One of the things I like to do as a new season approaches is go through all 32 teams and pick out the guys that I think could turn into the most fascinating stories as the season goes on. As always, there’s no real criteria here other than that I’m singling out players and personnel who I’m especially interested in watching this year, with the only firm rule being that I’m limited to one name per team. That’s only fair — we all know that your personal favorite team is the most interesting one in the league by far, and we can’t have them taking up the whole list.
We’ll do this roster-style, with 12 forwards, six defensemen and two goalies, plus a coach and GM and some honorable mentions. Some picks will be obvious, others might be odd, and you’re welcome to share your own in the comments below.
Goaltenders
Alexander Georgiev, Avalanche
The defending champs are a star-studded team full of players that are all sorts of fun to watch. But with apologies to Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon, I didn’t go back and forth too much on who the pick is here. The Avs won a Stanley Cup despite an extremely so-so playoff run from Darcy Kuemper, and that’s led to some narratives that this team can win with anyone in net. Maybe that’s true, but it’s still kind of fascinating to see them gamble on a career backup who wasn’t very good last year.
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