Before the puck drops, get caught up on all the players and teams you need to know about

With the start of October comes the start of the NHL regular season. For the next six months, 31 teams will battle over 82 games to lift one of the oldest, most storied trophies in sports: Lord Stanley’s Cup. As the season starts here’s a list of what you need to know and who to be on the lookout for. Think of this as Sparknotes: Hockey edition. 

Players to Watch 

Jack Hughes: Before Hughes even stepped on the ice for a pre-season game there were already high expectations for the rookie. Selected first overall in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft by the New Jersey Devils, Hughes, a centerman, has already been dubbed America’s next great hockey star. Hughes closed his career with the United States National Team Development Program as the all time leader in assists (154), points (228) and fell by one point in tying Auston Matthews single-season points record. Hughes’ first season in the league will see him playing with defenseman P.K. Subban and 2018 Hart Trophy winner (awarded to the player most valuable to their team), left winger Taylor Hall. 

Nathan MacKinnon: Not only is he playing on arguably one of last seasons best lines but MacKinnon is playing for an electrifying Colorado Avalanche team that’s predicted to make a run into the playoffs. While he might not be as big of a name compared to players like Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid or Alex Ovechkin, MacKinnon led the Avalanche with 99 points last season and finished sixth in voting for the Hart Trophy. He also had an incredible showing in last year’s playoffs. In the first round against the Calgary Flames, MacKinnon ended with three goals and five assists. Not to mention, he also scored a game winning overtime goal in game two against the Flames to tie the series. 

Carter Hart: Generally, goalies don’t make the news unless they’re really blowing it at their job. But, with the Philadelphia Flyers going through eight goalies in one season, Hart is looking to be the savior the Philadelphia needs. Hart made his NHL debut last season against the Detroit Red Wings, finishing his first game with 20 saves on 22 shots which helped secure a Flyers victory. From there Hart continued to show he has all the potential to be in charge of defending the Flyers’ net. At the end of the 2018 season, Hart had a .917 save percentage and his average goals-against was 2.83. 

Teams to Watch

Toronto Maple Leafs: The Leafs’ offseason resembled the hockey equivalent of a daytime soap opera complete with player holdouts and the “will-they-won’t-they” saga of naming a captain. But despite the off ice drama, what the hockey world will really be looking for this season is if the Leafs can finally reach their full potential. The team is most certainly not lacking in talent but they have also been eliminated in the first round of the playoffs three seasons in a row (the past two at the hands of the Boston Bruins, no less). The Leafs have spent lots of time and money creating a team deep in talent but if no Cup comes from all their work, then was it really worth it? 

Tampa Bay Lightning: Similarly to the Leafs, the Lightning have a lineup loaded with talent, like reigning league MVP Nikita Kucherov. The Lighting also made history last season by ending the regular season with 62 wins, tying the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings for most regular season wins by any NHL team. With every game, they looked more and more like the natural favorites to lift the Stanley Cup. 

But in a cruel, almost mocking twist of fate, the Lightning were eliminated by a  wild card team in the Columbus Blue Jackets. And the Lightning didn’t just lose to the Blue Jackets—no, they were swept in four straight games. After a humiliating exit, the hockey world is eagerly waiting to see if the Lightning will bounce back to vie for another chance at the Cup or if they’ll remain in hockey lore as one of the greatest teams in NHL history—if only they could have won the Cup. 

St. Louis Blues: I know, I know, the reigning Stanley Cup champions are an easy choice to add to a “ones to watch” list. But, after finding themselves last in the league at the mid-way point of the season to winning their first Cup in franchise history, the Blues represent what we love about sports. That belief that, no matter what analysts or statistics or history says, anything can happen. 

Of course, after a team wins a championship, spectators love to see the next season as a test. They want to discover if the team had fluked its way to a championship or can provide an encore performance. Despite being one of the redemptive stories in sports, the Blues aren’t exempt from this same post-championship scrutiny. Although this time, maybe they won’t be the underdogs.