Rapid Rewind: Preseason Stories to Watch

The start of the preseason is officially underway and there are storylines glare around the NHL. There are teams that are trying to implement new systems because of offseason coaching changes. Some teams are dealing with key players not with the team because of no contracts for the season. There will be roster spots to be filled, injuries to be dealt with and captains to be named. 

Here are three storylines to watch as the preseason gets underway.

1) Key Restricted Free Agents Remain Unsigned 

This RFA class has been a difficult one for teams to get under contract and into camps. Sure some contracts are easier to get done than others, but it just seemed like teams got a late start due to the cap ceiling being set later than usual. Once the cap ceiling was established, teams tried to focus on getting key core player locked into contracts, but the market took forever to get set. This RFA class is a strong one with important players sitting out camps and missing preseason.

The biggest RFA that is not under contract yet is Patrik Laine from the Winnipeg Jets. He is training overseas until a contract can get ironed out, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he pulls a William Nylander and waits until close to the deadline in December to get a deal done. Another key player is Brayden Point of the Tampa Bay Lightning, who plays a big role at even strength as well as on the power play. Other big name RFAs include Mikko Rantanen, Travis Konecny, Kyle Connor, Matthew Tkachuk, Brock Boeser and Brandon Carlo. Only time will tell as to when these kids get signed and are implemented back into their roles for their respective teams.

2) Captain Vacancies

There are still several teams that have not named captains for the upcoming season. Some teams may not name a captain instead going with the naming three or four alternate captains. The San Jose Sharks have named the team’s next captain and to no one’s surprise it was Logan Couture. 

The Eastern Conference has five teams without a captain. The Carolina Hurricanes and New York Rangers comprise those teams with no captain in the Metropolitan Division. The Atlantic Division has three teams with no one wearing the “C” on his jersey: the Detroit Red Wings, Ottawa Senators, and Toronto Maple Leafs. The two Western Conference teams without captains are the Vancouver Canucks and Vegas Golden Knights. 

3) New Coaches Mean New Systems

There are quite a few teams that had coaching changes over the summer, but the most notable are the Florida Panthers, Philadelphia Flyers and Los Angeles Kings. All three teams missed the postseason last year and underachieved. The Flyers played much better under interim head coach Scott Gordon for the second half of the season, while the Kings struggled all season long. 

Joel Quenneville signed early in the offseason with the Florida Panthers, who signed goaltender Sergei Bobrovski during free agency.  The expectations for the Panthers will be high and a return to the postseason is expected. It is a different story for the Kings and Todd McLellan, who have an older, more experienced roster. The Kings were one of the worst teams in the League last season and didn’t make the playoffs, which will likely be the same story this season. The Philadelphia Flyers and Alain Vigneault could be the most interesting team to watch in terms of coaching changes. Vigneault is inheriting a roster that is loaded with talented players, but the big question will be do the players buy into his system and find a way to get back to the postseason.