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FOR THE WIN
NHL

NHL regular season is around the corner: Here's one question for each of the 32 teams

Mary Clarke
For The Win

Hockey season is finally upon us, my friends.

After a long summer, the 2022-23 NHL season is set to begin on Oct. 7 with a doubleheader in Europe before the rest of the calendar begins in North America on Oct. 11. It’s time to stretch those legs, hockey fans, because the upcoming NHL season is surely going to be a doozy.

As of now, every NHL team’s record has been set back to 0-0-0. The Colorado Avalanche are your champions after an incredible Stanley Cup Final last summer, but all bets are off for the 2022-23 season. To get ready for the upcoming hockey season, let’s take a look at one big question facing all 32 NHL teams as a new year begins.

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Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon lifts the Stanley Cup.

Anaheim Ducks: Is their young core ready to make the leap to the next level?

This Ducks team has shown glimpses of a real good squad amidst all the young — but fun! — inexperience they showed last season. Trevor Zegras is the future of the NHL and Troy Terry and Mason McTavish are quite the supporting cast behind him. Now begins the hard part, putting it all together into a winning formula to make a run at a playoff spot. Given the Western Conference’s overall weakness, the Ducks are in prime position to make the jump to the playoffs.

Arizona Coyotes: How fast will the novelty of their arena situation wear off?

In case you missed it, the Coyotes will be playing at Arizona State University’s multipurpose rink this season after their deal with the city of Glendale fell through. While an embarrassing look for the league to have one of their professional teams play in a college arena, there’s a certain novelty to it that will be fascinating to follow as the season progresses. How will teams react to visiting the Coyotes this season? Will fans fill the stands even if the team is bad?

There’s a lot of unanswered questions about how the Coyotes will fare in their new arena and I, for one, can’t wait to see how they’re answered as the season goes on.

Boston Bruins: Can they stay afloat in a sea of key injuries?

The Bruins will be without Brad Marchand, Charlie McAvoy and Matt Grzelcyk due to injury to start the 2022-23 season, not something you want to see for a team in the ultra-competitive Atlantic Division. That means that David Pastrnak, Patrice Bergeron, and Taylor Hall will have to step up big time for the Bruins to weather the storm.

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Plus, the Bruins fired Bruce Cassidy this past offseason, making way for Jim Montgomery to take over in what is surely this Boston core’s last kick at the can for a Stanley Cup.

Buffalo Sabres: What does the first year of the Owen Power experience look like?

After Owen Power went back to Michigan to play out his final season of college hockey last year, the Sabres should finally get a real look at what the former No. 1 overall pick can bring to the table this year. In eight games last season, Power posted two goals and three points total, a nice bright spot to end a miserable year for the Sabres.

Considering how the Jack Eichel situation was handled by Buffalo, fans should hope the pressure is off of Power to perform at his own pace. After everything Sabres fans have been through, they deserve a win here with Power.

Calgary Flames: Will Brad Treliving's master plan work?

The Flames saw huge changes this offseason, losing Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk while adding Jonathan Huberdeau, MacKenzie Weegar and Nazem Kadri. Calgary will be sporting a new look for the first time in nearly a decade and it’ll surely take some time for Flames fans to get used to the new faces.

On balance, the Flames seem to have done well for themselves this offseason after the disastrous losses of Gaudreau and Tkachuk, but now is the time to see if Brad Treliving’s summer maneuverings will bear fruit.

Carolina Hurricanes: How do they finally make it to the next level?

The Hurricanes have always been talked about as Stanley Cup contenders for the last half decade. And yet, despite being a strong regular season team, the Hurricanes have only made it to the conference finals once in four seasons, faltering for one reason or another.

Max Pacioretty’s injury certainly hurts the Hurricanes, but he’s slated to return by the All-Star break, well before a true playoff push. Carolina proved a goaltending tandem of Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta could work when healthy, so it’ll be up to the rest of the team and their new additions to find a way to get back to the Eastern Conference Final and beyond.

Chicago Blackhawks: Will Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane last the full season?

It’s no secret that Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews aren’t happy with the Blackhawks’ ongoing rebuild. The pair are in the final season of their dual eight year, $84 million deals signed together back in 2014 and there are sure to be a lot of questions surrounding their futures in Chicago. The Blackhawks are officially looking toward the future and have had no qualms about shipping out players to further this agenda, so we’ll have to wait and see how Kane and Toews’ relationship with the team proceeds as the season moves along.

Colorado Avalanche: Can they remain uncontested in the West?

The Avalanche put together quite the dominant Stanley Cup run this past summer. Losing Kadri is a blow after his tremendous year and the goaltending tandem of Alexandar Georgiev and Pavel Francouz has a lot to prove, but on paper it seems as if there’s no one better in the Western Conference than the Avalanche.

Overall, the Western Conference is a much weaker one than the East, so don’t be surprised if the Avalanche once again separate themselves from the pack in the early goings of the season.

Columbus Blue Jackets: Does Johnny Gaudreau change their fortunes in the East?

Gaudreau signing with the Blue Jackets this past offseason was a surprise to many. The former 115-point player had no shortage of suitors, but instead chose to sign in Columbus for seven years and $68.25 million. Gaudreau is set to give the Blue Jackets a much-needed offensive boost, but will that be enough to catapult them into a playoff spot in a stacked Eastern Conference? Another 100-plus point season may do the trick, especially if Gaudreau can get Patrik Laine firing on all cylinders once more.

Dallas Stars: When will Jason Robertson sign his new contract?

As of this article’s publishing, Jason Robertson — the Stars’ leading goal scorer from last season — has yet to sign a contract for the upcoming season. In his age 22 season, Robertson led the Stars in goals (41) and was second in points (79) behind Joe Pavelski. Not bad for the 39th overall pick from 2017.

The Stars are currently working on Robertson’s contract extension, but who knows how long Dallas could be missing him. Robertson could very well hold out for as long as William Nylander did for the Maple Leafs back in 2018 to get his well-earned due. So for now, the Stars and their fans are playing a bit of a waiting game.

Detroit Red Wings: Can they play spoiler to a playoff team?

The Red Wings are in a tough spot in the 2022-23 season. Given all their offseason additions and the return of the reigning Calder Trophy winner in Moritz Seider, the Red Wings should be a playoff team. However, the strength of the Atlantic Division is nothing to scoff at, as the Red Wings have stiff competition in the form of the Maple Leafs, Lightning, Panthers, Bruins, and likely Senators.

If one of the Atlantic’s heavy hitters falters, look to the Red Wings to potentially take their place if everything goes according to the Steve Yzerman plan.

Edmonton Oilers: Which Jack Campbell will they get?

On the surface, it seems like the Oilers upgraded in net — say goodbye to the Mike Smith experience — but Jack Campbell doesn’t come without reservations either. The former Maple Leafs goaltender was a .959 save percentage netminder in November of last season then was either outright bad or just average the rest of the way.

Campbell doesn’t need to be Igor Shesterkin out there in net for the Oilers, but he’ll need to be more consistent when it matters most.

Florida Panthers: Does the addition of Matthew Tkachuk balance out their offseason losses?

Matthew Tkachuk is a pretty exceptional hockey player. Coming off a career-year of 42 goals and 104 points, Tkachuk was quite the pickup for the Panthers via trade this past offseason. Still, Florida gave up a lot in return — Huberdeau and Weegar, most notably — to add Tkachuk to the lineup, not to mention the team also lost Claude Giroux to Ottawa in free agency.

The Florida Panthers landed an exceptional player in Matthew Tkachuk but also gave up a lot.

Tkachuk will have big shoes to fill in Florida, as all eyes will be on him to be the player he was last year in Calgary while having less offensive support around him.

Los Angeles Kings: Will Quinton Byfield hit his stride in his sophomore year?

Quinton Byfield’s 2021-22 rookie season got waylaid by an unfortunate ankle injury that kept him out of the Kings lineup until January. Afterward, Byfield posted just five goals and 10 total points in 40 games played, definitely not the start he wanted to his NHL career.

Now, however, Byfield is healthy coming into the season, meaning the young forward will have ample opportunity to settle in and rack up points. Plus, the addition of Kevin Fiala to this Kings lineup should help take the pressure off of Byfield to deliver as one of the young, up-and-coming stars of this team.

Minnesota Wild: How will Kevin Fiala's departure impact the team?

The loss of Fiala to this Wild team cannot be understated. Fiala posted 85 points and 33 goals on a Wild team that had the fifth-most goals in the NHL last season (310). Another bombastic, 100-plus point year from Kirill Kaprizov should ease Minnesota’s pain quite a bit, but the rest of the Wild’s offense will have to step up to fill the Fiala-sized hole in their lineup after their lack of notable additions in the offseason.

Montreal Canadiens: How does Martin St. Louis perform in his first full year as head coach?

It’s safe to say the Canadiens looked like a different team altogether once Martin St. Louis took over as interim head coach in February. Sure, the team still finished 32nd at the end of the season, but there was a cohesiveness there that wasn’t before.

St. Louis will have a lot of work on his plate to keep the team on the right track as it builds toward a brighter future. The Canadiens have a talented young crop of players in No. 1 overall draft Juraj Slafkovsky, Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, and Kirby Dach who will all hopefully take major steps forward into becoming the true core of this team.

Nashville Predators: Can Juuse Saros continue to carry this team in net?

Juuse Saros will, once more, have the herculean task of carrying this Predators team to a playoff spot. After putting up a .918 save percentage in 67 games played — the most of any NHL goalie last year — Saros proved himself to be a more than capable replacement for Pekka Rinne in Nashville.

Saros’ task will definitely be made easier if Matt Duchene has another outstanding year, Eeli Tolvanen takes another step forward and the Predators offense rises to the occasion but if the goaltender misses significant time or can’t stay consistent, the Predators may be in trouble.

New Jersey Devils: Has their goaltending finally been fixed?

After a revolving door of goaltenders last season — seven in total — due to injury, the Devils enter the 2022-23 season with Vitek Vanecek and Mackenzie Blackwood as their netminding duo. Blackwood must be better for the Devils to stand a chance, as his .892 save percentage in 25 games played last season is a far cry from his .918 save percentage in his rookie 2018-19 year.

Vanecek, meanwhile, must continue to be consistent in his debut with his new team and hopefully, for everyone’s sake, stay healthy if Blackwood falters once more.

New York Islanders: Was last year just a fluke?

It seemed unthinkable that the Islanders would start the 2021-22 season 9-12-6 and eventually lose head coach Barry Trotz after getting to the Eastern Conference Final in back to back years. Lane Lambert will have a lot to prove as a rookie head coach but the overall structure is still there for this team to make a splash in the Metropolitan Division. Thankfully this time, the Islanders won’t have to start the season playing 13 games on the road to finish construction on their new arena.

New York Rangers: Will Igor Shesterkin sustain his Vezina-winning level from last season?

Shesterkin was an absolute beast for the Rangers last year. Winning the Vezina Trophy with a 36-13-0 record and a .935 save percentage, Shesterkin was the driving force behind the team making the Eastern Conference final. Given how tight the East is overall still this season, the Rangers' success will no doubt lie at the feet of Shesterkin once more, and if he falters, so too will the team.

Ottawa Senators: Is their new look enough to elevate them into a playoff spot?

The Senators made a lot of moves this offseason. The team offloaded Matt Murray to Toronto and used that space to sign Giroux and acquire Alex DeBrincat from Chicago. The team’s beefed up offense is the scariest it’s been in some time, yet in a division with the Maple Leafs, Lightning, Bruins, and Panthers, the math just might not be there for Ottawa unless they can prove they can hang with the top teams in their division.

Philadelphia Flyers: Can John Tortorella save them from themselves?

John Tortorella is a good hockey coach. The Flyers are a bad hockey team. It sure looks like it’s going to take a miracle on Tortorella’s part to whip the Flyers into shape and turn them into a playoff contending team given their gutted roster and numerous injuries even before the season begins.

Pittsburgh Penguins: Can their aging core get them out of the first round?

The Penguins surprised many after re-signing Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Bryan Rust this past offseason. Much of the greater Pittsburgh area believed it to be an impossible task for general manager Ron Hextall, but all three have been re-signed to once more make a Stanley Cup run with Sidney Crosby.

While always in the mix, the Penguins haven’t made it out of the first round of the playoffs since 2017–18. Though their core may be restored, the clock is ticking on this aging Penguins group to make one last push before this era closes forever.

St. Louis Blues: Which Jordan Binnington will we see next season?

Last season, Binnington went 18-14-0 with a .901 save percentage in 37 games played, spending a good portion of the year riding the bench for Ville Husso. With Husso in Detroit now, Binnington will have a chance to take back his net this season as long as he plays more like his two previous seasons of average play than last year’s sub-optimal performance.

San Jose Sharks: Is this team's core truly cooked?

The Sharks have had a rough go of it in recent years. After making it to the Western Conference Final in 2018-19, San Jose’s been shut out of the playoffs for three seasons straight. Tomas Hertl, Logan Couture, Erik Karlsson, and Marc-Edouard Vlasic are all one year older and all haven’t played up to their potential these last few seasons. The Sharks are a long shot for a playoff spot, but the 2022-23 season could be a good chance to gauge if this team’s core still has juice left in them.

Seattle Kraken: How big of a step forward will they take?

While many criticized the Kraken’s expansion draft choices that led them to finish 30th last season, the team did end up drafting Shane Wright thanks to their poor performance in their inaugural year. The Kraken still have a long road ahead of them to become a competitive team, but it’s hard not to be excited about what they’re building with Wright and Matthew Beniers as the pillars of their forward corps.

Tampa Bay Lightning: How does the team respond to its first defeat in three years?

The Lightning nearly three-peated as Stanley Cup champions in June before falling short to the Avalanche. It’s been some time since hockey fans have known a team other than the Lightning sitting at the top of the world and it’s been some time since Tampa Bay has known defeat like this.

With most of the Lightning’s usual suspects returning — outside of Ondrej Palat and Ryan McDonagh — Tampa Bay will have the firepower to make it back to the Stanley Cup Final even in a tough Eastern Conference. If they’re still lingering on last season’s Stanley Cup loss, however, the road may be just a bit harder for them.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Is this the year, for real this time?

How many times can the Maple Leafs ask themselves this question ahead of a new season? After another disappointing Game 7 loss in last season’s playoffs, Toronto is facing yet another year of high expectations and high ramifications if they fail to meet them.

The biggest change for the Maple Leafs is the loss of Campbell in net, with Murray and Ilya Samsonov set to battle it out for the No. 1 spot. We know how good the Maple Leafs pieces are individually, it’s just a matter of them finally putting them all together when it matters most.

Vancouver Canucks: Does the team get the Bruce Boudreau bump after a full season?

The Canucks were an abject disaster to start the 2021-22 season. Vancouver started the year 8-15-2 before Bruce Boudreau was brought in to save the season. Afterward, the Canucks played at a 106-point pace, well enough to get them into a playoff spot had they had Boudreau at the reins for a full year.

And now, the Canucks will have Boudreau for a full season, unless disaster strikes once more. Vancouver has a lot of good pieces who have had flashes of greatness and now is the time for Boudreau to get everything he can out of this team.

Vegas Golden Knights: What does a full season of Jack Eichel look like?

In 34 games played last season with his new team post neck surgery, Eichel posted 14 goals and 25 overall points for the Golden Knights. Vegas missed the playoffs for the first time in franchise history last season, but in a weak Pacific Division, the Golden Knights should be able to get back to form this year as long as injuries don’t rampage through the team again. A fully healthy Eichel as the team’s No. 1 center also should do wonders for this Golden Knights team.

Washington Capitals: Does Alex Ovechkin have another 50 goal season in him?

The 2021-22 season was the ninth time Alex Ovechkin posted 50 goals or more in a single year. Now just 114 goals behind Wayne Gretzky’s record of career goals, Ovechkin continues to defy the aging curve at 37 years old. While Ovechkin’s pursuit of Gretzky’s record likely still isn’t in sight for another year or two, he remains the centerpiece of the team as the Capitals’ leading goal scorer by more than a mile last season.

Washington is an aging bunch and they’ll need Ovechkin to continue to work his magic if they want to stay in the hunt for a Stanley Cup.

Winnipeg Jets: Can the team's leadership group pull themselves together?

Blake Wheeler was stripped of his six-year captaincy in Winnipeg over the summer, signaling a change in the air of how the Jets plan to do business going forward. For some time now, the Jets’ dressing room has been a divided bunch and it really came to a head last year when the team failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016–17.

With a new head coach in Rick Bowness and a new leadership group, we’ll have to see if the Jets can put the pieces together to get back into the postseason.

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