The N.H.L. season begins Wednesday, when the last two champions — the St. Louis Blues and the Washington Capitals — square off in St. Louis. The most exciting developments of a season are seldom predictable. An expansion team from Las Vegas reached the finals two years ago. St. Louis went from last-place malaise to Stanley Cup glory, winning its first championship after 50-plus years in the league. The Tampa Bay Lightning were a playoff bust after a peerless regular season.

Here are some things to consider heading into a new season:

Roster makeovers reshape the Metropolitan Division.

The off-season saw something of an arms race among the teams in the Metropolitan Division. It began with strokes of fate for the Devils and the Rangers, who finished at the bottom of standings and were awarded the first and second selections in the draft. The Devils chose the American forward Jack Hughes, and the Rangers picked the Finnish forward Kaapo Kakko.

The Rangers then edged out the Islanders and other suitors for the top player in free agency, wing Artemi Panarin, who has amassed 320 points in 322 games . The Rangers also acquired one of the best defensemen on the market, Jacob Trouba, in a trade with Winnipeg.