With the NHL regular season finally here, coaches, players and GMs have had time to reflect on the league's first reduced training camp schedule and how it will impact things moving forward.
As a part of the NHL's collective bargaining agreement, the league has extended to an 84-game regular season along with a shortened pre-season and faster roster finalization process.
There is now only four pre-season games, with veterans who have over 100 NHL games played limited to two exhibition games. That comes with a condensed training camp, which is a reduction from the previous six to eight-game exhibition schedule.
In 2024, five notable NHL players and prospects were injured during the pre-season, including Macklin Celebrini (lower-body injury during training camp), Patrik Laine (sprained left knee), Drew Doughty (fractured left ankle), Artemi Panarin (lower-body injury), and David Reinbacher (knee surgery resulting from a hit).
It was then argued that reducing the number of pre-season games could limit players' exposure to injury and reduce unnecessary risk before the regular season.
So, now that the first shortened pre-season is wrapped up and lineups must be finalized, was the decision to cut the number of games in half beneficial?
In the big picture, there is now less wear-and-tear on top-tier players before an expanded regular season. It also allows coaches to avoid dressing lineups for meaningless exhibition games once they have their roster essentially figured out, potentially reducing the risk of injuries.
On the other side, coaches have expressed concern over condensed practice schedules, with little to no time to test different adjustments.
Ryan Huska, head coach of the Calgary Flames, felt the shorter schedule limited opportunities for young talent to stand out and earn a spot.
"A tougher year for sure, because of the shortened camp, and less opportunities in games," Huska said in a recent interview. "It was hard to tell a few of them that unfortunately, right now you won't be starting here, keep working, and there's chances for you down the road.
"You have to get down to a manageable number, and we're at that point right now where we still only have a couple decisions to make."
Coaches around the league have emphasized the need to make decisions quickly and maximize the limited practice and game time available to them. They have lost the ability to ease players into the lineup, forcing staff to treat the beginning of camp with the same intensity as the regular season.
For the players, specifically more established ones like Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone, the pre-season can't end soon enough.
"For me, personally, I'm excited with the way the camp is (this year). I find that (training camps) drag on a little too much," Stone said in an interview during training camp. "I want to play right away; I want to play the important games. The first (pre-season game) is to get your feet wet, but now, let's get going."
Stone's GM, Kelly McCrimmon, echoed a similar sentiment ahead of training camp earlier this month.
"I think just the urgency to get your work accomplished early is going to be a priority for our team this year," McCrimmon said.
Rod Brind'Amour, defending Stanley Cup champion and head coach of the Carolina Hurricanes, took a different approach. He proposed the idea of eliminating the pre-season entirely.
"I'd say go to 86 games and 0 pre-season", Brind'Amour said in a recent interview on TSN Overdrive. "Why waste games on the fans that don't count? Let's play for real."
In addition to a shortened amount of exhibition games, another change from the new CBA is that there will no longer be any fitness testing during training camp. Most veteran players maintain strict, year-round diets and personal training regimens and no longer rely on camps to get them in shape.
Chicago Blackhawks forward Frank Nazar was straightforward about the league cutting out all the mandatory fitness tests, noting that players are only hurting their own competitive chances by not staying in shape.
"If you're not coming into camp ready to go, in good shape, ready to dominate those tests, then really what are you doing?" Nazar said in a recent interview with the Associated Press. "You're responsible for your own summer and for your own body, and if you're not coming ready to go, then someone’s going to take your spot and for a good reason."
Fitness levels aside, having a more competitive start may benefit the league's most established players, but the pressure is heightened for younger players trying to crack NHL rosters.
While new players face sink-or-swim expectations, finding a young player who is willing to comment negatively on the change is almost non-existent because they are fighting for an NHL roster spot and focusing on what they can control.
The NHL is one of the hardest leagues in the world to break into, and it just got a lot harder.
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