The NHL’s holiday break lasted from Christmas Eve to Boxing day, with play resuming today. There have already been many surprises so far and below are three things to watch out for during the second half.
1. Do the Toronto Maple Leafs rebuild?
One of the biggest surprises this season has been the Maple Leafs’ struggles. They currently sit second last in the Eastern Conference only ahead of the also disappointing Columbus Blue Jackets with one of the weakest prospect pools to tap into as trade bait. Losing Mitch Marner has proven to be mutually detrimental but more for the Maple Leafs than Marner, who now plays for the Vegas Golden Knights, currently leading the pacific division. There have been numerous controversies with the Maple Leafs this season relating to their effort and rumored tension between Craig Berube and his star players Auston Matthews and William Nylander have sparked hot seat rumors for the Stanley Cup winning coach. Should the Maple Leafs choose to go scorched earth while retaining their superstars, the prime trade candidates would be their former captain John Tavares along with their four best defensemen in Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Jake McCabe, Brandon Carlo, and Chris Tanev. The Maple Leafs probably cannot rebuild this season because the Boston Bruins own their first round pick from the Brandon Carlo trade last deadline but it would not be very surprising to hear Auston Matthews trade rumors with his contract expiring in 2028.
2. The ultra close Eastern Conference wild card race
Despite the Maple Leafs’ struggles, they find themselves just five points out of the second wild card spot, occupied by the reigning back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers with 42 points. One moderate winning streak from any team in the conference, even the 36-point Blue Jackets, could put them in playoff contention. This year’s wild card race is currently shaping up to be the closest of all time, even more than 2024 when four teams, the Detroit Red Wings, Washington Capitals, Philadelphia Flyers, and Pittsburgh Penguins, still had a chance to claim the second wild card spot on the second last day of the regular season.
3. Connor Bedard extension talks
The Chicago Blackhawks had been off to an excellent start this season and were just one point of the Western Conference’s second wild card spot at the start of the month. Currently, they hold a six game losing streak and are last in the conference, even behind the dumpster fire Vancouver Canucks who recently traded franchise cornerstone Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild. Bedard’s contract negotiations have not generated much buzz yet but could become a boiling hot topic should the Blackhawks yet again finish among the five worst teams in the league, showing little growth and frustrating Bedard yet again. A four year extension would put the most pressure on the Blackhawks as it would allow Bedard to become a UFA in the summer of 2030.
