2016-17 Standings prediction

[Zippy316]

I really think the Devils will finish ahead of the Rangers this season.

Just compare their lineups and staff.

Hynes > Vigneault

Schneider > Lundqvist

Mcdonagh > Greene
Severson > Girardi
Moore > Staal
Klein = Lovejoy
Skjei > Merrill
Santini = McIlrath

Hall > Zuccarello
Henrique > Zibanejad
Cammalleri > Nash
Zajac = Stepan
Palmieri > Kreider
Miller > Boucher
Hayes > Bennett
Zacha = Buchnevich
DSP > Fast
Devils 4th line and depth > Rangers 4th line and depth


I just don't see the NYR finishing ahead of the NJD.

A lot of these are very debatable and very biased, notably the bolded. I'd rather have Severson and Moore then Girardi/Staal, especially with their contracts, but I don't think their better then those two.

My personal prediction is that the Rangers struggle the first half of the year and Gorton starts a mini purge/retool to get rid of the older guys and gain some picks and assets. I could see him trading Nash and trying to offload one of Girardi/Staal mid-season.

 

[markog]

Metropolitan
Washington Capitals
Philadelphia Flyers
New Jersey Devils

Atlantic
Florida Panthers
Tampa Bay Lightning
Ottawa Senators

Wildcard
Pittsburgh Penguins
Buffalo Sabres

Montreal Canadiens
Toronto Maple Leafs
Boston Bruins
New York Islanders
Detroit Red Wings
Columbus Blue Jackets
New York Rangers
Carolina Hurricanes



Central
Nashville Predators
Dallas Stars
Chicago Blackhawks

Pacific
Anaheim Ducks
Calgary Flames
Los Angeles Kings

Wildcard
St. Louis Blues
Winnipeg Jets

Minnesota Wild
San Jose Sharks
Edmonton Oilers
Arizona Coyotes
Colorado Avalanche
Vancouver Canucks

I think San Jose makes it "easy", like someone else said it's a greater chance one of (or both) LA or Anaheim don't make it. Anaheim has a very good team and mix between young and older players but their owner is worse then Melnyk by the looks of things. And like I said before LA are overrated, their time is gone (as contenders).

 

[Based Anime Fan]

I think I'll take a gander at the East for now. Mileage may vary.


1/2: Washington Capitals - MET - This team can still easily hit the President's trophy and get into the play-offs as a 1/2 in the east. Once there, all bets are off.

1/2: Pittsburgh Penguins - MET - With Sullivan as the coach, I see this team doing the Penguins of 09-13 routine of getting in fairly high in the Conference, and with the only major loss being Lovejoy, still have a contending team.

3: Tampa Bay Lightning - ATL - Same team, this time around though Stamkos is healthy and Drouin has finally boughten in. No major changes, and the team is still firing.

4: Florida Panthers - ATL - Lost Campbell but gained Yandle, which will ultimately help the back end. Still a good team, and another year of experience will help.

5: New York Islanders - MET - Okposo out, which hurts, but with Ladd in, the team is tougher to play against and while not the flashiest team, they'll grind into the play-off birth.

6: Philadelphia Flyers - MET - If Ghost can keep up his play from last season, and if the additions of Weise, Brennan, and Gordon pan out, and if Vorachek starts strong, the team has a great shot.

7: Ottawa Senators - ATL - Boucher and Crow will add a system, allowing the defense to finally defend. While not a pretty roster, we've seen Boucher win with much worse as a sum of it's parts than this.

8/9/10: New York Rangers - MET - Added some players, however the loss of others may be bad as well. The aging Girardi/McDonnaugh pair does not help. Injuries will set this team back.

8/9/10: New Jersey Devils - MET - Added scoring and bottom-6th depth, but lost solid defensive play on the back end. As long as Lovejoy is defensively reliable, the tema should have a chance at a wildcard.

8/9/10: Montreal Canadiens - ATL - This team will go as far as Price can carry them. Weber may help, or he may not.

11/12: Detroit Red Wings - ATL - This is finally the year they are out. No Datsuyk, Zetterburg is older, Kronwall is older. Mrazek and Howard looked very human last year.

11/12: Boston Bruins - ATL - This team will continue to fall as it's lack of solid replacements catches up. Relying on a relatively old defense will also be an issue.

13/14/15/16: Carolina Hurricanes - MET - The 'Canes were put here as they could be anywhere in the bottom half. Faulk may be good, and they have some good forwards, but the pair of Lack/Ward may be the team's downfall.

13/14/15/16: Buffalo Sabres - ATL - No knock on the skill or team play, but the Kane distraction and youth place this team out. Okposo is a great addition, but not enough.

13/14/15/16: Columbus Blue Jackets - MET - Same story, different year. Perhaps Torts can turn this never-has-been team into a good team with a full training camp to work on things, but I am not holding my breath.

13/14/15/16: Toronto Maple Leafs - ATL - With Babcock, you never know. If the youth work, it could be great... if not, once again a team that will be mired in the mistakes and incompetence of the past.

 

[Zippy316]

Feel like it's only fair to revive this. Going to tweak my predictions a bit:

Metropolitan Division:

1. Washington Capitals
2. Pittsburgh Penguins -- had them first, but injuries to Crosby/Murray means they will leave some points on the table early on
3. Philadelphia Flyers -- the quicker they are able to revamp the D core the better they will be.
4. New York Islanders -- they have enough young forwards that I think they will do fine replacing Okposo/Nielsen's contributions. The rest of the team changed very little
--------------------
5. New Jersey Devils -- Just out of a wild card spot, the D would need to perform over their heads to get us past the Islanders
6. Carolina Hurricanes -- They're quietly building a good team down there, but the defense is still very young. Goaltending doesn't help them either.
7. New York Rangers -- They've slowly been losing some quality talent and I think this might be the year they take a step back in order to take two steps forward.
8. Columbus Blue Jackets -- too much grind and not enough skill. Will be tough to play against though.

Atlantic Division

1. Tampa Bay Lightning -- not much needs to be said here
2. Florida Panthers -- had both Florida/Pittsburgh leading the division, but the injury bug will cause them to slip a little bid. Losing Bjugstad and Huberdeau hurts.
3. Ottawa Senators -- my surprise team here. Nothing special, but a solid all-around team. Boucher should get them to buy in his first year.
4. Boston Bruins -- I don't like their defense at all, but their center group along with Marchand-Bergeron on the top line wills them here.
-------------------------------------
5. Montreal Canadiens -- I don't see the Radulov experiment ending well with Therrein behind the bench. They need him to add scoring depth
6. Toronto Maple Leafs -- I think the kids show a lot of promise this year, but like the Devils last year, there are still big holes that only time will fill
7. Detroit Red Wings -- Playoff streak ends this year. They haven't been able to replace their stars and it finally catches up to them. Too much mediocrity here.
8. Buffalo Sabres -- Eichel is going to be a big hit. Their defense and goaltending is still weak as well.

Western Conference

Central Division

1. Winnipeg Jets -- Very underrated. No Pavelec will be addition by subtraction and I'm sold on Hellebuyck. Great D core and insane forward depth
2. Dallas Stars -- Goaltending/defense are definitely concerns, but they have enough solid veterans on D to insulate the young kids
3. Nashville Predators -- Rinne concerns me here, but he can be a very good goalie at times. Team is very deep and well-rounded.
4. Chicago Blackhawks -- They won't be as good as previous years with that forward group, but the core knows how to win.
------------------------------
5. St. Louis Blues -- They just miss out this year which will cost Hitchcock. I think Allen struggles just enough to knock them out of a competitive Central Division.
6. Minnesota Wild -- I'm not sold on their older guys. Parise, Koivu, Staal, and Pominville are shells of what they were. I'm not sure Boudreau will save them.
7. Colorado Avalanche -- I don't like their depth at forward. Their defense is in the bottom-third of the league as well. I expect them to end up 12/13th in the West.

Pacific Division

1. San Jose Sharks -- This division is a shell of what it used to be. Sharks are easily the top dogs here.
2. Edmonton Oilers -- I like their off-season a lot. They revamped the team that clearly needed to change direction.
3. Calgary Flames -- Poor year after the playoffs the year before has them motivated. Added some more depth while the rest of the division has tapered off a bit.
4. Los Angeles Kings -- Like the Blackhawks, the core is too experienced but their contracts are negatively impacting the depth.
---------------------------
5. Anaheim Ducks -- The forward group outside of ~33 Perry/Getzlaf/Kesler is very poor. I think Gibson struggles just enough like Allen to cause them to slip out of the playoffs.
6. Arizona Coyotes -- This season should be like a roller coaster ride with the highs and lows with all the young kids. Team still needs time to compete in the West.
7. Vancouver Canucks -- Like the Blue Jackets, too much mediocrity. Sedin's will need to take some of Jagr's anti-aging medicine for them to compete.

 

[BurntToast]

We are in the playoffs. Whatever happens after is gravy.

I would of went: Caps,Pens, Devils, X, X2? ( Any mix of Flyers, Rangers, Islanders) but w/ Crosby out indefinitely that could be trouble and Pens will need to tread water. Flyers A few players suspended to start the season (thugs). Rangers are older and slowing. Islanders lost a few key players and are banking on the rookies and crap goalies. Blue Jackets have a pretty rough schedule on papper. Cains are a darkhorse. Panthers/Boston/Sabres have a bunch of injured players. Tampa overrated. Habs = Price.

 

[MadDevil]

I'm optimistic about this season, but at the same time I have a hard time seeing us jumping from 7th to 4th in the division, which is probably what it'll take to make the playoffs (unless the Metro sends 5 teams).

 

[Bleedred]

Feel like it's only fair to revive this. Going to tweak my predictions a bit:

Metropolitan Division:

1. Washington Capitals
2. Pittsburgh Penguins -- had them first, but injuries to Crosby/Murray means they will leave some points on the table early on
3. Philadelphia Flyers -- the quicker they are able to revamp the D core the better they will be.
4. New York Islanders -- they have enough young forwards that I think they will do fine replacing Okposo/Nielsen's contributions. The rest of the team changed very little
--------------------
5. New Jersey Devils -- Just out of a wild card spot, the D would need to perform over their heads to get us past the Islanders
6. Carolina Hurricanes -- They're quietly building a good team down there, but the defense is still very young. Goaltending doesn't help them either.
7. New York Rangers -- They've slowly been losing some quality talent and I think this might be the year they take a step back in order to take two steps forward.
8. Columbus Blue Jackets -- too much grind and not enough skill. Will be tough to play against though.

Atlantic Division

1. Tampa Bay Lightning -- not much needs to be said here
2. Florida Panthers -- had both Florida/Pittsburgh leading the division, but the injury bug will cause them to slip a little bid. Losing Bjugstad and Huberdeau hurts.
3. Ottawa Senators -- my surprise team here. Nothing special, but a solid all-around team. Boucher should get them to buy in his first year.
4. Boston Bruins -- I don't like their defense at all, but their center group along with Marchand-Bergeron on the top line wills them here.
-------------------------------------
5. Montreal Canadiens -- I don't see the Radulov experiment ending well with Therrein behind the bench. They need him to add scoring depth
6. Toronto Maple Leafs -- I think the kids show a lot of promise this year, but like the Devils last year, there are still big holes that only time will fill
7. Detroit Red Wings -- Playoff streak ends this year. They haven't been able to replace their stars and it finally catches up to them. Too much mediocrity here.
8. Buffalo Sabres -- Eichel is going to be a big hit. Their defense and goaltending is still weak as well.

Western Conference

Central Division

1. Winnipeg Jets -- Very underrated. No Pavelec will be addition by subtraction and I'm sold on Hellebuyck. Great D core and insane forward depth
2. Dallas Stars -- Goaltending/defense are definitely concerns, but they have enough solid veterans on D to insulate the young kids
3. Nashville Predators -- Rinne concerns me here, but he can be a very good goalie at times. Team is very deep and well-rounded.
4. Chicago Blackhawks -- They won't be as good as previous years with that forward group, but the core knows how to win.
------------------------------
5. St. Louis Blues -- They just miss out this year which will cost Hitchcock. I think Allen struggles just enough to knock them out of a competitive Central Division.
6. Minnesota Wild -- I'm not sold on their older guys. Parise, Koivu, Staal, and Pominville are shells of what they were. I'm not sure Boudreau will save them.
7. Colorado Avalanche -- I don't like their depth at forward. Their defense is in the bottom-third of the league as well. I expect them to end up 12/13th in the West.

Pacific Division

1. San Jose Sharks -- This division is a shell of what it used to be. Sharks are easily the top dogs here.
2. Edmonton Oilers -- I like their off-season a lot. They revamped the team that clearly needed to change direction.
3. Calgary Flames -- Poor year after the playoffs the year before has them motivated. Added some more depth while the rest of the division has tapered off a bit.
4. Los Angeles Kings -- Like the Blackhawks, the core is too experienced but their contracts are negatively impacting the depth.
---------------------------
5. Anaheim Ducks -- The forward group outside of ~33 Perry/Getzlaf/Kesler is very poor. I think Gibson struggles just enough like Allen to cause them to slip out of the playoffs.
6. Arizona Coyotes -- This season should be like a roller coaster ride with the highs and lows with all the young kids. Team still needs time to compete in the West.
7. Vancouver Canucks -- Like the Blue Jackets, too much mediocrity. Sedin's will need to take some of Jagr's anti-aging medicine for them to compete.

I remember your earlier prediction's, they were still pretty close to this.

I'd love to see Anaheim and St Louis miss the playoffs.

 

[John Pedro]

I'd do just metro:

Caps
Penguins
Flyers
Isles
Rangers
Canes
Devils
Blue Jackets

 

[Edmonton East]

Metro:
1) Caps
2) Pens
3) Philly

Fake Atlantic:
1) Tampa
2) Carey Price
3) Florida

Wildcard:
Rangers
Devils

Isles are missing the playoffs this year. Coach gets fired mid season.

 

[Bologna 1]

Metropolitan:
1. WSH*
2. PIT
3. PHI
4. NYI (WC1)
5. NYR (WC2)
6. CAR
7. NJD
8. CBJ

Atlantic
1. MTL
2. TBL
3. FLA
4. OTT
5. BOS
6. BUF
7. DET
8. TOR

Central:
1. DAL
2. NSH
3. CHI
4. STL (WC1)
5. MIN (WC2)
6. WPG
7. COL

Pacific:
1. SJS*
2. CGY
3. ANA
4. LAK
5. EDM
6. ARI
7. VAN

 

[SNES]

Fun to look through some predictions at half way point.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Metro:
1) Caps
2) Pens
3) Philly

Fake Atlantic:
1) Tampa
2) Carey Price
3) Florida

Wildcard:
Rangers
Devils

Isles are missing the playoffs this year. Coach gets fired mid season.

Nailed this one.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Tampa sucking was never predicted.

Lots of overrating of the Flyers, undertatong of the Rags (but not a ton since the team arent lighting the world on fire), underrating CBJ.

Underrated the Oil out west.

 

[Bleedred]

I liked Zippy's prediction of St Louis missing the playoffs and I believe he had said that Allen would crumble.

Somehow, they're still in a playoff spot in spite of having what has to be the second or third worst goaltending in the league. Allen is definitely crumbling like ancient stone after a catastrophic earthquake. They're in a playoff spot, but they really shouldn't be.

They're trending downward though.

 

[Devils Dominion]

I liked Zippy's prediction of St Louis missing the playoffs and I believe he had said that Allen would crumble.

Somehow, they're still in a playoff spot in spite of having what has to be the second or third worst goaltending in the league. Allen is definitely crumbling like ancient stone after a catastrophic earthquake. They're in a playoff spot, but they really shouldn't be.

They're trending downward though.

Maybe they look into Blimpback if Jake continues his steep downward spiral.

 

[Bleedred]

Maybe they look into Blimpback if Jake continues his steep downward spiral.

He's either with the Kings AHL team or back in Europe. I remember him getting a PTO for the Kings AHL team, since Budaj was their starter but has been up with the NHL Kings since Quick's injury.

Allen was so beyond overrated, it's looking like Vasilevskiy is another one that's been massively overrated.

But Vasilevskiy does have a much higher ceiling than Jake The Shake ever did, and is still only 22 years old.

 

[Devils Dominion]

He's either with the Kings AHL team or back in Europe. I remember him getting a PTO for the Kings AHL team, since Budaj was their starter but has been up with the NHL Kings since Quick's injury.

Allen was so beyond overrated, it's looking like Vasilevskiy is another one that's been massively overrated.

But Vasilevskiy does have a much higher ceiling than Jake The Shake ever did, and is still only 22 years old.

I think Vas is still going to be good.
Allen's best days are behind him though.

 

[Bleedred]

I think Vas is still going to be good.
Allen's best days are behind him though.

Allen had choker written all over him when watching his last two playoff series.

He sunk the Blues against the Wild in 2015 with some really soft goals in the final 2 games of the series. I remember the NBC crew having a whole lot of fun with ripping him after that one and during the intermission's of those games.

He was one of the Sharks best players in game 5 of the WCF last year, which helped the Sharks eek out a win in that game and take the series back home up 3 games to 2. Elliott wasn't good in that series after game 1, but Hitchcock should have never went with Allen after game 3 (the Blues were shutout by Jones 2 games in a row and he inserted Allen for the **** of it, despite Elliott not being at his best) and that's why Elliott asked for a trade. He should have been allowed to play the duration of that playoffs, unless he played much worse than what he did in games 2 and 3 of the WCF. Which wasn't great, but not enough to warrant a change after the playoffs he had up to that point.

The fact that Elliott has been terrible in Calgary and lost his starting job to former NFL star Chad Ochocinco, has somewhat softened the blow of choosing Allen over Elliott. But they probably could have gotten a first round pick for Allen at the draft last year, due to his age and the fact that guys like Lehner, Jones and Andersen were all going for 1st round picks over the last two years. Now, he'd be lucky if he returned anything. You'd have to pay someone to take him or retain salary if he doesn't bounce back. And if he does bounce back, they're probably better off keeping him anyway.