{"id":5379,"date":"2017-09-27T15:56:00","date_gmt":"2017-09-27T15:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iplayhockey.ca\/2017\/09\/27\/top-storylines-of-the-upcoming-nhl-season\/"},"modified":"2017-09-27T15:56:00","modified_gmt":"2017-09-27T15:56:00","slug":"top-storylines-of-the-upcoming-nhl-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iplayhockey.ca\/fr\/top-storylines-of-the-upcoming-nhl-season\/","title":{"rendered":"Top Storylines of the Upcoming NHL Season"},"content":{"rendered":"

We have every reason to believe the 2017-18 NHL season will be another good one. With many storylines to look out for right from the puck drop on opening night, fans will be on the edge of their seat every night for months. Here are the top five storylines to look out for this year, courtesy of ESPN<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

1. Olympic absence<\/strong><\/p>\n

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has held firm on not sending players to the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, citing participation as too disruptive to the schedule. That means NHL players will not compete in the Olympics for the first time since 1998. The decision has been critiqued by several NHL stars, including\u00a0Henrik Lundqvist<\/a>,\u00a0Connor McDavid<\/a>\u00a0et\u00a0Alex Ovechkin<\/a>. In a tweet posted in April, Lundqvist expressed a sentiment echoed by many in league circles: Skipping the Olympics is a missed opportunity to market the game globally, especially in a nascent Asian market.<\/p>\n

Team Canada kicked its preparations into gear, naming Willie Desjardins as its head coach and\u00a0Sean Burke<\/a>\u00a0as GM. But without NHL players, Canada will likely fill its roster\u00a0with players on overseas contracts<\/a>, including some NHL veterans. The Canadians will compete in five tournaments over seven months, including the Sochi Hockey Open from Aug. 6-9. Team USA will announce its coach and management teams on Aug. 4. Expect the U.S. roster to include players from overseas pro leagues. Collegiate players are in consideration as well — so, yes, cue the inevitable references to the “Miracle On Ice.”<\/p>\n

2. McDavid trickle-down effect<\/strong><\/p>\n

McDavid’s eight-year, $100 million extension signed earlier this summer ushers in the highest average annual value ($12.5 million) in league history. What’s the trickle-down effect, both for the Oilers and for the rest of the NHL?<\/p>\n

Let’s begin with Edmonton. The 20-year-old captain might have accepted a bargain; an initial deal was rumored at more than $13 million AAV. McDavid also could have asked for a shorter term. His new deal signals faith in the organization — coming off its best season in more than a decade — and gives GM Peter Chiarelli breathing room, though not much.<\/p>\n

Restricted free agent\u00a0Leon Draisaitl<\/a>\u00a0is the next immediate priority. The Oilers appear bullish on striking a deal for the 29-goal scorer to be their long-term No. 2 center and should get it done. The trouble begins in 2018-19, when McDavid’s new deal kicks in. The Oilers already have $52.3 million committed to 12 players. Although the cap should be higher next summer, the Oilers have to make decisions on free agents\u00a0Matt Benning<\/a>,\u00a0Patrick Maroon<\/a>,\u00a0Darnell Nurse<\/a>et\u00a0Ryan Strome<\/a>, among others. Goalie\u00a0Cam Talbot<\/a>\u00a0is an unrestricted free agent in 2019.<\/p>\n

More broadly, McDavid’s deal sets the bar as the new normal for ascending superstars. Keep an eye on the\u00a0Buffalo Sabres<\/a>‘\u00a0Jack Eichel<\/a>\u00a0as a market indicator. Discussions are open between the No. 2 draft pick of 2015 and the new Sabres’ front office, led by GM\u00a0Jason Botterill<\/a>. Even though Eichel missed 21 games last season, he carries leverage after notching 113 points in his first 142 NHL games. Eichel’s contract, too, will have a trickle-down effect. It could be used as a baseline for\u00a0Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a>\u00a0center\u00a0Auston Matthews<\/a>\u00a0et\u00a0Winnipeg Jets<\/a>\u00a0winger\u00a0Patrik Laine<\/a>, both eligible for paydays next summer.<\/p>\n

3. Poised for a three-peat?<\/strong><\/p>\n

As the\u00a0Pittsburgh Penguins<\/a>\u00a0parade Lord Stanley from\u00a0Montreal to Moscow<\/a>, it’s fair to wonder if they’ll be doing the same next summer — their third summer in a row. Pittsburgh’s roster did change this offseason, officially moving from\u00a0Marc-Andre Fleury<\/a>\u00a0to\u00a0Matt Murray<\/a>\u00a0in net while losing\u00a0Nick Bonino<\/a>,\u00a0Trevor Daley<\/a>\u00a0et\u00a0Chris Kunitz<\/a>\u00a0to free agency. But what Pittsburgh has built seems to automatically replenish (see:\u00a0Jake Guentzel<\/a>,\u00a0Conor Sheary<\/a>); forwards Zachary Aston-Reese and\u00a0Daniel Sprong<\/a>\u00a0could be on deck.<\/p>\n

Two of the Penguins’ toughest foes in the Eastern Conference are managing tight windows. The\u00a0Washington Capitals<\/a>, strapped by the salary cap, parted with\u00a0Karl Alzner<\/a>,\u00a0Marcus Johansson<\/a>,\u00a0Nate Schmidt<\/a>\u00a0et\u00a0Justin Williams<\/a>\u00a0— without signing replacements. (Washington’s spending centered on extensions for\u00a0Evgeny Kuznetsov<\/a>\u00a0et\u00a0T.J. Oshie<\/a>.) Meanwhile, the\u00a0New York Rangers<\/a>\u00a0did typical Rangers things by signing the best free agent on the market: defenseman\u00a0Kevin Shattenkirk<\/a>. In a unique twist, they didn’t overpay. Rather, Shattenkirk signed at a discount to play for the team he grew up rooting for. Meanwhile, the Rangers shook up their core, buying out veteran defenseman\u00a0Dan Girardi<\/a>\u00a0and trading center\u00a0Derek Stepan<\/a>. After several moves, New York was left with a plethora of capable defensemen and no depth at center.<\/p>\n

The Penguins’ toughest conference competition might come from Canada. The\u00a0Montreal Canadiens<\/a>, Maple Leafs and\u00a0Ottawa Senators<\/a>\u00a0are all coming off strong seasons and project no signs of regression.<\/p>\n

4. Bring on Vegas<\/strong><\/p>\n

An arena is built, a roster is formed, and the excitement in Sin City is palpable.\u00a0There will be hockey in Las Vegas this season.\u00a0Although the\u00a0Vegas Golden Knights<\/a>\u00a0are strategizing for the future — GM George McPhee’s stated goal: Make the playoffs in three years — they are better equipped than any expansion team in recent history. The Golden Knights have hoarded draft picks and defensemen but will build around an impressive centerpiece: three-time Stanley Cup-winning goalie Fleury. Although Vegas is likely to finish at the bottom of the 2017-18 standings, it has proven scorers in\u00a0Jonathan Marchessault<\/a>,\u00a0James Neal<\/a>\u00a0et\u00a0David Perron<\/a>\u00a0to make things interesting.<\/p>\n

But immediate success in Vegas won’t be judged on the ice. Rather, the NHL anxiously waits to see if this team can be embraced by the community. Coming off a Stanley Cup playoffs in which the\u00a0Nashville Predators<\/a>\u00a0elevated experiential hockey for fans in non-traditional markets, can Vegas keep it up? In\u00a0an interview in July with Forbes<\/a>, owner Bill Foley boasted that the Golden Knights have smashed expectations with season tickets, selling 13,500 of 17,000 seats and all suites. The Knights have “more revenue than the Flyers, Penguins, the\u00a0Boston Bruins<\/a>,” Foley claimed. “We are No. 5, 6 or 7 in terms of ticket revenue in the league,” he told Forbes. “That’s how good Las Vegas has been to us.”<\/p>\n

5. Potential farewells<\/strong><\/p>\n

There’s a changing of the guard in the NHL, as McDavid-Matthews becomes the league’s marquee duo, following\u00a0Sidney Crosby<\/a>-Ovechkin and Wayne Gretzky-Mario Lemieux<\/a>before them. Another interesting, if tangentially related, storyline has emerged: potential departures of NHL mainstays.<\/p>\n

It felt as if\u00a0Jaromir Jagr<\/a>\u00a0were poised to play as long as Gordie Howe did. But after the\u00a0Florida Panthers<\/a>\u00a0didn’t re-up the 45-year-old winger, Jagr remains unsigned. Surely his legs have given a bit, but his hands haven’t (112 points the past two seasons), and his hard-to-quantify locker room presence adds value. Jagr is currently skating with his hometown team, Kladno, in the Czech Republic. While he has said that his preference is to play in the NHL, if he can’t find the right match, Jagr could stay in the Czech Republic or sign a contract in the KHL.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile,\u00a0Shane Doan<\/a>, 40, and\u00a0Jarome Iginla<\/a>, 40, are also without hockey homes, despite staying in shape. Neither player has won a Stanley Cup, which means both might be looking to play only for a contender. After an unceremonious divorce between Doan and the\u00a0Arizona Coyotes<\/a>, this feels like an unsavory goodbye.<\/p>\n

Of course, if any of these players remain unsigned by February, the Olympics could beckon. A gold medal is not a bad way to go out.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We have every reason to believe the 2017-18 NHL season will be another good one. With many storylines to look out for right from the puck drop on opening night, fans will be on the edge of their seat every night for months. Here are the top five storylines to look out for this year, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"segment":[],"class_list":["post-5379","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/iplayhockey.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5379","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/iplayhockey.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/iplayhockey.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iplayhockey.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iplayhockey.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5379"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/iplayhockey.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5379\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/iplayhockey.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5379"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iplayhockey.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5379"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iplayhockey.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5379"},{"taxonomy":"segment","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iplayhockey.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/segment?post=5379"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}