We're just one month away from the first puck drop of the 2024-25 NHL season.

Some lingering business has been trickling in as players prepare for camp, though.

Earlier this week, Leon Draisaitl's extension with the Edmonton Oilers made him the highest-paid player in the league, and Seth Jarvis locked in with the Carolina Hurricanes for the long term.

Meanwhile, the Boston Bruins and Jeremy Swayman still can't figure out a deal.

As we gear up for another year of hopes, dreams and disappointments, let's take a look at one thing each team probably wishes it could have before training camp begins.

Anaheim Ducks: A Time Machine

We're seeing the Ducks' core of the future starting to mesh together in the present, but the scoreboard shows there's still a long way to go.

However, it's exciting to imagine what Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, Mason McTavish, Pavel Mintyukov and, dare we say it, Trevor Zegras and the rest of the team could look like in a few years' time.

As much as Ducks fans wish they could hop in a time machine and get there now, they'll have to let development guru and head coach Greg Cronin work his magic for a couple more seasons.

Boston Bruins: A Blank Check

It's September 4, Linus Ullmark is long gone and Jeremy Swayman is still unsigned.

The Bruins only have $8.6 million in cap space left, and as of at least a few weeks ago, Swayman's camp and the Boston front office were not close in negotiations, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet told 32 Thoughts.

Earlier this week, WEEI's Rich Keefe reported Swayman is asking for $10 million (h/t Michael DeRosa of The Hockey News), and the netminder told the Shut Up Marc Podcast about disappointments in arbitration and the struggles of contract negotiations.

Yikes.

Buffalo Sabres: An Exorcism

I really thought the Sabres were going to break the longest active NHL playoff drought last season, just like I thought they would the previous year.

I can't go through this again. Whatever happens in Buffalo this season is officially none of my business.

Calgary Flames: A Tyson Barrie

Oh, wait. The Flames signed the veteran defenseman to a PTO Tuesday night, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.

Carolina Hurricanes: A Best-Case Scenario

The Carolina Hurricanes are in an interesting spot after losing Jake Guentzel, Brett Pesce, Brady Skjei and Teuvo Teravainen.

They've still got super-enticing pieces, so we shouldn't close the window on them just yet. But last year's squandered opportunity did feel like the best one this core is going to get.

However, head coach Rod Brind'Amour thrives doing things the hard way. The Hurricanes will have to rely on grit and a best-case scenario to keep their Stanley Cup hopes alive at this point.

The season is starting on a high note at least, with Seth Jarvis blooming and locked up for eight years.

Chicago Blackhawks: What Could They Possibly Ask for?

The Chicago Blackhawks are again slated for the Winter Classic, and honestly, I don't hate it at this point.

They've nailed the rumored jerseys, and Chicago has added some reinforcements to play alongside Connor Bedard this offseason such as high-energy Tyler Bertuzzi.

Between winning the Bedard sweepstakes, another Winter Classic, and some solid offseason acquisitions, I think we've given the Blackhawks enough stuff for now.

Colorado Avalanche: A Fairytale

Beloved Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog has not played a game in two years and has had two knee surgeries in that time.

There's been speculation over whether he'll play again throughout his recovery, but coach Jared Bednar told NHL.com's Tom Gulitti in late August that there's "optimism" surrounding a return this season.

"He's trying to make a return here sometime near the start of the season and if that goes well, it would be a really big boost for us," he said. "So, that's something we're all a little anxious about, but really excited about as well."

Star forward Valeri Nichushkin is suspended until at least November while receiving treatment from the NHL/NHL Players' Association Player Assistance Program, so the captain's return could be a huge boost in morale if all goes well.

Columbus Blue Jackets

The hockey world continues to mourn the deaths of Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew.

Let's all help the Columbus Blue Jackets keep Johnny Hockey's unmistakably vibrant spirit alive this season and forever.

Dallas Stars: An Edge

What do you get the most consistent team in the league?

The top of the Western Conference has never been more stacked, but only one team can reach the Cup Final.

Last year, it was the Oilers, largely due to their relentless offensive power and special teams.

The Dallas Stars are everything you want your NHL team to be every week, and not even that is enough to rise to the top sometimes in the contemporary NHL.

You need to be elite in every facet of the game, and then you need an X-factor on top of that. The good news for the Stars? There are plenty of young players on the roster who could easily find a new gear and become that difference-maker.

Detroit Red Wings: League Average Goaltending

The Red Wings were on the playoff bubble a few times last season in the crowded Eastern Conference.

Whenever they appeared to gain serious momentum, though, a combination of subpar goaltending and unseasoned defense brought them back down to earth.

With Patrick Kane re-signed and Vladimir Tarasenko in the mix, the offense has a chance to stay relatively solid, although some middle six-ish losses and the departure of Jake Walman raise an eyebrow.

Can Detroit improve on its .897 team save percentage this season? Between Cam Talbot, Alex Lyon and Ville Husso, you'd think some combination of the three could stay above .900 if they are properly utilized.

You could point to several things the Red Wings might wish for at this stage of the Yzerplan, but a foundation of solid goaltending tends to have a positive ripple effect.

Edmonton Oilers: A Breather

There's nothing like your team squeezing in a big signing a few weeks before training camp.

The Oilers made Leon Draisaitl the highest-paid player in the league Tuesday with an eight-year extension carrying a $14 million per year cap hit.

With the 50-goal scorer locked up, the Cup favorites should be able to focus on the task at hand and take a breather before we start panicking over Connor McDavid's looming negotiations.

Right?

Florida Panthers: A Groundhog Day

As is the case with most Stanley Cup winners, the 2023-24 Florida Panthers were a near-perfectly constructed team for which everything went just right.

They've done a great job at retaining key players, and now we have to sit back and wait to see if they can repeat the execution.

Obviously, goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky's performance will be crucial here.

Los Angeles Kings: A True Breakout Season for Quinton Byfield

The LA Kings need to click a bit better on every front, but the progression of Quinton Byfield has been a consistent and positive development.

Can the 22-year-old build on his 20-goal haul in 2023-24?

Minnesota Wild: A Tissue

Legendary and fun-spirited goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury left no room for speculation after re-signing with the Wild.

However, his upcoming 21st NHL season will also be his last:

The 39-year-old three-time Stanley Cup champion and avid prankster has touched the league with his antics, personality and his longevity in net.

This farewell tour is going to be an emotional one.

Montreal Canadiens: A Style Rankings Iso Cam

With Patrik Laine now set for a fresh start in Montreal, the Habs officially have the pound-for-pound best style in the league.

Considering key emerging forward Kirby Dach is returning after tearing his ACL and MCL only a few games into last season and how nicely other key players are developing, this could be an exciting season on the ice for the Canadiens.

First, though, we need the social media managers locked in for the pre-game fits.

Nashville Predators: A GM Extension

What do you get the Barry Trotz who has everything?

It's been awesome to watch Trotz negotiate in his new role as Nashville general manager, and he's been as aggressive and charming as expected at the helm of the front office.

His offseason acquisitions, highlighted by Steven Stamkos, tell us that a little creativity can go a long way for NHL front offices and that some could use a touch more innovation.

New Jersey Devils: Occam's Razor in Action

Occam's Razor is a principle that states the explanation that requires the fewest assumptions is usually correct.

Why did the Devils stink last year? There are a few acceptable answers, including injuries, but we all saw the goaltending was poor. We witnessed the data to back that up. So did the Devils' front office.

New Jersey sent out Akira Schmid and brought in Jacob Markstrom to improve the situation in net. They also added solid anchor Brett Pesce to help the goalie out.

For the sake of the Devils, Occam's Razor will have to hold up.

New York Islanders: Something, Anything

Look, the Islanders doing nothing has become such a meme that you're tempted to ignore the fact that they did sign a decently consistent goal-scorer in Anthony Duclair.

As great as he can be, though, a team looking to remain relevant in the East probably has to do something more.

New York Rangers: A Reasonable Outcome for Jeremy Swayman

We can debate for days about who is the best goalie in the NHL right now, but Igor Shesterkin is in every conversation.

Bruins RFA Jeremy Swayman remains unsigned in another tense negotiation, but the talks aren't just tense for him and the Bruins.

If Boston can't keep Swayman's extension under $10 million, you wonder what gargantuan deal we're looking at for Shesterkin in New York next.

Ottawa Senators: An 'A-ha' Moment

The Senators were supposed to be pretty good last season, but they really weren't.

Post-suspension Shane Pinto was starting to click, though, and now they've got former Vezina winner Linus Ullmark in the fold.

You get the sense this team just needs an "a-ha" moment to start rolling, so perhaps that happens.

Philadelphia Flyers: A Chill Pill

The Flyers felt almost special and almost ready last season, and it was pretty fun to imagine some Philly energy at the top of the league again.

It fell apart eventually, but no one was expecting the team to make the playoffs yet, so it was no big deal.

But now we've got a taste of how electric this Flyers team can be when firing on all cylinders, and this season 2023 top-10 draft pick Matvei Michkov enters the fray.

The 19-year-old will become just the second top-10 pick to debut for the Flyers since 2007, and he's projected to be a Calder Trophy finalist.

Proceed with caution, though, Flyers fans. Enjoy watching Michkov's development, but the team isn't ready to compete for a Cup. And while last season's good vibes and this season's excitement are all trending in the right direction, let's remember to have some patience through the inevitable lows.

Pittsburgh Penguins: A Do-Over

What if they just, like, kept Jake Guentzel?

San Jose Sharks: A New Signature Drink

Macklin Celebrini is the most exciting first-round pick, since, er, Connor Bedard.

The Boston University product has true star potential as the San Jose Sharks build back up.

Let me help with the marketing: The Celetini. You can serve it at the SAP Center in a Sharks cup for $45. You're welcome.

Seattle Kraken: Shane Wright's Emergence

Kraken top prospect Shane Wright tore it up for the AHL-affiliate Thunderbirds last season, with 22 goals and 47 points in 59 games and four goals and 13 points in 12 playoff games.

Seattle deserves credit for its consistency and depth up and down the lineup, but it could use a bit more scoring to be genuinely competitive in the West.

Wright's emergence might help.

St. Louis Blues: A Round of Applause

Love to see two offer sheets tendered to the same team, as the St. Louis Blues acquired both Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg from the cap-strapped Oilers last month.

The Blues have been a will-they-won't-they-what-even-are-they team since that 2019 Cup triumph, but now it seems they've been able to muster up a young core without a full rebuild.

We'll see how it all pans out by the end of the season, but color me impressed if St. Louis pulls off an invisible rebuild.

Tampa Bay Lightning: A Shoulder Chip

Nikita Kucherov narrowly lost one of the most heated Hart Trophy contests in recent memory.

You could argue that he deserved to win just as much as Nathan MacKinnon depending on how you look at a player's value to their team.

Between Kucherov, the Jake Guentzel acquisition and the general "never give up" demeanor of this Lightning team, Tampa Bay might make an interesting shoulder-chipped run this year.

Toronto Maple Leafs: An Open Mind

New head coach Craig Berube has some awesome, hard-nosed vibes and some Stanley Cup-winning experience. Auston Matthews is officially the captain.

And despite the same tortured ending, the stars weren't to blame for last season's first-round exit.

We're optimistic for what might be the last year of these Buds.

Vancouver Canucks: A Healthy Goalie

It looks like Thatcher Demko might be ready for training camp, but reports surrounding the Vezina finalist have been a muddied back-and-forth ever since he was injured early last postseason.

It also appears that emerging backup Arturs Silovs is dealing with knee inflammation, although the severity is unknown as he heads to training camp.

Finally, more reports are swirling around noting Vancouver's interest in Kevin Lankinen.

What does it all mean, and where will it all go? As always with the Canucks, we'll just have to find out.

We do know that with a healthy Demko, they're one of the best teams in the league. Without him and a viable replacement, it'll be a struggle to improve on last season.

Utah Hockey Club: A Cool Name

Please be the Yeti!

Look, Utah Hockey Club is fine for now, but let's be bold and go for a cool name, not a lame one.

Vegas Golden Knights: A Sage Cleanse

Have the Golden Knights officially gone too far?

The controversial yet highly effective (and technically rule-following) franchise had another interesting offseason, this time failing to re-sign OG, 42-goal scorer and 2023 Conn Smythe winner Jonathan Marchessault.

There was also the whole "Logan Thompson finding out he was traded mid-autograph session" thing, among others.

Will a sage cleanse be enough to keep the vibes fresh with this still-relevant Vegas team?

Washington Capitals: 42 Goals for No. 8

Alex Ovechkin sits at 853 career goals, just 41 short of Wayne Gretzky's all-time goals record (894). Can he do it in 2024-25 after a slow season by his usual standards?

The 38-year-old has also scored at least 42 goals in 13 of his 19 seasons in the NHL and did so as recently as 2022-23 when he hit that exact number.

If anyone can do it, it's Ovechkin, but he's got to stay healthy and prove last season's 31 goals weren't regression (which seems ridiculous to say, but it's the potentially best goal-scorer of all time we're talking about, here).

Even if it was a slight regression (which is inevitable at some point), he's got two years left of his contract and two seasons featuring at least 20-ish goals each seems doable.

Winnipeg Jets: A Down Year in the West

The Jets made a valiant effort against the Avalanche in one of the most fun series of the 2024 playoffs, and it felt different than other recent first-round exits.

But they still fell short.

At this point, with this above-average-with-nowhere-to-go roster, the Jets have to hope Cole Perfetti keeps climbing (very likely), and that the West's playing field somehow gets a bit easier (unlikely).