Breaking down major events that have happened in the offseason leading up to opening night.
Lucas Carpignano, Sports Editor
After months of waiting, the puck is finally almost ready to be dropped to kick off another highly anticipated NHL season. With new talent entering the league and familiar faces in new places, this season is set to be unpredictable and exhilarating. I’ve got you covered with all you need to know going into another exciting season.
There’s no better team to talk about first than the defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Florida Panthers. Though they are still a very strong team, they lost significant players to free agency. Defensemen Brandon Montour and Oliver Ekman-Larsson signed with Seattle and Toronto respectively, back-up goaltender Anthony Stolarz signed with Toronto, and forwards Ryan Lomberg, Vladimir Tarasenko, and Kevin Stenlund signed with Calgary, Detroit, and Utah respectively. While these are heavy subtractions, their core group is still very strong. Their main priority this offseason was resigning forward Sam Reinhart. Reinhart had an amazing season scoring 57 goals and tallying up 94 points. Reinhart signed an extension with Florida through 2030 securing 8.625 million dollars annually.
The team that had the most impactful moves this offseason was the Nashville Predators. Nashville took full advantage of their large amount of cap room and added significant players to their team, signing Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei. Stamkos played over 1000 games with the Tampa Bay Lightning and was their captain, but it came as a shock to many fans that they could not agree on a new contract extension. Stamkos had 40 goals and 41 assists last season, so you can imagine he will have an immediate impact. Marchessault and Skjei both also had very strong seasons with their respective teams.
Other notable players who found new homes include Jake Guentzel with Tampa Bay, Elias Lindholm with Boston, Brett Pesce and Teuvo Teravainen with New Jersey, Tyler Toffoli with San Jose, and Chris Tanev with Toronto.
Last season, to no one’s surprise, Chicago Blackhawks forward Connor Bedard won the Calder Trophy, awarded the Rookie of the Year. This season, however, there is no clear-cut favourite, as there are many different rookies who are very capable of winning this award. Macklin Celebrini was drafted first overall by the San Jose Sharks this past June and is looking like one of the front-runners to win the award. Coming off winning the Hobey Baker Award, for being the NCAA MVP, it is expected that he will easily transition to NHL play. Philadelphia Flyers rookie Matvei Michkov is another front-runner for the award. Drafted 7th overall at the 2023 NHL draft, Michkov spent last season playing in the Russian professional league, the KHL, and put up strong numbers for an 18-year-old. Other rookies to keep an eye out for include; Montreal’s Lane Hutson, Utah’s Josh Doan, Dallas’ Logan Stankoven, Anaheim’s Cutter Gauthier, and San Jose’s Will Smith.
Whether it’s the rise of new stars, the new homes for league veterans, or the intense battles for playoff spots, this season promises to be one for the books. Stay tuned, stay passionate, and enjoy the ride as we are set to witness the start of another exciting NHL season.
Photo Credit: B/R Open Ice
