(Photo courtesy of Cable TV) “NHL preseason presentation”

James Guiry
Connector Staff

The NHL kicked off preseason action last weekend and each team had their ups and downs. The Oilers are looking to get another shot at The Stanley Cup, while teams like the Predators, and the Devils loaded up where they were lacking to try and make a playoff run. This year’s NHL season will be a good one.

The Edmonton Oilers are looking to come back from a devastating Stanley Cup Finals loss to the Florida Panthers. They locked up a major piece in Leon Draisaitl, signing him to an eight-year extension.

Draisaitl was a big question mark for Edmonton this summer because many people believe he can make more money elsewhere. The lethal combination of centers Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl is enough to terrify goaltenders around the league. This duo is akin to centers Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. The Oilers are coming back with a lot of the same players they had last year. Their offense should be great, and their problems will probably stay with their defensemen and goaltending. It should not be surprising to see them make another deep playoff run, they are the favorite to win the Western Conference on DraftKings heading into the start of the season.

The Utah Hockey Club (formerly the Arizona Coyotes) is a new team that was established, and they will begin competition in the 2024-2025 season. They are a young team with a bright future in the hands of players like center Logan Cooley and right winger Dylan Guenther. Arizona was on the verge of being ready to field a team that could be competing for a playoff spot soon, but issues with attendance and building a new stadium forced the owners to sell the team to Smith Entertainment Group; the same people that own the Utah Jazz. The owners of the Coyotes still own the rights to the name and branding, and they have the right to reestablish the team within the next five years if they get a new arena. However, if they are to rejoin the league, they lose all their players and prospects, they now belong to Utah. There would be an expansion draft if the Coyotes owners decide to reestablish the franchise within the next few years.

Utah opened their first preseason by scoring on their own net during a delayed penalty. The first-ever “goal” for the franchise was scored on by themselves because of a weird bounce. They still won the game against the St. Louis Blues 5-3. They also beat the Kings 3-2.

The Boston Bruins have added a few pieces and lost some rentals including left wingers Pat Maroon (Chicago) and Jake DeBrusk (Vancouver). A particularly tough loss for the Bruins was trading goaltender Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators for goaltender Joonas Korpisalo, center Mark Kastelic and a 2024 first-round draft pick.

This trade is particularly bad for Boston because they have yet to lock up star goaltender Jeremy Swayman to a long-term deal. Swayman is one of the younger goalies in the league while showing to be one of the better options on the net, although he is not reporting to preseason games until he is signed.

Don Sweeny, general manager of the Bruins, says that they are not far off from a deal with the twenty-five-year-old netminder. However, they signed goaltender Kasimir Kaskisuo to a Professional Tryout Agreement, who most recently played with the Laval Rocket of the AHL. The goalie situation has eclipsed the other off-season moves the Bruins had made.

Their most noticeable moves were signing ex-Flames and Canucks center Elias Lindholm and defencemen Nikita Zadorov on the first day of free agency. The Bruins needed a solid first-line center after losing Patrice Bergeron to retirement. Pavel Zacha stepped up in the 2023-2024 season but getting a true first-line center is a big upgrade. The Bruins’s success this season hinges solely on their ability to ink Swayman into a new deal.

Teams such as the Rangers and Maple Leafs who saw some success last season have decided to roll with the same teams this season. The Maple Leafs core of center Auston Matthews, right winger Mitch Marner and right winger William Nylander was a question this summer. They have been together for a few years but have not made it as far into the playoffs as teams like the Rangers, Bruins and the Panthers. Fans have wondered if it is worth paying them all, or if they should look for trades to upgrade other positions.

The winners and losers of the offseason will shape how this season plays out. Teams like the Bruins and Oilers are relying on one player to resign while teams like Nashville are just looking to upgrade everywhere. Every team has needs but which team met those needs before the season started?