The 2018-19 NHL season from A to Z

How the 2018-19 season looks to you probably depends on your tastes as a fan. This year figures to be a heavyweight fight between a few choice contenders as opposed to a wide-open festival of parity.

It would be equally valid for that to bother or excite you, but either way it’s hard to complain too much about the state of the league. The game continues to emphasize skill over face-punching, the league is flush with young talent, and the Vegas Golden Knights have brought the NHL into the 21st century when it comes to the in-arena experiences.

Here are some of the biggest storylines to watch this season – curated with the help of the Latin alphabet:

Artemi Panarin, aka the ‘Breadman,’ is coming off an 82-point season that definitively proved he was a creator who didn’t rise to prominence thanks to riding shotgun with Patrick Kane. He’s one of the most fascinating impending free agents in the league, who doesn’t seem smitten with the idea of staying in Columbus.

Boston probably isn’t too excited about the hill it has to climb. Father Time is threatening some of their top players, Tampa Bay is still a juggernaut and John Tavares bolstered a Maple Leafs team that just took the Bruins to the brink. This is still one of the best teams in the league, but they have a tough road.

Connor McDavid is looking to score more this season. He might have to given the state of the Oilers. Whether he’s winning or losing, there’s no one more fun to watch, though.

Don Cherry will turn 85 during the season. Once again we’re going to hear a lot of speculation about his successor.

Evgeni Malkin will hit 1,000 points this season if he’s anywhere near his normal standard. He has to be the quietest superstar if this era, but when he hits that milestone hopefully he’ll get a little more shine.

Florida will be a popular pick to make some noise this year as every hockey analyst alive trips over one another to remind the world how good Aleksander Barkov is and how we don’t appreciate him enough.

Gostisbehere will once again reign as the hardest name to spell in hockey, but you’re going to see it on scoresheets a lot as the last year’s top PPP defenceman now gets James van Riemsdyk to work with.

Hits to the head are going to be a talking point this year as they have been every season for a while now. Tom Wilson has a chance to redeem himself in this area or establish his identity as the league’s foremost villain.

Ilya Kovalchuk is back which is probably going to more interesting than it is impactful. The guy has a world-class skill level, but he’s turning 36 in April and hasn’t played in the NHL since 2012-13.

Johnny Hockey and his right-hand man Sean Monahan have a new running mate in Elias Lindholm. If that top line isn’t among the best in the league at lighting the lamp the Flames aren’t going anywhere.

Karlsson-mania is about to strike San Jose. We’ve generally only seen the Swedish superstar among uninspiring teammates. Amidst a contending team like the Sharks, he could have a whole different ceiling.

Lou Lamoriello looks to have traded down from an ascendant Maple Leafs team to the now-lowly Islanders. Along with his distaste for facial hair, he’s also brought his irrational love of Leo Komarov and Matt Martin with him.

Montreal has serious tire-fire potential this season, especially if Carey Price doesn’t bounce back. The latest unfortunate soul tabbed for the club’s black hole at C1? Max Domi. Yikes.

Nikita Kucherov’s point total’s over the last three seasons: 66, 85, and 100. McDavid is still your odds-on Art Ross favourite, but this guy’s not a bad bet either. If his upward trajectory continues Tampa might be unstoppable.

Ovie led the league in fun had this summer, there’s no disputing that. But now that he’s reached the top of the mountain, and his 33rd birthday has passed, he’s certainly a candidate to decline.

Pittsburgh shouldn’t have the ability to go under the radar considering they have Sidney Crosby and the aforementioned Malkin, but because they probably aren’t in the Winnipeg, Nashville, Toronto, Tampa Bay, and Boston tier the Penguins are getting overlooked a little bit. No one will want to face them in the playoffs, though.

Quality of competition will be a huge factor in determining if Mathew Barzal is a superstar the Islanders can build around. Without Tavares to soak up tough matchup, his job just got a whole lot harder.

Rickard Rakell is among the NHL’s most under-appreciated stars. As the Ryan Getzlaf-Corey Perry duo continues to decline he needs to drive Anaheim’s offence is they’re going to score enough to support their strong defence and excellent goaltending.

St.Louis is looking to shed its “good-but-not-good-enough label” and it may have made the adds to do it. Ryan O’Reilly, Patrick Maroon, David Perron, and even Tyler Bozak look like smart acquisitions. They could really use a career year from Jake Allen.

Taylor Hall already put a dagger in the heart the winger-needy Edmonton Oilers with his Hart Trophy-winning 2017-18. Now New Jersey is hoping the team around him isn’t so unimpressive it becomes the foundation of his MVP case.

Unselfish was Henrik Sedin’s middle name. Last season he had almost as many assists (47) as shots (67). No one is going to put on a passing performance like that this year. Him and Daniel will be missed in Vancouver and throughout the hockey world.

Vegas Flu was a sensation last season, but you’d think this time around opposing teams will better understand how to play in the desert. The Golden Knights aren’t going away, but some of this magic is going to wear off.

Washington punched above its weight in the playoffs last year and drank above it in the summer that followed. The idea of a Stanley Cup hangover has never seemed so literal, but this team is too talented to fade into obscurity.

Xavier University has yet to become a hockey powerhouse, but here’s hoping they do so we have something to discuss on this exact A to Z format next year.

Yamamoto jerseys aren’t common in Edmonton yet, but the small, speedy winger has a chance to become the top fan favourite in town – non-Connor McDavid division – if he can find success on the team’s bottom-six. When you’re listed at 5’8″ 154 lbs the people will be behind you.

Zebras are breaking up fewer fights than every these days. In 2016-17, there were 11 teams with at least 30 major penalties. Last year that number dropped to three.