Some things we clearly saw coming headed into the 2024-25 NHL season: The Devils would improve, the Leafs would thrive under Craig Berube, and the Sabres would be the Sabres.

However, just over two months in, and the unexpected storylines are emerging. The Rangers are just standing on the ice for 60 minutes instead of playing hockey; the Washington Capitals are leading the East; and the Minnesota Wild aren't just good, they're also fun.

What else has the season had up its sleeve so far? Here are six NHL storylines we didn't see coming.

The Rangers' Implosion

We saw certain flaws with this New York Rangers roster rear their heads last playoffs: lack of depth scoring down the lineup, and some defensive holes. But there was nothing truly damning.

Management tried to address this during the offseason by trying to trade captain Jacob Trouba.

The problem? They gave him a contract with so much control that he could turn down plenty of potential destinations, and his expensive contract wasn't in high demand with so many competitive teams so close to the salary cap.

So, the vibes of your captain on a failed trading block aren't great headed into the season.

The start was fine. Igor Shesterkin was great to begin his contract year, Alexis Lafreniere continued to break out, and the team was winning. Then suddenly, it felt like the wind was knocked out of them entirely.

They weren't scoring, they were collapsing when they did, and reports started surfacing about trading Trouba and veteran Chris Kreider. That didn't appear to motivate anyone, so Trouba is now with the Ducks in return for Urho Vaakanainen, while Kreider is still on the team and the Rangers are still struggling badly.

They are 2-8-0 in their last 10 games, including a recent loss to the league-worst Blackhawks. They are 14-12-1 overall and currently out of a playoff position.

It's hard to know where they go from here, but maybe publicly putting two leaders on the trade block and sort of sitting back wasn't the right move.

The Capitals Leading the Eastern Conference

Folks spent the first month of the season trying to figure out if the Washington Capitals were really that good or if they'd come back down to earth, and now it's safe to say they really are that good.

They're leading the Eastern Conference at 19-6-2 and the league with their plus-35 goal differential.

Dylan Strome has been a revelation since signing with Washington, Jakob Chychrun and Pierre-Luc Dubois have fit in nicely in their first season, Charlie Lindgren is crushing it in net, the kids led by Connor McMichael are chipping in, and Spencer Carbery has to be a Jack Adams Trophy front-runner at this point.

And they've done a lot of this without Alex Ovechkin. His roaring start to the season was great fun, and you get the sense he'll give this surging team another boost when he returns from injury in a few weeks.

Connor Bedard's Sophomore Slump

We knew things would be rough in Chicago, and no one was particularly mad about it. But it's been significantly worse than it should've been, and coach Luke Richardson has been fired.

The 55-year-old made his fair share of puzzling decisions when it came to center Connor Bedard's linemates. He only put Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teravainen on the second-year star's wing for spurts of time that weren't long enough to build chemistry until it was too late.

Even when Bedard has had some moments with two or three decent players on the team, the constant linemate blending hasn't given him enough of a chance.

Bedard is the second-youngest player in the league on the worst team in the league at 19, and even if he's making stellar passes, they don't count unless the recipient of the pass puts it in the net. Even then, people expected a bit more than five goals and 21 points in 28 games.

He's sophomore-slumping and it's OK to admit it, and it doesn't have to mean anything dramatic for the rest of his career.

Let's see what he can do under a new head coach, and let's hope the Blackhawks give him a little more to work with soon.

The Minnesota Wild Are Fun

For the past few years, the Minnesota Wild were tough to watch. They were supposed to be good, but it always felt like they were just out of reach due to frustrating blown opportunities or silly mistakes.

Frankly, it's more miserable to watch a team with potential keep succumbing to mediocrity than something like the bad Blackhawks being bad.

So, I'm not surprised the Wild are good, but I am surprised they're fun. The pieces are clicking, and Kirill Kaprizov is at the heart of the Hart Trophy conversation with 18 goals and 43 points in 27 games.

Minnesota is leading the entire league with 42 points and a 19-5-4 record with no signs of slowing down. The Wild are good, and it's safe to enjoy it.

The Columbus Blue Jackets Are in the Wild-Card Conversation

I'm not saying a Blue Jackets playoff appearance is likely, but they're only three points out of the second Eastern Conference wild-card spot.

The East's playoff bubble has been a mess this year, and Columbus is in the mix of the chaos. It has a chance this season.

The hot start cooled a bit to a 12-13-3 record, but the Blue Jackets are hanging on and staying relevant with wins against top opponents. They aren't letting losing streaks get too severe, and they're scoring tons of goals when they get hot.

Sean Monahan and Zach Werenski have combined skill with leadership to keep Columbus headed in an interesting direction and competitive every night.

Martin Necas Is a Hart Trophy Candidate

Even when the Hurricanes are at the top of the league, it's been extremely rare to see one of their players in the top 10 among league scorers. It's just not how their defensively sound, full-team effort roster is constructed.

Martin Necas, the No. 12 overall draft pick in 2017, has been waiting in the wings to explode for years and has done so this season.

In a year when some thought the Hurricanes might struggle due to significant roster turnover, they didn't end up trading Necas. With more room and space for the skilled Czech, he now has 14 goals and 43 points in 28 games. That's tied for second in scoring leaguewide, and it's enough to force him into a Hart Trophy conversation no one saw him in before the season.

Then you look at where the Hurricanes are, playing better than expected, 18-9-1 and with a plus-21 goal differential despite a precarious goaltending situation.

Necas' role in that might win him a Hart if he keeps it up.