The New Year is almost upon us, and with it comes optimism and determination for self-improvement.
For NHL teams, like anyone, that can mean anything from fixing a bad habit to getting around to renovations to making decisions about the future.
This week, The Athletic asked its NHL staff to identify one critical resolution for each team for 2025. Here’s what they said.
Develop a consistently productive offense: Some of the Ducks’ faithful fans would want a replacement for coach Greg Cronin, but that’ll be up to GM Pat Verbeek to decide if a change is needed. What the two must work on is developing a team that can score more than it does and has a responsible system encouraging offense to turn more close games in their direction. Anaheim’s offense has been at or near the bottom of the league for years. Players such as Troy Terry, Trevor Zegras and Frank Vatrano have had strong individual seasons but as Cronin said, “We’re not blessed with like a go-to goal scorer” and their offense must come from “community scoring.” But they need to develop someone into that or secure one externally. — Eric Stephens
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Trade Trent Frederic: Frederic will be unrestricted after this season. It’s unknown whether the Bruins will be able to re-sign the 2016 first-rounder. He has been a good multi-position forward, but his ceiling as a Bruin is as a third-liner. If a team sees more in Frederic and is willing to trade significant draft or futures capital, the Bruins have to move the left-shot forward. — Fluto Shinzawa
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Make a decision on Kevyn Adams: The Sabres are likely to miss the playoffs for a 14th straight season. This is the fifth season with Adams as GM. The direction the Sabres take beyond this season depends, in part, on who is making roster decisions. Will Terry Pegula let Adams see his rebuild through for another season or hand the keys to another decision-maker to try to end Buffalo’s drought? That’s the central question facing this franchise in 2025. — Matthew Fairburn
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How the Sabres went from playoff hopeful to likely lottery team in a month
Prioritize obtaining elite young talent: Even if the Flames remain in the mushy middle, there’s reason to be optimistic about the progression of players like Connor Zary, Matthew Coronato and Dustin Wolf. The Flames still need a superstar to put them over the top, though. They might only get there by either flipping assets via trade or having patience through the draft. If the Flames aren’t going to put themselves in a better draft position to obtain such talent, then it’s on Craig Conroy to pick up the phone and make moves to acquire them. — Julian McKenzie
Goalie stability: The Hurricanes already have matched a franchise high by playing five goalies this season — Frederik Andersen, Pyotr Kochetkov, Spencer Martin, Yaniv Perets and Dustin Tokarski — and they don’t want a sixth unless it’s an upgrade. Andersen, barring any setbacks, should be back sometime in February, and that should give him the runway to at least be a viable option with Kochetkov down the stretch. — Cory Lavalette
Sign a major UFA forward: This all depends on who hits the market come the offseason, but if there’s a major name available (i.e. Mitch Marner, Mikko Rantanen), the Blackhawks should pursue them. It’s clear again this season they need someone of that caliber for Connor Bedard to play with. — Scott Powers
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Blackhawks future roster, salary cap projection: Part 1
Mikko Rantanen can become an unrestricted free agent after this season. (Tyler Tate / Getty Images)
Re-Sign Mikko Rantanen: If they can’t find a way to work out an extension between now and then, the Avalanche risk losing the first major piece of their core, with Rantanen set to hit unrestricted free agency this summer. He’s fifth in the NHL in goals over the last three seasons, and while Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported the Avs would prefer not to sign Rantanen for more than Nathan MacKinnon’s $12.6 million, that seems inevitable with the projections for a rising salary cap. He’s averaging nearly 50 goals over the last two seasons and is only 28. — Jesse Granger
Play better on the road: If the Blue Jackets could play all 82 games in Nationwide Arena, they might be among the top teams in the Eastern Conference. Not only was Columbus 10-4-3 in the friendly confines entering Friday, but they also were averaging 3.94 goals per game. But on the road … the Blue Jackets have won only four games (4-11-3) away from Nationwide, one of the worst road records in the league. The Jackets average more than one less goal per game (2.72) on the road. — Aaron Portzline
To snap out of it: The Stars have the third-best goal differential in the West, so let’s not be melodramatic here, but they’re not as comfortably ensconced in a playoff position as they should be. And you can blame a bevy of underachieving forwards. Jason Robertson, Wyatt Johnston and Jamie Benn are all well behind their scoring pace of recent seasons, and Logan Stankoven hasn’t been the offensive force he was expected to be. If they snap out of it and get back to their usual pace, the power play won’t be among the league’s worst anymore and the Stars will be back near the top of the standings, where they belong. — Mark Lazerus
Re-energize the locker room: This seemed to be a driving factor of the decision to fire Derek Lalonde midseason and bring in Todd McLellan as head coach, with Detroit underperforming for the first half of the season. A new coach should bring some spark to the Red Wings roster, and McLellan is expected to be a demanding boss behind the bench. But the energy can’t all come from the coaching staff, either: Detroit’s players will need to find a way to find that energy within themselves, too. — Max Bultman
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What we learned about Todd McLellan in his first game behind the Red Wings bench
Evan Bouchard is the Oilers’ best offensive defenseman. (Christopher Creveling / Imagn Images)
Re-sign Evan Bouchard to a long-term contract: Bouchard has had an uneven season so far with a few major defensive gaffes while having less success on the power play — a big team issue. Still, he continues to drive play and remains the Oilers’ best offensive defenseman. Bouchard is coming off a fifth-place finish in Norris Trophy voting and has been excellent the last three playoff runs. He’s an RFA with arbitration rights in July and is eligible to hit the open market in 2027. Negotiations shouldn’t be problematic since the team’s CEO of hockey operations, Jeff Jackson, used to work hand in hand with Bouchard’s agent, Dave Gagner. But a contract isn’t done until it’s signed. — Daniel Nugent-Bowman
Patent their hangover cure: When we talk about the Stanley Cup hangover, it’s shorthand for a few different things. Successful teams get complacent, sure, but they also often have their rosters raided. The short summer doesn’t help, and neither do the travel demands of an 82-game season. Florida has managed all that, plus an early injury to Aleksander Barkov. They came into the holiday break winning 10 of 13 games and look highly capable of defending their title. — Sean Gentille
Re-sign Adrian Kempe: Sure, the Kings still must get out of the first round (and maybe beat Edmonton if it comes to that) and find that true successor to Anze Kopitar as their No. 1 center but let’s take this in a different direction. Kempe has the 2025-26 season left on a four-year deal that has a $5.5 million AAV. The Kings can begin to negotiate his next contract on July 1 and hammer an extension out, so he doesn’t head into a potential walk year without one. His price tag is soaring, especially with a rising cap. The 28-year-old’s resume now includes a 75-point season along with scoring 35, 41 and 28 goals while authoring another possible 30-goal campaign. He’s simply one of their best players. — Eric Stephens
Fix the penalty kill: Maybe Friday night was the start. The Wild’s penalty kill has been a problem all season and will inhibit their ability to make the playoffs, let alone go on a run, if they don’t fix it. But in Friday’s come-from-behind win against the Stars, the Wild went 3-for-3 on the penalty kill and held Dallas to two shots on goal. They disrupted plays in the neutral zone, blocked shots and got two big saves from Filip Gustavsson. For goalies who have played at least 11 games, Marc-Andre Fleury’s short-handed save percentage of .786 ranks 50th in the NHL and Gustavsson’s .844 ranks 34th. So much time has been devoted to fixing the penalty kill that destroyed them last year, and this season it’s continued to let them down. The Wild have killed 70.5 percent of opposing power plays (the Red Wings and Islanders are actually worse). But Friday night, the penalty kill finally helped win them a game. — Michael Russo
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How Brock Faber’s highlight-reel goal capped gutsy comeback for Wild: 3 takeaways vs. Stars
Ensure a smooth transition for Ivan Demidov: The most important thing that will happen for this franchise in 2025 will be the arrival of top prospect Demidov. It could be argued it’s the most important thing that’s happened in the last several years. Making sure that transition goes as smoothly as possible for him should be the No. 1 priority in 2025 for the Canadiens, both on and off the ice. — Arpon Basu
Keep Steven Stamkos at center and ride the wave: Stamkos with Jonathan Marchessault and Filip Forsberg has been a revelation for the Preds — 13 goals in 11 games — and Forsberg is in a goal drought. Get him scoring again and this could really be something. Too little too late? Probably. But it’s the Preds’ first signs of offensive life, and the rest of this season is about 2025-26, too. — Joe Rexrode
Supplement forward depth: GM Tom Fitzgerald has the Devils in a good spot entering 2025. Sheldon Keefe has been a good fit as coach, and the club looks bound for the postseason. Without a clear favorite in the Eastern Conference, Fitzgerald is in position to bolster his roster and potentially go on a run. He’s mentioned adding forward depth, so that’s worth monitoring as the trade deadline approaches. — Peter Baugh
New York Islanders
Choose a direction: The Islanders have been bobbing along the past three-plus seasons, sticking to their roster but also sticking to a seeming plan of trying to run back the calendar to 2020, when the team outworked various opponents on a regular basis. The roster has gotten older and slower, beset with injuries and without much spark. Owner Scott Malkin has been hands-off with Lou Lamoriello, but now Malkin needs to choose a new path. Fast. — Arthur Staple
The Rangers need Mika Zibanejad to find his game. (Danny Wild / Imagn Images)
Get Mika Zibanejad back on track: Zibanejad has seven points over the Rangers’ past 17 games and a minus-14 rating. He’s signed through 2029-30 and on a difficult-to-move contract, so him finding his game again is vital for the Rangers long-term. He might never again be the offensive force he was a few years ago, but New York at least needs him to be strong defensively and contribute some offense. — Peter Baugh
Make a win-now move: Whether or not the Senators make the playoffs, GM Steve Staios will eventually have to make some kind of major move. The kind of move that will take the Senators from playoff hopeful to contender. It could be a trade or a free-agent signing in the summer. If the Senators fall out of a playoff spot, that need for a major move will be emphasized to help their team take the next step. — Julian McKenzie
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Should GM Steve Staios remain patient with this Senators group?
Take a big swing on a center: Flyers GM Daniel Briere has remained patient, but has made no secret that the team will need to address the center position at some point over the next little while if they are going to contend in a few years. Now that Matvei Michkov is here two years ahead of schedule and already looks like a future star, the timeline to try and acquire a pivot to match with Michkov has probably moved up. Maybe it’s Dylan Cozens. Maybe Trevor Zegras. Heck, maybe it’s even Elias Pettersson. But this year, it’s time to take a chance on someone. — Kevin Kurz
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Flyers’ Keith Jones on extending Travis Konecny, Matvei Michkov’s early arrival and more
Focus on the future: The Penguins’ 9-3-1 surge into the holiday break has placed them in contention for a playoff spot. And the Eastern Conference isn’t great. But Kyle Dubas must stay the course with not moving promising assets for moves to make the playoffs. He must still move veterans such as Marcus Pettersson and Rickard Rakell for more assets. Basically, Dubas must do what he did in 2024 — swap out veterans not in the big picture of a quasi-rebuild while also doing just enough to give Sidney Crosby a chance to get the Penguins back into the postseason. It’s a frustrating middle ground, but it’s his only play if Crosby is ever going to get another Cup run in Pittsburgh. — Rob Rossi
Turn Will Smith into an impact top-six forward: One-half of their potential franchise dynamic duo is in place. Macklin Celebrini is making a run at the Calder Trophy. Having him at a point per game as a rookie helps a major rebuild along. Now they’ve got to work on the 19-year-old Smith. Smith’s creativity and cerebral play have been evident in flashes and moments, but he’s also struggled at times early on with the speed of the NHL game. He can use more work on his play away from the puck and his body will mature, but the skill to become a point producer and important player for San Jose is there. — Eric Stephens
Keep shooting for upside: Sometimes the New Year’s resolution you make is something you’ve been thinking about for a while, and have even started to implement in earnest into your life, only to ratchet up and take it to a new level as a resolution. The Kraken, for example, dealt for Kaapo Kakko before the holiday freeze, adding an upside forward with precisely the sort of profile that this Kraken team needs long-term, in exchange for a 4/5 caliber defender in Will Borgen. That should be the start of a longer resetting project to graft upside into this Kraken lineup. — Thomas Drance
Stick to the retool — keep assets: The Blues have a record nine prospects participating in the World Junior Championship this year, as well as other top prospects who aren’t playing in the tournament. In other words, the Blues have a lot of young potential. Meanwhile, GM Doug Armstrong wants to compete for a playoff spot, which may mean adding at the deadline. He has said that he’ll stick to the retool plan and hang onto his draft assets, and that should be the resolution — not moving them for immediate help for a club that likely won’t go far in the postseason if it makes it. — Jeremy Rutherford
Improve against the Atlantic Division: There’s a lot to like about the Lightning right now. They’ve improved in many metrics, including five-on-five defensively. Jake Guentzel has been a terrific addition. They’re right in the playoff picture in the East. They’ve won seven of their past 10. But Tampa Bay is just 1-4-0 within the Atlantic Division, with the lone win coming against the Panthers right before the break. They have regulation losses against the Senators and Maple Leafs (twice). The resolution for the Lightning is to perform better in their remaining 21 in-division games. — Joe Smith
Toronto Maple Leafs
Score more goals in the playoffs: It’s been the issue for this team in the playoffs year after year, the one that’s been so confounding for everyone involved. A team with so much star power, a team that scores so easily in the regular season, hasn’t scored enough, and enough when it really matters, in the postseason. This year’s Leafs squad is trying to play differently under first-year coach Craig Berube to change that. The general idea: Play better defensively, so that fewer goals are required to win a game. A big part of the approach is the elimination of rush chances against. The cost of that though is fewer rush chances for the Leafs on offense. Berube believes the trade-off will be worth it. — Jonas Siegel
Begin renovations on the bowls of Delta Center: The Smith Entertainment Group did an amazing job last summer renovating the bowels of Delta Center to give the home and visiting teams tremendous locker room areas. But there are still 5,000 seats that have obstructed views. President of hockey operations Chris Armstrong says the team has plans to renovate the arena over the next two or three summers depending on how far UHC and the Jazz go. This offseason, they’ll begin the process of renovating the bowls to add more unobstructed viewings for fans by the start of next season. “We’re going to try and do it as expeditiously as we can, but we also want to get it right for the fans,” Armstrong said. — Michael Russo
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Play Creatively: The Canucks entered this season trying to play a more dynamic, positive, attacking brand of hockey, but as key absences piled up — Brock Boeser, then J.T. Miller and now Filip Hronek — the Canucks have hunkered down and become one of the most stylistically negative, defensive teams in hockey. In the short term, they’ve mostly got away with it. They’ve racked up 20 points in 18 games since Miller first took his leave, for example, the 13th-best point percentage in the league, despite having the league’s lowest five-on-five shot rate and shot attempt differential across that stretch. If they continue to play this way, however, the results are going to start to swing. They need to attack more. — Thomas Drance
Re-sign Adin Hill: It’s been a year of extensions in Las Vegas, with the Golden Knights already signing pending UFAs Shea Theodore, Brayden McNabb, Keegan Kolesar and Brett Howden beyond this season. The only major piece remaining is goaltender Hill, whose game has rounded into form lately. Entering Friday, he’s 9-2-1 with a .927 save percentage since Nov. 13, and has climbed into the top 10 in GSAx. Hill is the clear-cut top goalie for the 2025 free agency class and could demand a high price on the open market, especially with another successful playoff run. With Ilya Samsonov also on an expiring contract, re-signing Hill should be the next priority for Vegas. — Jesse Granger
Thread the needle: At the start of the season, it became clear in a hurry that the Caps didn’t have to choose between Alex Ovechkin’s record chase and a playoff push for the rest of the roster. They can have both, and until Ovechkin broke his left fibula in November, they did. More of that balance would be a great thing; Ovechkin can break the record, and Washington can make plenty of noise in the Eastern Conference. — Sean Gentille
Avoid a second-half collapse: The Jets have led the NHL in January before. We’re less than a year removed from deep-diving their 2023-24 excellence, highlighting aspects of their game that implied a playoff run was within their reach. Instead, the Jets were reverse-swept by the Avalanche a year after being reverse-swept by the Golden Knights: Despite genuine quality, Winnipeg couldn’t get it done at crunch time. Winnipeg is a quality NHL team — again — with a playoff seed (and home ice) likely in its future, again. The Jets’ 2025 will be defined by their ability to get better between now and the playoffs — not just in wins, but in structure, team game, and process — and more by their ability to win at least one round. — Murat Ates
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(Illustration: Meech Robinson / The Athletic. Photos: Dave Sandford / NHLI; Patrick Smith, Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
