NHL Vibe Check: 2024 Summer Thoughts
Folks, it's safe to say we're in the thick of the dead period in between NHL free agency and the start of a new season. This is the time of year we start to actually conceptualize the players who moved in free agency on their new teams, start to get over the highs and lows of the season past, and begin to cultivate some radical hope for the season to be.
I always like to ease back into hockey mode to avoid any jarring realizations too close to camp: Wait, no more Bruins goalie hugs? Where is Jake Guentzel? Auston Matthews is the captain of the Maple Leafs?!
About a month out from training camp, let's kick off preparations for the 2024-25 NHL season with a mailbag.
Stanley Cup Favorites and Boy-Band Equivalents
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Edmonton Oilers: *NSYNC
The Oilers boast the best frontman in the game with a stunningly harmonious supporting cast. They've been hovering at the top forever and have been one of the most relevant NHL teams of the past five years.
Florida Panthers: BTS
This Panthers team is essentially the perfect NHL team, and BTS is the perfect boy band. They're both at the height of their popularity. There's an insane amount of depth.
Dallas Stars: The Jonas Brothers
Like the Jonas Brothers in their prime, the Stars are young and cutting-edge. Plus, Logan Stankoven just might be the Bonus Jonas. Jamie Benn is so Kevin.
New York Rangers: One Direction
When you think about dramatic boy band breakups, you think about One Direction. But will Jacob Trouba end up the Harry Styles or the Zayn Malik of the group?
Vancouver Canucks: Brockhampton
The Canucks might be essentially 3,000 random guys, but they're 3,000 really talented random guys.
New Jersey Devils: New Kids on the Block
This is more of a play on words than anything else, but the Devils signed the correct "New Kids" to have a significant bounce back year as long as the roster stays healthy.
Toronto Maple Leafs: Backstreet Boys
I'm not sure the Leafs are actually one of my 2025 Cup contenders, but I do know that they are the Backstreet Boys if the Oilers are *NSYNC. Contrary to the belief of those Boston Pizza commercials, deep down you can only really pick one. The Backstreet Boys had just about the same notoriety as *NSYNC, with more overall flash, but with slightly less talent and less of a frontman presence. Sorry.
Playoff Miss Prediction Next Season
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I can't decide if it's hotter of a take to say the Golden Knights will miss or make the playoffs, so I suppose Vegas is my answer. Has the rambunctious front office finally flown too close to the sun?
It's tough to imagine the already flailing clutch factor that brought the team their Cup returning to form without Jonathan Marchessault. The forward group in general took a huge hit—especially from a depth standpoint. With Mark Stone and Jack Eichel both struggling with injury throughout their careers, and with the strength of the top dogs in the Pacific Division, I could see the Golden Knights missing the mark this year.
Yzerplan: Yay or Nay?
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I'm usually on the same page as my beloved Detroiters when it comes to their beloved Red Wings, but I ruffled some feathers on X when I suggested Vladimir Tarasenko's two-year, $9.5 million contract was an overpay.
Look, two things can be true at the same time: That's a slight overpay for the veteran winger, especially when you look at how the Cup champion Panthers were able to acquire him midseason. But unlike the Panthers, the Red Wings can afford a slight overpay for this player on a less-than-three year contract.
Detroit isn't expected to contend right now, nor does it have too much money tied up in other overpays. I like Tarasenko on this team and his flexibility in the top six as some of the younger players hopefully evolve into bigger roles. A player like him gives some space and time for that to happen.
Then, there are the deals for Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond that GM Steve Yzerman has had to take into consideration. That's perhaps why you lose a player like Jake Walman seemingly out of nowhere.
All in all, I still believe in the Yzerplan—the plan was to cultivate in-house and have a rotating cast of outside talent until it's time to seriously contend, right? I'm good with two more years of letting the kids grow up.
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The Offseason So Far: Offer Sheets and Boredom?
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Approaching a decade of covering the league (and a lifetime of loving it), I've learned the optics of a "dud" offseason are largely influenced by timing. So much can happen, but if it's not happening in the first week of free agency, or if it's happening when Pierre LeBrun is at the cottage, or if it's happening when we're all burnt out from a postseason that lasted almost literally forever, it seems like more of a dud.
I will say that there was high anticipation this time around because of the looming cap increase, but so many contenders were already so deeply handcuffed by existing contracts that predicaments still arose.
That said, the Jake Guentzel drama moved the needle for me, especially to Tampa Bay. The Nashville Predators remain fascinating under Barry Trotz, and now they've got Steven Stamkos out of a Lightning jersey for the first time in his career.
Maybe part of the "dud" sensation is that much is still unresolved, like Jeremy Swayman's contract negotiations with the Bruins. It's impossible to evaluate moving Linus Ullmark until that is (or isn't?) resolved.
But now we've got a set of offer sheets on our hands for the first time since the Jesperi Kotkaniemi saga, so hold tight for a potentially interesting August.
Offseason Fits
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Three Words: David. Pastrnak's. Wedding.
The fashion King and his Queen absolutely stunned at their wedding, surprising no one.
Speaking of fits, should Team USA continue its partnership with Ralph Lauren?
Team USA's Olympic ceremony garb was, frankly, a dud at the 2024 France Games. Now, Ralph Lauren is synonymous with the United States and that preppy, athleisure vibe people that is a big facet of Americana fashion. Ralph Lauren has been dressing Team USA since 2008, through nine Olympic games.
Look, the suit jackets were fine. The jeans were not. It's one thing to find influence in your nation's fashion history, like tunics and embroidered relics other countries put modern spins on. But the jeans-suit jacket combination was straight up outdated and out of place. I mean, if you're going to go for jeans, go back to Levi's (Strauss created a Western-themed USA ensemble in 1980 and '84).
That said, you can't deny the brand recognition with Ralph Lauren and Team USA might be too intertwined at this point to switch it up, but wouldn't Calvin Klein offer a similar vibe? Either Tom Ford or Rick Owens could come up with something way better than a suit jacket and jeans if the USA wanted to trend fancier.
Getting Darnell Nurse Out of Edmonton
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Oh man, this one is difficult given the Oilers' cap situation and restricted free agents. Obviously, the Blues took advantage of their situation, tendering offer sheets to both Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg. These will be impossible for the Oilers to match without roster manipulation.
The idea of moving Darnell Nurse is also difficult given his contract is one of the least savory active NHL contracts, and how that pressure has translated to his game (although his bounce back late into the playoffs was encouraging, and a great time to try to sell). He's also got a no-move clause.
No team wants to bail a top Cup contender out of cap jail so easily. It has to be an equally awful contract coming back the other way and/or some sort of buyout situation, but I can't see a world where the Oilers are getting help to save money. The Oilers would have to retain just enough salary to be able to make it worth it.
I don't know, man, it'd be a whole mess.
Sara Civian's Goal Song
7 of 9I'm devastated that Jeff Skinner is no longer on the Buffalo Sabres. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure it's a relief for all involved: The Sabres have his gigantic contract off the cap, and Skinner, well he's no longer on the Sabres. In fact, with the Oilers he'll almost certainly make the playoffs for the first time in his devastatingly long career.
But the Sabres have allowed players to pick their own goal songs for the past few seasons, and Skinner regularly brought the house down with his High School Musical selection. I strongly feel like he would've picked Hot To Go by Chappell Roan this year to my absolute delight.
Whatever, enjoy the playoffs.
Anyway, I'd pick Higher by Creed.
Third and Fourth-Liners Realizing Their Fate
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The answer is never. I remember asking Brett Pesce if he was enjoying getting time on the power play with another defenseman out, and he said something like "I've played on the power play at every other stage in my career and always sort of believed I'd be back."
Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour also once told me specific third- and fourth-liners try to convince him to play them on the power play. The catch-22 of it all is this is sort of the mentality you need to have the edge required to play on those bottom six lines.
When you really think about it, you look at how a player like Warren Foegele elevated his game at the end of the playoffs to earn a first-line role at times. Every truly good third-ish liner needs to have that potential. Not all of them do, but a large majority at least believe they could. Or that they already should and would with a different coach, which is anywhere from wrong to totally right, lol.
NHL Conspiracy Theories That Could Be True?
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The refs definitely hate your team and only your team. They are out to get you specifically. They want you and only you to be miserable.
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