The 2024-25 National Hockey League season may very well be known as the Year of the Rookie. Whether it’s Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith in San Jose, Matvei Michkov in Philadelphia, Lane Hutson in Montreal or Cutter Gauthier out in Anaheim, the young talent coming into the league is eye-popping.

But when next spring comes along, expect some of the old stalwarts to be the teams to beat. Here’s how we see the league breaking down, division by division:

ATLANTIC DIVISION

1. Florida Panthers – The dreaded Stanley Cup hangover could slow them to start, but they’re still the best team until proven otherwise.

2. Boston Bruins – Even though the Jeremy Swayman impasse is resolved, the B’s still have question marks regarding goal-scoring. But they’ll be better grinding out tough games.

3. Toronto Maple Leafs – Craig Berube will bring a tough mindset, but the goaltending remains suspect.

4. Tampa Bay Lightning – The Bolts still have a great coach and Nikita Kucherov is a sublime offensive talent. But when you lose a franchise face like Steven Stamkos, it could take a while to regain your footing.

5. Detroit Red Wings – A full season of Patrick Kane plus Vladimir Tarasenko will give the Wings enough firepower to get them back in the playoffs after eight misses. They won’t go far with their goaltending.

6. Ottawa Senators – Linus Ullmark should catapult the Sens past the other also-rans of the division. Enough to make the playoffs? Probably not.

7. Buffalo Sabres – They’ve missed the playoffs for 13 straight seasons. Fourteeen straight is a distinct possibility, despite Lindy Ruff’s return.

8. Montreal Canadiens – Preseason injuries only make it harder for a team that was already up against it.

METROPOLITAN DIVISION

1. New York Rangers – The Blueshirts have star power, good role players and the best goalie tandem in the league.

2. Carolina Hurricanes – With the loss of Brett Pesce and Teuvo Teravainen, the gap between the Rangers and Canes has widened but Carolina is still a solid playoff team.

3. New Jersey Devils – Tom Fitzgerald bolstered the back end with Brett Pesce and Brenden Dillon and, if Dougie Hamilton can stay healthy, the Devils will be much improved. They also got the goalie they wanted in Jacob Markstrom.

4. New York Islanders – It will be interesting to see what Patrick Roy can do with the middling lineup for a whole season.

5. Washington Capitals – Spencer Carbery got more out of this team than anyone expected last year. If he can make Pierre-Luc Dubois the player he should be, the Caps will be back in the playoffs.

6. Pittsburgh Penguins – They added locals Kevin Hayes and Matt Grzelcyk, Rutger McGroarty is the club’s best young prospect in a while and Sidney Crosby has been re-signed on yet another team-friendly deal. But they’ll be hard-pressed to avoid missing the playoffs for the third straight year.

7. Philadelphia Flyers – Michkov could be the explosive offensive talent the Flyers have been looking for while the Flyers will continue to reflect John Tortorella’s demand for a high compete level. Whether they have the goaltending and defense to push them ahead remains to be seen.

8. Columbus Blue Jackets – It feels wrong to think of the tragic death of Johnny Gaudreau in anything but human terms, but there’s no getting around the loss of an immense talent like Johnny Hockey.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

CENTRAL DIVISION

1. Dallas Stars – The Stars have been knocking on the door, and they’re still right there. Someone will have to make up for the loss of defensive centerman Radek Faksa.

2. Nashville Predators – Barry Trotz had the splashiest summer, signing veterans with a history of winning in Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei. It could take time for it to all come together but those are quality, impact signings.

3. Colorado Avalanche – Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen are the second best duo in the league behind Connor McDavid-Leon Draisaitl, but the Avs are a bit unsettled to start the season with Valeri Nichushkin suspended till November and Arturri Lehkonen coming off shoulder surgery. If Gabe Landeskog can indeed make a successful comeback from knee troubles, that would be a game-changer.

4. Winnipeg Jets – The Jets have a solid top six forward group and Connor Hellebuyck is a perennial Vezina candidate. They’ll be in the mix.

5. Minnesota Wild – The Wild have one more season in cap jail due to the Zach Parise/Ryan Suter buyouts that cost them nearly $15 million in dead money.

6. St.. Louis Blues – With both Faksa and Oskar Sundqvist in the lineup, the Blues won’t be fun to play against. But the loss of Torey Krug (ankle) will hurt, especially on the power play.

7. Utah HC – The former Coyotes have intriguing youngsters (Dylan Guenther, Matias Maccelli) and they should get a boost in overall vibe by moving to a city that wants them. They just don’t have enough for a playoff push.

8. Chicago Blackhawks – The Hawks added some hard, heavy vets like Tyler Bertuzzi and Pat Maroon to insulate Connor Bedard a little better, but the D and goaltending still need work.

PACIFIC DIVISION

1. Edmonton Oilers – The Oil nearly pulled off the amazing comeback against Florida in the Finals. They won’t find themselves in the same hole again.

2. Vancouver Canucks – Jake DeBrusk will push for the 40-goal mark, but Thatcher Demko’s health is a concern.

3. Vegas Golden Knights – The Knights lost original Misfit and clutch performer Marchessault but they will still be there in the spring with their D corps.

4. Los Angeles Kings – The injury to No. 1 defenseman Drew Doughty could put the Kings behind the 8-ball, depending on how long he’s out with the ankle injury.

5. Seattle Kraken – Matty Beniers will be better after a typical sophomore slump season while good adds in Chandler Stephenson and Brandon Montour will put the Kraken back in the playoff hunt.

6. Calgary Flames – In a more competitive division, the Flames would be a last place team.

7. San Jose Sharks – The rebuilding Sharks’ time is not now, but they will be a lot more fun to watch with highly touted rookies from Commonwealth Avenue, Celebrini (BU) and Smith (BC) beginning their pro careers. The bold prediction here is that they’ll improve on their minus-150 goal differential.

8. Anaheim Ducks – If coach Greg Cronin gets the buy-in from some of his more talented players, the Ducks can be better than this.

EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS

Rangers over Panthers

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS

Oilers over Stars

STANLEY CUP FINALS

Oilers over Rangers. The Cup returns to Canada for the first time since the Canadiens took it for a spin down St. Catherine Street in 1993.