5 Truly Bold Predictions for the 2022-23 NHL Season News, Scores, Highlights, Stats & Rumors

Will the Rangers get help inside instead of trading in expensive items? (Jared Silver/NHLI via Getty Images)

One of the most disappointing types of content is the one that simply claims to offer bold predictions and completely lets you down with a list of reasonable, lukewarm offerings.

A famous elite team that won the Stanley Cup? Boring. A high-end player who has won major trophies? Just step into the hot take pool. Will an obvious trade candidate move to a good team for a deadline? Far from revolutionary.

A truly bold prediction is one that goes against the facts, is likely to be proven wrong, and is also one that makes the writer look stupid in hindsight.

Here are five bold predictions for the 2022-23 NHL season.

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Kyle Davidson, the general manager of the Chicago Blackhawks, is on a scorched earth. Youngsters Alex Devlincat, Brandon Hegel and Kirby Duck were traded prematurely, while 25-year-old Dylan Strom did not receive a qualifying offer after scoring 48 points in 69 games last season. . Even by rebuilding standards, this “everything has to go” mentality is extreme.

If that’s the plan, the Blackhawks will move both Jonathan Towes and Patrick Kane, who will be 35 and 34 respectively by the end of the season. There is no real chance of hanging around long enough to be part of the Blackhawks’ next-era Stanley Cup contention. Both are quality players with expiring contracts and multiple Stanley Cup wins. This is the most stereotyped type of asset in the trading expiry table. Neither of them seem particularly enthusiastic about the direction of the team, either.

But neither will trade by the deadline. Despite their apparent disapproval of the team’s cynical approach and their apparent candidacy for a move elsewhere, both still appear to be actively wanting to make the trade known. No. There are other issues that complicate trading. Kane and Toews both have cap hits of $10.5 million and outright no-move clauses this season. In the salary cap plateau of the last few seasons, many teams, especially competing teams, have barely undershot their caps.

There’s also an interest in finding teams Kane and Towes want to move to, and the available cap space to get them won’t be an easy needle for Davidson. A team that believes either can land may find it more beneficial to wait until the summer to sign a free contract rather than move a critical asset this season. So both will stay in Chicago until next offseason.

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The 2022-23 class rookie holds a number of star powers, including Juraj Slavkowski, Owen Power and Matty Veniers. A less prominent rookie is Dylan Holloway, the Edmonton Oilers’ 14th overall pick in his 2020 draft. In fact, Bobada won the same prize with him his 13th highest odds.

The 21-year-old doesn’t have the advantages of the aforementioned name, but his head start in development could lead to more immediate repercussions. He has already performed well at the NCAA level and his first pro season. The winger scored 26 points in his total of 38 AHL games last season. Holloway has both the physical nature of his game and a strong north-south skating his stride, and he also has the hands to play offensively.

Perhaps more importantly, Holloway gets quite the opportunity. For one thing, the Oilers’ lack of wing depth means he will start the season on the wing of Leon Drysitel. So there are plenty of chances to create chances and score points. The Oilers will also make him one of the better teams in the NHL, pushing him into the national spotlight. He’ll get a lot of exposure, and that might be enough to sway voters to his name.

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Jonathan Quick is the most important goalie in the history of the Los Angeles Kings. He has played all 713 games (and 92 playoff games) in LA since the club drafted him in 2005, and Stanley has won his cup twice. It’s hard to imagine him anywhere else.

But what if you’re not ready yet? The Kings have a wide range of good players and quality prospects, but currently lack the star power that other teams have. and the Kraken are likely to put up a better fight than last season, so it’s much better than last season. It’s not hard to imagine the Kings falling behind the pack early on.

What does that mean? Quick, who turns 37 in January, will become a free agent after the season. Cal Petersen is under contract until 2025 and is the future of the Kings on the net. Perhaps both are looking at the writing on the wall.

And who would need a goalkeeper? The New Jersey Devils. They haven’t had a steady goalkeeper in years, and the current tandem of Vitek Vanecek and Mackenzie Blackwood doesn’t inspire confidence. Quick fits the mold. The Connecticut native will return to his NYC Metro in his area and get a chance to compete in his third Stanley Cup.

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The New York Rangers have a long history of shooting fences with acquisitions. Eastern His advance to the Conference Finals last season should instill belief that Stanley could be at the top of his cup for the first time since 1994. General manager Chris Drury has two of his first-round picks in 2023, plus a second-round pick and his third-round pick. Teams are more or less anchored to centers, defense and goalkeepers. Where the Rangers have room for improvement is the wings. At face value, Blue Shirts appears poised for a notable addition before the trade deadline.

problem? Rangers have very little cap space available. The budget for the CapFriendly project is approximately $800,000. There are creative ways the Rangers can squeeze out a little more space under the cap, but not enough to make significant additions. There are no clear contenders, as most high-salary players are either essential or immobile.

So what do Rangers do? nothing. Well, almost nothing. Brennan Osman, a first-round pick in 2021, dominated the OHL last season with 50 goals in 66 regular-season games. He got off to a good start to the season. By the spring he will be 20 and capping under $900,000. His hit is something that could definitely fit on the roster. Once his OHL season is over, he’ll be eligible to play for the Rangers, who may be a little unripe in his NHL but could be the best option for the Rangers to add a winger offensively. I can’t. In 2012 he had a similar move with Chris Kreider.

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We saved the hottest takes for last. The Florida Panthers won the Presidents Trophy last season and acquired Matthew Tkachuk over the summer. Any reasonable analyst would put them into the playoffs as virtual shoe-ins and rank them as one of the top Stanley Cup contenders.

Let’s go against all logic and predict they’ll miss the playoffs. Maurice appointed head coach. His two core members, Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar, were transferred to Calgary for Tkachuk. Anthony Duclair, who scored his 31 goals last season, will miss several months with a torn Achilles tendon. Mason Marchment left to sign Dallas. Those are some of the big changes from last season, and who knows how the new mix of players and coaching tactics will fit together?

Plus, the Panthers have a big question mark defensively. Aaron Ekblad and Gustav Forsling have a strong top pair, but their defense 3-6 is underwhelming. It can be mitigated by strong goaltending. Sergey Bobrovski’s 2021-22 season has been of quality, but he is now 34 and his three seasons up to that point have been rocky.

The Atlantic Division will be unforgiving this season. His spot in the playoffs could unexpectedly be in jeopardy if general manager Birjit fails in his summer ambitions last year and the team’s defense and goalie take the goal.