I’m a massive fan of the quick, four-game pre-season.

It started this past Saturday and wraps up this coming Saturday. Realistically, there are usually one or two jobs open on most NHL teams. Some will argue the short preseason doesn’t allow players time to win a job, but I’d counter that too often people overrate a good preseason performance, not realizing the competition was often non-NHL players. In fact, if a young player has to start in the American League, that can benefit them, as they will play more minutes and have a better chance of gaining confidence, so when they get recalled during the season, they can contribute with better success.

Regardless of how we view the preseason, it will be over quickly, and the regular season begins next Tuesday, Sept. 29.

There will be 15 teams playing regular season games in September, and Toronto plays twice as they have back-to-back home games vs. Montreal and the New York Islanders. Every team would like a good start, but of course that isn’t realistic. I did a quick look at the schedule up to the end of October. Some teams definitely have a schedule more conducive to getting off to a good start. The Edmonton Oilers might have the best early-season schedule. Here is a look at all four divisions.

Florida begins the season with a four-game road trip and has 10 of their first 14 away from home, while Detroit starts the season with seven of their first eight games at home. The Red Wings were first place in the Atlantic on January 1st last season, but for the third year in a row, they tanked down the stretch. Will Dylan Larkin play for the Wings or wait for a trade? The Wings desperately need a good start as they try to avoid missing the playoffs for the 11th consecutive season.

The defending Champs start the season with nine of 13 games on the road, but they do open the season at home to raise their Stanley Cup banner. The Islanders have no sets of back-to-back games, and five times they have two days between games. Pete DeBoer will have lots of practice time to have his team sharp. Meanwhile, Carolina, Washington and Philadelphia play back-to-back three times before Halloween.

Minnesota has the toughest early schedule in the West with only five of their first 15 games at home. They start November with eight of their first 11 games on the road, meaning they have 18 of their first 26 games on the road. If they are in a good position on November 24th, then they’d have a great chance to win the division, but they have a really tough start. Colorado plays back-to-back three times, but they also have two days between games six times and once they have three. I’d take more practice days early in a season.

The Kings’ early schedule is wild as they only play five games in the first 17 days of the season. They are likely wondering why the NHL started the season sooner if we are playing so few games. I think practice time can be great, but six games in 21 games is very light. Could be a bit of a challenge getting into a rhythm.

The Oilers’ early-season schedule is very favourable. Not only do they have 12 games against teams below them in the standings last year, but they also have no sets of back-to-back games, and they have two days between games four times and three days off once.  There is no reason they shouldn’t be near the top of the Pacific Division by Halloween. Vegas has a similar schedule with 11 of their first 15 games against teams with fewer points last year. They also have nine home games before Halloween.

NHL teams still have to dress eight veterans in a preseason game, but the rules have been expanded significantly as to what determines a veteran.

Not only do AHL games count, but a first-round pick from the previous five drafts counts, and a second-rounder from the previous three does as well. For the Oilers, that means Seth Griffith, Josh Brown, Riley Stillman, Isaac Howard, Rudolfs Berzkalns and Eemil Vinni will count as veterans, and some of them could play in Winnipeg or Vancouver to save more Oilers vets for the final home game.

The Jets are playing tonight and have Mark Schiefele, Kyle Connor, Gabe Vilardi, Cole Perfetti, Josh Morrissey, Dylan Demelo, Mario Ferraro and Stuart Skinner in the lineup. Which means none of their top guys will play tomorrow night against Edmonton.

I’d guess both rosters will be heavy on non-NHL players.

— It is challenging to take much out of the Oilers’ first preseason game, when the Jets dressed only a few players who will be on their NHL roster. The Oilers top line can dominate against NHLers, never mind non-NHLers, and they did that on Saturday. Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and likely Evan Bouchard won’t be travelling to Winnipeg or Vancouver this week and will play the final preseason game at home vs. Calgary on Saturday. Bouchard had four assists on Saturday, and he and partner Ryan Shea looked ready to start the season.

Bouchard will have another dominant season. Producing points is a given, but I think you will see a reduction in his five-star giveaways. I’ve long believed his giveaways get an unbalanced amount of attention compared to his good plays. Of course he needs to reduce them, but he doesn’t make significantly more than the other top D-men who handle the puck as often as he does. But reducing a few of those glaring errors will benefit how some view him, even if they overlook all the good he does.

— Colton Dach was 8-5 in the faceoff dot at five-on-five on Saturday. A very good start, however, the Jets didn’t have any regular centres in the lineup. I thought Dach’s positioning was very strong, and that will be a big deciding factor on who starts as the 4th line centre between him and Josh Samanski.

Dach had a better first game than Samanski, but it is only one game. That is the only real competition I see going into training camp. I think Dach has the lead at the moment, but the other 11 forward spots are wrapped up.

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