NHL training camps are set to open in the coming days. Team rosters are not yet 100% determined – the epic battle with restricted free agents is still going on and several dozen players have signed tryout contracts. However, 95% of the roster is already complete, and this is a good time to pick the clubs that (for now) seem to be the winners of the offseason.
Chicago and San Jose were not included in this short list: the outsiders did an impressive job, but are unlikely to qualify for the playoffs this season. Edmonton could have been on this list, but the Oilers were hit on the head with their offers and lost the depth of their defense, which was not the best anyway. Therefore, only the clubs that strengthened in the summer should help them make an immediate leap forward.
“Washington”
Beginners: c. Thompson, Z. Roy, z. Chikran, no. Dubois, no. Manjapane, no. reddish, n. Duheim
Much has been said and written about Washington’s dramatic restructuring, but let’s highlight its key point once again. The Capitals did not lose a single valuable asset during their summer re-signing. Three of the aforementioned tower players arrived for free; for the 2021 World Cup hero, Mangiapane received a second-round pick, but they received another second-rounder in exchange for role player Beck Malensteen. In the Thompson and Chykran trades, the Capitals parted with three third-round picks, and while these are secondary assets, the organization’s best young hockey players remained in their positions.
Let’s not forget the record:
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Such large-scale steps are generally unusual for Washington – this was done rather by their eternal opponents Pittsburgh, where they were not afraid to trade almost any player at any stage of the season. The last offseason, if you remember, was a long wait for the Caps, but the season turned out to be unexpectedly successful, even taking into account the fact that Washington limped into the playoffs in the race for the same competitors who raised both legs. “Washington took advantage of the crisis very well and potentially got the first center at a minimal price. Dubois’ reputation was greatly undermined by the fact that the center began to spoil the atmosphere in almost all the clubs where he was located, but his talent is undeniable. At the same time, Dubois’ new trick will almost certainly deprive him of his place in the league, because talent is talent, and no coach will want to endlessly play with a 26-year-old big boy. Probably Dubois is well aware of how critical his behavior is this year. If the PLD solves these problems, then the “capitalists” will become stronger, but if they do not solve them, they will not lose so much.
Pierre-Luc Dubois
Photo: George Walker IV/AP/TASS
Chikran is suffering from exactly the same transfer, although he does not complain. Jacob was unlucky to first find himself in a team whose main goal was to cover half of its salaries with contracts of injured players, and then go to a club with rather peculiar management. The sudden rise of Jake Sanderson, who quickly became a great offensive defender, pushed Chikran, who was generally a good player, to Ottawa’s third pair. There should not be such problems in the American capital; on paper, Jacob is the clear defender of the first pair of this team.
At the same time, Washington has been getting younger in a normal way. If TJ Oshie can’t play in the new season, which is quite likely given his injuries, then Washington will only have four players over 30 on its roster. Pittsburgh, by comparison, has 10 of them.
“New Jersey”
Newcomers: gt. Keefe, V. Markström, z. Kovacevich, z. Fish, z. Dillon, north. Tatar, n. Kotter, no. Beckman, N. Noesen
As for names, the “devils” didn’t get much more talented, but their team was already very talented.
The problem was different: the assembled composition could only be compared to freshly washed linen in its softness. Even taking into account the new trends of the modern league, success is not achieved in the NHL, but last season the team was plagued by injuries and the forced departure of King MacLeod in the middle of the regular season.
The entire New Jersey roster had 1,366 hits last year, while the team’s rookies had 732 hits. This figure is even more impressive when you consider that among them are those who do not like playing with Pesce and Tatar, as well as Beckman, who has played little. The security forces simply asked for defense: after the injured Hamilton missed almost the entire last season, it turned out that the young German and Luke Hughes were not ready to carry the entire defense. Now the “Devils” get veterans who can ensure the offensive impulses of the youngsters.
Executor Brenden Dillon
Photo: David Zalubowski/AP/TASS
Summer transfers from New Jersey allow to form a full-fledged third line, which on paper so far looks like Tatar – Haula – Noesen. The Slovak forward has started to turn into a kind of nomad in recent years, but in a limited role he should be useful. Noesen in “Carolina” at the age of 30 suddenly became one of the league’s leading specialists in “dirty” goals – once again, the “Demons” really needed such people, and it is depth that wins cups.
The goalie issue has finally been resolved. Last season, management only started to do something at the deadline, when time had already passed and the coach had changed. Now New Jersey has finally put pressure on Calgary to trade Markstrom and is getting a very experienced duo with Jake Allen. After Martin Brodeur’s departure, the Devils’ goalie position was full of misfortunes: injuries drastically curbed several of the club’s goalkeeping hopes (Schneider, Crawford, Blackwood). The problem is that older goalies are not immune to damage either.
And one fact should poison the lives of those who follow the team: young Dawson Mercer is still without a contract. In the NHL, of course, he is not alone, but any contract saga gets on everyone’s nerves.
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“Nashville”
Beginners: c. Wedgwood, W. Shay, N. Stamkos, n. Marchessault, no. Hinostrosa
Gone are the days when head coaches also served as general managers. This led both the NHL and NBA to look for steps that would lead to the quickest possible success now, often mortgaging the future for the sake of a dubious immediate effect. Although the part-time job is dead, Barry Trotz, who replaced the cold bench with a comfortable box seat, shows that head coaches do not want to wait.
The preparatory stage of the work was carried out last year, when Nashville left a lot of money under the limit, but got rid of the sweet couple Duchane and Johansen, who did not fit into Barry’s tough old-school philosophy, and instead invested in people with the right attitude. It would seem that O’Reilly himself, first of all, should have taught young people to reason, and this was just an overture to more noisy transitions.
“There’s no data or reason to justify having a winger that age in the lineup at the end of his career” – Vegas has once again spit in the back of a departing legend, and now there’s no doubt that Jonathan Marchessault will be back You have incredible motivation to show your ex how wrong he was. The 2023 playoff MVP was last year’s leading scorer, but Nevada has long since found new, shinier toys. At the same time, the Knights simply don’t have a player in the club’s short history with more of an influence on the team than Jonathan, and there are still no signs that at 34 he is suddenly deteriorating.
Jonathan Marchessault
Photo: Alex Gallardo/AP/TASS
Well, Steven Stamkos’ transition still seems like a kind of dream – the lightning bolt on the Tampa captain’s chest has grown too much. However, Lightning acted a bit like Las Vegas and preferred the younger sniper. For now, Stephen is expected to take a more logical place on the flank – the most developed player from the 2015 draft, Tommy Novak, could play in the center. The Predators did not have such a strong top 6, with the newcomers and veterans already mentioned above, with Forsberg in his prime, even in those years when the club reached the finals and won the regular season.
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All in all, the Predators have youngsters on their way, whom the club is trying not to give away. The departure of Yaroslav Askarov was forced: as soon as Juuse Saros received a new long-term contract, it became clear that the Russian had nothing to catch here. There are no parallels with the Bishop/Vasilevskiy situation in Tampa: the Finn is younger, not prone to injuries, and the club had no problems with the ceiling.
