Vladar’s focus shifts to earning Flames’ starting job after hip surgery
Speaking publicly for the first time since going under the knife, Dan Vladar said the decision to have hip surgery was a relief and now looks to prove he can be a starter for the Flames.
The wait is almost over.
NHL training camps open up next week and, soon after, we’ll be pumping rookies with a shot to make the team, musing about breakout potential for players taking on bigger roles and, of course, speculating about how everything will come together for all 32 clubs over the course of an 82-game season.
With 2024-25 regular season games now less than a month away, we wanted to drop power rankings that take into account how the summer played out and hits on how all the off-season moving and shaking could manifest once the puck drops for real.
With that in mind, let’s stack ’em 1 to 32 as we look forward to another awesome NHL season.
1. Edmonton Oilers: Combine the hunger of coming so close to the Stanley Cup with — on balance — a pretty solid off-season, and you get a recipe for wins. We’re still more intrigued by the adds of Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson than we are concerned over the loss of Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway. And, obviously, the Leon Draisaitl extension is, perhaps, the best news of the summer because it not only means he isn’t going anywhere, but basically removes all doubt Connor McDavid will follow suit with a monster extension in about 10 months.
2. Dallas Stars: At 21 years old, Wyatt Johnston is one of the best young players in the game. Logan Stankoven — who retained his Calder Trophy eligibility by a single game after playing 24 last season — is a rookie-of-the-year favourite. Mavrik Bourque, who led the AHL in scoring last year, could be the next impact player the pipeline spits out. Sure, you can be a little concerned with the blueline, but this team is loaded for bear.
3. New York Rangers: This feels like a major go-for-it year for the Blueshirts, with both Igor Shesterkin and Alexis Lafreniere due monster raises in the summer of 2025.
4. Florida Panthers: Two straight trips to the final will likely take a toll in the regular season, but we know Florida is filled with scrappy skill. The Cats will be there, battling to hang another banner when it’s all said and done.
5. New Jersey Devils: This team surely has the potential for a 25-point jump after the disappointing, injury-marred 81-point season it just endured. The Devils — with Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen — have a completely new goalie battery from last September, made a nice blueline addition in Brett Pesce and will be a completely different team if Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier and Dougie Hamilton all play 75-plus games after being waylaid by injuries. There’s also new-coach bump potential with Sheldon Keefe.
6. Boston Bruins: They need to get this business with RFA goalie Jeremy Swayman squared away. Other than that, Boston — with the additions of Elias Lindholm at centre and Nikita Zadorov on the back end — should be right there competing for an Atlantic Division title.
7. Colorado Avalanche: You can certainly question the depth and goaltending, especially with the precise futures of captain Gabriel Landeskog (knee surgery) and Valeri Nichushkin (NHLPA player assistance program until late fall) still unknown. But Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar are likely both top-five players in the league, and that can carry a team a long ways.
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8. Toronto Maple Leafs: New captain (Auston Matthews), new coach (Craig Berube), new top-pair defenceman (Chris Tanev) new look in the crease (Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz). Even without the mega-changes some wanted in the summer — was the Mitch Marner trade ever going to happen? — there’s some new-car smell in Leafland.
9. Vancouver Canucks: Nobody on the Left Coast is going to sleep all that well until we get a little more clarity on exactly what’s up with goalie Thatcher Demko’s knee injury. If he’s good to go by Vancouver’s opener on Oct. 9, the Canucks are on target to be a Western Conference contender.
10. Vegas Golden Knights: I don’t know that Vegas ever sneaks up on anyone. That said, the Knights are a bit of a low-key bounce-back candidate. Yes, they lost Chandler Stephenson and Jonathan Marchessault in free agency, but Noah Hanifin and Tomas Hertl — both acquired ahead of last season’s trade deadline — are embarking on their first full campaigns with the squad. Vegas is running Hertl, Jack Eichel and William Karlsson down the middle, and that’s a wonderful start.
11. Tampa Bay Lighting: Major upheaval doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Certainly, it’s hard to imagine the Bolts without Steven Stamkos and, to a lesser degree, Mikhail Sergachev. But this squad still has Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point and Victor Hedman. Unlike last season — when he returned from back surgery in late November — Andrei Vasilevskiy will get a full training camp and Jake Guentzel could wind up being a dream fit in Tampa.
12. Carolina Hurricanes: It was a tough summer for the Canes, specifically on the blueline with the departures of Brett Pesce and Brady Skjei. That said, this team has strong bones and, even if it takes a small step back, Rod Brind’Amour’s crew will remain a tough out every night.
13. Nashville Predators: Bangin’ Barry Trotz is sure doing his part to make Nashville — and the NHL, in general — a more fun place in his relatively new role of GM there. Three major UFA signings — Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei — plus a significant swap with goalie prospect Yaroslav Askarov going to San Jose made this a sizzling summer in Tennessee. Surely, the Preds will be a quality team this year, but they still have their work cut out for them jumping Colorado and Dallas in the Central.
14. Washington Capitals: Cards on the table, I’ve forgotten at least five times this summer that Washington actually wound up making the playoffs last spring. On the cusp of a new season, however, the Caps are a pretty compelling club. Can Pierre-Luc Dubois course-correct? Can Jakob Chychrun find a permanent home and establish himself as a true blueline stud? Will the all-lefty tandem of Charlie Lindgren and Logan Thompson work out? And, of course, will Alex Ovechkin score 42 times this year and become the NHL’s all-time goal king?
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15. Winnipeg Jets: It’s hard to argue it has been a banner summer in Manitoba with the departures of Sean Monahan and D-man Brenden Dillion. The Jets know they can bank on Connor Hellebuyck to provide top-notch goaltending. Without some good bounces, though — Cole Perfetti signs and excels; Gabe Vilardi stops getting hurt and keeps scoring; Brad Lambert scores his way onto the team — it’s tough to see a repeat of last year’s 110-point showing.
16. New York Islanders: The goalie tandem of Ilya Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov provide the Isles a floor of wild-card contender, and a full year of Patrick Roy behind the bench may inch them up a bit higher from that.
17. Los Angeles Kings: A team that seemed so clearly on the upswing the past couple years suddenly appears stuck in the mud. Two things could change that for the better: a huge bounce-back year in the crease by Darcy Kuemper and Quinton Byfield becoming an absolute terror of a power forward. The former we’re a little dubious on, but the latter feels like an eventuality.
18. Detroit Red Wings: The Wings surged forward to compete for a playoff spot, but this is where we find how out much gas is left in the tank to fuel the Winged Wheel higher. First things first: get Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider signed.
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19. Ottawa Senators: If Linus Ullmark looks like a true No. 1 goalie for 55 games this year, it’s hard to imagine the Sens won’t be scrapping it out for a playoff spot come April.
20. Philadelphia Flyers: One of last year’s biggest surprises, the Flyers will be the focus of attention again as Matvei Michkov makes his NHL debut about two years before any of us expected to see the Russian scoring whiz in North America. That alone is reason enough to watch John Tortorella’s team.
21. Buffalo Sabres: The Sabres locked up Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to a five-year contract and desperately need him to be the goalie he was in the second half of last season, when he started 36 games after Jan. 1 and posted a .919 save percentage.
22. St. Louis Blues: Veteran GM Doug Armstrong still has his fastball, as the offer-sheet double play — landing Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway from Edmonton — proved. Those guys aren’t enormous difference-makers right now, but there’s clear upside. Couple that with Pavel Buchnevich sticking around on a long extension and a good goalie duo of Jordan Binnington and Joel Hofer, and you’ve likely got a competitive Blues squad.
23. Minnesota Wild: Kirill Kaprizov is one of the most dazzling offensive talents in the league, Matt Boldy has some more jump-forward potential and Brock Faber looks like a stud blueliner at the outset of a long career. Maybe all that can ensure the Marc-Andre Fleury farewell tour doesn’t end at Game 82.
24. Utah Hockey Club: It’s not just the fresh start in Salt Lake City that’s creating optimism around this franchise; Mikhail Sergachev could further blossom as a No. 1 D-man in Utah and the young talent on this squad — to say nothing of what’s coming in the pipeline — has the potential to push UHC into the playoff chase.
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25. Montreal Canadiens: If Juraj Slafkovsky’s development continues and Patrik Laine has the bounce-back the Habs are banking on, this top-six forward crew just got a lot more interesting.
26. Seattle Kraken: Seattle had to shell out for defenceman Brandon Montour and forward Chandler Stephenson in free agency, but both guys — Montour, in particular — help address the lack of talent on this team. Don’t forget, old friend Dan Bylsma is the new coach here, Matty Beniers should bounce back after a sophomore slump and Shane Wright is a rookie to watch.
27. Anaheim Ducks: How good will a 1-2 down the middle of Mason McTavish and Leo Carlsson (or vice-versa) look by February?
28. Chicago Blackhawks: Keep an eye on the Hawks. The veteran pulls by GM Kyle Davidson — Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teravainen up front, T.J. Brodie on the back end — plug holes and then some. If Laurent Brossoit responds well to playing half his team’s games, Chicago could push up this ranking.
29. Columbus Blue Jackets: The entire hockey world is pulling for the Blue Jackets and the community of Columbus.
30. Pittsburgh Penguins: Snagging Rutger McGroarty from Winnipeg was a nice move this summer, but this team is just at the outset of a long decline. Given the age and injury history of some key players, it feels like there’s real crumble potential here — which may be best-case scenario for Pens fans.
31. Calgary Flames: If Dustin Wolf is a stud, maybe Calgary’s outlook improves. The Flames are by no means bereft of talent, but the organization is clearly in step-back mode.
32. San Jose Sharks: There is a lot of reason for optimism in San Jose. It’s just going to take a season or three to get there.
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