Pack the summer clothes in a box and slide them under the bed, ready the beverages, and prepare for puck drop.
The 2015-16 NHL season is upon us and it’s kicking off with some heated rivalries, a championship celebration, and some faces in new places.
Here are five things to watch for as the NHL season begins tonight on Sportsnet.
A rivalry renewed
All eyes will be on the Air Canada Centre for puck drop at 7 p.m. ET when Mike Babcock makes his debut behind the Toronto Maple Leafs‘ bench.
Arguably the summer’s most highly sought after free agent, Babcock shed a long history of success with the Detroit Red Wings to help steer the storied Maple Leafs back to respectability. Naturally, his quest begins against the Montreal Canadiens.
Wednesday night’s meeting between the Canadiens and Maple Leafs marks the seventh consecutive season with these two Original Six teams facing each other in the openers. The defending Atlantic Division champion Canadiens are 2-4-0 in those games.
While the Canadiens-Leafs rivalry always makes for appointment viewing, these are two teams at opposite ends of the competitive spectrum. The Canadiens enter the 2015-16 season as a Stanley Cup contender, while the rebuilding Maple Leafs are looking for an identity under Babcock.
Carey Price walked away from the 2014-15 season with the Hart Trophy, Vezina Trophy, Ted Lindsay Award, and William M. Jennings Trophy. Price, P.K. Subban, Tomas Plekanec, and Max Pacioretty look to lead the Canadiens to the big team trophy this year.
The Canadiens will have a captain for the first time since the end of the 2013-14 season as Pacioretty was named the franchise’s 29th captain in September.
Revenge is a dish best served via first-round playoff rematch
The Calgary Flames were one of the 2014-15 season’s best stories. The Flames played underdog all season long, beating the odds, analytics, and opponents en route to a surprising run to the Western Conference semi-finals versus the Anaheim Ducks.
The Flames face the Vancouver Canucks, who they upset in a very physical six-game set in the first-round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Flames spent the offseason servicing perceived holes in their lineup with the addition of potential cornerstone defenceman Dougie Hamilton in a trade with the Boston Bruins and by signing a solid two-way forward in Michael Frolik. A healthy Mark Giordano and the rise of young stars like Sean Monahan, Johnny Gaudreau, and Sam Bennett make the Flames an intriguing team to watch.
For the Canucks, it was an offseason full of questions. Did GM Jim Benning put his faith in the right goaltender by retaining Ryan Miller? Has the Sedin twins’ window closed? Could the Kevin Bieksa situation been handled better? Is this team cooked?
Some fireworks could be on tap for this evening.
Blackhawks to raise Stanley Cup banner
The salary cap crunch forced the Chicago Blackhawks into a mini-rebuild of sorts this past offseason, but they remain a favourite to come out of the Western Conference.
They’ll begin the 2015-16 season by raising their third Stanley Cup championship banner in the past six years. So yeah, you don’t have to feel so bad about them saying goodbye to Brandon Saad, Patrick Sharp, Johnny Oduya, Brad Richards, and Antoine Vermette.
Jonathan Toews and Co. are looking to repeat as champions…something they failed to pull off in their previous two opportunities.
Martin Jones gets his shot
Martin Jones enters the season as the San Jose Sharks No. 1 goaltender. He’ll get his first start versus his former team, the Los Angeles Kings.
The Kings shipped Jones to the Boston Bruins in the deal that saw them land Milan Lucic. The Bruins sent the 25-year-old goaltender back to the Pacific Division for a first-round pick in the 2016 NHL Draft and forward prospect Sean Kuraly.
Jones had a 16-11-2 record in 34 appearances with a 1.99 goals-against average, .923 save percentage, and seven shutouts in two seasons with the Kings.
Lucic set for Kings debut
Rugged winger Milan Lucic was one of the players new Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney sent packing in rapid retooling ahead of the 2015 NHL Draft.
The 27-year-old is looking to regain the form that saw him score 30 goals with the Bruins in 2010-11 and eclipse the 20-goal mark on two other occasions. He’s expected to skate on a line with Anze Kopitar and Marian Gaborik, so he’ll have no shortage of offensive talent around to help him find opportunities to score.
Lucic will be playing for a big payday this season. He’s entering the final year of a three-year, $18-million deal.