3. The New Wave
Now that we know we are getting an NHL season in 2020-21, it will now be time to start churning out previews and looking at what players may impress or break out.
It will also be time to start really projecting what the new wave of rookies might do, and we will get to witness an uber-talented crop in 2020-21.
Headlined by the No. 1 overall pick at the 2020 NHL Entry Draft in Alexis Lafreniere, this rookie class won’t have as many games in which to impress so it should make the race for the Calder Trophy even more fascinating and thrilling.
Lafreniere will obviously be the headline act and the stage is set for the generational talent to really flourish with the New York Rangers under the bright lights of Broadway, with the elite winger joining an already loaded offense boasting the likes of Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider and Kaapo Kakko.
There are a boatload of other young studs to keep an eye out for, though, including the naturally gifted Kirill Kaprizov, who could be the spark the Minnesota Wild need to propel themselves out of hockey obscurity.
Defenseman Alexander Romanov will arrive in the NHL with a boatload of hype and he could slot straight into a top-four role with the Montreal Canadiens, while this could be the year that the Colorado Avalanche opt to unleash Bowen Byram on the rest of the NHL.
Then you have the prospects from the 2020 NHL Entry Draft to consider, with powerful two-way forward Quinton Byfield likely to start the year in the NHL with the LA Kings, while German forward Tim Stuetzle will be looked upon to help accelerate the rebuild for the Ottawa Senators.
Other names to consider include Igor Shesterkin, Grigori Denisenko, Alex Turcotte, Liam Foudy and, of course, goaltender Ilya Sorokin, who will finally make his long-awaited NHL debut for the New York Islanders in 2020-21.
That is a lot of young talent set to be on display and rookies making a glowing first impression will only add to what should be a thrilling 2020-21 season, even if it will be shorter and more different than others.