by Aleena Khan
The 2023-2024 NHL season begins on October 10th. Last season, the three local teams, the New York Rangers, the New York Islanders and the New Jersey Devils, all made it to the 2022-2023 NHL playoffs. However, none of three teams made it to the Stanley Cup Finals. They all had solid seasons, though, and all three local teams should make the playoffs once again..
Last year, the New York Rangers had an up and down season, but they toughed it out and made it to the Stanley Cup playoffs. However, they did get eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the New Jersey Devils. Head coach Gerard Gallant and the NY Rangers parted ways during the offseason. New coach, Peter Laviolette, hopes to turn things around and lead the New York Rangers to the promised land. The Metro division is arguably the best division in the NHL, and the Rangers should be in the mix for the division title.
During the 2022-2023 season, there weren’t many things said about the Islanders – they flew “under the radar” for most of the season. Surprisingly, after a rough start, they made the ‘23 playoffs but unfortunately lost to the Hurricanes in the first round. The Islanders, although they didn’t make any major offseason moves, are expected to battle for one of the final playoff spots.
The New Jersey Devils have been doing amazing recently and are the favorites to win the Metro division. The New Jersey Devils made the playoffs last season but were unfortunately eliminated in the second round by the Carolina Hurricanes. The Devils have won all 6 of their preseason games and are likely to be just as impressive during the upcoming season. Last season, the Devils added rookie defenseman Luke Hughes, brother of Jack Hughes, and Luke has been doing amazing in the preseason. Additionally, they also have goalie Akira Schmid returning – he was one of the main reasons why the Devils were able to have a solid playoff run last season. The Devils are expected to have a solid season once again and are viewed by many to be one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup.
This NHL season should be an exciting one for the locals. With that being said, best of luck to our three local teams, as well as to the other teams in the NHL.