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Yes, with the preseason kicking off its that time of year. The time for blind optimism and pure untainted homerism. The one point in the year where Flyers fans can say "Sure, the Flyers will win the Cup" in a non-joking manner. I will kick things off: Eastern Conference Atlantic 1) Tampa Bay 2) Boston 3) Montreal 4) Florida 5) Detroit 6) Toronto 7) Ottawa 8) Buffalo Metro 1) Pittsburgh 2) NJ 3) Philly 4) NYR 5) Columbus 6) Washington 7) NYI 8) Carolina Western Conference Central 1) St.Louis 2) Minnesota 3) Chicago 4) Dallas 5) Winnipeg 6) Colorado 7) Nashville Pacific 1) SJ 2) Anaheim 3) LA 4) Edmonton 5) Arizona 6) Vancouver 7) Calgary Playoffs East 1) Tampa Bay 2) Boston 3) Montreal 1) Pittsburgh 2) NJ 3) Philly WC1) NYR WC2) Columbus West 1) St.Louis 2) Minnesota 3) Chicago 1) SJ 2) Anaheim 3) LA WC1) Dallas WC2) Winnipeg Other Optional poo poo Predictions: Stanley Cup Champion: Chicago def Montreal Art Ross: Crosby Rocket Richard: Ovechkin Norris: Suter Vezina: Bishop Calder: Drouin Team with the most goals: Chicago Team with the fewest goals: Buffalo Team allowing the most goals: Buffalo Team allowing the fewest goals: Tampa Bay First coach fired: Capuano Does Torts coach this year (if so where): Yes, NYI Does Brodeur get a contract (if so where): Yes, Colorado 
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Sep 21, 2014 20:14
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Completely scientific, and without bias. Eastern Conference Atlantic 1) Boston 2) Tampa 3) Montreal 4) Detroit 5) Ottawa 6) Florida 7) Toronto 8) Buffalo Metro 1) Pittsburgh 2) NJ 3) NYR 4) NYI 5) Columbus 6) Washington 7) Philadelphia 8) Carolina Western Conference Central 1) St.Louis 2) Chicago 3) Dallas 4) Minnesota 5) Winnipeg 6) Colorado 7) Nashville Pacific 1) SJ 2) LA 3) Anaheim 4) Vancouver 5) Edmonton 6) Calgary 7) Arizona Playoffs East WC1) NYI WC2) Detroit West WC1) Minnesota WC2) Vancouver Other Optional poo poo Predictions: Stanley Cup Champion: Pittsburgh def Chicago Art Ross: Crosby Rocket Richard: Stamkos Norris: Ehrhoff Vezina: Rask Calder: Drouin Team with the most goals: Chicago Team with the fewest goals: Buffalo (gimme) Team allowing the most goals: Ottawa Team allowing the fewest goals: New Jersey First coach fired: Supercoach Randy Does Torts coach this year (if so where): No Does Brodeur get a contract (if so where): Yes. He'll be the fifth goalie to start this season for Minnesota.
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Sep 21, 2014 21:28
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Just wanna do this  Other Optional poo poo Predictions: Stanley Cup Champion: fuckyougowild def PittsburghArt Ross: Crosby Rocket Richard: Stamkos Norris: Suter Vezina: Tuuuuuuuuuuuu Calder: Drouin Team with the most goals: Chicago Team with the fewest goals: Buffalo Team allowing the most goals: Buffalo maybe Ottawa Team allowing the fewest goals: Tampa Bay First coach fired: Probably Randy Does Torts coach this year (if so where): No Does Brodeur get a contract (if so where): Yes, when Harding, Kuemper, Backstrom, and Bryzgalov all die in hilariously awkward ways
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Sep 21, 2014 21:48
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Eastern Atlantic 1. Boston Not as good as previous iterations, but still the team to beat in the East 2. Montreal I really like the make-up of this team, and if a guy like Galchenyuk becomes the player everyone expects, Montreal could be a scary team 3. Tampa I think Tampa belongs in the top tier of Atlantic teams, although I am counting on Bishop to still be a great goalie, and Drouin to step in immediately --- 4. Ottawa I am not sure what to make of Ottawa this year. There's a lot of "ifs" and "please let this D be anything but a tire fire" 5. Detroit This team is in shambles, and will need Datsyuk and Zetterberg to Datsyuk and Zetterberg the team up the standings --- 6. Florida They have a lot of talent hidden under the Island of Misfit Toys 7. Toronto This is going to be another rollercoaster of a season. It will be fun 8. Buffalo Buffalo has scrubbed themselves clean of anything close to talent, with some notable exceptions, but they will probably be worse than last year's team Metropolitan 1. NYR They still have a great team, especially if Nash rebounds 2. Pittsburgh I feel like the talents of Crosby and Malkin are getting wasted. With those two, your team should be in the Finals more often than they are not, especially in a weak East --- 3. NYI I think Halak bolsters this team. They have a shot at a playoff spot with solid goaltending 4. Columbus This ranking is dependent on signing Johansen. Without him, I am not sure where this team goes. Well, to the bottom, but how far into Dante's Inferno? 5. NJ You know how you can gain an irrational hatred for a player, and that's the lovely thing about sports? I have an irrational hatred of Travis Zajac 6. Washington I have no idea about this team. They are a wild card. I can imagine them finishing anywhere in the division --- 7. Philadelphia My prediction was wrong last year, but there is no way that Philly plays themselves out of the basement this year. Outside a great top-6, what do they have? Nothing. They are pretty much the Leafs with worse goaltending 8. Carolina Other than Faulk, I am hard pressed to name another Carolina defender Western Central 1. Chicago The Blackhawks wild ride has not stopped. To the moon, baby 2. St. Louis St. Louis pooped themselves out of the playoffs, but I have it on good authority that they will be back stronger than ever. I believe in Jake Allen --- 3. Dallas I completely forgot Dallas traded for Spezza. Wowee Zowee! That's a good trade! 4. Minnesota They are an iffy team, and can drop a tier if they don't figure out their goaltending --- 5. Colorado We all had fun last year, but Colorado can go back to being Colorado. They can probably jump a tier and fight for a WC 6. Winnipeg As long as they are content with starting Pavelec, they are content with finishing out of the playoffs --- 7. Nashville After years of being everyone's favourite underdog, they are back in the basement, only now with James Neal. Why did Pittsburgh trade Neal again? For Hornqvist? Oh jeez. Pacific 1. Los Angeles Good good good team --- 2. San Jose One of these years, San Jose is gonna win a Cup. Don't hold me to that prediction 3. Anaheim Oh yeah, Hiller is gone. Hmm, Anaheim will continue to be good --- 4. Edmonton The Pacific is terrible. After Anaheim, it will be a huge dogfight for the best of the poo poo. Edmonton is due for some good luck, though, right? 5. Calgary Don't consider this ranking my support of Calgary's abilities, as much as it is my thoughts on how poorly Vancouver will do this year 6. Vancouver Good grief, this team is going to suck 7. Arizona Can't fool me, Arizona. Same ol' team Stanley Cup Champion: St. Louis def. Tampa Bay Art Ross: Crosby Rocket Richard: Lil' Stevie Stamkos Norris: Pietrangelo Vezina: Lundqvist Calder: Drouin Team with the most goals: Chicago Team with the fewest goals: Buffalo Team allowing the most goals: Buffalo Team allowing the fewest goals: New Jersey First coach fired: Mr. Carlyle Does Torts coach this year (if so where): No Does Brodeur get a contract (if so where): No
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Sep 21, 2014 22:05
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Eastern Conference Atlantic 1) Boston 2) Montreal 3) Tampa Bay 4) Ottawa 5) Detroit 6) Toronto 7) Florida 8) Buffalo Metro 1) Pittsburgh 2) New Jersey 3) Rangers 4) Philadelphia 5) Islanders 6) Columbus 7) Washington 8) Carolina WC1) Philadelphia WC2) Ottawa Western Conference Central 1) Chicago 2) St. Louis 3) Dallas 4) Minnesota 5) Colorado 6) Winnipeg 7) Nashville Pacific 1) Los Angeles 2) San Jose 3) Vancouver 4) Anaheim 5) Arizona 6) Calgary 7) Edmonton WC1) Anaheim WC2) Minnesota Stanley Cup Champion: Pittsburgh over St.Louis Art Ross: Crosby Rocket Richard: Stamkos Norris: Doughty Vezina: Rask Calder: Drouin Team with the most goals: Pittsburgh Team with the fewest goals: Buffalo Team allowing the most goals: Edmonton Team allowing the fewest goals: Los Angeles First coach fired: Therrien Does Torts coach this year (if so where): No Does Brodeur get a contract (if so where): No
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Sep 21, 2014 22:27
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Eastern Conference Atlantic 1) Boston 2) Montreal 3) Tampa Bay 4) Detroit 5) Toronto 6) Florida 7) Ottawa 8) Buffalo Metro 1) Pittsburgh 2) NYR 3) Columbus 4) NJ 5) Philadelphia 6) Washington 7) Carolina 8) NYI Western Conference Central 1) St.Louis 2) Chicago 3) Dallas 4) Minnesota 5) Colorado 6) Winnipeg 7) Nashville Pacific 1) SJ 2) Anaheim 3) LA 4) Arizona 5) Vancouver 6) Calgary 7) Edmonton Playoffs East WC1) Detroit WC2) NJ West WC1) Dallas WC2) Arizona Other Optional poo poo Predictions: Stanley Cup Champion: Pittsburgh over San Jose Art Ross: Crosby Rocket Richard: Ovechkin Norris: Letang Vezina: Price Calder: Sam Reinhart Team with the most goals: Pittsburgh Team with the fewest goals: Buffalo Team allowing the most goals: Buffalo Team allowing the fewest goals: Boston First coach fired: Therrien Does Torts coach this year (if so where): Nope Does Brodeur get a contract (if so where): Yep, Minnesota Ergo Propter Hog fucked around with this message at 13:48 on Sep 22, 2014 |
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Sep 21, 2014 22:49
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Minnesota will not give Brodeur a contract.
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Sep 22, 2014 00:04
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East Atlantic 1. Boston 2. Montreal 3. Tampa Bay 4. Detroit -WC2 5. Florida 6. Toronto 7. Ottawa 8. Buffalo Metro 1. Pittsburgh -Z 2. NYR 3. Columbus 4. NYI -WC1 5. NJ 6. Philadelphia 7. Washington 8. Carolina West Central 1. Chicago 2. Minnesota 3. St. Louis 4. Dallas -WC1 5. Colorado -WC2 6. Winnipeg 7. Nashville Pacific 1. San Jose -P 2. Anaheim 3. LA 4. Edmonton (they are back baby but not quite there) 5. Arizona 6. Vancouver 7. Calgary Other poo poo: Stanley Cup Champion: Chicago over Pittsburgh President's Trophy: San Jose Art Ross: Malkin Rocket Richard: Ovechkin Norris: Subban Vezina: Price Calder: Reinhart Team with the most goals: Pittsburgh Team with the fewest goals: Buffalo Team allowing the most goals: Buffalo Team allowing the fewest goals: Boston First coach fired: Randy Carlyle Does Torts coach this year (if so where): Toronto (lol) Does Brodeur get a contract (if so where): One game for NJ after they're statistically eliminated from the playoffs
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Sep 22, 2014 03:48
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East Atlantic Boston Tampa Bay Montreal Florida Detroit Ottawa Toronto Buffalo Metro Pittsburgh NY Rangers New Jersey Washington NY Islanders Philadelphia Columbus Carolina 1. Boston 2. Pittsburgh 3. Tampa Bay 4. Montreal 5. NY Rangers 6. New Jersey 7. Florida 8. Detroit 9. Washington 10. NY Islanders 11. Ottawa 12. Philadelphia 13. Columbus 14. Toronto 15. Carolina 16. Buffalo West Central Chicago St. Louis Minnesota Dallas Colorado Nashville Winnipeg Pacific Anaheim Los Angeles San Jose Vancouver Phoenix Edmonton Calgary 1. Chicago 2. Anaheim 3. St. Louis 4. Los Angeles 5. San Jose 6. Minnesota 7. Dallas 8. Vancouver 9. Colorado 10. Nashville 11. Phoenix 12. Winnipeg 13. Edmonton 14. Calgary Stanley Cup Champion: Boston over Anaheim Art Ross: Crosby Rocket Richard: Stamkos Norris: Subban Vezina: Rask Calder: Drouin Team with the most goals: Tampa Team with the fewest goals: Buffalo Team allowing the most goals: Toronto Team allowing the fewest goals: LA First coach fired: Walrus Does Torts coach this year (if so where): no Does Brodeur get a contract (if so where): no
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Sep 22, 2014 05:05
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Eastern Conference Atlantic 1) Boston - One of the best goaltenders in the game and still a very deep team. 2) Montreal - No real holes in the lineup outside of a weakish defence 3) Tampa Bay - Stamkos will go on a tear this year, don't like their depth. 4) Toronto - Overall a rebound year but not enough to get back in the playoffs 5) Detroit - A major injury or two away from the basement 6) Ottawa - Karlsson and a bounce back year from Anderson are enough to keep them respectable. Ryan is traded at the deadline. 7) Florida - Loooouuuu-se a lot. 8) Buffalo - Three firsts means three shots at McDavid! Metro 1) Pittsburgh - Don't like the Neal trade, but Ehrhoff was a great signing and they've got something to prove 2) Philadelphia - Their offensive depth is solid enough to carry shoddy defence and goaltending to a first round exit. 3) NY Rangers - Less depth and older means no return to the finals 4) Washington - Ovie has another good season, but doesn't crack 40. Everyone sings Trotz's praises after a hot start then ends with them slowly sliding into mediocrity. 5) Columbus - I dunno, never been their biggest fan. RyJo misses a handful of games, but eventually signs a bridge deal. 6) New Jersey - Schneider is great, everyone else not so much. 7) NY Islanders - All their moves feel reactionary at best, their defence is still a tilt a whirl of crudiness. 8) Carolina - Haha oh man. Semin is traded or something. Western Conference Central 1) St. Louis - Another great regular season and a disappointing playoffs 2) Chicago - They're better than STL right now, but they still have to ship out a big contract. 3) Colorado - Analytics say they are pretty mediocre, I tend to agree. 4) Dallas - Like Colorado, the pressure of an unexpectedly great season is a bit too much to handle for a young team. 5) Minnesota - Goaltending will be an issue, that defence and bottom six is horrid. 6) Winnipeg - Continuing the proud Atlanta tradition of sucking and no one caring. 7) Nashville - Countdown to Weber UFA status: 4301 days. Pacific 1) San Jose - A good team that plays well to spite their weirdly petty management 2) Anaheim - Analytics say they are pretty mediocre, I'm not sure I agree. Kesler is so-so. 3) Los Angeles - They never finish high in the regular season, but they'll be in the WCF 4) Arizona - Lots of question marks around a team people constantly underrate. Vrbata was a big loss. 5) Vancouver - Better, but not by much. 6) Calgary - Johnny Hockey is fun to watch, the rest of the team is not. 7) Edmonton - They always nose dive once their fans get their hopes up, so that's why I put them here. Playoffs East 1) Boston 2) Montreal 3) Tampa Bay 1) Pittsburgh 2) Philadelphia 3) New York Rangers WC1) Washington WC2) Columbus West 1) St. Louis 2) Chicago 3) Colorado 1) San Jose 2) Anaheim 3) Los Angeles WC1) Dallas WC2) Minnesota Other Optional poo poo Predictions: Stanley Cup Champion: Pittsburgh def. Chicago Art Ross: Crosby Rocket Richard: Stamkos Norris: McDonaugh Vezina: Rask Calder: Drouin Team with the most goals: Pittsburgh Team with the fewest goals: Calgary Team allowing the most goals: Buffalo Team allowing the fewest goals: NY Rangers First coach fired: Todd Richards Does Torts coach this year (if so where): Yes by CBJ as they panic after a slow start Does Brodeur get a contract (if so where): CBC Panel where he tells dumb stories.
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Sep 22, 2014 15:08
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quote:3) NY Rangers - Less depth and older means no return to the finals Older? Well, I guess adding St Louis and Boyle does that but in a general sense their "core" group is a fine age. St Louis should be more productive and healthier than Callahan, Boyle is more productive offensively than Stralman, etc. Their depth is really about the same aside from center depth, but we'll see. Most people didn't think much of the Rangers depth at the start of last season and by the end it was a big thing. ALso someone like Miller might end up being a better 3rd line center than Richards was in the long run, IF he takes a step forward in his development and becomes a reliable player Still, very hard to repeat to the finals, so predicting it isn't going out on too much of a limb
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Sep 22, 2014 15:14
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Levitate posted:Older? Well, I guess adding St Louis and Boyle does that but in a general sense their "core" group is a fine age. Their average age is second in the league trailing only NJD. There's a transition plan in place, but expecting anything more than ~75% of last year's production from St. Louis or Boyle is foolhardy. Levitate posted:Still, very hard to repeat to the finals, so predicting it isn't going out on too much of a limb I didn't say it was a particularly outrageous prediction. The Rangers have a future in Stepan, Krieder, etc. all getting better but their old guard is still (rightly) hanging around and I don't think they have what it takes to be a real contender. Last year feels like a 'Devils 2012' type situation, a one and done fluke run to the finals. ThinkTank fucked around with this message at 15:29 on Sep 22, 2014 |
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Sep 22, 2014 15:26
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ThinkTank posted:Their average age is second in the league trailing only NJD. There's a transition plan in place, but expecting anything more than ~75% of last year's production from St. Louis or Boyle is foolhardy. 75% of their production is still better than the guys they're replacing from last year. quote:I didn't say it was a particularly outrageous prediction. The Rangers have a transition plan in place with Stepan, Krieder, etc. all getting there but their old guard is still (rightly) hanging around and I don't think they have what it takes to be a real contender. Last year feels like a 'Devils 2012' type situation, a one and done fluke run to the finals. The "old" guard is guys like Girardi and Lundqvist...and Nash I guess but he's still probably good for 30 goals if he stays healthy (and Girardi and Nash are only 30). Zucc is 27, Brassard is 27, Stepan is 24, Kreider is 23, Hagelin is 26, Miller is 21, McDonagh is 25, J. Moore is 23, Staal is 27, Klein is 29. Some of the older guys bringing the age up are players like Lombardi, Dom Moore (who at 34 is still a fantastic 4th line center and that's what his role will be), Malone, etc. Guys who either aren't being relied upon to be major parts of the offense or who aren't even a given to make the team. Then you're looking at possible guys like Hayes who is 22, Ryan Haggerty who has looked real good and is 21, Chris Mueller might be a decent 4th liner and is 28, Fast is 22, etc etc Basically, you have two guys who are quite old but still productive, a bunch of players ranging from quite young to prime ages, and a few "veterans" of age 30 and a few other guys fighting to make the team in a non critical role They might be a one and done but I don't think it's because they're too old, it would be the same old problem of "not having enough talent" Depth is a much better argument because we don't know how effectively Richards and Pouliot will be replaced, or what the effect of Stralman leaving will be e: and a huge reason the Devils were one and done is because then they immediately lost Parise and then Kovalchuk Koopa Kid posted:I think it's hard to reconcile "Brad Richards is old and sucks now so replacing him with a sophomore will work out better" in the same general thought as "this 38-year-old defenseman who played sheltered minutes and put up his worst PPG in over a decade will be good." Boyle was also concussed for 3 months last year, but yes I am worried about how he will hold up. On the other hand, his PP numbers would replace Richards' and his even strength numbers still outscored Stralman's. Literally every other defenseman on the team outscored Stralman last year and at some point there's a benefit to points versus benefits to having a good corsi. But if Boyle is terrible defensively then yeah it's gonna be a struggle and Klein is going to have to play a lot more hard minutes, which I'm not terribly comfortable with. Levitate fucked around with this message at 15:42 on Sep 22, 2014 |
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Sep 22, 2014 15:39
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I think it's hard to reconcile "Brad Richards is old and sucks now so replacing him with a sophomore will work out better" in the same general thought as "this 38-year-old defenseman who played sheltered minutes and put up his worst PPG in over a decade will be good."
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Sep 22, 2014 15:40
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Eastern Conference Atlantic 1) Boston 2) Tampa Bay 3) Montreal 4) Florida 5) Detroit 6) Ottawa 7) Toronto 8) Buffalo Metro 1) Pittsburgh 2) New York Rangers 3) Washington 4) New York Islanders 5) New Jersey 6) Columbus 7) Philadelphia 8) Carolina Western Conference Central 1) Chicago 2) Dallas 3) St. Louis 4) Minnesota 5) Colorado 6) Winnipeg 7) Nashville Pacific 1) Los Angeles 2) Anaheim 3) San Jose 4) Arizona 5) Calgary 6) Vancouver 7) Edmonton Playoffs East 1) Boston 2) Tampa Bay 3) Montreal 1) Pittsburgh 2) New York Rangers 3) Washington WC1) New York Islanders WC2) New Jersey West 1) Chicago 2) Dallas 3) St. Louis 1) Los Angeles 2) Anaheim 3) San Jose WC1) Minnesota WC2) Arizona Other Optional poo poo Predictions: Stanley Cup Champion: Tampa Bay def Chicago Art Ross: Crosby Rocket Richard: Stamkos Norris: Doughty Vezina: Holtby (gotta have one homer award) Calder: Drouin Team with the most goals: Chicago Team with the fewest goals: Buffalo Team allowing the most goals: Edmonton Team allowing the fewest goals: Los Angeles First coach fired: Carlyle, after Toronto doesn't inexplicably win a bunch of games at the start of this season Does Torts coach this year (if so where): no Does Brodeur get a contract (if so where): no
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Sep 22, 2014 15:47
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Eastern Conference Atlantic 1) Boston 2) Tampa Bay 3) Montreal 4) Detroit 5) Toronto 6) Florida 7) Ottawa 8) Buffalo Metro 1) Pittsburgh 2) NYR 3) New Jersey 4) NYI 5) Columbus 6) Philadelphia 7) Washington 8) Carolina Western Conference Central 1) Chicago 2) St. Louis 3) Dallas 4) Minnesota 5) Colorado 6) Winnipeg 7) Nashville Pacific 1) San Jose 2) Anaheim 3) Los Angeles 4) Vancouver 5) Calgary 6) Arizona 7) Edmonton Playoffs East 1) Boston 2) Tampa Bay 3) Montreal 1) Pittsburgh 2) NYR 3) NJ WC1) NYI WC2) Columbus West 1) Chicago 2) St. Louis 3) Dallas 1) San Jose 2) Anaheim 3) Los Angeles WC1) Minnesota WC2) Colorado Other Optional poo poo Predictions: Stanley Cup Champion: Pittsburgh def St. Louis Art Ross: Crosby Rocket Richard: Stamkos Norris: McDonagh Vezina: Schneider Calder: Drouin Team with the most goals: San Jose Team with the fewest goals: Buffalo Team allowing the most goals: Buffalo Team allowing the fewest goals: Boston First coach fired: who knows Does Torts coach this year (if so where): No Does Brodeur get a contract (if so where): Yes, Washington don't hate too much caps fans I could just as easily see Washington finishing second or third. The East is really hard to call after about 5 teams (PIT/BOS/TB/MON/NYR) whereas the West looks like a pretty easy call for the top 7 T-Bone fucked around with this message at 00:46 on Sep 23, 2014 |
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Sep 22, 2014 15:48
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Speaking objectively as someone who no longer gives a poo poo about how Dan Boyle does, it is worth noting that his play was substantially worse after he came back from that concussion too early. It's a small sample size of games played before he got hurt, but while he had slowed down a tad it seemed he was well on his way to another very productive season before the injury. Afterward he just looked scared for a long stretch of time. I'm not saying that he won't run into ordinary age-related decline this year, merely that it wasn't what happened last year though it might have appeared that way to outside observers.
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Sep 22, 2014 15:51
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Plus Girardi turned into a pumpkin in the cup finals, then again I don't think that's indicative of his true value. Yes there are some good players in the prime of their careers on the Rangers (McDonaugh, Zucarello, Kreider, Stepan, etc.) but there is a large contingent of players 29 and over that still carry the bulk of the heavy minutes. While overpaid, Richards was hardly chopped liver. I've never heard of a team attempting to replace their second line centre's offensive production with an aging offensive defenceman. St. Louis seems to be immortal, but at some point age will hit him and he'll decline. Banking on him to be a top contributor is risky. Lundqvist is 32 now. Goaltenders seem to age better than position players, but it's probably safe to assume his best years are behind him. Depth wise, they lost a lot of key contributors and yes it's probably a bigger issue than age (relying on Tannger Glass and Matthew Lombardi to be effective 3rd/4th line contributors is risky in the extreme). Still, there's no way to deny the Rangers average age is 29.5. I'm not sure why I got so sidetracked here, I don't think the Rangers are particularly bad and they'll still comfortably make the playoffs. They're just an older team that underwent a lot of roster change for a cup finalist, and there's no way around that.
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Sep 22, 2014 15:54
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The Metro is probably the deepest division right now in that 7/8 teams have a legit shot at the playoffs. Even Carolina isn't awful if they don't start Cam loving Ward.
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Sep 22, 2014 15:56
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Obviously the idea that age is going to ravage even the best players is correct in 99% of all cases, but there are also plenty of instances like Selanne and Jagr (or even lesser guys like Ray Whitney) where they can still play at an elite level past 40. I feel like this is especially true when a guy relies on his pure skating ability (which is distinct from speed), and we've all seen Marty's legs.
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Sep 22, 2014 15:58
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I just don't agree that the Rangers are a particularly old team, their age numbers are propped up by two very old but productive players and a few other guys in their early 30's which is still a productive age for players. I'm not worried about age this year, I"m worried about replacing what was a great fourth line and how losing Stralman is going to affect things. That site is also counting ages of guys like Malone and Lombardi who are no locks to make the teams but not the age of someone like Miller who basically has to play himself off the team at this point
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Sep 22, 2014 16:02
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Pat Clements posted:Speaking objectively as someone who no longer gives a poo poo about how Dan Boyle does, it is worth noting that his play was substantially worse after he came back from that concussion too early. Even if you take last year out, his boxcars have been steadily declining since 2010. And while there are lots of examples of players playing past the age of typical decline, we can't seriously pretend that Jagr or Selanne haven't been shells of their former selves for years, or that players like them or Iginla are anything more than 2nd tier sheltered depth. The point is that if Richards is to be perceived as a soft-minute boat anchor despite his production, then given the evidence we have to look at Boyle the same way until he proves otherwise.
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Sep 22, 2014 16:05
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Okay, let's try this: EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division 1) Boston - Obvious choice; should be tops in the East 2) Montreal - Fine forwards, horrible defense; better hope Price holds up 3) Tampa Bay - Should be around the 100-point mark again unless Bishop gets hurt 4) Detroit - Too good to bottom out, not good enough to contend 5) Toronto - Will start slow, but pick it up after Carlyle's fired - not enough to get in 6) Florida - Need a big jump from Huberdeau and Barkov to contend for a spot 7) Buffalo - First step out of the abyss; Nolan's hard-working style will catch teams off guard 8) Ottawa - Loss of Spezza's offense + crapola blueline outside of Karlsson = not good Metropolitan Division 1) Pittsburgh - Crosby and Malkin are enough in the regular season; the playoffs are the real question 2) New York Rangers - Lundqvist bounces back to his Vezina form and makes the NYR a favourite 3) New Jersey - 60+ starts for Schneider should get them in, as long as the old guys can score enough 4) New York Islanders (WC) - Same story as NJ, except Halak won't start more than 50; need a good year from Johnson too 5) Washington (WC) - Will have growing pains under Trotz; as usual, everything depends on Ovechkin 6) Columbus - How long does it take to sign Johansen, and how long will he take to get up to speed? 7) Philadelphia - Plugged none of their holes and added new ones; expect a very different roster for 2015-16 8) Carolina - Fat & happy star players and no depth whatsoever is a good formula for the draft lottery WESTERN CONFERENCE Central Division 1) Chicago - Loads of skill means loads of goals; 3.5 per game wouldn't be surprising 2) St. Louis - In a dogfight with Chicago for first in the West; goaltending may be a question mark 3) Minnesota - Stacked up front; decent blueline; battle of attrition in goal 4) Dallas (WC) - Adding Spezza and Hemsky will help, but Lehtonen's health is always a "maybe" 5) Colorado (WC) - Will need to outgun opponents, as the defense is subpar and Varlamov may not be for real 6) Nashville - Having Rinne healthy will help, but their division is just too tough 7) Winnipeg - The obvious weak sister of the division; acquiring a capable goalie may change that Pacific Division 1) Los Angeles - Will have slow nights from time to time; still, too good not to win the division 2) Anaheim - Great farm system should offset a few key losses; can Andersen or Gibson handle regular duties? 3) San Jose - Too much talent not to make the playoffs in this division, even though management is a mess 4) Vancouver - Additions and health will help stop the bleeding; should make the playoffs if Daniel bounces back 5) Edmonton - Step-up year; additions on defense and better goaltending should make a difference 6) Arizona - Lose Vrbata and Ribeiro, gain Gagner and a full season of Erat? Won't help a team that struggles to score already 7) Calgary - Bottoming-out year; nowhere near enough scoring, although goaltending should be better Other Optional poo poo Predictions: Stanley Cup Champion: St. Louis def Pittsburgh Hart: Sidney Crosby Art Ross: Sidney Crosby Rocket Richard: Steven Stamkos Norris: Ryan Suter Vezina: Henrik Lundqvist Calder: John Gibson Conn Smythe: Alex Pietrangelo Top five (in order): Chicago, Boston, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles Bottom five (in order): Calgary, Carolina, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Buffalo Team with the most goals: Chicago Team with the fewest goals: Calgary Team allowing the most goals: Carolina Team allowing the fewest goals: Los Angeles First coach fired: Randy Carlyle Biggest trade: EDM trades Jordan Eberle to ARI for Keith Yandle (with smaller pieces either way to even it up) Dumbest trade: Someone massively overpays for Bobby Ryan, then loses him as a UFA Biggest contract signed: TOR signs Jonathan Bernier - 7 years, $49 million Longest suspension: James Neal loses his mind again and actually pays for it this time (10+ games)
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Sep 22, 2014 19:10
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T-Bone posted:The Metro is probably the deepest division right now in that 7/8 teams have a legit shot at the playoffs. Even Carolina isn't awful if they don't start Cam loving Ward. lol no they are pretty awful
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Sep 22, 2014 19:15
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The Metro will probably be the most tightly contested division, but no they aren't very deep or good. Aside from Pittsburgh and probably NYR, every team seems relatively equal. There seems to be a pretty clear separation in the other divisions between playoff teams and non-playoff teams.
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Sep 22, 2014 19:27
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St. Dogbert posted:
I was waiting for this - I think there is a lot of smart money to be made on placing a bet for Gibson winning the Calder. The voters LOVE young goalies who get 30+ starts, and Gibson will almost certainly get more than 30 if his play matches his considerable talent.
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Sep 22, 2014 19:35
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Eastern Conference Atlantic 1) Boston 2) Tampa Bay 3) Montreal 4) Detroit 5) Toronto 6) Ottawa 7) Florida 8) Buffalo Metro 1) Pittsburgh 2) NYI 3) New Jersey 4) NYR 5) Columbus 6) Washington 7) Philadelphia 8) Carolina Western Conference Central 1) St.Louis 2) Chicago 3) Dallas 4) Minnesota 5) Colorado 6) Nashville 7) Winnipeg Pacific 1) LA 2) Anaheim 3) San Jose 4) Arizona 5) Vancouver 6) Edmonton 7) Calgary Playoffs East 1) Boston 2) Tampa Bay 3) Montreal 1) Pittsburgh 2) NYI 3) New Jersey WC1) NYR WC2) Detroit West 1) St.Louis 2) Chicago 3) Dallas 1) LA 2) Anaheim 3) San Jose WC1) Minnesota WC2) Colorado Other Optional poo poo Predictions: Stanley Cup Champion: St. Louis def. Boston Art Ross: Crosby Rocket Richard: Ovechkin Norris: McDonagh Vezina: Rask Calder: Teravainen Team with the most goals: Chicago Team with the fewest goals: Carolina Team allowing the most goals: Buffalo Team allowing the fewest goals: LA First coach fired: Carlyle Does Torts coach this year (if so where): No Does Brodeur get a contract (if so where): No
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Sep 22, 2014 19:51
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Zamboni Jesus posted:lol no they are pretty awful lol the entire East is awful -- as mediocre as the Metro is it has two locks (PIT/NYR) 5 maybes (PHI/CLB/NJ/WSH/NYI) and one longshot (CAR). The Atlantic has three locks (BOS/TB/MTL) one maybe (DET), three longshots (TOR/OTT/FLA), and one no chance (BUF). It's easily the most competitive/deepest division. Even the Central which is obviously a much better division has a pretty clear divide. Then you've got the Pacific and Atlantic which each have 3-4 really bad teams.
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Sep 22, 2014 19:51
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I think if Winnipeg ditches Pavelec for Hutchinson they plug their biggest hole and easily become competitive for a WC spot. But that relies on management admitting they were wrong about Pavelec so...
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Sep 22, 2014 20:14
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Furnaceface posted:I think if Winnipeg ditches Pavelec for Hutchinson they plug their biggest hole and easily become competitive for a WC spot. If throwing a goalie with three career NHL games under his belt into the starting role is plugging any sort of hole for the Jets, they're in heaps more trouble than I thought.
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Sep 22, 2014 20:22
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ThinkTank posted:7) NY Islanders - All their moves feel reactionary at best, their defence is still a tilt a whirl of crudiness. The word reactionary doesn't mean anything close to what you think it means Also the islanders defense isn't as bad as you think it is
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Sep 22, 2014 20:35
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a false posted:The word reactionary doesn't mean anything close to what you think it means Garth Snow is extremely conservative (I am an idiot) And yeah that defence is incredibly bad. Hamonic is just about the only guy who'd be a top 4 defenceman on most other teams. Unless you think Visnovsky still has it or Calvin De Haan isn't a huge bundle of wasted potential.
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Sep 22, 2014 20:43
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ThinkTank posted:Garth Snow is extremely conservative (I am an idiot) If that is what you think Calvin de Haan is then I am fairly confident that you did not watch Calvin de Haan play last season pretty much every D the islanders have right now had very strong possession numbers last year with the exception of Brian strait and Matt carkner, who have enough competition to keep them out of the lineup now. All of them were very good on the eye test last year as well except for Matt Donovan, who did have a propensity for conspicuous turnovers which he curbed successfully as the season went on. Their worst possession anchor, Andrew macdonald, is gone. There are good blog posts out there with the actual numbers that bear this out but I can't be arsed to find one on my phone right now. e: ok actually that was easy to find: http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2014/7/3/5869871/evaluating-the-islanders-defense-and-potential-trade-targets-to They'll also probably make a trade during the season as they have plenty of movable assets. a false fucked around with this message at 20:51 on Sep 22, 2014 |
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Sep 22, 2014 20:48
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a false posted:If that is what you think Calvin de Haan is then I am fairly confident that you did not watch Calvin de Haan play last season I'll admit De Haan's possession stats are better than I thought, but he's already 23 and it's probably safe to say that what you see is what you get with him. Serviceable 2nd/very good 3rd pairing guy. As for the rest, yes the goaltending has gone from 'abysmal' to 'acceptable,' but what other change has there been that shows that they've poised to leap up substantially from 3rd worst in the league last year? I like Griffin Reinhart as a player, but expecting him to be a 20+ minute a night guy before he plays a single professional game is silly. Otherwise it's nearly identical aside from some half decent prospects who are severely lacking in NHL/AHL experience.
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Sep 22, 2014 21:11
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Having Tavares for more than half a season will probably help On the other hand, is Okposo's improvement last year sustainable or not? Etc
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Sep 22, 2014 21:13
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ThinkTank posted:As for the rest, yes the goaltending has gone from 'abysmal' to 'acceptable,' but what other change has there been that shows that they've poised to leap up substantially from 3rd worst in the league last year? The fact that they were average in shots allowed but bottom of the heap in goals allowed shows how much of their problems were directly related to goaltending last year. I've long since forgotten the exact numbers, but I know that league average goaltending last season would have given them a positive goal differential. Teams with positive goal differentials are almost invariably playoff teams, and they now have the goaltending to reach the league average level. Subtract Andrew MacDonald from that and add both Mikhail Grabovski and Nikolay Kulemin (note that this makes their center depth 1. Tavares 2. Grabovski 3. Nielsen which is Very good) and baby you got a playoff team goin'
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Sep 22, 2014 21:24
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they were also 16th in the league in goals for. if they can bring their goals against down 40 goals while scoring the same amount they end up even. i like halak as a goalie more than just about anyone, but i don't know that he is a 40 goal improvement even over nabokov.
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Sep 22, 2014 21:31
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Zamboni Jesus posted:they were also 16th in the league in goals for. if they can bring their goals against down 40 goals while scoring the same amount they end up even. i like halak as a goalie more than just about anyone, but i don't know that he is a 40 goal improvement even over nabokov. I think Halak/Johnson are easily .5g/game better than Nabokov/Poulin/Nilsson, but I guess we'll have to see!
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Sep 22, 2014 21:35
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Zamboni Jesus posted:they were also 16th in the league in goals for. if they can bring their goals against down 40 goals while scoring the same amount they end up even. i like halak as a goalie more than just about anyone, but i don't know that he is a 40 goal improvement even over nabokov. a false posted:I think Halak/Johnson are easily .5g/game better than Nabokov/Poulin/Nilsson, but I guess we'll have to see! My prediction? The islanders will win every game this season, sweep the playoffs and win the Stanley Cup, Tavares will cure cancer, and Jack Capuano will be the first man to set foot on Mars Seriously tho come on Halak/Johnson (along with their other offseason moves and young guys coming up) puts them in a very good position to be at least a WC team. Also for all of you predicting NJ comfortably making the playoffs, I hope you enjoy disappointment. Philly will finish worse than Buffalo
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Sep 22, 2014 21:45
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Glambags posted:My prediction? The islanders will win every game this season, sweep the playoffs and win the Stanley Cup, Tavares will cure cancer, and Jack Capuano will be the first man to set foot on Mars Trust me I will be anything but disappointed if jersey misses the playoffs. I just don't think they will.
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Sep 22, 2014 21:55
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