The 2024-25 National Hockey League season is sliding in fast, and there are some interesting threads to follow as the season unfolds. After all, hockey is more fun when you know what you’re watching for.

No one wants to be picked last for their middle school dodgeball team. Even if you’re an NHL all star, you don’t want to be drafted last. After years of simply dividing the all stars by their respective divisions — Atlantic, Metropolitan, Central and Pacific — to play in a four-team bracket to decide the winning team, the NHL decided to mix up the format and return to a draft format.