Roman Josi enters his eighth season as captain of the Nashville Predators
Image: Keystone
Nico Hischier (left) and Jonas Siegenthaler are ready for the season
Image: Keystone
Kevin Fiala has developed into a complete player with the Kings
Image: Keystone
Nino Niederreiter (right) prepares for his 14th season in the NHL
Image: Keystone
Steven Stamkos (right) is a new teammate of Roman Josi with the Nashville Predators
Image: Keystone
Roman Josi enters his eighth season as captain of the Nashville Predators
Image: Keystone
Nico Hischier (left) and Jonas Siegenthaler are ready for the season
Image: Keystone
Kevin Fiala has developed into a complete player with the Kings
Image: Keystone
Nino Niederreiter (right) prepares for his 14th season in the NHL
Image: Keystone
Steven Stamkos (right) is a new teammate of Roman Josi with the Nashville Predators
Image: Keystone
The NHL season starts on Friday with the game in Prague between the Buffalo Sabres and the New Jersey Devils. Here are a few facts.
Roman Josi
Defenseman Roman Josi is one of those rare players whose presence alone makes a team better. The 34-year-old from Bern is starting his eighth season as captain of the Nashville Predators. It will be his 14th in the NHL. Although Josi has played exactly 1,000 games in the best league in the world, he is not yet officially part of the NHL's 1,000-game club, as only qualifying games are taken into account. The 2020 Norris Trophy winner is still 91 games short of the magic mark. He can therefore reach it in the 2025/26 season at the earliest, as his contract with Nashville runs until 2027.
Other seeded Swiss players
In addition to Roman Josi, eight other Swiss players are seeded in their teams. With Nico Hischier, Timo Meier and Siegenthaler, three of them play for the New Jersey Devils. Like Roman Josi, Nino Niederreiter is entering his 14th season in the NHL with the Winnipeg Jets. Pius Suter and Philipp Kurashev are in the final year of their contracts with the Vancouver Canucks and Chicago Blackhawks respectively. Kevin Fiala, who became a father for the first time in May, produced 145 points (52 goals) in his first two years with Los Angeles, more than anyone else with the Kings during this period in the regular season. A new chapter begins for Janis Moser following his trade from the Utah Hockey Club (previously Arizona Coyotes) to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Swiss hopefuls
Four more Swiss players can hope to play in the NHL next season. Goaltender Akira Schmid was traded from the New Jersey Devils to the Vegas Golden Knights, where he received a one-way contract for two years. Nevertheless, he is currently only number 3 behind Adin Hill and Ilya Samsonov, which is why he will start the season in the AHL with the Henderson Silver Knights. Lian Bichsel has impressed with the Dallas Stars in preparation, but the competition is fierce. Nevertheless, the 20-year-old defenseman is likely to make his NHL debut. Goaltender Connor Hughes (Montreal Canadiens) and defenseman Rodwin Dionico (Anaheim Ducks) fell victim to a cut early on and had to join the AHL farm teams Laval Rockets and San Diego Gulls, where they normally stay.
Nashville Predators
Despite a shake-up, the Nashville Predators made the playoffs last season, where they fell to the Vancouver Canucks (2:4) in the first round. This time around, the team from the state of Tennessee is trading much higher. The Predators are considered transfer winners after signing defenseman Brady Skjei and forwards Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault. The latter was named playoff MVP in the Vegas Golden Knights' 2023 Stanley Cup triumph. Roman Josi speaks of huge reinforcements. "The expectations are definitely higher"
New Jersey Devils
After reaching the quarter-finals in 2023, the New Jersey Devils wanted to take the next step in this year's playoffs, but they didn't even make it. This was also due to many injuries. Among those affected were the Swiss trio of Hischier, Meier and Siegenthaler, who missed a total of 59 games. Meier had to undergo shoulder surgery after the season, which is why he missed the World Championships in Prague. But that doesn't change the fact that, like Siegenthaler, he fell short of expectations in the last NHL qualifiers. Now everything should be better for New Jersey, the squad seems to be broader. In particular, the Devils are hoping for a lot from the Swedish goalie Jacob Markström, who was brought in from the Calgary Flames. The head coach is also new, Sheldon Keefe has replaced Lindy Ruff. Keefe previously worked for the Toronto Maple Leafs for almost five seasons, always leading them to the playoffs. Captain Hischier has high hopes for the team if everyone stays healthy and pulls in the same direction.
Top favorites
With the exception of the Chicago Blackhawks, the other teams with Swiss players are expected to make the playoffs. However, others are among the top favorites, above all the losing finalist Edmonton Oilers with superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. The last time a Canadian team won the Stanley Cup was in 1993 with the Montreal Canadiens. The defending champion Florida Panthers are also expected to return. The Dallas Stars are also very highly rated, and the Devils appear just as high up in the predictions.
Mode
All 32 teams will play 82 games in the regular season. It ends on April 17, 2025, with eight teams from both the Eastern and Western Conferences reaching the playoffs. Twelve spots are awarded to the top three teams in each of the four divisions, plus two wild card teams per conference.
SDA