Ah, hockey’s dog days of summer. Quiet, peaceful, serene.
That is until training camps fire up in mid-September and suddenly everyone is back, seemingly in full swing, with storylines upon storylines building anticipation to the new season and actual game action.
Folks, players are back today and tomorrow for the opening of training camps, medicals and eventually on-ice sessions. Yes, many have been skating in their cities for a couple of weeks, but now it’s all official and on the record.
The new season begins now.
But that summer can be a long one in the NHL. By the time the busy free agent frenzy is over a few short days after July 1, most of the big business is done. Some more contracts can filter through and arbitration hearings follow, but for the most part late-July and all of August are cottage weeks and news sags. Baseball takes centre stage and the hockey world… breathes a little.
It can be easy to forget some of what’s changed, or where certain teams are at, when we all come together again in September. So, with training camps opening around the league, we’re getting you caught up again with something to remember about each of the NHL’s 32 teams.
Anaheim Ducks: Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale are still unsigned
As teams such as Buffalo and Ottawa make big bets on their young, elite talent early, the Ducks are now bumping up rather close to training camp without two of their most important young players under contract. Trevor Zegras, the human highlight reel, and Jamie Drysdale are still grinding away.
The history of how players perform after missing training camp and starting a season late isn’t great in terms of production. While this coming season is going to be full of losses again for the Ducks, it still wouldn’t be ideal for these two contracts to go unresolved for much longer. At 22 and 21 years old, Zegras and Drysdale have to be in the lineup and you can’t risk harming these relationships for the future.
Arizona Coyotes: Logan Cooley decided to join the team this season after all
Last May the Coyotes lost a referendum in Tempe, Ariz., that would have paved the way for them to construct a new arena. That news was bad enough, but a few days later the team’s top prospect, Logan Cooley, indicated he’d be returning to college in 2023-24 — a shocking choice for the third overall pick of the 2022 draft. And he indicated that the lost arena vote contributed to his decision.
However, over the summer Cooley had a change of heart and in July he signed his entry-level contract. Whew. This season’s Calder Trophy race is full of great candidates, including 2023 draftees Connor Bedard and Adam Fantilli. Cooley is a prolific scorer and was one of only two NCAA players to record 60 points last season (Fantilli was the other). Our own scout Jason Bukala ranked Cooley as his No. 1 prospect heading into the 2022 draft.
Boston Bruins: They have to figure out who the top two centres will be
Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci are both gone for good, retiring from very successful careers and leaving a Bruins team that dominated the NHL for 82 games, before bowing out in Round 1. Without those two key cogs there is a rather large hole at a rather important position here.
As camps open, the Bruins are set to run with Charlie Coyle and Pavel Zacha as their top centres as both get promoted from last year’s bottom six. But GM Don Sweeney will be trying to keep pushing for the Stanley Cup here and many expect him to do something about his centres during the season. Wether it’s Mark Scheifele, one of the Flames, or someone else who pops into the rumour mill this season, many expect Boston to be seeking a centre via trade.
Buffalo Sabres: Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power are due big extensions
The Sabres made big early bets on Tage Thompson and Dylan Cozens. While on the surface it was eye-opening to see both get $7.1 million, seven-year extensions, they signed them right before taking off last season. In time, Buffalo’s early bets on those two could pay off big time and allow the Sabres far more cap flexibility around their leaders than many teams tend to have.
Next up are the two young defencemen who were first overall picks and will lead the blue line corps for years to come. Rumours abound that Rasmus Dahlin will soon ink an eight-year extension in the ballpark of $10.5 million, which would make him among the highest-paid at his position. Another eye-popping number for sure, but remember Dahlin broke out with a 73-point season at 22 years old (and that the cap is about to shoot up by several million, which will warp the market). Owen Power is about to embark on the final season of his ELC, meaning he’ll be an RFA next summer. When Dahlin’s ELC expired he first signed a three-year bridge contract, so will the Sabres follow that blueprint, or buy in fully to Power’s long-term potential now and bank on him becoming a value in the long run?
Calgary Flames: Three pending UFAs can greatly influence the franchise’s next steps
So much is on the line for the Flames franchise this season, from on-ice performance to off-ice scenarios and even a possible new arena deal to complete. With so many one-goal losses a season ago, the Flames might be a bounce back candidate team but regardless how well they do in the standings, it’ll all be in flux again if three key players decide it’s time to move on.
Flames fans eagerly await some finality with Elias Lindholm, Mikael Backlund and Noah Hanifin, all entering the final year of their contracts. In their first pre-season avails they spoke about being open to staying in Calgary, but didn’t commit or seem to tease that any of this would be resolved soon. Just two years after Johnny Gaudreau said similar things and then walked out as a free agent, the Flames have to be more proactive this time and new GM Craig Conroy is in a tough spot. Maybe wins cure everything, or maybe they’ll still leave. But whatever the trio does, it’s going to greatly swing Calgary’s direction.
Carolina Hurricanes: The futures of two top-four defencemen are in question
Always known for their strong blue line, the Hurricanes added back Tony DeAngelo and signed Dmitry Orlov off the free agent market, giving them eight defencemen. Of those eight, five have contracts expiring at the end of this season, and the others expire in 2025.
Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce have been mentioned in trade rumours all summer, but the Canes have to be careful to balance contract management with the fact they are in their Stanley Cup window, and these are two top-four defencemen in their primes. It’s unlikely the Canes would be able to re-sign both next summer.
Chicago Blackhawks: Taylor Hall might approach his career-best season playing with Connor Bedard
Two days before the 2023 draft, knowing they would be taking Connor Bedard first overall, the Blackhawks made a deal with the Bruins to acquire Nick Foligno and Taylor Hall. Foligno is one of a few depth veterans the Hawks brought in, but the Hall pickup gave them a first-line winger to presumably play with Bedard.
Six years ago, while with the New Jersey Devils, Hall scored a career-high 39 goals and 93 points en route to a Hart Trophy win. In the following years he’s not come close to approaching that, but in Boston Hall wasn’t a top-liner or a leading option. Now in Chicago, he should get those minutes back and be in a position to ride shotgun with Bedard, who many expect to approach or exceed 30 goals and 70 points as a rookie. Sure, the Hawks are going to lose plenty of games, but beside such an exceptional talent will Hall be able to approach his career season again?
Colorado Avalanche: Gabriel Landeskog is out for the season, hopes to return for the playoffs
Knowing their captain will miss the entire 2023-24 season (after also missing all of last season) the Avalanche spent all their cap dollars to replenish a lineup that was ousted in Round 1. Landeskog, who underwent cartilage transplant in his right knee in May, remains hopeful he could return by the playoffs.
You can see it now: the capped-out Avs get into the playoffs and suddenly add a $7 million top-liner (ooooh, the overreactions to come!). Now, if Landeskog did return for the post-season it would have been about two years between NHL games for him, so who knows how close he’d be to his former self? But just brace for that possible outcome as Colorado eyes two titles in three years.
(P.S.: Had to mention that Jonathan Drouin signed on with Colorado, where he’ll share a locker room with major junior linemate Nathan MacKinnon)
Columbus Blue Jackets: Zach Werenski will return from nearly a year away
It’s a huge season for the Blue Jackets, who spent the summer making a few additions to revamp the blue line, drafted a stud centre third overall in Adam Fantilli and then hired Mike Babcock to oversee it all — until parting ways before camp even opened. That fallout with Babcock will only add to the urgency, especially in the front office.
Most of the off-season upgrades happened on the blue line, with Damon Severson and Ivan Provorov coming into the top-four. However the return of Zach Werenski might be the most important of all. The 26-year-old defenceman started with eight points in his first 13 games last season and then sustained a shoulder injury in November, leading to surgery. He’s expected back at camp and has to be a big producer and minute eater for the Jackets to make the progress they need in 2023-24.
Dallas Stars: They believe their Stanley Cup window is now wide open
GM Jim Nill was hired in April of 2013 and while they did qualify twice for the playoffs in his early years, what was really going on was a slow build up behind the scenes and a “trust the process” sort of situation that wasn’t always easy to visualize. The righting of the ship really began in 2018-19 when they took the eventual champion St. Louis Blues to seven games in Round 2. In the four years since, Dallas has made it to the Stanley Cup Final once and reached the Western Conference Final again last spring, losing in six to the eventual champion Golden Knights.
Speaking to Saad Yousuf in a Q&A with The Athletic, Nill made it clear where his head is at with his build up now: “We talk about mixing of the ages and the experience, young guys that are coming up, older guys that are on it. The organization is in a good spot but now we have to execute. It’s been a step-by-step thing, and now we have to take it to the next level. That’s probably the toughest level to take now. We got to the third round last year, now you want to get to the finals.”
Detroit Red Wings: They’re the ultimate ‘I forgot that guy went there’ team
There was one, big-name addition to the Wings’ roster over the summer as they swept in to trade for Alex DeBrincat out of Ottawa. They’ll be looking for front-line minutes and a return to 40-goal status for him to move the needle for this team. Look beyond DeBrincat and you’ll see several other additions — some of whom you’ve probably forgotten about.
As Steve Yzerman takes an almost expansion team-like approach to building this roster, this time he’s added the likes of Klim Kostin (was a great fit in Edmonton), Daniel Sprong (under-the-radar 21-goal man for Seattle), Justin Holl (Leafs fans love him or hate him) and J.T. Compher (former middle-six centre in Colorado).
Edmonton Oilers: Connor McDavid has his old junior linemate back
When McDavid was granted exceptional player status and early entry into the OHL, he was picked first overall by Erie and joined a team captained by Connor Brown. For two years Brown, a 13th round pick himself, helped show McDavid the ropes, leading with his work ethic as he tried to prove himself to NHL suitors. In their second year together, McDavid and Brown combined for 227 points and were a handful of a combo.
This past summer Brown was a UFA who had sustained an ACL tear that ended his campaign just four games into 2022-23. McDavid played the role of recruiter to get Brown to Edmonton and it worked on a one-year, $775,000 contract. Now Brown is setting out to prove himself all over again, and we wonder if he can earn a plum place on McDavid’s wing and stick there all season.
Florida Panthers: Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour are still out with playoff injuries
When the Boston Bruins started last season without injured Charlie McAvoy and Brad Marchand, the prevailing opinion was that they’d struggle out of the gate and have to recover later. They didn’t have that rocky start of course. Now, it doesn’t seem like the Florida Panthers have the same negative opinion around them, despite the fact they’ll start 2023-24 off without two very important players.
Both Aaron Ekblad (broken foot) and Brandon Montour (shoulder surgery) are still recovering from playoff injuries, though it’s not clear exactly how much longer they’ll both be out for. The outlook on those timelines seems to be better now than it was back in July, but it’s likely Florida will have to begin without both (and don’t forget they lost Radko Gudas to free agency too). Montour and Ekblad were two of the three most-often utilized Panthers defencemen last season, leaving Gustav Forsling to carry more of the load. And, despite the fact they reached the Cup Final, don’t forget they only qualified for the playoffs by a single point.
Los Angeles Kings: A contender that’s gone uber-cheap in net
The headline move for the Kings this past off-season was the trade for Pierre-Luc Dubois, which formed a three-strong unit of centres who will excel as a unit at both ends. The Kings were already making progress and this was a chips-in move designed to elevate them into position to better challenge division rivals Vegas and Edmonton.
But the glare of the blockbuster may have blinded you from what GM Rob Blake did in net. Last year he traded for Joonas Korpisalo at the deadline, but Korpisalo became a free agent in July and signed in Ottawa. In June, the Kings basically salary-dumped Cal Petersen to Philadelphia, who was once the hopeful replacement for Jonathan Quick. In response, Los Angeles signed Cam Talbot to a one-year, $1 million deal, meaning Los Angeles will start with the former Ottawa netminder and Pheonix Copley as their goalies, for a combined $2.5 million. Talbot finished with a save percentage under .900 last season and Copley had a .903 in 37 games with LA.
Minnesota Wild: This might be the last year of Marc-Andre Fleury’s career
The Wild must have been surprised by what Filip Gustavsson delievered last season — certainly the Ottawa Senators were, who traded the goalie to Minnesota for Cam Talbot in 2022. Gustavsson’s breakout season led to a three-year extension with a $3.75 million cap hit.
For this coming season at least, Gustavsson will return to share the crease with future Hall of Famer Marc-Andre Fleury, who may be about to embark on his swan song. Fleury has one year remaining on his contract, turns 39 in November, and indicated in July that it “might be it” after this season. If it is, this will be the final chapter in an incredible career for a player who’s been beloved in Pittsburgh, Vegas and Minnesota.
Montreal Canadiens: The goalie logjam means something has to give
Carey Price ain’t coming back and the Canadiens are still trying to figure out what they have, and what they’ll eventually need, in net as the rebuilding roster begins to mature. Jake Allen and Sam Montembeault return from last season after they basically split starts, while 24-year-old Cayden Primeau has built a resume in the AHL and will look to gain more than three NHL starts this season.
Another goalie was added to this mix as Casey DeSmith was brought in via the Erik Karlsson trade but was then flipped to Vancouver alleviating some of the logjam. However, the remaining three goalies deserve an NHL look, and all three will have to pass through waivers now.
Nashville Predators: Andrew Brunette charged to bring about a different style of Predators hockey
When Barry Trotz coached Nashville, Washington and then the Islanders, he was always known for how effective his systems were, and how defensively adept his teams were. High-flying offence isn’t how you think of Trotz, but his vision as a GM in today’s game could be wildly different. Trotz has talked about his desire for Nashville to “play an entertaining, offensive brand of hockey that our fans could enjoy watching” and the hiring of Andrew Brunette as head coach sure seems to support that vision.
Brunette has one season of head coaching experience, leading the Florida Panthers for 75 games in 2021-22 after Joel Quenneville resigned. In that season, the Panthers finished with the most shots, most goals and fifth ranked power play in the NHL. They were absolutely chaotic and never out of any game, leading the league in wins when trailing after one (14) and two periods (11). They were one of the best comeback teams in league history. How much of that now comes to Nashville?
New Jersey Devils: They got long-term deals done for Timo Meier, Jesper Bratt
When the Devils acquired Meier in trade last season the sniper was set up to go to arbitration this summer, where he’d be able to slow walk to free agency in 2024 if he chose to do so. There was some talk the Devils may have been able to live with that arrangement to take another run as a group, especially if a long-term deal for Meier meant Jesper Bratt would be pinched. Turns out they comfortably kept them both for the long term.
Bratt was first, signing an eight-year deal in mid-June for a $7.875 million cap hit, just below Jack Hughes. Less than two weeks later, Meier signed on for eight years and became the Devils’ highest-paid forward at $8.8 million. Where there were questions before, now there is certainty. Between these two, Hughes, Nico Hischier, Ondrej Palat, Dougie Hamilton and John Marino, the Devils have defined their core and fully committed to it after last season’s breakthrough.
New York Islanders: Ilya Sorokin got his big contract long before his current one expired
While the Islanders may not be the most exciting or inspiring team, they certainly have one of the better goalies in the league and wasted no time locking in Ilya Sorokin for the long, long term. If the Islanders are going to really break through with this team, Sorokin will be the one leading them through.
In three seasons since joining the NHL, Sorokin’s cumulative .924 save percentage (minimum 60 games) ranks second to Linus Ullmark — and just ahead of countryman Igor Shesterkin. In the past two seasons, Sorokin has been top five by goals saved above expected at 5-on-5. In a time where goalies are rarely spent up on, $5 million is generally the going rate for an average starter.
Only a select few might be worth investing much more in (Andrei Vasilevskiy, for example) and the Islanders see something special in Sorokin, so on July 1 they extended him for eight years with an $8.25 million cap hit. It doesn’t actually kick in until 2024-25, and was done just ahead of the cap rise. In context, that AAV would be third-highest in the league this season among active goalies (Vasilevskiy, Sergei Bobrovsky) — the next-highest would be John Gibson at $6.4 million, a clear tier break. It will be interesting to see what, if any, impact this contract will have on the near-future goalie market, as it will be measured against others signed as the cap climbs.
New York Rangers: Alexis Lafreniere’s Big Apple future could hinge on this season
As Connor Bedard, the 2023 No. 1 overall draft pick, arrives in Chicago for his anticipated rookie season, Alexis Lafreniere — the first overall pick in 2020 — is entering a big fourth season in New York. Stuck low on a talented depth chart, Lafreniere signed a two-year bridge contract out of his ELC this past summer and if a better fit or more production isn’t found soon, he’ll surely become a trade candidate.
With good scoring numbers on a per minute level, but stuck behind two great left wingers, might the Rangers really attempt to use Lafreniere on the right side to elevate him into the top-six? That might be the path to a long-term future here.
Ottawa Senators: Don’t forget about the top line centre they’re getting back
The Sens made strides and missed the playoffs by just six points last season. In the off-season they made a change in net (Joonas Korpisalo) added Vladimir Tarasenko to replace Alex DeBrincat’s goals, signed Jake Sanderson for the long term…but their most key addition may be a player they already had.
Josh Norris played just eight games last season, injuring his shoulder in October, returning without surgery in January, and then re-injuring himself three games later. In the time Norris was out, Tim Stutzle stepped up and took over top line responsibilities — now Ottawa might have two highly productive centres. When he was last healthy, Norris scored 35 goals and 55 points in 65 games and the 24-year-old is one of the core players Ottawa has already given a long term contract to. How will he respond from missing nearly a full season? To make the final step up to the playoffs, the Sens need him at 100 per cent.
Philadelphia Flyers: All eyes on Cam Atkinson and Sean Couturier
Neither Atkinson (neck) nor Couturier (back) played at all last season, but both are making progress and appear good to start the season. Getting both back together would go a long way to boosting morale here, and improving the on-ice product. When last we saw both, Couturier was one of the top shutdown centres in the league, while Atkinson was one of the top goal scorers in his first season with the Flyers.
Getting them back is one thing, but having them be as effective as before is another. Neck and back injuries can be tough to come back from and being away for so long could mean it’ll take time to work back. Both are essential, Couturier especially, since he signed an eight-year deal in 2021.
Pittsburgh Penguins: They redesigned their top four defence setup
Of course you remember the big, big add here in Pittsburgh: Erik Karlsson is coming in after an historic 101-point season and will probably split heavy minutes with Kris Letang. We aren’t expecting them to be a regular pair together, though, and another move by new GM Kyle Dubas seems to make that clear.
The Penguins were aggressive in their pursuit of UFA Ryan Graves, and signed him to a six-year deal with a $4.5 million AAV right on July 1. Graves will be the size and shutdown complement to either Letang or Karlsson’s offence and he’s played that role a few times before next to Cale Makar in Colorado and then Dougie Hamilton in New Jersey. Between Graves and Marcus Pettersson — who played next to Letang at times last season — the Penguins have strengthened their left side and better defined their top two pairs overall.
San Jose Sharks: Filip Zadina is trying to kickstart his career
Chosen sixth overall in 2018 by Detroit, right ahead of new Canucks captain Quinn Hughes, Zadina was celebrated for his excellent shot and projected as a high-end goal scorer. Five years on he’s had one full NHL season, two years ago, when he scored 10 times. Last season he scored three times in 30 NHL games.
Zadina asked for a trade at the most recent draft and then was put on waivers by the Wings. After he went unclaimed, the team put him on unconditional waivers to buy out his contract, sending him to free agency and, ultimately, San Jose. A project player at this point, the Sharks have all the time to give him to see if it can come together.
Seattle Kraken: Shane Wright hopes to make the NHL team, but may not have to go back to junior if he doesn’t
After falling to fourth overall in the 2022 draft, Shane Wright played eight games in the AHL and NHL last season, but ultimately was returned to major junior and played at the WJC. He’ll be back at Kraken camp trying to make the NHL team again, but with a strong top-nine collection of forwards his path there isn’t guaranteed. And what would come after a potential cut is interesting.
Technically, Wright would have to go back to the OHL again since he’s a) under 20 and b) hasn’t played four full junior seasons (he also missed the games played cut off by one!). However, had the OHL not cancelled its entire 2020-21 season due to the COVID pandemic, Wright would have played four seasons and been AHL eligible (or had Windsor not been swept in the first round last spring he would have played enough games). Interestingly, the Seattle Times reported that GM Ron Francis is under the impression that, if it comes to pass that Wright doesn’t make the NHL, he’ll be able to go to the AHL. Something to watch.
St. Louis Blues: They haven’t been able to change over the defence
In a season that finished with the Blues missing the playoffs, GM Doug Armstrong made it known he was underwhelmed with his team’s performance, but that head coach Craig Berube would not be taking the fall for it. Armstrong played the role of seller at the trade deadline, added some picks, and many of us were left thinking he’d further swap out some of his players over the summer — and maybe even use some of those picks to improve the NHL team immediately.
The defence was probably most often in the crosshairs. Around the NHL Draft in June it was reported the Blues were close to dealing one of their blueliners — presumably Torey Krug — to Philadelphia, but was nixed by the player exercising his no-trade clause. That was the problem: five of St. Louis’ blue liners have trade protection. As a result, the Blues used all three of their picks at the draft and return with the same blue line in place. The changes that were made all happened up front, where you shouldn’t forget that Kevin Hayes was traded for, and Jakub Vrana was a low-risk acquisition with homerun potential.
Tampa Bay Lightning: Steven Stamkos is a pending UFA, which will be interesting against a rising cap
Can you believe it’s been eight years already? In June of 2016 Steven Stamkos was just two days away from becoming one of the most sought-after free agents of the salary cap era, and much speculation was that he’d head home to Toronto. Instead, he re-signed with the Lightning at something of a bargain $8.5 million (which, as always, is helped by tax-free Florida).
Over those eight years Stamkos has gone over 40 goals twice, the Lightning have won two Cups, and also committed more dollars to Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point and Andrei Vasilevskiy. Stamkos will be 34 years old by the time his next contract kicks in, but is also coming off a strong 34-goal, 84-point season. The salary cap is set to steadily rise, too, so will he get a raise? By how much? And how long will that contract be? It’s highly unlikely Stamkos would set a new bar for the league, but might he still become Tampa’s new highest paid player? He’s eligible to re-sign at any time.
Toronto Maple Leafs: Joseph Woll will be a factor and could earn the starting job
Ilya Samsonov overshot expectations in his first season with the Leafs and was the goalie who got them out of Round 1. But he didn’t get an extension with term out of it, instead inking a one-year deal through the arbitration process. Barring injury or something unforeseen, Samsonov will be the opening night starter for Toronto. But his backup will get a shot, and might even be able to take over.
Joseph Woll, a homegrown third round pick from 2016, earned a few starts in February, March and April last season, wrapping the regular season with a .932 save percentage in seven games for Toronto. He was thrust into some playoff action, too, and stopped 64 of 68 shots in two starts against Florida. With two years remaining on his $766,667 contract, Woll should be given more opportunity in 2023-24 and the chance to gain some momentum.
Vancouver Canucks: Elias Pettersson is a pending RFA and would be eligible to become a UFA in 2025
In Vancouver, there is a massive contract situation hanging over the uncertain direction of the entire franchise. It’s obvious the Canucks front office thinks this team can contend for a playoff spot and keeps making moves to push things forward. But, at the same time, their franchise centreman still hasn’t committed long term here, one season after they traded out another centre, Bo Horvat.
Elias Pettersson is taking a wait-and-see approach to start this season before really deciding on what to do next. Next summer, Pettersson will be an RFA, so he could sign an extension at any time now. However, if he were to slow play it all season, he could go to arbitration next summer and then set up to become a UFA in 2025. The longer this goes into the season without a multi-year extension, the more worrisome it’ll be for the Canucks.
Vegas Golden Knights: Last year’s regular season starter is this year’s backup
Without Robin Lehner last season the Golden Knights took a bargain approach to the goalie position, where Logan Thompson earned the job and ran with it for a while making under $800,000 against the cap. And had he not sustained a lower-body injury shortly after the All-Star Game, perhaps Thompson would have been the one getting playoff starts and pushing for the Conn Smythe.
In early February Thompson had a .915 save percentage and 2.65 GAA that ranked strongly among the rest of the league’s starters, but the injury meant he’d only play once more the rest of the season. Adin Hill stepped up in the playoffs, helped lead the Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup, and then he signed a two-year contract for $4.9 million AAV — a starter’s wage. Now, Hill returns to the crease with those credentials and salary, while Thompson also returns healthy at his same bargain rate…for another two years.
Washington Capitals: Alex Ovechkin is 73 goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record
In his 37-year-old season, Alex Ovechkin eclipsed 40 goals for the 13th time, passing the 12 times Wayne Gretzky hit that mark in his career. The chase for the all-time goals record goes on, though we probably still have to wait another year for it.
Starting this season with 822 goals, the now-38-year-old Ovechkin needs 72 goals to tie Gretzky’s all-time record. Ovechkin’s only ever hit 60 once — scoring 65 back in 2007-08 — so what we’re watching for this year is a) how close he makes the chase for next year, b) if he shows any signs of slowing, and c) if he’s able to keep being as healthy as he has his entire career.
Winnipeg Jets: Gabe Vilardi could be in line for a breakout and help everyone forget about Pierre-Luc Dubois
Any talk of breakout candidates this season has to include Gabe Vilardi, one of the players the Jets received in the Pierre-Luc Dubois trade. In Los Angeles, Vilardi scored 23 goals in 63 games as a 23-year-old and averaged 15:36 of ice time a game. In Winnipeg, he’ll get more opportunity, likely will stick in the top six, and so we’re looking for his production to take another step or two. Vilardi is the key piece of the return in that trade, directly moving into the vacated centre spot.
