As the 2024/25 NHL season approaches, several teams find themselves at a crossroads, with critical decisions and performances likely shaping their futures. But as the Florida Panthers have shown, anything is possible, and transforming an ailing franchise isn’t impossible. Throughout the first two decades of the 21st century, the Floridians reached the playoffs with just three teams; many thought they were among the leading candidates for relocation.
However, fast-forward to 2024, the Panthers are the reigning champions after reaching the Stanley Cup final in back-to-back campaigns. They were narrowly defeated by the Vegas Golden Knights last year after a stellar postseason as a wildcard and rank outsider. Then, last season, they began to flex their muscles, finishing at the top of the Atlantic Division before defeating the Edmonton Oilers in a seven-game thriller to claim the giant trophy for the first time.
Now, Florida will head into the new campaign as an established force looking to defend their crown. But for some other teams, they head into a make-or-break 2024/25 campaign.
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers have long been a team with high expectations, primarily due to their dynamic duo, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Last season was expected to be their coming out party, and the Alberta outfit was the favorite to lift the Stanley Cup all season long. Ultimately, they made it to the final, tying things up at three games apiece after trailing 3-1 before losing the decider in Florida.
The 2024/25 season is now seen as a crucial juncture for the Oilers. According to NHL betting odds, the Canadian outfit is once again the +800 favorite to win the championship, but will they finally live up to the billing?
After a strong showing last season in reaching the finals, many predict that McDavid and Co. will follow in their conquerors’ footsteps by lifting the Stanley Cup one year after losing the finals series. But if they don’t do that, their campaign will surely be deemed a failure, no matter how deep they go into the postseason.
The mercurial McDavid is undoubtedly the jewel in the crown, and the man is expected to bring glory back to Edmonton and Canada as a whole. Since being selected with the first overall pick of the 2015 draft, the 27-year-old has performed out of his skin despite having a subpar set of teammates. He won the prestigious Art Ross Trophy in his rookie year before going on to claim the prize four more times, but he is no longer interested in personal accolades.
The only prize that can cement McDavid’s legacy is the Stanley Cup, and with Draisaitl in tow, he has ample firepower to help in his quest. The pressure is on to deliver results, as anything short of a deep playoff run could lead to significant organizational changes.
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins find themselves in a transitional phase, with the 2024/25 season serving as a litmus test for their future direction. In the 2022/23 campaign, the TD Garden side won the President’s Trophy in record-breaking fashion. However, that vaunted curse once again reared its head, triggering the heavy favorites for the Stanley Cup to be eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the wildcard Panthers.
Last term, the Bruins fell further behind the Panthers. While the Floridians went on to be crowned champions, their East Coast rivals were left ruing yet another early postseason exit. Now, the onus is on them. Can they bounce back with a bang, or will they fall further down the pecking order?
As of right now, the Bruins core remains intact. Superstars such as David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand stay in Beantown, and the team is relying on several younger stars to step in and support their leading men.
Jim Montgomery is entering his third year as head coach, and the pressure is now on him to deliver silverware. With the Atlantic Division becoming increasingly competitive thanks to teams such as the Panthers and the reigning President’s Trophy holders, the New York Rangers, rising to the fore, the Bruins need to find the right balance between developing young players and leveraging the experience of stalwarts like the Marchand as mentioned earlier and Czech sensation David Pastrnak.
Failure to make a substantial playoff run could lead to reevaluating their roster and strategy. The bookies make Montgomery’s men a +1600 outsider for the Stanley Cup, and much of that pricing is down to their failures in the postseason in each of the last two campaigns. Hitting the ground running may well see them fire themselves in contention, but failure to do so could result in Montgomery facing the axe.
