Now that the 2024-25 NHL season has concluded, it’s time to hand out grades for how each team did based on preseason expectations and results, along with the overall play of the clubs. For instance, a team that had no expectations entering the season and ended up making the playoffs will get a good grade.
For this series, among teams that didn’t make the NHL playoffs, we will go from the bottom of the league to the highest-finishing team that was just outside of the playoffs, and for playoff-clinching teams, we will go from the first team eliminated to the Stanley Cup champions.
Table of Contents
8th: Vegas Golden Knights
What Went Right During 2024-25 NHL Season?
Vegas enters every NHL season with the same expectations of going after the Stanley Cup. The salary cap has always constantly gone after them, and it seemed that this season was going to be a retooling year for the Golden Knights. They found solutions, both in-house and with cheap additions. Pavel Dorofeyev broke out for a 35-goal regular season, and several players had career years, like Brett Howden.
All the pieces fit seamlessly on the way to their fourth Pacific Division title in their 8th year of NHL existence. They also had their best power play in their franchise’s history, and they solved what was their biggest concern, which was scoring. Their depth was on full display in their first round series against the Minnesota Wild, which kept them among the teams that have a legitimate shot at winning the Stanley Cup.
Bruce Cassidy also remains one of the best coaches in the NHL, keeping his team calm and composed, keeping the same continuity that worked in years past. The team finished top six in goals scored and goals against, while also having stable goaltending.
What Went Wrong During 2024-25 NHL Season?
Yet for all the hype around Vegas, everything went down the drain in the second round of the NHL playoffs. They were arguably one buzzer beating game winning goal away from getting swept by the Oilers, and they were left scrambling for answers that have eluded them throughout the playoffs. Even going back in the Minnesota series, the Golden Knights did not look like themselves. They were sloppy with their play, and were frequently coughing up the puck, and while they got by the Wild, turnovers against the Oilers in the NHL playoffs are essentially a death sentence.
Their depth players, which include Howden and Ivan Barbashev, were wildly inconsistent, and they, along with Dorofeyev and Tomáš Hertl, who combined for 113 goals throughout the regular season, did not get a single goal against the Oilers. Their defensemen combined for 35 goals in the regular season, but had just one goal all playoffs. They didn’t get enough production from their depth players.
The star players were just as complicit, too. Jack Eichel had a career-high 94 points in the regular season, and while he recorded 11 points in the playoffs, only one of them was a goal. Mark Stone had four points in the first two games before getting injured in Game 3, playing hurt in Game 4 and missing Game 5. They also declined way too many opportunities to shoot the puck, especially in the two shutout losses. A lack of consistent goal scoring loomed large throughout the series, even when they scored first when they wanted to take control of the match only to let momentum slip.
The most polarizing debate was Adin Hill, who, even when giving his team the best chance to win, was rather pedestrian this postseason, uncharacteristically giving up a number of soft goals. Their power play, which was lights out in the regular season, was a letdown in the playoffs, and they were even worse off at 5-on-5 in the second round. And it eventually led to their demise, ending the season getting blanked for 127 consecutive minutes by Stuart Skinner.
Expectations for Next Season
While everything will likely stick this offseason, next offseason is going to be one of a lot of conversation. Jack Eichel’s contract runs through the summer of 2026, while those of Mark Stone, William Karlsson and Alex Pietrangelo run through the summer of 2027. They have just brought back UFAs Reilly Smith and Brandon Saad to matching one-year, $2 million deals, but the big question is with Nic Hague, who is their key RFA. He has one year of team control left before he becomes a UFA.
With the constant expectation of the Golden Knights being a Stanley Cup challenger, and don’t expect that to change this upcoming season, expect them to work around the NHL salary cap to add to the team. This is a team that wants to win at any and all costs, and both the coaching staff and front office know it. It can be possible that they work a deal with Hague that works with everyone.
There is also the question of this offseason where they should focus on the two obvious priorities: Eichel and Dorofeyev. Eichel is likely going to get a pay raise from his current contract that has a cap hit of $10 million. Dorofeyev, on the other hand, could see a steep increase from his $1.835 million cap hit after a 35-goal season. Keeping these two players long-term is going to be huge for Vegas.
Final Grade: B
7th: Washington Capitals
What Went Right During 2024-25 NHL Season?
This was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the Capitals, but they showed that they didn’t need to take a long time to effectively retool their team. The surprise was that they climbed to the top of the NHL standings, just a year removed from sneaking into the playoffs with one of the worst goal differentials among playoff teams in league history. The front office knew that the same formula was not sustainable.
So, they went out to overhaul the roster in the offseason, and it paid off dividends when they landed all of Pierre-Luc Dubois, Jakob Chychrun, Matt Roy, Andrew Mangiapane and Logan Thompson. Dubois had a career revival, Chychrun showed he can be the team’s no. 1 defenseman down the line and got rewarded an eight-year, $72 million extension that pays him $9 million annually on average, and Thompson was superb in net in his first year after requesting a trade from Vegas.
They also saw growth from their young players and emerging stars, like Dylan Strome, who had a team-leading 82 points. Aliaksei Protas and Connor McMichael took the next steps in their development, with Protas going from a bottom-six forward to getting his first 30-goal season of his career and Connor McMichael breaking out for 26 goals.
While they slowed down at the tail end of the regular season, that was more to do with them already clinching a playoff spot. But there was no bigger and better storyline than Alex Ovechkin breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record as the NHL’s all-time scoring king, notching his 895th career goal on April 6th. He and the entire team banded together for this individual accomplishment, and they all used it as motivation throughout the season.
What Went Wrong During 2024-25 NHL Season?
What was the biggest strength the Capitals had in the regular season was their biggest weakness in the playoffs. They entered the playoffs with a red-hot offense, yet their tantalizing rush attack was shut off by the Hurricanes’ steady defense and their goaltending, limited to just seven goals in the second round.
Ovechkin was noticeably absent in the Carolina series, held to just one goal, that coming on the 5-on-3. But all postseason long, the depth scoring dried up, with them averaging just over two goals per game, which does not bode well for winning playoff rounds. No Capitals player had more than two points against the Hurricanes, and no one had more than one goal.
The power play especially disappointed, as the Caps had the 4th-worst power play in the playoffs (17.9%) and the worst power play of the second round (13.3%, scoring just twice). One could argue that it was inconsistent throughout the season, but they couldn’t get anything going against the Canes. Their own defensive efforts couldn’t match Carolina’s intense forecheck, leading to the Canes getting 10 different goal-scorers on a more balanced offense, and leading to Carolina capitalizing on Washington’s poor penalty kill (72.7%).
Even though he gave up some frustrating goals, Thompson did his best to keep the Capitals afloat. Normally, an NHL team wins a majority of their games when their goalie allows two or fewer goals. Thompson had seven such games in the playoffs, with three coming against Carolina. But because the Capitals were not able to generate high-danger chances like they did in the regular season, they ended up 1-2 in those games in the second round.
Expectations for Next Season
The Capitals are in good position for the future. While it hurts saying goodbye to Nicklas Bäckström and TJ Oshie, both of them have missed the entire season—Bäckström to a hip injury and Oshie to a chronic back issue. With their contracts off the books, Washington can restock in free agency, and they should go after top-nine skaters to keep the offense running, with the goal of better production in the playoffs.
With some upgrades, they shouldn’t make drastic measures to improve the team. There are other veterans on expiring contracts too, such as Anthony Beauvillier and Lars Eller, though Washington can do damage in free agency, and also by way of their Draft capital that they can take advantage of from this year. Expect them to be contending for a top spot in the Eastern Conference, but there is the looming question with Alex Ovechkin: How much does he have left in him? He is entering the final year of his current contract, after all.
Final Grade: A-
6th: Winnipeg Jets
What Went Right During 2024-25 NHL Season?
The Jets were a heavy wild card among Western Conference teams, as they could be placed anywhere among the standings entering the year, whether they be a playoff team or missing out on the playoffs. But last year’s 110 points in the regular season was always going to be tough to replicate, yet nobody expected them to win the Central Division or the Presidents’ Trophy.
Their success continues to stem from their goaltending, especially Connor Hellebuyck, who not only won his second consecutive Vezina Trophy—and in turn become the first American to win three Vezina Trophies—but also become the first goaltender since Carey Price in 2015 to win both the Vezina and the Hart Trophies. He was by far the best goaltender in the league over the course of the season, and it made sense for him to be named to the MVP consideration.
This wasn’t a carry job by him, either. Any questions about how Scott Arniel would fare as the head coach were answered. His familiarity with the organization was a benefit, and his ability to build on the foundation that was put in place during the tenure of his predecessor, Rick Bowness, was huge for the team, along with putting his own stamp. Under him and assistant coach Davis Payne, the power play saw vast improvement, which helped four of the Jets’ top-six forwards set career highs in points.
What Went Wrong During 2024-25 NHL Season?
By the time December or January came, there were no longer questions about whether the Jets were a playoff team or not. Yet there were still questions about whether they can deliver the same play that they had in the regular season to the playoffs where they can get past the first round. In a series where the home team won every game, the Jets got by the Blues in a classic Game 7 that was dubbed as the Manitoba Miracle.
Facing the Stars showed that they can keep games close for time, but they couldn’t come out on top in the third period against one of the best teams in the league. They allowed three-goal periods in Games 1 and 3, and they saw a pair of Finns on the Stars record hat tricks in the series, one by Mikko Rantanen in Game 1 and the other by Mikael Granlund in Game 4, and they couldn’t keep pace with Dallas’ high-octane offense.
The saddest part isn’t that they got eliminated. They were all playing with heavy hearts in Game 6 of the Dallas series because Mark Scheifele’s father abruptly passed away. When Scheifele scored, it was a poetic moment, and it’s something that his family, Jets fans and teammates will never forget. In overtime, he was in the penalty box for the Stars’ overtime winner. The on-ice scenes when the Jets hugged him and the respect the Stars showed at the handshake line showed a moment that is truly bigger than hockey.
Expectations for Next Season
The Jets will have a ton of money to use this summer. One question is about their center depth since Adam Lowry is expected to miss the first month of the 2026 season due to hip surgery. Signing Jonathan Toews to a one-year, $2 million deal is a nice comeback story after the former Blackhawks captain spent the last two seasons away from the NHL, though it’s also a medium-risk signing after he spent that time away because of the effects of long COVID-19.
Yet it still has Jets fans excited as he is coming to his hometown to return to the league. The hope is that he fills in the shallow center depth, and if he can provide a middle-six impact through the course of the regular season and playoffs, that’s a solid piece of business by Kevin Cheveldayoff.
The next questions are with Nikolaj Ehlers, Gabe Vilardi and Dylan Samberg. Vilardi and Samberg are pending RFAs, the former notching his third consecutive 20-goal campaign while having a career-high 61 points, while finding a home on the top line next to Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele. Dylan Samberg has emerged as a legitimate top-four defenseman and grew his game playing next to Neal Pionk in the second pair. With Ehlers, it’s more complicated, as he is an unrestricted free agent. Does he stay or does he leave? And if he leaves, it’s going to be tough replacing his goal-scoring production.
The Jets should challenge for a playoff spot and even the Central Division title, but there is the common saying that there are teams that are judged more for what they did and/or didn’t do in the playoffs compared to the regular season. This is where the Jets are. Their struggles to get out of the first round have been noted, and whether they can get past the first round, and even advance the second round, is going to be the next test for Winnipeg.
Final Grade: A
5th: Toronto Maple Leafs
What Went Right During 2024-25 NHL Season?
The Maple Leafs had another successful regular season, but nobody imagined them winning their first division title in 25 years. Head coach Craig Berube has the team playing a strong defensive game, which led to them having the 8th-ranked defense in the league (2.79 goals against per game).
The new additions to the blueline made the team a lot more physical than other Leafs teams in recent years, especially with Chris Tanev and his ferocious shot-blocking. Simon Benoit and trade deadline acquisition Brandon Carlo also showed as such. They also received the best goaltending they’ve got in the Core Four era, as Anthony Stolarz (21-8-3, .926 save percentage, 2.14 goals against average) and Joseph Woll (27-14-1, .909 SV%, 2.73 GAA) have worked seamlessly to help them win tight games, which is super beneficial as winning close games are essential for winning in the playoffs.
Aside from goaltending winning them tight games, it was the usual high-end talent that won them tight games. They weren’t elite offensively or defensively, but both of them were solid enough to keep the Leafs winning to the tune of finishing 4th in the league in points (108). John Tavares had one of his best seasons with Toronto, with 38 goals and 74 points, while rising star Matt Knies had a breakout year with 29 goals and 58 points, in which he carried that success to the playoffs.
What Went Wrong During 2024-25 NHL Season?
While the league was wide-open, there was the desperation of Toronto wanting to see a championship, along with the fact that Tavares and Mitch Marner are UFAs after this season. While they got by the Senators in the first round, their playoff demons showed up at the worst possible time against the Panthers.
Giving up a 2-0 series lead as the Panthers staged a comeback win in Game 3 from down two goals and then blanking them in Game 4 is a gut punch. But then came two of the worst games ever played in the Core Four era: Back-to-back 6-1 drubbings at their home ice, both of which where they were booed off the ice. Despite winning Game 6 to force a Game 7, their star power disappeared in the two home games at the worst possible time again.
And it’s another season where the Leafs get sent into an existential crisis. While the Panthers are designed to wear opponents down, and while the Leafs blocked a litany of shots all series long, the Panthers’ heavy forecheck and their constant net-front presence wore down the Leafs. Their five-forward power play, which worked against Ottawa, also vanished against Florida, converting just twice on 20 attempts in the series.
Although Stolarz was concussed on a hit to the head by Sam Bennett, Woll gave the Leafs every chance to stay in this series. He kept them in Game 4, was strong early in Game 5, and blanked the Cats in Game 6. But from Game 4 onwards, the Leafs averaged just one goal per game and once again failed to show up when it mattered. Berube mentioned that the Leafs were overthinking, especially in the later games against the Panthers, and while it may have been true, it all leads to an all-too-familiar end result thinking about hypotheticals.
Expectations for Next Season
While the Leafs are built to win now, and while they will obviously be a playoff contender next season, the expectation is that they perform in the playoffs. It’s fair to wonder, however, if this is the end of the Core Four era, especially with the looming debate around Mitch Marner. Toronto does have the cap space to make an extension or a sign-and-trade, but depending on where he goes, they have to balance the asking price with needs.
The other questions land with Tavares and Knies, the former being a UFA and the latter being an RFA. Many envisioned that the only way Tavares was going to return to Toronto was if he takes a pay cut, and he did that, signing a four-year deal with a cap hit of $4.38 million. However, the talks between Toronto and Knies are far apart. The Leafs are pushing for a shorter deal, which gives the best possible price they could land him, while Knies is pushing for the medium term, which means not going long-term on a player that plays a very hard style of hockey and might not be the same a decade later.
With Marner most likely gone, Toronto can use that cap space to improve the roster so as to shore up the depth. But there is also the matter with Nick Robertson, who is another pending RFA who, in the past, has requested a trade out of Toronto as he is uncomfortable being underutilized on the team. Does general manager Brad Treliving honor his request and find him a suitable trading partner?
While they don’t have a lot of Draft capital, the cap space they have is going to be useful for free agency, and however they go this summer will pave the path on whatever road they take in the 2026 season.
Final Grade: B-
4th: Carolina Hurricanes
What Went Right During 2024-25 NHL Season?
In what has been a chaotic season for the Hurricanes, between the Mikko Rantanen trade, the follow-up deal and the arrivals of Logan Stankoven and Alexander Nikishin, Carolina did what they always do: Play a structured defensive game and dominated in the underlying possession and scoring chance metrics, despite having doubters if they were going to make it to the dance after having one of the largest cap crunches in their franchise’s history last summer.
They tried landing a superstar in Rantanen to give them top line scoring that they lacked. But it was clear the experiment with him went sour and he never truly meshed with the system. Fearing another Jake Guentzel situation, Carolina traded him to the Stars to get Stankoven, two first round picks and two third round picks. Stankoven was key for the Canes on their top nine group, and he will continue to be for years to come.
It’s no surprise that they remained one of the best defensive teams in the league, as they finished in the top 10 in goals against average (2.80) and their penalty kill finished as the best in the league (83.6%). Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis, of course, headline this group, leading the team as the top performers on the club. They put it together in the playoffs for their third Eastern Conference Final appearance in seven years.
What Went Wrong During 2024-25 NHL Season?
Despite winning a Conference Finals game for the first time since 2006, it was a very one-sided Conference Finals, and it did not go their way. Before their win in Game 4, they lost 15 consecutive games at this stage of the playoffs, which is not something any team wants to go through.
Freddie Andersen rebounded from a so-so regular season and was fantastic in the first two playoff rounds against the Devils and Capitals, but he was no match for the Panthers and their punishing forecheck. Even when replacing him for Pyotr Kochetkov in Game 3, the results were still the same. Andersen shut the door in Game 4, but it only delayed the inevitable—that same success could not be sustained for Game 5.
In the first three games of the conference final, the Canes scored just three goals. While they are a balanced team defensively, they need more help offensively. The lack of offensive depth scoring is something that general manager Eric Tulsky needs to address. Rantanen was not willing to stick around for the long term, so he had to trade him away. With ample cap space to make a difference in the offseason, Tulsky will have to go big game hunting.
Expectations for Next Season
There are too many good players on Carolina for them to not be in the playoffs again. It’s a matter of what results will be when they get to the playoffs. But there is a need for Carolina to sign/trade for, and keep, someone of the caliber of Guentzel or Rantanen: A game-breaking talent who can drive the offense and deliver crucial goals when it matters.
Aho, Jarvis, Andrei Svechnikov and, just recently, Stankoven are excellent players, but they need a true needle-mover. They have to land a headliner to get them over the top in the playoffs. And Carolina has both the cap space and the draft capital to utilize that. While Eric Robinson got a new four-year, $6.8 million extension that pays him $1.7 million annually, he fits better as a depth player. The rest of the free agent class includes Jack Roslovic, Brent Burns and Dmitry Orlov, though it’s fair to wonder about how much Burns has left.
Could they go after someone like Jason Robertson, Brock Boeser or Nikolaj Ehlers? Do they address the hole on the top pair for who plays next to Jaccob Slavin with someone like Rasmus Andersson or Erik Karlsson? The possibilities this summer are endless for the Canes. Add this to two promising young talents in Nikishin and Scott Morrow on the rise with their increased opportunities, and you get a summer full of intrigue.
Final Grade: B
3rd: Dallas Stars
What Went Right During 2024-25 NHL Season?
There is no question about their status as a Stanley Cup contender. General manager Jim Nill has set them up to win now, and their expectations have risen through the roof. While they didn’t win the Central Division and lost seven consecutive games to end the regular season, there’s little to complain about.
They remained a top five team in the NHL despite losing Tyler Seguin after just 20 games in the regular season and Miro Heiskanen for the remainder of the regular season up until Game 4 of the second round. The general consensus of the Stars is that they had arguably the deepest forward core of any team in the NHL. Adding a superstar in Mikko Rantanen and locking him up long-term and adding Mikael Granlund made the forward core even deeper.
In getting the two of them, they changed the philosophy of holding onto draft capital when they moved on from first round picks to get Rantanen, Granlund and Cody Ceci. And Jake Oettinger continues to stand tall in net. It helped them get back to the Western Conference Final for the third consecutive season.
What Went Wrong During 2024-25 NHL Season?
Everything that could go wrong went wrong in the Conference Final. Some of the questions about their depth became issues throughout the series against the Oilers. It initially seemed as if they have answers for their lack of depth scoring in Game 1, with several players being factors in their comeback win.
But four of the last five goals in the series were scored by Jason Robertson, making them the second team that finished in the top five in goals per game in the regular season to be eliminated by the Oilers. The deepest forward core in the league on paper was effectively silenced by a team with a solid foundational defensive structure, and their shortcomings at scoring consistently is what led to them being the first team to reach three straight conference finals without advancing to the Stanley Cup Final in NHL history.
There were also heavy questions about their defensive structure, and those questions were validated when Heiskanen went down to a knee injury in late January, as they had one of the worst defenses among playoff teams this season, despite making it to the Western Conference Final.
Peter DeBoer has also been consistently a coach that guides his teams on deep runs, but his lack of adjustments has cost his teams trips to the Stanley Cup. And while Jake Oettinger allowed goals that were not his fault, DeBoer throwing him under the bus was a very bad look for him. After that debacle, Dallas had enough and fired him.
Expectations for Next Season
What makes the outcome of this season even more mentally exhausting was that this was Dallas’ last great chance at a Stanley Cup, and what they’re about to go through is one of the most painful cap crunches in the league. Not only will Rantanen receive a hefty pay raise, but Oettinger and Wyatt Johnston will get heavy raises too on their next contracts that will kick in this summer.
They’re still going to be among the category of teams that will contend for a Stanley Cup, but things will get harder for them. They did keep Matt Duchene on a four-year, $18 million deal that carries a $4.5 million cap hit and Jamie Benn on a one-year, $1 million contract, but they have to shed salary. Mason Marchment was the first casualty, with him and his $4.5 million cap hit getting traded to the Kraken.
Duchene and Benn are not the only free agents the Stars have to take care of. Granlund, Ceci and Evgenii Dadonov are the other unrestricted free agents, and they can’t keep all of them. While Ceci has been known for being the walking enigma, seeing Granlund and Dadonov walk is going to be tough.
There’s no doubt that playoffs will be in their vision next year, but it will be tougher since the young core that has been key for their playoff runs on cheap contracts will be making a lot more money. Not only will they need to have players who can hit on team-friendly deals, but it increases the pressure as part of this window.
Final Grade: B-
2nd: Edmonton Oilers
What Went Right During 2024-25 NHL Season?
After going all the way to Game 7 of last year’s Stanley Cup Final, the Oilers had unfinished business to take care of. There were questions if they could return to the Finals, with questions resurfacing about the depth and the goaltending. Injuries were hurting them down the stretch, but even so, the questions were if the players who underperformed this season would play up to their potential.
However, head coach Kris Knoblauch made the necessary adjustments and knew when to make them. Though they fell to a 2-0 series hole in the first round against the Kings, they won four consecutive games to defeat them for the fourth consecutive year. What they did there kicked off a trend where they pulled off comeback win after comeback win, where they won an NHL-record six consecutive comeback victories, while having eight of them in total.
Those adjustments also went beyond comebacks, and they played a role in why they held the Golden Knights and Stars, two teams that finished in the top five in goal per game, struggle to score—blanking Vegas for the final 127 minutes of the series and holding Dallas to just five goals in the final four games of the series, leading to another showdown with the Panthers.
What Went Wrong During 2024-25 NHL Season?
Everything went well for the Oilers up until Game 3 of the Finals. Comeback victories are exciting to watch, but they should not be the standard in the playoffs. Despite splitting the first two games, the Finals exposed the frequency with what the Oilers were prone to doing in allowing multi-goal periods, which happened in seven of the first 13 periods of the Stanley Cup Final.
They struggled finding their identity, and every game, save for their comeback in Game 4, was basically reliving Groundhog Day: Allowing shots, shooting low on Sergei Bobrovsky, and losing countless puck battles. While Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard kept them in the games, when they needed them the most, they couldn’t deliver. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, try as they might, were locked up to perfection.
Injuries may have come at the wrong time, too. Zach Hyman was the most notable of them, as he broke his wrist and had season-ending surgery. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was hurt during the Finals and he was visibly not the same. Connor Brown wasn’t either after his injury against the Stars, and Mattias Ekholm, despite coming back to play, noticeably struggled with the pace of play. The timing of the injuries was unfortunate, yet it explains nothing.
Expectations for Next Season
The upcoming summer is arguably the biggest offseason in Oilers history. Winning the Stanley Cup is not just their expectation, but it’s the only goal that matters to them. Leon Draisaitl is going to get a hefty pay raise from his $8.5 million cap hit into his new $14 million per year deal.
Then there is the Evan Bouchard conversation, who is coming off a two-year bridge deal worth $3.9 million annually, where he was a 40-point defenseman, he’s gone on to average 0.91 points per game in the regular season while averaging over a point per game in the playoffs. The term and the cap hit allocated to him will be a franchise-altering decision by general manager Stan Bowman.
Trent Frederic returns to Edmonton on a long-term deal that lasts eight years at a $3.85 million cap hit. While he was very underwhelming in his first year in Edmonton, the hope is that he can regain his form that he had in back-to-back seasons with the Bruins. Not a lot has been discussed about Connor Brown, Kasperi Kapanen or Jeff Skinner.
Brown is going to get a payday after a 30-point season, while Kapanen has been a solid depth option and showed flashes of it in Edmonton. John Klingberg turned heads in the playoffs, and it changed dramatically from the regular season. The Corey Perry conversations are going to be interesting, as he’ll turn 41 next season, but he’s coming off a 19-goal year.
And then there’s Connor McDavid. He is eligible for an extension in the 2026 season, and it’s easy to look at the comments in his exit press conference. Things can change in a flash, but there’s not a lot to believe that he’ll leave Edmonton anytime soon. He opened the door to possibilities, but he knows to be careful with words. The question is, where does he feel like he can win? And if he does stay, what’s going to be the term and the cap hit? Bowman is going to have his hands full this summer.
Final Grade: A-
1st: Florida Panthers
What Went Right During 2024-25 NHL Season?
Could the regular season chapter of title defense gone better? It could have. But injuries and late-season inconsistencies had them falling to the third seed in the Atlantic Division. But for all the concerns that were brought up entering the playoffs, they quieted all of them at the end of the postseason. It’s hard to win a Stanley Cup, but it’s harder to repeat as champions. The Panthers accomplished that, and made it clear they want to build a dynasty.
They were once again stronger defensively than they were offensively, as they averaged just 2.72 goals against as the league’s 7th-ranked defense. Once again, it was Sam Reinhart leading the way on the goal-scoring sheet, Sam Bennett with a career-high 51 points in the regular season on the way to scoring 15 goals and winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the playoffs, and Aleksander Barkov putting in another Selke Trophy-winning season.
General manager Bill Zito has taken the crown as the best GM in the league, and his decision to go all-in at the trade deadline paid dividends. While giving up Spencer Knight was a risk, Seth Jones was more comfortable in a second pairing role and not having to munch up a lot of minutes. He and Brad Marchand turned it on in the postseason, and Marchand was a serious contender for the Conn Smythe Trophy, scoring six of his 10 goals in the Stanley Cup Final.
Florida showed that they were the most balanced team in the league, and the most well-coached and “built for the playoffs” team in the league. Through the challenges, they always put themselves in a position to win for the playoffs.
What Went Wrong During 2024-25 NHL Season?
While the Panthers won the Stanley Cup, they did have a few slip-ups, but not to the extent where it would derail all of their momentum. While they had to deal with adversity late in the season between injuries to Marchand and Matthew Tkachuk, they stayed afloat and kept going.
The toughest look was when they fell to a 2-0 series hole against the Maple Leafs, losing back-to-back games at Scotiabank Arena, 5-4 and 4-3, before rallying to defeat them in seven games. They were also vulnerable at times in the Finals against the Oilers, giving up leads of two goals and three goals in Games 1 and 4, respectively, to lose in overtime. When they struggled, it was because of a lack of depth scoring, which was rare for them in the playoffs.
Outside of that, everyone from all four forward lines made up for the deficiencies. They won seven consecutive road playoff games, and scored 61 goals on the road this postseason, shattering the previous record held by the 1993 Los Angeles Kings. Nine players finished the playoffs with at least 15 points, with six finishing with at least 20 points. And that’s why they’re at the top of the NHL mountain again.
Expectations for Next Season
Their big-name free agents are going to get new deals, and those are at the top of Zito’s priority list. Bennett was in line to get a pay raise from the four-year, $17.7 million deal that had a $4.43 million cap hit annually. That was quickly solved with an eight-year, $64 million deal that carries an $8 million cap hit, and the Conn Smythe Trophy winner stays put at the beaches of Miami & Fort Lauderdale.
They have to figure out a backup goaltender, with Vitek Vanecek’s contract expiring. They found one in Daniil Tarasov, who they got from Columbus, hoping that he bounces back after a dismal 2025 season, and possibly succeed Sergei Bobrovsky, who will be 37 this upcoming season. Filling in a few spots on the blueline will also be a priority, as they didn’t have any draft picks in the first three rounds of this year’s Draft, which shows that they are still built to win now. That includes on the third pairing, which comes down to whether or not they’re able to keep Nate Schmidt.
Then there’s the debate between Marchand and Aaron Ekblad. Zito is at a crossroads between the two of them, and it’s clear that he can’t keep both. Marchand was among the more productive players on the Cats, and that might be enough for him to stay in Florida. That will likely have Ekblad leave for free agency, which prompts the question of who they’re going to get in the trade market or in free agency to replace him with.
Despite it all, the Panthers are in a very excellent position to likely go for a three-peat, so long as Bobrovsky can perform at an elite level. They’re not slowing down anytime soon, especially with all of their core players under contract in the foreseeable future.
Final Grade: A+
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