Lapsed fan's guide to the 2024-25 NHL season: Everything you need to know

October 4, 2024 ndowd

Greg Wyshynski, ESPNOct 4, 2024, 07:00 AM ET
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The 2023-24 NHL season had goal-scoring fireworks, thrilling playoff races and a championship final in which the best player in the world led his team back from a 3-0 deficit only to fall short of the Stanley Cup in Game 7.

Yet after an offseason filled with stunning moves, dramatic decisions and significant tragedy, the 2024-25 NHL regular season sets up to be even more memorable.

If you haven’t kept up with the NHL in the past few months, don’t fret, we’ve got you covered. Here’s a chance to catch up on everything that has happened — the hirings, firings, signings and even a blockbuster trade. It’s all in our guide to the 2024-25 season for lapsed fans. Read up before the puck drops!

The NHL mourns Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau

Before the joy of a new season, the hockey world was confronted with an unfathomable tragedy.

Columbus Blue Jackets star Johnny Gaudreau, 31, and his brother Matthew, 29, were killed on Aug. 29 near their boyhood home in New Jersey. Police said they were struck by a suspected drunken driver while they were riding bicycles. Both were to serve as groomsmen at their sister Kate’s wedding the next day. The driver was charged with two counts of death by auto, along with reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle.

The hockey world was devastated by the news. On the ice, Gaudreau was “Johnny Hockey,” an electrifying offensive player with 743 points in 763 career games who possessed a joy for the game. He was named to the All-Star Game seven times and won the Lady Byng Trophy for gentlemanly play in 2016-17 while with the Calgary Flames.

Memorials were established at arenas in Columbus, Calgary and Boston, where the brothers played their college hockey. The Flames said that the hockey sticks left to remember the Gaudreaus will be repurposed into wooden benches sold to raise funds for charity.

The Blue Jackets will honor Johnny Gaudreau throughout their season. His jersey still hangs in his locker room stall. They wore helmet stickers in the preseason with “Gaudreau” printed between the images of two doves and the uniform numbers of the brothers: No. 13 for Johnny and No. 21 for Matthew, the number he wore for Boston College. They’ll wear a commemorative patch on their jerseys during the season.

Goalie Elvis Merzlikins has Johnny Gaudreau’s number on his mask as well as the image of a plate of pasta, which was Johnny Hockey’s go-to pregame meal.

The Blue Jackets also postponed the usual fanfare of their first regular-season home game to honor the Gaudreau brothers on Oct. 15.

The players are also supporting Gaudreau’s family after their loss. The Blue Jackets showed up to be with Johnny’s daughter Noa for her second birthday earlier this month.

One assumes Johnny Gaudreau will also be remembered when Team USA takes the ice in the first 4 Nations Face-Off, having represented his country at several international tournaments.

Four nations, one tournament

The 2024-25 NHL season will take a breather from Feb. 10-21 for a first-of-its-kind tournament presented by the NHL and the NHLPA: the 4 Nations Face-Off, held in Montreal and Boston.

The tournament was born out of necessity. The NHL couldn’t stage another World Cup of Hockey that involved Russia or Russian athletes because of the invasion of Ukraine. But the league wanted to stage an international event of some kind ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, where NHL players will compete for the first time since the 2014 Sochi Games.

The four nations involved in the tournament are the U.S., Canada, Finland and Sweden. It’s a round-robin format — three points for a win in regulation time; two points for a win in overtime/shootout; one point for a loss in overtime/shootout; and 0 points for a loss in regulation time. NHL rules will apply to the games. The two teams with the best tournament record advance to a one-game final on Feb. 20 in Boston.

The limited field of teams means major stars such as Leon Draisaitl (Germany) and David Pastrnak (Czechia) will have to wait until the Olympics for their best-on-best spotlight.

But the 4 Nations Face-Off gives hockey fans something they’ve been waiting nearly a decade to witness: the current generation of stars from the U.S. and Canada facing off on Saturday, Feb. 15 in Montreal … and potentially a second time if they both reach the final. Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel, the Hughes and Tkachuk brothers vs. Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and an older gentleman named Sidney Crosby? Let’s go.

Alas, fans have gained an international midseason tournament but have lost the NHL All-Star Game this season. We’ll miss you most of all, Cheetos NHL Accuracy Shooting.

After Cup Game 7 loss, a big offseason for the Oilers

It didn’t seem possible that Connor McDavid could get even more desperate to win his first Stanley Cup than he already was before last season. But seeing his emotional breakdown after the Oilers rallied from a 3-0 deficit to the Florida Panthers in the Final only to lose the Cup in Game 7 — like when he was too distraught to accept his playoff MVP award on the ice — revealed a superstar even more motivated to raise the chalice.

The Oilers are now battle-tested championship contenders who added even more high-end talent in the offseason: Jeff Skinner, a goal-scoring winger whose contract was bought out by Buffalo; and Viktor Arvidsson, a point-producing winger signed away from the Los Angeles Kings. They join a solid nucleus of McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Zach Hyman and Stuart Skinner, who has finally given this team a long-term solution in goal.

Edmonton had a noteworthy season beyond that.

Draisaitl signed the richest contract extension of the salary cap era: eight years and $112 million, starting in 2025-26.

GM Ken Holland did not return to the team. He was replaced by Stan Bowman, making him the first former Chicago Blackhawks executive rehired by an NHL team since Chicago’s sexual assault case came to light in 2021.

The NHL reinstated Bowman, coach Joel Quenneville and fellow executive Al MacIsaac in July. All three had been sidelined by commissioner Gary Bettman after an independent investigation found the Blackhawks mishandled the allegations made in 2010 by player Kyle Beach that he was sexually assaulted by video coach Brad Aldrich.

When hired by Edmonton, Bowman said: “These things will never happen on my watch again.”

One of his first tasks as general manager was deciding what to do when the St. Louis Blues tendered offer sheets to Oilers restricted free agent forward Dylan Holloway and defenseman Philip Broberg.

The aggressive move paid off for the Blues, who landed both players through the rarely used free agent transaction. Some speculated that GM Doug Armstrong was going after Bowman, his former division rival in Chicago. To which Armstrong replied: “Quite honestly, I’d do it to my mother if she was managing the Oilers.”

Cup champ Panthers retool

The team that defeated Edmonton in Game 7, the Florida Panthers, certainly made the most of their Stanley Cup celebration, from the infamous Elbo Room to the Atlantic Ocean. But when the partying stopped, the questions began: Could the Panthers repeat?

They saw some significant defections from last year’s team: defensemen Brandon Montour (Seattle) and Oliver Ekman-Larsson (Toronto); forwards Vladimir Tarasenko (Detroit), Ryan Lomberg (Calgary), Kevin Stenlund (Utah) and Kyle Okposo (retired); and goalie Anthony Stolarz (Toronto). Among the reinforcements are defensemen Adam Boqvist and Nate Schmidt; and center Tomas Nosek.

There’s some expectation for regression on this season’s Panthers — Sam Reinhart‘s 57 goals got him a new contract (eight years, $69 million), but might not be repeatable. Yet the foundation is strong with Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov, Carter Verhaeghe, Gustav Forsling and Sergei Bobrovsky. And based on the past two postseasons, they know how to win when they get in.

Nashville ballad of Stamkos, Marchessault

The Tampa Bay Lightning shocked the hockey world by moving on from captain Steven Stamkos. He was a franchise pillar for 16 seasons, scoring 555 goals in that span, including 40 last season.

But a contract impasse saw him leave as a free agent to the Nashville Predators (four years, $32 million) while the Lightning quickly replaced him with a younger model: former Penguin and Hurricane Jake Guentzel (seven years, $63 million), who turns 30 on Oct. 6. He’ll slide into Stamkos’ former spot on Tampa Bay’s top line with Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov.

Stamkos’ departure wasn’t the only significant split that benefitted the Predators. Jonathan Marchessault was an original “Golden Misfit” for the Vegas Golden Knights and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP when they won the Stanley Cup in 2023. He had a 42-goal campaign last season, but that wasn’t enough to convince Vegas to retain him, despite Marchessault wanting to remain with the team. He moseyed on over to Nashville, seeking to elevate a playoff team last season into a Cup contender this season.

Devils plug their holes

The New Jersey Devils face-planted last season after a playoff breakthrough in 2023. GM Tom Fitzgerald identified the cavities and did all he could to fill them before this season.

The goaltending, third worst in the NHL last season, now has a battery of former Calgary Flame Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen, acquired from Montreal last season. Fitzgerald added veteran defenseman Brett Pesce (Carolina) and Brenden Dillon (Winnipeg). Forwards Paul Cotter (Vegas), Stefan Noesen (Carolina) and former Devil Tomas Tatar (Seattle) were added for depth.

The Devils also added a new coaching staff, led by former Maple Leafs bench boss Sheldon Keefe. His job is fairly clear: get the Devils to defend better, work with their talented young core led by Jack Hughes like he did with Toronto’s and get a team that seemed headed for Cup contention pointed back in that direction.

The coaching carousel

It was another offseason of veteran coaches shipping their game-night suits to new locations. Along with Keefe, they included:

Craig Berube, former Stanley Cup winner in St. Louis, hired by the Toronto Maple Leafs
Scott Arniel, replacing the retiring Rick Bowness in Winnipeg
Dan Bylsma, who won a Stanley Cup in Pittsburgh, replacing Dave Hakstol in Seattle. Most notably, he brought his AHL Coachella Valley assistant Jessica Campbell with him, as she becomes the first woman to be named an NHL coach
Ryan Warsofsky, promoted to San Jose Sharks head coach
Dean Evason, former Minnesota Wild coach, taking over in Columbus
Former Devils coach Lindy Ruff, returning to the Buffalo Sabres, where he coached for 15 seasons
Travis Green, the Devils’ interim coach after Ruff was fired, hired by the Ottawa Senators

Bruins trade Ullmark, get messy with Swayman

No team had more success in the standings over the past three seasons than the Boston Bruins, partially because they were No. 1 in team defense during that span. The main reason: their goaltending tandem of Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman, acknowledged as the best in the NHL.

But both goalies wanted the majority of the playing time, and the Bruins needed to free up salary cap space for players such as free agent center Elias Lindholm, so they traded Ullmark to the Senators, who had the league’s worst goaltending last season.

That anointed Swayman as the Bruins’ starter … except he needed a new contract as a restricted free agent, and the two sides are millions apart. Swayman didn’t report to Bruins training camp without a new contract.

Then things got really contentious: Bruins president Cam Neely said he was surprised by Swayman’s asking price and added “I know that I have 64 million reasons why I’d be playing right now” regarding his absence from camp. Swayman’s agent Lewis Gross denied that amount was ever offered, and called out the Bruins for making their talks public. “We are extremely disappointed. This was not fair to Jeremy,” Gross said.

Boston coach Jim Montgomery said that Joonas Korpisalo, acquired for Ullmark, is the likely starter for their season opener on Oct. 8. Swayman has until Dec. 1 to sign a contract in order to play this season.

Teams making big moves

The Los Angeles Kings and Washington Capitals took on each other’s problems with a significant trade. The Kings sent center Pierre-Luc Dubois — a bust in the first year of an eight-year contract ($68 million) after being acquired from Winnipeg — to Washington for goalie Darcy Kuemper, who lost his job to Charlie Lindgren and had three years left on his $26.25 million contract. The Capitals also picked up Ottawa defenseman Jakob Chychrun for a package that included defenseman Nick Jensen.

Here are the other significant moves that transpired this summer:

The rookie class of 2024-25

Boston University center Macklin Celebrini was selected first overall by the Sharks in the 2024 draft, the first time in franchise history San Jose had the No. 1 pick. He’ll join college rival-turned-NHL-roommate Will Smith from Boston College on the Sharks this season.

Among the other rookies to watch:

Philadelphia Flyers forward Matvei Michkov, who came over from the KHL during the summer, showed off his dazzling offense in the preseason. Even coach John Tortorella appears ready to let him cook
Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson of Boston University makes up for a lack of size with plenty of offense from the back end
Cutter Gauthier, acquired by Anaheim last season after he refused to play for the Flyers, could be an impact player in the Ducks’ top six forwards
Dallas Stars forward Logan Stankoven is still a rookie by the rules, despite playing 24 games last season and 19 more in the playoffs
Calgary Flames goalie Dustin Wolf should see plenty of action with Jacob Markstrom gone

Welcome to the NHL, Utah

The saga of the Arizona Coyotes finally came to an end last season when Alex Meruelo sold the franchise to Utah Jazz owners Ryan and Ashley Smith in April. Originally, Meruelo was promised that he could reactivate the franchise within the next five years if he built an NHL-approved arena. But he walked away from Coyotes ownership in June, meaning if the NHL ever returned to Arizona it would be with a new owner.

Everything happened so quickly that the new team in Salt Lake City will not have a name or mascot in its first season. The former Coyotes are now Utah Hockey Club, wearing jerseys with the word “Utah” diagonal across the chest. A name for the team is expected to be in place for 2025-26, with “Yeti” or “Yetis” as the front-runner.

The buzz for the team locally has been strong, but some fans outside of Utah have mocked the challenging sightlines at Delta Center. Hey, it’s nothing that a $3 hot dog can’t fix.

A legendary college football rivalry hits hockey

The NHL has two outdoor games on its schedule for this season. On Dec. 31, the Winter Classic returns to Wrigley Field for the first time since 2009 with a game between the Blackhawks and the St. Louis Blues.

On March 1, a college football rivalry moves over to the ice as the Columbus Blue Jackets host their first outdoor game at Ohio State’s stadium against the Detroit Red Wings. Expect plenty of Buckeyes vs. Wolverines hype for the game at the Horseshoe.

Ovechkin is just 42 goals away from No. 895, which would break Wayne Gretzky’s previously unsurmountable career total and make Ovechkin (officially) the greatest goal scorer in NHL history.

He has scored at a 42-goals-or-better pace in 15 of his 19 NHL seasons. But the 39-year-old’s goal total dipped to 31 last season, the lowest total in an 82-game season of his career. Ovechkin then didn’t tally a point in a four-game playoff loss to the Rangers.

In an NHL season that’s shaping up to be a wild ride, seeing that record shattered would be the wildest part — and something that transcends hockey.

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