Michael Traikos and Ryan Kennedy discuss season outlooks for the Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers, Colorado Avalanche and San Jose Sharks. Sam Lafferty [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAxNTEyNjE1MDg2NjYzMjg5/usatsi_21654162.jpg] Sam Lafferty With 32 games in the books by the end of Saturday night, we're just over 2 percent of the way through the 2023-24 NHL season. Teams have barely gotten their feet wet, but there are a couple of fanbases already nervously wondering whether they should sound the alarm: I'm looking at you, Edmonton and Buffalo. The first week — even the first month — can be notoriously chaotic, especially for players and coaches who are starting with a new club this fall. Here's a look at the new faces who have landed on the positive side of the ledger so far, relative to what might have been expected. ROOKIES Yes, Connor Bedard is unavoidable — doing all the interviews, popping up in ads and averaging a whopping 22:05 of ice time while starting his NHL career with a three-game point streak with one goal and two assists. That type of consistency is already a hallmark of Bedard's game. With the Regina Pats in the WHL last season, he was held pointless in Game 1 before finding the score sheet in the next 35 consecutive games. By the time he was held pointless in his 37th game of the year against the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Feb. 3, 2023, he was already up to 44 goals and 46 assists for a league-leading 90 points. Bedard's also familiar with the two raw rookies who have also made big impacts for their teams. Logan Cooley, who picked up two assists in Arizona's 4-3 shootout win over the New Jersey Devils on Friday, suited up opposite Bedard for Team USA at the last two World Junior Championships and a pair of U18 tournaments. As for Zach Benson who grew up in the B.C. community of Chilliwack, the pair started out battling against each other before eventually becoming allies on an all-star spring hockey team. Drafted 13th by Buffalo last June, Benson was a surprise addition to the Sabres' opening-night roster. And while his team is still in search of its first win, he has done his bit with two assists in two games. FREE AGENTS Missing key defensemen Brandon Montour and Aaron Ekblad and starting the season on a tough road trip, the Florida Panthers have opened the season with losses in Minnesota and Winnipeg. But after a largely nomadic NHL career, Evan Rodrigues is showing early signs that a bit of job security agrees with him. After signing a four-year deal with a cap hit of $3 million a season on July 2, Rodrigues was in on the scoring on all four of the Panthers' goals in their 6-4 loss to Winnipeg on Saturday, tallying two goals and two assists. That puts the 30-year-old nearly 10 percent of the way to his previous career high of 43 points with the Pittsburgh Penguins back in 2021-22. With some holes to fill up front, Boston looks like it's going to be a good home for James van Riemsdyk to have a bounce-back season. Paying no mind, once again, to the doomsayers who predict a drop in their fortunes, the Bruins have opened with a pair of wins. And on a one-year contract at just $1 million, the 34-year-old winger scored twice in Boston's 3-2 win over Nashville on Saturday, including the game-winner. Another traveller who continues to put the puck in the net is Daniel Sprong. Now on his fifth team after chipping in 21 goals in a bottom-six role for the Seattle Kraken last season, the 26-year-old inked a one-year 3deal worth $2 million with the Detroit Red Wings on July 1. Sprong and the Red Wings are off to a decent start as well. In the battle to see which promising squad from the Atlantic rises to the next level this season, Detroit is off to a 1-1-0 start with a plus-1 goal differential. TRADED PLAYERS Back in his home state of Michigan at last, Alex DeBrincat is quickly showing why he chose to engineer a deal to a market of his choosing before signing a four-year contract extension with a cap hit of $7.875 million. As the Red Wings opened the season at 1-1-0, DeBrincat has been part of four of the Wings' nine goals to date, scoring three times and adding one assist. And while they seemed like minor deals when they happened, the Vancouver Canucks may not have strung together a pair of wins against the Edmonton Oilers without the contributions of new additions Casey DeSmith and Sam Lafferty. Both former Pittsburgh Penguins who have a degree of familiarity with Canucks president Jim Rutherford and GM Patrik Allvin, DeSmith was acquired from the Montreal Canadiens on Sept. 19 in exchange for winger Tanner Pearson and a third-round pick. It was unexpected when he made his debut with his new team after a flu-ridden Thatcher Demko stepped away from Vancouver's eventual 8-1 win midway through the third period. But he stopped all five shots he faced and was called upon against the swarming Oilers again in Edmonton on Saturday — making 37 stops to preserve a 4-3 win. The player who scored the game-winner is even lower on Vancouver's seniority ladder: center Sam Lafferty, who was snapped up from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for a fifth-round pick so that the Leafs didn't have to lose him on waivers. After just one practice with his new squad, Lafferty's debut on Wednesday was solid, as he logged 18:00 in a mostly defensive role. Saturday, he played hero — breaking a 3-3 tie off the rush and giving the Canucks a lead that they were able to preserve against arguably the most dangerous offense in the league. At Rogers Place in Edmonton, Lafferty and DeSmith were named the game's first two stars, with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins earning the third-star nod for the 0-2 Oilers. As for Lafferty's old team — the 2-0 Maple Leafs have mostly leaned on familiar faces. Free-agent signing John Klingberg has been the biggest difference-maker so far, with three assists in two games. A shout-out, also, to Mackenzie Blackwood — for making history. Acquired by the San Jose Sharks in exchange for just a sixth-round pick, the stout stopper dazzled in his debut in teal, stopping 51 shots before the impressive Colorado Avalanche prevailed 2-1 in a shootout. It was a brilliant and historic start for the often-injured 26-year-old as he achieved the most stops in history by a netminder with a new team. COACHES As for this season's six new coaches, it appears that growing pains will be the order of the day. Peter Laviolette swept away all the doomsaying around the pre-season when the New York Rangers galloped out to a 5-1 win in Buffalo. But they couldn't maintain their momentum in Columbus on Saturday, giving Pascal Vincent his first career win as an NHL head coach and lifting the Blue Jackets to a 1-1-0 record. Another former assistant, Ryan Huska, is also 1-1-0 with the Calgary Flames — starting well at home with a 5-3 win over the Winnipeg Jets before dropping a 5-2 decision in Pittsburgh. Through three games, the Nashville Predators have scored eight and allowed eight. But that has translated to a 1-2-0 record. While Juuse Saros delivered a shutout on home ice against the Seattle Kraken, the penalty kill is an early concern at just 10-for-14, or 71.4 percent. Finally, there's Greg Cronin in Anaheim. The Ducks didn't start their season till Saturday night — on the road at The Fortress against the Vegas Golden Knights. It doesn't get much tougher than that, so we shouldn't read too much into Anaheim's 4-1 loss, where Vegas held a 38-23 edge in shots.
