Siberia's Offseason - What's Happened and What's Next

Well, another offseason and another attempt by many teams to win the elusive Kehler Cup. With Minnesota's win last season and subsequent tear down, it will most likely mean that there will be a new Kehler Cup champion. The Icecats are hoping to finally bring a first ever championship to Siberia.

How has the offseason gone so far? Siberia went out and upgraded their D by acquiring solid defensive dman Erik Johnson, who will likely partner with Brent Burns on the top defensive pairing.  Also new to the team are Evander Kane and Alexander Radulov. Kane will most likely play on the top line with captain McDavid and fellow newcomer Radulov. Kane adds that gritty power winger element while Radulov adds skill and great vision. Hopefully this turns into an offensive powerhouse of a line. That likely means that Nugent-hopkins will play 2nd line LW with a duo that played great together late last season, fellow Selke finalists Patrice Bergeron and Mark Stone. That line should bring the offense while delivering shutdown defensive play.

So what does the rest of the offseason hold for the Cats? With the UFA siging period coming up, the Cats will likely turn their attention to depth instead of top end talent, but if a player worthwhile is there, we may go all in. We definitely have the cash to do that. Then comes the entry draft where the Cats hold the #3 pick and 3 of the top 23 picks in the draft. This should allow us to continue to stockpile the cupboard for trades or to develop.

All in all, the offseason will continue to be busy (and cold!) in Siberia. Stay tuned sports fans!