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Sports Editor: Tom Dunford

Email: tdunford@umassd.edu

With each passing season, every team gains a little more experience. The 2023-24 NHL season, now officially in the rearview mirror, was a valuable learning opportunity for teams to reflect on their mistakes and strategize for the future. Every team had something to learn, whether it was a coaching change, a reevaluation of offensive structure, or an overall gameplan shift. So, here are 4 key insights that we, as avid fans, gleaned from this enlightening season. 

Goaltending Matters

Let’s look at two teams: the Boston Bruins and the New Jersey Devils. The Boston Bruins’ primary strength is goaltending. We know about the bear hug and love between starters Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman. When Boston was outplayed and worked, their goalies always found a way to keep them in games. 

Unlike Boston, New Jersey’s biggest weakness was its netminder. They started five different goaltenders this season, and all of them failed to reach starter expectations.

After failing to acquire a true starting goalie at the deadline, they were forced to go with a mediocre tandem of Jake Allen and Kaapo Kahkonen. Neither one took the reigns of a true starter, and in this upcoming offseason, the Devils need to be in the hunt for a number one to secure them a playoff spot.

Goaltending is the x-factor in hockey games. If a goalie can play a strong game, then their team will never be out of reach for a victory. 

The NHL’s Point Structure is Atrocious

The NHL has been behind the other three major sports since the early 2000s, and with the mediocre point structure, there’s a solid case to be made that they may never catch them.

The NHL’s structure is simple in theory: two points for a win, one point for an overtime or shootout loss, and no points for a regulation loss. To remember, think W-L-OTL. This may make sense in theory until teams become inflated due to the loser point.

Ironically, a team that comes to mind again is the Boston Bruins. The Bruins had a record of 47-20-15, meaning they secured 15 points after losing games. Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay Lightning had a record of 45-29-8. The Bruins had 12 more points than Tampa despite losing more games.

A simple point structure to eliminate this problem is the 3-2-1-0 structure. A new idea would be three points for a regulation win, two points for an extra-time win, one point for an extra-time loss, and zero points for a regulation loss. This will also help bring meaning to the late stages of third-period action, as teams will be more aggressive to secure that extra point. 

Cutting Ties With A Coach Works

On November 12, 2023, the Edmonton Oilers fired Jay Woodcroft. The team started with an abysmal 2-5-1 record, and he was let go when they had a record of 9-12-1. The Oilers have been on another level since then, setting a franchise record 16-game win streak. 

Teams can learn from Edmonton. When a team starts slow, they could be shedding off rust or dealing with off-season injuries. However, there’s always a fine line, and sometimes a coach’s message wares thing, and they lose a locker room.

Edmonton didn’t settle, and that choice was the difference between becoming a volatile cup contender or the NHL’s equivalent of the Los Angeles Angels. If a team starts slow, they may need a change of scenery behind the bench to recapture that spark.

If You Give A Player A Paycheck…

If you pay a pretty penny, the player may tail off. This has been the case time and time again, and in this upcoming offseason, some teams need to walk a thin line between securing top talent and paying handsome money to a player who can’t live up to that paycheck.

One prime example is the NHL’s version of Trey Lance in Pierre-Luc Dubois. The Los Angeles Kings felt all he needed was a change of scenery to elevate his game, and they paid handsomely for him. Instead, they got a third line, replaceable power forward, to which they are forced to pay over eight million dollars for the next seven years. 

Players such as Sam Reinhart and Jake Guentzel have career years in a contract year when their eye is on the future and money. Teams may fall victim to paying these players top money if they do not live up to it. They may deserve it, but be cautious.