2014-15 NHL Predictions

Here are my predictions for the 2014-15 NHL Season.
*= Wild Card team.

Eastern Conference

Metropolitan Division
1. Pittsburgh Penguins- Pittsburgh is trying to get over the hump with new head coach Mike Johnston in town. Last season, they blew a 3-1 series lead in the semi finals to the eventual Eastern Conference champion New York Rangers. Pittsburgh has a declining, overrated goaltender in Marc-Andre Fleury, but they do have two of the best players in the game in forwards Sidney Crosby and Evengi Malkin. Expect Pittsburgh to win the metropolitan division for the second straight year.

2. New York Rangers- The defending Eastern Conference champions are trying to get back to where they were in June. Due to significant losses in free agency, some folks think this team won't make the playoffs, but I disagree. Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist will put this team on his back, when needed. Expect big seasons from forwards Chris Kreider and (when he comes back from injury) Derek Stepan.

3. Columbus Blue Jackets- Columbus is trying to build on their success that they've had the last two seasons. Forward Ryan Johansen's contract situation is taken care of so that's good. Goaltender Sergei  Bobrovsky looks to have another nice season and the addition of forward Scott Hartnell will help them.

4. Philadelphia Flyers*- Philadelphia is trying to build off a successful season after the rough start they had a year ago. Forward Claude Giroux is coming off a lower body injury that kept him out of training camp. Philadelphia will miss defenseman Kimmo Timonen, who is dealing with blood clots in both legs, for that said, their defense is a mess. Goaltender Steve Mason is looking to build on a nice season from last year as well.

5. Washington Capitals- Washington is looking to turn things around after a disappointing season last year. Forward Alex Ovechkin looks to have another big season and their might be a fee trade baits on this team such as defenseman Mike Green. New head coach Barry Trotz is trying to fix the team, which I think they'll be better than a year ago, but I don't see it being enough to make the postseason.

6. New Jersey Devils- Like Washington, New Jersey is looking to bounce back from a disappointing season. Goaltender Corey Schnieder looks to have a big season now that he's the starting goaltender now that future hall of famer Martin Brodeur is gone. The defense is the strength of this team, but a key for New Jersey to succeed is there offense and whether it's actually improved or not.

7. New York Islanders- The Islanders look to turn things around after missing the playoffs a year ago. Forward/Captain John Tavares is returning from a knee injury that kept him out the final months of the season. The Islanders made nice trades for defensemen Nick Leddy and Johnny Boychuk. I just don't think the goaltending is good enough to make a playoff run.

8. Carolina Hurricanes- Carolina is poised for a disastrous season and their a lock to finish last in the Metropolitan division. Forward Jordan Staal is out for three-four months with a fractured fibula. Look for Carolina to trade goaltender Cam Ward and maybe even forwards Eric Staal and Alex Semin if things get ugly as projected.

Atlantic Division
1. Montreal Canadiens- Montreal is looking to build off a successful season after losing to the defending Eastern Conference champion Rangers in the Eastern Conference finals. Goaltender Carey Price is returning from a knee injury, which he hurt in the ECF last season. Look for defenseman PK Subban to have a big season, along with forward Max Pacioretty and Price.

2. Boston Bruins- Boston is coming off a disappointing second round exit from the hands of Montreal. Goaltender Tuuka Rask will be in the hunt for the Vezina Trophy and Defenseman/Captain Zdeno Chara looks to be in the hunt for the Norris Trophy as well. Look for forward David Krejci to have a big season as well.

3. Tampa Bay Lightning- Expectations are sky high for a team that improved in the offseason. Defenseman Anton Stralman and forward Brian Boyle came in free agency and forward Ryan Callahan got a contract extension. Forward Steven Stamkos looks to have a monster season as well. Tampa is the sexy pick to win the Eastern Conference, so it would be a massive disappointment if they don't make it far into the postseason.

4. Detroit Red Wings*- Detroit is looking to continue their success with this younger team they have. Forward/Captain Henrik Zetterberg looks to stay healthy this season along with forward Pavel Datsyuk, who is currently dealing with a shoulder injury. Their is tumult going on within the organization with head coach Mike Babcock, who's contract is up after this season. I don't think it will be a distraction as much as the media is making it out to be.

5. Toronto Maple Leafs- Toronto is looking to bounce back after a disastrous season from a year ago. Head coach Randy Carlisle is on the hot seat and certainly a candidate for first coach fired. Forwards Phil Kessel and James van Riemsdyk should have good seasons, but the goaltending and a weak defense is concerning.

6. Ottawa Senators- Ottawa is coming off a disappointing season in which they did not make the postseason. Forward Jason Spezza has been traded to Dallas and the contract situation for forward Bobby Ryan is not going away soon. The defense is good with Erik Karlsson and the goaltending isn't great. Head coach Paul MacLean is on the hot seat as well.

7. Florida Panthers- Some people are pegging Florida as a sleeper playoff team. I just don't see it. Goaltender Roberto Luongo is declining a little bit and I just think the young forwards on this team need some time to develop and the defense needs improvement as well. General manager Dale Tallon is on the hot seat.

8. Buffalo Sabres- Buffalo is the worst team in the east, despite the moves they made in the offseason. It will be a long season in Buffalo in year three of the rebuild. Rookie Sam Reinhart looks to have a nice campaign and it will be interesting to see how he develops. There is not a lot of depth on this team, especially in the net.

Western Conference

Central Division
1. Chicago Blackhawks- Chicago is arguably the best team in the league. They are coming off a disappointing overtime home loss in game seven to the eventual champion Los Angeles. Forwards Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews are poised for big years and the defense is set with Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook on the blue line. Goaltender Corey Crawford has also shown he can get it done.

2. St. Louis Blues- St. Louis is coming off a first round exit from the hands of Chicago. Forward Paul Stasny came in free agency and he will improve their offense. Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo looks to have a big season and get into the conversation for the Norris trophy. The Ryan Miller experiment did not work out, so goaltender Sean Elliott will start again. Head coach Ken Hitchcock is on the hot seat.

3. Dallas Stars- Dallas is poised to take the next step after making the postseason last season for the first time in several years. Forwards Jamie Benn,Tyler Seguin, and newcomer Jason Spezza are poised to have big years. The defense is a concern because there isn't a lot of depth, but the goaltending is solid with Kari Lehtonen. I'm intrigued to see what this team can do.

4. Minnesota Wild*- Minnesota is coming off a second round playoff exit from the hands of Chicago. Newcomer Thomas Vanek along with forward Zach Parise are poised for big seasons, along with defenseman Ryan Suter, who will be in the running for the Norris trophy. The goaltending situation is shaky with Josh Harding injured though. This should be a fun team to watch.

5. Colorado Avalanche*- Colorado is coming off a surprising season that featured a first round playoff appearance. Many think this team is bound for regression, but I still think their a playoff team, despite the loss of forward Paul Stasny. Forward Nathan MacKinnon is looking to build off a great rookie season. The defense is a question mark and that will put pressure on reigning Vezina trophy winner Semyon Varlamov.

6. Nashville Predators- Nashville is coming off a disappointing season in which former coach Barry Trotz ended up losing his job. Now new coach Peter Laviolette is in looking to turn things around. Goaltender Pekka Rinne is a sleeper for the Vezina trophy if he can stay healthy. Defensemen Shea Weber and Seth Jones will form a nice duo in the blue line and newcomer forward James Neal looks to bring a pop to the offense.

7. Winnipeg Jets- Winnipeg is going to be terrible this season and this team didn't make improvements. Goaltender Ondrej Pavelic is not a proven commodity. Forward Evander Kane will likely be traded. The defense is not good either. Look for Winnipeg to be in the cellar yet again this season.

Pacific Division
1. Anaheim Ducks- Anaheim is coming off a second round playoff exit from the hands of the eventual champion Los Angeles. Anaheim made significant improvements this offseason such as trading for forward Ryan Kesler. Forwards Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry are poised to have a big seasons as well as Kesler. The defense is solid as well as the goaltenders.

2. Los Angeles Kings- The defending champs are poised to make yet another run at Lord Stanley's cup with most of the same team coming back. Forward Marian Gaborik resigned with the team, which is big. Forward Anze Kopitar looks to have big season as well as defenseman Drew Doughty. Goaltender Jonathan Quick is looking to have another great season as well.

3. San Jose Sharks- San Jose is coming a first round playoff exit from the hands of the eventual champion Los Angeles, in which San Jose blew a 3-0 series lead. The offense should be good with forwards Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau. The defense isn't that great and goaltender Antti Niemi looks to have a good season.

4. Vancouver Canucks- Vancouver is looking to bounce back from a disappointing season from a year ago. New head coach Willie Desjardins is taking over for John Tortorella. Vancouver signed goaltender Ryan Miller in the offseason, which should improve that unit. Forwards Henrik and Daniel Sedin look to stay healthy and have good seasons as well. The defense isn't great, but it will be interesting to see what this team does.

5. Arizona Coyotes- Arizona, like Vancouver, is coming off a disappointing season from a year ago. The goaltending is solid with Mike Smith and the defense is pretty solid. With the losses of forwards Radim Vrbata and Mike Rebiero, Arizona will struggle on offense, which puts pressure on the defense and Smith.

6. Edmonton Oilers- Edmonton is still in the midst of their ongoing rebuilding process. Forwards Nail Yakupov, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Taylor Hall look to push this team to a new level. Newcomer forward Benoit Pouliot wants to prove his season with the Rangers last season was not a fluke. Goaltending and defense are still questions.

7. Calgary Flames- Calgary is the worst team in the Western Conference. Their in the midst of a rebuild and that will put them in the cellar. Goaltender Jonas Hiller will help them behind the net. Calgary's defense is not great and they also do not have a good offensive attack. For once, the long term future is bright.

Stanley Cup Playoffs

Quarterfinals
(A1) Montreal Canadiens over (WC2) Detroit Red Wings in six games.
(A2) Boston Bruins over (A3) Tampa Bay Lightning in six games.
(M1) Pittsburgh Penguins over (WC1) Philadelphia Flyers in seven games.
(M2) New York Rangers over (M3) Columbus Blue Jackets in six games.
(P1) Anaheim Ducks over (WC2) Colorado Avalanche in five games.
(P2) Los Angeles Kings over (P3) San Jose Sharks in seven games.
(C1) Chicago Blackhawks over (WC1) Minnesota Wild in six games.
(C3) Dallas Stars over (C2) St. Louis Blues in six games.

Semi-Finals
(A1) Montreal Canadiens over (A2) Boston Bruins in seven games.
(M2) New York Rangers over (M1) Pittsburgh Penguins in six games.
(P2) Los Angeles Kings over (A1) Anaheim Ducks in six games.
(C1) Chicago Blackhawks over (C3) Dallas Stars in six games.

Conference Finals
(A1) Montreal Canadiens over (M2) New York Rangers in seven games.
(C1) Chicago Blackhawks over (P2) Los Angeles Kings in seven games.

Stanley Cup Finals
(C1) Chicago Blackhawks over (A1) Montreal Canadiens in six games.