RationalExpectations
Registered User
- May 12, 2019
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It's a weak division because outside of Toronto, they're all bubble teams in the normal format, while Ott and Van are bottom 10-5.
Listen, take a good long look at the defensive squads of each division. Each other division have at least 2-3-4 top 10 defenses, while there's hardly one defense in the North you could put on the top 10 in the normal format. It's even worst with Klefbom being out.
The whole comparison of each division's top and bottom teams you made is highly skewed and completely ommits the reality of what I just mentioned.
You think it's a coincidence so many players in the North are not only among the top scorers and pointers, they're also all having prorated career highs?
The division also packs probably the most offensive punch, making it the most flawed division and why it's easily miscontrued as close to equal to other divisions. Simply looking at last year's results tells the same story.
If we go by last year's stats, the North division has the highest GAA with 3.09. Now tell me, what great defensive stalwarts have been added to make you believe the teams in the North could be better as a whole on defense? I see only minor changes that at best compensates the division for losing Klefbom.
You'll see what I mean next year if divisions are normal, or at the very least, when there's no more ban on interdivision play.
While it is true that the defesnive aspect is not their stregth (safe CGY with Suter maybe), their top scorer were already massively scoring in the old divisions. Which team in the US has McDavid and Draisaitl ? Matthews Tavares, Marner ?
It is true that defensive teams seem to have the edge with the playoff format, but can you really say that
cHI, PIT, WSH, TBL lately were defense first teams when they won ?
The point is that since any of those teams (except OTT) want to make the playoffs you don t have a break playing the likes of SJS or ANA, BUF. It is hard because it is so evenly matched ! Ask any team if they would be happy to meet EDM TOR or WPG 9 times in a season