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The 2023-24 NHL regular season was an entertaining one, with races for playoff position, point and goal leaders, and major trophies all coming down to the bitter end.

But not every fan base got to enjoy all of it so much.

With eliminations piling up, it’s time to look ahead to the offseason. Clubs that didn’t quite hit the mark this season will use the draft, free agency and trades in an effort to be more competitive in 2024-25.

Read on for a look at what went wrong for each eliminated team, along with a breakdown of its biggest keys this offseason and realistic expectations for next season. Note that more teams will be added to this story as they are eliminated.

Note: Profiles for the Atlantic and Metro teams were written by Kristen Shilton, while Ryan S. Clark analyzed the Central and Pacific teams. Stats are collected from sites such as Natural Stat Trick, Hockey Reference and Evolving Hockey. Projected cap space per Cap Friendly. Dates listed with each team are when the entry was published.

Jump to a team:
ANA | ARI | BUF | CGY
CHI | CBJ | DET | LA
MIN | MTL | NJ | NYI
OTT | PHI | PIT | SJ
SEA | STL | TB
WSH | WPG

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Gonsolin among 14 Dodgers pitchers now on IL

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Gonsolin among 14 Dodgers pitchers now on IL

ST. LOUIS — Tony Gonsolin was placed on the 15-day injured list Saturday by the Dodgers because of right elbow discomfort, joining fellow rotation members Tyler Glasnow, Roki Sasaki and Blake Snell among 14 Los Angeles pitchers on the IL.

NL West-leading Los Angeles activated relievers Kirby Yates from the 15-day IL and Michael Kopech from the 60-day IL before Saturday’s game against St. Louis and designated right-hander Chris Stratton for assignment, one day after he rejoined the team.

Gonsolin, a 31-year-old right-hander, made his season debut on April 30 after recovering from Tommy John surgery on Aug. 18, 2023, and was 3-2 with a 5.00 ERA in seven starts. He last pitched Wednesday in a 6-1 loss to the New York Mets, allowing three runs — two earned — three hits and three walks in five innings.

Other Dodgers pitchers on the IL are right-handers Luis Garcia, Brusdar Graterol, Michael Grove, Edgardo Henriquez, Kyle Hurt, Evan Phillips, River Ryan, Emmet Sheehan, Gavin Stone and Blake Treinen.

Kopech, a 29-year-old right-hander, had been sidelined since spring training with right shoulder impingement and had a 15.63 ERA in nine rehab appearances with Triple-A Oklahoma City from May 8 through last Sunday.

Yates, a 38-year-old right-hander, had been sidelined since May 17 because of a strained right hamstring. He is 3-2 with a 4.34 ERA in 22 relief appearances, striking out 31 and walking six in 18⅔ innings.

Stratton, 34, signed with the Dodgers on May 25, three days after he was released by Kansas City. He was designated for assignment on June 2, refused an outright assignment to Oklahoma City, then re-signed with the Dodgers a day later. He has made a pair of appearances for Los Angeles, totaling three innings.

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Phillies put Harper on IL with wrist inflammation

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Phillies put Harper on IL with wrist inflammation

PITTSBURGH — The scuffling Philadelphia Phillies suffered a blow Saturday when they placed first baseman Bryce Harper on the 10-day injured list because of right wrist inflammation before their game against the Pirates.

Harper sat out Friday night’s 5-4 loss to the Pirates, and the move is retroactive to Friday.

The two-time National League MVP and eight-time All-Star is hitting .258 with 9 home runs, 34 RBIs and 8 stolen bases in 57 games. He missed five games from May 26 to June 2 with a bruised right elbow after being hit by a pitch from Atlanta’s Spencer Strider.

The Phillies are expected to play third baseman Alec Bohm at first while Harper is out, with utility player Edmundo Sosa taking over at third.

The Phillies have lost seven of their last eight games, going from leading the NL East by two games to trailing the New York Mets by 2½ games entering Saturday. Philadelphia had won 11 of 12 games before the skid.

Infielder/outfielder Otto Kemp‘s contract was purchased from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. The 25-year-old, who has yet to play in the majors, was hitting .317 with 14 homers, 55 RBIs and 11 steals in 57 games at Triple-A.

Kemp was the International League Player of the Month in April.

The Phillies also recalled right-hander Daniel Robert from Lehigh Valley and optioned righty Alan Rangel. Rangel, 27, made his major league debut Friday night, allowing two runs in three innings of relief.

This will be Robert’s third stint of the season with the Phillies. The 30-year-old has given up one run in two-thirds of an inning over two games.

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Red Sox prospect Anthony hits longest HR of ’25

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Red Sox prospect Anthony hits longest HR of '25

Boston Red Sox fans keep hoping top prospect Roman Anthony gets promoted to the majors.

What he did for Triple-A Worcester on Saturday night was the latest evidence of why.

Anthony, ESPN’s No. 1-rated prospect, smashed a 497-foot grand slam for the WooSox in a 10-4 victory over Rochester during an International League game in Worcester, Massachusetts.

The 21-year-old put the WooSox ahead 9-4 in the eighth inning when he drove a 91.1 mph sinker from Carlos Romero deep over the right-center-field wall, a drive that left his bat at 115.6 mph.

According to Statcast, that was the longest home run in affiliated baseball this season.

“Got it and didn’t really miss it,” Anthony said, according to the Telegram & Gazette of Worcester. “So, it felt great.”

Added WooSox manager Chad Tracy: “That ball was murdered.”

In the majors in 2025, only one home run has traveled over 475 feet — a 484-footer hit by Mike Trout against the San Francisco Giants on April 19.

And since Statcast started tracking in the major leagues in 2015, only Nomar Mazara (505 feet in 2019), Giancarlo Stanton (504 feet in 2016), C.J. Cron (504 feet in 2022) and Christian Yelich (499 feet in 2022) have hit longer big league homers than Anthony’s on Saturday night.

A second-round pick in the 2022 amateur draft, Anthony is batting .290 with 10 homers and 29 RBIs in 57 games this season. He has two grand slams.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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