The 2023-24 NHL Season Entrance Survey

With a banner being raised in Vegas and three games set for puck drop on Tuesday night, a new NHL season is officially upon us. Gone is the mythic regular season of the Boston Bruins, the underdog playoff run of the Florida Panthers, and concerns about the Toronto Maple Leafs; in their place come new contenders, a new potential phenom, and … concerns about the Toronto Maple Leafs. Ringer staffers gathered to predict how the 2023-24 campaign will unfold.

1. What is your tweet-length preview of the 2023-24 NHL season?

Matt James: It’s that time of the year! Divert your attention from your irreparably broken fantasy football team and turn on some irreparably broken Chicago Blackhawks hockey! (Bedard tho!)

Katie Baker: Edmonton and Toronto are trying to shed their demons; same as it ever was.

Lulu Kesin: H-E-double-hockey-sticks YEAH! The East stays strong, and the West has only gotten better this offseason. I’m excited for what’s to come.

Logan Rhoades: I hate that Corey Perry is now a Blackhawk. I refuse to root for him. I just can’t do it. I will never like that man. He could score 100 goals this season and also save someone’s life. He could save my life. Doesn’t matter. Corey Perry sucks.

Andrew Gruttadaro: This is the year, right? Please tell me it is. It has to be. (If it’s not, at least I’m pretty sure the Bruins aren’t gonna be nearly as good.)

2. Which team are you most excited to watch?

Baker: I hate to say it (Rangers fans, look away), but the New Jersey Devils. The team has a thrilling core in Nico Hischier (dream golf foursome: “Roger Federer, Jennifer Aniston, and Robert Gronkowski”) and Jack Hughes, whose little brother, Luke, will be in the Calder Trophy mix this season. The Devils already had a strong supporting cast with players like Ondrej Palat, but the addition of Tyler Toffoli this offseason ought to kick the already potent offense into a higher gear. In conclusion, winning is about heart, not boobs. Just ask Jack.

Kesin: New Jersey Devils. The Devils had a stellar season last year, and even without a lot of size and toughness, they still completed a successful playoff run. With offseason pickups like Toffoli and youngster Shane Bowers, they’ve only increased their already gritty and talented roster.

Gruttadaro: My incredibly biased answer? The Buffalo Sabres, who are one of the youngest, funnest, highest-scoring teams in the league. There’s a 12-year playoff drought hanging over their heads, and probably the only way they’ll slay it is by scoring eight goals a game—because they’ll give up five a game. (Unless Devon Levi turns out to be Devon Hasek, which would be fine by me!) The Sabres in a nutshell: Zach Benson, an 18-year-old winger who went 13th overall in 2023, absolutely lit it up in the preseason and made the opening night roster. He’s going to be fun as hell, just like so many other young Sabres are—and just like so many other young Sabres, he isn’t going to help the team keep pucks out of their own net at all. This is a top-five NHL Center Ice team, win or lose.

My less biased answer is also a more boring answer, but still: the Colorado Avalanche, because it’s hockey nirvana over there.

James: As a hater, it pains me to say this, but I am excited to watch the Carolina Hurricanes. Once Andrei Svechnikov gets back to speed following an ACL tear, the Canes should have everything they need to bury opposing teams. And they added Michael Bunting in the offseason, who should fit in perfectly as yet another player who’s willing to relentlessly pester other teams all over the ice. I hate this team. They must be so much fun to root for, but I hope they fail. Maybe Brent Burns will finally be too old. Perhaps Tony DeAngelo’s presence will mysteriously rattle a locker room yet again, through no fault of his own (allegedly). There aren’t too many ways outside of injury for the Hurricanes to falter this season, and if they do falter, I’ll enjoy watching them even more.

Rhoades: The Penguins could have packed it up, but they made things really interesting instead. And maybe even got better? I think one of two things can happen now in Pittsburgh: (1) They’ll be incredible, or (2) they’ll spectacularly fall apart. There is no in between. Either way, it’ll be fun.

3. Which preseason favorite has the biggest chance of flopping?

Rhoades: Last season, the Leafs won their first playoff series since 2004. Champagne popped. The city celebrated. And then they promptly got stomped by the Panthers 4-1 in the second round. Auston Matthews went scoreless in the series. And their captain? Well, John Tavares recorded just one assist in those five games. I honestly can’t believe Sheldon Keefe still has a job. The man has no idea what to do in the playoffs. This team has no idea what to do in the playoffs. Toronto will do what Toronto does best: break the hearts of Leafs fans everywhere.

Kesin: Yes the Toronto Maple Leafs added some strength to their roster in the offseason, including Tyler Bertuzzi, but I still wouldn’t bet on a lengthy playoff run. Plus, betting on John Klingberg doesn’t give me an overwhelming amount of confidence.

Gruttadaro: The Hurricanes are the betting favorite, and buddy, I just don’t see it happening. Love their coach, love their top line—but I don’t think you can just recover from getting Tkachuk’ed like that.

Baker: If past is prologue, then the biggest flop this season will be my hopes and dreams of ever getting a legit international best-on-best tournament. It’s honestly kind of absurd that we haven’t gotten to see players like Matthews and Connor McDavid take part in major international play since 2016 (when they weren’t even representing their countries, just their age group). It makes me mad! The NHL claims that a new World Cup is being planned for 2025, so maybe this time I won’t be let down. (That’s exactly what they want me to think.) (Also, to actually answer this question rather than air my petty grievances, I could see both the Bruins and the Lightning having a tough time living up to their own reputations this year … which is particularly good news for the Sabres and Leafs.)

James: “Flopping” can be hard to define, but I’ll pick the Golden Knights. Is anything short of a repeat championship flopping? Perhaps. I think the luck will run out in Vegas this year. Yet again, they’ve got to battle some very serious competition in the West, with the Stars, Avalanche, and Oilers all looking formidable. I don’t believe the Golden Knights are definitively better than any of those teams. Could they pull off back-to-back championships? Sure. But the odds are not in their favor.

4. Who is your early pick to win the Hart Trophy?

Gruttadaro: Connor McDavid, forever and ever, amen.

Baker: The gap in the betting markets between the top Hart odds—McDavid—and those for contestant no. 2 is pretty stark: -105 vs. +900! It’s hard to envision a season in which McDavid isn’t a front-runner for this, but it’s also fun to look at some of the other top names and imagine their hypothetical worlds. Like: If Tage Thompson (+2500; better odds than Cale Makar!) wins the Hart this season?! Our esteemed colleague Andrew Gruttadaro will be personally belly flopping off the top of a U-Haul. Go, Tage, go.

Kesin: I’m inclined to say McDavid, but the Massachusetts kid in me hopes that David Pastrnák gets the honor this year.

James: It’s boring to pick McDavid every year, isn’t it? Leon Draisaitl.

Rhoades: Let’s go with Jason Robertson.

5. Is this the year the Edmonton Oilers get over the hump? Maybe? Possibly?

James: Possibly! I honestly don’t believe that, between Jack Campbell and Stuart Skinner, they have the goaltending chops to win the Stanley Cup. However, the regular season is long, and if neither goaltender has inspired confidence come March, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Oilers pay an arm and a leg for an upgrade (or at least another option) at the trade deadline.

Rhoades: It sure might be! There is most definitely a chance! How fun would that be?! Yes. The answer is yes. They’re gonna do it. Goodbye, hump. Hello, Cup.

Kesin: Maybe? I think Connor Brown’s return to the ice after his lengthy knee injury will provide a nice mental boost. Obviously, you have incredible talent with McDavid, but it all depends on whether his defensive line has improved enough to increase the team’s chances.

Baker: The Oilers still have the potential to do what the Tampa Bay Lightning and Colorado Avalanche managed to do somewhat recently: fiiiinally win with their stars a decade (give or take) after drafting them. Tampa took Steven Stamkos and Victor Herman in 2008 and 2009, and it wasn’t until 2020 that the team won the first of back-to-back titles. Gabriel Landeskog and Nathan MacKinnon were drafted in 2011 and 2013, respectively; the Avs won the Cup at last in 2022 and remain one of the league’s top contenders.

Now Edmonton is entering that critical realm in the circle of NHL life, with McDavid and Draisaitl entering their ninth and 10th seasons, respectively. (Ryan Nugent-Hopkins may have a baby face, but he was drafted in 2011!) If there’s anyone in the NHL that has the chops to single-handedly pull a franchise behind him, it’s McDavid, and now the team also has a solid new defenseman in the recently acquired Mattias Ekholm. In the words of The Lion King, it is time.

Gruttadaro: LOL, nope.

6. Let’s get overexcited about Connor Bedard: Is he the next face of the league?

Baker: According to the hype video that the NHL released Sunday, I would say so!

While the Blackhawks aren’t on anyone’s radar in terms of contending, that bodes well for Bedard in some ways: He’s expected to get lots of ice time, including on the power play. And he’s shown he’s not afraid to get in there—though there has been the odd snafu. As the great hockey scholar Sidney Crosby told The Hockey News, in Chicago Bedard will have the opportunity “to be one of the guys, if not the guy.”

Rhoades: I am ready to be extremely overexcited about Bedard. And here’s why:

• He scored his first preseason goal on an empty netter. And he was miserable about it.
• He’s got the moves.
• His jersey number, 98, is a good one.
• He’s a cute Canadian kid.
• He likes hockey.

Gruttadaro: Why do I get Bryce Young vibes from Bedard? Is it because they both look like they could use a sandwich? I think he’s gonna be a nice goal scorer—though I’m not totally convinced he’ll be able to own the ice the way the other Connor does.

James: I would pump the brakes on the Bedard hype. Not because I don’t believe in his talent, but simply because the Chicago Blackhawks look like they’ll be a mess again this year. I’m sure he’ll put up a healthy number of points and go viral on some spectacular plays, but the Blackhawks have so many holes that they’ll be fairly easy for opposing teams to scheme against. On the plus side, Bedard should see lots of ice time and get plenty of looks on the power play. And having the talent of Taylor Hall on his wing could help him transition to the big leagues. However, the rough circumstances of the Blackhawks lead me to believe that year one won’t mean an instant all-star selection for Bedard. I hope I’m wrong!

Kesin: Oh, I will absolutely get excited, but I won’t say he’s the next face of the league quite yet. I’m just a superstitious person—but his preseason and predraft play speaks for itself. Complete and utter dominance with his speed, shot, and hands.

7. Which team will win the Stanley Cup?

James: I’m picking the Colorado Avalanche. With all teams fully healthy, I think they’re the strongest all-around group. The Avalanche had injuries upon injuries last year. They’ve had time to rest and recover. I think Ryan Johansen will be a great addition as their second-line center. All hail Cale Makar. I think they’ve got the talent and experience to win it all this year if they can just stay healthy. Anyone but Carolina, please.

Baker: This November will mark 40 years since Wayne Gretzky recorded eight points for the Edmonton Oilers in a 13-4 win over the New Jersey Devils—and then called the Devils “a Mickey Mouse organization” in disgust following the game. In honor of that legendary milestone in NHL history, I declare: Oilers over Devils.

Rhoades: The Oilers! McDavid deserves it. And it’ll finally happen.

Kesin: The Bruins. Kidding, unless … In all seriousness, I would say the Devils have a really great chance. Both Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier continue to elevate their game, and I think they can do some real damage again this year. Mix in the Toffoli trade, combine that with a strong goalie, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they finish 2023-24 on top.

Gruttadaro: The last few NHL seasons have been basically sorted out by January—this season feels like it could be different, with a lot of pretty good teams that we won’t be able to easily distinguish from one another until the spring. If I must pick a team to come out of the mess, give me the New Jersey Devils. It feels like they’re about to crest.