An Early Look at How the NHL Divisions Will Shake Out in 2024-25
An Early Look at How the NHL Divisions Will Shake Out in 2024-25
We’re in the slowest part of the offseason in the NHL as the calendar flips to August. The awards have all been handed out, the draft has come and gone, and the vast majority of free agent signings are far in the rear-view mirror. That leaves teams making minor depth signings, be it to fill bottom six forward spots or guys that likely will at least start the season in the minors. That leaves a lot of time for pontificating and prognosticating about how things will shake out by the team the season is all said and done. Today, we’ll take a look at each of the four divisions in the league, giving an idea of our favorite pick to win the division along with our favorite longshot play.
As the offseason progresses, we’ll dig deeper into which teams will make the playoff field, award winners and everything you need to know ahead of the puck drop to start the regular season on October 4 in Prague. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the division races in each of the league’s four divisions. Odds are current as of July 31 at DraftKings, so shop around for the best possible odds for your wagers.
Atlantic Division
Florida Panthers +235
Toronto Maple Leafs +270
Boston Bruins +500
Tampa Bay Lightning +550
Ottawa Senators +1100
Detroit Red Wings +1100
Buffalo Sabres +1600
Montreal Canadiens +7500
Our Pick: Florida Panthers (+235)
Let’s face it, the Panthers are atop the division for a reason. They won the Stanley Cup in 2023-24 and reached the Stanley Cup Finals in 2022-23 before falling to the Golden Knights. Dale Tallon did a solid job keeping the core of their championship team intact and, even though they lost some pieces, the team still has plenty of weapons to work with on both ends of the ice. With Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov and Carter Verhaeghe leading the charge offensively, the Panthers will light the lamp with the best of them. Sergei Bobrovsky is stellar between the pipes and Florida plays a stingy, suffocating style in their own end of the ice. Until someone finds a way to dethrone them, you have to consider them as the favorites.
Don’t Sleep On: Toronto Maple Leafs (+270), Boston Bruins (+500)
These two teams, along with the Panthers, comprised the three guaranteed playoff spots in the Atlantic Division last season. Toronto still has Auston Matthews, who piled up 69 goals in the regular season last year en route to another Rocket Richard Trophy, along with William Nylander, John Tavares and at least for the moment, Mitch Marner. They bolstered their defense with the additions of Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson while turning the starting goaltending job to Joseph Woll. Anthony Stolarz was brought in from Florida to split time between the pipes and his experience on a Cup-winning team can’t be overlooked for first-year coach Craig Berube.
Boston is always a thorn in someone’s side in the postseason but they have some questions that need to be resolved as the season nears. They traded Linus Ullmark to the Senators, breaking up their stellar 1-2 goaltending pairing with Jeremy Swayman. The Bruins will instead hope that Joonas Korpisalo can return to form after struggling with Ottawa. Boston added Nikita Zadorov to their defense corps and Elias Lindholm as an offensive threat though they are going to have to find a way to replace the grit/physicality that they let go during the offseason via free agency.
Metropolitan Division
New York Rangers +240
New Jersey Devils +240
Carolina Hurricanes +240
New York Islanders +1200
Pittsburgh Penguins +1400
Washington Capitals +1800
Philadelphia Flyers +2000
Columbus Blue Jackets +15000
Our Favorite: New York Rangers (+240)
The Rangers won the Metropolitan Division en route to hoisting the President’s Trophy with 114 points in the 2023-24 season. They went to the Eastern Conference Finals before getting derailed by Florida. With stellar forward depth led by Artemi Panarin, Chris Kreider and Vincent Trocheck leading the way offensively, the Blueshirts are a dangerous squad. Their defense corps is solid, led by Adam Fox, and Igor Shesterkin is a top-five goaltender in the league that can steal games on nights when the offense is held in check. They seem to step their game up in clutch situations, which is what gives them the upper hand in the division race.
Don’t Sleep On: New Jersey Devils (+240), Carolina Hurricanes (+240)
There are changes at the top for both of these teams as they look to try to unseat the Rangers atop the Metropolitan Division standings. New Jersey turned over the reins to Sheldon Keefe as they hope that a new voice can help turn things around. Keefe had plenty of regular-season success in Toronto but an inability to have success in the postseason led to a parting of the ways. The Devils have plenty of weapons but have to hope for better health while leaning on Jacob Markstrom to resolve some of their issues between the pipes. Carolina parted ways with Rod Brind’Amour while Don Waddell took over the GM role in Columbus. The Hurricanes kept most of the band together though replacing the duo of Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce on the blueline could prove to be a problem.
Central Division
Dallas Stars +230
Colorado Avalanche +260
Nashville Predators +380
Winnipeg Jets +700
Minnesota Wild +1200
Utah Hockey Club +2200
St. Louis Blues +2200
Chicago Blackhawks +10000
Our Favorite: Colorado Avalanche (+260)
Colorado had their ups and downs last season but they should have better health in 2024-25. Gabriel Landeskog has missed the last two seasons but expects to return to the team this season. Pairing him with Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, a full season of Casey Mittelstadt and with Cale Makar leading the charge on the blue line, there is no shortage of weapons offensively. If the Avalanche can get anything better than average goaltending out of Alexandar Georgiev after his struggles last season, Colorado is going to be a force in the Western Conference that can go a long way.
Don’t Sleep On: Dallas Stars (+230), Nashville Predators (+380)
Dallas won the Central Division a season ago and made a run to the Western Conference Finals before falling to the Oilers. The Stars still have Jake Oettinger between the pipes along with talented forwards like Wyatt Johnston, Tyler Seguin, Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz. Replacing Chris Tanev, who they got at the trade deadline before subsequently signing with Toronto in free agency, could be a problem. The Stars could use a true lockdown defenseman to help offset the offensive weapons they have in that group. Nashville went bananas in free agency, keeping Juuse Saros while adding weapons like Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, Brady Skjei and Scott Wedgewood to bolster their team from the net out for next season. The Predators could shake things up in the Central Division if these guys fit together and produce solid numbers.
Pacific Division
Edmonton Oilers +100
Vancouver Canucks +425
Vegas Golden Knights +450
Los Angeles Kings +550
Seattle Kraken +1800
Calgary Flames +3500
Anaheim Ducks +10000
San Jose Sharks +25000
Our Favorite: Vancouver Canucks (+425)
While Edmonton is the prohibitive favorite here, it’s hard to get past the fact that they were fortunate to get to the Stanley Cup Finals in the first place. Had Vancouver not been down to their third-string netminder, the Canucks may well have pushed their way to at least the conference finals and beyond. Thatcher Demko should be healthy and ready to go to start the season. Vancouver added some grit with Derek Forbort, Jake DeBrusk, Danton Heinen, Kiefer Sherwood and Daniel Sprong. That was an element the Canucks were missing last season so if they step up the physicality, that could make all the difference in the world, especially with Arturs Silovs getting experience in the postseason to back up Demko.
Don’t Sleep On: Edmonton Oilers (+100), Vegas Golden Knights (+450)
Edmonton won the Western Conference last season but good fortune was in their favor a season ago. They caught lightning in a bottle after Kris Knoblauch took over the coaching reins early in the season. The Oilers still have the dynamic trio of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman to do damage offensively, though they have to be better in their own end of the ice. Stuart Skinner may have peaked last season and we’ll have to see if he has room to improve. Vegas saw an exodus of talent in the offseason as Jonathan Marchessault, William Carrier, Michael Amadio, Alec Martinez, Chandler Stephenson and Logan Thompson are all gone. Adin Hill is still around to be the #1 goaltender while there are capable guys to light the lamp, so don’t snooze on the Golden Knights making a push.
The offseason will roll on with fewer signings and potential trades dotting the landscape over the next couple of weeks. Preseason hockey will kick off on September 21 while the regular season will get underway on October 4 and 5 when the Sabres and Devils square off in a pair of games at the O2 Arena in Prague. It may seem like an eternity now, but in just over two short months, the first meaningful games of the 2024-25 season will be upon us. Next week, we’ll start taking a look at early favorites for individual awards, so as the late Billy Red Lyons used to say, “Don’t you dare miss it.”
