Author: Buffalo Winter

Buffalo Sabres {20^th overall} Eastern Conference, Atlantic Division

The Sabres last year won over 40 games and accumulated over 90 points in the regular season for the first time since 2010-11 which coincidentally is the last time Buffalo earned a playoff seeding but last season fell short of a wild card by one point.

Buffalo has a dominant offense, their two Number One first-round NHL Entry Draft picks on defense, and now with the launching of Devon Levi as the Sabres’s number one goaltender all under the guidance of HC Granato and his staff looking to march Buffalo into the playoffs.

The Sabres were the youngest team in the NHL with the oldest active player in the NHL last season and now Buffalo’s young corps of talented players gaining even more experience/confidence is fast becoming one of the most exciting teams in the NHL.

Ottawa Senators {21^st overall} Eastern Conference, Atlantic Division

Finishing the season with four more wins than losses the Senators played very well at home but not so much on the road coupled with a double-digit goal differential and accumulating 86 points for the regular season was short of earning a wild card seeding.

GM Dorion signed goaltender Joonas Korpisalo and Russian winger Vladimir Tarasenko while trading Alex DeBrincat for Dominik Kubalik and a prospect defenseman, with conditional draft picks, along with resigning defensemen Erik Brannstrom and Jacob Bernard-Docker endeavoring to earn a playoff seeding.

Ottawa will play Florida in their last preseason game on October 1^st in Nova Scotia for the 2022 Kraft Hockeyville winner that benefits the Cape Breton Canada Games Complex a 35-year-old building that had hosted the 1987 Canada Winter Games but has had to cease hockey operations.

HC Smith in his fifth season with the Senators appears to be guiding them in the direction of the playoffs and with the moves and resigned contracts it appears Ottawa is possibly ready to win over 40 games and make the playoffs in 2024.

Vancouver Canucks {22^nd overall} Western Conference, Pacific Division

HC Tocchet took the reins from HC Boudreau who had taken over from HC Green the season before, HC Boudreau had a sterling 32-15-10 record to help Vancouver finish the season with 40 wins but began last season 18-25-3 and was replaced by HC Tocchet who finished the season 20-12-4.

Vancouver has serious offensive threats with Elias Pettersson, JT Miller, Andrei Kuzmenko, and Bo Horvat all 30 goal scorers and their defenseman Quinn Hughes racked up 69 assists indicating scoring is not the issue.

Defensively Vancouver is an older corps with Luke Schenn the only one in his 30s, not a negative in the plus/minus category while leading the team in PIMs, Quinn Hughes the only defenseman on the team not at least six feet tall is the team’s third highest point producer.

GM Allvin has brought in Ian Cole and Carson Soucy to help on defense which should assist in turning around their goal differential which is vital to making the playoffs.

The city of Vancouver has its name carved on the Stanley Cup when in 1915 two seasons before the NHL began the Vancouver Millionaires (PCHA) beat the Ottawa Senators (NHA) for Lord Stanley’s silver chalice.

St Louis Blues {23^rd overall} Western Conference, Central Division

PHO/GM Doug Armstrong has signed the Blues 2023 NHL Entry Draft first-round 10^th overall selection Dalibor Dvorsky to a two-way entry-level three-year deal, the Slovakian 18-year-old has impressed at U18, U20 World Juniors, and is a Silver medalist from the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

The St Louis Blues played .500% Hockey last season, their number one goaltender earned 27 wins and 27 losses, and their backup kept his GAA under four, now the backup has retired and the Blues have 23-year-old, 6’ 5” Joel Hoefer (.905 save percentage) as heir apparent.

The Blues Director of Player Personnel after witnessing the last 12 prospect camps is impressed with this class, the future is bright but patience is required, with the possibility of 2021 NHL Draft first-rounder Zachary Bolduc and Zach Dean (acquired for Mr. Barbashev) entering the Blues lineup.

Detroit Red Wings {tied for 25^th} Eastern Conference, Atlantic Division

Farmington Hills, Michigan native Alex DeBrincat the former 2-times 40 goal scorer for Chicago has been traded to Detroit from Ottawa as this sniper is only 25 years old the Red Wings have acquired a solid 30-40 goal scorer for the next four seasons.

EVP/GM Steve Yzerman has said that he is “pleased” as to how their team is shaping up for the 2023-24 NHL Season as Detroit signed 10 new players with notables Justin Holl, JT Compher, Daniel Sprong, Shayne Gostisbehere, along with goaltenders Alex Lyon, and James Reimer.

The first round of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft had Detroit picking 9^th Center Nate Danielson and 17^th overall defenseman Axel Sandin Pellikka.

Last season Detroit missed a wild card by 12 points, now with new goalies Detroit’s goal differential should improve dramatically bolstered by new defensemen and an influx of fresh goal scorers, and a stronger finish to the season should propel the Red Wings to a playoff seeding.