September 24, 2024; New York, NY, USA; New York Rangers right wing Riley Smith (91) skates for the first time at home during the first period against the New York Islanders at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images carolina hurricane
Head Coach: Rod Brind'Amour (Season 7)
Last season: 52 wins, 23 losses and 7 losses, 111 points, second in the metropolitan area
This season: The Hurricanes, a perennial top club, were eliminated in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs last season for the third time in four seasons. Carolina had some turnovers but should be on offense again. Even so, the championship window appears to be closing.
Latest news: Forwards William Carrier and Jack Roslovic and guards Sean Walker and Shayne Gostisbehere have been added , to fill in for forwards Jake Guentzel, Teuvo Teravainen and Stefan Noesen and linebackers Brett Pesce and Brady · Big hole left by Brady Skjei.
Players to Watch: Goalkeeper Pyotr Kochetkov has earned the No. 1 spot and is sure to be a rock as a new-look Hurricanes team gathers with new faces and players with increased roles .
columbus blue jackets
Head Coach: Dean Evason (Season 1)
Last season: 27-43-12, 66 points, eighth in metropolitan area
This season: The deaths of star forward Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew on the eve of training camp will be an overwhelming dark cloud hanging over the club. Even for the talented Gaudreau, this season will be challenging. That pales in the grand scheme of life, but making the playoffs will be a bigger challenge.
What’s new: It’s another fresh start for Columbus under a new coach. On the ice, the club signed free agent Sean Monahan in hopes he can reignite his career alongside Gaudreau. Now, Monaghan will be counted on to mentor the team's younger players. The Blue Jackets also signed James van Riemsdyk and acquired defenseman Jordan Harris in the trade that sent Patrik Laine to Montreal.
Players to Watch: With an eye on the future, much of the season will be focused on the development of young forwards like Kent Johnson, Adam Fantilli, Cole Silinger and Egor Zinakhov as well as defenders David Giricek.
new jersey devils
Head Coach: Sheldon Keefe (Season 1)
Last season: 38 wins, 39 losses and 5 losses, 81 points, seventh in the metropolitan area
This season: Last season was a disaster, plagued by key injuries and subpar goaltending. The Devils should not only return to the playoffs, but become a force — if everything comes together.
What's new: The biggest assignment is goaltending, and the Devils made a big move by acquiring Jacob Markstrom from the Calgary Flames. The key measures don't end there. Forwards Stefan Northam, Paul Cote and Tomas Tatar join, as do defenders Brett Paes and Brenden Dillon.
Players to watch: The defense will be without Luke Hughes (shoulder) to start the season, but Dougie Hamilton will return after missing most of last season due to injury, giving the Devils another shock.
new york islanders
Head Coach: Patrick Roy (Season 2)
Last season: 39 wins, 27 losses and 16 losses, 94 points, third in the metropolitan area
This season: The Islanders may be in a similar position to last year, making the playoffs but never becoming a true top-tier team. New York has a lot of good players, including a particularly underrated defensive unit, but they need to struggle to make the playoffs. No one would be surprised if the Islanders succeed.
Latest news: To add much-needed speed, the Islanders signed Anthony Duclair this offseason and lured Maksim Tsiprakov from Europe to the NHL.
Players to Watch: The Islanders’ biggest issue is scoring. Bo Horvat and Matthew Barzal are capable of averaging points per game during the season, and Duclair will have a great opportunity to work with them. The issue is scoring depth, with the likes of Brock Nelson, Kyle Palmieri and Anders Lee all expected to add.
new york rangers
Head Coach: Peter Laviolette (Season 2)
Last season: 55 wins, 23 losses and 4 losses, 114 points, first in the metropolitan area
This season: The Rangers lost to the Cup champion Panthers in the Eastern Conference finals and won the regular season title with a franchise-record 55 wins. The Rangers should once again be a cup contender, with every position on the team are full of stars.
New content: not much. Understandably, there has been little turnover this summer, aside from the additions of forwards Riley Smith and Sam Carrick. Perhaps more surprisingly, neither veteran guard Jacob Trouba nor young forward Filip Chytil was traded. Then again, the Rangers will likely be loaded at the deadline, and they might be willing to trade either Chytil or Kapo Kakko if they want to cash in a big chunk of money.
Players to Watch: Goaltender Igor Shesterkin, considered the league's best goaltender, is in the final season of his contract and will become an unrestricted free agent. He will likely re-sign, but this is an overwhelming storyline.
philadelphia flyers
Head Coach: John Tortorella (Season 3)
Last season: 38 wins, 33 losses and 11 losses, 87 points, sixth place in the metropolitan area
This season: The Flyers missed the playoffs by just four points, but wisely resisted the urge to do a quick-fix rebuild. If all goes well, they might make the playoffs. If everything goes wrong, this may mean taking a step back.
What's New: It's been a quiet offseason, but not without some big intrigue. Matvei Michkov is a talented 2023 first-round pick who is headed to the NHL earlier than many expected (which is why he fell to seventh overall in the draft). The 19-year-old Russian forward is the front-runner for the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie.
Players to watch: Regardless of whether the Flyers play Michkov alongside Sean Couturier or Morgan Frost, it will be one to watch. Outside of players like Travis Konecny and Owen Tippett, Philadelphia's roster is thin and has plenty of issues on defense and goal scoring.
pittsburgh penguins
Head Coach: Mike Sullivan (Season 10)
Last season: 38 wins, 32 draws and 12 losses, 88 points, fifth in the metropolitan area
This season: After missing the playoffs in consecutive seasons, the Penguins hope that veteran stars Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson will enter the season again. Postgame. Maybe they will, maybe they won't.
Latest Updates: After trade deadline sell-off, Penguins manage to move forwards Kevin Hayes, Blake Lizotte, Anthony Beauvillier, Cody Glass, Rutger McGroarty and guard Matt Grzelcyk, among others, filled the void. McGroarty was a highly sought-after prospect who was acquired after he declined to sign with the Winnipeg Jets, providing the Penguins with at least one new young player for the future.
Players to watch: Carlson had a terrible first season with Pittsburgh last season after being acquired from the San Jose Sharks. Not only has he failed to deliver the dynamic offense expected, but the Penguins' power play is surprisingly the third-worst in the league.
washington capital
Head Coach: Spencer Carberry (Season 2)
Last season: 40 wins, 31 draws and 11 losses, 91 points, fourth in the metropolitan area
This season: Alex Ovechkin breaks down Wayne Gretzky as Capitals continue to struggle to stay relevant after surprising run to Stanley Cup playoffs ) all-time scoring record with 894 goals.
NEW: In an effort to remain a playoff team, the Capitals have made some positive moves, adding Andre Mangiapane and Pierre-Luc Dubois — a pair needed to reignite their careers of veteran forwards — as well as defender Jacob Chickrun and goaltender Logan Thompson.
Players to Watch: Beyond Ovechkin's pursuit of records? Really, there isn't much to see other than seeing how Dubois bounces back from a terrible season with the Los Angeles Kings and whether No. 1 goaltender Charlie Lindgren can build on his stellar season that propelled the Capitals into the playoffs. Many people pay attention.
–Scene-level media