Bringing back one beloved veteran for every Western Conference team

Last week, we took a trip down memory lane to see which franchise legends could most benefit their old clubs from the Eastern Conference. With Hall-of-Famers, future Hall-of-Fame shoo-ins, and active players out of the running, teams took a wide range of different approaches to the historical draft.

While teams including the Washington Capitals shopped from the top shelf by bringing back superstars like Peter Bondra, the Toronto Maple Leafs were among the clubs that prioritized intangibles by selecting former captains like Wendel Clark.

Now, every team in the Western Conference will have its chance to go back in time to beef up their roster ahead of 2024-25. Well, almost every team. The Seattle Kraken have seen exactly one former player, Joonas Donskoi, retire during their brief history, and Utah Hockey Club has no former players as a newly relocated franchise.

For everyone else, this is an exciting opportunity to set the favorites of yesteryear loose in the modern NHL. Over to you, Anaheim.

Anaheim Ducks: Francois Beauchemin, D (2005-09, 2011-15, 2017-18)

The Ducks’ real needle movers- Kariya, Selanne, Niedermeyer, and Pronger- are already in the Hall-of-Fame, and franchise scoring leader Ryan Getzlaf will join them soon. Anaheim has blue-chip prospects at every position, so in keeping with the Radko Gudas and Alex Killorn signings, they bring in another tough-as-nails winner to show the kids along. Beauchemin was a classic shutdown D-man and averaged more than a half hour of ice time during the Ducks’ 2007 Stanley Cup triumph. He and newly minted captain Gudas will take on the other team’s best while youngsters like Olen Zellweger and Pavel Mintyukov make their mistakes in less consequential situations.

Calgary Flames: Kent Nilsson, C (1980-1985)

Though winger Theo Fleury or defenseman Gary Suter would immediately be the best player on the rebuilding Flames, Calgary will overlook its 1989 championship roster to bring back its first superstar. Nilsson actually began his Flames career in Atlanta after the WHA folded. When the team moved out west a year later, the original “Magic Man” gave Albertan audiences an early taste of European skill. Only five players bettered the mercurial Swede’s 1.36 points per game during his Calgary years, and he still holds the team record for assists (82) and points (131) in a season. The Flames are playing the long game, but a center group of Nilsson-Kadri-Backlund gives them something to work with in the present.

Chicago Blackhawk s: Steve Larmer, RW (1982-1993)

The Blackhawks have already made a concerted effort to get franchise center Connor Bedard help on the wings ahead of the 2024-25 season, but Teuvo Teravainen and Tyler Bertuzzi aren’t in the same stratosphere as Steve Larmer. A 440-goal, 1,000-point scorer during the NHL’s most inflated era, Larmer was no numbers hanger. The pride of Peterborough finished second runner-up for the 1991 Selke and scored more shorthanded goals for the Hawks than Cup winners Jonathan Toews and Patrick Sharp. The two-way aspect of Larmer’s game will help Bedard, who struggled immensely on defense as an 18-year-old, tilt the ice in his sophomore season. Larmer’s 40-goal scoring is just gravy.

Colorado Avalanche: Milan Hejduk, RW (1998-2013)

The Avs’ winger depth is at breaking point. Val Nichushkin’s career is in jeopardy after a substance abuse suspension, captain Gabriel Landeskog’s bum knee has held him out of action since the 2022 Stanley Cup Final, and Artturi Lehkonen is out indefinitely after an offseason shoulder procedure. Coach Jared Bednar could really use Hejduk, who was an underrated component of the 2001 Cup team (7 G, 23 P in 23 GP) before busting out for a league-leading 50 goals in 2002-03. The former Colorado captain was typically more of a 30-goal guy, but he has more than enough skill to flank Casey Mittelstadt on a suddenly dangerous second line. Only Joe Sakic has scored more goals in an Avalanche sweater.

Dallas Stars: Derian Hatcher, D (1993-2003)

The Dallas Stars relied on impressive depth during back-to-back trips to the Western Conference Final, but they suddenly have a clear position of weakness on the right side of the blue line. Stanley Cup-winning captain Derian Hatcher shot left-handed but lined up on Richard Matvichuk’s right during the glory years under Ken Hitchcock and will replicate that shutdown dynamic with Esa Lindell for the Stars of today. He’s become known as a Dead Puck era dreadnought since he retired, but Hatcher’s lack of finesse is overblown; he scored 30 points or more five times and made the second All-Star Team in 2003. The big American’s toughness and leadership will help Dallas avoid another Conference Final dud in 2025.

Edmonton Oilers: Boris Mironov, D (1994-1999)

Darnell Nurse has repeatedly proved that an offensive explosion in 2020-21 overstated his skill on the puck. If he’s ever going to justify his $9.25-million cap hit, it will be by using his big body to win battles. He still needs a puck mover on his right side, and Mironov fits the bill. The Russian fizzled out early but scored at a 41-point pace throughout his Edmonton career. Mironov can make the outlet passes that have been such a struggle for Nurse, and they’ll give the Oil a big, mobile second pair while Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard take a breather. He’s no Esa Tikkanen or Bill Ranford, but the Oilers of 2024-25 need Mironov more.

Los Angeles Kings: Butch Goring, C (1969-1980)

“The Islanders guy?” Yes, Goring is best known as the secret weapon of one of hockey’s greatest dynasties. And for looking like a pirate. And that weird helmet. Still, he was at the peak of his powers in L.A., where he posted four 30-goal seasons and collected just 66 penalty minutes in 736 games. The Kings tried to solve their Oilers problem by stacking three elite defensive centers to run their trap defense in 2023-24, but P.L. Dubois ruined that plan by not being an elite defensive center. If Kopitar-Goring-Danault can’t stop Connor McDavid, nothing can. The latter outcome is more likely, but it’s worth a shot.

Minnesota Wild: Marian Gaborik, RW (2000-09)

Minnesotan fans will shed tears of joy on Gaborik’s return, not because the second-most skilled winger in franchise history is back, but because Marcus Johansson is finally off the second line. “MoJo” caught a ton of flak for his passive style last season, and the veteran would benefit from the decreased scrutiny of bottom-six minutes. Gaborik scored at a 36-goal, 72-point pace in the Twin Cities, and his return makes Mats Zuccarello the weakest winger in a top-six also featuring Matt Boldy and Kirill Kaprizov. The Wild still need a franchise center, but, with all due respect to Mikko Koivu, they’ve never really had one. Gaborik is a simple choice for a team light on game-breaking talent.

Nashville Predators: Kimmo Timonen, D (1998-2007)

Free-agent acquisition Brady Skjei and all-world captain Roman Josi should give the new-look Preds perhaps the best defensive pair in the NHL, but their second unit is less inspiring. Jeremy Lauzon and Alexandre Carrier played a massive role in the team’s feel-good 2022-23 season, but they noticeably wilted in the playoffs (37.29% of expected goals). Neither man is a particularly adept puck mover, a role where Timonen thrived. The Finn posted five consecutive 40-point seasons for the Predators and was the team’s best-ever defenseman before Shea Weber hit his stride. Timonen’s lefthanded shot will be an asset given Nashville’s logjam of righties like Carrier and Luke Schenn, and his poise will allow the Preds to continue to drive play when Josi’s on the bench.

San Jose Sharks: Joe Pavelski, C/RW (2006-2019)

Offensive defenseman Dan Boyle would give San Jose the No.1 blueliner their lineup needs, but they’re too far away from finishing .500, let alone in the playoffs, to fret about specific needs. Pavelski retired just in time to qualify for this exercise, and the Sharks are glad to have him back. After taking the ‘C’ off Joe Thornton’s sweater, ‘Pavs’ led the Sharks within one series of the Cup. Now, San Jose needs Pavelski to use his leadership qualities in a mentorship capacity. If the new guard of Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith can glean even 10% of the 470-goal-scorer’s hustle and attention to detail, the Sharks will be set for the next decade or two.

St. Louis Blues: Pavol Demitra, C/RW (1996-2004)

Though Gaborik and Zdeno Chara would eventually eclipse him in fame, the late great Pavol Demitra was a key member of the NHL’s Slovakian invasion, and rightfully so. The centerman was a point-a-game player over nearly 500 contests for the Blues, and his accurate slapshot and slick hands gave the impression he never had to try too hard to fill the stat sheet. He and Robert Thomas can anchor the Blues’ top two lines, which keeps Pavel Buchnevich on the wing where he belongs. If Demitra’s introduction pushes captain Brayden Schenn or veteran sniper Brandon Saad to the third line, it will also go a long way towards bolstering the Blues’ depth scoring.

Vancouver Canucks: Mattias Ohlund, D (1997-2009)

The Canucks’ forward group is very formidable on paper, but after Nikita Zadorov and Ian Cole walked in the offseason, their blueline depth beyond 2024 Norris winner Quinn Hughes needs work. Though Kevin Bieksa, Ed Jovanovski, and Dan Hamhuis would all solve that issue by taking command of the second pair, their best defenseman before Hughes came along was Mattias Ohlund. The hulking Swede averaged over 24 minutes of ice time in 11 seasons in British Columbia and had the size, toughness, and mobility to stifle the opposition’s best. Having Ohlund’s shutdown defense or Hughes’s explosive offensive potential on the ice for 50 minutes a night makes Vancouver a Stanley Cup favorite.

Vegas Golden Knights: James Neal, LW (2017-18)

Vegas only has a handful of retired former players to draw from, but at least one of them can make a difference in 2024-25. Neal only stuck around for a season (25 G, 44 P in 71 GP) in the Sin City, but being the second biggest name on the original Knights (at the time) gives him enough clout to be considered a legend for the young franchise. Today’s Golden Knights have spent most of their cap space on the blueline and down the middle, so the power forward will be more valuable than ever to a group of wingers featuring young, unproven players like Pavel Dorofeyev and Alexander Holtz.

Winnipeg Jets: Dustin Byfuglien, D (2011-2019)

The Jets technically have two separate franchise histories to draw from but forgo Thomas Steen and Teppo Numminen to pick arguably the most beloved player since their 2011 revival. Byfuglien was one-of-a-kind, a 260-pound behemoth who could score like a forward (15.84 G, 56.38 P per 82 games for WPG). It’s difficult to imagine that Winnipeg would have fallen apart the way they did in the 2024 postseason with “Big Buff” clearing the crease. If the Jets put Byfuglien on a pair with his former teammate Josh Morrisey, who’s now a star in his own right (145 P since 2022), it would give them the series-winning unit that has eluded them in recent years.

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