If there was a word to describe the 23-24 NHL season, chaotic would be it. With two players tallying 100 assists in a season for the first time since Wayne Gretzky, to the news of the Arizona Coyotes’ relocation to Utah, this season will go down as one of the most eventful and drama-filled seasons in league history.
The season started with the 2023 NHL player draft held in the music city of Nashville. After being awarded the first overall pick, the Chicago Blackhawks managed to draft generational talent Connor Bedard. In his rookie season with the Blackhawks, he tallied 61 points in his first 67 with the club, consisting of 22 goals and 39 assists.
The league traveled to the land down under during their preseason stretch with the Coyotes and Los Angeles Kings playing two matches in Australia. Towards the end of the first half of the calendar year, the Minnesota Wild, Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, and Ottawa Senators played four matches in Sweden.
One of the main highlights of the season was the pure domination from the top forwards in the league. Toronto’s Auston Matthews scored 69 goals on the year, one of the highest in the league since Alex Ovechkin entered the league. Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers both tallied 100+ assists, only being two of five in league history to do it.
While these three were the main standouts this year, there were multiple players who shined their lights in different ways. Florida Panthers forward Sam Reinhart broke out as a top-scorer in the league, tallying 57 goals this season. His performance was one of the main factors the Panthers had such a successful season.
In a Cinderella story, the Panthers made it to the Stanley Cup Final last season, being the lowest seed team of 16. However, they managed to clinch the Atlantic division title with a 52-24-6 record.
Along with the Panthers, the Vancouver Canucks took a division title with them winning the Pacific, just falling short of the Dallas Stars for the conference title. Defenseman Quinn Hughes finished the year with 92 points in 82 games, putting him as the top-ranked player to win the Norris Trophy, awarded to the best overall defenseman.
While some players saw players soar, others crashed and burned, teams included. The Coyotes, after receiving letter after letter from the city of Glendale, were finally told they were not welcome and were forced to relocate.
A market was made available in the beehive state of Utah. The owner of the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City made it clear that the Yotes were welcome to play in the Delta Center for their stay. As a result, the league is expected to be seeing fresh ice in SLC for years to come.
Along with this scandal, five players from multiple teams were ripped from their jerseys and sent to London, Canada as a result of a past assault incident that occurred during the 2018 World Juniors Championship tournament.
Disregarding league drama, this season brought together fans from all over the nation, with them filling over 22.5 million seats this season, setting a league record. The league also saw over 55 million views via its multiple streaming and cable programs, making it the most watched since the 2015-16 season.
The league also saw many turned tables as many teams and players went from struggle to dominance. The Oilers were at one point one of the teams in the league; however, once McDavid and Drasaitl sparked, the team saw a boost in standings, landing just behind the Canucks in their division for second place.
Washington Capital Winger Ovechkin began the season in a pickle, being considered washed by many. Being one of the greatest of his generation, Ovechkin dug himself out of his hole and put himself back on pace to beat the league’s all-time goal record, held by Gretzky.
At the end of the year, the cup favorite New York Rangers clinched their fourth franchise President Trophy, leading the league with 114 points. The San Jose Sharks finished at the bottom of the league with 37 points, holding the best odds to win the first overall pick in next year’s draft.
Kucherov led the league in points with 144, consisting of 44 goals and 100 assists. Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets was the best overall goalie with 37 wins. He ended his season with a 0.912 save percentage with an average of 2.39 goals against.
While it can be said for almost every season, it can be said for sure that this season was one of the most action-packed and exciting seasons the league has ever experienced.
