31 Teams in 31 Days, 2018-19

[dudacek]

I only have three locks to return to the playoffs in the western conference, but there are three teams that missed the playoffs last year that I like better than the Oilers, and the other five that made it are certainly no pushovers.

I can see the Oilers making it if a lot of things go right because McDavid, but there are too many obstacles to think it’s likely.

Edited September 15, 2018 by dudacek

[Randall Flagg]

Florida Panthers
Record last season: 44-30-8, 96 points, 4th in the Atlantic
Playoffs: None
Coach: Bob Boughner
GM: Dale Tallon
Captain: Derek MacKenzie (what)

GF: 245 (14th)
GA: 243 (18th)
PP: 18.9% (21st)
PK: 80.2% (16th)

Top 5G:
1.) Vincent Trocheck (31)
2.) Evgeni Dadonov (28)
3.) Aleksander Barkov (27)
4.) Jonathan Huberdeau (27)
5.) Nick Bjugstad (19)

Top 5A:
1.) Aleksander Barkov (51)
2.) Keith Yandle (48)
3.) Vincent Trocheck (44)
4.) Jonathan Huberdeau (42)
5.) Evgeni Dadonov (37)

Top 5 PTS:
1.) Aleksander Barkov (78)
2.) Vincent Trocheck (75)
3.) Jonathan Huberdeau (69)
4.) Evgeni Dadonov (65)
5.) Keith Yandle (56)

Key Additions:  Mike Hoffman (LW),  Michael Hutchinson (G)
Key Losses: Radim Vrbata (RW), Connor Brickley (C)

 

Projected Lineup:
Huberdeau - Barkov - Dadonov
Hoffman - Trocheck - Bjugstad
McGinn - Borgstrom - Sceviour
Vatrano - McCann - Malgin

Matheson - Ekblad 
Yandle - Pysyk
Kiselvich - Petrovic

Luongo
Reimer

Top Prospects we might/might not see 
1.) Henrik Borgstrom, C, 1st round 2016
2.) Owen Tippett, RW, 1st round 2017
3.) Grigori Denisenko, LW, 1st round 2018 (Grigorenko's second attempt to enter the NHL thru the draft above age 18)
4.) Aleksi Heponiemi, C, 2nd round 2017
5.) Serron Noel, RW, 2nd round 2018

My thoughts
This is honestly a good team. Last season they tied for, I believe, the most points ever without making the playoffs. Two 75-80 point centers, both of whom excel defensively, is a great start. Huberdeau and Dadonov are very good top six wingers, and their one clear player exchange (losing Vrbata, adding Hoffman) is a very clear upgrade. Hoffman can skate and he can wire the puck. Borgstrom is an exciting prospect and should be good in a depth role. Malgin and McCann are, I'm almost positive, very good depth players. The forward group is in the bottom of the top 10 in the league for me. The defense has holes but won't be a huuuuge issue IMO. They'd really like one more top 4 guy as would most teams. If Luongo is healthy that is their weak link. If Luongo is battling age and injuries, then their weak link shifts to goaltending. If this is the case, they will likely miss the playoffs, though not by more than 10 points. If Luongo continues to be good they will grab a wild card spot and be a stronger-than-average team for the division leader to face compared to most years. 

Edited September 15, 2018 by Randall Flagg

[dudacek]

I love Barkov; and having two-way guys like him and Trochek as your top two centres should mean Borgstrom putting up big numbers as a sheltered three. The rest of the lineup isn’t elite, but it is solid and it doesn’t have any gaping holes long as Luongo holds it together.

One of the up-and-coming teams of the east, who will surprise some people.

[Randall Flagg]

Update: Carolina has named Justin Williams their captain.

[Randall Flagg]

Update: Coyotes to name OEL their captain.

[Randall Flagg]

Los Angeles Kings
Record last season: 45-29-8, 98 points, 4th in pacific
Playoffs: lost in 1st round to Vegas
Coach: John Stevens
GM: Rob Blake
Captain: Anze Kopitar

GF: 237 (16th)
GA: 202 (1st)
PP: 20.4% (17th)
PK: 85.0% (1st)

Top 5G:
1.) Anze Kopitar (35)
2.) Dustin Brown (28)
3.) Tyler Toffoli (24)
4.) Adrian Kempe (16)
5.) Tanner Pearson (15)

Top 5A:
1.) Anze Kopitar (57)
2.) Drew Doughty (50)
3.) Jake Muzzin (34)
4.) Dustin Brown (33)
5.) Tanner Pearson (25)

Top 5 PTS:
1.) Anze Kopitar (92)
2.) Dustin Brown (61)
3.) Drew Doughty (60)
4.) Tyler Toffoli (47)
5.) KJake Muzzin (42)

Key Additions:  Ilya Kovalchuk (LW), Peter Budaj (G)
Key Losses: Tobias Rieder (LW), Torrey Mitchell (C)

 

Projected Lineup:
Kovalchuk - Kopitar - Brown
Pearson - Carter - Toffoli
Iafallo - Kempe - Vilardi
Clifford - Thompson - Lewis

Muzzin - Doughty
Phaneuf - Martinez
Forbort - LaDue

Quick 
Budaj

Top Prospects we might/might not see 
1.) Gabe Vilardi, C, 1st round 2017
2.) Rasmus Kupari, C, 1st round 2018
3.) Kale Clague, D, 2nd round 2016
4.) Jaret Anderson - Dolan, 2nd round 2017
5.) Akil Thomas, C, 2nd round 2018

My thoughts
The Kings' only major change is the addition of Kovalchuk, who is old and slow but still had a tremendous scoring season in Russia last year, and he should be a good piece for them. They are so old and slow too. But they're damn good at defense and keeping the puck out, and that'll help them in their quest to ultimately be another playoff team that gets beat in the first, mayyyyyybe the second round. Kopitar and Brown bounced back in a huge way, and a healthy Carter will help them out. The fourth line has good fourth liners on it and the third line could be a very intriguing kids line. Injuries would be the most likely cause of them missing the playoffs in a division that appears to be weak. But I can't see them getting too far. 

[Randall Flagg]

Minnesota Wild
Record last season: 45-26-11, 101 points, 3rd in the Central
Playoffs: lost in 1st round to Winnipeg
Coach: Bruce Boudreau
GM: Paul Fenton
Captain: Mikko Koivu

GF: 250 (11th)
GA: 229 (11th)
PP: 20.4% (17th)
PK: 81.3% (13th)

Top 5G:
1.) Eric Staal (42)
2.) Jason Zucker (33)
3.) Mikael Granlund (21)
4.) Nino Niederreiter (18)
5.) Zach Parise (15)

Top 5A:
1.) Mikael Granlund (46)
2.) Ryan Suter (45)
3.) Matthew Dumba (36)
4.) Eric Staal (34)
5.) Jason Zucker, Mikko Koivu (31)

Top 5 PTS:
1.) Eric Staal (76)
2.) Mikael Granlund (67)
3.) Jason Zucker (64)
4.) Ryan Suter (51)
5.) Matthew Dumba (50)

Key Additions:  Matt Hendricks (LW), Eric Fehr (C), JT Brown (RW) (they added a 4th line haha), Greg Pateryn (D)
Key Losses: Tyler Ennis (LW), Daniel Winnik (LW), Matt Cullen (C), Kyle Quincey (D)

 

Projected Lineup:
Zucker - Staal - Granlund
Parise - Koivu - Niederreiter
Greenway - Eriksson Ek - Coyle
Foligno - Hendricks - Brown

Suter - Spurgeon
Brodin - Dumba
Seeler - Pateryn

Dubnyk 
Stalock

Top Prospects we might/might not see 
1.) Kirill Kaprizov, LW, 5th round 2015. This kid has 2 years left in Russia but when he comes over I think he's going to have an impact on same order of magnitude as Tarasenko or Panarin. Star already. 
2.) Luke Kunin, C, 1st round 2016. This is an excellent set of top two prospects. 
3.) Filip Johansson, D, 1st round 2018
4.) Jordan Greenway, LW, 2nd round 2015. USA USA USA
5.) Jack McBain, C, 3rd round 2018

My thoughts
Once again the Wild should have a top defensive and goaltending group in the league. They need to improve both of those areas on the road, however, the splits were especially drastic for these guys. Hard to expect a season like that from Staal again, but Parise played great when healthy, and he should be healthy now hopefully? Plenty of top six forwards but no real standouts. I think they're going to have another near-100 point season, and probably be another first round out. 

[pi2000]

The Kings are faster than most people think.  They played a much more up tempo game last season than in years past with Sutter... and I think they take another step forward in the GF department this season with Kovalchuk and guys like Kempe, and Iafallo taking another step... and Vilardi is high touted. 

LA really is the perfect situation for Vilardi who plays a game much like Kopitar, both similar in stature as well.   However, much of their defense depends on the health of Quick.   They way he plays is very hard on his body, I'd be surprised if he plays very much further into his 30s.

[Randall Flagg]

Montreal Canadians
Record last season: 29-40-13, 71 points, 6th in the Atlantic
Playoffs: None
Coach: Claude Julien
GM: Marc Bergevin 
Captain: Shea Weber

GF: 207 (29th)
GA: 258 (25th)
PP: 21.2% (12th)
PK: 74.1% (30th)

Top 5G:
1.) Brendan Gallagher (31)
2.) Paul Byron (20)
3.) Alex Galchenyuk (19)
4.) Max Pacioretty (17)
5.) Jonathan Drouin (13)

Top 5A:
1.) Jonathan Drouin (33)
2.)Alex Galchenyuk (32)
3.) Jeff Petry (30)
4.) Brendan Gallagher (23)
5.) Max Pacioretty (20)

Top 5 PTS:
1.) Brendan Gallagher (54)
2.) Alex Galchenyuk (51)
3.) Jonathan Drouin (46)
4.) Jeff Petry (42)
5.) Max Pacioretty (37)

Key Additions:  Max Domi (LW), Joel Armia (RW), Tomas Plekanec (C), Matthew Peca (RW), Xavier Ouellet (D)
Key Losses: Alex Galchenyuk (C), Ales Hemsky (RW), Daniel Carr (LW), Logan Shaw (RW), Adam Cracknell (RW)

 

Projected Lineup:
Domi - Drouin - Armia
Tatar - Danault - Gallagher
Byron - Peca - Lehkonen
Hudon - Plekanec - Scherbak

Mete - Petry
Alzner - Juulsen
Rielly - Benn

Price 
Niemi
 

Top Prospects we might/might not see 
1.) Jesperi Kotkaniemi, C, 1st round 2018
2.) Ryan Poehling, C, 1st round 2017
3.) Nikita Scherbak, RW, 1st round 2014
4.) Noah Juulsen, D, 1st round 2015
5.) Jesse Ylonen, RW, 2nd round 2018

My thoughts
Weber is out for quite a while as far as I can tell, and Price has a long climb back to be on top again. If Shea comes back at some point and shows signs of how long he was out, and Price can't do that, then this team competes with Ottawa for worst in the league. If Price regains form, Weber is back early enough in the season and resembles his old self, and Mete continues to grow, then they might be able to keep goals against down enough to not be in that competition, though I cannot realistically see them competing for a wild card spot with the current roster.

Edited October 1, 2018 by Randall Flagg

[Randall Flagg]

Nashville Predators
Record last season: 53-18-11, 117 points, President's Trophy
Playoffs: Lost in the 2nd round, 7 games, to Winnipeg
Coach: Peter Laviolette
GM: David Poile
Captain: Roman Josi

GF: 261 (7th)
GA: 204 (2nd)
PP: 21.2% (12th)
PK: 81.9% (6th)

Top 5G:
1.) Viktor Arvidsson (29)
2.) Filip Forsberg (26)
3.) Craig Smith (25)
4.) Kevin Fiala (23)
5.) PK Subban (16)

Top 5A:
1.) PK Subban (43)
2.) Ryan Johansen (39)
3.) Roman Josi (39)
4.) Filip Forsberg (38)
5.) Viktor Arvidsson (32)

Top 5 PTS:
1.) Filip Forsberg (64) (in 67 games, identical stat line to Jack)
2.) Viktor Arvidsson (61)
3.) PK Subban (59)
4.) Ryan Johansen (54)
5.) Roman Josi (53)

Key Additions: None really
Key Losses: Scott Hartnell (LW), Alexei Emelin (D), Mike Fischer (C)

 

Projected Lineup:
Forsberg - Johansen - Arvidsson
Fiala - Turris - Smith
Tolvanen - Bonino - Jarnkrok
Salomaki - Sissons - Hartman

Ekholm - Subban
Josi - Ellis
Hamhuis - Weber

Rinne
Saros
 

Top Prospects we might/might not see 
1.) Eeli Tolvanen, LW, 1st round 2017
2.) Dante Fabbro, D, 1st round 2016
3.) Yakov Trenin, C, 2nd round 2015
4.) Patrick Harper, C, 5th round 2016
5.) Rem Pitlick, C, 3rd round 2016 (Casey's linemate in college)

My thoughts
The President's trophy winners are bringing back the same cast, minus Hartnell, plus rookie Eeli Tolvanen, who had a stunning post-draft season in Russia. He's going to be a star. They're still pumping out prospects. They're going to be around a while and are a top 5 threat for the cup for sure, with that defense, which got better in replacing Emelin with a legitimate shutdown guy in Hamhuis (as long as he didn't fall off the table this summer). Rinne is the wildcard, but I think Saros is ready if he falters. Look for these guys to be playing as May progresses.

[Randall Flagg]

New Jersey Devils
Record last season: 44-29-9, 97 points, 5th in the Metro
Playoffs: Lost in the 1st round to Tampa Bay
Coach: John Hynes
GM: Ray Shero
Captain: Andy Greene

GF: 243 (15th)
GA: 240 (17th)
PP: 21.4% (9th)
PK: 81.8% (7th)

Top 5G:
1.) Taylor Hall (39)
2.) Kyle Palmieri (24)
3.) Nico Hischier (20)
4.) Miles Wood (19)
5.) Jesper Bratt (13)

Top 5A:
1.) Taylor Hall (54)
2.) Will Butcher (39)
3.) Nico Hischier (32)
4.) Sami Vatanen (25)
5.) Jesper Bratt (22)

Top 5 PTS:
1.) Taylor Hall (93)
2.) Nico Hischier (52)
3.) Will Butcher (44)
4.) Kyle Palmieri (44)
5.) Jesper Bratt (35)

Key Additions: None really
Key Losses: Patrick Maroon (LW), Michael Grabner (RW), John Moore (D), Drew Stafford (RW), Brian Gibbons (LW), Jimmy Hayes(RW)

 

Projected Lineup:
Hall - Hischier - Bratt
Johansson - Zacha - Palmieri
Coleman - Zajac - Noesen
Wood - Boyle - Quenneville

Mueller - Vatanen
Greene - Severson
Butcher - Santini

Schneider 
Kinkaid
 

Top Prospects we might/might not see 
1.) Ty Smith, D, 1st round 2018. Thought he was their best player at the prospect tournament
2.) Michael McLeod, C, 1st round 2016
3.) John Quenneville, C, 1st round 2014
4.) Jesper Boqvist, C, 2nd round 2017
5.) Joey Anderson, RW, 3rd round 2016

My thoughts
The Devils are headed in the right direction, but they lost some depth, and so injury troubles will tank their season in a hurry. Hischier will keep getting better and become a premiere two-way first line center. They have a young, quick team, without a lot of star power outside of Hall but with guys who skate together and play hard. The defense is solid but not spectacular, I don't see a truly bad defenseman in there, even if there is only maybe one guy you'd want on a top pair (Vatanen? maybe not even then). Schneider is worse now than he used to be but Kinkaid is more than capable to fill in during his lulls. I don't think this team is going to make the playoffs because it would require injury luck and Hall to repeat his torrid season, the combined probability of which is probably less than .5, but I think they'll be close, fighting for it all season. If things go right they could squeak in and maybe even upset somebody to win around. If things go poorly on the back end and in goal and with injuries, they could fall into the bottom 10. 

[Randall Flagg]

New York Islanders
Record last season: 35-37-10, 80 points, 7th in the Metro
Playoffs: None
Coach: Barry Trotz
GM: Lou Lamoriello
Captain: Vacant

GF: 261 (7th)
GA: 293 (31st)
PP: 23.2% (6th)
PK: 73.2% (31st)

Top 5G:
1.) Anders Lee (40)
2.) John Tavares (37)
3.) Jordan Eberle (25)
4.) Mathew Barzal (22)
5.) Anthony Beauvillier (21)

Top 5A:
1.) Mathew Barzal (63)
2.) Josh Bailey (53)
3.) John Tavares (47)
4.) Jordan Eberle (34)
5.) Nick Leddy (32)

Top 5 PTS:
1.) Mathew Barzal (85)
2.) John Tavares (84)
3.) Josh Bailey (71)
4.) Anders Lee (62)
5.) Jordan Eberle (59)

Key Additions: Valtteri Filppula (C), Leo Komarov (LW),Matt Martin (LW), Tom Kuhnhackl (RW), Robin Lehner (G)
Key Losses: John Tavares (C), Calvin de Haan (D), Jaro Halak (G)

 

Projected Lineup:
Beauvillier - Barzal - Eberle
Lee - Nelson - Bailey
Ladd - Filppula - Ho-Sang
Komarov - Cizikas - Clutterbuck

Leddy - Boychuk
Hickey - Pulock
Toews - Pelech

Lehner 
Greiss

Top Prospects we might/might not see 
1.) Oliver Wahlstrom, RW, 1st round 2018
2.) Noah Dobson, D, 1st round 2018
3.) Kieffer Bellows, LW, 1st round 2016
4.) Ilya Sorokin, G, 3rd round 2014
5.) Bode Wilde, D, 2nd round 2018

My thoughts
The Islanders are in a bad spot for this immediate season, losing their franchise piece. And that really stings. But I honestly like where they are going forward. Lou and Barry should be a good front office, and I think they nailed those two first round picks out of the park. I've shown that Barzal got ridiculously tough competition last season, so the hit that comes from Tavares' protection being gone will be limited relative to what it could be, and his linemates are unchanged/upgraded because of JT's absence. Their immediate offense has a 40 goal scorer and 4-6 other guys who could score 20. I think their offense will be okay, if not great. But last season their defense and goaltending allowed the 2nd most goals of any team since the full-season lockout, if I remember correctly. If that stat was only true at some point late in the season and isn't now, well, it's close. it was bad. I read some breakdowns about how a lot of that was Weight's fault, though obviously none of those players are defensive specialists either. Trotz should help to button things up a bit. I'm rooting hard for Robin. I don't expect a successful season in terms of playoffs, but I wouldn't be surprised if their record didn't change at all, and I don't think they'll be a COMPLETE tire fire. 

And the dark cloud of Tavares' departure probably looms large over their fans' psyche, but with Barzal, Beauvillier, Bellows, Wahlstrom, Dobson, Aho, and Pulock (who I think is incredible and will have a breakout year this year) is, in a vacuum, a fine young core to have, and some lottery luck could make it even better. They'll be okay. 

Edited September 21, 2018 by Randall Flagg

[WildCard]

2 minutes ago, Randall Flagg said:

New York Islanders
Record last season: 35-37-10, 40 points, 7th in the Metro

?

[Randall Flagg]

Just now, WildCard said:

?

Fixed

I actually had a lot of trouble typing out that record - it took me 3 times to get the OT loss column correct, I first typed 20, then 19, then finally 10

[Randall Flagg]

New York Rangers
Record last season: 34-39-9, 77 points, 8th in the Metro
Playoffs: None
Coach: David Quinn
GM: Jeff Gorton
Captain: Vacant

GF: 228 (22nd)
GA: 263 (28th)
PP: 21.2% (12th)
PK: 81.4% (10th)

Top 5G:
1.) Mika Zibanejad (27)
2.) Kevin Hayes (25)
3.) Michael Grabner (25)
4.) Rick Nash (18)
5.) Jimmy Vesey (17)

Top 5A:
1.) Mats Zuccarello (37)
2.) Pavel Buchnevich (29)
3.) JT Miller (27)
4.) Ryan McDonagh (24)
5.) David Desharnais (22)

Top 5 PTS:
1.) Mats Zuccarello (53)
2.) Mika Zibanejad (47)
3.) Kevin Hayes (44)
4.) Pavel Buchnevich (43)
5.) JT Miller (40)

Key Additions: Fredrik Claesson (D)
Key Losses: David Desharnais (C), Ondrej Pavelec (G)

 

Projected Lineup:
Kreider - Zibanejad - Buchnevich
Chytil - Hayes - Zuccarello
Namestnikov - Andersson - Spooner
Vesey - Howden - Fast

Skjei - Shattenkirk
Staal - Pionk
Smith - DeAngelo

Lundqvist 
Georgiev

Top Prospects we might/might not see 
1.) Lias Andersson, C, 1st round 2017
2.) Filip Chytil, C, 1st round 2017
3.) Vitali Kravtsov, RW, 1st round 2018
4.)Igor Shesterkin, G, late 2014
5.) K'Andre Miller, D, 1st round 2018

My thoughts
This roster looks like the roster that hit the end of a long stretch of going for it every year. It didn't work out, and they need to retool a bit. I really like some of their young pieces, Namestnikov, Zibanejad (yeah not that young), Skjei, Pionk, Chytil, and Andersson. Those are solid pieces. They need more, and plenty of time, which sucks for Hank, who is one of those guys you really want to see lift a cup. That forward group actually isn't the worst thing in the world, but it's low on high-end talent. They're probably going to be bottom feeders in that division for a few years. 

[LGR4GM]

I kinda laughed when I remembered that Vesey wanted to go there. Enjoy sucking for awhile. 

[Randall Flagg]

Sorry about how behind on this I am. I'll catch back up but it might be a couple more days.

[Randall Flagg]

Ottawa Senators
Record last season: 28-43-11, 67 points, 7th in the Atlantic
Playoffs: None
Coach: Guy Boucher
GM: Pierre Dorion
Captain:

GF: 219 (25th)
GA: 284 (30th)
PP: 16.6% (27th)
PK: 76.2% (26th)

Top 5G:
1.) Matt Duchene (23)
2.) Ryan Dzingel (23)
3.) Mike Hoffman (22)
4.) Mark Stone (20)
5.) Derick Brassard (18)

Top 5A:
1.) Erik Karlsson (53)
2.) Mark Stone (42)
3.) Mike Hoffman (34)
4.) Matt Duchene (26)
5.) Bobby Ryan (22)

Top 5 PTS:
1.) Mark Stone (62)
2.) Erik Karlsson (62)
3.) Mike Hoffman (56)
4.) Matt Duchene (49)
5.) Ryan Dzingel (41)

Key Additions: Chris Tierney (C), Brady Tkachuk (LW), Mikkel Boedker (RW), other prospects from trade, not sure if they'll make team?
Key Losses: Mike Hoffman (W), Alexandre Burrows (RW), Frederik Claesson (D), and some dude named Erik Karlsson (D)

 

Projected Lineup:
Dzingel - Duchene - Boedker
Tkachuk - Tierney - Stone
Paajarvi - Chlapik - Ryan
McCormick - White - Pyatt

Chabot - Ceci
Borowiecki - Wideman
Wolanen - DeMelo

Anderson
Condon

Top Prospects we might/might not see 
Tkachuk. Brown, White, and Balcers/Norris.

My thoughts
Last place.

[Randall Flagg]

Philadelphia Flyers
Record last season: 42-26-14, 98 points, 3rd in the Metro
Playoffs: Lost in first round to Pittsburgh
Coach: Dave Hakstol
GM: Ron Hextall
Captain: Clode Giroux

GF: 249 (12th)
GA: 236 (14th)
PP: 20.7% (15th)
PK: 75.8% (29th)

Top 5G:
1.) Claude Giroux (34)
2.) Sean Couturier (31)
3.) Travis Konecny (24)
4.) Wayne Simmonds (24)
5.) Jakub Voracek (20)

Top 5A:
1.) Claude Giroux (68)
2.) Jakub Voracek (65)
3.) Shayne Gostisbehere (52)
4.) Sean Couturier (45)
5.) Ivan Provorov (24)

Top 5 PTS:
1.) Claude Giroux (102)
2.) Jakub Voracek (85)
3.) Sean Couturier (76)
4.) Shayne Gostisbehere (65)
5.) Travis Konecny (47)

Key Additions: James van Riemsdyk (LW), Christian Folin (D).
Key Losses: Valtteri Filppula (C), Petr Mrazek (G), Brandon Manning (D), Matt Read (RW), Johnny Oduya (D)

 

Projected Lineup:
Giroux - Couturier - Konecny
JVR - Patrick - Voracek
Lindblom - Laughton - Simmonds
Raffl - Vorobyev - Weal

Gostisbehere - Provorov
Folin - Sanheim
Hagg - Gudas

Elliott
Neuvirth

Top Prospects we might/might not see 
1.) Carter Hart, G, 2nd round 2016
2.) Joel Farabee, LW, 1st round 2018
3.) Philippe Myers,D, UDFA
4.) Morgan Frost, C, 1st round 2017
5.) German Rubtsov, C, 1st round 2016

My thoughts
After Patrick got healthy, he really came along with a strong finish to his rookie campaign. If he can stay that way, Philly's top 6 is absolutely nasty. They look for prospects to fill out depth much like we do, but are far more proven in the top 6. Their D is still weak but Sanheim being ready helps. Provorov is going to contend for the Norris his whole career. At 21 he had a season just one step below getting some 3rd place votes. Their goalie curse is still happening, and Hakstol is one of the worst coaches out there, supposedly. They should win games this year, and be a bubble playoff team. 

[Randall Flagg]

Pittsburgh Penguins
Record last season: 47-29-6, 100 points, 2nd in Metro
Playoffs: Lost in second round to Washington
Coach: Mike Sullivan
GM: Jim Rutherford
Captain: Sidney Crosby

GF: 270 (3rd)
GA: 248 (20th)
PP: 26.2% (1st)
PK: 80.0% (17th)

Top 5G:
1.) Evgeni Malkin (42)
2.) Phil Kessel (34)
3.) Sidney Crosby (29)
4.) Patric Hornqvist (29)
5.) Jake Guentzel (22)

Top 5A:
1.) Sidney Crosby (60)
2.) Phil Kessel (58)
3.) Evgeni Malkin (56)
4.) Kris Letang (42)
5.) Jake Guentzel (26)

Top 5 PTS:
1.) Evgeni Malkin (98)
2.) Phil Kessel (92)
3.) Sidney Crosby (89)
4.) Kris Letang (51)
5.) Patric Hornqvist (48)

Key Additions: Matt Cullen (C), Jimmy Hayes (RW), Jack Johnson (D)
Key Losses: Conor Sheary (LW), Matt Hunwick (D), Tom Kuhnhackl (RW), Carter Rowney (C)

 

Projected Lineup:
Guentzel - Crosby - Hornqvist
Hagelin - Malkin - Sprong
Rust - Brassard - Kessel
Cullen - Sheahan - Simon

Dumoulin - Letang
Johnson - Schultz
Maatta - Oleksiak

Murray
Jarry
 

Top Prospects we might/might not see 
1.) Daniel Sprong, RW, 2nd round 2015
2.) Tristan Jarry, G, 2nd round 2013
3.) Calen Addison, D, 2nd round 2018
4.) Filip Hallander, C, 2nd round 2018
5.) Lukas Bengtsson, D, UDFA

My thoughts
They should contend for a cup once again. Ridiculous offense and forwards, almost impossible to replicate. Letang is fading fast but it they've won cups with defenses just like this one. Murray needs to have a bounce-back season. I remember when we were trying to build center depth

[Randall Flagg]

St. Louis Blues
Record last season: 44-32-6, 94 points, 5th in the Atlantic
Playoffs: None
Coach: Mike Yeo
GM: Doug Armstrong
Captain: Alex Pietrangelo

GF: 226 (24th)
GA: 222 (6th)
PP: 15.4% (30th)
PK: 79.7% (18th)

Top 5G:
1.) Vladimir Tarasenko (33)
2.) Brayden Schenn (28)
3.) Jaden Schwartz (24)
4.) Patrik Berglund (17)
5.) Alex Pietrangelo (15)

Top 5A:
1.) Brayden Schenn (42)
2.) Alex Pietrangelo (39)
3.) Jaden Schwartz (35)
4.) Vladimir Tarasenko (33)
5.) Alex Steen (31)

Top 5 PTS:
1.) Brayden Schenn (70)
2.) Vladimir Tarasenko (66)
3.) Jaden Schwartz (59)
4.) Alex Pietrangelo (54)
5.) Alex Steen (46)

Key Additions: Ryan O'Reilly (C), Tyler Bozak (C), Patrick Maroon (LW), David Perron (RW) Chad Johnson (G)
Key Losses: Carter Hutton (G), Patrik Berglund (C), Vladimir Sobotka (C), Tage Thompson (F), Kyle Brodziak (C)

Projected Lineup:
Maroon - O'Reilly - Tarasenko
Schwartz - Schenn - Perron
Steen - Bozak - Fabbri
Barbashev - Thomas - Jaskin

Edmundson - Pietrangelo
Bouwmeester - Parayko
Dunn - Bortuzzo

Allen 
Johnson

Top Prospects we might/might not see 
1.) Robert Thomas, C, 1st round 2017
2.) Jordan Kyrou, RW, 2nd round 2016
3.) Klim Koston, RW, 1st round 2017
4.) Dominik Bokk, RW, 1st round 2018
5.) Jordan Schmaltz, D, 1st round 2012

My thoughts
I'm pretty sure this team was losing-in-OT-instead-of-Regulation-in-game-82 away from a postseason birth, and their roster up front improved quite a bit. Fabbri coming back is huge, and they added 3 players with more than 40 points last year (2 with more than 60) to their roster which should combine with that to help their offensive numbers. Their defensive numbers don't need help. If things mesh well and Tarasenko bounces back from his slightly-disappointing season last year, they can contend for a cup. However, that goalie duo has the potential to be bottom 3 if Allen can't get out of his own head, which absolutely happens sometimes. Steen was terrible in the games I watched, but they don't need him to be great anymore. Schenn is awesome and that fourth line has two very good defensive players insulating a rookie. They should be interesting to watch (I was going to use "fun" but Blues hockey at its best is not fun to watch)

Edited September 27, 2018 by Randall Flagg

[PalmTreeMafia]

Awesome thread! I don't have much of value to add, other than I see the Eastern Conference as 3 Tiers:

Tier 1 (5): Caps, Penguins, Bruins, Lightning, Maple Leafs

Tier 2 (4): Blue Jackets, Devils, Flyers, Panthers

Tier 3 (6): Devils, Islanders, Rangers, Canadiens, Senators, Red Wings

And that I fully expect to see the Sabres competing with the Tier 2 teams for a playoff spot. If we're still stuck in Tier 3, then Housley may need to go and further roster purging may be necessary.

 

[Randall Flagg]

4 hours ago, FuhrUrsinne said:

Awesome thread! I don't have much of value to add, other than I see the Eastern Conference as 3 Tiers:

Tier 1 (5): Caps, Penguins, Bruins, Lightning, Maple Leafs

Tier 2 (4): Blue Jackets, Devils, Flyers, Panthers

Tier 3 (6): Devils, Islanders, Rangers, Canadiens, Senators, Red Wings

And that I fully expect to see the Sabres competing with the Tier 2 teams for a playoff spot. If we're still stuck in Tier 3, then Housley may need to go and further roster purging may be necessary.

 

Thanks! I agree completely with those tiers, though I do believe the Sabres still comfortably sit in Tier 3.

[Randall Flagg]

San Jose Sharks
Record last season: 45-27-10, 100 points, 3rd in the Pacific
Playoffs: Lost in second round to Vegas
Coach: Peter DeBoer
GM: Doug Wilson
Captain: Joe Pavelski

GF: 247 (13th)
GA: 226 (9th)
PP: 20.6% (16th)
PK: 84.8% (2nd)

Top 5G:
1.) Logan Couture (34)
2.) Joe Pavelski (22)
3.) Tomas Hertl (22)
4.) Timo Meier (21)
5.) Chris Tierney (17)

Top 5A:
1.) Brent Burns (55)
2.) Joe Pavelski (44)
3.) Kevin Labanc (29)
4.) Justin Braun (28)
5.) Logan Couture (27)

Top 5 PTS:
1.) Brent Burns (67)
2.) Joe Pavelski (66)
3.) Logan Couture (61)
4.) Tomas Hertl (46)
5.) Kevin Labanc (40)

Key Additions: Erik Karlsson (D)
Key Losses:  Mikkel Boedker (RW), Jannik Hansen (RW), Joel Ward (RW), Eric Fehr (C), Paul Martin (D), Chris Tierney (C)

Projected Lineup:
Hertl - Couture - Labanc
Kane - Thornton - Pavelski
Meier - Suomela - Donskoi
Sorensen - Goodrow - Karlsson

Vlasic - Karlsson
Ryan - Burns
Dillon - Braun

Jones
Dell

Top Prospects we might/might not see 
1.) Ryan Merkley, D, 1st round 2018
2.) Dylan Gambrell, C, 3rd round 2016
3.) Mario Ferraro, D, 2nd round 2017
4.) Maxim Letunov, C, trade
5.) Scott Reedy, C, 4th round 2017

My thoughts
The forward lineup is just plain solid. Meier will keep getting better and is already a great complementary piece, same with Labanc. Nobody is playing ahead of where they should be, and this unit should be comfortably in the top half of the league. The goalies, solid. They'll be just fine. 

That defensive unit makes the group as a whole a threat to win the Stanley Cup. One of Karlsson or Burns will essentially be on the ice all game long. Dillon-Braun are a good a 3rd pair as any in the NHL. It should be fun to watch, and I predict big things from this team. Good for E. Kane.

[Randall Flagg]

Tampa Bay Lightning
Record last season: 54-23-5, 113 points, 1st in the Atlantic
Playoffs: Lost game 7 of the ECF vs. Washington
Coach: Jon Cooper
GM: Steve Yzerman
Captain: Steven Stamkos

GF: 290 (1st)
GA: 234 (13th)
PP: 23.9% (3rd)
PK: 76.1% (28th)

Top 5G:
1.) Nikita Kucherov (39)
2.) Brayden Point (32)
3.) Steven Stamkos (27)
4.) Yanni Gourde (25)
5.) Tyler Johnson (21)

Top 5A:
1.) Nikita Kucherov (61)
2.) Steven Stamkos (59)
3.) Victor Hedman (46)
4.) Yanni Gourde (39)
5.) Brayden Point (34)

Top 5 PTS:
1.) Nikita Kucherov (100)
2.) Steven Stamkos (86)
3.) Brayden Point (66)
4.) Yanni Gourde (64)
5.) Victor Hedman (63)

Key Additions: None
Key Losses:   Chris Kunitz (LW), Andrej Sustr (D)

Projected Lineup:
Miller - Stamkos - Kucherov
Palat - Point - Johnson
Killorn - Cirelli - Gourde
Erne - Pacquette - Joseph

Hedman - Stralman
McDonagh - Sergachev
Coburn - Girardi

Vasilevskiy
Domingue

Top Prospects we might/might not see 
1.) Cal Foote, D, 1st round 2017
2.) Boris Katchouk, LW, 2nd round 2016
3.) Taylor Raddysh, RW, 2nd round 2016
4.) Anthony Cirelli, C, 3rd round 2015
5.) Mathieu Joseph, late 2015

My thoughts
Best forward group in the league. The team had 9 players hit 40 points, 6 with 20 goals. On top of that, JT Miller was added and went nearly a point per game with them in his 19 games, and Palat would have hit both of those numbers with a full season. That is utterly insane. So much talent and Cal Foote is a legit top prospect too. Watch for Erne to be this year's random 20 goal 40 point TBL rookie. Point is a ridiculously good shutdown center (who can score 30G 60 PTS while doing it at 21) and that second line beats all but the one centered by Geno in Pittsburgh. Hedman won the Norris and their D matches up with any that isn't Nashville/SJ's. Vasi is great. Cup contender, end of story.