I entered the playoffs against Calgary:

Game 1: L 4-3
Game 2: L 3-2
Game 3: W 4-1
Game 4: W 4-3
Game 5: W 4-2
Game 6: L 2-1
Game 7: L 3-2

Well, that sucks, all we needed was one win from games 6 and 7, but we weren't able to finish. The Stars won the cup. After the playoffs I was offered a four year extension, I happy agreed. Checking the awards Johnsson won the Vezina and the Ted Lindsay. Thomas Vanek retired during the offseason and during the regular season Jonathan Toews passed 1,000 career points, congrats to the captain. I then entered the draft with 4 first rounders:

1(10): Rickard Heiskanen C
1 (11): Mathieu Dubeau LW
1 (25): Todd Crooks C
1 (26): Taylor McCue RW
2 (56): Aaron Yzerman G

No one else will make a difference. On to the resign phase, I cut C Nathan MacKinnon, C Mikhail Grigorenko, and RW TJ Oshie. I resigned C Jonathan Toews, C Juuso Ikonen, C Alexis Loiseau, LW Franklin Dingman, RW Michal Vachovec, RW Samu Pirnes, G Marcus Johnsson, G Vince Weller, G Dwayne Rabbit, C Mikko Lehtinen, and D Mats Stalberg. I also signed C Rickard Heiskanen, C Todd Crooks, LW Mathieu Dubeau, RW Taylor McCue, and G Aaron Yzerman to entry level contracts. I then had one move left since I had a void at 2nd line LW after Vanek's retirement. I tried to sign Tim Bozon but he chose elsewhere. It was then that I realized I had 9 top 6 D-Men, so I decided to check all the trade blocks to try to find a move, I did:

TO CHI
--------
LW James Neal

TO PIT
--------
D Morgan Rielly
D Adam Pelech

I like this deal a lot, Neal slots nicely into Vanek's old position, and I only give up Rielly, who was the oldest of my 4 worst top 6 d-men (all had the same overall) and the only one who had no more room left to grow. Rielly wasn't enough though, so I also added Pelech, who was 26 with limited NHL time, I felt that I should let him play elsewhere instead of being lost in my depth chart. With my lines all ready I was ready for the season.

Since I no longer explain my though process in my lines I will put them in the offseason update.

LINE 1: Frolik/Toews/Kane
LINE 2: Neal/Ikonen/Chartrand
LINE 3: Bourke/Walch/Vachovec
LINE 4: Brewer/Loiseau/Pirnes

PAIR 1: Keith/Morrow
PAIR 2: Wardley/Siemens
PAIR 3: Modano/Tursumbayev

GOALIES: Johnsson/Weller

Summary:
- Marcus Johnsson won Vezina and Ted Lindsay.
- Released C Mikhail Grigorenko, C Nathan MacKinnon, and RW TJ Oshie.
- Signed C Rickard Heiskanen, C Todd Crooks, LW Mathieu Dubeau, RW Taylor McCue, and G Aaron Yzerman to entry level contracts.
- Resigned C Jonathan Toews (12.295M/3yr)
- Resigned C Juuso Ikonen (4.965M/2yr)
- Resigned C Alexis Loiseau (3.425M/3yr)
- Resigned LW Franklin Dingman (770k/1yr)
- Resigned RW Michal Vachovec (5.125M/3yr)
- Resigned RW Samu Pirnes (800k/1yr)
- Resigned G Marcus Johnsson (2.315M/1yr)
- Resigned G Vince Weller (1.185M/2yr)
- Resigned G Dwayne Rabbit (605k/1yr)
- Resigned C Mikko Lehtinen (700k/2yr)
- Resigned D Mats Stalberg (565k/1yr)
- Traded D Morgan Rielly and D Adam Pelech to Pittsburgh for LW James Neal.