There’s a whisper of excitement in the changing fall air as the 2024-25 NHL season takes flight.
We’ve already got young stars all over the highlight reels, a once-beleaguered team laying roots in an energized new market, the imminent return of best-on-best international competition and the promise of a wide-open chase for the Stanley Cup set to play out over the months ahead.
We put out the call for mailbag questions earlier this week, and your interests and curiosities covered a gamut of topics. Thank you to all who took the time to engage and respond.
Let’s dig in.
(Note: Some questions are edited for length and clarity)
Does Chicago’s 2024 second-overall draft pick count as a lottery win and disqualify them from the lottery for the next three drafts? — Ryan G.
I took this query to the NHL and can confirm that the Blackhawks are still eligible to win another draft lottery in the next three years. First, some background: In 2021, the league tweaked its draft lottery rules to restrict any team from “winning” more than twice in a five-year span — with a “win” occurring when a team moves up to grab the No. 1 or No. 2 overall pick. In the Blackhawks’ case, they are considered to have won the No. 1 selection used to draft Connor Bedard in 2023 because they finished 30th overall that season. But this year’s No. 2 pick, used on Artyom Levshunov, is not considered a win because Chicago finished with the NHL’s second-worst record at 31st overall. What this means is that the same team could technically draft first in five straight years provided it kept finishing at the bottom of the standings.
Why won’t the Red Wings play all their kids? — Jc T.
An organization that was automatic to qualify for the playoffs every year for more than a generation has suddenly gone eight years without appearing in the postseason. That’s the painful part of a rebuild that’s flooded the Red Wings pipeline with young prospects. Patience eventually runs thin. Rather than simply playing all of the kids and letting them learn on the job, mistakes and all, the organization is trying to insulate them with established players who can help restore a winning culture. So some of the younger players have to wait for their shot.
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How did the Coyotes move so fast and it took forever for the sale of the Senators? — Jeremy B.
The situations aren’t really equivalent because the Senators were being dangled in front of multiple interested buyers with the goal of being sold to the highest bidder, while the Coyotes were flipped under duress when their arena and existing ownership situation became untenable. Most notably, the NHL had already established a relationship with Ryan and Ashley Smith in Utah and vetted them for a franchise purchase by the time everything came to a head with the Coyotes in March. When commissioner Gary Bettman phoned the Smiths and asked them if they could be ready to welcome a team for 2024-25 and was told “yes,” it was game on for Utah HC. In Ottawa, it took months for all of the potential buyers to be vetted by the NHL before the Michael Andlauer group emerged as the winning bidder in June 2023.
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How likely is Igor Shesterkin to hit free agency? — D.G.
Right now I’d set the odds far lower than the No. 31 the New York Rangers goalie wears on his back. As much as everyone involved would have preferred to get a Shesterkin extension signed, sealed and delivered before opening night, the path to an in-season deal still clearly exists. The Rangers aren’t yet at a place where they’re prepared to make him the team’s highest-paid player — Artemi Panarin currently leads the way with a $11.65 million average annual value — but there’s certainly nothing insulting about their stated promise to make him the highest-paid goalie in NHL history, earning something north of Carey Price’s $10.5 million per year. Basically, the sides are in the same time zone. The Rangers want Shesterkin and Shesterkin wants to be in New York. That doesn’t 100 percent guarantee they’ll find common ground, but it makes it incredibly likely.
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If Jeremy Swayman waited for two periods of hockey to be played, would his offer have been eight years at $10.5 million per? — Perry L.
When the Florida Panthers pumped five goals past Bruins goalie Joonas Korpisalo in 40 minutes on opening night, my phone lit up with messages similar to this one. People working in other NHL front offices, media colleagues and childhood buddies all wondered aloud if Swayman might have gained just a bit more negotiating leverage with Boston’s stumbling start had he not signed an eight-year extension worth $66 million about 48 hours earlier. In an alternate universe, he probably would have. But he also would have been forfeiting more than $40,000 in salary for every day of the season he went unsigned, so let’s call this one a saw-off.
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When a player gets fined by the league, what is the process? — Daniel E.
Having consulted with an unnamed player who has lost “more than I want to remember” through supplemental discipline, the process is about what you’d expect: The money is deducted directly from the player’s paycheck after a fine or suspension. That money gets sent to the “Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund,” which has a group of advisers that manage the total pool of funds and distribute grants to former players and their families on an as-needed basis.
Is Amazon going to take over NHL viewing rights when they’re up or stick to just one day a week? — Anonymous
When Amazon held a swanky launch party in September to reveal details of its coverage plans for the season and preview the “FACEOFF” docuseries, there must have been 10 or 15 senior NHL officials in attendance. One of them told me, “We’re all in on this.” That heavy presence reinforced how important the Amazon relationship is to the NHL and hinted at the strong possibility of an evolving and expanding partnership to come. The company debuts its national Prime Monday Night Hockey broadcast with Monday’s Pittsburgh at Montreal game, and it won’t be the least bit surprising if Amazon ends up grabbing a piece of the NHL’s next national Canadian rights deal in 2026.
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Will Joel Quenneville get an opportunity to coach? — Tom G.
Quenneville wasn’t officially cleared to seek NHL employment again until July 10, and by then all of the available head-coaching positions had already been filled. However, he’ll be at or near the top of every team’s list when filling a vacancy moving forward. Quenneville has a strong desire to work again and has already seen former colleague Stan Bowman hired by the Edmonton Oilers since both were reinstated by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman on the same day. Those two men and former Chicago Blackhawks executive Al MacIsaac had previously been deemed ineligible to work in the league because of their inadequate response upon being informed in 2010 of allegations that Kyle Beach had been assaulted by the club’s video coach. Quenneville has spent three years taking steps to educate himself on sexual assault and maintaining a safe work environment. I’d expect him to be behind a bench somewhere by this time next year.
Do the Jets add a center or D-man now or at the deadline? — Jeremy D.
Coming off a 110-point campaign and a 6-0 season-opening win in Edmonton, the Winnipeg Jets have the luxury of patience with their current roster. But it won’t surprise me in the least to see them add more strength down the middle ahead of the March 7 trade deadline. Winnipeg also has a big internal decision to make on winger Nikolaj Ehlers, who is playing out the final year of his contract and is eligible for unrestricted free agency next summer. Both sides seem comfortable playing this out for the time being, but that’s a situation worth monitoring over the next few months.
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CJ, what would your personal goal song be? — Anonymous U.
I’m throwing it back to 2008 and going with “Firestarter” by The Prodigy. That’ll get the fans on their feet.
Who is your dark horse Stanley Cup pick (or team you think is flying under the radar)? — Riley C.
Following a summer where the Vegas Golden Knights lost top-six forwards Jonathan Marchessault and Chandler Stephenson to free agency, it feels a little like they’re being slept on as a Stanley Cup contender. They’ve still got a top-notch blue line and brought in some wingers who should pop while playing alongside Jack Eichel and Tomas Hertl. Plus they’re already accruing cap space for in-season acquisitions. I’d also like to buy early stock in Utah HC grabbing an unexpected playoff berth. The weight of uncertainty in Arizona overshadowed what was a sneakily improving Coyotes roster last year, and that group is bound to be pushed forward by the excitement that comes with a committed ownership group and amped-up fan base in Salt Lake City.
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Who’s a sneaky player that could end up on Canada’s 4 Nations roster? Who did Cobourg Papa pick to win the Cup? — Alexander H.
I got a surprising amount of blowback this week when I suggested that Sam Montembeault had a good chance to grab one of three available Canadian goaltending jobs at the 4 Nations, but I stand by that statement. He’ll be there. My other sneaky selection would be 21-year-old forward Wyatt Johnston (no relation).
As for Cobourg Papa’s Cup pick — aka my father, Ian — he says it’s going to be the Toronto Maple Leafs that lift Lord Stanley’s Cup in June 2025. He’s citing their improved depth but also his personal bias as a long-suffering (and ever-hopeful) fan of the team.
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(Photo of Igor Shesterkin: Luke Hales / Getty Images)
