5 NHL Teams Ready to Take Huge Leaps Forward During the 2023-24 Season
The 2023-24 NHL schedule has been underway since Tuesday. Like every regular season, the opening days and weeks are filled with hopeful expectations for the fans of all 32 clubs as they anticipate improvement from their respective teams.
Some teams will regress, some will stagnate, while others will make gains in the standings compared to where they were at the end of last season. Several clubs could even make significant improvements.
Rebuilding teams such as the Buffalo Sabres could finally become legitimate playoff contenders this season. Meanwhile, a veteran-laden club like the Pittsburgh Penguins could stage a major bounce-back effort after missing the 2023 playoffs.
Here are five NHL teams ready to take huge leaps forward in 2023-24. Feel free to weigh in with your thoughts on this topic in our app comments below.
Arizona Coyotes
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The Arizona Coyotes reached the playoffs only once over the past 11 seasons, with that sole appearance coming because of the expanded format during the COVID-shortened 2019-20 season. Since taking over as general manager in Sept. 2020, Bill Armstrong has patiently rebuilt his roster with younger talent while shipping out veterans for draft picks and prospects.
Armstrong changed course somewhat this summer, signing free agents Jason Zucker, Alex Kerfoot, Matt Dumba and Nick Bjugstad while acquiring Sean Durzi via trade with the Los Angeles Kings. Those additions bring much-needed experience and leadership into the lineup, taking some of the burden off veteran center Nick Schmaltz.
It's still the Coyotes' younger talent that will make the difference for them this season. Clayton Keller's 86-point performance in 2022-23 signaled his emergence as a genuine star around whom to build the roster. Playmaking winger Matias Maccelli's 49-point rookie campaign in 64 games provided another boost to their offense.
The Coyotes also saw significant improvement last season from center Barrett Hayton (43 points), winger Lawson Crouse (24 goals and 45 points) and defenseman J.J. Moser (31 points). Karel Vejmelka, 27, continued to show potential as a reliable starting goalie.
Perhaps no other addition is as important as rookie Logan Cooley. A highly touted center chosen third overall in the 2022 draft, the 19-year-old has the skills to become a star in his own right. A strong rookie campaign could provide another welcome measure of scoring punch.
Factor in the ongoing progress the Coyotes have made during Andre Tourigny's three previous seasons as their head coach, and this is a club that could surprise fans in 2023-24. After spending the past three seasons near the bottom of the standings, the potential is there for this team to contend for a wild-card spot.
Buffalo Sabres
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The Buffalo Sabres enter this season with the longest active playoff drought, having last qualified in 2011-12. After missing the cut by one point in the final week of the 2022-23 campaign, this team is motivated to finally bring that ignominious streak to an end.
Scoring punch is a big reason we can expect significant improvement from the Sabres. Led by forwards Tage Thompson, Jeff Skinner, Alex Tuch, Dylan Cozens and Casey Mittelstadt as well as puck-moving defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, their 3.57 goals-per-game average was the league's third-best last season.
Defense and goaltending, however, were significant issues that derailed the Sabres last year. Their 3.62 goals-against per game and their 33.0 shots-against per game were seventh-highest overall. However, they could see improvement in those stats in 2023-24.
In Dahlin, they possess an elite mobile defenseman. Rising young rearguard Owen Power was a finalist last season for the Calder Memorial Trophy. They should also benefit from healthier campaigns from Mattias Samuelsson and Henri Jokiharju, while offseason additions Erik Johnson and Connor Clifton bring experience and leadership to the blue line.
Goaltending remains a question mark, with the wild card being rookie Devon Levi. The 21-year-old showed potential in his seven-game audition late last season. A strong performance on his part could provide the Sabres with the reliable starting goaltending they've been lacking for some time.
The Sabres players have also bought into the system of head coach Don Granato. Combine all these factors and they could enjoy a major breakout performance akin to that of the New Jersey Devils in 2022-23.
Detroit Red Wings
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The last time the Detroit Red Wings reached the postseason was in 2015-16. While they've been rebuilding under general manager Steve Yzerman since 2019-20, they risk setting a franchise record for consecutive seasons (eight) without making the playoffs.
However, there are reasons to believe that the Red Wings will avoid that fate. They could not only qualify for the playoffs but could also be ready for their much-anticipated breakout performance that finally spells the end of their rebuild.
Yzerman has focused on drafting and developing young players, but he's also brought in skilled veterans over the past two years. The offseason additions of Alex DeBrincat, J.T. Compher, Jeff Petry, Shayne Gostisbehere, James Reimer and Alex Lyon join last summer's acquisitions of Ville Husso, Andrew Copp and Ben Chiarot.
Husso secured his place last season as the Red Wings' starting goaltender. He'll be backed up this season by Lyon and Reimer. Meanwhile, Petry and Gostisbehere bring more puck-moving ability to their defense corps, as well as joining Chiarot in providing additional experience to the Wings' blue line.
Bringing in DeBrincat adds a two-time 40-goal scorer to their offense, while Compher provides additional skill at center. Other offseason pickups were Daniel Sprong and Christian Fischer, bringing depth to the wing for their checking lines.
Leading the way will be long-time Red Wings center and captain Dylan Larkin as well as defenseman Moritz Seider and winger Lucas Raymond. Larkin's been around for the entire rebuild, while Seider and Raymond emerged from the Wings' prospect pipeline as stars in their own right. They'll be determined to finally turn this franchise into a serious playoff club.
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Pittsburgh Penguins
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After reaching the playoffs for 16 straight seasons and winning three Stanley Cups, the Pittsburgh Penguins failed to qualify in 2022-23. Led by aging stars such as Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, it appears this club's best seasons were well behind it with the possibility of a rebuild looming.
On June 1, however, the Penguins hired former Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas as president of hockey operations and acting GM. Dubas wasted little time putting his mark on this roster, pulling off a blockbuster three-team trade on Aug. 6 that brought superstar defenseman Erik Karlsson to their lineup.
Dubas also acquired scoring winger Reilly Smith from the Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights. He re-signed goaltender Tristan Jarry to a five-year contract, signed Alex Nedeljkovic as his backup, and added more size and muscle to the defense corps in Ryan Graves and veteran depth to the checking lines with Lars Eller, Matt Nieto and Noel Acciari.
The Penguins could be tougher to score against this season. Armed with his new contract, Jarry will be motivated to silence his doubters. A three-time winner of the James Norris Memorial Trophy, the 33-year-old Karlsson brings puck-moving skills and will anchor the power play. He'll skate with Marcus Pettersson on the first pairing, while Graves will play alongside Letang.
Smith will replace oft-injured Jason Zucker at left wing on their second line. They'll also hope for winger Bryan Rust to rebound after his production slumped last season.
The biggest factors, however, will be Crosby, Malkin and Letang. The long-time Penguins leaders weren't happy about the club's failure to reach the 2023 postseason. Now in their late 30s, they also know that the clock is ticking on another Stanley Cup run. Their motivation to win could result in this club becoming a serious contender this season.
Vancouver Canucks
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Over the past 10 seasons, the Vancouver Canucks reached the playoffs twice. Inconsistency plagued them over the past two seasons in which they struggled through the first half and rallied in the second half, resulting in two coaching changes and a change in management over that time.
This season, however, the Canucks could become a more consistent club in Rick Tocchet's first full season as head coach. After evaluating their performance last season, he's had time to assess the roster and implement a system that will work best for their players.
The defense was the Canucks' biggest weakness over the past two years. Tocchet and his staff will focus on improving their play in their own end and on the penalty kill. Buying out a struggling Oliver Ekman-Larsson and adding defensive stalwarts Carson Soucy and Ian Cole will also help. Late-season acquisition Filip Hronek will be playing his first full season.
A healthy Thatcher Demko between the pipes will be a significant factor. Injuries limited the 27-year-old starting goalie to 32 games last season, but he played well when healthy. He'll be joined by offseason acquisition Casey DeSmith, providing the Canucks with more experienced goaltending depth.
The Canucks also took steps to shore up their checking line depth. The additions of Teddy Blueger, Sam Lafferty and Pius Suter provide a good mix of penalty-killing skills along with speed, grit and some third-line offense.
Leading the way will be the Canucks' core players of Elias Pettersson, J.T. Miller, Brock Boeser and newly minted team captain Quinn Hughes. After the ups and downs of the past two seasons, they will be motivated to finally end their playoff drought and carry this club into contention.
2022-23 stats and standings via NHL.com. Roster info via CapFriendly.
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