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The NHL season started in North America, however the predictions proceed.
Within the final two weeks, The Hockey Information polled 56 editors and digital correspondents on greater than 30 matters concerning the 2024-25 NHL season. We unveiled the first batch of predictions on Tuesday, which included the Stanley Cup champion, Hart Trophy winner and extra main award winners.
This subsequent batch of predictions contains who will attain one other stage, who might take a step again, who might get fired and extra. Adam Proteau has the evaluation.
Who Will Be The First Coach Fired?
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Evaluation: The Pittsburgh Penguins’ Mike Sullivan is the second-longest-tenured NHL coach in the mean time. He’ll rejoice 9 years – a lifetime-and-a-half, in NHL teaching phrases – as of this December. However with the Penguins possible being a fringe playoff staff at greatest, Sullivan is underneath huge strain to provide a strong season, and he might very properly be the NHL’s first bench boss dismissed this season.
Narrowly behind Sullivan on this class is the Detroit Crimson Wings’ Derek Lalonde. He additionally must keep away from a significant shedding streak in any respect prices, or Crimson Wings GM Steve Yzerman might search for his substitute earlier than later.
Which GM Is Feeling The Warmth The Most?
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Evaluation: This class had a tie for first between two Atlantic Division rivals – the Buffalo Sabres and GM Kevyn Adams and the Boston Bruins and GM Don Sweeney. The Sabres should finish their 13-year streak of no Stanley Cup playoff hockey to avoid wasting Adams’ job. And Sweeney wants his staff to go at the least so far as it did final yr – when it made it to the second spherical of the playoffs – to calm the waters in Beantown. (Full transparency: many of the reasoning for the Sweeney votes included the contract saga between the Bruins and Jeremy Swayman, which ended final Sunday.)
Listed below are another feedback from voters on this class:
“The East is a gauntlet, and that is very true for the Atlantic. The Sabres have some core items, however Adams hasn’t constructed a staff to compete round them, and that is going to be a tall process inside his division.”
“Sweeney: Crew could possibly be in decline after years of domination, and his dealing with of the crease scenario has an early highlight on him.”
“Steve Yzerman: Very long time as GM with no playoffs. Want some kind of end result.”
“Regardless of being one of many NHL’s stronger franchises over the previous few seasons, the Carolina Hurricanes have but to get previous the third spherical of the playoffs. After taking the reins from Waddell and as a little bit of an outsider as an analytics-driven GM, Eric Tulsky has loads of strain on him to succeed this season.”
Related: NHL Writers Poll: Predicting The Stanley Cup Champion And Major Award Winners In 2024-25
Which Participant Is Due For A Breakout Season?
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Evaluation: Some may argue Kings middle Quinton Byfield already had a breakout yr final season, because the 22-year-old posted profession highs in objectives (20), assists (35) and factors (55). However extra voters picked Byfield to do even higher this yr than anybody else on this class. Shut behind Byfield is Blue Jackets sophomore middle Adam Fantilli, who generated 12 objectives and 27 factors in solely 49 video games final season.
Canadiens teenager Juraj Slafkovsky and Stars up-and-comer Logan Stankoven additionally bought an honest quantity of votes to interrupt out this yr. To make sure, they’re each crucial to their groups’ probabilities of success. Slafkovsky had a terrific sophomore season final yr, with 20 objectives and 50 factors in 82 video games, whereas Stankoven amassed eight assists and 14 factors in his first 24 NHL video games with Dallas final yr. The one query is how significantly better they’re going to be.
Which Crew Is Due For A Breakout Season?
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Evaluation: The Ottawa Senators have strived for a breakout yr for some time now, however they’ve repeatedly been a disappointment and compelled a change in administration and training. However voters favored what new GM Steve Staios and coach Travis Inexperienced must work with roster-wise, because the Sens bought eight extra votes than the second-place Utah Hockey Membership.
Utah made a slew of strikes this summer season, together with including defensemen Mikhail Sergachev and John Marino – and plenty of pundits consider the franchise is positioned for a robust yr and presumably their first playoff berth prior to now 5 seasons.
Related: Ottawa Senators’ Linus Ullmark Hopes Re-Signing Helps ‘Change Things For The Better’
Which Participant Will Have A Setback?
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Evaluation: Panthers star winger Sam Reinhart posted his greatest NHL season but in 2023-24, producing 57 objectives and 94 factors – 24 objectives and 12 factors higher than his earlier profession highs. However voters consider the 28-year-old might take a step again this season, and that’s not a stretch of a guess. Reinhart might certainly regress, as his new annual wage of $8.625 million will increase expectations of him exponentially.
In second place is Oilers winger Zach Hyman – who had a career-best 54 objectives final season – and tied for third is Edmonton teammate Leon Draisaitl, whose numbers already dipped from the 2022-23 marketing campaign (52 objectives, 128 factors) to final yr (41 objectives, 106 factors). Draisaitl agreed to an eight-year contract extension that will increase his wage from $8.5 million this yr to $14 million in 2025-26, so he’s underneath strain to return to peak kind as quickly as attainable – however there could possibly be a world the place Draisaitl’s numbers drop for a second consecutive yr.
Related: Three Key Oilers Likely to Face Offensive Regression in 2024-25
Which Crew Will Have A Setback?
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Evaluation: The Carolina Hurricanes misplaced fairly just a few veterans this summer season – together with defensemen Brett Pesce and Brady Skjei and forwards Teuvo Teravainen, Stefan Noesen and Evgeny Kuznetsov – so it’s comprehensible why extra voters picked them because the staff almost definitely to have a setback than another. Shut behind are the new-look Lightning, which misplaced former captain Steven Stamkos and star defenseman Mikhail Sergachev, in addition to the Kings and Bruins, who’ve made notable modifications this low season.
Which Canadian Crew Will Go The Furthest?
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Evaluation: The Edmonton Oilers have been far and away the preferred decide on this class, with almost 3 times as many votes because the Maple Leafs, the following best choice to go furthest within the playoffs. In a major shock, the Canucks completed a distant third, adopted by only one vote apiece for the Senators and Jets.
Edmonton almost gained the Cup final season, so it makes good sense for writers to see them as the largest menace to go all the way in which this yr. However Toronto is notably improved within the eyes of many, and though Vancouver continues to be a menace to win the Pacific Division, the Canucks have an amazing hurdle to attempt to clear within the type of the Oilers as soon as the post-season begins.
The Canucks fell in seven video games to Edmonton within the second spherical final post-season, however yet another win this yr might propel them to the Western Convention closing and past. And Edmonton might take a step backward, opening the door to the Canucks and Leafs to be essentially the most profitable Canadian squad.
Related: No Demko? No Problem. The Canucks Look Ready For The Regular Season
Which Crew Will Have The Finest Odds Of Successful The Draft Lottery?
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Evaluation: This query mainly asks which groups will end the bottom within the NHL this season. The Blue Jackets and Sharks have been the picks to complete on the backside of the standings and safe the most effective probabilities of profitable the 2025 draft lottery.
Under them within the voting are 4 groups – the Flames, Geese, Canadiens and Blackhawks – that are all present process rebuilds in some kind. And considerably surprisingly, Utah and Detroit rounded out the voting with one vote every. If both Utah HC and the Crimson Wings do get the most effective decide within the draft, it’ll imply they underachieved tremendously within the common season this yr. Way more possible is a basement end from San Jose or Columbus, and that’s in all probability what each groups want at this stage of their improvement.
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