The off-season slew of free-agent signings and trade deals have been as hot as ever. But as the buzz is seemingly dying down, three NHL teams still have crucial negotiations and decisions to make ahead of the 2024-25 season.

Now that the development camps around the NHL have wrapped up, it feels like time for everyone in the hockey world to get some well-deserved rest and relaxation.

But on top of the usual summer circuits like the World Junior Summer Showcase, the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and Da Beauty League, there's some important unfinished business at hockey's top level.

For one thing, the Columbus Blue Jackets are still coach-less, after it was reported last week that the team couldn't agree to contract terms with Todd McLellan. Dean Evason and Jay Woodcroft are also known to have interviewed for the position. And while Joel Quenneville officially became eligible to return to NHL duties on July 10, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports that he is not a candidate.

But new Columbus GM Don Waddell isn't the only one who can't put his phone into silent mode just yet. His successor in Carolina still has some pressing issues to attend to, as do two Canadian front offices.

Here are the biggest items that need to be addressed by these additional teams:

Edmonton Oilers

Ken Holland left Edmonton just before July 1, but that hasn’t stopped acting GM Jeff Jackson from making a flurry of moves that were widely praised in Oil Country.

But even after the trade that saw Ryan McLeod and his $2.1-million cap hit shipped off to Buffalo, the Oilers are over the cap ceiling, with important RFAs Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg still to be signed.

Both players are coming out of their entry-level contracts and don’t have arbitration rights, which limits their bargaining power. But they’re both first-round draft picks with bright futures ahead. A cheaper bridge deal now could lead to a more expensive contract down the road.

Speaking of expensive, Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard each have one year left on their current deals, so they’re eligible for contract extensions. It’s expected that those negotiations will be handled by the new GM when he takes the reins, but there is some time pressure in Draisaitl’s case. His European agent, Jiri Poner, recently told Germany’s Eishockey News that they’re looking to get an extension for the pending UFA locked in by the end of August.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Leafs GM Brad Treliving looks set to go into the new season with a goaltending tandem of Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll. He also boosted his squad's defense on July 1 by signing Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. RFA Connor Dewar still needs a new contract and so does Nick Robertson — although the 22-year-old reportedly wants a change of scenery more than a new deal with Toronto.

Robertson’s situation needs addressing but is a minor irritation compared to the ongoing saga surrounding Mitch Marner, who seems like he has had his fill of the drama. 

This week, the Toronto native chose to exclude TSN and Sportsnet from covering his annual charity event and requested that there be no Leafs-related questions from other outlets.

Now 27, Marner has come under fire from the fan base for failing to raise his game in the playoffs. And while the Leafs have changed GMs since the right winger’s last negotiation, no one has forgotten the grind that preceded the announcement of his rich six-year deal on the eve of the 2019 training camp.

The impending UFA status of John Tavares is a footnote compared to the Marner firestorm. That situation could still end with a trade, an extension or the distraction that would accompany lingering uncertainty when the new season begins.

Carolina Hurricanes

It’s getting down to crunch time for the Hurricanes and Martin Necas, the 25-year-old whose name has consistently been listed among the NHL’s top trade targets since Carolina was eliminated from the second round of the playoffs.

Necas has filed for salary arbitration, and those hearings will go down soon, specifically between July 20 and Aug. 4. He’s coming off a bargain two-year deal that carried a cap hit of $3 million per season and is now looking to get paid. 

AFP Analytics projects that if Necas goes for a short-term deal, that should land at about $6.2 million annually over three years, while a seven-year pact would net him about $7.5 million a year.

That’s a problem for new Carolina GM Eric Tulsky, who’s also facing an arbitration hearing with Jack Drury. And Tulsky’s biggest challenge of the summer could be coming to terms with Seth Jarvis. 

He doesn’t have arbitration rights as he’s coming out of his entry-level contract, but he has already made himself an invaluable part of Carolina’s top six. He’s coming off a career-best 33-goal, 67-point campaign. While he just turned 22 in February, his 146 points with the Hurricanes rank him fifth on the team over those three years, behind only Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, Necas and the now-Blackhawk, Teuvo Teravainen.

Short or long-term, signing Jarvis won’t be cheap. AFP Analytics figures he’s due for more than $6 million on a three-year extension and close to $8 million if he takes seven.

The Hurricanes currently have just under $12 million in available cap space, so something has to give.

Before the draft, Tulsky spoke openly about the trade market with Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, who said that Necas is looking for a change of scenery. A player can be traded at any time before, during or after the arbitration process. Will cost certainty eventually get a Necas deal over the finish line?