The time has finally arrived. Thirty two teams start the season with the same goal in mind. being the last team standing at the end of the year with Lord Stanley in hand. The Western Conference is wide open. The Eastern Conference has been controlled by the state of Florida the last five seasons, so lets see if somebody can wrangle it away from them.
We will see the debut of a new team the Utah Hockey Club, who are replacing the relocated Arizona Coyotes. This is also going to be a different year with the Gaudreau brothers not here due to their passing earlier this summer.
So lets dive right into Here's how we see the 2024-25 NHL season playing out.
Western Conference:
Central Division:
1. Colorado Avalanche 112 points*
2. Dallas Stars 110 Points*
3. Nashville Predators 110 Points*
4. Winnipeg Jets 98 Points
5. Minnesota Wild 95 Points
6. Utah Hockey Club 90 Points
7. St Louis Blues 85 Points
8. Chicago Blackhawks 77 Points
There could be quite a bit of change in the Central Division this season. If you thought last year was going to be a good one for the Avalanche, this one is going to end just as well. There's a lot riding on Alexander Georgiev in net, coming off a big year last season. He got plenty of protection on the blue line. With Toews and Makar leading that charge, there's something to really build off. Naturally scoring is going to be relied on with Nathan MacKinnon coming off his MVP season. This team is deep and balanced and the division goes through them. Right on their heels are going to be the Stars. Jake Otteinger is going to be carrying the load between the pipes again this season, which he's shown he's quite comfortable with. Then you have Dumba, Lindell and Heiskanen as the steady hands on the blueline, Dallas is going to have a tough line to beat. Then there's the guys filling the opposing net. Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin still have a little bit left in the take and with Jason Robertson coming off the monster year he had a season ago, the Stars are going to be a tough team to compete with. Let's not forget about the vast improvements made by the Predators this summer. Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marcessault added firepower to an already fairly explosive hockey club. They have a solid blueline lead by Roman Josi Luke Schenn and Brady Skjei. And keeping the puck out of their net will be Juuse Saros, who's going to be relied on to handle the lions share of the puck stopping duties. Something he has shown in the past he has no problem doing. Now we go up north to take a look at the Jets. A big reason that this Winnipeg club is going to hang around in a playoff race is Connor Helleybuck. He been a top five goalie in this league and will continue to do that this season. You got a young defense corps lead by Neal Pionk and Josh Morrissey. They have a young offensive core with Scheifele, Lowery, Ehelers, and Connor. Only thing holding the Jets back from a playoff spot is its depth which isn't quite there yet.
There is still hope things can get Wild in Minnesota this season. Marc-Andre Fleury still trying to show there's something left in the tank but expect Gustavsson to get a fair share of time in net. The guys in front of them have a chance to be really good. Brock Faber going to be counted on to start stepping into a bigger role defensively on this team, which still has Brodin and Bogosian taking full charge at the top of the blue line. Again the depth will be a little bit in question up front, but with young guns like Eriksson Ek and Kaprizov, there's a good core to build further around in the state of hockey. There's a very young core for the Hockey Club to build around in Utah. And its going to get a lot better soon. Connor Ingram has some solid upside in the nets. Mikhail Sergachev was brought on board to bridge the gap of sorts between a youth movement and the aging core on the blue line. but what really stickes out for Utah. What really sticks out is the offensive upside of this young group, which is being lead by Cooley, Keller, Maccelli and Schmaltz. Give them a few more years and a couple pieces on the blue line and they could be good in their new city. If the Blues are going to do anything this year, a lot of it is going to rely on Jordan Binnington. If he can really keep rolling in the nets, St Louis might have something to work with. You got a fairly good D core with Faulk, Leddy and Parayko. You got some talent to work with up front with Kyrou, Schenn, Thomas and a few others, but its nowhere near the level of the big boys in this division. Same thing can be said about the Blackhawks. Conor Bedard is going to be the face of this team for a long time to come and his only going to get better. But there's no other young guns around him to build with. The D is getting older and there's no goaltending to speak of really in Chicago. If the Hawks want to sniff the playoffs in near future, the need to keep finding a way to build around the kid/
Pacific Division:
1. Edmonton Oilers 114 Points*
2. Vegas Golden Knights 111 Points*
3. Vancouver Canucks 109 Points*
4. Seattle Kraken 100 Points*
5. Los Angeles Kings 98 Points*
6. Calgary Flames 89 Points
7. Anaheim Ducks 80 Points
8. San Jose Sharks 75 Points
There isn't going to be much upheaval at the top of the Pacific this season. Things have been getting better and better for the Oilers the last couple of years. And why not when you have two of the very best scorers in the game in Conor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. You brought in Viktor Arvidsson to add scoring depth. Zach Heyman is coming off a monster year. You got a loaded D and one of the better goalies in Stuart Skinner, who's really coming into his own as one of the top netminders in this sport. This team is too loaded with talent. The closest test for them in this division is going to be the Golden Knights. This team tried to bolster its position in net with getting Adin Hill help in the form of Ilya Samsonov. They have a fairly solid D core lead by Shea Theodore and Alex Pietrangelo. There's still a t ad bit of weakness there but they could have something to build around, And Vegas has a good core on offense. Jack Eichel, Mark Stone, Thomas Hertl, Ivan Barbashev. This team keeps finding a way to add pieces to keep moving forward. They are going to have another deep run this year. A year ago the division title went to the Canucks, who are looking to get back there again. They lost some talent with Lindholm and Zadorov gone and Jake DeBrusk brought in. They still have Brock Besser, J.T. Miller and Quinn Hughes to lead a very deep hockey club. It also helps when you have a goalie the talent level of Thatcher Demko. Things are changing for the Kraken this season, with new head coach Dan Bylsma trying to help guide this club on a deep playoff run. New head coach Dan Bylsma has good talent to work with. Phillipp Grubauer. He's got a solid defense core in front of him, lead by Vince Dunn and Adam Larson. This team has a good young core up front lead by Matty Beniers and Shane Wright. They have a balanced enough roster to make a solid run at a playoff spot. Bringing in Montor and Chandler Stephenson were big additions to this team. Another team that has a real shot at being a playoff club this year are going to be the Kings. Cam Talbot isn't around anymore, so enter Darcy Kuemper. He and David Rittich make a pretty good one two punch in the LA nets. IF they make the playoffs, they need the bottom four defenders to step up behind Drew Doughty and Joel Edmundson. They have an aging core up front lead by Anze Kopitar, but there's quite a few good young guns in the lineup as well. Kevin Fiala, Quinten Byfield and Warren Fogel will be expected to help carry the load in the scoring department.
Now we get to the teams on the outside looking in, starting with the Flames. First we have to question things in net. Devin Cooley and Dustin Wolf are looked at as the two guys to do the job, but that leaves something to be desired. Jarred Tanordi and Rasmus Anderson are going to be leading a young blue line. Sure there is some scoring punch up front. Coleman, Backlund, Kadri, Kuzmenko, and Mantha will be able to fill the net. but this team isn't deep enough to compete with the big boys. A new look for the Ducks this season is hoping to change the perception around the team. Radko Gudas is taking over as the team captain, leading a defense core along with Cam Fowler that's still young. It going to mean a lot of work in net for John Gibbson. They have some scoring punch up front. Fabbri, Zegras, and Terry are expected to lead the charge. They have a few pieces, but its not deep enough just yet. Finally, there's the Sharks. The biggest selling point for San Jose this season is going to be Macklin Celebrini. The kid is going to have some growing pains into the game, but with the veterans on this club, he should be able to adjust well. That's really the biggest selling point San Jose is going to have going for it this season.
Eastern Conference:
Atlantic Division:
1. Florida Panthers 116 Points*
2. Boston Bruins 114 Points*
3. Tampa Bay Lightning 108 Points*
4. Toronto Maple Leafs 106 Points*
5. Detroit Red Wings 100 Points*
6. Buffalo Sabres 97 Points
7. Ottawa Senators 87 Points
8. Montreal Canadiens 79 Points
The top dogs in this division are going to be hard to crack this season. The defending Stanley Cup Champion Panthers are going to be a very hard team to beat at the top of the division. What's going to end up hurting Florida this season is the departures of a lot of key depth players, the core of this team is still in tact. They have a solid goalie tandom in Spencer Knight and Sergei Bobrovsky. Aaron Ekblad is still the leader of a solid and well rounded defense core. Up front, Matthew Tkachuk and Alex Barkov are expected to lead this team. When you have guys like Anton Lindell and Carter Verhaeghe also there, they going to be tough to beat. Florida has the system for the team they have, so don't be surprised if they poised for another deep run this year. Another team that's going to be right behind them, even with the changes they've gone through this offseason, is going to be the Bruins. Sure, Jeremy Swayman is still in the Boston nets, but he don't have his normal running mate in Linus Ullmark with him (who was traded to Ottawa). Instead it'll be Joonas Korpisalo working with him. There's good vibes around the Bruins nets. You brought in two big pieces in the offseason in Nikita Zadorov and Elias Lindholm in free agency and locked them up long term. You got depth now on an already good team that may have gotten slightly better. Boston is going to be a big threat at the top of this division all year long. Next is a very interesting case of the Lightning. Things will be very different this year in Tampa with Steven Stamkos no longer being there. Victor Hedman has some big skates to fill becoming captain of this hockey team. Trying to fill Stamkos scoring touch is going to fall on Jake Guentzel. The top two lines for the Bolts look like they can hang with anybody, its the bottom scoring that leaves one a little worried. Hedman has some help on the back end with Ryan McDonagh returning to the mix this season. And not only that, but they have a healthy Andrei Vasilevskiy. If the bottom six can produce this season, this could be a very good Tampa team. Right on their heels are going to be the Maple Leafs, who have a new captain this year in the form of Auston Matthews. Toronto, much like Tampa, has lack of scoring depth outside of their top six. Give credit where it's due, Toronto bolstered their defense. They got Ekman Larson and Tanev up there with Morgan Riley. Goaltending is still an issue with Joseph Woll taking over as number one man and Anthony Stolarz coming in as backup. That's going to be key for the Leafs this year.
Another team that's going to be right there in the playoff race mix is going to be the Red Wings. Sure, Detroit added some big name, albeit older, depth pieces up front in Patrick Kane and Vladamir Tarasenko, they still a solid young hockey club. You still got Larkin, DeBrincat and Raymond leading the charge, but those two guys are solid depth guys to add more scoring punch. They got a decent defense lead by Chiarot and Seider and a fairly solid one two punch in net with Cam Talbot and Ville Husso. Look for Detroit to make quite a bit of noise this season. In the category of not quite there yet are going to be the Sabres. Look at the top line of Peterka, Thompson and Tuch. That line should be able to do just fine and carry their share of the offensive load. What worries some is the depth behind that. You got fairly decent depth on defense and OK goaltending in Western New York. Behind them, we go to Canada's capital where the Senators are going to try and get back on the right track. They got better in net by adding Linus Ullmark into the mix. Defense has something to build around with Sanderson and Zub but there is a little depth lacking there. Scoring, much like in Buffalo, relies on their top line. Stutzle, Tkachuk and Giroux are going to be good. The 2nd line of Greig, Norris and Batherson are going to be key if Ottawa can go anywhere this season. Brining up the rear in this division are going to be the Canadiens. It could be another long season in Montreal this year. Yes you got a decent goalie in Sam Montembeault, who could turn into something as time goes on. Mike Matheson has the same potential on the blue line. Up front, Montreal can go with Caulfield, Suzuki and Slafovsky. They still need a few years to really be able to add depth pieces to the team to compete.
Metropolitan Division:
1. Carolina Hurricanes 110 Points*
2. New York Rangers 108 Points*
3. New York Islanders 105 Points*
4. Washington Capitals 100 Points
5. New Jersey Devils 97 Points
6. Pittsburgh Penguins 92 Points
7. Philadelphia Flyers 88 Points
8. Columbus Blue Jackers 79 Points
There won't be much of a change at the top of the Metro this season. If anybody wants to take the Metro title, they going to have to wrestle it away from the Hurricanes to do it, You got a fairly solid goaltending tandem in Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov. In front of them on the blueline they got a solid defense core lead by Jacob Slavin, Brent Burns and Dimitri Orlov. Up front, leave it to Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, and Seth Jarvis. What makes Carolina so good is that, while not the most flashy team in the division, they are very well balanced and have no problem whatsoever rolling four lines. Right behind them, with a little more flash to their lineup, will be the Rangers. They may have the best goalie in the division in Igor Shesterkin, He got a decent backup behind him in Jonathan Quick, who's got a few more years left in the tank. Ahead of them on the blueline is a group lead by Jacob Truba and Adam Fox. The quick puck moving bunch who are good skaters and solid in their own end too. Up front, Artemi Panarin still leads this charge, with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider riding shotgun. Again the Blueshirts have a deep and balanced team, but one guy who's expecting to have a big year this year could be Alexis Lafrenire. Here's where things get interesting in the Metro division. If things fall perfectly right this year, there's a chance that the Islanders could lock up the 3rd spot in the division. Ilya Sorokin could be key again for this team, but looks like he may miss some time at the start of the year after offseason procedures. If Seymon Varlamov can look like what he did for most of last season, the New York net looks fairly good. The blue line is going to be solid with Pelech, Poulock and Mayfield still in the lineup for quite some time. But can they hold leads late in games? The offense has to help get them there. They got 30 goa scorers in Nelson, Horvat and Palmari. Duclair was added into the mix and there's high expectations again for Barzal. Just worry if the bottom six can step up that could hold this team back.
Next we look at the Capitals. Sure the big story this season for them is going to be Ovechkin chasing the goals record. Him, Strome and Mangiapane make a solid top line. Washington has a solid top six forward, but the depth below that could hold them back a little. The defense, outside of the top pair of Chychrun and Carlson leaves something to be desired. And calling the goaltending in Washington average would sound about right. They may take a step or two backwards this year, but there's still good things on the horizon for the Devils this season. Looking at goal is what might either make or break them this year. Jake Allen and Jacob Markstrom are the tandom. They have BRendon Dillon and Dougie Hamilton holding down the defense while Luke Huges is going to be missing time. Up front, New Jersey has good weapons with Jack Hughes and Nico Hischer leading the charge. There's upside here, the pieces just have to come together again. Behind them are the Penguins, who still have that core of Crosby, Malkin and Letang in tact. There are a few pieces with Pittsburgh that have the potential to do something, but it leaves a lot to be desired. Behind Tristan Jarry in net, there's nothing there. There could be potential for the Penguins but only time will tell. Then there's the Flyers, who have the young pieces but haven't quite taken that next step yet. When you look at a guy like Matvei Michkov, a young gun who could have a really bright future in Philadelphia, it gives one hope for what's being built there. The top two lines have quite a bit of fire power. They also have good anchors on the blueline with Cam York and Travis Sanheim. Goaltending what's again is what could be holding them back. Finally, we take a look at the Blue Jackets. Quite a few new faces in Columbus to build around Adam Fantilli up front. He's got a couple new running buddies with JVR and Kevin LeBanc. They got a re-tooled top line Good pieces are around in Columbus but they still going to be near the bottom.
