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Will the NHL please announce the divisions already???

Which team will make the biggest improvement this year?
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Nov. 24, 2020 at 1:06 p.m.
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Predictions for this years standings.
I'll change them if divisions or trades/signings happen that warrant a change.

Predictions for the "Canadian Division".

#1 (MTL) --This is a bit of a crazy prediction. I may be a bit biased on this one (as a PIT fan) who saw a far superior team beat by a bunch of grinders and a hot goalie but I love the additions this team has made. Add Tiffoli, Extend Gallagher, Allen can take a bunch of starts so a rested Price is a dangerous Price. subtract a not needed, 4th line relegated Domi and add in a "if healthy" power forward in Anderson. this team has potentially 3 2nd lines and 1 3rd line. the big 3 D are great and the others are good enough. they don't have superstars but Suzuki and KK certainly have high ceilings. I love Danault as well and he gives MTL a great 1/2/3 punch down the middle.

#2 (TOR) --Popular opinion is that the leafs got tougher, got a better bottom-6, and improved the D. Brodie is a nice add but I don't like Bogosian there. he could be like TBL, but more likely like BUF buyouts. he may be buoyed but I doubt it as he won't have a star beside him on the 3rd pairing and the forwards in front of him aren't pretty (bottom-6). Speaking of said bottom-6....the leafs REPLACED kyle Clifford with Wayne Simmons. NOT tougher. Clifford is strictly a stiff grinder. Simmons is a "has been a power forward with goals". not anymore, this isn't 2016 people. no one should be scared of Simmons anymore. he's old and washed up IMHO. having 4 decent (emphasis decent) goalies can't hurt but they are an injury away from a mix of Campbell/dell/hutchinson playing against McDavid, Draisaitl, Pettersson, Connor, Scheifele, wheeler, gaudreau, Monaghan, etc...

#3 (EDM) --once again a team that will try to outscore mistakes. that works in the regular season to some extent (see Toronto) and by that I mean it might get them playoffs but it won't get them 2nd round hockey. too top heavy. I don't like their goaltending at all. they could slip further down.

#4 (CGY) --This team continues to look good on paper and continues to underwhelm with mediocre playoff letdowns. I'm sick of predicting they'll finish top-3. even with Markstrom and tanev IDK if they can turn a corner. The stars have to shine.

#5 (WPG) --This ranking could change based on a potential Laine swap BUT for now, the top-6 is great, the Goalie is great, but the defense is ok at best. I like the add of Stastny but I wonder about their depth.

#6 (VAN) --This is the young team that could have taken a huge step forward with the right moves. but the "right moves'' were nowhere to be found. Holtby has regressed big time after the cup win in 2018. IDK if demko is legit or not. Tanev played with Hughes. who does now that he's gone? Tiffoli was such a great add for them and now he's gone. the young players may take another developmental year. I'm sorry to predict a low finish for them. I really like their young core.

#7 (OTT) --aside from seemingly overpaying alot of people recently (murray, c. brown, white) I like the pieces they added from the draft. they will stink but not as bad as some think probably. I wonder why they added Dadonov. I don't really see them contending in the next 3 years...why not overpay for he or Hoffman on a 1 yr. deal to flip them at the deadline??? I hope Murray can rebound and find himself again--just not when playing us (PIT).


NHL 2020 2021 Standings "Eastern Division" BOLD Predictions.

#1 (NYR) --as much as it pains me to say it, the New York Rangers are good again. speed rebuild style for sure but winning 2 draft lotteries sure helps--thanks, dude who dropped the Ball! I think Shesterkin is the real deal. I won't go as far as to say he's the next Lundqvist but maybe... Panarin had an almost MVP level season. zibenejad is so underrated. the guy is fantastic! their stacked on D--especially on the right side. Kakko, Lafreniere, and other young players give the lineup huge potential.

#2 (CAR) --I like the make up of this team on paper, but I just think they are missing those couple pieces to elevate them to serious cup contenders. no matter who is in goal (reimer, mrasek, ayers lol) I don't like their odds (except Ayers). their C depth looks good with Aho, trochek, Staal and Svechnikov hopefully doesn't get run by Torey Krug while attempting a lacrosse goal. wouldn't that be something???

#3 (PHI) --as a PIT fan, I don't even wanna talk about Philly. but there is a decent team over there... they have good depth and potentially some good young players in Hart and Patrick for example...

#4 (NYI) --once again, yuk. losing Toews will hurt for sure. I assume they'll get Barzal down or else I'll have to redo predictions. they won't be as good as they've been at times but not as bad as they could be. kinda middle of the road I think but playoffs.

#5 (BOS) --prediction #1 of the Metro that consists of a great team falling apart--gasp--this is BOLD... even in my mind this seems crazy but... When will this team simple get too old to keep it going??? Krejci (34), Bergeron (35), Halak (35), Rask (33), Marchand (32).... Pasternak, Marchand are injured to start the year for a while I hear. there are ?? with rask. can they replace Krug??? will they resign debrusk. they might Lose Chara, a huge part of the orginization. just too many ???s for me right now. the boston team has to run out of gas sometime and this may well be the year. now if they get healthy, resign some players, and get stellar goaltending, then they'll win the division.

#6 (BUF) --once again prob they get off to a hot start and everyone's like oooh look at Staal and hall and dahlin and Eichel and reinhart and look they got a save...but then their lack of depth will show, their goaltending will stink as it should, and hall will be moved at the deadline. and skinner's contract will still be horrible. and Eichel should ask for a trade.

#7 (WSH) --I'm not just saying this bc I hate the caps. I literally laughed hysterically when I saw they signed Pittsburgh's Justin Schultz for 2 x $4M. Ovi can't score 50 forever right?? Holtby is gone and although he's been bad I don't trust Samsonov. they are also getting old like fast. their window is shorter than we think. Ovi (35), backstroke (32), Oshie (33), eller (31), Hagelin (32), all their D minus sieganthaler are 29-30. I just don't see the big bad caps anymore. mark WSH down for above average offense bc Ovi and bottom-10 D/Goaltending.

#8 (NJD) --now I could see some team imploding (cough, Buffalo, cough) and finishing worse than NJD but for sake of normalcy we'll put the young developing team in 8th. the future is bright if Blackwood is legit and they can hit on some prospects.


NHL 2020 2021 Standings for the new "central" division.

#1 (TBL) --Now they still have some big RFAs to sign, and that means players will be moved out. they won't' be quite as stacked as they were when they won the cup, but they are by far the best team on paper in this divisions. they will have to sacrifice alot of their stellar depth if they wish to keep Cirelli and Sergachev, but the top-end talent is elite for sure.

#2 (PIT) --This is it. do or blow up the team. Rutherford has committed once again to youth, tenacity and speed after a slight detour that brought us months of watching reaves, Gudbranson, jack Johnson, etc.... Only Sid, Geno, Letang, Dumoulin, and rust remain from the first of 2 back-2-back championships. (Guentzel was only there for 2017) more and more of the cup winners have been shovelled out (Hornqvist, Schultz, Sheary (again), and Murray) The Pens are for me boom or bust. top or bottom of the division. they have so many ???s everywhere. just unknowns. the team brought in alot of wild cards and we'll see how they play out. unlike a couple others teams I'll get to, I don't think the pens are quite at "Rangers/Hawks Letter-to-the-fans" Rebuilding Level yet... Plus the Pens were one of the most injured teams in the league last year. it can't possibly happen again....right???

#3 (CBJ) --I have them here before any big moves--and I think one or more may be coming. they have a ton of cap space even with extending Pierre-Luc Dubois. their grinding system and good goaltending will get them to the playoffs even if it doesn't look pretty along the way. Domi looks like a good add.

#4 (STL) --I may be sleeping on the "one year ago champs" but losing Pietro their Captain I think is huge both on and off the ice. Krug is a nice PP option but I don't think he's a top-10 D like Pietro. Tarasenko is injured--again--and I have never liked their forward group that much. Allen is gone and is Binnington now Matt Murray 2.0??? breaks into the league on fire, wins a cup, then struggles to find a rhythm?? I hope not. I think STL could go either way, which is why I have them top of the pack fighting for a WC spot.

#5 (NSH) --this team looks alot better on paper than their performance of late. they still have some top end talent on the blue line. their forwards making big $$ need to start pulling their own weight and then some for this team to make a push for the playoffs. how does the goaltending sort out? can Saros be a #1?

#6 (FLA) --Will Bobrovsky rebound? even if he does, beyond Ekblad, Huberdeau, and Barkov, alot of the secondary scoring is gone in trochek, Dadonov, and Hoffman. once again, Florida has some talent but not much depth or stability.

#7 (DET) --They won't stink THAT BAD again. this is a bit of a reach predicting they finish above Chicago but they have some young players that can develop and hopefully help them a little bit. their goaltending I think has stabilized now so whoever plays should have more than 2 wins all season...

#8 (CHI) --they have lost some forward depth, their D is mediocre on a good day, and their goaltending........I'll just stop there. it's tanking. the letter has been written. if I'm Toews or Kane, I ask for a trade--even if impossible--which is basically is bc of their overpaid contracts.

NHL 2020 2021 Standings Pacific Division BOLD Predictions

#1 (COL) --WOW, they were stacked last year and they've gotten even better adding a top-6 winger and potential top-4 D (Saad and Toews). That Kadri trade keeps looking better for them and MacKinnon/Rantanen/Makar is as feared a young trio as any in the league. They have more than enough scoring and now defense, but I wonder about the goaltending still. I think Francouz/Grubauer are both nice #1B options, but I am not sure either can take the reins and win a playoff series or two.

#2 (VGK) --Can we call them the Cup Favorites out of the west already? a top-5 G tandem in Fleury/Lehner, depth up front, and adding Pietrangelo for no good reason. If Seattle does half as well, they'll be happy. This is a pretty weak division on paper, so COL/VGK will probably slug it out for 1st for alot of the year.

#3 (MIN) -- Gasp?!? Why Minnesota? as I said, it's a weak division. and no, I haven't forgotten about the WC Champs the Dallas Stars. but at least one team always surprises me, so this time I'm picking MIN. Bill Guerin has done a pretty good job so far overall. The D is solid even if they trade Dumba for help up front. MIN has strength on the wings and on D but are weaker down the middle and in goal. It remains to be seen if Stalock can step up but Talbot is a fine #1B. If it's a short season and they get an ALL STAR season from Fiala, maybe they can make a run. just typing this I want to reconsider but I gotta stick with it.

#4 (DAL) --I loved watching this team, but sadly they are getting older and Seguin/bishop are injured probably for the beginning of the season. This playoff run was a totally different team from the last few seasons of this team's play. they have a solid and mobile D-core, Khudobin hopefully can pick up his game again, but the offense looks questionable. Hintz and Gurianov may or may not take a step forward, Benn/Seguin/Radulov/Pavelski/etc... are getting older, and I think they will sadly take the path of SJS/NSH before them and begin falling back.

#5 (SJS) --simply because they can't be THAT bad again right? the team has some pretty good players still, although the goaltending right now is horrible unless one of Jones/Dubnyk rebounds. who knew the EK contract would be THIS BAD THIS FAST??? Not I.

#6 (LAK) --They won't be contenders (knock on wood) but they have a young team on the rise and a ton of prospects in the cupboard. at the NHL level they don't have a ton except a declining Anze Kopitar and a constantly-NHL21-overrated Drew Doughty.

#7 (ARI) --They are the new Minnesota Wild or the Buffalo Sabres of the west or whatever you want to call them. (super mismanaged franchise) they should have unloaded OEL even at a discount just to clear that overpaid contract off the cap. they have alot of big contracts coupled to "ok to above-average" players. just a total gong show. not good enough to compete, but not yet bad enough (and with a ton of long deals) to rebuild.

#8 (ANA) --Not quite as bad as Arizona, but either get really good or get really bad. I have no idea what to think of teams that always think they're in WC contention when they are totally not. they should be selling off the few assets they have and just wiping the slate clean but IDK if they will.
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