Although we talk about the 2024-25 NHL campaign as one entity, it really is divided five different ways, each of vital importance in the long run. Here's how the season is arranged. Stan Fischler US Hall Of Fame MSG 1. We're into the "first" season now. Exhibition games are important to ferret out the minor leaguers and determine whether prospects such as Brennan Othmann and Brett Berard are ready for the big team. For veterans such as Adam Fox and Chris Kreider the trick is to avoid injury. 2. From Game One through (American) Thanksgiving. This is the sorting out season most important for bubble teams. Teams such as the Islanders, Sabres and Penguins need to pile up "cushion points" to help down the line in the Wild Card homestretch. 3. New Year's Day: This is the beginning of what four-Cup Leafs coach Punch Imlach called "The Beginning Of The Real Season." Team and individual intensity must be revved up at least by ten percent. 4. The Trade Deadline: Deals made on this day will make or break hoping to win the Stanley Cup. The Rangers failed miserably in this department last March. 5. Homestretch: Everything from The Presidents' Trophy to Wild Card positions are decided right up to the final weekend of the season. 6. Stanley Cup Or Bust: You know when and where that expedition failed last spring.
