Who has best chance to end Panthers’ dynasty hopes in storyline-rich season

You would be hard-pressed to find a point in recent history when the NHL opened a season so rich in storylines, so secure in its future and with its prized parity so entrenched as it is now.

That is not only about the labor peace negotiated between commissioner Gary Bettman and NHLPA head Marty Walsh, a landmark less for its provisions than for the previously unheard-of ease at which an agreement was reached, but a stable collective bargaining agreement sure does help.

But while the league reacts to Connor McDavid taking a Jake Walman-sized hometown discount to re-sign in Edmonton for two years at $12.5 million per, and before it starts looking ahead to April and the Gavin McKenna sweepstakes, to the Panthers’ attempt at the first three-peat since the Dynasty Islanders or to Feb. 11 when the puck drops on the men’s hockey tournament at the Milan Olympics, there is the matter of Dec. 1.

That is when the Hockey Canada Five — reinstated by the NHL after being found not guilty of sexual assault charges dating back to a June 2018 incident, with the verdict delivered in a London, Ontario, courtroom by Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia — will be allowed to appear in games for the first time since January 2024, when their names were made public, should any be signed between now and then.