Burning preseason questions for all 32 NHL teams

It has been about three months since the Florida Panthers won the Stanley Cup, the 2024 NHL draft was held at the Sphere, and hundreds of players found new homes via free agency.

But as autumn quickly approaches, so too do the NHL preseason and training camps for all 32 teams ahead of opening night on Oct. 8.

To help get you ready for the next few weeks — as teams decide on which players make the roster, and how their lines, D pairings and goalie tandems will shake out — here are the biggest lingering questions for each club, courtesy of Ryan S. Clark (on the Western Conference) and Kristen Shilton (on the Eastern Conference).

Jump to a team:
ANA | BOS | BUF | CGY
CAR | CHI | COL | CBJ
DAL | DET | EDM | FLA
LA | MIN | MTL | NSH
NJ | NYI | NYR | OTT
PHI | PIT | SJ | SEA
STL | TB | TOR | UT
VAN | VGK | WSH | WPG

How to watch the 2024-25 NHL season on ESPN networks — including 100 exclusive games and the out-of-market package (over 1,050 games).

Atlantic Division

Boston Bruins
How will the Bruins reshape their top six?

Yes, there is also the question of whether restricted free agent Jeremy Swayman will have a new deal in place to officially take the mantle as Boston’s No. 1 goaltender. But that financial stickiness is, as B’s captain Brad Marchand said, “part of the business.”

The job for Bruins coach Jim Montgomery going into camp is figuring out how to revamp the offense. The Bruins finally landed top center Elias Lindholm in free agency while losing winger Jake DeBrusk to Vancouver. So who will step in to fill that void on the wing? Boston has a prized prospect in Fabian Lysell to keep an eye on, and a formerly bottom-six skater like Morgan Geekie could push for an expanded role.

Lysell is the real one to watch, though. Boston held him out of rookie camp so he would be “extremely ready” for the team’s main event. In other words, the Bruins expect he’s ready to snag an NHL roster spot for opening night. We’ll see if that’s the case.