Finally.
After the World Cup of Hockey and a preseason slate, the curtain on the 2016-17 NHL season rises Wednesday night at 7 p.m. ET in Ottawa, where the Senators host the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Catch up on all the details from a busy offseason, and have a look at projected lineups and previews for each team, below.
Depth Charts
Eastern Conference
BOS | BUF | CAR | CBJ
DET | FLA | MON | NJ
NYI | NYR | OTT | PHI
PIT | TAM | TOR | WAS
Western Conference
ANA | ARI | CAL | CHI | COL
DAL | EDM | LA | MIN | NAS
SJ | STL | VAN | WPG
Team Previews
East
BOS | BUF | CAR | CBJ
DET | FLA | MON | NJ
NYI | NYR | OTT | PHI
PIT | TAM | TOR | WAS
West
ANA | ARI | CAL | CHI | COL
DAL | EDM | LA | MIN | NAS
SJ | STL | VAN | WPG
Offseason roundup
- 3 worst signings of the offseason
- 5 big-name unrestricted free agents in 2017
- 2016-17 bad contracts team
- 3 best signings of the offseason
- Top 5 goalie tandems heading into 2016-17
- 3 players likely to regress in sophomore season
- 3 college free agents who didn't live up to the hype
- 5 players looking to rebound in 2016-17
- 5 free agents who may not receive contracts
Predictions
- 3 teams that will make the playoffs after missing out last season
- Major award winners
- Forecasting the final standings
- Stanley Cup winner
- Top 10 point producers
Fantasy
Divisional storylines
- 3 players who will significantly impact the Atlantic
- Why goaltending will decide the Pacific
- Ranking the top 3 teams in the Metropolitan
- 3 Central Division storylines to follow
- 4 teams likely to take a step back this season
Looking ahead
- 3 coaches on the hot seat in October
- Who fills the void left by Huberdeau, Bjugstad?
- 3 rule changes we'd like to see
- 7 top candidates for NHL's vacant captaincies
- 5 rookies who can challenge Matthews, Laine for Calder Trophy
- 5 teams at highest risk of losing an invaluable asset in expansion
- 5 storylines heading into the 2016-17 season
Interviews
- Q&A: Cory Schneider weighs in on Hall-Larsson swap
- Q&A: Shayne Gostisbehere on last year's expectations
- Q&A: Matt Duchene on summers at the cottage, Hockey Canada
- Q&A: Blake Wheeler on captaincy, leadership influences
- For Brent Burns, World Cup another fascinating experience
- George McPhee confident he'll bring winner to Las Vegas
- McPhee discusses expansion draft, type of coach he covets
On the Fly, NHL Roundtable
Betting odds
Stanley Cup
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Chicago Blackhawks | +750 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | +1000 |
| Washington Capitals | +1000 |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | +1000 |
| Dallas Stars | +1200 |
| St. Louis Blues | +1400 |
| San Jose Sharks | +1600 |
| Nashville Predators | +1600 |
| Anaheim Ducks | +1600 |
| Florida Panthers | +1600 |
| Los Angeles Kings | +1800 |
| Minnesota Wild | +2500 |
| New York Rangers | +2500 |
| Detroit Red Wings | +2500 |
| New York Islanders | +2500 |
| Boston Bruins | +2500 |
| Montreal Canadiens | +2500 |
| Philadelphia Flyers | +3300 |
| Edmonton Oilers | +3300 |
| New Jersey Devils | +5000 |
| Colorado Avalanche | +5000 |
| Calgary Flames | +5000 |
| Ottawa Senators | +5000 |
| Winnipeg Jets | +5000 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | +5000 |
| Buffalo Sabres | +5000 |
| Arizona Coyotes | +6600 |
| Carolina Hurricanes | +6600 |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | +6600 |
| Vancouver Canucks | +6600 |
Hart Trophy
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Sidney Crosby | +350 |
| Patrick Kane | +700 |
| Alex Ovechkin | +850 |
| Vladimir Tarasenko | +900 |
| Connor McDavid | +950 |
| John Tavares | +1000 |
| Jamie Benn | +1100 |
| Steven Stamkos | +1100 |
| Tyler Seguin | +1400 |
| Carey Price | +1600 |
| Claude Giroux | +1800 |
| Evgeni Malkin | +1800 |
| Erik Karlsson | +2000 |
| Ryan Getzlaf | +2000 |
(Odds courtesy: Bodog)
Organizational Rankings
Over the summer, we evaluated each franchise and ranked them on a number of factors.
- Ranking the 30 farm systems
- Ranking the 30 head coaches
- Ranking the 31 general managers
- Ranking the 31 owners
- Final organizational rankings for 31 franchises
Jersey Rankings
Which NHL team has the best jersey? We decided.
