The 2024-25 NHL season kicked off Saturday, with the New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabres competing in the NHL’s Global Series in Czechia. The rest of the teams start this week, and as always before the season, there are plenty of postseason hopefuls to go around. Sixteen teams will make it in, and 16 will book their tee times for May.
Let’s look at four teams that will get into the postseason after missing in 2023-24 and two teams that might find themselves disappointed after making it the previous season.
IN: Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings suffered a brutal end to their season in 2023-24, missing the playoffs on a tiebreaker after the Washington Capitals defeated the Philadelphia Flyers in regulation on the last day of the season.
This season, the team looks to break an eight-year playoff drought. General manager Steve Yzerman may not have made any huge moves in free agency, but by adding goaltender Cam Talbot, defenseman Erik Gustafsson and winger Vladimir Tarasenko, he addressed some key holes in the lineup that could put the team over the edge.
Additionally, with the re-signing of Patrick Kane, the continued emergence of young stars Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider and a healthy Dylan Larkin, look for third-year head coach Derek Lalonde’s squad to make a splash in a fairly open Eastern Conference.
IN: New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils were a surprisingly disappointing team in 2023-24, finishing 23rd in the league and missing the playoffs by 10 points.
A midseason injury to Jack Hughes and a season-long injury to defenseman Dougie Hamilton certainly didn’t help. Poor goaltending led to the team trading for former Calgary Flame Jacob Markstrom.
An improvement in net, a healthy Hughes and Hamilton and another Selke-like season from captain Nico Hischier could lead the Devils back into the playoffs. Add in young stars and prospects like Luke Hughes, Simon Nemec and Dawson Mercer as bigger contributors and the Devils might be postseason-bound once again.
OUT: New York Islanders
The New York Islanders snuck into the playoffs last season after a tight battle with several other teams. In typical Lou Lamoriello fashion, the Isles general manager didn’t make any big splashes in free agency, with the only notable signings being winger Anthony Duclair and depth defenseman Mike Reilly.
Head coach Patrick Roy, in his first full season with the team, will look to continue the organization’s previous playoff success, but his addition might not be enough. Goaltender Ilya Sorokin will need a bounce-back year to help the Islanders make the playoffs in a Metropolitan Division that features many potential postseason contenders.
IN: Seattle Kraken
Seattle was a surprising playoff team in 2022-23, reaching the postseason in just its second year as a franchise. Although it upset the reigning Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche in Round 1, it couldn’t pull off the Vegas Golden Knights-like Cinderella run.
Then, in 2023-24, it saw major regression, dropping from 100 points to just 81. The Kraken made a splash in free agency, signing top offensive defenseman Brandon Montour and top six winger Chandler Stephenson to seven-year deals.
New head coach Dan Bylsma and assistant coach Jessica Campbell, the first female coach in NHL history to be on a bench, hope to guide their team back to the postseason in a somewhat lackluster Pacific Division.
IN: Minnesota Wild
Usually a consistent playoff contender, Minnesota was out of the playoffs for the first time since 2019. Although it had a quiet offseason, like New Jersey, its 2023-24 season was plagued by injuries and poor goaltending.
Defenseman Jared Spurgeon played just 16 games last season, and the Wild sported a below-league-average .893 save percentage in net. With a clean bill of health, a bounce-back year from goaltenders Marc-Andre Fleury and Filip Gustavsson and another elite season from superstar Kirill Kaprizov, Minnesota will hope to be back for another playoff run.
OUT: Los Angeles Kings
After a quick rebuild following three straight years of missing the playoffs, Los Angeles has found itself in the postseason since 2022. However, following yet another first-round playoff loss to the Edmonton Oilers, general manager Rob Blake decided to shake things up a bit.
Just one season after a big trade sent him to the Kings, Pierre-Luc Dubois, in Year 1 of his eight-year deal, was traded to the Washington Capitals this past offseason. Winger Viktor Arvidsson left the team in free agency (although he missed almost all of 2023-24 with an injury) and goaltender Cam Talbot signed with the Detroit Red Wings in July.
New goaltender Darcy Kuemper, part of the Dubois trade, will look to fill Talbot’s role, and emerging young star Quinton Byfield will continue to be a big part of the top six, helping to fill some of the lost production from Dubois.
However, the loss of top defenseman Drew Doughty (month-to-month) could play a big factor in the Kings’ postseason chances. If Los Angeles’ young players don’t step up, it could be a tough battle for a postseason opportunity.