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NHL 2023: A report from the future of hockey

By Bruin Belisle

BOSTON - OCTOBER 23: Islanders defenseman Johnny Boychuk skates for the first time on the Garden ice since his trade from Boston under the lights used as the players come onto the surface before the start of the game. The Boston Bruins hosted the New York Islanders in a regular season National Hockey League game at TD Garden. (Photo by Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
BOSTON - OCTOBER 23: Islanders defenseman Johnny Boychuk skates for the first time on the Garden ice since his trade from Boston under the lights used as the players come onto the surface before the start of the game. The Boston Bruins hosted the New York Islanders in a regular season National Hockey League game at TD Garden. (Photo by Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) /
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LAS VEGAS, NV – JUNE 07: Marc-Andre Fleury #29 of the Vegas Golden Knights blocks a Washington Capitals’ shot in the first period of Game Five of the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena on June 7, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Capitals defeated the Golden Knights 4-3. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

Which NHL teams are hot

The Vegas Golden Knights continue to be good. Through their underdog mentality and barrage of semi-skilled players, the team with four second lines is dominant through the next five years, or at least, as long a Marc-Andre Fleury can muster up playoff performances that only he, Tim Thomas and J.S. Giguere are capable of.

The Winnipeg Jets and Nashville Predators round out the top three in the Western Conference. The Jets will win a Stanley Cup in this five-year stretch, becoming the first Canadian team to do so since the Montreal Canadiens in 1993.

The Arizona Coyotes and Seattle Kraken will both move into contention over this time frame. Arizona because of their elite prospect pool and solid core players and Seattle because we all saw what Vegas did when they weren’t trying to win. Imagine going into an expansion draft and building a team who is.

The Eastern Conference is dominated by the Leafs, Bruins and Lightning through the regular seasons. Between now and 2023, the Penguins and Capitals will trail off, opening the door for the Philadelphia Flyers to wreak havoc on the Conference in two-to-three years from now.

Seriously, Philadelphia is going to be very good, very soon.

The Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes will also see frequent playoff appearances through the later part of the next five seasons. Finally, believe it or not, Buffalo gets into the mix as well, assuming they don’t do some Buffalo-like stuff to take the legs out from under what looks like a promising young team.

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