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I realized we didn't have our annual predictions thread up, so here we go. EAST Atlantic 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Metropolitan 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Wild Cards: Conference Champ: Most Improved Team: Most Fallen Team: First Coach Fired: WEST Pacific 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Central 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Wild Cards: Conference Champ: Most Improved Team: Most Fallen Team: First Coach Fired: Hughes G-A-P: Kakko G-A-P: Hart: Vezina: Calder: Norris: Jack Adams: Richard: Pearson: Bottom 3 Teams Overall: As usual, when you list your standings, it's fun and more interesting to also post a blurb about why you have the team where you do.
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Sep 22, 2019 23:06
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EAST Metropolitan This is the hardest division to predict, I think everyone is decent to good. 1. Washington - They're really an engine of consistency these days and their roster hasn't changed much. I think they take the division but they're not going to dominate. 2. New Jersey - Fine, maybe there's bias, but I think the Devils are deep top to bottom now, and with the way Schneider is feeling and playing, I can see them surprising and sneaking into 2nd; I think from 2 to 7 is fairly interchangeable but with the Pens losing Kessel and still having a serious goaltending and defense problem, I'm putting faith in my boys, especially since if they're in the thick of the race come trade deadline, they still have a ton of cap to add a big player 3. Pittsburgh - They're going to be up and down all year, but Sid and Geno will drag them to a good record and the playoffs; the Pens are, as said above, a team I can easily see finishing 5th or 6th in the division if things don't go really right for them, so this is not a confident placing 4. NY Islanders - I think it's fair to expect the Isles to be neutral to worse; they still have no offense, various teams close to them got much better, and there's no way they get .930 goaltending all year. That said, Trotz works magic and they're consistent and should squeak out wins, but not enough to make the top 3 this time. 5. Carolina - The Canes, Flyers, Jackets, and Rangers are hard to predict and pretty close to one another. I don't think the Hurricanes get the goaltending they got last year, but they made some savvy off-season additions and Svechnikov is gonna take a big step forward. I could see them taking 3rd or 4th. 6. Philadelphia - A full year of Hart and some nice off-season moves puts them a little above mediocrity; I consider them on the rise, especially if Provorov plays more like his rookie season 7. NY Rangers - I could see the Rangers taking the league by surprise and finishing a little higher, and a lot depends on Lundqvist, but this is basically the last year of the rebuild where guys like Kravtsov and Kakko and Andersson have another year to develop without much pressure. They will be super fun to watch. 8. Columbus - Torts still plays his team hard as hell and the Jackets have some nice players, but they just are not gonna have firepower and their goaltending is a huge what if Atlantic 1. Tampa Bay - Still the team to beat in the regular season. They're stacked and still pretty young, but do need to sign Point 2. Boston - Boston is also pretty stacked and really well-coached. I see no reason for them to not be around what they were last year 3. Toronto - The Leafs will be a little better this year with all contract drama behind them, Nylander for a full season, and a better defense. I could see the Leafs taking 2nd if they hit a stride 4. Florida - Everyone is picking them to improve and I have to agree, their forwards are pretty nasty, they added Officer Bob, and Quenneville is still one of the best coaches in the league. They won't finish ahead of the big three but I'd be surprised if they didn't wind up as a WC 5. Montreal - I like Montreal's team but their defense remains suspect. If Price stays healthy, they'll be solid and challenge for a WC spot 6. Buffalo - Slowly improving and they low key made some really nice moves on their blueline, but they don't have the depth to compete with the others yet 7. Detroit - They will be thanking the gods that the Senators are a real existing team; I think they'll score more than people think but their defense is so goddamn terrible 8. Ottawa - Come on Wild Cards: Florida 1, NY Islanders 2 Conference Champ: Tampa Bay over New Jersey Most Improved Team: New Jersey Most Fallen Team: Columbus First Coach Fired: Jeff Blashill - lots of first year coaches with leashes in the East, but I think the Wings will be terrible again and Yzerman is just waiting to find his guy to grow the team with anyway WEST Central 1. Nashville - I think they rebound, and I like them having Granlund for a full year and having Duchene-Johansen as 1C-2C 2. St. Louis - They should be very solid again 3. Colorado - I love the Avs but don't think they'll be quite as good as most think; I still don't think their depth is that good despite having a decent enough second line, but Makar will add a lot and get them into the top 3 4. Chicago - They got better in the off-season, their forward core is still nasty, and I think Dach is gonna make a nice impact; adding Lehner fixes their goaltending issue 5. Winnipeg - I think their coaching and chemistry is kinda hosed, and with Buf out indefinitely and Laine maybe even winding up somewhere else at this point, the Jets will continue to backslide and fire Maurice during the season; they will still be good enough to score a lot and wind up with 86-90 points 6. Dallas - No way Bishop puts up the year he did last year; Dallas is still really top heavy and their core is getting older 7. Minnesota - Not sure what they're doing, but they're old and lacking chemistry and identity and they're in for another mediocre but not terrible season Pacific 1. Vegas - This division is also pretty tight; I don't see one team that is the clear-cut best, but Vegas is deep and consistent and they'll be better this season 2. San Jose - They still have firepower and Karlsson should rebound; Jones can't be as bad as he was last year; I could see them winning the division for sure 3. Vancouver - That's right, SAS, hear me out: I think the Canucks take the league by surprise. They have a killer handful of young players but I like the depth a little more this season, with Ferland, Pearson, an improving Goldobin, etc, and I think Demko is gonna be very solid for 30 games; the Canucks will be top heavy but will be one of those "drat the Canucks are pretty good this year wtf" teams 4. Calgary - I don't think they're as good as their 2018-19 record; they scored a poo poo ton of goals but didn't have any defense or goaltending and teams expect them to be good and will adjust accordingly; they'll score just fine but they will be less consistent and have a comedown 5. Arizona - Even with Kessel, I don't think they have much offense and their core is declining; they'll be about where they were last year but slightly worse and I think their GM gets the axe if they miss the playoffs again as a cap team 6. Anaheim - I kinda like Anaheim's young forward talent but their defense is a huge problem and they need a year to find themselves and develop their kids 7. Los Angeles - They won't be as bad as last year but they'll still be very mediocre; better scoring but worse defense I think 8. Edmonton - Is McDavid going to request a trade? I hope so Wild Cards: Chicago 1, Calgary 2 Conference Champ: Nashville over San Jose Most Improved Team: Vancouver Most Fallen Team: Calgary, Dallas First Coach Fired: Maurice OTHER STUFF Neal vs. Lucic, Who Gets More Points: Neal Hughes and Kakko Point Totals: Hughes: 27-37-64, Kakko: 23-27-50 Laine Ends Up Where?: Winnipeg or Buffalo Hart: Matthews Vezina: Rinne Calder: JHughes Norris: Hedman Jack Adams: Travis Green Richard: McDavid Pearson: McDavid Bottom 3 Teams Overall: Ottawa, Edmonton, Detroit fawning deference fucked around with this message at 01:21 on Sep 23, 2019 |
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Sep 22, 2019 23:57
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those are some strange Atlantic and Metro teams you're listing there 
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Sep 23, 2019 00:08
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Hell yea, thank you OP EAST Atlantic 1.Lightning 2.Panthers 3.Bruins 4.Leafs 5.Sabres 6.Canadiens 7.Red Wings 8.Senators Tampa, Detroit and Ottawa are almost guaranteed. Eventually putting the panthers high is gonna pay off so why not this year  . Hard to put the Bruins and Leafs any lower than they are, unless they (especially the leafs) get unlucky with injuries. Sabres/Habs is a coin flip.Metropolitan 1.Hurricanes 2.Islanders 3.Capitals 4.Devils 5.Blue Jackets 6.Penguins 7.Rangers 8.Flyers Canes are dope. Islanders have Barzal and Trotz, I think they'll do really well again. Caps should always be top 3 with Ovi and Backstrom. Devils are gonna be sick with Hughes and Subban. gently caress the penguins Wild Cards:Leafs and Sabres Conference Champ:Lightning Most Improved Team:Hurricanes Most Fallen Team:Penguins First Coach Fired:Mike Sullivan WEST Pacific 1.Golden Knights 2.Sharks 3.Flames 4.Coyotes 5.Oilers 6.Canucks 7.Ducks 8.Kings I just really hope the canucks end up bottom 5 in the NHL this year. Central 1.Avalanche 2.Predators 3.Blues 4.Stars 5.Wild 6.Jets 7.Blackhawks 8.canucks again I dunno dude this division is fuckin weird. jets look like rear end right now. Avs are legit if rantanen doesn't take too long to sign. Wild Cards:Coyotes and Stars Conference Champ:Golden Knights Most Improved Team:Avalanche Most Fallen Team:Jets First Coach Fired:Paul Maurice Hughes G-A-P: 26-30-56 Kakko G-A-P: 24-23-47 Hart:Kucherov 130 Vezina:Vasilevsky Calder:Hughes  Norris:Hedman Jack Adams:Joel Quenneville Richard:Ovi 62 Lindsay:Kucherov Bottom 3 Teams Overall:Kings / Red Wings / Senators Pettersson is going to get 120 points.
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Sep 23, 2019 01:18
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I'm gonna re-vise this post and switch around my predictions multiple times during the pre-season FYI Homer picks incoming: EAST Atlantic 1. Tampa Bay - Still stacked, now just with more motivation 2. Toronto - They'll score a lot of goals 3. Boston - Still good 4. Florida - Will take a step this year and make it as a wild card 5. Buffalo - Will be interesting to watch, will threaten for playoff spot under Krueger but fall just short 6. Montreal - Will have a down season, Bergevin panic-fires Julien after an extended losing streak 7. Detroit - will be meh 8. Ottawa - lol Metropolitan 1. Washington - still good 2. Philadelphia - will improve a lot this year, top guys will have career years/resurgences 3. Pittsburgh - will hang around as usual but down a little 4. New Jersey - good vibes around the team, they will squeak in as 2nd wild card 5. NY Rangers - will be in the mix but just barely miss playoffs on last day of season 6. NY Islanders - will take a step back and allow a lot of goals 7. Carolina - I don't know what to make of them, overall bad goaltending and lots of roster turnover makes me wary 8. Columbus - will be in the mix but won't overcome their big off-season losses Wild Cards: Florida, New Jersey Conference Champ: Tampa Bay Most Improved Team: Philadelphia Most Fallen Team: Columbus First Coach Fired: Claude Julien WEST Pacific 1. Vegas - will have a good season again 2. San Jose - will score a lot 3. Vancouver - young players and added depth will surprise 4. Calgary - will be sunk by bad goaltending, injury problems will plague a major player, and the stench of lucic will drive down production 5. Edmonton - will be slightly improved but still not a playoff team, goaltending will be really bad 6. Arizona - will be boring, and kessel will under-perform 7. Anaheim - will struggle to score and adapt to new coaching systems 8. Los Angeles - will be bad and struggle with injuries Central 1. Dallas - offseason additions + good coaching + dynamic D will put them over the top 2. Nashville - will fly under the radar a bit but still threaten for the division title 3. Colorado - will continue to build off last year's run - mackinnon will have a monster season, makar will be calder finalist 4. St. Louis - will have some cup hangover but will be solidly in the mix 5. Winnipeg - stacked roster will overcome off-ice drama just barely 6. Chicago - they'll be in the mix for a wild card spot late, but fall just short 7. Minnesota - will be crappy and boring as per usual - Boudreau will be fired early on as Billy G starts putting his stamp on the club Wild Cards: St. Louis, Winnipeg Conference Champ: Vegas Most Improved Team: Vancouver Most Fallen Team: Calgary First Coach Fired: Bruce Boudreau Hughes G-A-P: 22-33-55 Kakko G-A-P: 27-34-61 Hart: MacKinnon Vezina: Vasilevsky Calder: Quinn Hughes Norris: Hedman Jack Adams: Jim Montgomery Richard: McDavid Pearson: McDavid Bottom 3 Teams Overall: Kings, Senators, Wild goldrush fucked around with this message at 02:34 on Sep 24, 2019 |
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Sep 23, 2019 01:25
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How are the Hurricanes going to be a bottom 3 team? They added a couple of solid offensive players, Svechnikov is a year older, and they added Gardiner to an already loaded defense corps
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Sep 23, 2019 01:42
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EAST Atlantic 1. Tampa Bay - still the best talent in the NHL. 2. Toronto - I think with a full season of Matthews and a slightly better defense they’ll overtake Boston but they’ll be close in the standings. 3. Boston - not too much to say, there isn’t much difference between them and the Leafs and they’ll still be really good. 4. Montreal - quite a bit lower than the Bruins but better than the other garbage in the division. 5. Florida - Quenneville is kind of overrated as a coach and they aren’t a very talented team outside of the top 6. Bob will be okay but not great, and the contract will be laughable soon. 6. Buffalo - just haven’t done enough with their roster to bump them up. Can’t believe they haven’t traded Ristolainen yet. 7. Detroit - lovely roster and no reason to think they’ll do better than last year. 8. Ottawa - lol. Metropolitan 1. Washington - I think they did a good job retooling on defense (Gudas and Jensen are an upgrade on Orpik and Niskanen) and Panik should pick up a lot of the slack from Connolly’s departure. 2. Carolina - they’ll get adequate goaltending and the rest of the roster is really good, especially the defense. 3. Pittsburgh - Crosby, Malkin, Letang, and Dumoulin will drag them to third in the division. 4. NY Islanders (WC) - it really comes down to Barry Trotz. They won’t get insane goaltending again but Trotz always seems to get a ton out of whatever lovely roster he has. 5. New Jersey (WC) - a lot of great offseason moves propel NJ to a WC. I don’t believe Schneider will be very good but the rest of the roster will get them the WC2. 6. Columbus - tough to see them being very good after losing 2 of their best players and not replacing them with anyone good. 7. NY Rangers - still bad, but they’ll be a playoff team next year. 8. Philadelphia - I dunno they just seem bad. Wild Cards: NYI and NJ Conference Champ: TB Most Improved Team: NJ Most Fallen Team: CBJ First Coach Fired: John Tortorella WEST Pacific 1. Vegas (Presidents Trophy) - stacked top 9, good defense, good coach, and I think MAF will put together a good season. 2. San Jose - they’re old but the rest of the division minus VGK and CGY is so bad. 3. Calgary - they’ll have a good regular season and stink in the playoffs again. 4. Arizona (WC) - they’ll be mediocre but it’ll be enough to get a WC with the rest of the division being so bad. 5. Anaheim - I don’t see Gibson putting together a vezina level season again, and without that this team is baaaaad (especially if they trade Kase for Faulk). 6. Edmonton - it’s really sad how bad this team is outside of McDavid. The league really ought to intervene. 7. Vancouver - uhhh they still seem really bad! At least they aren’t super old like... 8. Los Angeles - old and bad, bad and old. They smell too. Central 1. St. Louis - Even without Binnington going lights out everything clicked under Berube. Always seemed to dictate play and have enough talent up front to convert their play into goals. 2. Colorado - I think they’re ready to take the next step. Their goaltending seems solidified with Grubauer (who I predicted for the Vezina) and their defense is improved as well. 3. Nashville - they’re on the downswing a bit but they’ll still comfortably make the playoffs. 4. Dallas (WC) - Enough top-end talent at forward, defense, and G to sneak them into the playoffs despite bad depth throughout the roster. 5. Winnipeg - dreadful offseason leads to them missing the playoffs and Maurice getting fired. 6. Chicago - don’t think Lehner will remain a Vezina goalie and with Seabrook and the corpse of Duncan Keith still eating minutes I don’t see them making the playoffs. 7. Minnesota - even Bruce Boudreau can’t drag this old rear end team out of the basement. Wild Cards: DAL, ARI Conference Champ: VGK Most Improved Team: COL Most Fallen Team: MIN First Coach Fired: Paul Maurice Hughes G-A-P: 24-44-68 Kakko G-A-P: 29-33-62 Hart: Connor McDavid (even if they miss the playoffs, that’s my hot take) Vezina: Philipp Grubauer Calder: Jack Hughes Norris: Jack Adams: Jared Bednar Richard: Alex Ovechkin (can’t guess against him until he stops winning them) Pearson: Connor McDavid Bottom 3 Teams Overall: Minnesota, Los Angeles, Ottawa SCF: TB vs. VGK Champs: Lightning (the Mind_Taker Kiss of Death™) Mind_Taker fucked around with this message at 01:48 on Sep 23, 2019 |
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Sep 23, 2019 01:45
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fawning deference posted:How are the Hurricanes going to be a bottom 3 team? They added a couple of solid offensive players, Svechnikov is a year older, and they added Gardiner to an already loaded defense corps Gardiner and Dzingel aren't difference makers. Their goaltending tandem is medicore at best. Ferland and Williams are gone, Faulk is probably getting traded so their leadership core is being totally turned over. Their d-corps is good but "loaded" is not a term I'd use to describe them. They have good high-end young forward talent but not much forward depth beyond that. Their owner is a crazy shitbird and meddles with hockey ops, always a bad combination. I just think they were a one-off last year and will be right back to bad again. But hey, these are just predictions and I'm terrible at predictions so who the gently caress knows.
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Sep 23, 2019 01:55
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goldrush posted:Gardiner and Dzingel aren't difference makers. Their goaltending tandem is medicore at best. Ferland and Williams are gone, Faulk is probably getting traded so their leadership core is being totally turned over. Their d-corps is good but "loaded" is not a term I'd use to describe them. They have good high-end young forward talent but not much forward depth beyond that. Their owner is a crazy shitbird and meddles with hockey ops, always a bad combination. I just think they were a one-off last year and will be right back to bad again. But hey, these are just predictions and I'm terrible at predictions so who the gently caress knows. They also added Haula and Martin Necas is very likely gonna be real good in his rookie season. Aho and Teuvo and Svechnikov are f as irly high end talents as you mention and you're right they don't have a ton of depth but Staal, Necas, Dzingel, Haula, Nino make a nice supporting cast. They won't score a ton but to put them bottom three is really excessive considering they are basically last year's team but a little better up front and probably worse in goal and as of now they have Faulk and one of the deepest defenses in the entire league. As for the defense not being stacked, they have Hamilton, Slavvin, Pesce, Faulk, and Gardiner. That is stacked dude. fawning deference fucked around with this message at 02:05 on Sep 23, 2019 |
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Sep 23, 2019 02:03
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fawning deference posted:They also added Haula and Martin Necas is very likely gonna be real good in his rookie season. Aho and Teuvo and Svechnikov are f as irly high end talents as you mention and you're right they don't have a ton of depth but Staal, Necas, Dzingel, Haula, Nino make a nice supporting cast. They won't score a ton but to put them bottom three is really excessive considering they are basically last year's team but a little better up front and probably worse in goal and as of now they have Faulk and one of the deepest defenses in the entire league. ok, you've convinced me, I'll switch them out for Minnesota
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Sep 23, 2019 02:20
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thanks for making this thread so i don't have to EAST Atlantic 1. Tampa 2. Toronto 3. Boston 4. Florida 5. Buffalo 6. Montreal 7. Detroit 8. Ottawa the Leafs will finally have home ice advantage but still lose to Boston again in Game 7 lol Metropolitan 1. Washington 2. Pittsburgh 3. Carolina 4. New Jersey 5. NYI 6. Columbus 7. NYR 8. Philadelphia Wild Cards: NJ and a toss up between Florida and NYI Conference Champ: Tampa Most Improved Team: NJ Most Fallen Team: Columbus First Coach Fired: Babcock after yet another 1st round exit lol WEST Pacific 1. Vegas 2. San Jose 3. Calgary 4. Vancouver 5. Anaheim 6. LA 7. Arizona 8. Edmonton Central 1. Nashville 2. St. Louis 3. Colorado 4. Dallas 5. Winnipeg 6. Minnesota 7. Chicago 8. ur mom Wild Cards: Dallas and Winnipeg Conference Champ: Nashville Most Improved Team: uhhhhhhhhhhhh Most Fallen Team: every team in the pacific First Coach Fired: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Hughes G-A-P: 39-30-69 Kakko G-A-P: 30-39-69 Hart: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Vezina: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Calder: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Norris: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Jack Adams: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Richard: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Pearson: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Bottom 3 Teams Overall: wings, oilers, sens yellowcar fucked around with this message at 04:07 on Sep 23, 2019 |
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Sep 23, 2019 03:55
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All I know is that once again the Canucks will be out of it by Christmas and management will pretend that this was always intended to be another rebuilding year.
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Sep 23, 2019 17:19
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EAST Atlantic 1. Tampa - Jesus christ they're gonna be scary. 2. Tronnah - They'll score a ton but I still don't trust that blue line and goaltending. 3. Bawston - They're not getting any younger, but still plenty deep and basically built exclusively for the playoff style of hockey. 4. Habs - Honestly they and Florida could flip between these slots pretty easily. 5. Fancy Cats - Awesome top line, and Bob will be a help to them for at least a couple years, but woof the rest of the roster doesn't inspire much confidence. 6. Buffalo - jesus christ what even is going on here 7. Detroit - Gonna be a loooonnnng road for them. At least they're re-stocking well on kids. 8. Ottawa - lol Metropolitan Jesus christ this could go so many different ways this year. Slots 3-7 are almost completely interchangeable. Metro Gonna Metro. 1. Washington - Still really drat hard to bet against them. If Gudas can keep his game clean he'll be a good help. Heck of an 'if' though, as far as he's concerned. 2. Pittsburgh - I still like them a little more than Carolina if only because you pretty well know what you're getting with them. I don't think losing Kessel is catastrophic. Holy lord that blue line is a mess though. 3. Carolina - Their blue line has really found a rhythm and their top couple lines are fun. They won't score as much as Pittsburgh but they may not have to. Really not sure if Mrazek finds lightning in a bottle again, but it's definitely possible. 4. Flyera - The kids are alright. Getting even league-average goaltending and PK work would be a massive improvement on last year. The first couple weeks is going to suuuuck though. Preseason game in Switzerland, Chicago game in Prague, home opener against NJ, then immediately out to Vancouver. Great scheduling, NHL. 5. New Jersey - They're definitely improved, but I'm not sold on their overall depth and I have a hard time seeing Schneider rebound. It'd be an enormous help if he does, though. They can absolutely steal a WC slot if things go right. 6. Lumbus - They're gonna regress, no question. There's still some good talent on the team but losing Bob and Bread hurts a ton. I don't really blame them for going all-in on the playoffs though and they'll still be a tough team to play against. They won't steal a playoff spot but could easily wreck someone else's run. 7. Rags - Hell of an off-season but there's still a lot to do here. I can see why they're high on Shesterkin to maybe the heir apparent to Hank. He's really sharp. 8. Isles - Holy lord they're gonna regress hard. I don't get why Lou let Lehner walk. Wild Cards: Flyera, Fancycats Conference Champ: Tampa Most Improved Team: Flyers or NJ Most Fallen Team: Isles First Coach Fired: Babcock if (when) they lose another 1st round series. I could maybe see Detroit dumping Blashill too. WEST Pacific 1. Vegas - They look loaded as hell. If MAF keeps a good groove they're going to be awesome. That power play is a cheat code. 2. SJ - Older but still far deeper than the rest of the division. Every game against Vegas will be appointment television this year. 3. Calgary - Kind of in their own tier at this point. Definitely not as bad as the rest of the division but I can't see them catching the top 2. 4. Yotes - I think Kessel will be a big help but holy poo poo this team is still going to give up so many goals. They could steal a WC slot but they'd need a lot to go right, and for what little it's worth, they should at least be better than the bottom half of the division. Garbage blue line. 5. Vancouver - God their kids are awesome to watch. Nothing about the rest of them is though. 6. Edmonton - Jesus christ it is absolutely criminal how poorly they've built around McDavid. 7. Ducks - Oof. 8. LA - Rob Blake's got an almost Sisyphean task to get rid of some of those awful contracts. They're just so old. Central 1. Avs - Goddamn they're gonna score a ton of goals. Finally got some depth added and improved blue line and goaltending. 2. St. Louis - Legit thrilled to see Chief get a cup and I think he's been an awesome fit for them. Great forward talent. Binnington probably won't be a brick wall like last year but should still be very solid. 3. Dallas - Still solid up front and while I'm not wild about them, they're at least well above the junk portion of the division. 4. Nashville - Age is catching up hard with them but should find a WC slot pretty easily. 5. Winnipeg - If Buff is out for the season then holy god the wheels are gonna come off quick, especially on that blue line. 6. Minnesota - I'm honestly not even sure what's going on here. 7. Chicago - lol Wild Cards: Preds, Yotes Conference Champ: Vegas Most Improved Team: Maybe the Yotes? And that'd only be by virtue of snagging a WC slot. Everyone else seems pretty locked in where they're at. Most Fallen Team: Wild First Coach Fired: Paul Maurice, although it seems like Winnipeg's issues are more down to their front office than him. Hughes G-A-P: A lot Kakko G-A-P: Also a lot Hart: No idea Vezina: No idea Calder: No idea Norris: No idea Jack Adams: Maybe Bednar or Berube? Richard: No idea Pearson: No idea Bottom 3 Teams Overall: Sens, Kings, Wings. DJExile fucked around with this message at 18:13 on Sep 23, 2019 |
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Sep 23, 2019 18:09
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Atlantic 1. Tampa - duh 2. Toronto - Like a lot of their offseason besides Ceci of course. Barrie owns. 3. Boston - Still very good and deep. I think Toronto gets them this year though. 4. Florida - As long as Bob is healthy they should be pretty solid. 5. Buffalo - Like their offseason, but the division is too strong at the top. 6. Montreal - They'll be OK, but not as good as last year where they played over their heads. Unless like Price is insane or something. 7. Detroit - They'll be terrible again but that's fine. 8. Ottawa - See above. Metropolitan 1. Pittsburgh - I like their roster a little bit better than Washington's as long as Murray is healthy. Defense could be a problem if the 2nd pair doesn't pan out because Johnson/ Gudbranson oh boy. 2. Washington - This is another 1B year with Pittsburgh. They'll be quite good again. 3. New Jersey - Their top two lines are stacked, they have depth, and a real top pair. If Schneider is good they'll be really good. If he's just average they'll make the playoffs. If he sucks ugh. 4. Philadelphia - I think people are kind of losing them in the shuffle a bit. They could be quite decent if Hart plays well. 5. Carolina - Letdown year. I don't trust Mrazek at all. 6. New York Rangers - Could easily finish top 3 if they get some goaltending and if someone steps into that 2C role. 7. Columbus - Just not enough there probably, although like anyone else in the Metro (see 2018 Isles), if they get great goaltending they could make the playoffs. 8. New York Islanders - Hard regression inc. Wild Cards: Philly, Florida Conference Champ: Tampa Most Improved Team: New Jersey Most Fallen Team: Islanders First Coach Fired: Blashill maybe if Detroit has the balls. WEST Pacific 1. Las Vegas - They looked like the best team in the playoffs until Pavelski got brained. I think they'll be on a mission this year. 2. Calgary - I expect them to be a bit worse maybe but this division is terrible. 3. San Jose - See above. 4. Vancouver - I think their kids are probably enough to get here and finish 9th or 10th overall. 5. Phoenix - Not sold on them at all. How is this roster this devoid of talent after so many years missing the playoffs. 6. Edmonton - What a disaster. 7. Anaheim - Just not a whole lot here. They have some interesting guys coming in I guess like Terry, but it won't be enough even if Gibson is full season Jesus. 8. Los Angeles - Their system is loaded but this is probably another rough year for them. Central 1. Nashville - They won't miss PK that much with Fabbro coming in and a deep forward group. 2. Colorado - Man if they can get anything out of their 2nd line they're going to be nasty. 3. St. Louis - They should still be pretty good. I trust Binnington and they have some young guys ready to take the next step. 4. Dallas - Love their offseason but this division is loaded. 5. Winnipeg - Man I can't believe I'm putting the Jets this low but there's so much up in the air with this team. Probably underrating them if they get everyone signed and Buff doesn't retire. 6. Chicago - I think if Lehner has a great season they could surprise people but this division is just so loving stacked. 7. Minnesota - Let the real rebuild begin. Wild Cards: Stars, Jets Conference Champ: Vegas Most Improved Team: Vancouver Most Fallen Team: Wild First Coach Fired: Paul Maurice, begone. Hughes G-A-P: 27-42-67 Kakko G-A-P: 33-33-66 Hart: Matthews Vezina: Bobrovsky Calder: Hughes Norris: Jones Selke: Stone Jack Adams: Bednar Richard: Tavares Pearson: McDavid Bottom 3 Teams Overall: Senators, Kings, Red Wings  pick the Cup Champ cowards Vegas Golden Knights
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Sep 23, 2019 19:03
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Oh right, cup champ. I'll say Calgary Flames
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Sep 23, 2019 20:09
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EAST Atlantic 1. Tampa - Don't need to overthink this one. I expect some regression, but they're still stacked. 2. Toronto - Talented on forward, and solid enough d/goaltending. They'll be very good again. Just not Tampa good. 3. Boston - That top line is stupid good, and they still have Rask. 4. Florida - Adding Bob to a team with a strong offense should lead to a playoff spot 5. Buffalo - They'll be ok but not good enough to grab a spot I don't think. Still too many holes. No trustworthy 2c, and their d/goaltending is suspect. 6. Montreal - I think they overachieved last year and I don't see enough anywhere with this team to compete for a playoff spot. Maybe if Price is ridiculously good, but he's getting older and I'm not sure he's that goalie any more. 7. Detroit - They have some interesting young players, but not enough depth anywhere to get near a spot. 8. Ottawa - This team is years off from contending and it probably won't happen with Melnyk at the helm Metropolitan 1. Pittsburgh - The forward group is the deepest it has been in a while. Kessel is gone but they also added Kahun and they have guys like Rust and Simon who might well be on the 4th line. The defense and goaltending are pretty good apart from the dreaded Gudbranson/JJ pairing. That pair could prove disastrous but I think the rest of the team has enough depth that they should be real good barring injuries. 2. Washington - They're still the Caps. Ovechkin has shown no signs of slowing down, and they have depth and goaltending. 3. Philadelphia - My dark horse team to contend. They improved their forward depth and finally added a real coach. That roster still has some talent too. 4. New Jersey - I think Hughes, a healthy Hall, and improved goaltending gets them back into a playoff spot 5. Carolina - Plenty of talent, but I think the goaltending fails them and puts them just out of a spot 6. New York Rangers - I think they're starting to get better and I could see them even grabbing a spot potentially. But someone has to miss 7. Columbus - They remain competitive nightly but lack the firepower to grab a spot with Panarin gone 8. New York Islanders - They rode hot goaltending and a new coach last year. I think they sputter this year without the same goalie tandem in place. Wild Cards:New Jersey, Florida Conference Champ:Tampa Bay Most Improved Team:New Jersey Most Fallen Team:Isles First Coach Fired:Jeff Blashill WEST Pacific 1. Calgary Flames - Not much of a changed roster. They should be nasty again. Mike Smith out is probably a good thing too. 2. Vegas Golden Knights - Mark Stone for a full season and San Jose losing Palveski pushes Vegas ahead of the Sharks 3. San Jose Sharks - Pavelski out hurts but this is still a great roster 4. Edmonton Oilers - Still miss the playoffs but they get close because McDavid is a golden god. This roster still stinks though. 5. Vancouver - Improving roster and they hover around a spot all year. Still, we all know the Central is sending 5, and I can't see Vancouver displacing the top 3 Pacific teams. 6. Arizona Coyotes - I love Phil, but this is just not a very good roster. Not good enough to make it without top tier goaltending, and I see no reason to believe they get that. 7. Anaheim Ducks - Horrible roster, but Gibson is good enough to keep them out of the basement 8. Los Angeles Kings - Another rebuilding year for a team that is retooling. Central 1. St. Louis - This is a deep and talented team that has found its way and will carry that into this season 2. Nashville - Duchene in, Subban out. Probably a net gain for the Preds who will remain an elite contender 3. Winnipeg - Too much talent to not be a top three team 4. Dallas - They added some big pieces in the off season and Pavelski should provide some much needed scoring depth to get them in 5. Colorado - I like their roster a lot and I think they're a playoff team. The Central is so good that they finish 5th though. 6. Chicago - They'll be better but I don't see them placing ahead of the other 5 teams above them. Too many holes on d still and a questionable goaltending tandem. 7. Minnesota - An old bad roster gets older and badder Wild Cards:Dallas, Colorado Conference Champ:St. Louis Blues Most Improved Team:Edmonton Oilers Most Fallen Team:I don't even know. My standings aren't super different from last year. Anaheim? First Coach Fired: I don't think any Western coach gets fired, at least not during the season Hughes G-A-P: 25, 55, 80 Kakko G-A-P: 32, 25, 67 Hart: Sidney Crosby Vezina: Andrei Vasilevsky Calder: Jack Hughes Norris: Erik Karlsson Jack Adams: Mike Sullivan Richard: Alex Ovechkin (who the gently caress else?) Pearson: Connor McDavid Art Ross: Connor McDavid Bottom 3 Teams Overall: Ottawa, Minnesota, and LA.
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Sep 23, 2019 20:23
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EAST Atlantic 1. Tampa- Nobody can touch them. (Except Columbus that one time, apparently.) 2. Boston- They're still scary. 3. Toronto- They're good, but not scary. 4. Montreal- I haven't really paid that much attention to what they've done this offseason, they just feel better than 5-8. 5. Florida- As Bob goes, so goes 6. Buffalo- Seem to have enough pieces to not be 7th or 8th. 7. Detroit- Seeing Detroit be this bad for this long is slightly jarring, but here they are. A slow descent into the madness, only saved from the basement by 8. Ottawa. Metropolitan 1. Washington- Still the best team in the division. 2. Pittsburgh- Lost a superstar in Kessel. Still will find a way to be the second best team because they still have two superstars. 3. Carolina- I'm not sold on this prediction at all, but none of the teams below them stick out to move them down. 4. New York Islanders- I had them higher, but good god, Varlamov/Greiss has the potential to be mediocre. Why didn't they re-sign Lehner? 5. Columbus- This feels high. Panarin and Bob are the only true losses, as they only had Duchene for 2 1/2 months. If Nyquist/Texier/Bemstrom can score by committee and make up 87 points, it'll soften the blow. Defense is still solid. Goaltending is still a huge issue and if Merzlikins can live up to expectations, they MIGHT be OK? 6. Devils- They added, but I don't feel like they'll do much. This could change based upon goaltending. 7. New York Rangers- Their time is coming. It's not now. 8. Philadelphia- This could change based upon goaltending. (I'm sensing a theme here.) (Filling in the Metro went basically "Well, I'm not big on the Devils...Jackets probably aren't getting in...but the Islanders, wow those goalies...and I'm not sold on Carolina at all. 3-8 will be a logjam.) Wild Cards: Montreal, NYI Conference Champ: Tampa Most Improved Team: Montreal Most Fallen Team: Columbus First Coach Fired: DJ Smith, because Detroit will never fire Blashill. WEST Pacific 1. Calgary- I completely forget about them sometimes, but they still strike me as the best team in the Pacific. 2. Vegas- This fanbase isn't going to know what to do when their team misses the playoffs in like 8 years. For now, very good times. 3. San Jose- Still good enough to get it done, still good enough to be above the rest of the division. 4. Arizona- Phil's going to hot dog this island of misfit players to playoff contention. 5. Anaheim- Finishes 5th because they're not the teams below. 6. Vancouver- "Hearing Vancouver has extended Jim Benning." 7. Edmonton. ...that...that's the explanation. "Edmonton". 8. Los Angeles- Them being in the basement is still strange, yet cathartic. Central 1. Nashville- Still strikes me as the best in the division. Fully expecting a Matt Duchene National Anthem when they toss their regular anthem singers to the curb for beautiful Nashville Recording Artists in the playoffs. 2. St. Louis- I mean, they won the Cup. 3. Colorado- They'd move up the prediction if they signed the Rantanen. 4. Dallas- All I know is this a team participating in the National Hockey League. 5. Winnipeg- They move up if they sign Laine. And Connor. And Buff comes back. 6. Minnesota- Meh. Zucc isn't saving them. 7. Chicago- See Detroit and Los Angeles. Wild Cards: I'd like to have Arizona in there, but am going Dallas and Winnipeg. Conference Champ: Vegas Most Improved Team: Arizona Most Fallen Team: Winnipeg First Coach Fired: Paul Maurice Hughes G-A-P: 22-33-55 Kakko G-A-P: 19-34-53 Hart: Kucherov Vezina: Vasilevsky Calder: Hughes Norris: I'm going to keep banging the Seth Jones drum until it happens. Jack Adams: Richard: Ovechkin Pearson: McJesus Bottom 3 Teams Overall: Ottawa, Detroit, Los Angeles
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Sep 24, 2019 17:39
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Good evening folks, please enjoy me being very wrong. EAST Atlantic 1. Tampa Bay - Historically good last year, probably won't do that again but no reason to remove them from their perch 2. Toronto Maple Leafs - Very good and improving. I like the addition of Barrie, I figure this is their last all out year before cap hell hits so they'll do something cool at the deadline 3. Boston Bruins - I guess they didn't do much but certainly not any worse 4. Buffalo Sabres - Dahlin is very very good and will carry this team to a WC birth 5. Montreal Canadiens - I feel like this is one of those seasons where Price posts a .902 for some reason 6. Florida Panthers - If four guys hitting 70 points isn't enough to drag them to the playoffs, I don't know what is 7. Detroit Red Wings - Exist 8. Ottawa Senators - See above Metropolitan 1. Pittsburgh Penguins - Aging but the Pens are still a 100pt team 2. Washington Capitals - Can Kuznetsov succeed without stimulants? 3. NY Rangers - Really like their changes. I think their rebuild is over already. 4. NY Islanders - Barzal will bounce back but I don't think they'll be the defensive dynamos they were last year somehow 5. Philadelphia Flyers - I have no idea if this team is improving or not so I'll put them here and move on 6. NJ Devils - Like their additions but it feels too little too late for me. A lot has to go right for them to be in the playoff race. 7. Columbus Blue Jackets - A serious but understandable decline. I really don't think they have enough depth in net or up front to weather their losses. 8. Carolina Hurricanes - Not a cool opinion, but I feel like last season was a perfect world fluke for them Wild Cards: Buffalo Sabres and NY Islanders Conference Champ: Tampa Bay Most Improved Team: Buffalo Sabres Most Fallen Team: Carolina Hurricanes First Coach Fired: Claude Julien WEST Pacific 1. Vegas Golden Knights - A terrible call away from another deep cup run IMO. The class of the west until proven otherwise. 2. San Jose Sharks - Losing Pavelski hurts but this stupid team always seems to have a few superstar forwards ready to move up and take their place. Like Shark's teeth. 3. Calgary Flames - I don't know why they decided they got too many points last year and focused on getting worse in the offseason, but they did. 4. Edmonton Oilers - Wow this division sucks so hard I actually feel like the Oilers will be in the top half 5. Phoenix Coyotes - I feel like they make one big trade each year and yet get exactly the same results regardless. Phil finishes with sub 60 points. 6. Vancouver Canucks - Likely a horrendous tire fire, but hopefully an entertaining one. Myers is the Eriksson of defence. 7. Anaheim Ducks - Either gonna be an 80 or 105 point team. 8. LA Kings - Old and bad, but not as terrible as everyone seems to expect. Central 1. Nashville Predators - I feel like they've officially stretched their seemingly endless defensive depth to its breaking point. They'll regress. 2. Chicago Blackhawks - Because of course they'll be back here, you know that's how it will be. 3. St. Louis Blues - For most of the year they were garbage then a genie granted Binnington's wish and they weren't. I feel they're closer to bad then good but I'm not confident enough in that to rank them any lower. 4. Dallas Stars - I liked their summer and it's probably their last kick at the can with this core. I don't expect them to dominate, but they'll make the playoffs. 5. Colorado Avalanche - Their top line slowed down a lot after Christmas, but it's still a good enough core to make the playoffs. Dealing Barrie for Kadri was a bad idea. 6. Winnipeg Jets - Why is a team with a possibly cup winning roster forcing two of its best players to sit out for no reason? I feel like this will be a nightmare year for them entirely of their own doing. 7. Minnesota Wild - Hardly a novel viewpoint, but what the hell is this team even doing? Wild Cards: Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche Conference Champ: Chicago Blackhawks Most Improved Team: IDK, Dallas? Most Fallen Team: Winnipeg Jets First Coach Fired: I feel like Lavvy out the moment the Preds show even the slightest crack Hughes G-A-P: 13-30-43 Kakko G-A-P: 22-13-35 Hart: Connor McDavid Vezina: MAF Calder: It feels like one of those dumb, older goalie years. Shane Starrett? Norris: Erik Karlsson Jack Adams: Jon Cooper Richard: Ovie Pearson: McDavid Bottom 3 Teams Overall: LAK, Detroit, Ottawa
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Sep 24, 2019 23:13
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Surprised at people not being sold on NJ. I know goaltending has to go right but if Ty Smith makes the team (and it looks like he will), they will have a very deep defense and a top 4 of Subban, Vatanen, Severson, and Butcher, which is very strong. The top six will be great and the bottom six is pretty deep too. Really if Schneider and Blackwood are above average the Devils are gonna be drat good, and like I mentioned in my predictions, they're set up so that if they're in the playoff race, they can add a significant piece because their cap situation is so good.
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Sep 24, 2019 23:42
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Schneider and Hall's health are legit questions and Simmonds isn't anywhere near what he used to be. New Jersey is better, yeah, but so are the teams around them. THey definitely have a WC shot and they're definitely improved, but there's still things outside their control. E: Hall isn't as (Ok i don't like this term, but) injury prone as Schneider, but they still need him to be healthy and I think he's only ever played one full season in his career so far.
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Sep 24, 2019 23:52
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Y'all know both the Hughes brothers are Calder eligible this year and you have to specify which one, right?
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Sep 25, 2019 00:26
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there's only one that matters (it's jack)
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Sep 25, 2019 00:42
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i have a series of questions for thinktank but i'm not sure which one should lead off
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Sep 25, 2019 00:48
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yellowcar posted:there's only one that matters no
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Sep 25, 2019 02:18
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DJExile posted:Schneider and Hall's health are legit questions and Simmonds isn't anywhere near what he used to be. New Jersey is better, yeah, but so are the teams around them. Not true about Hall, but sure, he's coming off knee surgery, I get that. Schneider isn't injury prone but is also coming off surgery. Both look great in preseason but it's just preseason. I think goaltending concerns are valid but Hall playing even 70 games gives them a nice offense. Simmonds is declining but he will have a revitalized season with a bigger role on the team and playing on the first PP unit with the big guns. If he's healthy he puts up 20 goals.
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Sep 25, 2019 02:31
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EAST Atlantic 1. Tampa Bay - Still the team to beat, despite the playoff loss. 2. Toronto - Andersen is good and I think the defense is better than a lot of people are expecting. Won't challenge for first but they'll be real good. 3. Boston - Age I think is going to start hitting them, but they still have another year or two before things really start going sideways. Imagine if they had Barzal and Connor instead of whoever they actually drafted. 4. Florida - Bobrovsky still has a couple good years ahead of him and that top line should be excellent. If they ride their top guys a lot they should be in good shape to flame out in the playoffs. 5. Montreal - The Canadiens exist. 6. Buffalo - The Sabres rebuild is never ending; in five years we'll be calling them the Oilers 2.0. 7. Detroit - The Red Wings have a couple good forwards but hoo boy that defense and goaltending is going to let them down. The spectre of Ken Holland casts a shadow still. 8. Ottawa - lol Metropolitan 1. Washington - None of the teams in the Metro stand out to me, so I'm putting last years winner first. If Holtby bounces back they'll be easy favorites for the division. 2. Pittsburgh - Crosby and Malkin are getting older but they're still Crosby and Malkin. A lot of the teams success is going to depend on how Guentzel does this year. 3. Philadelphia - Hart baby! For real the Flyers got such god awful goaltending last season that even getting average goaltending should give them like 10 extra points. Plus the rest of the Metro is ultra mediocre. So suck it haters. 4. Columbus - Despite losing Bob and Panarin they still have some good depth. Probably the most difficult team to predict here. 5. Carolina - I'd rank them higher but they're going into the season with James Reimer and Petr Mrazek as goalies. Remember what I said about the Flyers last season? That might be the Canes this season. 6. Islanders - They're due for quite the regression, and letting Lehner go is a hell of a strategy. 5-dimensional chess? 7. Devils - I don't think Gusev, Hughes, and Subban are going to turn around a team that was bottom six in goals scored and goals allowed last season. At least not this year. 8. Rangers - Kakko and Panarin do not a rebuild make. Of all the bottom teams the Rangers are probably the best, so they should get a "you tried" sticker. Wild Cards: Florida and Ol Cum Bus Conference Champ: Washington Most Improved Team: Philadelphia Most Fallen Team: Islanders First Coach Fired: David Quinn WEST Pacific 1. San Jose - They somehow hit 100 points despite utterly abysmal goaltending. Even losing Pavelski, if Jones rebounds at all they're favorites to win the West. 2. Vegas - Full seasons out of Stone and Pacioretty are going to be extremely good for the Knights. Fleury, of course, will beachball it up in the playoffs. 3. Calgary - They were best in the West last year somehow, that won't happen again. 4. Vancouver - Petterson, Boeser, Hughes, and Horvat could have the Canucks pushing for a playoff spot. Demko having a breakout season would sure help. 5. Arizona - The Coyotes exist I guess. 6. Anaheim - John Gibson is good. I don't really know the rest of the team so I put the Ducks in the same spot as last year. 7. Los Angeles - The Kings are extremely old and without a Kopitar rebound have no shot at anything other than a lottery pick. 8. Edmonton - imagine, if you will, four generational talents at the age of a cliff; the Oilers work the same way. Central 1. Winnipeg - Missing Laine and Connor isn't going to be as big a deal as some people think, particularly with Scheifele and Ehlers at the top and Hellebuyck in net. 2. Nashville - They need more scoring, but you could say the same thing about every Preds team in history, and some of them have done real fine. 3. St. Louis - Binnington won't be as good, but I don't think he'll need to be. 4. Colorado - That top line is still something to behold. 5. Dallas - The Stars exist. They are a hockey team that plays in Dallas. 6. Chicago - I don't see Lehner carrying another team to relevance. That defense is dire, but they still have some good forwards. 7. Minnesota - One day there will be a season that the Wild are relevant. This is not going to be that season. Wild Cards: Colorado and Vancouver Conference Champ: San Jose Most Improved Team: Vancouver Most Fallen Team: Minnesota First Coach Fired: Rick Tocchet Hughes G-A-P: 25-24-49 Kakko G-A-P: 21-23-44 Hart: Connor McDavid Vezina: Connor Hellebuyck Calder: Quinn Hughes Norris: Erik Karlsson Jack Adams: Alain Vigneault Richard: Connor McDavid Pearson: Connor McDavid Bottom 3 Teams Overall: Edmonton, LA, Ottawa Oh right and Cup Champ of uh, San Jose I guess.
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Sep 25, 2019 02:59
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EAST Atlantic 1. Lightning - Boring pick but correct pick. 2. Leafs - The Leafs and Bruins being the second and third best teams in the East and having to kill each other in the first round every time will never stop being funny. 3. Bruins - See above. 4. Canadiens - The Canadiens are fuckin boring don't make me try and talk about them. 5. Panthers - Sergei Bobrovsky isn't even that good 6. Sabres - They're going to be good EVENTUALLY 7. Red Wings - Bonus prediction: The "Steve Yzerman is bad actually" takes roll in by January. 8. Senators - Every single one of us who's putting the Sens last is getting a phone call from Eugene Melnyk's lawyers. Metropolitan 1. Hurricanes - Okay this is the year the Hurricanes live up to their potential. 2. Capitals - They are not going to be loving suck this year. 3. Devils - I guess they acquired pretty much every good player available this offseason? Is that good? 4. Rangers - A rebuild done right. 5. Penguins - JR is ruining the twilight years of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin's careers, you hate to see it. 6. Islanders - Computer, show me regression to the mean. 7. Flyers - The Flyers are not allowed to be good. 8. Blue Jackets - Turns out losing a bunch of good players is bad. Wild Cards: Canadiens and Rangers Conference Champ: Hurricanes Most Improved Team: New York Rangers Most Fallen Team: Columbus Blue Jackets First Coach Fired: Mike Sullivan WEST Pacific 1. San Jose - By every metric except for goaltending they were the best team in the league last year. Losing Pavelski kinda stinks but Timo Meier is a year old and a year better. 2. Vegas - They're pretty, pretty. pretty good. 3. Calgary - I'm super not sold on this team, I wasn't sold on them when they won the Pacific last year and then correctly picked the Avs over them in the first round. Talbot isn't really an upgrade from Mike Smith. 4. Vancouver - They're still not that good, but they're better. A full year of Pettersson unless somebody chokeslams him again and Quinn Hughes breathing life into the power play should help a lot, assuming Markstrom can recreate his season from last year. 5. Arizona - Phil! 6. Edmonton - Connor might drag this team kicking and screaming to the playoffs, but probably not. 7. Anaheim - Gibson might drag this team kicking and screaming to the playoffs, but probably not. 8. Los Angeles - Good golly they're bad, folks. Central 1. Colorado - All the Avs needed was slightly more depth to become ridiculous and now they have slightly more depth 2. Nashville - yeah whatever it's the fuckin preds they're gonna be okay 3. St. Louis - Binnington might Andrew Raycroft it and suck rear end for the rest of his career but we're gonna assume that does not happen. 4. Winnipeg - I have no idea what to think of this team so I'm just gonna throw them in a wild card spot and call it a day. 5. Dallas - I should probably swap Dallas and Winnipeg but I'm already typing the post out and it's legally forbidden for me to go back on my kneejerk thoughts. 6. Minnesota - They old but goalie good 7. Chicago - They old and goalie bad Wild Cards: Winnipeg and Vancouver Conference Champ: San Jose Most Improved Team: Vancouver Canucks Most Fallen Team: Calgary Flames First Coach Fired: Bruce Boudreau Hughes G-A-P: 23 - 40 - 63 Kakko G-A-P: 34 - 30 - 64 Hart: Biased pick but I think Elias Pettersson gets the Taylor Hall "well he carried them" votes if the Canucks make the playoffs. Vezina: Vasilevsky Calder: Kaapo Kakko Norris: Seth Jones Jack Adams: David Quinn Richard: Auston Matthews Pearson: Connor McDavid Bottom 3 Teams Overall: Ottawa, Los Angeles, Detroit Cup Champs: San Jose
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Sep 25, 2019 03:04
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There is no chance the Rangers fire David Quinn, they're still rebuilding and he's in his second year.
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Sep 25, 2019 03:47
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EAST Atlantic 1. Tampa Bay - Still good 2. Boston - Still good 3. Toronto - I do believe they’re as good/better than last year and could be higher up on talent, but they also turned over like half the team and both of their special teams coaches. I’m expecting the learning curve through to January to depress their point totals a bit. 4. Florida - the middle of the division is pretty close imo, Bob can be hot and cold but the roster has enough high-end pieces that I think they can rise above the crowd. Depth is suspect maybe. 5. Montreal - I don’t even like this roster but they always end up doing ok somehow. Could swap with Florida/Buffalo pretty easily I think. 6. Buffalo - Have made a lot of good moves imo but Hutton needs to be better if they want a shot. 7. Detroit - Essentially mid-rebuild, they know they’re bad. 8. Ottawa - Does anyone have a giant version of  ?Metropolitan 1. Washington - It’s hard to vote against them until the core shows signs of aging out. So far so good. 2. Carolina - First big reach, in part because I like the team and partly because I think the division is weak. 3. Pittsburgh - I know people are used to the Pens just putting whoever on Sid and Malkin’s lines and winning everything but it really feels like the talent is draining out of this team. 4. New Jersey - I’m betting on their goaltending working out, I liked their offseason. 5. New York Islanders - I maintained they were frauds all season long last year and am looking forward to being right. 6. Philadelphia - Could swap with Columbus based on goaltending. I just don’t like anything about the team beyond their first line and a couple other guys. 7. Columbus - I think Korpisalo will not be good. Lost too much talent. 8. New York Rangers - Still tanking. Wild Cards: New Jersey, Florida Conference Champ: Tampa Most Improved Team: New Jersey Most Fallen Team: New York Islanders First Coach Fired: Tortorella WEST Pacific trash fire 1. Vegas - Still a good team, even in cap hell. 2. Calgary - Their goaltending is bad, but it’s maybe not as bad as... 3. San Jose - Probably the biggest “could have been” of the post-lockout era. Still good but they’re starting to circle down. 4. Edmonton - The rest of this division is a garbage pile and they’re all bad and interchangeable to me, so the rest of the order doesn’t really matter. 5. Vancouver 6. Arizona 7. Anaheim 8. Los Angeles Central 1. St Louis - Cup champs get the benefit of the doubt. Will be interesting to see how Binnington performs but they’ve always been good. 2. Nashville - Feels like they’re trending down but it’s hard to vote against a team with their D and G. I feel like this is the pick I might regret the most in hindsight. 3. Colorado - Think they’ve got a shot to rise, really like the talent everywhere. Contingent on them signing Rantanen. 4. Dallas - Still solid, though I think they’ll regret the Pavelski signing in another year. 5. Winnipeg - Probably the team with the most in flux. Already lost Trouba and with Buff maybe gone the whole back-end has cracks. I’m assuming they’ll settle with Connor and Laine but how long it takes might set them back. If everything is resolved in the next week they’d shoot up in my predictions. 6. Chicago - Depth just isn’t there in a tough division, and questions around goaltending sink them. If Lehner repeats they’ll obviously do better. 7. Minnesota - Everyone is old and worse than they used to be. Essentially a retirement home for good players from 2010. Wild Cards: Dallas, Winnipeg Conference Champ: St Louis Most Improved Team: Colorado Most Fallen Team: Winnipeg First Coach Fired: Maurice
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Sep 25, 2019 03:48
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These predictions and explanations are poo poo but here goes: EAST Atlantic 1. Boston Bruins - They made the Cup finals last year and were the 2nd best team in the league last season, so, uh, yeah 2. Tampa Bay Lightning - It's me, the Bolts fan who goes against everybody and doesn't have the Bolts winning the division (or the Cup) 3. Toronto Maple Leafs - I mean, they have a solid group of forwards, but would you trust a team with Cody Ceci to get a higher spot? 4. Florida Panthers - Fancy Cats will rise again, with the forwards/defense being solid and Bobrovsky bringing stability to their goaltending (even if that contract's going to be god awful during the back-half) 5. Montreal Canadiens - Carey Price will drag them to a very underwhelming 5th spot in the division because the rest of their roster is lacking. 6. Buffalo Sabres - Oilers East. What more needs to be said? 7. Detroit Red Wings - lol Holland (even if he's gone) 8. Ottawa Senators - lol Melnyk Metropolitan 1. Washington Capitals - They're basically the easiest option to keep winning the Metro. The rest of the Metro teams have question marks but the Caps seem generally solid throughout. 2. Carolina Hurricanes - Analytics are still going strong, baby! 3. New Jersey Devils - Love me some Hall and Subban together. Goaltending is still a huge question mark, but if they get it they're as good as in. 4. Philadelphia Flyers - Flyers do their standard "one year out one year in" bullshit and get in, as Carter Hart continues to be beloved by Flyers fans everywhere. 5. Pittsburgh Penguins - Jack Johnson. Erik Gudbranson. What more needs to be said? 6. Columbus Blue Jackets - No Panarin. No Bobrovsky. No Duchene (yes I know he was a deadline acquisition). Team hasn't been gutted but they've definitely lost a lot of star power, with goaltending going to be what holds them back. 7. New York Islanders - I feel like last year was a fluke, and with Varlamov replacing Lehner they're going to stumble big time. 8. New York Rangers - I feel like the Rangers will be really fun to watch in a couple of years, but they're still in rebuilding mode. Wild Cards: Florida Panthers (WC1), Philadelphia Flyers (WC2) Conference Champ: Boston Bruins (also President's Trophy winners) Most Improved Team: New Jersey Devils Most Fallen Team: New York Islanders First Coach Fired: Jeff Blashill WEST Central 1. Colorado Avalanche - This team is going to be really, really good in a couple of seasons, but I think they already ready to take that next step this season 2. Nashville Predators - PK where did you goooooooooooooooo 3. Dallas Stars - Ben Bishop's going to carry this team to a 3rd seed...well, while they're able to hold his groin together with duct tape and gum. 4. St. Louis Blues - They're a good team, but they just won the Cup and Binnington's bound to have a sophomore slump. 5. Chicago Blackhawks - Their defense sucks, but their top 6 forwards are really good and their goaltending will be solid 6. Winnipeg Jets - Laine's going to hold out into the season, Byfuglien may not play, they replaced Trouba with loving Neal Pionk, I think they'll be too dysfunctional this year. 7. Minnesota Wild - Can't believe Paul Fenton was a sleeper agent for the Preds this whole time 8. No, no, Arizona is moving into this division in 2 years, not now. Pacific 1. Vegas Golden Knights - Love their top 6 and Fleury's a solid goalie. Defense and depth are sketchy but I think they can overcome it and rule over the Pacific. 2. San Jose Sharks - They're easily 2nd in a division where the other remaining 6 teams are poo poo 3. Arizona Coyotes - This is their year, guys! It's finally going to happen! 4. Calgary Flames - The Flames aren't a good team, and their playoff matchup against the Avs showed that. They are going to regress hard this season. 5. Vancouver Canucks - Reminder that the Canucks gave up a 1st for JT Miller 6. Anaheim Ducks - I guess Eakins getting the Ducks to play The Swarm will be funny 7. Los Angeles Kings - Drew Doughty's gonna keep being grumpy 8. Seattle - By god they're gonna do better than the team below. 9. Edmonton Oilers - Fire Wild Cards: St. Louis Blues (WC1), Chicago Blackhawks (WC2) Conference Champ: Colorado Avalanche Most Improved Team: Colorado Avalanche Most Fallen Team: Calgary Flames First Coach Fired: Paul Maurice Hughes G-A-P: 22-31-53 Kakko G-A-P: 24-22-46 Hart: Connor McDavid Art Ross: Connor McDavid Vezina: Ben Bishop Calder: Nikita Gusev, because if Panarin could win as a 40 year old rookie, I'm sure a 27 year old winning is totally okay Norris: Victor Hedman Jack Adams: Byng: Connor McDavid Selke: Connor McDavid Richard: Connor McDavid Pearson: Connor McDavid Bottom 3 Teams Overall: Wings (29), Sens (30), Oilers (32) Playoff Prediction poo poo: Western Conference Finals: VGK over DAL in 6 Eastern Conference Finals: BOS over FLA in 5 Stanley Cup Finals: VGK over BOS in 6
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Sep 25, 2019 04:17
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EAST Atlantic 1. Tampa Bay: Hey, Columbus probably won't make it this year. 2. Toronto: Have fun with Boston again. 3. Boston: Have fun with Toronto again. 4. Florida: Goaltending sank them last year and they've fixed it. 5. Montreal: There's a lot of plus-contributors here but not a ton of impact guys. 6. Buffalo: Oh boy, this roster feels stuck. 7. Detroit: There's at least hope here. 8. Ottawa: familiarize yourself with alexis lafreniere, quinton byfield and alexander holtz Metropolitan 1. Washington: In a division full of questionable teams, they have the least questions. 2. Carolina: Only thing that sinks this bunch is goaltending. 3. Pittsburgh: When do they start falling off? JR hasn't helped himself. 4. New Jersey: The pieces are there to be good, but I can see this bunch being really good just as easily as I can see them flaming out. 5. Philadelphia: Solid team, good future. I question if their top guys can still carry them. 6. Columbus: 4-6 all feel interchangeable. I feel reasonably confident that one in this bunch will snag a Wildcard. 7. Rangers: Roster still needs centers to compete. They'll get a high-ish pick and be fun to watch. 8. Islanders: gently caress off Lou. Wild Cards: Florida, New Jersey Conference Champ: Tampa Most Improved Team: New Jersey Most Fallen Team: Islanders First Coach Fired: Blashill WEST Pacific 1. Vegas: Loaded. 2. Calgary: This division sucks. 3. San Jose: This division sucks. 4. Vancouver: Miserable depth but their big guns will have them competitive. 5. Arizona: John Chayka sucks at this 6. Anaheim: Gonna be some lean years ahead. 7. Edmonton: when do you think to yourself, this is utterly pointless 8. Los Angeles: The future's bright, at least. Central 1. St. Louis: If Binnington stays on form, they'll be tops in the conference. 2. Nashville: Business as usual. 3. Dallas: Summer additions get them over the hump. 4. Colorado: Think they need some time to mesh. 5. Chicago: sure 6. Winnipeg: where the winters are cold and paul maurice is eternal 7. Minnesota: lol this lovely team got even older Wild Cards: Colorado, Chicago Conference Champ: Vegas Most Improved Team: Dallas I guess? Not a lot of good options here. Most Fallen Team: Winnipeg First Coach Fired: Paul Maurice Hughes G-A-P: 22-41-63 Kakko G-A-P: 26-33-59 Hart: MacKinnon Vezina: Gibson Calder: Makar Norris: Hedman Jack Adams: Quenneville Richard: Ovechkin Pearson: McDavid Bottom 3 Teams Overall: LA, DET, OTT
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Sep 25, 2019 04:32
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EAST Atlantic 1. Tampa - Self Explanatory 2. Boston - Same as above. 3. Toronto - Made a bunch of moves....and with Gardiner leaving still have the same problems on the back end. Still lose in the first round to Boston. Most of us have a lol. The media blames *spins wheel* Nylander. 4. Florida - Stay healthy and they're probably a mid-90s point team. The depth on the front end hurts them and how much in the tank does a 33 y/o Stralman & Yandle have left? 5. Buffalo - Jack and Jeff...cool and good little guy Conor Sheary. Miller is good and Dahlin will be fun to watch. The rest of the team is forgettable outside of Risto who is very bad. Not enough goals and a shaky defense. Welcome to middle of the pack. This team has 14 expiring UFA/RFA contracts too so have fun with that I guess. 6. Montreal - Mediocrity defined. They go as far as their goaltending lets them. This defense is bad. The corpse of Shea Weber and then just a lot junk. 7. Detroit - Rebuilding. Gonna be kinda poo poo. Maybe the kids get call ups later in the season and they're a passable watch. 8. Ottawa - Is relegation an option? Metropolitan 1. Washington - Better than last year. Gudas will be an improvement on Niskanen and they were able to get Hagelin back to do his thing along with picking up Panik to add a bit more depth scoring. Unless something catastrophic happens (Russian machines all break) they win a weird Metro. 2. Pittsburgh - Who knows. Gave up a PPG player for a .6ppg player that provides the same level of not defense who also doesn't drive possession and doesn't have an 'elite' shot. Also, if Gally has a great year you're going to have to pay him. I will say that I think the scoring depth on this team has improve dramatically. A full season of McCann and Bjugstad is going to be very helpful...Kahun hopefully replaces some of what was lost when they dump Sheary (gently caress you JR) and while Tanev is being paid too much for too long he probably brings 25 to 30ish points. The defense though. My god. Whoever plays with JMFJ just put them down for a 40% corsi and all the goals against. Gudbranson probably the same. Everything hinges on Letang being healthy and having a season like last year (and not dying/falling off the age cliff) and if Schultz is toast. If JMFJ doesn't see the most 5v5 time this team will be good. I think there's scoring up and down all 4 lines and Murray/DeSmith are good enough. 3. Carolina - Get good enough goaltending and do their corsi thing. If they don't get goaltending again RIP. 4. Flyers - Pretty same as Carolina minus the corsi. Hayes and Braun help, but if Hart was a flash in the pan or gets hurt RIP. 5. Rangers - Getting there. Added an elite high end talent, but there still a few years. 6. Devils - Unless Nico takes a huge step forward, Hall stays healthy for a full season, and Simmonds isn't beyond well done hard to see them being super competitive. Gusev is a great get along with PK providing some much needed scoring from the defense. Adding Hughes is huge obviously, but just not there yet. 7. Islanders - They don't get .925 goaltending and plummet. 8. Blue Jackets - Lost a 100 point player and a great goalie. Exceptionally hard to overcome. They are going to be very annoying to play against though. Anyone between the Penguins and Devils can make the playoffs from this division. I could see Pittsburgh getting off to a slow bad start playing JMFJ and Gudbranson together leading to the stars quitting on management. This might cost the coach his job, but GMJR won't be gone and that is who has killed this team. Flyers are due a horseshoe season so maybe they magic up 105 points on the back of .920 goaltending and 12% shooting. Carolina's goaltending is .880 and the Devils/Rangers get just enough to beat them out to a WC. Sorry Isles/Jackets the insanely sustainable goaltending and massive loss of talent sees you fall. Wild Cards: Florida and Flyers Conference Champ: Washington (this kills me) Most Improved Team: Devils - mid 80s low 90s Most Fallen Team: Blue Jackets First Coach Fired: Phil Housley of Buffalo. Team is mediocre with pretensions of thinking they're good. Going into his 3rd season and management will want to see this team improve which...they aren't a WC team and it's hard to see them finish with more than 80 points despite beating up on Ottawa. WEST Pacific 1. Calgary - Johnny and Sean do their things. The defense is pretty good top to bottom. Goaltending is mostly solved except I dunno if I would trust Tablot. 2. Vegas - Thinner on defense and had to let Gusev go. Full season of Mark Stone though. Goaltending is good enough to land them in 2nd and that decides how far they go in the playoffs. 3. San Jose - Lost a lot of scoring with Donskoi and Pavelski leaving in FA. There's enough here to finish 3rd in the division, but if the goaltending from last season continues (gestures at EK's lifetime save% while he's on the ice) the Sharks return to first round exits. 4. Arizona - Added Phil and didn't give up a ton to get him. Not nearly enough to put them over the top. Another season of valiant effort and I think you squeak in. 5. Vancouver - Brock is dead RIP. JT will be good, but lol at giving up a 1st for the cap dump. Idiot. Traded Gudbranson though! There are 3 good players some ok ones and a bunch of trash. 3rd highest payroll in the league? LMAO. 6. Edmonton - Same story as last season maybe worse. 2x100 point players if McDavid and Drai stay healthy. Congrats on finally being rid of Lucic! Oh you got a horribly washed up James Neal who is a detriment to your team in every facet of the game. Still rides Nuge or McD to more points than Lucic. 7. Ducks - Kase puts you above the Kings. Otherwise there is no reason to watch this team. It's bad. 8. Kings - This team is trash. Paying Doughty was dumb af, but hey you do you. Whoever lands Toffoli from the fire sale is going to be very happy. Central 1. St Louis - Great defensive core. Plenty of talent up and down the offensive line up. Carry their confidence from the cup win to the top of the central. 2. Nashville - Another great defensive core. Cap dumped PK, but added Duchene. Still not the high end scorer they probably need, but continue to do it by committee. 3. Dallas - Added Pavelski and the corpse of Corey Perry. Bringing some much needed depth scoring. Bishop had a fantastic year last year and even if he doesn't repeat this team has enough goals to get there. The d core is good and if Miro takes another step forward look out. 4. Colorado - Addressed a ton of their issues with the addition of Kadri, Burakovsky, and Donskoi. The defense is thinner for it. That Donskoi contract is going to be insane value though. The defense will get dragged to the playoffs with the forward core. Don't think they're ready for that next step...the Avs are going to be a fast fun team to watch though. 5. Minnesota - Not better not worse. Supremely mediocre and forgettable. Finish with 83 points. Probably flail around again at the trade deadline shifting deck chairs for slightly worse players than the ones they gave up. Or more Victor Rasks. 6. Chicago - Lol. Maatta helps, but this defense is going to be so slow. Top end talent is still there, but everything else is trash. Added Andrew Shaw. I hope Lehner does well. 7. Winnipeg - No Buff and no Trouba makes this defense completely rear end. Laine is the player Toronto always accused Phil of being. If Buff comes back move them ahead of Minny I guess? Trouba's 50pts isn't being replaced and if Buff doesn't play that's 80pts and 46 minutes a night you're trying to fill with...Neal Pionk lol. Wild Cards: Colorado and Arizona Conference Champ: Dallas Most Improved Team: Colorado but by like maybe 10 points. Most Fallen Team: Winnipeg First Coach Fired: Bob Murray makes the unorthodox decision and fires himself (Paul Maurice) Hughes G-A-P: 23 - 34 - 57 Kakko G-A-P: 29 - 27 - 56 Hart: Johnny Gaudreau Vezina: Bishop Calder: Kakko because he's in a bigger market Norris: Pietroangelo before he hits UFA Jack Adams: Rick Tocchet Richard: Ovie again Pearson: McDavid lol oilers Bottom 3 Teams Overall: Ottawa, Kings, Ducks rex rabidorum vires fucked around with this message at 16:46 on Sep 25, 2019 |
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Sep 25, 2019 16:39
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Nico has been an excellent two-way fancy forward in the NHL in his age 18-19 seasons and the reason why he's only putting up 50pt seasons is because he has never gotten any power play time. If Nico gets PP time he's gonna be a 60+ pt player. I consider him one of the most underrated players in the league, even in his age 18 season he put up 20 goals and 50pts with no power play time.
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Sep 25, 2019 17:28
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fawning deference posted:I consider him one of the most underrated players in the league, even in his age 18 season he put up 20 goals and 50pts with no power play time. on what planet is a first overall draft pick ever underrated
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Sep 25, 2019 17:42
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DJExile posted:on what planet is a first overall draft pick ever underrated Nico is. He's not a Matthews or a McDavid type of franchise 1st overall and people think that because he only puts up 50 pts that it's because he isn't quite there yet as a player. He actually has been there since his rookie season, it's just been a lack of powerplay time and heavier minutes as the reasons for him not being a 65-70pt guy and his 200 foot game is outstanding. He's extremely good and not many people realize how good he is.
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Sep 25, 2019 18:44
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"Awesome player gets little attention because he's on bad team" is far from a new thing though. NJ outside of him and Hall was largely a mess last year, and it got all the rougher when Hall got hurt. People don't underrate Jack Eichel just because he's on a garbage Sabres team, it's just that you don't see a lot about him.
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Sep 25, 2019 19:07
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Anyone not putting Chicago last in the Central is clearly on drugs. 
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Sep 25, 2019 20:33
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Furnaceface posted:Anyone not putting Chicago last in the Central is clearly on drugs. I had Minnesota above them originally but flipped them because I have an irrational dislike of the Wild.
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Sep 26, 2019 01:55
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Koopa Kid posted:I had Minnesota above them originally but flipped them because I have an irrational dislike of the Wild. I will hate Wes Walz forever
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Sep 26, 2019 02:50
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EAST Atlantic 1. Toronto: Ridiculous forward depth, improved D, no holdout distractions... I think Nylander does better this year as well 2. Boston: Personally still think they're the best team in the East 3. Tampa: Think they ease off the gas a bit in the regular season this year 4. Florida: On paper their offense should have been much better than it has been, and Bob covers up for a sub-par defense 5. Montreal: Doesn't seem like they have enough to compete for a wildcard unless Price is ludicrous. 6. Buffalo: Think they're still a ways away, not to mention a goalie 7. Detroit: This team has a legit top line but is a clown car of bottom 6 forwards after that, and the defense is a trainwreck. That Seider pick looks pretty good though. 8. Ottawa: I guess this has to be the bottom for this team? Metropolitan 1. Washington: No cup hangover and as deep a forward corps as anyone in this division 2. Philadelphia: I think a full season of Hart gets them in the top 3 3. Pittsburgh: Too many people writing them off.. as long as Crosby and Malkin are their they'll be in the top 3 4.Carolina: This team has better D-man on their third pairing than Detroit does on their first 5. Columbus: I still think there's a good team here, but the goaltending is the big question 6. NJ: Great forward depth but Defense and goaltending will hold them back. 7. NYI: Still not sure why Lehner was let go; I think they regress 8. NYR: Rebuild is coming along nicely but I still think they're a couple of years away Wild Cards: Florida Carolina Conference Champ: Toronto Most Improved Team: Philly Most Fallen Team: NYI First Coach Fired: I don't think any will be in the east this year  WEST Pacific 1. Vegas: Its either them or calgary for me but having Fleury puts them above here. 2. Calgary: See above. 3. San Jose: Full season of a healthy Karlsson, and I think Meirer steps in for Pavelski 4. Anaheim: Gibson alone will propel this team to being close to contention 5. Vancouver: Don't trust the defense but I do think Hughes will be amazing. 6. Arizona: Kessel will have his 40 goals or whatever but the forward depth is not great 7. Edmonton: Think they'll have more stability this year with Holland in charge and Neal will have a small resurgence but yeah, this team has very little beyond McDavid and Drasaitl. 8. Los Angeles: How many more years does this team have a goalie better than everyone else? Central 1. St Louis: I don't think there will be a hangover. Full season of Berube, and Binnington is for real. 2. Nashville: They don't really have a forward line that is elite but their depth is fantastic. 3. Winnipeg: Laine doesn't have a slump this year. Hellybuck is fantastic, and Byfuglien comes back after the all star break 4. Colorado: Assuming Rantanen gets worked out. Top line is absurd. D should be great but still young 5. Dallas: Feels like at some point Bishop is going to regress a bit, I don't think Perry has a resurgence here. Pavelski should fit in nicely though. 6. Chicago: DebrinCat and Kane might both have 100 point seasons but I don't see enough beyond those two and the D is mediocre. 7. Minnesota: I still barely know anyone on this team beyond Parise and Suter. Wild Cards: Colorado, Dallas Conference Champ: Vegas Most Improved Team: Colorado Most Fallen Team: Minnesota First Coach Fired: Bruce Boudreau Hughes G-A-P: 25 35 60 Kakko G-A-P: 20 30 50 Hart: Crosby Vezina: Binnington Calder: Hughes, Quinn Norris: Karlsson Jack Adams: Quenville Richard: Ovechkin Pearson: McDavid Bottom 3 Teams Overall: Detroit, Ottawa, Los Angeles
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Sep 29, 2019 03:25
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