The 2022-23 NHL season is officially over, as the Vegas Golden Knights have won the Stanley Cup. It was an incredible season of hockey, with many twists and historic feats to go around.

With the offseason upon us, there is certainly going to be upheaval around the league. Many teams are shifting their focus to the future. And some will take their shot at making the jump to the next level.

The new season won’t drop the puck until early October. However, why not have some fun and throw out a few predictions that surely won’t immediately freeze over in a few weeks? All jokes aside, here are five way-too-early bold predictions for the 2023-24 NHL season

5) Bruins hang around

The Boston Bruins finished the greatest regular season in NHL history this past year. They were supposed to be the team to beat in these Stanley Cup Playoffs. However, it just didn’t happen.

Boston fell to the Florida Panthers in embarrassing fashion. There are major questions surrounding the future of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, among others.

While they certainly won’t match their 65 wins from this past season, the Bruins will hang around the playoffs. Jim Montgomery is a fantastic coach, and they have a playoff caliber group.

Many expect the team to take a step back. The Detroit Red Wings certainly hope they do, to some extent. But don’t sleep on the Bruins keeping themselves in the playoff race next season.

4) Coyotes remain resilient

There may not be a team facing more adversity as we look toward the 2023-24 season. The Arizona Coyotes may very well not play in the state of Arizona when we drop the puck for the 2024-25 season.

The Coyotes play in a college arena that seats less than 6000 people. For comparison sake, the now relocated Hamilton Bulldogs of the OHL called FirstOntario Centre home. That arena has a capacity of up to 19,000.

And here’s the thing. Arizona wasn’t necessarily bad last season. They weren’t great by any means, but they finished with a respectable 70 points. Things certainly could have gone worse given their situation.

In 2023-24, things probably should go even worse for this team. However, I believe they show some resiliency, just as they did this past season. Arizona is absolutely not making the playoffs next season, but they’ll surprise some people with their play on the ice.

3) Calgary rebounds

The Calgary Flames are one of a number of teams with a lot of questions to answer this summer. The team barely missed the playoffs last season. They even finished with a better standing than the Panthers, who made the Stanley Cup Finals.

Calgary has a new general manager in Craig Conroy. And Conroy just hired Ryan Huska as the team’s new head coach. The team has a brand new mentality heading into the season, and it’ll pay off.

The Flames could turn over the roster a little bit, but ultimately, they still make the playoffs in 2023-24. How far they go remains to be seen. The challenge for Conroy and his staff is ensuring the playoff appearance is not a one-and-done scenario.

2) Atlantic Division power shift

The Atlantic Division may be the toughest division in all of the NHL. Many of the league’s best teams call the division home. Those teams include the Bruins, Panthers, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Tampa Bay Lightning.

However, this division is also home to teams looking to take the next step. Teams such as the Red Wings, Buffalo Sabres, and Ottawa Senators have young teams ready to prove themselves.

The 2023-24 season will see the beginning of a power shift in this division. The Bruins should hang around, but there’s no guarantee they make it in. Tampa and Toronto could also take a step back.

The Sabres are the likeliest team to jump into the playoff conversation. Don’t sleep on the Red Wings or Senators, though. They could find themselves in the playoff hunt, as well.

1) Panthers run it back

The one team in the Atlantic I have confidence in is the Florida Panthers. Which I know is a bold take, but that is the name of the game with this list, so it all works out in the end.

The Panthers know they can go on a deep playoff run. They proved it to themselves with this run to the Stanley Cup Final. And while they fell short, there’s no reason to think they couldn’t make another run.

The Panthers run it back in 2023-24 and make the Stanley Cup Finals once again. Perhaps this time around, the result falls in their favor, and they lift Lord Stanley above their heads.