What do you think will be the next big 'trend' in the NHL?

[Stive Morgan]

Still waiting on the next era of goalies that are constantly springing long bomb passes to their teammates.

Dustin Wolf can now that Sutter's finally gone.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Chrome helmets for all 32 teams. Not just LA and Vegas having them. What a true spectacle they are.

oooh. but will they be team themed?

Red chrome for the Flames?

 

[SeanMoneyHands]

oooh. but will they be team themed?

Red chrome for the Flames?

Yes and green chrome for Dallas and blue chrome for Columbus.

 

[Ratbath]

A more regular rotation of different jerseys. I think we will see fewer inclusion night type events leading to fewer jersey options to sell to people leading to more common switching of in-game uniforms during and between seasons

 

[Chootoi]

Load management for skaters not just goalies. Resting certain guys on back to backs on the road. especially if they are considering expanding the schedule and adding games, more travel to Europe etc.

 

[TheDawnOfANewTage]

Bioengineering, man, what chu gonna do when Laine has actual literal rocket wrists?

 

[BaileyFan]

"Vegas won with Hill" is gonna be the new "LA won as an 8th seed, just get in" excuse to give desperate managers and owners carte blanche to go all in with flawed rosters and score that sweet playoff revenue under the guise of contending. We're already seeing that happen with the current Kings.

Also unfortunately I think holding trade candidates out of the lineup for weeks at a time for "trade-related-reasons" even when there's no deal imminent is here to stay.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

"Vegas won with Hill" is gonna be the new "LA won as an 8th seed, just get in" excuse to give desperate managers and owners carte blanche to go all in with flawed rosters and score that sweet playoff revenue under the guise of contending. We're already seeing that happen with the current Kings.

Also unfortunately I think holding trade candidates out of the lineup for weeks at a time for "trade-related-reasons" even when there's no deal imminent is here to stay.

I kind of agree but that's sort of a re-run, isn't it? I remember a lot of "the 2010 final was Niemi vs. Leighton so you just need replacement level goaltending" narrative carrying thru a lot of the decade despite kind of the opposite happening.

 

[Tkachuk4MVP]

This has been the trend for the last 5 years and will only continue so.


I agree that depth will become more and more relevant. Decreasing minutes of star players, a flat cap, and rising cap hits of star players is going to place additional value on depth.

This has been a trend since the ‘04-‘05 lockout.

 

[BaileyFan]

I kind of agree but that's sort of a re-run, isn't it? I remember a lot of "the 2010 final was Niemi vs. Leighton so you just need replacement level goaltending" narrative carrying thru a lot of the decade despite kind of the opposite happening.

I guess, but it was only a few years ago that the narrative was you need 2 good goalies because the Hawks used Darling and the Pens used Murray/Fleury. Now we've evolved to "actually you don't need any good goalies at all" lol.

 

[pigpen65]

Integration of digital ads into everything. The ice will move, the uniforms will move, the crowd will move. Gary says the boards have been a huge success and the fans love the distraction of them moving, so only logical to keep adding more distractions.

 

[Faceboner]

Hopefully more fights again

 

[Toby91ca]

I guess, but it was only a few years ago that the narrative was you need 2 good goalies because the Hawks used Darling and the Pens used Murray/Fleury. Now we've evolved to "actually you don't need any good goalies at all" lol.

The reality is you absolutely need a good goalie to win, the problem is goalies are so streaky, even from a career perspective. Very few have a prolonged career at the top. So, having a good prior track record doesn't mean they'll play well, especially in a short playoff season. Same token, having no track record doesn't mean much either because you can have a guy come out of nowhere and be lights out.

Of course....teams are going to want to find proven goalies and won't simply hope that someone gets hot out of nowhere.

 

[Channelcat]

Bankruptcy

 

[Saskatoon]

I guess, but it was only a few years ago that the narrative was you need 2 good goalies because the Hawks used Darling and the Pens used Murray/Fleury. Now we've evolved to "actually you don't need any good goalies at all" lol.

I think its a little more actually you don't know which goalie is going to be good in a particular year/playoff series so don't invest a lot of cap space into the position.

 

[lawrence]

Hopefully more 1 year contracts.

 

[GreeningOil]

We will start seeing a decline in big/physical players as the NHL slowly moves towards no fighting.

McDavid’s play style will also inspire some younger players coming in. Slow brutes are on their way out!

 

[Three On Zero]

McDavid’s play style will also inspire some younger players coming in. Slow brutes are on their way out!

I don't think its a McDavid thing. Leagues are slowly banning/getting away from fighting. This will likely see a drop off in power forwards/enforcers and make way for more of the small skill/finesse players. Coupled with how we are seeing scoring increase league wide

 

[DaBadGuy7]

5 forwards on the pp

I think going with 5 forwards or 4 forwards and D-men in certain situations with a tight game in the 3rd period should be way to go imo. Teams should be more aggressive to win games in the regular season in regulation.

That expands to my next point, sooner or later teams will realize from an analytical standpoint winning in regulation is 100X better than winning in OT/SO. So why not be aggressive in winning the game late than taking your chances in OT.

 

[MikeK]

The fall of that "energy guy" or that "tough guy". The game is too fast and it's too hard to score most nights so if you can't play you're on your way out. The next trend I see is having all 4 lines that can play just as good as any up and down the lineup. That "energy guy" is becoming obsolete.

 

[GreeningOil]

I don't think its a McDavid thing. Leagues are slowly banning/getting away from fighting. This will likely see a drop off in power forwards/enforcers and make way for more of the small skill/finesse players. Coupled with how we are seeing scoring increase league wide

The fighting part is just because society knows more about CTE, (and other trauma related illnesses) and we’re willing to remove that aspect to increase player safety (and longevity)

I meant the move towards speed and flash in the NHL. I have little nephews that model their game styles after the biggest stars. Which will lead to more of that style (which happens to support removal of fighting and head contact in general)

 

[PositiveCashFlow]

The ability to ice a full roster becoming a 'flex'

 

[EK392000]

Less max term deals. NHL will eventually make the max term 6 years.

 

[Zippy316]

It's already circling the drain, but I don't see the concept of an 'energy line' or 'energy player' surviving much longer.

If you can't score, you can't defend, you can't impact goal differential in any meaningful way, teams aren't going to care how eager you are to hit people for the sake of it.

This has already been somewhat phased out anyways.

The new energy guys are Gourde/Coleman types that focus more on being a forechecking pest than finishing every play with a hit. They’re still bringing the same game but with more of an emphasis on puck possession.

 

[KrisLetAngry]

Wingers are already playing more of a defensive role than centers at this point and it's just a matter of when everyone realizes it.

With Bergeron retired, almost all of the legitimately elite defensive forwards play wing.


This ship has already sailed in the other direction the last couple of years. Scoring among top six players is exploding.

I can get behind this

Lots of defensive wingers in the league today need to get some dues and Selkes.