3 teams with surprising starts to the 2024-25 NHL Season

If we really dissect the play in the NHL so far this season, I am sure we could find more than than three surprising teams. But the following teams top the list of squads whose starts to the 2024-25 campaign make us go... "Huh?"

Washington Capitals

First things first, I think I can say with confidence that we're all collectively on Ovi Watch. Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin is on pace to break the NHL's all-time goals record, which is currently held by The Great One, Wayne Gretzky, who sits at the top of the list with 894. Ovechkin needs to score 42 goals this season to break the record, and the math crunched by the league has him on pace to score career goal number 895 on March 7, 2025, which will be the Capitals' 63rd game of the season.

Even Gretzky himself is on Ovi watch!

I am surprised how good the team has looked in its 50th year of play. Near the top of the Metropolitan Division, the Caps are in a three-way tie for first in the division with 18 points. With their recent home win vs. the Nashville Predators, we can officially say the Caps are streaking. They've won their last seven on home ice, with Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins coming to town next. They just barely made the playoffs last season, clinching the final spot in the Eastern Conference on the final game of the regular season. Their postseason run was short though, as they were swept by the President's Trophy-winning New York Rangers. No first-round exit hangover here!

I am surprised, just slightly, at how productive Ovechkin has been to start the campaign. Last season we saw The Great Eight struggle offensively, scoring only 31 goals in 79 games. That is 39 percent, meaning he scored in less than half of the games he played. This season so far he has scored eight goals in 12 games, upping that percentage to 67. At this rate, the 39-year-old will crush the all-time goals record while assisting his team offensively to secure a better postseason spot.

Can the Caps make a push for the Cup again?

Nashville Predators

Where do I begin?

Facts: The Nashville Predators are last in the Central Division, with only four wins and nine points on the season. There is only one other team at this point who is also at this low level of points, and that is the Philadelphia Flyers. No player on the Preds has more than 10 points so far. Where has the offense gone?

The Predators made a huge splash in free agency over the summer and filled some much needed holes offensively and defensively; adding two Stanley Cup-winning forwards in Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault along with offensive defenseman Brady Skjei from the Carolina Hurricanes. In addition, they locked up their goaltender Juuse Saros for eight more years after his contract expires in 2025.

The Preds saw a four-game point streak at the end of October, but their record sits currently at 4-8-1. Growing pains? Team cohesion? Aggressiveness? Something is going on.

The bright spot for the team has been their special teams, the penalty kill is at 92.1%, the only team with a better PK is the New York Rangers with a 92.3% success rate.

I still have faith in the Predators, they have too many playmakers to fall short. Is it Cup or bust this season? No. But having a deeper postseason run than last year is definitely on the to-do list.

Minnesota Wild

The Minnesota Wild are having an incredible start to the 2024-25 season, which is slightly surprising to me. After failing to make the postseason last year and not making a ton of roster changes in free agency, what has changed?

The Wild did sign 2024 Calder Trophy finalist defenseman Brock Faber to an eight-year contract extension as well as Faber's line-mate Jake Middleton to a four-year deal. Filip Gustavsson is back between the pipes in tandem with almost 40 year-old Marc-Andre Fleury; apparently, that's enough to make a good team.

I think the difference-maker here, which I am not surprised about, is winger Kirill Kaprizov. The 2020-21 Calder Memorial Trophy winner is the offensive powerhouse of this team, and it shows. This season, he is near the top of the points list, tied for fourth with 21 points in 12 games. Points leader Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan McKinnon has 25 points, so Kaprizov is just four points behind.

Is this production sustainable? Time will tell. Will others step up to the challenge? It will have to be a team effort down the stretch to make a Cup run.