Before we start breaking down who's going to finish where during this 56 game shortened season, we got some new faces in new places we have to dive into. We got new coaches in Dallas (Rick Bowness), Calgary (Geoff Ward), Minnesota (Dean Evanson), New Jersey (Lindy Ruff), San Jose (Bob Boughner), and Washington (Peter Laviolette). There was also a lot of player movement between the end of last season and now. Taylor Hall (Buffalo), Alex Pietrangelo (Vegas), Jacob Markstrom (Calgary), Kevin Shattenkirk (Anaheim), Bryaden Holtby (Vancouver), Wayne Simmons (Toronto), Torey Krug (St Louis), Thomas Greiss (Detroit), Joe Thornton (Toronto), and Zedeno Chara (Washington) were some of the bigger names that have moved on to new teams during the offseason.
Now lets get into it, here's how we see the 2020-21 Season going down.
West Division
1. Colorado Avalanche (81 Points)*
This is a loaded team that came within a game of winning the Western Conference last season. And there's still a lot of talent on this Colorado roster. Just look at the core on this team. Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog, Mikko Rantanen, Nazem Kadri, and Cale Maker makes for a hell of a core to build around. They can score and they can play defense. What scares me in Denver, is the goaltending. Philipp Grubauer is a solid netminder, but look around the rest of this division. The goaltending in some spots blows the doors off Colorado. Look the Avalanche have the talent to be able to go on a deep run, but goaltending is what's going to be the deciding factor.
2. Vegas Golden Knights (80 Points)*
What's to really stop the Golden Knights from going on a deep run this year? They have a different style of offense attack, they are all over the puck. Stone, Tuch, Pacioretty, Marchessault, Karlsson lead a pretty balanced offensive attack out in Vegas. Pietrangelo was brought on board to help anchor a blue line that's also got plenty of talent in Theodore, Holden and Martinez. Oh and they have a pretty good one-two punch in Fleury and Lenher. Lehner is the biggest key in net for the Golden Knights who are primed for another deep run. With the way they are shaping up, they are going to give the Avs a strong run for their money this year.
3. St Louis Blues (78 Points)*
Vladimir Tarasenko missing most of last season due to injury hurt the Blues, more so evident when they were beaten by the Canucks in the playoffs. He's back this season and looks to be healthy, but he's coming back to a different team. Pietrangelo is in Vegas, Steen retired. Adding Torey Krug is a huge plus for St Louis to replace some of what they lost since last season ended. There's no doubt the Blues will be able to put the puck towards the net, but its at the other end I'm questioning. Can Jordan Binnington find his form again close to what you saw from him during the Cup run? If he can come close to that, then the Blues should have no problem making a lot of noise in this division and even maybe upset the two teams ahead of them. The talent is there, they just need to be able to pull it all together.
4. Minnesota Wild (70 Points)*
After getting bounced by the Canucks last year in the qualifying round, the Wild are looking to try and make a little more noise in this division this season. They got a boost in net by adding Cam Talbot, who will be a vast improvement over Alex Stalock and his 20 wins last year. In front of him Jonas Brodin and Matt Dumba are anchoring that defense corps which still has Ryan Suter and Jared Spurgon. Those four are going to be leading the way for the Wild on the line. When it comes to scoring, Minnesota should still be able to find the back of the net. Zach Parise still has a little left in the tank, while Kevin Fiala is going to look to build off leading the team in scoring last season. Nick Bjugstad and Nick Bonino are leading things up the middle and expect some support from Marcus Johansson and, when he returns, Mats Zuccarello. They aren't as top heavy and talented as the teams above them, but they will be good enough to get into the playoffs.
5. Arizona Coyotes (65 Points)
Last year, Arizona surprised quite a few people by making the playoffs. They beat Nashville in the qualifying round before losing to Colorado in the opening round. But they've lost a few key pieces from the playoff team to now. The biggest one is Taylor Hall no longer here, since he signed in Buffalo. They're going to have to rely on the young guns in the Desert if they want a chance to make any kind of noise. Nick Schmaltz going to have to be on his game like he was last season. Clayton Keller and Conor Garland are also going to have to step it up. So is Phil Kessel, who may not have much left in the tank but he's got enough to show some people he can still produce. Oliver Ekman-Larsson going to be leading things from the blueline, and he has some help in the form of Alex Goligoski and Niklas Hjalmarsson. That's also a slight problem. Age is a factor in the Desert. In net, Antti Raanta and Darcy Kuemper are OK, but not great. Going to be a bit of a slow going in Arizona.
6. Anaheim Ducks (60 Points)
Was a rough go of it for California hockey last year, with all three clubs missing the playoffs. Doesn't look like it going to get any better this year. They brought in a good piece to add to the mix bringing in a guy like Kevin Shattenkirk. He still got plenty in the tank and can be somebody that the Ducks back end could build around. Along with Cam Fowler, the Ducks have hope for their blueline for a long time. Ryan Miller and John Gibson again make up the one two punch in the Ducks net, and while Miller isn't as good as he once was, Gibson might still be able to steal a game or two. Anaheim hasn't really done much to replace what they got up front. Ryan Getzlaf isn't getting any younger, but Jakob Silfverberg and Adam Henrique might be able to pick up some of the slack for the Ducks.
7. Los Angeles Kings (50 Points)
There's a fairly good mix of youth and experience in this Kings locker room. Starting in net, Jonathan Quick is going to be relied on a lot by LA. If he can stay healthy and on his game, the Kings can climb out of the California basement. But if things don't go right for Quick, there's nothing really behind him. Drew Doughty and Olli Maatta are anchoring a very young defense corp. Up front, LA is still lead by Carter, Kopitar and Brown. They brought in some new legs with Andreas Athanasiou. It's a decent team, but there isn't enough to get LA out of the bottom.
8. San Jose Shark s(49 Points)
There might be some flipping throughout the year at the bottom of the West between them and the Kings. San Jose is one of the older teams in the league this year. Patrick Marleau is back at 41 and has a chance to break Gordie Howe's games played record. Him and Brent Burns are the elder statesman on this team and are expected to to provide some veteran leadership for this team. There is some young talent here. Martin Jones is going to hold things down in net, Erik Karlsson is doing so on the blue line and Evander Kane, Tomas Hertl and Matt Nieto are going to be doing that up front. Not sure yet if this team has the talent in the right place to take that next step.
North Division
1. Toronto Maple Leafs (84 Points)*
For whatever reason, Toronto can't seem to get it done when it matters most come spring time. With the the talent that on this team, you'd like to think that the Leafs would be able to go farther. There's plenty of offensive talent that can lead the way in Toronto. With a core that consists of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares, and William Nylander, who's to say that the Leafs can't really make a lot of noise. They added veteran presence with the likes of Jason Spezza (who's back for another year) and Joe Thornton who's looking for another shot. They've got a good mix on defense with the likes of Jake Muzzin, Morgan Riley, T.J. Brodie and Zach Bogosian leading the charge. What has me worried is in net. Can Fredrick Andersen finally solve the Leafs problems between the pipes?
2. Edmonton Oilers (82 Points)*
There still a sour taste in the Oilers mouth after losing to the Hawks in the qualifying round last year. But there's plenty of talent here in Edmonton to really keep the Oilers down. With Leon Draisaitl, Conor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins leading the offensive charge, there's nothing to stop this team. They have offensive depth down the middle and can lead a rush with almost any team in the league. The only thing that can even remotely hold back this Oilers club is the back end. They let up 14 goals in just four games against Chicago in the playoffs last year. Larsson, Nurse and Barrie had better start to tighten things up back there, or they're going to leave either Mike Smith or whoever out to dry in net.
3. Calgary Flames (80 Points)*
Lots of good things to be getting excited about in Calgary this year. They still have that good young core in tact, with guys like Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett, Sean Monahan, and Johnny Gaudreau. Mark Giordano, the elder statesman on this club, leads a decent defense crop that has Chris Tanev and Noah Hanifin to work with. What sticks out for me with Calgary is in net. This is now the time for David Rittich to really step up and take hold of the position, which was slowly being groomed to be his anyway. Now's his shot to really take hold of it. Jacob Markstrom is more of a support system, but lets be real here, this is Rittich's time in the nets and how far the Flames go will depend on how well he plays.
4. Winnipeg Jets (75 Points )*
Connor Hellebuyck won 31 games in the Jets nets last year and was a big reason why the Jets were able to hang around in the playoff race a season ago. That's not to take anything away from the Winnipeg offense, but it was really the goaltending that kept them in the hunt most of the year. It will be the strong point again this year. In front of Hellebuyck is what leaves a little to be desired. Josh Morrissey, Luca Sbisa and Nathan Beaulieu lead a defensive group that leaves something to be desired. Luckly, the forward group is kinda good. Patrik Laine, Kyle Connor, Nikolaj Ehlers, Mark Scheifele can all go and find ways to be able to put the puck in the back of the net. What's really going to be a deciding factor for this team getting into the playoffs will be if the defense can step its game up to a new level and if the goaltending can have a repeat of what it did last year.
5. Montreal Canadiens (73 Points)
What is going to keep the hope for the Habs alive for possibly reaching the playoffs and that's their goaltending. The combination of Jake Allen and Carey Price gives fans in Montreal real hope for a long haul between the pipes. They have a blue line that isn't getting any younger, with Weber and Petry leading the charge. They brought in Corey Perry for some offensive depth, and they have a few weapons that can provide a little punch. Brendan Gallagher, Paul Byron and Tomas Tatar could provide something to build around for the Montreal offense. There's not as much that can really compete up in the top of this division, but it will be enough to stick around for a bit.
6. Vancouver Canucks (72 Points)
This is a team that has a similar problem to Montreal. Thatcher Demko has some potential to make a name in this league. Vancouver then upped the anty by signing Braden Holtby, giving him a fresh start north of the boarder. Vancouver lost a lot of talent from last year's playoff run, but they still have a pretty solid core to work with too. Brock Besser and Bo Horvat are going to be very good for a long time in this division. There is a good mix of young and veteran talent on this team, but they are still a few years away from really contending in this division, or even in the West when we are back under regular settings. Still there's a lot to look forward in Western Canada.
7. Ottawa Seantors (60 Points)
Maybe giving the Sens that many points this year could be generous. They're making little steps in the right direction though. Adding Matt Murray between the pipes was a good move and he's in the Ottawa nets for a while. Another guy they can build around in Ottawa is Brady Tkachuk. Outside of him, this is a team that's pretty much cast off's from teams around the rest of the league. There's really not much to work with for the Sens outside of the couple of guys mentioned. Murry can provide some stability in net and Tkachuk is turning into a star. Otherwise its going to be a long 56 games for Ottawa.
Central Division
1. Tampa Bay Lightning (88 Points)*
Nothing has really changed for the core of the defending Stanley Cup Champions down in Tampa. They brought almost everybody back from last season when the Bolts won their second title in franchise history. The only thing that really changed for the Bolts from last season to this year is Nikita Kucherov, as he is going to be out for all of this season with a hip injury. The thing that really helps the Bolts is that they are so deep on offense that losing Kucherov, while a big blow for any other team, isn't really going to hurt Tampa. They still have Point, Killorn, Cirelli, and some guy name Stamkos, who last I checked is still kinda good.Not having Kevin Shattenkirk on the back end changes things a bit for the Bolts, but they have more then enough talent there to cover for him signing elsewhere. Victor Hedman still leads a group on defense that has Ryan McDonagh Jan Rutta, Luke Schenn, and Mikhail Sergachev. In Net Curtis McElhinney and Andrei Vasilevskiy shouldn't have a problem building off the successs they had as a tandom last year. This team is good, they're deep, and they look to keep the success going from last year.
2. Dallas Stars (84 Points)*
With the new division breakdown for this season being different, due to COVID, the team that just lost to the Bolts in the finals will now square off with them in the same division. They still have a pretty solid one two punch in their lineup with Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin. Can the rest of the support show up and stay consistent with them? Denis Gurianov is coming off a 20 goal season last year, so that's something they can build off of. And he's going to have to step it up cause Seguin going to be out with a hip injury till April. Roope Hintz and Joel Kiviranta are going to take on a bigger role, with Kiviranta having the big playoffs last year as a rookie. The defensive unit is solid, with John Klingberg and Miro Heiskanen leading the way, but the absence of Ben Bishop, due to injuries, could very well be interesting. They have a solid netminder in Anton Khudobin, who got Dallas deep into the playoffs. They'll be good enough for another good run in them this year.
3. Carolina Hurricanes (79 Points)*
Carolina seems like one of those teams that are always going to be hanging around in the thick of the playoff picture. Looking at the teams ahead of them, Carolina might be able to match the offense and defense of the other two clubs. What could hold the Canes back is the goaltending. Petr Mrazek and James Reimer are solid goalies, but neither of them are really going to set the world on fire. That's the only thing that stopping Carolina from really hanging in the mix with Dallas and Tampa this year. The defense core, lead by Slavin and Hamilton, will be solid again this year. So will the offense being led by Aho, Jordan Staal, McGinn, and a young up and comer in Svechnikov. Should Carolina get its netminding figured out, they could be a dangerous hockey club.
4. Nashville Predators (75 Points)*
Just like the quarterback in football, goaltending in hockey is going to be key and Nashville has some solid ones. Yes Pekka Rinne isn't getting any younger, so its making it tougher for him to really be as reliable as he has in years past. But Juuse Saros is good enough to pick up some of the slack. In front of them, Roman Josi, Ryan Ellis and Mattias Ekholm are going to be counted on to lead the charge. There is some scoring depth here, with the likes of Duchene, Forsberg, Haula and Johansen. What has me puzzled with the Preds is do they have the firepower to really be able to hang in with the upper class teams? I'm not totally sold on paper. Still its going to be good enough to be able to get them in.
5. Columbus Blue Jackets (70 Points)
Columbus has a good mix that might possibly surprise people and keep it interesting in this division. Joonas Korpisalo and Elvis Merzlikins make a pretty good tandum in the Jackets nets. And they have two solid young anchors on the blue line with Seth Jones and Zach Werenski. Up front Boon Jenner, Cam Atkinson and Nick Foligno are the guys lading the charge. That's the difference between them and Nashville. The back end in Nashville isn't as young or as quick, but the forwards might be able to match up a little bit. At the end of the day it just feels like the Jackets are going to take a slight step back this season.
6. Florida Panthers (68 Points)
There are still some big expectations in the nets from Sergei Bobrovsky. After all the Panthers did sign the man known as Bob to a big contract and he hasn't been able to quite live up to the hype just yet. Out in front of him, Aaron Ekblad is still going to be counted on for pulling some big minutes down for Florida because he still doesn't have quite enough help from a depth point of view to really make the Panthers better. Up front its the Huberdeau and Barkov show in Sunrise. Those two guys are going to carry the offense for Florida once again. There isn't enough real scoring depth to advance them this season.
7. Chicago Blackhawks (66 Points)
The glory years have passed by this core in Chicago. Keith, Seabrook, Kane and Toews are still impact players but they aren't getting any younger and they haven't had the pieces in the Windy City in order to be able to replace them. They had changes in net with Malcom Subban and Colin Delia taking over between the pipes, which is a huge change for the Hawks in their nets. Calvin de Haan is going to be counted on to take on a bigger role on the blue line. Up front, Dylan Strome, Alex DeBrincat and Dominik Kubalik are going to be counted on to step up their game. Chicago did manage to upset Edmonton in the restart last year to get into the playoffs, But they made too many changes and aren't going to be close to challenging this year.
8 Detroit Red Wings (64 points)
Detroit has been in a rebuilding phase for quite some time now and its looking like its still going to take a little while longer. Looking at the lineup, Detroit didn't really do much of anything. Robby Fabbri is here to help out with the offense, joining Luke Glendening and Dylan Larkin at the head of the charge. Marc Staal and Danny DeKeyser are taking the charge on the blueline. And Thomas Greiss was signed to a neat deal in net to make a good pair with Jonathan Bernier. Still, even with that bunch there isn't enough here to get the Wings out of the basement.
East Division
1. Philadelphia Flyers (88 Points)*
This was the toughest of the four divisions to try and make the picks for. I'm just giving the edge to the Flyers over the rest. From the back out the Flyers look pretty good. Carter Hart expected to carry the loads in the net again in Philadelphia this year, and he's got a decent running buddy in Brian Elliott. The rest of the core for this Flyers team is still in tact. Shayne Gostisbehere, Erik Gustafsson, and Ivan Provorov will be leading a mostly young defensive group. Up front its the deadly tandom of Claude Giroux and Jacob Voracek leading a pretty good scoring unit. They aren't the only weapons. The Flyers have Couturier, Patrick, Hayes, JVR. They're loaded. Philadelphia is going to be a very tough team to go against this year.
2. Boston Bruins (86 Points)*
They aren't going to be as good as the team that won the Presidents Trophy last year, but the Bruins still have a very good hockey team. They still have one of the very best goalie tandoms in all of the league in Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak. Rask is coming off leaving the bubble early last year, so who knows what kind of performance we are going to see out of him yet. But if he's on his game look out. The blue line in Boston took a major blow losing both Zedeno Chara and Torey Krug over the off season. They still have Charlie McAvoy and Matt Grzelcyk, who can try and fill those big shoes, and they're pretty big shoes to fill. Up front, the Bruins still have a pretty impressive offense being lead by Bergeron (the new team captain) and Krejci. They have help with David Pastranak, when he comes back from injury, Jake DeBrusk, Charlie Coyle and Sean Kuraly. Having two key pieces leave on defense are going to knock the Bruins down a peg or two this season, but they are still good enough to be one of the favorites in this division.
3. New York Islanders (85 Points)*
Last season was a tremendous year for the Islanders, reaching the conference finals for the first time since 1993. There's been a few changes made to the team since the last time they were on the ice. Johnny Boychuk retired, Thomas Greiss is now in Detroit and they traded Devon Toews to Colorado for draft picks. Still there's plenty to get excited about this season on Long Island. Semyon Varalmov is back and will be the mentor for Ilya Sorokin. Nick Leddy, Scott Mayfield, Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock are going to be key players for the blueline. The offense will once again be revolving around star Matt Barzal. Him, Lee, Nelson, Beauviller, Pageau and Eberle are going to be the driving force for this team. And it allows for young guys like Wahlstrom and Bellows to step up and make an impact with the big club. The core on this team is in tact for quite a while and they have more room to build with the cap in the next few years so there's plenty of time and room for this hockey club to build off what has been a pretty good last few seasons.
4. Washington Capitals (85 Points)*
This is a Caps team that took the Metro division last year and had the 3rd best record in the East, but was quickly shown the door in the first round last year by the Isles. This is going to be a step back year for Washington. Holtby is gone, he's now in Vancouver. Peter Laviolette now has a new starter in net in the form of Ilya Samsonov. He got a little more support on his blue line with the addition of Zedeno Chara to the line that already has talent on it. John Carlson and Dimitri Orlov. Oh and you still have plenty of offensive weapons in the likes of Ovechkin, Kuznetsov, Backstrom, Oshie, Vrana and even a surprise in a guy like Tom Wilson, who had an impact in DC last year. There still plenty of fierpower in Washington and haven't lost too many pieces, but what's going to really be a measuring stick for the Capitals is how well they are going to hold up in net without Holtby there.
5. Pittsburgh Penguins (82 Points)
Same thing that I mentioned about Washington can also be made for Pittsburgh. When you still have two of the very best players in the game in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, it's going to be really hard to count the Penguins out. Matt Murray is gone to Ottawa, so its all on Tristen Jarry in the Pens net, which really isn't leaving much hope. Look Jarry is a solid goalie but when you go from Flurry to Murray to then him, it leaves something to be desired in the nets in the Steel City. Also the D looks like it could take a slight step back. Kris Latang is the leader on the back end but hasn't been able to maintain a level of health and doesn't have much help. The Pens can roll a little on offense but might not have enough of the horses to get into the playoffs.
6. New York Rangers (81 Points)
The rebuild has come on Broadway faster then expected and they are getting even better. Its also the end of an era in New York as Lundqvist is no longer there. Instead the guard as switched to Igor Shestyorkin and Alexandar Georgiev. With both of those guys in net, its a very bright future for the Rangers. In front of them on the blue line, Jack Johsnon is getting a shot to find his legs again in the NHL. Putting him with Adam Fox and Tony DeAngelo, you got something to possibly build around on Broadway. What's key for the Rangers is, no question here, there offense. With Panarin coming off what some consider an MVP season last year, Mika Zibanejad really hitting his stride with 40 gaoals, and adding a young star in drafting Alexis Lafreniere, there's a very bright future on Broadway.
7. Buffalo Sabres (75 Points)
I had held some slightly higher hopes for the Sabres with the way last season started, but Buffalo faded at the wrong time. I give Buffalo credit for trying to build around franchise star Jack Eichel, who really is the face of the team. They bring in both Eric Staal, via trade, and Taylor Hall on a one year deal. They drafted Jack Quinn 8th overall, you still got Kyle Okposo. They're nice pieces up front, a pretty decent squad that might be able to generate some good offense. The back end has Dahlin and McCabe leading it, which is alright at best. In net, there's still something to be desired. Hutton and Ulmark are decent, but that's really about it.
8. New Jersey Devils (74 Points)
A small part of me feels bad for the Devils. It looked like Corey Crawford was going to come in and provide a little stability in net, then he up and retires before the start of the season> Mackenzie Blackwood is an alright goalie, but isn't quite ready to be a show stealing number one man just yet. PK Subban and Will Butcher are the best defenders on this team, and they need help on the line. up front, they got something to go with in the form of Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier to go around. There's the veteran presence of Travis Zajac and Kyle Palmieri, but lets face the facts here. The Devils are in the toughest division of the bunch and simply don't have the weapons to really be able to hang with the other talent here.
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