NHL Season Preview

Photo by Jack Eichel on Twitter

It’s the start of a new year for the NHL, and expectations for all fan bases are sky high (unless you’re a Coyotes fan of course). GM’s and coaches have been tinkering with their rosters and game plans all offseason long, and we are about to find out if those moves were good or bad. In the few paragraphs below, we break down what we expect the season to deliver, as well as make some bold predictions on some things that we hope unfold.

Divisional Breakdowns

Atlantic

The Atlantic is once again looking like the strongest division in hockey, and it’s not actually that close. Tampa Bay, Florida, and Toronto all enter the season as true Stanley Cup contenders. Knowing that two of these teams will likely meet in the first round of the playoffs, with one being eliminated right away (Toronto) seems unfair to hockey fans, as it would be great to see each of these teams make a long run. The rest of the division has made steps forward in competitiveness as well. Boston is always strong, and new coaching could breathe new life into this team and have them compete with the big three. If they can overcome early-season injuries to multiple key players, another spring of playoff hockey in Beantown feels inevitable. Ottawa and Detroit are both young teams that are almost ready to compete, and if they get hot early, could ride the momentum into the playoffs. Even lowly Buffalo and Montreal have made steps forward and should be able to steal games from teams they would have no business winning against in years past. 

Metropolitan 

The Metro is again looking like a deep division. It doesn’t have the powerhouse vibes like the Atlantic does, but could sneak 5 teams into the playoffs if a few teams in the Atlantic falter. New York Rangers and Carolina once again look like they are locks for the playoffs. Carolina especially looks good, and could have the depth to compete for a presidents trophy. There are some major question marks around the remaining teams; each having a wide range of finishes. Will the goaltending in Pittsburgh hold up, or continue to decline? Will Washington’s aging core be able to keep the ball rolling? Will New Jersey ever actually break out, or will their promise never materialize?The Islanders could bounce back slightly this year despite moving on from Barry Trotz, and could compete with Pittsburgh and Washington for the coveted third place in the division under more optimistic projections . Columbus is a dark horse team as well. Perennially well coached with good goaltending, if Johnny Hockey can breathe life into Patrik Laine, this team could be a lot of fun.The Flyers had an off-season that can be described as puzzling, in a word. On paper, this should have been the perfect time to rebuild, but the hiring of John Tortorella suggests the intention to try and remain competitive. This should surely be an interesting year in Philly. 

Central

Though they did lose some significant pieces to free agency this summer and have some question marks in their bottom-six forward group, Colorado most certainly has the talent to run it back and repeat as cup champs. Although cap constraints made it difficult to meaningfully improve, the Wild still possess a talented roster and should be considered the favourites to finish 2nd in the division. Kirill Kaprizov might legitimately be the very best winger in the game, and is worthy of longshot Hart Trophy and Art Ross bets. The Blues aren’t as strong as the version that won the cup in 2019, but still appear deep enough to make the playoffs. Dallas and Nashville appear to be classic cases of teams who are strong enough to sneak into the playoffs, but not strong enough to be considered serious contenders. Both teams admittedly do have goalies with the potential to help defy any median projections and help smash the teams expected win totals, so it will be interesting to see how that all plays out. The Jets have been on a steady decline since their run to the conference finals in 2018, and the relative inactivity this offseason doesn’t inspire much confidence. Despite some highly talented players, and a potential Calder candidate in Cole Perfetti, this team is still facing an uphill battle to make the playoffs. Chicago and Arizona look like the two worst teams in hockey right now, and while neither team will openly admit it, they appear to be on a collision course to win the Connor Bedard sweepstakes next summer. 

Pacific

The Battle of Alberta is in full swing right now, and we couldn’t be any happier. The Avs should definitely be considered the clear favourites out west, but the Flames and Oilers are two of the teams that can definitely give them a run for their money if things go well. The former had a very busy offseason, quite notably losing franchise cornerstones in Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk. However, they were able to replace those guys with Jonathan Huberdeau, Mackenzie Weegar, and Nazem Kadri, which can essentially be considered a wash. Factor in that they are a well-coached team under Darryl Sutter, and have numerous talented holdovers, this Flames team can very easily be considered the 2nd best in the West. The Oilers have as much firepower as anyone, and if Jack Campbell can prove to be the answer in goal, they could be another team with the potential to dethrone Colorado. LA should continue to improve after last year’s surprise playoff appearance. Newcomer Kevin Fiala and the growth of Quinton Byfield should help the Kings stay in the playoff hunt. Vegas has major questions in net with Robin Lehner out all season with a hip injury. Still, the Golden Knights are a talented enough team to force their way into the playoffs given the lack of depth in the division. The rest of the division is quite weak, but someone will likely emerge from the mediocrity to compete as well. Demko will keep the Canucks in more games than they deserve to be in. It will be fun to see Klingberg mentor young stud Jamie Drysdale as well. Seattle had a tough first season, but they weren’t quite as bad as their record indicated. Some truly horrendous goaltending completely sank them , so if they can get closer to average goaltending this time around , this can potentially be a team that can sneak up on people. The Sharks are a far cry from the team that was a perennial contender not too long ago, and with an older roster and several high-priced vets , this is a team that may be in limbo at the moment. 

Predictions