With the NHL season starting on October 7, it is the perfect time to take a look at what is to come.
Right now, the defending champion Florida Panthers are dealing with several serious injuries. Captain Aleksander Barkov tore his ACL and MCL during training camp and was hospitalized. The injury is expected to sideline him for the majority of the season. Matthew Tkachuk is recovering from offseason surgery due to a lower body injury and will miss the beginning of the season. Thomas Nosek is also expected to miss much of the season due to offseason surgery, and Dmitry Kulikov is experiencing an upper-body injury that will leave him out for weeks.
The Florida Panthers may have a rough start to the season, as they are missing their captain, along with a defenseman, right wing, and left wing. This means that they will have to tighten their defense in this upcoming season to stay competitive in the Eastern Conference.
In the Metropolitan division, the Carolina Hurricanes are expected to have another strong campaign. The Metro is a more top-heavy division, with Carolina expected to lead the division along with the Capitals and Devils.
With Carolina’s addition of Nikolaj Ehlers and K’Andre Miller, they have now added to their scoring ability and reworked their defense in order to keep up with Washington and New Jersey. The New Jersey Devils are going to enter the season strong with Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, and Nico Hischier, all three of whom are strong players on both ends of the ice.
In the Central Division, the Dallas Stars are positioned to remain among the top teams. The Stars have been consistent contenders in past years, and that trend is likely to continue. The Colorado Avalanche and Winnipeg Jets also pose serious threats to winning the division title.
Finally, in the Pacific Division, the Edmonton Oilers are looking to rebound after falling to the Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final for the second season in a row. Forward Zach Hyman experienced a wrist injury, putting him on injured reserve until November, while Jake Walman is sidelined with an unspecified injury.
Even with two of their players out, the Oilers still have a bright season ahead of them. It remains to be seen if they can finally get over the hump this year and win their sixth championship in franchise history, or if their injury problems and question marks in net will squash their title aspirations.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.