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Borrowing the OP from last year, it's predictions time! Despite some players like Tarasenko, Tatar, Dumba, and Patrick Kane not having contracts, teams seem like they've more or less set their rosters going into next season. So let's do predictions, and maybe for fun, we can include how wrong we were last year by visiting last year's thread. Format is below, and godspeed. Format: Atlantic 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Metropolitan 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Central 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Pacific 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Stanley Cup Finals Awards Hart Trophy: Rocket Richard: Art Ross: Vezina: Norris: Calder: Selke: Lady Byng: Jack Adams: Presidents Trophy: (add your own questions if you want)... Who gets Celebrini?: Most improved team: Which team is going to fall off a cliff?: First coach to be fired: Dark horse pick to go deep in the playoffs, East: Dark horse pick to go deep in the playoffs, West: Where will Erik Karlsson wind up? Will McDavid top last season's 153 points? Which goalie is going to be unexpectedly incredible? Which goalie who was good last season is going to unexpectedly completely go to dogshit?
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Jul 19, 2023 22:15
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Atlantic -- this is not going to be as top-heavy, as I think the top 3 from last year won't be as good and there should be some improvement from the bottom feeders 1. Toronto -- as usual, decent enough D and decent enough goaltending with a ton of offense, but they will still fall short when it counts because they lack depth and it's the Maple Leafs come on 2. Tampa Bay -- still have their elite players and not much of the roster has turned over from last year. I think they will have a good amount of injuries but still prove they're a threat 3. Boston -- they still are built from the goaltender and defense out and they're coached well. They will not score that many goals, but I still like their core even without Bergeron. They'll be a very top-heavy team 4. Ottawa (WC) -- I like them. Their metrics were quite good and their kids are starting to become real stars. Losing DeBrincat hurts the offensive depth, but their D with Chychrun for the whole season will be pretty nice. I think they will be in the thick of the WC race all season 5. Buffalo - I think Power will emerge as a top end D next season, but it feels like all of their young kids just had career years until proven otherwise and their goaltending is a complete shitshow unless Devon Leivi somehow is a good NHL starter straight out of college, which is almost impossible by NHL odds. They won't be bad, but they will take a disappointing small step back next year as teams will be on to them 6. Florida -- Panthers are going to score a lot but I don't really like their moves this off-season (their defense looks meh) and their goaltending is still a huge question mark despite Bob's playoffs revival. They will take a bit of a step back 7. Detroit -- I liked their off-season, but their roster still seems like a bunch of guys thrown together. Their kids need to take a step forward for them to be anything more than roughly what they were last year, maybe a bit better 8. Montreal -- They'll be kind of fun but they are still firmly in rebuild develop mode Metropolitan -- another bloodbath year, any of the top 4 could be interchangeable 1. Carolina -- They're consistently a dominant team now and they didn't change much 2. New Jersey -- On one hand, teams know what to expect from them this year and will play them differently, but on the other, NJ will have Meier and Toffoli all season. Defense may not be quite as good unless Luke Hughes has a huge rookie year (quite possible) but they are a firewagon at both ends of the ice 3. Pittsburgh -- Pens are here either way because I think they'll bounce back from a low season, but I believe they will wind up with Erik Karlsson at some point and they're going to be annoying again as Cup contenders 4. NY Rangers (WC) -- I think the Rangers are hard to predict. If Lavy works on the kids, they will be around where they were last year in the regular season and be strong Cup contenders. I think Shesterkin will elevate his game again. But I can't help but feel like the Rangers' window is closing as their core offensive players get older and could disappoint a little 5. NY Islanders -- They made zero changes and that's not hyperbole. Zero aside from extending their own players. They'll have Horvat all year which is nice and they should be healthier than last year, so they will be good but not good enough, similar to last year 6. Washington -- They did a really nice job at the deadline and I think they will be a little better than they were last year. This is a really hard division, so they'll be 6th but still in the thick of the WC race, much like last year 7. Columbus -- Their prospects and young kids are sick and I could see them being a firewagon in 3 years. For now, I think without a historically bad season in terms of games lost to injuries and Fantilli in the fold, they will be a fun and fairly competitive team which fades in the second half 8. Philadelphia - LOL Central -- Dallas and Colorado will duke it out all season for first and the rest of the division feels like a bunch of awkwardly mediocre teams 1. Colorado -- They had a terrific off-season and they're loving loaded. If their stars can stay healthy, they are probably Cup favorites again 2. Dallas -- They also had a terrific off-season. I'd like to see their defensive depth shore up but they have a lot of scoring and Oettinger is one of the best in the league 3. St. Louis -- I think they'll be a little better this year and wind up as the mediocre team which falls backwards into third place 4. Nashville -- Saros is a monster. They lost both Johansen and Duchene and they're not going to score much and Trotz seems to have a rebuild in mind 5. Winnipeg -- Sure, I guess? Depends on if Helly gets traded (I think he might at the deadline but not now). Jets lost firepower in Dubois but they still have decent depth and the goaltending to stay above water, but they're on the decline. If they trade Hellebuyck, they will be a bottom-8 team next year 6. Minnesota -- They have been good but not good enough for years now and they are still waiting for Rossi to hit and for Wallstedt to be an NHL starter. In the meantime, they are going to take a big step back. This not a great roster construction, I don't like their defense, I don't think Gustavsson is gonna be great again, and aside from Kaprizov their offense is very uninspiring 7. Chicago -- Chicago and Arizona could easily trade spots here, they will both be horrific, but Chicago has the benefit of Bedard and Arizona is the most aggressive "we want to suck forever and ever" team in the league 8. Arizona -- LOL Pacific -- This could be an interesting division next year, it's hard to predict some of these teams 1. Edmonton -- They'll be in the Cup race again 2. Vegas -- I can't doubt them after last year when I thought "here comes the steady decline" and well they won the Cup. They should be very formidable again 3. Seattle -- I love the way they play. I don't think they'll be quite as good as last year with teams on to them now, but if they get league average goaltending somehow, they'll be right in the mix with Vegas for 2nd 4. Los Angeles (WC) -- Their goaltending is a massive question mark but they have a good solid roster outside of that. Brandt Clarke could make an immediate impact but Byfield has got to show up soon. Another good but not great season for LA 5. Calgary (WC) -- This depends on whether or not they firesale. As of now, they still have a pretty good roster and this is a division that will be closely contested like last year. Markstrom needs to bounce back but Calgary's metrics last year were really good (and their luck was laughably bad) so I think they'll balance out into the WC this time 6. San Jose -- I think the Sharks will be surprisingly better than people expect. Why? I have no idea, I just know the NHL can be unpredictable and the Sharks seem like a team that could bring up a lot of their kids this year and sneak up on some teams. They won't win very much, but they're not to be a total disaster, either 7. Vancouver -- They'll probably trade Miller at the deadline and continue their rebuild. They'll be bad and Pettersson will leave too after this year, as he should 8. Anaheim -- Anaheim, like Columbus, could be really good in a couple of years. Love their prospect pipeline and the current young kids in the NHL, but they're still rebuilding and developing and are going to, once again, give up a ton of goals Stanley Cup Finals: Colorado over Pittsburgh Awards Hart Trophy: McDavid Rocket Richard: McDavid Art Ross: McDavid Vezina: Saros Norris: Makar Calder: Bedard Selke: Bergeron if he plays again, Crosby if he doesn't Lady Byng: Hughes Jack Adams: Cooper (by taking Tampa to near-first-place despite a lot of injuries) Presidents Trophy: Colorado Who gets Celebrini?: Arizona Most improved team: Pittsburgh Which team is going to fall off a cliff?: Minnesota First coach to be fired: Dean Evason Dark horse pick to go deep in the playoffs, East: There is no dark horse, every team that should make the playoffs has a legit chance to win it all aside from Ottawa Dark horse pick to go deep in the playoffs, West: LA, especially if they pick up a goalie Where will Erik Karlsson wind up? Pittsburgh Will McDavid top last season's 153 points? No, 58-91-149 Which goalie is going to be unexpectedly very good? Gibson Which goalie who was very good last season is going to unexpectedly completely go to dogshit? Gustavsson
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Jul 20, 2023 00:10
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ThinkTank posted:Miller's 7 year extension with a full NMC kicked in on July 1st. The window to trade him has closed, he'll be a canuck for the rest of eternity. Oh wow, thanks for this. I didn't realize. I can always count on you for Canucks "no, actually" depression.
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Jul 20, 2023 14:23
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Low-key, I think Crosby is going to have an incredible year. Like, Hart finalist type of year.
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Jul 30, 2023 14:17
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