Puck Daddy's Bold Predictions

[DChero]

I love these kinds of stories. My favorite is number 14.

What We Learned: 20 bold predictions for the NHL season - Puck Daddy - NHLBlog - Yahoo! Sports

1. After missing by a single point last year, the Predators will break 100 points again — and challenge for the division title — as their young forwards start contributing more. Barry Trotz will finally win the Jack Adams as a result.

2. There won't be a tighter three-team division race in hockey than the Northeast.

3. This will be the victory lap season for Teemu Selanne(notes) and Nicklas Lidstrom(notes), who ride off into the sunset as the best two European players to ever play the game. Teemu will also score the 59 points necessary to edge past fellow Finn Jari Kurri on the all-time scoring list.

4. Brent Burns(notes) will quickly become one of the highest-scoring defensemen in the league this year. Getting power play time with Joe Thornton(notes), Patrick Marleau(notes) and so forth will help that.

5. Rick Nash(notes), who finally has a real center, will push Steven Stamkos(notes) for the Rocket Richard.

(Coming Up: The phenomenal Evgeni Malkin(notes); Clarke MacArthur's(notes) Shanny protest; Antti Niemi(notes) could be ready for Sharks; Petr Sykora's(notes) waiting game; Jimmy Howard's(notes) preseason stinkfest; RHN gets caught on a junior move; Ducks are Finnish rock stars; Olli Jokinen's(notes) Datsyuk obsession; Jonathan Toews(notes) ailing; ESPN's devilish fail; Stars go bankrupt; Ryan Johansen(notes) makes the Jackets; Brooks Laich(notes) shifts back to center; Viktor Hedman vs. stardom; great goal by Gustav Nyquist(notes); and San Jose pisses off pizza lovers.)

6. The Islanders are going win a good amount of games thanks to a decent power play, but still won't make the playoffs due to that whole "goaltending" issue.

7. The Capitals will win the East by at least eight points when their offense bounces back big-time after a sub-league-average finish in goals for last year. You can expect a big year from Mike Green(notes).

8. Only two coaches will get fired this year. At most.

9. The Coyotes will miss the playoffs for the first time in two years when the can't-miss tandem of Jason LaBarbera(notes) and Mike Smith(notes) do indeed miss. No one will notice.

10. Jaromir Jagr(notes) will begin to really slow down in the second half of the year because he's old. He'll still finish with 50-something points.

11. Drew Doughty(notes) in the Norris conversation. Believe it.

12. The Central Division will send four of its five teams to the playoffs. Sorry, St. Louis.

13. Dany Heatley(notes) will adjust well to Minnesota. Devin Setoguchi(notes) will not.

14. Sidney Crosby(notes) will miss 10 or 15 games and still finish in the top five in scoring. But Evgeni Malkin will win the Art Ross and the Hart in a walk.

15. Jacob Markstrom(notes) will at some point take over the Panthers' starting goaltending job.

16. The Canucks will win the President's Trophy once again, even if most of the Northwest did get better in the offseason (not so fast, Calgary).

17. The Lightning will wholly fail to replicate their success from the stretch run and playoffs last year for some unknown reaso… their goalie is HOW old?

18. The Oilers will finish 30th once again. Obviously.

19. The Devils will "miraculously" make the playoffs when their best player is healthy for the whole season and their coach isn't a complete dolt like John MacLean apparently was. Last year is going to end up like the 2006-07 Flyers': forgotten among another characteristic run of success.

20. Dallas will be out of the playoffs well before the last game of the season this time around.

Have fun out there, gang. It's finally hockey season again.

 

[dash]

I don't know about the Oilers finishing 30th again, although I do think they will be in the draft lottery again. I'm also not sure how much better the NW division got in the off-season. To me, it still looks like Vancouver and then a bunch of meh.

/It's tough to type that last sentence as a Flames fan, but hey, that's the way I see it.

 

[Nasty_Magician]

Finally a media outlet that sees why the Devils were awful last year, and why people shouldn't sleep on them this year.

 

[sbb122]

The homer in me really likes No.14...

 

[KennyBanyeah]

I fail to see how the every team in the NW got better.

Calgary made no significant moves.

The Wild are quite a bit worse for this year, IMO.

The Avs still have a lot of question marks; unless Varlamov stays healthy AND plays great they could be pretty bad.

The Oilers should be a bit better but their situation at centre makes me laugh, and I'm a Senators fan.

 

[elocomotive]

Finally a media outlet that sees why the Devils were awful last year, and why people shouldn't sleep on them this year.

I agree they'll be competitive again and I think they make the playoffs, but I don't think they are going to be a playoff force again until they move on from Brodeur and transition into some new era of Devils' hockey.

Then again, I'm a Caps' fan, so what the hell do I know about postseason success.

 

[awaz]

sleepin on the atlantic division race.. all i'm gunna say..

 

[Nasty_Magician]

I'm not saying the Devils should be a cup favorite, I'm saying NHL Network has them finishing 4th in the Atlantic and Hockey News has them 11th in the East. They will be far better than that in my opinion.

 

[SLY]

Couldn't agree with #3 anymore, although I don't think Montreal is that much of a threat. I think Boston and Buffalo will be battling it out for the division till the very end. We play each other in the last game of the season in Boston, would be epic if that game decided who takes the NE.

 

[elocomotive]

Couldn't agree with #3 anymore, although I don't think Montreal is that much of a threat. I think Boston and Buffalo will be battling it out for the division till the very end. We play each other in the last game of the season in Boston, would be epic if that game decided who takes the NE.

I'll make a bold prediction and say the winner of that game makes the playoffs.

 

[SLY]

sleepin on the atlantic division race.. all i'm gunna say..

Every team got better in the offseason for the most part with "?"'s above PHI and NYI's heads. Should be an interesting one to watch. If the Islanders can stay healthy and still be that bruiser squad they were leaning towards, they can be a dangerous team.

 

[Nasty_Magician]

Every team got better in the offseason for the most part with "?"'s above PHI and NYI's heads. Should be an interesting one to watch. If the Islanders can stay healthy and still be that bruiser squad they were leaning towards, they can be a dangerous team.

I really agree with number 6 on this list. Islanders will still finish last because they are young and learning and their goaltending still has something to prove, but they will be a tough out on any given night. There is some talent there for sure.

 

[SLY]

I really agree with number 6 on this list. Islanders will still finish last because they are young and learning and their goaltending still has something to prove, but they will be a tough out on any given night. There is some talent there for sure.

Montoya didn't look bad at all when I saw them and the B's play Saturday night. They were up 2-0. Then the Isles put Nabakov in and we scored 3 goals.

 

[awaz]

Couldn't agree with #3 anymore, although I don't think Montreal is that much of a threat. I think Boston and Buffalo will be battling it out for the division till the very end. We play each other in the last game of the season in Boston, would be epic if that game decided who takes the NE.

i assume you mean #2

but i really dont see that as that close of a race.. i think the bruins and sabres will be pretty tight, but i think the habs are going to be in kind of that second tier of teams fighting for spots 5-8 (caps, bruins, sabres, pens i would include in the top tier).. bolts, flyers, habs, rangers, devils i would include in the 2nd tier.. 5 teams battling for 4 spots, and IMO the habs are at the bottom of that totem pole

 

[SLY]

i assume you mean #2

but i really dont see that as that close of a race.. i think the bruins and sabres will be pretty tight, but i think the habs are going to be in kind of that second tier of teams fighting for spots 5-8 (caps, bruins, sabres, pens i would include in the top tier).. bolts, flyers, habs, rangers, devils i would include in the 2nd tier.. 5 teams battling for 4 spots, and IMO the habs are at the bottom of that totem pole

I'm retarded.