It’s crisp and fresh in the early autumn air, and it means only one thing: dynamic hockey is just around the corner. There is summer optimism for all fanbases as the training camps open up and players return to new ice. Thirty-two teams are hoping to take the silver mug home, but only a few have the real test-taking attitude and put themselves on the ice.
The Defending Champions and the Heavyweight Contenders
It is impossible to start anywhere other than Raleigh. The Carolina Hurricanes are coming off a stellar Stanley Cup run and have shown that their high-octane and never-say-die style can take them all the way. They’re a target on their back with nearly all of their championship nucleus back on the ice, but they also have a deep bench to dream of repeating. Right alongside them in the conversation sit the Colorado Avalanche. Anchored by generational talents who can take over a game at a moment’s notice, Colorado enters the year with oddsmakers placing them right at the top of the heap. They felt the sting of a deep playoff exit last spring, and that kind of heartbreak usually fuels a very focused, highly dangerous hockey club.
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