Now that the NHL trade deadline is in the rearview mirror, one of the next big transaction dates to look forward to is free agency this summer. Every team has some kind of a big decision to make with players, whether it be committing to a restricted free agent and signing them to a bridge-deal or locking them up long-term, or whether or not to retain an unrestricted free agent.

Now that David Pastrnak has already re-signed in Boston, this summer's crop of pending unrestricted free agents is thinner than we have seen in recent years but there are still some big decisions for teams to make.

We take a look at all of them here. We break it down division-by-division.

Atlantic Division

Boston Bruins:

Even with David Pastrnak signing long-term the Bruins still have quite a few unrestricted free agents to deal with this offseason, including Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Dmitry Orlov and Tyler Bertuzzi. But as long as Bergeron and Krejci want to play, it is a good bet they will be in Boston for a fair price. Orlov and Bertuzzi would be nice to have, but they were clearly potential rentals.

The big question with the Bruins is going to be what they do with goalie Jeremy Swayman. Swayman is a pending restricted free agent and will be due a significant raise. He and Linus Ullmark have formed one of the best goalie duos in the league this season, and the Bruins would no doubt love to keep that going.

But Swayman will not be cheap. Ullmark already makes $5 million, and they have limited cap space to fill out the rest of their roster. It all comes down to how much the Bruins want to invest in their goalie duo and what sacrifices they want to make elsewhere on the roster.

Buffalo Sabres:

The Sabres are in a great position with a young, talented team that is mostly locked in place under contract long-term. Their only major free agency questions are pending UFA's Kyle Okposo and Zemgus Girgensons, with Tyson Jost as a pending RFA.

It will be interesting to see if the Sabres want to bring either Okposo or Girgensons back as veteran depth. None of those moves figure to be game-changers, unless of course they overpay to keep them.

Detroit Red Wings:

With Dylan Larkin and Olli Maatta already re-signed, and the Tyler Bertuzzi trade to the Bruins, the Red Wings' biggest free agent decisions are limited to fringe players like Pius Suter and Adam Erne.

The biggest decision for the Red Wings might be with restricted free agent Joe Veleno. Veleno was a first-round pick in 2018, but has not really made a significant impact and is reaching the point where he looks to be more of a complementary player than a core part of a rebuild. What sort of commitment is that worth as an RFA?

Florida Panthers:

Another team where most of the roster is under contract. Eric and Marc Staal, as well as Patric Hörnqvist and Radko Gudas are slated to be unrestricted free agents but none of them should be viewed as "must" keeps. Hörnqvist has barely played this season, due to a concussion picked up in February, and is a fraction of his former self. The Staal's and Gudas are very replaceable also. The big question the Panthers might have to answer is whether or not to tender restricted free agent Colin White a qualifying offer.

Montréal Canadiens:

Even though the 2022-23 season has been a mess for the Canadiens, they do have a nice collection of young talent to build around. The best of that bunch so far is Cole Caufield, who is eligible for restricted free agency this summer. He is going to get some sort of a new deal, but the question is going to be how much the Canadiens are willing to pay.

When healthy, Caufield has flashed top-line goal-scoring ability, being the Canadians top goal-scorer this year with 26. Injuries have meant he's only has 123 games of NHL regular season experience in three seasons. When faced with a similar situation with another core young player, Nick Suzuki, the Canadiens gave him an eight-year, $63 million deal at a similar point. That sort of deal should absolutely be on the table for Caufield.

Ottawa Senators:

Alex DeBrincat will be the focal point here and play a big role in what sort of direction the Senators' ongoing rebuild takes. When they traded for him prior to the 2022-23 season, they knew they were going to have at least one year to sell him on staying in Ottawa long-term. Now, they have to figure out a way to make that happen.

He is not going to reach the 40-goal mark he reached in two different seasons in Chicago, but he is still on track for more than 25 goals and more than 60 points. He is a legitimate first-line talent in the prime of his career. Can they get him signed long-term and be a key part of their promising young core?

Tampa Bay Lightning:

The Lightning tend to re-sign the players they want to keep a year before they have to, and they did that a year ago with Mikhail Sergachev, Anthony Cirelli and Erik Cernak.

They did not re-sign Alex Killorn, who is a pending UFA after this season. Killorn is still an outstanding player, who's on course to have 25 goals and 50 points for the second consecutive season. But being 33, he is eventually going to slow down. In the past, the Lightning have allowed players like him (Ondrej Palat and Blake Coleman) to go. Will Killorn be the next to move on?

Toronto Maple Leafs:

The Toronto Maple Leafs have had one of the biggest steals in the league the past two years with Michael Bunting. He has made less than a million dollars per year on average, and become a 20-goal, 50-point forward that has been an outstanding depth scoring piece. But he is a pending unrestricted free agent after this season and set to really cash in based on that production.

Can the Maple Leafs afford to keep him? Their salary cap situation is always tight, and they have nine other pending UFA's plus goalie Ilya Samsonov who is a pending restricted free agent. What is Bunting's price tag going to be, and can the Maple Leafs meet it?

Metropolitan Division

Carolina Hurricanes:

Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta have been a very solid goalie duo for the Hurricanes the past couple of years when they have been healthy. Their production has dropped a little this season, but they have still been good enough to help keep the Hurricanes in contention for the top spot in the Metropolitan Division. But both players are unrestricted free agents after this season.

Pyotr Kochetkov figures to be an in-house option if they move on from one or both, but the free agent class of goalies is thin with Andersen and Raanta being two of the better potential options out there. Do they try to bring one back? Or both? Or do they just completely hit the reset button. A lot of that might depend on what happens in the playoffs.

Columbus Blue Jackets:

After trading Vladislav Gavrikov and Joonas Korpisalo to the LA Kings, the Blue Jackets have almost no free agent of consequence to worry about. The most notable pending RFA is Alexandre Texier who has not played in the NHL this season per the advice of the NHL/NHLPA Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health Program.

New Jersey Devils:

The Devils have a lot of expiring contracts after this season, including a trio of major restricted free agents in Jesper Bratt, Timo Meier and Yegor Sharangovich. Bratt was an RFA a year ago, signed a one-year $5.5 million deal, that has been a bargain for the Devils as he's notched up 60 points so far this season. He will not be that much of a bargain again and it is time to lock him up to a long-term deal.

Meier always presents an interesting situation after trading for him from the San Jose Sharks at the trade deadline. He comes with a $10 million qualifying offer, but the Devils could probably avoid that by signing him to a long-term deal. Both Bratt and Meier should cost a minimum of $8 million per year. The Devils have the cap space to afford that. But do they have the willingness to spend it?

New York Islanders:

The biggest thing the Islanders have had going for them the past few years has been an outstanding goalie duo of Ilya Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov.

One of those two, Varlamov, is a pending unrestricted free agent after this season, and is by far their most notable expiring contract to deal with (RFA or UFA). Varlamov plays a lot for a backup, and he is still performing for a duo that masks a lot of flaws with the Islanders' defense and lack of scoring. But can they afford to keep him, and does it make financial sense to invest so much in goaltending when they have so many other concerns?

New York Rangers:

The Rangers acquired two significant pending UFA's at the deadline by trading for Vladimir Tarasenko and Patrick Kane. But there was always a chance they were going to be – and should be – short-term rentals.

The big free agent questions here will be with their three key restricted free agents: Filip Chytil, Alexis Lafreniere and K'Andre Miller. The development of these three players will go a long way toward determining what sort of team and contender the Rangers are going to be. All three players are very good, but they are not yet stars. Do the Rangers take a chance and commit long-term to them on deals that might be an overpay now but a long-term bargain? Or do they go the bridge route and risk paying more money in the future if any of them take a big step forwrad?

Philadelphia Flyers:

The Flyers biggest pending UFA is going to be James van Riemsdyk after they did not trade him at the deadline. But there should be no real debate about whether or not to re-sign him. He simply does not fit in long-term.

The big question will be what sort of commitment to make to RFA's Morgan Frost and Noah Cates. Both players have shown some progress and promise, but what is that going to translate to in contract talks?

Pittsburgh Penguins:

Goaltending has been the Penguins' biggest issue the past two seasons and they keep bringing back the same duo (Tristan Jarry and Casey DeSmith) that has failed them in one way or another. Part of that duo, Jarry, is an unrestricted free agent after this season and they will have a huge decision to make on what to do with him. Can they trust him to stay healthy? Can they trust him to be consistent? He has been their starting goalie for parts of three seasons and they still have all of these questions. Perhaps an even bigger question: Who is available to replace him?

Washington Capitals:

The Capitals do not seem likely to make the playoffs and sold off some veterans ahead of the trade deadline. But as long as Alex Ovechkin is in your roster and scoring goals, you are never in a rebuild.

That leaves the Capitals with a big decision to make on a forward like pending UFA Conor Sheary. Sheary has been a good player in Washington, but how much is he worth to the Capitals now that he is in his 30s, and can they find a better option to replace him?

Central Division

Arizona Coyotes:

The Coyotes have made some long-term commitments to young players in recent years, signing Clayton Keller, Lawson Crouse and Nick Schmaltz all to major deals.

Their next big decision is going to come with forward Christian Fischer who is set to be an RFA after this season. He has been around for parts of seven seasons already, but has never really taken a big step forward offensively. He is on track for one of his best seasons this year with 11 goals and 24 total points in his first 68 games. He has probably done enough to warrant a qualifying offer, but the Coyotes have to decide if he warrants a long-term deal.

Chicago Blackhawks:

The Blackhawks started one of the most scorched earth rebuilds in recent NHL memory before this season and not only traded Alex DeBrincat, they also did not even qualify RFA's like Dominik Kubalik and Dylan Strome, allowing them to become UFA's.

They will have similar decisions to make this offseason with Philipp Kurashev and Ian MItchell. Kurashev is the intriguing one because he has shown flashes of being a scorer at the NHL level, but has not yet put it all together. No pending UFA on this team should be brought back, and none of their RFA's are really in line for a big commitment.

Colorado Avalanche:

Evan Rodrigues has turned out to be an outstanding free agent addition for the Avalanche after signing a one-year, $2 million deal prior to the season. He has scored at a 20-goal, 40-point pace over 82 games with outstanding underlying numbers. He has been a perfect fit for the way the Avalanche play and brought some nice flexibility to their lineup, possessing the ability to play down the middle or on the wing. He is the type of complementary piece that you want on a contender.

But the Avalanche only have $13 million in salary cap space to spend this offseason with only 13 players under contract for next season. Do they have enough flexibility to keep a strong secondary piece?

Dallas Stars:

The Stars' top-line players are among the best in the NHL and have helped drive them to the top of the Western Conference standings. The question was whether or not they would find enough secondary scoring help to complete the puzzle.

They made two shrewd deals at the deadline to bring in pending UFA's Evgeni Dadonov and Max Domi to help fill those pieces. Dadonov has been off to an especially fast start since joining the Stars and has been a very good scorer throughout his second NHL stint, usually averaging around 20 goals and 45 points per 82 games. If the Stars can get him signed to a fair deal he would be a strong piece to keep on board.

Minnesota Wild:

The Wild have made the best out of a very bad salary cap situation this season and remain a top team in the Western Conference and look like a legitimate Stanley Cup contender in a wide open conference.

One of the biggest factors in that has been the goalie duo of Marc-André Fleury and Filip Gustavsson. Fleury is still signed for another year, but Gustavsson is a restricted free agent this offseason and has been, statistically speaking, not only the Wild's best goalie but one of the best goalies in the league with a .929 save percentage in 32 appearances. He is the long-term solution in goal given his age, and the Wild will have to find a way to make that work under the salary cap. Do they do sign him long-term now? Do they do a bridge deal? Big questions for the Wild.

Nashville Predators:

The Predators do not have many big decisions to make this season except for some players that are on the prospect line that need to take a step forward. High atop that list is forward Cody Glass, a pending restricted free agent with arbitration rights. Glass is 23, but has just 10 goals and 27 total points in 57 games. He was a former No. 6 overall pick (2017) by the Vegas Golden Knights but has not really solidified himself as as consistent NHL player.

The Predators have a new front office coming in with Barry Trotz taking things over, and they have already started shedding players at the trade deadline. Glass could be a potential candidate to be not qualified.

St. Louis Blues:

The Blues made things easy for themselves when they traded pending free agents Vladimir Tarasenko and Ryan O'Reilly at the trade deadline, removing the debate as to whether or not they should re-sign them.

Their next big question among the remaining free agents is whether or not Thomas Greiss is worth bringing back in goal. Jordan Binnington is starting to establish himself as a real problem in net, not only with his play, but with his temper. They need somebody to push him. Is Greiss still that guy?

Winnipeg Jets:

In Winnipeg this offseason, all eyes will be on center Pierre-Luc Dubois and what the Jets decided to do with him. HIs long-term future with the Jets has been in doubt for over a year now because there were rumors he asked for a trade out of Winnipeg (he denied them). But he is an outstanding power-forward that brings size and skill to the center position and he should be a core member of the Jets to build around. But centers with size, strength, and 30-goal ability do not come cheap, and if the Jets want to keep him long-term they are going to have pay a significant amount of money.

Pacific Division

Anaheim Ducks:

The Ducks' season has been a mess from the very beginning, but they do have a promising core of players to build around.

The two best and most established players on that list are forwards Trevor Zegras and Troy Terry. And they are both restricted free agents this offseason coming off of their entry-level deals. It is not a question of will the Ducks keep them. They will. But how much is it going to cost them and do they go long-term with their next contracts? They should.

Calgary Flames:

The Flames were hit hard in free agency a year ago, losing Johnny Gaudreau on the open market and trading Matthew Tkachuk as an RFA. Their decisions this offseason are going to be nothing compared to that. Their biggest decisions are going to revolve around veteran UFA's like Milan Lucic and Troy Stecher. Given the direction this season is going for the Flames, and how little their pending free agents have produced, it should be an easy decision to move them on.

Edmonton Oilers:

The Oilers have quite a few UFA's to deal with this offseason, but all of them are role players that can be easily replaced if they are let go.

The big RFA decision is going to be Evan Bouchard, one of their top young players and one of their top defensemen. He had a breakout year in 2021-22 with 12 goals and 43 points in 81 games, and has followed it up with a very solid season in 2022-23. His goal-scoring has dropped a little (he is on pace for around five goals in 82 games) but his assist number (25) and overall play remain strong.

The Oilers have a bit of a salary cap crunch to deal with, given the superstars at the top of their roster. But Bouchard is rapidly becoming one of those core players and is deserving of a contract that keeps him in place.

Los Angeles Kings:

The 2022-23 season has been a breakout year for Gabriel Vilardi with 22 goals in his first 60 games. It was expected that some of the Kings' young players would take a big step forward this season, but Vilardi might not have been the popular pick to do that. It is perfect timing for him as he is now in a position to get himself a nice raise.

The big question for the Kings will be how much and how long they want to invest given that a lot of his goal-scoring is driven by an 18.8 percent shooting percentage. If that is his true shooting talent, he could be a serious goal-scoring threat for a while. But what happens if that shooting percentage regresses in the future?

San Jose Sharks:

The Sharks would have had a big RFA question had they not traded Timo Meier, but their only real concern now is working out deals with a lot of the players they acquired in that trade, including Andreas Johnsson (who is a UFA) and Fabian Zetterlund (an RFA). Beyond those two, none of the Sharks' core players or key young players are facing new contract situations.

Seattle Kraken:

When Vince Dunn was in St. Louis, he always looked like a player that would excel with a bigger role. Getting chosen by Seattle in the expansion draft has given him that role, and sure enough, he has excelled in it. So much so that he is the leading scorer on a Kraken team that is almost certainly headed to the playoffs.

That has made him a bargain this season at a $4 million salary cap hit. But that price is sure to skyrocket this summer. He is still only 26 years old and in the prime of his career, and it is not a stretch to think he can easily command more than $7 or 8 million per season and become the highest-paid player on the team.

Vancouver Canucks:

The Vancouver Canucks took a smart, low-risk gamble on Vitali Kravtsov at the NHL trade deadline, acquiring him in a deal with the New York Rangers. Kravtsov has all of the talent and potential in the world but has yet to put everything together at the NHL level.

Given that, and given his small sample size of games with the Canucks, they have a tough decision to make with him as a restricted free agent this offseason. He is the exact type of player the Canucks should be gambling on, but he remains a total wild card as a player.

Vegas Golden Knights:

The Vegas Golden Knights made a couple of smaller, under-the-radar deals at the deadline to improve their forward depth by adding Ivan Barbashev and Teddy Blueger. So far, Barbashev has been the best fit with eight points in his first 10 games. He has become a very strong secondary producer over the past two years and would be a nice player for the Golden Knights to bring back if the price is right. But he also could be the type of player that gets overpaid on the open market, especially in a thin free agent class. The Golden Knights salary cap situation might make that difficult.