By Rod Pedersen
With expanded sports coverage from the South Florida Tribune comes the addition of veteran hockey broadcaster and writer Rod Pedersen to cover the NHL for our publication!
It begins with the first of Rod’s weekly 10 NHL Things column. Enjoy!
1 – It may not feel like it, but hockey season is upon us. The Florida Panthers won their first-ever Stanley Cup with a 2-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 at Amerant Bank Arena on June 24. That was followed almost immediately by the NHL Draft in Las Vegas, a wild free agency period beginning July 1, Development Camps for each team for their prospects, and then just a few weeks “off” for the hockey people before getting back to business. Read on for details of what’s gone on this summer …
2 – When the Panthers hit the ice for their 2024-25 home opener on October 8 against the Boston Bruins, they’ll look a little different from the squad which hoisted the Cup. Gone are forwards Vladimir Tarasenko (Detroit), Ryan Lomberg (Calgary) and Kevin Stenlund (Utah), defencemen Brandon Montour (Seattle), Oliver Ekman-Larsson (Toronto) and Josh Mahura (Seattle) and goaltender Anthony Stolarz (Toronto). The Cats have added forwards Jesper Bogqvist, Tomas Nosek and A.J. Greer plus defencemen Nate Schmidt and Adam Bogvist.
3 – The Tampa Bay Lightning are in for a much bigger change. When the Bolts open the 2024-25 campaign at the Carolina Hurricanes on October 11, it’ll mark the first time since 2008 that they’ll be without Steven Stamkos. The franchise leader in points (1,137) and games played (1,082) signed with Nashville as a free agent on July 1 after being dissatisfied with the Lightning’s offer for the team icon. Tampa Bay added forward Jake Guentzel (77 points in 67 games last season with Pittsburgh and Carolina) as a means to replace Stamkos, but it’s nowhere near a guarantee.
4 – After the Panthers vanquished the Lightning in Game 5 of a first round Stanley Cup Playoff series on April 29 at Amerant Bank Arena, Tampa Bay head coach Jon Cooper was asked about Stamkos’s pending free agency. “He belongs here,” Cooper deadpanned. “I can’t imagine there’ll be much conversation.” Apparently there wasn’t! That exchange displayed to me that Cooper and Bolts GM Julien Brisebois may not be on the same page.
5 – This will be my fourth season covering the Panthers and I very quickly picked up that Cats fans very much felt like “little brother” to the Lightning, a franchise which has won three Stanley Cups and beaten Florida in their only two prior playoff match-ups. That is, until the Panthers became “big brother” last spring, and now hold the belt.
6 – The Tampa Bay Times reported on August 13 that Lightning owner Jeff Vinik is working to sell his majority stake in the team. The franchise value is listed at $2-billion. Once the sale is completed, Vinik is expected to retain full operational control plus a significant stake in the ownership group. A great deal for Jeff! He’s earned it.
7 – The NHL head coaching fraternity is regarded as the most volatile of the four major North American professional leagues (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL). When the puck drops in October, there will be new coaches in Toronto (Craig Berube), New Jersey (Sheldon Keefe), Columbus (Dean Evason), Ottawa (Travis Green), Winnipeg (Scott Arniel), Buffalo (Lindy Ruff), Los Angeles (Jim Hiller), San Jose (Ryan Warsofsky), Seattle (Dan Bylsma) and St. Louis (Drew Bannister). That’s almost a third of the league!
8 – The biggest news in the NHL in August was the St. Louis Blues tendering offer sheets to two blue chip Edmonton Oilers prospects: defenceman Philip Broberg and forward Dylan Holloway. Offer sheets in the NHL are rare (the last was in 2021 when Jesperi Kotkaniemi fled Montreal for Carolina) and the Oilers had one week to match the Blues’ offer, or let the players go. On Tuesday morning, the Oilers announced they wouldn’t match the offers and although that decision gives Edmonton much-needed salary cap space, it dealt a blow to their roster depth.
9 – In July, Draft Kings listed the Panthers and Dallas Stars as co-favorites to win the Stanley Cup in 2025 (+900), followed by Edmonton (+950), and the NY Rangers, Colorado & Colorado (+1200). However with the loss of Broberg and Holloway – plus dealing veteran defenceman Cody Ceci to San Jose on the weekend – the Oilers will take a tumble.
10 – Overall, business is booming in the NHL! Last spring the League announced a record $6.2-billion in revenue with several reasons given for the boon. A move to ESPN as the national TV rightsholder, a wealth of young stars like Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews and Matthew Tkachuk, and an increase in the quality of play have all led to record numbers in TV ratings and at the box office.
If you’re just now getting aboard the NHL train, you’ve picked a great time!
(Rod Pedersen is host of the Cats N Bolts Podcast and The Rod Pedersen Show on Game+ TV)
https://www.youtube.com/@CatsNBoltsPodcast
