July Central/Western conference predictions

[kfan22]

Since the rosters are pretty much set at this point barring any big trades thought I would get a feel for what people were thinking for this season.

Central
1. Stars
2. Predators
3. Wild
4. Hawks (WC)
5. Blues
6. Jets
7. Avs

Pacific
1. Oilers
2. Ducks
3. Flames
4. Sharks (WC)
5. Kings
6. Coyotes
7. Canucks
8. Golden Knights

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[Wabit]

Stars
Preds
Blues
Jets
Wild
Hawks
Avs

Oilers
Ducks
Flames
Sharks/Kings (WCs)
Vegas
Yotes
Nuks

 

[kfan22]

Stars
Preds
Blues
Jets
Wild
Hawks
Avs

Oilers
Ducks
Flames
Sharks/Kings (WCs)
Vegas
Yotes
Nuks

Wow you have Wild missing playoffs?

 

[BagHead]

Predators
Blues
Blackhawks
Wild
Stars
Jets
Avalanche

Oilers
Ducks
Sharks
Flames
Kings
Coyotes
Canucks
Golden Knights

WC teams are some combination of Flames, Kings, Wild and Stars. If this is how the standings shook out, I'd bet on the Flames and Wild.

Stars are a better team on paper than they were last year, and I think their moves will make them a far stronger team in the long run, but teams that have a lot of major changes in an off-season don't unusually do well their first season together. I'm not saying that they can't, just that they usually don't.

 

[Wabit]

Wow you have Wild missing playoffs?

Yep. Big regression in talent in the NHL and AHL.
-Haula > JEE
-Pommer > Ennis/Foligino
-Foligino/Ennis > Schroeder
-Graovac > an imaginary 4C
-Scandella > Olofsson/Reilly
-Tuch > no Tuch
-Kemps >/= Stalock. I really don't like either of them, but the backup position is bad for next year.
-The Wild's top-6 (Zucker/Koivu/Granny and Nino/Staal/Coyle) missed a combined 6 games last season.
-No Folin
-(Maybe) No Prosser (can't believe I'm saying that)
-Stevens quit

The Wild had a pretty big roster turnover. Haula, Kemps, Pommer, Scandella, and Prosser (maybe) have all been a part of the team for at least a couple of seasons. Grao, Schroeder, and Folin all saw 50+ games over the last couple of seasons. 8 (1/3 of the roster) familiar faces gone in one offseason.

We're all expecting the Zucker/Koivu/Granny line to have the same magic as last season. A calendar year ago the Nino/Haula/Pommer line had similar expectations, and it never happened.

 

[hirawl]

Central
1. Wild
2. Stars
3. Jets
4. Preds
5. Blues
6. Avs
7. Hawks

Pacific
1. Flames
2. Ducks
3. Oilers
4. Canucks
5. Sharks
6. Coyotes
7. Vegas
8. Kings

 

[Jesus comma Brodin]

Central
1. Stars
2. Preds
3. Blues
4. Hawks
5. Wild
6. Jets
7. Avs

Pacific
1. Oilers
2. Ducks
3. Flames
4. Sharks
5. LA
6. Yotes
7. Vegas
8. Canucks

Wild regressed, IMO. Miss playoffs.

 

[BigT2002]

Central
1. Stars
2. Preds
3. Blues
4. Hawks
5. Wild
6. Jets
7. Avs

Pacific
1. Oilers
2. Ducks
3. Flames
4. Sharks
5. LA
6. Yotes
7. Vegas
8. Canucks

Wild regressed, IMO. Miss playoffs.

Would be mine as well going into August. Stars are gonna be a force this year.

 

[Minnesota]

Would be mine as well going into August. Stars are gonna be a force this year.

I say this every year about Dallas and Winnipeg. Somehow with all that talent on their rosters, they prove me wrong!

 

[keppel146]

I bet the wild finish 3rd in central. why the stars, just because of bishop?

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

St. Louis
Nashville
Minnesota
Dallas
Chicago
Winnipeg
Colorado

 

[Minnesota]

Everyone's sleeping on Chicago again.

1. Chicago
2. Nashville
3. St. Louis
4. Dallas
5. Minnesota
6. Winnipeg
7. Colorado

Need more time to research the Pacific before I make any predictions.

 

[Saga of the Elk]

Stars (adding Bishop, Radulov, Hanzal, Methot, losing Sharp, Hemsky)
Jets (adding Mason, Kulikov, losing Pavelec, Stuart)
Wild
Blues (Berglund, Fabbri out to start, losing Lehtera, Perron)
Predators (Cup hangover, losing Fisher, Neal, adding Kamenev)
Hawks (adding Saad, losing Hossa, Panarin, Kruger, Campbell, et al.)
Avs (doing not sure what)

Oilers (Sekera out to start, losing Eberle, Pouliot, adding Jokinen, Strome)
Flames (adding Hamonic, Lack, Foo, Smith, losing Elliott)
Ducks (losing Theodore, Bernier)
Coyotes (adding Tocchet, Hjalmarsson, Stepan, Raanta, losing Smith)
Kings (losing Sutter)
Sharks (losing Marleau)
Canucks (losing Miller, adding Del Zotto, Gagner)
Vegas (lottery on purpose)

 

[BigT2002]

I say this every year about Dallas and Winnipeg. Somehow with all that talent on their rosters, they prove me wrong!

I never have faith in Winnipeg for some reason. But Dallas this year is a different team than they were last year...lost some older players and finally have a legit #1 goalie as opposed to two backups that used to play starter.

I bet the wild finish 3rd in central. why the stars, just because of bishop?

See below.

Stars (adding Bishop, Radulov, Hanzal, Methot, losing Sharp, Hemsky)

Bishops gives them a real starter for once. Hanzal provides the center depth they need to start moving players around on their top lines to build them up. They actually have an influx of really good centers -- to me that is a great testament to what they can do on the fly during games now.

 

[Saga of the Elk]

Re: Winnipeg, I just don't think Paul Maurice is a very good coach. The team has had injuries - lots of of blueliners out last season - and the goaltending has been an issue. But they just don't seem like a team that knows how to play with each other. Will be interesting to see if guys like Roslovic and Connor can move the needle though.

 

[Drewcifer]

Re: Winnipeg, I just don't think Paul Maurice is a very good coach. The team has had injuries - lots of of blueliners out last season - and the goaltending has been an issue. But they just don't seem like a team that knows how to play with each other. Will be interesting to see if guys like Roslovic and Connor can move the needle though.

It seems like he wants them to play with an edge, which is fine, but their version of "edge" is to take boneheaded penalties at inopportune moments that cost them games.

 

[ThatGuy22]

I never have faith in Winnipeg for some reason. But Dallas this year is a different team than they were last year...lost some older players and finally have a legit #1 goalie as opposed to two backups that used to play starter.



See below.



Bishops gives them a real starter for once. Hanzal provides the center depth they need to start moving players around on their top lines to build them up. They actually have an influx of really good centers -- to me that is a great testament to what they can do on the fly during games now.

I'd bet it's a good chance we'll be saying the same thing about Bishop this time next year. Stars just repeating the same mistake, signing a once great goalie to a long term deal after a bad season.

 

[PuckInTheNards]

Yep. Big regression in talent in the NHL and AHL.
-Haula > JEE
-Pommer > Ennis/Foligino
-Foligino/Ennis > Schroeder
-Graovac > an imaginary 4C
-Scandella > Olofsson/Reilly
-Tuch > no Tuch
-Kemps >/= Stalock. I really don't like either of them, but the backup position is bad for next year.
-The Wild's top-6 (Zucker/Koivu/Granny and Nino/Staal/Coyle) missed a combined 6 games last season.
-No Folin
-(Maybe) No Prosser (can't believe I'm saying that)
-Stevens quit

The Wild had a pretty big roster turnover. Haula, Kemps, Pommer, Scandella, and Prosser (maybe) have all been a part of the team for at least a couple of seasons. Grao, Schroeder, and Folin all saw 50+ games over the last couple of seasons. 8 (1/3 of the roster) familiar faces gone in one offseason.

We're all expecting the Zucker/Koivu/Granny line to have the same magic as last season. A calendar year ago the Nino/Haula/Pommer line had similar expectations, and it never happened.

Ugh... that's depressing. I think I agree with just about everything you say (although I'm really hoping JEE is an upgrade not a downgrade).

 

[Wabit]

Ugh... that's depressing. I think I agree with just about everything you say (although I'm really hoping JEE is an upgrade not a downgrade).

Long run, I think JEE will be an upgrade. Next season I think he'll be a typical rookie and have a steep learning curve. He'll be a downgrade at FO's, positioning, and the PK to what Haula currently is.

 

[BigT2002]

I'd bet it's a good chance we'll be saying the same thing about Bishop this time next year. Stars just repeating the same mistake, signing a once great goalie to a long term deal after a bad season.

I would like to think that, that is for sure. But different player than Kari (who already had a legion of back issues along with other medical things when in Atlanta) and Neimi (who I've never considered to be a starter anyway).

 

[BusQuets]

Yep. Big regression in talent in the NHL and AHL.
-Haula > JEE
-Pommer > Ennis/Foligino
-Foligino/Ennis > Schroeder
-Graovac > an imaginary 4C
-Scandella > Olofsson/Reilly
-Tuch > no Tuch
-Kemps >/= Stalock. I really don't like either of them, but the backup position is bad for next year.
-The Wild's top-6 (Zucker/Koivu/Granny and Nino/Staal/Coyle) missed a combined 6 games last season.
-No Folin
-(Maybe) No Prosser (can't believe I'm saying that)
-Stevens quit

The Wild had a pretty big roster turnover. Haula, Kemps, Pommer, Scandella, and Prosser (maybe) have all been a part of the team for at least a couple of seasons. Grao, Schroeder, and Folin all saw 50+ games over the last couple of seasons. 8 (1/3 of the roster) familiar faces gone in one offseason.

We're all expecting the Zucker/Koivu/Granny line to have the same magic as last season. A calendar year ago the Nino/Haula/Pommer line had similar expectations, and it never happened.

That's lot of fringe players outside of Haula and Scandella you have listed there. Only those two marginally impacted if Wild won a game or not imo.

Only one i agree that Wild was lucky with the injuries but the standings reflected that. Small regression on that department doesn't matter that much in terms of getting to playoffs.

1.Wild
2.Nashville
3.Winnipeg (Mason has a huge impact)
4.Blues
5.Dallas (still makes the playoffs)
6.Hawks (No panarin or depth)
7.Colorado