Predictions for next year almost sure to go wrong

[yave1964]

  Stanley cup final: Stars defeat the Capitals

 

Surprise team in a good way:

East: Jackets. Depth everywhere.

West: Wild. Boudreau has a long history of solid regular season clubs.

 

Surprise team in a bad way:

East: Red Wings. Painful for me to say.

West: Blackhawks. A bubble team for the bottom playoff spot.

 

First coach fired: Blashill. Not his fault, the team is just plain ordinary to bad everywhere.

 

Playoff teams:

East

Tampa, Washington (division winners) Rangers, Penguins, Jackets, Canadiens, Panthers, Islanders. The Flyers and Bruins barely miss.

 

West:

Ducks, Stars (division winners) Predators, Wild, Blues, Sharks, Kings and Hawks. The Hawks edge out the pesky Oilers and Jets.

 

Hart: Jamie Benn

Vezina: Price

Coach of the year: Boudreau

Norris: Hedman

Calder: Mikko Rantanen. He dominated the AHL as a 19 year old and plans are to put him on Duchenes line.

 

That is about it, feel free to post your own.

 

 

[BluPuk]

I'm guessing you think Price will be healthy all season? If he isn't I don't see the Habs making it to the play offs.

 

Coach of the year? Babcock (fingers crossed).

Calder ?? Interesting.... (I think it could be Marner)

 

The Stars to win a cup??  Naaahhh..

[yave1964]

3 hours ago, BluPuk said:

I'm guessing you think Price will be healthy all season? If he isn't I don't see the Habs making it to the play offs.

 

Coach of the year? Babcock (fingers crossed).

Calder ?? Interesting.... (I think it could be Marner)

 

The Stars to win a cup??  Naaahhh..

Agreed with Price, the Habs were puffing their chest last year on a torrid start, saying they were more than just Price, especially when he missed a little time early and Condon was solid. Then when Price went down for the year they proved that they are Price and without him they are a lottery team. He is the best goalie in the game, I give him the Vezina and have the Habs in the postseason. Like you said, without him, they are a lottery team. Still.

 

  I thought of Marner, and Matthews and Laine, but Rantanen simply destroyed the AHL last year and is slated for top line duties with Duchene, he is unbelievably skilled and I think he is more 'ready now' than any other rookie.

 

  Babs is the best coach in the game, either he or Coach Q in Chicago, I think Toronto is on the uptick but still a couple of years away. A buddy of mine who is a Leaf fan offered me a bet, Wings versus Leafs, a dollar a point in the final standings. In other words, if the Wings have 80 points, the Leafs 90 I owe him ten bucks. I took the bet with reservations. The Wings were marking time for the past five years or so and are clearly set to slip while the Leafs are building something. Still no defense but the forwards, wow. I would be surprised if both Bozak and Kadri are on the team on opening night, I think one will be shipped out for a top four defender to go with Reilly. Your boys are only a couple of top four defenders from being in the conversation. Of course people have said that about the Oilers for years and they have proven that you can have forwards coming out of the wazoo and without anyone protecting the back end it is a moot point.

[BluPuk]

I agree on Duchene, I think he might be the most underrated player in the whole league and I don't think Roy was helping. He and Rantanen will make a good pair if they get put on the same line. 

I will be keeping a close tally of the Leafs and Wings' points now. 

I think most of us Leafs fans are just getting giddy over winning the lottery and haven't done any real analyzing of the team. I guess we don't want to. I'm hoping the days of being the joke of the NHL are over....