Amid the highly anticipated football season comes the start of a new season of the National Hockey League (NHL). Next week is the official start of a new season and there are some highly anticipated prospects and matchups for the upcoming season.
Hockey sensation Conor Bedard, the 2023 first overall draft pick for the Chicago Blackhawks, had an amazing showing at the prospects game against the Buffalo Sabers. Not only did the Blackhawks come out with a win, Bedard filled the net with 3 goals (Hat-Trick). Hat-Tricks are rare in the world of hockey and that explains why eyes are trained on the rising star. The Calder Memorial Trophy goes to the Rookie of the Year. Bedard is a contender for the Calder and is projected to score 90 points this season.
“When you get (a generational player), you know you’re going to be a Stanley Cup contender in time,” said Jay Onrait, a Canadian sports reporter for Sports Center.
The Blackhawks finished last season at the bottom of their division. The big question is, could Conor Bedard speed up the Blackhawks rebuild and lead them to a Stanley Cup?
Tennessee’s home team the Nashville Predators (Preds) missed out on the post-season last year. Finishing near the bottom in offensive rankings last year, it is a question of how the offensive line will perform this year.
With an average of 2.72 goals per game, the Preds finished 28th in the league in goals per game. Last season, the Preds could not capitalize on scoring chances leaving them at the bottom of the league.
A bright future could be ahead of the Preds with Head Coach Andrew Brunette taking over. The Preds are ranked in the middle of the league when it comes to expected goals. Maybe this year the Preds will clinch a playoff spot this season.
On Oct. 10, the Seattle Kraken faced the Vegas Golden Knights. The Golden Knights are the reigning Stanley Cup champions, while the Kraken have Matty Beniers ,the 2023 Calder Memorial Trophy winner.
Last year the Kraken, the newest team in the league, made their NHL debut known as the Spunk boys. They were hot on the ice and made it to the playoffs. They got all the way to the conference semi-finals where they lost to the Dallas Stars.
The Golden Knights bulldozed their way to the Stanley Cup Championships winning in game five of the finals. The Golden Knights came out on top with a 4-1 win.
“One of the craziest feelings I’ve ever had. And to know I did it with my 25-30 best friends makes it that much more special,” stated Captain Mark Stone on his Stanley Cup win last season.
The Boston Bruins will be playing the Florida Panthers on Oct. 30. Last year the Bruins set the record for wins (65) and points (135). This hot streak came to an end in the first round of the playoffs, losing to the Florida Panthers.
The Panthers squeezed their way into the playoff spot. In a best of seven game series against the Bruins (Round one of the playoffs), the Panthers trailed 3-1. They ended up winning the next three games, advancing them to the next round. Will the Bruins get their chance at redemption against the Panthers?
The New Jersey Devils went undefeated in the pre-season. The last time this happened was back in 2012 with the Colorado Avalanche. The Devils are a young, up and coming team with star players such as Jack Hughes, who made his way in the league last year breaking the Devils record for the most points recorded by a single player in a season (99 points).
The new season of the NHL is here!
