With the NHL Draft in the rearview and free agency wrapped up, the league’s 32 teams are now looking ahead to opening night on Sept. 29. That slate will feature a tripleheader on ESPN in the United States and a doubleheader on Sportsnet in Canada, setting the stage for a season that already has a few clubs still hunting for one last roster jolt.
For some teams, the heavy lifting might not be finished yet. A final addition could be the difference between being a playoff participant and looking like a true contender.
The Rangers are one of the clubs in that conversation, and the need there is pretty clear: another top-six forward. Losing Artemi Panarin was a major blow after he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings in the middle of the season.
New faces have arrived, though, with Oliver Bjorkstrand signed and Pavel Dorofeyev brought in via trade. Even so, the organization is still leaning on younger wings such as Alexis Lafreniere and Gabriel Perrault, and adding a veteran scorer like Eeli Tolvanen would be a sneaky strong move.
In Edmonton, the ask is similar, but the urgency feels even sharper. Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid have already done plenty to push the Oilers to the Cup finals, yet the message here is simple: they can’t do it by themselves.
The Western Conference remains loaded, with the Colorado Avalanche, Vegas Golden Knights, and Minnesota Wild standing in the way. McDavid still needs a Cup to go with a historic career, and the Oilers’ path is obvious - put more talent around the best player on the planet right now.
Chicago’s situation is different, but the need for more help is just as real. The Blackhawks need more talent up front and more across the lineup.
Connor Bedard recently had shoulder surgery and is expected to make a full recovery, but he’ll miss approximately four months and will most likely open the season out of the lineup. That’s a tough hit after he posted career highs in goals (30), assists (45), and points (75).
Without Bedard, the scoring burden shifts heavily. Patrick Kane is the name expected to carry a lot of that load, but he’s no longer vintage Blackhawks Kane.
He remains capable of making good plays and helping on the power play, yet Chicago is clearly searching for offense wherever it can find it. With Bedard sidelined, the Blackhawks need help scoring goals, and they need it fast.
In Other News...
Rangers Deadline Gamble Still Stings For One Brutal Reason
At the 2023 trade deadline, the Rangers went all-in on a push they believed could carry them deeper into the spring, adding Vladimir Tarasenko, Niko Mikkola, Tyler Motte and Patrick Kane to load up a roster that already looked built to contend. The moves gave New York a burst of star power and added depth for the stretch run, and for a while it seemed like the kind of aggressive deadline swing that can define a season.
Instead, the payoff never arrived in the one place it mattered most. New Yorks strong finish still ended with a first-round loss to the Devils, and the fallout was immediate: Gerard Gallant was out after the series, and the deadline additions were gone by the next offseason. Thats the part that still cuts hardest for the Rangers, because the franchise paid the price for a win-now gamble without ever getting the playoff result it was chasing. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Still Need One Superstar Move From Chris Drury
The Rangers spent the offseason with the same kind of star-hunting mindset that has long followed them, looking for a true difference-maker to push the roster closer to a championship level. Michael Rupp has pointed to New Yorks interest in a dominant player, with Connor McDavid often mentioned in that kind of wish-list conversation, but the market never lined up the way the club may have hoped.
What makes the situation more interesting is that the Rangers still seem to be preparing for a major swing, even if nothing has come together yet. With the big-name options not shaking loose and some of the more speculative trade chatter around the league not appearing to lead anywhere, Chris Drury is left in the same familiar spot: searching for a move that actually changes the ceiling of the team rather than just the edges. [Read more 🡒]