5 Truly Bold Predictions for the 2022-23 NHL Season
One of the most disappointing types of content is one that claims to propose bold predictions only to completely disappoint with a list of reasonable, lukewarm offerings.
A known elite team winning the Stanley Cup? Boring. A high-end player winning a major trophy? Barely a toe-dip into the pool of hot takes. An obvious trade candidate going to a good team at the deadline? Hardly revolutionary.
A true bold prediction goes against the grain—one that has a high likelihood of proving incorrect and also making the writer look stupid in hindsight.
Here are five bold predictions for the 2022-23 NHL season.
Both Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane Stay in Chicago Past the Trade Deadline
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Chicago Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson has gone scorched earth. Youngsters Alex DeBrincat, Brandon Hagel and Kirby Dach were traded prematurely, while 25-year-old Dylan Strome did not receive a qualifying offer despite producing 48 points in 69 games last season. Even by the standards of a rebuild, this “everything must go” mentality is extreme.
If that’s the plan, then surely the Blackhawks would move both Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, right? The two will be 35 and 34 respectively by the end of the season. They have no realistic chance of hanging around long enough to be a part of the Blackhawks’ next era of Stanley Cup contention. Both are quality players with expiring contracts and multiple Stanley Cups to their names. That is the most boilerplate type of asset on the table at the trading deadline. And for their part, neither seems particularly enthusiastic about the team’s direction.
Yet neither will get traded at the deadline. Despite their apparent disapproval of the team’s cynical approach and their obvious candidacy for a move elsewhere, neither yet appears to have actively made a desire for a trade known. There are other issues that would complicate a trade. Both Kane and Toews have $10.5 million cap hits this season as well as full no-movement clauses. The salary-cap plateau over the last few seasons has a number of teams barely under the cap, particularly the contending teams.
Finding teams that Kane or Toews are willing to head to that also have interest and the available cap space to acquire them won’t be an easy needle for Davidson to thread. The teams that believe they can land either might see more merit in waiting until the summer to sign them for free rather than moving significant assets this season. So, both will stay in Chicago until next offseason.
Edmonton's Dylan Holloway Wins the Calder Trophy
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The 2022-23 class of rookies holds a lot of star power, with Juraj Slafkovský, Owen Power and Matty Beniers among them. A less high-profile rookie is Dylan Holloway, whom the Edmonton Oilers drafted 14th overall in 2020. At face value, he’s a dark horse for the Calder Trophy. In fact, Bovada has him tied for the 13th-best odds to win the award.
The 21-year-old doesn’t have the upside of the aforementioned names, but his head start in developmental time could lead to a more immediate impact. He’s already performed well at the NCAA level as well as in his first professional season; the winger produced 26 points in 38 total AHL games last season. Holloway has both a physical nature to his game as well as a strong north-south skating stride, plus the hands to make offensive plays.
Perhaps more importantly, Holloway is going to get quite the opportunity. For one, the Oilers’ lack of wing depth means that he’s going to start the season on the wing of Leon Draisaitl. Playing with such a dominant offensive player will give him plenty of opportunities to generate chances and collect points. The Oilers are also going to be one of the better teams in the NHL and will be in the national spotlight. He’ll get plenty of exposure, and that could be enough to sway voters to his name.
Jonathan Quick Gets Traded to the Devils
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Jonathan Quick is the most important goaltender in Los Angeles Kings history; he’s played all 713 games (plus 92 playoff games) in L.A. since the club drafted him in 2005, winning the Stanley Cup twice. It’s hard to imagine him anywhere else. Plus, the Kings appear to be on the up and up.
But what if they aren’t quite ready yet? The Kings have a breadth of good players and quality prospects, but right now they lack the star power that other teams have. The Pacific Division will be much better than last season, with the Oilers reinforced, the Knights sure to rebound and the Canucks and Kraken likely to put up better fights than last season. It’s not difficult to imagine the Kings falling behind the pack early.
What would that mean? Quick, who turns 37 in January, is a free agent at the end of the season. Cal Petersen is signed through 2025 and is the Kings’ future in net. Perhaps both sides see the writing on the wall.
And who will need a goaltender? The New Jersey Devils. They haven’t had stable goaltending in years, and the current tandem of Vitek Vanecek and Mackenzie Blackwood doesn't inspire confidence. They’ll desire someone who can handle the pressure to perform in important games, and Quick fits the mold. The Connecticut native returns to the NYC Metro area and gets a chance to go for a third Stanley Cup.
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The Rangers' Big Addition for the Playoffs Is Prospect Brennan Othmann
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The New York Rangers have a long history of swinging for the fences with acquisitions. Last season's run to the Eastern Conference Final should instill a belief that they could be on the cusp of their first Stanley Cup since 1994. General manager Chris Drury is armed with two first-round picks in 2023, along with one in Rounds 2 and 3. The team is more or less locked in at center, defense and goaltender. It’s on the wings where the Rangers have room for improvement. At face value, the Blueshirts seem primed for a notable addition prior to the trading deadline.
The problem? The Rangers have little cap space to work with; CapFriendly projects they will have roughly an $800,000 budget. There are creative ways the Rangers can milk a bit more room under the cap, but it won’t be enough to make a substantial addition. The typical way to solve the problem is by dumping salary, but there are no obvious candidates, as most players with high salaries are either indispensable or unmovable.
So what do the Rangers do? Nothing. Well, almost nothing. Brennan Othmann, their 2021 first-round pick, dominated the OHL last season with 50 goals in 66 regular-season games. He’s also off to a hot start this season. He’ll be 20 by the spring, and a sub-$900,000 cap hit is one they could certainly fit on the roster. Once his OHL season ends, he’s eligible to play for the Rangers. Though he may be a bit underripe for the NHL, he might be the Rangers’ best option for adding a winger with offensive upside. A similar type of move worked with Chris Kreider in 2012.
The Florida Panthers Miss the Playoffs
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We’ve saved the hottest take for the end. The Florida Panthers won the Presidents’ Trophy last season and added Matthew Tkachuk in the summer. Any rational analyst would put them as a virtual shoo-in to make the playoffs and rank them as one of the top Stanley Cup candidates.
Let’s go against all logic and predict they will miss the playoffs. As great as they were last season, they come into this season with a number of changes. Paul Maurice has replaced Andrew Brunette as head coach. Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar, two core pieces, were moved to Calgary for Tkachuk. Anthony Duclair, who scored 31 goals last season, will miss months with a torn Achilles. Mason Marchment left to sign in Dallas. These are a number of massive changes from last season, and who knows how the new mix of players and coaching tactics will mesh?
Plus, the Panthers have major question marks defensively. The top pairing of Aaron Ekblad and Gustav Forsling is strong, but defensemen three through six are underwhelming. That could be mitigated by strong goaltending. Sergei Bobrovsky had a quality 2021-22 season, but he’s now 34 years old, and his previous three seasons were rocky.
The Atlantic Division is going to be unforgiving this season. If general manager Bill Zito’s ambition this past summer was a misstep and the team’s defense and goaltender bleeds goals, then a playoff spot could unexpectedly be in jeopardy.
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