Let's just state the obvious: playoff teams score more goals than their opponents over the course of a season, and typically the difference is significant. If we go back to the 1999-2000 season, there have been 144 playoff teams in the NHL, and of those teams, 134 finished the regular season with a positive goal differential (more goals for than against). Ninety-one finished with a differential greater than plus-20, and only two of the 10 exceptions finished with a differential worse than minus-10.
What does that mean for last year's non-playoff teams? Let's take a look.
Newsmakers in the NHL: During the regular season it's our daily look at the previous night's action. During the offseason, it's our link dump that looks at some of the storylines and moves taking place around the league three times per week. Have a tip or something you want linked? Send it in to nhlfanhouse@gmail.com.
On Thursday, the Anaheim Ducks added some bulk to their lineup by acquiring 6-foot-5, 254-pound winger Evgeny Artyukhin from the Tampa Bay Lightning for forward Drew Miller and a third-round pick. Artyukhin, 26, played in 73 games with Tampa Bay this past season, registering six goals to go with 10 assists and 151 penalty minutes. One of the biggest players in the NHL and capable of dropping the gloves, Artyukhin will add even more toughness to an already big, and physical, Ducks lineup.
The naming of Brent Sutter as head coach of the Calgary Flames was not a surprise. The June 23 announcement made headlines, but was also a poorly-kept secret in most hockey circles.
From the moment he resigned in New Jersey, Sutter was expected to join brother Darryl, the Flames' general manager, in coach-less Calgary. Once Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello gave permission for Brent to make that move, it was quickly announced. After about a month on the job, Sutter took some time to talk to FanHouse about his move back to western Canada.
After spending his first six seasons in Florida, Jay Bouwmeester moved on to Calgary this offseason, signing a five-year, $33 million contract after his rights were traded for defenseman Jordan Leopold and a third-round pick. Would Florida have received more for Bouwmeester at the NHL's trade deadline? Probably, yes. But, as I've argued in this space many times since then, Florida still made the right decision, even though it lost its best player, and didn't have a trip to the playoffs to show for it.
After acquiring his negotiating rights from the Florida Panthers during this past weekend's NHL Entry Draft, TSN is reporting on Tuesday night that the Calgary Flames have signed defenseman Jay Bouwmeester to a five-year contract with a $6.6 million salary cap hit. With Bouwmeester now locked in for the long haul, the Flames, on paper, have a rather scary looking defense with Dion Phaneuf, Robyn Regehr and Bouwmeester.
Trouble is, the salary cap situation is looking rather scary as well.
July 1 is a significant day in the National Hockey League. It's the day that unrestricted free agents are finally able to negotiate with any team they want. Even with a fading economy, it's a safe bet that money will be spent, and it will probably be spent freely by at least some teams. With this big day in mind, FanHouse offers up a position-by-position look at the top free agents, as well as some guys you may want your team to avoid.
The Montreal Canadiens, host team for this year's NHL draft, made the final pick on Saturday afternoon, selecting Finnish goalie Petteri Simila 211th overall, bringing the first part of the offseason to a close. The second day may not have the appeal or star-power of the first round, but there's always the possibility of finding the next Henrik Zetterberg, Henrik Lundqvist or Luc Robitaille at the bottom of the pile.
While Chris Pronger and Jay Bouwmeester have new homes, Dany Heatley, Vincent Lecavalier, Tomas Kaberle and Ryane Clowe are in the same cities they were during the season (for now). After the jump, a recap of the trades that did happen, as well as some of the noteworthy picks in rounds two through seven.
The Florida Panthers took quite a gamble at the NHL's trade deadline by holding onto soon-to-be free agent defenseman Jay Bouwmeester. In the end, the Panthers not only missed the playoffs for the eighth consecutive season, but now they've also lost their one-time franchise defenseman, as the team traded his rights to Calgary for Jordan Leopold and a third-round pick.
Leopold, like Bouwmeester, will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, assuming deals can't be reached before then.
It's officially the offseason, meaning the time is right to look into the future. We continue our division-by-division preview of the potential wheeling and dealing with the Northwest Division.
It appears we are setting up for an offseason of significant change in the Northwest Division. Only the Vancouver Canucks will have the same coach as last year, and there could be some real upheaval in terms of personnel. Not only that, but two teams (Minnesota and Colorado) have changed general managers.
Newsmakers in the 
The naming of 
After acquiring his negotiating rights from the Florida Panthers during this past weekend's NHL Entry Draft, TSN is reporting on Tuesday night that the Calgary Flames have signed defenseman 
July 1 is a significant day in the National Hockey League. It's the day that unrestricted free agents are finally able to negotiate with any team they want. Even with a fading economy, it's a safe bet that money will be spent, and it will probably be spent freely by at least some teams. With this big day in mind, FanHouse offers up a position-by-position look at the top free agents, as well as some guys you may want your team to avoid.
The Montreal Canadiens, host team for this year's NHL draft, made the final pick on Saturday afternoon, selecting Finnish goalie Petteri Simila 211th overall, bringing the first part of the offseason to a close. The second day may not have the appeal or star-power of the first round, but there's always the possibility of finding the next 
The Florida Panthers took quite a gamble at the NHL's trade deadline by holding onto soon-to-be free agent defenseman 
It's officially the offseason, meaning the time is right to look into the future. We continue our division-by-division preview of the potential wheeling and dealing with the Northwest Division. 
