Johnson is nearing the end of his quarantine, Bednar added.
The veteran rearguard will be able to join the team Saturday if all goes well, the bench boss said, according to The Associated Press' Patrick Graham.
Johnson missed most of training camp and was deemed "unfit to play."
The 32-year-old ranked third on the Avalanche in average ice time last season, though he was limited to 59 games due to injury. He played nine playoff contests in 2019-20, but appeared in only one of Colorado's seven games against the Dallas Stars in the second round.
Several players will be pursuing milestones during the upcoming 56-game season. Will Patrick Kane score 11 goals to get the 400th of his career? Can Ryan Getzlaf and Anze Kopitar produce at a steady level to each hit 1,000 points?
All eyes will be on some of the game's greatest stars as they attempt to reach impressive heights and cement their legacies. Let's look at six of the most significant milestone pursuits to track this season.
Ovechkin: Top 5 on the all-time goals list
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Last season was filled with milestones for Ovechkin. He notched his 700th career NHL goal, and the veteran also passed Mario Lemieux, Steve Yzerman, and Mark Messier to rank eighth on the all-time goals list. He's entering this season with 706 goals, giving him a legitimate shot at reaching No. 5 in 2021.
The 35-year-old is three goals shy of passing Mike Gartner (708) for seventh, 11 behind Phil Esposito for sixth (717), and 25 behind Marcel Dionne (731) for fifth. Ovechkin is also within striking distance of No. 4 Brett Hull, who's 35 ahead.
There's no reason to believe Ovechkin will slow down. He's averaged 0.64 markers per game over the past three seasons, putting him on pace to score 36 in a 56-game campaign. That's also the number Ovechkin needs to reach to finish the year at No. 4 on the all-time goals list.
Marleau: No. 1 on the all-time games played list
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Marleau's longevity in the league is unmatched. He's entering his 23rd season after playing in 854 consecutive games - the fifth-longest ironman streak in league history. He's been playing in the NHL since 1997 and has missed only a handful of games, and none over the last 11 seasons.
The 41-year-old inked a one-year pact with the Sharks this offseason, and he's 45 contests shy of passing Gordie Howe for the all-time games played record. Marleau has appeared in 1,723 games, and Howe suited up for 1,767. If Marleau stays healthy and in the Sharks' lineup this campaign, he can leapfrog Howe over the 56-game schedule.
Crosby: 1,000 games played
Mark Blinch / National Hockey League / Getty
Crosby would have hit this milestone no problem last year if he didn't suffer an injury and then face a shortened season. Now he needs to play just 16 games to accomplish the feat. If he laces up for every contest to start the year, Crosby is on track to play in his 1,000th game against the Washington Capitals at home on Valentine's Day.
Crosby is already the Penguins' all-time leader in games played after surpassing Mario Lemieux (915 games) two seasons ago. No player in the franchise's history has eclipsed the 1,000-game mark, and Crosby being the first would be special.
Ovechkin vs. Crosby: Race to 1,300 points
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
Crosby and Ovechkin have been going head-to-head since they both stepped into the league 15 years ago. So it's fitting that the two will be racing toward a major milestone this late in their careers.
Ovechkin sits 22 points shy of 1,300, while Crosby needs 37. Ovechkin looks to be in the driver's seat to hit the mark first, but it certainly isn't impossible for Crosby to beat him.
Only 34 players in league history have registered 1,300-plus points, and with them both playing at a top-tier level, Crosby and Ovechkin could get high on the list. Ovechkin has averaged 1.05 points per game over the past three seasons, while Crosby has managed 1.16. The race to 1,300 may come down to the wire.
Fleury: No. 4 on the all-time wins list
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Marc-Andre Fleury needs 19 wins this season to pass Ed Belfour for No. 4 on the all-time goalie wins list. The feat would be easier to accomplish for Fleury if Robin Lehner wasn't in Vegas, but it's still well within reach.
Barring injury, Lehner will likely start more games than Fleury this season. Fleury could conservatively still get the nod for 20-25 matchups, which means his record will need to be nearly flawless for him to reach the milestone this campaign.
Trotz: No. 3 all time in coaching wins
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New York Islanders bench boss Barry Trotz has been an NHL head coach since 1998, so it's no surprise that he's set to become one of the winningest coaches of all time this year.
With five victories this season, Trotz will pass Ken Hitchcock and rank No. 3 on the all-time coaching wins list - trailing only Joel Quenneville and Scotty Bowman. Trotz is also 26 games away from joining Quenneville and Bowman as the only coaches in NHL history who have led teams for 1,700-plus games.
Trotz has logged only one losing season since 2003. He's won two Jack Adams awards, and his Washington Capitals took the Stanley Cup in 2018. He spent 15 seasons with the Nashville Predators, four with the Capitals, and is now entering his third year with the New York Islanders. His coaching skills are superb, and this milestone is about as automatic as possible.
The St. Louis Blues moved star forward Vladimir Tarasenko to long-term injured reserve, the club announced Wednesday.
Tarasenko underwent a third shoulder surgery in late August, and St. Louis planned to re-evaluate him in late January. He had been on the standard injured reserve until Wednesday.
The Blues were expected to place the Russian sniper on LTIR in order to get cap compliant before the start of the regular season. His entire $7.5-million cap hit is now off the books until he returns.
Tarasenko had his second shoulder surgery after playing only 10 regular-season games in 2019-20. He did not return before the pause and played only four contests in August before leaving the bubble for another evaluation that led to his most recent procedure.
The 29-year-old underwent his first shoulder surgery in April 2018.
The Detroit Red Wings named forward Dylan Larkin captain, the team announced Wednesday. The 24-year-old is the 37th player to wear the "C" in franchise history.
Larkin is the team's first captain since Henrik Zetterberg, who was leader of the team from 2012-18. He's the team's fourth captain in the past 34 years, joining Zetterberg, Steve Yzerman, and Nicklas Lidstrom.
The Michigan native was selected with the 15th pick in the 2014 draft and has been the face of the franchise through the club's rebuild. He was selected to the All-Star Game in his rookie season, becoming the first Red Wing to accomplish the feat since Yzerman in 1984.
Set to enter his sixth season in the NHL, Larkin has served as an alternate captain the past two seasons. He's amassed 107 goals and 159 assists in 389 games so far in his career and has led the Red Wings in scoring the past three seasons.
Four NHL teams now remain without a captain: the New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators, and Vegas Golden Knights.
The 2020-21 NHL season could very well end up being the most unpredictable season in recent memory thanks to COVID-19, division realignment, and other factors. With that in mind, let's get to 21 predictions - some complete long shots and others that are realistic. Here goes nothing:
1. Auston Matthews earns his first "Rocket" Richard Trophy
There are three reasons why Matthews will lead the NHL in goals. One, the Maple Leafs sniper has shown he's worthy: Since debuting in October 2016, Matthews ranks second in goals and goals per game with 158 and 0.56, trailing only Alex Ovechkin (181, 0.58) while edging out David Pastrnak (155, 0.53) and Nikita Kucherov (153, 0.50). Two, Matthews' wingers to start the year - Joe Thornton and Mitch Marner - are elite playmakers. Three, perennial "Rocket" Richard winner Ovechkin could finally hit a wall, Pastrnak is starting the year on the sidelines, and Kucherov is out for the entire regular season. Leon Draisaitl, Jack Eichel, and Nathan MacKinnon will surely provide stiff competition for the scoring crown, but Matthews is the preseason front-runner.
Dave Reginek / Getty Images
2. Penguins' Zucker-Malkin-Rust line is unstoppable
Pittsburgh's top-six forward group is almost unfair. Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel power a line with Evan Rodrigues, while Evgeni Malkin anchors a second trio with Bryan Rust and Jason Zucker. That "second" line is going to destroy in 2020-21. Malkin and Rust jelled in 2019-20, with the Pens outscoring opponents 45-30 with both on the ice at even strength. Zucker, who spent most of his 15 games alongside Crosby after coming over from Minnesota, should be a perfect fit. All three are strong on the puck, capable of scoring 20 goals in a 56-game season, and skate like the wind. Don't be surprised if it's the Malkin-led line - not Crosby's trio - that paces the NHL in production.
3. Connor McDavid/Nathan MacKinnon debate quiets down
After a couple of years on top, McDavid's been demoted to arguably the best player in the world thanks to a tremendous 2019-20 showing from MacKinnon. In 2020-21, though, McDavid will remind us who's boss. He had a whole five months to stew over the MacKinnon lovefest and the corresponding chatter about McDavid's shortcomings as a defender. Motivation, individually and at a team level, will be at an all-time high. And, unlike his summer of 2019, which was dominated by rehab, McDavid spent this offseason working on his game. Now, this isn't to slam MacKinnon - he'll be his usual force of nature. He might even lead the league in scoring. Who knows. The point is, McDavid will regain his best-player-on-the-planet status.
4. 2020-21 becomes the year of the rookie goalie
Listen, Alexis Lafreniere is going to absolutely kill it on Broadway. Ditto for Kirill Kaprizov in St. Paul. The two most highly anticipated members of the incoming rookie class shouldn't be ignored. But with a pair of promising goalies - Igor Shesterkin of the Rangers and Ilya Sorokin of the Islanders - also eligible for the Calder Trophy and playing in good team environments, it's not a stretch to suggest the rookie-of-the-year conversation will end up focused on thecrease. With small sample sizes due to the shortened regular season, a hot stretch from one - or both - of these 25-year-old Russians could go a long way in winning over voters and NHL fans at large.
Bruce Bennett / Getty Images
5. Tkachuk brothers post Gordie Howe hat tricks in the same game
Recording a Gordie Howe hat trick (one goal, one assist, and one fight in the same game) is a rare feat these days. Fighting is nearly extinct and the list of NHLers who employ a rough-and-tumble style and contribute offensively is about a dozen names long. Brothers Matthew Tkachuk and Brady Tkachuk are definitely on that list, however, and if their health allows, the sport's best sibling rivalry will be a go nine times in 2020-21. This prediction is admittedly a long shot, considering neither has a Gordie Howe hat trick right now. But if there was ever a scenario in which the Calgary Tkachuk and the Ottawa Tkachuk posted one, it would happen during a North Division battle.
6. Patrick Marleau sets record for games played, promptly retires
There won't be much to celebrate in San Jose this season. The Sharks have relocated to Scottsdale, Arizona, to start 2020-21 and on-ice expectations are relatively low. Marleau's pursuit of the games-played record, then, counts as excitement. The 41-year-old is set to play his 23rd NHL season - and 21st in a Sharks uniform - with 1,723 games to his name, good for fifth all time. The record, held by Gordie Howe, is 1,767. That 44-game difference is 79% of the regular-season schedule. It's a difficult but doable task for a guy who's on a league-minimum contract and not nearly as effective as he once was. Marleau is an icon in the Bay Area and beloved across the NHL. He deserves this chase and one last moment as he, presumably, skates off into the sunset.
7. Taylor Hall finds better chemistry with Eric Staal than Jack Eichel
As of this writing, the Sabres' top line features Jack Eichel between Taylor Hall and Tage Thompson. The second line has Eric Staal centering Victor Olofsson and Sam Reinhart. It's an enviable top six, especially by Buffalo's perennial bottom-feeder standards. Stylistically, though, swapping the two left wingers - Hall and Olofsson - would make a ton of sense. Both Hall and Eichel excel at transporting the puck through the neutral zone and, generally speaking, love to possess the puck in the offensive zone. So there might not be enough puck to go around if they're sharing the ice on a regular basis. The coaching staff obviously knows this, but you can't blame the Sabres for loading up the top trio to start. Watch for some line juggling in Buffalo as the season moves along.
Jamie Sabau / Getty Images
8. Pierre-Luc Dubois stays longer than Patrik Laine
The reported trade demands made by Dubois and Laine are similar but different - similar because they're two 22-year-old stars trying to force their way out of small markets, different because Dubois is under contract for this season and next while Laine is a restricted free agent next offseason. With the Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky sagas of 2018-19, the Blue Jackets showed that they're capable of plowing through drama. The Jets, on the other hand, have a strong leadership group that must be frustrated with the timing of Laine's request. Winnipeg's core won't be intact forever and the North Division is wide-open. If a team ponies up a high-end defenseman, there's incentive for the Jets to trade Laine ASAP, whereas the Dubois situation appears to be headed for a divorce further down the line - perhaps next offseason amid the expansion draft, entry draft, and free agency.
9. The Wild are exciting - for a change
Year after year, we bemoan the boringness of the Wild. They're always in the mushy middle of the standings and their players don't often capture the attention of folks outside of Minnesota. This year should be different. The arrival of Kirill Kaprizov instantly makes them must-see TV. Same for the presence of Marco Rossi, who's out with an upper-body injury to start the year but is expected to see at least six NHL games. Kevin Fiala scored 14 goals in the final 18 games of the 2019-20 regular season, so he's a player to monitor closely. Jared Spurgeon and Jonas Brodin could be one of the most effective defense pairings in the league. The meh goaltending duo of Cam Talbot and Alex Stalock will be an adventure. And the Wild are favored to claim the fourth playoff spot in a top-heavy West Division.
10. Jack Hughes leads all second-year players in points
Last season wasn't pretty for Jack Hughes. He had a Patrik Stefan-level rookie campaign, picking up just seven goals and 21 points in 61 games. His underlying numbers weren't encouraging either. Still, expect a redemptive 2020-21 from the 2019 top pick. The Devils, as an organization, have stabilized, which couldn't be said last year, when the coach and general manager were both fired and Taylor Hall was traded. Hughes, who struggled with the physical elements of the NHL, has added 14 pounds of "pure muscle" to his 5-foot-11 frame over a 10-month break. And, to be frank, he's simply too freaking good - that skating, that vision, that playmaking - to repeat those icky results. Hughes' competition for top point-getter among sophomores includes Victor Olofsson, Dominik Kubalik, Denis Gurianov, Nick Suzuki, Cale Makar, and his brother, Quinn Hughes. Yep, Jack 2.0 can lead this group.
Jonathan Kozub / Getty Images
11. Coyotes finish last in offense; Blackhawks finish last in defense
It's not every year that you can look across the league ahead of opening night and confidently identify the teams likely to finish last in goals for per game and last in goals against per game. There's usually plenty of competition for these lowly distinctions. But in 2020-21, the firepower-deprived Coyotes and the Blackhawks, with no true No. 1 goalie and a subpar blue line, are easy targets. Seriously, who on Arizona's roster beyond Phil Kessel, Clayton Keller, Nick Schmaltz, and Barrett Hayton is going to ignite the attack? How exactly is Chicago, a club that allowed a league-high 30 scoring chances per 60 minutes of five-on-five action last year, going to keep the puck out of its net when Collin Delia and Malcolm Subban are sharing the crease?
12. Josh Anderson outscores trade buddy Max Domi
October's Anderson-for-Domi trade was a classic change-of-scenery swap. In moving to Montreal, Anderson cleansed his palate after recording just four points in an injury-ravaged 26-game season. Meanwhile, Domi fell out of favor with the Canadiens, barely playing in the bubbled postseason, but has managed to slide into the Blue Jackets' No. 2 center spot. Both forwards are attempting to recapture their form from 2018-19, when Domi bagged 28 goals and Anderson potted 27. Now, who bounces back in a greater way? Anderson feels like the smarter pick. His rare combination of size, skating, and sniping should mix well with a Habs forward group that has multiple playmakers but could use another natural finisher. Plus, Domi might be forced to alter his style a bit within John Tortorella's defense-first system.
13. Predators sell at trade deadline
In terms of timelines and trajectories, the Predators are one of the league's most perplexing teams. Nashville competed in the 2017 Stanley Cup Final and won the President's Trophy in 2017-18 but has since advanced past the first round of the playoffs only once. The roster, as usual, lacks dynamic forwards; Ryan Johansen, Matt Duchene, Viktor Arvidsson, and Filip Forsberg don't quite qualify as "game breakers." Then again, the team has no issues between the pipes or on the back end, with Roman Josi leading possibly the NHL's best blue line. Still, the Preds might miss the playoffs in a Central Division featuring Tampa Bay, Carolina, Dallas, Columbus, and Florida. Is this the year David Poile, the club's GM since 1997, pivots to a deeperretool? He already has $5 million in cap space, which could be used during next offseason's transaction period. If things go south on the ice, moving more money out and adding more draft picks at the deadline would be the right call.
Elsa / Getty Images
14. Analytics darling Ondrej Kase (finally) breaks out
Two summers ago, Ondrej Kase, then a member of the Ducks, led The Athletic's list of the top 10 breakout candidates for 2019-20. Last winter, The Hockey News dubbed Kase a "potential breakout star" after Boston acquired the right winger from Anaheim. Those are only two examples, as Kase has been a so-called "analytics darling" as far back as 2018. The case for his imminent emergence has largely focused on the potential of him seeing more ice and playing with high-quality linemates. Kase, who is in his prime at 25, has shown flashes of brilliance, posting a career 53.5% Corsi For rating and elite per-60 minute stats through 204 NHL games. This coming season, with star David Pastrnak expected to miss a few weeks of action, the Bruins will be moving pieces around on the lineup card. Kase could have a golden opportunity.
15. Norris Trophy voting pits youngsters against mid-career guys
A season removed from a fascinating Calder Trophy battle between Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes, as well as a brilliant postseason from Miro Heiskanen, the Norris Trophy debate is going to be heated. You have the 23-and-under cohort - Makar, Hughes, Heiskanen, Adam Fox, Rasmus Dahlin, Thomas Chabot - colliding with a mid-career group headlined by Jaccob Slavin, Seth Jones, Alex Pietrangelo, Roman Josi, John Carlson, and Victor Hedman. (If such a thing were possible, there might be too many excellent defensemen in the league right now.) The 2019-20 Norris voting process spit out a top five of Josi, Carlson, Hedman, Pietrangelo, and Slavin. Count on at least two of the 23-and-under guys to crack the 2020-21 list.
16. 2020-21 determines if Alex Ovechkin has a real chance at goals record
Alex Ovechkin enters the season 188 goals behind Wayne Gretzky on the all-time list. His 706 tallies in 1,152 games are a remarkable feat, yet outside factors have once again conspired against the Capitals captain. COVID-19 robbed Ovechkin of 13 games last year and is limiting him to a maximum of 56 games in 2020-21. (Also of note, he appeared in only 48 games in 2012-13 because of the lockout.) In other words, the 35-year-old is running out of runway. If he hits 34 goals this year - the equivalent of 50 goals in an 82-game season - the Russian marksman would still be 154 goals short of the record. That's roughly five more 30-goal years or roughly three more 50-goal years. So, even if the goals continue to roll in, simply scoring often won't be enough. Ovechkin will need to score a lot this season and then continue to score a lot while remaining healthy for another three to five years.
Jeff Vinnick / Getty Images
17. Upcoming UFA class loses luster
Relative to the transaction-happy NBA, the NHL stages a tame free agency period. The brightest stars tend to stay put, curtailing the number of jaw-dropping developments. The upcoming UFA class probably won't reverse that trend when the market opens on July 28. The list of pending UFAs who qualify as a "big name" includes Alex Ovechkin, Dougie Hamilton, Gabriel Landeskog, Taylor Hall, Ryan Getzlaf, Tuukka Rask, David Krejci, Paul Stastny, Phillip Danault, Eric Staal, Kyle Palmieri, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Pekka Rinne, and Frederik Andersen. On the surface, that's an average UFA class. But, the issue - from an entertainment standpoint, anyway - is that Hall, Getzlaf, Danault, Staal, and Andersen are the only players from that group of 14 who seem destined to test the market. The other nine appear primed to either re-sign with their current clubs or, in the cases of Rask and Rinne, maybe retire.
18. League save percentage dips below .910
The average save percentage in the NHL has been slowly sliding over the past handful of years. It's gone from .915 in 2015-16 to .910 the last two seasons. In 2020-21, a perfect storm of factors could push the league SV% below .910 for the first time since 2008-09 and closer to the post-lockout lows of .905 and .901. The absence of exhibition games should lead to extra goals in the early going. Historically, scoring is high in the first month or so of action anyway, and that first month should have a greater impact on the final numbers in a four-month season. Plus, we can use the 48-game 2012-13 campaign - where the league save percentage drooped to .912 from .914 - as precedent.
19. Tyler Johnson has huge year, ends up in Seattle
The "Tyler Johnson Revenge Tour" has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? The twist is that the Lightning forward hasn't been traded or left Tampa Bay via free agency. He's still a member of the only pro hockey franchise he's known. So, oddly, the revenge tour will be against his own club and GM Julien BriseBois, who placed him on waivers this offseason because of the roster's cap constraints and again Monday just to slip under the cap for opening night. In both cases, Johnson went unclaimed, which is awkward and can't be an easy pill to swallow for a useful forward.
Johnson was never drafted and, at 5-foot-8, is one of the smaller players in NHL history. This latest setback won't knock him down. With the Seattle expansion draft looming, there's no better time for the Spokane, Washington, native to strut his stuff and produce at a high rate as he has done in the past - notably in 2014-15 when he put up 72 points in 77 games. Johnson has been taking reps on both of Tampa's power-play units and lining up with Anthony Cirelli and Alex Killorn at even strength, so the table is set.
20. Joe Sakic wins Jim Gregory GM of the Year Award
You can see this one from a mile away. Joe Sakic, revered in NHL circles for his work diligently building the Avalanche into a contender, is not only "due" to be named GM of the year, but he's also closed some impressive deals. In recent trades, he's acquired top-six forward Brandon Saad and top-four blue-liner Devon Toews for, essentially, Nikita Zadorov and two second-round picks. The continued development of Ryan Graves - a defenseman Sakic signed to a nice three-year extension in October - and the expected emergence of rookie Bowen Byram will help pad Sakic's case. Overall, the Avs are structured to win the Stanley Cup now and for the foreseeable future. Sakic, who has never won the Gregory, finished fourth in voting last year. If Colorado lives up to expectations, Sakic's the obvious choice in 2020-21.
21. Owen Power is NOT drafted first overall
Power, the towering University of Michigan defenseman, is a terrific young player. A Victor Hedman clone of some kind, he has a tantalizing on-ice toolbox and gaudy physical attributes. Several pundits currently have him penciled in as the best prospect in the 2021 draft, and any NHL team would be lucky to select Power first overall in July. That being said, there is a handful of other contenders for the No. 1 pick. Taking the field is currently the better bet, with the likes of Matthew Beniers, Brandt Clarke, Simon Edvinsson, William Eklund, Dylan Guenther, and Luke Hughes also in the running.
John Matisz is theScore's national hockey writer. You can follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) and contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).
When the NHL unveiled its 2020-21 divisions, the headlines wrote themselves.
The North? Novel. The league's seven Canadian teams, six of which are highly competitive and all of them possessing star power, competing exclusively against each other? Buckle up.
The East? The Metropolitan on steroids. Only four teams out of Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington, both New York clubs, and Boston will make the playoffs. And Taylor Hall's in Buffalo.
The Central? Layered. Tampa Bay, Carolina, and Dallas are in contention for the division title. Three teams are vying for the final playoff spot. Detroit and Chicago will lose a lot.
The West? Top-heavy. The Stanley Cup could very well be awarded to Colorado or Vegas. Or St. Louis, a third top-10 team in the NHL. Otherwise, nothing to see here.
Andy Devlin / Getty Images
As the season approached and teams settled into their respective training camps, it became clear that, no, actually, there's plenty to see in the West. In fact, as a general rule heading into Wednesday's opening night, don't sleep on the West. It's spicier, messier, and more interesting than it looks at first glance, bursting at the seams with storylines and subplots.
Let's start with the Golden Knights, who made the biggest offseason splash by inking star blue-liner Alex Pietrangelo to a monster deal. Pietrangelo, who finished fourth in 2019-20 Norris Trophy voting, instantly became the club's best player, though shipping center Paul Stastny and defenseman Nate Schmidt out of town to fit Pietrangelo under the cap stings.
Since joining the league in 2017, Vegas management hasn't been shy to pull the trigger on big-time transactions. They've built a perennial Cup contender off creativity, aggression, and, in some ways, being cutthroat. The original core - what remains of it, anyway - is absolutely dying for a championship.
"100%," said sophomore center Cody Glass, who, along with speedster Chandler Stephenson, is tasked with filling the void left by Stastny's departure. "Ever since Day 1 when I got here, that's all they've been talking about: Being that last team standing and winning the Stanley Cup."
Part of the fun this season will be watching Vegas strive to hit another peak in Pete DeBoer's first full campaign behind the bench while simultaneously wondering if last season's drama involving goalie Marc-Andre Fleury is completely in the past or simmering beneath the surface.
Ethan Miller / Getty Images
The Golden Knights alone make the West spicy, and the schedule maker's greatest gift is an outdoor game versus the Avalanche at picturesque Lake Tahoe in February. It'll be one of eight head-to-heads between the two powerhouses in a span of 10 weeks.
"They've got that top line, of (Nathan) MacKinnon, (Gabriel) Landeskog, and (Mikko) Rantanen, and you've just got to maintain them the best you can and try not to give up many scoring chances because they'll burn you on the scoresheet," Glass said of the Avs' attack. "Luckily for us, we have two really good goaltenders. I think that's playing to our (advantage), but you can't take them lightly. Every game's going to be a playoff game against them, and it's going to be a good season series that we have against them this year."
Colorado's top line - MacKinnon, in particular - is going to feast on the division's lower-end teams. The Avs boast a lethal offense padded by the recent additions of top-six winger Brandon Saad and top-four defenseman Devon Toews. The defense corps is as mobile and versatile as any in the NHL. Goaltending is the only true question mark for coach Jared Bednar, but anything better than average will be gravy for this team.
Icon Sportswire / Getty Images
The Blues are in a similar spot, with the jury still out on netminder Jordan Binnington's capabilities as a surefire NHL starter. His safety valve - Pietrangelo - is gone, and St. Louis' top goal scorer, Vladimir Tarasenko, is sidelined indefinitely. However, the arrivals of dynamic defenseman Torey Krug and sniping winger Mike Hoffman help offset some of the value lost. The 2018 Cup champs, led by new captain Ryan O'Reilly, are still to be feared.
"For everyone in the division, those are the measuring sticks," Ducks defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk said of Vegas, Colorado, and St. Louis. "Those are the teams that we're going to have to gear ourselves up for and take some notes as well since they do so much well to get to that point."
The division gets messy after the Big Three. Minnesota, Arizona, Anaheim, Los Angeles, and San Jose are all grasping for the final playoff spot. The Wild, buoyed by a strong defensive unit and dazzling rookie Kirill Kaprizov, should claim it. Yet, as a retooling team with virtually no center depth and a checkered recent past of on-ice success, there are no guarantees.
"It's been a lot of ups and downs," Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin said. "We've been really good for 20 games, and then we've been bad, and then we've been good again. We need to be more consistent. Like, same level all the time, almost. This year, I think we have a great team. I'm excited."
The Coyotes are difficult to peg, as well. The organization has changed dramatically off the ice after hiring GM Bill Armstrong, but their opening-night lineup doesn't inspire much confidence, especially on offense. Still, there's a very real scenario where Arizona is in the thick of the playoff hunt. If healthy, the team's stellar goaltending tandem of Darcy Kuemper and Antti Raanta can keep them in most games, raising its ceiling.
"We're a group that people probably count out, and people aren't probably expecting us to do much. We're going to roll with that, thrive off that," said Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun, who is entering his fifth NHL season. "We like our team. We like the group we have here. Our core has grown together over the last number of years. We're just going to continue to look to take the next step. We believe that we should be in the postseason."
Brandon Magnus / Getty Images
There's a decent chance L.A., San Jose, and Anaheim occupy the bottom three spots in the West by season's end, so it's tempting for those outside the local markets to dismiss them. But each franchise, in their own unique situations, are fascinating.
San Jose, for instance, is on the road for all of January - and possibly longer - because a regional stay-at-home order has locked it out of the SAP Center. The Sharks staged their training camp in Arizona and have opening-month series scheduled against the Coyotes, Blues, Wild, and Avalanche. They went from competing in the Western Conference Final in 2018-19 to missing last year's 24-team bubbled postseason after a horrendous regular season. The Sharks' long list of moneymakers, from Erik Karlsson and Brent Burns to Logan Couture and Marc-Edouard Vlasic to Timo Meier and Tomas Hertl, need to perform, or the shortened season could get away from them quickly.
In the crease, Devan Dubnyk joins incumbent Martin Jones following an offseason trade between San Jose and Minnesota. Both netminders have years of starter's experience but are fresh off poor statistical seasons. It's not a matter of one showing up. Dubnyk and Jones must form a solid tandem.
"In order for us to be successful, we both have to play well," Dubnyk, 34, said. "There's no one way around it. Maybe, at the end of the year down the stretch, if someone gets hot, they're going to (become the unquestioned No. 1). For the most part, every team is going to need two goalies. That's an exciting opportunity for him and I."
He added: "The parity in the league is crazy. I don't think that there's any reason why you should count a team out or guarantee a team in. ... I think this group has shown a ton of consistency in the past as far as being successful and making the playoffs. There's been some changes, yes, but I think we also have some huge pieces back that make us healthier than they were in the past. If you click and you get on a good roll, every game is difficult."
The Kings, meanwhile, are on an upward trajectory. This season will help determine how close they are to moving out of a rebuild and into the playoffs again. Former Norris Trophy winner Drew Doughty is a player to watch after his strong comments about being "written off." The same goes for all the young or new players who'll see ice, including Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Andreas Athanasiou, Lias Andersson, and Kale Clague. Will Quinton Byfield debut?
L.A. and Anaheim face off five times over a 12-day period in late April/early May. It could either be a heated, playoff-style battle or a cluster of games for lottery seeding. The Ducks' fortunes, probably unfairly, might hinge on goaltender John Gibson. Having missed the playoffs in consecutive years for the first time since the early 2000s, there's no shortage of motivation.
"I think there's a hunger here, after what happened last year and the year before with the results, to get back on track and be a formidable team to play against," said Shattenkirk, who signed a three-year deal this offseason. "We have a lot of guys who are just competitors. That's what it's going to come down to. Teams are going to learn early on that maybe we're not the Anaheim Ducks that they were used to playing these last couple of years.
"Playoffs, for sure," he added. "That's certainly a goal of ours."
In this top-heavy division, there's a spot waiting for one of these other teams.
John Matisz is theScore's national hockey writer. You can follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) and contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).
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The headline "fearless bets" came to be due to most of these bets' relatively long odds.
I don't believe these are fearless, nor bold, nor outlandish. Rather, they're calculated, meticulous, and precise. They are valuable opportunities to capitalize on an inefficient market.
So without further ado, here are my favorite value bets for the 2021 NHL season, in predictions form, because everyone seems to love those.
The Hurricanes win the Stanley Cup (+2000)
This is the year it all comes together for the Hurricanes. They're stacked with legitimate star power - Sebastian Aho, 23, and Andrei Svechnikov, 20, are only getting better - and are absurdly deep from top to bottom. Carolina was on pace for nearly 100 points in the standings last year despite some key injuries, leading the NHL in Corsi percentage and expected goals for.
The Hurricanes' top-eight point-getters were all 26 years old or younger last season and merely scraping the surface of their potential. It's far from bold to predict further improvement from their young core, a top-three finish in Norris voting for Dougie Hamilton, and above-average goaltending from the Petr Mrazek-James Reimer duo. Under the expert coaching of Rod Brind'Amour, the Hurricanes make the jump from good to great in 2021.
...and the Central Division (+450)
Yeah, I'm all-in on Carolina this year. With Nikita Kucherov missing the regular season, the window of opportunity opens for the Hurricanes. They match up really well with the Lightning from top to bottom, with the difference between the two teams being significantly smaller than this price suggests.
The Canadiens win the North Division (+460)
Another team I'm higher on than the market this year are the Canadiens. Analytical darlings of the NHL, Montreal is a strong puck-possession squad that generates a lot more chances than it allows. Positive results will finally follow this season after an excellent offseason.
Josh Anderson and Tyler Toffoli bring much-needed scoring up front, Nick Suzuki and Jesperi Kotkaniemi break out, and Jonathan Drouin - who started last season with 15 points in 19 games before getting injured - finally puts it all together. Jake Allen - fourth in GSAA/60 last season among goalies with at least 15 appearances - delivers as the backup for Carey Price that this team has long been looking for. Behind the stout goaltending tandem and one of the league's deepest rosters, the Canadiens - who went 10-3-2 against Canadian teams last year - win the North Division.
The Capitals miss the playoffs (+165) for the first time since 2014 ... and the Devils take their place (+400)
I'll go out on a limb and say Corey Crawford retiring wasn't such a bad thing for the Devils. It leaves a void at the backup position but thrusts MacKenzie Blackwood into a prominent full-time role, which is a good thing. The 24-year-old was second among all starters last season in HDSV% and ninth (out of 87) in GSAA. It led to Blackwood posting a 22-14-8 record, while New Jersey went 6-15-4 without him.
In his first season as a full-time starter, Blackwood breaks out in a big way and thrusts himself into the top-five in Vezina voting. Nico Hischier takes a big step forward, and Jack Hughes finds his game after a bitterly disappointing rookie season - much like Leon Draisaitl and Joe Thornton - as a young, hungry Devils team secures an unlikely playoff appearance at the expense of the Capitals, who begin their downward trajectory behind an aging core.
Thomas Chabot averages nearly 30 minutes a game and wins the Norris Trophy (+2800)
It's not entirely outlandish, given he led the NHL with 26:00 TOI/G last season. Chabot is a workhorse, and his ice time has increased significantly each year he's been in the league. There was a stretch of 10 games from Dec. 17 to Jan. 11 in 2019-20 where he averaged 31:31 TOI, and the Senators took points from six of those contests.
Another jump in average ice time, coupled with a return to his 2018-19 point-scoring form on an improved Ottawa team, helps Chabot pull ahead of a loaded field to become the youngest player to win the Norris since former Senator Erik Karlsson in 2015 - also in his age-24 season.
Alex Moretto is theScore's supervising editor of sports betting. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, strongly believes in the power of the jinx, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.
