Top training camp storylines discussed by NHL.com writers

Training camps across the NHL opened Wednesday with players reporting for physicals. On Thursday, players across the League will take the ice beginning another grueling odyssey in pursuit of the Stanley Cup, which will be awarded in late June. With camps beginning, storylines abound, from players still without a contract, to injuries, to players in new places, and so much more.

As a primer for what lays ahead, NHL.com asked a panel of its writers and editors for the stories that pique their interest as we hurtle toward the start of the 2024-25 NHL season.

Bruins face questions in goal

With the Boston Bruins set to open training camp, a crucial piece of offseason business remains uncompleted: signing Jeremy Swayman. The goalie, a restricted free agent, has yet to come to an agreement with the team that needs him, having traded goalie partner Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators in June. Swayman is clearly the future in net for the Bruins, who saw him blossom in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 2.15 goals-against average and .933 save percentage in 12 games. Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said Wednesday that Swayman will not report to camp until he has a new contract. There is some bitterness on the part of Swayman from the arbitration process he went through last season, but the team and the player will have to bridge the divide and find a number each can accept. The question is how soon that will happen. -- Amalie Benjamin, staff writer

Utah Hockey Club prepares for first season

No training camp is more compelling than the one in Utah. The NHL is coming to a new market and on a tight timeline, establishing a new franchise after the Arizona Coyotes became inactive and Utah acquired its hockey assets April 19. The team is practicing at the Olympic Oval until a facility can be built, and it is playing in a temporary configuration at Delta Center until the arena is renovated. What will it look like? What will it sound like? Well, we got a preview when the team was introduced at an event at Delta Center on April 24. The place was packed, and it was loud. This team should be fun to watch, from established star Clayton Keller to new acquisition Mikhail Sergachev. Everyone should be excited for something new, from the players to the fans. -- Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist

Seattle welcomes a familiar coaching face

Of the eight new coaches leading NHL teams this season, the one that intrigues me most is the Seattle Kraken’s Dan Bylsma. The 53-year-old, who guided the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Stanley Cup in 2009 and coached the Buffalo Sabres for two seasons (2015-17), is back in the League for the first time since 2017. He takes over a Seattle team that he’s helped mold as coach of its American Hockey League affiliate in Coachella Valley, where he had players like Shane Wright, Joey Daccord, Tye Kartye and Ryker Evans. They experienced winning under Bylsma, who guided Coachella Valley to consecutive Calder Cup Finals (2022-23, 2023-24). It will be interesting to see how his familiarity with the Kraken’s young players translates into success for Seattle, which failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season after coming within a game of reaching the Western Conference Final in 2023. -- William Douglas, staff writer

Capitals seek right fits for new players

After the Washington Capitals revamped nearly a third of their lineup in the offseason, including high-profile trades for center Pierre-Luc Dubois (Los Angeles Kings) and defenseman Jakob Chychrun (Ottawa Senators), they will use training camp and the preseason to experiment with line combinations and defense pairs. Coach Spencer Carbery said he’d like to play Dubois with Tom Wilson on his right wing, but which left wing meshes best with those two -- whether it’s Alex Ovechkin or newcomer Andrew Mangiapane (trade with Calgary Flames), or Connor McMichael shifts from center -- is to be determined. And the initial plan is to see how Chychrun looks on the top pair with John Carlson, but Washington also added Matt Roy (signed as unrestricted free agent), who, like Carlson, plays on the right side. There could be some interesting personnel juggling in the next few weeks. -- Tom Gulitti, staff writer

Philadelphia welcomes an exciting prospect into the fold

Matvei Michkov has been the most hyped prospect for the Philadelphia Flyers since Eric Lindros arrived in 1992. Now after more than a year of waiting since the 19-year-old was selected with the No. 7 pick of the 2023 NHL Draft -- and two years earlier than expected after his Kontinental Hockey League contract was terminated in June -- he'll have the chance to show how he handles NHL competition. Michkov gave a sneak preview last week, scoring a power-play goal during a rookie game against the New York Rangers, and he's impressed some of his Philadelphia teammates during pre-camp skates. But now he'll be on the ice when it matters, and with coach John Tortorella. Flyers management has tried to downplay expectations for the prospect, but fans lined up more than 30 minutes early to see him during rookie camp, and the buzz will be even louder once training camp starts. Should be very interesting. -- Adam Kimelman, deputy managing editor

Hopeful Devils looking for right mix on defense

When it comes to the New Jersey Devils, all eyes will be focused on how this revamped defense will come together under new coach Sheldon Keefe. After trading for goaltender Jacob Markstrom, the team added some key pieces along its blue line in the offseason, including defensemen Brett Pesce and Brenden Dillon. The expectation is the club should rebound after averaging 3.43 goals-against in 2023-24, which was tied for fifth worst in the NHL. New Jersey signed defenseman Jakub Zboril, chosen No. 13 by the Boston Bruins in the 2015 NHL Draft, to a professional tryout contract after learning Luke Hughes would miss 6-8 weeks due to a left shoulder injury sustained earlier this month. It'll be interesting to see if one player steps up in Hughes' absence, or if it will be by committee. -- Mike G. Morreale, senior draft writer

Stammer time should make nice in Music City

OK, I admit I’m going to have to rub my eyes and blink a few times to be sure I’m seeing what I’m seeing when Steven Stamkos dons that Nashville Predators jersey at their training camp. Stamkos spent the first 16 seasons of his career with the Tampa Bay Lightning, who selected him No. 1 in the 2008 NHL Draft, before becoming an unrestricted free agent and signing a four-year, $32 million contract with the Predators on July 1. The 34-year-old, so familiar looking in Tampa Bay blue and white, is now wearing gold, navy and white and expected to give the Nashville offense a fabulous jolt. I mean, he’s coming off a 40-goal season. He had 106 points (42 goals, 64 assists) in 2021-22. There’s so much left in the tank for Stamkos. It’s a boon for the Predators, who haven’t made it past the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2017-18. -- Tracey Myers, staff writer

Panthers try to run it back

For the first time in their 31-year history, the Florida Panthers open training camp as the defending Stanley Cup champions. A good part of the team that won it all last season is back, but there are questions: How will they react to a short offseason filled with Cup days? Who will replace defenseman Brandon Montour and forward Vladimir Tarasenko, key pieces last season who left via free agency? Can goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, who turns 36 on Friday, do it again? The Panthers are the hunted this season. Coach Paul Maurice will want to set a tone early. It should be fun. -- Bill Price, Editor-in-Chief

Youth movement in California looks promising

The San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks have not been contenders for a while, but an infusion of youth could change that. The Sharks finished in last place during the 2023-24 regular season, won the NHL Draft Lottery and earned the right to pick Macklin Celebrini, the consensus best player in the 2024 NHL Draft. The 18-year-old won the Hobey Baker Award as the best player in NCAA Division I hockey as a freshman and looks ready to jump into the NHL lineup, where he may be joined by Will Smith, the No. 4 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, who is 19. The Ducks haven’t made the playoffs in any of the past six seasons but have a lineup that boasts Leo Carlsson, Mason McTavish and Pavel Mintyukov, among others. They may be joined by forward Cutter Gauthier, the No. 5 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft by the Flyers. He was obtained in a trade with the Flyers last season and led the NCAA in goals. Now, he has added 20 pounds and not only looks ready to play, but contribute. Good times are here again! -- Shawn P. Roarke, senior director of editorial

Columbus opens camp less than three weeks after tragedy

The game goes on. Through triumph and tragedy, the game always goes on. The Columbus Blue Jackets are living through a nightmare again, starting training camp not long after the tragic death of a teammate. Three years ago, it was losing goalie Matiss Kivlenieks, who died July 4, 2021, in an accident involving fireworks. This year, it's losing forward Johnny Gaudreau, who was struck and killed while riding his bicycle on Aug. 29. Gaudreau's brother, Matthew, was also struck and killed in the same accident. Now, the Blue Jackets have to prepare for the season with new coach Dean Evason. The eyes of the hockey world will be on them as they try. -- Dan Rosen, senior writer

Demko working his way back from injury in Vancouver

Thatcher Demko was considered one of the best goalies in the NHL last season as a Vezina Trophy finalist, but his status for the start of this season is questionable. The goalie is still recovering from a knee injury sustained in March and aggravated in the Vancouver Canucks’ opening game of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Nashville Predators. It will be interesting to see if Demko is ready for the start of training camp and whether he will be available for the Canucks in their season opener against the Calgary Flames on Oct. 9. Without Demko, they could be left scrambling for another experienced goalie. Arturs Silovs is projected to be Vancouver’s backup. He has 19 games of NHL experience, 10 coming last postseason. Demko is key to Vancouver’s fortunes this season, but the Canucks have to be careful not to rush the 28-year-old back too soon and may have to manage his workload when he does return. -- Derek Van Diest, staff writer

Life without Stamkos in Tampa

How do you replace someone who has been the face of the franchise for almost two decades? That’s the question to be answered by the Tampa Bay Lightning, who parted ways with longtime captain Steven Stamkos during the offseason after the two sides could not come to a contract agreement. When the 34-year-old signed a four-year, $32 million contract with Nashville on July 1, it marked the end of the memorable Stamkos era in Tampa. Even before he was selected No. 1 in the 2008 NHL Draft, there were billboards in the Tampa area with the message, “Seen Stamkos?” For the next 16 seasons, fans certainly did en route to two Tampa Bay Stanley Cup titles. On the ice, the Lightning will try to fill the void with incoming forward Jake Guentzel, who has scored at least 30 goals in each of the past three seasons and is five years younger than Stamkos. In the dressing room, well, his leadership and presence can’t be replaced. -- Mike Zeisberger, staff writer