they lacked the firepower to get away with it, but they should be fun to watch after this summer's additions (and a presumably healthy Hall).

One final note: The Devils recently hired analyst Matt Cane, whose most prominent work online revolved around projecting free-agent contracts on the open market. That seems like a useful tool to have around this summer, with plenty of interesting names available and more resources at your disposal than your competition.

New York Islanders

Key players hitting UFA: C/W Anders Lee, G Robin Lehner, C/W Valtteri Filppula, W Tom Kuhnhackl

Key players hitting RFA: W Anthony Beauvillier, W Michael Dal Colle, C/W Josh Ho-Sang

Cap space: $20.75 million

The moves I'd make as GM: The Islanders have already taken care of some housekeeping business, inking Brock Nelson and Jordan Eberle to long-term deals and preventing them from testing the open market. The Nelson deal seemed a bit rich at first blush, but he scored 25 goals last season and after what Kevin Hayes got, it seems far more defensible. The Eberle deal was quite team-friendly, even if he was coming off a poorly timed down season. He bounced back from that with a particularly strong playoff performance, and has a long track record of scoring in the mid-20s in goals, which makes you think that he could've probably gotten more from someone else if he'd waited for July 1.

The Islanders had no choice but to bring back both guys, because it's not like they're bursting at the seams with scoring threats. By that logic, it would make sense that Anders Lee would be back as well, though it's possible his demands are too high (and possibly prohibitive for a 29-year-old that isn't exactly fleet of foot at this age).

While the team could use a talent infusion wherever it could get it, a good start would be providing Mathew Barzal with some viable wingers. It's mind-boggling to look at his list of linemates last season and see how much time was wasted playing alongside the Tom Kuhnhackl, Andrew Ladd and Leo Komarov of the world.

That's simply not good enough, and it's doing a disservice to both him and the team to not have him flying around with shooters that can consistently take advantage of his puck wizardry. There's few players that have the combination of vision, creativity and touch that he possesses, and the Islanders would do well to take full advantage of that by surrounding him with the right complementary players. It would be absolutely scintillating watching him play with Panarin, but at this point I'd settle for Gustav Nyquist, Mats Zuccarello, Ryan Dzingel or any other gifted winger that's available.

The other question the Islanders have to answer is how much they want to invest in Robin Lehner's ridiculously dominant 2018-19 campaign. Not only was he great on the ice, but everything he did off of it, culminating in a tremendous speech at the NHL Awards when he was accepting the Masterton Award that gives this entire story a feel that's beyond just hockey. He's also younger than you'd think because of how long he's been in the league, turning 28 this summer. It's still risky investing heavy resources in goalies, and there's a case to be made that Barry Trotz's system is just as responsible for all of the success the team enjoyed defensively last season. But, it seems logical for all parties to continue the relationship at least in the short term.

Before the Islanders do anything else this summer, it's imperative for them to critically evaluate their performance last season, distinguish between what was real and wasn't, what the driving forces were, and then proceed accordingly.

New York Rangers

Key players hitting UFA: None

Key players hitting RFA: D Jacob Trouba, W Pavel Buchnevich, W Brendan Lemieux, D Tony DeAngelo

Cap space: $17.54 million

The moves I'd make as GM: Right now, the Rangers have a devil on one shoulder telling them to fast-track the rebuild and go make a splash by splurging on a big name on the free-agent market. Meanwhile, the angel on their other shoulder tells them to continue hoarding future assets and build something special for the long haul.

Normally we'd think that the market they're in and the history of the franchise would make them particularly susceptible to giving in to the former's urges, but they've done such a masterful job of rebuilding over the past 18 months that there's clearly a coherent plan in place that they've stuck to throughout. While it would be exciting for them to land a big name that sells jerseys and generates fan interest, there would be something even more satisfying about seeing them properly execute this full rebuild from start to finish so expertly.

Looking at the projected roster, one area the Rangers could certainly use some immediate help in is down the middle, where they're particularly thin for the time being beyond Mika Zibanejad until Filip Chytil is ready to step into the role. With Kaapo Kakko and Vitali Kravtsov joining the team, New York is flush with tantalizing young wing talent that would greatly benefit from playing next to someone that can be relied upon the get them the puck and cover for them defensively. The issue is that it's difficult to find a center in the free-agent class who would tangibly move the needle without costing a fortune, and it doesn't make much sense for the Rangers to be tying up significant funds in players who don't align with the timeline of the majority of their roster.

The one exception to everything written above would be Artemi Panarin, whose unique résumé we already outlined in-depth when discussing why the Panthers would be interested. He's 28, but he has minimal mileage on his body and figures to age gracefully in the coming years. He's also the rare winger that transcends the position, and even though he's not playing down the middle you can still play through him by letting the offense flow through his stick.

The other thing the Rangers could use is a defenseman, but with Trouba and Adam Fox now coming in, and recent draft picks like K'Andre Miller and Nils Lundkvist on the way eventually, they shouldn't concern themselves too much with trying to fill those spots on the depth chart immediately. They've done such an admirable job of accumulating talent on all fronts since starting this rebuild, that they should now sit back and allow it all to coalesce, seeing how it all fits together first. There may be growing pains and it may be a while before it translates into consistent wins, but there's so much to look forward to with this time and they promise to be near the very top of next year's watchability rankings.

Philadelphia Flyers

Key players hitting UFA: G Cam Talbot, G Brian Elliott, G Michal Neuvirth

Key players hitting RFA: D Ivan Provorov, W Travis Konecny, C Scott Laughton

Cap space: $17.15 million

The moves I'd make as GM: If we were having this discussion as recently as two weeks ago, it would've had a much different tenor to it. After years of careful planning and diligent saving by Ron Hextall to dig the franchise out of one of the worst financial situations in the league, the Flyers we know and love are back to their free spending old ways under Chuck Fletcher. They couldn't help themselves, getting out on the market and making their chess moves before we even knew what the salary-cap details were going to be for the coming season.

In a vacuum, there's no doubt they're a better team on paper now than they were at the end of last season. Kevin Hayes is an excellent playmaker, and fills arguably the team's biggest hole on the depth chart as a second center behind Sean Couturier. His insertion into the lineup not only gives them the luxury of keeping Claude Giroux on the wing (which they justifiably prefer), but also allows Nolan Patrick and some of their other younger options to develop more freely without mounds of pressure and expectations. Matt Niskanen and Justin Braun are both on the wrong side of 30 and coming off of dreadful showings last season, but the Flyers are betting that both players -- who were legitimately excellent defenders not too long ago -- will bounce back under softer minutes.

Considering the advancing ages of core players like Giroux and Jakub Voracek, it makes a fair bit of sense for the Flyers to push their chips in with this current group while they still can. That's especially the case as a divide between old and new forms in the Metro Division, with the incumbents in Pittsburgh and Washington showing signs of vulnerability while the next wave in New York and New Jersey still needs more time to take shape fully.

The issue is that it's tough not to be underwhelmed by how they chose to make their move over the past couple weeks. Considering the additional $14.35 million commitment to next season's cap that they made in those three acquisitions, they didn't improve their outlook nearly as much as they should've with that money.

Disappointment about what could've been aside, there's still plenty to like about this roster as currently constructed. There's a nice blend of established stars in their prime and realistically ascending youth sprinkled throughout the lineup. Assuming they can refrain from overreacting about admittedly down seasons from Shayne Gostisbehere and Ivan Provorov, most of the heavy lifting is already done.

It's somewhat fitting that their only major unrestricted free agents are all goaltenders, because that was their ultimate undoing last season. The Flyers cycled through an astonishing number of netminders last season, working through seven different options before finally giving Carter Hart his belated shot. By that time, the damage had been done, but the good news is that Hart acquitted himself well enough in his first look that there's reason for legitimate optimism about him being the long-term solution in net. In his 30 starts, he posted a .917 save percentage and plus-7 goals saved above average, compared to the abysmal .890 save percentage the seven others combined for in their 52 starts.

At this point, less is more for the Flyers. They can go and get a veteran backup to provide occasional relief for Hart if they don't trust Alex Lyon to do it (he had a .916 save percentage in the AHL last season), and they need to take care of the remaining restricted free agents listed above. After that, Fletcher should be encouraged to take a company-mandated vacation for the rest of the summer.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Key players hitting UFA: C/W Matt Cullen

Key players hitting RFA: D Marcus Pettersson, C/W Zach Aston-Reese, C/W Teddy Blueger

Cap space: $3.89 million

The moves I'd make as GM: The Penguins are obviously one of the teams most directly impacted by the cap ceiling for next season coming in lower than expected, considering how tight up against it they already are.

The Olli Maatta trade was the first domino to fall in their pursuit of more flexibility, and it was a smart one. They took advantage of Chicago's desperate need for defensemen, turning a player whose name and lingering draft pedigree largely outweigh his present day utility into $3 million in essential cap space and a useful forward (Dominik Kahun) who is cheap and fits seamlessly into how they want to play under Mike Sullivan.

Pittsburgh needs more small victories like that, because the past calendar year or so has not been kind to Jim Rutherford's résumé. It's almost like their defeat to the Capitals in the 2018 postseason where Tom Wilson was running wild and imposing his will broke them as much psychologically as it did physically, completely pushing them off the path that had made them so successful up until that point. Most of the moves the Penguins made after that reeked of a desire to overcompensate with size and toughness, which ran completely counter to the speed and skill approach that won them back-to-back Stanley Cups.

In that misguided pursuit, they somehow tied up north of $11 million in essential cap space in Erik Gudbranson, Jack Johnson and Nick Bjugstad, all of whom make absolutely zero sense on this roster and in this system. That's partly why they at least need to entertain trading Phil Kessel this summer. Not because of his attitude or personality or any other off-ice intangible reason cited, but because he's one of their very few non-essential trade chips who could actually garner a return that helps improve the team. If they can parlay his contract into a number of other assets, while clearing some money off the books and regaining some semblance of flexibility, it's something they need to at least consider.

Beyond that, there isn't much the Penguins can do right now beyond hoping and praying that Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin's greatness can overcome all of the hurdles placed in front of them. It's obviously not ideal, but considering the magic we've seen them perform over the years, it's also not the worst thing in the world to be banking on either.

Washington Capitals

Key players hitting UFA: W Brett Connolly, W Devante Smith-Pelly,

Key players hitting RFA: W Jakub Vrana, W Andre Burakovsky, D Christian Djoos, C/W Chandler Stephenson

Cap space: $9.24 million

The moves I'd make as GM: Unlike last summer, when the Capitals had to make a big decision about what to do with John Carlson's impending free-agent status, there isn't really much tinkering for them to do this year except on the margins. Connolly presumably priced himself out of Washington after scoring 22 goals last season, but if any team can find a way to internally cover for that loss in that specific department it's this one.

Caps GM Brian MacLellan certainly didn't procrastinate this offseason, getting most of his affairs in order already by signing Carl Hagelin and getting ready to roll things back again with the same core group of players from last season. Because of the nature of their roster construction and how much of the cap is allocated to the top players, their biggest improvement is going to have to come from the internal improvements of players like Vrana and Burakovsky.

While it's unclear at this point if it's ever going to happen for the latter after all of the promise he's flashed in the past, the Capitals are almost pot-committed to seeing it through with Burakovsky. The talent is undeniable, and at 25, he still presents a higher offensive ceiling for them than anyone else they'd reasonably get at a similar price point (not to mention the fear that he'd go somewhere else on the cheap and make them look silly by finally delivering on all of that vast potential).

The former is the one worth keying in on here of the two, because he really ascended in 2018-19, and now looks like he's got even more room to grow. In an ironic way, their decision to not use Vrana nearly enough last season may actually wind up being to their long-term benefit, saving them a couple extra bucks on his next contract. We know that raw volume of stats counts much more than context when it comes to these negotiations, which will help suppress his figure as a restricted free agent. The fact that he had 24 goals and 47 points despite playing around 14 minutes per night without sniffing the top power play is quite impressive. He was tied for the 17th most goals at 5-on-5 with Steven Stamkos and Matt Duchene, and 54th in 5-on-5 points with Blake Wheeler and Evgeni Malkin. On a per-minute basis, those league ranks jump up to 14th and 39th respectively.

For a team like the Capitals that's relatively capped out and only has so many avenues for getting better, the best option may very well be trying to get more out of the young players they already have like Vrana and Burakovsky by feeding them more opportunities and betting on their continued improvement.

It's often said that the winner of the NHL's unrestricted free-agent frenzy is the team that stays away from bloated unrestricted free-agent bidding.

You know who would disagree with that? General manager Doug Armstrong of the St. Louis Blues. He signed center Tyler Bozak last summer. He signed winger Patrick Maroon. Both of them played integral roles in the Blues' march to their first Stanley Cup championship this spring.

Then again, the Blues also signed Chad Johnson to be part of their solution in goal. He lasted 10 games.

Hence, investment in free agency is an imperfect science, but there are logical approaches to it, such as in our tiered look at the unrestricted free-agent market.

It breaks down the unrestricted free agents into categories ranging from sure things to big gambles to players to avoid like they're marinated in toxic waste. We also list the players who won't cost much and can spackle over problems.

Here's a look at the key players hitting the market on July 1. We left out players who appear primed to sign with their old clubs (Petr Mrazek, Maroon) or players who are likely to either re-sign or retire (Justin Williams, Niklas Kronwall).

Note: Ages listed are as of June 26. Players are listed alphabetically within each tier.

Tier 1: The best bets

Sergei Bobrovsky, G, Columbus Blue Jackets

Age: 30 | 2018-19 cap hit: $7.425 million

Look, we know the last metric anyone should use to evaluate a goalie is wins. That established, Bobrovsky has 115 wins in the past three seasons, for a .605 winning percentage. That's phenomenal. He has a career .919 save percentage and 2.46 goals-against average in the regular season, and has started 61-plus games in each of the past three seasons. He answered any questions about his postseason valor with a .925 save percentage in 10 games this spring. The issue here is his age: There's no question he's worth a high average annual value (AAV) to solidify someone's crease, but would he be worth it when he hits his late 30s?