Funny thing is this is generally a blog I post in late July. This year however, the whole formula was turned on its end by the great "RFA holdout of 2019...."
I am very curious where you see your team currently, so I would love to hear any opinions you have out there about what missing parts and changes need to be made early this season...It is safe to say that we entering one of the most evenly matched seasons ever with well over half the NHL capable of following in the Blues footsteps from a year ago....and a few key moves now can greatly affect the balance of power...To remarkable extent...
Here are a few things I am hearing...
*The Jets and defense...I wrote about this yesterday.
*The Penguins and Rutherford are always out there looking to not get caught up to by standing still.
*The Jackets have money to spend and some of the most creative minds in hockey looking for ways to make up for their losses.
*The Coyotes see an opening and are absolutely ready to make a big run.
*The Canadiens feel they need a sniper and are offering up some MAJOR parts.
*The Wild and new GM Bill Guerin got a late start but they are highly motivated to prove they are a playoff team in the hardest division in which to be a playoff team.
* The Hurricanes are in danger of slipping and if they do you can be sure they will address it quickly.
* The Sharks are staring at a strong team but with a rapidly closing window...They aren't going to be passive.
* Ken Holland is caught between not rushing the build and not wasting another year of McDavid....in general McDavid will likely win out.
* The Sabres have some unhappy players and many around the organization are thinking they should move out Ristolainen and add help elsewhere to start the season off right.
Tell me what you think! The season is just a few days away...
Coming up...Previews, Predictions, and Whacky Picks that will absolutely happen.