So, now that the Stanley Cup final is over I am going to make this thread for the upcoming season. Mostly I want it here because of the upcoming expansion draft and regular draft and free agency. I imagine this year will be much more interesting than the average year because of the expansion draft with the Las Vegas Golden Knights.

So, feel free to come here with any updates related to NHL Hockey. Any news or rumors or anything like that are more than welcome.

I'll try and post regularly but I'll need others to post in here too so that I can keep posting

It could be just a rumor, but I heard Dustin Brown from the LA Kings could be in the works to join the new Golden Knights franchise. It would be a great start as far as talent and leadership goes for Vegas.

MattyIce : and a great way for LA to get out of at least 1 terrible contract. I wonder how many picks that is going to cost LA.... cause I wouldn't take Dustin Brown for nothing. He's not an effective enough player for that considering what he costs.

Trades so far:

Washington Capitals get F Tyler Graovac and Minnesota Wild get 2018 5th-Round Pick.
Montreal Canadiens get F Jonathan Drouin, 2018 6th Round Pick (Conditional) and Tampa Bay Lightning get D Mikhail Sergachev, 2018 2nd Round Pick (Conditional)
Arizona Coyotes get C Nick Cousins, G Merrick Madsen and Philadelphia Flyers get LW Brendan Warren, 2018 5th Round Pick
Buffalo Sabres get D Nathan Beaulieu and Montreal Canadiens get 2017 3rd Round Pick
Calgary Flames get G Mike Smith Arizona Coyotes get 3rd Round Pick (Conditional), D Brandon Hickey
and G Chad Johnson.
New Jersey Devils get D Mirco Mueller and 2017 5th Roundd-Pick San Jose Sharks get 2017 2nd Round-Pick and 2017 4th-Round Pick.

Interesting start so far. Drouin trade was obviously the biggest one so far. Drouin had a solid season last year so hopefully he can help Montreal with their offense. Not sure if I would have given up Sergachev for Drouin personally but Yzerman did well with Drouin getting this trade done.

I'm excited to see what happens with the upcoming expansion draft coming up. It will be especially interesting to see what teams pay in order to not lose a single player.

Forwards

Teemu Pulkkinen (selected from Arizona Coyotes)
William Carrier (Buffalo Sabres)
Cody Eakin (Dallas Stars)
Tomas Nosek (Detroit Red Wings)
Jonathan Marchessault (Florida Panthers)
Reilly Smith (via trade with Florida Panthers)
Connor Brickley (Carolina Hurricanes)
Chris Thorburn (Winnipeg Jets)
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare (Philadelphia Flyers)
Nikita Gusev (via trade with Tampa Bay Lightning)
Mikhail Grabovski (via trade with New York Islanders)
James Neal (Nashville Predators)
Brendan Leipsic (Toronto Maple Leafs)
David Perron (St. Louis Blues)
Oscar Lindberg (New York Rangers)
Erik Haula (Minnesota Wild)
Alex Tuch (via trade with Minnesota Wild)
William Karlsson (Columbus Blue Jackets)
David Clarkson (via trade with Columbus Blue Jackets)

Defensemen

Luca Sbisa (Vancouver Canucks)
Jon Merrill (New Jersey Devils)
Brayden McNabb (Los Angeles Kings)
Jason Garrison (Tampa Bay Lightning)
Jake Bischoff (via trade with New York Islanders)
Deryk Engelland (Calgary Flames)
Colin Miller (Boston Bruins)
Marc Methot (Ottawa Senators)
David Schlemko (San Jose Sharks)
Griffin Reinhart (Edmonton Oilers)
Alexei Emelin (Montreal Canadiens)
Clayton Stoner (Anaheim Ducks)
Shea Theodore (via trade with Anaheim Ducks)
Trevor van Riemsdyk (Chicago Blackhawks)
Nate Schmidt (Washington Capitals)

Goaltenders

Marc-Andre Fleury (Pittsburgh Penguins)
Calvin Pickard (Colorado Avalanche)
Jean-Francois Berube (New York Islanders)

also....

1st round (2017) from Jets
1st round (2017) from Islanders
2nd round (2017) from Lightning
2nd round (2019) from Islanders
2nd round (2019) Blue Jackets
2nd round (2020) from Penguins
3rd round (2019) from Jets
4th round (2018) from Lightning
5th round (2017) from Hurricanes
6th round (2017) from Sabres

Pretty interesting roster so far. I imagine there is a lot of opportunity to improve the forwards but I think defense and goaltending are actually solid. It is nice to see that this roster won't be a joke this year.... at least on paper. We'll see how things play out in real games but it looks good right now.

Looks like Columbus upgraded on the offensive side in picking up Panarin from Chicago. The contract is 2 years / $7 million. I remember some Blackhawks fans during Panarin's rookie-of-the-year season 2 years ago saying "He's the future of the Blackhawks." I wonder what they think of him now lol

Chicago also sent over Tyler Motte and a 6th round pick in the 2017 draft. Columbus traded forward Brandon Saad. He has 3 years left on a 6 year / $36 million contract. Anton Forsberg and a 5th round pick in next year's draft were also sent to Chicago.

Ugh, I haven't been able to post in here for a while but SO Much has happened. Lots of trades, lots of signings. McDavid's enormous contract extension.

I'd try and list even a part of what has happened but it would take way too long to compile.

I want to get into hockey this season, but I don't know what team to root for. I want to root for a team that is a contender, but they are also right there on the edge. I also would love to root for an "underdog" story. Another thing, and I hope people don't take this the wrong way, but I wouldn't mind rooting for a team that has a player who is actually decent who is black. I think it is a little funny that football and basketball are majority African Americans, but hockey, last I heard anyways, had only 3 African American professional players. 

My friend roots for the Predators, and he doesn't like the Penguins because of Crosby. He says that he's the NHL's "Golden Boy", so he gets away with a lot of stuff. However, another one of my friends is a Penguins fan. It's just weird, and I really don't know how to pick a team. 

Any suggestions before the season starts?

thing1 : first off, there are more than 3 black players. Sure they don't represent 50+% of the players like Football and Basketball but there are more than 3


As for teams to root for.... that's hard to say. I'm more in the camp of I have teams I refuse to cheer for and then everyone else is on a sliding scale of who I like more than the other team.

geeogree : Well, I am currently debating the Preds. My friend said that their black player is actually really good. They're kind of an underdog story because they are relatively new to the league ( I think? ). They got one of their first playoff runs, and then they lost in the finals, 4-2. 

thing1 : well, they won't really be the underdogs this year will they? I mean, a trip to the finals and you can't really be the underdog in the next season.

Also, what does it matter if a team has a black player or not?

Because it's not really a thing. I don't know how to explain it without sounding like a bad person. It's just like a "damn, you don't see too many black players. This dude must be really good." It makes me want to root for them. 
Kind of like Yao Ming got really popular for a few months in the NBA a couple of years ago. 

thing1 : ah, fair enough. I just was wondering what the curiosity was with it.

Preds will be a good team to cheer for this year if you want a team to cheer for. You could also look for a list of all the teams with black players and cheer for those teams

I hoping that Anaheim will do better this year. We have been so close every year, but never make it to the finals

thing1 : If you ask me, I would root for Ovi to win one. Of course I'm talking about Alex Ovechkin from the Capitals. Although I don't like any of the sports teams coming out of DC ... the Washington Redskins because I was a Cowboys fan growing up, and the Washington Nationals because of Bryce Harper mostly ... I have a different view of the Capitals. It doesn't matter what the sport is, I seem to gravitate towards the underdog and cheer for them, especially if I'm watching a game and I don't have a dog in the fight.

In my opinion, the next player that deserves to win his first one is definitely Ovi. This year, he ran into the buzzsaw that was Sidney Crosby and his Penguins. But Ovi took him to 7 games this time. I was rooting for the Capitals pretty hard in that game, but they couldn't get any offense going. Perhaps next time he will come out on top. We will have to see.

MattyIce : part of me wants Ovi to win and part of me wants to watch him never win ever. I've never been a big fan of him as a player. He seems so 1-dimensional and when he's not contributing offensively he basically disappears as a player. A lot of other stars contribute in other ways when they aren't producing well offensively but watching Ovi if he isn't scoring he isn't doing much else on the ice.

And it makes me laugh that he hasn't gotten out of the 2nd round. I do want to watch a new team win though. Crosby and the Pens have won back to back and now it is time for someone else to be in the finals from the East.

So the regular season is getting very, very close to starting and I'm really interested to see how things play out.

I feel like the top teams got worse from last year to this year which means there is a good chance of someone else winning the cup. Not that I'm mad that Pittsburgh won again because I do like their team but I would like to see new teams get there (maybe a Canadian one).

Still, I always look forward to a new season of hockey to watch. I don't know how regularly I will update this thread because I know I won't get a ton of responses from people but hopefully someone replies often enough to keep it lively

So, the regular season has started and already I can imagine fans in Toronto are losing their minds.

7-2 win over Winnipeg (big deal honestly...) and they're probably already planning the parade. No doubt they are a good team and could win but there are a lot of other good teams out there with plans to win.

One of those being Pittsburgh who lost their season opener in OT to St. Louis. Solid game from what I saw of it and hopefully a sign of things to come for St. Louis. I've liked St. Louis for a while but they don't seem to be able to quite get anything going in the playoffs.

2 more games going on right now. Calgary and Edmonton, BATTLE OF ALBERTA!, and Philly and San Jose (cause, you need to play eventually, why not right away?).

A bit of a slow opening night to the season but some good games to start with. Looking forward to the hundreds more to come!

I renamed my old thread because it is old and rather than trying to make a new one I'll just keep this one going

I'm pretty happy with the way the season has gone for Calgary. 1st in their division, 4th in the conference and 7th overall. I'd honestly rather have it this way than to be 1st overall in anything. And almost 30 games in means this isn't a fluke of the early part of the season or anything. Only real worry right now is goaltending. Does Smith still have 60 start in him or is the season going to be split more evenly? I'm hoping Rittich keeps going strong and manages to overtake Smith as the #1. Smith hasn't been great this year but Rittich has been solid. Time will tell.

I'm also loving how yet again it seems like things are up in the air. Teams that were expected to be good have been average or bad and some bad teams have been pretty good. I wasn't always a fan of the salary cap system but seeing more parity in teams as the years go by is actually enjoyable. Harder to have true dynasties anymore.

Ok, I know, I know, I did hide the first couple of weeks this season. I admit it. But now, now?

GO KNIGHTS GO.

After a HORRIBLE start, Vegas has come to life and beaten some good times (looking at you Calgary). The team has just played better over the last few weeks than they started (Thanks Nate Schmidt) and some out there names (like Reeves and Eakin). Patches has also started to play his game, getting in his goals and overall being better on the puck. Losing Haula and Statsny to month-to-month injuries has hurt, but I’m glad they aren’t 100% season ending.

Rest of the league has pretty much gone as planned, except for buffalo. They’ve been surprisingly good (even tho we all saw it coming). Leaves look amazing, lightning look amazing, as we expected. Sharks have been struggling, which I love. Wish EK had come to VGS but getting to beat him and the sharks has been great.

Also, in the one game Vegas has played SJ, I confirmed my hatred for Evander Kane. Dudes a jerk.

I also feel bad for Ilya Kovalchuk, who I love from his time in Atlanta. Wished he was doing better, got more minutes, and wasn’t hurt, but as a King hater, I guess it isn’t all bad.

I was really excited about the news this week about the Seattle team, I might even start writing about them when the time comes.


I plan on going to my second game of the season soon to see the Islanders play either Pittsburgh or Vegas

Ah, the local mod powers have allowed me to spam my thread a bit more often!

I'm excited about a Seattle team as well. Round out the league.

I think the talk about adding after that is stupid though. You can't add teams to a league forever and expect it to continue to get better. North America is fairly saturated. You could move a couple teams around possibly but I can't see adding anything else and having it be good. There is also talk of China or Europe as a possible expansion site and I think that is the most idiotic thing ever. I don't want teams having to travel to Europe to play home games over there. That's stupid. I really hope this is the last expansion the NHL has.

Tom Wilson is a scumbag. That is all I have to say.

I heard about the Seattle team right after the Press Conference. I'm really exicted, and it couldn't have come at a better time, because I had decided to start paying attention to hockey, and had decided to root for the Predators as my team because that was my friends team.
I guess I can take some time learning the game so that by the time the Seattle time comes around, I actually know what the heck I am watching.

thing1 : Hopefully Seattle actually sucks for a little while like an expansion team is supposed to instead of instantly being good like Vegas. It's kind of unfair for them to be gifted a good team right out of the gate.

On a different note, my Islanders are INCREDIBLE right now. They've now won 9 of their last 10 games. Additionally, they are 9-1-0 with Josh Ho-Sang in the lineup and 6-0-0 with Devon Toews in the lineup.

I'm still pretty happy with what the Islanders have been doing this year.

I remember writing an article for my school newspaper after only a few games on how they can do well without their star and they proved me right.

They're nowhere near the likes of the Lightning like usual, but they're right up there at the top of the division in terms of points. They're on pace for 100 points.

tgags123 : I mean, it would be nice if they were great right away. lol.
I actually looked up how the expansion draft worked, and found it very interesting. I wonder if Seattle will be willing to eat somebody's large contract, if a team decides to take a chance and make somebody with a large contract that they don't want to foot the bill for anymore available.

If they are competitive (not necessarily playoff competitive) within 3 years, I'll be happy. And playoffs within 5, then I'll be really happy.

thing1 : They shouldn't be good right off the bat. That isn't fair to the other teams. They should have to earn it, rather than being given a competitive team to start with.

dark mode : I've been so happy with the Islanders. I though they were going to suck, and they don't lol. They're actually really good.

tgags123 : Yep. Imagine if they still had Tavares though. Who knows maybe the chemistry is a bit better now or maybe they could have been 100 times better.

I really need to go to a few games during the second half of the season.

tgags123 : Why should they be forced to be bad at the beginning? If the team is good, then the team is good. If they are a bottom feeder, then so be it.

dark mode : Eff that snake. We don't need him. Barzal is better anyway.

thing1 : They shouldn't be forced to be bad at the beginning, but the expansion draft rules should be changed so that they aren't given a bunch of good players for free.

I've been watching Calgary play Colorado and Calgary is getting outplayed badly (outshot 28-12 right now) but are up 3-2. Oh, 4-2 now on shot 13? Really don't deserve to be winning this game but they are.

I'm not upset that they are likely going to win but they aren't playing well enough to win tonight.

The Islanders sent Josh Ho-Sang down to the AHL yesterday, and I am every upset about it. He was playing great, both offensively and defensively. The Islanders were 9-1-0 with him in the lineup this season. Of course the first game without him they lose. They have as many losses in 1 game since sending him down than they had in 10 games with him in the lineup. I just don't understand why management hates him so much. He's so good, yet for some reason they'd rather keep Michael Dal Colle or Tom Kuhnhackl in the NHL instead. Terrible.

tgags123 : that's one of these strange things though. The team plays well with him in the lineup but I think he had 1 goal and 1 assist (I checked last night and that might be wrong). So personally he wasn't doing all that well but the team was doing well.

And the loss right after getting sent down. If no one else noticed I am sure he did. I'm surprised he has survived in the organization as long as he has. After all the drama between him and the organization I would have assumed they would have moved him by now. Maybe what they are asking for him isn't what anyone will pay or maybe they are hoping he "grows out of it" or something. Hard to know what goes on behind the scenes. Hopefully he continues to produce in the AHL and proves them wrong.

geeogree : His point totals weren't great, but that's mostly because Filppula and Komarov weren't capitalizing on the opportunities that Ho-Sang created for them. I don't know how much you follow advanced stats, but over the span of time that he was with the team, he was one of the best players in the league at maximizing shots for and minimizing shots against. Here's a graph from @HaberMetrics, one of my favorite Islanders Twitter accounts:



And another one showing how he made pretty much everyone he played with better:

tgags123 : ah, I don't follow too much of the advanced metrics. So, on paper (regular statistics) he doesn't look great but looking at something like this he is outperforming the entire team.... and yet gets sent down.

Maybe if they put him on a line with people who could finish he would have more to show for it on statistics most people see.

I agree with you on this one. It makes no sense.

Other than the loss on my birthday, the Islanders have been super awesome over the last 2 or so weeks. Including todays sick win against the Rangers, they won 7 of their last 8 games and are creeping up the standings.

They're still near the bottom of the playoff board but their just pointd behind. Only a couple points separate them from the top.

zanderlex : Isles play the Rangers again tomorrow at 1:00 in Brooklyn! I'm actually going to the game, I'm super excited. They were terrible in the third period yesterday, they only had 1 shot the entire period and they scored on it lol. Hopefully tomorrow they dominate the whole game like I know they can.

tgags123 : I was gonna go tomorrow but the tickets are way too expensive lol.

zanderlex : Yeah, Isles / Rangers games are always really expensive to go to. That's what happens with a rivalry game. I got the tickets from my mom for Christmas. It should be a lot of fun, especially after the feisty game yesterday. I'm excited.

tgags123 : man you're so lucky. I really wish I could go to this one. Especially since I live right along the train.

I'm honestly still pinching myself at how well Calgary has been doing this year. I've watched several games where the team has gotten down 2-0 or given up a 1 or 2 goal lead only to rally in the 2nd or 3rd period and come away with the win. That hasn't always been the case but this year it feels like they are never out of the game no matter where things stand. Their compete level is nearly always there (except the most recent game in Colorado where they didn't seem motivated at all) and they manage to score almost at will. They've got the 2nd highest goal total (and are 2nd overall in the league) right now. Goals against is 15th which isn't great but could be a lot worse considering how Smith has played in some games.

I'm trying to keep my expectations tempered though. Playoffs are a totally different beast but at least this team has been in 3 playoff series in the past 3 years so it won't be as overwhelming as their return to the playoffs in 2016. And with Tampa Bay as best in the east we might be up for a rematch 15 years in the making.

Man 7 minutes into the game and the Islanders are destroying the best team in the league.

geeogree : I've been expecting Calgary to break out for a few years now. The success they're having this season doesn't surprise me that much. They have a really solid team, and Johnny Gaudreau is a beast.

zanderlex : I have no idea what's going on right now lol. Where was this team against the Rangers yesterday? 3 goals in the first 5 minutes against the Lightning, crazy.

tgags123 : Not only that, 4 minutes after the Islanders scored their 3rd goal was when Tampa Bay even gotten their first shot of the night.

2 of the Islanders goals were scored within 30 seconds.

While Vegas is up there with Calgary at the top of the west standings, it is concerning just the amount of games they’ve already played, meaning that other teams can make up points and they catch up in games. Also concerning is the workload that Flower has been on as of late, playing just about almost every game for Vegas. Subban has been playing more, and has looked sharper, but MAF is leading the league in games played, but also in wins.

Also concerning is the slump that Wild Bill and Marchy have been in lately, not scoring many goals or points. It is AMAZING to see John Merril finally start to play like a professional, which is helping the defense a ton. Also since Statsney got back from injury, he’s looked fantastic, scoring 8 goals since his return a few weeks ago.

I was sad to see Marchessault didn’t get last man in ballot, but it’s fine having just Flower as an all star. Vegas is generally looking a lot better than they did at the beginning of the season.

Man I really picked a good day to go to a game. My plan was to stay home or go see a movie and then I randomly checked to see if there were ANY sports games going on today and saw that my 2 favorite hockey teams were playing each other.

The beginning of the game was crazy man. The islanders scored 3 goals before the Lightning even had their first shot. They destroyed the best team in the league and won I think 11 of their last 14 games. They're on a role.

There are rumors floating around that the reason for Josh Ho-Sang's demotion was because he was late to a team meeting, and now they are trying to trade him. To me, that is ridiculous. Yes, being late to a team meeting is unacceptable. Do what they do in every other sport and bench him for a game or two. Don't punish yourself by making your team significantly worse, and then forcing yourself to trade a very talented player for next to no return (because his trade value isn't very high at the moment).

The way they are handling Ho-Sang is kind of crazy to me. Austin Watson was arrested for beating his girlfriend, and was welcomed right back into the Predators lineup as soon as he was finished serving his suspension. Ho-Sang (who, by the way, is also a more talented player than Watson) was late to practice once, and was now late to a meeting once, and they're burying him in the AHL and attempting to trade him for a bag of pucks for it. Makes no sense to me. I get wanting to send a message that tardiness is unprofessional and unacceptable, but sacrificing the success of the team is not the way to do it.

Now that that rants is over, apparently I'm going to the Isles game against the Blues in Brooklyn tomorrow. My mom's boyfriend randomly called me earlier today and asked if I wanted to go, and obviously I said yes. I hope they play as well against the Blues as they did against the Lightning yesterday.

I'm not sure what the rules are about double posting in this thread, but THE NEW YORK ISLANDERS ARE NOW IN FIRST PLACE IN THE METROPOLITAN DIVISION! Additionally, they have the same amount of points as the Toronto Maple Leafs (John Tavares' new team) in the same number of games played.

In their last 16 games, the Isles are 13-3-0. They just dominated the defending Stanley Cup Champion Washingon Capitals in DC, with their backup goalie playing, on the second night of back to back games.

I've never seen Isles hockey like this before. I really hope we play Toronto in the playoffs and absolutely destroy them. That would be the most satisfying feeling ever.

I'm excited. I really feel like this team is for real. Not only are they winning, they are completely outplaying their opponents. I can't wait to see how far this team can go.

tgags123 : I've thought about the Isles what you said about the Flames. I've been expecting them to be a good team for a while and it seems like for whatever reason they've got it figured out right now.

Hopefully it continues. I'd be more than happy to watch them roll through the East in the playoffs. Better them that watching Pittsburgh, Washington or Tampa Bay do it again.

geeogree : Yeah I have too, just didn't expect it the season after they lost their franchise player and one of their better defensemen to free agency.

I think this just really shows how important coaching is. Under Capuano and Weight, Isles could never really get it together, despite how much talent they had on the team. Now with Trotz, they are playing much better, despite having a less talented team on paper. I think the stat that really drives this home is their goals allowed. They were last in the NHL in goals allowed last year, and actually had the highest amount of goals allowed by any team in over a decade. They have the least amount of goals allowed in the NHL this season. Their defensemen are mostly the same, they just lost De Haan to free agency and brought Devon Toews up from the AHL. It's all about coaching.

tgags123 : I've actually noticed that when a superstar player leaves or gets hurt that the players on the team actually step up and play better rather than the team being worse. I think it is for a couple of reasons. 1) More ice-time. The position that was being filled by the superstar is now empty and their ice-time, which is generally much higher than the average player, needs filling giving players who usually didn't get 18+ minutes a game to start getting that. 2) The team stops relying on that one player to "win the game" or make a big play or whatever other cliche answer you want. The team starts relying on each other as a whole unit rather than as a single player and a supporting cast. 3) The players left over almost feel like they have something to prove. They push extra hard to win games and prove that they weren't just that single superstar player and had more to give offer than just that one player.

I find it hard to argue that losing a superstar player is good for a team in the sense that the team on paper gets worse. However, I think it can bring out better play from players that hadn't had the chance.

It's also a good reason why the "change of scenery" also works for some players. They weren't getting the time or had the trust of the coach to excel but on a new team with new teammates things can be different.

And sometimes teams finally just figure things out. They stop trying to play as individuals and start working for the benefit of the team as a whole. Sometimes it takes a few years for young teams to finally become something more.

Well the Islanders finally lost a game but they still have more points than the Maple Leafs.

I cant wait for their rematch against the Lightning. If they can beat the best team in the league again, then you know it's for real.

I might go to that game since it's only 1 quick bus ride away from my house.

having more points than a team that has lost 7 of their last 10 games isn't a big accomplishment

I'd still gloat about it though. I probably felt exactly the same way when Calgary passed them in the overall standings. It does get really old in Canada especially because the sports media practically gets off any time the Maple Leafs do ANYTHING. Nylander not signing before the season started meant constant speculation for weeks as to what he would get and how his return would affect the team and on and on.

It doesn't seem to matter what is happening either. When they are playing well it is speculation as to if they can keep it going. If they are losing then the speculation is about what is wrong with the team and who is getting traded. Sports writers in Canada can't get enough of writing about the Leafs.

geeogree : For us Isles fans it's more about Tavares than the Leafs themselves, although everything you said about media attention is 100% correct. It feels amazing that Tavares left to go to the Leafs, and now we have more points without him than the Leafs do with him.

It's official! The Columbus Blue Jackets have swept the Tampa Bay Lightning 4 games to 0 in the 1st round of the NHL Playoffs! This is the 1st playoff series win the Blue Jackets have ever had, and they did it against a Tampa Bay team that tied the all time record for most regular season wins, and led the NHL in points!

It's never been a better time to be a Columbus Blue Jackets fan! They may have been the last team in, but now they have just as good of a chance as anyone to win the Stanley Cup. CBJ! CBJ!

Woooohooooooo! My Minnesota Wild just were announced to get the Winter Classic next season! I've been waiting like 8 years for us to finally get the dang thing. We got a stadium series game like 6 years ago at the U of M's stadium but finally the big boy, "The Winter Classic"!!


I'll definitely be at this one. I'm hoping they let us wear the Minnesota North Stars jerseys of our old squad that were stolen from us and moved to Dallas where there is no snow or ice. lmao!

I'm changing this thread to make it for the 2020 Playoffs which are about to start.

I think there are a few exhibitions games coming in a week (28th, 29th and 30th) before a day off and then the playoffs start August 1st.

I'm super excited that there are going to be more sports things happening again. I've missed having them to watch even though I didn't watch them a ton.

And the format is changed because of the shortened season. Instead of a 16 team format it's a 24 team format which really changes who could win the cup.

I might do a more in depth post about who I think will win the first round after the exhibition games are done.

i think boston bruins should be in this one. they were in 1st in the division. bruins is the team to beat.

cid789 : they were the top team in the league before the break but I wonder if being one of the top 4 seeds in either conference is actually going to be a good thing this time.

Many teams will play 3-5 games before they have to take on one of the top 4 seeded teams. They will be well into game shape while the top 4 seed teams will have only played 1 exhibition game in months. I see this being a big advantage to the teams playing their way into the normal 16 team playoff rounds.

Obviously the top 4 seeds in each conference were the better teams during the year but this much time off and not playing before you come up against an opponent can make a difference. We'll have to wait and see but I am hopeful for some big shake-ups this time around. I love seeing some top seeded teams get taken out in the first or second round. Really spices things up

geeogree : yes true. i would like see a rematch against bruins vs blues.

That would definitely be interesting and possible. They are the best teams in each conference.

I personally don't like seeing teams win multiple years in a row anymore. I used to enjoy it (probably because I was cheering for the teams doing the winning) but now that I'm a lot less invested in any one team and more about enjoying the sport for what it is I prefer seeing new teams make it to the finals.

I think that's why St. Louis getting to the finals last year was so great. They hadn't been for a long time and so them getting there and the season that preceded that cup run was so up and down is what made it so enjoyable. I want to see a new team or 2 do that again this year.

This is going to be my prediction post for the best out of 5 qualifying rounds that are starting this Saturday August 1st.

Edmonton (5) vs Chicago (12)

I think this one will be closer than their ranking suggests. I believe Chicago was without Crawford for most of the season and if he is back and healthy that should help stabilize things.

However, Edmonton has 2 of the top players in the league and will be difficult to stop for Chicago.

Edmonton in 5.

Nashville (6) vs Arizona (11)

These 2 teams were a lot closer in the standings than I expected (points wise) with only 4 points separating them. I guess that is going to become a theme with the remaining teams.

I still see Nashville as the better overall team. WAY more experienced in the playoffs and with better goaltending for sure.

Nashville in 4.

Vancouver (7) vs Minnesota (10)

1 point separates these 2 teams. Markstrom being back for this series really helps Vancouver. They are a young and upcoming team that I think really needs a series win or 2 in the playoffs to solidify the team. Plus I don't see Minnesota as a real threat anymore. They seem to be trending in the wrong direction.

Vancouver in 4

Calgary (8) vs Winnipeg (9)

This is probably the biggest toss up of the Western Conference. The Jets have more points than Calgary but are listed behind which is strange. Either way this matchup is going to be good. Winnipeg has the better (or more consistent) goalie. That's not to say Rittich can't be as good but he wasn't when the season ended.

I also think Winnipeg is the deeper team.

However, I have to go with Calgary in 5 because they are my team. I honestly don't think they will win the series but I can't root against them.

Pittsburgh (5) vs Montreal (12)

Pittsburgh has Guentzel back and no other serious injury on their lineup that I'm aware of. Montreal simply isn't a strong enough team to compete. Carey Price will have to stand on his head to give Montreal a chance and I doubt he'll be able to stand up to the assault Pittsburgh can bring.

Pittsburgh in 3

Carolina (6) vs Rangers (11)

This is going to be an interesting series. The Rangers won the season 4-0 but this is a 5 game series and anything could happen.

However, based on the season series I'm going to go with the Rangers in 5.

Islanders (7) vs Panthers (10)

This is the reverse of the last series. The higher ranked team won all the games this time. I think the Islanders are overall a better team and should take the game but the Panthers do have Bobrovsky and he does have game stealing ability. He hasn't really shown it in Florida but you never know.

Still, the Islanders have been the better team in the season series and I think will win in 4.

Toronto (8) vs Columbus (9)

This one is going to be interesting. Toronto is definitely the higher powered team going in but Columbus had the same point total as Toronto and probably had the worst injury bug of the season.

The real question is can Columbus stop Toronto's firepower? I honestly don't think so but they managed to stop Tampa Bay last year and could do it again. Wouldn't be quite the same upset but it would be bad still.

I still think Toronto will win but it will be a tougher series than it should be for them. Toronto in 5.

Let's see how wrong I was:

Chicago vs Edmonton - I said Edmonton in 5 and Chicago won in 4.

0 for 1

Nashville vs Arizona - I had Nashville in 4 games and it was Arizona in 4 games. Totally missed this one.

0 for 2

Vancouver vs Minnesota - I actually got this one right on. I didn't think Minnesota was strong enough to win the series.

1 for 3

Calgary vs Winnipeg - this one I will give myself on a technicality (that Calgary won the series). It took major injuries for Winnipeg for Calgary to beat them but they still won in 4.

2 for 4

Pittsburgh vs Montreal - got this one totally wrong as well. Can't believe Montreal won in 4 games. I wonder what kind of shake-up will, or won't, happen in Pittsburgh.

2 for 5

Carolina vs Rangers - wow, another one that is totally wrong. I had Rangers in 5 and Carolina swept 3 straight. Couldn't believe it was this one-sided.

2 for 6

Islanders vs Panthers - whew, another one I got right. I think I underestimated the Panthers in this one when I looked at it but I managed to get it right in spite of that. Florida is better than I realized.

3 for 7

Toronto vs Columbus - I got the number of games right but the winner wrong. Honestly it could have ended in 4 but Toronto got lucky in game 4. I honestly don't know what Toronto is going to do this off-season. Hopefully they don't blow things up too much but something needs to change.

3 for 8

Hopefully someone replies to this thread so I can make my next round predictions without running into a max of posts in this thread (if that is still a thing). I am excited about the REAL playoffs now. I hope the qualifiers don't count towards actual playoff totals but it might.

Philadelphia (1) vs Montreal (8)

This is a strange series. I didn't think of Philly as being an overly good team but they won the round robin and were top 4 in the East. I feel similarly about Montreal as I did when they took on Pittsburgh. They don't have the firepower to compete. However, Price having a strong series and good defence supporting him will give them a chance.

Philly in 6 games.

Tampa Bay (2) vs Columbus (7)

I kind of hope this series goes like last time. However, I don't think it could be a sweep. Maybe Columbus in 6 games this time around. Honestly there is almost no chance that happens again because this team is not the same as it was last year.

Tampa Bay in 5 games.

Washington (3) vs Islanders (6)

Washington doesn't feel like the juggernaut that they have in the last 3 or 4 years. Still, there is a ton of experience on that team and I don't see the Islanders having enough skill to take them on.

Washington in 6 games.

Boston (4) vs Carolina (5)

I'm a bit surprised that Boston ended up as the 4th overall after the round robin. Boston was seeming pretty dominant this year before the shutdown. Still, Boston is a regular great team for quite a while now and will not be easy to beat. Carolina has quite a bit of talent on their team as well but haven't quite become a regular winner.

Boston in 6 games.

Vegas (1) vs Chicago (8)

I got Chicago vs Edmonton wrong but I can't imagine Chicago beating Vegas. I guess it's possible of course but I think Vegas is a much stronger team down the lineup than Edmonton was. It won't be enough to stop 2 players this time around for Chicago plus goaltending for Vegas will be MUCH better.

Vegas in 6 games.

Colorado (2) vs Arizona (7)

I think this series could be a really enjoyable one to watch. I think both teams are pretty talented and have a lot of dynamic players. However, if I have to pick a team to win I think it is obvious.

Colorado in 5 games.

Dallas (3) vs Calgary (6)

This is going to be a battle of offence from Calgary vs defense from Dallas. I think if Bishop is healthy and can play the entire series that gives Dallas a big advantage. If he isn't playing or not fully healthy that gives the edge to Calgary. I can't go against my team even if I think Dallas has a better chance of winning.

Calgary in 6.

St. Louis (4) vs Vancouver (5)

The positioning of these teams make it seem like they are evenly matched but I really don't think they will be. Defending champ St. Louis is pretty much the same team as they were when they won and Vancouver while better than last year isn't quite a Stanley cup contender.

St. Louis in 5.



I think the real wild card for all of these games will be the lack of "home ice". Every game is in the same building (and the actual home teams are both out) so the only real advantages are for changes and faceoffs I believe. Everything else will be basically the same. This takes a lot of the home ice advantage away from the 1-4 teams. Probably not enough to sway any series but it might cause some surprises. At the same time this would also reduce pressure from "home" teams having expectations from their fans during games.

Mostly I'm just excited for 8 full series of playoff hockey. I didn't really feel like we got that in the qualifying rounds. I'm definitely looking forward to a full day of hockey tomorrow.

Philadelphia (1) vs Montreal (8)

This is a strange series. I didn't think of Philly as being an overly good team but they won the round robin and were top 4 in the East. I feel similarly about Montreal as I did when they took on Pittsburgh. They don't have the firepower to compete. However, Price having a strong series and good defence supporting him will give them a chance.
i think this one will be good one to see upset flyers are 1 of few i see them being upset.
montreal in 7 games.

Tampa Bay (2) vs Columbus (7)

I kind of hope this series goes like last time. However, I don't think it could be a sweep. Maybe Columbus in 6 games this time around. Honestly there is almost no chance that happens again because this team is not the same as it was last year. this one will be tough to say

Tampa Bay in 6 games.

Washington (3) vs Islanders (6)

Washington doesn't feel like the juggernaut that they have in the last 3 or 4 years. Still, there is a ton of experience on that team and I don't see the Islanders having enough skill to take them on. 4-1 Washington knocked out ny islanders

Washington in 5 games.

Boston (4) vs Carolina (5)

I'm a bit surprised that Boston ended up as the 4th overall after the round robin. Boston was seeming pretty dominant this year before the shutdown. Still, Boston is a regular great team for quite a while now and will not be easy to beat. Carolina has quite a bit of talent on their team as well but haven't quite become a regular winner. carolina did sweep ny rangers. i will see the bruins will out this round.

carolina in 5 games. because how bad the bruins played lately.

Vegas (1) vs Chicago (8)

I got Chicago vs Edmonton wrong but I can't imagine Chicago beating Vegas. I guess it's possible of course but I think Vegas is a much stronger team down the lineup than Edmonton was. It won't be enough to stop 2 players this time around for Chicago plus goaltending for Vegas will be MUCH better.
chi might have a good chance to upset vegas plus i am not fan of vegas hockey team. either colorado or flames knocked out vegas.
chicago in 7 games.

Colorado (2) vs Arizona (7)

I think this series could be a really enjoyable one to watch. I think both teams are pretty talented and have a lot of dynamic players. However, if I have to pick a team to win I think it is obvious.

arizona in 7 games.

Dallas (3) vs Calgary (6)

This is going to be a battle of offence from Calgary vs defense from Dallas. I think if Bishop is healthy and can play the entire series that gives Dallas a big advantage. If he isn't playing or not fully healthy that gives the edge to Calgary. I can't go against my team even if I think Dallas has a better chance of winning. flames have good being shorthanded hockey with a former bruins and kings player lucic is good fighter guy i will see flames beating vegas in 7 games to make the stanley cup this year.

Calgary in 5.

St. Louis (4) vs Vancouver (5)

The positioning of these teams make it seem like they are evenly matched but I really don't think they will be. Defending champ St. Louis is pretty much the same team as they were when they won and Vancouver while better than last year isn't quite a Stanley cup contender.

St. Louis in 6.

i think maybe 2 or 3 upsets

my i guess are for next round flames in 5 or 6 games against either van in 5 or st louis in 6 games vegas winning in 7 games flames knocking out vegas in the next round. eastern conf. mon in 7 games. carolina in 6 games. carolina vs flames in the Stanley cup. flames win the cup this year.

i did watch game 1 of jets and flames. jets went 0-7 on power play.

I'm very hopeful that the Islanders pull off the sweep today.

They've also been scoring a lot, averaging nearly 5 per game this series, so it should be enough momentum to help them win the 2nd round as well.

zanderlex : I've LOVED watching the Islanders take it to the Capitals.

I was okay with Ovechkin getting his cup finally but I want to see a new team win. I'm okay with Pittsburgh being out and Washington being close to being out.

I don't expect we will get a shock win like last year felt like but it will still be nice to not be talking about the same teams 2-3 weeks from now.

Philadelphia (1) vs Montreal (8)

Philly in 6 games.

Well, I called this one exactly. Philly won game 6 today. Not surprised. It's not that Montreal couldn't have won the series but I didn't think they had the skill to win it.
1-0

Tampa Bay (2) vs Columbus (7)

Tampa Bay in 5 games.

I knew this wasn't going to go the same way it did last time they met. Columbus wasn't the same team they were when they swept Tampa Bay last time. I think it would have gone longer if they had won the 5OT game but when they lost that I didn't think they would recover.

2-0

Washington (3) vs Islanders (6)

Washington in 6 games.

This was a pleasant surprise. I'm glad the Islanders won even if it means my predictions were wrong. I honestly thought Washington would do better than they did. I'm glad to see the Islanders moving on. They've got a good young team that I hope gets to the conference finals at least.

2-1

Boston (4) vs Carolina (5)

Boston in 6 games.

Missed this one by 1 game so I'm taking the win on it . I was pretty sure that Boston hadn't put it's best effort into the round robin games but would come out and be serious about winning the real playoff games. I'm also glad that Tampa and Boston face each other so that one of the 2 don't have a shot at the finals.

3-1

Vegas (1) vs Chicago (8)

Vegas in 6 games.

Another one I missed by a game so I'm taking a win. Not a surprise here either. I think Chicago has some good up and coming pieces that make me believe they'll be better next year. Just weren't enough to take on Vegas though.

4-1

Colorado (2) vs Arizona (7)

Colorado in 5 games.

Got this one exactly. Colorado might be the scariest team in the West right now. I wouldn't want to have to take them on. Arizona didn't really stand a chance.

5-1

Dallas (3) vs Calgary (6)

Calgary in 6.

Obviously sad about this one. Losing Tkachuk really hurt Calgary this time around. I think they would have won if he had been able to stay in but you can't force someone with a concussion to play anymore. Better for the players but sucks for the team. Not sure if there will be a big shake-up or not because there are quite a few contracts ending this summer but I think something needs to change.

5-2

St. Louis (4) vs Vancouver (5)

St. Louis in 5.

I'm watching this game right now and it's 4-0 at the end of the 2nd period so unless they have a Toronto level meltdown in the 3rd period this series is going to Vancouver in 6. Totally missed this one. I didn't think Vancouver had the team to take on last years champs. I knew Vancouver was getting better but I didn't think they were this good. It'll be interesting to see how they do against Vegas in the next round.

5-3

Not too bad for the first real round. These weren't tough predictions honestly but I was happy with how I did. Once Vancouver wins and I've had some time to look at the matchups I'll do my 2nd round predictions.

Predictions for round 2 of the NHL playoffs. This will go much faster than the last prediction post.

Philadelphia Flyers (1) vs. New York Islanders (6)

This is a tough call. If the Islanders hadn't just beaten the Capitals so decisively I would say Flyers in 5 or 6 games but the Islanders played really well against the Capitals.

If I had to pick between the 2 I would probably go with Islanders. I'd rather see them win than Philly. I'm not a huge fan of Philly. I don't hate them like I used to but I'd be okay if they lost.

Islanders in 7 games.

Tampa Bay Lightning (2) vs. Boston Bruins (4)

I think this series is going to be amazing. I see these 2 teams as the real juggernauts of the East. Sure Philly played well in the round robin but in a 7 game series I don't know if they can beat either of these teams.

As for my pick, it's going to be more about the team I want to see lose than the one I want to see win.

Lightning in 6.

Vegas Golden Knights (1) vs. Vancouver Canucks (5)

While I've been impressed with the Canucks I think this is the end of their playoffs. I don't see how they can match up against Vegas. However, I felt the same way when they played St. Louis and they beat them pretty soundly.

Still, I can't go against my instinct.

Vegas in 6.

Colorado Avalanche (2) vs. Dallas Stars (3)

I think Colorado is by far the best team in the West. Dallas has been quite good this year but I don't see them winning. They will be the rougher of the two teams but I see Colorado pushing through and still winning in spite of that.

Colorado in 6.

There you go. Those are my predictions. Overall I think I'm 8 for 16 (5 of 8 right in the first round and 3 of 8 right in the prelim round). Hopefully I can keep improving my % in this round.

You know it's too bad that I was on a sabbatical from this site in the Spring of 2011 or I could have posted about the NHL's return to Winnipeg, and how for the first time ever I would be excited for the upcoming season

So much for following the playoffs and keeping up to date on that.

I edited the thread again because it's easier than getting it closed and making a new one.

At least we have the 2021 season to look forward to coming up. I think Jan 16th is when the first games happen. I am hopeful that this season will be a bit more normal even if it is shortened.

What I heard was that some teams will have attendance and then later on the hope is that there will be fans before the end of the season, which would be cool. I really want to go another Islanders game at Barclays Center before they move, since I'll never go there for Basketball.

Well I'm looking forward to this season finally starting (even though I haven't been to a game in 5 years, but that's not happening til I can lose some noticeable weight) since Canadian teams are only facing themselves this season it'll be interesting to see where things go. I'm looking forward to seeing Paul Stastny wearing the Jets logo again