The 2024-25 season is around the corner as the offseason, and the action that came with it, is starting to wind down. It’s that time when fans and experts alike start to make some predictions. One of the things to look at is the top five offenses in the NHL. Offense doesn’t change much from one season to the next but there will be some changes and this project allows us to take a look at which offenses to pay attention to in the upcoming season.
Related: NHL Rebuild Rankings: 2024-25 Preseason Edition
For reference, these were the top five offenses from last season.
5. Tampa Bay Lightning (3.51 goals per game)
4. Edmonton Oilers (3.56 goals per game)
3. Dallas Stars (3.59 goals per game)
2. Toronto Maple Leafs (3.63 goals per game)
1. Colorado Avalanche (3.68 goals per game)
Of the five teams from last season, three of them made the list this season while two missed the cut. So, let’s take a dive at what the best offenses in the league, give or take, will look like.
5. Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks finished last season just out of the top five, averaging 3.40 goals per game. There’s a good argument to be made that they overachieved and everything went right so this season, they will regress, especially after losing Elias Lindholm in free agency. However, the roster for the most part remains intact and the Lindholm loss isn’t such a big deal considering he only scored six goals and six assists in 26 regular season games after he was acquired from the Calgary Flames.
They have a great group that can take this offense a step further. The top six has J.T. Miller, Elias Pettersson, and Brock Boeser leading the way, a trio that scored 111 goals and added 154 assists. Then there’s the Jake DeBrusk addition which will help the top six on the wing as well.
Then there is the defensive unit which has the reigning Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Quinn Hughes putting the offense over the top with his playmaking from the point. Hughes has rounded out his game as he’s more than a passer and can impact the game in multiple ways and it showed with a season where he scored 17 goals and 75 assists. A bonus is Filip Hronek who also opens up the offense from the point; it’s a duo that takes this offense up a notch.
The lack of depth can hold the Canucks back (acquiring Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov at the 2024 Trade Deadline and moving out depth skaters and future assets in the process won’t…
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