Quoting: PointStamkosVasilevskiy219188
OK, I'm bored. Very bored. So I'm going to do an off-the-cuff way-too-early prediction of every division. Right now. Again, NOT FINALIZED.
Metro:
1) Canes
2) Rangers
3) Pens
4) Islanders
5) Caps
6) Blue Jackets
7) Devils
8) Flyers
WHY: The Top 3 from last year remain the same-Canes, despite losing Trocheck to NYR, might have even gotten better with Pacioretty and Burns (who was a terrific pickup), not to mention Kase-I'm more confident in their being #1 than I am about any other team. Rangers, much as I hate to admit it, are still darn good, and if Kakko and Lafreniere keep blossoming, watch out. Pens are aging, but their core is intact, healthy (for now), and ready for one last go. With Chara and Greene gone (hopefully), the Isles should be miles better defensively, Sorokin is a beast in goal, and Barzal and Beauvillier are poised to rebound, along with an emerging Wahlstrom (free from Trotz's reign), they'll be in a neck-and-neck battle with the Sens for that last WC spot. The Caps' best days are behind them, they're the Pens with more injuries (Backstrom, Wilson), have a shaky defense, and are on the decline. Blue Jackets have done nothing to improve a dreadful defense (save for signing ERIK GUDBRANSON FOR 4 million X 4 YEARS!!!), the offense will be good but they're not there yet. The Devils are also getting closer, but I think they need one more year. Flyers will be absolutely terrible.
Atlantic:
1) Lightning
2) Bruins
3) Leafs
4) Panthers (WC #1)
5) Senators (WC #2)
6) Red Wings
7) Canadiens
8) Sabres
WHY: Wow, what a freakishly stacked division. Lightning at #1 is for one simple difference-maker: Vasi (and of course, I'm not at all biased). The Bruins being at #2 is assuming Bergeron and Krejci return (again, this is too early), and if they do, I think the Bruins are going to be MAJOR players-even with Marchand and McAvoy out to start the year, as Swayman (who I love) is poised to take over in net (and even if they decide to tandem him and Ullmark again, that's a heck of a tandem) and have a heck of a year. The Leafs are going to be fine-Murray/Samsonov will be servicable, and the skaters will do the rest. Panthers are not as great as they were at the end of last season-no Giroux, no Marchment, no Duclair for at least half the year, and Bobrovsky is still a question mark, but they'll still run away with the 1st WC. Sens are coming, and coming fast-with the new and gleaming Top 6 plus Forsberg+Talbot in net, I'm leaning towards giving them the edge over the Isles for WC #2. Wings aren't there yet (and I actually found some of Yzerman's UFA signings to be questionable at best-that much to Chiarot? 5 years for Copp?), but they're climbing. Canadiens and Sabres will both be better, but not nearly good enough yet.
Central:
1) Avalanche
2) Blues
3) Stars
4) Wild (WC #1)
5) Predators
6) Jets
7) Blackhawks
8) Coyotes
WHY: Avs are still the best-I expect Francouz to win the job and be perfectly capable. Binnington got some of his confidence back these past playoffs-with him back in form and their D-core fully healthy again, the Blues stay in 2nd. Let's get bold at #3-Oettinger puts himself in the Vezina conversation, Heiskanen has his best year yet, Marchment emerges as a terrific middle-6 workhorse, and the Stars surprise with a very solid year. Wild hurt from losing Fiala, but will still be good-not as good as last year, but good, thanks to Kaprizov, Boldy, and a terrific blue line to help out Fleury. Preds benefitted from career years from Forsberg and Duchene last year-I don't know if they can get those players to repeat, and unless they get the bottom-6 to start producing, I don't think they return to the playoffs, even with Saros in net. Jets might be a surprise team, but I don't see it-they have a weak D-core, weak bottom-6, and no stability. Blackhawks, despite their best (worst?) efforts, still won't be worse than the Coyotes.
Pacific:
1) Oilers
2) Golden Knights
3) Kings
4) Canucks (WC #2)
5) Flames
6) Kraken
7) Ducks
8) Sharks
WHY: Edmonton has actually gotten better-they suddenly have a fairly decent (albeit unreliable) goalie, a nice bottom-6, and incredible stability, not to mention the best player in the world, not to mention the 2nd or 3rd best player in the world. After the Oilers, you could put the next 4 teams in any order. So here's my knee-jerk reaction: Vegas, much as I hate it, is going to be good-Eichel's going to come back with a vengeance, Mark Stone stays healthy, and they return to the playoffs. Kings are a little shaky in net (Quick's getting older, Peterson is unproven), but their young talent makes up for it. Canucks have a very impressive top 9, a goalie who gets better every year in Demko, and despite a weak D-core, will battle it out with the Preds in the Central and the Flames in their own division for the last WC spot-but I think they get it, as I can't see Markstrom having the same kind of year he had in 2021-22 again, and losing Gaudreau is going to hurt, no question about it. Kraken will be slightly better thanks to Beniers, but they, the Ducks, and the Sharks will not come close.
Again, for the last time, this is not finalized, but let me know what you think.
Aren't the Bruins missing Carlo, Gryzlyc, McAvoy and Marchand for most of the year