HFBoards 2018 Stanley Cup Favourites 1-31

[Bizz]

>Tampa, Washington, Dallas, St Louis, Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary and Minny over San Jose

These rankings are bad and you should feel bad.

If you think losing a 38 year old forward who scored 27 goals last season, mostly by beating up on the likes of Colorado, Vancouver, and Arizona during a 6 week period, justifies an 11 place drop then I have a bridge to sell you.

 

[Jets]

Sure the leafs are trending up, but blowing by half the league with a bottom 5 defence group just doesn't add up.

 

[Conspiracy Theorist]

I wouldn't put Edmonton at #2 but lol at Toronto at 13.

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

Sure the leafs are trending up, but blowing by half the league with a bottom 5 defence group just doesn't add up.

Well it's not bottom 5 and the offense is top 5. Plus it's a young and improving team

 

[feffan]

If one or more of Dallas young 25 and under defenceman takes a step forward this season and Hithcook does more good than bad, Dallas is my favourite. They are still 3rd to me. I would move Edm down a few steps personally. They (as the Maple Leafs...) are up and coming teams that are contenders more than pretenders. But they still need more experience come spring as I see it. But nothings impossible, if they get that real flow.

I would also move Capitals in right after Dallas. They still have a great core and a top 3 goalie in the game to back stop them. They just need him to get real hot at the right time, they are in for a fun time. And if Niskanen, Carlson and Orlov (hopefully for them taking a step forward...) can play 22-23 ATOI each, they can hide there less talented 4-7 guys. And they still have one of the greatest top 6:s in the leauge. Hopefully Williams and Johansson leaving will make more room for some of the young guns to really prove themselfes. Interesting team to follow!

 

[llamateizer]

>Tampa, Washington, Dallas, St Louis, Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary and Minny over San Jose

These rankings are bad and you should feel bad.

If you think losing a 38 year old forward who scored 27 goals last season, mostly by beating up on the likes of Colorado, Vancouver, and Arizona during a 6 week period, justifies an 11 place drop then I have a bridge to sell you.

They were probably too high last season and underachieved.

They reached the WCF 2 years ago
Last season, they finished 3rd in division and were eliminated in first round.

They lost Wingels and Marleau (replaced by ?)
in Defense, they lost Shlemko and Mueller (replaced by ?)

 

[llamateizer]

Sure the leafs are trending up, but blowing by half the league with a bottom 5 defence group just doesn't add up.

Agree somehow.
But look at the list and tell me which one should be above TOR


OTT: EK out for a while, Brassard ? They lost Methot and McArthur
CGY: Will the goalie do the job?
SJS: they lost Marleau, Wingel, Shlemko and Mueller . Replaced by nothing (officially Brandon Bollig)
MTL: debatable. They lost Markov, Beaulieu, Emelin and Radulov, replaced by Drouin, Alzner and Shlemko
BOS: debatable. Weak lineup
WPG: lets them make the playoffs
CAR: team going no where
PHI: going down
LA: going down
NYI/BUF/FLA/ARI/NJD/VAN: nothing impressive of what we saw
COL: lol.

It's normal that TOR goes above most the teams.

 

[KingBran]

Wildcard 2 team.

Got worse this offseason.

Somehow everyone thinks they will be this amazing team because they played good for 1+ months against 3 teams... smh.

 

[1865]

PHI: going down

Odd opinion.

 

[The Note]

>Tampa, Washington, Dallas, St Louis, Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary and Minny over San Jose

These rankings are bad and you should feel bad.

If you think losing a 38 year old forward who scored 27 goals last season, mostly by beating up on the likes of Colorado, Vancouver, and Arizona during a 6 week period, justifies an 11 place drop then I have a bridge to sell you.

I don't see what's so crazy about any of those teams being higher than SJ outside of Toronto and maybe Calgary? Any team that finished lower than the Sharks in that list was within 5 points of them, sans the Stars whose additions have been well documented.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

>Tampa, Washington, Dallas, St Louis, Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary and Minny over San Jose

These rankings are bad and you should feel bad.

If you think losing a 38 year old forward who scored 27 goals last season, mostly by beating up on the likes of Colorado, Vancouver, and Arizona during a 6 week period, justifies an 11 place drop then I have a bridge to sell you.

The bolded teams are rightfully ahead of the Sharks. The others are debatable.

 

[NeedleInTheHay]

lol Columbus wins the HF offseason for about the 6th time in a row, yet still don't have a single playoff series win, hmmmm.

 

[major major]

HF has been raving about "here comes Columbus!!1!" since the Carter trade and I'm still waiting for them to win a series.

Why should they be ahead of teams like New York, Minnesota, St. Louis, or even Ottawa who were better last year and have been better since.....I don't know, forever?

What you are smoking - The Jackets had more points than all of those teams. They also were like +54, and Ottawa -2.

Jackets average age is youngest in the league, Ottawa the oldest. And here you are expecting more from Ottawa?

Outside of those 16 games they were on pace for 94 points, the sane as the Isles and Lightning, who both missed the playoffs (to be fair, one of those three would have been in due to a tiebreaker but I'm not figuring that out). Do you really think that 66 games isn't a good sample size to figure out?

And also to your first point, if the wins were more spread out, then yes, I would consider it more legit. When looking at how a team did in past seasons, I try to avoid clear outliers

Just to provide a little statistical perspective: if you take out every team's best 16 game stretch, the Jackets still have one of the best records in the league. It's not really fair to take out their's and not others.

That 66 games isn't an independent sample you should draw from - it's not independent because you deliberately cut out all Jackets wins.

 

[HanSolo]

LOL what?


Cant wait to hear the explanation of how Columbus is too high... Should provide ample amount of laughs.

Scoffs at an opinion, laughs off any potential argument as to why the opinion is right without arguing why the opinion is wrong. Solid stuff.

 

[bigbuffalo313]

Just to provide a little statistical perspective: if you take out every team's best 16 game stretch, the Jackets still have one of the best records in the league. It's not really fair to take out their's and not others.

That 66 games isn't an independent sample you should draw from - it's not independent because you deliberately cut out all Jackets wins.

You realize there is a difference between taking out 16 random games and taking out a clear exception right? In 2012 the Rangers got a boost from an eight game win streak. Without it, they would have been on pace for 103 points, which was around the Flyers and Devils. Guess what? They were much closer to those two teams than to the best in the east. Guess what happened when they faced a team that was actually good in the playoffs?

 

[major major]

You realize there is a difference between taking out 16 random games and taking out a clear exception right? In 2012 the Rangers got a boost from an eight game win streak. Without it, they would have been on pace for 103 points, which was around the Flyers and Devils. Guess what? They were much closer to those two teams than to the best in the east. Guess what happened when they faced a team that was actually good in the playoffs?

Its funny the Jackets would be getting more respect if they lost a game in the middle of that stretch.

And to answer your question, no I don't think it's appropriate to cut out only one teams best stretch and not others. Teams generally have stretches of play that deviate from their average performance in the rest of the year. If you're going to do it for one team, do it for every team.

I'd be more sympathetic to your argument if the Jackets had a poor record after all teams had their best 20 game stretch cut out. Instead they still have one of the best records.

 

[mashedpotato]

Toronto Maple Leafs climbing that rank....

... Good for them. Hope they stay up there.

 

[Carlzner]

Yeah... Rangers are barely even gonna make the playoffs. Toronto behind them is hilarious.

 

[haveandare]

You talk as if what youre saying is a certainty but it isnt.

New York has old Lunqvist, Mcdonagh, and then nothing. Theyre best forward might be Zibanejad. Count me unimpressed.

Minnesota also has painfully average forwards (with Granlund and Koivu as youre best centers theyre not going anywhere anyway).
Their strength is defense but theyre best D-man Suter has been as disappointing in the playoffs the last few years as a franchise D can be.
Oh, and their coach is Boudreau whose allergic to the big games.

St. Louis/Ottawa are even with CBJ and even that's not cut and dry.

Ottawa rode Karlsson's brilliance to the conference finals, when he was off the ice they were pretty unimpressive.
St. Louis is a deeper team but they have the same issues as CBJ (lack of high forwards) and they dont have a goalie the quality of Bob.

Every team is good for a reason that you can state in such a way that it sounds like it invalidates their success. That doesn't mean they aren't good teams.

For example, Ottawa rode their best player's brilliance to the conference finals...yes, teams with elite players depend on elite play from them to go all the way. That's what happens, they're part of the team like everyone else.

I agree, CBJ gets a lot of fanfare for a team that has accomplished almost nothing in the big scope of things.

 

[Carlzner]

The bolded teams are rightfully ahead of the Sharks. The others are debatable.

Lol no, the others are not debatable. Toronto, Ottawa, and Minny are very clearly ahead of SJ.

 

[TGWL]

>Tampa, Washington, Dallas, St Louis, Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary and Minny over San Jose

These rankings are bad and you should feel bad.

If you think losing a 38 year old forward who scored 27 goals last season, mostly by beating up on the likes of Colorado, Vancouver, and Arizona during a 6 week period, justifies an 11 place drop then I have a bridge to sell you.

I think it's more about the bad finish to the season. Losing 17 our of your last 30 games doesn't make you jump up as favorites.

 

[haveandare]

Yeah... Rangers are barely even gonna make the playoffs. Toronto behind them is hilarious.

Yes because Toronto has so much recent playoff success.

 

[Carlzner]

Yes because Toronto has so much recent playoff success.

You realize you’re talking about a team that’s best player was a rookie last season, right? I thought they looked great against us in the first round and they’re only going to be better this season. Babcock is the best coach in the league.

I get that it’s fashionable to hate on them because of how obnoxious the fanbase can be on here but they’re clearly one of the best teams in the East.

 

[CornKicker]

curious how these rank vs the vegas odds

 

[Empoleon8771]

Tampa Bay, Nashville, Edmonton and Chicago are too high. Anaheim, St. Louis, Calgary and Minnesota are too low.