I think coaching is the real question mark for you guys. You did SLIGHTLY upgrade your depth, but it comes down whether your team comes together.

There's no good reason why you aren't a playoff team every year and I don't think it comes down to any more significant roster changes.
- Rinosaur

I feel better with a dcore having a rotating third pair of Weircoich, Gelinas, Tuytin, Siemens than Holden, Guenin, Gormley, Redmond compared to last year.

Plus getting Rantanen and perhaps Comphers into the fwd ranks this year, vs Tanguay and Skille will be a boost too. They aren't sexy upgrades but it is better overall depth. Plus with Bednar coaching, harping on structure structure structure. This team should be a playoff bubble team.

To Coga

How do I get the quoting to actually work? It's annoying to have to call people out instead of replying directly. Feel like it makes me look confrontational.
Anyway, the Avs made some marginal improvements player wise, but losing Roy should be a huge bonus. I did say they improved in my original comment. They still need a pair of top 4 Dmen, consistency out of Varly, and for their young forwards (Duchene, Mac, Landeskog, and even Grigorenko) to live up to expectations. They're in the same boat as my Jets, being full of question marks past their top guys.
- Rexypoo

EJ, barrie are solid in the Top 4, Zadorov and Bigras will be in that mix as well now. They are the prized future D for the team, with Zads going to be a fixture in that Top 4. He will shock a few people with how good he is for a big man

EJ, barrie are solid in the Top 4, Zadorov and Bigras will be in that mix as well now. They are the prized future D for the team, with Zads going to be a fixture in that Top 4. He will shock a few people with how good he is for a big man
- DDM-Coga

It'll be interesting to see how the division shakes out. Chicago and St.Louis are always gonna be hanging around the top of the division, but Dallas has no defence past Klingberg and Minnesota is about to be stuck in cap hell with declining players. It's going to be an absolute bloodbath for all 7 teams if everyone is playing at their best.

It'll be interesting to see how the division shakes out. Chicago and St.Louis are always gonna be hanging around the top of the division, but Dallas has no defence past Klingberg and Minnesota is about to be stuck in cap hell with declining players. It's going to be an absolute bloodbath for all 7 teams if everyone is playing at their best.
- Rexypoo

I just don't think the Avs are such a write off as most people have them, they will a team that will be hanging around that playoff spot. I woulnt be shocked to see them miss the playoffs and have the 10th overall pick again, but they will be a better team this year. They won't be a poor team like they were under Roy

I just don't think the Avs are such a write off as most people have them, they will a team that will be hanging around that playoff spot. I woulnt be shocked to see them miss the playoffs and have the 10th overall pick again, but they will be a better team this year. They won't be a poor team like they were under Roy
- DDM-Coga

One of their biggest roadblocks was having playoff locks like NSH, CHI and STL in their division and now the current rise of DAL.

The fact your division has thinned out gives you room to sneak in and be as you said, a bubble team.

Again, I think you guys and WPG will be in a battle for 4th place with STL.

I just don't think the Avs are such a write off as most people have them, they will a team that will be hanging around that playoff spot. I woulnt be shocked to see them miss the playoffs and have the 10th overall pick again, but they will be a better team this year. They won't be a poor team like they were under Roy
- DDM-Coga

Nobody is a write off in the central, unfortunately.

Nobody is a write off in the central, unfortunately.
- Rexypoo

Personally, I think MIN is an absolute write-off.

Deepest group of forwards? Please to explain. The team that was 15th in scoring? I'm curious to hear this analytics answer.

They lost Brouwer and Backes: appx. 40 goals
Who did they replace him with? David Perron

Goals are not all they lost in Brouwer and Backes, they lost two players who make it very hard to play against. Perron is below average in most everything and not a suitable replacement for either.

Steen is now on his decline and you can probably expect a few more goals than last year given he plays 70+ games.

Yes, Fabbri could make up for some and MAYBE Stastny could stop being average, but you're looking at a team that lost more than they replaced. Also, neither Brodziak nor Bergulnd are adequate 3rd line centers.

This is also a team that was average in scoring to begin with and you lost players who made it harder for teams to play against.

Congrats on the defense, but if you can't score you can't win.
- Rinosaur

Tarasenko, Steen, Fabbri, Statsny, Schwartz, Lehtera, Sobotka, Berglund.

That's a really solid team with a ton of talent. And I think Broewer and Backes would both be the worst player on that list, so I don't see their losses as all that significant.

The Blues are a solid team.

Tarasenko, Steen, Fabbri, Statsny, Schwartz, Lehtera, Sobotka, Berglund.

That's a really solid team with a ton of talent. And I think Broewer and Backes would both be the worst player on that list, so I don't see their losses as all that significant.

The Blues are a solid team.
- JTanner

If you think Backes and Brouwer would be the worst payers on a list that has Sobotka and Berglund, it's hard to take your argument seriously. Putting Sobotka and Berglund on your list to show how deep the Blues are is not only a stretch, it makes that list look not-so-good.

The Blues were average offensively to begin with, lost scoring and replaced it in David "the ghost" Perron. This team will have good defense, decent goaltending, but will struggle to score.

I'll repeat, because this seems to allude you: The Blues were so-so in scoring to begin with, and now you lost guys who scored without replacing them. This is simple logic.

I'll put it another way if the simplicity makes no sense...

Last season the Blues scored 224 Goals and allowed 201 Goals. So, they score 23 more goals than they allowed.

Now, they lost Backes' 21 Goals as well as Brouwer's 18 Goals: 39 Goals. That 39 goals puts you under the amount of goals they allowed.

At what point do we all realize that Perron is what he is and will probably score 12 goals this year? So you replaced 39 goals with 12. Maybe you get five or six more from Fabbri this year?

Their other forwards should likely be par for the course from last season.

So again, the Blues barely score more than they allowed and now lost significant goals.

At the end of the day it's math. If you can't score more than you allow, you can't win, and if you can barely score more than than you allow your chances are there, but slim.

Bold predictions;

The Peg to win the division on the back of an injury free season & Laine becoming a force.

The first 'blockbuster' trade involving established 'franchise' player(s) will be made by the Hawks.

Tarasenko, Steen, Fabbri, Statsny, Schwartz, Lehtera, Sobotka, Berglund.

That's a really solid team with a ton of talent. And I think Broewer and Backes would both be the worst player on that list, so I don't see their losses as all that significant.

The Blues are a solid team.
- JTanner

Sorry dude, at this point stastny and lehtera are average players. Lehtera has shown skill but is also prone to disappearing for stretches at a time. Berglund is not worth mentioning and sobotka isn't even on the team right now nor is he amazing by any means. Fabbri could be good but that remains to be seen. The only quality players that are locks to consistently produce are steen, tank and schwartz. As a forward group they aren't very impressive. They had all these players last year along with backes and brouwer but were absolutely atrocious when it came to scoring in 5v5 situations. Thatt is a quantifiable fact. This group is worse than last year by virtue of the fact that they lost two forwards and only replaced them with perron so I'm not so sure they're actually better.

Their defense is solid tho and Jake Allen is good but he's also prone to inconsistency as well which is why Elliot kept taking starts from him the last two seasons when the blues were clearly trying to establish Allen as the starter.

I'll put it another way if the simplicity makes no sense...

Last season the Blues scored 224 Goals and allowed 201 Goals. So, they score 23 more goals than they allowed.

Now, they lost Backes' 21 Goals as well as Brouwer's 18 Goals: 39 Goals. That 39 goals puts you under the amount of goals they allowed.

At what point do we all realize that Perron is what he is and will probably score 12 goals this year? So you replaced 39 goals with 12. Maybe you get five or six more from Fabbri this year?

Their other forwards should likely be par for the course from last season.

So again, the Blues barely score more than they allowed and now lost significant goals.

At the end of the day it's math. If you can't score more than you allow, you can't win, and if you can barely score more than than you allow your chances are there, but slim.
- Rinosaur

They could easily get those goals back from healhy steen stastny and schwartz who all missed significant time last year, not to mention below standard point total from Pietrangelo and Parayko being that much better in his second year.

Did you even see what Fabbri was able to do in the playoffs? I expect big things from him.

Personally, I think MIN is an absolute write-off.
- Rinosaur

Stick to the east where the hockey is easy and pretty much every teams place is set in stone...

They could easily get those goals back from healhy steen stastny and schwartz who all missed significant time last year, not to mention below standard point total from Pietrangelo and Parayko being that much better in his second year.

Did you even see what Fabbri was able to do in the playoffs? I expect big things from him.
- peter2679

I did see what Fabbri did in the playoffs. Four goals in 20 games which put him on pace for about the same as he scored in the regular season. Don't get me wrong, I do expect more from him as he develops, but how much more? Will he be a 30 goal-scorer? Not out of the realm of possibility, but realistically he's a 20 to 25 goal guy which is nothing to scoff at, but that's just a little more than he put up this year.

Healthy Steen? He's play 70+ games twice in the last eight years and he's clearly on a decline. Still a good player, but he won't be as effective.

Pietrangelo is going to score what he's been scoring, around 7 or 8 goals.

Parayko? I know he's a young bourgeoning dman, but he put up 9 goals! That's a lot for a dman like him. How much more do you think he's going to score?

What I'm saying is that outside of Backes and Brouwer, you can't really expect that much of a difference in output from the rest of the lineup.

Losing 39ish goals is A LOT! If you're lucky, the rest of your team somehow makes up that difference and still keeps you having an average offense. The likelihood of making up that difference without replacing it with capable players is very low.

Again, this is simple math. You can use the analytics all you want, but goals are goals and if you're not scoring enough of them you're just not going to win. STL was an average offensive team that lost a significant amount of goals. Their only replacement was as inconsistent a forward as you can get in Perron.

Stick to the east where the hockey is easy and pretty much every teams place is set in stone...
- mnhockeyguy

I honestly didn't mean that with any disdain. I actually like watching the Wild play, but removing yourself as a fan for a moment you have to see your team has a MASSIVE weakness down the middle that you didn't improve.

You have some really exciting wingers, some solid bottom-six players and TERRIFIC dmen, but your center situation is downright atrocious. I feel for you guys because your GM did nothing to fix the situation. He only made it worse by signing Staal to that terrible contract.

Koivu has basically been a solid 2nd line center for the past five or six years, but playing 1st line center for you. Not to mention Parise probably only has two, maybe three more good years. It's a shame you guys never brought in a top-flight center for that guy.

Again, I don't mean any of this with venom. I'm just being impartial.

Bold predictions;

The Peg to win the division on the back of an injury free season & Laine becoming a force.

The first 'blockbuster' trade involving established 'franchise' player(s) will be made by the Hawks.
- Aussiepenguin

You... I like you, let's be friends.
In all seriousness, I don't expect Laine to be a force this year. 25-25-50 would be awesome. If the Jets magically win the Central, itll be on the back of the Ehlers-Schiefele-Wheeler line and Connor Hellebuyck. Well, and that whole stay healthy bit.

The Blues may not have been the offensive juggernaut that Pittsburgh - who scored a whopping 17 more goals than the blues last year - but they were without their second best forward for most of the year. Schwarz should easily exceed 20 goals and with the other players getting the pp time Backes and Brouwer had, there will be no fall off in scoring. Their defense as always will be excellent and thus the rumor of the Blues demise will just leave its followers just looking silly. Check back with me in mid December when the Blues again have one of the best records in the NHL

Adam, Duncan Keith might win another Norris, but if he ever deserves another one, I'll get a full body Jeff O'Neil tattoo.
- JTanner

Yeah, we get it.

It'll be interesting to see how the division shakes out. Chicago and St.Louis are always gonna be hanging around the top of the division, but Dallas has no defence past Klingberg and Minnesota is about to be stuck in cap hell with declining players. It's going to be an absolute bloodbath for all 7 teams if everyone is playing at their best.
- Rexypoo

Dallas is far from the pride of the league/division but Klingberg, Oduya, Humhuis are all respectable and Johns played pretty well last year. Jordie Benn is fine for a #7. They are counting on one or two of Oleksiak, Lindell, or Nemeth to step up this year. The organization is just as high on Lindell as they were on Klingberg. Honka is probably still a year or more away.

Dallas D isn't as bad as most make them out to be, Star will finish top 3 in the division, and when they trade for a goalie watch out.

If you think Backes and Brouwer would be the worst payers on a list that has Sobotka and Berglund, it's hard to take your argument seriously. Putting Sobotka and Berglund on your list to show how deep the Blues are is not only a stretch, it makes that list look not-so-good.

The Blues were average offensively to begin with, lost scoring and replaced it in David "the ghost" Perron. This team will have good defense, decent goaltending, but will struggle to score.

I'll repeat, because this seems to allude you: The Blues were so-so in scoring to begin with, and now you lost guys who scored without replacing them. This is simple logic.
- Rinosaur

We simply have to wait and see how good STL is offensively. They could be really good or really average. Its not unrealistic to think that Tarasenko can score 45-50 goals, while a healthy Schwartz should be good for about 30 goals and 65 points. Fabbri should also be a lock (if healthy) for 50 points. You likely know what you're getting from Steen, Berglund, Perron, Stastny, but for me there are two wildcards, those being Jaskin and Lehtera. They both have good talent but have been slowed by inconsistencies. They both are still relatively inexperienced in the NHL, but have each shown flashes of their talent that makes you think they could be good players one day. They both skate well and have good size, so you never know.

I honestly didn't mean that with any disdain. I actually like watching the Wild play, but removing yourself as a fan for a moment you have to see your team has a MASSIVE weakness down the middle that you didn't improve.

You have some really exciting wingers, some solid bottom-six players and TERRIFIC dmen, but your center situation is downright atrocious. I feel for you guys because your GM did nothing to fix the situation. He only made it worse by signing Staal to that terrible contract.

Koivu has basically been a solid 2nd line center for the past five or six years, but playing 1st line center for you. Not to mention Parise probably only has two, maybe three more good years. It's a shame you guys never brought in a top-flight center for that guy.

Again, I don't mean any of this with venom. I'm just being impartial.
- Rinosaur[/quote


Minnesota probably won't go anywhere unless Koivu, Parise, Staal, and Pominville all play like they did when their respective games were at their peaks. They can still contribute, but not enough to push this team to the top of the division. That, and Dubnyk has to be a top goalie which doesn't seem as likely as it once did. There is definitely talent on that team, but too many of their players are inconsistent from game to game.

These are supposed to be bold predictions, not predictions that are pretty reasonable. How about something like, the Blackhawks miss the playoffs. It's a long shot, but if it happens, I'm gonna look like a genius.