The NHL offseason was interesting because the wild-card Nashville Predators and Washington Capitals, plus the non-playoff New Jersey Devils and Utah Hockey Club, were among the most aggressive teams.
The last-place San Jose Sharks and Chicago Blackhawks also boosted their rosters while the 111-point Carolina Hurricanes and 2023 champion Vegas Golden Knights lost key players.
So how will that translate to the regular-season standings? Theoretically, the aggressive teams should improve while the Hurricanes’ and Golden Knights’ point totals should drop.
But injuries and even the break for the 4 Nations Face-Off could throw things off.
USA TODAY Sports makes its annual attempt at projecting the records for all 32 NHL teams (explanations below) before the season starts on Friday.
PREDICTIONS: Who’ll win the Stanley Cup, major awards?
SALARIES: Who makes the most in 2024-25?
Pacific Division
The Oilers‘ lineup looks different because of the salary cap, including losing Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg to offer sheets. But by adding Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner, this roster could be deeper.
The Canucks could drop off depending on how long injured goalie Thatcher Demko is out. Arturs Silovs will need to play like he did in the playoffs.
The Golden Knights lost lots of depth with the departures of Jonathan Marchessault and Chandler Stephenson, but still have plenty of talent, a strong defense and a full season of Tomas Hertl and Noah Hanifin.
The Kings will have to navigate the beginning of the season without injured defenseman Drew Doughty. If youngster Brandt Clarke and others step up, the Kings could survive.
The Kraken added former Cup winners in Brandon Montour, Stephenson and coach Dan Bylsma, but they’ll also need a bounce-back season from Matty Beniers.
The trades of goalie Jacob Markstrom and forward Andrew Mangiapane continue the Flames‘ retool. Their point total should drop again.
The Sharks bottomed out last season and drafted Macklin Celebrini No. 1 overall. GM Mike Grier brought in veterans (Tyler Toffoli, Alex Wennberg) to help Celebrini and Will Smith in their first NHL season.
The Ducks have promising youngsters, including rookie Cutter Gauthier. But veteran goalie John Gibson is out early after an appendectomy and chances are they’ll be sellers at the trade deadline again.
Central Division
The Stars won the Central Division last season even though goalie Jake Oettinger’s numbers were down. He’ll get them back to the division title.
The Avalanche could get captain Gabriel Landeskog back later this season after two seasons out. That alone makes them a better team when he returns.
The Predators‘ aggressive offseason moves, which included signing Steven Stamkos and Marchessault, should help their middling power play and push them beyond a wild-card spot.
The Jets feel like they’re due for a dropoff from last season’s 110 points, but Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck should keep them a playoff team.
Blues GM Doug Armstrong made shrewd offer sheets to land Holloway and Broberg, but Torey Krug’s season-ending surgery will hurt.
Utah has a new home and ownership. The former Coyotes upgraded their defense with Mikhail Sergachev, John Marino and Ian Cole and should be more competitive.
The Wild couldn’t do much this offseason because they lack cap flexibility. Next year, they’ll have more room, but that doesn’t help now.
The Blackhawks added help (Tyler Bertuzzi, Teuvo Teravainen) for Connor Bedard, and the rookie of the year should have a bigger season if he stays healthy. But it will take more for Chicago to escape the basement.
Atlantic Division
The Panthers have won the division title two of the last three seasons and are defending Stanley Cup champions. Even with their offseason losses of Montour, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and others, they’re the team to beat.
The Maple Leafs beefed up their defense with Chris Tanev and Ekman-Larsson and new coach Craig Berube will hold everyone accountable. They just need goalie Joseph Woll to stay healthy.
The Bruins‘ point total will depend on when goalie Jeremy Swayman signs. They did plug some gaps in the offseason by adding two-way center Elias Lindholm and gritty defenseman Nikita Zadorov.
The Lightning will miss Stamkos on the power play and in the dressing room. But newcomer Jake Guentzel will bring a lot of offense.
Goalie Linus Ullmark is an upgrade in net, so the Senators should be in the playoff hunt through the season.
The Sabres hired Lindy Ruff, the last coach to get them to the playoffs. Is it enough to end a 13-season postseason drought? They looked good in the preseason.
The Red Wings lost scoring depth in the offseason and added Vladimir Tarasenko. Does the addition of Cam Talbot do enough to upgrade their goaltending?
The Canadiens will be without injured newcomer Patrik Laine for the first two to three months. That dampens the enthusiasm of a young team that’s on the rise.
Metropolitan Division
The Rangers made only a few moves in the offseason. But they’re the defending Presidents’ Trophy winners and goalie Igor Shesterkin is expected to have a strong season as he approaches free agency.
The Devils should get back to the postseason after boosting their goaltending (Markstrom), defense (Brett Pesce, Brenden Dillon) and scoring depth. But they already have some injuries on defense.
The Hurricanes took a step backward with numerous offseason departures (Guentzel, Pesce, Brady Skjei, Teravainen, etc.), but coach Rod Brind’Amour should keep the team from falling out of the playoffs.
Flyers coach John Tortorella says he won’t stifle Matvei Michkov’s creativity. If the rookie looks like he did in the preseason, that would help Philadelphia’s playoff hopes. They’ll need to avoid another late-season slump.
The Capitals were busy, adding Pierre-Luc Dubois, Mangiapane, Jakob Chychrun, Matt Roy and Logan Thompson. They should improve on last season’s -37 goal differential. This season will be more than just watching Alex Ovechkin chase Wayne Gretzky’s goal record.
The Islanders will benefit from a full season of coach Patrick Roy. Newcomer Anthony Duclair will help the offense but will they score enough? Also, goalie Ilya Sorokin is working his way back from offseason surgery.
Sidney Crosby signed a two-year extension, but the Penguins will need more from their power play and bottom six to push for a playoff spot.
This will be a tough season for the Blue Jackets emotionally and on the ice after the death of Johnny Gaudreau. New coach Dean Evason will try to keep them competitive.
