We are just days away from opening night of the 2023-24 NHL season on Oct. 10, featuring a tripleheader on ESPN and ESPN+: Nashville Predators–Tampa Bay Lightning (5:30 p.m. ET), Chicago Blackhawks–Pittsburgh Penguins (8 p.m. ET) and Seattle Kraken–Vegas Golden Knights (10:30 p.m. ET), the latter of which will include the Knights’ Stanley Cup banner-raising ceremony.
But before the puck drops on live game action, we have some significant questions — and a panel of writers to answer them. Let’s dive in!
Jump ahead:
Most hyped non-Bedard rookies
Keys to the Knights’ Cup defense
Who will be the first coach fired?
How many goals for Alex Ovechkin?
Under-the-radar awards picks
Which rookie not named Connor Bedard are you most excited to see?
Ryan S. Clark, NHL reporter: It’s Logan Cooley for a number of reasons. Everything the Coyotes have done this offseason has made them one of the more interesting teams in the NHL. They have what appears to be their best chance to win more than 30 games for the first time in three seasons at a time in which they also have a number of young players who could play a big part. Cooley is at the top of that list.
Victoria Matiash, NHL analyst: I want to watch Devon Levi start games in Buffalo. Whether he plays 10 or 40-plus, I’m committed to catching them all. He’s fiercely driven, agile, quick, and his sense of anticipation is through the roof. Fun stuff. Plus, I’ve always had a soft spot for smaller netminders. This kid fits in beautifully with a young Sabres squad on the rise, and I can’t wait for him to get going.
Arda Öcal, NHL broadcaster: Adam Fantilli. I loved the juxtaposition of Connor Bedard getting a hat trick in his first preseason game and Fantilli doing the same thing on the same night. Fantilli’s first goal in a CBJ uniform was disgusting. Just an incredible solo effort. Fantilli has all the traits to be a special player, and pairing him with Patrik Laine on a line would be a lot for opponents to handle. Fantilli, Laine, Johnny Gaudreau, Kirill Marchenko, Zach Werenski … that’s a scary power play if they’re all clicking.
I’m higher on CBJ than some other people, but they aren’t THAT far away from a shot at the wild card, and Fantilli will play a big role. Plus I think he has a good head on his shoulders — I absolutely loved the thing he did at the NHL draft, putting the names of everyone that ever helped him in his hockey journey on his jacket so people could see it when he walked to the stage when his name was called.
Kristen Shilton, NHL reporter: Matthew Knies. Toronto trotted Knies out late last season and he showed strong potential in limited action. Knies’ early returns in the preseason — including a shorthanded game-winner against Montreal — suggest he’s primed to take hold of more significant minutes in the year ahead. Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe has said he’s “thrilled” with how Knies (among other of the Leafs’ young forwards) has progressed in exhibition and that experience just sets the table for how Knies can translate his explosive offensive game into a full NHL regular season. That would be a real game-changer for Toronto in the short and long term, given the franchise hasn’t always had success bringing its top prospects to the next level.
Greg Wyshynski, NHL reporter: Devon Levi. There are two possibilities here for the Buffalo Sabres. One is that Levi is a completely competent rookie goalie who has tantalizing moments mixed in with novice mistakes, but doesn’t get the majority of the starts for Buffalo. Or he ends up being as good as he looked at the end of last season, carries the Sabres to their first playoff berth since 2011 and wins the Calder Trophy as all the great rookie forwards cannibalize each other’s votes. He would be the first goalie to win the Calder since Steve Mason in 2008-09.
1:17
Why Connor Bedard’s NHL debut is one of the most anticipated
John Buccigross talks about why there is plenty of buzz around the Blackhawks debut of Connor Bedard.
What has to happen for the Golden Knights to repeat?
Clark: Repeat the same formula as last year. That means getting contributions from all four lines and three defensive pairings. It’s receiving consistent goaltending no matter who is in the net between Adin Hill and Logan Thompson. They must continue to hit on players on those team-friendly deals. Take Paul Cotter. He didn’t play in the playoffs but Cotter scored 13 goals as a rookie while making less than $800,000 last season. Receiving contributions such as that should help a team that knows firsthand how cash rules everything around them.
Matiash: Apologies for the cheap and lazy answer, but they need to stay healthy. Vegas won it all this past June partially because they were the least-injured team through the postseason grind. Mark Stone‘s back needs to hold up. Same goes for Jack Eichel‘s neck and other body parts. With the gaggle of available netminders somewhat depleted, Hill and Thompson have to remain fit. Goodness forbid anything happens to one or two pieces on that formidable blue line. If they can remain relatively healthy through the playoffs once more, there’s no reason to rule out a second-straight championship.
Öcal: Have more monster performances in net. Hill had a .932 save percentage in the postseason. Thompson is healthy and ready to help the team win again. This team is still stacked, with a lot of scary parts, a motivated Jack Eichel who had 26 points in 22 playoff games, and Conn Smythe trophy winner Jonathan Marchessault who was a monster in the playoffs. This is a scary lineup that will contend in the West, but they’ll only get as far as the goaltending when it comes playoff time.
Shilton: Evolve, or die. That’s the name of the game. Vegas must be cognizant of how other Western Conference teams have stacked up this offseason, adding players and counting on their own internal improvements. The Golden Knights aren’t as deep up front as before now that Reilly Smith is gone, and there will be some extra wear and tear to take into account given how long — and hard — Vegas played into last spring. A repeat will require some reinvention, where the Golden Knights correctly assess what their strengths are now without holding on too dearly to what carried them to a Cup in June.
Wyshynski: Have skaters healthy enough to handle the postseason grind. The Golden Knights showed you can throw a bunch of goalies at the problem and one of them will emerge from the pile. It doesn’t work that way with skaters. The year before they won the Stanley Cup, Vegas limped down the stretch with a slew of injured players, and failed to qualify for the postseason for the first time in franchise history. But check out the roster report for their close-out game against the Florida Panthers. They weren’t missing any significant names among their skaters due to injury. Even Mark Stone played through the postseason after missing almost half the regular season! Meanwhile, the Panthers lost Matthew Tkachuk to a broken sternum and had Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour diminished to the point where they needed offseason surgery. Last one standing wins.
The first coach fired will be __________.
Clark: It could be D.J. Smith if the Senators do not get off to a strong start. Smith has given the club stability, as he’s the seventh longest-tenured coach in the NHL. But getting off to a strong start could prove crucial given recent history. They opened last season losing nine of their first 13 games. The season before, they won only once in November, and during the 2020-21 truncated season, they lost nine straight after winning their first game. All those slow starts come with the context of where the Senators were in their evolution. They now have their strongest roster in years — one that should push for the playoffs. They were only six points out of the final wild-card spot last season which further reinforces how important a strong start can be for them — and patience could be thin if the club isn’t clicking.
Matiash: I wonder how Rick Bowness will fare if the Jets don’t perform to expectation out of the gates. Some of us (raises hand) were a little surprised he wasn’t shown the door after expressing his “disgust” with “the same crap” following last spring’s unsuccessful playoff run. Now with Blake Wheeler and Pierre-Luc Dubois gone, a trio of former Kings on board, and a healthy Cole Perfetti — even after the preseason Martin Pospisil hit — raring to go, it’s up to Bowness to ensure his players don’t commit “the same crap” as before. While sorting out Mark Scheifele and Connor Hellebuyck‘s expiring contracts doesn’t fall under the head coach’s mandate, getting the best out of his players on the ice certainly does.
Öcal: If the Pittsburgh Penguins are struggling this season, does that put Mike Sullivan on the hot seat? Sullivan began his Pens tenure with two straight Cups, and the team has one playoff round victory since, missing the postseason in 2022-2023 for the first time since Sidney Crosby‘s rookie campaign in 2005-2006. I’m not as harsh on coaches as some fans are, I’m just pointing out that this situation could have all the hallmarks of when people typically start to look at the coach — long tenure, bumpy recent history, and the final big ingredient would be if the team is losing a lot to start this season.
Shilton: Craig Berube must be feeling the heat. He was an in-season replacement behind the bench when St. Louis won the Cup in 2019. Under Berube’s watch since that Cup win, the Blues have earned one playoff series win (in 2021-22) and then missed the postseason entirely in 2022-23. How much patience will the Blues’ brass have with Berube moving forward? If St. Louis struggles out of the gate, it wouldn’t be surprising to see GM Doug Armstrong make a quick change before the Blues slide too far. St. Louis has invested in young stars like Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas; the team rightly must be focused on maximizing the talent it has and ensuring they’re supported by the right coach.
Wyshynski: Mike Babcock. What do I win? OK, obviously that doesn’t count because he, ahem, stepped down and it wasn’t even training camp yet. In-season, I do wonder about Lane Lambert with the New York Islanders. It’s obvious that GM Lou Lamoriello believes in this roster. It’s going to have a healthy Mathew Barzal and a full season of Bo Horvat, which means it’s going to have some expectations as well. When asked about Lambert’s status for this season, Lamoriello said he’s “under contract.” While that might just be Lou-speak, he’s still a general manager that at one point changed coaches nine times in nine years while with the Devils
How many goals will Alex Ovechkin score?
Clark: Let’s go with another season in which he will score more than 40. Ovechkin continues to be the same dominant scoring force into his late 30s. We talk about the goals, but his average ice time, shooting percentage and power-play numbers have remained consistent over the last few seasons. Then there’s the big one: he continues to take a massive amount of shots, which was the case last season when he was six shy of what would have been a 16th campaign of more than 300 shots.
Matiash: He’ll score 50. Currently tied with Wayne Gretzky and Mike Bossy for the most 50-goal seasons, he wants that record, a year before tracking down the big one. And his teammates will help him get there.
Öcal: Entering this season, Ovi (822) is 72 goals away from Gretzky (894). He’s probably not getting 70-plus goals this season — the last time that happened was 1992-93 (Alex Mogilny and Teemu Selanne) and it’s only happened nine times in NHL history. Going by his career goal-scoring pace, he will pass Gretzky near the midway point of the 2024-2025 season (game No. 36 to be exact). But I definitely want it to happen faster, and plus there will be a celebration for goal No. 850, so let’s say Ovi gets 50. Why not?
Shilton: 41. It’s unwise to bet against Ovechkin being one of the league’s perennial top scorers. And we know his Washington teammates are anxious to keep Ovechkin on a potential track to overtake Gretzky’s all-time mark. They’ll be feeding him plenty of pucks, and Father Time has done little to diminish the wicked shot Ovechkin can still wield with force.
Wyshynski: 45 goals. I’m thinking around 75 games played at a 0.60 goals-per-game clip, which is right around Ovehckin’s career average. I think he’ll benefit from getting Tom Wilson and John Carlson in the lineup more after injury-riddled 2022-23 seasons. I also don’t see first-year coach Spencer Carbery having any cache to modulate Ovechkin’s game away from “Ovi shoot, Ovi score.” The Capitals are a vessel through which Ovechkin can chase history. After he surpasses Gretzky, they can figure out how to contend again.
Which currently under-the-radar player will get an award nomination?
Clark: It’s strange to think of Roope Hintz as “under-the-radar” but he still might be for a number of people. He has everything one could ask of a top-line or at least top-six center in that he can score, create for himself, create for others and can be trusted to be part of one of the strongest penalty kills in the NHL. Hintz might not be “under-the-radar” after what he did in the playoffs (24 points in 19 games). But in the event he is, what he did last season should set him up to receive consideration come awards time.
Matiash: Filip Gustavsson will challenge for the Vezina. He’ll be the Wild’s go-to starting netminder by December, with Marc-Andre Fleury playing a part-time role to wrap up the final season of the future Hall of Famer’s current contract. The 25-year-old was outstanding in limited play this past season, posting a 22-9-7 record, 2.10 goals-against average and .931 save percentage. He nears those numbers through, say, 55 games in Minnesota this round, and we’ll be hearing his name a lot more next spring.
Öcal: Jack Hughes for the Hart Trophy. He really feels on that path to win one, after 43 goals and 99 points in a breakout performance last season. His confidence is growing, he’s surrounded by a fast, exciting group of players that complement his style. Given the talent the Devils have up front, they really can’t go wrong in selecting linemates for Jack — and the Devils should be near the top of the Eastern Conference standings. All these things add up to a perfect environment where Hughes can level up, and get nominated for a Hart. Imagine he’s the guy to derail the McDavid Hart train? Wild.
Shilton: Josh Morrissey. Winnipeg’s top blueliner is coming off the best season of his career (16 goals and 76 points in 78 games), which could have (should have?) helped earn him a Norris Trophy nod. Maybe Morrissey was too under-the-radar for that then. He shouldn’t be now. In what’s shaping up to be a potentially tumultuous season rife with uncertainty surrounding the Jets’ big names, Morrissey’s presence should be a beacon of hope — not just for the team’s back end but for their entire outlook. If he can recreate some of that success this season, it’ll definitely cement a solid Norris candidacy.
Wyshynski: Elias Pettersson. It could be for the Hart Trophy if he’s the driving force behind the Vancouver Canucks making the playoffs, which I expect they will. But I wouldn’t count out a full court press on Elias Pettersson for the Selke, an award for which he finished seventh last season. He’d probably have to get his faceoff percentage up a bit, but it’s anybody’s award to win in a post-Patrice Bergeron world.