[ochenta y cinco]

Hey guys, I'm bored. This should be fun though, getting a few opinions on the NHL standings for the upcoming season!

I'll start with my point of view on the EC.

Eastern Conference

1. Pittsburgh Penguins - elite offensive forwards, improved top-4 on D
2. Washington Capitals - steadier goaltending, same offensive punch
3. Boston Bruins - improved up front w/ Horton and possibly Seguin + Rask full-time
4. New Jersey Devils - how will new acquisitions fit in? still very strong on paper...
5. Montreal Canadiens - speedy team with nice depth
7. Tampa Bay Lightning - Stevie Y built a strong core + Guy Boucher is a brilliant coach
7. Philadelphia Flyers - not a believer in Leighton - also hate Zherdev as a replacement for Gagne
8. Ottawa Senators - playoff team despite the suspect goaltending
---
9. Carolina Hurricanes - some quality young players on this Canes roster
10. Buffalo Sabres - you can't lose key players every offseason without replacing them and still expect to remain a top-8 team
11. Atlanta Thrashers - improved roster, still not convinced that the addition of Byfuglien, Ladd and Sopel makes them that much better.. key year for Pavelec who's still very much unproven
12. Toronto Maple Leafs - don't expect a large improvement from last year's roster
13. New York Rangers - besides Gaborik & Frolov, there's not much to like up front + D is questionable
14. New York Islanders - young unproven offence, one of the worst D cores in the league, and suspect goaltending
15. Florida Panthers - Dave Tallon is re-building this team from scratch, having already cleaned up the house...

[ochenta y cinco]

Western Conference

1. Detroit Red Wings - this is one scary line-up... probably the best top-9 at F in the NHL
2. Vancouver Canucks - depth at all positions, probably the best D core in the WC
3. San Jose Sharks - if Niittymaki can get it done, it's going to be another stellar regular reason for Todd McLellan's squad
4. Chicago Blackhawks - the key players are still there... however Ladd, Niemi, Versteeg, Byfuglien and Sopel will all be missed. can Turco deliver?
5. Los Angeles Kings - the constant improvement continues, with Jonathan Bernier now ready to compete with Jon Quick for #1 duties in goal
6. Colorado Avalanche - add another year of experience for Stasny, Duchene, Stewart, Galiardi, O'Reilly et al... great results are to be expected
7. St. Louis Blues - Davis Payne will lead this young talented team to a playoff berth... also do not underestimate what Jaro Halak can do in terms of giving his team a boost of confidence
8. Nashville Predators - lack of punch on offence, but a well-coached team with a young, mobile defence and a solid starter in nets in Pekka Rinne
---
9. Phoenix Coyotes - I don't necessarily expect Tippett's Yotes to fall back to mediocrity, but the parity amongst NHL teams will do that at some point...
10. Calgary Flames - does Darryl Sutter really expect Flames fans to believe that Tanguay and Jokinen will be major contributors in a Flames' return to the playoffs?
11. Minnesota Wild - solid team all-around, but lacks top-end talent up front and on D
12. Anaheim Ducks - the quality of the top-6 is undeniable... can't say the same thing about Anaheim's defence and its depth in the bottom-6
13. Dallas Stars - is Kari Lehtonen really an iupgrade over Turco? time will tell, but I don't see this year's edition of the Dallas Stars as an improved squad. defence still brings up a huge question mark...
14. Edmonton Oilers - youth infusion can only do so much for your team in their rookie season
15. Columbus Blue Jackets - this is one mediocre defensive squad... also a terrible lack of depth once you get past Nash, Vermette, Brassard and Voracek... one or many of these guys will have to step up and deliver big-time if they want to get out of the basement.

[xraygord]

I think Calgary and Atlanta will do better, maybe make the playoffs. I'm not sure how well the Caps will do this year. I hope not anyway.

[ochenta y cinco]

I agree with Atlanta probably showing an improvement over last year in terms of W's and pts accumulated, but I don't consider them to be any better than the 8 playoff teams in my standings. It sure is going to be a tight race for seeds 6, 7 and 8 until the very end in both conferences, just like last year IMO.

[JumpoffJoeBeezy]

I'd throw Toronto in my Eastern Top 8.. That defense alone should get them in.. Kaberle/Phaneuf/Komisarek/Schenn/Beauchemin/Lebda.. Quite possibly the best top 6 defense crew in the NHL..

[Types]

Very nice write up

[ochenta y cinco]

I'd throw Toronto in my Eastern Top 8.. That defense alone should get them in.. Kaberle/Phaneuf/Komisarek/Schenn/Beauchemin/Lebda.. Quite possibly the best top 6 defense crew in the NHL..

Trying to be as neutral as I can, since I'm a die-hard Montreal fan, and the rivalries with teams like the Leafs and the Bruins can lead to misconceptions about those teams.

However, I tend to disagree about their defence being at the top of the league. Kaberle is a top-notch puckmover, you won't find anyone questioning that. His defensive coverage, IMO, is beyond doubtful though. Also, Phaneuf's progression as a complete d-man has been nothing short of disappointing since his rookie season. None of the two is the true definition of a #1 guy as of now, I'd say. Komisarek is one big piece of thrash, that I won't hesitate to claim one second. As a Habs fan, saw more than enough of his silly decision-making and bone-headed plays to know that he's not a top-4 and certainly not worth the 4.5M salary he landed for the next 5 years. Believe me, he brings much more negative than positive to the ice, especially when put in a 1st pairing role.

Beauchemin picked it up late in 2009-10, but any Leafs fan would tell you that he failed to deliver for most of last season. The type of game he plays is a dime a dozen across the NHL, to be perfectly honest. Decent #4 guy, nothing more.

Schenn is not a beast yet, but yeah, he rounds out well any top-6 with his potential as a shutdown d-man. Lebda is fine to have as your #6-7 guy, I guess.

Goaltending also plays a big part in making your defence look good. Will a Giguere and Gustavsson duo be able to make this Leafs d-core look good? I would tend to say no, because neither of them is an elite presence between the pipes...

[Eleven]

I agree with Atlanta probably showing an improvement over last year in terms of W's and pts accumulated, but I don't consider them to be any better than the 8 playoff teams in my standings. It sure is going to be a tight race for seeds 6, 7 and 8 until the very end in both conferences, just like last year IMO.

Yeah ultimately, there wont be many points separating all those teams.

[scratbandit]

Great write up and look forward to this season myself..

[Miser]

The Ducks are going to be terible

[Salmon Steak]

St. Louis goes undefeated

[whiteout2713]

i would say the flyers have the best defense in the league instead of toronto

[ochenta y cinco]

Yeah, Philly's defensive core is pretty solid (and expensive too) all around.


Pronger (4.92M) - Carle (3.44M)
Coburn (3.2M) - Timonen (6.33M)
Meszaros (4M) - O'Donnell (1.3M)/Bartulis/Walker

Looks good, but some of these guys are prone to the occasional defensive blunder (i.e. Carle, Meszaros and Coburn, who are far from being defensive zone specialists). If Pronger, at age 36, can still be the best player on the ice for Philly like he was in many playoff games last spring, there's not much to worry about though, as the guy eats up monster minutes when he's on his game.


I'm really liking the Vancouver Canucks for the upcoming season, and one big reason for that is their D. Despite the lack of a true established #1, there's some big-time talent on that squad with the additions of Keith Ballard and Dan Hamhuis.

Ehrhoff - Hamhuis
Ballard - Edler
Bieksa - Salo/O'Brien

There's some talk that Bieksa could be the odd-man out, but it's a pretty intriguing squad nonetheless, lots of potential there IMO.

[OTL]

Ballard and Hamhuis are solid but overrated. Vancouver's improved d-core still doesn't compare to Chicago's or Detroit's. This team is still mentally weak and without a real leader, and Mike Gillis did nothing to address that in the offseason. Don't expect them to make it deep in the playoffs any time soon, although the local fans will be convinced that this is their year, just like every one of the past 40...

[ochenta y cinco]

Hawks and Wings certainly have the edge because of their 1-2 punch on D, especially Chicago with Keith and Seabrook, plus an improving Hjalmarsson. For Detroit, Lidstrom and Rafalski are obviously established 1st pairing guys.

At some point they won't be as dominant as they used to IMO, at age 40 and 37 respectively. Is it going to be this season? Either way, it shouldn't really matter if they slow down, as Stuart and Kronwall can log some pretty significant minutes too. Ericsson and Salei should round out a pretty steady, reliable top-6. Combined with an elite group of forwards, I fully expect the Wings to be in the race for the President's Trophy.

[OTL]

Agreed. The Wings are going to be scary as long as they can keep their injuries in check and their high mileage players keep enough gas in the tank for the playoffs.

[DennisGreen]

Ballard and Hamhuis are solid but overrated. Vancouver's improved d-core still doesn't compare to Chicago's or Detroit's. This team is still mentally weak and without a real leader, and Mike Gillis did nothing to address that in the offseason. Don't expect them to make it deep in the playoffs any time soon, although the local fans will be convinced that this is their year, just like every one of the past 40...

Canucks go deeper than the Hawks this year sorry bud. Enjoy your only cup for a while and good luck with Turco you will need it. You wish you had fans like the Canucks. Hawks fans are the biggest bandwagoners ever. I bet 10% max of your fans know what icing and offside is See what happens if you guys start off slow this year. The Mad House will become the Sad House pretty quickly.

[whiteout2713]

i dont think anybody has put hamhuis on like a lindstrom/duncan keith/chris pronger pedastal. Hamhuis is a great signing

[ochenta y cinco]

Same goes for Ballard. He flourished as an all-around guy with the Panthers, and will now get his chance to play with a quality partner, wether it is Ehrhoff, Edler or Hamhuis, and also to be the pointman on a more than capable PP unit.

[OTL]

Canucks go deeper than the Hawks this year sorry bud. Enjoy your only cup for a while and good luck with Turco you will need it. You wish you had fans like the Canucks. Hawks fans are the biggest bandwagoners ever. I bet 10% max of your fans know what icing and offside is See what happens if you guys start off slow this year. The Mad House will become the Sad House pretty quickly.

I've been hearing this same song from Cannots fans for 20 years! It would get old, but living in Vancouver and seeing the fanbase disappear until the next time the team sees the playoffs makes it all worth it! The dumpsters in the GVRD will be filled with car flags like they always are.

[DennisGreen]

I've been hearing this same song from Cannots fans for 20 years! It would get old, but living in Vancouver and seeing the fanbase disappear until the next time the team sees the playoffs makes it all worth it! The dumpsters in the GVRD will be filled with car flags like they always are.

LOL you are a Hawks fan living in Vancouver? WTF that's like treason against your city almost Agreed that a lot of the Nucks fan base is pretty bad at jumping off and on the bandwagon unfortunately but that's true for most teams.

[Gokhan]

I think Calgary and Atlanta will do better, maybe make the playoffs. I'm not sure how well the Caps will do this year. I hope not anyway.

come on let's hope for the same for performance for caps. 1st period overs were money maker!!!

[whiteout2713]

i didnt really think the thrashers did much to improve their team in the off season. i dont think byfuglien is a franchise cornerstone and he was their biggest offseason aquisition. they need more help just about everywhere. as for the caps, they seem to lack mental toughness which makes it very hard to predict how the caps will do next year. mental toughness is something you cant exactly see until you step on to the ice

[pdx107]

Thrashers could sneak in w/ an 8th seed, of course they play in a "weaker" division that the Caps will easily win...

[ochenta y cinco]

WSH's mental toughness is going to become an issue only in the latter stages of the season, and mostly during the Stanley Cup playoffs. For the Caps, it shouldn't be much of an issue. They're well-coached by an offensive-minded Bruce Boudreau and they've got too much firepower up front and on D (even more now with John Carlson's emergence) to be any less dominant offensively than they were in 2009-10.

Expect Ovechkin, Bäckstrom, Semin, Laich, Fleischmann, Fehr, Knuble, Green and Carlson to produce just about the same number of goals, which spells disaster for the opposing team on most nights. None of these guys is expected to be slowing down anytime soon, to the exception of Knuble, who'll still get his fair share of garbage goals playing on the PP with AO and Bäckstrom. Also, goaltending will perhaps be steadier with Varlamov gaining in experience and entering his 3rd NHL season, plus Michal Neuvirth being a solid backup capable of handling the #1 duties if Semyon shows inconsistency.

[OTL]

LOL you are a Hawks fan living in Vancouver? WTF that's like treason against your city almost Agreed that a lot of the Nucks fan base is pretty bad at jumping off and on the bandwagon unfortunately but that's true for most teams.

It's nothing against the city man. I love Vancity, but I hate the Canucks with a passion. They easily have the most ignorant, classless, and disloyal fans in all of pro sports. The (foreign) team owner doesn't know his ass from a hole in the ground, and brings in like-minded GM's and coaches who ensure that the team fails every season. The organization treats the players that have been loyal and good to it like garbage (eg, Linden). The city even got swept up in the team's media blitz and planned the cup parade route one year as we all know. The team increases ticket prices by 8% every season yet still sucks. Soon you will have to take out a 2nd mortgage to even get a decent seat. Aside from the Cubs they are the biggest joke in all of pro sports!

[Eleven]

The southern division wont be so weak, its entirely possible for 3 teams to make the playoffs this year.

[DennisGreen]

It's nothing against the city man. I love Vancity, but I hate the Canucks with a passion. They easily have the most ignorant, classless, and disloyal fans in all of pro sports. The (foreign) team owner doesn't know his ass from a hole in the ground, and brings in like-minded GM's and coaches who ensure that the team fails every season. The organization treats the players that have been loyal and good to it like garbage (eg, Linden). The city even got swept up in the team's media blitz and planned the cup parade route one year as we all know. The team increases ticket prices by 8% every season yet still sucks. Soon you will have to take out a 2nd mortgage to even get a decent seat. Aside from the Cubs they are the biggest joke in all of pro sports!

LOL I wouldn't go as far as comparing them to the Cubs. At least they are a top team in the regular season. As for raising ticket prices it's bs obviously but supply and demand dictates that, not a whole lot you can do when the town is obsessed. Linden was treated fine. Sure trading him to Montreal wasn't very classy but at least he finished his career with his team and will have his number retired one day. It's definitely painful being a Canucks fan which is similar to being a Cubs fan I suppose. We have a lot of stupid fans I won't argue with you there. A lot of them are comparable to soccer hooligans and the bandwagon jumpers I can't stand. There are loyal fans out there like myself but yeah a lot of idiots really ruin Canucks fans' reputations.

[rickie65]

Ballard and Hamhuis are solid but overrated.

Ballard was the Panthers best D-man 2 years ago (and yes that includes better than Jay Bo) but really had an off year last season. I bet he'll bounce back and be solid for the Canuckleheads.

[whiteout2713]

hahaha. i never thought canucks fans were like that. never really had a chance to experience them though. its just funny to hear!

[trade88]

I'd throw Toronto in my Eastern Top 8.. That defense alone should get them in.. Kaberle/Phaneuf/Komisarek/Schenn/Beauchemin/Lebda.. Quite possibly the best top 6 defense crew in the NHL..

Phaneuf was horrible in Calgary last year (why they got rid of him).
Beauchemin and Schenn were horrible in Toronto last year. To think that Beauchemin was a candidate for the Olympic Team last summer seems comical now.

This is quite possibly the most ridiculous post ever. Lemme guess. You live at St.Clair and Dufferin, went to St. Mike's and bleed blue.

Burke was given about as clean a slate as you can get in the NHL so when he fails there's no excuse.

[xraygord]

come on let's hope for the same for performance for caps. 1st period overs were money maker!!!

Actually, I don't care if WSH does alright, or even get 1st place. I just do not want that whiney, dirty player Ovechkin to ever get a cup. EVER!

[Metalhead]

Eastern

1. Pittsburgh
2. Washington
3. Boston
4. New Jersey
5. Philadelphia
6. Buffalo
7. Montreal
8. Toronto
-----
9. Tampa Bay
10. Ottawa
11. Carolina
12. NYR
13. Atlanta
14. NYI
15. Florida

I think 6th-10th place will be very close and have more teams involved in the playoff race then last year. Tampa is improved just enough to cost Carolina and Atlanta a playoff spot by stealing a few extra points this year. The Lightning have a real shot of sneaking in this year. Due to playing in the very tough Atlantic division, the NY Rangers won't be making the playoffs this year. Top to bottom the Northeast looks like it could be the tightest division in hockey. I see Buffalo and Ottawa taking a step back this year in combination with Boston and Toronto picking up more points.


Western

1. San Jose
2. Chicago
3. Vancouver
4. LA
5. Detroit
6. Colorado
7. Nashville
8. St Louis
-----
9. Calgary
10. Phoenix
11. Anaheim
12. Minnesota
13. Dallas
14. Columbus
15. Edmonton

The Western conference doesn't look as wide open as the East. I'd be pretty surprised if anyone outside these top 9 made the playoffs. I know Phoenix was good last year, I lost the money to prove it, but I still think it was a fluke season. With LA and San Jose laying waste to the Pacific division, I find it hard to believe the Yotes will end up in the playoffs, forget about sniffing 100 points. Out of all the teams in the West, I'm the most curious about Colorado. The Avalanche are a young team that surprised last year with 95 points, no reason to think the full season of experience will hurt them.

[DoubleEM]

Nice to see St. Louis sneaking in to the playoffs in a couple of these predictions. I'm skeptical, wondering if there will be enough offense.

[ochenta y cinco]

Nice to see St. Louis sneaking in to the playoffs in a couple of these predictions. I'm skeptical, wondering if there will be enough offense.

It really comes down to how well the Blues' youngsters will respond next year. Will they be able to take the next step towards becoming established top-6 forwards? Here I'm talking about Oshie, Berglund and Perron. They should get some solid offensive production out of guys like McDonald, who can be relied upon for at least 65 points, Steen who had his breakout year last season, Boyes who should come back to his old goal-scoring prowess after an off-year, and Backes who's an ideal 25-25-50 guy to have on your 2nd line.

I'm thinking that Davis Payne, who is a great young coach, will be able to put into place a system that will allow those young guys to produce up to their offensive potential this season, so things should be interesting for St. Lou!