With the 24-25 season starting today, The Hockey News Columbus is going to take a shot at some predictions. Spencer Lazary and I are going to do our best.
For this one, we’re talking about the NHL as a whole instead of the normal CBJ conversation. There may be some Jackets nuggets in here, so be sure to take a look.
Who will win the Hart Trophy?
- Jason – Auston Matthews has a comeback year and scores 70 goals.
- Spencer – Connor McDavid wins it.
Who will win the Art Ross?
- Jason – Connor McDavid will take his top spot back as the league’s top point getter.
- Spencer – Connor McDavid, it’s hard to bet against him.
Who will win the Rocket Richard?
- Jason – Auston Matthews breaks the 70-goal mark.
- Spencer – Auston Matthews will return to form and prove he doesn’t need Mitch Marner on his wing.
Who will win the Norris Trophy?
- Jason – Zach Werenski has another Norris-caliber season, this time beating Cale Makar.
- Spencer – Cale Makar will win again. It’s going to be a tight race between him, Werenski, and Quinn Hughes, but I think Makar takes it.
Who will win the Vezina Trophy?
- Jason – Jake Oettinger is finally going to get himself the Vezina.
- Spencer – Connor Hellebuyck will win it again, but can he show up in the playoffs?
Who will win the Calder Trophy?
- Jason – It’s going to be close between Ivan Demidov and Yaroslav Askarov, but in the end, Demidov will win the award and score 35 goals to do it.
- Spencer – As my colleague mentioned, it will be close. My picks are between Ivan Demidov and Matthew Schaefer of the New York Islanders. I do think Schaefer will beat out Demidov.
Who will win the Selke Trophy?
- Jason – With Aleksander Barkov out of the mix, Mitch Marner is going to win the Selke going away.
- Spencer – Anthony Cirelli will win it with Aleksander Barkov out for the year.
Who will win the Jack Adams Award?
- Jason – Joel Quenneville is going to guide the Anaheim Ducks to a Western Conference Playoff spot, thus winning the Jack Adams.
- Spencer – Craig Berube, it’s about time a Maple Leafs coach gets some love from the voters.
Who will challenge Connor McDavid for the Art Ross Trophy?
- Jason – Nathan MacKinnon will push McDavid hard this season.
- Spencer – Leon Draisaitl, how cool would that be? Two teammates and best friends battling it out for the Art Ross Trophy?
Who will be the first coach fired?
- Jason – Andrew Brunette and his Predators get off to another slow start and will be let go fairly early in the season.
- Spencer – For me, it’s a toss-up between Andrew Brunette and Lindy Ruff. I would say that it will be Ruff, especially if they go on a long losing streak like years past.
Which GM is feeling the most heat?
- Jason – The answer is always Steve Yzerman until the Red Wings decide to come out of their rebuild.
- Spencer – Kevyn Adams in Buffalo. The Buffalo Sabres have been a dumpster fire for the last 10 years. It may be time to start fresh and bring a whole new front office.
Which player is due for a breakout?
- Jason – Leo Carlsson is going into his third year and put together a good season in 24-25 with 45 points. With a new coach and a good mix of vets new to the team this year, look for Leo to crack 65+ points
- Spencer – For me, it’s a toss-up between Connor Bedard and Shane Wright. Both players have so much pressure on them. I will ultimately say Bedard. I’d love to see him dominate this season.
Which team is due for a breakout?
- Jason – The Utah Mammoth should’ve been named the Yeti, but sadly wasn’t. Utah is going to have a good year and push for the playoffs.
- Spencer – Detroit Red Wings, they have been rebuilding for a while, but the NHL is better with them in the playoffs. Hopefully, this is the year they can figure it out and get into the playoffs.
Which player will suffer a setback?
- Jason – Matt Duchene had 82 points last season for a very good Dallas team, and I just don’t think he’ll be able to replicate that, even with Mikko Rantanen on the team.
- Spencer – Alex Ovechkin, after breaking the record, it feels like he has done everything he wanted to do in the NHL. In what could be his last NHL year, it seems like he could struggle a bit this season.
Which team will suffer a setback?
- Jason – For all the reasons Spencer said below, the Washington Capitals will fall a couple of pegs.
- Spencer – Washington Capitals, last season, it was all about Ovechkin. Now that the chase is over, I feel like they will come back down to earth.
Who will win the Presidents’ Trophy as the best regular-season team?
- Jason – The Dallas Stars run away with the Western Conference and narrowly beat Carolina for the Presidents’ Trophy.
- Spencer – Toronto Maple Leafs, this team has something to prove after losing Marner. They will want to show everyone they are just as good, and the best way to do that is by winning the Presidents’ Trophy.
Who will win the Stanley Cup?
- Jason – The Florida Panthers make it three straight. Are they even stoppable?
- Spencer – Dallas Stars, they’ve been a powerhouse in the West for years. This is the year they do it.
Who will win the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP?
- Jason – Sergei Bobrovsky carries the team this time and wins the playoff MVP.
- Spencer – Mikko Rantanen will have a full year under his belt in Dallas, and he will carry the club to the promised land and win playoff MVP.
What Canadian team will go the furthest?
- Jason – The Edmonton Oilers, until further notice.
- Spencer – Toronto Maple Leafs – it’s just their time.
Who will have the best odds of winning the Draft Lottery?
- Jason – This one shouldn’t even be a question. The answer is the Pittsburgh Penguins, and has been since Gavin McKenna was determined to be the consensus #1 overall pick.
- Spencer – Pittsburgh Penguins, Lemieux had Crosby, Crosby will have McKenna.
What player will benefit the most from a change in scenery?
- Jason – There weren’t many, but I’ll go with Vladislav Gavrikov. Being with Panarin again could be beneficial.
- Spencer – Most will say Marner, but we all know he will be a no-show in the playoffs. So, I’m going to say Nikolaj Ehlers with the Carolina Hurricanes.
Which team will suffer the most from buyer’s remorse?
- Jason – The Carolina Hurricanes went out and pulled a Nashville Predators by signing Ehlers and trading for K’Andre Miller, in hopes that they can break through to the Cup Final. Sadly for Canes fans, they will win the Metro, but won’t make it past the second round.
- Spencer – It has to be the Nashville Predators still, no? They spent millions last off-season and had a terrible year. The same could happen again this season.
Which star player will be traded (and to where)?
- Jason – It’s time!! Sidney Crosby to the Colorado Avalanche seems like it’s been in the works for years. This year, it finally happens.
- Spencer – Evgeni Malkin to the Florida Panthers while Barkov is out injured.
Which rookie are you the most excited to see?
- Jason – Ryan Leonard from the Washington Capitals is going to be a force in the league at some point. He came in late last season and played some games, and looked the part. Being that he’s in the Metro with the CBJ, we’ll see a lot of him this year.
- Spencer – Michael Misa, the Sharks remind me of the Maple Leafs. They have a ton of young stars. I’m excited to see what Misa can do.
What off-season move will be the most impactful?
- Jason – Mitch Marner should have a very good year with Vegas. He could be the uber-dynamic winger that puts the VGK back into the Cup final.
- Spencer – Noah Dobson of the Montreal Canadiens. He got traded, got the big extension, and he has a huge opportunity to help that franchise.
Who is the NHL’s most overpaid player?
- Jason – The answer will always be Darnell Nurse. That contract is holding Edmonton back from making bigger moves so that they can win a Stanley Cup.
- Spencer – I have to agree with Jason, Darnell Nurse’s contract is atrocious.
Who is the NHL’s most underpaid player?
- Jason – Sam Bennett, and only because of what he brings to the Panthers during the playoffs. He should be making $10 million just for his performance in last season’s playoffs.
- Spencer – It has to be Sidney Crosby. For almost his entire career, he has earned $8.7 million to give his team a chance to win.
Whose bad season was an indicator of reality?
- Jason – The Boston Bruins finished below the Sabres and were tied for dead last in the Eastern Conference. It’s time to break it down and start over. Or do they hold on, much like the Penguins, for one last hurrah?
- Spencer – The Penguins, last season, were proof that they need to rebuild and fast.
Whose good season was an aberration?
- Jason – The Washington Capitals rode the wave of Alex Ovechkin last year, but this year will be different. We will get a glimpse of life after Ovi this season, when they take a big step backwards.
- Spencer – I’d have to agree with Jason, it has to be the Capitals.
What older player will show signs of aging?
- Jason – Brad Marchand was a good story last year. He left Boston for Florida and won a cup and had a very good playoff season. But, after signing a 6-year extension at $5.25 million per season, his production is going to fall off a cliff. The Panthers are all-in for as long as they can be all-in, so I don’t blame them for locking him up, but this one will come back to haunt them.
- Spencer – Steven Stamkos, after leaving Tampa Bay, it felt like only a matter of time until he fell off completely.
What backup goalie could end up as a No. 1?
- Jason – Logan Thompson had an outstanding year last year, but if he’s not careful, Charlie Lindgren could steal his job. Many expect the Caps to take a step back, and if he’s not careful, Thompson could find himself watching more games than playing.
- Spencer – Jet Greaves may be the only viable answer. He will likely start as the backup, but will become the starter by season’s end.
Which city will get the next NHL team?
- Jason – Bring back the Houston Aeros!
- Spencer – I want to say Quebec, but I think it’ll be Houston.
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