ANA: Wild Card team
ARI: Playoffs
BOS: McAvoy will play a smaller role
BUF: Pominville gets 60+ points
CGY: Bennett's best season so far
CAR: Aho gets 70+ points
CHI: Not a cup contender
COL: Duchene and Landeskog stay past the deadline
CBJ: Werenski plays better than this year
DAL: Cup Contender
DET: Better than this year
EDM: Less than 100 points
FLA: 2nd last in league
LAK: Out of playoffs but Doughty still wins Norris
MIN: No playoffs
MTL: Gallagher struggles again
NSH: Emelin plays better
NJD: 3rd last in league
NYI: Playoffs
NYR: Lundqvist up for Vezina
OTT: Karlsson not up for Norris
PHI: Less than 80 points
PIT: Letang plays at least 75 games
SJS: Hertl and Karlsson get at least 0.5 P/GP
STL: No playoffs
TBL: Johnson scores at least 65 points
TOR: Matthews gets at least a point per game
VAN: Sedins retire after season
VGK: Last in NHL
WSH: Stanley Cup Champions
WPG: Hellebuyck is the starter

what do you think?

ANA: Wild Card team (they are top 2 in Pacific for the last time!!!)
ARI: Playoffs (possibly as WC2)
BOS: McAvoy will play a smaller role (He barely had a role last season until the end...)
BUF: Pominville gets 60+ points (yeah.. no)
CGY: Bennett's best season so far (He hasn't been that great..)
CAR: Aho gets 70+ points (more likely 60-70)
CHI: Not a cup contender (there's 5 teams better than them, fringe contenders)
COL: Duchene and Landeskog stay past the deadline (only if Sakic suddenly isn't incompetent and he doesn't get the axe)
CBJ: Werenski plays better than this year (He's already very good)
DAL: Cup Contender (only if Bishop plays like he did 2,3 seasons ago)
DET: Better than this year (doubt it, at most 5-10 points)
EDM: Less than 100 points (if Anaheim wins the divison, good possibility. Sets up battle of Alberta in the 1st round)
FLA: 2nd last in league (Detroit, Vancouver, Vegas are worse)
LAK: Out of playoffs but Doughty still wins Norris (-_-)
MIN: No playoffs (if their team has a dry stretch like last year, they are in trouble)
MTL: Gallagher struggles again (was on pace for a career year 2 years ago, last year was a down year. He has to better)
NSH: Emelin plays better (um.. no)
NJD: 3rd last in league (that's not very interesting)
NYI: Playoffs (no.)
NYR: Lundqvist up for Vezina (doubtful at his age to play a solid 55+ games)
OTT: Karlsson not up for Norris (and McDavid will 30 points of the art ross despite playing 82 games)
PHI: Less than 80 points (switch prediction with Islanders)
PIT: Letang plays at least 75 games (for his sake, yes)
SJS: Hertl and Karlsson get at least 0.5 P/GP (both of them, no. Hertl will cuz he misses half the season and a smaller sample)
STL: No playoffs (if one of STL or MIN miss the playoffs, more likely Minny)
TBL: Point scores at least 65 points (Point has a higher probability)
TOR: Matthews gets at least a point per game (no ****)
VAN: Sedins retire after season (they will stay around at a much cheaper price. someone will have space to sign one of them. they sell tickets and jerseys)
VGK: Last in NHL (my money is on Vancouver)
WSH: Stanley Cup Champions (a cursed team that gets worse, sure)
WPG: Hellebuyck is the starter (50/50. more likely a tandem with Mason)

ANA: Possible
ARI: i was them in the 1st WC but pretty similar.
BOS: i mean smaller than most would say
BUF: He was very good there.
CGY: He's been a 3rd/4th liner that's why i think he'll be better.
CAR: 70 is 70+, lol
CHI: they're getting worse though for sure
COL: Joe Sakic overvalues his players
CBJ: But he can improve still
DAL: He'll be good there
DET: Just a tiny bit better, but better
EDM: EDM vs. CGY that would be cool
FLA: Teamwork is THE MOST important thing in hockey ... no doubt about it
LAK: Look at Bobrovsky in 2013, i know it's the Vezina, not the norris, but still ...
MIN: yes
MTL: He'll be better but will still struggle
NSH: He's getting a fresh start, Nashville has enough leadership that they'll get him to play better.
NJD: even though they got Butcher, Johansson, etc?
NYI: Why?
NYR: But he's still 'The King' ... i expect him to play better.
OTT: Too many good defensemen as well as injuries
PHI: They are not a playoff team at all ... about the Isles, they got over 90 points and will be getting Barzal, Ho-Sang, Pulock, and Eberle, losing Hamonic ... tell me how they got worse.
PIT: he has to.
SJS: Something tells me those guys will be very good.
STL: Too many teams getting better ... also they lost Perron and Lehtera
TBL: Maybe 55, not 65.
TOR: Why not?
VAN: Why would they just sign one of them?
VGK: First season, worst D in league, not enough scoring, last place team.
WSH: This is the year people are expecting less from them, so i think it's finally the year that they get the cup, as it's harder to win when everyone's expecting so much from you.
WPG: Hellebuyck is still young, he'll eventually be a starter.

"The King" is done. No way is he gonna be one of the top 3 goalies this season. I doubt he even ends up in the top 10.

top 10 for sure ...

McAvoy wins rookie of the year!!

ANA: Wild Card team (Maybe, probably 3rd in PAC)
ARI: Playoffs (Possible)
BOS: McAvoy will play a smaller role (Possible
BUF: Pominville gets 60+ points (Maybe if he plays with Eichel)
CGY: Bennett's best season so far (Probably)
CAR: Aho gets 70+ points (Possible)
CHI: Not a cup contender (I think this is their last year as contenders)
COL: Duchene and Landeskog stay past the deadline (Duchene doesn't even feel like part of the team, he'll need to be moved) (Maybe Landeskog will stay)
CBJ: Werenski plays better than this year (Probably)
DAL: Cup Contender (Definitely)
DET: Better than this year (Possible)
EDM: Less than 100 points (Only if Talbot is injured)
FLA: 2nd last in league (What?????)
LAK: Out of playoffs but Doughty still wins Norris (Just no)
MIN: No playoffs (Probably)
MTL: Gallagher struggles again (I doubt it, especially if playing with Drouin)
NSH: Emelin plays better (Possible)
NJD: 3rd last in league (They are better than Vancouver)
NYI: Playoffs ( This is because you're an iles fan)
NYR: Lundqvist up for Vezina (Playoffs is Lundqvist's time, he's too old to be amazing in the regular season)
OTT: Karlsson not up for Norris (Only if injury limits him to half a season)
PHI: Less than 80 points (Possible)
PIT: Letang plays at least 75 games (Hopefully not)
SJS: Hertl and Karlsson get at least 0.5 P/GP (Probably)
STL: No playoffs (Probably)
TBL: Johnson scores at least 65 points (Probably)
TOR: Matthews gets at least a point per game (Possible)
VAN: Sedins retire after season (Possible)
VGK: Last in NHL (Vancouver' pretty bad)
WSH: Stanley Cup Champions (Possible)
WPG: Hellebuyck is the starter (Probably)

Altogether crazy but decent predictions.

Anaheim: Rakell repeats 30+ goals
Arizona: Keller outshines Strome
Boston: Mccavoy gets 10+ goals 40+ points
Buffalo: Michael reaches 80 points
Calgary: Gaudreau returns to 70+ points
Carolina: Darling isn't as good as what they wanted him to be
Chicago: Wild Card Team
Colorado: Duchesse will be dealt by deadline to either CBJ, MTL or Pitt
Columbus: finish over 105 points
Dallas: Seguin out scores Benn by 10 points
Detroit: Mantha scores 30+ goals
Edmonton: Draisaitil will break 80 points
Los Angelas: Kopitar repeats horrible year
Florida: Ekblad scores more goals than Shea Weber
Minne: miss playoffs
Montreal: barely make playoffs ( 2nd wild card)
Nashville: Forsberg bangs 40 goals
New Jersey: Possible Hall trade
Islanders: Struggle to sign Tavares during season. Will come down to last days before FA
Rangers: They will miss Stepan
Ottawa: Chabot becomes calder nominee
Philadelphia: Provorov's jump year to NHL elite level
Pittsburgh: 3peat
San Jose: Will start a rebuild phase if missed playoffs
St Louis: Tarasenko wins Rocket Richard with 48 goals and 85 points
Tampa: Kucherov outshines Stamkos in goals and points
Toronto: Marner regresses to 50 points but Nylander rises to 70 points... Matthews gets close to 80
Vancouver: Bottom 3 team, but young players look promising
Washington: ovi has his worse season yet
Winnipeg: Team makes playoffs but Laine and Schieffle regress a little bit. ( Liane with 60 points 30 goals, Schieffle a 25 goals, 70 points)
Vegas: Win Dahlin sweepstakes

It's not because i'm an Isles fan ... this year i predicted them to miss, but they surprised me by not being as bad as i thought they'd be ... tell me how they've got worse this offseason. They lose Hamonic and Strome and get Pulock, Eberle, Barzal, and Ho-Sang. They look worse, right?

I agree about Darling
do you think JT re-signs eventually?
About Kopitar, no. About Mantha, no. About the Habs, i don't even think they make it at all.

Philadelphia will not be below 80 points this upcoming season.

I can't even begin to articulate how many things need to go wrong for them this to happen. Last year, everything went wrong. Ghost and Giroux played sub 80% health for more than 3/4 of the games, Voracek looked like Voracek but just had an off-year. Mason was solid, defensive play was below league average (minus the "core" of Provorov, Gudas, and Ghost). And we finished with 88 points. We have now added Nolan Patrick, Oskar Lindblom (better version than Brayden Schenn), Sam Morin and Robert Hagg and possibly Travis Sanheim and with a slim chance Philippe Myers. For Philadelphia to finish worse than last year, then something went wrong.

The Flyers are in the top 3rd in the league in shots generated, we just need to be able to finish. So thats not our issue (shot gen) Our issue is defensive play, which we are resolving on the fly while staying somewhat relevant (relevant being the opposing team can't take us for granite) and our 5v5 scoring. Now that we have players that can have offensive talent that can play with Couturier (our top 5v5 point producer over the last 3 years) we are back in business.

Granite? Like, the rock?

Honestly depends on the season the team has. If frustration is shown, he will easily walk. Even for cheaper pay.

those guys are probably not all gonna come into the league right away ... Voracek has a lot of 'off-years', they lost Schenn and they lost their starter ... also they were off-and-on this year, they don't seem like a playoff team at all.



why would he want to leave? It's worked out really well so far, he's the captain of the team ... if he leaves it's because Garth Snow is not being smart ... or maybe he'd decide to leave if he thinks the team is gonna move to a new city.

But they will also be nowhere near the playoffs soooooooooooooooooooooooo

Flyers will contend for the WC2.

What are you talking about RAIF, those guys are all locks (Morin/Hagg) Patrick and Lindblom would have to screw up in so many ways to not make the team.

Losing Schenn can be thought of as addition by subtraction.

I think Philly will be somewhat of a threat for that WC2 but don't think they are quiet there yet.

Naaaaaah. Montreal, Ottawa, Carolina, Buffalo and Boston (given Pasta signs) should all be ahead of the Flyers. Flyers young players aren't about to have the impact that the Leafs rookies had in taking a team to the playoffs that had no business being there.

Schenn can't be thought of as addition by subtraction because he's still a lot of goals and points that need to be made up for. I don't give a damn about his 5v5 possession woes, he is a source of offense when scoring is at an all-time low. Losing that isn't "addition by subtraction" like the Rangers losing Dan Girardi is. If he was so worthless, St. Louis wouldn't have given up two first round picks for him. NHL GMs sure as hell know what they're doing more than some people on CapFriendly. We can debate whether or not they make sense, but you can't say that a general manager gave up two first round picks for someone that has a negative impact on a team. They aren't that dumb

Flyers top area of struggle : 5v5 scoring.
Brayden Schenn's top liability : 5v5 (possession and scoring).

Oskar Lindblom will replace Schenn on the PP and we will be able to work Ghost and Provorov and Patrick into it so we don't need to rely on the middle slot to slap a goal in.

I don't believe that Schenn is worthless; he just sucks at 5v5. Personally, I am very pleased with the trade from the Philadelphia perspective and I'm sure St. Louis fans are happy to. I am saying that Schenn has a negative 5v5 value; similar to how Rasmus Ristolianen has a negative 5v5 defensive value (per DTM About Heart).

Steve Yzerman gave up a roster spot and 3M for 2 years for a player, who is identified as a "defensive defensemen" that is in the ZERO percentile in shots suppressed. Yeah, I think that is dumb.

Here we ******* go again...

Girardi is ****. Give more minutes to Sergachev, Koekkoek and Dotchin so they can improve their game faster!!

We can all agree on one thing (except you RAIF).

Islanders won't make the playoffs and will be worse than the Flyers.

End of discussion.

Tanks.

I would never argue with you that Dan Girardi is a piece of garbage on skates. But I will say that Philly has no business being in the playoffs, and a top 10 pick is more realistic than a playoff berth.



Well said

this is like, what? the hundredth time i've heard this?



Tell me WHY though ... Hamonic is like, he's a Norris trophy type d-man, right? Losing him was like if they lost JT ... otherwise, they got better, NOT WORSE ...



Please ... look at simple stats, advanced stats really don't tell that much.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pniKHduqK88OAQ5Fb0erJFkULHUy8P3WZ46JZ8F4eTo/edit#

RAIF, if you have time, read some articles on advanced analytics.

I will gladly explain to you in another thread how important advanced analytics are, and why players like Dan Girardi, Conor Sheary, soon-to-be Patrick Maroon are overpayed.