In many ways, the NHL’s future is bright. ADVERTISING In many ways, the NHL’s future is bright. Two generational talents, Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel, are entering the league this season. The New York Islanders have relocated to a state-of-the-art
In many ways, the NHL’s future is bright.
Two generational talents, Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel, are entering the league this season. The New York Islanders have relocated to a state-of-the-art arena in Brooklyn, and the NHL is considering expansion proposals from Las Vegas and Quebec City.
But a dark cloud is looming as the season opens Wednesday. Hampered by a recent lockout and a growing concussion lawsuit, the NHL can add legal woes to its public-relations ledger.
The Chicago Blackhawks, the league’s marquee franchise, will raise their championship banner with a sexual assault investigation against star forward Patrick Kane hanging over them. The investigation has taken on a life of its own, even though Kane has not been charged with a crime or indicted.
As the NHL season begins, the case is not the only storyline in play.
Rookie Wonders:
In any other year, Edmonton’s McDavid or Buffalo’s Eichel would have fans clamoring for a glimpse in person. Fortunately for the NHL, they are entering the league together — creating a Larry Bird-Magic Johnson-style rivalry for a sport desperately in need of talented and marketable players.
California Contenders:
The Stanley Cup has gone back and forth from the Los Angeles Kings to the Blackhawks since 2012. Chicago held serve in 2015, then had to shed salaries, and a suspension for Kane remains a possibility.
So the Kings are up. They missed last year’s playoffs and were burdened with off-ice turbulence last season. They are motivated for a fresh start, and they added another Cup winner in the former Boston Bruins forward Milan Lucic.
Down the freeway, the Anaheim Ducks are coming off a run to the Western Conference finals and have improved their playoff standing in each of the past three years. Anaheim is in win-now mode and is among the favorites in the Western Conference.
New Teammates:
The usual offseason player shuffle will probably have the biggest impact on the Metropolitan Division.
The five-time 30-goal scorer Phil Kessel was traded from Toronto to Pittsburgh, where he is playing on a line with Sidney Crosby. Salary-cap concerns forced Chicago to send forward Brandon Saad, coming off his best season, to Columbus. T.J. Oshie was dealt from St. Louis to Washington, giving the Capitals forward depth and another big body to join their tough and rugged team.
The Dallas Stars, the highest-scoring team in the West last year, just missed the playoffs and upgraded in the offseason, adding Johnny Oduya and Patrick Sharp from the champion Blackhawks.
New (Old) Coaches:
John Hynes (New Jersey Devils), Dave Hakstol (Philadelphia Flyers) and Jeff Blashill (Detroit Red Wings) are in their first seasons as NHL head coaches, but some familiar faces will be on new benches.
Peter DeBoer, fired by the Devils, replaced Todd McLellan in San Jose, while McLellan moved on to Edmonton to coach McDavid and the upstart Oilers.
Dan Bylsma, who won a Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins, is trying to lead the Buffalo Sabres back to the postseason for the first time since 2011.
But no new coach is under more scrutiny than Mike Babcock, who bolted Detroit for Toronto. Babcock has guided teams to a Stanley Cup, Olympic gold medals and world championships, and he is now tasked with turning around the Maple Leafs, who have reached the playoffs only once since 2004.
New Rules:
The NHL altered its overtime rules yet again, switching from four-on-four overtime to a five-minute, three-on-three session. That is the biggest change, but not the only one.
The league introduced a challenge system for coaches on plays in which goals are disallowed by offside or goalie interference. The challenge system was not active during the preseason, when video review is not used during games, but it will be in full effect starting Wednesday.
The league also altered its faceoff rules. Instead of the road player putting his stick down first, the player in the offensive zone gets the faceoff advantage. This is designed to give teams in the offensive zone more opportunity to remain there and score.
