Ken Dryden, who was on the call for the “Miracle on Ice” following a Hall of Fame playing career, has died at the age of 78 after battling cancer.
Dryden won six Stanley Cups in a short eight-year career, all with the Montreal Canadiens. He is the NHL’s all-time leader in adjusted goals-against average (2.03) and goals-allowed percentage (73).
He won the Vezina Trophy, given to the top goaltender in the league, five times. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
Ken Dryden is shown before an NHL game between the Montreal Canadiens and the Boston Bruins on Oct. 16, 2014, at Bell Centre in Montreal.(Francois Lacasse/NHLI via Getty Images)
“Ken Dryden was an exceptional athlete, but he was also an exceptional man,” Canadiens owner Geoff Molson said. “Behind the mask he was larger than life. We mourn today not only the loss of the cornerstone of one of hockey’s greatest dynasties but also a family man, a thoughtful citizen and a gentleman who deeply impacted our lives and communities across generations.
“Ken embodied the best of everything the Montreal Canadiens are about.”
“From the moment Ken Dryden joined the Montreal Canadiens as a 23-year-old rookie in 1971, he made an immediate and lasting impact on the NHL, the Canadiens franchise and the goaltending position,” added NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. “Ken’s love for his country was evident both on and off the ice.”
Retired NHL goaltender Ken Dryden sits with ABC Sports commentator Al Michaels during the Sweden–United States men’s hockey game at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York.(Steve Fenn/Getty Images)
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney posted on social media he was “deeply saddened” to hear about Dryden’s death, calling him a “public servant and inspiration.”
“Few Canadians have given more, or stood taller, for our country,” Carney said. “Ken Dryden was Big Canada. And he was Best Canada. Rest in peace.”
Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983, Dryden was 258-57-74 with a .922 save percentage, 2.24 goals-against average and 46 shutouts and went 80-32 in the playoffs.
Dryden entered the NHL in 1971 and spent just six games in the crease before making his NHL postseason debut. He and Montreal upset rival Boston in the first round and beat Chicago in the final.
He also worked at a Toronto law firm while sitting out the 1973-74 NHL season — after previously earning a law degree at Montreal’s McGill University.
Less than a year after his retirement in 1979, Dryden joined Al Michaels at the 1980 Winter Olympics where he happened to be on call for the United States’ upset against the Soviet Union.
Montreal Canadiens goalie Ken Dryden makes a kick save on New York Rangers’ Rod Gilbert (7) at Madison Square Garden in New York.(Bruce Bennett Studios via Getty Images Studios/Getty Images)
We’re just over a month into the NHL regular season, and for some teams, the high hopes and optimism of the preseason have faded away for one reason or another.
The Athletic asked its NHL staff this week for each team’s biggest concern at this point. The responses covered the full spectrum, from goaltending and lack of offense to bad defense, injuries and more. Here’s what they said.
Their offense is still bottom tier: The Ducks have scored only one or two goals in six of their 10 games. They’ve avoided being shut out but their 2.2 goals per game ranks 31st, putting them above only the equally punchless New York Islanders. Several of their top offensive players are struggling. Mason McTavish and Cutter Gauthier have yet to score. Frank Vatrano and Trevor Zegras each have one empty net goal. It hasn’t helped that their power play is just 4-for-31, but they’re also being decisively outshot by an average of nine. The offense would really be inept if Troy Terry, Leo Carlsson and Ryan Strome didn’t have 12 of their 22 goals. Lukas Dostal’s tremendous goaltending is keeping them afloat. — Eric Stephens
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Five-on-five offense: Through 11 games, the Bruins have scored only 16 five-on-five goals. David Pastrnak has just one. Brad Marchand, Charlie Coyle, Pavel Zacha and Morgan Geekie, all of whom started the season in the top six, have zero. It would be one thing if the Bruins had high-end goaltending like they did for the past three seasons. Jeremy Swayman, without Linus Ullmark, is still finding his game. — Fluto Shinzawa
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Secondary scoring: Heading into Friday night, the Sabres had only two power-play goals this season and had only one goal total from second-liners Dylan Cozens and Jack Quinn. Of Buffalo’s 24 five-on-five goals, 11 have come with Tage Thompson on the ice. Lindy Ruff tried mixing up the second and third lines this week in an effort to get more from players like Cozens and Quinn. The second line and power play are the key to getting more consistent offense. — Matthew Fairburn
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Are young players still progressing? This should be the No. 1 priority for the Flames. Connor Zary is near the top of the Flames’ leaderboard in points. That’s good. Dustin Wolf has lost his last two starts after winning his first three. That’s less good. The shine of Martin Pospisil as a center has already worn off. That’s also less good, but at least he’s playing with Zary again. Matthew Coronato doesn’t have a regular spot in the lineup. The Flames crashing down to Earth after a hot start was expected. It’s all about the youth continuing to push themselves forward. — Julian McKenzie
Goaltending: The Hurricanes’ goaltending has been good — entering Friday’s games, Carolina had allowed the second-fewest goals in the league at 2.33 per game — but that doesn’t mean there isn’t cause for concern. Frederik Andersen missed Monday’s game in Vancouver, leading to Spencer Martin being recalled. Andersen was later announced to be out week to week with a lower-body injury. Andersen (3-1-0, .941 save percentage, 1.48 goals-against average) had a better GAA and save percentage than Pyotr Kochetkov (4-1-0, .891, 2.61) in October, and the Hurricanes are thin after Martin should another injury occur. The position is surely on the minds of the coaching staff and front office. — Cory Lavalette
Goal scoring: There’s no doubt the Blackhawks are a better team than a season ago, but the offense remains an area of concern. They just don’t have a ton of depth scoring. They could especially use more five-on-five scoring from Tyler Bertuzzi, Taylor Hall, Philipp Kurashev, Ilya Mikheyev and Teuvo Teräväinen. Those five players combined for four goals in five-on-five play through the first 11 games. — Scott Powers
Goaltending: Colorado’s .858 save percentage ranks last in the NHL, and it’s without a doubt the biggest contributor to the disappointing start to the season. The Avalanche haven’t been bad defensively by most metrics, allowing the 10th-fewest expected goals per 60 minutes, but all three goalies have struggled. Alexandar Georgiev’s minus-9.42 GSAx ranks 71st out of the 71 goalies to play this season, more than three goals worse than the next goalie. He should progress back to being near the league average, but it needs to happen quickly before the Avalanche lose too much ground in an incredibly competitive Central Division. — Jesse Granger
Paper-thin depth: The Blue Jackets’ 5-4-1 start is solid enough just at face value. But considering the players they’ve lost to injuries — captain Boone Jenner, Kent Johnson, Dmitri Voronkov and defenseman Erik Gudbranson — they’ve patched lines together and continued to play well. However, they can’t possibly suffer that many injuries and expect to compete. Right? Right? — Aaron Portzline
Wyatt Johnston has one goal and four assists in nine games this season. (Jerome Miron / Imagn Images)
Wyatt Johnston’s lack of scoring: It’s all relative, right? The Stars don’t have a whole lot to be concerned about. They’re 7-3-0, Jake Oettinger is in top form, Matt Duchene is having a turn-back-the-clock season. But this was supposed to be the year Johnston took that final step into superstardom. Instead, he has one goal and four assists in 10 games, he has some of the worst possession numbers on the team and is on the third line while Logan Stankoven takes over on the top line. The Stars were still outscoring opponents 6-3 at five-on-five (heading into Friday) with Johnston on the ice; it’s hardly a crisis. But if the Stars are going to make another Stanley Cup run this season, Johnston has to be a big part of it. — Mark Lazerus
A lack of offensive zone time: There are a lot of concerns accompanying Detroit’s 4-5-1 start, but this is the one that sums them all up best. Detroit just hasn’t spent enough time in its opponent’s end. According to data from NHL EDGE, the Red Wings have played just 37.3 percent of the time in the offensive zone, the lowest percentage in the league. That stat is likely a symptom of multiple issues, including getting hemmed into their own zone too often and flaws with the team’s forecheck, but it sums up Detroit’s offensive woes accurately. The Red Wings knew they lost a lot of offense this summer and that it would be hard to replace, but they’re not even really giving themselves a chance to do so. — Max Bultman
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Connor McDavid’s injury: The Oilers got off to a good start in their first full game without McDavid, who’s expected out of the lineup for two to three weeks with a lower-body injury. They recorded a season-high five goals in a victory over the Nashville Predators on Thursday. But that’s just one game and it was against Nashville. They always beat Nashville. The Oilers won just once in five tries last season with McDavid sidelined due to injury, and they’ll be in tough until he returns. Even with the Music City result, the Oilers still have just five wins in their first 11 games. A slide this month could cost them the Pacific Division crown they’re coveting. — Daniel Nugent-Bowman
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The third pair: Everything is going about as well as could be expected for the defending champs, starting with Aleksander Barkov’s return to the lineup, but they’re going to need to figure out how to proceed with their bottom defensive pairing. There are three possible combinations of Adam Boqvist, Nate Schmidt and Uvis Balinskis, and none have been good — Florida has been outscored 10-1 with them on the ice. — Sean Gentille
Quinton Byfield is without a goal over the first 11 contests. (Jason Parkhurst / Imagn Images)
Quinton Byfield’s slow start: Byfield is without a goal over the first 11 contests. He’s chipped in five assists, but it’s not the kind of beginning he or the Kings imagined after the sides agreed on a five-year extension worth $31.25 million. His advanced metrics aren’t bad, and the Kings haven’t done him any favors by committing to return him to his natural position at center and abandoning that just five games in. It’s possible that he bounces between the middle and the wing, which may not be great for maintaining consistency or chemistry with his linemates. The worry with him offensively is that he’s had a tendency to fall into lengthy scoring droughts. Even in his breakout last season, the 22-year-old went 19 games without a goal before he scored his 20th in the regular-season finale. — Eric Stephens
Jared Spurgeon’s health: One big reason the Wild were confident this season would be better than last was the return of the captain after he was limited to 16 games last season due to shoulder, hip and back injuries. But after season-ending hip and back surgeries, Spurgeon was sidelined after his second game and missed six in a row before returning Tuesday in Pittsburgh. The team has said the discomfort is “part of the healing process.” Spurgeon said they took “different routes” medically to get him back in the lineup, but he couldn’t say he was confident this would not be a season-long issue. The good news is the Wild went 4-1-1 without him. — Michael Russo
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A lack of maturity: When you are the second-youngest team in the NHL, with the youngest blue line, a lack of maturity probably should not be a concern. It should be expected. But despite their youth, the Canadiens have elevated internal expectations, and that means recognizing game situations and just how badly things can go wrong when your reads are off. Basic notions like playing a deep game, defensive coverage on faceoffs or defensive zone play in general have been problems at various points already this season. Perhaps it’s a sign this team is not yet mature enough to execute relatively simple concepts, but if the Canadiens hope to be mildly competitive this season, they will need to mature in a hurry. — Arpon Basu
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Nashville Predators
No. 2 center: Defensive zone coverage deserves a nod, as well. Though the Preds have rebounded well from losing their first five games, they are still forcing Juuse Saros to deal with too many Grade-A chances. But just as Saros, the power play and other aspects of the Preds’ game are progressing, that will, too. There’s no clear answer on No. 2 center, which is part of why Andrew Brunette has done so much shuffling with his top two lines. The answer is likely on another roster right now. — Joe Rexrode
Ondřej Palát’s struggles: The Devils are off to a solid start, and their forward group has been good. Palát, however, is off to a slow start. Entering Friday, he had the worst expected-goals-for percentage among Devils forwards, according to Natural Stat Trick, and was averaging his lowest ice time per game since his rookie season. — Peter Baugh
New York Islanders
Goals: When you get shut out four times in your first 10 games, there can be no other concern that tops this one. The Islanders haven’t been a goal-scoring juggernaut for a long time, but this season’s futility is a new low — and they’ve been shut out by very mediocre teams (Red Wings, Ducks, Blue Jackets) to make it even worse. — Arthur Staple
The Rangers could use a Mika Zibanejad resurgence. (Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
Mika Zibanejad’s struggles: Zibanejad had seven points in nine games through Thursday, which on the surface is a respectable total. But he was also a minus-3, and coach Peter Laviolette lowered his ice time from past seasons. His underlying numbers have suffered, too. The Rangers had only 41 percent of the expected goals share with him on the ice at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick, and were getting out-chanced with him on the ice. Center play is vital for playoff teams, and the Rangers could use a Zibanejad resurgence. — Peter Baugh
The defense: The Sens defense has had good moments like an 8-1 domination over the St. Louis Blues. But they’ve still allowed three goals or more in the majority of games. The Senators have also adjusted to life without Artem Zub, who normally plays alongside Jake Sanderson, and are making the most of their Jacob Bernard-Docker—Tyler Kleven pair. But if the Sens want to compete, they will still need an extra defender. — Julian McKenzie
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Five-on-five scoring: Through their first 11 games, the Flyers have managed only 16 goals at five-on-five — and five of those came in a single game, a win over Minnesota on Oct. 26. Part of that is because they have looked much too disjointed all over the ice at times and have too often been hemmed in their own zone. But players like Morgan Frost (zero five-on-five goals), Matvei Michkov (zero), Travis Konecny (zero), Owen Tippett (1), Tyson Foerster (1) and Joel Farabee (1) have still had plenty of opportunities to do more damage and haven’t. — Kevin Kurz
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Erik Karlsson’s offensive production: Never an own-zone marvel, Karlsson has consistently created chances at a historic rate for defensemen. That is not the case this season, as his paltry point total reflects an ineffectiveness offensively that is very outside the norm. Karlsson is in Pittsburgh to be a prolific offensive force. But he had only one goal and seven points through 12 games, and he hasn’t driven play the way he has in previous seasons. Perhaps an upper-body injury that kept him from participating in training camp remains an issue, or at least it didn’t afford him the time he needed to get game-ready. Whatever the cause, Karlsson’s poor offensive start is one of the big reasons the Penguins began 3-7-1 and look nowhere close to competing for the playoffs. — Rob Rossi
Will Smith’s early struggles: Eight games. No points. It was weighing on the 19-year-old rookie, who also was scratched from three other contests as part of the team’s load management plan for him over the first half of the season. It looked like the former Boston College star was having trouble with the speed and size of the NHL game as he had minimal impact. Thursday night saw the pressure valve pop. Smith scored his first goal (and his first point) when he beat Chicago goalie Petr Mrázek in the first period and then added another successful wrist shot in the second that would be the winning goal in a 3-2 victory. The big night should be a confidence jolt for the No. 4 pick in the 2023 draft, who is expected to be a big part of San Jose’s future. — Eric Stephens
Backup goaltending: The Kraken have played well in the first month, but despite some promising signs, they are still chugging along at roughly a .500 point percentage. They’re one of only two Pacific Division teams in the black by goal differential and their underlying profile looks consistent with that of a playoff team, but they’ve been held back by porous depth goaltending performances in October. Philipp Grubauer is sporting an .881 save percentage across his four starts, and the Kraken have won just one of those four games. It’s early yet and the samples are small, but for a team like Seattle, you need to be at least at a .500 point percentage in games your backup goaltender plays if you’re going to be a playoff team. In the first month of the season, Seattle’s depth goaltending prevented it from consolidating a more auspicious start. — Thomas Drance
St. Louis Blues
Robert Thomas’ injury: Thomas suffered a fractured ankle Oct. 22 and will be re-evaluated in late November. Any club that loses its No. 1 center will miss him, but the Blues were already thin at the position. They’ve forced winger Pavel Buchnevich into the role, which hasn’t worked as they hoped. The offense (2.7 goals per game, tied for 24th in the league) and power play (16.7 percent, 21st) are struggling. As a result, the team has played a lot of catch-up hockey, trailing by two goals or more in seven of its 11 games. Thomas can’t get back soon enough. — Jeremy Rutherford
Depth support: Depth was always going to be a weakness in Tampa Bay. Cap casualties have depleted the bottom six and third pair, and management hasn’t found cost-effective options to adequately replace what the Lightning lost. Outside of Nick Paul, the bottom six is pretty much a black hole for offense. While the team’s strategy is built around its elite core, and with Ryan McDonagh back, plus Brandon Hagel and Anthony Cirelli clicking, the supporting cast got a major boost. But the bottom of the lineup seriously lacks. — Shayna Goldman
The power play: On one hand, this is surprising. On the other, it’s not surprising at all. The surprising aspect: The Leafs have had one of the league’s top regular-season power plays for years and still boast all the same familiar parts of it. Strong starts have been the norm for the five-pack of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, John Tavares and Morgan Rielly. That same unit, of course, struggled mightily in second halves year after year and, more damagingly, in the postseason. The Leafs, with first-year coach Craig Berube, opted to keep that top group intact to start the season. That’s changed recently, with Berube pivoting to two balanced units. Whether that makes a difference in the long run (if the Leafs even stick with it) is very much TBD. — Jonas Siegel
Where did the offense go? After a terrific 3-0 start where the team piled up goals and brought the Salt Lake City crowd to its feet, it has been a tough go for the Utahns. They have only two wins in their last eight games, a stretch during which they’re 29th in the NHL in goals scored. Even with their two big losses on defense — Sean Durzi and John Marino are both out with long-term injuries — they’ve managed to play OK in their own end, but the power play has been misfiring and top prospect Josh Doan was sent down to Tucson. Utah especially needs more from Logan Cooley, Barrett Hayton and Lawson Crouse, who have combined for just six points during this funk. — James Mirtle
The power play: Vancouver’s core group has high-end skill and it’s consistently combined on the power play to manufacture goals at about a 22 percent clip over the past several seasons — which is very good, but not elite. For whatever reason through the first month of the season, however, the power play is struggling enormously to get set up and generate shot attempts. Though the conversion rate is just below average — buoyed by a two-goal outburst against the Blackhawks in mid-October — Vancouver’s power play isn’t passing the eye test and its underlying footprint is league-worst. The Canucks, for example, are the only team in the NHL generating shot attempts at a rate south of 80 attempts per hour. And they’re in the mid-70s. They’re also generating shots at a league-worst rate. If that continues, the club will need to get lucky or shoot at an incredibly efficient clip to produce at even an average rate with the man advantage. Even if the Canucks have the skill level to pull that off, it’s a very tough way to live. — Thomas Drance
Performance on the road: The difference between how the Golden Knights have performed inside the friendly confines of T-Mobile Arena compared to on the road has been stark. Vegas is a perfect 7-0-0 at home but has yet to win in four contests as the visitor. Part of that could be competition, as all four opponents on the road were playoff teams a year ago. It could also be a result of the lineup not being quite as deep as it once was. Vegas’ top line of Jack Eichel, Mark Stone and Ivan Barbashev has dominated, but on the road, it’s tougher for coach Bruce Cassidy to get favorable matchups. — Jesse Granger
The power play: It feels like picking nits given how good the Caps look overall, but there’s some work to be done with the man advantage. They’re 30th in percentage, which is rough, but it might be as simple as getting a bounce or two because they’re generating chances. As a team, they’re at 9.35 expected goals per 60, ninth in the league. In other words, the process isn’t broken. — Sean Gentille
The Jets are special teams merchants: Last year’s Jets would have loved a power play this good: an NHL-best 45.2 percent behemoth that has looked dangerous from every position on the ice. Kyle Connor is on fire, tied for the power-play goals lead with four, and Cole Perfetti has three from the second unit. The problem is that this year’s Jets are not as good at even strength as last year’s team. The 10-1-0 record deserves plaudits, but Winnipeg has outscored its opponents only 27-20 at five-on-five. Those numbers are top-10 as opposed to best in the league like the Jets were last season. Keep working on that through a grueling November schedule and this team will be a contender. — Murat Ates
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(Top photo of Connor McDavid and Erik Karlsson: Curtis Comeau / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Let’s look back at the past week for the Flyers, and we’ll hand out our 3-Star selections.
Game 8: Flyers at Capitals (10/23/2024) // Flyers 3, Capitals 6
Ivan Fedotov got the start in this one and it didn’t go to plan, where he made 19 saves of 23 shots (.826 SV%). The Capitals struck first within the first six minutes of the game on a deflected shot. Then, the Capitals struck early in the 2nd period, shortly after killing off a penalty to go up 2-0 on the Flyers. Just 1 minute and 15 seconds later, following a miscue by the Flyers led to a breakaway and the Caps were up by 3. Minutes later, another deflection in front and the Flyers were down by 4 with over half the game still to be played.
Credit the Flyers for not caving completely in this game. TK and Tippett scored before the end of the 2nd to take something positive into the dressing room. The Flyers put up some fight in the 2nd period, putting 17 shots on net, which was positive considering that the middle stanza has been their weak spot this year. Michkov found a way to get a shot from the point through traffic on the Power Play mid-way through the 3rd period and the Flyers had life. The Flyers Power Play was 2 of 4 in this game and this year, gives the Flyers a better chance to get back into games than in the past few years. Unfortunately, the comeback was not in store in this one as the Capitals grabbed two separate empty-net goals to put this one away.
Game 9: Wild at Flyers (10/26/2024) // Flyers 7, Wild 5
Sam Ersson started in net in this game and made 21 saves on 26 shots (.808 SV%). The Flyers Power Play went 1-2 in this one, which is a good sign, in both that the Power Play is operating efficiently, and in this game at least, the Flyers finally got some 5-on-5 scoring.
The captain, Sean Couturier led the team in this one nothing a hat-trick along with 2 goals and a +5 on the night, while also notching his 500th career NHL point in his impressive career. The story in this one was the newly formed top-line TK, Couturier and Michkov, which put up a combined 12 points in roughly 18 minutes of on-ice time, each. Couturier showed that he’s back and feeling good this year and at least for one night, much enjoyed playing with TK and Michkov, especially finding himself on the wing and down in the line-up earlier this month.
Game 9: Canadiens at Flyers (10/27/2024) //Canadiens 4, Flyers 3
Following another tough outing by Fedotov, the Flyers somewhat unexpectedly called up Alexei Kolosov, the 22-year-0ld netminder whom started the season with the Phantoms in the AHL. The young goalie did, in fact, make his first career NHL start where he collected 20 saves on 24 shots (.833%). The Canadiens struck first with 9:18 left in the 1st period, jamming in a rebound out front. Sanheim was able to tie the game late in the 1st period with a shot from the point through a screen. Sadly, the Flyers were down 4-1 by the end of the 2nd period, chasing yet another game. The never-say-die Flyers found two goals from Sanheim and Konecny scoring in the find five minutes, however, again, time-runs out on another comeback attempt this season. Simply put, the Flyers need to find ways to stop chasing games.
Game 10: Flyers at Bruins (10/29/2024) // Flyers 2, Boston 0
This game was a nail-bitter, but perhaps exactly what the doctor ordered. Sam Ersson earned his first shut0ut of the young season, stopping all 25 shots he faced, helping him bring his season save percentage to a .890 SV%. Perhaps the Flyers played the Bruins not firing on all cylinders, yet. Regardless, this Flyers team desperately needed a game they were not chasing, especially within the first 5 minutes. In this tilt, Tyson Foerster got the Flyers on the board just after the five-minute mark. The Flyers locked this one down and Farabee was able to secure the win with the empty net goal.
PHOTO: Yong Kim / Philadelphia Inquirer
Game 11: Blues at Flyers (10/31/2024) // Flyers 2, Blues 1
, and for the second game in a row, Sam Ersson grabbed the #1 star of the game, making 21 saves on 22 attempts (.952 SV%). Hathaway scored at 8:48 of the 1st on a beautiful feed by Poehling, following his individual skating and stick-handling exhibition on the play. The Blues scored at just before the midway mark in the 3rd period on a loose rebound into the slot and a lost man in coverage. The Flyers night would be saved with Brink jamming home a rebound in the slot with 3 minutes to go in the game.
Three Stars of the Week
3rd Star: Sean Couturier
What an up and down week of games for the Flyers. With the Flyers desperately needing a win and at home against the Wild, tied at 4 in the 3rd, Couturier picked up a hat-trick and his line put-up a combined 12 points that night. Unfortunately for the Flyers, the only points he scored over the past week, including the three Minnesota game, despite more ice time. However, the Flyers defense, including defensive forwards like Couturier, stepped up and secured two low score wins.
2nd Star: Travis Sanheim
Netting two goals and an assist in a lackluster game against the Canadiens was huge for Sanheim as he tries to get himself going offensively. For the season, through 11 games, he only had 3 goals and 2 assists, but he is a plus 1 +/- and he’s logging huge minutes on the backend of the Flyers, including the aforementioned low-score wins. Sanheim has logged an average 24 minutes on ice this season.
1st Star: Sam Ersson
Prior to this game, Tortorella looked like a coach in search of an answer. Signal Sam Ersson to the rescue. Earning the first star in the game over the past two games tells you almost all you need to know this week for Sam. Sam turned in a desperately needed gem in goal on Tuesday night against Boston. Prior to this game, the Flyers arguably had the worst goaltending league-wide to start the season. Following that shutout win, he turned in another great game against the Blues, at a time this Flyers team needed a few strong games in net. The Minnesota game was wide-open, and it was great to see him tighten things up. Overall, he picked up 3 wins this week that his team sorely needed.
It’s a dynamic league with incredible talents and scoring threats each night. The Flyers are a young team, which them prove nightly. especially on Defense and in the net.
It was good to see the Flyers find a way to tighten up on defense and hold on to some leads. Will it continue?
“Sid is still doing Sid things,” another player told The Athletic. “There’s a lot of players where I go like, ‘Wow.’”
It’s always fun to hear NHL players’ astonishment at the game’s top players, and there was plenty of it in The Athletic’s player poll this season. Our NHL staff spent the first half of the season asking nearly 200 players:
Who’s the best player?
Who’s the best goalie?
Who are the most underrated and overrated players?
Who’s the player you’d most like to punch?
Best and worst refs?
Favorite jerseys?
Favorite and least favorite road cities?
We also asked about more nuanced topics like neck guards and gambling. Those results will be coming in stories over the next week.
For now, let’s jump in on the NHL’s great debates.
A bit closer than you’d expect? Probably. But for most, it’s still McDavid.
“There’s just nobody like him,” one player said of the Edmonton Oilers captain. “Nobody does what he does.”
“I don’t think there’s going to be a discussion about that for many years,” another said.
“It’s just everything,” another said. “He can do everything.”
So where does the debate creep in? For many players, the league’s best player in the pre-McDavid era may not be getting his due.
“If there was one game and everything was on the line? I’m going with Sid every time,” one player said of the Pittsburgh Penguins great.
“With Crosby … you’re almost concerned about everyone else because he’s going to find everyone else,” another said. “With McDavid, you’re just trying to catch up to him, and that’s the hardest thing to do. But they’re both great.”
And the MacKinnon-McDavid debate has taken a big step as MacKinnon got his ring and as he plows the Colorado Avalanche toward the playoffs:
“I’ll go with McDavid still, but MacKinnon’s definitely pushing him,” one player said.
“McDavid is the answer, but MacKinnon is right there,” another echoed. “Nobody else jumps onto the ice with a burst of speed like him.”
Among those who picked MacKinnon, competitiveness, explosiveness and winning were the keywords.
“He just brings all his teammates into the fight every night,” one player said. “To me, the most competitive star. And, obviously, he’s a winner.”
“He’s just so explosive,” another said. “Whenever he’s on the ice, something is going to happen.”
“He’s just a horse,” another added. “There’s not much you can do when he’s got the puck.”
And what of the league’s scoring leader, Kucherov, a two-time champion himself with the Tampa Bay Lightning?
“So good at so many things,” said one player who voted for him. “The kind of 200-foot player that doesn’t get enough credit.”
“He just doesn’t get a lot of hype being in Tampa, right?” another added. “He’s a quiet superstar, man. He’s spectacular.”
Justifications for other picks?
On Makar, MacKinnon’s defensive counterpart in Colorado: “As a defenseman, he’s on the ice more and has got the ability to control the game a little bit more.”
On Barkov, the captain of the reigning East champion Florida Panthers: “A true leader on the ice, and you can really look up to him.”
Some will say Vasilevskiy, who enters the All-Star break with a sub-.900 save percentage, hasn’t been the same after all the long Lightning playoff runs and his subsequent back surgery.
NHL players, though, still view him as the Mount Rushmore goalie they don’t want to see in the other net.
“He’s proven it over and over again,” one player said.
“Just a big-game guy,” another said.
“I have never seen a guy that big be that athletic and that competitive,” added another.
Hellebuyck, The Athletic’s prohibitive staff favorite to win the Vezina Trophy this season at the break, was another popular pick.
One Russian forward, who voted for Sorokin, first made sure that his name was being left off this story. “Don’t tell Shesterkin I said that,” he said.
Fleury, who this season played his 1,000th game and passed Patrick Roy for No. 2 all-time in wins, might have been the biggest surprise, receiving five votes. The beloved icon might be getting credit more for his career achievements and infectious smile than his play in net for the Minnesota Wild, as one player admitted.
“I know he’s not the best, but I like him the best,” he said. “He robbed me stacking the pads earlier in the year. He’s been so good for so long. I’m sticking with Flower.”
“He’s starting to get some credit now,” one player said. “But I think he still deserves more.”
There was debate as to whether a player of Barkov’s esteem can still be called underrated among some other players, though.
“(Barkov) is not underrated,” said one player, who voted for Rantanen. “He’s a marked man every night.”
“Everyone’s been saying Barkov for so long, but (he’s) not underrated,” another player agreed.
That player voted for Barkov’s teammate, Reinhart, who has 37 goals, second only to Matthews’ 40 in the NHL, and was another popular pick.
“He’s obviously scoring a lot this year, but he’s always kind of done all those things,” one player said.
Point, similarly playing alongside superstars in a nontraditional market (Tampa Bay), received the third-most votes.
“He doesn’t get a lot of attention, but he does everything, man,” one player said.
“He scored 50-something last year (51), and I don’t remember anyone talking about it,” another said. “He’s so fast, and he’s just the engine of that team.”
Keeping with the good-player, small-market theme, seven players pointed to the Winnipeg Jets’ Connor, quietly a point-per-game player each of the past two seasons.
“He’s so good at creating time and space,” one said. “Nobody really talks about him.”
“He doesn’t get much love,” another added. “He just scores every year.”
Other picks?
On Kaprizov, the Minnesota Wild’s star and engine: “He’s a superstar in my opinion, but no one really talks about him in that category of the top guys. He’s a beast.”
On classic underrated pick Slavin from the Carolina Hurricanes: “It’s kind of getting to the point where everyone’s talking about him and people are kind of noticing, but he’s so good. I’ll say him again, but it’s probably the last year. I still think he doesn’t get as much credit as he should.”
And on Charlie Coyle, a veteran stepping into big shoes in the Boston Bruins’ lineup and helping lead them to the East’s best record: “He replaced (Patrice) Bergeron really well. He wins faceoffs and does a lot of things for them.”
He’s the lacrosse-style goal king, was on the cover of EA Sports’ NHL 2023 and is popular with the kids, but can he lead a team to the playoffs?
NHLers still have some doubts about Zegras.
“A lot of hype around him, in terms of some of the cool goals and plays that he’s made,” one said. “I feel like that doesn’t translate to an everyday type of (player). He was on the cover of the NHL (game). There was a lot of hype, I’d say.
“Nothing against the guy. I just think that got hyped a lot instead of the play, consistently, night-in, night-out on the ice.”
Nurse, the second-leading vote-getter, meanwhile, was singled out more for his contract ($9.25 million average annual value) than for his on-ice value or hype.
“He’s a hell of a player,” one player said. “I just think he makes the same as Makar, and that’s kind of crazy.”
Matthew Tkachuk and the Dallas Stars’ Robertson, both coming off 109-point seasons and playing for top teams, register as a bit of a surprise, tying for the third-most votes. The justification? Great players, but not ones who belong in the true top-top tier of NHLers.
On Tkachuk, one player said, “He got overrated in the playoffs last year. Everyone was talking about him being one of the best players in the world. I don’t see it. He’s a great player, but people talk about him like he’s top 10 in the world.”
And another on Robertson: “Sometimes you don’t really see him during the game and he finishes with three points. He still produces, but for me, he’s not like MacKinnon. He’s a game-changer, but not like these guys.”
“I’m sure everybody has said Marchand, right?” one player said. Actually, no! The Panthers’ Cousins seems to have stolen the “most-hated opponent” crown from the Bruins’ captain.
“Played against him a long time,” one player said of Cousins. “Always hated the guy.”
“He’s gonna get a lot of answers on this one,” another rightly predicted.
“I’m buddies with him and I’d still say him,” said a third.
Not that Marchand doesn’t still get some, um, love here, too.
“I love the guy, but it’s probably Marchand for sure,” one player said.
“I mean, Marchand’s always a good (player) you want to punch,” another said.
Other favorite least-favorites?
On the Stars’ Marchment: “I think he dives a little bit.”
On Washington Capitals’ big man Wilson: “He’s not a rat. I respect that. But I’d still like to punch him.”
And on the Buffalo Sabres’ Skinner: “He’s just annoying to play against.”
McCauley and Sutherland are icons of the reffing profession, and as is probably expected, they come in as the top two picks here.
For NHL players, the refs’ approachability and communication are key.
“He’ll talk to you if you get a penalty,” one player said of McCauley, an NHL ref since 2003. “He’ll tell you what you did wrong. He’s not one of those selfish guys who will try to take over a game. He’s one of the honest guys.”
“You can talk to him,” another agreed. “He’ll tell you what he saw on a call you didn’t like — reason with you. There’s more of a human element.”
McCauley’s on-ice flair also got compliments, with one player saying he’s “kinda funny,” another saying “he seems to have fun” and a third saying “I like the theatrics.”
On Sutherland, an NHL ref since 2000, players made a point of how proactive he’ll be in letting them know where the line is.
“He might even come up to me and say, ‘Hey, listen, you were borderline there. If you do that again, I might call you,’” one player said. “He’ll kind of give you a warning if it’s something he thinks is a little ticky-tacky.”
“He communicates the best,” another said. “I remember a few years back, he made a bad call. … We had him the next night, and he waited by our bus, so when (the player) came off the bus, he could tell him he screwed up that call and say he was sorry. Just the best communicator, and guys have a lot of respect for that.”
Other refs got similar kudos for communication, but the most common answer was summed up by one player who voted for McCauley: “He’s the only ref whose name I know.”
In the mid-1990s, refs stopped wearing names on their jerseys, and as a result, “I don’t know any of them,” one player said.
“God, I wish I knew their names,” another added.
“I don’t know enough of them (to answer),” another said. “I’d know them by face.”
The Athletic supports referees and didn’t want to give players this space to take individual potshots, so we’ll leave it at the numbers here, beyond pointing to a few interesting results/trends:
• St Pierre was the top choice despite having a long-term injury and now being out of the league.
• If McCauley and Sutherland got praised for their communication, the opposite was true for votes on worst ref, where commentary focused mainly on not giving players respect, being arrogant and being closed off to conversation.
• And, of course, the votes go with the calls. One player who voted for McCauley as the worst ref said it was nothing personal or about communication. It was just that “when I know he’s the ref, I (get called for a penalty) all the time.”
The Original Six may not have produced a Stanley Cup champion since 2015, but their jerseys still reign supreme, taking all of the top spots here.
“You’ve got to go Original Six,” one player said.
“To me, it was always between the Red Wings and the Blackhawks,” said another. “I think Chicago’s got the best.”
“I like Detroit’s,” another said. “All the Original Sixes are good, but that’s my favorite. It’s such a great logo.”
And on the New York Rangers, the third-place finisher, one player said: “Their home jersey is just so clean.”
If players weren’t going for the NHL’s original teams, it seems, they were going for the most recent ones.
Of the Seattle Kraken (first season 2021-22), one player said, “Those are pretty cool, man. The color scheme is something you’ve never seen before.”
And the previous expansion team, the Golden Knights (2017-18): “It’s different and unique.”
The vote focused on teams’ main home and away jerseys, but quite a few players also singled out teams’ alternate jerseys, none more than the Ducks’, which got six shout-outs.
One of four players who mentioned the Flames’ “Blasty” jerseys said, “I remember Iginla in the horse head.”
And speaking of recent jerseys, of the Seattle Kraken outdoor jersey, one player said, “I think that was the best jersey we’ve seen” and another simply, “Sick.”
Then, of course, there’s the Jersey jersey: “I love those. They’re just so funny and clean-looking.”
Of course. This one had to come down to Sin City and the City That Never Sleeps.
It’s not just the dining options and nightlife. It’s the arena experience, players said.
“Just the atmosphere,” one said of Vegas. “As soon as you get out for warmups, it’s a nightclub vibe. Everyone is just buzzing.”
“The energy in that building is crazy,” another said.
“The atmosphere is sick, the rink’s sick, the hotels are sick,” another added. “The whole trip to Vegas is unreal.”
On the other hand, as one player said, “You can never go wrong with New York.”
“Most places to walk around, most great restaurants you can find,” another said. “And obviously playing in Madison Square Garden is something special every time.”
“I love MSG,” a third agreed.
Other contenders?
On Chicago: “I love the anthem, and I think the city’s great. Good atmosphere. Not as big as New York, so I don’t feel like the walls are closing in on me if I’m there for a few days. I mean, I love New York, but it gets busy in a hurry. Chicago, I think it’s got everything: the arts, the sports, good restaurants. But it’s not as crowded as New York.”
On Sunrise/Ft. Lauderdale: “I love the weather and beaches.”
On Nashville: “I’m a big country music guy.”
On Dallas: “Great weather. Such a nice place to spend a day.”
And Tampa: “The fans are great” and, “It’s just loud, rowdy.”
Cold weather and not much to do around the arena …
It’s not just Winnipeg. That’s the theme with all of the top picks.
“It’s pathetic,” said a third. “It’s not The Show. Can’t take it seriously.”
Complaints elsewhere were a bit more specific, from the sad fan base in San Jose to the size of the dressing-room stalls in Washington to the “hotel we stay in” in Minneapolis/St. Paul. And of course, on Columbus:
“The cannon.”
(Top graphic by John Bradford / The Athletic, with photos from Mike Ehrmann, Jonathan Kozub and Michael Martin / Getty Images)
WENDAKE, Quebec — The line reaches across the lobby to the glass door entrance 15 minutes before warmups for a hockey game in a low-level pro league just north of Quebec City. We pay $12 a ticket at a table next to the Wendake Sports Complex pro shop, where a game-worn Black Jack No. 87 jersey carries the name of the league’s most famous player: BRASHEAR.
He is now almost 52 years old and we are here to see the famous fighter go another round.
Donald Brashear is the marquee attraction. He is the Wendake Black Jack captain. He appears in most of the team’s online promotions. Brashear is the only player who doesn’t wear a helmet during warmups. His bald head shimmers under the rafter lights. From the stands, he looks almost exactly as he did when he retired from the NHL 13 years ago. A salt-and-pepper beard and slight lines around his eyes are all that betray his age. He is 6-feet-3 but seems at least a foot taller than any other player. He is much broader through the shoulders, but trim through his frame — without the average-joe paunch that several of his counterparts carry as they weave through a pregame routine.
Brashear skates in swift strides, casually gliding then accelerating, dangling a puck with his stick, and flicking a light shot at the Black Jack goaltender. He smiles and laughs with teammates. He taps their shin pads with his stick. Brashear looks joyful — like a man, blessed with remarkable athleticism who is fortunate to still play the game he found safety and comfort in as a boy, escaping the turmoil of his childhood.
It’s the happiness Brashear described to me two years ago, when he told me that he’d started skating in a pro league for a few hundred bucks a game, right before the pandemic shut it down. Gliding on ice, all of the troubles that plagued him after his NHL career faded away: the substance abuse, the broken relationships, the anxiety attacks, the bankruptcy, the arrest. In the game, he was just a boy doing what he loved.
Brashear and I spoke for more than 10 hours over several weeks while I was working on a story about the trauma he endured as a boy, the mistakes he made and challenges he faced as an adult, and the peace he finally felt close to finding. He described his anxiety as an enforcer in the NHL, knowing that he was expected to fight the toughest players in the league if he wanted to keep his job. As a talented prospect with the Montreal Canadiens, he wanted to be known for his skill, but it was overshadowed when hockey found a better use for him.
Brashear hated to fight. It made him nervous. He despised what it made people think of him and what it made him think of himself. But what else was he to do? The crowds cheered his name, expecting to see men fall. Teams wanted to know that no one would mess with their stars. It was love for violence, money for blood.
Donald Brashear, in 2008 with the Capitals, squares off with San Jose’s Jody Shelley in front of an appreciative crowd. (Don Smith / NHLI via Getty Images)
Five rows of packed seats stretch across one length of the Wendake arena for the Saturday night game. Fans stand in whatever gaps can be found in the area above the top row. It’s a full house with a few hundred people. A line stretches to a folding table where patrons buy cans of Budweiser, vodka coolers, and mixed drinks in red Solo cups. A man at a mixing board next to two large speakers pumps out a dance remix of “Cotton Eye Joe.”
Black Jack plays Montagnards de Beaupré, a team from a village of 4,000 people about an hour east along the St. Lawrence River. They are rivals in the four-team Senior AA league that is just one of several pro loops across the province of Quebec.
Brashear plays on the top line. He still has flashes of skill, putting up points in most games he plays. He lays a hard check on a player, picks up the puck and fires a pass that leads to a Black Jack goal. He yells triumphantly and embraces his teammates. Early in the second, he throws a check in the offensive zone and a row of guys leaning over a railing, holding red cups and beer cans, howl and holler.
Last winter, Charles Duchesne — a member of the Saint-Ambroise Flaming Chalets — punched Brashear without warning. Brashear later hunted him down and punched him back, leaving Duchesne bloodied. Brashear then punched another player as the referees tried to intervene and fans tossed trash on the ice. He was suspended for three games for the incident.
This fall he joined a second team, two hours away in Saguenay — the Jonquière Marquis, in the Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey (LNAH), another pro league that is known mostly for the regularity of its brawls. In Saguenay, a bell sounds when players square off to fight, as though they were in a boxing match.
In October, in his first game with Jonquière Marquis, Brashear fought 40-year-old Derek Parker — a player who once tallied 508 penalty minutes in his rookie season in the LNAH back in 2005. Parker inched toward Brashear with his fists up while Brashear waved his arms loosely in front of him waiting for Parker to make a move. When he did, Brashear struck him with his right hand. Parker bear hugged Brashear, holding him as tightly as possible while the linesman watched. Finally, Brashear broke his right fist free and punched Parker in the head, sending him to the ice. Parker covered his head with his hands and Brashear skated away as the home fans cheered and the linesman gave him a tap on the bum.
Brashear also fought in his first game of the season for Wendake. In November, he was suspended for two games with Jonquière Marquis after chasing a member of the Laval Petroliers and pummeling him while two linesmen tried in vain to pull him away.
On this Saturday night in December, Brashear lays a check on a Montagnards de Beaupré player that shakes the boards and thunders across the arena. An excited roar rises from the stands. Brashear finishes several more checks with the same force in the second period, anticipation for violence rising with each hit.
Near the end of the period, Brashear trips and falls hard to his knees after a whistle. He jumps to his feet quickly and glares at the Montagnards de Beaupré players. Some of those players are members of the Canadian military who play to make some extra cash. Several others work construction. One is a window salesman. They range in age from their early 20s to their early 40s. All of them have a history in the game, playing some degree of competitive hockey — junior, college, or minor pro — before getting day jobs and playing the game for hire, often on multiple teams.
They all back away.
“Nobody wants to have beef with that guy,” says Mathris, an 18-year-old who comes to the Black Jack games regularly with his friends.
Even the Donald Brashear glare is cause for concern. (Photo courtesy Yannick David)
During the second intermission, the group of teenagers discuss the probability of a fight happening before the end of the game.
“In the third period it will happen,” says Felix, also 18. “I’m sure.”
I spoke with Brashear occasionally after the story I wrote about him was published in February 2021. He didn’t have concerns about how his experiences were portrayed. I checked in every few months to see how he was doing. He always seemed well. He’d avoided drugs and alcohol. He was working at a golf course. He was thinking about other ways to make money, before collecting his NHL pension.
Then, last year, Brashear stopped responding. He was known to be reclusive at times. So I stopped reaching out.
When clips of his recent fights emerged online, I messaged him again to see how he was doing. He read my texts, but didn’t respond. When I left a voicemail and sent a text saying that I was coming to Quebec City to watch him play, he didn’t respond. Hours before the game, my last message was not acknowledged.
As the third period starts, the energy in the arena builds. A group of young men, holding Solo cups in a roped off “VIP” section next to the speaker, jeers the opposing team and shouts with every hard check and retaliatory slash. The score is something like 6-3 for the Black Jack, but I’m not watching for the goals.
Fans crowd around the glass on the ice level, below the stands. An ejected Black Jack player, wearing his Sherwood shoulder pads without a jersey, stands and cheers next to the fans, sipping a Bud Light.
With less than five minutes to go, blood drips from a wide gash above the eye of a Black Jack player. He took a hard right as he tried to grab hold of the Beaupré player pummeling him and fell to the ice. The fans cheer wildly, standing to try and improve their view of the action below.
Brashear rises from the bench as the teams jaw at each other. Cedric Verreault, a 41-year-old who played 14 seasons in the LNAH, stands beside him. He hasn’t played a minute all game. Goons, as the players refer to them, are hired by each team to be around for precisely this kind of thing. When tension escalates, those players step on the ice to settle any differences and give what many of the fans pay to see. In the past, Beaupré has hired guys for about $100 strictly to fight Brashear, I’m told. One sat through an entire game without tape on his stick. But on this night, none of the Montagnards are willing to endure that kind of beating.
The game ends. The score is 7-3 for Wendake. The speakers blast “Sweet Caroline” and everyone belts out their best karaoke rendition.
Down a hallway next to the lobby, loud music streams out of the locker room as players walk in and out in half their gear, sipping beers and chatting excitedly.
Some distant dream lives again.
“I love it. It’s not for the money,” says Michael Novosad, a 40-year-old Black Jack. He’s a business development manager who is in charge of sales for a hydraulics company. He played junior and Division I college hockey — and then 18 years in the LNAH.
“I just can’t quit.”
There is genuine passion for what exists here. Dozens of fans linger in the lobby, greeting friends and family members who played. Some kids seek autographs. These are community teams, with the gate money paying for the players they cheer. Across the province, the rink is where people come together to be entertained and to watch regular men star in the center ring of a traveling road show.
“It keeps the fans happy,” says Mikael Vallerand, the 26-year-old Beaupré player who fought in the final few minutes of the third. “That’s why they come.”
It’s why I came.
I felt the anticipation rising all game — wondering which hard check might lead to Brashear unleashing on whichever poor man had the outsized confidence to challenge him.
I came for violence. I came for my piece of the 51-year-old fighter who can’t quit. I came to ask him why.
Is this the childhood joy? Or another overtime shift plying a trade he hates?
Brashear showers quickly and dresses in jeans and a puffy winter jacket. He slips a black toque over his bald head. He carries his gear in an old Philadelphia Flyers hockey bag and moves swiftly through the lobby, where his girlfriend greets him. He hugs her. They walk out the glass doors.
I call from behind: “Donald.”
Brashear stops and turns as I catch up to him. He smiles and shakes my hand.
“May I ask you a few questions,” I say.
Brashear shakes his head.
“No questions,” he says calmly.
He turns and walks away in the bloodless winter night.
(Illustration: John Bradford / The Athletic. Photo: Courtesy Yannick David)
The NHL’s Reverse Retro jerseys were a sensation two years ago, creating significant sales and conversation among hockey fans. Adidas felt the pressure of creating a sequel to that blockbuster with its 2022-23 season retro sweaters.
“How many amazing remix combinations are out there?” said Dan Near, senior director at Adidas hockey. “We spent a lot of time debating about whether the franchise should evolve into something else or is this a sequel. We went with the latter.”
As with any sequel, there are a few differences from the original. The 32 new Reverse Retro jerseys feature more white sweaters than the 2020 collection. Please recall that because of the COVID pandemic, the 2020-21 season was played without interdivisional games. Now, Adidas hopes to see more retro vs. retro games, such as the Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Buffalo Sabres game on Nov. 2.
This line also features more embroidered and raised elements on the team logos, which is something that arrived when Adidas started making jerseys with 50% recycled materials.
Another big difference was the level of anticipation. Near said that Adidas is aware of all the speculation, mock-ups and social media scuttlebutt about this collection of jerseys.
“We’re excited about the speculation. I think if you look back at the first time we launched in 2020, it came out of nowhere. Nobody knew what it was,” Near said. “We didn’t announce it was coming back this time, but people seemed to know it was coming. The rampant speculation and energy is making this unique and exciting. We track it. We see what people are saying. Sometimes they’re right on the mark. Other times they’re on a completely different planet. Nothing is official until it’s official.”
But it wasn’t just the fans anticipating the next wave of Reverse Retro jerseys. The NHL teams were as well.
“There was plenty of meat on the bone to do this again,” Near said. “What made it unique the second time around is that you have the teams thinking ‘I want to win Reverse Retro.’”
Which ones were victorious? Here is our ranking of the 32 NHL Reverse Retro jerseys for the 2022-23 season. Keep in mind that we based this just on the jerseys themselves — some really cool elements will be revealed with the full uniform kits, but they didn’t factor in here.
What a concept: It’s only taken nearly 30 years, but a team that plays in South Florida finally has a jersey that’s evocative of South Florida.
This is a mix of the team’s stick-and-palm secondary logo that’s been with it since the 1990s and the light blue from the third jerseys it rocked in 2009. The rays of the sun are slightly raised to give the crest a 3D quality. The colors on the stripes pay homage to the Panthers’ current primary colors. The rest feels like you’re staring at a frozen blue Hawaiian through a pair of expensive sunglasses.
Sure, seeing the alternate logo makes one realize how close that hockey stick looks to a golf putter … but that’s also kind of thematic to the franchise, if we’re being honest.
It was inevitable that the Sharks eventually would honor their Bay Area ancestors with a Reverse Retro jersey. The California Golden Seals’ greatest legacy might be their aesthetics, including a turn to teal 17 years before the Sharks swam into the NHL.
These are essentially the Seals’ 1974 home jerseys with “Sharks” written on them instead, and they’re sublime: a little California love, a little Jackie Moon. That Seals team won 19 games. Given what we’ve seen from San Jose this season, perhaps it’s just dressing the part.
The Youppi! of Reverse Retro jerseys.
Montreal claims this is meant to honor its 1979 look, when it won its fourth Stanley Cup in a row. Adidas claims the light blue is “inspired by the city of Montreal colors.” But for the love of Tim Raines and Larry Walker, we know what’s up with these sweaters: It’s the Habs as the Montreal Expos, and we salute them like Andrés Galarraga admiring a home run.
The most remarkable thing about this Reverse Retro Kings jersey, which honors the 40th anniversary of the “Miracle on Manchester,” is that one swears that it has previously existed. But the crown logo in the 1980s was on either a gold or “Forum Blue” jersey.
This is the first time the iconic sweater has been executed in white, and it looks awesome. Bonus points for creating raised gems on the crown for a 3D look.
The Avalanche topped the 2020 rankings with their ode to the Quebec Nordiques. This year’s model could be seen as an homage to the NHL’s Colorado Rockies, but their logo inspiration was the same as this Retro jersey: the Colorado state flag.
Nothing is going to top the remixed Nords sweater. But this looks clean and sharp, and like other Avalanche alternate logos is an improvement over their primary one.
The Golden Knights had a Reverse Retro jersey last year inspired by the now-defunct Wranglers minor league franchise. This time, they’re inspired by a team that doesn’t exist.
This sweater “imagines what a Golden Knights third jersey might have looked like in 1995.” The font and numbering are inspired by vintage hotel signage on the Strip. Oh, and just to make sure you get the full Vegas ostentatiousness: There are hidden glow-in-the-dark stars incorporated in the crest that can be seen in the dark and under a black light.
“When you think about the glitz and glamour of Vegas, it requires a little ingenuity,” Near said.
The Blues chose poorly last season, resurrecting a nauseating jersey design and inexplicably making red the primary color. This time, they understood the assignment.
The Blues’ Reverse Retro is based on a 1966 prototype worn by the team’s ownership a year before the expansion franchise actually hit the ice, which is like giving an Oscar to a teaser trailer. Despite being their second most prominent color, this is the first primarily gold jersey the Blues have worn. It incorporates the light blue seen on their Winter Classic jerseys.
Sound the trumpets: These rule.
This is the most “meta” Reverse Retro jersey in the collection.
In 2020, the Coyotes honored their much-maligned 1998 thirds, which magnified the head of the “kachina jersey” logo, made green the primary color and ceded the waistline to “a painfully obvious desert landscape complete with cacti,” as the Five For Howling blog noted. Their first Reverse Retro jersey swapped the green for purple from the team’s crescent moon alternate logo, and it was one of the best of the lot.
Now they’ve gone Reverse Retro on their Reverse Retro, swapping out the green for sienna, marking “the first time this trending earth tone color has been worn by any NHL team,” according to Adidas. The million dollar question: Are these supposed to abstractly evoke Arizona State athletics colors or is this simply coincidental?
The Pooh bear has returned!
The Bruins wore this logo from 1995-2006 on a third sweater. The blog Stanley Cup of Chowder called it “the greatest jersey in Bruins history.” The Pooh bear was originally featured on a gold jersey. This time it’s a white background, all the better to see the kind eyes, parted hair and Marchand-esque smirk on the bear’s fuzzy mug. Put one on and snuggle up with a pot of honey.
“What’s the design I could do that could pay homage to the Oilers but also just be cool to look at?” he pondered. “Selling it to someone in Edmonton is preaching to the choir. How do I sell it to someone in Miami?”
We’re not sure how it played in Florida, but its initial run in Edmonton wasn’t unanimously beloved. But this version might be an improvement.
His “dynamic gear surrounding an oil drop” logo has been enhanced by being raised in some areas and with that splash of orange in the middle. Each spoke represents a different Oilers Stanley Cup championship, and sadly that hasn’t needed to be edited since it debuted in 2001.
The Islanders have slowly reclaimed the ill-fated legacy of the “Fishsticks” logo that reigned from 1995-97, selling gear with that logo and color scheme in their official store in recent years.
For the team’s 50th anniversary, Adidas has added “the most requested uniform” for its Reverse Retro series.
Here’s the thing: The slight modifications they’ve made to the logo — like the TRON-esque orange highlights and the current color scheme — tone down the kitsch and the charm. One could argue the original Fishsticks jersey’s Aquafresh palette and queasy waves are more in keeping with the Reverse Retro aesthetic.
There’s an interesting separation between Canucks fans and outsiders when it comes to this Reverse Retro jersey. It’s inspired by their Western Hockey League look that featured Johnny Canuck, only this one has raised embroidered gloves and suspenders.
But the Canucks Army blog notes that Vancouver fans (a) feel this look to too close to that of the Abbotsford Canucks, who also use Johnny Canuck, and (b) were hoping for a less predictable experiment like “a green and blue edition of the Flying Vee or Flying Skate jerseys.”
In 1995, the Capitals went from red, white and blue to blue, black and bronze. They had a black third jersey for 10 years during that fad, with the capitol dome logo seen on the shoulders of this Reverse Retro jersey.
Now they’ve turned the “Screaming Eagle” into another black alternate sweater, with some really nice tweaks to the formula. This jersey features metallic copper and “Capital Blue,” giving the whole thing a sleeker look.
You can’t improve on perfection, which is why the Red Wings’ first Reverse Retro attempt looked like a practice version of their iconic sweater. But give the Red Wings credit for taking a swing with version 2.0.
An homage to their 1991 NHL 75th anniversary jerseys, which were red and white, this bold red and black look is accented by a DETROIT wordmark inspired by the 1920s Detroit Cougars. For a young team developing its swagger, we’ll allow it.
This Ducks jersey is cool. It’s clean looking. It’s got the proper logo on the front. They’re going to slap “ZEGRAS” on the back of these and move racks of them.
But after much debate inside the ESPN fashion offices, we came to a consensus: If Anaheim is dipping back to the inaugural Mighty Ducks season and their Reverse Retro doesn’t have even a hint of jade or eggplant, then what are they even doing this for?
The Rangers finished No. 2 on the 2020 rankings by simply bringing back to the Liberty Head logo for the first time since around 2007. They went back to that well for this Reverse Retro jersey, slapping it on a royal blue jersey with red sleeves.
The whole thing honestly feels like one of those sweatshirts that costs $50 more than it should, and hangs untouched with its friends in some distant corner of the NHL Store.
ROBO PENGUIN! Memories of Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr and Petr Nedved come rushing back as we celebrate the majesty of this flightless fowl.
But we had to award some demerits for what could have been: This is the Penguins’ 1992-93 jersey flipped from white to black, leaving out some of the more audacious Robo Penguin gradient designs from the latter part of the decade. It’s a jersey that thinks the 1990s stopped with grunge, when “Bills, Bills, Bills” actually dropped in 1999.
The most interesting aspect of this Stars jersey, which is a homage to their inaugural season look back in 1993-94, is the dimensional embroidery on the crest to give the star a 3D quality.
Otherwise, the current “victory green” color integrated with this classic design makes for a fine looking sweater. But we’re now two Reverse Retro jerseys deep and the “Mooterus” has yet to return, so we really can’t go any higher than this for Dallas.
The Jets’ first Reverse Retro jersey was one of our favorites, but this one isn’t nearly as bold.
Winnipeg remixed the Jets 1.0 jersey from 1990 with the team’s current color palette, minus the red. A great sweater for Teemu Selanne completists but one that doesn’t come close to the streetwear grandeur of the previous Retro hit.
More debate inside the ESPN fashion offices on this one.
The Devils pay tribute to the Colorado Rockies 40 years after the team relocated from Denver to East Rutherford. It’s certainly a fun look, with the Rockies’ gold, red and navy accenting the jersey. But we’re a little disappointed that the color scheme only carries through to the logo via a blue circle around the “NJ,” when this could have been a fun opportunity to play around with that logo.
As it stands, this sorta looks like when a pro shop irons the right crest on the wrong jersey.
“Say kids, did you like the Minnesota North Stars-influenced Reverse Retro jersey? What if we told you that it’s now available in … green?”
Seriously, no points for creativity, but these remain pretty dope.
Inspired by Chicago’s 1938 uniforms and their 2019 Winter Classic gear, this Blackhawks jersey had the unfortunate timing of being immediately market-corrected by a similar — but much better executed — Red Wings Reverse Retro.
Sorry, but this just doesn’t work. The “goat head” logo loses its magic when stripped away from the red, black and silver color scheme that evoked images of Dominik Hasek saves and Miroslav Satan goals.
Outside of the nostalgic kick of having this logo back on a Buffalo sweater, applying the traditional Sabres colors to it feels slightly blasphemous.
What’s a nostalgic Kraken jersey? A Mark Giordano sweater?
Obviously lacking history, Seattle just decided to make a sea green jersey that makes it look like they’re wearing a cummerbund under their own logo. It’s not a bad looking sweater. It’s just not as audacious one might expect from a team nicknamed after a mythical sea creature. It’s a Reverse Retro with real “why don’t we make our mascot a troll doll?” energy.
Missed opportunity here. There was speculation that the Predators were going to put their 2001 third jersey logo on a navy jersey, which would have properly remixed their mustard stain sweater with a currently used color.
Alas, they went with gold, making this jersey practically redundant with their current ones.
It’s their current away jersey remixed into a red sweater, with two sets of hurricane warning flags on the shoulders.
Your mileage here is entirely dependent one how you feel about nicknames on jerseys instead of full nicknames.
Adidas says this is a remix of the jersey the Senators wore during their 2006-07 Stanley Cup Final run with “the current Ottawa color scheme and breakouts.”
Sure. It’s very much an Ottawa Senators jersey. But we’ll wait and see the full kit, as Adidas notes these Ottawa jerseys will be “presented in a powerful black head-to-toe visual including the helmet, pant and sock complimented by a thick super-sized player name and number system.”
The Blue Jackets got a little funky last time with a primary red jersey that sported their original logo. This is the first black jersey the Jackets will have worn, with blue sleeve accents that evoke their current third sweaters.
These FrankenJerseys are on the borderline of looking like a stitching accident, but in the end we like our jerseys like we like our steaks: black and blue. But maybe not as cold.
Toronto is honoring its 1962 Stanley Cup championship, remixing a primary white jersey into a primary blue jersey with white shoulder pads.
Have you ever seen a movie where one bad performance ruins the whole thing? The Flames have a cool black jersey, with an iconic logo and an eye-catching color scheme.
They also decided to bring back to truly bizarre “diagonal pedestal hem stripe” from their mid-1990s sweaters.
It just ruins the whole thing and makes it look like the Flames are wearing an achievement belt from a strip mall taekwondo academy.
“I don’t want my guys looking like a [expletive] crayon box. I don’t want them wearing a bunch of whozies and whats-its. Just make a Flyers jersey. Who cares?” — John Tortorella, maybe.
Nostalgia can be comforting. Nostalgia can be inspiring. But nostalgia can also cloud one’s judgement on what should or should not be mined from the past for the benefit of the present.
To that end: These Lightning jerseys should have remained buried under whatever landfill in which they were decomposing. Tampa Bay wore these jerseys from 1996-99, during a time when the NHL had its share of ghastly third jerseys. They had storm waves across the waist; lightning bolts on the sleeves, and in perhaps the single worst aesthetic touch for an NHL jersey in the last 30 years, “bold rain” flecked across the front of the sweater that looked like it was taken straight from an 8-bit video game.
Whatever Lightning player feigns excitement the most for these monstrosities should win the Lady Byng, full stop.
Dan Near of Adidas offers a brief rebuttal about this jersey: “There were some jerseys from that era that we presented and the teams weren’t excited about. There were others that the teams embraced right away. This isn’t a permanent choice. This is a celebration of a moment in time and the nostalgia about a team. Maybe we don’t have to take ourselves so seriously and bring something back that might have been polarizing but that in today’s day and age is very trend-right. I give a lot of acclaim to the Lightning for making a risk well worth taking.”
We mentioned the Flames, but every team made changes this offseason. We’re here to help get you up to speed with intel on all 32 teams, including the key players who were added or subtracted, best- and worst-case scenarios, X factors and fantasy tips, plus bold predictions.
Our season preview is also the first edition of our ESPN power rankings for 2022-23, which provide the order in which these teams are presented. The rankings were formulated through votes from ESPN hockey broadcasters, analysts and reporters, and will appear weekly on ESPN.com.
Note: Thanks as always to CapFriendly for salary and contract data. Advanced stats are from Hockey Reference, Natural Stat Trick and Evolving Hockey. Kristen Shilton profiled the teams in the Eastern Conference, while Ryan S. Clark handled the Western Conference clubs. Fantasy outlook for each team is courtesy of Victoria Matiash and Sean Allen. Stanley Cup odds are courtesy Caesars Sportsbook.
Most fascinating player:Alex Newhook. Finding a new second-line center is arguably the most notable question facing the defending Stanley Cup champions. The belief is Newhook could be the person who replaces Kadri. Newhook has more than just replacing Kadri to contend with if he does get the second-line center role. He must also play a key role in finding continuity with a second line that returns Valeri Nichushkin as its senior member with Burakovsky and Kadri playing elsewhere.
Best case: Winning a second straight Stanley Cup. It’s no secret the Avs are in win-now mode and have many of the needed pieces to capture what would be the fourth Stanley Cup in franchise history.
Worst case: They cannot fill one of their roster needs internally and have to mortgage future assets to do so. They have around $2.6 million in available cap space. They have four picks in the 2023 draft, and another four in the 2024 draft. Yes, the Avs have their first-round picks for 2023, 2024 and 2025. So they could use those as capital. But there will come a point when they need their prospects to start filling those gaps that cannot always be outsourced.
X factor: What could the Avs look like with a fully healthy Bowen Byram? The playoffs offered a glimpse of that, with Byram registering nine points in 20 games while averaging a little less than 20 minutes per contest. A healthy Byram alongside Samuel Girard, Cale Makar and Devon Toews could give the Avs one of the most treacherous top-four defensive groups.
Fantasy outlook: On the blue line, Makar is any fantasy team’s choice No. 1 defenseman, particularly in leagues that reward power-play points at a premium. Second only to Roman Josi in points accrued with the extra skater (34) in 2021-22, and average fantasy points/game in standard leagues (2.9), Makar stands nearly alone in a class of three blueliners as an indisputably legitimate first-round draft pick. His oft-underrated and overshadowed partner, Toews, holds sneaky appeal as a fantasy No. 3 or 4 defender.
Most fascinating player:Dylan Coghlan. Las Vegas traded Coghlan — a 24-year-old right-shot defenseman — to Carolina along with Max Pacioretty over the summer for basically nothing in return (except salary-cap space). Bold move. Now Coghlan has a chance to break through on the Hurricanes’ back end. Coghlan has yet to play a full 82-game schedule in his career, capping out at 59 (and 13 points) a season ago. But he has turned heads already in the preseason and has seen some power-play time. Could it be a perfect match between player and team? Given Coghlan’s age and the coveted role he fills, this blueliner might blossom into a real difference-maker for Carolina.
Best case: The Hurricanes harness all the young talent they’ve been growing for years and take the league by storm. Carolina’s core — led by Sebastian Aho — crackles with offensive chemistry, while free agent additions Paul Stastny and Ondrej Kase help stabilize the bottom six. Brent Burns proves there’s plenty left in his tank to anchor a blue line bursting with players in their prime, and Jake Gardiner — now cleared to return — is a viable option once more. Frederik Andersen stays healthy, and Carolina steamrollers its way up the standings to win the division and set up a successful postseason.
Worst case: Carolina is loaded down by expectations entering the season and stumbles at the start. Coach Rod Brind’Amour struggles to find the right forward combinations, and that slows the team’s offense. Andersen’s past injury issues return, and the Hurricanes’ goaltending goes back into flux. Integrating too many new pieces on the back end takes time, and the absence of DeAngelo is felt even with Burns in place. That all puts the Hurricanes on their heels and in a season-long battle to recover just to stay in the playoff picture.
X factor: Reaching Carolina’s ultimate goal requires the best out of all its players. Is this finally the time for Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Martin Necas to reveal theirs? Kotkaniemi has been unpredictable in the past, and now he’s starting on an eight-year contract worth almost $5 million per season. He’ll have a chance to be Carolina’s second-line center, too; can the Hurricanes rely on him to perform there? And what of Necas, a player with great potential who has been up and down in Carolina for too long? Now on a two-year bridge deal, will Necas prove his doubters wrong with a breakout season?
Fantasy outlook: The Hurricanes have taken a good thing and sprinkled in some veteran spice. Aho and Andrei Svechnikov — even on separate lines — will give you 2.0 fantasy points per game or better, with Teuvo Teravainen not far behind. Pacioretty will be there, too, once he’s healthy for the final push.
Bold prediction: The Hurricanes will make the Stanley Cup Final.
Last season: 49-27-6 (104 points), lost in Western Conference finals
Most fascinating player:Jack Campbell. Relying on the ability to simply outscore teams can go only so far. That strategy took the Oilers to the Western Conference finals last season, but consistent goal-suppression was an issue. This is why the Oilers signed Campbell to a five-year contract worth $5 million annually. The front office believes this could be the move that sees the Oilers go from conference finalists to potentially something more.
Best case: At least returning to the Western Conference finals. Winning the West would further heighten what is demanded while also showing what the Oilers are doing could be sustainable over the long haul. Is it possible this could be the year Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid get the Oilers to the Cup final for the first time since the 2005-06 season?
Worst case: Their defensive structure and goaltending struggle to connect, and the Oilers are eliminated within the first two rounds. Last year saw the Oilers make a significant jump from a team that was eliminated in the opening round in their previous two postseason campaigns to reaching the conference finals. They return several players and have added Campbell with the hope he can take them further. But there are no guarantees.
X factor: This will be an important season for Evan Bouchard. His 12 goals and 43 points in 81 games was a sign the Oilers have a young blueliner who can be trusted to play a big role. The fact that he continued that into the postseason by scoring nine points in 16 games while averaging a little more than 18 minutes per game was also another sign of progress. Another strong campaign could see Bouchard, who is an RFA at season’s end, get rewarded going forward.
Fantasy outlook: If Jack Campbell could survive the blistering spotlight in Toronto’s suffocating hockey market and manage to not only survive but thrive, he can make it anywhere. Last year’s healthy version of the 30-year-old did just that. Some argue Campbell is no Mike Smith. Agreed. He isn’t. The Leafs’ former No. 1 is a top-10 fantasy netminder.
Bold prediction: The Oilers will make the Stanley Cup Final.
Last season: 58-18-6 (122 points), lost in second round
Most fascinating player:Spencer Knight. The Panthers have high hopes for the goaltender they drafted 13th overall in 2019. Knight’s recent three-year, $13.5 million extension makes him one half of the NHL’s highest-paid goalie tandem (alongside Sergei Bobrovsky), a pair that eats up $14.5 million of Florida’s salary cap. Can Knight live up to that investment? After a sterling debut stretch for the Panthers in 2020-21 following the close of his sophomore season at Boston College, Knight struggled enough last season to be demoted to the AHL before rebounding with a resurgent finish with the big club (10-3-1, .921 SV%). Which Knight shows up to start this season? And can the Panthers rely on him to perform all the way through?
Best case: Florida is fueled by last season’s playoff disappointment to become an even better version than the team that won the Presidents’ Trophy in 2022. Matthew Tkachuk injects the Panthers’ offense with a perfect complement of grit and skill, there is defensive buy-in across the board and Bobrovsky and Knight settle into a successful rhythm between the pipes. The Panthers emerge more balanced than last season’s offense-fueled squad, and when the playoffs arrive, they are well positioned to tackle challenges on both sides of the puck (not to mention special teams).
Worst case: It was too big a risk for GM Billy Zito to trade his team’s leading scorer, Jonathan Huberdeau, to Calgary for Tkachuk. Huberdeau’s absence is felt immediately and proves difficult to overcome as Florida redefines its offense under new coach Paul Maurice. The Panthers encounter more injury issues with top stars, including Aleksander Barkov and Aaron Ekblad, which slows down their progress. The Atlantic ramps up faster than expected and Florida has a hard time keeping pace into the spring.
X factor: The Panthers lost top-pairing defenseman Mackenzie Weegar in the Huberdeau/Tkachuk trade. What does that mean for his former partner, Ekblad, and Florida’s top-four alignment? Will Ekblad find quick chemistry on a new pairing, or will that take time to develop? The Panthers scored their way through issues in the 2021-22 regular season, but that came back to bite them in the playoffs. Establishing a strong defense that supports Bobrovsky and Knight will be key for Florida to reach its ceiling.
Fantasy outlook: There are countless combinations you can pencil in for the Panthers — a product of having two superstar players who are good enough to carry a line single-handedly (Barkov and Tkachuk) and a sophomore on a path to be able to do the same one day (Anton Lundell).
Bold prediction: The Panthers will drop at least 20 points in the standings.
play
4:22
Matthew Tkachuk chats with Emily Kaplan about being traded to the Florida Panthers and now becoming a division rival of his brother Brady and the Ottawa Senators.
Last season: 52-24-6 (110 points), lost in Eastern Conference finals
Most fascinating player:Kaapo Kakko. It was the healthy scratch heard round the hockey world when Rangers coach Gerard Gallant tapped Dryden Hunt over Kakko in a do-or-die Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals against Tampa Bay last spring. New York lost that game, and Kakko’s RFA status muddied the waters on his future. He has since signed a two-year deal, and New York has high hopes Kakko develops quickly into a top-six stalwart. Is that in his sights this season? The 21-year-old is undeniably talented; with added consistency, Kakko could fly high — and fast — in New York.
Best case: New York proves its run to the conference finals last spring was no fluke with a hot start to 2022-23. The Rangers’ key offseason signee, Trocheck, locks into a center spot beside Artemi Panarin, who gets on pace for another career season. The team’s young risers — including Kakko and Alexis Lafreniere — show added growth, and Igor Shesterkin is better than ever. New York dominates its way to the top of the standings and another long playoff run.
Worst case: The Rangers have a youthful blue line, and that inexperience bleeds through early on. Gallant cycles through different combinations up front to maximize his emerging stars, and the chemistry doesn’t come. New York’s frustrations mount, and even stellar play from Shesterkin can’t get them through. The Rangers make the playoffs but are ousted in the first round.
X factor: How will New York handle its imbalance of left and right wingers? Copp and Vatrano leaving in free agency left the Rangers with few options on the right compared to left. Kakko is a true righty, and Lafreniere could conceivably swap to his off side. Is that too much to ask of him? Can Vitali Kravtsov take advantage of New York’s need and push his way into the top-nine group? The preseason should give Gallant time to tinker positionally. What he finds in the process will be key for New York’s offense.
Fantasy outlook: The big fantasy question surrounds some youngsters with very high upside who just haven’t clicked in the NHL yet. It’s doubtful there is enough ice time for all three of Lafreniere, Kakko and Kravtsov to take a leap forward, but there is room for one of them on the top line with Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad.
Most fascinating player:Matt Murray. GM Kyle Dubas let Jack Campbell walk in free agency to sign Murray, who underperformed for two years in Ottawa. Murray is a Stanley Cup champion, though, and was better in the second half last season with the Senators. What sort of performance can he offer a Leafs team desperate to take the next step? Murray will be under intense pressure out of the gate. How the veteran handles the heat, and gets Toronto off on the right foot, will prove whether Dubas was right — in his own contract year — to rely on Murray.
Best case: The Leafs ignite early on the offensive firepower of Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. Murray stays healthy and racks up a strong record alongside Ilya Samsonov, who enjoys a resurgent season of his own. Toronto remains healthy into the postseason, where it finally gets over the hump with a first-round victory.
Worst case: Preseason injuries to John Tavares and others along the blue line (Jake Muzzin, Timothy Liljegren) spell trouble for Toronto. Matthews gets off to a slow start, and the Leafs’ offense struggles accordingly, putting a dent in the team’s confidence. Murray is solid but can’t make up for the Leafs’ mounting deficiencies in front of him, and Detroit and Ottawa continue to rise around Toronto. They reach the playoffs as a wild-card team and lose again in the first round.
X factor: How will the Leafs’ top six shakeout? Matthews, Marner and Michael Bunting appear to be coach Sheldon Keefe’s choice as the club’s first line. Before Tavares’ training camp injury, he was anchoring the team’s second line with William Nylander and a rotating crop of wingers. Does Denis Malgin win that job? Will Alex Kerfoot end up on the wing again instead of center? What are newcomer Jarnkrok’s prospects there? Building chemistry will be key to Toronto’s long-term success offensively, and there still seems to be some moving parts Keefe and company will have to sift through.
Fantasy outlook: This season, Tavares and Nylander will be seeking a winger to complete their line. Candidates include Adam Gaudette, Jarnkrok, Malgin and Nicholas Robertson. In the end, expect one to emerge for your lineup.
Most fascinating player:Brandon Hagel. The Lightning didn’t get as much out of Hagel post-trade deadline last season as they might have expected (seven points in 22 games). Tampa needs that to change now that Anthony Cirelli is sidelined until December and Ondrej Palat is playing in New Jersey. Hagel can slot in at right or left wing and has the potential to be a 20-goal scorer. Where does that versatility take Tampa? Does it push Hagel to the Lightning top line and perhaps allow Steven Stamkos a return to center? If Hagel finds his footing, all of Tampa’s top six will benefit.
Best case: The Lightning push on from June’s Stanley Cup Final loss with an early-season surge. In the early absence of Cirelli, both Hagel and Nick Paul establish themselves in Tampa’s top-six rotation and coach Jon Cooper rolls his lines with ease. Mikhail Sergachev capably shoulders more blue-line responsibility to better complement Victor Hedman, and Andrei Vasilevskiy remains Vezina Trophy-worthy in net. Tampa high steps its way through the division to be playoff powerhouses again.
Worst case: GM Julien BriseBois didn’t make any major offseason additions to Tampa’s roster. Going without Cirelli early proves to be harder than anticipated, and all the hockey the Lightning have played the past three years starts catching up to them earlier in the regular season. Atlantic rivals in Florida, Detroit, Ottawa and even Toronto are bolstered by fresh faces (not to mention fresher legs). Tampa hits some injury setbacks to slip further behind the pack and can’t regain traction before the final playoff push.
X factor: How much will Tampa miss Palat and McDonagh? Both players were vital to the Lightning’s success. While Tampa has overcome the loss of other skaters in its past, has their luck run out in that respect? There is no clear-cut replacement for either player — it’ll either be by committee or require someone new to step up. It would be foolish to doubt Tampa’s ability to overcome those loses, but McDonagh and Palat were quite a presence on and off the ice for a long time.
Fantasy outlook: Victor Hedman can still push to be the top defenseman in the league, but Mikhail Sergachev is also primed to take a step forward. And, of course, Andrei Vasilevskiy is the ever-present linchpin that makes the whole machine function.
Bold prediction: Andrei Vasilevskiy, motivated by his countryman’s exploits with the Rangers, puts together another Vezina-winning season.
Last season: 50-21-11 (111 points), lost in second round
Stanley Cup odds: +1,800
Key players added: F Jonathan Huberdeau, F Nazem Kadri, F Sonny Milano, F Kevin Rooney, D MacKenzie Weegar
Most fascinating player:Nazem Kadri. Operating as a top-six center who can be trusted on a first-team power-play unit is exactly how the Avs used Kadri in recent seasons, and it’s likely how he will be used with the Flames. The intrigue is in how he will produce. Kadri reached the 50-point mark three times in Toronto, while averaging 0.64 points in his first two seasons in Denver. Last season, he set a new career high with 87 points, which shattered his previous high by 26 points. Could he do the same with the Flames?
Best case: The Flames find cohesion with their new additions and get beyond the second round. It starts with Kadri and Huberdeau filling the void left by Gaudreau and Tkachuk. The goal for the Flames is that Huberdeau, Kadri and Weegar can be players who create chances for themselves and others. Having that all work out could potentially result in a longer playoff run than last season.
Worst case: The Flames don’t receive the same level of goal-scoring as 2021-22 and are battling for a playoff spot to the end of the regular season. The Flames were sixth in goals last season, with five of the NHL’s seven most prolific teams in the West. If their scoring diminishes, they could be overtaken by one of the conference’s risers.
X factor: Getting Weegar gave the Flames a few options. He offers them another puck-moving defenseman who could potentially run their first-team power-play unit. Weegar’s arrival also means the Flames might be able to tap into their blue line again for secondary scoring. The Flames had five defenseman who finished with more than 25 points last season. Weegar, who scored a career-high 44 points in 2021-22, hypothetically makes that group more formidable.
Fantasy outlook:Jacob Markstrom is a top-five fantasy goaltender, however you slice it. In 2021-22, he started 63 games, won 37 of them (lost only 15) and pitched a .922 SV% and 2.22 GAA. Only one person wrapped last season with more total fantasy points than Calgary’s No. 1, and that guy won the Vezina Trophy.
Bold prediction: Huberdeau will outscore Gaudreau and Tkachuk.
Last season: 53-22-7 (113 points), lost in first round
Most fascinating player:Marco Rossi. Kirill Kaprizov might be the easy answer here. But a debate could also be had as to whether it is Matt Dumba, Marc-Andre Fleury or Ryan Hartman, among others. Our pick is Rossi. He was drafted ninth overall in 2020 with the expectation he could someday give the Wild another homegrown top-six forward. Could this be the season Rossi starts tapping into that promise?
Best case: Hartman improves on his breakout 2021-22, and the Wild don’t have to trade for more scoring help. He was part of the Wild’s contingent of players who did more than set new career highs. They shattered their previous accomplishments, and Hartman was one of the strongest examples. Having another 30-goal and 60-plus-point season — or better — while earning $1.7 million this season with one more year left on his contract would prove massive for Wild GM Bill Guerin when it comes to cap management.
Worst case: The Wild can’t score enough after trading Kevin Fiala. If the group featuring Joel Eriksson Ek, Frederick Gaudreau, Marcus Foligno, Mats Zuccarello and Hartman cannot match what they did last season — and the rise of Kaprizov, Rossi and Matt Boldy doesn’t make up for it — they might face an early playoff exit again.
X factor: Fleury combined for 56 starts between the Blackhawks and Wild last season. He could be asked to do that again this season. But no matter Fleury’s workload, the Wild will need to see what they have in 24-year-old Filip Gustavsson. Several teams rely on tandems, and the Wild are no different. The contrast is that Fleury played in more games last season than Gustavsson has in his NHL career (27 appearances).
Fantasy outlook: Superstar Kaprizov earned his fresh $9 million annual salary in scoring 47 goals on 289 shots, while pitching in another 61 assists. Entering the second season of his five-year deal should produce similar results. Kaprizov’s a standout and should be drafted in the first round.
Bold prediction: The Wild will add an impact forward early in the season.
Last season: 49-22-11 (109 points), lost in second round
Most fascinating player:Jordan Binnington. Husso is gone, and the belief is Greiss can play a role within the Blues’ tandem. Those factors, among the fact the Blues are Cup contenders, is what makes this such an alluring campaign for Binnington. He’s coming off back-to-back 18-win seasons, but the 2021-22 campaign saw him post a career-low 3.13 GAA and a .901 save percentage. Then, Binnington went 4-1 with a 1.72 GAA and a .949 save percentage in the postseason. Tapping into the consistency he showed in the playoffs could potentially be key toward him turning in the sort of performances that made him a 30-game winner a few years ago.
Best case: Binnington is sharp in the regular and postseason, and the Blues are a top contender. Winning the Cup amid the potential roster uncertainty could potentially soften the blow depending on what happens next summer. Ryan O’Reilly and Vladimir Tarasenko are both UFAs at the end of the season. The Blues are projected to have a little less than $16 million in available cap space next offseason. Granted, the Blues have already won a Cup with O’Reilly and Tarasenko. But those circumstances hypothetically heighten what is expected to be an important year for the franchise.
Worst case: The Blues have a quick playoff exit, then their big stars exit in the summer. It is possible this could be the last season O’Reilly and/or Tarasenko spend in St. Louis. Each stand to be among the most sought-after free agents should they hit the market. Plus, the Blues’ cap problems could become even more complicated if Ivan Barbashev, who will also be a UFA, has another strong season before needing a new deal.
X factor: Barbashev represents the chaos potentially facing Blues GM Doug Armstrong this season. O’Reilly and Tarasenko are legitimate top-six presences. O’Reilly is the two-way forward who can anchor a line, while a fully healthy Tarasenko is looking like one of the most dynamic wingers in the game again. Coming up with deals for them is one thing. Doing that for Barbashev is a harder one to predict. He had previously been a double-digit goal-scorer but burst through to score a career-high 26 goals and 60 points in 81 games in 2021-22. Another step up could lead to him requesting more than the $2.25 million he has made the past two seasons.
Fantasy outlook: Blossoming point-per-gamer Jordan Kyrou, who finished second only to Tarasenko in power-play production for St. Louis, is another forward to target before most fantasy drafts are through. On defense, Torey Krug brings it on the power play, Colton Parayko pitches in with the tougher heavy lifting (blocked shots), while Justin Faulk is appreciated as the full package.
Bold prediction: This is O’Reilly’s last season in St. Louis.
Last season: 46-25-11 (103 points), lost in first round
Most fascinating player:Rickard Rakell. The 29-year-old winger is an interesting study. Rakell was a rising star in Anaheim, posting back-to-back 30-goal seasons, until that production began to stall and the Ducks traded him to Pittsburgh last season. The Penguins signed Rakell to a six-year, $30 million extension. Now they need the veteran to be that offense-driving playmaker of his past. Coach Mike Sullivan can — and has — offered Rakell an opportunity to skate with Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel. The organization clearly believes Rakell has more to offer. Can he now deliver them another 30-goal campaign?
Best case: Pittsburgh got the band back together with new deals for Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, and any notion of an impending rebuild is swiftly silenced. The Penguins’ concerns up front are unfounded, as Rakell, Jeff Carter, Kasperi Kapanen and Bryan Rust all show promising signs early. Pittsburgh’s core carries the team to another successful regular season and, with some health luck, the Penguins win their first playoff round in four years.
Worst case: Injury problems that Pittsburgh deals with in the preseason leak into October and affect the Penguins’ overall team building. The decision to rely on an aging nucleus turns questionable over concerns that the group has lost a step. Chemistry is slow to come on the wings and as Pittsburgh’s offense sputters so, too, does its confidence. The Penguins head to another first-round playoff loss and pensive offseason about the club’s future direction.
X factor: Pittsburgh has dealt with an inconsistent power play since losing special teams staples Patric Hornqvist and Phil Kessel. Last season, the Penguins finished 19th overall (20.2%) with the extra man, a low landing spot given the talent Pittsburgh has to deploy. The man advantage didn’t look improved early in preseason either, when the Penguins went 0-for-9 against Detroit and Sullivan admitted the team hadn’t really worked on it much at practice. Will special teams struggles come back to haunt Pittsburgh in the regular season, too? And how might it affect their long-term prospects in a tightly contested division?
Fantasy outlook: The Penguins enter what is essentially their 15th season with the same C1, C2 and D1 core. In 2008-09, Crosby, Malkin and Letang shared the power-play minutes with the likes of Petr Sykora and Miroslav Satan. Now, in 2022-23, they’ll be out there with Guentzel and Rust — which also feels like old hat.
Most fascinating player:Roope Hintz. A 25-year-old, 6-foot-3 winger who can score, create for himself and others. He can operate on the power play while also proving he can be trusted on the penalty kill. Breaking through to score 37 goals and 72 points last season only adds to the intrigue of what the Stars have with Hintz. It also happens to work out that Hintz is a pending RFA who could make the case for a significant pay bump from the $3.15 million he annually earns.
Best case: Peter DeBoer’s system results in more scoring and a postseason run. DeBoer has had lengthy playoff runs in his first season in charge at previous stops. Another trait those teams had was they could score. The Devils were 11th in goals, while the Golden Knights and Sharks finished in the top four. Creating and scoring goals is key for any team, but the Stars struggled with that last season. They finished the regular season with the fewest goals of any team that made the postseason.
Worst case: A lack of scoring prevents a return to the playoffs. Just look at what the teams that finished above the Stars in the Central had last season. The Avs had seven 20-goal scorers and 11 who finished in double figures. The Blues had nine 20-goal scorers and 10 who had more than 10 goals, while the Wild had six 20-goal scorers but 10 players who amassed more than 10 goals. The Stars had only four 20-goal scorers and seven players who reached the 10-goal mark.
X factor: Marchment’s production will be critical. He scored a career-high 18 goals and 47 points in 54 games while playing in a Panthers setup that saw multiple players set new personal bests. Marchment has the potential to give the Stars another scoring layer.
Fantasy outlook: Top heavy in the fantasy department, only the club’s leading trio neared and/or cleared the 2.0 fantasy-point mark in ESPN standard leagues. With Jason Robertson and his 41 goals leading the way, Roope Hintz and Joe Pavelski duly served as precious assets in contributing regularly at even strength and with the man advantage.
Bold prediction: The DeBoer Effect will carry the Stars to the playoffs.
Last season: 44-26-12 (100 points), lost in first round
Most fascinating player:Dylan Strome. The Capitals are without Nicklas Backstrom following his offseason hip surgery. In the meantime, newcomer Strome is expected to fill Backstrom’s role as Washington’s second-line center. It’s a high-profile spot for Strome, who made headlines in the summer as an RFA whom Chicago failed to qualify after a 22-goal season. Once the third overall pick by Arizona in 2015, Strome has struggled to reach the loftier expectations of his draft positioning. Now on a one-year, show-me deal with the Capitals, Strome has a chance to prove that, at 25 years old, his best years are still ahead.
Best case: Washington is in win-now mode, and it’s clear why when it bursts into an early-season point streak. Kuemper displays championship form in net that breeds confidence throughout the lineup, and the Capitals barely miss a beat without Backstrom and Tom Wilson. Alex Ovechkin stays on pace for another record-breaking scoring season, and Washington’s defensive depth stands tall as the club is once again playoff bound.
Worst case: The Capitals’ core shows its age with a slow start. Washington is too reliant on its top six to produce and doesn’t get similar contributions from lower down, making the team too one-dimensional to beat the better clubs around it. Kuemper is inconsistent playing behind an unfamiliar defense, and Washington starts missing the physical punch Wilson packed. The Capitals are a quick playoff out as their window for a Cup closes further.
X factor: Is Washington running out of championship opportunities? The Capitals are an older team in the Eastern Conference, stacked with players on expiring deals. There’s a now-or-never feel that creeps in. How will Washington handle that pressure to seize the moment when two of its most important players (for different reasons) are unavailable to start the year? Can Conor Sheary and Garnet Hathaway step up to fill the void? Will the Capitals get enough from their defense to make up for potentially less scoring up front? Washington is no stranger to high expectations; how it manages those in the face of adversity is the question mark.
Fantasy outlook: With no Backstrom and Wilson for quite some time, there are gaps open for Anthony Mantha and Strome to establish themselves as key parts of the offense with Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov.
Most fascinating player:David Pastrnak. The scoring winger enters an all-important contract season right as Boston faces several key early-season injuries — Brad Marchand, Charlie McAvoy and Matt Grzelcyk will all miss at least a month following offseason surgeries. How well the Bruins weather their storm will depend in large part on Pastrnak. He was the club’s second-leading scorer last season (40 goals, 77 points), and while discussions are underway on a new deal, nothing has been signed yet. Can Pastrnak punch up his asking price with a savior-like season?
Best case: Boston reaches Thanksgiving in playoff position, and holds on to it from there as reinforcements return to the lineup. The Atlantic will be more competitive than ever with the potential emergence of Detroit, Ottawa and even Buffalo. Surviving the season’s first six weeks with a solid position in the standings will set Boston up for a smoother road to the postseason. Where, as we know, anything is possible.
Worst case: The Bruins struggle without their top scorer (Marchand) and defenseman (McAvoy) while getting acclimated to a new system under fresh bench boss Jim Montgomery. Aging stars Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci have less in the tank than expected and Boston’s offense dwindles. By the time the Bruins get healthy and up to speed, they’ve lost crucial ground in the division, can’t catch up and fail to clinch a playoff spot for the first time since 2015-16.
X factor: How quickly will the Bruins take to Montgomery? He previously turned Dallas into more of a defense-first team, and Boston already has that framework after allowing the fewest even-strength shots against last season. Can Montgomery use that to Boston’s advantage if offense is harder to generate in October and November? How well the veteran coach can gain his team’s trust and find the right mix of personnel to cover for its deficiencies out of the gate will be critical.
Fantasy outlook: David Krejci returns from a season in Europe to center what will be a new top line featuring David Pastrnak and Taylor Hall, while Patrice Bergeron bides his time waiting for Brad Marchand to return to health. It means reduced expectations for Bergeron to start, but maybe we’ll get the best we’ve seen of Hall for some time.
Bold prediction: Jim Montgomery will be a Jack Adams finalist.
Key players lost: D Dylan Coghlan, F Evgenii Dadonov, F Mattias Janmark, F Max Pacioretty
Most fascinating player:Jack Eichel. Bruce Cassidy has maintained he will make adjustments during training camp. So far, he has kept Eichel on a line with Phil Kessel and Reilly Smith to create a combination that can score. Eichel is fully healthy. It also appears he could be playing with veteran wingers to form a trio that could be a constant threat.
Best case: The proposed approach of using Laurent Brossoit, Hill and Logan Thompson is one the Knights use en route to returning to the playoffs. Robin Lehner missing the 2022-23 season creates questions about whether the Golden Knights have enough in net. But those queries can eventually be quelled should Brossoit, Hill and Thompson provide the sort of performances that get the Knights back to the postseason.
Worst case: Not capitalizing on everything they have could result in another disappointing spring for the Golden Knights. They traded for Eichel last season to solidify their top six. They sneakily signed Kessel in free agency to add one more forward to a team that can already score in bunches. They hired a coach in Cassidy who knows how to get teams into the postseason. This is a team that carries expectations of not just making the playoffs, but going on the longest run possible.
X factor:Chandler Stephenson‘s production continues to rise with each season. Last year, it led to him having one of the more notable breakout campaigns of any player in the league. He went from 14 goals and 35 points over 51 games in 2020-21 to scoring 21 goals and 64 points in 79 games in 2022-23. That version of Stephenson is why Cassidy has him in a second-line role while pushing William Karlsson to the third line.
Fantasy outlook: As for that particular fresh fantasy forward pairing, prescient managers everywhere could be in for a real treat. Jack Eichel and Phil Kessel could combine for some jaw-dropping digits. While the former Sabres captain isn’t likely to survive many draft rounds unclaimed, his new ironman winger well might, in turn serving as one of this season’s more valuable sleepers.
Bold prediction: The goaltending is fine, and the Golden Knights return to the playoffs.
Last season: 45-30-7 (97 points), lost in first round
Most fascinating player:Matt Duchene. Never mind scoring a career high in goals and points that appeared to seemingly come out of nowhere given his prior seasons. Duchene scored more points last season (86) than he had in the previous three seasons combined (67). Another campaign like that, coupled with Ryan Johansen building on one of the strongest offensive seasons of his career, could make the Preds one of the NHL’s most intriguing teams.
Best case: Both Duchene and Johansen are able to build upon or maintain what they did in 2021-22. Having two top-six centers who can drive play would have big results for the Predators. The first being it gets them into the playoffs for an eighth straight season, with another being it advances them beyond the first round.
Worst case: A fifth straight opening-round playoff exit. The first round and the Predators are not exactly what one would consider “a good place.” They have won only five playoff games in the past four seasons and were swept in four by the eventual Cup-champion Avalanche last spring. Yet this is where it could all be philosophical: What is worse? Getting to the playoffs and losing in the first round or not making the postseason at all?
X factor: The Predators’ entire defensive setup. McDonagh’s arrival adds to a unit that already had Alexandre Carrier, Mattias Ekholm, Dante Fabbro and former Norris Trophy winner Roman Josi. It gives the Predators five defensemen who could be used interchangeably while providing another option who can offer assistance to Juuse Saros.
Fantasy outlook: Matt Duchene isn’t going to score 43 goals again this season. Not because last season’s shooting percentage of 18.9% will be too difficult to copycat (although it will be), or that there isn’t much to appreciate about a veteran finally finding his scoring groove in shrugging off the suffocating pall of unachievable expectation (because for sure there is), but because he has never even neared that mark before.
Most fascinating player:Noah Dobson. The Islanders’ got a breakout 51-point season from the right-handed defenseman in 2021-22. It earned the 22-year-old a three-year, $12 million contract with the club. At the same time, GM Lou Lamoriello publicly stated, “We have to see more with Noah,” and repeated the expectation for Dobson to show even more growth. What will that look like? Dobson’s trajectory could be toward superstardom on New York’s back end. But did Lamoriello’s hesitancy at going longer on a new deal hint that the organization has doubts about that happening? Watching how Dobson handles things from here will be fascinating.
Best case: The Islanders made almost zero changes to their roster from a season ago, and the familiarity pays off. New York has no building-related drama to halt its strong start, one that includes cementing a permanent top-line combination highlighted by Mathew Barzal. Dobson and Romanov prove to be a reliable second pairing to make life easier on Ilya Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov in net. Newbie coach Lane Lambert has no trouble transitioning to a head role, and the Islanders cruise into a postseason slot.
Worst case: New York comes out clumsy under Lambert’s eye. That lack of personnel turnover makes the Islanders’ attack predictable and stale. The club’s defensive buy-in is there, but without the offensive output to match, the Islanders can’t rack up enough wins to be a true contender through the season’s first half. New York doesn’t keep pace with other top teams in the Metro and eventually is too far behind to regain lost ground.
X factor: Lamoriello unseated a proven head coach in Barry Trotz to insert assistant Lambert behind the bench. It was a surprising move to say the least; how does it pay off for New York? Lambert has been in the organization and knows its players, yet the pressure will be on to pull the Islanders back into the postseason fight quickly. That will start with redefining — or reidentifying — who and what this team is at its core, and how the Islanders can wield that to success. It’s a tall task for any coach, especially one new to the role. How well Lambert does will in part dictate how far the Islanders can go.
Fantasy outlook: With Ryan Pulock established and Dobson emerging last season, it’s Romanov’s turn to translate his physical presence into fantasy points on this stalwart blue line. Meanwhile, Adam Pelech and Scott Mayfield do enough defensively to have low-end value in deeper leagues.
Most fascinating player:Kevin Fiala. Kings GM Rob Blake and the front office have used the build-from-within approach. They went into the free agent market in 2021 for Phillip Danault, and made a trade a year later to land Fiala. Danault’s first season saw him score 27 goals, which was more than what he had in the previous two seasons combined before coming to L.A. The belief with the Kings is that Fiala can follow suit by having the same sort of immediate impact Danault enjoyed in Year 1.
Best case:Drew Doughty continues what he was doing before getting injured last season, and the Kings take another step forward in the playoffs. Doughty had seven goals and 31 points over 39 games while logging more than 25 minutes per game. He was averaging 0.79 points and would have been on pace for a career-high 65 if he played a full 82-game schedule. A healthy Doughty adds another dimension to a rising franchise.
Worst case: The Kings don’t get what they need from their young players, and miss the playoffs. Being able to trust their young players was such a critical component of how the Kings returned to the postseason after a three-year hiatus. Mikey Anderson reached the 50-game mark for the second consecutive season. Tobias Bjornfot went from 33 games to 70, while Sean Durzi had 27 points in 64 games. Plus, Arthur Kaliyev had 14 goals and 27 points in 80 games for the club. The progression of those four along with Quinton Byfield and others could prove massive for the Kings’ short- and long-term plans.
X factor:Adrian Kempe went from a consistent double-digit scorer to suddenly scoring a career-high 35 goals and 54 points. Sure, the goals are what many will point toward when it comes to evaluating his importance. Don’t forget. Kempe logged another career high 115:06 in short-handed ice time last season. He offers the sort of versatility that gives the team a two-way winger who could be used in several scenarios.
Fantasy outlook: Fantasy fanatics are ready to fall for Fiala in L.A. After busting out for a career-high 33 goals and 52 assists this past campaign in Minnesota, Fiala is taking his speedy services to the West Coast. Alongside star center Anze Kopitar, the 26-year-old is capable of nearing, if not quite equaling, last season’s haul.
Most fascinating player:Jake Sanderson. Ottawa drafted the University of North Dakota product No. 5 overall in 2020, and Sanderson is finally graduating from the NCAA to NHL level. That could spell big things for a Senators blue line in desperate need of reinforcements. Sanderson had a great final season at North Dakota, scoring 26 points in 23 games, and has looked excellent in the NHL preseason. How soon will Sanderson be a top-four staple in Ottawa’s defense and start providing that group with some real stability?
Best case: Senators general manager Pierre Dorion added exciting talents in DeBrincat and Giroux to the roster this offseason. They immediately make Ottawa a higher-octane team that can challenge Atlantic Division rivals Toronto and Tampa Bay on the offensive end. Sanderson transitions successfully onto an improved backend anchored by Thomas Chabot. Talbot recovers fully from a rib injury in minimal time, and Anton Forsberg proves more than capable of carrying the load in his absence. If a few of those things go their way, the franchise could skate to its first playoff berth since 2016-17.
Worst case: Ottawa’s roster turnover proves complicated as new linemates aren’t clicking and coach D.J. Smith has to make heavy adjustments. Talbot’s absence looms large as Forsberg struggles to take command of the crease. That results in a slow start the Senators can’t find their way out of in the ultra-competitive Atlantic.
X factor: Ottawa didn’t get the goaltending it needed last season from Matt Murray — hence, the switch to Talbot. Only now, Talbot will miss up to seven weeks because of a fractured rib. Enter Forsberg. The 29-year-old outdueled Murray for Ottawa’s starter’s job last season, and earned a three-year, $8.25 million contract extension on the strength of his 22-17-4 record and .917 SV% in 2021-22. Can Forsberg keep Ottawa’s goaltending on the rails until Talbot returns? Or will it be the waiver claim Magnus Hellberg on whom the Sens are forced to rely?
Fantasy outlook: The Sens brought in sniper DeBrincat from the tanking Blackhawks and lured veteran captain Giroux from free agency to add to another rising star in Tim Stutzle for one helluva top six.
Check out the five best goals from last year as we prepare for the upcoming season.
Last season: 40-30-12 (92 points), missed playoffs
Stanley Cup odds: +5,000
Key players added: F Andrei Kuzmenko, F Curtis Lazar, F Ilya Mikheyev
Key players lost: F Alex Chiasson, G Jaroslav Halak, D Brad Hunt, F Nicolas Petan, F Brandon Sutter
Most fascinating player:Bo Horvat. Nearly everyone else considered to be a long-term piece within the Canucks’ core has an extension. The 31 goals he scored last season were a personal best, while the 52 points were tied for the third most of his career. The Canucks are going to have $14.6 million in cap space but must also make decisions on other players in need of a deal.
Best case: Hiring Bruce Boudreau led to a turnaround. The Canucks had the NHL’s sixth-best record while Boudreau was on the bench. They allowed the third-fewest goals in the NHL while having an attack that was above league average at 12th. To continue what Boudreau has established could result in the Canucks being in the discussion for at least a wild-card berth with the aim of returning to the postseason after missing the past two editions.
Worst case: Supplemental scoring is key, and not receiving that could significantly alter the Canucks’ postseason aspirations. They are hoping Mikheyev can either match or surpass the 21-goal season he had with the Leafs in 2021-22. Conor Garland broke through to have the best season of his career in the first year of his new contract. Tanner Pearson is another player who can score at least 15 goals a season. There is also the expectation that Nils Hoglander, Kuzmenko and Vasily Podkolzin must also be contributors.
X factor: Kuzmenko comes to the NHL after scoring 20 goals and 53 points in 45 games with SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL last season. He’s on a one-year deal before becoming a UFA at the end of the season. Kuzmenko appears to give the Canucks another top-nine forward, with the realization a strong campaign could give the front office another item to think about in addition to the Horvat contract.
Fantasy outlook: Center Elias Pettersson and winger Brock Boeser (out until late October) merit targeting in middle (Pettersson) to later (Boeser) rounds in most fantasy drafts. Bo Horvat provides extra fantasy pop in leagues that reward faceoff success. KHL export Kuzmenko — projected to compete in Vancouver’s top six — has wild-card appeal after potting 20 goals and 33 assists in 45 games with St. Petersburg last season.
Most fascinating player:Dominik Kubalik. The former 30-goal scorer coming off a down season (32 points in 78 games) wasn’t extended a qualifying offer from the rebuilding Blackhawks. But at 27, Kubalik could easily just be entering the prime of his career. Detroit will offer Kubalik more top-end linemate options to play with, and the impact he might have on the Red Wings’ offense could far exceed expectations — and make GM Steve Yzerman’s two-year, $5 million investment in Kubalik a real steal.
Best case: Yzerman made some noise in the offseason, acquiring the likes of Husso, Perron, Copp and Chiarot. Put them all together with Dylan Larkin, Tyler Bertuzzi, Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider, and the Red Wings are able to build on last season’s promise without slowing down in the second half. Instead, Detroit gets stronger down the stretch and pushes its way back into the playoff picture after a six-year absence and starts writing a new chapter of its storied history.
Worst case: Detroit’s many summertime changes included swapping longtime bench boss Jeff Blashill for first-time head coach Derek Lalonde. Managing all the Red Wings’ new faces would be tough for an incumbent who knows the team already; Lalonde has to get to know an entire team while implementing his inaugural NHL system. Chemistry takes time to build as the players figure out the new landscape, and Detroit stumbles hard early, hurting the team’s confidence in its ability to turn the corner.
X factor: The Red Wings’ defensive play ultimately failed them last season (even with the Calder Trophy-winning performance from Seider), and Detroit was last in the NHL in goals against (4.33) from late February onward. How much this group improves in that area, especially with a veteran addition like Chiarot around, will be a massive part of the Wings’ story this season. Assuming Seider avoids a sophomore slump, he’ll be the blue line’s top performer as Chiarot, Filip Hronek and Maatta provide stability. Oh, and those forwards will be challenged to step up their 200-foot games.
Fantasy outlook: Up front, Dylan Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi are locks, but it’s not a sure thing that Lucas Raymond can take a step forward in his sophomore season and join them at the elite threshold of 2.0 fantasy points per game.
Bold prediction: Moritz Seider will be a Norris Trophy finalist.
Last season: 39-32-11 (89 points), missed playoffs
Key players lost: G Eric Comrie, F Zach Sanford, F Paul Stastny
Most fascinating player:Blake Wheeler. Rick Bowness’ decision to remove the captaincy from Wheeler has created a number of questions about what happens next. Namely, what does the leadership structure look like going forward? And is there a way for Wheeler to be involved even though it appears he might not wear a letter?
Best case: A somewhat chaotic preseason jolts the team back on track and into the playoff picture. All the talk about Wheeler, the team’s leadership dynamic, Pierre-Luc Dubois being a pending RFA and a new coach is a lot to start the season. But Bowness was hired to return the Jets to the postseason after they missed the playoffs for the first time in four years. A playoff berth would offer more confidence in the team’s vision going forward.
Worst case: None of what the front office has planned works. The Jets miss the playoffs for a second straight season. It could then lead to a discussion about where the franchise goes next, and whether there could be changes. A slew of players — including Connor Hellebuyck, Mark Scheifele and Wheeler — could hit the open market after the 2023-24 season
X factor:Cole Perfetti had his first foray into the NHL cut short after sustaining a back injury that led to him missing the Jets’ final 34 games. Yet he still had two goals and seven points in 18 games. The 20-year-old has stood out on the international stage representing Canada while also making an impact in the AHL. Is it possible that a fully healthy Perfetti does the same in 2022-23 over a full, 82-game season?
Fantasy outlook: Top-15 fantasy forward Kyle Connor is a scoring machine and should be drafted as such in all goal-friendly leagues. Irrespective of linemates, the former Michigan Wolverine could tally 50 this season, plus 40 or so assists. As for who might line up next to Connor, rookie Cole Perfetti intrigues as a sleepy fantasy rookie with surging upside. The dynasty league gem will fall into a point-per-game pace at some point in his career, it’s only a matter of when.
Bold prediction: Rick Bowness vs. the Jets’ core is this season’s best drama.
Most fascinating player:Johnny Gaudreau. It was the free agent signing no one saw coming. Now all anyone wants to see is what Gaudreau can bring to Columbus. It’s easy to critique Gaudreau’s choice of landing spot given how many teams were (reportedly) interested in his services. And Gaudreau has said all the right things about why the Blue Jackets were ultimately the best fit for him off and on the ice. But the real talking gets done between the whistles, and Columbus adding a skater like Gaudreau should make them an immediate playoff contender. There’s a compelling first season (of a seven-year commitment) ahead here.
Best case: It’s a seamless transition for Gaudreau into Columbus, where he and Patrik Laine are perfectly paired on the team’s top line. Gudbranson brings punch the Blue Jackets have lacked in the past, and helps guide rookies like Nick Blankenberg to eventually do the same. A resurgent Elvis Merzlikins provides consistently strong netminding behind a team that’s dialed in on its defensive habits. The Blue Jackets ride the excitement of their turnaround back to the postseason.
Worst case: All the hype of Columbus’ offseason moves unexpectedly weighs on the team. Early bumps in the road lead to craters as Gaudreau and Laine struggle to find the right center on their line. Veterans Jakub Voracek and Gustav Nyquist have lost a step, and the Blue Jackets’ offense stalls. Columbus runs into injury issues on its blue line and in net to send GM Jarmo Kekäläinen reeling for replacements. Slowly, the regular season slips through the Blue Jackets’ fingers leading to another playoff absence.
X factor: Columbus was derailed in part last season by its defensive deficiencies. The Blue Jackets gave up the second-most shots against (35.2 per game) and allowed the fifth-most goals (3.62), which was hardly a winning combination. Kekäläinen has talked about being tougher — hence adding Gudbranson — but it’s also a mentality everyone must embrace. There was deserved excitement around Gaudreau making the team’s offense better. That won’t be the key to Columbus’ ultimate success, though, unless it’s coupled with improved play away from the puck, too.
Fantasy outlook: Who ends up securing the gig between Gaudreau and Laine? While it probably won’t impact either of them from a fantasy perspective, as they are good enough to be immune to the third member of the top line, this is a spot that could pay huge dividends for the pivot who plays there over the long term. Is it gritty Boone Jenner? Jack Roslovic, who has been play-tested but has underwhelmed so far? What about the youngsters Cole Sillinger or Kent Johnson?
Key players lost: C Pavel Zacha, D Ty Smith, D P.K. Subban
Most fascinating player:Nico Hischier. The Devils’ captain — and 2019 first overall pick — has been on a bewitching NHL journey. The 23-year-old has struggled to find his footing, has dealt with injury issues and then last season burst through with a career-high 21 goals and 60 points in 70 games. It should have set Hischier up for a great start to this regular season — until he was sidelined by an undisclosed ailment in training camp. Will that hurt his progress? Or just be a blip on the radar in what turns out to be an even better campaign than his last one? Hischier needs to be an integral part of any success New Jersey has. What can he do for an encore in these coming months?
Best case: The Devils have been patiently building a foundation of young talent, and it’s ready to challenge the league. Led by the dazzling Jack Hughes, a healthy Hischier and the veteran skill of Palat, New Jersey’s offense ignites and pairs with a rejuvenated blue line anchored by a returning Dougie Hamilton. Mackenzie Blackwood meshes perfectly with new partner Vitek Vanecek, and the Devils challenge for a wild-card spot.
Worst case: New Jersey brims with youthful energy but can’t turn that into wins in the early season. Those continued growing pains last into the winter, and the Devils get left behind by their Metropolitan competition. Past injury problems return, and the team’s confidence wanes. New Jersey falls out of the playoff race by the trade deadline and faces another offseason of questions.
X factor: Goaltending has been a major issue for New Jersey. Blackwood has been inconsistent — and often injured — in recent years, and the Devils finished 31st in save percentage a year ago while cycling through six different starters. Vanecek was brought in to remedy that, but he was also let go for nothing by Washington in the offseason after posting a .908 SV% last season. Is this the fresh start Vanecek and Blackwood need? New Jersey’s potential for success hinges largely on getting goaltending it has been lacking for lately.
Fantasy outlook: All the pieces are beginning to fall into place, and there might be enough here now to see some of the long-building stars truly shine. Jack Hughes is primed to put himself into the conversation as one of the league’s elite, with Hischier only a small step behind. Jesper Bratt‘s breakout will be allowed to continue with big minutes and key power-play time, while Palat is the veteran presence who can bring the whole offensive stew to a simmer.
Bold prediction: Hughes will play 80 games, eclipse 100 points
Last season: 31-37-14 (76 points), missed playoffs
Stanley Cup odds: +7,500
Key players added: D John Klingberg, D Dmitry Kulikov, F Ryan Strome, F Frank Vatrano
Most fascinating player:John Klingberg. A number of hypotheticals are in play when it comes to Klingberg. He’s on a one-year deal, and that creates options. If he and the Ducks are aligned on their collective future, then maybe there is a conversation about a contract extension. If that is not the case and the Ducks are out of contention by the All-Star break, there is a chance there is a Cup hopeful willing to give up a first-rounder in trade to get Klingberg. That would give the Ducks another asset they can add to a future led by Jamie Drysdale, Troy Terry and Trevor Zegras.
Best case: The Ducks can stay above .500 and potentially give the front office something to think about when it comes to their chances to claim a wild-card berth. Adam Henrique averaged a career high 0.72 points per game last season. They added a 20-goal scorer in Strome, along with a winger who can score 20 in Vatrano. Klingberg gives them a legitimate top-four puck-mover, in addition to what they already have on the blue line with Cam Fowler and Kevin Shattenkirk. And there are the potential gains Drysdale, Terry and Zegras could make in 2022-23 as well.
Worst case: Potentially losing Klingberg for nothing is one scenario. Another is they struggle to show progress beyond what they did last season. The Ducks entered February with a 23-16-9 record. It was the sixth-strongest mark in the Western Conference and created questions about whether the postseason was possible. Then, they lost five of their seven February games before losing 11 in a row in March. Figuring out how to avoid a similar fate could be one of the most notable challenges facing the Ducks this season.
X factor: The Ducks have something a lot of teams in the NHL covet — other than Drysdale, Terry and Zegras being on team-friendly contracts. The Ducks have a little more than $15.7 million in cap space. It’s the type of money that allows them to hold leverage in deals or offer cap-strapped teams some relief (with a pick or young player included for their trouble). But, this is also the kind of space they must use responsibly considering Drysdale, Terry and Zegras are all going to need new contracts next offseason. That said, the Ducks are projected to have a little more than $43 million in cap space next summer.
Fantasy outlook: Fantasy managers should be excited about what Trevor Zegras has in store for an encore. After potting 23 goals and 38 assists in his 75-game rookie campaign, and following the retirement of Ducks star Getzlaf, Zegras launches 2022-23 as the club’s top-line and power-play center. Competing consistently alongside last season’s points leader, Troy Terry, will translate in another jump in production.
Most fascinating player:Casey Mittelstadt. Healthy again after an injury-plagued 2021-22 season, where will he fit in Buffalo’s lineup? The versatile forward can play on the wing or at center, and coach Don Granato used training camp and preseason games to figure out where Mittelstadt will be at his best. The Sabres haven’t yet seen all that their former first-round pick (eighth overall in 2017) can offer. Or have they?
Best case: Buffalo explodes out of the gate with a consistent offense led by Jeff Skinner (coming off a 50-point season), Tage Thompson (fresh from a 38-goal campaign) and Alex Tuch (who had 30 goals last season). Comrie is the perfect complement in net to veteran Anderson, and the continued growth of Rasmus Dahlin stabilizes — and elevates — Buffalo’s blue line. The Sabres take advantage of their talent and end their pesky 11-year playoff drought.
Worst case: Buffalo general manager Kevyn Adams didn’t take any big swings in the offseason in order to prioritize getting prospects, such as JJ Peterka and Jack Quinn, playing time. The lack of turnover and new additions slows the Sabres down early as they try to establish an identity. The ultracompetitive Atlantic heats up without them and, despite past evidence of successful late-season pushes, the Sabres see their postseason drought hit Year 12.
X factor: Where would Buffalo have landed last season with better goaltending? As it was, the Sabres averaged the eighth-most goals against with 3.50. Anderson was hurt through much of the first half, and the Sabres cycled through a half dozen other netminders looking for a reliable replacement. Buffalo has (on paper) an improved tandem with Anderson and Comrie. If the Sabres get in a rhythm and avoid injuries, that should have a significant impact on Buffalo’s chances — not to mention the team’s overall confidence.
Fantasy outlook: From a team full of lottery tickets, it’s probably worth purchasing a couple for your fantasy portfolio. Tage Thompson’s breakout campaign was legit, Jeff Skinner still has more in the tank and Alex Tuch will play a heavy role in the offense.
Most fascinating player:Timo Meier. It has been reported the Sharks and Meier will talk about a new contract after the season. Meier is a pending RFA coming off a four-year deal that saw him earn $6 million annually. His 35 goals and 76 points last season were career highs, and it created the expectation he could have another big season.
Best case:Kevin Labanc is fully healthy, and returns to being the player who can reach double figures in goals. Rookies Thomas Bordeleau and William Eklund are able to make an impact at some point in the season. Meanwhile, free agent signings Kunin and Lindblom can help with the secondary scoring load. All of it adds up to the Sharks either staying in the wild-card race later than some might expect or improving upon what they did last season.
Worst case: Last season, they were 23 points out of the final playoff spot while having enough points to finish with a 3% chance at the first pick in the NHL draft only to have the 11th pick, which they later traded. It appears the Sharks could potentially be stuck again in that bizarre space between not being a playoff team while not being close to one that tries to rebuild with a top-three draft pick.
X factor: Say Erik Karlsson had played a full, 82-game schedule last season. He was averaging 0.70 points per game, which would have put him on pace for 57. That would have been the most points he has scored since joining the Sharks. Karlsson’s 10 goals last season were the most he scored since the 2016-17 season. His health and production will be a critical factor.
Fantasy outlook: Forwards Meier, Tomas Hertl, and Logan Couture round out an otherwise limited corps of Sharks with fantasy panache — led by Meier, who finished third behind only Auston Matthews and Alex Ovechkin in shots with 326 this past campaign.
Bold prediction: Karlsson will have his best season as a Shark.
Most fascinating player:Matty Beniers. Leaving the University of Michigan to score nine points in 10 games is how Beniers announced himself to the NHL’s newest market. Now? It is about seeing what the former No. 2 pick can do in an 82-game season. Beniers projects as a two-way, top-six center who could anchor a line. It appears the expectation in Seattle is he could be asked to operate in that role for a franchise that is seeking to rebound from what was a challenging inaugural campaign.
Best case: Everything new Kraken goaltending coach Steve Briere does with Philipp Grubauer and Martin Jones has results. The Kraken’s defensive structure is one that limits shots and forces teams to take those shots from distance. Yet, there was a disconnect with their goaltending. It led to the front office making a change and hiring Briere as the new goalie coach. Finding a way to get improvement from Grubauer, refine Jones and eventually reintroduce an injured Chris Driedger back into the fold is what lies ahead.
Worst case: None of the issues that plagued Grubauer last season get fixed. If that happens, it then raises more questions about the fact that the Kraken will have him under contract for four more years at $5.9 million per campaign. But the goaltending conversation goes beyond how Grubauer, Jones and eventually Driedger perform. The Kraken have committed $11.4 million toward goaltending, which accounts for nearly 14% of their cap.
X factor: Here is why signing Burakovsky and trading for Bjorkstrand were viewed as such critical moves. For one, the Kraken wanted to reinforce their top-six scoring options — and give themselves more choices. The Kraken finished last season with the fourth fewest goals in the league. They had five players who accounted for 45% of the goals. Getting Burakovsky and Bjorkstrand suddenly gives the Kraken two top-six wingers capable of scoring 20 goals, which in theory will lessen the scoring burden on the returning group.
Fantasy outlook: This time last year, there was concern about where the goals would come from in Seattle. In Year 2, that worry continues to linger. But there’s scoring hope on the approaching horizon, in the form of rookie center Beniers. In last spring’s brief taste of NHL competition, Beniers collected nine points in 10 games.
Most fascinating player:Juraj Slafkovsky. Montreal made the 6-foot-4 winger a surprising No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 draft. But will he also make the team’s roster out of training camp? There will be swirling curiosity around Slafkovsky’s transition to the NHL level on a Canadiens team deep with young forward talent desperate for growth opportunities. Montreal is still in rebuilding mode, so a nine-game stint to start the season isn’t out of the question for Slafkovsky.
Best case: The Canadiens use a strong camp and preseason to establish a top-nine mix of veteran performers and rising stars. New additions Dach and Dadonov add punch up front, top defenseman Joel Edmundson returns fully recovered from a lower-back injury to anchor the back end and Jake Allen improves on a 9-20-4 campaign. Martin St. Louis pushes the right buttons to help guide his club to a better-than-expected finish in the Eastern Conference.
Worst case: Montreal has had its share of injury troubles (with Edmundson and Nick Suzuki already) and if health continues to be an issue in 2022-23, that could snowball into some other issues. Working multiple 20-somethings into major lineup rolls is always difficult and if the team’s play suffers accordingly, a slow start could put the Canadiens on a bumpy path. If Montreal finds it’s lacking in veteran leadership and has trouble establishing an identity, a slide down the standings to another bottom-feeder finish could set their rebuild back.
X factor:Carey Price will start the season on long-term injured reserve and might not be able to dress at all in 2022-23. However, the veteran netminder is expected to stick around the dressing room as a sounding board for new captain Suzuki and the Canadiens’ other less-experienced players. How much of an impact can Price have as a purely off-ice presence? The Canadiens aren’t going to be contenders, but these years are crucial for laying the framework for what’s to come.
Fantasy outlook: The defense is so devoid of obvious offensive talent that youngsters like Justin Barron or Jordan Harris could find themselves quarterbacking a power play. But I don’t mind betting on David Savard either, as he’s a minute-munching veteran who has plugged power-play holes in the past.
Bold prediction: GM Kent Hughes will win the trade deadline.
Last season: 25-46-11 (61 points), missed playoffs
Most fascinating player:Tony DeAngelo. Philadelphia traded for DeAngelo from Carolina in July, immediately signed him to a two-year deal and has since popped him next to Ivan Provorov on the team’s top pairing. It’s a critical role for DeAngelo to fill on a Flyers’ team that projects to struggle for offense this season. Winning those lower-scoring affairs will require reliable performances from the blue line. Can DeAngelo deliver on that? The Hurricanes opted not to keep the 26-year-old right-shot defender, despite their own needs on the back end. Will DeAngelo prove Philadelphia was correct to give him a lucrative new deal and a new heft of responsibility?
Best case: Incoming coach John Tortorella pulls off a 180-degree turn with the Flyers’ culture. His hard-nosed approach translates into Philadelphia’s play, and it’s competitive out of the gate. Cam Atkinson and Kevin Hayes provide some offensive prowess, and the Flyers actually have some fun. Philadelphia narrowly misses the playoffs but lays a foundation of confidence and internal respect to build off.
Worst case: The Flyers’ missing pieces — namely Ryan Ellis and Sean Couturier — leave them vulnerable once more and unable to keep pace most nights through three periods. Tortorella’s bruising nature eventually grates on players who tune out his message. GM Chuck Fletcher has no choice but to trade any remaining assets at the deadline, and Philadelphia free falls to another bottom-place finish in the Metro.
X factor: Can Philadelphia actually get by on brotherly love? That sentiment has been a theme in the preseason, starting with Tortorella’s overhaul and translating into the “power of friendship” assistant coach Brad Shaw cited as a Flyers strength for the season. It’s hard to fathom Philadelphia being markedly better on the ice than last season, but what impact could enjoying the process of playing have on this group’s psyche?
Fantasy outlook: The defense is a bright spot, with Ivan Provorov able to achieve fantasy points through his defense and newcomer Tony DeAngelo expected to do the same through offense.
Most fascinating player:Jakob Chychrun. Building toward what they believe can be a better future is the current plan for the Coyotes. An argument could be made that Chychrun is part of that plan, but one could also argue it makes more sense to trade him. He has three years left on his deal carrying a $4.6 million AAV and is a top-four defenseman who can operate in several roles. It’s the type of cap figure the Coyotes can appreciate, because it gives them a productive player on a team-friendly cap hit. But his contract is also a major reason contending teams (who are tight against the cap) are so intrigued.
Best case: Finishing 32nd and having the strongest odds to win the lottery. The Coyotes have never won the draft lottery. In fact, the closest they have come is by getting the No. 3 pick, which happened last season en route to them selecting Logan Cooley. Executives throughout the league have pointed toward teams like the Avalanche, Lightning and Rangers, among others, as those who built through the draft. Getting the chance to draft the presumed No. 1 in Connor Bedard could play a significant role in their future plans.
Worst case: The Yotes play better than expected, and land outside of the top five in the draft order. Believe it or not, the Coyotes have had only five top-five picks since relocating from Winnipeg in 1996. The franchise has attempted to use mid-round picks to take the next step. As of now, the Coyotes appear to have a plan for long-term success, and getting more high-end talent in the 2023 draft is the next step. The alternative would be a step back.
X factor: Mullett Arena and what it offers as a new venue could ultimately be the answer. There is also a case to be made for Lawson Crouse. He went from a forward who could score between 10 and 15 goals per season to having a 20-goal season and 34 points in 65 games in 2021-22. It led to Crouse, who went 11th in the 2015 draft, signing a five-year extension worth $4.3 million annually. How he continues to build upon last season could give the Coyotes more optimism about their future.
Fantasy outlook: At the ripe old age of 24, forward Clayton Keller could finally hit the 30-goal mark this season while racking up another 40 or so assists. Linemate Nick Schmaltz has a supporting fantasy role to fill in most scoring leagues. The same goes for offensive defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, who amassed 51 points this past campaign, including 19 on the power play.
Bold prediction: The ASU experience turns the Coyotes into “faces.”
Last season: 28-42-12 (68 points), missed playoffs
Key players lost: F Alex Debrincat, F Kirby Dach, D Calvin De Haan, D Erik Gustafsson, F Dominik Kubalik, G Kevin Lankinen, F Dylan Strome
Most fascinating player:Patrick Kane. A number of scenarios could play out throughout this season when it comes to Kane and the Blackhawks. They are an organization going through a rebuild, and he’s a top-six forward who had one of the best individual campaigns of his career in 2021-22, with 96 points. Kane is also a 33-year-old who is in the final year of a $10.5 million AAV deal and will be a free agent next summer. Both Kane and Jonathan Toews are members of a pending UFA class who could either remain in Chicago or be moved in the event the front office wants to gain more assets for the future.
Best case: The Blackhawks maximize their resources to build toward their aforementioned future. They have nine picks in the 2023 draft. Two of them are first-round picks, while six are in the first three rounds. It is possible that moving on from some combination of Athanasiou, Domi, Kane and Toews could see them add to their haul for 2023 and/or future drafts. It is also possible at least one of those players re-signs with the team to give them one more player on the active roster who can aid in turning things around. And another best-case scenario is they win the 2023 draft lottery and the chance to select Connor Bedard.
Worst case: If they let any one of those pending UFAs leave without the Blackhawks getting assets back in a trade. So far, Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson has worked to get the type of pieces he feels can aid the organization in the future. Can he continue that trend throughout the 2022-23 season? And of course, another worst-case scenario is the Blackhawks finish at the bottom of the standings but don’t draw the No. 1 pick in the lottery.
X factor: What is this first season going to be like for Luke Richardson? He is a former assistant who is making the adjustment to head coach for the first time in his career. So, there’s that. He is also going to be coaching a team with a roster that appears to be in a state of flux given the Blackhawks are not expected to compete for a playoff spot. Furthermore, two of the best players in franchise history in Kane and Toews might or might not leave at some point in the regular season.
Fantasy outlook: Let’s look at Chicago’s blue line and Seth Jones, who averaged 2.2 fantasy points per game in ESPN’s standard scoring this past season. Then there’s the Hawks’ shot-blocking duo of Connor Murphy and Jake McCabe to consider in deeper leagues.
Bold prediction: The Blackhawks will win the NHL draft lottery.
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PHOTO: Yong Kim / Philadelphia Inquirer
