Prediction: Connor McDavid will score his 1,000th career point against the Detroit Red Wings on October 27. He’s 18 points away, and the Detroit game is the ninth of the season, so averaging two points a game wouldn’t be unusual for him. Last season, it took McDavid 17 games to score 18 points, but that was during a rough start for Edmonton. In 2022-23, it took him just nine games to reach 18 points. McDavid needs to start strong to hit the 1,000-point mark by the Detroit game, but you can never doubt what he’s capable of.

Update: We should’ve known that the Oilers would’ve had a poor start to the season. It’s just who they are! Heading into that Detroit game, McDavid need 10 more points to his 1000. He did finish with two that night but then got injured the next game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, which put an immediate halt to the 1000 point watch. Instead, McDavid hit the milestone on November 14th against the Nashville Predators. The new question is, when will Leon Draisaitl hit 1000 points?

Prediction: The Colorado Avalanche are labelled as the “wildcard” team heading into the season due to uncertainty around Valeri Nichushkin and Gabriel Landeskog. However, the LA Kings should be in that conversation, too. They have such a boom-or-bust team that it’s hard to get a strong read on them. Can Darcy Kuemper bounce back? Can Jordan Spence and Brandt Clarke take the next step without Drew Doughty? Can Quinton Byfield become a more consistent scorer? If these questions are answered positively, the Kings could sneak into third place in the division and eliminate the Golden Knights in the first round. Otherwise, they’re in trouble.

Update: Luckily for the LA Kings, these predictions of have gone well for them. Brandt Clarke and Jordan Spence have combined for 28 points, with Clarke quaterbacking the power play. Darcy Kuemper has missed a few games but still has an solid 0.911 save percentage, 2.40 goals against average and 8 wins in 16 games, which is better than expected. Quinton Byfield is the one prediction that hasn’t aged well. The former 2nd overall pick only has 6 goals in 34 games while averaging just shy of 18 minutes a night. Fortuntately, for him, Alex Laferriere has stepped up with 13 goals and 25 points in 34 games.

Prediction: Watching the San Jose Sharks last season was unbearable at times, especially when they beat the Oilers — for different reasons. Things should improve this year, so you won’t mind catching them on TV for the 8:30 puck drop. They’ve added exciting players, including Macklin Celebrini, the first overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. Concerns he might miss the start of the season were put to rest yesterday. Celebrini is a special player, and my prediction is that he will score 70 points, similar to Auston Matthews in his rookie year. San Jose has done well putting talent around him, with summer additions like Tyler Toffoli and Alex Wennberg.

Update: Celebrini has missed time but he’s still on pace for close to 70 points. Matvei Michkov is still the favourite to win the Calder Trophy but, if Celebrini continues his form, it won’t be long before the Sharks young star leapfrogs him.

Prediction: The Seattle Kraken will miss the playoffs for the second straight year. Despite adding big free agents Chandler Stephenson and Brandon Montour, it doesn’t seem like they have enough to compete in the top-heavy Pacific Division. They have many good players, but nobody to push them over the edge. If Shane Wright takes the next step toward stardom, they might have a chance, but that seems unlikely at this stage. Goaltending is another big question mark. The Kraken are a good, competitive team, but they’re stuck in the middle.

Update: Every NHL fan could’ve predicted this one. The Kraken, after 35 games, sit sixth in the Pacific Division ahead of Anaheim and San Jose and one below the Calgary Flames. They’re five points out of a wildcard spot despite playing the second most games in the league. Shane Wright has taken a step this year with 15 points (7 goals, 8 assists) while centring the Kraken third line between Jaden Schwartz and Andre Burkovsky. It feels like next season is the year for Wright to take over and guide Seattle back to the playoffs. For now, they’ll continue to be a mid-team.

Prediction: The Vancouver Canucks took a huge step last season, returning to the playoffs and pushing the Oilers to Game 7. Typically, in the NHL, teams that make such a leap regress slightly the following year. The Oilers did in 2017, and the New Jersey Devils last season. Injuries played a role in the Devils’ struggles in 2024, and Vancouver is already dealing with that, with Thatcher Demko out for the next few weeks. The Canucks’ management added Jake DeBrusk, Daniel Sprong, and Danton Heinen to their forward group, but the blueline still has questionable spots. Vancouver will make the playoffs, but as a wildcard team, finishing fourth in the Pacific Division.

Update: Vancouver currently holds the first wildcard spot in the Western Conference heading into the Christmas break. Its been a rollercoaster season with JT Miller spending time away from the team and a riff between their stars. However, even without Demko for a time, they’ve found a way to deal with their problems and remain in a playoff spot. They’ll continue to compete for a top three spot in the Pacific Division but, for now, our predictions remains on track.

Predictions: The Vegas Golden Knights could pull off a surprising move, like putting Mark Stone on LTIR and acquiring Dylan Larkin from Detroit. While that’s not the official prediction, don’t be shocked if something wild happens. The actual prediction is that Jack Eichel will reach the 90-point mark for the first time in his career. Eichel has been scoring at over a point-per-game rate for the last two seasons, and if he stays healthy for at least 75 games, he’s more than capable of hitting 90 points. Mark Stone’s comments about focusing more on the regular season suggest the Golden Knights’ stars won’t be sidelined as often, which bodes well for Eichel’s scoring chances.

Update: It’s surprising to think that Eichel has only passed the 80 point mark once in his career, which came back in 2019 with the Buffalo Sabres. Unless an injury occurs, the 2024-25 season will be the second time Eichel scores more than 80. The Golden Knights star is well on pace to crush his career having already scored 45 points in 34 games this season. Eichel is projected to score 109 points if he plays all 82 games. Health is always an issue for Eichel, who has never played a full 82 game season; however, even with a slight set back scoring 80+ shouldn’t be a problem for him.

Being competitive today means working differently. Deloitte’s managed services offer a new way to embed continuous advantage by energizing and driving your critical business functions. Unlock talent on demand, advance innovation, and gain insight to maintain a competitive advantage. Build stronger, transform faster, and turn your cost centres into value generators. Operate with Deloitte.