The 2023-24 NHL regular season is underway, and it sure figures to be exciting, with playoff races that could come down to the final week. Of course, some teams will be safer than others, some of whom will be legit Stanley Cup contenders. In a two-part miniseries, let’s look at three teams from each conference, with
Season Previews
Make no mistake — team success is the most important thing in sports, and as the Winnipeg Jets near the 2023-24 season, the focus is rightly on how they’re going to grow as a unit and what they’re going to try to do differently to get out of the mushy middle. Related: 3 Challenges Facing
The NHL regular season kicks off this coming week, with the first set of games on Tuesday, Oct. 10. Perhaps the most competitive division in the league is the Metropolitan. There were quite a few changes in the Metro this offseason, which we reviewed earlier this summer. For this article, let’s look at the strengths
After the end of the 2022-23 season, it was unclear what the Carolina Hurricanes would do with their goaltender situation. The tandem that’s been the backbone of the Hurricanes the last couple of seasons, Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta, were both going to be unrestricted free agents (UFA). There were some uncertainties if either one
While we’re still a ways away from the NHL trade deadline in early March, it’s still not too early to begin thinking about 2024 unrestricted free agents to keep an eye on as trade targets throughout the 2023-24 season. It’s a stacked UFA class for 2024, and a few pending UFAs who play on teams
The Buffalo Sabres had an impressive season last year. The team narrowly missed out on a playoff spot by one point, falling just behind the Florida Panthers. Now, the organization is determined to put an end to its 12-season playoff drought. From both the inside and outside, you have to believe the Sabres can make
Every year, as the leaves turn brown and the days get cooler, the major sources for hockey news begin to churn out their projections for the new NHL campaign. It’s prediction season in the hockey world. The Buffalo Sabres came up just one point shy of making the playoffs in 2022-23, so do the experts
When your first prediction projects a playoff miss for the team that goes on to win the Stanley Cup, you know it isn’t a banner year in terms of prognostications. So, after taking some lumps on my 2022-23 Vegas Golden Knights predictions, I am back for another round of looking ahead at what the future
Before every season, it’s always fun to make predictions which in all likelihood, will be inaccurate. One year ago, of the five bold New York Islanders predictions that were made, only two were close and the others weren’t even in the ballpark (Anthony Beauvillier playing on the top line aged poorly). The Islanders head into
Training camp is in full swing, and preseason games have already begun. It is the best time of the year as hockey is again in full swing. The Carolina Hurricanes have new faces in the fold and, with their new personnel, will have a new look power play (PP). After examining the first potential unit
The Ottawa Senators have some strong centre depth when all players are available. However, between the health of Shane Pinto and Josh Norris, the Senators have hardly had a chance to see them all in action together. Over the past two seasons, the Senators have only seen 11 full games of their centre trio including
On Wednesday (Sept. 20), the Detroit Red Wings signed veterans Artem Anisimov and Michael Hutchinson to professional tryout contracts (PTOs). The roster is already jam-packed with bodies, so it will be interesting to see if one of them can usurp one of the other veterans on the team and earn a contract (either to play
This upcoming Arizona Coyotes season might be the most anticipated in the franchise’s history since maybe the 2019-20 season. The team’s young core is slowly being placed together, and the rookies are starting to make their way into the lineup. There are a lot of possibilities that could happen with the team over this next
The new-look San Jose Sharks are getting ready for training camp, and preseason is right around the corner. With that, there will be a lot of difficult decisions ahead for both general manager Mike Grier and head coach David Quinn. Without the safety net of a player like Erik Karlsson on the blue line, it’s
Hockey season is nearing the start, and training camp is officially underway. The Carolina Hurricanes are a team to watch for and one of the more dangerous teams in the entire league. With critical additions made during the offseason, the time is now to capture the Stanley Cup. In what can be labeled as a
Training camp for the 2023-24 St. Louis Blues begins on Sept. 21. This season will be a huge determining factor in the future of many players on the roster and head coach Craig Berube. The Blues are coming off of a rough 2022-23 season, where they missed the playoffs by a mile. While most of
The chips are really falling in the Pittsburgh Penguins‘ favor right now, only one year after their first playoff miss in nearly 20 years. They managed to entice Kyle Dubas, one of the brightest young executives in hockey to join their staff. They’ve re-defined their entire bottom six after abysmal performances last season. They’ve committed
The Nashville Predators prospect pool is slowly shaping up to be among the NHL’s best. They have a healthy amount of talent expected to play in the NHL soon, with a sprinkling of elite-level potential. Following the conclusion of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, 11 new players found themselves draped in Nashville colors, three of