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Welcome to another edition of the Hockeybuzz hotstove.
In this one the hotstove will be looking at Canadian hockey teams, and predicting how many of them will make the playoffs this season.
Last year Montreal was the only Canadian team to make the playoffs. Will there be more representatives this year? Our thoughts...
Todd Cordell: Montreal and Vancouver
Montreal Canadiens: The Canadiens have a good young nucleus that should continue to get better, and I like many of the off-season moves they made. I think the Danny Briere for PA Parenteau trade is a deal that will really help them, and the addition of Jiri Sekac for nothing but a few bucks could pay off in a big way. I also think the addition of Tom Gilbert will help stabilize the back end and should help them in the possession game.
Vancouver Canucks: Willie Desjardins seems 100% committed to a puck possession game, which bodes well for the roster they have assembled. Henrik and Daniel Sedin will be spoon fed favorable zone starts, easier minutes and won't be asked to block shots. They'll be able to focus solely on doing what they do best: creating offense. I like the defense core led by Dan Hamhuis, Alex Edler, Kevin Bieksa and the underrated Chris Tanev, and think Ryan Miller and Eddie Lack will be a formidable duo between the pipes. The addition of Radim Vrbata should help improve the offense as well.
Matt Henderson: Montreal
The Montreal Canadiens will be the only Canadian team making the playoffs. Let’s start in the East. Toronto still employs Carlyle so there’s roughly a 0% chance they figure out how to allocate ice time properly and I fully expect this to be the year he and Nonis are flushed so they can start getting progressive thinkers into key roles. Ottawa is a tire fire caused by the cost per point rebuild that the club has decided to undertake. They lost a lot of key players and it’s only a matter of time before the guys who are still there demand out. The Jets are lost in the woods without a Goaltender even if they finally figured out that running Kane out of town might be a bad call. The Flames are knee deep in rebuild central and their biggest offseason signing was Deryk Engelland. The Oilers have 2 established NHL Centermen in a Division of massive veteran centermen and still lack a true 1D. And, the Canucks downgraded in skill after a season where they already weren’t good enough. They are banking on Ryan Miller, who was spectacularly average once he got to the West, to keep the dream alive. That only leaves the Habs. That’s it. I have little hope for the rest of the teams who need EVERYTHING to go right in order to make the post-season.
Tim Chiasson: Toronto and Montreal
The Canadian representation for the playoffs doubles from last year, Montreal and Toronto get in.
Montreal Canadiens: The Habs are a playoff team as long as Carey Price is playing up to his own standard of cage guardian. I don’t think they’re the 100 point team they were last year but the East is a weak conference and making the playoffs with a world class goaltender shouldn’t be too difficult. Having PK Subban quarterbacking your powerplay isn’t such a bad thing either. Goaltending and special teams get the Habs to the post-season again.
Toronto Maple Leafs: Go ahead, call me insane. Playoffs in the Eastern Conference are up for grabs and with consistency the Maple Leafs can get back in there for the second time in four billion years. As much as people want to hate Phil Kessel if you look at the top ten in scoring for the last three seasons there’s only one common name. They have talent up front and if their defense can solidify their work in their own end then Jonathan Bernier might not have to carry this team as much. Consistency gets the Leafs back in the dance.
Ryan Wilson: Montreal
Calgary: No
Calgary has some promising young players in Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan, a solid goaltender in Jonas Hiller, and the underappreciated Mark Giordano on defense. These are all positive things, but given the division they play in it won’t be enough to make the playoffs. Won’t be long until they start to make a push for the playoffs, it just won’t be in 2014-15.
Edmonton: No
Much like Calgary they have some really nice parts but not a whole product just yet. A lot of this season will depend on if Leon Draisatl can step up and give the Oilers solid #2 center minutes behind Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Taylor Hall will be great again. Concerns about the blue line have me thinking they will finish last in the division.
Montreal: Yes
Montreal improved their club from last year and I see no reason they won’t return to the playoffs. PK Subban is locked and loaded for the long term which will be one less distraction for him to worry about. Getting PA Paranteau for Danny Briere was a great move. Also adding Tom Gilbert to the mix and losing Doug Murray will help a ton on the possession front. Max Pacioretty is a Grade A sniper and Alex Galchenyuk should improve his offensive totals. Carey Price is solid.
Ottawa: No
Ottawa has to have a lot of things go right this year in order to contend for a playoff spot. They need better goaltender from Craig Anderson and Robin Lehner this year (both have shown they can play better in the past). Can Mika Zibanajead take the next step in his development? Will Bobby Ryan be playing on this team past the trade deadline? Past Karlsson the defense corp. leave a lot to be desired. Too many questions, not enough answers. I don’t have Ottawa in the playoffs.
Toronto: No
Toronto will get solid goaltending out of either guy in net. They have one of the best snipers in hockey with Phil Kessel. They have a young center who is primed for a breakout season in Nazem Kadri. That said Toronto is one of the tougher teams to gauge. I think they are a bubble team for the playoffs. I am going to say they miss out on the playoffs with either Detroit taking the fourth spot in the Atlantic Division or a Metropolitan team taking 5 playoff spots. There is a light at the end of the tunnel though, with all the analytical hires the Leafs should be immune from awful decisions moving forward.
Vancouver: No
This is a team that is stuck between rebuilding and going for it. Ryan Miller will give them solid goaltending and the Sedin brothers should form a formidable first line with Radim Vrbata. I do have concerns about secondary scoring. Given my assumption that the Kings, Sharks, and Ducks will be taking up the top 3 spots in this division I believe the fourth spot comes down to Vancouver or Arizona. Will it be enough to make the playoffs? Will the Central Division be sending five teams? I have Vancouver just on the outside looking in for 2014-15.
Winnipeg: No
This is a team that has some solid parts. Evander Kane, Blake Wheeler, Andrew Ladd, Dustin Byfuglien are all solid players. The Jets have a decent top six forward group and some good D men. They have an awful bottom six forward group and atrocious goaltending. Their GM seems hellbent on making the least amount of roster moves in the NHL. The Jets play in what could be considered the strongest division in hockey and they just aren’t on the same playing field as some of the other teams in that division. I have them pegged for last place in the division. Ownership should probably be looking for a new management group.
Michael Stuart: Montreal and Vancouver
I wouldn’t take this prediction to the bank, but I’ll say that two Canadian teams will make the playoffs this year. The Montreal Canadiens, fresh of a long and inspiring playoff run, should be a lock in the Atlantic. I also think the Vancouver Canucks will sneak into the Western Conference playoff picture.
Vancouver Canucks – The team isn’t as good as it was in 2011, but it’s nowhere near as bad as it was last season. Assuming some of the percentages work their way back to the mean, I like Vancouver’s chances to sneak into the final wildcard spot in the West. Simply put, the Sedin twins can't be as ineffective under Willie Desjardins as they were under John Tortorella. Alex Burrows can't impersonate 'The Invisible Man' for a second straight season. Alex Edler can't be... whatever he was last year. A lot went wrong for the Canucks in 13-14. If even some of those things go right this season, I like their chances to make the postseason.
Montreal Canadiens – This one is a no-brainer. Few teams have a goaltender as good as Carey Price. Few teams have a defenseman as good as P.K. Subban. The Canadiens are lucky enough to have both. Combine those two studs with a great supporting cast that includes the likes of Alex Galchenyuk and Max Pacioretty, among others, and it’s not hard to picture Montreal in the postseason in 2015.
What say you? How many Canadian teams will make the playoffs, and which ones?
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Metro Division Predictions
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Central Division Predictions
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