Winners and Losers from the 2023-24 NHL Regular Season (2024)

The 2023-24 NHL regular-season schedule ends Thursday. Two days later, the focus of fans and pundits will shift toward the start of the opening round of the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Looking back over the season, nine players reached the 100-point plateau, marking the most in one campaign in 31 years. There was also a closely contested race for the Art Ross Trophy between Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov and Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon.

On the other hand, it wasn't a good year for NHL coaches as several of them lost their jobs during the season. Some were well-known bench bosses with long records of success while others hadn't been on the job that long.

With the playoffs fast approaching, it's a good opportunity to review the season and list our winners and losers. Feel free to express your thoughts on this topic in the app comments below.

The NHL salary cap has made the league's annual trade deadline an anticlimax. Most notable players in the trade market are usually moved well before the deadline, often in lopsided moves where non-playoff clubs ship out pending free agents for draft picks and prospects.

This year's deadline saw its share of such trades, but a handful of moves could provide benefits beyond this season.

Two days before the deadline, the Buffalo Sabres shipped center Casey Mittelstadt to the Colorado Avalanche for defenseman Bowen Byram. The Avalanche addressed their need for a second-line center, while the Sabres added another skilled player to the blue-line corps.

The Carolina Hurricanes got one of the best players in the trade market by acquiring winger Jake Guentzel from the Pittsburgh Penguins to boost their offense. While the Penguins got a package of draft picks and prospects, they also received scoring winger Michael Bunting, who is signed through 2025-26 and made his presence felt immediately.

Meanwhile, the defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights pulled off the biggest deal by acquiring center Tomáš Hertl from the San Jose Sharks minutes before the deadline. Under contract until 2029-30, the 30-year-old Hertl is no rental player. He'll be a key part of the Golden Knights roster for several years.

The 2023-24 season will not be remembered fondly among NHL head coaches. Seven of them lost their jobs due to disappointing performances by their respective clubs.

Jay Woodcroft was the first to go as the Edmonton Oilers fired him on Nov. 12 after 133 games over three seasons. On Nov. 27, the Minnesota Wild relieved Dean Evason of his duties after nearly five seasons.

Craig Berube coached the St. Louis Blues to the Stanley Cup in 2018-19, but he was let go on Dec. 12. Six days later, the Ottawa Senators handed D.J. Smith his walking papers after five seasons.

The ax dropped for Lane Lambert on Jan. 20 after less than two seasons behind the New York Islanders bench. Todd McLellan was next, fired by the Los Angeles Kings on Feb. 2 after almost five seasons in Los Angeles. Lindy Ruff lost his job as the New Jersey Devils let him go on March 4 after four seasons. The latest was the Buffalo Sabres' Don Granato, fired on Tuesday.

They might not be the only coaches to lose their jobs before this season officially ends on June 30. Columbus Blue Jackets' Pascal Vincent and the Seattle Kraken's Dave Hakstol could wear the blame for their clubs' disappointing efforts this season.

Goal production has been rising since 2015-16 when it was at its lowest point (2.71 goals per game) since the salary-cap era began in 2005-06. While down slightly this season (3.11) from 2022-23's 3.18, the 20.93 power-play percentage is the second-highest of this era.

Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (69 goals) is poised to become the first player to score 70 goals in a season since Teemu Selanne and Alexander Mogilny in 1992-93. Florida Panthers winger Sam Reinhart, Edmonton Oilers winger Zack Hyman and Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon have each scored at least 50 goals.

Oilers captain Connor McDavid reached the 100-assist plateau in a season for the first time. He joined Hall of Famers Bobby Orr, Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux as the only players to reach that milestone.

They could be joined by Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov, who has 99 assists entering his club's final regular-season game on Wednesday against the Maple Leafs. If successful, it will be the first time two players had 100 assists in the same season since Gretzky and Lemieux each had 114 in 1988-89.

Nine players—Kucherov, MacKinnon, McDavid, New York Rangers winger Artemi Panarin, Boston Bruins winger David Pastrňák, Matthews, Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl, Avalanche winger Mikko Rantanen and Vancouver Canucks center J.T. Miller—have at least 100 points this season. Toronto's William Nylander (97 points) could join them Wednesday.

Scoring in the NHL has been on the rise over the past eight seasons. It's not surprising, therefore, that goaltending stats have suffered as a result.

In 2015-16, the average save percentage reached .915 for the second straight season, the highest since 1963-64 when it reached .916. The highest ever was .919 in 1955-56, the first season the NHL tracked save percentage.

Meanwhile, the average goals-against average (GAA) was 2.51. That tied 2001-02's average and was the second-lowest in the post-expansion era to 2003-04's 2.46.

Since 2015-16, however, the average GAA has risen, while the save percentage is dropping. This season's 2.91 GAA is slightly better than 2022-23's 2.97 and 2021-22's 2.92, but it's still at a level not seen since 1995-96's 3.04. Meanwhile, the save percentage is at .903, the lowest since 2005-06's .901.

In 2015-16, 14 goaltenders with at least 40 games played had save percentages of .920 or higher. Seventeen had goals-against averages between 2.06 and 2.40.

It's a different story this season. Of the goalies with at least 40 games played, Carolina's Pyotr Kochetkov, Florida's Sergei Bobrovsky and Winnipeg's Connor Hellebuyck are the only ones whose goals-against averages are under 2.40. As for the save percentage, Hellebuyck (.922) is the only one above .920.

Today's game is played at a higher pace by skaters who are faster and better conditioned, with composite sticks that provide more flexibility enabling them to shoot quicker and harder with greater accuracy. They're also willing to shoot from almost anywhere, attempting goals from sharper angles than their predecessors.

The Calder Memorial Trophy is annually awarded to the NHL's top rookie player as voted by the Professional Hockey Writers Association at the end of each season. Previous winners include current superstars like the Colorado Avalanche's Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar and Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews.

Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard began this season as the favorite. Chosen first overall in last year's draft, the 18-year-old Bedard is considered a generational talent. He's their foundation player as they rebuild their roster around him.

It appeared that Bedard might have the Calder sewn up early. He was Rookie of the Month in November and December as he led all rookie scorers. In January, he became the youngest player in league history to be chosen to participate in the NHL All-Star Game.

On Jan. 5, Bedard fractured his jaw in a game against the New Jersey Devils, sidelining him for six weeks and forcing him to miss the All-Star Game. He returned on Feb. 15 and now leads all rookies with 22 goals and 60 points. He was also Rookie of the Month for March.

Meanwhile, Brock Faber has also made a strong case to win the Calder. The 21-year-old Minnesota Wild defenseman has made an impressive debut in one of the hardest positions in hockey. A strong two-way player, he has 46 points in 71 games and leads all rookies with 24:59 of ice time per game, ranking sixth among all NHL skaters in that category.

Faber displayed a poise, maturity and skill level beyond his years. He also plays a regular shift on the Wild's power-play and penalty-killing units and sits second among their skaters in blocked shots with 150.

What looked like a one-player race for the Calder could become a tightly contested matchup between two deserving young players with bright futures.

After 28 seasons, the Arizona Coyotes are on the verge of relocation.

On April 11, Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli reported multiple sources said the Coyotes were working with the NHL on an agreement to sell the franchise to Utah-based Smith Entertainment Group, which would relocate the club to Salt Lake City.

The Coyotes have spent the past two seasons playing in the 4,600-seat Mullett Arena at Arizona State University as current owner Alex Meruelo tried to find a location to build a new NHL arena. His attempt to do so in Tempe was shot down by voters last year. Meruelo now pins his hopes for his arena project on a land auction scheduled for June 27.

By that point, however, the Coyotes could already be in Utah. On April 13, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported the NHL hopes to officially announce the sale of the Coyotes by the end of this week.

According to Friedman, Meruelo will sell the Coyotes to the NHL for $1 billion, with the league selling it to Smith Entertainment Group for $1.2 billion. The Coyotes would relocate to Salt Lake City for the 2024-25 season. Meruelo, meanwhile, gets a five-year exclusive window to bring an expansion team to Arizona if he's sorted his arena issues.

Relocated from Winnipeg in 1996, the Coyotes have undergone several ownership changes and three arena moves. That's created a considerable turnover in management and coaching over the years, with the Coyotes reaching the playoffs just nine times.

Moving to Salt Lake City and a fresh start might be for the best for the Coyotes. Still, it's bound to leave a bitter taste for Arizona fans who supported this club through the good and mostly bad seasons.

The Art Ross Trophy is awarded annually to the NHL player who finished the season with the most points. In recent years, the leading scorer finished well ahead of the field.

In 2018-19, Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov led the pack with 128 points, 12 ahead of Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid. The following season saw Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl win the scoring title with 110 points as McDavid was a distant second with 97 points.

From 2020-21 to 2022-23, McDavid took home the Art Ross in each season with his shortest lead being by eight points in 2021-22 with 123 points, followed by Jonathan Huberdeau and Johnny Gaudreau with 115 each.

It was a two-player race for much of this season between Kucherov and Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon. The two players have jockeyed for the lead since December.

McDavid joined them in March, overcoming an uncharacteristic slow start to surge up the points ladder. By March 30, he temporarily held the lead.

The three stars battled for the next two weeks until a lower-body injury briefly sidelined McDavid. Kucherov and MacKinnon were neck-and-neck for another two weeks before the Lightning winger pulled ahead. With 142 points and a four-point lead with two games in hand, Kucherov is poised to win his second Art Ross Trophy.