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Poll: Who Will Win The Western Conference Finals?

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The Western Conference finals are set, as the defending conference champion Edmonton Oilers will take on the Dallas Stars, led by the phenomenal play of Mikko Rantanen. It’s a rematch from last season’s conference final, where the Oilers came out on top in six games.

The Oilers have been on a heater since starting round one with a 2-0 series deficit against the Los Angeles Kings. Since then, the Oilers have lost just one game, winning four in a row against the Kings before taking down the Golden Knights in five games. Unsurprisingly, the team is being led by superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, who have combined for 33 points in 11 games. The Oilers lead all teams with 43 playoff goals, averaging nearly 4 goals per game.

The Oilers have also benefited from standout play by defenseman Evan Bouchard, who leads the team with 26:24 of ice time per game in the playoffs, while contributing 12 points and a team-high 13 takeaways. This continues Bouchard’s tremendous playoff run from last season, when he recorded 32 points and a plus-14 rating, helping the Oilers reach Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.

An intriguing storyline for the Oilers heading into the Western Conference Final is the performance of their goaltenders. Despite the team cruising through two rounds, Calvin Pickard and Stuart Skinner have combined for just an .886 save percentage, which doesn’t inspire much confidence during a playoff run. At some point, it stands to reason that the Oilers may struggle to sustain their momentum with that level of goaltending. That said, Pickard has been perfect since stepping in as the starter, posting a 6-0 record and providing timely saves when needed.

The Stars are being carried by Rantanen, whose league-leading 19 playoff points have been nothing short of spectacular. However, offensive support from the rest of the roster has been inconsistent. Wyatt Johnston, who tallied 71 points during the regular season, has managed just eight in the playoffs and carries a troubling minus-13 rating. Veterans Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn have struggled to make an impact, while 20-goal scorers Evgenii Dadonov and Mikael Granlund have failed to replicate their regular-season production. Despite Rantanen’s heroics, Dallas enters the Western Conference Final with a minus-four goal differential.

That also includes the exceptional goaltending of Jake Oettinger, who has posted a .919 save percentage through 13 playoff games. The 26-year-old has been a consistently reliable performer in the postseason, carrying a .913 save percentage over 60 career appearances. His steady presence in the net will be critical as Dallas prepares to face Edmonton’s high-powered offense.

So, what will win out: the Oilers’ explosive offense, or the Stars’ stout goaltending and the heroics of Rantanen? It’s a clash of strengths that could define the rematch. Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to share your thinking!

Poll: Who Will Win Maple Leafs/Panthers Game 7?

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Any playoff series featuring the defending Stanley Cup champions, especially when matched up against a similarly equipped opponent on paper, is usually bound to be an entertaining one. That’s what we’ve gotten in the second round between the Maple Leafs and Panthers, with a couple of wild momentum shifts resulting in a Game 7 on Sunday night.

The series didn’t start as evenly matched as most would have predicted. Some underwhelming play from Florida netminder Sergei Bobrovsky meant the Leafs, doubling their win total past the first round in the Auston Matthews era, took a 2-0 series lead into Sunrise. But the Panthers, who have controlled the majority of quality chances at 5-on-5 throughout the series, got more support from their All-Star netminder in Games 3 through 5 as they countered with three straight wins of their own to push Toronto to the brink in Game 6. The Leafs, perhaps taking a vital step to erase their underwhelming postseason reputation, put their best performance of the series forward with their backs against the wall with a 2-0 shutout win on the road to send the series home for a do-or-die Game 7.

Bobrovsky and Toronto goaltender Joseph Woll, who entered Game 1 in relief of starter Anthony Stolarz when he exited with apparent concussion symptoms and has started every game since, have had similar showings here in Round 2. The latter’s Game 6 shutout upped his save percentage to .893 with 0.42 goals saved above expected, while Bobrovsky’s posted a .895 SV% and 0.76 GSAx, per Natural Stat Trick.

Regarding the skaters, Florida’s best player hasn’t even played every game in the series. Defenseman Aaron Ekblad has been dominant after missing Game 1 due to suspension, serving as the Cats’ only point-per-game player in the series while averaging 22:34 per game. Depth has been the name of the game for Florida – every player to suit up in at least half of the series has registered a point.

It’s no surprise to see now-established playoff performer William Nylander atop the Leafs’ scoring chart with six points through six games, but the player he’s tied with is quite eye-raising. Depth veteran Max Pacioretty has turned back the clock after scoring the series-clinching goal against the Senators in the first round, rattling off two goals and four assists with a team-high plus-three rating through Game 6 of the Florida series. Averaging just 12:58 per game against the Panthers, he’s among the most efficient scorers in the league this postseason.

As for Toronto’s first-line triumvirate of Matthews, Matthew Knies, and Mitch Marner, they played their best game in Game 6. Matthews’ game-winner was his first of the series, but Knies is the only one with multiple goals in Round 2. On a highly concerning note for Toronto, he’s questionable for Game 7 after sustaining an apparent shoulder injury early in Game 6 and playing through it, head coach Craig Berube said.

While the Panthers are the road team, betting odds and most prediction sites give them the slight edge. Most betting sites have the implied odds of a Florida win around 55%, while MoneyPuck has it at just 50.2%. Of course, Toronto is 2-1 at home against the Panthers in this series and 4-2 at home so far in the playoffs.

One storyline to watch: after the first three games in the series were decided by one goal, including Florida’s come-from-behind overtime win in Game 3, the last three have been decided by two or more. Will we get more of a nail-biter Sunday night?

Let us know which team you think will win Game 7 and advance to the Eastern Conference Final – potentially the Panthers’ third straight ECF appearance or the Leafs’ first since 2002. Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to share your thinking!

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Poll: Who Will Win The 2025 Calder Memorial Trophy?

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Unlike many years where there is a clear-cut favorite for the Calder Memorial Trophy, the 2024-25 season had different ideas. A reasonable case could be made for any of this year’s finalists: Lane Hutson of the Montreal Canadiens, Dustin Wolf of the Calgary Flames, and Macklin Celebrini of the San Jose Sharks.

Hutson likely has the strongest case of the trio. The former 62nd overall selection scored six goals and 60 assists in 82 games for the Canadiens this season, tying Hall-of-Famer Larry Murphy for the most assists recorded by a rookie defenseman. The 20-year-old blue liner ranked second on Montreal in ATOI (22:44) and was a large part of their run to the postseason for the first time since the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs. Additionally, Hutson led the Canadiens in postseason scoring with five assists in five games.

Meanwhile, Wolf looks to become the first netminder to win the award since Steve Mason of the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2008-09. He finished with a slightly worse year than Mason, comparatively, managing a 29-16-8 record in 53 games with a .910 SV% and 2.64 GAA. Still, although Mason backstopped the Blue Jackets to their first postseason appearance in 2009, Wolf was a major reason the Flames remained competitive until the last week of the regular season.

Lastly, last summer’s first overall pick will also be up for the award. Celebrini was one of the few bright spots on a rebuilding Sharks team, leading the team in scoring with 25 goals and 63 points in 70 games. His offensive output tied with fellow-rookie Matvei Michkov of the Philadelphia Flyers (in 10 fewer games), and bested last year’s Calder recipient, the Chicago Blackhawks’ Connor Bedard, by two points in two additional contests. Celebrini’s 25 goals accounted for 12% of all San Jose goals this season.

Although the members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association (PHWA) will have the final say in who ultimately wins the award, it’s time to cast your vote. Who do you think will win this year’s Calder Memorial Trophy? Vote below!

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Poll: Who Will Be The Western Conference Champions?

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The Western Conference playoff field is set after the Wild and Blues took home wins last night in their final regular-season games. They both secure wild-card spots and lock in the following bracket:

C1 Winnipeg Jets vs. WC2 St. Louis Blues
C2 Dallas Stars vs. C3 Colorado Avalanche
P1 Vegas Golden Knights vs. WC1 Minnesota Wild
P2 Los Angeles Kings vs. P3 Edmonton Oilers

That means it’s time to take out our crystal balls and look at who will represent the West in the Stanley Cup Final in a few months. For the wild-card clubs, it’s hard to imagine a more considerable disparity in upset difficulty than this year’s Western Conference. The Blues briefly jumped into the first wild-card spot following a 12-game win streak to get them into postseason position, but a 1-2-1 stretch to end the year had them fall back behind the Wild. That puts them in a Central Division bracket that includes the Presidents’ Trophy winners in Winnipeg and arguably the league’s two deepest offenses in Dallas and Colorado. All three teams finished in the top eight league-wide. There’s still upset potential there, given Jordan Binnington’s playoff history in the net and star center Robert Thomas playing the best hockey of his career (he’s fine after leaving last night’s game with a lower-body injury). Still, it’s a more challenging road on that side of the bracket. The last time Winnipeg and St. Louis met in the first round, though, the latter won the Stanley Cup.

The Jets enter postseason play as a wagon with a bandaged wheel. They got tough news yesterday with winger Nikolaj Ehlers aggravating a foot injury with a week-to-week designation, which almost certainly puts him out for the beginning of their series. While that’s a big blow to the league’s third-ranked offense, they’ll look to their top-ranked defense to hold up. While the skater core has done an exceptional job of limiting high-danger chances at even strength, most of the credit there remains with Vezina frontrunner and Hart candidate Connor Hellebuyck. After posting a .924 SV% and a 2.02 GAA in 62 appearances, can he replicate those numbers in postseason play? In the Hellebuyck era, the Jets have only won a playoff series when he records a save percentage above .920.

The Stars and Avs would likely end up being a second- or third-round matchup in a conference-based playoff format compared to the current divisional one. Perhaps no series has a more compelling storyline to open up the playoffs. Forget the Mikko Rantanen bowl – Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog is trending toward a Game 1 return after missing nearly three years with right knee issues. Dallas, of course, will have to stop the Avs’ retooled offense, now featuring Charlie Coyle, Martin Nečas, and Brock Nelson, without star defenseman Miro Heiskanen to start the series and potentially for the entire first round. That’s in contrast to a Colorado skater core trending toward being fully healthy to begin the postseason. There is a risk for both of these clubs meeting so early on in the playoffs, though – can they get through this series and have enough energy left to spend on three more in their pursuit of the Cup?

On the Pacific side, the Knights are coming off their fifth division title in eight years as they begin their chase for their second Stanley Cup. Unlike past years, there was no deadline spending spree. Reacquiring 2023 Stanley Cup champion and Original Misfit Reilly Smith was their only move, along with signing free agent Brandon Saad mid-season. Amid injuries to core players Mark Stone and Shea Theodore, and even after losing multiple key names on the UFA market last summer, Vegas has chugged along with the league’s sixth-ranked offense and fourth-ranked defense. They continue to control play at 5-on-5, have one of the league’s best power plays, and have gotten strong play out of starter Adin Hill. Will breakout goal-scoring efforts from players like Pavel Dorofeyev and Brett Howden hold up to give Vegas enough secondary scoring to make their third Stanley Cup Final appearance?

They’ll first have to unseat the Wild in the first round. Minnesota has been a shell of itself in the second half of the season and only went 9-8-3 after the trade deadline. Their key to playing spoiler is the return of forward cornerstones Joel Eriksson Ek and Kirill Kaprizov from injury. The former has been spectacular since returning last week, closing the year with five goals in four games, including the game-tying goal that secured a point for the Wild last night and clinched their playoff berth. Filip Gustavsson is having a spectacular season between the pipes. While the Wild have bled low-danger chances at 5-on-5 this year, they’re still one of the better teams in the league at limiting quality looks against. They’ll need to keep games low-scoring for a chance at a Cinderella run.

For the fourth year in a row, the Kings and Oilers meet in the first round. This time, the former holds home ice advantage over the defending conference champions. Los Angeles is hot at the right time as they kick off the postseason and attempt to finally unseat Edmonton after a trio of series losses. They’re 17-4-0 since the trade deadline while outscoring opponents 80-39 – yes, that’s a 3.81 goals per game clip for a team that struggled to score for most of the season. Led by dueling 35-goal campaigns from Kevin Fiala and Adrian Kempe while trade deadline pickup Andrei Kuzmenko has fit like a glove with 17 points in 21 games, they may not have the franchise offensive talent Edmonton boasts, but they enter the series with a more mobile defense core and the clear edge in goaltending with 2022 Stanley Cup champion Darcy Kuemper having a renaissance season.

The Oilers will attempt to begin their journey toward a repeat Final appearance without their top two-way defenseman, Mattias Ekholm. He’s ruled out for the first round with an undisclosed injury and could even be done for the season. That forces Brett Kulak to step back into a top-four role on the blue line alongside Evan Bouchard, Darnell Nurse, and crucial deadline pickup Jake Walman to begin the postseason. Will a continued MVP performance from Leon Draisaitl be enough for them to crack the Kings?

PHR readers, tell us who you think will sit atop the Western Conference when all is said and done and vote in the poll below:

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Photos courtesy of Matt Marton-Imagn Images and Sergei Belski-Imagn Images.

Poll: What Was The Most Impactful Trade Of Deadline Day?

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What a change a year can make. The 2025 NHL trade deadline was among the most exciting in recent memory, with several big names being moved. Last season, arguably the day’s biggest trade was the Vegas Golden Knights’ surprising acquisition of Tomáš Hertl from the San Jose Sharks for a high-end prospect and a first-round pick.

Yesterday put last year’s deadline day to shame. There were 23 total trades made on deadline day, with four first-round picks, eight top-six forwards, and one top-four defenseman changing hands. The excitement extended beyond March 7th, but we’ll isolate this list to yesterday’s events.

Earlier in the day, the Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators engaged in a rare intra-divisional trade of magnitude. The Senators dealt Joshua Norris and Jacob Bernard-Docker to the Sabres for Dylan Cozens, Dennis Gilbert, and Buffalo’s 2026 second-round pick. Norris and Cozens are quality top-six scorers when they’re playing to their fullest potential, but both represented change-of-scenery candidates. Norris is signed through the next five years with a $7.95MM cap hit, while Cozens is making $850K less with one fewer year remaining. They both play a similar style, with Norris having the edge defensively, but Cozens has been far more available than Norris over the last several years.

Then came the big one. Mikko Rantanen quickly became one of the day’s highest-valued trade candidates after failing to reach an extension with the Carolina Hurricanes. It had been less than two months since Carolina traded for Rantanen themselves, sending a package of Martin Nečas, Jack Drury, a 2025 second-round pick, and a 2026 fourth-round pick to the Colorado Avalanche. The Hurricanes were reportedly willing to sign Rantanen to a rich extension, but nothing materialized in the following weeks.

Rather than lose him for nothing like they did with Jake Guentzel last season, Carolina began scouting the market for potential trades. The Dallas Stars eventually won the bidding war, trading top prospect Logan Stankoven, a 2026 first-round pick, a 2028 first-round pick, a 2026 third-round pick, and a 2027 third-round pick to Carolina. Dallas wasn’t done capturing headlines yet, as they quickly signed Rantanen to an eight-year, $96MM extension.

Much like they attempt to nearly every year, the Toronto Maple Leafs made some notable additions. The first one of the day was a long time coming. Toronto sent prospect Nikita Grebenkin and a 2027 first-round pick to the Philadelphia Flyers for Scott Laughton and a pair of late-round draft picks. Making the deal even better for the Maple Leafs, the Flyers are retaining 50% of Laughton’s salary this season and next, bringing his cap hit down to $1.5MM. Laughton immediately gives Toronto an effective third-line center while having the flexibility to play anywhere in the team’s lineup.

Shifting over to Toronto’s most fearsome playoff rival over the last several years, the Boston Bruins became an entirely different group. In three separate trades, the Bruins shipped Charlie Coyle to Colorado, Brandon Carlo to Toronto, and captain Brad Marchand to the Florida Panthers. In total, Boston acquired Casey Mittelstadt, Fraser Minten, Will Zellers, Toronto’s 2026 first-round pick, a conditional 2027 second-round pick from Florida, and Carolina’s 2025 second-round pick.

It’s not an exhaustive list by any means, but it puts the magnitude of yesterday’s events into perspective. However, only one team can win the Stanley Cup every year, and it may not even be a team mentioned.

Now it’s time for you to choose — which trade from deadline day helps their new teams the most with that goal?

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Poll: Will The Hurricanes Trade Mikko Rantanen?

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One of the biggest storylines heading into trade deadline week is the potential availability of Carolina Hurricanes’ winger, Mikko Rantanen. The Finnish star has already been traded once this year, going from Denver to Raleigh for Martin Nečas, Jack Drury, a 2025 second-round pick, and a 2026 fourth-round pick. However, a lack of extension with the Hurricanes this close to the deadline has some insiders believing Carolina will look to move him again rather than lose him for nothing in the offseason.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman threw fuel on the fire last Saturday. Friedman suggested on his weekly segment Saturday Headlines the Hurricanes have offered Rantanen an eight-year, $100MM+ extension, which would make him the eighth player in NHL history to sign a nine-figure deal. Still, due to the emotions of being traded away from the only organization he’s known for the last decade, Rantanen hasn’t decided on an extension with Carolina. Friedman emphasized that it doesn’t indicate Rantanen is leaning either way, but it does put the Hurricanes’ front office on a time crunch.

To update the situation further, TSN’s Darren Dreger touched on Rantanen’s status on TSN’s Ottawa 1200 yesterday evening (beginning around the 10:30 mark of the broadcast). Dreger mentions that owner Tom Dundon, a hands-on owner, relatively speaking, is having difficulty considering a Rantanen trade given what they parted with to acquire him. Still, Dreger is confused, like many analysts, about why Carolina made the trade in the first place if they weren’t fully convinced Rantanen would sign an extension. Additionally, the TSN insider doesn’t believe Rantanen is enjoying his time with the Hurricanes.

There’s on-ice data to support that claim. The former 100-point scorer with the Colorado Avalanche has posted one goal and two assists through his first eight games with Carolina, averaging 20:10 of ice time per game. His shooting percentage has dropped to 4.0%, which is exceptionally low considering his career track record. Rantanan simply hasn’t looked fully engaged as a Hurricane, and the team has suffered for it, posting a 2-5-1 record with him in the lineup.

Unfortunately for Carolina, the team will have difficulty acquiring a package similar to the one they sent to Colorado. Most contending teams will consider Rantanan a rental at this stage, which will decrease what they’re willing to part with to obtain him.

For potential suitors, we can reasonably assume he won’t wear another team’s jersey in the Metropolitan Division this season. The Hurricanes are looking for their first Stanley Cup Final appearance since 2006, and they’ll have to go through one or two teams in their division due to the current playoff formatting. Furthermore, as good as Rantanen’s fit would be with any of the three-headed monsters in the Atlantic Division (Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Toronto Maple Leafs), it’s hard to imagine Carolina helping a team they might have to play for a Stanley Cup Final berth.

That should isolate Rantanen’s potential market to Western Conference teams only. The Dallas Stars and Vegas Golden Knights are clear suitors, with the Edmonton Oilers also being a team to watch out for. Edmonton has a larger need for a defenseman, but they could afford Rantanen’s remaining deal should Evander Kane spend the remainder of the regular season on long-term injured reserve. Despite the need for a defenseman, few teams in the West could compete against a top line of Rantanen, Connor McDavid, and Leon Draisaitl.

Should a team like the Chicago Blackhawks or San Jose Sharks believe they can sign Rantanen to a big-ticket extension, they may be willing to pay the premium. Chicago and San Jose could easily wait until July 1st to sign Rantanen without parting with any assets, but the potential of an eighth year in his contract might entice them.

The Hurricanes are caught between a rock and a hard place. Will they keep Rantanen for a shot at the Stanley Cup, or will they recoup some assets for him rather than lose him for nothing in the summer? Vote below!

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Poll: Who Will Win The 4 Nations Face-Off?

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The first (and perhaps only) 4 Nations Face-Off is less than 48 hours away. Festivities will kick off in Montreal on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. CT, with Canada versus Sweden. As a refresher, the tournament will consist of seven matchups: six round-robin games and a championship match on Feb. 20 between the top two clubs in the standings (which will use a 3-2-1-0 points system!).

Canada’s roster, while still without a couple of glaring omissions, remains the favorite. Icing the duos of Connor McDavid–Mitch Marner and Sidney Crosby–Nathan MacKinnon on two different lines will do that for you – especially with two-way dynamos Sam Reinhart and Mark Stone on their respective left wings (at least to start, per Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic). Add in a dynamic “checking” line of Sam Bennett, Anthony Cirelli, and Brandon Hagel, plus a defensive corps quarterbacked by Cale Makar and anchored by top shutdown presence Colton Parayko, and there aren’t many question marks among the skaters despite names like Mark Scheifele and Nick Suzuki being left off the roster.

Goaltending, as discussed at length in the public zeitgeist, will be the make-or-break factor. All signs point to 2023 Stanley Cup winner Adin Hill as their Game 1 starter. While he’s already recorded a career-high 20 wins through 34 starts for the Golden Knights, his .900 SV% and 2.64 GAA are rather pedestrian, and his 8.8 goals saved above expected ranks 21st in the league (per MoneyPuck). He’s good but not great – making it an especially damning decision for Canada to leave Vezina Trophy contender Logan Thompson off the roster. He’d give them a much more legitimate contender to compete with the Americans’ Connor Hellebuyck and the Swedes’ Filip Gustavsson, both bonafide top-10 netminders in the league based on this season’s sample.

While Hellebuyck stands as the primary reason for the United States’ optimism for a championship, their left-wing depth has allowed them to ice Kyle Connor, Jake Guentzel, and Matt Boldy on different lines. A one-two punch of Jack Eichel and Auston Matthews down the middle puts them much closer in talent there to Canada than the two European participants, and while they’ve lost their top defenseman in Quinn Hughes due to injury, a top pairing of Jaccob Slavin and Adam Fox gives them a combination of arguably the league’s best defensive mind and a player who’s produced over 70 points for three seasons in a row.

Down seasons from most of Sweden’s center corps mean they look thin up front, with Elias Pettersson and Mika Zibanejad anchoring their top six. A largely veteran group, especially on their depth lines, also raises some questions about whether declining talents like Viktor Arvidsson and Gustav Nyquist will be able to keep up with the scoring depth of the Canadians, Americans, and even the Finns. But their top two goalies, Gustavsson and Linus Ullmark, give them a clear advantage at the position over everyone but the United States, and their defensive corps boasting two-way dynamos like Mattias Ekholm and Gustav Forsling, in addition to some of the league’s top offensive talents give them a fluid blue line that can compete for a title.

Finland’s championship candidacy looks incredibly bleak after injuries decimated their blue line, keeping star Miro Heiskanen out as well as solid depth pieces Jani Hakanpää and Rasmus Ristolainen. Their goaltending trio of Kevin Lankinen, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Juuse Saros grades out more similarly to Canada’s than it does to the U.S. or Sweden, so they’ll need to rely on their forward group for success. They have scoring depth in spades, with Aleksander Barkov, Sebastian Aho, Roope Hintz, and Anton Lundell all centering their own lines. An elite sniper and power-play piece in Patrik Laine helps things along in addition to having names like Mikko Rantanen and Mikael Granlund in their top nine. But how effective will Finland be with the man advantage with Utah depth defender Juuso Välimäki projected as their top power play quarterback?

Who do you think will win the tournament? Have your say in the poll below!

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Poll: Which Team Will Win The 4 Nations Face-Off?

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We are nearly two months away from the start of the 4 Nations Face-Off. NHL players from Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the United States will compete in the best-on-best matchup for an in-season tournament from February 12 through 20th, 2025. Rosters were recently released on December 4th and each country has a reason to be optimistic about their chances.

Canada objectively has the most star power on their roster and it’s not close. Most teams have trouble dealing with Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid on any given night and he’ll now be joined by the likes of Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Mitch Marner, and Cale Makar, among others, in the lineup. The only question mark for Team Canada will be in the crease as the combination of Jordan Binnington, Adin Hill, and Sam Montembeault have only combined for an approximated .900 SV% for their respective clubs this season.

One team’s weakness is another team’s strength. The United States will deploy the trio of Connor Hellebuyck, Jake Oettinger, and Jeremy Swayman in the net giving them an automatic chance to win every game. Team USA should be able to spread the wealth on offense by separating the trio of Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel, and Kyle Connor onto their lines and allowing the puck-movers on defense to lead from the blue line. There were some notable absences from Team USA’s eventual roster but it’s tough to count them out of any game with their impressive conglomeration of netminders.

Team Sweden won’t have nearly the same star power on offense as their North American counterparts but does arguably have the tournament’s best blue line. Erik Karlsson, Victor Hedman, Rasmus Andersson, and Rasmus Dahlin are more than capable puck-moving defensive while Mattias Ekholm, Gustav Forsling, and Jonas Brodin are some of the best shutdown defensemen in the league. Sweden’s success in this tournament will be directly correlated with their defensive core.

Rounding out the group is Team Finland who will be bringing one of the stingiest groups to Montreal and Boston. Finland’s success will be connected to how well they can keep games close between their respective counterparts. Sebastian Aho, Aleksander Barkov, and Mikko Rantanen will be relied upon for most of Finland’s offense. Opposing teams will run into annoyance with Finland, having to beat Juuse Saros after getting through a staunch defense.

The rosters can and likely will change based on the health and availability of players heading into the tournament but the final group will look similar to how they are constructed today. Now the crystal ball is being passed to you — who do you think will win the 4 Nations Face-Off in February? Vote below!

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Poll: Who Will Win The Central Division In 2024-25?

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The top of the Central Division has been among the league’s toughest gauntlets over the past few seasons, and there’s little reason to expect that to change this year. There could be some new faces atop the list, however.

The Stars line up for this season with much of the same forward group that’s taken them to back-to-back Western Conference Finals. Yes, veteran top-line fixture Joe Pavelski announced his retirement, but his role alongside Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson is set to be filled by 21-year-old Wyatt Johnston, who’s coming off a 32-goal, 65-point sophomore season. 2024 AHL MVP Mavrik Bourque is projected to replace Johnston’s vacant middle-six spot, so there are no worries there.

Some will raise their eyebrows at Dallas’ defensive depth after losing Jani Hakanpää, Ryan Suter, and Chris Tanev, though. And rightfully so – their right defense depth chart is now headed off by free-agent signings Mathew Dumba and Ilya Lyubushkin, both of whom are likely safe bets for bottom-pairing roles on a lot of other contending teams. They’re hoping a three-headed monster of Miro Heiskanen, Thomas Harley, and Esa Lindell on the left side is enough to keep them atop the Central Division’s regular season pecking order.

The Jets were a solid possession team last year, but make no mistake – the franchise’s second-ever 110-point season can be attributed almost entirely to goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, who posted a .921 SV% in 60 games en route to his second Vezina Trophy win. Aside from losing mid-season pickup Sean Monahan to the Blue Jackets in free agency, their forward corps remains identical and will likely finish near the middle of the pack again after finishing 15th in goals last season.

Like Dallas, defensive depth is where Winnipeg’s alarm bells begin to sound. They managed to keep Dylan DeMelo off the free agent market, signing him to a four-year, $19.6MM extension to keep one of the league’s better top pairings last season with Josh Morrissey intact. However, they bought out Nate Schmidt, who, while overpaid, was one of their best even-strength possession players last year. Losing top-four fixture Brenden Dillon on the open market also stings and leaves a struggling Neal Pionk, arguably the Jets’ worst defensive player last season, with more responsibility than they’d like.

The Avalanche will again begin the season with a notable list of absences. Captain Gabriel Landeskog won’t be in the opening night lineup for the third season in a row as he continues to recover from multiple knee surgeries, but unlike in the past two years, they’re expecting him back at some point. That’ll be a huge boon to an offense that still managed to lead the league in goals last season despite pre-deadline depth concerns, as will be the return of Valeri Nichushkin from a six-month suspension and stint in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program in November. Their wing depth looks dicey to start, but last year’s acquisition of Casey Mittelstadt at the deadline gives them the best center depth they’ve had since winning it all in 2022.

Their defense is also improved with a new-look third-pairing of low-cost free agent pickups Erik Brännström and Oliver Kylington, both of whom should thrive in an up-tempo Colorado system. Goaltending remains a concern, with Alexandar Georgiev coming off a subpar season, but backup Justus Annunen is pushing for more responsibility after logging a spectacular .928 SV% in 14 games. All indications point to the Avs replicating last year’s 107-point performance, if not improving on it.

The Predators’ offseason needs no introduction. They enter 2024-25 with their most star-studded forward corps since the mid-2000s (remember Peter Forsberg and Paul Kariya’s days in Tennessee?) after adding 2023 Conn Smythe winner Jonathan Marchessault and future Hall of Famer Steven Stamkos to their ranks. They’ll give much-needed depth to an offense that miraculously managed to finish 10th in scoring last season thanks to resurgences from Ryan O’Reilly and Gustav Nyquist, the latter of whom erupted for a career-high 75 points at age 34 in top-line minutes.

Their defense lost Ryan McDonagh after he was traded to the Lightning but gained one of the better left-shot options on the UFA market in Brady Skjei. With those moves largely canceling each other out and Juuse Saros still manning the pipes, Nashville’s team defense should still finish above average but doesn’t look like it’ll be among the league’s best, with players like Jeremy Lauzon and Luke Schenn still projected to be a bit over-taxed. Still, there’s an opening for them to climb back into a divisional playoff spot and potentially win their first Central title since 2019.

For last year’s playoff misses in the Central, this season’s aspirations are conservative. That’s especially true for the Blues, who missed out on a playoff spot by six points and proceeded to have one of the league’s most eventful offseasons. Their offer sheets of Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway completed a summer that saw St. Louis have some of the largest roster turnover league-wide. Their bottom six has more new faces than returnees – only prospect Zach Dean and Alexey Toropchenko were on the team’s roster last season among their current projected opening-night third and fourth lines. They’re hoping some more offensively-inclined talent like Holloway, Mathieu Joseph, and Alexandre Texier can add a little bit of juice to last year’s 24th-ranked offense.

Their defense will feature Broberg starring in the role of veteran Torey Krug, who’ll miss the entire season after undergoing left ankle surgery. If they have any hope of closing the gap for a postseason berth, they’ll also need more of the same from Jordan Binnington between the pipes. His .913 SV% in 55 showings last year was his best since guiding the Blues to a Cup in his rookie season in 2019.

The Wild’s biggest offseason addition comes from inside the house. Captain Jared Spurgeon’s presence on the blue line will be their biggest X factor after back and hip surgeries ended his 2023-24 season in January. The rest of the roster is mostly familiar faces, but they are projected to carry three goalies, with top netminding prospect Jesper Wallstedt showing he’s ready for full-time NHL minutes. He could churn out numbers that exceed those of Marc-André Fleury and Filip Gustavsson, who are back for a third season in Minnesota as a tandem after struggling to a combined .897 SV% last year.

Then there’s perhaps the conference’s biggest dark horse in its new garb – the Utah Hockey Club. The continuation of the defunct Arizona Coyotes franchise picked up right where they left off at the end of the dark days of their rebuild. With greater financial resources, general manager Bill Armstrong showed extreme confidence that Utah is ready to contend for a postseason spot, reshaping their blue line by acquiring John Marino and Mikhail Sergachev in a pair of trades around the draft. A full season of emerging youngsters Josh Doan and Dylan Guenther, the latter of whom scored at a 64-point pace in last season’s 45-game call-up, will help boost a promising offense squarely into the league’s upper half. But whether the pickup of Marino and Sergachev (who’s not necessarily known for his stay-at-home presence) can help get the league’s eighth-worst defense up where it needs to be for playoff contention remains to be seen.

The Blackhawks, meanwhile, are just looking to be relevant once again. After four straight seasons below 70 points, that demarcation is likely the goal for Chicago, with Connor Bedard beginning his sophomore season. They have a decent shot at doing so after being one of the league’s bigger players in free agency, reshaping their top-six forward group with the pickups of Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teräväinen. The additions of veterans T.J. Brodie and Alec Martinez on defense won’t likely have a ton of impact on their record but should give their younger defenders more runway for growth, and they shored up their goaltending by adding one of the league’s premier backups in Laurent Brossoit.

So, we ask you, PHR readers: after an offseason of significant changes, who do you think is best primed to take home the Central Division title? Tell us by voting in the poll below:

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Poll: Who Will Win The Metropolitan Division In 2024-25?

at CDT | by 7 Comments

A three-headed monster for much of the past few years, the Metropolitan Division only had two serious contenders last season. The Presidents’ Trophy-winning Rangers and second-place Hurricanes ran away with things, creating a 17-point gap between them and the third-place Islanders.

There are question marks around whether the Metro will return to its former level of competitiveness in 2024-25. What does seem relatively certain, however, are the Rangers’ chances of staying at the top of the division.

Little has changed for the Blueshirts. Their top-six forward group sees only one new name, veteran Reilly Smith, who’ll likely be part of a revolving door of wingers alongside Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad, like how things transpired last year. Their forward depth returns are largely intact, too, with a full season of a healthy Filip Chytil as their third-line center, hopefully giving them some more punch. The defense remained as it was, aside from the loss of Erik Gustafsson. All in all, there’s little reason to suspect significant, if any, regression from the Rags.

Last year’s runner-up, Carolina, is where things start to get interesting. The Canes lost multiple key pieces to the free-agent market, including Jake Guentzel, Teuvo Teräväinen, Brett Pesce, Brady Skjei, and Stefan Noesen. They replaced their back-end departures, signing Shayne Gostisbehere and Sean Walker, but didn’t do nearly as well to replace their departing forwards. That leaves the Hurricanes, whose offense has been their biggest weakness since returning to championship contention a few years ago, with considerable question marks, especially after news that Jesper Fast will miss the entire season after undergoing neck surgery. They’ll be counting on UFA signings like William Carrier and Jack Roslovic to play larger roles than they’re accustomed to and could trot out 2023 first-rounder Bradly Nadeau in NHL minutes in his first professional season.

The Islanders return with plenty of familiar faces after squeaking into a divisional playoff spot with 94 points – a total that would have made them the second Wild Card in the Atlantic Division and kept them out of the playoffs entirely in the Western Conference. They’ll likely need an improvement to return to the dance for a third straight year, let alone capture a divisional title. Their X factor will be Anthony Duclair, set to take on top-line duties alongside Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat after signing a four-year deal in free agency. The four-time 20-goal scorer will be relied upon heavily to help lift the Isles’ offense out of the league’s bottom half for the first time since 2018. A rebound from Ilya Sorokin, who regressed to a rather pedestrian .908 SV% after two years of .920+ play, should help too.

The Capitals’ season will be dominated by more Alex Ovechkin headlines. After all, the captain is just 41 goals away from tying Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record. But there’s a clear directive to remain competitive while he’s still around, as evidenced by their pickup of key names like Jakob Chychrun, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Andrew Mangiapane, and Logan Thompson on the trade market and Matt Roy in free agency. All of a sudden, the Caps have one of the more well-rounded defense corps in the conference and are in a much better position to repeat last year’s 40-win, 91-point campaign without the concerningly low -37 goal differential.

The Penguins, fresh off signing Sidney Crosby to a two-year extension, also have dreams of just sneaking back into the playoffs rather than competing for a division title. They’re hoping some added speed on the back end in the form of Sebastian Aho and Matt Grzelcyk, as well as depth forward pickups like Anthony Beauvillier and Cody Glass, can help aid a still-skilled but aging core. Whether 2022 first-round pick Rutger McGroarty is ready to make an NHL impact after being acquired from the Jets this offseason is also a big question that will receive an answer over the next few weeks.

The Flyers seem set to remain in the mushy middle. It’s not a bad thing – they’re past the dark days of their rebuild with brighter days ahead – but no one is expecting them to be a top contender this season. A strong rookie season from 2023 seventh overall selection Matvei Michkov could go a long way toward firing up expectations for the future, though, and rightfully so. Early signs indicate it’ll be a two-horse race between him and Sharks first-overall selection Macklin Celebrini for this season’s Calder Trophy. He likely won’t be enough to lift an otherwise largely untouched roster from last season that finished with 87 points back into the playoff picture, though.

After an injury-plagued season plummeted the Devils to a seventh-place finish in the Metro, there’s no team with a better potential for a rebound campaign in the league. Whether New Jersey will reach the heights of their 112-point 2022-23 campaign remains to be seen, but it’s a safe bet that they’ll be knocking on the door of a playoff spot – if not working their way into the division title conversation. Their goaltending tandem is reworked with a duo of proven veterans in Jacob Markström and Jake Allen, their defense is again among the league’s elite with a healthy Dougie Hamilton and the additions of Brenden Dillon and Pesce, and the guts of the offense that finished fourth in the league two years ago are still intact.

Then there’s the Blue Jackets, who are set for another development season with new head coach Dean Evason at the helm. They’ll be looking for 2023 third-overall pick Adam Fantilli to stay healthy after a calf laceration truncated his rookie season, and they’ll also look for 2022 top-10 pick David Jiricek to take a step forward with increased responsibilities on the back end. They’re running back one of the league’s worst starters over the past two seasons in goal in Elvis Merzļikins, though, and while there are some breakout candidates elsewhere in the lineup, a third straight last-place finish in the division seems likely.

So, we ask you, PHR readers, who will finish atop the Metropolitan Division at the end of the 2024-25 season? Vote in the poll below:

Mobile users, click here to vote!

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