Here are my predictions for the placement in the Central Division, which I consider the best division in the game:
1) Minnesota Wild
I really think this could be the year Minnesota puts it all together. They have been a decent team the past two years, and with Dubnyk and the continued development of young players like Granlund, Coyle, Brodin, and Dumba; I think this will be the best team during the regular season. They have four lines that can score, and three defensive pairings that are quite good. This team will surprise a lot of people.
2) St. Louis Blues
St. Louis should be the best team in their division, but then they went and traded T.J. Oshie for a worse player in Troy Brouwer. They also brought back head coach Ken Hitchcock for only a year, which isn't much a vote of confidence. This team will be good, but I think they will suffer a bit from the lack of direction.
3) Chicago Blackhawks
Chicago has shown they don't run away with the division ever, but are close to unstoppable in the playoffs. I think once again they'll find themselves without home ice advantage, but comfortably in the playoffs.
They do have a lot of distractions with the Patrick Kane mess and waiving Bryan Bickell, but this team is just too good to perform lower than this.
4) Dallas Stars
A lot of people are really high on Dallas, and they will be a really fun team to watch. Their goaltending and defense should be better and I think they'll be a wild card team, but don't see them being a top three team in the division.
5) Nashville Predators
Nashville has a legitimate star goaltender, the best defense in the league, and a good group of forwards. However, they are weak at center with Mike Ribeiro and Mike Fisher as the top two pivots. I think that will end up hurting them.
And on a personal level, I can't believe they brought back Mike Ribeiro. With the Patrick Kane mess, this got overlooked but is almost as ugly.
6) Colorado Avalanche
I don't like what I've seen from Patrick Roy as an NHL head coach, and honestly it's more likely that Colorado finishes last in the division. But this team just has so much young, high-end talent that I can't see them being last.
7) Winnipeg Jets
The Winnipeg Jets are a good team, and were a playoff team last year. They should be better as a team this year. However, the play in the toughest division and their goalies over-performed last year. This is a team with bad goaltending unless they find room for their AHL starter. And having one weakness in the Central Division could ruin a team.
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
Monday, October 5, 2015
2015/2016 NHL Season Predictions: Atlantic Division
I'll be posting a prediction for each division this week, if only because it's fun to look back on. I'm going to do the divisions alphabetically, so it'll be: Atlantic, Central, Metropolitan, Pacific. So, without further ado, here are my Atlantic Division predictions:
1) Tampa Bay Lightning
It was no accident that Tampa Bay went to the Stanley Cup Finals. This is a team that dominated possession throughout the year and has bona fide superstars in their prime in the likes of Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman. While the line of Tyler Johnson, Nikita Kucherov, and Ondrej Palat likely can't repeat their success; this team should only be better with Jonathan Drouin making an impact.
2) Detroit Red Wings
I feel like a lot of people don't realize that Detroit was a legitimately good team last year, warts and all. There's no reason to expect them to be anything but better this year. Jimmy Howard looks like he's back to form after struggling after an injury last year, and Petr Mrazek still looks like he could steal the starting job. The additions of Mike Green and Brad Richards both should help, while Tomas Tatar was one of the most under-the-radar dominant players last year. This should be a good team.
3) Montreal Canadiens
I really like Montreal's roster, especially after they acquired Jeff Petry at the trade deadline last year. And Carey Price could turn any team into a playoff contender. The problem for me with Montreal is that their head coach Michel Therrien has a track record of actively making his teams worse. He has his teams play as if they consisted entirely of third line grinders. It's no coincidence that Pittsburgh won the Stanley Cup after firing him. Still, Montreal is too talented to slip into a wild card slot.
4) Florida Panthers
Things get interesting here. Florida was great after acquiring Jaromir Jagr, and in theory their young stars (Huberdeau, Barkov, Ekblad, Bjugstad) should just be better. Still, this won't be a high scoring team and the defense after the first pairing isn't overly inspiring. They'll battle for a wild card spot.
5) Boston Bruins
It's hard to see Boston missing the playoffs a second straight year when they still have Tuukka Rask and Patrice Bergeron in their primes. But their defense is an adventure at best. Chara is no longer the player he was, and after that you've got... Torey Krug? An injured and well past his prime Dennis Seidenberg? The forward group should be good, and I could easily see this team being better than Florida and getting a wild card spot. But I just can't put them there with that defense.
6) Ottawa Senators
Ottawa has a solid goaltender in Craig Anderson, a solid and young forward group, and a superstar defenseman. Still, I don't see this team making the playoffs again this year. They remind me of the Islanders two years ago when they missed the playoffs in between two years where they made it. Also, their defense is very suspect after Erik Karlsson.
7) Buffalo Sabres
The Sabres should be really fun to watch this year, and will likely score quite a bit. But the jury is out on their starting goaltender Robin Lehner, and their defense like other teams mentioned is very suspect.
8) Toronto Maple Leafs
Mike Babcock said this year is going to be painful, and there's really no way around that. This team more or less replaced Phil Kessel with a bunch of veterans trying to prove they still belong in the league. It'll be a long year in Toronto as they continue to rebuild.
1) Tampa Bay Lightning
It was no accident that Tampa Bay went to the Stanley Cup Finals. This is a team that dominated possession throughout the year and has bona fide superstars in their prime in the likes of Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman. While the line of Tyler Johnson, Nikita Kucherov, and Ondrej Palat likely can't repeat their success; this team should only be better with Jonathan Drouin making an impact.
2) Detroit Red Wings
I feel like a lot of people don't realize that Detroit was a legitimately good team last year, warts and all. There's no reason to expect them to be anything but better this year. Jimmy Howard looks like he's back to form after struggling after an injury last year, and Petr Mrazek still looks like he could steal the starting job. The additions of Mike Green and Brad Richards both should help, while Tomas Tatar was one of the most under-the-radar dominant players last year. This should be a good team.
3) Montreal Canadiens
I really like Montreal's roster, especially after they acquired Jeff Petry at the trade deadline last year. And Carey Price could turn any team into a playoff contender. The problem for me with Montreal is that their head coach Michel Therrien has a track record of actively making his teams worse. He has his teams play as if they consisted entirely of third line grinders. It's no coincidence that Pittsburgh won the Stanley Cup after firing him. Still, Montreal is too talented to slip into a wild card slot.
4) Florida Panthers
Things get interesting here. Florida was great after acquiring Jaromir Jagr, and in theory their young stars (Huberdeau, Barkov, Ekblad, Bjugstad) should just be better. Still, this won't be a high scoring team and the defense after the first pairing isn't overly inspiring. They'll battle for a wild card spot.
5) Boston Bruins
It's hard to see Boston missing the playoffs a second straight year when they still have Tuukka Rask and Patrice Bergeron in their primes. But their defense is an adventure at best. Chara is no longer the player he was, and after that you've got... Torey Krug? An injured and well past his prime Dennis Seidenberg? The forward group should be good, and I could easily see this team being better than Florida and getting a wild card spot. But I just can't put them there with that defense.
6) Ottawa Senators
Ottawa has a solid goaltender in Craig Anderson, a solid and young forward group, and a superstar defenseman. Still, I don't see this team making the playoffs again this year. They remind me of the Islanders two years ago when they missed the playoffs in between two years where they made it. Also, their defense is very suspect after Erik Karlsson.
7) Buffalo Sabres
The Sabres should be really fun to watch this year, and will likely score quite a bit. But the jury is out on their starting goaltender Robin Lehner, and their defense like other teams mentioned is very suspect.
8) Toronto Maple Leafs
Mike Babcock said this year is going to be painful, and there's really no way around that. This team more or less replaced Phil Kessel with a bunch of veterans trying to prove they still belong in the league. It'll be a long year in Toronto as they continue to rebuild.
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