15 Eastern Conference Predictions

I know that I'm a bit late on this, but here's 15 predictions for the East:

1) The Stanley Cup Champion will either be the New York Rangers or the Pittsburgh Penguins.

2) Bryzgalov will have a major bounce back year, but will still have a high GAA due to Philly's weak defense.

3) The top 5 scorers will all be from the East.

4) New Jersey and Florida will miss the playoffs.

5) Tukka Rask will challenge Henrik Lundqvist as the best goalie in the East.

6) Three teams from the Southeast will make the playoffs.

7) Rick DiPietro will play in at least 15 games.

8) Tyler Ennis will emerge as a legitimate first line scoring forward.

9) On the other hand, Cody Hodgson will struggle immensely.

10) PK Subban will hold out the longer than Benn and O'Reilly.

11) By the end of the season, the Schenn/JvR trade will look a lot less lopsided.

12) Jason Arnott will sign with Washington or New Jersey.

13) Anders Lindback will be the best goalie in the Southeast

14) Pittsburgh will find a winger for Crosby other than Dupuis and Kunitz.

15) My prediction standings:

1. PIT
2. BOS
3. TB
4. NYR
5. WSH
6. PHI
7. OTT
8. CAR
9. FLA
10. BUF
11. NJ
12. MTL
13. WPG
14. TOR
15. NYI

15 Predictions - Western Conference

So, with my school randomly closed with a building issue, I decided that today would be a great day to analyze where each team will place in the standings this year. Then I realized with how close teams are, that it's going to be impossible. I'll still do it, but instead here are 15 predictions for the Western Conference:

1. The Calder Trophy (rookie of the year) comes down to three kids in the Western Conference: Vladimir Tarasenko (STL), Mikael Granlund (MIN), and Justin Schultz (EDM). 
2. One of Phoenix or Nashville misses the playoffs. 
3. Two of Edmonton, Colorado, and Minnesota make the playoffs. 
4. Anaheim signs both Perry and Getzlaf to long-term contracts and then trades Bobby Ryan.
5. The Canucks do in fact trade Roberto Luongo this year. 
6. Corey Crawford of Chicago bounces back from a sophomore slump much in the same fashion that Jimmy Howard of Detroit did. 
7. The Columbus Blue Jackets will be much more competitive, but their goaltending will cause them to have the first overall pick and draft Nathan MacKinnon. 
8. Gabriel Landeskog proves to be a worthy choice for captain of Colorado, despite being the youngest ever captain in the NHL.
9. Damien Brunner will be a legitimate scoring forward for Detroit. 
10. Alex Pietrangelo will win the Norris Trophy (best defenseman in the league). 
11. The Calgary Flames finish as the second worst team in the Western Conference and trade Jarome Iginla. 
12. Josh Harding and Devan Dubnyk emerge as the starting goaltenders for their respective clubs (MIN and EDM). 
13. Jonathan Quick and Jaroslav Halak are nominated for the Vezina Trophy (best goaltender in the league). 
14. Colorado's Ryan O'Reilly holds out for the entire year. 
15. Jamie Benn (Dallas) signs and is top 10 in league scoring this year. 

And just for the fun of being wrong, here are my predictions for the standings:

1. Los Angeles Kings
2. St. Louis Blues
3. Vancouver Canucks
4. Chicago Blackhawks
5. Detroit Red Wings
6. Colorado Avalanche
7. Phoenix Coyotes
8. Minnesota Wild
9. San Jose Sharks
10. Nashville Predators
11. Edmonton Oilers
12. Anaheim Ducks
13. Dallas Stars
14. Calgary Flames
15. Columbus Blue Jackets

It's Over! First Order of Business for NHL Teams

Early this morning, the NHL lockout thankfully came to a conclusion. It'll likely take until Tuesday for all of the paperwork to be finalized and voted on, however once that happens several teams will have some very important business to take care of right away, as several key players remain unsigned as restricted free agents. They are: (per CapGeek.com)

Ryan O'Reilly - Colorado
Jamie Benn - Dallas
Dmitry Kulikov - Florida
P.K. Subban - Montreal
Micahel Del Zotto - New York Rangers
Cody Franson - Toronto

I full expect all of these players to sign quickly. In fact, I'd be surprised if most of the weren't signed by Wednesday. Teams feel a need to win fans back right now due to the bitterness of the lockout, and making sure the players that fans love come back will be important. It is also important to note that all of the above players are also stars for their teams besides Franson. These deals should all be interesting as they'll set the marketplace in the new salary cap.

Cody Franson is a bit different though. After being acquired by Toronto two summers ago, he never seemed to mesh last season. He's a large, offensively gifted defenseman who isn't physical and isn't strong in his own end. He's fine on the power play, and sheltered with offensive zone starts. However, that's not something Toronto needs. I'm still expecting to see him get signed quickly, but likely traded quickly as well. He may be of interest for teams like Minnesota, Detroit, Dallas, and Edmonton who all look a little light on the blueline. He also could be part of a deal for Roberto Luongo, who many reporters have claimed Toronto has interest in.

I'll try to be post regularly now that the NHL is back, including more details about the new CBA once they're made readily available. In the mean time, I can't wait to start hearing about actual hockey news on Tuesday!

P.S. Also look for Kyle Palmieri (MIN), James Sheppard(SJ), and Nick Petrecki (SJ) to all be quickly signed. They're in the same boat, but will be signed to two-way deals and will likely play in the AHL.