Top Five NHL Storylines For 2025: Ovechkin's Chase, Playoff Picture, Trade Deadline

Believe it or not, we'll be a quarter of the way through the 21st century when the clock strikes midnight to ring in 2025 on Tuesday night.

The NHL will roll out a tie-in celebration of the milestone through the first few months of the new year. While it's fun to look back, let's also look forward.

It's not every day that an all-time scoring record is close to toppling. Back in action and looking as productive as ever, Alex Ovechkin kicks off our list of the top five NHL stories to watch in 2025.

When Will Alex Ovechkin Pass Wayne Gretzky?

It’s no longer a case of if but when the NHL anoints a new all-time goal-scoring leader.

If you had any concerns that the most serious injury of Ovechkin's career might hinder his chances of passing Wayne Gretzky before the end of this season, 'The Great Eight' has quickly quelled any concerns.

Returning less than six weeks after he fractured his fibula on Nov. 18, Ovechkin promptly picked up an empty-netter in the Washington Capitals’ 5-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday, then added his 17th of the year against the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday.

The 39-year-old now needs 25 goals to eclipse The Great One, and the Capitals have 46 games left to play in the regular season.

Ovechkin is producing an incredible 0.85 goals per game this year — and he typically gets hotter during the second half. At his current production rate — and assuming no more time on the sidelines — he could hit 895 by Game 65, just after the trade deadline.

Related: With Ovechkin Back In The Lineup, The Capitals Are Looking Like A Wagon

How Will The Playoff Picture Shake Out?

At this point, it seems safe to assume that the New Jersey Devils and the Minnesota Wild will be back in the playoff mix this spring after one-year absences. Both clubs have hovered near the top of their conference standings for most of the year.

In the wild-card race, the Ottawa Senators are on the inside track to be the Atlantic Division team that finally cracks its long playoff drought.

There are multiple challengers right on the Senators' heels — and none of them are named the New York Rangers. After a tumultuous couple of months, will the 2024 Presidents' Trophy winners find a way to emulate last year's Nashville Predators and stage an unlikely second-half rally?

Speaking of the Predators — is there any chance at all that Andrew Brunette's crew will make lightning strike twice in the same place? They're stuck in 30th place.

Related: Five NHL Teams That Need A Reset In 2025

Which Big Names Will Move By The NHL Trade Deadline?

Once 2025 begins, trade talks will start to ramp up in earnest. Last year, the first big move came on Jan. 31, when the Vancouver Canucks jumped the queue to acquire Elias Lindholm.

This season, the trade deadline rhythms could be a little different due to the longer, later schedule break for the 4 Nations Face-Off from Feb. 10 to 21.

Regular game action will resume less than two weeks before this year’s March 8 deadline. Will teams look to make their moves before the tournament pause, or will we see a frantic re-shuffling of the deck after the international winner is crowned?

Related: NHL Free Agency: Seven Western Conference Pending UFAs Who Could Demand Big Bucks

Who Will Make Headlines At The 4 Nations Face-Off?

It’s hard to predict how the 4 Nations Face-Off will play out or how it will be received. The only mid-season international tournaments we’ve seen with NHL players in the past have been at the Olympics, and even those memories are probably dim for many younger fans.

This time around, we’ve got a smaller pool of competitors, a very short schedule, a one-game final for all the marbles — and a boatload of national team members whose biggest experience on the international stage has probably been at the world juniors.

Team USA may be favored on paper for 4 Nations, but as this year's U-20 tournament reminds us, anything can happen in a single-game showdown on any given night.

The stage is set. Who will seize the moment?

Related: 4 Nations Face-Off: Five Surprises With Canada And The USA's Rosters

Will A New CBA Be Ratified By Playoff Time?

Speaking of unprecedented, it’s also hard to comprehend the idea the NHL’s next collective bargaining agreement might be finalized as much as a year before the old deal expires — without contentious negotiations or the threat of a work stoppage.

To be fair, the league and the NHL Players’ Association found a meeting of the minds on a long-term labor agreement during the height of the pandemic in 2020. But those very difficult circumstances set up an extremely unique bargaining landscape, in which everyone’s main goal was simply to keep the league afloat.

Now that we’re back in peacetime, business is reportedly better than ever. That can be a win for the players and the owners.

Casual conversations have already started, and formal talks between the two sides are expected to begin around the time of 4 Nations in February, according to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.

If Bettman and NHLPA head Marty Walsh can meet the commissioner’s rumored goal of reaching an agreement before Game 1 of the 2025 Stanley Cup final, it would truly be the dawn of a new era.

Related: Q&A: NHLPA Exec Marty Walsh On NHL Expansion, CBA Plans And More, Part 1

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