Mike's Drive For 5

The Utah Hockey Club celebrates their third win on the season. Source: Utah Hockey Club (twitter/X) 

The first week of the 2024-25 NHL season is in the books. With all the games coming in hot, it’s easy to get lost in the action and the big storylines. With one week in the rearview, we’ll look at the following in this column. 

• Notable second-year coaches who are struggling.
• The slow starts to worry about.
• The Utah Hockey Club is off to a hot start.
• Rebuilding teams to buy stock on.
• Quick Hits: Injuries, Scheduling, and Stars

It’s the first week of the season so it’s not a time to make any bold or crazy predictions. Instead, it’s where we are provided breadcrumbs of information that can go a long way in the next few weeks.

Knoblauch, Roy & Second-Year Coaches Aren’t Providing That Jolt

Rick Tocchet left us spoiled after the success he had last season. He was hired by the Vancouver Canucks halfway through the 2022-23 season and last season he led them to the best record in the Pacific Division. The assumption was that one of the second-year coaches would do the same thing with their team. 

They haven’t. There were a lot of hires from last season with Patrick Roy, Kris Knoblauch, John Hines, Drew Bannister, and Jim Hiller being the six midseason hires from 2023-24 heading into the new season. 

They’ve won five games combined out of their 15 games played. Knoblauch turned the Oilers around last season and had them in the Cup Final yet they are 0-3. Roy was expected to take big strides but it took three games to earn his first win of the season. 

The question is why these coaches haven’t provided the impact that many expected out of them. Have the other teams figured out their style? Is their voice already wearing thin in the locker rooms? It’s only a week so a lot can change but this is certainly something to monitor moving forward.

Avalanche & Oilers Fans Shouldn’t Panic, Sabres Fans Will

Among the winless teams are two model franchises, the Colorado Avalanche and the Edmonton Oilers. They both have star-studded rosters but have yet to win, proving that hockey requires depth, along with star power to compete. 

The Oilers will be fine, despite the panic the fanbase is showing at the moment. They have the stars to get them out of this hole and as last season proved, they also have the depth to be great all season long. They are simply stumbling out of the gate. 

The Avalanche don’t have the same depth and it leaves some concern. However, this isn’t the first rodeo for Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar. They’ve seen the team get off to slow starts but have carried the roster to the playoffs. Expect the same from this group.

The Sabres on the other hand might be seeing their season spiral downward. They lost both overseas games and then split their two home games. What makes matters worse is that the offense, which looked to take a big step forward, is averaging only 2.00 goals per game while the defense remains a mess. It could be another long season for Buffalo with no light at the end of the tunnel.

Is Utah Ready To Compete?

Even an optimist for this team couldn’t have predicted their start. The Utah Hockey Club stomped the Chicago Blackhawks 5-2 and then won back-to-back games in overtime against the two New York teams. 

They have played great across the board with their offense particularly leading the way. They scored 16 goals in their first three games with the young skaters taking over games.

It’s still early but Utah looks like a team ready to compete. Yes, a lot of the rebuilding teams are playing great hockey early on in the season but Utah looks different. It’s good news for a team that is playing the first season in the state.

Buy Flames & Habs Stock, Sell Blues on Strong Rebuilds

A few rebuilding teams are doing well early on. The Blackhawks, Montreal Canadiens, Calgary Flames, and St. Louis Blues are 11-4-1 to start the season. The Blackhawks are a tough team to evaluate but the others have already proven that they are worth buying or selling on.

The Flames look like a team ready to compete. They didn’t do the typical rebuild but they have a great young core leading them this season. The Canadiens are ready to win now with their young superstars leading the way. They shocked the Toronto Maple Leafs in their opening game and have proven they can win in multiple ways since. 

The one team to sell or believe is fool’s gold early on is the St. Louis Blues. They won their first two games and have some good pieces but the structure of the roster is flawed. They might not be the worst team in the NHL but expect the shoe to drop.

Quick Hits

• The injuries were starting to pile up in training camp and they are plaguing multiple rosters early on this season. It’s going to be a story throughout the season and the teams that can power through the injuries will be the ones competing in the end.
• The Dallas Stars entered the season as a super team and they’ve lived up to the hype. They are 3-0 and have only allowed three goals this season. Without question they will be a dominant force this season.
• The schedule remains a glaring issue for the NHL. There are some teams that have already played four or five games while others are still waiting to play their second game. The inconsistency is a recurring issue for the league and one they should fix.