Atlantic Division Boston Bruins The Bruins have been one of the most consistent teams in the NHL over the past number of years. Winners in 2011 as well as finalists in 2013 and 2019, the Bruins again made the playoffs last season,albeit losing to the New York Islanders in the second round. They boast one of the most reliable and best lines in hockey, featuring superstars Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, and David Pastrňák. In the off-season, they have lost towering defenceman Zdeno Chara to Washington, David Krejci to the Czech Republic and goaltender Tuukka Rask remains unsigned as he battles a hip injury. This season is considered somewhat of a final effort, with their stars in the twilight stages of their career. They will be hoping new signingsErik Haula (Nashville), Nick Foligno (Toronto) and Tomas Nosek (Vegas) can provide some additional scoring behind the first line and winger Taylor Hall, who signed with the Bruins for four years in the off-season. Their goaltending looks shaky for the first time in years, with Rask questionable. Charlie McAvoy will lead the defence after a stunning 2020-21 campaign, while Jake DeBrusk will look to bounce back after a quiet year in 2020. Buffalo Sabres The Sabres are not considered much of a chance to make the post-season, despite some busy wheeling-and-dealing in the off-season. Buffalo is firmly in development mode and will be looking to see improvement from the likes of Dylan Cozens, Casey Mittlestadt, Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin. They will be without former-captain and star forward Jack Eichel for some time as he continues to battle a neck injury. After failing a physical examination during pre-season camp, Eichel’s situation is messy and doesn’t appear to be settled any time soon. Where the scoring will come from remains the biggest issue for the Sabres, who also made some changes to their goaltending line-up in the off-season.
The Sabres will need Dylan Cozen at his very best this season - Photo Credit: Sara Schmidle
Detroit Red Wings The Red Wings are another team in the development stage and will be looking to improve in coach Jeff Blashill’s seventh season at the helm. After missing the playoffs last season, Detroit must focus on scoring more often after they finished just one goal ahead of last-placed Anaheim. Defenseman Nick Leddy (New York Islanders) and centre Pius Suter (Chicago) were both acquired in the off-season and will look to make an immediate impact. After being named a finalist for the Calder Trophy (NHL Rookie of the Year), Goalie Alex Nedeljkovic will be looking to make further strides after moving to the Motor City from Carolina. After winning defenceman of the year honours in the Swedish Hockey League last season, look for 20-year-old German defenceman Moritz Seider to make an impact at NHL level at some stage this season. He scored 28 points in 41 games last year for Rogle and is one of the most talented defensive prospects in the league.
Florida Panthers Florida finished a narrow second behind Carolina in the central division last season, despite winning one more game than the ‘Canes. The Panthers, much to their dismay, lost in the first round of the playoffs to fellow Sunshine State team and eventual champions Tampa Bay. This season, much of the attention is centred around the pending return of star defenceman Aaron Ekblad, whose 2020-21 campaign ended early after he sustained a fractured leg. He is the undisputed leader of the Panthers defence, and his return will be a huge boost for Florida as they look to challenge the likes of Montreal, Boston, Tampa Bay and Toronto. The Panthers retained most of their line-up in the off-season, adding forwards Sam Reinhart and Joe Thornton; who will hope to add more scoring firepower to the lineup. Aleksander Barkov will again lead the first line at centre, after scoring 58 points (26 goals and 32 assists) in 50 games last season.
Montreal Canadiens The Canadiens fell agonisingly short of winning Canada’s first Stanley Cup since the 1992-93 season, losing in five games to the Lightning. Their run to the finals was special, just scraping into the playoffs by finishing fourth in the North division. They beat Toronto, Winnipeg, and Vegas to set up a date with the defending champions in an inspired run. This season, they will be without captain and gun defenceman Shea Weber, who has knee, ankle, and thumb injuries to deal with. In his absence, much will be expected of defensive trio Joe Petry, Joel Edmundson, and Ben Chiarot. Veteran goaltender Carey Price had significant surgery in the off-season, and his health will have a massive impact on the success of the Canadiens. Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield will be looking to take the next step as highly touted youngsters.
The absence of captain Shea Weber for the upcoming season will make things that little bit tougher for the Canadiens - Photo credit: Kim Klement
Ottawa Senators The Senators finished just one point above Vancouver in the North division last season and will be looking to rise up the standings this season. Goalie Matt Murray had a down year but is among the league’s best shot-blockers at full strength. 21-year-old star forward Brady Tkachuk was the Senators leading goal scorer for the second-straight campaign last season; an extraordinary feat for such a young player. He will again carry much of the offensive weight and needs support from the likes of fellow first-liners Josh Norris and Drake Batherson.
Tampa Bay Lighting Tampa are back-to-back Stanley Cup champions and starts as one of the favourites to do it again. Looking to be the first team to win three cups in a row since the Islanders of the 80s, it is hard to look past them to win the Atlantic division, despite the prominence of Boston, Toronto, and Montreal. The Lightning must be exhausted, having played the most games of any team since the coronavirus-educed break during the 2019-20 campaign. They lost some depth on the third line in the off-season and recruited experienced duo Corey Perry (Montreal) and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare (Colorado) to help fill the few gaps they possess. It is so hard to win three in a row, but if anyone can do it it's the Lightning, led by Conn Smythe Trophy (Playoff MVP) winner Andrej Vasilevskiy, brilliant defenceman Victor Hedman and Russian goal-scorer Nikita Kucherov.
Toronto Maple Leafs It was the same old story of playoff disappointment for the Toronto Maple Leafs last season, who were knocked out in seven games by the Canadiens in the first round of the playoffs; despite winning the division. Whilst seen as being a perennial playoff side, the Leafs have not won a playoff series since 2004. Auston Matthews continued to be the focal point of the team, after scoring a league-high 41 goals in 52 matches last season. He will of course be well supported by fellow sharp-shooter Mitch Marner. However, the free-agency loss of Zach Hyman will hurt, after he accepted a lucrative offer to join the Oilers. Goalie Freddie Andersen left for Carolina after falling out of favour last season, leaving Jack Campbell and Petr Mrazek in defend the net. They will be expected to again feature in the playoffs, so could this be the year Toronto makes it past the first round of playoffs?
Jack Campbell is expected to fill the boots of Freddie Andersen in goal this season, alongside Petr Mrazek - Photo credit: Graham Hughes
Metropolitan Division Carolina Hurricanes The Hurricanes claimed the Central division title last season ahead of Florida and Tampa Bay, but were bundled out of the Stanley Cup playoffs by the Lightning in the second round. In the off season, the Hurricanes made significant changes to their goaltending unit, adding former Maple Leaf Freddie Andersen and Antti Raanta from Arizona to replace the departing Alex Nedeljkovic. The Raleigh-based team retained most of their core players that helped them reach the post-season the past three campaigns, with the exceptionofNew Jersey-bound Defenceman Dougie Hamilton. They added highly rated centre JesperiKotkaniemi from the Canadiens with the hope he blossoms in North Carolina. Columbus Blue Jackets Columbus finished dead-last in the Central division last season, and there’s not a lot to suggest this season will be all that better in Ohio. Brad Larsen will take the reigns in his first season in charge of the Blue Jackets. After trading Pierre-Luc Dubois to Winnipeg, question marks surround their depth of talent at centre. His replacement Jack Roslovic looks likely to be handed the gig. After the tragic death of backup goalie MatissKivlenieks in July, the Blue Jackets appear shaky in the net and will be looking to see development from the likes of Alexandre Texier and YegorChinakhov.
New Jersey Devils The Devils finished seventh in the East division last season and appear likely to face-off against Columbus at the bottom of the Metropolitan division this season, after the NHL reverted to its traditional divisions this upcoming season. The arrival of defenceman Dougie Hamilton was one of the biggest moves of the off-season, and immediately improves their roster. A highly attacking defender, his natural goal scoring ability could prove vital. In reality though, this season is still going to be about the kids. What can Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, JanneKuokkanen, YegorSharangovich and the like provide, to support reliable goalie Mackenzie Blackwood?
New York Islanders The Islanders were terrific in 2020-21, just scraping into the playoffs after finishing fourth in the division before claiming playoff series victories over Stanley Cup mainstays Pittsburgh and Boston. They were eventually beaten in seven games by Tampa Bay, but will be eager to go at least one step further this time around. It is expected to be crowded atop the Metropolitan division, with Washington, Pittsburgh and Carolina all vying for playoff spots, however the Islanders may just be the pick of the bunch. It won’t be easy however, given the team will play their first 13 games on the road as they wait to move into their new arena on Long Island. The goalie duo of Semyon Varlamov and Philipp Grubauer stood strong last season, and the team has kept the pairing for this season. Could the return of captain Anders Lee, who missed the back end of last campaign with injury, provide the boost they need to win their first cup since 1983.
Can the return of skipper Anders Lee lead the Islanders to a long-awaited cup victory? - Photo credit: NHL
New York Rangers Can the Rangers force their way into a top four position in the strong metro division? It appears a difficult task, but there is an exciting feeling around New York under new head coach Gerard Gallant, whose teams are renowned for playing high-octane hockey. Much of the success rests upon the youthful shoulders of forwards Kaapo Kakko and Alexis Lafreniere, who were taken with pickstwo and onein the 2019 and 2020 drafts respectively. At the back, Adam Fox claimed the Norris Trophy as the best defenceman in the league last season, and will again need to provide stability and offence from the blue line. Philadelphia Flyers Philadelphia was somewhat disappointing last season, missing the playoffs after finishing sixth in the East. It’s difficult to get a read on their potential success this season, particularly given their host of defensive changes in the off-season. Last time around, the Flyers conceded the most goals of any team and recorded the worst save percentage of any goaltending unit. Subsequently, the pressure is well and truly on Carter Hart, who was instrumental in the team’s run to the 2019-20 Stanley Cup playoffs. Losing centre Kevin Hayes to an abdominal injury for six-to-eight weeks won’t help their cause in the metropolitan division. Pittsburgh Penguins You just can’t ever count out the Penguins, who have made the playoffs a record-breaking 15 seasons. With superstar forwards Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin missing the first portion of the season though injury, could this be the year the Penguins finally fail to fire? Tristan Jarry copped heat after a lacklustre post-season performance, and needs to hold down the fort before Pittsburgh regains their dangerous duo. First-liners Jake Guentzel, Jeff Carter and Bryan Rust must perform early on in order to keep up with the Hurricanes, Capitals and Islanders. Washington Capitals Washington finished just one regulation win behind the Penguins last season, and fell to the Bruins in five games during the first round of the playoffs. Of their 30-man squad, the Capitals boast 12 players aged 30+. They certainly know what it takes to win it all, having claimed the trophy in 2017-18. They will need the veterans to maintain health,however Nicklas Backstrom has been dealing with a troublesome hip injury for quite some time. The Capitals were well served by Ilya Samsonov and VitekVanecek last season and will back the duo in again this campaign as they hope to advance further.
Can Nicklas Backstrom finally get himself back to full fitness this season for a tilt at the title? - Photo credit: NHL
Central Division Arizona Coyotes The Coyotes missed the playoffs last season, falling a couple of games short of the cut-off behind St. Louis. They brought in Andre Tourignyas head coach,who immediately made wholesale changes to the goaltending, replacing Carter Hutton and Josef Korenarwith Darcy Kuemperand Antti Raanta. It remains to be seen whether these changes will lead to an improved defence. Arizona boast a promising array of talented young players, headlined by Clayton Keller, Barrett Hayton and Jakob Chychrun. Tourigny will be placing his faith in youth, after the ‘Yotes brought in 12 draft picks in the off-season.
Chicago Blackhawks Chicago missed the playoffs for the third time in four campaigns last season, but the return of centreman Jonathan Toews will provide a shot of optimism in the windy city, as will the acquisition of former-Vegas goalie Marc-Andre Fleury. He claimed the Vezina Trophy last season, adjudged the best goalie in the NHL. His class is undeniable, and his partnership with promising net-minders Kevin Lankinen and Malcolm Subban will be interesting. The Blackhawks also invested heavily in their blue-line, bringing in some much-needed experience to a side which conceded the equal-most shots on goal last season. Their firepower to make it out of the Central division is at this stage questionable , but Chicago looks to be on the right track in their development, led by talented forward Kirby Dach, the ever-reliable Patrick Kaine and young American first-liner Alex DeBrincat. Colorado Avalanche The Avalanche were toppled by Vegas in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs last season but are among the favourites to win it all in 2021-22. They should finish at the top of the Central division, led by superstar defenceman Cale Makar, who signed a six-year, US$54m contract extension with the team in the off-season. Captain Gabriel Landeskog will again be a major factor in Denver, while Nathan MacKinnon will be looking to bounce back into Art Ross Trophy calculations. Question marks surround their goaltending after Philipp Grubauer joined the upstart Seattle Kraken via free agency.They acquired Darcy Kuemper from division-rival Coyotes. His partnership with Pavel Francouz has the potential to work beautifully,however its success is far from a sure thing. Bowen Byram is a breakout candidate, although the Avalanche already boast one of the best defences in the league. The Avs appear the most likely team to knock the Lightning off their pedestal. Dallas Stars Despite finishing fifth in the Central division and missing the playoffs last campaign, the Dallas Stars have a threatening line-up very much capable of qualifying for the post-season. Their goaltending is elite, with Anton Khudobin, Jake Oettinger, Braden Holtby and Ben Bishop all set to compete for a regular spot in the side. The Stars left some analysists puzzled when they brought in Braden Holtby from Vancouver, despite Dallas finished seventh for goals-against across 2020-21. The Stars will regain some scoring with Tyler Seguin and Alexander Radulov set to return from serious injuries.
Goalie Braden Holtby is under pressure to fire this season - Photo credit: NHL
Minnesota Wild The Wild put up a good fight against the Vegas Golden Knights in round one of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, taking the eventual semi-finalists to seven games. The organisation received an important boost in the off-season by signing rookie of the year Kirill Kaprizov to a five-year contract extension. Kaprizov scored an impressive 27 goals last time around and will be expected to continue to improve even more with the added expectation. His re-signing came at a cost though, with the team moving on three defencemen in the off-season. 37-year-oldveteran Zach Parise left for the Islanders and is another who will need to be replaced effectively if the Wild are to return to the playoffs.
Nashville Predators Nashville prioritised youth in the off-season, moving on a couple of experienced mainstays to make room for some additional speed and flair to support number one goaltender Juuse Saros, who will start his first season without the support of the retired Pekka Rinne. First liners Filip Forsberg, Ryan Johansen and Matt Duchene will need to provide the bulk of the offense, but the addition of Cody Glass from the Golden Knights could prove a wonder stroke.
St. Louis Blues The Blues were whitewashed 4-0 by the Avalanche in round one of the playoffs earlier this year and enter the fresh campaign with speculation still surrounding alternate captain Vladimir Tarasenko. The Russian winger was a key member of the Blues 2018-19 drought-breaking Stanley Cup win but has requested to be traded from the mid-west team. Tarasenko has dealt with persistent injuries for a couple of seasons now, so his health is vital if he remains in St. Louis. There are a few potential holes on both sides of the puck but trading for Avalanche forward Brandon Saad appears to have been a solid deal.
A fully fit Tarasenko is vital to the Blues' chance of a successful campaign - Photo credit: Fansided
Winnipeg Jets Winnipeg is expected to battle it out with Toronto for the best record in Canada and are widely tipped to finish among the top three in the recently re-formed Central division. After easily accounting for Edmonton in the first round of playoffs last season, the Jets were given a taste of their own medicine in the second round, losing to Montreal in just four games. Head coach Paul Maurice is entering his ninth year in charge of the Manitoba-based side and will be looking to qualify for their fifth-straight post-season. Defencemen Brenden Dillon and Nate Schmidt were added in the break to sure up the blue-line stocks, while Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler and Pierre-Luc Dubois appear set to handle the offensive duties across the first two lines.
Pacific Division
Anaheim Ducks Anaheim missed the playoffs for the third-straight season last campaign, finishing last in the West division with the second-worst record in the league. Dallas Eakins’ Ducks were the worst offensive team last season and will need to improve their goal scoring if they are to lift themselves off the bottom of the division. Like most of the battling teams, this season will largely be focused on the development of youth. Trevor Zegras, IsacLundestrom, Max Comtois and Max Jones are all forwards under 23 years of age who will need to contribute infront of the net. Of course, the Ducks youngsters have captain Ryan Getzlaf to lean on for support, as he enters his 12th year as skipper.
Calgary Flames Despite winning two more games than Montreal, Calgary’s six additional regulation-time losses saw them miss the playoffs behind the eventual Stanley Cup finalists. The Flames are expected to feature in the playoff bracket this season though, pending a return to form from their key forwards. The production from Johnny Gaudreau, Matthew Tkachuk and Sean Monahan was down last season and must improve if the Flames are to match it with Vegas and Edmonton. In a weak Pacific division, the Flames are a good chance of returning to the playoffs, even without defenceman Mark Giordano who was taken by the Seattle Kraken in the expansion draft.
Edmonton Oilers Edmonton will be keen to bounce back after being whitewashed 4-0 by Winnipeg in the first round of the playoffs last season, despite finishing second in the Canadian division only five points behind the Maple Leafs.The sheer brilliance of reigning Hart Trophy winner Connor McDavid and German scoring machine Leon Draisaitl will keep them in the hunt for the division title again this time around. The Oilers brought in some depth on offense and made a couple of major changes to the defence during the break, bringing in Duncan Keith from Chicago and Cody Ceci from Pittsburgh. The goaltending remains a big question mark, with veterans Mike Smith (39 years old) and Mikko Koskinen (33 years old) not getting any younger.
Los Angeles Kings The Kings failed to make the playoffs for the fifth time in seven seasons since winning it all in 2013-14. There is, however, genuine playoff hope in the City of Angles, fuelled by a strong blend of reliable veterans and exciting young prospects. Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown will be important in attack, while experienced goalie Jonathan Quick and star defenceman Drew Doughty will also play valuable roles. Kings fans will be eager to see how the likes of Quinton Byfield, Alex Turcotte and Arthur Kaliyev fare at Staples Centre. Surrounded by several rebuilding teams in the pacific, don’t be surprised to see the Kings make a run for the post-season.
Quinton Byfield has become a fan favourite of Kings suporters - Photo credit: Vaughn Ridley
San Jose Sharks Since entering the league in 1992-93, San Jose have missed the playoffs just eight times. They haven’t missed the playoffs three years in a row since their inception and went to the post-season in 14 of 15 seasons between 2004-05 and 2018-19. However, coach Bob Boughner faces an uphill battle to get the Sharks back to the finals. The speculation regarding Tomas Hertl and Evander Kane won’t help their cause either, with the forwards appearing likely to be moved on soon enough. Newly acquired centre Nick Bonino will add some grunt to the side, but it appears set to be along season for the Sharks in Northern California.
Seattle Kraken The Kraken will take the ice for the first time on Wednesday (12:30pm AEDT) against the Golden Knights in Las Vegas, becoming the league’s 32nd team. Naturally, their first season in the NHL will be closely compared to that of the Golden Knights in 2017-18, when they went all the way to the Stanley Cup final in their inaugural season. The Kraken have a roster which should see them compete for a playoff spot in the pacific, even if they appear to be lacking some genuine star talent. Defenceman Mark Giordano is the leader of the group, which doesn’t necessarily lack experience despite the team’s infancy. Jared McCann is an important piece on offense for Dave Hakstol’s men. It’ll be intriguing to see how Seattle fares in 2021-22.
Vancouver Canucks Vancouver were unable to overcome a sluggish start to the 2020-21 season, finishing a lacklustre seventh in the Canadian division and missing the playoffs for the fifth time in six seasons. But there remains promise and optimism in British Columbia, so long as young stars Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes continue their upward trajectory, following somewhat interrupted pre-seasons. Brock Boeser can be relied upon to contribute as a first-line forward, with the goaltending combination of Thatcher Demko and Jaroslav Halak appearing strong enough to content for a place in the playoffs.
Vegas Golden Knights Vegas are certainly the favourites to win the Pacific after making it to the semi-finals last year, where they were beaten in six games by the Canadiens. Salary cap difficulties saw them lose veteran goalie Marc-André Fleury to Chicago, so Robin Lehner will carry the number one goalie title this season.Lehner is six years younger than Fleury but has proven he can be a top goalie, impressing with Ottawa, Buffalo, the New York Islanders and Chicago before joining the Knights in 2019-20. Vegas has relished the underdog tag in years gone by, although they no longer have that luxury and will be expected to fight for the cup this season. They have a world-class line-up, led by the likes of Max Pacioretty, Mark Stone, Jonathan Marchessault, William Karlsson and Alex Pietrangelo.