It occured to me today that I did say I would provide a follow up to my first post. You know, the “The Dallas Stars are the greatest team in hockey. I love the Stars. ALL other teams suck and can die.” post.
Okay, maybe it wasn’t quite like that…but I did warn you that it would be biased.
This off-season was fraught with big changes across the league. So, let me just say that this is entirely my opinion based on what I know of those changes. If you are a hockey fan, feel free to debate with me. In fact, I welcome a good hockey debate. But let’s keep it civil.
Anyway….
The rest of the league…
We’ll start with the Western Conference.
Dallas is part of the toughest division in hockey; the Central division. One that consists of the Predators, Jets, Blues, Blackhawks, Avalanche and Wild.
All of these teams are playoff contenders. This division tends to beat up on the rest of the league, which is good. But they also beat up on each other. Seeing as how they play each other more, it means a good number of playoff teams, but a good number of bloodied, battered and bruised playoff teams. It also means a team could have more points than the bottom 2 or 3 from the Eastern Conference and still miss the playoffs. This is a division where you have to win more games than you lose within it. Much as I love that Dallas is in the mix, I often wish they were in the Pacific division instead They would likely run roughshod through the weaker Pacific teams.
All that said, power is starting to shift. The Preds and Jets lost some big guys to free agency; PK Subban to the Devils, anyone?! Patrick Laine will not start the season with the Jets, as he holds out for a better contract. These are big losses that could cause both teams to limp out of the gate. But I will never count out to powerhouse teams like these.
The Avs picked up Nazeem Kadri to add to the already impressive forward group which features Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen. They grabbed three other good depth guys too, so this could be the year the young team jumps into the mix as a real contender. Then you’ve got the Wild who only got better with signing Matts Zuccerello, and the Stanley Cup champ Blues, who have a rookie goalie in Jordan Binnington who has already shown he can play huge when it’s needed most. The Blackhawks didn’t make many splashes, but they did bring Robin Lehner back in net. If Corey Crawford and he are both healthy and playing at high levels, we could see the Hawks make a return to the playoffs this season.
There’s really not a team in the Central that looks weak, but again they may beat each other down so much that the rest of the league is able to take advantage of it.
The Pacific division is another story entirely. The teams there consist of the Flames, Ducks, Golden Knights, Sharks, Coyotes, Canucks, Oilers and Kings.
The powerhouse out of this division is the Knights. They have built a stacked team of forwards, and boast one of the best big-game goalies in the last two decades. The Sharks have the best defensive tandem in Hockey–maybe the best ever–in Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson. But they did not resign Joe Pavelski. “Wrong side of 30” or not, the guy has consistently been a top tier forward his entire career. Couple that with losing guys like Jonas Donskoi (Avs pick up), and it remains to be seen if they can hang with in the powerful Western Conference. The Coyotes were the surprise of the league last season. They just missed the playoffs, but lead their division for a good portion of the season. Picking up a guy like Phil Kessel–who’s a major head case, but also a great player–gives the team scoring and depth they have sorely lacked. The Ducks have lost two big pieces to their team before the season even started. Eaves and Kessler have been major contributors for years. With Perry also gone, this could be a rough year for Ducks fans.
Admittedly the thought of Ducks fans being frustrated all season warms my heart.
That’s all I got for that…I don’t even feel bad admitting it. I LOATHE the Ducks!
Where was I…
Oh yeah, the Pacific. The Flames were this close to moving to Houston. But then they surprised everyone and managed the best record in the conference. Then they were swept by the Avs in the playoffs. Peaks and Valleys. Gotta take the good with the bad. The good news is they have an immensely talented young core of players lead by Sean Monaghan and Johnny Hockey himself, the miniscule but mighty Johnny Gadreau. At 5’6” and roughly 165 pounds, he should have been completely overlooked. But the Flames have a soft spot for the small but mighty. Theo Fleury anyone? Had to take it old school.
Side note: Don’t you just love it when someone says or writes “this close to blah blah blah” and there’s no point of reference???
Well you’ll get none from me either!
Ok…focusing…
The Canucks have an incredible duo of youngsters who are on the cusp of superstardom in Brock Boeser and Elias Petterson. Beyond that? Well, they have the Angry Frenchman, Antionne Roussell, but that’s about it. They’re rebuilding after the Sedin Twins’ retirement. The Oilers are perplexing team, and have been for years. They have a solid group of forwards and defensemen, but they just can’t seem to consistently win. Connor McDavid is the best, and probably most complete forward in the league. Lione Draissitol is one of the best young forwards in the league, and compliments McDavid extremely well. So much talent, and so much disappointment from the one-time NHL dynasty.
Last is the LA Kings. You might recall from the last post (if you read it), that I hate the Kings. Hate is a strong word. But yeah…I hate them. I have a pretty good reason to despise the Ducks, but not so much for the Kings. The only real reason is that they used to always beat Dallas, when the Stars were a contender and the Kings were the league doormat. It was like Dallas forgot how to play every time the played LA. Dallas could be on a 10 game winning streak, play LA and get the crap beaten out of them. That’s it. That’s my whole reason for hating LA. pretty dumb reason, right? So. I still hate them, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. So don’t even try to change my mind.
Ok, now that my childish rant (which hopefully you read and got a twinge of sarcasm from) is over…The Kings were one of the worst teams in the league last year. Much like the Oilers, I find this perplexing. They still have their core of forwards and defenesmen, which is a force to be reckoned with when they are playing as a team. Drew Doughty is arguably the most complete defenseman in the NHL, probably in the last two decades. Anze Kopitar is one of the most complete forwards in the game. Couple them with a good amount of depth guys, and on paper they should be contenders. The issues started when the front office fired Daryl Sutter as the head coach; a decision that nearly made me leap for joy because it meant there was a chance Dallas could sign him. That didn’t happen, but still. Couple the loss of a coach who was all about team discipline (he helped them win their only two Stanley Cups as head coach), with injuries to their stalwart net minder, Jonathan Quick and the awful season starts to make sense. As talented as the forwards are, the team has proven time and again that as Quick goes, so goes the Kings. If he’s injured or playing hurt, the team crumbles. If he’s playing like the former MVP and multi-time Vezina winner he is, the team can dominate the whole league. The good news for LA is that former Texas Stars goalie, and Dallas Stars prospect, Jack Campbell finally got the chance to prove himself last year. Boy did he ever. He was the one bright spot for a dismal season. If Quick is healthy and Campbell can take some of the pressure off of him, LA could return to prominence, much to my chagrin.
So that’s the Western Conference. I still have the Eastern Conference to go. Right about now, if you’ve even made it this far, you’re probably saying “for the love of Pete! There’s more?!”
Yep!
The Eastern Conference sports the Metropolitan and Atlantic divisions. We’ll start with the Metro one. I feel like there’s an off-the-cuff inappropriate joke there…not touching it though.
The Metropolitan division consists of the following teams: the Capitals, Penguins, NY Islanders, NY Rangers, Flyers, Devils, Blue Jacks and Hurricanes. Much like the Central in the West, this is the strongest division in the East.
Let’s start with the typical perennial powers here. The Caps are bringing back most of their core forwards and defensemen, and still sport Braden Hotlby in net. Losing backup goalie Phillip Grudbaur is a blow, but Holtby can, and has carried almost 100% of the weight and still perform in the playoffs. They should be just fine this season. The Pens are pretty similar to the Caps. They exception is that Phil Kessel is gone. Not really sure that’s a big a loss as people think. Jake Guentzel had a breakout year, and he will only get better playing with Sidney Crosby on the top line. If Evgeni Malkin is back to his old form, they will once again have the best one-two center combo in the league. I think the only real question for them is whether last year was a fluke “off” year for Matt Murray, or a sign of things to come. I put “off” in quotes because a 29-20 record is a pretty solid for most goalies. My guess is that the Pens and Caps will continue to dominate the division.
The hockey scene in NY looked like it was shifting. The Isles dominated last year, even after losing their best player to free agency. The Rangers sold, sold and sold some more. It looked like this would be another great year for the Isles while the Rangers spent some time rebuilding. The latter may still prove true, as the Isle look as good as ever. But in the off-season, the Rangers showed the league they weren’t ready to just lay down. Signing Artemi Pannerin (The Bread Man) was a huge move for them. If Henrik Lundquivist still has even half of his ability left in the tank, the Rangers could surprise some people.
The team that could really shake things up here is the Devils. Picking up both Wayne Simmonds and PK Subban in free agency not only served to weaken the Predators from the West (my thanks for that), but the bolstered a young core that’s getting better and better. The Hurricanes surprised a lot of people by making the playoffs last season. Sebastian Aho is poised to ascend into superstardom, and the rest of the young team knows how to play and win together now. They could go either way, but my guess is they will also be a playoff contender. Then there’s the Blue Jackets. As if losing their other-worldy good goaltender, Sergei Bobrovsky wasn’t enough, they also lost their best forward in the before-mentioned Panarin. With Bob and the Bread Man both departing, there’s not a lot for fans in Columbus to be optimistic about.
That’s that for the Metropolitan Division. Last but not least, is the Atlantic Division.
This division consists of the following teams: the Lightning, Bruins, Maple Leafs, Canadians, Red Wings, Senators, Panthers and Sabres.
Like before, we’ll start with the two teams expected to be on top; the Lightning and Maple Leafs. Last season, the Lightning fell just short of breaking the record for most wins and points in a single season. They are returning mostly the same team as last season, with a few departures. But even with the departures, they have youngsters like Anthony Cirelli and Brayden Point who are quickly becoming huge contributors on their juggernaut offense. Couple that with adding Kevin Shattenkirk on an already stacked defense, and this team really only improved from last season. The Maple Leafs had a less than expected season last year, even though they were still in the top 5 in the East. Losing Kadri in the off-season hurt but they are so stacked at center that it was more like a minor cut than a deep wound. Add in 3 new top 4 defensemen, signing Mitch Marner to a big deal to keep the Marner, Matthews and Nylander line together, and a bonafide backup for Frederick Anderson, and the Leafs look poised to rival even the Lightning for the best team in the East. Next on the list is the Bruins. They were ahead of Toronto last season, and made it to the Stanley Cup Finals. Adding Charlie Coyle at Center gives them 4 top two centers, and returning Charlie McAvoy and Tori Krug on defense keeps a great defense great. But the biggest weapon they have is the one-two punch of Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak. Rask is a proven winner for Boston, and Halak has been great in the past. He’s not done yet either.
The other team to watch is the Florida Panthers. They have been quietly building a team capable of winning for a long time. When long-time Panther, Roberto Luongo announced his retirement in the off-season, every thought they had suffered a huge setback. Not a day later they actually upgraded by signing the previously mentioned Bobrovsky. Bob was a superstar on a team that didn’t have the pieces in front of him. With Florida, he has plenty of depth forwards and a pretty solid defense to help him out. Florida could conceivably overtake the Lightning as the top team in the East.
Then there’s the rest of the teams. The Red Wings missed the playoffs for the first time in 25 years (longest streak in professional sports), and made it clear they are rebuilding. My second favorite team, the Wings used to be Dallas’ biggest rival, and a perennial powerhouse. But every team has its peaks and valleys. This is a valley time for the WIngs. The Senators have a great, but aging goalie in Craig Anderson, and a decent group of young talent. The issue is that they have lost their three top defensemen in the last three years, with the biggest loss being Erik Karlsson last season. They are also rebuilding, so I don’t expect much from them either. The Sabres have been underperforming for a team with the amount of you talent they have. Jack Eichel has yet to live up to his bliing (well, fully anyway), and “Generational Talent” Rasmus Dahlin wasn’t even the top rookie last season. They both have the ability, but it hasn’t yet translated to NHL success. The good news is that they are both still young and have plenty of time to get there. I believe they will. Until then, the Sabres will continue to be mediocre.
Lastly but not least is the Canadians. Starting with Alexander Radulov departing for Dallas, they have since watched two of their other top forwards leave. The front office is the biggest issue for the Canadians. Rads was unhappy there. So too was PK Subban. They seem to want to paint departing players as the villians, but I think it’s pretty clear you can only cry wolf so many times. They did well last year, although they missed the playoffs. I’m not so sure they can keep that going this season. That said, they do still have Shea Weber as their top defender. If he is healthy, he is a definite force to be reckoned with. Carey Price is still one of the best goalies in the world, and adding Keith Kinkaid allows them to take some pressure off of the usual workhorse in Price. Carey has played his full career in Montreal, but I have to assume the goalie who has done everything but win a Stanley Cup is starting to get tired of the team’s pension for folding at some point in the season or playoffs. I would not be surprised if he asks for a trade, if the season goes south soon enough.
So that’s my take on the West and East. But I figure I should also add in my thoughts on who will come out on top in each Conference.
So here goes…
Spoiler Alert! I’m picking Dallas out of the West. Not so much because they are my favorite team, but because they were so close last playoffs. Adding the guys they add should propel them to the next level. That said, the wild West has a number of teams I could see catching fire at the right time and punching their ticket to the Stanley Cup Finals. But, I ‘m sticking with my team, because 20 years is a long enough wait for a return to the Cup.
As for the East…Well, that’s a tough one. The Lightning got even stronger in the off-season, but they got ousted quickly last post season. They rode Vasilevsky so hard last season that he ran out of gas in the playoffs. That coupled with Kucherov’s meltdown in the playoffs helped to seal their fate. So if not Tampa Bay, then who? While you can never rule out the Caps and Pens, my money is on the dark horse. The Florida Panthers seem to have all the pieces in place. Bobrovsky will very likely have a Vezina Trophy-caliber season, and Aleksander Barkov is ready to leap from stardom into superstardom. This team is going to surprise a lot of people. I think they can even do that all the way to the Stanley Cup.
There you go. It only took me almost 3100 words (over 6000 if you count the first post) to get here, but now you know my thoughts on the 2019-2020 NHL season. It all starts on October 3rd. So when most of you are obsessed with the NFL and NCAA Football seasons, the MLB Playoffs and the NBA season, I will be putting my time and energy into the only sport that still really matters to me. The greatest sport on Earth; HOCKEY!!!
Thanks for reading. If you’ve made it this far and not lost your mind, or been bored to death, we should talk. Chances are you’re actually a hockey fan and didn’t know it. Or maybe you just find my snarky writing style entertaining. Either way, if we aren’t friends we should be.
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