Yeah, I don't want to do this either, but it's time to put down a marker so we can all laugh and point at our past selves for being such mooks.
Metro Division
Have I been bitten by over-estimating the age progression of both the Pens and the Caps? Yes. Will I do it again? Also yes. I think Pittsburgh is basically frozen in amber at this point, but Washington had a pretty good off season and might be a fringe playoff team again. The Rangers still have the same structural issues they had the last two years, but with their goaltending and top end talent, I see them running away with the division. The Devils and Canes will likely round out the top 3 in some order ... take a guess depending on which goaltending tandem you like best. I'm not buying the Isles or Flyers at all and Columbus is just playing a different game. Here's my guess at how it shakes out. I'm betting on Jersey to have a healthier season and to get better goaltending, but not enough of either to pass the Rangers. Carolina takes a step back but not a huge one while the Caps, Pens and Isles will lurch around to determine 4th. Not much margin there. The Flyers get the dead cat part of the Torts experience.
Rangers
Devils
Hurricanes
Capitals
Penguins
Islanders
Flyers
Blue Jackets
Atlantic Division
Is this Toronto's year? God alone knows, but I like them to win the division. Berube probably has the shelf life of unpasteurized milk, but I figure he's gonna get one season of improvement first. But hey, there also exists the possibility that Berube is the worst possible fit for Toronto's roster of very special gentlemen and it all could blow up in everybody's faces, resulting in either a blown up roster or a quick hook or both. I'm here for any of that, frankly. Mostly because unlike the way fully half of this league's franchises go through life ... it won't be boring. Florida will be right there with them, having taken a hit to their depth but otherwise brought back a very good band. I have zero feel for either Tampa or Boston. I wouldn't be shocked if one of them stinks, but I would be surprised if they both do. Tampa's a little more stale. Let's go with them to take a slide, but given the "strength" of the rest of this pool they'll slide into the playoffs anyway. Otherwise, Montreal is still a WIP, and the others are in the science fiction genre ... somewhere beteen a little bit hard to believe in and completely implausible. The bottom four could finish in any old order and my suprised face wouldn't even bother to warm up. I WILL be mildly surprised if all 8 of these GMs get to the draft with their jobs intact. I can just feel that trap door getting greased up for somebody.
Maple Leafs
Panthers
Bruins
Lightning
Senators
Sabres
Red Wings
Canadiens
Central Division
Hmm. Colorado and Dallas, sure. Pick 'em. Nashville? I guess, but the off season hype rarely pays off like you'd figure. The Wild? Still wafer thin. The Jets? Same, same. Utah? Maybe. They won't suck. St. Louis and Chicago? Umm, no. I'll go chalk and pick the Avs to find their groove but after Dallas I think you're in murky waters all the way down to St Louis. Let's give the 3/4 nod to the goalies, but if Utah gets decent goaltending then they're right there in the mix.
Avalanche
Stars
Predators
Jets
Utah
Wild
Blackhawks
Blues
Pacific
OK, the Ducks and Sharks are terrible again and spent the summer being just fine with that. The Oilers are geared up for another crack and I guess I still believe in Vancouver although there will be some regression to mean offensively. Vegas looks OK despite not really fixing any of their issues in the off season either. Otherwise, this Division is just ... meh. Call it the Ron Francis effect. Everyone is full of question marks, injuries and issues in kind of a boring golf shirt and khakis sort of way. Even Vegas is less sketchy than normal. Somebody is going to slime their way to a 4th playoff spot from this puddle. Let's go with LA, because they've been there and done that for years now. Could that end up being Seattle? Sure, but I think Calgary is probably a bridge too far. The other two are floating on that island of plastic bottles and grocery store bags out in the Pacific. I'm not convinced you'd have a playoff team if they combined rosters.
Oilers
Canucks
Knights (look, I hate the golden thing and I'm just not doing it anymore)
Kings
Kraken
Flames
Ducks
Sharks
Metro Division
Have I been bitten by over-estimating the age progression of both the Pens and the Caps? Yes. Will I do it again? Also yes. I think Pittsburgh is basically frozen in amber at this point, but Washington had a pretty good off season and might be a fringe playoff team again. The Rangers still have the same structural issues they had the last two years, but with their goaltending and top end talent, I see them running away with the division. The Devils and Canes will likely round out the top 3 in some order ... take a guess depending on which goaltending tandem you like best. I'm not buying the Isles or Flyers at all and Columbus is just playing a different game. Here's my guess at how it shakes out. I'm betting on Jersey to have a healthier season and to get better goaltending, but not enough of either to pass the Rangers. Carolina takes a step back but not a huge one while the Caps, Pens and Isles will lurch around to determine 4th. Not much margin there. The Flyers get the dead cat part of the Torts experience.
Rangers
Devils
Hurricanes
Capitals
Penguins
Islanders
Flyers
Blue Jackets
Atlantic Division
Is this Toronto's year? God alone knows, but I like them to win the division. Berube probably has the shelf life of unpasteurized milk, but I figure he's gonna get one season of improvement first. But hey, there also exists the possibility that Berube is the worst possible fit for Toronto's roster of very special gentlemen and it all could blow up in everybody's faces, resulting in either a blown up roster or a quick hook or both. I'm here for any of that, frankly. Mostly because unlike the way fully half of this league's franchises go through life ... it won't be boring. Florida will be right there with them, having taken a hit to their depth but otherwise brought back a very good band. I have zero feel for either Tampa or Boston. I wouldn't be shocked if one of them stinks, but I would be surprised if they both do. Tampa's a little more stale. Let's go with them to take a slide, but given the "strength" of the rest of this pool they'll slide into the playoffs anyway. Otherwise, Montreal is still a WIP, and the others are in the science fiction genre ... somewhere beteen a little bit hard to believe in and completely implausible. The bottom four could finish in any old order and my suprised face wouldn't even bother to warm up. I WILL be mildly surprised if all 8 of these GMs get to the draft with their jobs intact. I can just feel that trap door getting greased up for somebody.
Maple Leafs
Panthers
Bruins
Lightning
Senators
Sabres
Red Wings
Canadiens
Central Division
Hmm. Colorado and Dallas, sure. Pick 'em. Nashville? I guess, but the off season hype rarely pays off like you'd figure. The Wild? Still wafer thin. The Jets? Same, same. Utah? Maybe. They won't suck. St. Louis and Chicago? Umm, no. I'll go chalk and pick the Avs to find their groove but after Dallas I think you're in murky waters all the way down to St Louis. Let's give the 3/4 nod to the goalies, but if Utah gets decent goaltending then they're right there in the mix.
Avalanche
Stars
Predators
Jets
Utah
Wild
Blackhawks
Blues
Pacific
OK, the Ducks and Sharks are terrible again and spent the summer being just fine with that. The Oilers are geared up for another crack and I guess I still believe in Vancouver although there will be some regression to mean offensively. Vegas looks OK despite not really fixing any of their issues in the off season either. Otherwise, this Division is just ... meh. Call it the Ron Francis effect. Everyone is full of question marks, injuries and issues in kind of a boring golf shirt and khakis sort of way. Even Vegas is less sketchy than normal. Somebody is going to slime their way to a 4th playoff spot from this puddle. Let's go with LA, because they've been there and done that for years now. Could that end up being Seattle? Sure, but I think Calgary is probably a bridge too far. The other two are floating on that island of plastic bottles and grocery store bags out in the Pacific. I'm not convinced you'd have a playoff team if they combined rosters.
Oilers
Canucks
Knights (look, I hate the golden thing and I'm just not doing it anymore)
Kings
Kraken
Flames
Ducks
Sharks
