Heading into the 2024-25 regular season, theScore's Kyle Cushman, Mike Dickson, Kayla Douglas, Josh Gold-Smith, John Matisz, Sean O'Leary, and Josh Wegman make their picks for the division champions, major award winners, and Stanley Cup Final.
Atlantic Division
Another year, another season with the Toronto Maple Leafs favored to win the division. Despite all the talk about the Leafs being a regular-season team, Toronto has never won the Atlantic. New head coach Craig Berube will look to push his group to the top seed to earn the easiest path in the postseason.
The defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers will have something to say about that, and never rule out the always competitive Boston Bruins.
Metropolitan Division
The New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers are popular picks in the Metro, and it'd be must-see television if the longtime rivals duke it out in the standings all year long. New York is in Cup-or-bust mode, while New Jersey is looking to shake off a lost year with new faces in goal and behind the bench. Whether the Devils' moves pay off remains to be seen, but a good chunk of our editors believe in Tom Fitzgerald's vision.
The Hurricanes are the outlier here, and while they lost plenty of talent over the summer, Carolina has a strong defensive corps, top-notch coach, and good nucleus of talent up front. Don't sleep on the Canes.
Central Division
It's not quite unanimous, but we're overwhelmingly expecting the Dallas Stars to repeat as Central Division champs. The Stars finished three points clear of the Winnipeg Jets and six ahead of the Colorado Avalanche en route to their second straight Western Conference Final appearance last season. Colorado has more superstars and certainly could challenge for the division's crown, but the Stars are still deeper from top to bottom.
Pacific Division
It's a clean sweep for the Edmonton Oilers, which should come as no surprise considering they're bringing back the majority of the roster that came within one game of winning the Stanley Cup a year ago. The Pacific Division projects to be one of the NHL's weakest, too, with the several teams in rebuilding mode. The Vancouver Canucks and Vegas Golden Knights are Edmonton's biggest threats.
'Rocket' Richard Trophy
Auston Matthews is a near unanimous choice after a jaw-dropping 69-goal 2023-24 season. Only three other players eclipsed 50, and Matthews cleared second by 12. With three 'Rocket' Richards in the past four years, the award has become Matthews' to lose.
David Pastrnak finished 22 goals behind Matthews last season but is only one year removed from scoring 61. If Matthews is to face a challenge for the award, it likely comes from the Bruins sniper.
Art Ross Trophy
We're all in agreement that Connor McDavid will finish the regular season with the most points for the fourth time in the last five years and sixth time in 10. The Oilers dynamo will tie Gordie Howe and Mario Lemieux for the second-most Art Ross Trophies if he does it, and he'd get to within four of tying Wayne Gretzky for the most ever.
Selke Trophy
Aleksander Barkov is the favorite to win the top defensive forward honor after shutting down Nikita Kucherov, Artemi Panarin, Pastrnak, and McDavid on his way to a championship this past spring. Rightfully so, as he ran away with the award last season - the second time he's earned the honor - and is up against a field that will have to distinctively exceed expectations to knock the Panthers captain off his perch.
Calder Trophy
The Calder race projects to be one of the most fascinating, with Macklin Celebrini, Matvei Michkov, and Logan Stankoven all getting two votes apiece. While Celebrini and Michkov have more upside, Stankoven is a safe choice with 43 NHL games (regular season and playoffs) already under his belt. But don't sleep on Lane Hutson, who shined is his brief two-game debut a year ago and could work his way onto the top power-play unit.
Vezina Trophy
Igor Shesterkin is the only goalie to receive multiple votes, and it's no wonder after he carried the Rangers to the Eastern Conference Final. Not only is Shesterkin's talent undeniable, he's on a mission to become the league's highest-paid goalie with free agency looming next summer. With added motivation for New York's top dog, this race might not be close.
Norris Trophy
As the consensus best defenseman in the world, Cale Makar enters the season as the clear front-runner, so it's not a shock that he was the choice for multiple editors. Rasmus Dahlin getting multiple votes is somewhat surprising, though he certainly has the talent to win the Norris one day. Captaining the Sabres while they end their NHL-long 13-year playoff drought would make for a great story, too, and voters certainly like a good narrative.
Hart Trophy
McDavid finished third in MVP voting last season, but he's won the Hart three times and the vast majority of our editors envision him doing it again in June. The Oilers captain is always a serious candidate and should be the front-runner again, barring unforeseen individual and/or team woes. Jack Hughes provides immense value to the Devils when healthy, and he could definitely be in the running - especially with an improved supporting cast.
Stanley Cup Final
Four editors pick the Oilers to get over the hump and follow the Panthers' script of winning the Stanley Cup after losing in the final.
Two editors have the Devils going all the way to the Stanley Cup Final under new head coach Sheldon Keefe after missing out on the playoffs last season.
The Golden Knights, Stars, and Avalanche each make a single appearance, with Vegas and Dallas picked to claim a second Cup in their respective franchise histories.
Meanwhile, the defending champs get no love, with nobody picking the Panthers to go to a third straight Cup Final. Instead, the New York Rangers are the favorite out of the East but don't get a single pick to win the whole thing.
