When the NHL regular season kicks off on Tuesday, what’s old will be new again, and what’s truly new will get a lot of attention, too.
The league returns to its normal divisional format after a season of realignment and games played mostly in empty stadiums. And for the second season in a row, everyone will be looking to catch the Tampa Bay Lightningthe two consecutive Stanley Cup champions.
Meanwhile, all eyes will be on the seattle krakenthe NHL’s 32nd and newest franchise, making its long-awaited debut and could be an immediate playoff contender.
What will the 2021-22 season bring? Here are the best stories to watch.
Is Tampa Bay the team to beat…again?
You should include Lightning on any short list of Cup contenders because of his track record and the fact that many of the stars who led the way in those two titles… Nikita Kucherov, brayden point, Andrey Vasilevsky, Victor Hedman and more: stay in the fold.
But the Lightning’s roster underwent some key changes this offseason. That is, all the vaunted third line of Barclay Goodrow, Yanni Gourde and blake colemanwho played a huge role in both championship races, has moved on.
There hasn’t been an NHL hat-trick since the New York Islanders he won four in a row from 1980 to ’83. The Lightning have the talent to do it, but the big question is whether they have the depth to get through another grueling playoff run.
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How good will the Kraken be in Season 1?
Seattle enters the league with sky-high expectations, in large part because previous expansion team, the Las Vegas Golden Knights in 2017-18, it advanced to the Stanley Cup Final in its first season (and has remained a contender ever since).
He expansion project and subsequent free agency in July brought some well-established talent to Seattle, like Vezina Trophy finalist goaltender Philipp Grubauer and veteran defense Mark Giordanoso there is a chance that the Kraken will make some noise on a weak Pacific Division.
They’ll have a chance to make an immediate impression: Their first regular-season game is against the Golden Knights on Tuesday in Las Vegas. Then, on October 23, they will debut at their new home, Climate Pledge Arena, in front of a crowd that has been anticipating hockey’s arrival in Seattle for years.
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Can anyone challenge Las Vegas in the Pacific?
The Golden Knights have advanced to at least the conference finals in three of their four seasons in existence, and there’s no reason not to believe they’ll once again be strong contenders.
A big reason for that is that the rest of the division is in big flux, with several teams in the process of reshuffling their rosters.
He Edmonton Oilerswith star striker Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, they are expected to provide the toughest competition. If the Kraken unite quickly, they could also compete for the division title.
But Vegas’ biggest challenge might be how roster changes affect its composition. Most notably the reigning Vezina winner and fan favorite. Marc-André Fleury is gone, having been changed to the Chicago Blackhawks in what was essentially a wage dump. will be until robin lehner to uphold the Las Vegas standard of excellence in goal.
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What will McDavid do for an encore?
Despite an abbreviated 56-game season in 2020-21, the Oilers star scored 33 goals and 105 points and won the Hart Trophy as league MVP for the second time in his career. With highlights like this, it’s no wonder.
Expect McDavid to be among the league’s scoring leaders once again, but he’d probably prefer to see more playoff success. Edmonton has passed the first round just once since arriving in 2015, including a disappointing first-round sweep at the hands of winnipeg jets last season.
Can a Canadian team get over the bump?
last season, the Montreal Canadians became the first team based north of the border to reach the Stanley Cup Final in 10 years, but they fell in five games to the Lightning to extend Canada’s championship drought to 28 seasons.
If one of the seven teams from Canada is going to challenge this time, the most likely candidates are McDavid’s Oilers and the toronto maple leaveswhich has suffered a lengthy run of playoff futility (winless in the series since 2004).
The Leafs, despite having their own young star in auston matthewshe blew a 3-1 series lead and was eliminated by the Canadiens in the 2021 playoffs.
Also, don’t sleep on Winnipeg, who have quietly developed into a consistently strong team. Endorsed by former Vezina winner Connor Hellebuyckthe Jets reached the second round last season.
Who is the best in the stacked Metropolitan Division?
Of the four divisions in the NHL, the Metro might be the biggest.
He Washington Capitals (2018) and pittsburgh penguins (2016 and 2017) are recent Cup champions, but both are expected to start this season without injured star captains Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby.
He philadelphia flyers and carolina hurricanes they also have playoff aspirations, but expect fierce competition from the division’s three New York-area teams. The Islanders are coming off back-to-back conference finals appearances, the new york rangers are ready to take the next step after a rebuild, and the New Jersey Devils they’ve infused their roster with plenty of young talent.
FOX currently bets lists islanders as favorites to win the division (+350).
Are the Blackhawks a threat again?
Intent on returning to the Cup-winning heights of the early 2010s, Chicago aggressively reworked its roster in the offseason by acquiring Fleury and the stalwart defender. seth jones in separate trades.
However, the biggest “addition” might be the captain jonathan toewswho is back after missing last season due to illness.
He and the extreme scorer patrick kane they’re two of the few faces left from the championship days, and their experience will be key if the Blackhawks want to make playoff noise once again.
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How will the Olympics influence things?
The NHL is scheduled to take a three-week break in February so its players can participate in the Beijing Olympics. This will mark the league’s return to the Games after it kept players out of the 2018 Olympics.
Although the break is a big disruption to the season, most players are open to expressing their love of competing for their country. More importantly, this will be the first chance for many of the NHL’s young stars to shine on a global stage.
For example, Canada will be able to showcase McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Mitch Marner and Cale Makarand the US team will feature Matthews, Jones, Hellebuyck and, if healthy, jack eichel.
Despite the Olympic hiatus, there will still be an All-Star Game on February 5 in Las Vegas, another chance for the NHL to put its stars in the spotlight.
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