Team: 2022-23 Custom Team

Initial Creation Date: Sep. 13, 2022

Published: Oct. 12, 2022

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

First lets start with this: 82 games played in a season by each team, 32 teams, 2 teams play each other each game so 82x16= 1312 games played. At least 2 points given for each game, so minimum number of combined points is 1312x2=2624. Additional point awarded for OT loser so maximum 1312x3=3936. For the last 3 full length seasons (21-22,18-19,17-18) 288, 271, and 296 extra points were awarded. Taking into account there were 31 teams in 18-19 and 17-18 vs the 32 we can say roughly 280 and 306 extra points would have been awarded in those years if there were 32 teams. Average those out and we get about 291 extra points. I'll use this as the basis for my point allocation (2624+291=2915). Thats all the math I'm gonna do, I'm not gonna go into each teams schedule and try to figure out point allocation based on matchup of every game, ain't nobody got time for that. I'll just allocate those 2915 points based on how I see the teams going into next season.

Highlights:
Metro has 5 teams in playoffs: Rangers, Canes, Pens, Devils, Caps
Atlantic has 3 teams: Lightning, Leafs, Panthers
Central 4 teams: Avs, Blues, Wild, Stars
Pacific 4 teams: Flames, Oilers, Canucks, Kings

Bruins and Knights miss the playoffs

Metro
Rangers: 109 pts
Hurricanes: 106 pts
Penguins: 98 pts
Devils: 95 pts
Capitals: 95 pts
Blue Jackets: 88 pts
Islanders: 85 pts
Flyers: 66 pts

Rangers, Canes, Pens in
Devils, Caps Wild Cards
Jackets, Islanders, Flyers out

Rangers: Need some of the young forwards to step up, but still have the veteran fire power on offense should they falter. Kreider probably doesn't repeat the year he had from last year, but the difference in his goals should easily be made up by the other guys in top 6. Defense is solid and should be better from last year, and Igor looking to repeat past season.

Canes: Lost some key contributors and replaced them with some older/slower albeit still solid replacements. I think it takes time for the new guys to mix in to the heavy forechecking scheme, but by the end of the season, hopefully with Pacioretty back will continue to look like legitimate contenders. The 2c will certainly be a question though throughout the season with KK possibly needing to step up in a big way and fast.

Pens: More of the same for the Pens, I think they are still in the conversation for this year. Hard to count them out with their core until they finally fall. So for now they still get a spot in the playoffs.

Devils: The Devils made some decent moves in the offseason and the Forward and Defense groups look solid. With continued growth from the young guys and a bounce-back season from Hamilton the skaters can match up with many of the top teams. The rate-limiting piece will continue to be the goaltending. I think they will be better from last year, and with the guys up top they won't necessarily need to be spectacular.

Capitals: The roster continues to age, and Wilson and Backstrom look to be out for a while but I think this team still finds a way to squeak into the playoffs. Kuemper, although nothing too special, probably stabilizes the goaltending position from the ups and downs of last year. Strome could also play a major role in holding down the fort at center until the aforementioned Backstrom comes back.

Blue Jackets: Although the Gaudreau signing should certainly make the team better I just don't think they're there yet. The center depth is still a little light and losing Bjorkstrand will probably hurt a lot more than is currently being predicted. Still some question marks here.

Islanders: The Islanders continue to get older and just got rid of their most valuable piece in their headcoach Barry Trotz. You certainly have to give the players credit for making back-to-back ECF's but how much of that was due to Trotz's deployment and schemes? They're hoping to become more offensive, while maintaining their team defense, but with the lack of additions I don't see how it gets done. Going to need to hope that Barzal breaks out in a big way and that Sorokin continues to look like an elite goaltender with less emphasis on the defense game.

Flyers: This team truly is a mess. Theirs just about zero depth for the forward group, outside of the top 6 which itself doesn't look that good. Hopefully Couterier is ready to go by the beginning of the season so their top 6 will at least not be dreadful. The defense has a lot of flawed players but has some interesting pieces. Will Ryan Ellis play again, if so the D could be decent but the chances of him coming back to form, or coming back at all look worse and worse each day. Carter Hart has a chance to bounce back, but right now theres really no indication he will become the player he was thought he would become, and their stud goalie prospect can't leave Russia. While theres a lot more that can be said about the management of this team and Torterella coming in, I'll just leave it at that.

Atlantic:
Lightning: 108 pts
Leafs: 106 pts
Panthers: 100 pts
Bruins: 93 pts
Senators: 90 pts
Redwings: 87 pts
Sabres: 80 pts
Canadiens: 70 pts

Lightning, Leafs, Panthers in
No wild cards
Bruins, Sens, Wings, Sabres, Canadiens out

Lightning: The Lightning should continue to be contenders despite some key losses in McD and Palat. The team still has Stammer, Kucherov, Point, Hedman and Vasilevsky holding it down. Their depth takes a hit, but they've been able to get contributions from guys in those positions in the past and they should be able to continue with that this season.

Leafs: The Leafs probably assembled the best team they could assemble around this current core last season. The loss of some depth players such as Mikheyev will probably hurt them come playoffs, but they should be ok in that area at least for the regular season. The real issue here will be the goaltending. They are taking a huge risk, hoping that Murray can bounce back and while he may have better counting stats this year behind a better team, I think we will continue to see the same Murray we've seen the past 2 years. For all of the issues they had with Freddie and Campbell in the past, I think they've only made the issue worse. They're gonna need to put up a whole bunch of points to win some of these games, but the top 4 should keep them squarely in the playoffs.

Panthers: This team will certainly regress from last years President trophy season. Sure they bring in Tkachuk, who I guess they believe gives them a more playoff ready team, but look at the cost. They got rid of Huby who I believe is a better player than Tkachuk and will continue to be a better player for the next coming years, and also threw in Weegar whos been a stud for them and has been their number one guy when Ekblad's been out which seems like a guarantee to happen each season at this point. Throw in the Duclair injury and some other guys they lost and I think this team takes a major step back. I think they still make the playoffs, but people seem overly confident in the team to be just as good if not better when they just downgraded from arguably the best winger in the league and threw in their second best defenseman for the pleasure of doing so.

Bruins: The Bruins will fall out of the playoffs this year, and surprisingly it won't be one of the other beefed up Atlantic teams to take over. It's nice to see Bergeron and Kreijci back, but they're both another year older. I believe the injuries to Mcavoy and Marchand will be just too much and for too long for the team to endure as the rest of the division has gotten better.

Senators: The top 6 looks to be very competitive with the additions of Giroux and Debrincat. The team will likely have no issues scoring and should see upgrade at goal with Talbot taking over for Murray. I just don't think the defense is there yet for them to make it in this year. Sanderson looks like he might be the real deal, but its still early and the team is probably still out of the playoff picture unless he can have a godly year.

Redwings: Similar to Senators, I like a bunch of the moves that they've made this offseason to improve. Adding guys like Copp and Perron should help the forward group along with a full season of Vrana. I like the addition of Husso, and they'll hope he can replicate the success he had for stretches this past year. I just don't think they're there yet, but with continued development and the promotion of additional prospects they could be back soon.

Canadiens: This team will most likely stay as a bottom feeder this season. They just don't have the pieces in place to be all that competitive this year. The defense is rough as well as the goaltending, though I'm sure they'd be happy to give another year for Suzuki and Caufield to develop while getting the chance at Bedard. I think Hughes and Gorton have started off pretty strong, with weaponizing cap space and LTIR players to get picks. Hopefully they made the right move at the draft picking Slaf over Wright and others. They look like they'll be rebuilding for a few years, but who knows they could maybe accelerate the process should they continue on this path.

Central:
Avs: 113 pts
Blues: 105 pts
Wild: 99 pts
Stars: 97 pts
Predators: 95 pts
Jets: 87 pts
Blackhawks: 62 pts
Coyotes: 55 pts

Avs, Blues, Wild in
Stars wild card
Preds, Jets, Blackhawks, Coyotes out

Avs: The Avs look to repeat this year. They've lost some major contributors in Kadri and Burakovsky, and that will certainly take a hit to their depth. But their top guys are still elite, and they'll continue to be a possession heavy team. They'll be looking for a lot more from Newhook and Byram this year, and if they take big leaps they could makeup a lot of the lost production. The big question mark will be goaltending. Kuemper was solid, albeit nothing special, but that was enough for them to win the cup. Georgiev has shown flashes but I don't think he's at that level yet, though consistent usage has always brought out the best in his game. Between him and Francouz one or both of them will have to step up, or it could just cost them the chance to repeat.

Blues: For a team that really only lost Perron and Husso(who would have been backing up Binnington this year again anyways) a lot of people have them regressing this year. I don't really see it. I think Binnington was solid in the playoffs and should be good this season barring injury. The rest of the team largely stays the same, and I don't see any reason why the players couldn't have similar seasons, and maybe even see upticks in some of their production. Maybe I'm missing something else, but I think this team has a firm grasp on a playoff spot.

Wild: I think the loss of Fiala and Talbot will hurt the Wild a lot more than people give credit to. You are hoping that guys like Boldy and Rossi can stay healthy and make-up for the production, but that could be a big ask even for 2 highly touted young players. Without Talbot as the safety net, its all on Fleury now. Fleury is another year older and coming off a relatively bad season by his standards. I don't see him having another renaissance type year like he was able to do a few time in Vegas at this point in his career and I think that will come back to bite them a little bit. The cap situation will also be extremely tough on them this year and for the forseeable future, which is why I see them regressing a tad, though I still believe they have the players to make the playoffs.

Stars: Now that Robo's finally signed I think that they make the final spot in the Central. Going to need some continued growth out of the young guns, another year of high level Pavelski and a little more production out of Seguin and Benn. It'll be a tight race, but I think they have enough to squeak in assuming everyone is able to stay healthy.

Preds: I think Preds are the first team out, and this one is tough. I think amongst the 4 competing teams not named the Avalanche, this team is probably the weakest. They just had some career years out of pretty much all of their top guys: Josi, Duchene, Forsberg, Johansen and Saros. While I think you can continue to expect excellence out of Josi, Forsberg and Saros the other 2 are due for some regression. I think the Nino signing was excellent though and should McD have enough left in the tank they might just go further than I expect.

Jets: The Jets seem unlikely to sneak back into the playoffs after a miserable year last year. They still have elite pieces at least on the offensive end and Helleybuck could be a bounce back candidate, but the D is still pretty bad. They'll have to see if some of the management changes can reinvigorate the team, but I think other teams in the division stacks up higher.

Blackhawks: This team is clearly looking to be in the Bedard sweepstakes. Most of their deals or signings have shown that they are not actively trying to win now and the only other narrrative around this team will be if they move on from Kane and/or Toews and what they might be able to get for them.

Coyotes: Even with Chicago in the same division, the Coyotes look poised to compete for last place. With Chycrun looking to get out, it leaves Clayton Keller as the only current decent piece on the roster. Should be a long year for them especially with a handful of other teams around the league looking to lose at the same pace.

Pacific:
Flames: 109 pts
Oilers: 107 pts
Canucks: 97 pts
Kings: 96 pts
Knights: 91 pts
Ducks: 83 pts
Kraken: 75 pts
Sharks: 68 pts

Flames, Oilers, Canucks in
Kings wild card
Knights, Ducks, Kraken, Sharks in

Flames: The Flames not only salvaged the loss of their two best players, but may have gotten better. Obviously you'd prefer Gaudreau over Kadri, but the team upgraded big time by trading Tkachuk for both Hubs and Weegar. With the both signed, it looks like they will be going all in this season. Hubs and Kadri should be able to make up a decent portion of the offense lost, with some production needed to be made up by the likes of Mangiapane and Toffoli, which I think they can do. The addition of Weegar makes the defense even more stacked and Markstrom will certainly be looking to bounce back from a poor playoff showing. It might take a little time for the team to gel, but once they do look out.

Oilers: The Oilers finally addressed their biggest need. Did they fix it? Sort of. Certainly the addition of Jack Campbell is an upgrade over what they had been running out there at goal. While I'm not super high on Campbell, even average goaltending should make a huge difference. The defense still has question marks as well. The question will again be if the offense can make up for the deficincies behind them. While the D+G looks better than years past, it still will be the likely reason why they can't get over the hump should they falter this season.

Canucks: Here's where it starts to get a little interesting. I think the Canucks are poised to make the playoffs this year. They return most of the same group from last year, though most of the team outside of Miller and Hughes had down years last year. The D still doesn't look great, but they still have Demko behind them and if Boeser and Pettey can bounce back and the group continues to flourish under Bruce, I think they might surprise people.

Kings: The kings were a surprise team last year, with most thinking they were a year or 2 early. They were able to bring back the crew and add Fiala to supplement the offense. I think this team is pretty deep and will hope Doughty and Kopitar still have some left and that the kids take on bigger roles this year. The bigger question will probably be goaltending, they'll need either Quick or Peterson to step up, but assuming one or both is up for the task they should be a playoff team.

Kights: This is probably the boldest take outside of the Devils making it over the Bruins. Unfortunately for the Knights the goaltending and depth will probably be what holds this team back. They've got all the shiny toys up front, but how long will it last before the injury bug bites again? Guys like Stone, Eichel and Martinez seem destined to miss time at some point during the season and I don't know if they'll have enough to hold on during those stretches, especially with the huge question mark in Logan Thompson.

Ducks: The Ducks look like an up and coming team, but they are probably still a few years out of playoff contention. Thye added some nice pieces with Strome, Klingberg and Vatrano, but I don't think they are there yet. They shouldn't be a bottom feeder with the talent on the roster, but most likely not good enough to get a shot at the cup.

Kraken: The Kraken look like a team of middle 6 players, most likely because it is a team with all middle 6 players. While that leads to decent depth and balance and they'll most likely make most games competitive, I think they lack enough the high end talent to do much this season. Hopefully Beniers and Wright can develop nicely this year and they could look to maybe make some noise in the future, but I think theres just not enough talent on the roster as currently constructed.

Sharks: The Sharks look to take last place in the pacific this season. They're too thin at forward and defense, and their goaltending isn't really awe-inspiring either. They'll look to hopefully bring some of the prospects up this year and get them some time, but otherwise they'll probably be looking forward to the end of the season to see where they land in the draft lottery.