Call the 2017 SC Final - right now

[Hackett]

In the east I have a tough time choosing between Tampa and Washington. I think it will be Tampa's turn to re-appear in the finals.

In the West, it's more difficult to pick just one team. I'm gonna go with Chicago.

That makes a rematch of the 2015 finals. Chicago vs Tampa.

 

[Pestilence]

This is very realistic, Dallas just needs a new goaltender. Can't go with the same duo that killed them last year. They don't even need a superstar goaltender, but for gods sakes, you gotta get somebody in there that can provide goaltending that at least can reach the 90% barrier over 4 rounds.

Thinking a new goaltender is just magically gonna fix all the problems Stars have is quite wishful thinking.

vs.

 

[TheImpatientPanther]

I'd be happy and excited with any SCF combo of these 4 teams:

 

[Honour Over Glory]

I'll say...

Penguins vs I honestly don't know, no one in the West worries me to be honest. The only thing that worries me is the Pens health, like usual.

vs

For the draft lottery?

 

[MattMartin]

VS whoever limps in from the west.

 

[Bumpus]

vs. whatever pretender emerges from the West.

Pens in 3. *










* says the smug fan of the defending champs.

 

[feffan]

VS

Hope and think this. Could be an final of the ages!

 

[Stephen Gionta]

Too early to make a final call on SCF.

But ill predict the ECF and WCF.

Lightning vs Capitals

San Jose vs Chicago

 

[Limekiller]

A San Jose vs Washington final would be insanely intense. One franchise having to break the curse and finally win one... Talk about high drama. Add in Ovechkin vs Thornton story lines? The media would eat it up.

 

[Help]

Pittsburgh-Nashville

 

[Magic Mittens]

Thinking a new goaltender is just magically gonna fix all the problems Stars have is quite wishful thinking.

vs.

Not sure what you mean here, Dallas's main problem is goaltending

We took the Blues to game 7 with Lehtonen/Niemi and no Seguin. Had we had better goaltending who knows what would have happened

I'm not saying if we get a better goalie that Dallas will make the SCF, but that is the main weakness lol

Anyways, I'll go with

CHI vs Tampa

 

[KingsFan7824]

Its crazy what a difference one year made on the perception of the California teams around here.

Summer of 2014:
Kings - top of the world
Sharks - done forever
Ducks - they'll be back

Summer of 2015:
Kings - what happened?
Sharks - see, told ya!
Ducks - another step toward glory

Summer of 2016:
Kings - just another team
Sharks - really, who can beat them?
Ducks - they hired who as coach?

How many people had SJ/Pit in the Final 12 months ago? I'll say Montreal/Winnipeg.

 

[Call me betty*]

i can't see Blues doing much. They lost backes and brouwer but replaced them with perron??.....

 

[bambamcam4ever]

Not sure what you mean here, Dallas's main problem is goaltending

We took the Blues to game 7 with Lehtonen/Niemi and no Seguin. Had we had better goaltending who knows what would have happened

I'm not saying if we get a better goalie that Dallas will make the SCF, but that is the main weakness lol

Anyways, I'll go with

CHI vs Tampa

Dallas' system is their biggest weakness.

 

[molon labe]

I like the idea of Pens v Nashville *

I'm a follower of the Blues and am astonished people are picking them. They just lost two key pieces to their playoff run and decided to extend Hitch, yet have the future head coach standing right next to him? How's that one going to play to the team, especially the young guys. Unless Yeo mimicks EVERYTHING Hitch says, you're going to have players having to make a choice as to who they try to impress more. While that goes away in the playoffs, my gut says Hitch "steps away for medical reasons" around mid-season and Yeo takes over. My boss is a die-hard and he wants to believe they will go all out for Hitch's last season but even he has been pretty bummed about the off-season (not saying either of those guys deserved the contracts they got). And you have the Shattenkirk saga ongoing? Way too much drama there.

Less assertive pick: Sharks/Stars/Nashville vs. Was/Pitt

*Pens fan.

 

[MardyBum]

Nashville - Tampa

 

[westc2]

i can't see Blues doing much. They lost backes and brouwer but replaced them with perron??.....

Replaced Brouwer with Perron. Brouwer was terrible. His value went way up in the playoffs because he was playing Fabbri/Stastny who were like magicians out there. He just stood in front of the net and cashed in on their plays. Perron should be more effective. He's the type of player who has the potential to be great.

Backes is most likely being replaced by Sobotka, who isn't as good as Backes overall, but he's got all the skilled needed of a 3rd line center. He's actually extremely underrated. So all in all I'd say swapping Backes/Brouwer with Perron/Sobotka is a wash.

Keep in mind all of their very young players who haven't even reached their prime yet...Tarasenko/Schwartz/Fabbri/Parayko. The Blues should be a better team next year.

 

[Luigi Lemieux]

St. Louis' biggest roadblock is Hitchcock. His style and system is not going to win a cup in today's NHL.

 

[Call me betty*]

Replaced Brouwer with Perron. Brouwer was terrible. His value went way up in the playoffs because he was playing Fabbri/Stastny who were like magicians out there. He just stood in front of the net and cashed in on their plays. Perron should be more effective. He's the type of player who has the potential to be great.

Backes is most likely being replaced by Sobotka, who isn't as good as Backes overall, but he's got all the skilled needed of a 3rd line center. He's actually extremely underrated. So all in all I'd say swapping Backes/Brouwer with Perron/Sobotka is a wash.

Keep in mind all of their very young players who haven't even reached their prime yet...Tarasenko/Schwartz/Fabbri/Parayko. The Blues should be a better team next year.

Perron sucks in the playoffs, lets just get that out of the way first. Can they still win the Stanley cup next year, with some additions at the trade deadline, yes its possible. But i don't see how you can say Blues are a better team than they were last playoffs, especially when you lost your 2nd & 3rd best goal scorers in the playoffs to free agency.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

I've been hard on the Caps in the past but I honestly believe the next 2-3 years are their best chance to win a Cup. Ovy and Backstrom are still close to their prime, Kuznetsov is a rising star who didn't look great in his first playoffs but now has the experience, Carlson and Alzner are great on the back-end, and they have a top 5 goalie now. Add to that some solid players like Johansson, Oshie, Williams etc and I don't see what's wrong with picking them. Anything can happen in the playoffs, if they get on a roll it won't be that easy to stop them.

That being said, I'm still picking the Bolts and Pens over them lol.

Not to nitpick just a small part of your overall post, but Kuznetsov played in the playoffs the previous year. He scored the winner against the Isles in Game 7.

Frankly, he looked more dangerous against the Isles the previous year than he did against the Pens. Probably because one of those teams had a Stanley Cup caliber defense that shut him down.

 

[2020 Cup Champions]

vs.



We have to win it this year.

 

[xxxx]

WEST: / VS



EAST: VS


The Stanley Cup final? I'll go bold with Montreal and Dallas.

 

[ATypicalCanadian]

 

[LeafFever]

St. Louis' biggest roadblock is Hitchcock. His style and system is not going to win a cup in today's NHL.

The day Hitchcock arrived they became very good. it's not like they took a step back when he arrived.
They need more offence. Not a better coach.

 

[LeafFever]

Tampa over Nashville