For 31 NHL teams, the Florida Panthers will be Public Enemy No. 1 for the next six months.
Winning the Stanley Cup immediately puts a target on your back and the Panthers will no doubt be feeling it as the 2024-25 NHL season begins. That’s right, after a long summer away, hockey is back! The Panthers open the new season as your reigning Stanley Cup champions, with the rest of the NHL looking upward as they begin their quest for back-to-back titles.
Florida certainly won’t have an easy go of it. Not only does an 82-game regular season slate stand in the Panthers’ way, they’re coming off of two long playoff runs capped by the emotional high of a championship summer. It’d make sense if the Panthers took a step back as the grind of the last few years caught up with them, but that just doesn’t seem to be their way. These Panthers made their name playing relentless, smash-mouth hockey and they’ll do so until the end.
As the 2024-25 season begins, let’s take a look at how we view all 32 teams in the return of our NHL power rankings.
MORE NHL: Ranking all 32 NHL teams for the 2024-25 season from least to most watchable.
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The future is starting to take shape for the Sharks amidst their rebuild, but it’s still very much a work in progress. At least Sharks fans will get their first taste of Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith in teal this season.
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Johnny Gaudreau’s tragic passing has left a hole in the Columbus community, one that won’t easily be filled. It’s going to be a tough season for the Blue Jackets, but new head coach Dean Evason should hopefully be a steady hand for this team going forward.
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There are some good, young pieces on this Ducks team, but it feels like we say that every year now. Despite the promised talent of guys like Trevor Zegras and Troy Terry, there just isn’t enough depth surrounding them to make a competitive hockey team.
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The Flames lost some major pieces this summer and it feels like there could be more coming before the season is through. It remains to be seen how much general manager Craig Conroy will gut this team down, but the message so far has been clear: it’s rebuild time in Calgary.
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Eighty points for Connor Bedard in his sophomore year feels well within reach, especially if he and his new linemates — Teuvo Teravainen and Tyler Bertuzzi — stay healthy. That being said, sorry to those who think the Blackhawks have playoff potential this year, it just isn’t happening.
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The preseason injuries to Patrik Laine and David Reinbacher are a tough pill to swallow if you’re a Canadiens fan. Thankfully, Laine’s injury timeline is better than expected — which is a relief — but it’s hard to see Montreal improving that much in a tough Atlantic Division.
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Linus Ullmark should provide some much-needed stability in net for the Senators this year after the team put up the worst save percentage in the league a season ago. Still, I’m still not convinced these aren’t the same disappointing Senators with a fresh coat of paint.
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The Kraken got a taste of playoff action in 2023, but fell back in line with expectations last season. Acquiring Chandler Stephenson and Brandon Montour in the offseason should make them a better team on paper, though the Kraken’s young pieces still feel a bit too green for Seattle to be a viable playoff contender.
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The bones of the Arizona Coyotes are still here, but it’s clear general manager Bill Armstrong wants Utah to be run completely differently from their predecessors. Utah Hockey Club sports an all-new defense, highlighted by the offseason acquisitions of Mikhail Sergachev and John Marino. Will it be enough to make a playoff push? Call us skeptical, but at least Utah should be icing a more competent lineup and taking on fewer bad contracts.
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The Flyers would be the first to tell you that they over-performed last season. But, considering where they are in their rebuild, it isn’t necessarily a bad thing if they take a step back in the standings this year. Still, keep an eye out for Matvei Michkov, who is quickly gaining hype as an early-season favorite for the Calder Trophy.
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Blues general manager Doug Armstrong made quite a splash in the offseason by giving offer sheets to Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg of the Oilers. And, what do you know, it worked! That kind of savvy maneuvering is necessary in today’s modern NHL, but the Blues have the unfortunate reality of competing in a tough Central Division that won’t be easy to climb.
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Does Sidney Crosby have yet another herculean performance in him this season? Because that’s what it feels like it’s going to take for the Penguins to even have a chance at a playoff spot this year. Pittsburgh’s core is good, but old, and the supporting cast around them just doesn’t have the depth it once did.
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The Sabres have the NHL’s worst playoff drought in league history and it’s hard to see that coming to an end this season, especially in a competitive Atlantic. Buffalo has good pieces, but the depth just hasn’t been there to complement their stars in Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin. We could be wrong, because the Sabres have surprised before, yet it’s hard to trust them after they’ve burned their supporters time and time again.
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Alex Ovechkin’s quest to break Wayne Gretzky’s goals record stands at a mere 42 goals. The number is possible this season if Ovechkin doesn’t go cold for months like he did last year. And once Ovechkin came alive last season, the Capitals were able to sneak into the playoffs and earn themselves some goodwill in the form of offseason additions from their front office. Those moves might not be enough to get the Capitals back to the postseason, but they could have some value in helping Ovechkin inch ever so closer to the NHL goals record.
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The Wild have yet to shake off their infamous “Minnesota Mild” nickname and the 2024-25 season looks to be much of the same for this team. Minnesota made no substantial acquisitions this offseason, in part due to having nearly 17 percent of their cap tied to the buyouts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. Instead, the Wild will once again try to rely on Kirill Kaprizov and their young core, which have yet to take the steps forward many hoped they would.
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The news that Ilya Sorokin had back surgery in the offseason is worrying if you’re an Islanders fan. Sorokin missed the majority of Islanders’ training camp due to his recovery and will be coming into the season a bit rusty because of it. In a year where the Islanders are looking to win a playoff series, if not more, questioning the health of their goaltender is not how they wanted to begin things.
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We’re entering Year 5 of the Yzerplan, with the Red Wings just barely missing out on a playoff berth at the end of last season. Expectations continue to rise in Detroit, with the team even adding Stanley Cup champion Vladimir Tarasenko in free agency this past summer. The Red Wings should be on the cusp of the playoffs once more; the question remains is if they have enough juice to get there for the first time in eight years.
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Drew Doughty’s ankle injury will keep him out of the Kings’ lineup on a month-to-month basis, a major blow to Los Angeles amidst a tough Pacific Division race. The Kings will have to weather the storm without their best defenseman, a difficult task when their top pairing is set to be Mikey Anderson and Jordan Spence for the foreseeable future. Still, the Kings young players have a chance to step up and make an impact on a team looking for that next man up.
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It’s hard to consider the Jets’ 2023-24 season a success, as after they posted the fourth-best record in the NHL last season, they got bounced by the Avalanche in five games in the first round. Will new head coach Scott Arniel be able to help the Jets find another gear? It’s what Winnipeg is banking on, especially with the steady hand of Connor Hellebuyck in goal leading the way.
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The Lightning made the hard decision to let long-time captain Steven Stamkos walk in free agency, but picked up Jake Guentzel via a trade. Tampa Bay sports a lightly new look this season because of it as the team looks to recapture that magic of their back-to-back Stanley Cup run. The Lightning are never bereft of talent, even with the loss of Stamkos, so they’ll certainly make things interesting in the Atlantic this year.
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Jack Eichel is now the linchpin of the Golden Knights offense, which is looking a bit lackluster compared to previous seasons. Still, this is Vegas, and we all know they’re going to look at every avenue imaginable to upgrade their team before the season is done. Expect the Golden Knights to still feast on the bottom feeders of the Pacific, but don’t be surprised if they struggle a bit with the best of the rest as they find their footing in this new dynamic.
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The Predators swung for the fences this offseason, adding Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei in a big power shift in the Central. Big things are expected out of this Predators team after these heavy-hitting moves and there’s a lot to like about what Nashville has built here. We might be lower on them here than expected, but there are a lot of good hockey teams and we’ll have to see if the Predators are able to make the jump from pretender to contender.
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The Maple Leafs’ Core Four remains intact, at least for now. Craig Berube now helms the bench for Toronto, as the team tries to shake the ghosts that have haunted them across the years. The regular season has no meaning for these Maple Leafs, who should be a top Atlantic team once more, as it’s playoffs or bust for Toronto. Again.
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Eric Tulsky has officially taken the reins in Carolina and he’ll have a bit of work to do to fill the holes after some offseason departures. Skjei, Guetnzel and Brett Pesce are no longer with the Hurricanes, leaving Carolina a bit thinner on paper than they have been in the past. Still, the Hurricanes’ front office is a smart one and Carolina is expected to be one of the best teams in the NHL once again.
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Jeremy Swayman has re-signed, which is a relief for Bruins fans. However, their newly-minted $66 million goaltender missed all of training camp, meaning he’s certainly going to be rusty to start the season. And without Linus Ullmark waiting in the wings, there’s not as much room for error in the goaltending department as there once was. The Bruins, at least, have retained their threatening offensive attack as they battle it out for a top spot in the Atlantic.
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It seems highly unlikely the Devils will repeat their mediocre performance from last season. For starters, injuries absolutely ravaged the Devils stars a season ago and that kind of poor luck never seems to strike twice in a row. Plus, New Jersey was quite active in the offseason, making key additions to their defense and goaltending that should let them keep pace with the top dogs in the East once again.
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The Canucks were the surprise team of the 2023-24 season, winning the Pacific Division by five points and getting to the second round of the playoffs. It finally seems like Vancouver has turned a corner after some truly miserable years and the expectation now is to get to the Western Conference Final. A tall order, given the competition around them, but Rick Tocchet finally has the Canucks playing to their fullest potential.
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Hopefully it isn’t too long until we see Gabriel Landeskog back on the ice in Avalanche burgundy again. It’s been over two years since Landeskog played for the Avalanche, thanks to multiple knee surgeries, but his timeline for return continues to look positive. That hope alone should be quite the motivating factor for Cale Makar, Mikko Rantanen and reigning MVP Nathan MacKinnon to start this new season.
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The Rangers begin the 2024-25 season having changed very little of their mix from last year that got them to the Eastern Conference Final. New York is banking on the continued success of their talented core in Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Alexis Lafrenière, Adam Fox and Jacob Trouba to see them through. And with the always-reliable Igor Shesterkin in net, it’s not hard to imagine that another successful season in New York is on the way.
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If any team is finally due for a Stanley Cup this season, it’s the Stars. After losing the 2020 Stanley Cup Final to the Lightning, the Stars have been able to reach the Western Conference Final in back-to-back years, just falling short of the big dance every time. This Stars team is deeply talented across the board, with a mix of seasoned veterans and exciting rookies all backstopped by stud netminder Jake Oettinger. That being said, the West won’t be won so easily…
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Connor McDavid and company have tasted defeat at the peak of the mountain and no doubt want another shot at carving their name in the history books. The Oilers nearly completed a thrilling Stanley Cup Final comeback but ultimately fell in the face of a superior opponent. And all of that after having a disastrous start to the season that nearly sunk their playoff hopes in early fall. I don’t see the Oilers repeating that mistake again and it’s clear McDavid isn’t going to let them.
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Sure, there are questions about how much juice the Panthers will have after two long playoff runs, but they’re the reigning Stanley Cup champions and deserve respect as such. Florida retained much of its championship core this offseason and will be lead by Matthew Tkachuk on offense, Aleksander Barkov on defense and Sergei Bobrovsky in net. Expect the Panthers to be in the mix as one of the top teams in the NHL this season as they look for back-to-back championships.
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