Throughout every NHL season, followers from each staff can anticipate numerous thrilling occasions. This consists of the debut of high prospects, the arrival of recent gamers from free company, and the pursuit of the Stanley Cup. Nonetheless, sure storylines turn into distinguished each season. These could embrace participant commerce rumours, contract extension disputes, and administration and training employees adjustments. A few of these recurring storylines are extra fascinating than others.
There’ll all the time be that one recreation that sparks controversy, when referees both put their whistles away or name all the pieces. We are able to all guess who may win the Stanley Cup, who may take residence the Artwork Ross Trophy, and who is perhaps taken first total within the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. A few of these storylines could possibly be distinguished within the upcoming 2024-2025 NHL season, both in October or later within the season. These are the storylines that is perhaps talked about.
The Subsequent CBA (2026), LTIR, & ESCROW
Didn’t the NHL choose a brand new Collective Bargaining Settlement? On some stage, sure, they did in the course of the finish of the 2020 season throughout free company in July. They prolonged it till the top of the 2025-26 NHL season; extra particularly, Sept. 15, 2026. Arguably, probably the most important subject and everybody’s favorite is the Lengthy-Time period Harm Reserve (LTIR). Nikita Kucherov and Mark Stone are arguably the 2 most distinguished gamers concerned on this state of affairs. Each suffered accidents all through the common season and weren’t activated till the start of the primary spherical of the playoffs. Throughout their tenures on the LTIR, each managements acquired quite a few excessive common annual worth contract gamers to spice up their staff considerably and push for a deep playoff push, which each did as they went on to win the Stanley Cup of their respective seasons.
The primary situation is neither staff broke the principles. There is no such thing as a wage cap within the postseason, so whoever is on the roster can play so long as they’re wholesome and prepared to take action. Many followers had been upset when groups can “bury” giant contracts for his or her important acquire. All of us hate it when gamers undergo extreme accidents and there must be a approach for the groups to alleviate that cap hit when gamers are rehabbing from surgical procedure. However that is twice now {that a} state of affairs has occurred, and if a 3rd time comes round, there is perhaps much more important backlash.
The opposite main subject is Escrow, a share of cash subtracted from the gamers’ paychecks. Throughout COVID-19 in 2020, income was down as a result of followers couldn’t attend video games as a result of security restrictions. The league set the Escrow to twenty% to assist with the dearth of income, however with issues principally again to regular, final season’s Escrow was 6%. Nevertheless, gamers don’t need to pay that a lot, so count on the NHL Gamers’ Affiliation to battle to drop that quantity. Nevertheless, the quicker they will signal one other extension, the higher for the league and the followers.
Purpose Scoring Up or Down? (Common Season vs Playoffs)
Scoring in the course of the common season was excessive. Gamers like Nathan MacKinnon, Kucherov, Connor McDavid, and Auston Matthews are placing up factors with no downside. Nonetheless, scoring slowly drops because the season winds down and the playoffs method. As soon as the playoffs arrived, defence took over some video games and was crucial till the finals. We noticed a contemporary model of the defensive “entice” we had seen earlier than. Will we see a extra defensive fashion taken by some groups going ahead?
To win a hockey recreation, you need to rating another objective than your opponent until you propose on going into shootouts, which is one other dialog about goalies and shootout-style targets. Final season, we noticed the league common of three.11 targets per staff per recreation, a minor drop from the 2022-2023 league common of three.18. It wouldn’t be a shock to see that objective scoring is tremendous excessive in October and November, and video games end with a loopy variety of targets. Then, because the season progresses, groups make defensive adjustments, modify to completely different schemes and discover new methods to close down among the finest gamers within the league or at the least sluggish them down.
Utah’s First Season
Out go the Arizona Coyotes, and in comes the model new Utah Hockey Membership. I do know it doesn’t sound one of the best to many, however I’ve to stay with it for now. The Coyotes fought laborious to remain in Arizona so long as they might, however with issues with the possession and turbulence with town of Tempe, the plug needed to be pulled, and the staff was relocated to Utah. Presently, the “Hockey Membership” possession is working and getting the followers’ opinion on their official identify and brand, which is coming subsequent yr. We noticed with Seattle and Vegas what a brand new market does to the NHL, and followers in Salt Lake Metropolis appear set carry ardour and assist to the video games.
In addition to the monetary facet of the staff, will probably be fascinating to see what administration does and the way they plan to proceed to construct this roster. That they had a stable draft and made nice picks, together with Tij Iginla. They had been very energetic in free company, making loads of signings and a few main trades to bolster their defence, they usually nonetheless have greater than $9 million in cap house to mess around with. Anticipate Utah to be an thrilling staff within the Central Division.
Preventing
What do Ryan Reaves, Tom Wilson, Arber Xhekaj, and Matt Rempe all have in frequent? They wish to hit laborious and punch their opponents within the face when their opponents step too near their star teammates. Preventing has gone down every season; final season, we noticed 311 fights and within the 2022-23 season, there have been 334 fights. It’s honest to say the league is far much less violent than it was once within the Eighties and 90s after they fought usually, had well-known bench-clearing brawls, and even sometimes fought within the stands. The hits and checks can nonetheless be brutal when due to how briskly some gamers can transfer and we all know what occurs when an unmovable object meets an unstoppable drive.”As we speak’s Gamers are greater and quicker: Tage Thompson, Roope Hintz, and Michael Rasmussen, for instance, are gamers with nice top who can play bodily whereas producing at a excessive stage offensively.
The talk facilities round whether or not combating will proceed on the present tempo within the NHL or if there shall be a decline within the variety of gamers keen to battle. Gamers Reaves, Wilson and Nicolas Deslauriers gained’t be within the league without end. Will we proceed to see younger blood like Rempe and Xhekaj come into the league seeking to present hits, combating and defence, or will gamers shrink back from that because of the bodily pressure it places in your physique? I’m not attempting to advocate eliminating combating, however much like how the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) introduced their combating ban final yr, will different junior leagues comply with and shrink back from the combating?
Division of Participant Saftey
On the subject of hard-hitting checks, the NHL Division of Participant Security, led by ex-NHLer George Parros, has been within the media and a. subject of dialogue for his and the staff’s doling out of self-discipline — debated in the event that they had been too harsh or not harsh sufficient on a sure participant or play usually abounds. This could possibly be introduced up within the CBA. Nonetheless, there are too many gray areas concerning some rule descriptions, and the penalty for breaking a selected rule may doubtlessly take away these gray areas and standardize suspensions and assist this course of. If you happen to cross-check, slash, and embellish, there must be a extra simple course of for the league and the followers as to why X participant is suspended for X video games or fined X quantity.
The Morgan Rielly cross-check, the Tom Wilson excessive stick, and the quite a few makes an attempt Jacob Trouba made this previous season have all raised eyebrows amongst followers across the league concerning the division’s decision-making. They’ve a vital job: to carry gamers accountable for breaking the principles and being overly bodily. It is a crucial job, however when followers query your decision-making for critical conditions revolving round accidents, there’ll all the time be talks about your high quality of labor.
Officiating
This can be a no-brainer, proper? There was numerous dialogue revolving round officiating within the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the place there have been some questionable calls — or lack thereof — it will all the time be a subject. I do imagine that officiating isn’t as unhealthy because it appears. Sure, they make errors, however we’re all human, are we not? For a lot of, it comes right down to the sport’s development, the addition of expertise, and the digital camera angles it brings. Many followers dislike how a referee can spend minutes trying on the identical play in eight completely different photographs when clearly all they want is one, they usually nonetheless get the decision mistaken.
As followers of a specific staff, there’ll all the time be a backlash of a name as a result of one staff’s facet thinks it’s the correct name, and the opposite disagrees, making a tug-of-war state of affairs. It’s much like the Division of Participant Security — after they droop somebody for 5 video games; you will have one facet of followers calling for extra video games (particularly for many who have a historical past of allotting soiled hits) whereas the opposite facet goes to say that was a hockey play and the opposite man ought to have stored his head up. What we wish as followers is a clear recreation; consistency is crucial right here, and it shouldn’t be an excessive amount of to ask for. Proper?
Enlargement Hypothesis (The place? When?)
With the success that Vegas and Seattle introduced and the hype surrounding Utah, many surprise how the NHL will deal with its following enlargement course of: whether or not that’s bringing again outdated staff areas like Quebec and Atlanta or attempting out new locations that homeowners are “hungry” for like Houston. Seeing how Utah works out and the huge assist the followers of Salt Lake Metropolis could possibly be a big growth for a lot of potential homeowners in several markets with out an NHL staff and will work to carry one alongside.
Associated: Bettman Hints at Future Enlargement Potentialities
Keep in mind, the enlargement payment is cut up between the homeowners, so comparatively talking, if Houston will get green-lit for one, it reportedly would price $1.2 billion. That cash is cut up and despatched to the present 32 homeowners, which is sort of a sum to usher in. Given the present variety of groups, it may additionally carry “bloat” to the NHL. All the things proper now’s completely cut up between conferences and divisions. It additionally begins the thought strategy of “Is it an excessive amount of?” Whereas many would love the Nordiques and Thrashers again, isn’t it advantageous how it’s proper now, with the variety of video games and expertise throughout the league?
4 Nations Face-Off
It was introduced earlier this yr {that a} new occasion known as the 4 Nations Face-Off will change the NHL All-Star recreation this yr. The event could have NHL gamers chosen and put into their respective nationalities, together with Canada, the USA, Finland, and Sweden. They’ll play in opposition to one another in a seven-game event. Video games will happen from Feb. 12 to twenty, 2025, and Montreal and Boston shall be event hosts. Every staff will play three event video games in a spherical robin; a win shall be three factors, an additional time or shootout win shall be two, and a shootout or additional time loss shall be one. The 2 groups with one of the best document will play for the championship.
This comes after a comparatively impartial 2024 All-Star Weekend in Toronto, Ontario. The All-Star showcase has been comparatively the identical, with the identical expertise competitors and little twists resulting in an All-Star Recreation. With Kucherov not attempting his finest within the expertise competitors or the occasion simply getting repetitive, a slight change is nice. It’s not eradicating the All-Star Weekend Occasion, as it can return in 2026 in New York Metropolis.
File Chases (Ovechkin, McDavid, Matthews)
Sure gamers inch nearer every season to many information that many may or won’t know of; this season shall be fulfilling to observe as many information could possibly be damaged. Alexander Ovechkin is chasing Wayne Gretzky’s objective document of 894. Connor McDavid is closing in on 1,000 profession factors, which might put him at 99th-most factors in NHL historical past, and nonetheless counting as he’ll solely flip 28 by the top of the season! Can Auston Matthews proceed his goal-scoring prowess? He’s 64 factors away from being fifth all-time in Maple Leafs scoring, 21 targets from being second in all-time targets by a Maple Leaf and 52 away from being the main objective scorer in franchise historical past.
Humorous sufficient, his present goal-scoring tempo is larger than Ovechkin’s should you take a look at targets per recreation all through his profession. A gentle tempo may make him an all-time objective scorer in NHL historical past. Many extra information could possibly be damaged, from franchise information to NHL information; with the gamers within the league now, it’s a matter of time earlier than sure ones are toppled.
Canada’s Cup Chase (Will a Canadian Group Win a Stanley Cup?)
One other yr, one other dream: Will this be the yr {that a} Canadian staff wins the Stanley Cup? It was shut, because the Edmonton Oilers compelled Recreation 7 after they had been down 3-1 in opposition to the Florida Panthers within the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals, however they couldn’t full the comeback. The stress proper now on groups just like the Oilers, the Maple Leafs, and Vancouver Canucks is excessive with how a lot expertise they’ve and the way usually they make the playoffs with little success to indicate for it (perhaps simply pointing the Leafs out on that one.)
It’s been greater than 30 years since a Canadian staff has gained the Stanley Cup, and for a lot of, that provides to the stress on the Canadian groups, with gamers like Matthews, McDavid, Quinn Hughes, and Elias Pettersson. Sure, there’s the caveat of taxes, and locations like Florida and extra areas in the USA don’t have them, so it’s “simpler” for them to get high atlent. All of it comes right down to efficiency, and Canadian followers on the market need their staff to be the one which ends the drought.
