At the core of every good (and bad and ugly) hockey story, you’ll find people. Supreme on-ice talents and front-office giants. Combustible coaches and charismatic commentators. The National Hockey League will lean on all of the above to keep our attention throughout the winter and deep into spring.
Here, in alphabetical order, are the 24 newsmakers and game-breakers likely to define the 2023-24 NHL season.
Michael Andlauer
Is there a giddier NHL fan base these days than the Ottawa Senators’? Hope rushes from the top down, as newly minted owner Andlauer sheds his stake in the Montreal Canadiens and plans to one day break ground for a sorely needed downtown arena. Optimism orbits the capital city’s young, locked-in nucleus (Josh Norris’s health notwithstanding), so now the pressure pivots to Andlauer’s inherited GM, Pierre Dorion, and head coach, D.J. Smith. Playoffs feel like a must.
Connor Bedard
Asked why he avoided eye contact with the Chicago Blackhawks’ bench during a prolonged preseason overtime shift, Bedard replied: “I like hockey.” Yep. And hockey likes him back. As the No. 1–overall pick and the most anticipated teenager to storm into the league since that other Connor guy, Bedard is positioned to dominate the sport’s conversation over the next seven months and reinvigorate one of the NHL’s most historic and important markets. Believe the hype.
Gary Bettman
The commissioner’s plate is as full as ever. Regional TV contracts are in flux. Potential expansion-team owners are knocking down his door. A 2025 World Cup needs a format. The Coyotes could use a home. Joel Quenneville and Stan Bowman want back in. Investigation findings of Canada’s 2018 world junior team loom. And the salary cap is finally primed for a boost. Bettman will continue to highlight hockey’s progress, but the hard truth is, financially the NBA has left the NHL in its dust, while MLS and car racing are gaining ground.
Paul Bissonnette
Not only has Biz Nasty broken out as a standout TV personality on the same TNT panel as Wayne Gretzky and co-hosted the sport’s most popular and least conservative podcast, but now the former fourth-liner has become an agent of change for current players. Straight up: Mike Babcock’s removal from Columbus doesn’t happen so swiftly and dramatically without Bissonnette’s influence. The fringe player with the funny Twitter account has evolved into one of the most influential voices in the league.
Jessica Campbell & Kori Cheverie
Yes, the emergence of women in the male-dominated NHL was too slow to get rolling and progression is being measured in baby steps. But it is happening. While front offices have welcomed more female voices of late, Campbell and Cheverie are breaking boundaries behind the bench. Campbell, 31, became the first full-time American Hockey League coach, and followed that achievement up by coaching a September preseason game for the Seattle Kraken. Cheverie did the same for the Pittsburgh one day earlier. “It’s definitely something that will continue to put female coaches on the map,” Cheverie said. “We’re coaches at the end of the day, we study the game, we watch the video, we coach the players, we understand the game, we’ve played it. The only thing that really separates us is male and female.”
Mack Celebrini & Cole Eiserman
Vancouver-born centre Celebrini and American sniper Eiserman enter 2023-24 as 1A and 1B when it comes to the presumptive top pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. As has long been the case in the lottery era, bad teams will strive to get worse in effort to secure one of these 17-year-old game-changers for a rebuild. Lack for Mack! Dig a hole for Cole!
Kevin Cheveldayoff
Among active GMs, only St. Louis’s Doug Armstrong has held his post longer than Cheveldayoff has held his in Winnipeg. Armstrong has a Cup on his resume; Cheveldayoff has one trip to the Western Conference final, and that was five years ago. The Jets executive dropped a Thanksgiving surprise Monday, with the twin $59.5-million extensions of 2024’s best pending UFA goaltender (Connor Hellebuyck) and arguably the class’s most talented centreman (Mark Scheifele). Clearly, the Jets are striving to make playoffs in a weakened Central Division. But is Chevy’s core strong enough to remain relevant and keep attendance figures from slipping?
Craig Conroy
A new regime in Calgary. A new voice behind the bench. And new promise of a new rink. At the eye of it all is rookie GM Conroy, who takes over a non-playoff team but is eschewing a rebuild — and has good reason to believe last winter’s version of the Flames simply underperformed. Better is expected of cornerstone forwards Jonathan Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri. And while Conroy secured a win by locking up dressing-room leader Mikael Backlund and slapping a second C on his sweater, how the executive handles the uncertain futures of his 11(!) pending free agents — Elias Lindholm, Noah Hanifin, Chris Tanev, Nikita Zadorov, Oliver Kylington, et al. — could map his legacy early.
Rasmus Dahlin
Is this the year the Buffalo Sabres, sad owners of an NHL-worst 12-year playoff drought, finally, mercifully break through? If attempt 13 turns lucky, it will be because Dahlin leads the way from the back end. Surrounded by an electric young core (Tage Thompson, Dylan Cozens, Owen Power, and here comes Zach Benson), Dahlin inked the richest extension ever for a pending RFA defenceman: eight years, $88 million. No distractions. No excuses. It’s time for Dahlin and the Sabres to make the dance.
Bill Foley
Because it’s incredibly difficult to single out one person from the Vegas Golden Knights’ championship organization, we’ll point to the top. Foley’s aggressive and prescient pursuit of the Stanley Cup — a trophy he hoisted six years after he said he would — has not only set a relentless tone for how titles can be won in a salary-cap climate, but the hands-on businessman has provided a blueprint for all new owners on how to create a buzz and construct a winner out of nothing. The bid for a repeat won’t be easy, but it’s saying something that the Knights are essentially running back the same room that earned the rings (sorry, Reilly Smith).
Patrick Kane
The no-brainer Hall of Famer and arguably the most skilled American to ever lace ’em up is hungry and teamless. Determined to prove he’s still elite after an injury-hampered 57-point campaign and first-round exit with the Rangers, the 34-year-old Kane underwent hip surgery and has been flaunting his fitness on social media. Rare that a free agent of Kane’s pedigree hangs around the market past puck drop, but here we are. Who wants him? Better question: Who has the cap space to afford him?
Erik Karlsson
The most expensive player traded in the salary-cap era arrives in Pittsburgh scorching hot after a 101-point, Norris-winning tour de force in San Jose, where nothing mattered much standings-wise. For Kyle Dubas, Mike Sullivan and the Penguins, however, team success is paramount. (Anyone else catch Sidney Crosby dropping the gloves in exhibition?!) The Cup-starved Karlsson joins forces with fellow right-shot minutes-muncher Kris Letang, after a similar partnership with Brent Burns yielded underwhelming results, and an aging group of superstars still bitter about blowing their playoff shot last April.
Connor McDavid
All the world’s greatest hockey player did in 2022-23 was score 64 goals, hang 153 points, rip another 20 in 12 playoff games and leave NHL Awards night with four shiny trophies. What could McDavid possibly cook up for an encore? Is 170 points out of the question? More? Well, the man himself cares not for individual accomplishments at this stage. His eyes are fixed on the big prize, the one that has so far eluded him — and eluded Canadian cities for 30 years and counting. The Edmonton Oilers are a legit Stanley Cup contender, and McDavid is the first reason why.
Alex Meruelo
That the Arizona Coyotes embark on a second season hosting home games at 5,000-seat Mullett Arena isn’t so much cute as it is embarrassing. The NHL has been more than patient with Meruelo and his group as the Yotes wander the desert in search of a permanent home. (Mesa perhaps?) The pressure is on. As cool as it’ll be to watch Logan Cooley light up a university-sized barn, the commissioner’s office is getting antsy, and plenty of other U.S. markets (Houston, Kansas City, Salt Lake City, Atlanta again) are emerging as potential NHL landing spots.
William Nylander
The 40-goal sniper is in no rush to drop his asking price (believed to be eight figures on a long-term extension) as he speeds toward unrestricted free agency and his greatest payday as the most talented prime-age forward on 2024’s open market. The Maple Leafs are pushing Nylander outside his comfort zone, pushing him to play more centre and kill more penalties. The question isn’t whether Nylander wants to stay in Toronto. The question is whether the club’s new GM, Brad Treliving, wants to pick up where the old one left off and continue to invest the lion’s share of his budget into skilled forwards while pinching pennies on the blueline and in the crease.
Alex Ovechkin
There was a time when the Washington Capitals were focused on breaking through and winning a Stanley Cup. These days, the franchise’s story revolves around the singular pursuit of one indestructible individual’s pursuit of all-time goal-scoring record. Wayne Gretzky’s 894 was once believed untouchable, but a 38-year-old Ovechkin enters the season just 72 red lamps away from the unthinkable. Sure, the Caps are hoping a healthy John Carlson and an inspired Evgeny Kuznetsov can make them relevant in the playoff race, but in D.C., it’s all about The Gr8 ChaseTM.
Elias Pettersson
Pettersson is far and away the greatest talent among all players skating toward restricted free agency in 2024. The Vancouver Canucks centreman skates into his platform season hot off a 102-point campaign. (The NHL’s next most productive RFA-to-be? Carolina’s Martin Necas, with 71 points.) Simply put, players of Pettersson calibre and position don’t come around often. It is no small issue that the Swede wishes to wait before re-signing. New head coach Rick Tocchet is expected to ratchet up the accountability in Van City, but the near future of the franchise could well rest not only with Pettersson’s performance but his desire to commit long term.
Ryan Smith
The 45-year-old American billionaire already owns the majority share of the NBA’s Utah Jazz and holds a significant stake in MLS’s Real Salt Lake. Now Smith is cozying up to Bettman with an eye to bring the NHL to Utah. The savvy entrepreneur has deep pockets and grand ideas. Smith surely would rather an expansion franchise, but if the Coyotes fumble another arena plan, Utah represents a Western Conference alternative.
Steven Stamkos
Much like your dad, Stamkos isn’t mad — he’s disappointed. And why wouldn’t he be? In 2016, the captain eschewed free agency to accept a “hometown” discount, helping set an internal cap structure that allowed the Tampa Bay Lightning to build a two-time championship roster. The consummate leader has gone on to become the franchise’s all-time goals and points leader. Even at 33, Stamkos is coming off an 84-point campaign; among pending UFAs, only Nylander was more productive in 2022-23. And he can’t get a contract offer? How Stammer channels his frustration will colour his own future and the Bolts’ bid for a third boat parade.
Matthew Tkachuk
Last we saw Hart finalist Tkachuk, he was braving through a busted sternum and dragging an 8-seed to the Stanley Cup Final. Not only does the charismatic, agitating superstar represent competitive desire, he also represents personality and marketability — two traits not always synonymous with hockey’s best players. Tkachuk speaks his mind and plays his heart out. His willingness to bust outside the sport’s insular bubble and appear in People magazine or NBA on TNT is a win for his brand and the NHL’s.
Devon Toews
As Cale Makar’s righthand man and the most coveted impending free agent defenceman, Toews is sorely underpaid and due a significant raise. Following 2023’s stunning early ouster from the postseason, the 2022 champs must have all hands on deck. Absolutely, the Colorado Avalanche wish to keep Toews in the fold, yet blueliners of his calibre are difficult to come by and the belief is he would fetch more on the open market than were he to re-up in Denver. Keep Toews, and the Avs’ contention window expands. Let him walk, and a giant hole opens up.
Barry Trotz
Trotzy’s home. But although the family man feels comfortable back in Nashville, where he formed his Cup-winning coaching habits, Trotz is challenging himself by stepping into the executive suite, where his decisions take on grander scope. Already, Trotz has made waves by trading away Ryan Johansen and buying out Matt Duchene. Veterans Ryan O’Reilly and Luke Schenn were imported to guide a young, impressionable room. And the Preds embark on another season with superb goaltending (Juuse Saros) yet mediocre depth. Does Trotz go bold with a deeper rebuild or try to keep Smashville in the mix?
Pascal Vincent
Thrust into an overdue promotion thanks to Mike Babcock’s disgraceful (and expensive) resignation from the Columbus Blue Jackets’ bench before coaching a single preseason game, Vincent has the hockey world rooting for him. While some may argue that Vincent has nothing to lose, taking the reins of a disappointing team, he’ll play an integral role in Adam Fantilli’s rookie season, Patrik Laine’s transition to centre, and the bounce-back hopes for a city (and general manager, Jarmo Kekalainen) that can ill afford to waste another year in the basement.
Marty Walsh
Union lifer Walsh left U.S. President Joe Biden’s office to try to unite the voice and priorities of 800-some hockey players. A hard worker who is learning the league and its web of player issues on the fly, Walsh and his staff (we see you, Ron Hainsey) made swift impact with September’s Babcock investigation and are trying to revive best-on-best international action. We’ll see how a new regime affects the NHLPA, but at least in the early going, Walsh appears more engaged than his predecessor.