1 Word for Every NHL Team at the Start of the 2024-25 Season

Folks, let me be the first to congratulate us all: We've officially made it to the first day of the 2024-25 NHL season. We're about to embark on a another journey together, this one featuring new captains like Auston Matthews and Rasmus Dahlin, Macklin Celebrini's debut in San Jose, and Jeremy Swayman deep sea fishing somewhere in Alaska indefinitely until the Bruins get their act together.

The Devils and Sabres kick us off this afternoon with the Global Series in Prague, or as some of us are calling it, the "Please don't choke this year" Olympics. Let's get hype for puck drop with one word for every team entering the brand-new season.

Look, the Ducks probably won't be good enough to threaten a playoff run this season. But if nothing else, The Youths ft. Frank Vatrano, Troy Terry, Radko Gudas, and Ryan Strome will be a power-play sight to behold as the young players take the next step and build more experience.

No matter how the Jeremy Swayman saga shakes out, starting the season without your No. 1 goalie is a horrendous vibe on its own. Then you consider that the Bruins traded away still-in-his-prime Vezina winner Linus Ullmark confident they'd get the Swayman deal done at some point during the offseason. Now we're sitting here on NHL opening night—Swayman still unsigned—wondering if the deal will get done at all.

Can the Sabres and newly appointed captain Rasmus Dahlin avoid a 14th consecutive season missing the playoffs? That'll depend on factors all over the ice.

Will second-year NHL goalie and former Hobey Baker winner Devon Levi break out in net (or will Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen step up?) Will their major pick up of Bowen Byram last trade deadline and moderate free agency activity be enough to contend in the East?

On paper, and sometimes in practice, the Sabres look like a team who should be making the playoffs. But more consistency and more scoring depth needs to happen this year.

I mean, what are we doing here? And what is GM Craig Conroy even attempting to do, here? After a few seasons of missing the playoffs and auctioning off the star players that have requested trades, the Flames are a mixed bag that never really wanted to commit to a rebuild. Can Jonathan Huberdeau bounce back? That might give the team an identity to work with as Conroy and the rest of the front office navigate how to proceed.

The Canes saw more roster change featuring significant pieces in the offseason than ever before in the Rod Brind'Amour era. Teuvo Teravainen, Brett Pesce, Brady Skjei, Jake Guentzel, among others are gone. That being said, the first line generally remains intact with Andrei Svechnikov, Sebastian Aho, and Seth Jarvis. The defense still looks characteristically strong with Jaccob Slavin, Brent Burns, Dmitry Orlov, Jalen Chatfield, Sean Walker, and Shayne Gostisbehere all in the fold.

I know we all considered last year's playoff push with the Guentzel acquisition the "do or die" year for this Canes' window, but maybe different doesn't necessarily mean worse?

Another outdoor game for the Blackhawks, and you know what, after what star center Connor Bedard showed us during his rookie season, I'm not mad at it. All eyes are on Bedard to avoid a sophomore slump—good thing he's shown us how well he handles pressure.

Look, I'm not ever counting out a team built around Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar. Is captain Gabriel Landeskog back after major surgery and two years without playing an NHL game? If so, does he still got it? Valeri Nichushkin is still not available as a result of his six-month suspension and subsequent placement in Stage III of the NHL/NHLPA players assistance program.

In all likelihood, the Avalanche will be fine, but there are certainly some questions.

The best part of hockey is the tight-knit community. As Columbus players and staff reckon with the unthinkably tragic loss of star Johnny Gaudreau, they know they can rely on the whole community for support. This season isn't about winning for a Blue Jackets team that needs a few more pieces to do so regardless; this season is about leaning into the hockey community and the community showing up for Columbus.

The Dallas Stars have some of the most enticing young up-and-comers in the league, like Wyatt Johnston, Thomas Harley, and Logan Stankoven. Even with Joe Pavelski's retirement and an aging core, they're in good hands to keep the success going.

Welp, whaddaya know it? Days before training camp, GM Steve Yzerman locked up both 22-year-old rising star Lucas Raymond to an eight-year, $8.075 million AAV contract, and former Calder-winning defenseman Moritz Seider to a seven-year deal with an $8.55 million AAV. Both of these contracts could age very well, and just like that, the Yzerplan is so back.

The Oilers, who fell to the Panthers in seven games to lose last year's Cup, are in a very good position to win it all this time around.

Star Leon Draisaitl is locked up to an extremely handsome contract, they're returning much of their key roster, including the best in the world in Connor McDavid. They've made some shrewd editions, like a post-buyout Jeff Skinner, who is desperate for a Cup as he enters his 15th season in the league with not a single playoff appearance to show for it.

In the last three years, the Panthers have won the Presidents' Trophy, made it to to the final twice and won the Stanley Cup once for the first time in franchise history. The best part as they embark on their 2024-25 season? They haven't lost much. Florida is here to stay for a while.

More like the lost Angeles Kings, am I right? Drew Doughty's injury exposes my biggest qualm with the Kings: There always seems to be too many eggs in one basket. The Kings need an identity, a little good luck and a whole lot more direction to make a meaningful playoff run.

Marc-Andre Fleury's final NHL season is upon us, and although he's on the record saying he doesn't want attention for it, I can't wait to give Flower all of his flowers. Hopefully Noted Top 10 Forward In The League Kirill Kaprizov and the rest of the roster are up to the task and give Fleury a final season to remember.

The picture the Canadiens are painting is starting to shape up, with Patrik Laine's potential redemption arc, Kirby Dach's healthy return and another year of growth awaiting Cole Caulfield and Nick Suzuki. Still, there's no rush to make it all happen this season, and no one's expecting the rebuild to conclude right now.

GM Barry Trotz took over and decided the middling Predators were going to build the most competitive roster possible and see what happens.

With a star in net like Juuse Saros, why wouldn't he? Saros signed an eight-year, $61.92 million extension with the Predators in free agency. Plus, Trotz went out and snagged top-of-the-league veterans like Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei among others.

The vibes are good again in Nashville.

The Devils ended up 15 points out of making the playoffs in an objectively disappointing 2023-24 season. But now they've got a Vezina-caliber goalie in Jacob Markstrom, a healthy squad, the addition of sturdy blueliner Brett Pesce and another year of Jack Hughes in his prime.

They've got as good a shot as ever to make some noise this year if everyone can stay healthy.

I think the Anthony Duclair acquisition fits quite nicely on a categorically sturdy and structured team. The Islanders have finished each of the past three regular seasons between 84 and 94 points, with first-round exits at most to show for it. Duclair isn't going to magically change that, but a big year for Ilya Sorokin might.

The New York islanders are not irrelevant, take it or leave it.

Despite all the noise, especially surrounding trading captain Jacob Trouba, the Rangers more-or-less stayed the same headed into 2024-25. With Igor Shesterkin's contract up at the end of the season, it'd be convenient for New York if he reminds everyone why he's probably the top active NHL goalie at his best.

I'm sick of hyping the Senators up year after year only to keep being wrong, but I think they finally make the playoffs this year. Linus Ullmark is as legit and as calm as they come in net, and he can calm down a young roster. Shane Pinto was really starting to cook when he returned from suspension last season, and the gang seems ready.

If we're all being as honest as John Tortorella, last year's almost-Cinderella run by the Flyers didn't come to full fruition for a reason—the team probably wasn't "there" yet. But with Matvei Michkov now entering the fold, could they build something sustainable?

Without proper goaltending, the answer is likely still a "No." But it'll be fun to watch the Flyers take the next real step while they search for the answer in net.

At least Sidney Crosby is locked in for another three years, am I right?

The Sharks, who ended last season dead last, will not be "good" this year. But they will be, at times, more bearable to watch with 2024 No. 1 overall draft pick Macklin Celebrini and 2023 No. 4 pick Will Smith in the mix.

Move over Seattle, with the edition of Utah, you're already old news—and people are expecting more out of you. After a considerable regression in 2023-24, where are the Kraken headed? It doesn't all fall on rising star Matty Beniers, but a career year out of him wouldn't hurt. Then there's Shane Wright, who'll probably get a real shot at this roster, and he could make an impact on the lacking depth scoring.

After not one, but two successful offer sheets this past offseason, the Blues' vision looks clearer. Maybe the plan all along was a soft rebuild we barely knew was happening until suddenly this young core became legit right before our eyes. It's pretty much up to Jordan Binnington to play nearly as well as he can, and the Blues could re-enter the playoffs.

The Tampa Bay Lightning simply refuse to leave us alone and fade into mediocrity, and you have to respect it. With Jake Guentzel in the fold, we'll see how far they go this time around.

No matter what happens, the core is here for at least one more go at it. With additions in head coach Craig Berube and a shored-up defense featuring Chris Tanev, maybe the Leafs as we know them will find the magic they've been seeking on their last shot.

These players and coaches are getting a real shot at competitiveness with owners who appear to actually want to win. We'll see how it goes in Utah, but at least the dread in the air around the Coyotes has given way to optimism.

With the ever-evolving Thatcher Demko injury situation, it's even harder to get a gauge on the already confusing Canucks. Will they regress from their magical season of exceeded expectations, or will they use it as a measuring stick of who they always should've been?

As if the Vegas Golden Knights needed another break, Robin Lehner's $4.4 million cap hit will reportedly come off the books this season. The Golden Knights have remained ruthless in their dealings, and even Jonathan Marchessault wasn't exempt as he dons his new Predators uniform. Vegas wasn't great last year, and it amounted to a first-round exit. Although I'm not expecting huge improvements, they'll stay in the playoff bubble mix with a full season of Tomáš Hertl.

Will Alex Ovechkin score 42 goals and break Wayne Gretzky's goals record this season? Knowing Ovechkin, who became the first player in league history with 18 30-goal seasons last year, anything's possible.

It'll probably take him the remaining two years of his contract to complete the job, but the possibility is more real than ever, and every game will count to get there.

After a first-round exit last playoffs, the Jets lost Tyler Toffoli, Sean Monahan, Brenden Dillon, Nate Schmidt, and Laurent Brossoit in the offseason. They gained a Kaapo Kahkonen, and a Cole Perfetti they already had via a bridge deal extension.

This roster is objectively worse than it was last season, there's just no way around it. The Jets' passive management remains typical.