With the 2024 NHL draft complete, most of the top free agents signed and several key trades made, all 32 rosters across the league are starting to take shape.

We have at least some idea as to what everybody is going to look like and which teams might be contenders.

So with all of that in mind, come along with us as we make an early bold prediction for every team. The predictions could be team forecasts, player predictions or a combination of both. They might be optimistic predictions, or they might be pessimistic predictions.

Whatever they may be, we have one for everybody.

Let's get to it.

Anaheim Ducks: Trevor Zegras Bounces Back

Maybe this isn't bold as much as it is expected, but the Ducks need Zegras to have a big year in 2024-25 and he should be capable of it.

The 2023-24 season was a lost year for him where everything went wrong.

The season got off to a rough start with a drawn-out RFA process, he was limited to just 31 games and dismal production, and his name even spent a lot of time in the trade rumor mill. He might have his flaws as an all-around player and defensively, but there is no denying his talent offensively and playmaking ability. Give him a fresh start with better health and there is no reason he can not be a 25-30 goal, 60-65 point player (or more) this season.

The Ducks are probably not a playoff team yet, but they are building something with their young talent and Zegras needs to be a part of that.

Boston Bruins: Defense Is Going to Be a Problem

It might seem weird to be concerned about the defense of a team that was one of the toughest to score against last season, but that is a little misleading when you look at how the Bruins actually played.

Despite their strong goals against numbers (among the best in the NHL), the Bruins' defensive metrics at 5-on-5 were only middle of the pack across the board.

They were 16th in expected goals against per 60 minutes, 19th in scoring chances against and 24th in high-danger scoring chances against.

Their defensive play, quite simply, was not what it had been in the past.

Their strong goals against numbers were almost entirely the result of their dominant goaltending duo of Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark. Well, half of that duo is now gone (Ullmark) and was replaced with Joonas Korpisalo. That alone is going to result in a downgrade at the position, and that does not even take into account the unknown variable of how being the full-season No. 1 impacts Swayman with the added workload.

They also did not do much to improve the defense and may have hurt it by overpaying for Nikita Zadorov, a career third-pairing defenseman who is now being paid like a second-pairing defenseman.

Buffalo Sabres: Bowen Byram Is a Breakout Star

Whether or not the Sabres have done enough to snap their 13-year playoff drought remains to be seen. They are in a fierce division and deep conference and they have not made a lot of impactful additions to a lineup that took a big step backward in 2023-24.

They do, however, have some very intriguing players with big upside, and that is especially true on defense.

No. 1 overall picks Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power figure to be key contributors, but do not forget about Byram who came over from Colorado at the trade deadline in exchange for center Casey Mittelstadt. Byram's development got sidetracked a lot in Colorado because of injury and how deep the Avalanche's defense was, but he should get an opportunity to play a bigger role and shine in Buffalo.

He still has enormous talent and potential and the prediction here is that he puts it all together in Buffalo and becomes a core player.

Calgary Flames: Dustin Wolf Becomes a No. 1 Goalie

The Flames' rebuild continued this offseason with the trades of starting goalie Jacob Markstrom and forward Andrew Mangiapane. While that certainly lowers the ceiling and expectations for this team, it does open the door for Wolf to take over as the team's new No. 1 goalie.

It is a role he should be ready for.

His NHL track record to this point has been limited to just 18 games with varying levels of success. But he has been outstanding in the American Hockey League over the past three seasons, posting save percentages of .924, .932 and .922.

It is a steep climb from the AHL to the NHL, especially for a rookie goalie, but Wolf has proven everything he possibly can at the AHL level and is ready for this opportunity. The prediction here is that he takes advantage of it. That could also be extremely beneficial for the Flames because a starting-caliber goalie on an entry-level deal is a significant salary cap advantage.

Carolina Hurricanes: Andrei Svechnikov Has His Big Breakout

It seems like we have been saying this for about four or five years now, but it really is time.

It is not that Svechnikov has been a bad or disappointing player. Quite the opposite. He is an outstanding player and consistently productive. But the Hurricanes are still waiting for that true breakthrough season where he goes from a consistently productive player to the type of player who scores 40-plus goals and takes over games.

He has that potential.

He has those underlying numbers.

He has the shot and the skill.

He is also at an age (24) where he should be ready to hit his peak years offensively. He produced at nearly a point-per-game rate in 2023-24 (52 points in 59 games) while coming back from a major injury. Starting fresh and fully healthy should make a big difference for him. This is the year he scores 40 goals with 80 or 90 points.

Chicago Blackhawks: Connor Bedard Reaches 100 Points

Bedard mostly lived up to the hype in his rookie season and looks the part of not only the Blackhawks' cornerstone player, but also the next great young forward in the NHL.

His rookie season saw him produce 61 points in 69 games despite being just 18 years old and having a shell of an NHL roster around him.

That sort of production from a teenager is typically limited to the all-time greats.

He is not only coming back in 2024-25 a year older and with a year of experience, he is also going to have some actual NHL talent around him. He is about to enter the Crosby-McDavid-Matthews realm of young talents by hitting the century mark and starting to accelerate Chicago's rebuild.

Colorado Avalanche: Jonathan Drouin Has a Career Year

Drouin was one of the best free agent signings of the 2023 offseason and he saw his career go through a major resurgence with the Avalanche. It worked out so well for him that he was willing to return to Colorado on another cheap deal.

It will result in a career year for him.

Not only because the Avalanche have been a great fit for him, but because there is going to be plenty of opportunity for him to produce given the uncertainty and absences with Valeri Nichushkin and Gabriel Landeskog.

His 56 total points in 2023-24 were a new career high.

He will top that this season.

Columbus Blue Jackets: Adam Fantilli Leads the Team in Scoring

This might seem like it is expecting a lot from a 20-year-old, second-year player...but is it?

For starters, only two Blue Jackets had more than 42 points during the 2023-24 season, and none had more than 60.

Fantilli had 27 in 45 games as a 19-year-old in his first taste of NHL action. That comes out to a 45-point pace over 82 games. Unless Johnny Gaudreau (last year's leading scorer with 60 points) goes back to his Calgary days and starts lighting up the scoreboard again, it does not seem like a huge jump for Fantilli, already one of the most talented and skilled players on the roster, to take a big leap forward and become Columbus' top scorer.

He is going to get the opportunity, he has the talent, and he should be able to take a big step forward.

Dallas Stars: Wyatt Johnston Scores 40 Goals

The Stars have developed one of the best young talent pipelines in the NHL and built one of the best core groups in the league. Roope Hintz, Miro Heiskanen, Jason Robertson and Jake Oettinger are among the best of that group. Wyatt Johnston is starting to join them.

After leading the Stars with 32 goals during the 2023-24 season, he is ready to take an even bigger step forward as he enters his third season in the league.

He was at times the Stars' best player in the playoffs and is one of the rapidly rising stars in the NHL.

As good as he was as a rookie, he improved across the board this past season from both a production and underlying numbers standpoint. The biggest improvement was his increase in shot volume, averaging nearly a half shot more per game. If he keeps getting more pucks on net with his skill, a little shooting luck could quickly turn him into a 40-50 goal threat. Fifty might be a little high this season, but 40 is absolutely within reach.

Detroit Red Wings: They Miss the Playoffs Again

At some point, there are going to be some tough questions asked about whether or not Steve Yzerman is going to get the Red Wings to where they want to be and need to be.

Missing the playoffs for an eighth straight season would probably be the time when those questions start getting seriously asked.

It is not hard to envision that scenario playing out, either.

Mainly because the Red Wings have ignored the single biggest flaw that held them back last season -- defense.

They arguably made it worse by trading Jake Walman to San Jose in a salary-dump move. The Red Wings could already score goals and spent the offseason focussing on that aspect of their game, re-signing Patrick Kane and bringing in Vladimir Tarasenko. In a vacuum, there is nothing wrong with either move. Kane will help the power play. Tarasenko will score some goals. But neither player is going to do anything to help prevent goals, and that looks to be the aspect of the team that will once again hold them back.

Edmonton Oilers: They Get Back to the Stanley Cup Final

There are still a lot of concerns here and some big question marks.

Is their defensive depth good enough beyond Evan Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm?

Will they get enough consistent goaltending?

Those two questions might be enough to prevent them from actually winning the Stanley Cup, but they did make strong moves this offseason that helped fix another big concern -- scoring depth.

The additions of Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson were two of the better short-term signings of the summer and give the Oilers two more bonafide top-six wingers that can make an already strong offense even more dynamic. As good as the Oilers' offense was this past season, almost all of it came from Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl and their power play. They need more around them to help balance out the offense, and Skinner and Arvidsson should hugely help that.

Skinner may have been a bad value in Buffalo at $9 million per season, but playing in Edmonton at $3 million should be a steal. It would also not be a surprise to see him score 35 or 40 goals given the center talent he is now going to have an opportunity to play alongside.

Florida Panthers: Gustav Forsling Is a Norris Finalist

The Panthers' front office has done a masterful job piecing together a championship roster through shrewd trades, smart free-agent signings and even some waiver claims.

One of the best and most significant moves they made over the years was getting Forsling off waivers during the 2021 season. He steadily improved his game to go from being a depth defender to one of the most important players on a Stanley Cup-winning team in just a couple of years.

The 2023-24 season was his true breakout season and the year where he started to receive recognition for how good he is defensively. That drove him into the top 10 of the Norris Trophy voting, and that momentum is going to carry over to this season when he will become a finalist for the award.

The only thing that might keep him from winning it is that his game does not produce a ton of point totals, which goes a long way toward winning the award. But he produces enough offense and is so good defensively that he is going to play his way into the top three of the voting.

Los Angeles Kings: They Still Can Not Get Through the First Round

The Kings are by no means a bad team. In fact, they are actually really good and have rapidly come through a rebuild to become a playoff team again without ever having to totally bottom out for an extended period of time.

But the jump from rebuilding to good is a heck of a lot smaller than the jump from good to great.

The Kings are finding that out right now in their current state.

They are without question a playoff team, as they have been for the past three years, but it is hard to see how this current group makes the next jump with the offseason it has had. Darcy Kuemper has a chance to rebound in goal, but with Pierre-Luc Dubious and Viktor Arvidsson leaving they have lost two top-nine forwards and a top-four defenseman in Matt Roy.

With the only major additions at this point being Warren Foegele, Tanner Jeannot and Joel Edmundson it's hard to see there being a big jump. Especially if they run into another first-round meeting with the Edmonton Oilers, a team that has knocked them out three years in a row.

They just seem to be lacking the impact players and star finishers they need to take the next step.

Minnesota Wild: Filip Gustavsson Bounces Back

During the 2022-23 season, goaltending helped save the Wild and carried them to the playoffs. Gustavsson, with his .931 save percentage, was the goalie most responsible for that and took over the team's starting job in the playoffs. It also raised expectations for him going into the 2023-24 season.

He did not meet those expectations with his save percentage dropping by 32 points down to .899 as the Wild missed the playoffs.

It is unreasonable to expect Gustavsson to be a .931 goalie every year (nobody is that good), but he is better than the player he was this past season. The truth for him is likely somewhere in the middle of those two levels.

With the Wild still hampered by the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts they are still struggling to build a complete roster. If they are going to compete, goaltending is going to have to play a major role in that. Gustavsson should be at least closer to the player he was two years ago to help them at least stay in contention.

Montreal Canadiens: Juraj Slafkovsky Scores 30 Goals

After a rocky rookie season that was cut short by injuries, Slafkovsky started to take a big step forward in the second half of the 2023-24 season and started to play like the No. 1 overall pick that he was.

His performance was so encouraging that it convinced the Canadiens to sign him to a long-term contract extension worth $60.8 million. It is a bold move for a player that has yet to score 30 goals in his NHL career, but assuming he continues on the trajectory he showed this season it should quickly turn out to be a steal against the cap for Montreal.

After taking a massive leap forward this season and scoring 20 goals, he looks poised to take another leap forward in 2024-25 and eclipse the 30-goal mark.

Slafkovsky might not ever be a superstar on the McDavid-Matthews-MacKinnon level where he wins scoring titles, but he should be one heck of a player for the Canadiens and become a key focal point of their rebuild.

Nashville Predators: They Reach the Western Conference Final

The Predators were the big winners of the offseason by landing two 40-goal scorers (Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault) and a top-four defenseman (Brady Skjei) in free agency.

They joined a roster that was already a playoff team, and one that was probably a little better than its record indicated.

Nashville was a top-10 5-on-5 team in terms of goal differential and expected goal share during the season, but just lacked more elite talent to help put it over the top.

Well, the Predators now have that.

There might be some questions as to how well those contracts will age in the long run, but Stamkos and Marchessault are both coming off 40-goal seasons and are not likely to see their production fall off a cliff anytime soon. That sort of finishing talent added to an already strong roster could be a game-changer, especially with starting goalie Juuse Saros back after signing a long-term extension.

They might not be a Stanley Cup team, but this certainly looks like a roster capable of returning to the playoffs and making a deep run, perhaps as far as the Western Conference Final.

New Jersey Devils: They Reach the Eastern Conference Final

The Devils were probably the biggest disappointment in the NHL during the 2023-24 season, and there wasn't any one aspect that was responsible for it.

It was a number of factors ranging from goaltending, to injuries, to poor coaching.

They have addressed a lot of those issues this offseason.

Lindy Ruff is out, Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen are in place to solidify the goaltending, and it is hard to imagine their injury luck could be any worse than it was this past season.

Their core talent is as good as any other team in the league, and as long as they are on the ice and have competent goaltending to back them up there is no reason why this can not just be a playoff team, but also a team that makes a serious run at the Stanley Cup.

A healthy Hamilton to go with the addition of Brett Pesce on defense and the potential development of Simon Nemec and Luke Hughes could make this defense one of the best in the NHL.

New York Islanders: Anthony Duclair Leads the Team in Goals

The Islanders did not make a lot of big moves this offseason, but they did make one of the best long-term free-agent signings of the summer when they landed forward Anthony Duclair on a four-year contract worth just $3.5 million per season.

It not only gives Duclair long-term comfort (something he has not had in his previous stops) it also reunites him with head coach Patrick Roy from his junior days.

When healthy Duclair is a gifted player with the puck that is capable of topping the 30-goal mark. He will not only give the Islanders the type of spark their offense has been lacking, he might end up leading them in goals entirely.

The Islanders had three players top the 30-goal mark last season with Brock Nelson pacing the team with 34 of them. But two of those three players (Nelson and Kyle Palmieri) are going to be 33 years old this season and could be in line for a regression. That could open the door for Duclair to take over the top spot if he can get back above the 30-goal mark like he did a couple of years ago.

New York Rangers: Alexis Lafreniere Is a Top-20 Scorer

Not all No. 1 picks have an immediate path to stardom.

Sometimes it takes a couple of years of development for them to get there.

That has been the case for Lafreniere, but he finally seems to be at a point where he is ready to take a big leap.

You could make the argument that it already happened. Or at least started.

After setting new career highs in goals and points during the 2023-24 regular season, Lafreniere was one of the Rangers' best and most effective players in the playoffs and looked like a player ready to truly break out next season.

The prediction here is that he not only builds on that playoff performance, but becomes the star player the Rangers need him to become and finishes next season as one of the top-20 scorers in the NHL.

Based on this year's numbers that would require at least 88 points. He should be capable of that with an increased role and his talent.

Ottawa Senators: Linus Ullmark Doesn't Make the Impact That Is Hoped

Goaltending was a major issue for the Senators in 2023-24 after Joonas Korpisalo proved to be a massive free-agent bust.

They worked to correct that mistake by dumping Korpisalo's contract and a draft pick on the Boston Bruins to acquire Ullmark.

On paper, it is a steal. In theory, it is a fantastic move.

But it just might not work out in practice. At least not to the degree the Senators are going to hope. And it is not because of Ullmark or his play. It is going to be because the team around him just isn't good enough to take advantage of having him on the roster.

The Senators are extremely top-heavy at forward but don't have great depth. They do not defend particularly well and could end up leaving Ullmark out on an island. He is also going to have to adjust to being a full-time starter again and taking on that heavy workload instead of being part of a 50-50 split like he was in Boston with Jeremy Swayman.

He will be a one-year rental and leave in free agency after the season to a better team.

Philadelphia Flyers: Matvei Michkov Wins the Calder Trophy

The Flyers have had a relatively quiet offseason and kind of seem resigned to the fact they might be taking a step backward this season.

That should be disappointing for the team's fans.

What will not be disappointing, however, is the arrival of Michkov. He not only has the potential to be a franchise-changing star, but he can make an immediate impact and should enter this season as one of the favorites to win the Calder Trophy as the league's rookie of the year.

He is also going to be on a mission to prove the six teams that passed on him in the 2023 draft wrong and actually win it.

Pittsburgh Penguins: Sidney Crosby Scores 90 Points Again

When players get into their late 30s there is supposed to be an obvious decline that happens.

It is not happening with Crosby.

While his offensive production might not be what it was at his peak, he remains an absolute force of a two-way player and is still scoring at an elite rate, reaching an incredible 94 points in his age-36 season.

As long as he stays healthy, there is no reason why he can not get there again in his age-37 season.

If he does, he would be just the fifth player to ever reach that mark at that age, joining a list that includes only Joe Sakic, Johnny Bucyk, Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky.

San Jose Sharks: Macklin Celebrini Scores 20 Goals

After being the worst team in the NHL a year ago—and one of the worst teams of the salary-cap era -- the Sharks should at least be somewhat watchable this season.

They added a few quality NHL players this offseason, and most importantly they added the top pick in the NHL draft in forward Macklin Celebrini.

He is not quite on the same level as Connor Bedard or Connor McDavid in terms of prospects, but he is not far behind and should be able to make some sort of meaningful impact as a rookie. If he can score 20-25 goals this season that would be a great debut for him and give the Sharks something to build toward in the future.

Seattle Kraken: Matthew Beniers Bounces Back

After winning the Calder Trophy as the league's Rookie of the Year in 2022-23, Beniers saw a massive regression in his production in year two.

A lot of that was due to a dreadful start that saw him record just 19 points through his first 45 games of the season. But he steadily improved as the season went on and finished strong with seven goals and 13 points over his final 23 games over the last two months of the season. That is more in line with what should have been expected from him.

Development for young players is not always consistent and linear, and there are always going to be growing pains.

Beniers went through some in year two and eventually started to work his way through them.

He should be poised for a bigger year that is closer to his rookie season than his most recent performance.

St. Louis Blues: Joel Hofer Finishes the Season as the Starting Goalie

Goaltending was a surprising strength for the St. Louis Blues this past season, with veteran Jordan Binnington having an especially strong bounce-back performance.

But that will not be enough for him to keep his starting job throughout this season.

The combination of Binnington regressing to the level he has been at in recent seasons, combined with Hofer's continued climb will result in the younger -- and currently cheaper -- player taking over the No. 1 spot.

They had matching .913 save percentages during the season, but Hofer is ready to keep climbing this season and take over the team's net. These are two trains rolling on two different tracks in two different directions.

Tampa Bay Lightning: Andrei Vasilevskiy Is a Vezina Finalist

Vasilevkiy used to be a regular among the top three of the Vezina voting, but has not been a finalist since the 2020-21 season. He is also coming off one of his worst seasons as a starter, managing only a .900 save percentage during the 2023-24 season.

That will all change this season.

A big part of his down year this past season was the fact he was never fully healthy early in the year and was trying to work his way back from offseason surgery. He has also played a ton of hockey over the past five years as the Lightning kept going on deep playoff runs into the Eastern Conference Final and Stanley Cup Final.

That will all eventually catch up to even the best goalies.

But with him entering the season fully healthy and having a longer offseason to rest and recover, he should return to being the elite goalie the Lightning have been accustomed to him being. He may not win the Vezina, but he will be in the top-three of the voting.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Another First-Round Exit

It's just hard to see how the same core that has failed so many times suddenly changes its results.

Especially when the supporting cast hasn't gotten any better around them.

Chris Tanev was a strong addition to the Maple Leafs' defense (even if the contract is a long-term risk), but they still lack center depth, they still have the same scoring depth issues that have plagued them in the playoffs for so many years, and they still did not make any changes to their core.

Now they have the added distraction of going into the season with Mitch Marner and John Tavares being in their contract years which is going to be a season-long talking point.

The Maple Leafs are what they keep showing us they are -- a borderline top-10 team that will win a lot of regular season games but does not have enough to get through the top teams in the NHL. Trouble is, a lot of those top teams are in their division and keep standing between them and playoff success. It will happen again this season.

Utah Hockey Club: They Make the Playoffs

Utah came into the offseason with salary-cap space and draft capital at its disposal, and it put both to good use by completely revamping its defense.

Mikhail Sergachev and John Marino are legitimate top-four defensemen added to the roster, while Ian Cole is a very capable veteran who can help round out the bottom pair. Add those three to a defense that already has Sean Durzi on it and suddenly that is a very formidable group.

The wild card with the Coyotes will be if second-year forward Logan Cooley can become an impact player at forward.

The Coyotes have some very good forwards they can build their offense around -- Clayton Keller, Nick Schmaltz, Lawson Crouse, Mattias Macelli—but they need somebody to become a go-to player. Cooley has that potential. If he can take a step toward that, this is a team that could open some eyes this season and be a big surprise in its first season in its new city.

Vancouver Canucks: 80 Assists for Quinn Hughes

Hughes has become one of the most impactful defensemen in the NHL and is coming off a monster season that saw him eclipse the 90-point mark and win his first ever Norris Trophy.

He figures to be a contender for the Norris Trophy again and given his ability, the Canucks' style of play and the talent around him he should be in line for another huge year offensively.

He might not score 17 goals again, but there is one thing he has a real shot to do -- record 80 assists.

Hughes has become the elite playmaking defender in the NHL and has seen his assist total climb in each of the past four years going from 38, to 60, to 69, to 75.

It is not a huge leap to think he can get to 80.

If he does he would be just the fourth defensemen to ever reach that number in a single season, joining Brian Leetch, Bobby Orr and Paul Coffey. Leetch was the most recent to reach it during the 1991-92 season.

Vegas Golden Knights: They Have Another Blockbuster Move in them

The Golden Knights' offseason has been uncharacteristically quiet and has only resulted in departures.

Jonathan Marchessault and Chandler Stephenson left in free agency. Logan Thompson was traded. They have not really added anything.

Maybe you look at last year's trade deadline additions of Noah Hanifin and Tomas Hertl as their big additions for this season since they will have them for a full season. But that does not seem like the Vegas way. There has to be something else cooking here. At some point this season, whether it be later this summer, early in the season, or by the trade deadline, they are going to figure out a way to land another star.

They will utilize all of the salary cap tricks in the books, they will piece together a trade package, they will dump salary, and they will end up with somebody who is a top-line player.

The main player to watch here: Mitch Marner.

Washington Capitals: Alex Ovechkin Breaks the All-Time Goals Record

He needs 42 goals to do it.

Is that asking a lot for most random 38-year-old players? Absolutely. Probably unheard of.

Is it asking a lot for Alex Ovechkin? Absolutely not.

He is just one year removed from his last 42-goal season, and he still scored 31 this past season with one of the lowest shooting percentages of his career. He has a better team around him, they are going to be driven to feed him shots, and if he sees even a little bit of a spike in his shooting percentage it is definitely within reach as long as he stays healthy.

He makes history this season.

Winnipeg Jets: Connor Hellebuyck Wins the Vezina Trophy Again

There are not many goalies in the NHL that you can count on for consistent play year in and year out.

Hellebuyck is one of them.

He has not finished with a save percentage below .910 since the 2016-17 season and has been over .920 in each of the past two seasons. He is coming off his second Vezina-winning performance and is the backbone of Winnipeg's success.

He is not only one of the best goalies in the league, he is an absolute workhorse that is almost certainly looking to prove something after disappointing playoff runs.

He not only comes back this season with another great season to help carry the Jets, but he joins the rare club of goalies to win three Vezina Trophies.