2018-19 Avs Prediction Thread

Foppberg

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Nov 20, 2016
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Saw a few people making predictions for the upcoming season, so I figured this could be a good offseason thread to do + look back on at the end of next season.

- Varly will play struggle with injuries again and Francouz will prove to be a legitimate NHL goaltender.

- Jost will continue his play from last season and get 45 points

- Kerfoot will struggle and only put up 30 points

- Girard-Cole will essentially become an additional second pairing with Girard putting up 30+ points

- Zadorov will take another step forward to cementing himself as a top pairing Dman. 10 + goal season.


Big prediction: EJ will play 80+ games.
 
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Raucherhusten

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- Sakic brings in Skinner before training camp and extent him - 7x7

- MacKinnon will continue to dominate, Mikko will not

- Varly will play about 20 games, Grubsy will struggle as a number one but Francouz is looking good

- Jost will have a better season, Compher and Kerfoot will not

- Kamenev will suprise us all ... and in a good way

- Timmins will make the team out of camp, Meloche won't play a single NHL game this year

- The Avs will make the Playoffs if MacKinnon stays healthy

- BIG one: Avs will win more than 48% faceoffs
 

agentblack

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Apr 11, 2011
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I dont know why but i think EJ will start the year on fire.. then he'll take a shot to ankle arooouunnnd Jan and fulfill his destiny
 

agentblack

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I dont know why but i think EJ will start the year on fire.. then he'll take a shot to ankle arooouunnnd Jan and fulfill his destiny
 

Spender

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Nate Dawg will regress to the mean, probably delivering a 30-40 point season to make up for his last one. Evidence provided above.
 

Pierce Hawthorne

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- Mack establishes himself as truly elite and the consensus 2nd best player in the league behind McDavid. He stays healthy all 82 games and hits 110 points. (McDavid FYI hits 125 as goal scoring rises again next year).

- Rantanen also sees a points jump as he eclipses 90 with 35 Goals and become a true powerhouse winger in the league.

- Jost struggles as the 2C and by January it's clear he won't be a 2C in the NHL. He gets moved to the Wing and starts playing better but still a disappointing season overall.

- None of the kids stand out positively among the forwards all year with the exception of Compher who gets put on Sodas wing and the two end up providing the bulk of the Avs secondary scoring as they each hit 45 points.




- Varly plays very well but is overshadowed by lights out play from Grubauer who establishes himself as the #1 and Vezina darkhorse candidate by January. After the Avs dabble with Francouz in the NHL for a little while with success, Varlamov is traded at the deadline in a surprise deal with Edmonton(Who continue to struggle because of goaltending among other issues) with Yamamoto as the piece in return for the Avs.


- Girard breaks out in a huge way. Hitting 41 points and playing major minutes alongside Erik Johnson. The two end up forming the Avs top pairing and along with excellent play from Barrie and Zadorov together on the 2nd pairing, the defense proves to be a huge reason for the Avs being thick in the Central division title race with Winnipeg.



In other words. Another year like last year with average at best offensive depth despite an elite top line. However the defense stays healthy and makes huge strides as a group along with high end goaltending, allowing the Avs to take a big step forward and look like a legit contender from the West.


Oh, and Ottawa sucks again. Not 31st in the league bad but they end up in the bottom 5 and after the lottery the Avs end up with the #5 pick in the 2019 draft and a chance at one of Kakko or Newhook at 5.
 
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AvsWraith

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I only know one thing that is for sure. Both EJ and Varly will be injured at some point during the season.
 

Brett44

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The 1st line will be separate

The 2nd line will be lot better and Jost hit 50 points

Defence play very well until Johnson injury's

Varlamov will be trade at the deadline.
Francouz is a NHL goalie.

Lost againts Winnipeg in 7 in the second round
 

Sea Eagles

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Feb 7, 2012
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Hmmmmm....I'll try and be more balanced and err on the side of pessimism, as I'm tired of being the homer around these parts ;)

FORWARDS
X Landy will have his most gifted offensive season, and grab 67 points (29 goals - miss 30 with a bad no call at game 82)
X Mackinnon and Rantanen will shoot the lights out. Mack hitting the tonne, and Rants not far behind
X Kerfoot will surprise everyone, and progress under Bednar, and get 50+ points
X Jost will establish himself as a gritty, scoring Center (and appropriate #2C), and have 2001/2002 Chris Drury season
X The surprise packet will be whoever is on the 2nd line with Kerfoot and Jost. Thinking Andrighetto who has a career year (15 goals)
X Colin Wilson, being a contract year, will come out of the blocks on fire, and will change minds about extending him (in a good way)
X Calvert's grittiness and intensity will shock Avs fans, and he'll become a fan favorite very quickly
X Kamenev will cement himself in our team, and may very well push his way up the lines
X Compher will become one of our best PK'ers, and lines with Calvert and now what is an amazing defense / goals, our PK will end up 3rd overall
X A smokey like Greer may make the roster, and will be amazing

DEFENSE
X What was recently our weakness, will quickly be realized as one of our strengths in a leagues top 10 group
X As others have said, EJ to play 80+ games (the 2 he misses will be an illness, not injury) - he'll be elite
X Cole will (like Calvert) an absolute Godsend, and will become a fan favorite. He'll bring experience / poise
X Zadorov will go to the next level, and establish himself as a true top pair D-man
X Our 2nd pair will be pushing the top pair for big minutes
X With Girard going to shock with his offense (40 points), along with Barrie (50 points), Nemeth's DEFENSE will be more appreciated

GOALS
X I expect Varlamov / Grubauer to have an outstanding year. Possibly best tandem in the league, behind a very strong defense.
X I expect Varlamov to be extended around Christmas

OTHER
X I expect us to finish top 3-6 in the league. 8th in points scored. 3rd in stopping points against. PK, 3rd overall.
X I expect a D-man to be traded for an elite winger
X I expect us to have picks 2, & picks 28 in next seasons draft first round (furthering our strength)
X Makar / Timmins will be chomping at the bit to get into the team, but our defense will be strong, so they may be slowed
X I expect us to get to at LEAST the 2nd round, hopefully the third round of the playoffs

Sorry for the length of the post guys.
 
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Postanin CB Ting

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-Mack will be a beast again, Rants points decrease a bit with Landys rising

-Jost will be moved to the wing, with Soda

-Varly will only have 1 minor injury, missing like a week

-Kamenev will be a very pleasant suprise

-Barrie has a career year

-Ghetto or Kerfoot will be traded
 

Foppberg

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Nov 20, 2016
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Hmmmmm....I'll try and be more balanced and err on the side of pessimism, as I'm tired of being the homer around these parts ;)

FORWARDS
X Landy will have his most gifted offensive season, and grab 67 points (29 goals - miss 30 with a bad no call at game 82)
X Mackinnon and Rantanen will shoot the lights out. Mack hitting the tonne, and Rants not far behind
X Kerfoot will surprise everyone, and progress under Bednar, and get 50+ points
X Jost will establish himself as a gritty, scoring Center (and appropriate #2C), and have 2001/2002 Chris Drury season
X The surprise packet will be whoever is on the 2nd line with Kerfoot and Jost. Thinking Andrighetto who has a career year (15 goals)
X Colin Wilson, being a contract year, will come out of the blocks on fire, and will change minds about extending him (in a good way)
X Calvert's grittiness and intensity will shock Avs fans, and he'll become a fan favorite very quickly
X Kamenev will cement himself in our team, and may very well push his way up the lines
X Compher will become one of our best PK'ers, and lines with Calvert and now what is an amazing defense / goals, our PK will end up 3rd overall
X A smokey like Greer may make the roster, and will be amazing

DEFENSE
X What was recently our weakness, will quickly be realized as one of our strengths in a leagues top 10 group
X As others have said, EJ to play 80+ games (the 2 he misses will be an illness, not injury) - he'll be elite
X Cole will (like Calvert) an absolute Godsend, and will become a fan favorite. He'll bring experience / poise
X Zadorov will go to the next level, and establish himself as a true top pair D-man
X Our 2nd pair will be pushing the top pair for big minutes
X With Girard going to shock with his offense (40 points), along with Barrie (50 points), Nemeth's DEFENSE will be more appreciated

GOALS
X I expect Varlamov / Grubauer to have an outstanding year. Possibly best tandem in the league, behind a very strong defense.
X I expect Varlamov to be extended around Christmas

OTHER
X I expect us to finish top 3-6 in the league. 8th in points scored. 3rd in stopping points against. PK, 3rd overall.
X I expect a D-man to be traded for an elite winger
X I expect us to have picks 2, & picks 28 in next seasons draft first round (furthering our strength)
X Makar / Timmins will be chomping at the bit to get into the team, but our defense will be strong, so they may be slowed
X I expect us to get to at LEAST the 2nd round, hopefully the third round of the playoffs

Sorry for the length of the post guys.

This is you trying not to be a homer? :laugh:
 

Ararana

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- Mack will decline a bit but still be a dominate top line center
- Grubauer won't be fully ready to take over the #1 spot
- Varly will play lights out in a contract year and everyone on this board will freak out when Sakic keeps him past the deadline
- Jost puts up an extremely similar season as last year
- Timmins & Makar will be on the NHL team by the end of the season
- Avs miss the playoffs by less than 10 points and go into the summer with a top 5 (Sens) and top 15 (Avs) pick (pre-lottery)
 

Pierce Hawthorne

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This is you trying not to be a homer? :laugh:


:laugh:


No kidding. If all of those things actually happened that team doesn't finish 3-6 in the league. We're the Presidents trophy winners and Stanley Cup favorites come April since we'd apparently have:

1, 100 point forward(Mack)
1, 90 point forward(Rantanen)
3 more 50+ point forwards(Jost, Landeskog, Kerfoot)
Essentially 4 Top pairing Dmen
And the best goalie tandem in the league?


We'd have become the Nashville Predators, only with a pair of legit superstar forwards that Nashville doesn't have. And a better goaltending duo then what Nashville has.
 

Pierce Hawthorne

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- Mack will decline a bit but still be a dominate top line center
- Grubauer won't be fully ready to take over the #1 spot
- Varly will play lights out in a contract year and everyone on this board will freak out when Sakic keeps him past the deadline
- Jost puts up an extremely similar season as last year
- Timmins & Makar will be on the NHL team by the end of the season
- Avs miss the playoffs by less than 10 points and go into the summer with a top 5 (Sens) and top 15 (Avs) pick (pre-lottery)


This is the most realistic scenario I see unfolding. And I really dont think its a bad thing at all for the Avs to get another pair of Top 15 picks in a draft.

Think we're much better positioned to get serious about playoff and cup contention starting in 2019/20 when Makar, Kaut, Timmins, and the Ottawa 2019 1st round pick are on the roster.
 
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Sea Eagles

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:laugh:


No kidding. If all of those things actually happened that team doesn't finish 3-6 in the league. We're the Presidents trophy winners and Stanley Cup favorites come April since we'd apparently have:

1, 100 point forward(Mack)
1, 90 point forward(Rantanen)
3 more 50+ point forwards(Jost, Landeskog, Kerfoot)
Essentially 4 Top pairing Dmen
And the best goalie tandem in the league?


We'd have become the Nashville Predators, only with a pair of legit superstar forwards that Nashville doesn't have. And a better goaltending duo then what Nashville has.

Why not? We pushed last year's league favourites to 6 games in the playoffs.

That alone taught us plenty.

Why can't players continue to improve under Bednar?

Isn't our goalie and defensive group more stacked than it's been for ages?
 

Pierce Hawthorne

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Why not? We pushed last year's league favourites to 6 games in the playoffs.

That alone taught us plenty.

Why can't players continue to improve under Bednar?

Isn't our goalie and defensive group more stacked than it's been for ages?



More stacked then it has been in ages does not mean it will become the best goalie tandem in the league and a Top 10 Defense in the league.


For one there's zero evidence yet to suggest our goaltending is even better than it was last year. We hope it will be but Grubauer is very much an unknown next year. And Varly is once again coming off a major injury.



And our Defense was worse in the league for a number of years very recently. It being significantly better now means it's no longer in the bottom 1/3 of the league. But it's also nowhere near the top 10. We don't even have a #1D. No defense that doesn't have a legit 1D is anywhere near the Top 10.


Our only chance of improving next season is essentially if the Top line does what it does again. And all of the young guys on our teams exceed expectations. And the chances of that happening are slim to put it in simple terms.
 

Ivan13

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May 3, 2011
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My predictions:

  • Nate will continue to dominate games out there along with Landeskog and Rantanen. I don't expect him to play at above 120 point pace like he did for vast majority of the season, but I do expect him to break 100 with Rantanen and Landy matching their totals from last season.
  • 2nd line will be a work in progress, Jost will show progress and do good at times showing flashes of becoming a staple top 6 forward, but he won't lock down the #2 center spot, finding more success on the wing
  • Kamenev will be the "2nd line" (in reality I see that line as the 3rd line in terms of playing time, a line that will get ample amount of offensive zone starts and that will be sheltered throughout the year) center by year's end, not because he will be amazing, but rather because others will show they can't handle the load as well as he can
  • Greer will continue to show his future is that of a 4th line banger at best
  • Kaut and Timmins stay in A the whole year
  • Makar dresses for the Avs come season's end
  • Bowers continues growing and leads BU to Frozen 4 and then turns pro
  • Andrighetto has an up and down season and ends up being traded
  • Kerfoot breaks the 40 point mark again, but still looks a bit out of place at times
  • the 3rd line with Soderberg doesn't look as good as last year, but still brings a net positive to the team most nights while taking tough matchups
  • EJ continues his uneven play and battles injuries, his dumb belly flop reaches 2bfpg average
  • Barrie continues to light the lamp and moving in the right direction
  • Sammy grows in his game further still
  • Cole looks unspectacular, but is an upgrade on Nemeth and makes for a nice pairing with Sammy
  • Nemeth looks the same
  • Z shows moments of complete dominance mixed with "what the hell is he doing" moments
  • Varlamov battles consistency because of minor injuries
  • Grubauer shows promise but falters a bit when asked to stay in net for longer stretches
  • We miss the playoff and end up with the pick in the 15 range
 

agentblack

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Apr 11, 2011
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I feel the same about Cole, like he wont be amazing but he wont suck, he'll just be there , which is usually good for some AHLer but not at the price we're paying

I also agree with your Z prediction, he'll look amazing but then have a series of brain farts even to the point he'll get scratched which will cause a freakin sh!tstorm around here come mid Dec, but i think this will be the last year of that
 

Balthazar

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Stumbled across this:

The worst team at PK faceoffs last year?
Colorado - less than 38%

We need to find a way to fix our faceoff issues.
 

Cousin Eddie

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- Varlamov has the best stat line of any NHL goalie next year but doesn’t win the Vezina because the organization is dead set on playing Grubauer more games than he deserves and Varly don’t have enough wins/gp.

- Zadorov scores 40 points. First time we see him ever truly ready to start the season on time.

- Top line is split up before November.

- JTC is traded.

- Meloche plays 30 NHL games.

- Ghetto scores 55+ points in his contract year.
 

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