2016-17 NHL Predictions

Here are my predictions for the 2016-17 NHL season.

- Eastern Conference
Metropolitan Division
The Pittsburgh Penguins may have won the Stanley Cup last season, but the Washington Capitals, led by Alex Ovechkin and reigning Vezina Trophy winner Braden Holtby will win the division for the second straight season. The Caps also have a bunch of young players that will be key parts of the team such as Evgeny Kuznetsov and André Burakovsky. The defense is still very solid too with guys like Brooks Orpik, Matt Niskanen, and Karl Alzner. The reigning Stanley Cup chamion Pittsburgh Penguins returns most of their parts of their championship team as they look to repeat as champs. Sidney Crosby is still among the games elite and Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel are both back and healthy and those two along with Crosby will lead the way on offense. The defense is decent too with guys like Trevor Daley and Olli Maatta. Matt Murray is out to start the season with a thumb injury, so Marc-Andre Fleury will start the season behind the net. The New York Rangers are looking to rebound from their awful playoff series loss against the Penguins. Henrik Lundqvist is still behind the net and he gives them a chance to win games. Their offense will be explosive led by Rick Nash, Chris Kreider, and Derek Stepan. Their defense was a mess last season, but can it be any worse? It could with the free agent departure of Keith Yandle. Ryan McDonogh and Kevin Klein are the only solid defenseman the Rangers have right now. The New York Islanders look to build off of their their second round defeat to the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning. John Tavares is one of the best players in the league, but I don't love that they replaced Kyle Okposo, Frans Neilsen, and Matt Martin with Andrew Ladd and PA Paranteau. The defense is solid though with guys like Nick Leddy and Johnny Boychuk. Jarasolav Halak is solid for the most part behind the net as well. The Philadelphia Flyers look to build off of their first round loss to the hands of the Washington Captials. Their offense is very good led by Claude Giroux and Jake Voracek. The defense has improved thanks to the breakout of Shayne Gostisbehere, who was a candidate for the Calder Trophy last season. The platoon of Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth behind the net is pretty solid too. The Columbus Blue Jackets look to rebound from a disastrous season from a year ago. The offense is decent with guys like Brandon Saad and Nick Foligno. The defense should be improved with having Seth Jones for a full season after trading away Ryan Johnansen for him last season. Sergei Bobrovsky should rebound from a disappointing season from a year ago too. The Carolina Hurricanes are a team on the rise. Their offense should be improved with the offseason acquisition of Teuvo Teräväinen. Their defense should be very good with Noah Hanifin in his second full season and Justin Faulk. Cam Ward re-signed with the team this summer and he and Eddie Lack will share goaltending duties. New Jersey was a team that was one of leagues surprises for the first half of the season and fell apart in the second half of the season. They acquired Taylor Hall to improve their offense. But they traded away their only quality defenseman in Adam Larsson to get Hall. Corey Schnieder is great behind the net and he makes a difference for the team behind the net.

1. Washington Capitals (107 points)
2. Pittsburgh Penguins (103 points)
3. New York Rangers (97 points)
4. New York Islanders (96 points) (Wild Card)
5. Philadelphia Flyers (94 points) (Wild Card)
6. Columbus Blue Jackets (85 points)
7. Carolina Hurricanes (83 points)
8. New Jersey Devils (80 points)

Atlantic Division
The Tampa Bay Lightning, despite not being healthy pushed the Pittsburgh Penguins to a game seven of the Eastern Conference Finals. Steven Stamkos is healthy and re-signed with the team and they look like the team to beat not just in the Atlantic Division, but in the Eastern Conference. Along with Stamkos, Jonathan Druin, Nikita Kucherov, and Tyler Johnson are among the key kogs offensively. Their defense is terrific led by Victor Hedman and Anton Stralman. Ben Bishop and Andrei Vasilevskiy will share duties behind the net to at least start the season and Bishop will likely be trade bait. The Florida Panthers look to build off their division title and first round exit from last season. Their offense will be great led by youngsters Jonathan Huberdeau (who's going to miss the first half of the season with a leg injury) and Aleksnder Barkov. Their defense will be very good as well with new acquisition Keith Yandle and budding star Aaron Ekblad. Roberto Luongo is serviceable behind the net. The Montreal Canadiens look to rebound from a disappointing season from a year ago. Carey Price returns from injury behind the net and he's going to have a big chip on his shoulder. The offense should be pretty decent with guys like Max Pacioretty, Alex Galchenyuk, and off-season acquisition Andrew Shaw. Despite trading away PK Subban for Shea Weber, Weber and Andrei Markov will lead the way defensively. The Boston Bruins are looking to make the playoffs after a two year absence. Tukka Rask is still very good behind the net. Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron will lead the way offensively. Their defense is alright as well despite Zdeno Chara's in decline. The Buffalo Sabres look to make the playoffs after making good acquisitions this summer. Among the acquisitions is Kyle Okposo, who joins Jack Eichel, Ryan O'Reilly and Sam Reinhart to form a fordable offense. The acquisition of Dmitry Kulikov will improve the Sabres defense. Robin Lehner isn't a bad option behind the net either. The Detroit Red Wings look to make the playoffs for a staggering twenty-sixth straight season. This is the year that incredible run comes to an end. The departure of Pavel Datsyuk weakens their offense although they still got Henrik Zetterberg, Dylan Larkin, and Justin Abdelkader. Their defense is still ok with guys like Niklas Kronwall and Danny DeKeyser. Jimmy Howard and Petr Mrazek still are a platoon behind the net. The Ottawa Senators look to make the postseason after missing out last season. Offseason acquisition Derrick Brassard joins Mark Stone and Kyle Turris to form a decent offense. Eric Karlsson is still among the games best defenseman and they will have Dion Phaneuf for a full season as well. Craig Anderson isn't bad behind the net either. The Toronto Maple Leafs should be improved in year two under Mike Babcock. Auston Matthews will make an immediate impact in his rookie season and he will improve their offense. Their defense is still a work in progress although Morgan Reilly should have a breakout season. Trade acquisition Federik Anderson is an upgrade behind the net.

1. Tampa Bay Lightning (110 points)
2. Florida Panthers (105 points)
3. Montreal Canadiens (100 points)
4. Boston Bruins (92 points)
5. Buffalo Sabres (89 points)
6. Detroit Red Wings (87 points)
7. Ottawa Senators (84 points)
8. Toronto Maple Leafs (77 points)

- Western Conference
Central Division
With the trade acquisition of PK Subban to pair with Roman Josi on defense with a formidable offense, the Nashville Predators look like the team to beat in the Central Division. Filip Forsberg leads the way for them offensively and James Neal and Mike Fisher are also options. There is a perception that Pekka Rinne is in decline, but that awesome defense the Preds will certainly help Rinne. The St. Louis Blues made it to game 6 of the Western Conference Finals and they look to build off that. Jake Allen is now the starting goaltender with the trade of Brian Elliott. Their defense is still great with Alex Pietrangelo, Kevin Shattinkirk, and Jay Bouwmeester leading the way. The offense, despite the loss of David Backes, is still very good led by Vladimir Tarasenko, Alexander Steen, and Paul Stasny. The Chicago Blackhawks look to win their fourth Stanley Cup in eight years. The offense is still awesome led by Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. The defense hasn't been as good as it was a few years back, but it's still very good led by Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook. Corey Crawford is solid behind the net as well. The Dallas Stars won the division last season, but their goaltending still isn't great with a platoon of Antti Niemi and Kari Lehtonen. Their defense still isn't great despite the breakout of John Klingberg from last season. The strength of the team is clearly the offense led by Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin. The Winnipeg Jets will be one of the leagues most improved teams. Their offense will be very good led by Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler, and rookie Patrik Laine. The defense should be pretty decent with Dustin Byfuglien leading the way on that end. Ondrej Palat is still behind the net and he's mediocre. The Minnesota Wild hope that Bruce Boudreau will improve the team and will get them to take the next step. Devan Dubnyk is still behind the net and he's pretty decent. The defense is good with guys like Matt Dumba, Ryan Suter, and Marco Scandella. The offense is decent with guys like Mikko Koivu, Zach Parise, and Jason Pominville. The Colorado Avalanche look to make the postseason after missing out the last two seasons. The offense is going to be good with guys like Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog, and Matt Duchene. The defense remains subpar despite the fact Tyson Barrie is on the team. Semyon Varlamov wasn't as good as he was a few years ago, but he's still serviceable.

1. Nashville Predators (108 points)
2. St. Louis Blues (105 points)
3. Chicago Blackhawks (102 points)
4. Dallas Stars (100 points) (Wild Card)
5. Winnipeg Jets (90 points)
6. Minnesota Wild (87 points)
7. Colorado Avalanche (84 points)

Pacific Division
The San Jose Sharks made the Stanley Cup Final last season, but the Anaheim Ducks are my pick here. Randy Carlysle replaces Bruce Boudreau behind the bench. John Gibson is the starter behind the net now with the trade of Frederik Andersen. The defense is solid with guys like Cam Fowler and Kevin Bieksa. The offense is great with guys like Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, and Ryan Kesler. The San Jose Sharks are looking to return to the Stanley Cup Final for a second straight season. Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski, and Logan Couture lead the way offensively. The blue line is very good with guys like Brent Burns and Marc-Edouard Vlasic. Martin Jones was incredible last season behind the net, especially in the playoffs and expect him to be very good again. The Los Angeles Kings are looking to rebound from their first round exit to the hands of the San Jose Sharks. Jonathan Quick is still very good behind the net. The defense is still good led by Drew Doughty. The offense is solid as well led by Anze Kopitar and Jeff Carter. The Edmonton Oilers will be among one of the leagues most improved teams. Connor McDavid was recently named captain and he'll lead the way offensively along with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Milan Lucic. The defense will be improved with the acquisition of Adam Larsson. Cam Talbot was disappointing in his first season with the Oilers, but expect him to bounce back. The Calgary Flames look to bounce back from a disappointing season from a year ago. Offseason acquisition Brian Elliott is now the man behind the net and that's an upgrade. The defense is solid with Mark Giordano and Billy Hamilton leading the way. The offense will be good with guys like Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, and Sam Bennett. The Arizona Coyotes are a team on the rise, but their a few years away from being scary good. The offense will be good with guys like Max Domi and Anthony Duclair. Their defense isn't great but they still have Oliver Ekman-Larsson around. Mike Smith is still the goaltender for this club. The Vancouver Canucks might just be the worst team in the league this season. Their offense is ok led by the aging Sedin twins, Henrik and Daniel. The defense isn't great by any stretch and their only decent defenseman is Alexander Edler. Ryan Miller is behind the net and he might be a trade bait.

1. Anaheim Ducks (105 points)
2. San Jose Sharks (100 points)
3. Los Angeles Kings (96 points)
4. Edmonton Oilers (93 points) (Wild Card)
5. Calgary Flames (85 points)
6. Arizona Coyotes (80 points)
7. Vancouver Canucks (75 points)

2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs

- Conference Quarterfinal
(M1) Washington Capitals vs (WC1) New York Islanders: Here's a rematch from two years ago. The Capitals have the goaltending edge here and that will be the difference here.
Prediction: Capitals in six games.

(M2) Pittsburgh Penguins vs (M3) New York Rangers: Here's a rematch from the last two seasons. The Rangers will be more competitive, but the Penguins will move on.
Prediction: Penguins in seven games.

(A1) Tampa Bay Lightning vs (WC2) Philadelphia Flyers: This should be an interesting one. The Lightning are the more superior team here in all capacities.
Prediction: Lightning in five games.

(A2) Florida Panthers vs (A3) Montreal Canadiens: This should be an interesting series, but Carey Price is back and he'll lead the Habs to the second round.
Prediction: Canadiens in six games.

(C1) Nashville Predators vs (WC2) Edmonton Oilers: The Oilers will be the surprise playoff team of the season led by the great Connor McDavid, but they'll fall short to a more superior Preds team.
Prediction: Predators in four games.

(C2) St. Louis Blues vs (C3) Chicago Blackhawks: Here's a rematch from a year ago. The Blues are the better team this time around as well in what should be another great series.
Prediction: Blues in seven games.

(P1) Anaheim Ducks vs (WC1) Dallas Stars: This should be a fun series with a ton of scoring, but the Ducks have the edge in net and on defense and that will be the difference.
Prediction: Ducks in seven games.

(P2) San Jose Sharks vs (P3) Los Angeles Kings: Here's another rematch from a year ago. The Sharks are the better team here although it will be more competitive.
Prediction: Sharks in seven games.

- Conference Semifinal
(M1) Washington Capitals vs (M2) Pittsburgh Penguins: Here's a rematch from the Semifinals from last season. I like Sidney Crosby and the Pens to advance to their second straight Eastern Conference Final.
Prediction: Penguins in six games.

(A1) Tampa Bay Lightning vs (A3) Montreal Canadiens: Here is a rematch of the Semifinals from two seasons ago. Carey Price gives the Habs a chance, but I like the Bolts to advance to their third straight Eastern Conference Final to set up a rematch with the Penguins.
Prediction: Lightning in six games.

(C1) Nashville Predators vs (C2) St. Louis Blues: This should be an outstanding series between two of the Western Conferences's best. Give me the Senators to advance to their first Western Conference Final.
Prediction: Predators in seven games.

(P1) Anaheim Ducks vs (P2) San Jose Sharks: Here's a fun divisional matchup. Give me the Sharks to advance to their second straight Conference Final.
Prediction: Sharks in six games.

- Conference Final
(A1) Tampa Bay Lightning vs (M2) Pittsburgh Penguins: Here's a rematch of the Eastern Conference Final from a year ago. This time around, the Bolts are healthy and they'll appear in their second Stanley Cup Final in a three year span.
Prediction: Lightning in six games.

(C1) Nashville Predators vs (P2) San Jose Sharks: Here's a rematch from the second round last season. Both of these teams are very good and it will go seven again, except I like the Preds to advance.
Prediction: Predators in seven games.

- Stanley Cup Final
(A1) Tampa Bay Lightning vs (C1) Nashville Predators: This would be such a fun series between two great teams. The Bolts experience will pay off as they will hoist their second Stanley Cup in franchise history.
Prediction: Lightning in seven games.