The seeds have been planted for a new season. Pumpkin picking is going on, too. What does 2023-24 have in store for hockey fans? It promises to be an excellent adventure. Party on, dude!

On the first day of the new season, Connor Bedard makes his NHL debut when the Blackhawks battle Sidney Crosby and the Penguins. It could be a passing of the torch. But even at 36, Crosby is still one of the game’s best players. Without injuries and the pandemic, he’d be close to 700 goals and 2,000 points. Can Erik Karlsson get the Pens back to the playoffs for one more run?

There’s plenty of excitement surrounding Bedard. He blew the competition away in juniors and showed some flashes during preseason. Now, he’ll be asked to turn around the Blackhawks, who are years removed from the three Stanley Cups featuring Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. Perhaps Chicago can finally have something to look forward to following the off ice turmoil.

Bedard isn’t the only rookie who will make the highlight reel. Keep an eye on Coyotes’ center Logan Cooley. A player who could one day make hockey in the desert relevant. Clayton Keller has played in obscurity for too long.

Other freshmen to watch include the Devils’ Luke Hughes, Blue Jackets’ ace Adam Fantilli, the Leafs’ Matthew Knies, the Ducks’ Leo Carlson (injured), the Flyers’ Bobby Brink, the Sharks’ William Eklund, and at least for the time being, the Sabres’ Zach Benson. Will Cuylle will play in the Rangers’ top nine. Simon Nemec eventually will be up with the Devils, giving them two rookies on the blue line.

The youth movement continues to dominate a league where the salary cap forces teams into tough decisions. It’s a young man’s league.

Before getting into the contenders, there are a few up and coming teams looking to return to relevancy.

One of those is the Sabres, who just missed the playoff cut last year. All the more remarkable when they nearly pulled it off without an established starting goalie. Rookie Devon Levi will be asked to do the heavy lifting. Is he ready for the challenge? Buffalo has a potent offense featuring Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch, Jeff Skinner, Dylan Cozens, Casey Mittlestadt, and newly minted Rasmus Dahlin, who will compete for the Norris for years. Is the defense good enough?

The Red Wings and Senators are the two obvious choices in the Atlantic. Detroit still has questions on defense and in net. Ottawa is similar. They’re banking on Joonas Korpisalo in goal with Anton Forsberg backing up. Nobody can deny the star power of Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stutzle. A lethal tandem that’s scary. Josh Norris is on the injured reserve. Shane Pinto could be re-signed. The smart money is on the Sens due to a deeper core that includes Drake Batherson, Jake Sanderson, and Thomas Chabot.

The Lightning could be in trouble. While they still boast Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, Steven Stamkos, Victor Hedman, and Mikhail Sergachev, they’re going to be without Andrei Vasilevskiy (back surgery) for two months. That could put them in an early hole.

Can the Panthers repeat their great run last Spring? They will miss Brandon Montour and Aaron Ekblad in the early going. If Sergei Bobrovsky plays like he did, then they should be fine. Matthew Tkachuk leads the way. What can he do for an encore? Aleksander Barkov remains one of the game’s best two-way players. Scoring won’t be a problem.

The Bruins lost the best two-way center in legend Patrice Bergeron. David Krejci retired. Pavel Zacha and Charlie Coyle will have big shoes to fill. They still have MVP candidate David Pastrnak, who can snipe with the best of them. Brad Marchand takes over as captain. Charlie McAvoy is probably the best overall defenseman in hockey. Jake DeBrusk is poised for a big year. Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman are the league’s best goalie tandem. How much will they miss Bergeron?

Are the Rangers a serious player? Peter Laviolette replaces Gerard Gallant. It’s still the same nucleus that went from the Conference Finals to quitting in a first round debacle. It’s put up or shut up. Igor Shesterkin is arguably the best goalie. Adam Fox is a top three defenseman. Mika Zibanejad is coming off a career season. Artemi Panarin shaved his head after his disappearing act. It hinges on Kaapo Kakko, Filip Chytil, and Alexis Lafreniere.

The Islanders are deep down the middle. Bo Horvat is the new top center with Mat Barzal on the wing. Brock Nelson and Jean-Gabriel Pageau are strong pivots. Is there enough scoring? The same question for an aging team devoid of young talent. Unless Oliver Wahlstrom re-emerges. Ilya Sorokin is a top three goalie.

The Devils and Hurricanes look like the class of the Metro Division. Carolina boasts Sebastian Aho, Martin Necas, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and Jordan Staal. Seth Jarvis is expected to score more. They added former Leaf Michael Bunting. The defense is strong due to adding Dmitry Orlov. We’ll see how Tony DeAngelo II goes. Jaccob Slavin is a terrific defensive defenseman. Brent Burns is still a force. Frederik Andersen is the starter with Antti Raanta backing up.

The Devils have future Hart candidate Jack Hughes. A dynamic center who does things with blinding speed. Jesper Bratt looked great in preseason. Timo Meier should be in for a career season. Especially if paired with Nico Hischier. They added Tyler Toffoli. Dawson Mercer is already a good player. Alexander Holtz made the roster. Dougie Hamilton will fill it up from the back end. How many goals will Luke Hughes score in his first season? They have the depth. It’ll depend on Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid.

The top contender could be the Maple Leafs. Adding gritty forwards, Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi should make them tougher next spring. Ryan Reaves isn’t there for fun. While there’s still the question with Ilya Samsonov and Joseph Woll in the net, it’s all about Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. This is their team. In what could be the final one for William Nylander as a Leaf, the time is now. That also goes for John Tavares.

Out West, the Golden Knights are being hunted by the Oilers, Avalanche, and Stars. Those are the best teams with a chance to knock them off.

Vegas is the top dog. They won the Cup thanks to clutch performances from Jonathan Marchessault, Jack Eichel, Mark Stone, William Karlsson, Chandler Stephenson, Alex Pietrangelo, and Adin Hill. Ivan Barbashev re-signed after they parted with popular original Reilly Smith (Pens). Logan Thompson will share the net with Hill. Shea Theodore patrols a strong defense with Pietrangelo. They’ll be tough to beat.

Connor McDavid will be even more determined after a terrific season that saw him dominate similar to yesterday’s stars (Gretzky, Lemieux). He and Leon Draisaitl remain the best duo in the league. Zach Hyman, Evander Kane, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Darnell Nurse are a strong supporting cast. Can they contend with Stuart Skinner and Jack Campbell as the goalies? Mattias Ekholm played a key role in turning around the defense. Expect a better year from Evan Bouchard.

The Avalanche were dethroned in disappointing fashion by the upstart Kraken. It turned out that they missed captain Gabriel Landeskog. He isn’t returning this season. It’s a shame because he could’ve been the top power forward, not named Tkachuk. It’ll be the second consecutive year he’ll miss. Nathan MacKinnon is a superstar who would win a Hart ‘if’ McDavid didn’t exist. Mikko Rantanen gets better and better. He is also elite. Cale Makar is considered the best defenseman. Can he stay healthy? They’re hoping Ryan Johansen, Miles Wood, and Ross Colton can supply additional scoring. Devon Toews is an outstanding defenseman who the Islanders foolishly gave away. Artturi Lehkonen and Val Nichushkin will be counted on. Alexandar Georgiev looks for a repeat in goal.

The Stars feature Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz, Miro Heiskanen, and Jake Oettinger. They’re all close to the top at their positions. Hintz took a big leap forward. Robertson is some player. Fifty goals are possible. Who’s better? Robertson or Wild ace Kirill Kaprizov. Heiskanen should contend for the Norris. He’s so disrespected by national writers due to where he plays. Oettinger is on the verge of the elite goalies. Joe Pavelski continues to defy age by scoring from in front. Jamie Benn remains a tough captain who does everything. There’s good depth up front and on defense. What can Matt Duchene add? Wyatt Johnston is a future 30-goal scorer. There’s a lot to like here.

The remainder of the conference ranges from good to average to bad. The bad would be the Sharks, who are going to be uncompetitive most nights, even with Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl. Mackenzie Blackwood as the starter. Yikes. San Jose will be in the lottery.

The Ducks aren’t much better. However, Trevor Zegras could reach 30 goals and 70 points after re-signing. Mason McTavish remains an intriguing player. Jamie Drysdale is a key part of the rebuild on defense. John Gibson remains stuck in Anaheim following a noisy off-season. He’ll have to prove his worth to get moved.  Troy Terry is a good finisher. They’ll need better from Ryan Strome. Alex Killorn starts on injured reserve. Radko Gudas should make the Ducks more interesting.

Things could be looking up for the Coyotes. Logan Cooley is a big reason why. He should be the number one center for the rest of the decade. There’s also the emergence of Mattias Maccelli, Barrett Hayton, and J.J. Moser. If they improve defensively, Karel Vejmelka could put up decent numbers in the net. Clayton Keller is a rising star. The additions of Jason  Zucker, Alex Kerfoot, and Sean Durzi should help improve the ‘Yotes.

In Minnesota, they have a good roster that should make the postseason again. The question remains if they can get past the first round. Featuring Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, Mats Zuccarello, Joel Eriksson Ek, Marcus Foligno, and Filip Gustavsson, Minnesota isn’t on the level of Colorado or Dallas. However, they’re likely to finish in the top three in the division. They might need to upgrade the center position.

It’s good to see Winnipeg lock up Connor Hellebuyck and Mark Scheifele over the long term. Both have spent their entire careers with the Jets. That is a big win for Jets’ fans. Hellebuyck staying put gives them hope. Kyle Connor is one of the game’s top scorers. Josh Morrissey has become one of the better defensemen in the sport. Adam Lowry replaces Blake Wheeler (Rangers) as the new captain. They no longer have Wheeler or Pierre-Luc Dubois. However, Rasmus Kupari, Gabe Vilardi, and Alex Iafallo will more than make up for Dubois, who got his wish by being dealt to the Kings. Cole Perfetti should improve in Year Two.

The Kings are the other team in the Northwest. They gave the Oilers another tough first round. Now, they added Dubois to form a potent center duo with Anze Kopitar. Boasting Kevin Fiala and Adrian Kempe, the Kings will be good. Drew Doughty and Vladislav Gavrikov patrol the blue line. Brandt Clarke is ready to join the defense. He could be another rookie to watch. Even with high character players Phillip Danault, Viktor Arvidsson, and Trevor Moore, is the goaltending good enough? Cam Talbot was bad in Ottawa. Pheonix Copley is the backup with David Rittich as insurance. Will Arthur Kaliyev ever play consistent minutes?

The Predators underwent a makeover. Barry Trotz hired original Predator Andrew Brunette, who scored the first goal in franchise history. He previously was a top assistant in New Jersey and also coached Florida. Roman Josi is often overlooked by the experts. He shouldn’t be. Ditto goes for Juuse Saros. They are elite stars at both the defense and goalie positions. If they can stay healthy, Nashville could sneak in as a wildcard. They added Ryan O’Reilly, Gustav Nyquist, and Luke Schenn to a roster that still features Filip Forsberg. They’ll be competitive.

Can the Kraken do what they did in their inaugural season? The short answer is, ‘No.’ But they have proven vets in Yanni Gourde, Jordan Eberle, Andre Burakovsky, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Jared McCann, Jaden Schwartz, Brandon Tanev, Jamie Oleksiak, Adam Larsson, and ex-Pen Brian Dumoulin. Matt Beniers is the centerpiece. He should continue to improve. Ty Kartye looks like a player. Eeli Tolvanen played well after Seattle claimed him from Nashville. Vince Dunn needs a repeat on the back end. Can Philipp Grubauer fulfill his contract as the starter? Everything went right last year. Maybe they take a step back.

At this point, there are several teams we skipped over. The Canucks might be good. Elias Pettersson established himself as a stud, breaking the century mark. The defense is still iffy. Thatcher Demko is the key to any success. They have talent.

Calgary is hard to predict. Jacob Markstrom can’t be as bad as he was in 2022-23. Neither can Jonathan Huberdeau. It was a toxic environment under Darryl Sutter. Elias Lindholm is in a contract year. Nazem Kadri should return to form. Mikael Backlund was extended and named captain. If the key players perform, who knows.

A few predictions.

Cole Caufield scores over 40 with at least 18 on the power play for the Canadiens.

Kaapo Kakko gets 27 goals and hits 52 points on Broadway.

Alexis Lafreniere is traded.

Lou Lamoriello retires after the Islanders miss the playoffs.

Dylan Cozens finishes with over 80 points, including 35 goals, and is nominated for the Selke.

Rasmus Dahlin puts up 90 points and is up for the Norris.

The Senators return to the postseason.

The Lightning don’t make the playoffs.

Patrick Kane signs with the Sabres. They still miss the postseason.

Jason Robertson scores 54 goals and is up for the Hart.

Connor Bedard scores 40 goals and 90 points to run away with the Calder.

Logan Cooley and Devon Levi finish second and third.

DIVISIONS

Atlantic

1. Maple Leafs

2. Panthers

3. Bruins

4. Senators

5. Sabres

6. Lightning

7. Red Wings

8. Canadiens

Metropolitan

1. Devils

2. Hurricanes

3. Rangers

4. Penguins

5. Islanders

6. Capitals

7. Flyers

8. Blue Jackets

Central

1. Stars

2. Avalanche

3. Wild

4. Jets

5. Predators

6. Coyotes

7. Blues

8. Blackhawks

Northwest

1. Golden Knights

2. Oilers

3. Kings

4. Flames

5. Kraken

6. Canucks

7. Ducks

8. Sharks

PLAYOFFS

WEST

First Round

Leafs over Pens

Panthers over Bruins

Devils over Senators

Canes over Rangers

Second Round

Leafs over Panthers

Devils over Canes

Conference Final

Leafs over Devils

WEST

First Round

Knights over Predators

Oilers over Kings

Stars over Jets

Avalanche over Wild

Second Round

Knights over Oilers

Stars over Avalanche

Conference Final

Knights over Stars

Stanley Cup Champion: Golden Knights

Conn Smythe: Jack Eichel

Calder: Connor Bedard

Selke: Aleksander Barkov

Norris: Miro Heiskanen

Vezina: Juuse Saros

Hart: Jason Robertson