Training camps are just around the corner, and as players hit the ice in preparation for another season there are plenty of storylines to watch and questions to be answered.
While many of these questions won’t truly be resolved until the 2024-25 season is well underway, the next few weeks deliver our first glimpses of what we might expect from the year ahead.
Look around the heavyweight Atlantic Division, and there are blue lines being renovated and rebuilt, job openings to be filled, and some questions in the crease and behind the bench, too.
Let’s dig in.
(Teams are listed in order of last year’s standings.)
Florida Panthers: Who’s suiting up on the second pair?
After hoisting the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history, the Panthers took a bit of a hit in the off-season as the cap crunch came calling. While the roster remains largely intact up front, the departures of Brandon Montour and Oliver Ekman-Larsson open up an interesting opportunity for some new faces to step in and make an impact. The first pairing of Aaron Ekblad and Gustav Forsling remains, but who comes after?
Adam Boqvist is a popular pick to be GM Bill Zito’s latest reclamation project after being bought out in Columbus and signing a show-me deal with the champs, while Niko Mikkola could take another step forward after playing a supporting role in the club’s Cup run last year. Nate Schmidt is a Panther now, too. It’ll be particularly hard to replace the offensive contributions Montour brought from the back end — remember how clutch he was in the playoffs? — but someone’s going to step in and try. Camp will give us our first look at who that might be.
Boston Bruins: How does the Swayman standoff end?
For the second straight year, Jeremy Swayman is owed a new deal. And for the second straight year, it hasn’t been an easy process to sign on the dotted line. The departure of Linus Ullmark in June declared Swayman the de facto No. 1, but what does it mean to be paid like one? As solid as the 25-year-old netminder has been for the Bruins over the past three seasons since joining Boston’s regular rotation, he’s only once started more than 40 games as the team mastered the tandem approach.
Last season saw Swayman take on his heaviest workload, starting 43 contests and posting strong numbers including a 2.53 goals-against average and .916 save percentage. Maybe the larger question should be how exactly the Bruins plan to deploy him this year. The return for Ullmark included Joonas Korpisalo, who’s coming off a down year with Ottawa and could benefit from a tandem approach to regain form.
Toronto Maple Leafs: How does Craig Berube shape the Maple Leafs’ culture?
The Maple Leafs enter the 2024-25 season with more than a few pressing questions up and down the roster. In the blue paint, the No. 1 job belongs to Joseph Woll now, but can he stay healthy enough to seize the opportunity and run with it? Then there’s the blue line in front of him, which features an influx of big veterans long coveted by GM Brad Treliving, and top-six job openings at left wing with a list of applicants that features Matthew Knies, Nick Robertson, and PTO signee Max Pacioretty. All eyes will be on Mitch Marner, who spent part of the summer skating alongside the likes of Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon as he prepares for the most pivotal of seasons and stares down the possibility of free agency next summer.
Amid all the camp battles and intriguing storylines in Toronto, the biggest question might just be centred around the man behind the bench and how he approaches all of it. Training camp will bring our first glimpse of Craig Berube running the show in Toronto. How he establishes the culture should tell us a lot about this expectation-heavy season to come.
Tampa Bay Lightning: Can Conor Geekie crack the roster out of camp?
The Lightning’s all-in approach to winning for the past half-decade earned them three straight trips to the Stanley Cup Final and a pair of championship rings. It hasn’t exactly yielded a lot of top draft picks with which to fill their prospect pool, though, and that’s something Julien BriseBois addressed earlier this summer when he dealt star defenceman Mikhail Sergachev to Utah in exchange for forward prospect Conor Geekie.
Arizona’s 11th overall pick in 2022 instantly became Tampa Bay’s top prospect upon landing with the Lightning, and now as the club reports to camp all eyes will be on the 20-year-old to see if he can make the jump to the pros. Fresh off a 99-point WHL campaign, it’s easy to see why BriseBois so coveted the skilled centreman — and with the club getting a little younger following the GM’s decision to let Steven Stamkos walk and sign Jake Guentzel as the club’s new top-line forward, the time could be right to bring in another new guy to help keep that window of contention open.
Detroit Red Wings: Can Yzerman get his young core signed in time for camp?
The biggest topic at the beginning of Detroit’s off-season remains the most talked-about storyline as the Red Wings approach training camp. While the Red Wings’ RFAs aren’t the only high-profile skaters still unsigned as camps loom, it’s easy to understand why there’s some concern around the status of Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider.
The forward and defenceman are franchise cornerstones whose respective roles cannot be understated. Raymond was the team’s leader in assists (41) and points (72) last season while Seider’s offensive gifts were on full display on the blue line with 42 points. Forward Jonatan Berggren, too, has yet to sign a new pact. We’ve seen more and more RFA contract stalemates bleed through camp and come dangerously close to game time… will these be the same? As pricey as these contracts could be, can the Red Wings afford to keep waiting?
Buffalo Sabres: Can Byram break out in Buffalo?
Look around the league, and you’ll be hard pressed to find a top four brimming with as much potential as the one in Buffalo right now. Already boasting a pair of top picks in Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power, the Sabres brought in Bowen Byram via last spring’s deadline trade that saw Casey Middlestadt sent to Colorado. We got a glimpse of the team’s new triple threat down the stretch, but training camp brings the trio the luxury of time to really build up chemistry and piece together the puzzle of pairings.
Byram is an interesting player to watch not just because he could be the key to unlocking this blue line’s full potential, but because he himself is due for a true breakout season. The rearguard has had a difficult start to his NHL career, dealing with the lingering effects of concussions early on. Last season saw him play a career-high 73 matchups, posting personal bests in goals (11), assists (18) and total points (29). With health on his side, a strong supporting cast around him, and Lindy Ruff tasked with prioritizing his blue line, Byram is a strong breakout candidate.
Ottawa Senators: Will Josh Norris be ready to go?
If the Senators are to finally to emerge from their long-haul rebuild, they’ll need all their young stars at full health — and that’s something they simply haven’t had the past few years. Top of mind is the status of centre Josh Norris, who is in many ways the face of this rebuild considering he was one of the biggest pieces in the trade return for Erik Karlsson. The 24-year-old is rippling with breakout potential but has been unable to reach it due to a string of shoulder injuries that have hampered him throughout his young career so far.
Norris’ breakout season came in 2021-22 when he tallied 35 goals and 55 points in 66 games and after being sidelined all but eight games in the season that followed was enjoying a similar run of success last year with 30 points through 55 games before being shut down in February. He underwent shoulder surgery in March— his third such procedure on that same left shoulder. His projected recovery time put him on track to be ready for training camp and the latest word from general manager Steve Staios is positive:
Montreal Canadiens: How will this young blue line shake out?
The youth movement has arrived in Montreal, and it’s about to get a little crowded. The club boasts a ton of young talent on the blue line, and how general manager Kent Hughes and head coach Martin St. Louis navigates this group will be a major storyline to watch over the next few weeks. David Reinbacher, the team’s fifth overall selection in 2023, is a top candidate to break into the lineup but he’s not alone. Other prominent young players in the mix include fellow top prospects Lane Hutson and Logan Mailloux and third-year d-men Arber Xhekaj and Kaiden Guhle. Where they all fit in around veterans Mike Matheson and David Savard will be a subject of much interest.