2017-18 NHL Predictions

Here are my predictions for the 2017-18 NHL season.

* = Wild Card team

- Metropolitan
1. Pittsburgh Penguins (112)
2. Washington Capitals (106)
3. New York Rangers (102)
4. Columbus Blue Jackets (98)*
5. Philadelphia Flyers (95)
6. Carolina Hurricanes (90)
7. New York Islanders (84)
8. New Jersey Devils (72)

The reigning Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins come into this season as the favorite to win this division. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are still around to lead the way offensively. Even with the recent trade of Derrick Pouliot, the defense is still very good with guys like Kris Letang and Justin Schultz. Matt Murray is really good in goal and he'll be the guy going forward after moving on from Marc-Andre Fleury. The Washington Capitals may take a step back due to some free agent departures and offseason trades. Alex Ovechkin is still around and so is Nicklas Backstrom and TJ Oshie to lead the way offensively. The defense lost some key guys, but John Carlson, Brooks Orpik, and Matt Niskanen are still around. Braden Holtby is one of the best in the game in net and he'll be a Vezina Trophy candidate yet again. The New York Rangers are a team most experts think will take a step back due to some trades and free agent losses, although it can't be ruled out but I still believe they're a good team. The offense will be very good with Chris Kreider, Mats Zuccarello, and Rick Nash leading the way. The defense will be improved with free agent signing Kevin Shattenkirk joining Ryan McDonagh. Henrik Lundqvist play has declined the last few seasons, but he's still good in goal. The Columbus Blue Jackets should be back in the postseason this season after making it a season ago. Trade acquisition Artemi Panarin will make this offense more dynamic to go along with Nick Foligno and Cam Atkinson, although they had to give up Brandon Saad in the Panarin trade. The defense is very improved with Seth Jones and David Savard leading the way. Sergei Bobrovsky was really good in goal last season as well. The Philadelphia Flyers should be an improved team this season. Calder Trophy candidate Nolan Patrick joins the likes of Claude Giroux, Wayne Simmonds, and Jakub Voracek on a already really good offense. The defense should be improved with some young guys joining Shayne Gostisbhere. It's to be determined whether Brian Elliott is an upgrade in goal or not. The Carolina Hurricanes made a ton of moves this summer to try to improve their team. Justin Williams was brought back and Marcus Kruger was brought in to join Jordan Staal to improve their offense. Trade acquisition Trevor van Riemsdyk joins Justin Faulk and Noah Hanifin on an already good defense. Scott Darling provides an upgrade in net. The New York Islanders look to make the playoffs after barely missing out a year ago. John Tavares is in a contract year and that could be a huge distraction with the team and whether he gets traded or not. The rest of the offense isn't bad with guys like Andrew Ladd and Cal Clutterbuck. The defense isn't bad either with guys like Nick Leddy and Johnny Boychuck. Thomas Greiss and Jaroslav Halak aren't bad options in net either. The New Jersey Devils look to improve on last season after finishing with the worst record in the Eastern Conference. Number one overall pick Nico Hischier and acquisition Marcus Johansson look to improve the offense joining Taylor Hall and Adam Henrique. The defense is still the teams weakness although the team still has some veterans on their in Andy Greene and Ben Lovejoy. Cory Schneider is looking to have a bounce back season in goal.

- Atlantic
1. Tampa Bay Lightning (110)
2. Toronto Maple Leafs (105)
3. Boston Bruins (100)
4. Montreal Canadiens (96)*
5. Ottawa Senators (93)
6. Buffalo Sabres (90)
7. Florida Panthers (87)
8. Detroit Red Wings (70)

Despite not making the playoffs a season ago due to a ton of injuries and underperformance of some key players, the Tampa Bay Lightning are my pick to win this division. Chris Kunitz joins an already loaded offense joining Steven Stamkos, Tyler Johnson, Alex Killorn, and Ondrej Palat. Dan Girardi joins a defense already featuring Norris Trophy candidate Victor Hedman and Anton Stralman. Andrei Vasilevskiy has had some good moments in net so he should be solid. The Toronto Maple Leafs are coming off a phenomenal season and they should be even better this season. Free agent acquisition Patrick Marleau joins a young core featuring Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and Mitch Marner. The defense should be better too featuring Jake Gardiner and Morgan Reilly. Frederik Andersen was shaky at some points last season in goal, but expect him to be better. The Boston Bruins are looking to improve on last seasons postseason appearance. The offense should still be very good with mainstays Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, and Brad Marchand. The defense will be improved thanks to a full season of Charlie McAvoy to go with the aging Zdeno Chara. Tuukka Rask is still solid in goal. The Montreal Canadiens made some changes in the offseason, but still expect them to sneak in the postseason. Trade acquisition Jonathan Drouin looks to bring a spark to an offense that still features Max Pacioretty, Alex Galchenyuk, and Tomas Plekanec. The defense should be better with acquisition Karl Alzner joining Shea Weber, Jeff Petry, and Jordie Benn. Carey Price is still among the leagues best in goal. The Ottawa Senators look to build on their Cinderella run to game seven of the Eastern Conference Final from a season ago, but I see a step back. Injuries to key offensive players in Derrick Brassard and rookie Colin White hurt, so the pressure is on guys like Kyle Turris, Bobby Ryan, and Mike Hoffman to step up. Norris Trophy candidate Erik Karlsson is also injured to start the season, so guys like Dion Phaneuf and Cody Ceci need to step up on defense. Craig Anderson is solid in goal. The Buffalo Sabres should be better than a season ago with new head coach Phil Housley. Jack Eichel, Ryan O'Reilly, and Evander Kane lead the way on what should be an improved offense with Eichel healthy. The defense should be improved with trade acquisition Marco Scandella joining Rasmus Ristolainen. Robin Lehner should be solid in net. The Florida Panthers are looking to rebound from a disappointing season from a season ago. The offense should be good with Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksnder Barkov leading the way. The defense should be decent led by Aaron Ekblad and Keith Yandle. Roberto Luongo isn't bad in net, but his play has declined in some sort. The Detroit Red Wings are in full rebuild mode now and they might be one of the worst teams in the league for the next few seasons. Dylan Larkin is a nice young player and also leading the way offensively is the aging Henrik Zetterberg. The defense has Danny DeKeyser the aging Niklas Kronwall. The goalie tandem of Petr Mrazek and Jimmy Howard isn't bad, but Howard is in decline.

- Central
1. Nashville Predators (115)
2. Dallas Stars (110)
3. Chicago Blackhawks (105)
4. St. Louis Blues (102)*
5. Minnesota Wild (100)*
6. Winnipeg Jets (90)
7. Colorado Avalanche (73)

The reigning Western Conference champion Nashville Predators should be the favorites in this division. Despite Mike Fisher retiring and Ryan Ellis being hurt, the offense will still be very good with Ryan Johansen, Filip Forsberg, and Viktor Arvidsson. The defense is among the leagues best with Roman Josi and PK Subban leading the way. Pekka Rinne is solid for the most part in goal, but if Rinne struggles, expect Juuse Saros to be heard from. The Dallas Stars look to rebound from a disappointing season from a year ago with new coach Ken Hitchkock. The offense will be loaded with Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, Jason Spezza, and free agent acquisition Martin Hanzal. The defense should be improved with trade acquisition Marc Methot joining John Klingberg. Ben Bishop is an upgrade in goal over Antti Niemi. The Chicago Blackhawks look to rebound from getting swept by the Nashville Predators in the first round from a season ago. Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane are still around to lead the way offensively and they'll be reunited with Patrick Sharp and Brandon Saad. They will certainly miss Artemi Panarin, though. Their defense won't be as good with the departure of Niklas Hjalmarsson, but mainstays Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook are still around. Corey Crawford is still solid in net, but they might miss former backup Scott Darling. The St. Louis Blues are a team people think might take a step back, which is possible, but I still view them as a playoff team. A ton of key offensive players like Alex Steen, Patrick Berglund, and Robby Fabri (who's lost for the season) are injured, but Vladimir Tarasenko is one of the leagues best players and he'll lead the way offensively with Paul Stasny and Jaden Schwartz. The defense should still be very good with Alex Pietrangelo and Jay Bouwmeester (who's also injured right now) leading the way. Jake Allen is one of the leagues underrated goalies and he was excellent in the playoffs last season. The Minnesota Wild should still be a playoff team despite some key offseason departures. The offense should still be good led by Mikko Koivu, Zach Parise, Mikael Granlund, and trade acquisition Tyler Ennis. The defense (sans the trading of Marco Scandella) should still be very good with Jared Spurgeon, Matt Dumba, and Jonas Brodin leading the way. Devan Dubnyk is usually good in net. The Winnipeg Jets should be improved this season. Patrik Laine leads the way offensively along with Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler, and the newly paid Nikolaj Ehlers. The defense isn't great but Dustin Byfuglien and Jacob Trouba are solid players. The team is hoping Steve Mason is the answer in goal although Connor Hellebuyck is probably the long term solution. The Colorado Avalanche are in rebuild mode. Matt Duschene is trade bait and Nathan McKinnon is a talent offensively as well as Gabriel Landeskog. The defense isn't good as a whole but Tyson Barrie is a solid player. Semyon Varlamov hasn't really been that good in a few seasons in net.

- Pacific
1. Anaheim Ducks (113)
2. Edmonton Oilers (112)
3. Calgary Flames (97)
4. San Jose Sharks (93)
5. Los Angeles Kings (90)
6. Arizona Coyotes (75)
7. Vancouver Canucks (71)
8. Vegas Golden Knights (71)

The top two teams in the division are perhaps two of the best three teams in this conference, but the Anaheim Ducks are my pick to win this division. The offense is still very good with Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, and Ryan Kesler (who's currently injured) leading the way (although all three guys are aging). The defense is loaded with guys like Hampus Lindholm (who's injured right now), Cam Fowler, and Jaycub Megna. John Gibson is very good in net and he's improved the last few seasons. The Edmonton Oilers are a team on the rise and they're coming off a breakthrough season in which they made the second round of the playoffs. Reigning Hart Trophy Connor McDavid leads the way offensively along with Milan Lucic, Leon Draisaitl, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. The defense should be improved Darnell Nurse, Kris Russell, and Adam Larsson leading the way. Cam Talbot has been solid in goal the last two seasons. The Calgary Flames look to build on their playoff appearance from a season ago. The offense should be very good with Johnny Gaudreau, Sam Bennett, and Mikael Backlund leading the way. The defense is solid led by Mark Giordano, Dougie Hamilton, and new acquisition Travis Hamonic. The team is hoping Mike Smith and Eddie Lack will be an upgrade in goal over Brian Elliott. The San Jose Sharks are looking to rebound after missing the playoffs a season ago. Despite losing Patrick Marleau, the offense will still be good led by Logan Couture and the aging Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski. The defense will be a strength led by Norris Trophy candidate Brent Burns and Marc-Edouard Vlasic. Martin Jones is underrated in goal and he's capable of stealing games. The Los Angeles Kings look to bounce back after missing out on the playoffs last season as well. There are still some good players on this team with Anze Kopitar, Jeff Carter, and Kyle Clifford. Drew Doughty is still around to lead the defense, but there is some trade chatter around him. Jonathan Quick is still around in goal and he's still good. The Arizona Coyotes improved their roster on paper, but it's a question whether it will come together. Trade acquisition Derek Stepan joins youngsters Max Domi, Dylan Strome, and rookie Clayton Keller on offense. Trade acquisition Niklas Hjalmarsson will improve their defense to join Oliver Ekman-Larsson. The team is hoping trade acquisition Antti Raanta will be an upgrade in goal over Mike Smith. The Vancouver Canucks are in full rebuild mode now. The Sedin twins are still around and they along with Bo Horvat will lead the way offensively. Trade acquisition Derrick Pouliot will help defensively to go with Alex Edler. The goalie tandem of Jacob Markstrom and Anders Nilsson isn't good. The Vegas Golden Knights won't be good in their inaugural season. The offense has some guys in Cody Eakin, James Neal (who's currently injured), and Reilly Smith. The defense has guys like Jason Garrison and Griffin Reinhart. Marc-Andre Fleury is proven in net and he'll keep them in games.

2018 Stanley cup playoffs

- Quarterfinal
(M1) Pittsburgh Penguins vs (WC2) Montreal Canadiens: Price may steal a game or two, but the reigning champs should move on.
Penguins in 6 games.

(A1) Tampa Bay Lightning vs (WC1) Columbus Blue Jackets: There may be a ton of goals in this one, but the Bolts have more depth and a better defense.
Lightning in 6 games.

(M2) Washington Capitals vs (M3) New York Rangers: The Capitals offseason departures may be missed here more than the Rangers, who are better on defense than the Caps.
Rangers in 6 games.

(A2) Toronto Maple Leafs vs (A3) Boston Bruins: This series screams classic. With a year of experience in their belts, the young Leafs will move on.
Maple Leafs in 7 games.

(C1) Nashville Predators vs (WC2) Minnesota Wild: This would be a fun series. The Preds are the deeper team and they'll have their guys healthy too.
Predators in 6 games.

(C2) Dallas Stars vs (C3) Chicago Blackhawks: This screams classic to me. The Stars are improved, but the Hawks will be motivated after last seasons playoff defeat.
Blackhawks in 7 games.

(P1) Anaheim Ducks vs (WC1) St. Louis Blues: This will be a fun series between two very good teams when healthy. The Ducks with home ice advantage will be the difference.
Ducks in 7 games.

(P2) Edmonton Oilers vs (P3) Calgary Flames: The Flames are a team on the rise, but the Oilers and Connor McDavid will be too much to handle.
Oilers in 5 games.

- Semifinal
(M1) Pittsburgh Penguins vs (M3) New York Rangers: The Rangers will give the Pens a more competitive series than two seasons ago, but the Pens will move on.
Penguins in 7 games.

(A1) Tampa Bay Lightning vs (A2) Toronto Maple Leafs: The Leafs can absolutely steal this series, but the Bolts are the deeper team.
Lightning in 6 games.

(C1) Nashville Predators vs (C3) Chicago Blackhawks: The Blackhawks will be more competitive with the Preds than last seasons sweep, but the Preds are the better team.
Predators in 6 games.

(P1) Anaheim Ducks vs (P2) Edmonton Oilers: The Ducks are a deep and experienced team, but McDavid will life the Oilers to the Conference Final for the first time in over a decade.
Oilers in 6 games.

- Conference Final
(M1) Pittsburgh Penguins vs (A1) Tampa Bay Lightning: A rematch of the Eastern Conference Final of two seasons ago, but the Pens are still the team to beat in the East despite some roster change.
Penguins in 7 games.

(C1) Nashville Predators vs (P2) Edmonton Oilers: McDavid is a special talent, but the Preds are the better and deeper team and they'll return to the final to set up a rematch.
Predators in 7 games.

- Stanley Cup Final
(C1) Nashville Predators vs (M1) Pittsburgh Penguins: We got a rematch here. The depth of the Preds will be the difference here as they will win their first Stanley Cup in franchise history.
Predators in 7 games.