Todd Cordell
1. Edmonton - They have arguably the league's best player and a star goaltender, so they're going to win a lot of games. That said, I do worry about their depth, or lack thereof, on defense.
2. Calgary - Their top-9 forwards are excellent and their top-4 on defense is among the best in the league. The Mike Smith-Eddie Lack tandem scares me enough to keep Calgary out of top spot, though.
3. Anaheim - If healthy, they'd be my pick to win the division. I think playing without Hampus Lindholm, Sami Vatanen, and Ryan Kesler to start the season will cost them some points they won't be able to make up.
4. Los Angeles - They have some holes on their roster, but I think they're being underrated by many this season. They almost always control play, they have two star centers in Anze Kopitar and Jeff Carter, some quality goal-scoring wingers in Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson, a rock solid top-4, and Jonathan Quick (while overrated, he's still pretty good). I think they'll have a bounce-back season.
5. San Jose - I'm a little down on this Sharks team. Only one winger on their current roster had more than 35 points last season (Joe Pavelski) and it's concerning how much they rely on their older players. Joe Thornton is 38, Brent Burns is 32 and Pavelski is 33. It's only a matter of time before age starts to catch up with them.
6. Arizona - I love what they did during the off-season adding the likes of Derek Stepan, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Jason Demers, and Antti Raanta to compliment a promising, young core. They should take a step forward this season, and seriously contend for a playoff spot within a year or two.
7. Vegas - I really like Vadim Shipachev but I think Vegas is lacking quality at center, and in the top-4, which is going to make it pretty difficult for them to win games with any regularity.
8. Vancouver - They're lacking in high-end talent, and *most* of their name-brand players are well past their prime. Bo Horvat is solid, and Brock Boeser will be a ton of fun to watch, but there isn't much to be excited about on this team.
Jared Crozier 1. Edmonton - Better and better each year. Got a taste of success last season, McDavid will live up to top billing and with Eberle gone it is officially his team with the lone holdover from previous core being Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.
2. Anaheim - Kesler's injury leaves a big hole for a while and they need Perry to return to 30 goal form. That defense though.
3. Calgary - Also a top 3 NHL defense corps, top end skill and Jagr helps the PP...BUT does Mike Smith address the elephant in the room?
4. San Jose - Just a step below the big 3...should be a wild card team.
5. Los Angeles - Like the Hawks, salary cap crunch caught up with them. Couldn't move Brown's contract and Kopitar needs to have a bounceback season and play like a $10M player if they are going to return to the playoffs.
6. Arizona - The post-Doan era begins, will be better with an emerging youthful core, but hey, they are still the Coyotes.
7. Vancouver - Sinking towards rock-bottom. Brock Boeser might be the lone bright spot on a team that took flyers on Gagner and Vanek to fill huge holes.
8. Vegas - Valiant effort from a first year franchise, but the talent isn't there and they left a lot on the table in the expansion draft that could have made them better now and long term, and their goal of moving pieces for draft picks hasn't really panned out (yet).
James Tanner 1: Calgary Flames. Adding Jagr to a team that is already deep and has arguably the best defense in the NHL is amazing. I already thought the Flames were going to be one of the best teams in hockey, but that just cements it.
2. The Oilers: They are a pretty sweet team, but I think their defense, especially with Sekera out, is a weak spot. If they make Draisaitl a centre, then I like the depth of their lineup a lot more, but Eberle for Strome is a brutal trade and they are going to dress Nurse and Russel every night, which is not good.
For them to come in second, McDavid has to have another Hart Worthy season, otherwise they're screwed.
3. Arizona: This team will having everyone saying "no one saw this coming" by Christmas. Fools. I saw it coming. This is a floor level prediction too. With their defense, if Raanta is the real deal and Keller and Strome adapt to the NHL then they are going to challenge for the division title. Just because they sucked for so long, people will doubt their depth, but they have good players on every line and a top five defense once Chychrun comes back.
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