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    • NHL teams under the most pressure this season: Bruins, Utah and more
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    NHL teams under the most pressure this season: Bruins, Utah and more

    Idris Bevan Posted on

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    The Boston Bruins named Jeremy Swayman their No. 1 goaltender when they traded Linus Ullmark in the offseason. But he and the team couldn’t agree on a new contract, which is why he missed training camp.

    Bruins coach Jim Montgomery announced Monday that Joonas Korpisalo, acquired as part of the Ullmark deal, will be the starter for Game 1 and that the team has confidence in him.

    Still, the Bruins can’t afford for this contract standoff to drag out, and the 25-year-old Swayman can’t afford to be out for long. This will be Swayman’s first season as the No. 1 goalie and he showed he can handle that role in the 2024 playoffs, but his most appearances in a regular season were 43 games last season.

    “What his demand is and what we think his (comparable) group is are two different things,” Bruins president Cam Neely said.

    Neely wouldn’t say what Swayman wanted, but hinted at the Bruins’ offer. “I have 64 million reasons why I would play now,” he said.

    General manager Don Sweeney said he is in constant contact with Swayman’s representatives.

    “At the end of the day, we are a better team … when Jeremy is part of our hockey club,” Sweeney said. “That is my intention. That is my wish and I will continue to work to achieve it.”

    “I think Jeremy and the team are both hurting in that regard and that’s what I’m going to do. I’ll just try to work hard to find an agreement.”

    Here’s who else is under pressure this season:

    Utah Hockey Club

    The NHL awarded Salt Lake City a franchise in April, and although Utah team owners Ryan and Ashley Smith took over the Arizona Coyotes’ players and management as part of the deal, there were only five months left to get the deal off the ground. Much has been accomplished, but the franchise has no permanent nickname and plays hockey in a basketball arena with limited viewing areas. The nickname is coming soon, future renovations to the Delta Center will address visibility and fans have purchased tickets.

    Of course, the best path to franchise success is good performance on the ice. The Coyotes have made the playoffs once since 2012 (in the 2020 bubble). But GM Bill Armstrong has assembled a promising, young team and, thanks to aggressive casting, he added defensemen Mikhail Sergachev, John Marino and Ian Cole in the offseason.

    Pittsburgh Penguins power play

    The most confusing part of the Penguins’ second straight playoff loss was their poor power play. Even after adding three-time Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson, the power play ranked 30th at 15.3%, compared to 21.7% the year before. This led to the firing of assistant coach Todd Reirden and the hiring of David Quinn to oversee the man advantage. But he won’t have Jake Guentzel this season and Karlsson has yet to participate in training camp due to an injury.

    Nashville Predators

    The Predators announced they were going for it on July 1 by signing Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault (40-goal scorers and former Stanley Cup winners) and defenseman Brady Skjei on July 1. Now they have to prove it. They need to improve their 16th-ranked power play and be a playoff contender throughout the season, not just one that comes into the game with a strong finish. And most importantly, they must advance past the first round for the first time since 2018, which is no easy task in the difficult Central Division.

    Pierre-Luc Dubois, Washington Capitals

    Dubois is in his eighth season with his fourth NHL team. The Los Angeles Kings gave up a lot to trade him last season, and he dropped from 63 to 40 points. He was traded to Washington after one season in LA. Dubois, a former No. 3 overall pick, needs a strong rebound season.

    Jonathan Huberdeau, Calgary Flames

    The Flames signed Huberdeau to a contract extension with a $10.5 million cap hit after he was acquired as part of the 2022 Matthew Tkachuk transfer. He had 115 points before the move, but has had 55 and 52 points in the two seasons since. He needs to score more, but with the Flames rebuilding, that could be difficult.

    Lindy Ruff, Buffalo Sabers coach

    The Sabers are enduring the worst playoff drought in the NHL in 13 seasons, and they brought back Ruff, the last coach who led the team to the postseason. He said he’s focused on the current team and not his previous success in Buffalo. The Sabers have had a quiet offseason and could use another top-six forward, so it will be up to Ruff’s coach to end the team’s losing streak. He opens the season in Europe with two games against the New Jersey Devils, who released him last season.

    Los Angeles Kings defense

    The Kings have already seen changes on defense as Matt Roy left the club via free agency. But then Drew Doughty broke his ankle in a preseason game. He needs surgery and needs surgery on a month-to-month basis. It will be difficult to make up for his nearly 26 minutes a night. Youngster Brandt Clarke is expected to take on more responsibility.

    Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour

    Brind’Amour excels at getting the best out of his players and this could be his biggest challenge. The Hurricanes were unable to re-sign Guentzel and also lost defensemen Brett Pesce and Skjei as well as 25-goal scorer Teuvo Teravainen and forward Stefan Noesen to free agency. Evgeny Kuznetsov is playing in Russia and the injured Jesper Fast could miss the season. General manager Eric Tulsky has found a replacement and it’s up to Brind’Amour to keep the Hurricanes among the top teams in the league.

    Vegas Golden Knights

    The Golden Knights had one notable departure (Reilly Smith) following their Stanley Cup victory in 2023, but six key players (Marchessault, Chandler Stephenson, Alec Martinez, Michael Amadio, William Carrier and goaltender Logan Thompson) left the team over the course of the year summer. This is a huge blow to their depth. Luckily, Vegas will have a full season with trade deadline acquisitions Tomas Hertl and Noah Hanifin as it attempts to make the playoffs for the seventh time in eight seasons.

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    Idris Bevan
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