A little over a week ago, the National Hockey League finally returned after nearly four months of inactivity. Since the first week of games has concluded, our group of sports writers will give their hot takes on what they predict will occur over the 2024-2025 NHL campaign.
Tyler Pruneau, Campus Correspondent: The Bruins are not a championship team
The Boston Bruins faced off against a familiar face and kicked off the hockey season Tuesday night. Celebrating the 2023-2024 season with a banner and beating the Bruins 6-4, the Florida Panthers dominated. Holding a 3-0 record in the last three meetings, it is fair to say that the Panthers own the Bruins. Looking at opening night, the clash played on without Boston’s star goalkeeper, Jeremy Swayman, who held out for a new contract. While trying to find the goal, the team struggled offensively, even with Swayman out. Not to mention, just two years ago, with a season-breaking record of 65-12-5, the Bruins were the team to beat. Awarded with the first seed in the 2022-2023 playoffs, Boston choked after pulling in front of the Panthers’ seven-game series 3-0. Needing one more win, the Panthers pulled off a miracle and bounced back, winning the series. Finishing second in the conference in the 2023-2024 season, the Bruins fell again to Florida in the postseason. The devastating back-to-back losses question whether the Bruins are a championship team.
Avery Becker, Campus Correspondent: The New Jersey Devils will make it to the Eastern Conference Finals
This season marks the year that the New Jersey Devils will show the league what they are made of. Even though they had a shaky start in the preseason, they’ve shown nothing but success in the first few weeks of the regular season. Rookie Seamus Casey and newcomer Paul Cotter have been at the forefront of the team’s offense, as veterans like Jack Hughes have had a tough start. After years of struggling to get themselves through the NHL post season, this is the year for the Devils as we see a stacked roster throughout each line and defensive pairing. Not to mention Sheldon Keefe is a weapon behind the bench. He knows how to develop young talent after coaching players like Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, thus being a sure-fire way the Devils will continue to aim high.
Ryan Lombardi, Campus Correspondent: The Utah Hockey Club is a playoff-caliber team
Overreaction much? Maybe, but Utah has had a hot start to their inaugural season, having just taken down a strong Rangers team in overtime. Dylan Guenther has surprisingly been one of the best players this week, scoring five goals over three games. He also has plenty of help with contributions from Captain Clayton Keller and Barrett Hayton. It’s hard to expect this kind of performance to continue, but I can see this squad having a dangerous offense this season. They would also like to see improvements in their defense, however, having allowed an average of 3.7 goals over their first three games. I expect goalie Connor Ingram to settle in sooner or later, though, which could be a helpful boost going forward. Teams in the west should watch out, because if they start dropping, a certain team in Salt Lake City may take their spot.
Nicole Caruso, Campus Correspondent: The Dallas Stars will make it to the Stanley Cup Finals
With a strong start to the season so far, the Dallas Stars have proved themselves to be a playoff contending team in past seasons who I predict will go all the way this year. Their goaltending duo of Jake Oettinger and Casey DeSmith along with other key players such as captain Jamie Benn and Matt Duchene all make significant contributions on the ice. The Dallas Stars came close to a playoff run last year but fell to the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference Finals. The Stars seem to fall just short of a Stanley Cup run each season, leaving fans wondering if they will ever accomplish the goal. However, following last year’s tough loss in the WCF, I believe the team is more than capable of making it to the Stanley Cup Finals. Stars center Tyler Seguin was just 19 years old when he won the Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins in 2011. Now, 13 years later, I expect Seguin to push not only himself but his team to reach that familiar experience.
Jake Loomis, Campus Correspondent: The New Jersey Devils will shock the world and win it all.
This year is the year for the New Jerseys Devils, they have all the pieces to make a sneaky run in the postseason and capture that elusive Stanley cup that Jersey fans have been waiting for. The Devils are one of the league’s youngest teams and are paced by their superstar Jack Hughes. The team moves with flash and flare and plays for their fans that have started to embrace this new age of Devils Hockey. The team will also get back star defenseman Dougie Hamilton as an injury plagued his season last year. This team is locked, loaded and ready to go. The only thing that could stop them may be a loaded Eastern Conference. The Devils might not have the best record going into the postseason; however, this might be a good thing as they can play like underdogs as they chase the elusive Stanley Cup.