NHL '23-'24

[junodog4]

Flyers are really blowing it up. Provorov out, Hayes given away, and soon Sanheim, Laughton, and others could be up. I hope they don't trade Hart and Konecny.

I almost enjoy the draft and early offseason more than the finals. I get all excited in the 1st round, but lose interest once it becomes teams like Vegas or the Stars in the finals. At least Florida was fun to watch, and Vegas deserved it.
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Finnegan was super bad-ass.

[cestuneblague]

A tad late with seasons predictions, but everything still stands and should be a fun season for a majority of fanbases at least- as there seems to be more geniune playoff-level squads and the bad teams are going to be really, really terrible this year. Anyways, got some Panthers tickets so should enjoy decent seats at much better prices, even if I don't expect my Habs to do much this year (Kraken, Panthers and maybe even Islanders though, are safer bets)




WESTERN CONFERENCE

1) Dallas- Most efficient attack in the game, made the right decision to add more punch to their offensive attack to compliment their terrific defense. Don't know if that will be enough to get them into the Stanley Cup, but they have the best unit designed for the 82-game grind.

2) Vegas- Not the most overpowering lineup on first glance, but it's undeniably effective and disciplined to outlast many other teams in the playoffs. Should be strong during the regular season, too.

3) Edmonton- McDavid and Draistl could conceivably put up 300 points between them, and yet I still don't buy them as a Stanley Cup contender. Why do they seem so adverse to finding creative ways to shore up the obvious, glaring Blue Line weakness? Why have they flubbed so many recent drafts, which has made it impossible for them to load up their backlines with effective, affordable reinforcements? They'll beat up on most teams during the regular season, but I still see them being one of the more vulnerable squads come playoff time.

4) Colorado- Injuries and Departures have weakned the roster (and overall outlook) of the team from their Stanley Cup just two seasons ago, but still enough up on the front lines to have a good season regardless. I still don't see them winning it all again this year, unless they make some serious moves in-season.

5) Los Angeles- They've rebuilt nicely, but they still seem to be missing key pieces to get over that early-playoff-exit hump. They made a big swing for Dubois, sacrifcing some later-line depth in the process, but that will give them their needed scoring kick. Preventing goals is going to be a question mark, as they're relying on streaky veterans to play goalie. They could be a big contender this year, but I also see plenty of scenarios of being underachievers.

6) Seattle- I expect a bit of a hangover after last year's major success, but they got depth and plenty of up-and-coming prospects that they look set for a long window of contention- but probably not this year.

7) Minnesotta- Kaprizov is an all-timer, and Boldy's really nice on the wing, but they greatly overrate the Wild's otherwise moribund offense. Their defense is strong enough that I see them being a playoff lock, but it just seems like more dissapointment for Minnesotta 2.0 NHL hockey until they commit to adding more scorers to fill out their second and third lines.

Winnipeg- They've been the enigma the past few seasons, greatly underachieving when they looked like they could be possible contenders and overachieving when they were written off by mostly everybody. Even with losing Dubois, I see them being good enough to make it back to the playoffs just because the conference kind of bottoms out at the #8 spot, but with all the impending free agents and Cap coming for them it looks like re-boot mode is coming for them pretty soon- without a whole lot to show for it.

9) Vancouver- Have been hampered by plenty of dumb win-now moves that didn't lead to winning, but with more consistiency and improved defense they have a chance to sneak into the playoffs this year- but not doing a proper rebuild is going to hurt them immensely in the next few seasons considering their thin group of viable prospects and impending departures.

10) Nashville- Goaltending and overall goal-prevention helps them overachieve, but those skating lines wouldn't scare an U16 lineup. Considering how open the last playoff seed is, though, they could still sneak into the playoffs on their Blue Line strength alone.

11) Calgary- They'll be better than last year, but have made nowhere near the level of moves and roster improvements to even consider them making it back to the playoffs- even in the wide open west. It's time to start over as I see them being major sellers at the trade deadline.

12) Chicago- They should be ready to embrace their role as the League's supreme villian, it's a shame everybody's going to be rooting against Bedard if he's as great as advertised. Sure to be growing pains this year but to the dismay of anybody outside of Chicago they'll be back on top sooner than later.

13) St. Louis- They had a nice run, but I have no idea why they're waiting so long to re-tool. For frick's sake do you want to be the Flyers? Gonna be a rough year

14) Anaheim- Made some low key moves and a much-anticipated Zegras breakout will help them improve from their awful '23, but still a ways to go till they're close to contenders. Passing on Fantelli is either going to be low-key genius or a franchise-crippling mistake.

15) Arizona- The people of Tempe choose a toxic landfill over your next arena. It's time to put the sick dog to rest and just move on. For some reason I'll never comprehend they are still playing at the ASU arena, so the terrible Coyotes team will at least have home field advantage. Cooley should be the only bright spot in watching NHL's biggest trainwreck continue to dig their gaping viability hole into an endless canyon.

16) San Jose- It's going to be the best thing for the perpetually they-are-a-team-in-the-NHL? Sharks to be gawd-awful this year and be frontrunners in the Celembrini sweepstakes.


EASTERN CONFERENCE

1) Boston- Will underachive by winning only 62 games this year.

2) Toronto- Best top 2 scoring lines in the game and will dominate during the regular season. But this-bird'll-never-change, their defense is still a gigantic question mark that will likely be the worst thing your Blue Line can be this year- incredibly streaky. I still don't see them as a contender, but at least their get-out-of-the-first-round Monkey-On-Their-Back is gone so they can finally relax a little, I guess.

3) Carolina- Have been a really, really effective team for awhile, but seemed to be missing that extra piece that made them formidable in the post season. Made some savvy additions during the offseason, so I think time will tell if that makes them a contender but they should still rule the Met this year regardless.

4) New Jersey- Have developed probably the most formidable scoring attacks in the entire game, with the older Hughes being a possible MVP, but youth and a few questions with their defense and goaltending might cause them to underachieve a tad this year. If it all clicks, though, they will be next-level dangerous.

5) Tampa Bay- Really grown into a model franchise, even as the Cap and free agency have loomed like the grim reaper over their mini 20s dynasty they still find ways to replinish their roster with effective lineups. Having an all-timer Goaltender certainly helps as well. Don't know if they are quite on the level of their Stanley Cup runs, but they'll be a really tough out in the playoffs nonetheless.

6) Florida- I expect more consistiency this year for the talented team, but the East is brutal. Still should be a decent contender to linger in the playoffs, but making it back to the Stanley Cup is going to be much more difficult.

7) NY Rangers- Have they already peaked? They don't seem to be getting any better, even if they have solid depth and a really effective frontline scoring attack. Even if they fall to number 7 they're still decent contenders, but it feels like more teams in the conference have improved (or are bound to improve quite a bit this year) and they're just sort of treading water.

Buffalo- My breakout candidate, Dahlin and Thompson has morphed into one of the best first-line scoring duos in the game and now that their young players have gained more experience (especially their Defenseman) they seem poised to take that great big leap and end their decade plus of misery.

9) Detroit- Remain an enigma, so much young talent but I don't know if it's utilized in the best way. A good candidate to end the playoff drought, but could easily get stuck early in the ultra-competive east and not be able to claw their way back.

10) NY Islanders- For a team that always seems underwhelming on paper, they find a way to overachieve during the season. It still is really frustrating Management seems to have little appetite to bring in external improvements, as I don't see this team improving from last year's surprise playoff appearance as the east has only gotten stronger.  

11) Ottawa- Have built up a solid team that is looking to save themselves from being the league's perennial Mr. Irrelevant, and could swing a lower-seed playoff appeareance in the East's wide-open race.

12) Washington- This season will be all about Ovechkin

13) Pittsburgh- Have held on too long to their championship core, if they don't blow up the team by the trade deadline they are in for an endless, bitter Pittsburgh winter for the rest of the decade.

14) Montreal- Having Caufield healthy will help, though shoulder injuries are always scary especially for an undersized pure scorer like him. Otherwise there's talent, but they're relying on a whole lot of unrpoven breakouts and Suzuki (while talented) as an alpha center, and with Price's health once again being up in the air and their almost non-existient defense it's probably not going to be une belle anne.

15) Colombus- Fantenilli falling to them was the best scenario, but they did little to improve an already lackluster squad. Sure Gad isn't regretting his signing one bit. Still, I think there are better days ahead with their now pretty-deep prospect pool, but it's going to be a while before they even have the whiff of an 8th-seed hope in the near future.

16) Philadelphia- Finally commiting to a rebuild, won't be the expensive joke of the league anymore, but it's going to be plenty of regulation losses regardless until their now suddenly-deep group of young talent graduate to the Big Time.



And I guess for Finals predictions? Dallas over Vegas in the West, Carolina over New Jersey in the East. Dallas over Carolina for the Cup, how riveting.