Giroux - PPG season. People say it's a down year, but he's still the motor that runs this team. The drop will be the result of natural variance and a PP that struggles to gel early in the year.
Voracek - 70-75 points, 30 goal season and leading goal scorer. Takes a step forward, and some fans will suggest he may even be better than Giroux (though it will still remain crazy talk)
Schenn - Gets his spot on the top line but not immediately. When he's there, he goes on a tear and puts up between 25-30g with 60ish points. People start to like him. He also is one of the only bright spots of the PP1 unit early in the year.
Couturier - Starts off real slow, but gets hot somewhere midway through the season and maintains a decent pace until the end. Finishes with 45-50 points.
Read - Same as Couturier. Slow start, but picks it up when the lines get jumbled in November/December, and maintains reasonable production throughout. Finishes with 40 points.
Simmonds - Scapegoated for a while. His PP production drops off, and he is somewhat exposed. Has a down year in terms of production, but still does a decent amount of stuff to finish in the good books by the end. Has just under 50 points to end the year.
Lecavalier - Actually bounces back and remains healthy for quite a while. People are very pleased with him, but he gets injured in February but manages to come back hot down the stretch. Plays 64 games and has 45 points.
Raffl - Gets bounced around the lineup a lot, but does admirably, though goes through stretches of poor play where fans get annoyed. Develops some more offensive ability, but fans ignore it because he seems very disengaged and sloppy at times. Hits 30 points.
Umberger - Makes us satisfied with the Hartnell deal, but still frustrated at his deteriorating ability at times. Becomes a solid warrior and fits well in Berube's system. Puts up 45 points thanks to taking Simmonds's spot on PP1 for a little while when he's cold.
Bellemarre - A guy that the fans fall in love with, but Berube never gives a fair chance to. Becomes the new Gustafsson. He's a healthy scratch for most of the year making many of us pull our hair out. Has 20ish points despite playing around 50 games.
White - Does a similar as Hall last year, but he becomes one of Berube's favorites and placed in roles he can't handle which makes fans hate him even though it's not his fault. Not a lot of production.
Rinaldo - Will play too much, get more top nine time than he should even dream of getting. Will perform better than last year and even bury a handful of goals, but will still be a bad hockey player.
Laughton - Makes the team out of camp with a monster of a preseason. Impresses everyone with his steadiness, though he does nothing spectacular. Gets top nine time when injuries hit Lecavalier, and Laughton does very well, but is ultimately relegated back to the fourth line upon VL's return.
Coburn - Steady year. Fans will start to appreciate him more. He actually hits 25 points despite missing a handful of games.
Streit - Takes a step back and doesn't duplicate Timonen's effectiveness on the PP and chemistry with Giroux. Eventually loses the spot to Gostisbehere. We get frustrated with him, but his 5v5 offensive numbers still look good, and he finishes the season with his reputation still in tact but not where it is now. Finishes just at or just under 40 points.
MacDonald - Comes out of the gate on fire, and we all start to love him. His game takes a turn for the worse a couple months in, and we're all hating him by the end, but he won't be quite as bad as his detractors will suggest. 25 point finish.
Grossmann - Steady. Not nearly as bad as he was last year, but nothing good either. Does his job quietly but opinions will be mixed.
Del Zotto - Gets PP1 time when Streit flops there. MDZ fares no better. Does an okay job at 5v5 with extremely sheltered minutes, and is a catalyst for some offense, but he is very inconsistent and fans will hate him for it.
LSchenn - He will be good to start the year, but will be traded by Christmas, and we will actually like the return (a 2015 1st from a contending team in need of a PKer).
Gostisbehere - Kills it in the AHL in October. Gets spotty NHL action for minor injuries early in the season and looks ****ing awesome. Is sent back, but then gets a permanent spot when LSchenn is traded, and becomes a second-pairing fixture the rest of the way alongside Grossmann. He eventually gets the PP1 job and runs with it. Has a year very similar to pre-Norris Subban and hits 30 points in only 61 games.
Schultz - Hardly sees action. Gets more involved late in the season when injuries pile up, but he's never in the lineup with consistency.
Mason - Has a very, very strong season even better than the one he just had. Becomes a major pillar for the team's success.
Emery - Not quite as bad as last year, but still not close to good.
Fairly optimistic. I think the team will exceed many people's expectations and finish comfortably in the playoffs and second in the division (to the Rangers!). The team will be led by the top line which shows lots of chemistry and Mason who will be the backbone of our success and earn back lots of praise around the league.
Ghost will be the biggest surprise, and fans will adore him by the end of the year. His emergence will be a big mid-season boost.
I also get the feeling that a struggling PP1 unit will be a major theme for the first half of the year.
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