With the new season about to get underway, eight franchises come into the year with new bench bosses. Anaheim (Dallas Eakins), Buffalo (Ralph Krueger), Edmonton (Dave Tippett), Florida (Joel Quenneville), Los Angeles (Todd McLellan), Ottawa (D.J. Smith), and Philadelphia (Alain Vigneault) all have new bench bosses. Meanwhile St. Louis, after just winning the Stanley Cup, took the interim tag off Craig Berube and made him the permanent bench boss.
We've seen some big names get moved in the offseason. P.K. Subban got traded to the Devils, Phil Kessel was shipped to the Coyotes, while the Flames grabbed Milan Lucic, sending James Neal to the Oilers. We've had some big names switching teams due to free agency as well. Artemi Panarin (Rangers), Matt Duchene (Nashville), Sergei Bobrovsky (Florida), Joe Pavelski (Dallas), Corey Perry (Dallas), Jason Spezza (Toronto), Robin Lehner (Chicago), and Semyon Varlamov (islanders) are some of the big names that went to new teams in the free agent market.
So that's just some of what happened this offseason. Lets get into it right now. The following predictions will be made based on final point totals for the season. Here's how the 2019-20 National Hockey League season goes down.
Western Conference:
Pacific Division:
1. Calgary Flames (101 Points)*
Lets face facts, Calgary surprised a lot of people running away with a six point win over San Jose last year to win the title in a weak division. I wouldn't be surprised if the Flames are back up at the top again this year, but with a slight hit of regression (or coming back to reality depending on how you look at it). David Rittich surprised more than a few when he started to unseat Mike Smith a little in net, but come playoff time Smith got the job right back. If Calgary wants to go far, they need Smith to play at a top level again. On defense, Sure Mark Giordano had a huge year as captain, but he is 35 years old. He's got some young talent with him on the line in Travis Hamonic and TJ Brodie, but they need to step it up and take a little pressure off their captain. Johnny Gaudreau did what you'd expect out of your best offensive player last year, as did Sean Monahan. But if you want the Flames to go deep in the playoffs this year, guys like Sam Bennett and Matthew Tkachuk are not only going to have to keep pace, but get help from some of the younger guys as well. Bottom line is Calgary has the talent to win this weak division for the 2nd straight year.
2. Vegas Golden Knights (100 Points)*
This should have come as a surprise to nobody that Vegtas was going to take a step back last year. First year expansion club making it to the finals two years ago was quite impressive, but they found reality a little last year in a 3rd place finish. This year they move back into contention with Calgary, but they're going to need a little help. Malcom Subban has to step it up. Why? Because Marc Andre Fleury is 35 and isn't getting any younger. I know he's played well the last two seasons in Vegas, but injuries and age have knocked him down a few peggs from what he was in Pittsburgh. Still, the play in net will be good enough to get Vegas were it wants to go. On the blueline, the team held steadfast from what they had a year ago, so expect to see the goalies get quite a bit of work every night. Offensively, adding Mark Stone and paying him well in the extension was a good move, as he adds yet another dynamic weapon to a team that's getting better. With him, William Karlsson, Jonathan Marchessault, and Reilly Smith leading the charge, Vegas is in solid hands when it comes to scoring. It may not be pretty, but it's enough for a playoff team.
3. San Jose Sharks (98 Points)*
It will be a step back for San Jose this year, but not by a whole hell of a lot. Maybe a couple of points at worst for the drop off here. Sure, Joe Pavelski isn't in the picture anymore in San Jose, as hea headed for Dallas. But this Sharks team is still loaded up front. Think about who they have coming back: Joe Thornton (who isn't quite as effective but still has a little left in the tank), Logan Couture, Evander Kane, Timo Meier, Tomas Hertl and Kevin Labanc. Then you have the blueline, which is lead by Marc-Edouard Vlasic and a fantastic one two punch of Erik Karlsson and Brent Burns. Then you have Martin Jones in net, who put up good numbers. Aaron Dell is backing him up and is no slouch but isn't quite the level that Jones is. Sure, Jones put up a below .900 saver percentage last year, so he can really go nowhere but up this year. Again, with how weak the rest of this division is, San Jose should be able to make it back into the playoffs this year.
4. Vancouver Canucks (88 Points)
Travis Green's bunch will improve a little over last year's club, but not by the huge strides he was hoping for. No doubt about this, if your a fan of the Canucks, you got plenty to look forward to from an offensive point of view. Your core is being lead by Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser and Bo Horvat. Plenty to be happy about with those three guys leading the offensive charge. You also have a nice mix with guys like Brandon Sutter and JT Miller on offense. Its the other end of the ice that has me worried. You landed Tyler Meyers on a five year deal, which is a decent signing, but lets be fair he hasn't been the same since his Calder year in Buffalo. But him and Alexander Edler make a solid top two without a doubt.Jordie Benn and Chris Tanev are alright, but that's it. In net, Jakob Markstrom is a decent netminder, but nothing to really write home about. He posted numbers last year that were almost identical to his career numbers.
5. Arizona Coyotes (88 Points)
Four lousy points. That's how close the Coyotes came to making the playoffs last year. This year, they hope its going to be a little bit different. They got better on offense, adding a guy like Phil Kessel, who's still one of the top scoring forwards in the league. Him and Carl Soderberg we're the big offensive additions to the team this year. Throw those two in with a guy like Christian Dvorak, then you may have a solid unit to build around. On the blue line, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, once he comes back from injury, and Jason Demers are their go to pair. In Net will be Antti Ranta, once he's healthy and Darcy Kuemper. Arizona hasn't made the playoffs since 2012 and last year was their first winning season 2014. If everybody can stay healthy, the Coyotes have a shot to come close.
6. Edmonton Oilers (81 Points)
Dave Tippet has a tall task on his hands again this year. There's no doubt in anybody's mind that the Oilers have a young offensive core to build around. Connor McDavid, who's coming off another 100+ point season last year, Leon Draisaitl, who scored 50 goals last year, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who still got the skills to play at a very high level. Problem in Edmonton last year was, they didn't have enough support around their top line to be able to propel them to the post season. Got a feeling that the same problem is going to happen this year. They got rid of Milan Lucic, after overpaying for him, in a deal with Calgary for James Neal, which might improve things a little. But the defense needs a little bit of work and Mike Smith is going to have to play at a level above what he did last year to even give the Oilers a chance. I mean Cam Talbot was good but Smith has to play better.
7 Los Angeles Kings (75 Points)
Los Angeles still has something to be able to hope for in this season. Todd McLellan has his hands full taking over this club this season. Jonathan Quick needs to have an injury free season if the Kings are going to be anywhere close to a contending team. That's not a knock against Jack Campbell, who was good in net last year, but he's not on Quick's level. Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown where the only Kings to have more than 50 points last year, so they need other guys to step their game up. Drew Doughty and Alec Martinez should have no problem holding down the back end. At the end of the day, its going to be a long season in this portion of California. Sure, they could surprise a few people, but there's too many holes in Los Angeles.
8. Anaheim Ducks (70 Points)
That's being nice, giving the Ducks 70 Points on this season. Lets start from the back end out. John Gibson is starting the year off hurt, and lets face facts Ryan Miller is nowhere near the netminder he once was. Cam Fowler leads the defense corp, and is one of the bright young stars in the game. Up front, Ryan Getzlaf and Adam Henrique lead the way down the middle, and they do have some help in the form of Rickard Rakell and Jakob Silfverberg. Otherwise, there's a feeling that things aren't going to go well in Anaheim this year.
Central Division
1. Nashville Predators (103 Points)*
There's no debate that this is the toughest division in the West to play in. Nashville won it last year with 100 points and should be able to beat that mark this year. Lets go from the back out, with the Finnish connection of Pekka Rinne and Juuse Saros between the pipes. Rinne is usually at or near the top of the major goaltending categories during the year, and should be right up there again this season. Protecting them from the blueline is captain Roman Josi leading the charge along with Ryan Ellis and Mattias Ekholm leading the charge and helping keep the puck out of the Nashville net. They've got a solid young core on the blueline that can stay in tact for some time. Up front, Matt Duchene is added to an already loaded attack with the likes of Filip Forsberg, Ryan Johansen and Viktor Arvidsson. The core is young and looking to help build off the year they had a season ago. 3rd place in the West isn't good enough and Nashville is loaded up to take a higher place in the final conference standings.
2. St Louis Blues (102 Points)*
The defending Stanley Cup Champions are going to be very hard to beat this year. Jake Allen and Jordan Binnington are going to make a killer one two punch in net. Binnington carried the Blues all the way to the Cup and don't be surprised if he's back at the top in the Blues net this year. Goaltending is young, hungry and will keep the Blues in the playoff races for years. As for the rest of the skaters on this St Louis team, its a nice blend of youth and experience. Justin Faulk was just aquired via trade to add some youth, and depth, to the Blues blueline that already has Alex Pietrangelo, Jay Bouwmeester, Carl Gunnarsson and Colton Parayko on it. Up front, Vladimir Tarasenko will be called upon to once again lead the offensive charge. He's got help from the likes of Ryan O'Reilly, Brayden Schenn, David Perron, and Jaden Schwartz among others. This team is deep and balanced and they know it too. They will make a lot of noise in the West this year and come close to knocking off the Predators as division champions on the way to trying to repeat as Stanley Cup Champions.
3. Dallas Stars (100 points)*
Last year was a good year in Texas. 42 wins and a 6th place finish in the West for the Stars, getting them into the 2nd round before falling to St Louis. This year, Big D wants to go farther than that. They've got the horses to be able to pull it off too. In Net, Ben Bishop has be solidifying himself as one of the top netminders in all of hockey, looks to build off that 27 win season he had last year. And behind him is Anton Khudobin, a solid netminder in his own right, who won 16 games a season ago. If both can stay healthy, they can more than hang with the big boys ahead of them in their division. John Klingberg leads a solid defensive group that also includes Roman Polak, Andrej Sekera and Essa Lindell. Its a good mix and the top of the Stars D that it will take some of the pressure off their goaltending. No doubt about the fact that the Stars can fill up the opposing nets as well. The top line of Jamie Benn, Tyler Segin and Alexander Radulov carried the club for most of last year and its a bit of a surprise that the Stars finished as high as they did last season. Now you add in veteran help like Corey Perry and Joe Pavelski, who I know are both older and Perry's hurt to start the year, but it does add more depth to an already rock solid lineup. Dallas is going to be good again this year and pushing hard for that top spot in the division.
4. Colorado Avalanche (98 Points) (WC)*
Last year saw Colorado sneak into the playoffs, by grabbing the very last spot in the Western Conference, making it to the 2nd round before getting dumped by the Sharks. Colorado relied largely on their top line of Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, and Gabriel Landeskog to push them into the playoff hunt. Those three guys are going to be counted on bigtime again this year to repeat some of that magic. They're going to need more help \up front, though, if they want to go deep into the playoffs. Nazem Kadri came on board from the Leafs and addsa a little m ore depth down the middle. They also added a physical element by adding Andre Burakovsky oin the left side. That's just adding to the scoring depth. A lot of pressure is going to be put on Philipp Grubauer, who has a lot of pressure on him to try and carry the load in the Denver nets. Erik Johnson leads the blueline charge for this young core on defense. Brightest future for the Avs D is Cale Makar. He was the 4th overall pick two years ago and had himself a decent year in the 10 playoff games he played in last spring. If he can build off that ion his first full season in Denver, the Avs really have themselves a gem.
5. Winnipeg Jets (96 Points) (WC)*
Winnipeg is coming off a 2nd place finish in this division last year and hope to build on it this year. Getting bounced in six by the Blues in the opening round of last year's playoffs let a sour taste in the Jets mouths and they want to try and come back from that. In the toughest division in hockey, that's a hard mountain to be able to try and climb. They have some really good pieces in Winnipeg that are going to help keep this team in the hunt for most of the year. Lets start in net as Connor Hellebuyck was outstanding in the crease last year, winning 34 games. He's going to be counted on heavily again this year. So is Dustin Byfuglien in leading a very young defense corp. With Big Buff, Dmitry Kulikov and Josh Morrissey leading this group, the blueline shouldn't have too much trouble trying to keep the puck out of their own net. As for depositing pucks in the opposition's cage, Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele are the go to guys to lead this offensive charge. Of course, you also have to factor in Nikolaj Ehlers and Patrik Laine on having good seasons as well. All in all, the Jets have a balanced enough team that they should have no real trouble getting back into the playoffs.
6. Minnesota Wild (84 Points)
The State of Hockey will look to try and build off of a disappointing year last year, missing the playoffs with just 83 points. They still have a lot of solid pieces to work with. Devan Dubnyk will be expected to carry the load in net once again this season, and after winning 31 games last year, who can blame him. To help keep the puck out of the net, Ryan Suter and Matt Dumba are going to be relied on heavily to help keep pace with some of the other attacking teams in this conference. Zach Parise put together a good season on offense, but a little low based on his past track record, same thing for Eric Staal. Both guys are going to have to produce a little more this year, a little much expected given their age. Mats Zucarello adds another element of depth to this team that's going to make the Wild a tough draw. Throw in Captain Mikko Koivu and you got something to go off of if your the Wild. There is a balance in Minnesota, but there is just too much top heavy talent in this division for the Wild to really move up and make the playoffs.
7. Chicago Blackhawks (80 Points)
Hate saying this, since the team hasn't come close to what they were during their run towards the end of the last decade. Patrick Kane had a monster year last year, finishing with 110 points. But he's going to need more support around him to score. Jonathan Toews had a good year as well, so the Captain isn't going to have a drop off in play this year. Alex DeBrincat was the only other 40 goal scorer in the Windy City, and they going to need more than just four guys to score 20 or more goals. The only other one to do it was Brandon Saad who had 23. They have a good mix of veteran presence and youth, but they need something to click and the younger guys to step it up. On the blueline, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook Same thing on the back end, its a mix of vets and youth, with the young guns needing to step their roles up. In net Corey Crawford has a star behind him in Robin Lehner, who had a resurgence on Long Island. Now he's in Chicago and hoping he can keep up that play that helped propel the Islanders into the playoffs last year. All in all, the Hawks have a good team, but in this division it won't be close to good enough.
Eastern Conference
Atlantic Division
1. Tampa Bay Lightning (111 Points)*
The Bolts had the best record in all of hockey last year and tied a league record for wins in a season with 62 and 128 points. It was the best record in the league but it ended on a sour note, by getting swept in the opening round by the Columbus Blue Jackets. The core of this Bolts team is still in tact and they want to wash that sour taste out of their mouths from a season ago. Lets start from the back out. Andrei Vasilevskiy won 39 games last year and is going to be counted on in the Bolts nets to carry the load again this year. He's got a pretty good backup in Curtis McElhinney, who's no slouch in his own right. The guys defending in front of him are pretty good. Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh are the anchors of the back end and they got a huge boost in the form of Kevin Shattenkirk. Throw in the emergence of Mikhail Sergachev and you got something to build off. As far as putting the puck in the back of the net goes, Tampa has plenty of firepoower. Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov will be called upon to carry the charge up front once again, something they have no problem doing. Throw in the likes of Brayden Point and Tyler Johnson, its something to work with. The one thing that sticks with me is lack of size. They got out hit in last year's playoffs. Hopefully they can step their physical play this year.
2. Boston Bruins (106 Points)*
Coming off a Eastern Conference title and coming within a game of a Cup, Boston is looking to go right back there again this year. Bruce Cassidy had his team primed and going well in the playoffs, and do the same thing this year. In goal, he's got a pretty good one two punch with Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak, both of whom are back again this year.Protecting them is a solid blueline group led by Captain Zedeno Chara, who's back for his 14th year in Beantown. With Chara, Torey Krug and Charlie McAvoy, Boston has a nice blend of size, speed and skill to not only keep the puck out of the net, but they can lead the attack on the opposition as well. As for the offense, its powered by Brad Marchand, David Pastranak and Patrice Bergeron. No doubt, they carry the Bruins, but its not just a one line show. David Krejci, Charlie Coyle, Jake DeBrusk and others will step their games up to help out that top line. Boston has the size and power that might be able to topple the Lightning, but I just don't think they're deep enough to out score Tampa. Still, this Bruins team is now slouch and will not have a problem making it back into the playoffs this year.
3. Toronto Maple Leafs (100 Points)*
Falling to the Bruins in seven games in the opening round last yer was not how the Leafs wanted their season to end. But it did and now they're looking to rebound and rebuild from it. Fredrik Andersen is going to be carrying the load once again in the Leafs cage, and they're going to need him to step his game up to another level if they want to go on a deep playoff run. Michael Hutchinson is taking over as Andersen's backup and he's going to have to make an impact quick for this team to maintain a high level. Morgan Riley leads the charge on the back end, and gets help from new weapon Jake Muzzin. With those two guys, Tyson Barrie and Cody Cici leading the charge Toronto has something cooking. Lets not forget about the firepower up front. They are deep down the middle, with newly named captain John Tavares, Austin Matthews William Nylander and newly added Jason Spezza. Kasperi Kapanen and Mitch Marner add even more firepower to this team that's going to make it tough to beat. Kadri isn't there anymore, but Barrie came back in the trade with the Avs. The high powered weapons are going to be firing on all cylinders. Its the rest of the guns that need to step up and help out the big boys, if the Leafs want to get out of the first round.
4. Florida Panthers (98 Points) (WC)*
Florida came within 12 points of a playoff spot last year and are looking to make a big jump this year. Roberto Luongo has just retired, so they got some pretty big skates to try and fill. Enter Sergei Bobrovsky, who got a huge contract from Florida to replace a legend. He's good enough to be able to fill those skates. Keith Yandle and Anton Stralman are the elder statesman on this Panthers blueline, providing guidance to a still developing young gun in Aaron Ekblad. Its a nice mix for the Panthers blueline to build around for the next little while. Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau each registered over 90 points to lead the Cats offensive charge and they will be doing that again this year. The two of them with Vincent Trocheck, Mike Hoffman, and Brent Connolly, they got something to work with. They are balanced and good enough to be able to sneak into the playoffs in a tight Eastern Conference
5. Montreal Canadians (96 Points)
Coming off a year when the Habs missed the playoffs by two points, they're looking to get into the hunt again this year. Carey Price is expected to do big things again in the Montreal net. He's got a new back up this year in the form of Keith Kinkaid. Shea Weber anchors the blueline group, which has a nice mix to it. But if its Weber and Jeff Petry leading the charge, there's a few holes to be filled in Montreal. Brendan Gallagher, Max Domi, Tomas Tatar, Paul Byron, and Joel Armia are expected to lead the offensive charge for this team. Montreal does have a good mix up front, but lacks a little bit of depth to really compete with a top heavy division. Carey Price can steal a game or two this season and he can help keep the Habs into the mix. But at the end of the day, Montreal has holes that will end up hurting them.
6. Buffalo Sabres (90 Points)
Buffalo finished last year 6th in the division with 39 wins. This year, they enter their 50th year in the league and are looking to prove something. They will be better this year, with the core still in tact. Carter Hutton is going to be holding it down the the Western New York nets. Rasmus Dahlin is looking to build off a decent rookie year and has some help with him on the back end. Jake McCabe and Rasmus Ristolainen round out a solid top three in Buffalo. Up front, there's a lot to be happy about with the Sabres. Jack Eichel is leading the charge. The Captain has high expectations again this year, and Sam Reinhart will be there to back him up down the middle. Kyle Okposo and last year's 40 goal scorer Jeff Skinner are going to be counted on to help the captain carry the scoring load this season. Still a few holes to fill but Buffalo has two solid scoring lines to build around. They've got a good young team and give it a few years, Buffalo will be right in the thick of the playoff race. Right now, they're on the outside looking in.
7. Detroit Red Wings (87 Points)
It's been a weird feeling in Hockeytown the last few years, the Red Wings have missed the playoffs. Steve Yzerman was brought on board to run the team from upstairs as the new GM. He got good pieces to work with on this team, but has some building to do. Jimmy Howard and Jonathan Bernier make a decent one two combo in net, but Howard isn't getting any younger. Mike Green is now the elder statesman on the blueline, with Niklas Kronwall having retired. Trevor Daley helps round out the elder statesman on the back end, while Danny DeKeyser leads the youth movement on the line. Now up front, they brought back Valtteri Filppula to help out with a loaded young core. Tyler Bertuzzi and Anthony Mantha are the young guns on the up and coming. They have veteran presence in the form of Frans Neilsen, Justin Abdelkader and Dylan Larkin. There a good group here but not deep enough and are going to need a little magic from Stevie Y to get back to glory.
8. Ottawa Senators (64 Points)
Talk about a tank job. Ottawa finished with just 29 wins last year. This year won't be much better. Craig Anderson has a lot to do to try and keep the Sens afloat in the East. But Mark Stone is gone from last year, as is Matt Duchane. Jean Gabriel Pageau is going to be the leading man on offense for this team, along with Brady Tkachuk. They have a veteran in Bobby Ryan, but boy does this team lack depth. Team doesn't have the depth it needs to compete in the East, so its going to be a long year in the Canadian capital
Metropolitan Division
1. Washington Capitals (109 Points)*
Ovi and company had the 3rd most points in the East last year and won the Metropolitan Division again. The only change in net is that rookie Ilya Samsonov is now backing up Braden Holtby. The core of the rest of the squad is mostly still in tact. Dmitry Orlov and John Carlson lead the defensive unit. They have good depth and balance on defense. As for the offense, Alexander Ovechkin and Niklas Backstrom are still going strong in the scoring department. They've got plenty of help too in the forms of guys like TJ Oshie, Evgeny Kuznetsov, and Carl Hagelin. Wahsington is a deep, balanced hockey club that's going to be a real challenge for anybody going up against them this seaosn. They're good and they know it. Now they just have to back it up come spring time.
2. Carolina Hurricanes (104 Points)*
These bunch of jerks really surprised a lot of people last year. Made it all the way to the Eastern Conference finals, before falling to the Bruins. Now that they got a taste of the long playoff run, they want it again and it to go even longer than last year. They have a strong man in net in the form of Petr Mrazek, who is more than capable of carrying the load this season. And if for some reason he faulters, James Reimer is a solid backup goalie. On defense, things look a little different with Justin Faulk having been traded, but they still have a good group together. Jaccob Slavin leads the way, with Dougie Hamilton and Brett Pesce playing a solid game to complement Slavin. Sebastian Aho will be the man in charge of leading the offensive attack. Jordan Staal (who was just named captain), Andrei Svechnikov, Teuvo Teravainen will be required to step their game up a little more. Reason being is that Justin Williams had retired at the end of last season. So there's a few guys who need to pick up the slack this season. Still, there's plenty of talent here to keep this team near the top of the divisional race all season long.
3. Pittsburgh Penguins (100 Points)*
Last year ended with a very sour taste in the Penguins mouth. They finished 3rd in the division and then were promptly swept right out of the playoffs by the Islanders. The biggest change from last year to this year is that Alex Galchenyuk was brought over from the Coyotes in exchange for Phil Kessel. Other than that, the core group is exactly the same from a season ago. Matt Murray is again the man in the Penguins net. He has been consistent since taking over between the pipes. Kris Letang still leads the D, with Jack Johnson and Justin Shultz rounding out the top half of the Penguins Blueline. Up front, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are going to be leading a potent attack. To help out the big boys will be Jake Guentzel, Alex Galchenyuk and Patric Hornqvist. This team is loaded and they're balanced. It's amazing how the Penguins always find a way to reload and stay consistent and keep in the playoff race. It's been 14 straight years for the Penguins in the playoffs, and that keeps going this year.
4. Philadelphia Flyers (99 Points) (WC)*
The Flyers finished 14 points out of a playoff spot last year and are looking to get back there this year. Carter Hart took over late in the year for what was a revolving door in the Philadelphia crease. He's got the job set in stone now, with Brian Elliott sitting right behind him. Shayne Gostisbehere returns to the Flyer blueline as the leader of that group, providing a nice scoring touch while playing a solid defensive game. Ivan Provorov is also going to have an impact on this team, as will Justin Braun. To surpass the defense, the Flyers offense is going to have no problem putting the puck in the back of the opposing net. Nolan Patrick, Sean Couturier, Jakub Voracek, James van Riemsdyk, and Claude Giroux will have no problem finding the back of the net. What killed the Flyers a season ago was the insane number of men manning the pipes. That gets taken care of, the Flyers have enough depth and talent to be a playoff team.
5. New York Islanders (94 Points)
Talk about a shocker. Not only did the Islanders make the playoffs, but they were in a fight for the top spot in the division until late in the season. Then, once in the playoffs, the swept the Peguins out of the first round, before getting swept by the Hurricanes in round two. Now they want more. But its going to be a little different this year. Barry Trotz bunch know what's expected of them, and they have to deliver. Robin Lehner is gone, having signed with the Hawks over the summer, so to replace him in net the Isles snagged Semyon Varlamov to split time with Thomas Greiss. On the blueline, Johnny Boychuk and Nick Leddy anchor things as the elder statesman. They've got plenty of help from young guns like Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock. This defense helped its netminders to have the fewest goals against in the entire league a season ago, so its a big task to undertake again this year. Now when it comes to filling the opposing net, Mat Barzal is the focal point of the attack, along with Josh Bailey as the playmakers. Guys like Anders Lee and Brock Nelson will be again counted on as trigger men, while Jordan Eberle hopes to build off some of the success he had in last years playoffs. The team has plenty of balance to compete with anybody in either conference, but the changeover in net and lack of high scoring wingers for Barzal to play with may keep the Isles on the outside of the playoffs this year. But its going to be close.
6. New York Rangers (90 Points)
Last season was a bad one on Broadway, finishing four games under .500. I understand it was the start of a rebuild, but still. Fear not, the moves made near the end of last year and this summer, have helped put them back going in the right direction. Kappo Kakko was taken 2nd overall in last June's draft, so he's got some pretty big skates to fill. So is the bigtime free agent acquisition of Artemi Panarin, who has to really play well to fit that contract, which there's no doubt he will do. Those two guys, along with Pavel Buchnevich, Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider make a pretty imposing front line to deal with. On the back end, Jacob Truba was aquired in a trade over the summer, solidifying a decent defense crop for the Rangers. Throw him with Brady Skjei and Marc Staal, and the Rangers have something brewing. Oh and there is still some guy named Henrik Lundqvist patrolling the nets at Madison Square Garden. The rebuild mode is still happening, but the Rangers have taken a few giant leaps this summer. They aren't quite there yet, but boy they will be within the next few years.
7. New Jersey Devils (88 Points)
The only team that finished with a worse record in the East then the Devils last year was Ottawa. New Jersey got the top pick in June's draft thanks to the Lottery and used it to take Jack Hughes, who paired with Nico Hischier, last years top pick, could make a solid punch for New Jersey. Of course, they have to be able to provide plenty of support for the best forward on the squad, Taylor Hall. IF New Jersey is to go anywhere near a playoff spot, those three guys need help from the likes of Kyle Palmieri, Travis Zajac, and Nikita Gusev. As for the back end, PK Subban was added to try and help stabilize the defense. Him and Sami Vatanen are going to be counted on to lead this team from the blueline out. What really worries me about the Devils is their goaltending. Keith Kinkad isn't around anymore and Mackenzie Blackwood is now backing up Cory Schneider. Schneider, it has been well documented, has had trouble the last couple of seasons in net, so if that happens again this year, I've got little faith in Blackwood. Who knows, he could surprise people this year. Either way, its a real long shot for the Devils to really make noise this season.
8 Columbus Blue Jackets (83 Points)
The one team that's getting hit the hardest from last year to this one is the Blue Jackets. Coming off winning their first ever playoff series last year, sweeping the Lightning right out of the first round, they might not even come close to that again this year. Joonas Korpisalo takes over the number one job in Ohio, now that Sergei Bobrovski is with the Panthers. Seth Jones and Zach Werenski still lead a decent defensive group, which does have some upside to it. Scoring could be interesting. They've got weapons with guys like Cam Atkinson and Nick Foligno, but I';m a little worried about depth. This team lacks it and without a star front line goalie, its going to be really tough to come out of the East. Columbus doesn't have it this year and they'll take a major fall.
Stanley Cup Finals: Lightning over Stars!
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