The plot thickens Impending NHL season offers plethora of plotlines Dump & Chase
By: Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe Posted: 5:47 PM CDT Friday, Oct. 4, 2024 Last Modified: 10:47 AM CDT Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024 Updates

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This article was published 04/10/2024 (367 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The NHL is back and so too is our regular Dump & Chase column featuring Free Press hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe. In this first edition for the new season, the duo offer observations on what’s to come and take a glimpse into the crystal ball.

Ten storylines

1) What will the Panthers do for an encore?

Wiebe: Now that former Winnipeg Jets head coach Paul Maurice has his name engraved on the Stanley Cup, the question shifts to what the Florida Panthers are going to do next. Although they lost D Brandon Montour to the Seattle Kraken in free agency, general manager Bill Zito was able to convince F Sam Reinhart to stay after his most productive season as a pro (eight years, US$69 million) and extended top D Gustav Forsling (eight years, US$46 million).

The Panthers can also lean on Vezina Trophy finalist Sergei Bobrovsky between the pipes, D-man Aaron Ekblad, reigning Selke Trophy winner Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe as they try to follow the path the Tampa Bay Lightning forged when they captured consecutive championships in 2020 and 2021.

2) 4 Nations Face-Off

McIntyre: It’s not the Olympics — that will come in early 2026 — but some best-on-best hockey is just around the corner as the top players from Canada, the United States, Finland and Sweden battle for bragging rights during the Feb. 12-20 event being held in Boston and Montreal. Several Jets players could be in the mix, including Connor Hellebuyck, Kyle Connor, Josh Morrissey and Mark Scheifele, and this event should serve as a fun distraction during the dog days of the lengthy NHL season.

 

3) Chasing history

Wiebe: When Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin got off to a slow start last season, whispers about whether he could actually catch Wayne Gretzky for the all-time goals record grew louder. Ovechkin found his game under first-year head coach Spencer Carberry and finished with 31 goals, moving to 853 markers for his career.

This is a record many believed was untouchable, but now it seems almost inevitable. Gretzky had 894 regular season NHL goals during his Hall of Fame career, so it’s probably going to take more than one campaign for Ovechkin to eclipse the mark, but how close he can come is going to capture the attention of many who follow the league. Ovechkin is just one season removed from finding the net 42 times in 73 games, so there’s an outside chance the record could be in jeopardy in the spring of 2025.

 

4) Motivated McDavid

McIntyre: The Edmonton Oilers came painfully close to ending Canada’s lengthy Stanley Cup drought. Can Connor McDavid and company now channel that bitter disappointment, the way the Panthers did after losing to the Vegas Golden Knights in the spring of 2023?

If you’ve seen clips from the new Faceoff: Inside The NHL series, you know how angry McDavid was at coming up just short. A motivated McDavid is a very dangerous McDavid, and the Oilers have bulked up with the additions of Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson up front. Bet against them at your own peril.

 

5) How high will Utah HC soar?

Wiebe: For the first time since 2011 when the Atlanta Thrashers moved to Winnipeg, an NHL franchise relocated.

After countless attempts to make things work in the desert, the Arizona Coyotes are now Utah’s team and Ryan and Ashley Smith are set to provide stable ownership after years of upheaval. They’ve got enormous pride for the community and the team made a splash by trading for Lightning defenceman Mikhail Sergachev.

The Coyotes have shown flashes since Andre Tourigny took over as head coach, but they’ve lacked attention to detail in their play without the puck. This is a team with ample firepower, led by the likes of Clayton Keller, Nick Schmaltz, Dylan Guenther and Logan Cooley.

If the goaltending tandem of Connor Ingram and Karel Vejmelka holds up and the commitment to defending as a five-man unit is there, GM Bill Armstrong could be a buyer at the trade deadline (given all of the draft picks and prospects the organization has accumulated) and Utah HC could be playoff-bound during their inaugural season.

 

6) Watching Winnipeg

McIntyre: Jets co-owner and chairman Mark Chipman, flanked by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, sounded the alarm last season about dwindling season ticket sales and what it means in the big picture for the organization. Specifically, they called upon corporate entities to dig deep.

Time will tell if that leads to a much-needed uptick in attendance in what is the league’s smallest market. A hot start on the ice for the Jets would certainly help the cause.

 

7) What will Trotz’s moves mean for Music City?

Wiebe: Dauphin product Barry Trotz resisted the urge to panic when the Nashville Predators got off to a slow start under new head coach Andrew Brunette last year and added a couple of pending unrestricted free agents when some wondered if he might be a seller at the deadline.

Trotz doubled down this summer and added a pair of snipers and Stanley Cup winners in former Lightning captain Steven Stamkos and Golden Knights winger Jonathan Marchessault in free agency. When you couple those moves with the additions of Ryan O’Reilly and Luke Schenn the previous summer, you get the sense the Predators will be a force to be reckoned with in the Central Division this season.

The departure of Ryan McDonagh to the Lightning will sting, but the addition of Brady Skjei and the ability to retain Alexandre Carrier means the blue line should remain a strength — led by captain Roman Josi. By extending goalie Juuse Saros, Trotz showed his commitment to the group and set the table for taking some big swings in free agency.

 

8) Laine’s fresh start

McIntyre: Patrik Laine can’t seem to catch a break. However, the revelation that the new Montreal Canadiens winger might only miss the first two months of the season after suffering an ugly knee injury in a pre-season game last week can be marked down as a best-case scenario.

The second-overall pick from 2016 has plenty of people in the hockey world rooting for him — especially here in Winnipeg — and you hope the 26-year-old can move on from last year’s miserable campaign in Columbus, which began with injury and ended with a lengthy stint in the NHL player assistance program dealing with mental health issues.

 

9) Who will capture the Calder?

Wiebe: After last year’s race between Connor Bedard (Chicago Blackhawks) and Brock Faber (Minnesota Wild) went down to the wire, there’s a bumper crop of players across the league ready to jockey for position in the chase to be named top rookie.

Macklin Celebrini (San Jose Sharks) was the first overall pick in 2024 and he’s got a contender for the award in teammate Will Smith, who left Boston College after just one season.

Matvei Michkov (Philadelphia Flyers) is one of the favourites after getting out of his KHL deal and he’ll bring a game-breaking dynamic much like Kirill Kaprizov did when he joined the Minnesota Wild.

Logan Stankoven (Dallas Stars) left a massive impression after his dominant season in the American Hockey League and he’s ready to take the next step as an NHL regular. He’ll be joined in the Stars roster by Mavrik Bourque, who was the most valuable player in the AHL last season.

Blue-liner Lane Hutson (Montreal) is someone who could also work his way into the conversation given his offensive instincts and skating ability.

 

10) Flower’s farewell

McIntyre:: Marc-Andre Fleury is truly one-of-a-kind. This year marks a final chance to see the sure-fire hall of famer tend goal. The first-overall pick from 2003, who will turn 40 next month, is retiring after this season with Minnesota.

The Jets will face the Wild three times — Oct. 13 and Dec. 21 in Winnipeg, Nov. 25 in St. Paul — so perhaps they’ll face the guy who almost single-handedly ended their Stanley Cup hopes in 2018 at least once more.

 

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X: @mikemcintyrewpg

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

X: @WiebesWorld