The only predictable thing about the 2024-25 NHL season is unpredictability.

There are teams that could be Stanley Cup contenders or find themselves outside the playoff bubble. There are players who could boom or bust. The future is delightfully murky.

That established, here are bold predictions for the NHL’s 32 teams in the 2024-25 season. These educated guesses range from statistical achievements to awards predictions to coach firings to Stanley Cup playoffs prognostications. Many of them will be proved correct, except for the ones that aren’t. Enjoy, and welcome back, hockey!

How to watch the 2024-25 NHL season on ESPN networks — including 100 exclusive games and the out-of-market package (over 1,050 games).

Atlantic Division

This is Jim Montgomery’s final season in Boston

At his preseason news conference, Bruins GM Don Sweeney mentioned there have been talks between the team and head coach Jim Montgomery about a contract extension. Which is (A) different than signing one, and (B) not an indication of job safety even if he had signed one.

The Bruins have been eliminated in consecutive postseasons by the Panthers, losing in Game 7 of the first round in 2023 and Game 6 of the second round in 2024. There’s been one surefire way for Boston coaches to keep their jobs, and that’s playing for the Stanley Cup. Otherwise, ownership has been known to be quick with a hook behind the bench. It wouldn’t be fair or warranted to Monty, but it would be an expected overreaction for the Bruins to move on from their coach if there are diminishing returns this season. Because it’s not like they’re in the business of firing general managers in Boston, having had five of them since 1972.

---

The playoff drought ends

The last time the Sabres made the playoffs, “Fast 5” was in theaters, a duet between Katy Perry and Kanye West was the No. 1 song in the U.S. and their coach was … the same guy who’s coaching them now? Wait, that can’t be right, can it?

Yup. Lindy Ruff returns to the franchise where he coached 15 seasons and finds a Sabres team that hasn’t made the postseason cut since 2011. He also finds a team with two pillars on defense (Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power); a collection of young standout forwards in their top six; and a revamped bottom six that brings speed this team lacked under Don Granato. While he doesn’t have Dominik Hasek or Ryan Miller between the pipes, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was strong last season and Devon Levi’s underlying numbers showed promise.

Look, there is a mountainous amount of stuff that needs to go right for the Sabres to make the playoffs. It starts with Ruff getting a young roster to commit defensively in ways it hasn’t before — something he had success with for a time during his last stop in New Jersey. It requires good health and core players continuing on their growth trajectories. Most of all, it requires a spot opening up for them in the conference from the teams that qualified last season — perhaps even two spots, if we assume the Devils are back in the playoff picture.

So let’s call this an “educated prayer.” Ultimately, I think enough breaks right for Buffalo for them to emerge from that pack of rebuilders in the Atlantic. The streak ends. The playoff tailgates in Buffalo begin.

---

Red Wings hit reverse in Motor City

Last season, the Red Wings pushed right to the end for a playoff spot, thanks to the NHL’s ninth-best offense (3.35 goals per game) overcoming the ninth-worst defense (3.33).

Goaltending woes received some of the blame for the latter, and GM Steve Yzerman turned to 37-year-old Cam Talbot to help solidify that spot. He joins no fewer than five goaltenders trying to stake a claim on NHL playing time in training camp. I believe it was the great John Madden — the football guy, not the former NHL center — who was credited with saying, “If you have two quarterbacks, you actually have none.”

But in reality, their goaltending (17th in save percentage) wasn’t the problem that their 5-on-5 defense (22nd in expected goals against) was last season. The Red Wings have to prove they can defend well enough to earn a playoff spot. I’m not confident they will, nor am I confident that they’re going to post another 12.1% shooting percentage.

---

Regression, thy name is Sam Reinhart

For great goal scorers, timing is everything. The timing for Reinhart in 2023-24 couldn’t have been better for him: 57 goals in 82 games during a contract year ahead of unrestricted free agency, which netted him an eight-year, $69 million extension; and in a season that saw the Panthers win their first Stanley Cup by getting another 10 goals from him the playoffs.

Reinhart deserved to secure the bag as one of the NHL’s top scorers in the past seven seasons. He went four straight seasons with 20-plus goals and then the past three with 30-plus goals, culminating with that 57-goal apex. But he had a shooting percentage of 24.5% last season when his career shooting percentage is 15.6%. He also posted 27 of his goals on the power play, where the Panthers lost defensemen Brandon Montour (17 power-play points) and Oliver Ekman-Larsson (11) to free agency.

The good news for Florida is that a Reinhart regression probably just ebbs him back to 30 goals. Every team in the NHL would take that.

---

Lane Hutson is a Calder Trophy finalist

Sometimes, the finalists for the Calder Trophy are obvious: First-year players who led the rookie class in goals or points or wins, on the rare occasion when a goaltender sneaks into the top three.

It’s a pretty thin season for blue-chip rookie defensemen, especially in comparison to recent crops, so the opportunity is there for Lane Hutson to lead all rookie blueliners in scoring — but that alone might not get his ticket punched as a finalist. Luckily, Hutson can augment his statistical achievements by populating highlight reels and social media clips with his eye-popping offense, which is something he has already done in the preseason.

Cette passe de Lane Hutson! 😮‍💨🍝 pic.twitter.com/vMEl9SQwLG

— RDS (@RDSca) September 21, 2024

Please recall when Ducks winger Trevor Zegras was second in the Calder voting in 2021-22. Sure, he had a numbers argument, as did others. What set him apart was literally having a pass named after him when he flipped the puck over the net to Sonny Milano for a goal. Sometimes it’s about those viral moments that a rookie creates. Hutson has that potential. And hockey fans love a short king, as Cole Caufield can attest.

All of this depends on his frame handling NHL physicality and coach Marty St. Louis ceding some power-play time to him, which isn’t guaranteed given how well Mike Matheson ran things last season. But as several forwards cannibalize support from voters, the 20-year-old defenseman glides into the rookie of the year final three.

---

Linus Ullmark is one-and-done in Ottawa

It’s not often I hope to be incorrect on a bold prediction, but this qualifies.

Ullmark was acquired from the Bruins during the offseason. He’s in the last year of his contract before unrestricted free agency, and the Senators are reportedly giving him time to get acclimated before trying to extend him. Ottawa has a strong goaltending tandem now with Ullmark and Anton Forsberg, another UFA next summer. Stability is paramount for this franchise. Here’s hoping they can get Ullmark to commit to Ottawa so that this doesn’t become Alex DeBrincat 2.0 for the Senators.

---

Jake Guentzel scores 40 goals or more

Some hockey fans would love nothing more than to experience the schadenfreude of watching the Lightning jettison Steven Stamkos for a younger model and then have Guentzel struggle to fill the former captain’s skates.

Unfortunately for them, Guentzel has made a career of meshing with elite offensive talent, first with Sidney Crosby in Pittsburgh and then briefly with Sebastian Aho in Carolina, where Guentzel had 25 points in 17 games after the 2024 trade deadline.

He’s slotting in with two of the best offensive players in the world in Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov, the latter of whom became the fifth player in NHL history to have 100 assists in a season, in 2023-24. While there’s no replacing the years of familiarity those two had with Stamkos, it’s hard to imagine a malleable talent like Guentzel not meshing with the Lightning stars to form perhaps the most explosive line in the NHL.

---

Mitch Marner re-signs

Watching the Toronto media cover the Maple Leafs from afar is like watching a predatory animal in captivity. Half the time you’re in awe of an unending ferocity when there’s fresh meat tossed their way; the rest of the time is spent observing subtle shifts in behavior that signal that conditions have changed.

To wit: Stories about potential trade destinations for Marner, their star winger — in the last year of his contract, possessing a full no-movement clause — have given way to stories about how he’s willing to negotiate a contract extension during the season, and whether it’s in Toronto’s best interests to do so. Marner’s been unwavering in wanting to remain with the Maple Leafs. He has also been saddled with every playoff failure that’s happened during his tenure.

His teammates love him. His team is probably afraid they’ll spend the next few years of Auston Matthews’ contract looking for another player like Marner. Mitch Marner, Leaf for life. Nature finds a way.

Metropolitan Division

Canes miss the playoffs

The Hurricanes couldn’t retain the services of Jake Guentzel, Brett Pesce, Brady Skjei or Teuvo Teravainen during the offseason. They have other question marks, too, like whether Jesperi Kotkaniemi can hold down second-line center in their lineup. But they still have a dynamic top line; two capable goaltenders in Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov; and a sturdy system that has produced results for coach Rod Brind’Amour in his previous six seasons with the Hurricanes.

Brind’Amour has coached the Canes to the playoffs in each of those six seasons. They’ve played to a 100-point pace in each of the past four seasons. The notion that they’d miss the playoffs is, admittedly, difficult to grok. But this feels like a transition year for the Hurricanes. They lost a lot of talent. They’re waiting on the next wave of players like defensemen Alexander Nikishin and Scott Morrow and forwards such as Bradly Nadeau. It’s going to be a brief step back before a leap forward under new GM Eric Tulsky.

---

Adam Fantilli has his breakout year

The No. 3 pick in 2023 had the kind of season one expects from a 19-year-old in the NHL: OK offensive stats (27 points in 49 games) offset by being a defensive liability on a terrible team. The best news for Fantilli this offseason was the arrival of Sean Monahan as a free agent — not only as a mentor at center, but as someone who can allow Fantilli to face friendlier defensive matchups.

Fantilli is projected for 54 points in an 82-game campaign. I think he eclipses that with a bump in power-play points, where he had just one goal and two assists last season.

---

New Jersey wins the Eastern Conference

If it was the goaltending, that’s been addressed with Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen. If it was the lack of stability on defense, that’s been addressed with Brett Pesce, Brenden Dillon and a healthy Dougie Hamilton. If it was the role players, that’s been addressed with Stefan Noesen, Paul Cotter and old friend Tomas Tatar. If it was the coaching, that was addressed with Sheldon Keefe being hired to bring defensive responsibility and general accountability back to the Devils’ roster.

Which is to say that GM Tom Fitzgerald has plugged every leak and built a team that looks like championship material on paper, as long as key players stay healthy and they pass the chemistry test.

If they don’t make the playoffs, the Devils are the league’s biggest disaster for two years running. If they do, they have the talent to go all the way.

---

Mathew Barzal sets a new career scoring mark

The Islanders star finally got his offense back on track last season with 80 points in 80 games, his first point-per-game campaign since his 85 points in 82 games back in 2017-18, when he won the Calder Trophy. New York was an improved offensive team under coach Patrick Roy after he replaced Lane Lambert.

If Barzal suits up with Bo Horvat and Anthony Duclair as his linemates, that might be the most talented group with whom he has ever skated. If he plays 80 games, I think he establishes a new career best in goals and points.

---

Igor Shesterkin gets a new deal

Everything being said about the contract talks between the Rangers and their star goaltender is not all that encouraging for a resolution. Shesterkin’s camp reportedly wants upwards of $12 million in average annual value. The Rangers would rather that settle down to around the $10.5 million AAV that Carey Price had on his then-blockbuster contract, signed back in 2017. There have been reports of an opening night “deadline” or else Shesterkin won’t engage in talks until after the season. GM Chris Drury probably isn’t fazed by that.

All of this has led to some preseason drama regarding the Rangers and their franchise goaltender. Honestly, Shesterkin has more to lose if this thing lingers into the regular season. A great season reinforces his already astronomical asking price, but doesn’t likely raise it. An average season only brings it down. The two should find common ground soon, to the tune of somewhere around $11 million AAV if we had to guesstimate.

---

Jamie Drysdale stays healthy, breaks out

Drysdale, the 22-year-old defenseman the Flyers acquired from the Ducks in the Cutter Gauthier trade, has had only one really impactful season in the NHL: 2021-22, when he played 81 games and amassed 32 points.

By all accounts, he’s come into Flyers camp in great shape. Drysdale is expected to play alongside defensive defenseman Nick Seeler, who was a great complement to Sean Walker last season, and will do the same for Drysdale. If he’s healthy, Drysdale sets new career bests in goals and points while threatening Travis Sanheim for the team scoring lead for defensemen.

Again, that’s If he’s healthy, which has always been the catch with Drysdale.

---

The power play finishes in the top 10

Despite having elite, Hall of Fame-level offensive talent, the Penguins’ power play hasn’t always clicked. From 2019-20 to 2022-23, it ranked 13th overall at a 21.2% conversion rate. But last season was a disaster for the Penguins’ power play, converting at 15.3% to rank 30th in the NHL despite having Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Erik Karlsson and Jake Guentzel for most of the season.

Enter David Quinn. The former head coach of the Rangers and Sharks — and Penguins coach Mike Sullivan’s friend and doppelgänger — will coach the Pittsburgh defense and its power play. He brings a fresh set of eyes and new ideas to a unit that needed them. He also coached Karlsson to that 101-point season in 2022-23, and the Penguins are obviously hoping this reunion yields some better results for the star defenseman than last season did.

---

Alex Ovechkin passes Wayne Gretzky

My colleague John Buccigross was famously the first true believer that Alex Ovechkin could one day eclipse Wayne Gretzky’s career goals record of 894, making that call back in 2010. He even mapped out what Ovechkin’s production would need to realistically be over the next 15 seasons in order to shatter the mark. He had Ovechkin down for 32 goals last season. The Capitals star scored 31.

According to Bucci-domus, Ovechkin will score 28 goals this season and break the record in 2025-26. But I’m putting my foot on the accelerator. The Capitals are an improved offense team. Ovechkin shot 11.4% on 272 shots on goal last season — both untypically low numbers for him.

It’s true: He’s 39 now and looked like he was skating in oatmeal during the Capitals’ brief playoff appearance last season. But he’s 42 goals away. The prize is in his eyes. What better way to cap off Washington’s 50th anniversary season than having D.C.’s greatest sports icon become the greatest goal scorer of all-time in the record books?

Central Division

Seth Jones is traded

The rapidly rising NHL salary cap is going to quickly reform our thoughts on a lot of contracts. Set at $88 million for the 2024-25 season, it’ll clear $100 million in the next few seasons. When it does, Seth Jones is still going to have that $9.5 million AAV on his current contract, which runs through 2029-30 with the Blackhawks. But the higher the cap goes, the higher the possibility grows that someone would want to take on that contract for a top-pairing defenseman.

There’s no getting around the reputation hit that Jones has taken since he signed a massive contract extension, right as the Blackhawks’ dynasty crumbled on and off the ice. In 217 games, he has 25 goals and 119 points, skating to a minus-90 in that span, which was second worst in the NHL.

These were terrible teams by design. Jones wasn’t good on them, but he wasn’t terrible. His underlying numbers were better than those of his teammates in shot generation and expected goals at 5-on-5. While Jones had his detractors before the trade from Columbus, it’s reasonable to ask what his numbers would look like if pulled out of the Chicago abyss.

The NHL isn’t populated with 29-year-old defensemen who can skate top-pairing minutes (25:29 per game on average for Jones last season). His contract looks less elephantine with each passing season. This could be the season where Jones gets moved if the right situation presents itself to GM Kyle Davidson, who is not the GM who traded for and signed Jones to that contract.

Funny enough, the general manager who did is now running the Edmonton Oilers, a team that has a much maligned 26-year-old defenseman making $9.25 million against the cap through 2029-30. Seth Jones-Stan Bowman reunion, when?

---

Gabriel Landeskog wins the Masterton Trophy

The Avalanche captain last played on June 26, 2022, when he hoisted the Stanley Cup with his teammates. Knee surgery followed by cartilage transplant surgery have kept him out of the Colorado lineup for two seasons.

Landeskog is working his way back to the team and seems closer than ever to returning. As he said during the summer: “I feel like a hockey player again.”

If Landeskog steps back on the ice for the Avs, one assumes the Masterton Trophy for dedication to the game of hockey will be his — a tribute to the feel-good story of the season.

---

Dallas wins the Western Conference

There has been so much attention paid to the Oilers having lost the Stanley Cup by a whisker, beefing up their roster and preparing for another run at Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl’s first championship. But there’s another bridesmaid in the Western Conference also primed to get their names etched on the chalice: The Dallas Stars, who have lost in the conference finals in consecutive seasons.

Any team with Jake Oettinger in goal and Miro Heiskanen logging minutes as the No. 1 defenseman has a strong foundation. But the reason I’m a believer in Dallas is that they strike such a formidable balance of offense and defense, physicality and finesse, and experience and youth. This parfait of talent they have — established veterans, in-their-prime stars and a next wave led by Wyatt Johnston — might be the sweetest thing in the West. They finally break through to the Cup Final this season.

---

Jesper Wallstedt takes Filip Gustavsson’s job

The Wild have one of the top goaltending prospects in hockey with Jesper Wallstedt, the 21-year-old Swede who was drafted 20th in 2021. He had a three-game cameo in the NHL last season while spending most of his time in AHL Iowa. He’ll spend more time among the cornstalks this season, while also shuffling up to the NHL as a third goaltending option behind Marc-Andre Fleury (in his victory lap season) and Filip Gustavsson.

Minnesota explored trading Gustavsson last summer, but nothing materialized. If he’s more like the goalie he was last season (.899 save percentage, 20-18-4) than he was in 2022-23 (22-9-7, .931 save percentage), perhaps the Wild look to move him before he earns limited trade protection next summer — opening the door for Wallstedt to earn NHL experience and learn from Fleury on a daily basis.

---

Roman Josi wins the Norris Trophy

Josi was second to Quinn Hughes for the Norris last season, although he finished seven points behind him and five points behind Cale Makar in the scoring race for defensemen. It was the second time in three seasons he finished second after winning the award in 2019-20.

Therein lies the rub: Josi is a previous winner, and the Norris loves a first-time honoree. One could easily see it being “the turn” for Charlie McAvoy or Miro Heiskanen or Evan Bouchard to win his first trophy in 2024-25. But given the way the Predators play and the additions they’ve made offensively — Steven Stamkos! — there’s every chance Josi leads all NHL defensemen in scoring and, in turn, secures his second Norris Trophy.

---

Doug Armstrong wins both offer sheet signings

GM Doug Armstrong caused a stir in the NHL when he tendered offer sheets to Oilers defenseman Philip Broberg and forward Dylan Holloway. Armstrong super-swears this decision had nothing to do with tweaking old Chicago rival Stan Bowman as he settled into his new job in Edmonton.

“That’s the furthest thing from the truth. Quite honestly, I’d do it to my mother if she was managing the Oilers,” Armstrong told reporters afterward.

Both signings are going to become hits this season. Holloway seems like he’s made in a lab for the St. Louis Blues: a speedy forechecker with some hockey sense and some offensive upside. He’ll obliterate his career high in points (nine). Broberg hasn’t skated more than 14:00 per game on average during three NHL seasons. By the end of his fourth tour in the NHL, one imagines he might supplant Nick Leddy on the team’s top pairing with Colton Parayko.

Perhaps this will encourage more general managers to aggressively tender offer sheets to young restricted free agents on cap-strapped teams! But probably not.

---

We’ll just start calling them the ‘Yetis’

The rushed nature of the Coyotes’ relocation from Arizona to Salt Lake City led to the NHL’s newest team being called “Utah Hockey Club” this season. Smith Entertainment Group held an online vote for the team’s permanent name in June. The full branding won’t be in place until the 2025-26 season … but everyone around the NHL assumes it is the Yetis.

Clayton Keller might have slipped up at the NHL/NHLPA Player Media Tour. Utah HC president Chris Armstrong recently spoke about the name being “the popular choice” and having to go through “a complicated process from a legal, trademarking and intellectual property perspective.” Which, again, would seem to indicate they’re working through sharing a name with other prominent brands. (Maybe that’s why I’ve heard they’ll be the “Yetis” instead of “Yeti.”)

In any case, fans will have seen enough indicators to just start calling them Yeti(s) by season’s end, no matter what the name in the standings says. Now, will they chant it at games?

---

Connor Hellebuyck leads the U.S. to 4 Nations Face-Off victory

The 2024-25 NHL season is pausing in February for the 4 Nations Face-Off, in which the U.S., Canada, Sweden and Finland battle it out for hockey supremacy while Leon Draisaitl and David Pastrnak look on and sigh deeply. Hellebuyck is projected by Rachel Doerrie to be the starter for the U.S. national team, despite some other talented netminders on the American depth chart.

The 4 Nations Face-Off is meant to be an appetizer for the main course of the 2026 Winter Olympics. The Americans have been waiting since the Sochi Games to have this generation of players get a crack at a best-on-best tournament. That goes for Hellebuyck, too, who went 9-1-0 in two stints with Team USA at the IIHF world championships.

The U.S. wins the NHL/NHLPA midseason classic thanks to their star goaltender, much to the chagrin of Hellebuyck’s fans back in Winnipeg.

Pacific Division

Cam Fowler is traded now, Trevor Zegras later

Zegras trade rumors became a cottage industry last season, and why not? Rare is the dynamic offensive talent in his early 20s who might be made available. The problem is that Zegras had a remedial offensive season after a protracted contract negotiation during the preseason: 15 points in 31 games, his season interrupted by a broken ankle. GM Pat Verbeek wasn’t going to trade Zegras with his value bottomed out, so he’s back with the Ducks this season, potentially on a line with Troy Terry and Mason McTavish.

Perhaps the Ducks see enough to keep him as part of the core. Perhaps his stats are inflated enough to entice trade partners to really up their antes. Either way, the guess here is that he’s moved in the offseason, with one year left before restricted free agency.

Fowler, on the other hand, has two seasons left on his contract before unrestricted free agency. He makes $6.5 million against the salary cap and has limited trade protection. Verbeek and the 32-year-old Ducks defensive stalwart have had discussions about his future. Expect him to move, and probably well before the deadline.

---

The front office stubbornly refuses to tank

Every season there’s a team that should be all-in on a tank job that plays just well enough to exist in that purgatory between the playoff bubble and the bottom of the division. This season, that team will be the Calgary Flames.

GM Craig Conroy has been peeling off parts of this team in trades and free agency in preparation of a rebuild. They have over $19 million in cap space because they did little to replace that talent. But they have decent goaltending, even in the absence of Jacob Markstrom, and a roster full of forwards who will compete no matter what the expectations are. Coach Ryan Huska did a good job leading the team through a “transition” season in 2023-24.

There’s always a chance Conroy goes scorched earth and continues the talent purge by shipping out players like Mikael Backlund, Blake Coleman and Nazem Kadri to increase their draft lottery odds. But as it stands, the Flames aren’t as good as the division’s top three, and are clearly better than the bottom two. But that probably doesn’t get you James Hagens in the draft.

---

Evander Kane gets the LTIR special

Kane underwent abdominal surgery on Sept. 20, which is a bit late in the offseason to be having surgery. The team has said that “recovery from the procedure is expected to take a minimum of five to six months.”

Six months would put Kane’s return around March or one month before the Stanley Cup playoffs begin. Evander Kane has an AAV of $5.125 million for a team right up against the cap. Until the CBA is amended, teams are allowed to have a player on long-term injured reserve for Game 82 of the regular season, and then return to their lineup for Game 1 of the playoffs. New Oilers GM Stan Bowman was scrutinized nine years ago for having Patrick Kane go from LTIR to playoff-ready, one of the first cases of this CBA “loophole.”

So, in summary: Good luck in your (lengthy, we assume) rehab, Evander Kane.

---

Quinton Byfield breaks 70 points

One of the biggest moves of the offseason for the Kings was a positional one: Shifting Byfield from the wing to his natural spot at center, now that Pierre-Luc Dubois is no longer clogging the pipeline.

Byfield had his best season in the NHL in 2023-24 with 20 goals and 55 points, playing in a defensive system that didn’t foster all that much creativity. The Kings are apparently not playing the 1-3-1 this season, which is welcome news both systematically and aesthetically. Byfield should be paired up with winger Kevin Fiala on their second line, likely with Warren Foegele, who hung on Leon Draisaitl’s wing in Edmonton.

All of that bodes well for Byfield, who is going to turn last year’s jump in production into a giant leap forward for the 6-foot-5 standout.

---

Macklin Celebrini wins the Calder Trophy

It’s not automatic that the No. 1 overall pick in the preceding NHL draft wins rookie of the year, although it might feel that way after the last 20 years when Alex Ovechkin, Patrick Kane, Nathan MacKinnon, Aaron Ekblad, Auston Matthews and most recently Connor Bedard all took home the Calder. Overall, it’s happened only 12 times since 1963.

Celebrini will add his name to that list. The charismatic center is going to put up points with the Sharks; and much like Bedard last season with the Blackhawks, he’s not going to be burned with too much defensive responsibility on a lousy hockey team. GM Mike Grier also set him up to thrive by signing veteran winger Tyler Toffoli, who is an ideal complement to a burgeoning young offensive talent.

The Sharks are going to be bad, but they’ll be fun-bad thanks to Celebrini.

---

Shane Wright quiets the critics

The 20-year-old Kraken center doesn’t need a “breakout season” yet. That’s not what the hockey intelligentsia is looking for. What they want to see is some scintilla of “proof of concept” that the methodical development of the fourth pick in 2022 is paying off.

Wright is set up to provide that proof this season. He’ll likely play with Jordan Eberle, with whom he clicked in limited NHL time last season. He’ll also have Dan Bylsma behind the Kraken bench, who coached Wright to his best pro campaign (47 points in 59 games) at AHL Coachella Valley last season. The rest will be up to Wright.

---

Elias Pettersson bounces back big

Last season, the Canucks’ star center saw his point production drop from 102 points down to 89 points — which, it should be said, still made him a better than a point-per-game player for Vancouver. Pettersson had a bit of tendonitis in his knee, a rotating cast of wingers and some jitters about his contract negotiations.

While he’s reportedly still dealing with tendonitis, Pettersson signed an eight-year extension in March and appears to have a steady linemate in former Bruins scorer Jake DeBrusk. Petey is primed for a return to form and a monster season for the Canucks.

---

They win at least one playoff round

The Knights sandwiched their Stanley Cup championship between a postseason miss in 2022 and a first-round exit to the Dallas Stars last season. As is tradition for GM Kelly McCrimmon, unfeeling personnel decisions were made after that elimination, as longtime Knights Jonathan Marchessault, Alec Martinez, Chandler Stephenson and William Carrier were left to sign with other teams.

Some have looked at the roster and wondered if it’s time to fade the Knights, given how they might have the thinnest collection of wingers among assumed conference contenders. Sorry haters: Vegas will not only make the playoff cut, but win a first-round series.

The Knights will use their strength at center, an impressively deep defense corps and goaltending supported by coach Bruce Cassidy’s system to make the playoffs and advance past the first round. Especially if wingers such as Pavel Dorofeyev, who was second in individual expected goals on the Knights at 5-on-5 last season, and Jack Eichel’s old Sabres buddy Victor Olofsson pop off on the wings.

Plus, you know the Knights are eventually going to add to the roster with trade deadline shockers facilitated by creative accounting. That’s Vegas, baby.