results time!
These were taken from a sample of 32 standings predictions. I only considered where each person placed a team. I tracked the following stats for each team: Average, Std Dev, Median, Highest Pos and Lowest Pos
NORTH:
Generally, Toronto was at the top of table, and no one had them outside a playoff spot. Likewise, the Senators were handed to lowest spot in most predictions. Outside the two Ontario teams, there were a number of different arrangements on where the middle 5 would end up. Most people generally had the Flames, Oilers and Canadiens in higher positions.
The consensus leads to Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton and Montreal being the playoff teams, with Vancouver and Winnipeg just missing out while Ottawa lags behind.
EAST:
There's a lot going on here. Six teams were ranked first by at least one person and out of the playoffs by another. The only constant was the Devils, who end up with the lowest deviation in rank out of all the teams. Philadelphia appears to be the favorable pick from this selection of teams, being ranked more often than not first in the division. Their cross-state rivals were ranked unfavorably, ending up being dropped out of the playoffs on most occasions.
The consensus suggests that Philadelphia gets a division title, with Washington and Boston following. The Islanders push Pittsburgh out of the playoffs. The Rangers and Buffalo will lag behind the playoff race, and New Jersey is completely out of it.
CENTRAL:
The champions are the winners here by a large margin. Carolina comes in at a comfortable second. The next four teams are the ones in the mix for this division. Dallas is more often than not slotted into a playoff position. Columbus and Nashville have the biggest deviations, with the former being given a first place finish by someone. The Original Six teams are scraping the bottom of the barrel, with only a handful of people suggesting the Red Wings might best the Blackhawks.
The consensus is - Tampa first, Carolina second. Dallas fights for a third-place position. Columbus inches out Nashville for the last spot, while Florida lags behind considerably. Chicago unceremoniously finishes higher than Detroit.
WEST:
The table tells you that there is a major divide here. The first three places will go to one of powerhouse teams, with the rest scrambling for a token spot in the playoffs. The Avalanche were given the top spot by most. The Blues were slotted third more often than not. The rest of the division is anyones guess - no one really knew where to put Minnesota. The SoCal teams aren't held in high regard. People seem to split on the Sharks bouncing back or bottoming out. The Coyotes exist.
The consensus here is - Colorado wins the division closely followed by Vegas. St Louis finishes in a safe third. Arizona squeaks out the fourth position, just barely ahead of Minnesota and San Jose. Anaheims best only their rivals in Los Angeles.
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So again, this is a sample of users on this website on how the season will go. It'll be interesting to revisit when the playoffs start to see how we did collectively.