one more year of no playoffs
next year itll happen
meh, im not as worried about the d, bc the risk is scattered across all of them
if slavin takes a step back, maybe hanifin has a huge year, if pesce becomes meh maybe fleury steps up, etc.
i just dont think the forwards are quite there yet
Look I nailed it last year. (That does not happen often, indulge me.)
Granted, switch the defensemen around in the example I used, but...
As for this year, I think the defense stays just as good as they were last year. I have a funny feeling that Slavin will regress slightly (no shame in that, he was incredible last year). Hanifin is a guy I'd expect to make a major leap. Pesce will be just as solid, and I think Faulk makes less mental errors while still putting up points.
The only weakness from our defense last year was an abysmal bottom pairing, and I think TVR will fix that. Whether it's Fleury, Carrick, or whoever, that pairing will be improved from Matt Tennyson who is pretty bad.
As for the forwards, I think we look a lot like the Rangers from past years; no real centerpiece (closest we have is Skinner), but we will roll 3 lines that we are confident can score and a 4th that can shut teams down. While there is no real superstar in our forward group, there's also no real weakness when you look at all four lines. Teams can make the playoffs with that.
Specifically in the forward group I am excited to see what TT can do to step up. Fancystats LOVED him last year even with modest point totals, and so far this preseason he's showing some improved offense.
Goaltending is a toss-up, but honestly even if we get bottom 1/3rd goaltending again this year it does seem like the other improvements could make up for it. We got close-ish last year with awful goaltending, it's hard to believe Darling won't at least be a modest improvement.
Finally, as a whole, this was one of the youngest teams in the league last year. It's not unrealistic to expect some natural progression across the board. I think the addition of Williams, while adding some scoring and a percent or two on the PP, is especially a good development move. He seems to be ready to embrace a mentor role, and I think sometimes the value of such a thing is scoffed at. But I think it just might help some of these other kids to improve.
I think with some of the young guys we are seeing step up across the board, this team is more "injury-proof" than it has ever been. Wallmark can come up if we've got a center injury. Zykov, PDG, or maybe even a Saarela or Kuokkanen for wingers. Carrick (if he gets sent down) on defense. The value for this year in having all of these young guys making final rosters decisions difficult is that it gives us the luxury of not having to be the healthiest team in the league to succeed.
Overall, I think this team gets a wildcard spot. But honestly, I think it's got potential to do even more than that. I don't think a playoff spot is guaranteed, so I will be happy even if we sneak in on the last game of the season. But I do think there's a realistic chance that we are somewhat comfortable with our position with 5-10 games left.