Get Ready for the 2024-2025 NHL Season
It’s time for some hockey! The 2024-2025 NHL season is about to get started, and there are plenty of storylines to follow this season. The Florida Panthers have spent the offseason celebrating their Stanley Cup Championship after coming up short the previous year, meaning the Edmonton Oilers are looking to follow suit this season.
The NHL also has a new TV deal which is going to make it even easier for you to follow the action. Find out more about how to watch the NHL this season and some of the major storylines that you need to follow as the season gets ready to start.
How to Watch the NHL
Watching the National Hockey League has never been easier. The league has a long-standing relationship with ESPN, which means that you can catch plenty of games on ESPN, ESPN+, and ABC. If you have a Hulu Live subscription, you’ll also be able to watch there if you’ve cut the cord and ditched cable.
The league is also entering the third season of its agreement with TNT, where you’ll be able to catch select games. People without cable aren’t left out of this side of the deal either, since you can stream the games aired on TNT on the Watch TNT and Max apps.
Introducing the Utah Hockey Club
On April 18, 2024, the NHL announced the introduction of an expansion team that would play its games in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Utah Hockey Club will share the arena that’s currently used by the Utah Jazz.
The introduction of the Utah Hockey Club came at the same time that the Arizona Coyotes would be suspending operations.
Though the Utah Hockey Club is considered an expansion team, the new franchise obtained the “hockey assets” of the Coyotes, which included the players, coaches, and staff. The Utah Hockey Club is going to get rebranded, likely before the start of next season.
New Faces, New Places
Of the 32 teams that currently make up the National Hockey League, 10 of them are going into the 2024-2025 season with a new coach behind the glass.
The Buffalo Sabres fired Don Granato who posted a 122-125-27 record in his three seasons with the team, replacing him with Lindy Ruff, who was fired by the New Jersey Devils just days earlier.
Ruff was replaced in New Jersey by Sheldon Keefe, who was fired five days earlier by the Toronto Maple Leafs, following their first-round exit from the playoffs. Craig Berube was tabbed to replace Keefe in Toronto.
After a single season during which he went 27-43-12, Pascal Vincent was fired by the Columbus Blue Jackets, who replaced him with Dean Evason. The Los Angeles Kings made a change during the 2023-2024 season, firing Todd McLellan before naming Jim Hiller as the interim head coach. On May 22, 2024, the team dropped the “interim” title and named Hiller the permanent head coach.
The Blue Jackets weren’t the only team to keep their interim coach, as the St. Louis Blues did the same thing when they dropped the temporary tag from Drew Bannister’s title.
The Ottawa Senators named Travis Green as their third head coach in two seasons, as the squad fired D.J. Smith during the season last year before naming Jacques Martin as the interim coach Following the conclusion of their season, the team decided to move on from Martin, too. Ryan Warsofsky got a promotion after the San Jose Sharks fired Dave Hakstol, moving from assistant coach to head coach.
The Seattle Kraken fired the franchise’s first head coach after three seasons when Dave Hakstol was fired after posting a 107-112-27 record. Dan Bylsma, who had been serving as the coach of the team’s AHL affiliate, was named as his replacement.
Finally, Rick Bowness of the Winnipeg Jets announced his retirement from coaching on May 6, 2024. In his two seasons at the helm of the Jets, Bowness posted an impressive 98-57-9 record. Scott Arniel, who had served as Bowness’ top assistant was chosen as his replacement.
Matvei Michkov: Rookie of the Year Season Incoming?
This year’s rookie class looks to be one of the best in recent memory. Connor Bedard of the Chicago Blackhawks was the runaway winner of last year’s Calder Trophy, given to the league’s best rookie. With that in mind, the man who was once in discussion to be the first overall pick ahead of Bedard looks to be in the driver’s seat to win the award this season.
Concerns about his Kontinental Hockey League contract, which was slated to run through the 2026-207 season led to Michkov falling from the top of the draft to number seven, where he was taken by the Philadelphia Flyers.
At the time, Michkov was 18, and he returned to the KHL, where he put up 41 points, the most ever by a player under the age of 20.
After having his contract terminated, Michkov made the move to Philadelphia, where he will try to help the Flyers overcome their recent struggles. Even though he was drafted before last season, the fact that he didn’t play in the NHL means that he’s eligible for the Rookie of the Year Award, and most experts agree that he’s the frontrunner.
Get Ready for Some Hockey
Starting on October 4, 2024, the NHL will be in full swing. Will the Florida Panthers defend their championship, or will the Edmonton Oilers overcome last season’s defeat and hoist the Stanley Cup? A lot of teams have taken steps to get better, so this season is sure to be one to remember.