The Goalie Conundrum: Part One

It has been a quite a while since I have written a post, but that is 95% due to the fact that news and events in the league travels so fast that news from 3pm today is already old news 5 hours later.  Its just so hard to not feel like you're beating a dead horse when trying to find subjects to write about.  With that in mind I'm going to go back to something what was a common theme in my preseason power rankings, which as I stated there is how I expected teams to be at the end of the season.  But that theme was that there are a lot of good to very good teams in the league, but most have questionable net minders.

It is hard to ignore all the goalie story lines that have popped up throughout the season.  There are a few I had predicted, and a few that came out of left field.  So what the plan here is to pick a few of them and evaluate what is going on and see if there is any kind of fix to be had, whether short term or long term.

Lets just start in Philly as they are the big story now where goal-tending in concerned.  They have had 6 different goalies spend time in the net this year...6 goalies! In only 32 games!!!  That is some crazy shit if there ever was.  Vegas had some major goalie issues early last season but I think this one tops it.  They're also not getting wins no matter who is in goal, unlike Vegas.  Coming into the season the expected goalie tandem was going to be Brain Elliott and Michal Neuvirth.  Brian Elliott, while not a great starting goalie, can get the job done.  But at 33 time has caught up to him very quickly, even in his prime he was never anywhere near a top 10 goalie.

Neuvirth on the other hand had shown glimpses of brilliance in net. I'll always remember the scare he gave Washington a few years back in the 1st round of the playoff and his incredible 44 save shutout.  But we need to get him wrapped in bubble wrap because he just has never been able to stay healthy for any meaningful stretch of games.  And now after going through Pickard, Stolarz, and Alex Lyon, it seems we may have finally entered the Carter Hart era in Philly.

Carter Hart has been put up on the pedestal as the savior of Flyers goal-tending for years to come.  There are good reasons to have these expectations as well. In the last 2 years playing in the World Junior Tournament, he was backed Canada to a Silver and Gold Medal. And now, in his 1st year as a pro, he is getting his shot to take over the net for a long time to come.  After being the youngest goalie to earn a win in their debut since Carey Price.  He looks to have a bright future in the league, but just throwing him in net wont fix all of the problems that the Flyers have, he will need some support.  Otherwise a potentially great career could be going to waste.

Now for a team that many believe to be a true contender out west, the Calgary Flames.  They currently are sitting atop the Pacific Division to the surprise of many, I don't think anyone expected that at the beginning of the season.  But here they are with 47 points and 22 wins.  That's 3 points behind and 1 win behind the Jets for 1st in the whole Western Conference.  But they're not without their problems, most of which reside in the net.  This is something that has plagued them since Mikka Kiprusoff retired many moons ago.

They came into the season with Mike Smith set to be their starter and he was.  But after the 1st month of the season he was 4-4-1 with a .878 SV%- that just does not cut it in this league. So they then turned to David Rittich who in his own 1st 9 games, including where he came in in relief of Smith, had a 6-1 record with a .933 SV%...that cuts it in this league.  But that's not where it ends in Calgary.  There have been some reports of dysfunction in the locker room when it comes to Smith and new free agent acquisition James Neal.  They have gotten into it publicly on the ice during an ice and in arena time out; as well as in the locker room. 

Both are very intense guys and all reports that I have heard is they're actually very good friends, going back to before Neal joined the Flames.  But damn if this doesn't cause tension in a room that should be loose to play its best.   For his whole career though Mike Smith has been a very streaky and intense goalie.  When he is hot, he is hot though, and that's what he was after Thanksgiving.  From then on he went 6-0 with a .936 SV% and 1 shutout. But he hasn't played since allowing 4 goals against the Flyers, where Rittich took over in the 3rd, the team stormed back and got the win in Overtime.  And in the 4 games since that, Rittich has gone 2-1-1 with a .929 SV%, and the OTL was a SO lose to the Lightning, just for reference.

The bottom line for the Flames though is that they are find ways to win games.  If they could get their goalie situation a little more steady that will only benefit them though.  And not to worry,  Mike Smith will be a Free Agent after this season is over anyhow...and Rittich will be a Restricted Free Agent.  For prospects they also have Tyler Parsons, of USA Hockey fame in the World Juniors, and Nick Schneider, who while mediocre at best in the WHL has some promising numbers this season in the AHL.  So the future of who mans the net in Calgary for the long term may not be so far off.

But these aren't the only teams having goalie problems this season.  Keep and eye out for The Goalie Conundrum Part 2 as we look at some other teams who have had unexpected goalie problems this season.  But until then enjoy the holidays everyone and most importantly, the World Junior Championship! 

One Month In - The Pacific

Finally we've made it all the way from the East Coast to the West Coast as we get to examine how the teams in the Pacific Division have been fairing so far this year.  This is a division that has been very strong and competitive for over a decade and seen many Stanley Cup Champions and runners up in that time.  So far this year the teams have truly shocked the hockey world both with good performances and bad ones.  They have also had the first coach fired this season as well just a few days ago.  So lets break it down.

Pacific Division Standings as of 11-6-18 @ 7:30 P.M.

Sitting in 1st place is not a team one would have expected coming into the season as the Calgary Flames are the current owners of that spot.  Now I had them as an honorable mention for most improved teams coming into the season.  And in my preseason power rankings I had them very low, at spot 24.  They had been my team to make the playoffs finally the last few years and make some noise but after disappointing over and over, I just had to drop them.  But alas here we are!  The Flames are currently tied for the league lead in goals for at 52. Factoring in on a majority of their goals are all the familiar names in Gaudreau, Monahan, Tkachuk, and Lindholm up front and Giordano on the back end.  After that there is a steep fall off though.  The PP is mediocre though at best and the PK is the worst in the division, once again, numbers that must improve in the long run.  The somewhat surprising play has been in goal though and it ain't in the form of Mike Smith (told ya).  Smith is basically a .500 goalie with horrible numbers (3.71GAA/.871SV%) but David Rittich has stepped in and all but stolen the starting role.  Rittich has been carrying the team like a true starter posting a 2.23GAA and a .927SV%.

2nd place may be a bigger surprise that the current 1st place team.  Sitting in 2nd are the Vancouver Canucks!  Who?!  Yeah...the Canucks.  This is a team that was meant to challenge for worst team in the league and fight for that number one pick this coming summer...but not so fast.  They're being led by what looks to be the run away favorite for the Calder Trophy this year in Elias Pettersson (Who literally just blasted a rocket past Jimmy Howard).  They're getting some solid production as well out of Horvat and Boeser who both have 11pts, but it wont be enough to hold them this high in the standings.  Their special teams have definitely been keeping them in it though.  The PP is 3rd in the division at 20.5% and the PK is 3rd at 82.1% .  These are good numbers and they'll have to keep them up since they're generally being out shot by about 5 shots per game at this point...a bad trend.

3rd place is home to the Edmonton Oilers, a team we would have expected to be there.  Carried obviously by Connor McJesus, he is basically willing the team to be competitive.  The Nuge and Draisaitl have been performing well too though, with 16 and 15 pts respectively so far.  After that though, another team with a steep fall of in production.  A fun one to notice though is Alex Chiasson who has 6 goals in only 9 games...they may have something there.  Lucic surely isn't helping the cause though with 4 pts and a minus-6 in 14 games.  And though the team has the best PP in the division at 22% their PK is the 2nd worst at 72.1%.  Even more troubling is the play of Cam Talbot. He has 5-5-1 record with a 2.93 GAA and a .899 SV%.  Rookie goaltender Mikko Koskinen has posted some solid numbers so far though, albeit in only 3 games.  With all 3 games being wins he has a 2.01 GAA and a .935 SV%.  Great numbers...very small sample size.

In 4th place we have the San Jose Sharks.  On of those long time contender teams that has never really gotten over the hump, they should still be feared and respected.   This is a team full of veterans and game breakers and it shows in the balance results up and down this line up.  Would anyone have guessed that Tiemo Meier would be tied for the team lead in points?  Probably not, most would be asking who that is.  The summers 2nd biggest acquisition, Karlsson, has not really performed to expectation though.  His 7pts in 14 games isn't bad, but as a d-man, that minus- 9 certainly is.But the team is 2nd in goals for in the Pacific with 46.  The have the 2nd best PP and PK with 21.3% and 87.8%, and that's good for the 3rd best PK in the entire league as well.  They're even out shooting their opponents by almost 10 sots per game.  If these trends continue expect them to replace one of these current teams in the top-3.  Note as well that their current position in the standings is not good enough for either wild card playoff spot at the current moment.

Floating aimlessly in their pond are the 5th place Anaheim Ducks.  This is a team that simple cant put the puck in the net...but they're not even the worst team in the division at that!  Their true leader in Ryan Getzlaf has 10pts in 9 games, but the problem is keeping him in the line up these last few years.  Officially Rakell has the team lead in points with just 11 in 15 games.  In goal both Gibson and Miller have post solid SV% with .935 and .932 respectively.  But the overall GAA are a little high at 2.36 and 2.44 each.  Reason being for the high GAA with the lower SV% is that they're allowing 37 shots against per game which is the 2nd most in the league.  But this is made much worse by the fact they're hardly getting 25 shots themselves per night.  For those keeping track, that's 12 more shots against per night!  The PP and PK are actually respectable though and that is what has been helping to keep them afloat at this point, but don't expect it to last long.

6th place is where the Arizona Coyotes sit.  They're in a weird spot mostly due to the fact that they were shut out in 3 of their 1st 4 games of the season but since then have been on a tear for the most part, in all their wins they've scored 4 or more goals.  The overall stat lines don't jump out at you as Keller who is their leading scorer only has 10 pts thus far.  Galchenyuk who is back in the line up after an injury has 5 pts in his 6 games so that is certainly helping the team as well.  Most impressively though is that the team has 7 short hand goals already this season!  To go along with that they have the 2nd best PK in the league with a 90.2% (90.4% is the best).  And they've allowed a league low 29 GA!  If you take a look at their goal tending too those are fantastic numbers!  In Kuempers 4 games he has a 2.02 GAA and a .936SV% and in Raanta's 9 games he has a 2.10 GAA and a .929 SV%.  If they can get their PP working and find a bit more 5-on-5 offense I would expect them to jump a few spots and push for a wild card spot.

Last years history making Cinderella story currently is in the 7th place spot, they'd be your Vegas Golden Knights.  After last years season where they all came in with a chip on their shoulder and out worked just about every team they played...things are going basically in the complete opposite direction.  They let a few key players walk, but also replaced them this off season with arguably better players.  On of those is Paul Stastny who is on the IR and is expected to be for a while.  The other key pick up in Pacioretty has not been able to meet expectation just yet either with only 2 goals in 10 games.  They're led though by the same trio as last year though in Marchy, Karlsson, and Smith.  Alex Tuch has only managed 6 games this season but has 5pts in those games.  The Flower has not been the same either and can you blame him? He is putting up a 2.51 GAA and a 901 SV% currently.  That's a bit below where you'd expect him to be.  As a team they're just snake bitten though.  They're averaging 33.5 SF/G but only scoring 2.3 GF/G.  All while only allowing 25.2 SA/G, but they have a 2.7 GA/G.  And while the PK is middle of the pack, the PP is 4th worst in the league.  Maybe if they can get the PP fixed that will fix most of their problems and get them back i the playoff hunt.

And finally team 31 of 31...your Los Angeles Kings!  They're the 1st team this season to fire their coach,  followed shortly by Chicago.  But lets keep this on the Kings shall we. A league worst (at the moment anyway) goal differential of minus-17.  A league worst in GF/G with only 28 goals scored all season long.  The 6th worst PP in the league at 14.9%.  The PK is actually middle of the pack at 81.1%.  In goal Jonathan Quick is out of the line up once again...don't think it will be much of a difference though as he was win less in 4 games with a 4.55 GAA and a .845 SV%.  Jack Campbell has taken over though and has been somewhat respectable with a 2.67 GAA and a .912 SV%.  Upfront there is not a single plus player in the line up and Ilya Kovalchuk is their leading producer with 11pts in 13 games. I guess the only thing left to so here is start analyzing the trade bait and find a fit for some of these guys.

And that will finally conclude the breakdown of the standings at this point and how each team has gotten to where they are now.  I know I may not have covered everything or every story line with every team, it'd be damn near impossible!  But I'll be damned if I didn't cover a lot more than I expected to at the same time! The only thing left to do is sit back now and watch the rest of the season unfold and see what changes and what doesn't.  As I've said, there certainly have been plenty of surprises both good and bad this season and it is only one month in, we're far from finished!

One Month In - The Central

Now we take a look at arguably the toughest division in the league, the Central.  This is a division that is home to some absolute power house teams and has nothing but contenders when the season starts up.  But with all these high expectations, inevitably many fan bases end their season in disappointment. So lets take a look now and see who's fan bases should be happy and who's are on the brink of tears.

Central Division Standings as of  10 A.M. on 11/4/2018

Well surprise, surprise.  The Nashville Predators are 1st in the division and beginning to pull themselves away from the pack just a bit.  Fresh off a shut out against Boston and new contract on his birthday, Pekka Rinne has been a rock in goal for them the last 3 years.  And with a viable back up, who could be a starter on any other team, Juuse Saros gives the Preds a 1-2 in goal that no other team can compete with.  They also have one of the best lines in the league right now, with the best nickname as well.  The JOFA line composed of Johansen, Forsberg, and Arvidsson has been nothing but spectacular. They lead the way in points on the team, in that order as well, and are followed by Turris who is almost a forgotten player but still has 11pts through 14 games.  After the 4 forwards though their big-4 on defense are all contributing on offense as well, led by Subban with 10pts.  They're not a perfect team by any means though.  Their PP and PK are abysmal at best. They're tied for last place in PP percentage in the entire league, and the PK is last in the division.  If they expect to make a deep run in the playoffs and be a true contender this must change.

The Minnesota Wild are holding down the 2nd place spot in the division, which shouldn't be a surprise, but still is to me. The Wild are like Boston to me.  I see good players and a competitive team, but I can never really figure out how they're always as good as they are because they just shouldn't be, usually.  Starting from the back end,  Dubnyk seems to have regained his form after a bit of a rougher season last year posting a 2.07 GAA and a .937 SV% so far this year.  Those are elite numbers, Stalock on the other hand has not been nearly as sharp.  On defense they're led but Suter and Dumba with 12 and 7 pts respectively but Dumba is 2nd on the team in hits with 30.  Up front Grandlund, Parise, and Staal (who must've found the fountain of youth) are all just trucking along and pulling the rest of the team with them as they are the scoring leaders, yet their is balanced scoring up and down the line up.  Their most important stat line though is their PK, which is 85.2%, good for 5th in the league and 1st in the division.  If they can improve the below average PP then they could be a real dark horse favorite to win the Central. 

In 3rd place, the last promised playoff spot, we have the Winnipeg Jets.  To say that the Jets being in 3rd place is a shocker is fair, but on the other side of the coin they are tired with the Wild in pts.  Though they have extra game played at this point, therefore the nod goes to the Wild for 2nd.  Though they are being plagued a bit by some "slow starts".  Laine only has 7 goals at this point, and scored most of them in the 2 games recently against Florida over in Finland. And Connor Hellebuyck in net has not looked like himself this year as he has a 3.01 GAA and a .907 SV%.  It is more important to the team that Hellebuyck finds his game than Laine, but both would be fantastic. In the mean time though they're led up front by their captain Blake Wheeler who has become a dish master with 14 of his 16 pts being assists.  Their PP is absolutely on fire as it is the 2nd ranked unit in the league with a 33.3%. Which funny enough, 33 is the number Dustin Byfuglien wears, and he is 2nd on the team in PP pts with 7...fun little connection there.  The PK is underwhelming though and definitely needs improvement. 

In 4th place and the 1st Wild Card spot in the Western Conference at the moment are the upstart Colorado Avalanche.  Led by one of the best lines in hockey with MacKinnon, Landeskog, and Rantanen, the Avalanche are showing some dynamic and explosive prowess on the offense side of things.  Did I mention that out of that top line, all 3 of them are in the top 10 of league scoring and that Rantanen actually leads everyone with 24 pts?  Well now I have. In net Varlamov has returned to the form of a Vezina Candidate post a 2.12 GAA and a .936 SV%.  As a team their GF/G is 2nd in the league at 3.7, while only allowing 2.8, a damn good ratio there. Their PK is tied for 6th in the league currently and the PP is 7th in the league.  A good place to be and a strong indicator of how the team is playing.  If these numbers keep up then look for the Av's to finish in one of the top 3 spots in division, not a Wild Card spot. 

The confusing Dallas Stars are sitting in 5th place. I say they're confusing because they looks like they have all the talent in the world and should have a breakout season any year now, but they never do. Currently though they're only 1 pt out of a Wild Card spot so they're not out of it yet, not by a long shot.  They're getting balanced production up and down the line up and are led by the big guns as expected.  Problem is they're not getting enough production...yet.  They only have scored 40 goals so far as as team and that is tied for last in the division with the Wild, and they're 2nd in goals against only allowing 34.  The most important improvements though come defensively and in goal.  While the PP is clicking along at a respectable 23.7%, the PK seems pretty dominate at 85%.  That's good for 6th in the league and one spot behind the Wild.  In goal Ben Bishop and Anton Khudobin are both playing pretty stellar.  Bishop has a 2.32 GAA, while Khudobin has a 2.35 GAA, and both have a .923 SV%...not a bad combo.  If things keep up and they can find a bit more offense while maintaining the defense side of things they should reach a playoff spot. 

Sitting just 1 point back of the Stars sits the Chicago Blackhawks.  I would say this was unexpected, but to do that is kind of like betting against the house, you just cant count them out.  They have to much talent and have won to much to have two bad years in a row, even though they're in 6th place out of a possible 7.  Leading the way is the one and only Patrick Kane.  Say what you want about him as a person off the ice, the guy has some of the best skill we've ever seen in the game and probably the 2nd best back hand behind only Crosby.  They, like many other teams, have pretty balanced scoring but like the Stars, they aren't getting enough of it right now.  They're in a 3-way (giggity?) tie with 3.1 GF/G.  But unlike the teams they're tied with they're allowing 3.7 GA/G,  definitely not a winning strategy.  They have the 5th worst PP in the league at 14% and their PK is the 10th worst at 76.6%.  These are not winning numbers, expect the Hawks to fall away from the pack in the next month or so. 

And last but not least...or maybe so... the St. Louis Blues.  Now I'll admit, this one upsets me as I had them as one of my improved teams.  The additions of O'Reilly and Bozak up the middle make for some great center depth but it seems that only O'Reilly (who seems to have a nice highlight every night) has taken off.  Looking at the players stats lines as well, its hard to ignore the collective group of minuses on the team.  That's something of a shock based on the fact that as a team they're 2nd in the division and tied for 3rd in the league in GF/G at 3.5.  But the GA/G is tied for 2nd worst in the league at 3.9.  The also have the 3rd best PP in the league with a 31.3% and the PK is at 80%, which is respectable but needs some improvement for sure.  Obviously goal tending is the biggest problem though.  Jake Allen seems to have fallen off his horse so to speak as he has a horrendous 3.99 GAA and a .879 SV% which is the 2nd worst SV% out of starting goalie in the league, only Mike Smith of Calgary is worse.  Expect talk to heat up about who from the Blue could be Trade Deadline Trade Bait. 

And with that we conclude our look at the Central Division exactly one month into the season!  Its a heated race to the playoffs for sure and I would expect some shuffling from a few of these teams before it is all said and done.  There will especially be a heated race for those Wild Card positions as these teams are surely not slouches and the teams we'll look at next in the Pacific are not either. And boy oh boy are there some shocking out comes there so far, and I'll be back to examine them next!

One Month In - The Metro

So now its time to take a look at the Metro Division standings and see what been happening there.  The Metro is known as one of the toughest divisions in the league and has recently sent 5 teams to the playoffs in recent years as opposed to the Atlantic.  Will that be the case this year?  Time will tell.  But here are the standings as of November 1st.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are leading the way and is that any surprise at all?  Looking at the teams in this division does any team really match up with them?  Not really.  Led by the best player in the league by far, Sidney Crosby, the Pens are just trucking along like always.   But it is never just Crosby, the also have Malkin who is one of the scariest players in the entire league; and he sits tied for 2nd in points with 19 (5 more that Crosby).  Playing with Malkin is Phil "The Thrill" Kessel who has a respectable 15pts in 10 games as well.  As a team, the PK is 7th in the league at 86.2% and the PP is 9th at 25.9, both great places to be.  Only concern is that Murrays numbers at the moment, but I have faith that he'll find his game.

Sitting in 2nd place very surprisingly are the New York Islanders.   After losing their Captain to Toronto this off season, they're playing like he never existed.  The biggest difference in this team as opposed to last season is their Goals, Against (GA), which is the lowest in the division with 30.  Last year they could score 4+ goals per game...but they seemed to always allow 6.  Now they're putting the puck in the net by committee and keeping it out.  Goal tending has been by committee as well so far.  Greiss has slightly better numbers, but Lehner has the Wins.

Breakout team of the year?  The Hurricanes sit in 3rd place.  I had them as an honorable mention in my most improved teams post, and here they are!  Unfortunately I don't think it will last long term.  Goal tending has been an issue.  Mrazek and McElhinney both have under .9 Save Percentages and over 2.5 Goal Against, that's not gonna cut it.  The PP and PK are not good either sitting at 14.3% and 66.7% respectively (that PK is last in the entire league). They're fun to watch though.  Aho has been great and Ferland has been awesome!  But outside of that...not so much.  Look for them to fall back into about 5th place by Thanksgiving if they don't figure out those special teams.

The Columbus Blue Jackets are sitting in 4th, outside of the playoffs and looking in.  This is a team that was expected to compete for The Cup this year and make some real noise in the playoffs...for some reason there is a lot of inconsistent play out of the team.  That isn't very characteristic of a team coached by Torts.  Atkinson and Panarin have been the bright spots offensively for the team, and Duclair has quickly become the never fan favorite as well (just scored his wrap-around goal against SJ as I write this).  But once again special teams and goal tending are holding a team back and drowning them.  The PP is at 13.6% and PK sitting at 71.4%, neither are good enough.  In goal Korpisalo has managed to get some wins, but his numbers are worse than Bobrovsky's (who seems to be getting kicked off the force soon).  If they don't get it together quick and in a hurry expect Bob and Panarin to be sent packing at the trade deadline.

In 5th place we have the reigning, defending, Stanley Cup Champions of the Wooooooorld!  The Washington Capitals.  And so far the repeat doesn't look to promising.  You're getting production from all the guys you'd expect, Ovi, Kuzy, Backstrom (does he even have a nickname?  Backy?), and Oshie all lead the way up front.  And another thing that may not shock you, the PP is 1st in the league at 37.1%, though the PK is at 72.5...it could be better.  But the real trouble comes in goal as Holtby has not looked to great this year with a 3.6 GAA and .887 SV%.  And Copley is only better by .05 in GAA...The Defending Champs are in trouble.

6th place is home to the New Jersey Devils.  A surprise team who made the playoffs last year led by league MVP Taylor Hall, they are expecting to make the playoffs again and actually make some noise.  But after a shaky start to the season their time is running out fast.  They do have a positive goal differential but it is only a plus 2, and they're very strong at home going 5-1-1.  They're led offensively by everyone you'd expect in Palmieri, Hall, Hischier, and Zajac, but only Zajac is a plus player.  In goal Schneider is just coming back from hip surgery so we will see how he fairs as the season goes on, because when he is on he is one of the best in the league.  Kinkaid has proved to be starter material after last season and has been doing what he can to hold the team in the playoff race with a .910 SV%.  But the GAA is at 2.74 which leads one to believe that team is not playing well defensively as a whole. It is a bit perplexing to be honest as they have the 3rd best PP in the division and 2nd best PK, all while not being out shot really in any games.  Time will tell where they finish.

The Flyers, led by Gritty, sit in 7th.  But Gritty being the new face of the organization is not nearly as scary as their goalies performances.  To start on the goalies it is important to know that they're giving up the 2nd least amount of shots against per game in the division at 28.5.  That should be enough to tell you that the team in front of the goalies is doing their jobs pretty well.  So for your number one goalie to have a .893 SV% and a 3.10 GAA is unacceptable.  And this is really all that is needed to show that they're being held back and likely playing without trust and a belief that they can really let loose and take a chance offensively.  Giroux and Voracek lead the way for the forwards but it will help much more if Sean Couturier can get back to the level he was at last year.  But I would expect the Flyers to remain at the bottom of their division for the remainder of the year with that goal tending.

And finally we have the New York Rangers sitting all the way in the basement holding down the 8th spot.   And no matter who you are you cant but help to feel bad for Henrik Lundqvist.  One of the best goalies of his generation and at 36 years old now will likely end up without a championship to his name.  On a rebuilding team he is doing all that he can though and maintaining a .917 SV%.  The problem lies with the players in front of him.  While they're getting some decently balance contributions up and down the line up with 9 players having 5 or more points (up to 10pts at the most), it just isn't enough.  Their PP and PK are both in the middle of the pack but they're being out shot virtually every game which is not a good trend and has led to a goal differential of minus -11.  And this falls heavily on their high priced D-men.  They're all just clearly being beaten game in and game out and I would not expect that to change any time soon.  But with Skjei being only 24 years old, hopefully this will be a good learning experience for him.

And with that this wraps up the Eastern Conference.  As of now we have a lot of tight races for the playoffs in both divisions. And with only 3 weeks from that Thanksgiving date, in which roughly 80% of teams who are in a playoff position maintain it, teams will begin to separate themselves from the pack quickly.  And the nightly shows of speed and talent that we're seeing and the unpredictable-ness of the games every night are what make this the best game in the world.

But next I'm moving on to cover the Western Conference, starting with the toughest division in the league, The Central, before moving on to the Pacific.  So keep an eye out for those as they will be out sooner rather than later.  Until then, Arrivederci.

One month in - The Atlantic Edition

So we're about a month into the season now and what a month it has been.  Scoring is up for sure, roughly 6.5 goals per game.  Individual break outs and team breaks.  We have surprises in all different ways as well.  Some teams doing what was expected and then some, while others are in the dumps that we didn't expect.  So instead of doing this power rankings style, I'm going to just go over the standings broken down by division.  But I will compare based on my preseason power rankings to see how things are shaking out.  So lets go....

The Atlantic:

So above is obviously a look at the standings at this point. A few things look as they should and a few don't at this point.  

Toronto has been one of the best teams in the league and that was as expected.  Auston Matthews has been a beast all year, but now he has a shoulder injury and I think it is safe to say no one in the league wants him out long term...just for when you're team plays them.  But even without him last year they still won .600% of their games, so it isn't like he has to carry the team alone like McDavid does in Edmonton, but that is another story for another time.  The team has played 11 games to date and already have 5 players with 10pts or more and an equal amount with at least 4 goals.  A bit of a better goal differential would be good but its a positive and that is the most important thing.  Basically they're just riding the wave. 

Tampa Bay, the defending division champs, are sitting in 2nd place early on and have been doing it very quietly.  Not only has the team been off to a quiet start, so has Stammer who only has 1 goal, 5 pts and is a minus -3 as of now.  They don't seem to be scoring at a crazy pace like Toronto has been but they're doing it more by committee as virtually everyone has contributed at least a point.   I wouldn't expect them to stay in the Leafs shadow for to long though.  Consider them a sleeping giant who is still a little drowsy as we're early in the season. 

Montreal has been one of the surprise teams early this year as they sit in 3rd place in the division. I'll be the 1st to admit I didn't expect them to come out of the gate like this.  With a 6-2-2 record, I would have expected something more like a 2-6-2 record.  But led by their youth, they're playing hard and fast.  Domi, acquired in the off season for Galchenyuk, is leading the team with 11pts in 10 games.  He is followed by Petry and Drouin.  Petry leads the way on the back end, while Drouin looks to finally be the guy they expected when picking him up from Tampa. Tatar seems to be fitting in nicely as well after coming over in an off season trade as well.  And how can I not mention Kotkaniemi?  He has been playing solid as a center, though only 4 pts, he is a plus-3 and has been incredibly dependable. 

Boston...I don't know how they do it.  Tied with Montreal in points but playing 1 more game, they fall to 4th.  They are led by arguably the best line in hockey right now in Bergeron, Pastrnak, and Marchand.  They have some shown some solid depth on offense as well, but it will have to pick up if they wanna hang on and stay in the race.  Rask has not been himself and Halak has stolen a few games from him lately, even putting up a recent shutout.  If Rask doesn't find his game Halak will steal his starting job, and I don't know if he can get it done long term.

Buffalo.  As predicted in my most improved teams post, Buffalo is finally putting it together, though they're not 100% there yet.  Officially led by new Captain Jack Eichel they're going to be a force to reckon with this season.  Jeff Skinner has proven to be one of the best acquisitions of the off season as he leads all players on the team in points with 12, 1 more than Eichel.  Pominville is looking like he is in his mid-20's again as well.  Hutton though has played all 8 games thus far and is .500 and could have better numbers, but he is keeping them afloat so far.  And of course Dahlin has not really looked out of place, as he has 4pts and is only a minus -1 early on. 

Ottawa came out of the gate pretty hot after a rough off season and even rougher year last year.  But they have been competitive all year so far and hold a .500 record for now, but they've dropped 3 straight...so maybe the hope that they had is gone and reality is now setting in.  Brady has been out with an injury though and that has clearly hurt them the most as he had 6pts in 4 games to start off his career.  Thomas Chabot has just about made everyone forget about that Karlsson guy though with 13pts in 10 games.  Duchene has played very well too and Chris Tierney has found another level.  But don't expect the fun ride to last much longer.

Florida has definitely been the disappointment of the season.  2 wins in 9 games with 3 OTL...ouch.  They're a minus -7 goal differential too...only 1 worse team in the division.  It looks like one of their biggest problems is Special teams.  15% on the PP and 71% on the PK...worst in the division.  Goal tending has clearly been bad as the offense seems to be doing what they need.  They're out shooting opponents on average and they're getting pretty goo production from all the guys you'd expect.  I don't think they'll stay at the bottom for to much longer...but it may be to little to late once again for the playoffs. 

Detroit...ugh.   So whats been good here as they're sitting in the corner of the basement?  Larkin is beginning to look like a number 1 center.  AA has been explosive and looks like a solid number 2, even back checking.  Bert has been putting the puck in the net. Mantha is starting to figure it out. And Cholowski seems like a future number 1 D-man, something I didn't think he would ever be.  So whats the problem?  The PP is in the middle of the pack and the PK is actually 2nd in the Atlantic.   They just haven't been able to find the back of the net playing 5-on-5.  2.3 GF/G and 3.8 GA/G...that doesn't make a winning formula.  They also are being out shot by about 7 shots per game...I remember the good ole days when we were out shooting teams by 10 or more. Well...#lose4Hughes should be in full effect. 

So with that we clearly have 5 teams already pulling away from the pack and should stay pretty tight in the points race through most of the season.  They'll need to if they want a shot at playing through mid-April.  As we know, American Thanksgiving is a major marker in the season and has shown us who will and wont make the playoffs the majority of the time.  With the top 3 teams in every division guaranteed a spot, the 4th and 5th place teams will have to keep it up and be better than the teams in their rival division within the conference.  For the Atlantic, that means the Metro,  who is home to the last 3 Stanley Cup Champions.  The race will only heat up from here.  

Keep an eye out for my next breakdown which will focus on the Metropolitan Division before moving off to the Western Conference. 

Power Rankings!!! 10-1

Here we are, the Grand Finale of the Power Rankings!!!!  So far we've briefly examined the dumpster fires of the league and all the teams who are just in the mix due to all the parity in the league now.  For those teams, one thing could make or break their respective seasons.  But now we're on to the upper echelon on the league, the true contenders heading into the season.  So lets jump in and see who's left.

10: St. Louis Blues - A team that has been in contender status for the last few years starts us off.  This is a highly skilled team all around.  A few major shake ups the last 2 off-seasons should pay dividends as this season approaches.  After bring in Schenn last year and seeing him have a major break out season, can Ryan O'Reilly come in and have more success than he normally does?  One of the best face-off men in the league every year, I'd expect him to make a major difference for the Blues.  The overall depth is good upfront (though they have just put Jaskin on Waivers) , they even have quite a few young players who would make NHL rosters on teams not as well off.  Do I even need to mention Tarasenko and his wicked shot?  Didn't think so.  The Defense is pretty outstanding as well.  Its just solid all around being led by Pietrangelo and Parayko.  Most importantly though is Jake Allen in net, once again a common theme.  At 28 he is in the ultimate prime of his career and is 1000% solidified as the number one goalie now that Carter Hutton has left to go to Buffalo.  With Chad Johnson as a serviceable back up, it will be all firmly on the shoulders of Jake Allen.  But as long as he is positional and doesn't allow anything weak, the Blues should be primed and ready for a nice playoff run.

9: Columbus Blue Jackets - This is a team that is a very interesting spot. Heading in, they're a favorite in their division to finish top 3 at least.  Unfortunately they're starting off on the wrong foot though.  An injury to the ankle of Seth Jones could seriously derail the team right from the start.  Jones is a Norris candidate on the blue line with out him the team could suffer greatly the first 5-6 weeks.  Depending on where they are in the standings at this point could affect the moves the make at the deadline.  They have two high caliber players in Panarin and Bobrovsky who seem to be destined for Free Agency.  And it seem almost as a certainty that Panarin will not be back no matter how the team performs.  A good team on paper heading in, but many story lines are brewing in Columbus, we'll have the answers sooner than we'll realize though.

8: Pittsburgh Penguins - What do we really need to say about the Pens?  They have the greatest player in the world with Crosby, and I'll stand by that for a long time.  Follow that with Malkin, Kessel, Letang, Schultz, and Guentzel...just to name a few and this a powerful team...yet they're only at number 8!!!  The all around depth is amazing as well.  Long time rival turned teammate in Brassard will now have a full year with the team as a 3rd line center and should be able to find his game again.  The speed of Hagelin and Rust are almost unmatched this far down on most depth charts.  And now dad is back in the form of Matt Cullen who's leadership and influence make a tremendous difference on the 4th line and P.K.  The defense is just as stacked with the addition of Jack Johnson in the off-season and Jamie Oleksiak at the deadline last year. Don't forget about Maata and Dumoulin and you have yourselves a very formidable top-6.  In net look for Murray to have a more consistent year and be prepared to take the Pens back deep into the playoffs this year.

7: San Jose Sharks - For some reason, on paper, I'm never really a fan of the Sharks up front. But damn there is no arguing the results year after year.  A consistent playoff team, the only question we have is how far will the go?  Well that's one of the questions anyway...another could be...How will Joe Thornton perform this season? A key cog in the Sharks line up for the last decade, now at age 39, and coming off 2 straight years of ACL injuries, we have to think this will be the last shot at glory for one of the greatest players we've ever seen play the game.  And they could be in the best position ever to get it done (though they finally made it to the Cup Final 3 seasons ago now).  They've added in Evander Kane for the long term now and he flourished last season after being dealt to the team.  One would figure he can only get better still.  And now and already good defense has just gotten that much better as they have brought in Erik Karlsson from the Senators! Burns, Vlasic, and Karlsson probably makes up the best top-3 defense men in the league, or at least in the West.  And with a consistently solid goalie in Martin Jones behind them...I think Peter Deboer is going to open the cage this year and let the Sharks feed on the rest of the western conference.

6:  Tampa Bay Lightning -  The usual favorite to win the Atlantic Division but in a tough division I have them in 2nd.  A stacked team who in finishing 2nd could be a benefit in the playoffs.  I will say though...I don't know where to start in discussing the team.  The forwards are absolutely stacked!  Stammer, Kucherov, Palat, Miller, Johnson, and Point, just to name a few, make up the core of an incredible forward group.  Back on defense they're led by Hedman, McDonagh, and Sergachev.  All that and then some playing in front of Vasilevsky makes for one of the most consistent and balanced teams in the entire league.  With nothing but Lord Stanley on their minds heading into the season...Could this be their year?

5: Vegas Golden Knights - Holy. Shit.  An expansion team coming out and doing what they did last season was insane to say the least, and no one expected it.  I think I am one of the few who had them being a playoff bubble team and maybe squeaking in.  But to run the entire division all year and then make it all the way to the Cup Final, and make it all look easy? No I didn't see that coming one bit.  And somehow...I think the got even better.  They have given Wild Bill Karlsson a 1 year, show me the money, contract.  They brought in Paul Stastny in free agency.  And just a few weeks ago added in Max Pacioretty of the Montreal Canadiens. Their D-core isn't the best overall, but as a team the play together very well and never get out worked.  The only question I have is can Fleury keep up the magic?  He has always been a great goaltender but at age 33 how much longer can he keep it up?

4:  Toronto Maple Leafs - Maybe I'm a bandwagon fan here, but I have the Leafs taking over the top spot in the Atlantic this year.  This was an already solid team offensively and they only got better by adding in John Tavares.  I would expect the Leafs to have a top-5 Power Play at the very least this year as they power their way through the conference.  And that's all without William Nylander at the moment.  Should he ever decide he wants to play hockey again and be apart of a winner, he will make them all the better as the depth will be spread around tremendously up front. And a forgot man in Toronto as well, one of my favorite players in the league, Nazem Kadri, is still in his prime.  He has had back to back 32 goal season and been right around 60 points, can he take advantage of some mismatches and push above 70 points this year?  They also have a growing defense that should only get better with time.  If they can limit the chances against Freddy Andersen a bit more they'll be a cup favorite for sure.

3: Nashville Predators - It was tough to knock the Preds back to the 3rd spot but that's what I had to do.  Led up front by Forsberg, Johansen and Arvidsson, the have an great core of forwards. The most important thing is that all of their forwards are under 30's old other than Bonino, and for the most part they're all locked up for a few more years as well.  With probably the best top-4 D in the league, all righty/lefty combos and 27-29 years old, they're also all in their primes.  The one man who isn't is our most recent Vezina winner in Pekka Rinne.  At 35 years old and closing in on 36 quickly I wonder how much is left in the tank.  Not to mention it is a contract year for the big Fin, the pressure is really going to be on in Nashville.

2: Winnipeg Jets - The high flying Jets are my favorite to win the West, but its just by a hair!  They are fast up front, as well as big.  They can score with the best in the league as the have one of the best young goal scorers we've ever seen in Patrik Laine.  Mark Scheifele is only 25 and has emerged as one of the best centers in all of hockey, and he is also obsessed with getting better and better.  Captain Blake Wheeler is the oldest player in the forward group at 32 and his game brings every thing.  At 6'5" and 225lbs he brings high end speed, physicality, finesse, basically...everything. Not bad qualities and skills to have in a leader.  The rest of the group is all under 30 as well and quite a few are in contract years, like forgotten rookie goal scorer of last year, Kyle Connor, who wasn't even a Calder candidate and put up 31 goals.  Moving on the the defense whats not to like?  Led by former Stanley Cup champ in Byfuglien this is a very good top-6.  And other than Big Buff, they're all in their mid 20's as well, primed and ready to go prove something.  In net they're anchored by one of the best goalies in the league, easily in everyones top-3 league wide, Connor Hellebuyck.  After establishing himself last year as the absolute number one goalie in the organization he was rewarded with a nice raise.  Now we'll see if he lives up to it, and boy he better.  He'll be playing almost 70 games this year as his backup Brossoit, has not shown he could be relied upon while in Edmonton.  I don't know for sure if Winnipeg will take the top spot in the West but expect them to be near the top all year long.

1: Washington Capitals - Finally, after all these years, the Washington Capitals are the Stanley Cup Champions!  After 14 years Ovi has thrown off the demons and lived up to the expectations (as if he wasn't anyway) and solidified his legacy.  Already the greatest goal scorer in the history of the game, yeah I said it and I'll take it to my grave,  he now has the most prized possession.  But can he and the rest of the Capitals defend it?  Led not only by Ovi, but Backstrom, Oshie and Kuzy up front, they have plenty of offensive potential.  They will be missing Tom Wilson up front though as he will be starting the season with a suspension of who knows how many games at the time of writing this.  I would imagine somewhere in the 10-12 game range.  Back on defense the team is very well off.  The don't have the superstars of some other teams, but they're in great shape on less. Led by Carlson and Niskanen, they're in good shape.  Orlov has become a stud in his own right and Bowey and Djoos are coming into their primes.  In net they lost one of the better backups in league in Grubauer to Colorado but they're still in good shape.  Led by Holtby in net, the constant Vezina candidate, I'd expect a bounce back season after a bit of a rougher year last year. 

All in all I think we're in for one hell of a season to say the least.  The game is better than ever, and the competition night in and night out is fierce.  Where will all these teams end up by the end of the season is any ones guess.  But I am sure its going to be a fun ride with plenty of questions to ask and be answered as we go on throughout the year.  Now if we could just drop the puck and get this show started, let the debates end and have the teams battle it out and prove us wrong, or right!

Power Rankings!!!19-11

And we're back for part 2 of the Power Rankings, where we'll explore a bit about the teams who will just narrowly miss the playoffs, likely on the last day of the season, and those who'll make it into mid-April.  I also noticed a little boo boo from part one, that I added team 20 when I should have stopped at 21.  But don't worry, we'll have part 2 be a little shorter so I can give you the grand finale you deserve in a proper Top-10!  So let's go...

19: Los Angeles Kings - Hard to count out a team like this.  Led by Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty, and Jonathan Quick, this team has it's three pillars in place for success.  After a resurgent season by Dustin Brown and adding in the likes of Ilya Kovalchuk and bringing back a healthy Jeff Carter, the forwards look deadly and deep!  Rolling four lines should be no problem here.  But the overall defense and goaltending could be suspect.  Well know what Quick brings to the table, but entering the season at 32 years old we have to wonder how much longer he can continue to carry the team.  And though they have Doughty manning the blue line, there isn't a whole lot to get excited about.  We'll have to see if any young prospects can crack the line up and make a difference on the blue line this year.

18: Dallas Stars - When I think Dallas, I think goals, lots and lots of goals!  Unfortunately for them, the goals go in both nets.  The Stars have some real offensive dynamos up front led by Benn and Seguin.  They've even managed to bring Nichushkin back from the KHL...and he is still only 23!  Looking at the blue line I feel they have a pretty good balance.  Klingberg, Honka, and Heiskanen all have great offensive upside.  Whereas Methot, Johns, and either Lindell or Polak, all are a bit more defensively oriented.  Something I like in my d-pairings.  Their number one worry will be the play and health of Ben Bishop.  Can the 31 year old goalie, with a known history of injuries, stay healthy for the whole season?  Seems like this has become a common theme, no?

17: Boston Bruins - Just missing out on the playoffs this year, the Boston Bruins.  I don't know what it is...but I just can't buy it.  With everyone ranting and raving about them being one of the top three in the Atlantic, I have them finishing 5th.  I know, I know,  Chara, Krug, Tuukka, McAvoy, Bergeron, Marchand, and Pastaman...something just tells me this year it isnt going to be enough.  They even have some very good young players you made an impact last year in Donato, Debrusk, and Heinen.  I just have this gut feeling the magic wont be there this year.  We'll see in a week.

16: Buffalo Sabres - Buffalo?  At 16th? In the playoffs?  A head of the Bruins?  Yup. I know I said it before in my Most Improved Teams post, so I have to stand by it and give the Sabres their due right?  Led officially by Jack Eichel after the departure of Ryan O'Reilly,  looks for the kids to come out guns blazing.  And depth will no longer be an issue here as they have a very solid top nine now after some incredible trades.  Did I mention Rasmus Dahlin yet? Between him, Ristolainen, Bogosian, and Scandella, they have the makings of a solid top-4. Have you guessed the position of real question yet?  *Dun Dun Dun!!!*  Can goalie Carter Hutton handle the load of being a true number one goalie for an entire season for the 1st time in his career at the ripe age of 32?

15: Philadelphia Flyers - Led by Girouxs bounce back, MVP Caliber season the emergence of Sean Couturier, and a solid rookie campaign from Nolan Patrick, one question is can they build on it and do it again?  Dont forget about the x-factor that is Wayne Simmons either.  One of my favorite players in the game today, he does it all, and then some!  He is in a contract year as well which should motivate him that much more.  Looking at the blue line, it's scarier than their new mascot Gritty...but in a good way.  Rako Gudas plays on the line and I love it...but sometimes he crosses it and hurts the team.  But between GhostBear, Provorov, and Sanheim, they have some studs back there.  In net the return the duo of Elliot and Neuvirth, not bad when they're healthy and on their games.

14: Anaheim Ducks - Had the news about Correy Perry's injury broke before I started working on this...I would have likely swapped them with the Flames.  But this is still a solid team with solid depth at all 3 levels.  Word on the street is that Kesler is ready to play after his hip injury.  Patty Eaves is ready to be back in action as well and that alone should help cover the loss of Perry.  Kase has looked shot out of a cannon through camp and the preseason,  Terry and Steel both appear to be NHL bound as well.  Back on D there is Fowler, Lindholm, and Manson leading the way...all 3 under 26 and locked up for another 4 years minimum too.  In net they have a borderline all-star and a former all-star in Gibson and Miller.  Probably the best tandem in the league, when Gibby is healthy.

13: Colorado Avalanche - Young, fast, and dynamic.  What more is there to say other than they have Ottawas 1st round pick this for this years draft, which will likely make them that much scarier next season...but I'm getting a head of myself.  Led by MacKinnon and Landeskog up front and surrounded by improving depth, easily a solid top 9 for any team. With a defense that is all in or entering into it's prime as well things are looking good. A nice mix of Offensive and Defensive oriented players, I'd expect a solid, well rounded game to be played out by the team this year.  And maybe I spoke a little to soon about best goalie tandems...Varlamov is in a contract year and we all know what he can bring.  Now they have added in Grubauer from the Capitals, who was good enough to steal Holtby's starting job last year...this team should be scary.

12: Edmonton Oilers - Connor McDavid...Next!  No, no, no...there is a bit more to it than that.  Obviously McJesus is leading the way but he isnt alone. Between Draisaitl, The Nugg, Strome, and the forgotten Fin in Puljujarvi, it looks like a nice top-6 will be on the ice in Edmonton this year.  It also seems that McDavid has found a new BFF on the ice in Ty Rattie for a winger.  Defense is a bit questionable though. I love the play of Darnell Nurse personally.  Russell is great at moving the puck and are Klefbom and Larsson. Not a bad top-4.  In net they will be carried by Cam Talbot who had an off year last season.  Being that he is in a contract year now, lets see if he can backstop the Oilers back into the playoffs in an incredibly tough division.

11: Florida Panthers - The who?  Yes the Panthers, who missed out on the playoffs by 1 point last year, on the last day of the regular season no less, will definitely have their eyes on the prize this year as they look to march into the playoff looking to make a real run at The Cup.  Led by newly crowned captain, Aleksander Barkov,  this has to be one of the deepest offensive teams in the league.  Three solid centers, and 6 or more great wingers to go with them, we're seeing a team on the rise!  A somewhat questionable D-core though.  Led by Ekblad (who I thought would have been named captain) and Yandle, they some a few more good pieces, but will it be enough in the long run?  In net they have about as close to a true 50/50 tandem as there is in the league with Luongo and Reimer.  And they have brought in Hutchinson as a bit of backup insurance as well.  The best part of the team is that all but about 3-4 players are in their mid 20's!

This will conclude part 2 of the Power Rankings.  The top-10 will be up before the start of the regular season, until then...let the debates rage on as we get ready to enter the season of the greatest game on earth.

Power Rankings!!! 31-20

As the start of the season approaches ever so quickly, I feel I should knock out some of everyone's favorite, POWER RANKINGS!  Power rankings are loved by all are they not?  They make for fun debates of which team is better than the other and makes for fun water cooler talk.  In the end they really mean nothing, but they're a fun way of helping to predict standings, even trades and signings, based on a teams success or failures.  So without bothering you any longer, here comes 31-20.

31: Ottawa Senators - Entering into this season they are without a doubt the team deepest into the gutter or so we think.  They have a few pieces in place like Mark Stone, Matt Duschene, and...exactly.  Its gonna be a rough year, and they just put a $3.25million player on waivers today.  The tank is on in Ottawa, good thing they still have that 1st round pick...Oh...Colorado has that you say?  No wonder the fans are ready to riot and burn the building down.  Expect a very empty building this year and most who show up to be supporting the away team.  This dumpster fire is falling outta the sky faster than the whale from Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.

30: Montreal Canadiens - A few decent players up front.  An aging and slow D-core.  But an Ace in the hole in Net.  They could cause some trouble upsetting teams late in the season, but I wouldn't expect much.  They just traded their captain and they are not even close to having a number 2 center, let alone a number 1!  Trouble is brewing in Quebec.

29: New York Rangers - Pretty much in the same situation as Montreal.  A few nice wingers, but they have at least a center or two.  Shattenkirk and Skjei(pronounced Shay) on the back end will help a weaker D-core as well.  In the net they have an aging, though he doesn't look it at all, beaut in Henrik Lundqvist.  Looks like he will go down as one of the best goalies to play the game and new win a cup at this point.  A lot of money spent for a team that should end up near the bottom of the league.  I wonder if Brendan Smith will play for them this year...

28: Vancover Canucks - With the departure of the Sedin's after this past season a new era is officially underway in Vancover.  Unfortunately its going to a rough transition for them, but the future seems bright.  This a young team for the most part with a lot of talent, they may be the youngest in the league actually, but I'm not doing that math.  Their oldest forward is 33 year old Loui Eriksson and their oldest d-man is Alex Edler who is 32, most everyone else is in their mid to early 20's. Biggest problems here is the inexperience of the roster.  There are a lot of promising players in the lineup, but they're going to be thrown into the fire this year.

27: New York Islanders - Goodbye to Garth Snow and Doug Weight.  Say hello to Lou Lamoriello and Barry Trotz (fresh off a Stanley Cup I might add).  So management and coaching looks better instantly...but say goodbye to you captain John Tavares as well.  Good thing is they still have plenty of offensive weapons left in the line up with more to come after these last 2 good drafts.  Problem is the defense is weak.  They have a decent top 3 but not much after that unfortunately.  And now they will have a goalie battle between Greiss and Lehner, those 2 will have their work cut out for them this year.

26: Chicago Blackhawks - Its hard to bet against Kane and Toews, but after them, who else is there really?  Alex DeBrincat is going to be a solid player in the league and he showed it last year, but that just isn't enough. Looking at the D-core, after Keith and Seabrook, who are aging rapidly, there isn't much there.  They have a few prospects in the pipeline but that doesn't help them when this season starts.  They're also may still be without Crawford in net at the start of the year, and without him they plummeted last year. He is the backbone of the team right now and they're go as far a he can carry them...if he can at all this season.

25: Detroit Red Wings - A lot of talk is that the Wings are probably the 3rd worst team heading into the league, so maybe ranking them this high (if this is considered high?) is just my personal bias.  But I know this team a bit better.  The offensive talent and explosive capabilities are there, even without the leadership of Zetterberg.  Problems really lie in the overall youth and the D-core as a whole.  With Mike Green looking like he'll miss the start of the season, Kronwall on one leg, the the pylon that wears number 52...that's not a good start.  Goal tending isn't to bad of an issue yet.  Howard has been solid enough and the addition of Bernier looks to be a good one.  We'll monitor the situation closely though and see if the Larkin, Mantha and Athanasiou can take the next step and begin to truly reach their full potential this season.

Disclaimer - This is the part where it begins to get tough.  As I have mentioned before a bit, this league is so close now in the middle of the standings, that there are just going to be some major battles and good teams are gonna miss out on the playoffs.  Call me crazy here but this is where I see teams finishing the season, even if I think a particular team is better than one ranked above it...which trust me is coming right now.

24: Calgary Flames - This one hurts, no doubt about. Top to bottom, I like what this team brings.  They bring a very good top 9 up front and their top 4 D rivals the some of the best in the league. But I really think that Mike Smith in net is suspect.  He is 36 years old now and has a lot of hard miles on the body.  He will must stay healthy and be a top 10 goalie in the league if the Flames are going to go anywhere. Sadly, I don't think he is up to the task.

23: Carolina Hurricanes - They look to be a team who should be making a strong push for the playoffs this season, but it's likely they'll fall short.  They have great pieces in place and the addition of Andrei Svechnikov will make them very dynamic upfront, but they're not as deep.  On defense is where they shine.  Some could argue that they have 9 or 10 quality starting d-men in their organization, and they could have the best top 6 as a whole in the entire league.  Goal tending is still suspect though.  They will need a major bounce back from Scott Darling and they have brought in Petr Mrazek to see if he can recapture that spark he had early on in Detroit.

22: Minnesota Wild - Maybe I'm a hater here...I probably am, but not everyone can make the playoffs right? So with that, Minnesota is out.  There are a few questions surrounding this otherwise very good team on paper.  Can Parise stay healthy? Will Ryan Suters age begin to slow him down? Can Jason Zucker and Staal do it again? A very very solid top 9 and even a very good top 6 D-core.  Can Dubnyk continue to carry the load as he enters into his mid 30's?  Some good youth will be in the line up as well and a few good prospects for the future.  I don't know...something tells me this could be an off year.

21: Arizona Coyotes - This is a team I have in my Most Improved teams list, so how can I not have them leap frogging some decent teams?  Putting them here still keeps them out of the playoffs, but it would be a significant improvement if they can make this jump and finish above a few teams in the west who are expected to make some noise.  I like their youth, some of their signings and trades the last few years have been good as well.  But most importantly is that they fly under the radar.  So lets see if they can shake a few things up after a strong finish to last season.

20: New Jersey Devils - Solid middle of the pack team with a lot of upside.  Between Hall and Hischier leading the way up front and Andy Greenes leadership on the back end these guys could make some noise late into March as the push for another playoff birth.  I think it would be best if they managed to add piece or two, but they'll compete every night no less, and that's the scary thing.  Kinkaid proved himself a solid goalie last year and lets not forget about Schneider.  Lets see if any of their prospects can make the team this year and help make a difference as they seem to be a team on the rise.

Detroit Red Wings - Preseason Evaluation - Defense and Goalies

So as I was writing this up I realized it was gigantic so I decided to split it into 2 parts. You've already been able to check out the changes to the forwards and my thought process there, so now it is time to examine the rest of the line up. Defense and goal tending are basically in the same boat with the contract situations but those will be changed much sooner than the forwards will be, or so I hope. So here we go, the updated starting d-men.

So how did we get here? Previously I had five d-men as starters (Green, Kronner, DDK, Daley, and Ericsson) with one spot up for grabs. Those five players made it in mostly based on their pay alone, as they will in reality when the season opens up. I have given the 6th and final spot up to Nick Jensen not only based on his performance last season in the role, but because he is a right hand shot.

I place a pretty high value on having righty-lefty combos on the back end and as you can see I have both righty's playing on their off side. I know it is more difficult this way to pick the puck up off the boards, but the offensive upside cannot be understated. Stick and puck will stay the middle of the ice when handling, which personally for me, allows for greater vision when looking a head to make a breakout pass. And once we get into the offensive zone it sets players up to be in position for one timers far better. The players I have listed in the minors are set up the same way as well.

The players listed under minors are the ones I see most fit to make the jump at some point this season, and I have them somewhat in order as well. And obviously, Brian Lashoff make the big club as the 7th D-man. But why Lashoff, why not Hronek, why not Cholowski or Hicketts?! WHY!? Well because Lashoff will only be there for game time emergency replacement. If any of our defense men go down with a bigger injury other than missing a game or 2, expect a call up of our most productive defense man from Grand Rapids.

By the end of the season I would expect that we will have seen Hronek, Cholo, and Hicketts at least for a bit of an extended time, the young guys are going to leap frog over him so fast his head will spin. Expect too that they will be filling Kronwall's shoes more than anything, maybe Ericsson's' as well seeing that he tends to go down a bit these last few years as well. I don't expect that any of our veteran defense men will be trade bait at the deadline other than possibly Mike Green, but he would not be a rental player and with having had a neck injury last season it may be enough to scare some teams away.

I do not think that we will see a healthy Kronwall finish the season unfortunately. In his prime he was an absolute animal and deserves a better ending to his career, but at the same time warriors tend to go out on their shields, and he will too. My guess is that Hronek is 1st in line to fill the role, followed by Hicketts and then Cholowski. This thought is based on last seasons performance for both Hronek and Hicketts, where this is really going to be Cholowski's 1st year as a pro. I would still look for them all to get time in Detroit this season though. And one last prediction I have, more of a hope really, is that after this season is up, Ericsson will finally be bought out of his contract. Fingers crossed.

So with our defense set, lets talk goalies for a quick second here, as their isn't a lot to discuss, or is there? Our NHL Tandem is set in stone, no questions there. Howard will be the starter who is entering the last year of his contract. All the while Jonathan Bernier is coming into the organization as a free agent from Colorado signing a 3x3 deal. Bernier is a very capable back up and even a decent to good starting goalie when given the opportunity and the right players in front of him. He had a fast rise in Los Angels and just as fast as a fall when he went to Toronto and it didn't work out. But a rebirth in Anaheim and Colorado have help to rejuvenate his career as he enters into his 30's.

Depth seems to be the real issue at the moment though. Three of our main depth goalies at this time are all free agent additions as Jared Coreau and Tom McCollum have each moved on from the organization. This leaves us with 3 new comers, Rybar, Sateri, and Fulcher. The most notable player here is Fulcher who was signed last year as an undrafted player after all the development camps and training camp. He went on to win the OHL Championship last season and was named The Memorial Cups most outstanding goalie. The upside with Fulcher seems to be pretty legit, but it seem that management has the idea of starting him in Toledo with the chance to work his way up based on his play. A strategy very reminiscent of how they handled Petr Mrazek.

This leaves us with a very real training camp battle between Rybar and Sateri for the starting job in Grand Rapids. While Rybar is an undrafted player, Sateri was drafted in the 4th round back in 2008 by San Jose... the same year Detroit took McCollum in the 1st round. And after looking at both players histories a little bit I may have to give the starting nod to Sateri, mainly because he has actually seen some games in the NHL with the Florida Panthers. But really it is a toss up.

Eventually one of these 3 players will make there way to the Red Wings this season. And you're probably looking at about Mid-Late January for that to happen. I give you that time frame because it is almost inevitable that Jimmy Howard goes down with a groin injury, it's just about like clock work with him. I would wager that at that point your starter in Grand Rapids comes up to a back up role here and if Fulcher is still in Toledo he would move up and take over the starting role or split time with whomever is left in G.R.

Two more notable goalies I can personally talk a bit about are drafted players, yet unsigned at this point, in Petruzzelli and Larsson. I have been lucky enough working at USA Hockey with the NTDP to have been able to see both play live, Petruzzelli more than Larsson though. I've seen Petruzzelli 4 or 5 times as a member of the Muskegon Lumberjacks during his draft year (Andrei Svechnikov was also on that team, what a stud!) and Larsson in international exhibition games once or twice. Both seem to have a high ceiling for their potential and good size each. So our long term goaltender worries may not ever really be an issue.

Without further ado though, I present to you, along with the goalies, the entire depth chart covered in this and my previous post. Remember, this is my view of the team and not necessarily what the team will do. But if I were in charge, these are my lines and how changes would be made as the season tears along based on my thought process.

This has the makings of a team that could really begin to compete and be competitive down the stretch. There is a lot of room to grow and that will all depend on how much development this young core has gained as the weight now firmly rests on their shoulders now. There is a lot of size, speed, and talent on this roster with more to come in the following seasons. But heading into year two at Little Caesars Arena, the transition has officially been made where the younger players will truly be the new leaders on the Detroit Red Wings.

Detroit Red Wings - Preseason Evaluation - The Forwards

Finally the day has arrived where I can focus solely on the Red Wings...this should be fun, but where to begin?  Free agency was pretty lack luster as expected, no big splash.  We managed to lock up our RFA's - Restricted Free Agents. And we had, what looks like, a very good draft with 11 total picks. And trades, well there was nothing worth discussing.  And now we have the turmoil caused by Zetterbergs medical retirement throwing a wrench into the middle of our depth chart.

Luckily with Z's retirement it opens up quite a bit of cap space, assuming we're able to handle it by putting him on LTIR like we have been doing with Franzen. So that is how I am approaching this, that his cap hit will be on LTIR and not matter going forward.  So where we stand right now I have an unfinished depth chart, but don't worry it'll be finished by the end of this, with a total cap hit of $69.279 Million.  With the upper limit being $79.5 that is a good spot to be in.  Right now Capfriendly has us at almost $83 million, with 43 total contracts of 50 and 20 of 23 available roster spot.  Thats'snot a good place to be for a team that is not expected to compete for much this season.

I like that we should have plenty of cap space available by my roster.  I've never understood the necessity of teams spending to the absolute cap every season...it just screws you in the long run. It allows for much more flexibility in trading and signing players, to which we could and probably should try to do a bit of.  I wouldn't mind it if we were able to move out a defense man and bring in a veteran center...so long as he is no older than 30.  But good luck with that.  So without further ado...my depth chart for were we stand at the moment...remember this is unfinished so far.

This is obviously, not a good place to be, as there are a few things that seem to be missing; like a 6th defense man. Lil Bert also as a 1st line winger?  Not likely. But unfortunately this is very set in stone, there isnt a lot of wiggle room available here. Also the numbers on the side of each players name is their cap hit, which I have listed the totals off the right, only for players in starting positions.

I feel as well that here is a good place to note my view on setting line ups as well.  My belief is that you have one top line that obviously stands above the rest, this is your 1st line.  Your 2nd and 3rd lines should be a blur in today's game, and by blur I mean interchangeable.  One line may get more ice time than the other from game to game but really they should be able to match up and produce against any other teams bottom 9, and even compete with the opposing 1st lines.

The days of having your 1st line, 2nd line, 3rd line shut down guys/grind line, and then filler on the 4th line are gone.  If that is what you hold to dearly then you will never have a successful team in today's game.  I want to put all the players in my line up into a hat, reach in blindly and grab 3 names, and put together a solid line.  If you need a shut down line, its your 4th line.  I'm not saying the top 3 all need to be offensive dynamos either, the center on said line should be able to dictate what type of production you're going to receive from that line.  See A.A. as opposed to Nielsen in the line up above and imagine how the two have different playing styles that will drive their lines. 

Depth is the most important part of the game after having a number 1 center, d-man, and goalie.  Look at our most recent cup champions in Washington.  While their best players were up to the task and better than their opposition, their depth players got it done when it mattered the most.  Lars Eller and Devante Smith-Pelly where absolute monsters when they were needed. Go back to any championship team and you'll see how key the depth players on every team making all the clutch plays when it matters most.

Now that that is out of the way lets start to actually look at the Wings roster a bit, but please keep in mind this is what I would do.  So let us work on the forward situation 1st.  We want Zadina and Rasmussen in the line up, but who comes out?  There is a lot of money up there that cannot justifiably be benched.  I only see 2 options and those players are Frk and Svech, and in the end it will likely only be Frk.  I find it unfortunate that he seems to be the player who gets the short end of the stick, but it is what it is.  I like his size, what seems to be a good work ethic, and of course his cannon of a shot.  Lets not forget that he is the only right hand shot in this forward group as well other than Glenny, but i'm not looking for him to score goals.

Pulling Frk out leaves you now with the choice of Zadina or Rasmussen to put in the line up, I'm going with Ras.  He is an absolute monster! 6'5'', 210lbs at least.  He has great hands in tight and looks like he will be a major factor on the power play. Now it isnt to say that Zadina doesnt have these qualities as well, but he is a winger and Ras will be moving to center at some point soon.  With his positional variability he is a bit more useful, it is also important that he play with a center who knows the game as a whole like Neilsen does.  It will give him someone to learn from and to be able to cover some of those rookie mistakes.

Starting to shape up, now the question becomes where does Bert go?  I dont view him as a 1st line winger at this point, I'd rather Zadina be in the spot honestly, but I'm not talking anyone out of the line up at this point. Word on the street is that Zadina will be playing with Vanek and Athanasiou in the Red and White game in training camp, so we may get a serious look in the preseason. But I'm doubtful they give him a roster spot unless he scores a hat trick per game in the preseason.

 And also no, that 4th line is staying the way it is, with any luck it will at least make for a good shut down line.  In my humble opinion the only player there I would even want on this team is Helm, but I didnt sign them to those horrible contracts.  But back to Bert, the only other swap I could see is putting him on the 3rd line and moving Svech up to the 1st line.  Something tells me that Berts gritty style of play will work better with Mantha and Larkin though.  So we're going to keep a very young, but potentially incredible 1st line together.

The worst thing that could end up happening is that Jussi Jokinen gets signed after training camp.  If he is signed it would likely be for his ability in shootouts which is undeniable but unless we're going to flip him at the deadline there really is no point.  And with that our forward lines are set for the most part.  Look for Vanek to be dealt at the deadline though and then Zadina should pop up from Grand Rapids to fill the 2nd line wing for the remainder of the season.

There is only one other option here.  That is that with Zadina playing well so far with A.A and Vanek, he takes Gooses spot on the 2nd line.  Well with Nyquist not coming out of the line up we have to move him somewhere. So Goose takes Berts 1st line spot and Bert heads down to a 4th line spot.  Personally I pull Glenny out, though for this role it pains me to do as I value his face off ability.  But that is why I have Helm there as he was a center when he came into the league and can go back and forth.

Personally I'm not sure which option I like more.  The decision to sit certain players is not an easy one despite those who know me and my distaste for some players.  But it is what it is and I do not know which line up would be the best to start the season.  What changes would you make if? If any, feel free to comment and let me know.  As I said this is how I would go about it, not what the team will do.  But there you have it, the forward corps are set one way or the other.  I'll break down the defense and goal tending next and get that out to you very soon, stay patient.

Adjö my Captain.

It is a sad time now here in Hockeytown as we say goodbye to our captain Henrik Zetterberg.  Z is having to retire now due to a degenerative back issue that he has been fighting for years.  He even had to have surgery about 4 years ago when he had a flare up that knocked him out of the Olympics.  Other than only honoring him here in this post though I have my own secondary agenda.  And that is to say "I told you so!"... though I really wish I didn't.

Since the announcement and timeline was revealed on when the LCA was going to be up and running I have called Zetterbergs retirement plans to an absolute T. In July of 2014 Chris Illitch unveiled the renderings of the new arena and what the district Detroit was supposed to be.  Coincidentally this announcement came just a few months after Z's back surgery, which he rushed back from for the playoffs. From this point on I new it was a very limited time that we had left for Z to be an active player. 

So where did I get my reasoning for this?  Its pretty simple if you use some deductive reasoning.  At the time of his surgery and the arena announcement, he was approaching his mid-30's, with which most players begin to decline, if they haven't already.  His partner in on ice crime Datsyuk was planning to leave in 1 more year to return to Russia.  The team was beginning to be in a major state of decline. And he has already won virtually everything there is to win at this point, so why risk playing until you're 40 and jeopardizing your long term health? Not to mention he and his wife are superstars back home in Sweden, comparable to the likes of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie (when they were together). Another throw in is that the couple had their 1st son in 2015, so the writing was all on the wall in bold for everyone to see...yet no one wanted to piece it together.

So how do we know I'm not making all this up that I was predicting this event?  Oh well I have a few links from my Reddit account that are all nice and time stamped that I can share with you folks to show that I'm not bluffing here. 

This 1st thread from a discussion about what player will no longer be on your team in 5 years time.  This link is probably the most in depth about it but it proves my point none the less, 

This 2nd thread is just discussion about whether Z will crack 1000pts for his career.  Obviously now we all know he wont.

This one started more as my hopefulness that John Tavares would end up here, clearly didnt happen and I got it wrong but I wasn't alone as Pieere McGuire had us in that talk too.  But as you scroll through and read the comments here I get more in depth convo with others who try to keep wearing blinders to hid from what is right in front of them.

Now like I said, I really wish I didn't predict this.  Z has been one of my all time favorite players, and not just of the Wings but hockey as a whole.  His drive and passion for the game are something to behold.  He brought a blue collar work ethic with white collar skill to the ice every time he climbed over the boards.  Watching him last season was amazing in retro spec.  You could see the body was not keeping up with the mind, be his positioning was almost perfect to be able to make a solid play when needed. And those hands could still zip a pass to the far dot, all while looking the pressuring opponent off the other direction.

He leave behind an impressive resume as well. After being a Calder Trophy for rookie of the year runner up, when he had 22G and 22A he went on to play a total of 1,082 games in the NHL.  In that time he amassed 337 G and 623 A, good for 960pts over his career in the regular season...one more and he would have no doubt cracked 1000pts.  Almost more impressively are his playoff numbers, 137 games played, 57G and 63A, 120pts, and none more important than the 2008 Stanley Cup clinching goal in game 6!  Let us not forget that he walked away that night with the Conn Smythe Trophy as well as the MVP of the playoffs. 

Internationally he has been just as impressive!  In 2006 he went on a rampage and won Gold Medals in both the Olympics and World Championship; most impressively during the Olympic run he posted a stat line of 3G-3A-6PTS with no penalty minutes in the 8 games that team Sweden play.  In the Worlds that year the stats were virtually the same, only he was short 1 goal as compared to the Olympics. Add to those a few more Silver and Bronze medals and you have one hell of a collection to put up on the wall of fame.

With that resume it will be hard for the next captain of our  great franchise to follow but something tells me that he will be up to the challenge. His leadership was invaluable to many who came through the locker room, especially that of our younger players.  With the end officially here now it is a sad day.  He led the team through a great transition into the future as we left behind The Joe and now have christened the LCA it is time he listens to his body and shuts it down.  Let the debates begin, is he HHOF worthy?  Will his jersey be retired? Who will become the next captain of the team?  These are all discussions for another time.  For now I just want to say Congrats on an amazing career and rest well with that beautiful beard of yours.  The pleasure has been all ours.

Most Improved Teams of the Off-Season.

This off-season has seen plenty of players joining new teams either via trade, free agency, and almost most importantly the draft. With all these players changing places most teams should have a different outlook coming into the season, for better or worse.  So, I'm going do a breakdown of a few teams I think have improved the most and not just on paper.  These teams I think are really going to have a significant improvement in the standings as opposed to last season.

Let’s start with the easy one, the Toronto Maple Leafs.  Are the most improved as a whole, probably not.  Defense was never really addressed here, but offense?  That's another story.  They landed arguably the biggest free agent available in the last 10 years by bringing in the home town kid in John Tavares.  They now have top-3 center depth reminiscent of the 2009 Penguins.

Penguins had Crosby, Malkin, and Jordan Staal at center the year they won the cup, now the Leafs have Matthews, Tavares, and Kadri!  This is scary, not think about Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and Patty Marleau on the wings.  That's a lot of high-end talent, each line just needs a gritty and physical guy to go in the corners and really help dig out that puck to get it into space, and these guys don’t need much. As far as D goes, not much happened, but look for Timothy Lilgren to crack the lineup. He was scary good last year when I saw him at USA Arena and thought he was NHL ready then, he definitely should be now.  Look for the Leafs to battle for top spot in the League this season.

On to the Buffalo Sabres.  Another easy choice, but on a deeper level than just picking up Rasmus Dahlin.  They have made some remarkable trades!  In the process they had to give up a bit, and even gave up one of the best centers in the league when he is on his game in Ryan O'Reilly, but they got back so much more the team is pretty fantastic on paper.

They have added Skinner, Thompson, Berglund, Sobotka, and Connor Sheary all via trade this off season,  On top of already having Eichel, Mittelstadt, and Okposo...thats a pretty formidable top-6 no matter how you put it together, and their 3rd line shouldn’t be too shabby either. On D they have Ristolainen, Dahlin, Bogo, and Scandella; which makes for a nice top4 set of D-men.  Now the worry is in goal, which isn’t much of a change from last season.  The question now is can Carter Hutton carry the load of being a number 1 goalie for the 1st time at 32 years old?  If he can look for the Sabre to battle anywhere from wild card to 2nd overall in the Atlantic Division.

In the west, we have the Arizona Coyotes up first. I don’t think that they had the biggest F.A. signings but they definitely locked up a good player in Grabner. He will be a good fit on the 2nd or 3rd line for them, bringing a little bit of size, but a hell of a lot of speed and some goal scoring ability.  He'll also be vital on the PK where he had 2 shorty’s and has had 15 so far in his career.  More importantly than signing Grabner, they were able to resign some key players in Raanta, Dvorak, and Hjalmarsson. When healthy last season Raanta was stellar in goal winning 21 of the teams 29 victories, with only 46 starts. Dvorak is a young player with a high ceiling that he began to show last season earning himself a substantial raise.  And Hjalmarsson is just a solid, hardworking defense man who has "been there and done that" and provides tremendous leadership to a young D-core.

The biggest move they made was trading, straight up, Max Domi for Alex Galchenyuk.  While Domi has a lot of upside, Galchenyuk is a bit bigger and a proven goal scorer who most would expect about 30 goals a season out of. Not to mention he has been great on the power play when he is on his game.  Combine that with a young and promising group of forward I would expect a solid top 9 and at least 3 20-goal scorers this season...could there be more or someone even to get 30 goals?  Only time will tell.  Goaltending is in good shape with Raanta as mentioned before, but how will the D-core perform? A pretty good top-4 led by OEL, but will it stay healthy and the depth players rise up?  We'll see but expect to Yotes to be in it till the end this year battling for a wild card spot.

And to finish things off we have the St. Louis Blues. An already solid team, though the just missed the playoffs, really shook things up this off season in a big way.  Most of all quite a lot was lost in the Ryan O'Reilly trade that was already talked about back up in the Sabres talk, so I'm going to leave that alone.  Other than that, they made some key free agency deals that should help to off-set the loss of a few players. Key signings made were of Bozak and Perron returning from Vegas...I think Perron has been moved from the team and came back now 3-4 times at this point, its nuts.  Bozak will now give the Blues solid top-3 center depth with O'Reilly and Schenn, who had his own breakout year last season.  Down the wings you have one of the best snipers in the game, Tarasenko, along with Steen, Fabri, and big Patty Marron. With a few younger players who'll be looking to make an impact we have another team with a very solid top-9.

The Defense of the Blues is the real key though, they have likely the 3rd, maybe 4th ,best D core in their division, yet it is still likely in the top 3rd of the league. The top-4 is about as solid as it comes being led by Pietrangelo and Parayko.  Though that don’t have much in the way of depth or prospects in the system it will be very important that they stay health and play well.  Back in goal they have Jake Allen so has been able to stand on his head often, and with the number one spot secured, it will be gravely important that he plays to his best especially late into the season.  In a stacked division they will need every victory they can get to make it into the playoffs, the west really looks like it will be the wild, wild, west again and I would expect the Blues to push for the 3rd place spot trying to avoid the wildcard.

I had 2 honorable mentions until today though...now I have 3.  I'm not going to go in depth at all, you can do the work and let your imagination run wild.  Number one, the Carolina Hurricanes, and no its not because of Mrazek (though it totally helps).  Second the Calgary Flames...funny I think these teams did some business this summer.  And Third as of about 2:30 EST this afternoon...the San Jose Sharks...Eric Karlsson, what more needs to be said.