The preseason in which Ninth Avenue sanctioned three exhibition games in which the NHL Rangers (twice) and the NHL Flyers (once) were obligated to play the Devils’ AHL Utica team because the New Jersey varsity was in Prague — preparing for their regular-season two-game sweep of the Sabres, which, of course eliminated Buffalo from the playoffs for the 14th straight season — well, it was a minefield.
Elite players were constantly in danger on the ice facing minor leaguers. The Canadiens opted not to dress their first line in Saturday’s final preseason match because head coach Martin St. Louis was unsure of Ottawa’s intentions entering the match. The Rangers altered their plans because of it. The Department of Player Safety, whose very name should have been an Alanis Morissette lyric (“Isn’t it ironic … ), sent the message that nothing has changed.
Surely the preseason will become a significant topic in upcoming negotiations regarding the CBA that expires following the 2025-26 season. No more than two weeks are necessary. No more than four games are necessary. If accomplishing that requires a trade-off for expanding the regular season by two games to 84, so be it, as long as that is accomplished by establishing a new metric in which divisional games are increased.
Now we turn to the 1,310 games remaining on the schedule that commences Tuesday, attempting to forecast a league in which the regular-season champion has won the Stanley Cup twice in the cap era that commenced in 2005-06.
There are no great teams here, but rather a clump of very good ones that include the defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers. Baseball has become a playoff sport like hockey and hockey could have a season like baseball in which no team won 100 games for the first time since 2014.
Parity might promote higher ratings — and I’m not sure about that — but it does not promote superiority. Oh, I forgot, that was the intent of the hard cap.
Checking the Lottery odds from Day 1
There once was a formidable team in San Jose and perhaps eons from now that once again will be the case, but this deep dive into the league’s nether regions didn’t need a letter of explanation to the fans, it required a 200-page brief. At least Macklin Celebrini won’t have to hunt for ice time. Question: How much will the Sharks retain on Barclay Goodrow’s contract when he’s sent to a Cup contender at the deadline before scoring the goal to eliminate the Rangers?
Trevor Zegras is still in Anaheim, so is John Gibson, who underwent an appendectomy last week. “Emergency appendectomy,” I read, but aren’t they all. The Ducks have an underpinning of exciting young talent. Maybe one day they stand up and flap their wings, but that seems like a distant prospect even after six straight years out.
Meredith Gaudreau, wife of the late Johnny Gaudreau and sister-in-law of the late Matthew Gaudreau, represents the inspirational face of the NHL season. Her remarkable and uncommon grace through shattering tragedy has uplifted the entire hockey community. The Blue Jackets organization has been a beacon of class and compassion. The team will carry a burden that perhaps will become angels on their wings.
It is safe to say, and about time, that we can slide the Blackhawks into the irrelevant category other than tracking Connor Bedard and the 19-year-old sophomore’s bid to make the Team Canada roster for the Four Nations tournament.
Here’s the question: Will retaining 50 percent on the final four years of 34-year-old Nazem Kadri’s contract in which he has no-move protection be on the table for the Flames at the deadline?
Sorry, they are not the models
Folks love to wax poetic about teams “doing it the right way,” by building through the draft and eschewing a quick-fix, big-money approach. Praise is heaped on rebuilding teams such as the Sabres, Red Wings and Senators, all of whom have built an impressive array of kids.
Buffalo has missed the playoffs 13 straight seasons and for some inexplicable reason, have Lindy Ruff behind the bench.
Detroit has missed the playoffs for eight straight seasons, the last five of which Steve Yzerman has been in place as GM and have now collected an eclectic veteran group featuring names such as Patrick Kane, Erik Gustafsson, Cam Talbot, Vladimir Tarasenko, Andrew Copp and Tyler Motte that should ring a particular bell around these parts.
Habitually promising more from the birth of time, Ottawa has missed the playoffs seven straight years, which is almost as long as the franchise has been seeking a downtown arena.
Destroying the legacy
The Penguins refused to rebuild, remodel or take a step back so they could leap ahead two or three steps to support the stupefyingly still-superb Sid Crosby’s bid for a fourth ring. Instead, running through Jim Rutherford, Ron Hextall and now, Kyle Dubas, the Penguins have not won a playoff round since 2018. But at least they kept Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang together for eternity.
The Capitals have an outstanding coach in Spencer Carbery and a strong structure that allows the group to exceed the sum of its parts. Unfortunately, the hockey portion of the show has become secondary to an organization that is in thrall to Putinista Alex Ovechkin’s chase of Wayne Gretzky’s all-time NHL goal record of 894 in which the winger enters the season 41 shy. The Caps have not won a playoff round since 2017.
You’re saying there’s a chance?
Perhaps for the playoffs, yes, for the Canadiens, Flyers, Blues, Kraken, Kings, Wild and the Utah Yoots.
In Montreal, there is an organizational structure with symmetry that flows through the hockey department that features Jeff Gorton, Kent Hughes and St. Louis. If the Habs can strike it rich with Patrik Laine (recovering from a knee-on-knee), maybe. When Montreal is good, it’s good for the league.
The Flyers exceeded projections throughout a large part of last season but the club crashed late, enduring an 0-6-2 winless streak that accompanied (or followed, tough to keep track) introduced drama by head coach John Tortorella.
The Wild have evolved into a perennial disappointment. The next step has never come. They have not won a playoff round since 2015 and, despite Kirill Kaprizov, despite Mats Zuccarello, despite Matt Boldy, have fallen into the periphery of the discussion.
Playoff bound, probably
So Connor Hellebuyck, who apparently pretended to be Roberto Luongo at Boston in the 2011 Cup final throughout the Jets’ first-round, five-game defeat to the Avalanche, elevated his ranking from the 34th best player in the league to the No. 22, per NHL Network, off a 5.23 GAA/.864 save percentage postseason.
Jeremy Swayman apparently needed 66 million reasons to sign with the Bruins as the netminder did on Sunday for eight years at $8.25 million per. Maybe calm after the storm will provide an ingredient for Boston to get out of the second round for the first time since 2019.
Is this the alter ego that’s always been inside Barry Trotz, the GM of the Predators, who went on a July 1 shopping spree while quickly putting Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei into a gilded shopping court?
Carolina signed Jack Roslovic to replace Jake Guentzel and, truth to be told, I’m not convinced.
J.T. Miller is the player who might have been able to put the Rangers over the top over the last three years but instead he is the franchise player in Vancouver.
The Tampa Bay organization has been cutthroat for years. No one blinked an eye ushering Stamkos out of town after 16 years so they could sign Guentzel as a free agent. Strategy aside, the Lightning need a return to form from Alexei Vasilevsky.
Robin Lehner won’t count against the Vegas cap — A $500 million entry fee to the league goes a long, long way — so the team might not have to wait until later in the year to LTIR a player or two ahead of stunning playoff returns.
The Avalanche may not be able to run their elite high-wire act for more than this year, what with Mikko Rantanen (currently at $9.5M) coming up on free agency. Alexandar Georgiev has one more season to go, too, and you know he is going to expect to be paid as an upper-echelon goaltender coming off of $3.4M per.
Closer than you think
A column will be upcoming about Patrick Roy’s ranking among marquee players to coach/manage New York/New Jersey teams, but the fabled No. 33’s impact on the Islanders should be dramatic. As should the Mat Barzal-Bo Horvat-Anthony Duclair unit that should change the dynamic. The Islanders are going to be good.
The Sexy Sextet
The Rangers are one of them, all right, as they enter a definition season. If it doesn’t go well — and “well” in this case means at least reaching the Cup final — the familiar group will disperse.
The Devils took quantum leaps in the coaching department by hiring Sheldon Keefe and in the goaltending department by acquiring Jacob Markstrom. Timo Meier should shine, the defense seems solid at both ends of the ice and the club is deep. But they also do need a full season of health from Jack Hughes. So does No. 86.
There’s Dallas and Jake Oettinger, who will compete with Hellebuyck and Swayman for the Team USA No. 1 spot at Four Nations, with perennial Norris contender Miro Heiskanen and winger Jason Robertson joining the under-appreciated Roope Hintz.
Brendan Shanahan resurrected the Maple Leafs brand when he took control of the franchise as president in 2014, but there still has not been the hint of a Stanley Cup. His time is not limitless. If there is a team that could use a franchise goaltender, it’s this one.
Does anyone realize that the team with the highest paid goalie won the Cup last year? The only concern about the Panthers is whether the defending champions and two-time finalists can retain their ferocious hunger.
If there is a perceived team to beat it is probably the Oilers, who will be driven every time by the bitter memories from Game 7. Evan Bouchard will become a perennial Norris contender, Stuart Skinner is solid in net and the team can adapt to physicality. Connor McDavid is on the team, too.
