With the NHL season starting last week, it is time for my NHL season predictions. I think that the NHL is the best pro sports league to watch because of all the hits and action. This is an exciting time for sports because almost all pro sports leagues are playing right now. The NHL had a great season last year, with the Florida Panthers winning the Stanley Cup.
Each conference gets 8 teams in the playoffs, with 3 teams from each division making it and 2 wild cards from each conference. In the Eastern Conference, there are the Atlantic and Metropolitan divisions, while in the Western Conference, there are the Central and Pacific divisions.
For the Atlantic division, I think that the Panthers, Maple Leafs, and the Red Wings will come out with the division qualifiers. The Panthers have a fully loaded roster with Matthew Tkachuk, Sergei Bobrovsky, and Sam Reinhart, just to name a few. They are coming off of a great playoff run that ended in a trophy, and they kept all of their key players from last season. The Maple Leafs seem to make the playoffs every year but cannot advance past the second round. I think this is the year they make the conference championship and maybe even the finals. They kept a lot of key players from last year, with Austin Mathews and William Nylander being two of the best players in the NHL. And finally, the Red Wings. The Red Wings haven’t made the playoffs in 8 years, and I think this is the year they finally make it. They have a good young core of players and some veterans that can coach them through the season. Dylan Larkin is the captain of this team, and he has not made the playoffs since his rookie season. With him and Alex Debrinkat on the same line, this team has great offensive firepower and a good enough defense to cover for them.
For the Metropolitan Division, I think the Rangers, Hurricanes, and the Penguins will qualify. The Rangers were the best team in the Eastern Conference last season, and I think they will be again this year. They have great offensive weapons and one of the best goalies in the league with Igor Shesterkin. They could have the best-ever record in NHL history with this roster. For the Hurricanes, they have made the playoffs 6 years straight but have not made the Stanley Cup yet. This could be the year for them to finally break through and make the cup. They have a medium-aged roster, with some players being veterans and some being young guys. For the final team in the division, the Penguins. They have a very old roster with many seasoned veterans. Their best players are Sidney Crosby, Evengi Malkin, and Chris Letang. With Crosby aged 37, Malkin aged 38, and Letang 37, this could be the last chance that they get together to make a long playoff run and win the cup.
In the Central division, I think that Winnipeg Jets, Dallas Stars, and Colorado Avalanche will take the top three spots. These teams all have playoff experience, so they could all make a run at the cup. The Jets have one of the best goalies in the league, with Connor Hellybuck starting in net. He is their only star, but they have enough role players to finish at the top of the division. They have players who can score very well and defend enough to win games. The Dallas Stars are a very good team that made the Western Conference finals last year, losing to McDavid and the Oilers. They have two superstar players, Jamie Benn, and Tyler Seguin, and they also have a very good goalie, Jake Oettinger. This is a team that has been to the conference finals 2 years in a row, making them prime for a Stanley Cup appearance. Finally, we have the Avalanche. The Avalanche won the Stanley Cup in 2022, making them one of the more recent teams to win it all. They have a star forward in Nathan MacKinnon and a star defenseman with Cale Makar. These two players alone are enough to push the Avs to a playoff spot, but they also have some great role players who can score when needed.
In the final division, the Pacific division, I think that the Oilers, Flames, and Kraken will make the playoffs. The Oilers are coming off of a heartbreaking season in which they made the Cup final, went down 3-0 games, came back to make the series 3-3, and then lost in game 7 to the Panthers. Connor McDavid is one of the best players in the world right now, and he has all of the supporting cast around him to win it all this year. Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Darnell Nurse are some of the supporting cast around him this year. These guys are all good enough to be some of the best players on their own team, but with all of them on the same team, I don’t see how they won’t win it all. The Flames did not make the playoffs last year, but I am confident that they can this year. They have a very good roster and are number one in the division 6 games in. They have plenty of great players, including Jonathan Huberdeau and Rasmus Andersson. They are also in a fairly easy conference and don’t have the hardest of schedules, comparing them to the average team. The Kraken is the second newest club (the newest if you don’t count relocations), and they have very good talent to make a playoff run. They have only been in the league for 2 years but have some good young talent that, when paired with a very average goaltender duo, could make the playoffs. If they make the playoffs, they will probably lose in the first round, but then at least they could get some experience. I think they will be better in a few years with a more seasoned roster, but if they could get some playoff experience in now, that would be great for their development.
