The NHL season is fast approaching. It feels like only a week ago that the Florida Panthers lifted the Stanley Cup for the first time in the organization’s history. But, believe it or not, teams will begin playing preseason games later this month, and now all 32 teams will reach for Lord Stanley once more. Here are the top two teams in each conference, and a dark horse that could take the league by surprise.
For the Eastern Conference, the two teams that could contend next year are the Florida Panthers and the New York Rangers.
The Panthers are coming off their first championship, and I see no reason they can’t compete for another. As always, the cup tax has caused some big contributors in the postseason to leave the team, such as Oliver Ekman-Larsson. However, the big-name players are still on the team. Sam Reinhart resigned to an eight-year deal, a big sigh of relief for the team and its fans. Sergei Bobrovsky and Matthew Tkachuk return, as well as defensive stalwart Aleksander Barkov. The Panthers will no doubt be back again next season.
The Rangers were once again eliminated in the Eastern Conference Finals, this time by the Panthers in six games. Despite losing some players this offseason, such as Barclay Goodrow, the core of the team is still intact and the Blueshirts have some upcoming players such as Brennan Othmann that could contribute big time this season. However, Igor Shesterkin is in the middle of contract negotiations, and he is currently seeking a deal of over $13 million a year, too steep a price for the Rangers to pay. It remains to be seen if Shesterkin will be back long-term, but he is signed through this year, so the Rangers will be back in the playoffs once again. The only question is if the team has learned from their loss to Florida and will play with more physicality in the playoffs.
For the dark horse, I think the Tampa Bay Lighting is a team to look out for. The Lightning lost Steven Stamkos to Nashville this season but replaced him with Jake Guentzel. Tampa Bay also brought back Ryan McDonagh and resigned Victor Hedman, one of the top defensemen in the league. Tampa made some intriguing moves, and I think they will be a lot better than fans believe. While maybe not competing for a title, I think the Lightning have a chance to knock out one of the top teams in the East in the playoffs.
For the Western Conference, I think that the Edmonton Oilers and Nashville Predators will continue to haunt the rest of the Conference.
The Oilers nearly came back from a 3-0 deficit to force a game seven in Florida but ultimately fell short as the Panthers got back on track after subpar performances in games four through six. Leon Draisaitl is back on an eight-year deal, and the rest of the team is still there for the most part. The Oilers lost some talent, but the main core still remains. Head coach Kris Knoblauch got the team back on track after a bad start to the season, and I see no reason they can’t make it back to where they were last season. Perhaps some more experience from the coaching staff will take this team over the edge.
The Predators are an interesting case, as this team could go one of two ways. They could find immense success with the signings of plenty of veterans, or they could crash and burn. With all the talent and postseason experience the team has brought in, I see them contending to represent the West in the Stanley Cup Finals this year. The big fish of the offseason, Stamkos, found his way to Nashville, and former Golden Knight Jonathan Marchessault gives Nashville plenty of firepower on offense. Juuse Saros also returns as the Predators’ goaltender. Saros will be a key piece of the team this season, and with more talent around him, I think he will be even better.
For the West, The Vegas Golden Knights is my choice as a dark horse this season. They lost some key players, such as Marchessault, but the overall team is still pretty good, and Jack Eichel hopes to have a healthy season this year. The Golden Knights are not keen to have a bad roster, and new goaltenders such as Ilya Samsonov could give the Golden Knights a solid net presence for the first time since their Stanley Cup victory in 2018.
No matter what happens this season, the NHL season will undoubtedly bring the level of excitement and energy it does every year.
