Hockey’s back, with the puck dropping for the Global Series to mark the NHL's official return.
The Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils hit the ice in Prague, Czechia to start the 2024-25 regular season, but don’t fret, there’s still time to place preseason NHL picks.
Here are five NHL win totals you'll want to pounce on before it's too late.
2024-25 NHL team win total predictions
- Boston Bruins Under 99.5 regular-season points (-110 at DraftKings)
- Dallas Stars Over 103.5 regular-season points (-110 at bet365)
- Utah Hockey Club Under 89.5 regular-season points (+100 at DraftKings)
- Calgary Flames Under 81.5 regular-season points (-113 at FanDuel)
- Columbus Blue Jackets Under 69.5 regular-season points (-110 at BetMGM)
Boston Bruins Under 99.5 regular-season points
The Boston Bruins allowed the third-fewest goals per 60 minutes at five-on-five last year despite allowing the 16th-most expected goals per 60. It puts a lot of pressure on the goaltending, which ranked third with a likely unrepeatable .930 team save percentage at 5-on-5.
Of course, trading goalie Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators will have a big impact on the position, and especially with No. 1 Jeremy Swayman in the middle of a contract dispute and not with the team.
I’m skeptical of the offense, too.
Captain Brad Marchand’s points per 60 declined for a third consecutive season last year, and he also posted a career-low 49.1 Corsi For percentage. The addition of center Elias Lindholm definitely helps, but both Charlie Coyle and Pavel Zacha had career-best offensive seasons despite carrying poor possession metrics.
The Atlantic Division also beefed up, with the Sens, Montreal Canadians, Detroit Red Wings, and Buffalo Sabres all positioned to be more competitive this year.
Dallas Stars Over 103.5 regular-season points
Aside from the loss of 18-year-veteran Joe Pavelski to retirement, the Dallas Stars look incredibly similar to the club that racked up 113 regular-season points and lost in the Western Conference Final to the Edmonton Oilers last season.
Big D should receive improved goaltending from No. 1 Jake Oettinger, too. He dropped to a .905 save percentage after posting a .917 mark across the prior two seasons, and Dallas was also a fancy-stats darling with a fifth-ranked 53.2 CF% and third-ranked 55.2 expected goals for percentage.
Backup Casey DeSmith has been serviceable in the No. 2 role, with a career .909 save percentage across 163 games (142 starts), too.
There’s also potential for the offense to be even better this season. Youngsters Wyatt Johnston and Logan Stankoven are both legit, and rookie Mavrik Bourque looks to be next in line to succeed for Dallas after pacing the AHL in points and winning the Les Cunningham Award as the league’s most valuable player.
Finally, I also value the depth and veteran presence captain Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and Matt Duchene bring to the table. And, of course, No. 1 defenseman Miro Heiskanen is elite and a warranted Norris Trophy candidate.
Utah Hockey Club Under 89.5 regular-season points
There are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the Utah Hockey Club moving forward, and multiple upgrades to the blue line will go a long way after the Arizona Coyotes allowed the eighth-most expected goals per 60 at 5-on-5 and finished with just 77 regular-season points.
Still, this total has me bewildered.
Those notable offseason additions for the Hockey Club were limited to defensemen Mikhail Sergachev, John Marino and Ian Cole, and none of them are incredibly impactful.
Upgrades? Absolutely, but not 13-point upgrades.
I’m also not convinced the relocation will provide a boost, either. The Coyotes went 22-19 at Mullett Arena, compared to 14-22-5 on the highway, after all.
Calgary Flames Under 81.5 regular-season points
I have no faith in the Calgary Flames improving on last year’s 38-39-5 record and 81 regular-season points, and neither should you.
Calgary unloaded No. 1 goalie Jacob Markstrom during the offseason, and the Flames will turn to rookie Dustin Wolf and fourth-year backup Dan Vladar to handle the crease.
Wolf is long on potential and sports impressive AHL numbers, but he’s also undersized and recorded a .893 save percentage and 3.16 GAA across 17 games (15 starts) for the Flames last year. Vladar has been equally unimpressive with respective .894 and 3.05 marks across 70 games (61 starts) the past three years, too.
The Flames also lack offensive talent, and a true No. 1 defenseman too.
In addition to moving on from Markstrom, the Calgary brass has also traded away Andrew Mangiapane, Noah Hanifin, Chris Tanev, Elias Lindholm, and Nikita Zadorov in the past calendar year.
That’s a lot of established NHL talent jumping the boards for other teams, and the Flames have developed from within the organization as poorly as any team in the league.
Columbus Blue Jackets Under 69.5 regular-season points
The Metropolitan Division is stacked, and the Columbus Blue Jackets are set to finish in the basement of it for the third consecutive season. The Blue Jackets finished with just 66 regular-season points last year and might also be the worst team in the entire Eastern Conference again.
Columbus finished 23rd with a 47.8 CF% and 27th with a 46.2 xGF% at 5-on-5 last year, and I’m not anticipating the Blue Jackets making a meaningful jump in those underlying numbers.
Goaltending is also a huge question mark. Elvis Merzlikins sports a .898 save percentage and 3.56 GAA over the past three years, and Daniil Tarasov has been equally mediocre with respective .905 and 3.39 marks.
Additionally, there are also huge offensive shortcomings, and the team also tragically lost leading scorer Johnny Gaudreau during the offseason.
I also expect Columbus to be a seller ahead of the trade deadline with multiple pending unrestricted free agents that contenders will covet. It’s going to be a long season for the Blue Jackets.
