National Hockey League (NHL) fans are some of the most passionate in professional sports. They live and breathe their favorite teams, and the start of a new season is always an exciting time. With the NHL preseason underway, and meaningful games just a few short weeks away, fans are beginning to speculate about how their team will fare and how the season will shake out.
Here are a few predictions from our staff on what’s in store for the 2022-23 NHL Season.
Colorado Avalanche Repeat
The defending champion Colorado Avalanche will attempt to win back-to-back titles this season, and we like their chances. According to NHL sportsbook markets, the Avalanche are currently the overwhelming favorites to win the 2023 Stanley Cup at +400. Not only are they the favorites to win the Championship, but they’re also +300 to win the Presidents Cup for the best regular season record.
Despite losing Nazem Kadri and Andre Burakowsky, Colorado returns enough to be deadly on offense and defense. Up front, the team is led by Nathan MacKinnon, who just signed an eight-year, $100.8-million contract extension that will keep him in Denver through the 2030-31 season, making him the highest-paid player in the NHL. Team Captain Gabriel Landeskog, Mikko Rantanen, Valeri Nichushkin, Arturri Lehkonen, and newcomer Evan Rodrigues round out a very strong top six.
On the back end, all-world defenseman Cale Makar, who at just 23 years of age, is coming off a Norris Trophy-winning season. Devin Toews rounds out the number one pairing with Makar, with Samuel Girard, Josh Manson, Bowen Byram, and veteran Erik Johnson rounding out what should be a very competent defense.
In the goal, there is no doubt that Darcy Kuemper will be missed. He won 37 games last season despite injuries and COVID. The Avalanche traded for Alexandar Georgiev during the offseason, and he will compete with Pavel Francouz for the starting spot. Georgiev boasts a .908 career save percentage, allowing just under three goals per game.
Jonathan Toews will be Traded
The Chicago Blackhawks are rebuilding, and given that Captain Jonathan Toews is a free agent at the end of the current season, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where he isn’t traded at or before the trade deadline. While it’s difficult to predict where he’ll end up, we believe he’ll look to sign with his hometown Winnipeg Jets in the offseason. Look for a contender to make a move for Toews in February and for him to hit the open market after the season.
The Nashville Predators Find a Way
The Nashville Predators always seem to find a way to be competitive, and we predict this season will be no different. The team signed Filip Forsberg to a contract extension that will keep him with the team for at least the next eight years, added dependable 20-goal scorer forward Nino Niederreiter, and is counting on a bounce-back season from young defenseman Dante Fabbro. Expect 27-year-old goalie Juuse Saros to build on his first season as a starter and keep this team competitive all season long.
Patrick Kane Ends up a Toronto Maple Leaf
Like Toews, Patrick Kane is entering the final year of his contract in Chicago. Unlike Toews, Kane is still playing at an elite level and would fetch a pretty penny at the deadline for a team looking to get over the top. And when we think of franchises looking to get over the top, no team comes to mind more than the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have not won a Stanley Cup since 1967. Look for Toronto to find a way to land Kane by the trade deadline.
