Very good comparison EthanK!! Careful though, I got reprimanded once before for talking politics!! LOL

FINALLY!!! Somebody finally understands how much better the Bruins will be from last year!! Thanks awatt!!

there should low key be a politics thread in "The Box"...might be very interesting

haha but very dangerous!! I may want to wipe a few teams of the NHL map!!! LOL

They show 13th but I think 5-15 will be super close in points. Everything will be all jumbled. If top 4 stay healthy they run away with each division, I think.

Ya I could agree with that statement. Only question is Nashville, how did such a good playoff team struggle to just get in to the playoffs!??? But their confidence is high now so, ya I could see it happen.

Rinne usually starts out slow. We blasted Nashville 5-1 at the beginning of the season last year and then the next 2 games were completely different. If he can start strong they will be fun to watch.

They weren't very good at 3-on-3 OT last season...12 OT losses. If they had won half of those they would've finished with 100 points and would've been above St. Louis.

maybe other teams in the metropolitan got better but how did the Isles not get better this offseason? They definitely might miss the playoffs but 27th???????



it had to do with that i'd guess but he said he was okay with moving him because of their D

I think he said why on line #27

I'll be more than happy to explain any of the reasoning behind any of my predictions

Metropolitan Division
1. Columbus Blue Jackets (President’s Trophy) -- They should build off of their best season in franchise history. I love the pairing of Werenski and Jones, and I think that the addition of Artemi Panarin makes their team so much more dynamic, especially on the power play. The top line of Panarin-Wennberg-Atkinson sounds awesome, and there is more depth in the lineup here than before. As long as Bobrovsky doesn’t regress, they should compete for the President’s Trophy.
2. Washington Capitals -- While they did lose a lot of pieces, they still have one of the best cores in the entire league and a couple good youngsters that can help fill holes. Ovechkin should definitely have a better season than he did last year, as should Kuznetsov. Burakovsky should have the big breakout season and cement himself as a top-six forward. Christian Djoos and Madison Bowey each have some promise on the backend to start the retool. They’ll regress, but they are no doubt a playoff team. Only reason they are above Pittsburgh is because they have excellent regular seasons.
3. Pittsburgh Penguins -- They didn’t lose quite as much as Washington did, but I have some reserves about Matt Murray. He’s performed great in the playoffs, but he’s had some injuries and I’m not sure if he can play a full season at a high level. But they still have one of the best cores in the league, and a top defenseman if Letang stays healthy. But that’s a huge if. They’re an excellent team, and a Stanley Cup contender.
4. New York Rangers (1st Wild Card) -- Kevin Shattenkirk and Ryan McDonagh should be one of the greatest pairings in the league. I’m skeptical about Henrik Lundqvist and whether or not he can still play at a high level. Losing Stepan should also hurt, but I like Zibanejad to have a huge season, in the 65-70 point range. The big reason why they fall to fourth is because the rest of the division is stacked. They’ll have fun playing the Atlantic to start the playoffs rather than the Metro.
5. Carolina Hurricanes (2nd Wild Card) -- Awesome defense core. I love Jaccob Slavin, I think he’ll be the next Roman Josi. Jeff Skinner can score 35 goals, and they have some other guys that can help big time with the secondary scoring. I am a believer in Scott Darling being their #1 goalie, I like them making the playoffs fairly comfortably.
6. Philadelphia Flyers -- They’ll get there eventually, but this isn’t the year. I’m not completely sold on the goaltending tandem, and losing Brayden Schenn will hurt their overall goal scoring. I love Provorov, and Gostisbehere should bounce back from that horrible season he just had. But they are for sure in a different tier behind the top five in the division.
7. New York Islanders -- If this Tavares contract situation drags on, he’ll have an underperforming year just like Steven Stamkos had two years ago. Even if that is out of the question, they lost Hamonic for nothing to help them right now, and their goaltending isn’t really capable of carrying them into the playoffs. I see a huge down year for the Islanders.
8. New Jersey Devils -- New Jersey is headed in the right direction for sure, but there’s no way they reasonably make the playoffs. I think they’ll be much better than they have been in recent years, especially with the Johansson addition. Hischier won’t be a #1 center right away, but they don’t need him to be. They’re rebuilding, so the playoffs are a long shot for them. I see them being around the 6th worst in the league, in front of Florida, Vegas, Detroit, Vancouver and Colorado.


Atlantic Division
1. Tampa Bay Lightning -- The biggest issue is obviously whether or not they can stay healthy. As long as they have better luck with the injury bug, they’ll contend for the Cup. It’ll be interesting to see if Vasilevskiy is ready for the full-time starter’s role, but I see him handling it well. The team in front of him is so good that he doesn’t have to be spectacular. Point is a guy to look out for, especially if he gets a look in the top-six.
2. Toronto Maple Leafs -- I really don’t understand why so many people hate the Leafs this year. Matthews, Marner and Nylander are all too good to have sophomore slumps. They only got better in the offseason by adding Marleau and Hainsey as well. Andersen really started to find his rhythm with the team towards the end of the year, I expect that trend to continue. They should have a battle with Tampa for the division, and I wouldn’t count them out as being Stanley Cup contenders.
3. Buffalo Sabres -- My big surprise pick is Buffalo getting in to the playoffs. I love Jack Eichel for starters. They have better centers than Montreal, more secondary scoring than Montreal, and a more mobile defense than Montreal. Robin Lehner is criminally underrated, and he’ll have a much better team in front of him now. Pominville coming back adds more scoring, and the defensive additions of Scandella, Beaulieu and Antipin should bring a ton of stability. This is my big surprise pick, and I’m quite confident in it as well.
4. Boston Bruins -- They have one of the scariest lines in hockey with Marchand, Bergeron and Pastrnak (if they even play together). I think Anders Bjork is a name fans will quickly learn as well. While the secondary scoring isn’t great, it should be good enough in a weak division. On defense, McAvoy should be awesome this season. Krug and Carlo should be solid as well, and Chara is still there. Rask is an underrated goalie, I like him having a good year as well. But it just won’t be enough to get into the playoffs.
5. Montreal Canadiens -- The only reason they are this high is because of Carey Price. The defense in front of him is one of, if not the, slowest in the league. They can’t decide who their #1 center is, and there isn’t enough scoring in the bottom six. They’ll be a playoff contender, but I see them dropping out. Price can’t do it on his own.
6. Ottawa Senators -- The Senators tend to have one good year, followed by a bad year. Last year was obviously a good year, so this would be a bad year in theory. I don’t see Craig Anderson repeating what he did last year, plus Brassard is out to start the season. Karlsson may miss time as well, which means bad news for Ottawa. I’m not too worried about them losing Methot, I think Chabot will step in nicely and fill that role.
7. Florida Panthers -- Barkov, Huberdeau and Ekblad can’t stay healthy, and they don’t have a ton after those three. Jagr, Marchessault and Smith are gone. That’s a lot of production to make up for. Dadonov and Vrbata should help, but they still need more somewhere. Also, Luongo isn’t getting any younger, and James Reimer can’t be trusted with a significant amount of starts.
8. Detroit Red Wings -- Jesus Christ, why don’t they just rebuild already? It’s a bunch of overpaid, old players with a couple promising young guys coached by someone who has no idea what he’s doing. It’s a recipe for disaster in Detroit this season. Rasmus Dahlin sweepstakes?


Central Division
1. Dallas Stars -- This is a lofty place for me to have them, but I think it makes a lot of sense. For starters, they won the division by a landslide two years ago. They were so injured last season that I think we almost have to discard it. They have improved their goaltending significantly with Ben Bishop, they added Alexander Radulov to play on the top line with Benn and Seguin (that line is gonna be straight lethal), they replaced Cody Eakin with Martin Hanzal, and they brought in Marc Methot to really let John Klingberg’s game evolve. I love what they did in the offseason and I think they should beat out everyone else in the division.
2. St. Louis Blues -- The biggest subtraction from the Blues was David Perron, but they added so much that it should make up for the loss and then some. They now have Brayden Schenn to center the top line with Tarasenko to go along with full seasons from Robby Fabbri and Vladimir Sobotka. As long as the Jake Allen that we saw in the playoffs can be around that level for the entire season, the Blues should have a really good season.
3. Nashville Predators -- A lot of people are going to have Nashville winning the division, mostly due to the fact that they got all sorts of attention on their run to the Finals. But Pekka Rinne is extremely inconsistent, plus I’m not a fan of Nick Bonino being the second line center. With the injury to Ryan Ellis to start the year, the defense won’t be quite as strong to start the year (still one of the best without him). I see Saros getting more playing time this year as well to help alleviate some pressure from Rinne. They’re a fantastic team, but I doubt they can play like they did in the playoffs for an entire regular season.
4. Chicago Blackhawks (1st Wild Card) -- The real issue with Chicago is their defense, not the forwards. Patrick Kane can get over a point per game playing with anybody, and bringing Saad back will help Toews’s scoring go back up. Sharp coming back to play with Ansimov and Kane should make a fantastic second line. While the secondary scoring isn’t ideal, I think guys like Schmaltz, Hinostroza and Kero can provide enough scoring for them. On defense, losing Hjalmarsson and replacing him with Murphy is a clear downgrade. The rest of their defense isn’t looking very good either. I’d expect this to be addressed at the deadline, but for now their defense isn’t good enough to beat teams like Dallas, St. Louis or Nashville.
5. Minnesota Wild (2nd Wild Card) -- I almost dropped them out of the playoffs, but then I remembered that this is a Bruce Boudreau coached team, and he thrives in the regular season. I don’t like them losing Scandella, Pominville and Haula. But the rest of the team is really good, and I think they just beat out Winnipeg for the final wild card. But it’ll be very, very close.
6. Winnipeg Jets -- I was oh so close to putting them in this year, but I see them coming up just short. Other than Boudreau being a good regular season coach, the other reason why I have them out is because of the goaltending. I see the tandem of Mason and Hellebuyck being downright awful for them. Their forward group is one of the most talented in the league, and the defense has some great players like Byfuglien, Trouba and Morrissey. But unless Hellebuyck takes the starting job, I don’t see Winnipeg passing Minnesota.
7. Colorado Avalanche -- After the season they just had and not making any monster changes, they won’t be anywhere near the playoffs. Calvin Pickard is much better than Varlamov, I have no clue as to why they exposed him. Given that they replaced him with Jonathan Bernier, it doesn’t look good. Colin Wilson is a decent forward, but he won’t be anything more than he was in Nashville. The sooner they move Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog, the better.


Pacific Division
1. Edmonton Oilers -- It’s scary when you think that Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are still getting better. Jesse Puljujarvi should have a good year, especially if he plays with Draisaitl (who I think he meshes better with than McDavid). Oscar Klefbom is a fantastic defenseman, and Cam Talbot is a high end goalie. They’ve got a ton of pieces in place to win, and they’ll be Cup contenders this season for sure.
2. Anaheim Ducks
The biggest reason why I didn’t have Anaheim winning the division is that there are already injury issues with them to start the season. Hampus Lindholm and Sami Vatanen are already due to miss time to begin the season, which is going to hurt. But that’s one of the only issues with this team. Getzlaf and Kesler make an excellent 1-2 center punch, and the secondary scoring has improved greatly over the past two years.
3. Calgary Flames -- This defense is just a step behind Nashville’s. They’re that good. Them trading for Travis Hamonic basically says that they want to model what Nashville has. Giordano, Hamilton, Brodie and Hamonic form an excellent top four. Michael Stone as their #5 guy is great too. Their biggest issue was goaltending last season, and I think Mike Smith is going to be a good fit for them. His numbers should be much better playing in front of this defense compared to that of Arizona’s.
4. San Jose Sharks -- This is basically the exact same team as last year, minus Patrick Marleau. Joe Thornton is coming off of a torn ACL, I’m not sure how he’ll perform. There is some decent production that needs to be made up for, and it’s not clear where it’ll come from. Meier, Labanc, Sorensen, Boedker and Hertl all need to go for improve. It seems like we’ve been waiting for Tomas Hertl to break out, I doubt it happens. I don’t see this team being able to score enough to make it back into the playoffs.
5. Arizona Coyotes -- The Coyotes improved drastically this offseason, but they are still a year or two away from the playoffs. Adding Hjalmarsson should allow Ekman-Larsson to have an incredible offensive season. Derek Stepan will provide them with a stable top line center, and the young kids will continue to improve. Clayton Keller is a Calder-trophy favorite as well. The Coyotes should take a big step forward, but not quite enough to get in the playoffs.
6. Los Angeles Kings -- This team is getting slower and slower in a league getting faster and faster. There is very little depth on this team, so there won’t be a lot of scoring outside of Carter, Kopitar, Toffoli, Pearson and Doughty. Kopitar should have a better season than last, and a healthy Jonathan Quick is good news for them. But there are too many holes on this team to do any sort of damage in this division or the conference.
7. Vancouver Canucks -- There just aren’t a lot of good players on this team. The Sedins are getting older, so they can’t really be relied on to produce a lot. Why they signed Loui Eriksson is still a mystery, and the defense isn’t looking very good. Bo Horvat should take another step in his development, and Brock Boeser is a total stud. These are basically the only things keeping Vancouver in front of Vegas this season.
8. Vegas Golden Knights -- The expansion draft went fantastic for them, but there are going to be a lot of assets moved at the deadline. James Neal and David Perron should both be moved up front, and there are a ton of defensemen to fetch a return as well. We may even see Jonathan Marchessault moved as well. I think Vadim Shipachyov will do wonders for them, but there won’t be a lot of help for him, especially after the deadline. I really see Marc-Andre Fleury struggling this season, and Calvin Pickard should start more than most are expecting. Vegas will get there eventually, but they need to get some high draft picks first.


Awards
Art Ross -- Connor McDavid (108)
Nikita Kucherov (91), Mark Scheifele (88)
Rocket Richard -- Patrick Laine (50)
Vladimir Tarasenko (45), Alex Ovechkin (43)
Hart Trophy -- Connor McDavid
Nikita Kucherov, Auston Matthews
Norris Trophy -- Victor Hedman
Brent Burns, Erik Karlsson
Vezina Trophy -- Braden Holtby
Carey Price, Sergei Bobrovsky
Calder Trophy -- Clayton Keller
Charlie McAvoy, Brock Boeser
Selke Trophy -- Patrice Bergeron
Ryan Kesler, Mikko Koivu


Playoffs
Columbus vs Carolina -- Blue Jackets in 6
Washington vs Pittsburgh -- Penguins in 7
Tampa vs New York Rangers -- Lightning in 6
Toronto vs Buffalo -- Maple Leafs in 5

Dallas vs Minnesota -- Stars in 5
St. Louis vs Nashville -- Predators in 7
Edmonton vs Chicago -- Oilers in 5
Anaheim vs Calgary -- Ducks in 6


Columbus vs Pittsburgh -- Penguins in 7
Tampa vs Toronto -- Lightning in 7

Dallas vs Nashville -- Nashville in 6
Edmonton vs Anaheim -- Oilers in 6


Tampa vs Pittsburgh -- Lightning in 7

Edmonton vs Nashville -- Oilers in 6


Edmonton vs Tampa -- Lightning in 7 -- Conn Smythe: Victor Hedman

like the end! However, the injury bug always comes around in the middle of year and screws are lineup over. It's getting ******** now..

overall this is mostly pretty realistic. A few things i'd change for sure is i'd put SJS in the playoffs, and i'd switch the Flyers and Islanders ... also, it would happen, but the final going to game 7 is always predicted by a lot of people but usually doesn't happen.

27. Tampa Bay - Other teams in the Atlantic got better. They did not. Not much of a supporting cast behind Kucherov, Defence is suspect and they have no true number 1 goalie.

I don't actually think they'll be 27th but they're in a pretty similar situation as the Islanders are in. Forget about the Islanders' roster, they missed the playoffs by 1 point and have added Eberle, and will be getting Pulock, Ho-Sang, and Barzal probably. Ladd has to be better too. Sure, the Bolts are better because injuries stopped them last season, but like the Islanders, they had been making the playoffs and then missed and were near the bottom for a while but came back and came really close to the playoffs.

Why would I put San Jose in the playoffs? And don't say because "they work together as a team"

You've got a lot of nerve comparing the Islanders to Tampa Bay. Let's compare:

Killorn-Stamkos-Namestnikov
Palat-Johnson-Kucherov
Kunitz-Point-Callahan
Gourde-Paquette-Brown
Erne

Hedman-Dotchin
Coburn-Stralman
Koekkoek-Girardi
Sergachev

Vasilevskiy-Budaj

Lee-Tavares-Eberle
Ladd-Nelson-Ho-Sang
Chimera-Barzal-Bailey
Kulemin-Cizikas-Clutterbuck
Beauvillier, Gionta

Leddy-Boychuk
De Haan-Pulock
Mayfield-Pelech
Seidenberg, Hickey

Greiss-Halak

I'm sorry, but if you think the Islanders and Tampa Bay are close you might want to take your homer, obstructed-view glasses off.

You named 3 players who have not played 40 games all together. They are not a Matthews, McDavid, or Laine. They will maybe eclipse 40 points each (Barzal and Ho Sang) They won't put up 30 plus goals and finish with 60 plus points. That is not a realistic expectation for them. That is like me saying Sam Steel can make the jump to the NHL level and put up 75 points and help us win the cup. Unrealistic and it won't happen for a couple years. Ladd had a down year but I am not sure he rebounds like he should. That is a wild card for me.

Tampa Bay has a number 1 goalie, a number 1 d-man, and they have 2 lines who can strike plus with the emergence of Brayden Point, they have 3 good centers. Besides injuries, their other down fall was signing Girardi.

Islanders just aren't as good as you keep thinking they are. Give them some time and they will improve but I see them regressing this season and missing the playoffs.

I would only argue the #1 Goalie statement. I wouldn't even put him in top 15 in the league, but he has a very good team in front of him so his numbers are ok.

Are you serious? You obviously did not see how good he was after Bishop left...

I think I could name 15 that are better is all I'm saying

Let's see it then

Oh Krak, you would just argue with me anyway.....for the sake of arguing.

If you're going to talk, let's see you back it up. If you can actually give me 15, I won't say another word about it. But when you start with people, we want to actually see an argument behind it (especially given your less than stellar reputation

Hahahahaha. you actually wouldn't say another word about it?????? If you promise, I'll do it.....

If you can reasonably give me 15 goaltenders in the NHL better than Vasy right now, I won't say another word about this argument.

Edit: I might be able to do it myself, but it's time you actually bring reason to your claims rather than saying stuff