The offseason has already pushed a few big questions to the front of the NHL conversation, and they all circle back to one theme: change. In Ottawa, Tim Stützle is being asked to grow into a role that arrived faster than anyone expected.
In Toronto, the Maple Leafs may have finally found a power play that doesn’t telegraph every move. And in Edmonton, the debate isn’t whether Connor McDavid can still pile up points - it’s whether the Oilers would be better off if he doesn’t pile them up quite as fast.
Stützle’s offensive résumé was never in doubt. He put up 34 goals and 83 points last season, and those numbers only sharpen the spotlight now that Brady Tkachuk, Ottawa’s captain and emotional anchor, is gone.
That leaves Stützle with a different kind of responsibility, one that goes beyond the scoresheet. He’s said the trade caught him off guard, but he also sounds prepared for what comes next rather than rattled by it.
Ottawa’s situation isn’t just a matter of replacing Tkachuk’s presence and hoping the rest sorts itself out. The Senators added Eklund, Burakovsky, and Ersson, which gives the roster some support around Stützle.
The challenge is less about asking him to do more scoring and more about asking him to become the player the room can lean on. If he can hold onto his production while stepping into that leadership space, Ottawa’s season suddenly gets a lot more interesting.
Toronto’s power play has long had a familiar problem: too much of it was built around getting the puck to Matthews or Nylander and waiting for something to happen. That approach worked until opponents got wise to it. This offseason, though, the Leafs may have added enough to make that setup less obvious and a lot harder to smother.
Darren Raddysh changes the look from the point because he gives the penalty kill something real to worry about. That matters, because it means Matthews and Nylander can’t just be the magnets drawing all the attention.
Gavin McKenna adds another layer as a playmaker, while Tavares and Knies remain stationed around the net front. For once, Toronto has more than one clean answer.
The second unit looks stronger too. Rielly, Ekman-Larsson, Roslovic, and Cowan give new coach Jim Hiller a way to spread the load without dropping off sharply.
That’s the kind of depth Toronto has needed for a while. The biggest shift may be the simplest one: the Maple Leafs don’t look stuck running the same power-play script over and over again.
Edmonton’s storyline is a little different, and maybe a little surprising. A new fan survey from The Athletic showed that most Oilers supporters do not expect McDavid to reach 130 points this season, even though he’s done it three of the last four years. The expectation is more modest now, with most fans projecting him in the 120s instead.
What’s notable is that the drop-off doesn’t seem to bother them much. With new coach Mike Babcock possibly asking McDavid to sharpen his defensive work and get more teammates involved offensively, fewer points from their superstar could still be a good thing if it makes the whole team tougher. McDavid would almost certainly take that deal if it leads to a real Cup run.
The bigger concern is what happens if the sacrifice doesn’t move Edmonton any closer. Fans are only somewhat confident McDavid stays beyond his current deal, and another early playoff exit would make that question louder, no matter what his stat line looks like.
So the conversation around McDavid isn’t really about a number anymore. It’s about whether the Oilers can turn a slight scoring dip into something much bigger.
In Other News...
Capitals Face Intriguing Next Step With Two Young Forwards
The Capitals are already looking ahead to a tricky but important piece of business after a promising stretch from two young forwards. Ryan Leonard and Justin Sourdif have given Washington enough reason to think about long-term commitments, and the next step for the front office will be figuring out how to reward recent performance without losing flexibility as the roster continues to take shape.
Around the league, the broader landscape is shifting in ways that could matter down the road for teams trying to build and keep star power. NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly has suggested Houston could be the next expansion market, with play potentially beginning in the 2029-30 season, while Connor McDavids future continues to be a topic of conversation as his Oilers contract plays out. For the Capitals, the immediate focus remains on Leonard and Sourdif, but the market for young talent is only getting tighter. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers May Use A Familiar Face To Solve A Camp Dilemma
With training camp coming fast and the preseason shortened, the Oilers could use a low-risk way to add bodies and get a read on depth under new coaches Mike Babcock and D.J. Smith. Kurt Leavins of The Edmonton Journal floated the idea of bringing in a familiar face on a professional tryout contract, a practical move for a team that may lean toward players the staff already knows rather than spending precious time evaluating complete unknowns.
Curtis Lazar fits that description well. He has already worn an Oilers sweater and remains unsigned, making him an easy name to circle if Edmonton wants experience in a bottom-six role and some comfort in the camp competition. The appeal is obvious, even if the final decision still hinges on whether the organization wants to keep looking inward or give a known depth option another shot. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Suddenly Have A Real Shot At One More Core Piece
Training camp opens with the Oilers in a far better place than they were a year ago, and it is not just because Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl remain the engine of everything. Edmonton has a strong top roster, and the front office also has some salary cap flexibility to work with after reshaping the blue line, which gives the team a little more room to chase the kind of addition that can change the feel of the lineup over time.
The bigger question is whether that flexibility turns into another core piece during the season, because the Oilers know they still have aging wingers and a need for more impact help around their stars. Dylan Larkin has come up as one name in the broader search, while the team also has younger targets in mind as it looks for a player who can fit now and still matter for multiple seasons. [Read more 🡒]