With the NHL preseason over, and the regular season opening up tonight let’s take a look at my season predictions. I have come up with a winner for eight major awards and a full playoff bracket breakdown, plus a few hot takes for the upcoming season.
As a quick side note, my predictions from last year were lackluster. I went one for eight on award predictions and correctly predicted nine out of 16 playoff teams. So, needless to say, I'm hoping to do a bit better this year.
2023-24 Award Winners
I know three of my picks seem safe. Connor McDavid winning both the MVP (Hart Trophy) and scoring title (Art Ross) and Connor Bedard winning the Calder Trophy (rookie of the year) all seem to be the odds on favorite. McDavid is a heavy favorite to win his second-consecutive Hart Trophy and Bedard is the gambler’s top choice for rookie of the year.
Notable on my list are two players from the Colorado Avalanche. Rantanen winning the ‘Rocket’ Richard trophy may be a bit ambitious. However, coming off a 55-goal season that saw Rantanen finish third in the league, I think he is capable of duplicating success from last year, especially playing with another elite forward in Nathan MacKinnon.
We’ll get into MacKinnon winning the Conn Smythe later during the playoff breakdown, but as for the regular season, I think Colorado’s top duo could produce some big offensive numbers this season.
While it may not be the clear choice, I think taking Jake Oettinger as the Vezina winner is a safe bet. The 24-year-old first burst onto the scene during the 2022 playoffs and then followed it up with a stellar season last year. Finishing top 10 in wins, save percentage, goals against average and shutouts, I think Oettinger will take another step this year for Dallas.
Now my Norris Trophy pick -- Dougie Hamilton. Of all of my predictions, this may be the most far-fetched, even though I don’t think it would be that surprising. Hamilton plays such a phenomenal all-around game, I think he has a great chance to win the Norris, especially when you look at the offense he is playing with. New Jersey has such a loaded roster that Hamilton should have no problem having yet another strong offensive season from the back end.
And then there's the Jack Adams award. Such a tough one to predict as it’s hard to know what teams will do in the upcoming season. The reason I have gone with Don Granato is simple: I think Buffalo will make the playoffs. Obviously this would be a monumental achievement as the Sabres are tied for the longest active playoff drought in North American professional sports. If Buffalo does end up making the postseason, I see no reason why Granato wouldn’t win coach of the year.
2023-24 Playoff Bracket
Upon quick inspection, my predicted bracket doesn’t seem to be too risky. 13 of the 16 teams made the playoffs last year, and I only have one change in the East. However, a few of my picks may come as a surprise.
As mentioned before, I believe Buffalo is going to make the playoffs. They only missed by one point last year and retaining the talent they did plus adding more, it makes sense to assume the Sabres will land above the playoff line this season.
Another bold pick for the playoffs, Vancouver beating out some of the other Western Conference contenders. I wholeheartedly believe that last season was a fluke for the Canucks. They shouldn't have started the season as slow as they did, and while they tried everything to get back into the race, they ultimately fell short because of the sloppy start. With Quinn Hughes being named captain, I think Vancouver has a great shot to respond and pull itself back into the playoffs this year.
I also have Edmonton matching up with Los Angeles in the first round for the third-consecutive season. However, this year I think the Kings will knock out Edmonton, causing chaos within the Oilers organization.
Now let’s talk about my Stanley Cup Finals matchup. Colorado over New Jersey to win the 2024 Stanley Cup. Is it realistic to think the Avalanche could win another cup? I really like the Avalanche this season, I think they are going to be dangerous and return to their 2022 form. Even without captain Gabriel Landeskog for the season, there is so much talent on a stacked roster.
As I previewed earlier, I think MacKinnon is going to win the playoff MVP. Two years ago when the Avs won the cup, it was Cale Makar taking home the Conn Smythe. This year, especially without Landeskog, I think MacKinnon is going to have the best year of his career ending it with multiple awards.
Andrew Bowlby is a sophomore studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Want to share your thoughts about the column? Let Andrew know by tweeting him @andrew_bowlby.
