The Ducks will be part of the last group of teams to start the season when they open in Las Vegas on Saturday and kick off their home schedule against Carolina on Sunday.

While it remains to be seen if good things come to those who wait, these six games project to be bankably entertaining this season.

Oct. 26 at Boston Bruins

While Leo Carlsson, Pavel Mintyukov and the Ducks’ other notable new arrivals in their 20s are a significant storyline, so is first-time NHL head coach Greg Cronin, who at age 60 has assumed control of the Ducks. While his coaching career has had the geographical breadth of the Simpsons’ “Talkin’ Softball” chorus – it  has indeed taken him from Maine to San Diego, and also across all levels of the sport – the native of Arlington, Mass., has remained a Bostonian through and through. This homecoming should be as moving as any in the NHL this season.

Nov. 7 vs Pittsburgh Penguins

The Penguins are a bit like the Rolling Stones of the NHL, bringing to the road star power surpassed in its remarkability only by the agelessness of their stars. With Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang all 36 or older, new addition Erik Karlsson, who won the Norris Trophy as the league’s top defenseman behind a historic scoring performance last year at age 33, seems like a relative whippersnapper. Along with that collection of luminaries, the Penguins will have former Ducks Rickard Rakell and Marcus Pettersson in tow.

Nov. 30 vs Washington Capitals

It’s hard to mention Crosby without uttering the name of Alex Ovechkin, with their fates remaining intertwined since they were middle-school-aged prospects, Crosby the face of Canada’s future on the ice and Ovechkin representing the promise of Russia. That they were drafted into one of the most odious rivalries in hockey set the stage for their clashes to intensify. Today, both players are members of the NHL’s top 100 players of all time and both are Stanley Cup winners. For Ovechkin’s part, he is also in pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s record for career goals – he is on pace to surpass Gretzky next season – so every goal he scores will be historic.

Feb. 21 vs Columbus Blue Jackets

While Carlsson has eased many of the concerns in initial reactions to his selection by the Ducks by demonstrating skilled, proficient, mature and polished play as an 18-year-old, there was no shortage of second-guessing on draft day. That was, in significant part, because University of Michigan freshman standout Adam Fantilli was still available, and this matchup may place the two neophytes in direct competition. Columbus is another high-octane, high-potential team in a rebuild that could provide a nice temperature check at this point in the campaign, as well as some entertainment with former Calgary Flames star Johnny Gaudreau and super-skilled sophomore Kent Johnson.

March 21 vs Chicago Blackhawks

Chicago now has no players remaining from the period in which it won three Stanley Cups, the last of which came at the expense of the Ducks, who lost in the conference finals to Chicago in 2015. Instead, this matchup will center mostly on Carlsson, the second overall pick in this year’s draft, and Connor Bedard, its top selection as well as a player regarded as a potential generational talent. There’ll be at least some heavy 2010s vibes though: Former Ducks Hart Trophy winner Corey Perry now plays for the ‘Hawks and this will be their only visit to Honda Center this season.

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April 13 at Kings

The fourth and final Freeway Faceoff will be the penultimate game of the season for the Ducks and No. 80 of 82 for the Kings. That will afford the Ducks an opportunity to spoil the status or seeding of the potentially playoff-bound Kings, who qualified in each of the past two seasons while the Ducks have not since 2018. It’ll be a season to reflect on past greats across 30 years of Ducks hockey, but a win in this final rivalry game could create a new memory to carry forward.