NHL 2019-2020

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Atlantic Division

Boston Bruins
Last season: 49-24-9, 107 points, 2nd place, lost in Stanley Cup Final
Key losses: C Noel Acciari, F Marcus Johansson
Key additions: C Par Lindholm, F Brett Ritchie

Much of the Bruins original core remains intact, with Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, Zdeno Chara, Tuukka Rask and David Krejci all still here. The next wave of talented Boston players is also still around, including David Pastrnak, Jake DeBrusk, Torey Krug, Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo. But that initial group is all on the wrong side of 30 now, meaning the clock is ticking if they want to squeeze another Cup run out of this group. If the veterans can recover despite a short offseason, the youngsters can continue improving and some prospects seize NHL roles, the Bruins should be in contention once again.

Buffalo Sabres
Last season: 33-39-10, 76 points, 6th place
Key losses: F Alex Nylander, F Jason Pominville
Key additions: Coach Ralph Krueger, F Dylan Cozens, F Jimmy Vesey, F Marcus Johansson, D Henri Jokiharju, D Colin Miller

A red-hot month of November pushed Buffalo into playoff contention last season, but a dreadful finish during the final five months had the Sabres on the outside of the playoff picture yet again. In the offseason, though, Buffalo added a slew of players, including trades to add Miller and Jokiharju in hopes of bolstering the blue line. With a new coach and a bunch of new players, there’s reason to believe Buffalo can make its first playoff appearance since 2011. But question marks will remain until they prove it on the ice.

Detroit Red Wings
Last season: 32-40-10, 74 points, 7th place
Key losses: D Niklas Kronwall, F Martin Frk, F Thomas Vanek
Key additions: GM Steve Yzerman, F Valtteri Filppula, F Adam Erne, D Patrik Nemeth

The rebuild continues in the Motor City, with team legend Yzerman returning to take the reins in the front office. The Red Wings were hampered by injuries to their veterans last season, but if the franchise is going to turn things around, that burden falls on the young prospects Detroit has assembled during the last 3-4 seasons. Players who need to start looking like NHL-caliber talent include center Michael Rasmussen, forwards Taro Hirose and Filip Zadina and defensemen Dennis Cholowski, Filip Hronek and Oliwer Kaski.

Florida Panthers
Last season: 36-32-14, 86 points, 5th place
Key losses: G James Reimer, G Roberto Luongo
Key additions: Coach Joel Quenneville, G Sergei Bobrovsky, F Brett Connolly, F Noel Acciari, D Anton Stralman

Florida was one of the busiest teams this summer, adding Joel Quenneville behind the bench and giving him the prize of the free agent class in Bobrovsky. Adding those veterans along with its crop of talented young forwards that includes Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau, Mike Hoffman, Evegnii Dadonov and Vincent Trocheck has generated some buzz around the Panthers for the first time in years. Aaron Ekblad remains a top young defenseman, but questions remain about the players behind him on the depth chart. Still, it seems like this is the right time for Florida to finally get over the hump and become a factor in the division and the playoffs — at least, it better be.

Montreal Canadiens
Last season: 44-30-8, 96 points, 4th place
Key losses: F Andrew Shaw, D Jordie Benn
Key additions: F Nick Cousins, G Keith Kinkaid, G Antti Niemi, F Ryan Barber

The health of Shea Weber remains the No. 1 focus for this team, and he has a clean bill of health after playing in just 84 total games over the last two seasons. Carey Price was back to his usual self in net last season and has a quality backup now in Kinkaid. A player to watch will be 2018 No. 3 overall pick Jesperi Kotkaniemi, whose continued emergence into a top-six player for Montreal could go a long way toward helping the Canadiens return to the postseason.

Ottawa Senators
Last season: 29-47-6, 64 points, 8th place
Key losses: F Zack Smith, D Cody Ceci, D Ben Harpur
Key additions: Coach D.J. Smith, D Nikita Zaitsev, F Connor Brown, D Ron Hainsey, F Tyler Ennis, F Artem Anisimov

Defenseman Thomas Chabot was just locked up for the foreseeable future and 19-year-old forward Brady Tkachuk is the other piece leading the youth movement in Ottawa. New coach D.J. Smith reportedly has a specialty of developing young talent, which is about all the Senators have these days. Some veteran presence exists with the offseason acquisitions of Hainsey, Ennis, Anisimov and others, but the young players will be the primary focus here, as Ottawa attempts to rebuild itself from the ground up.

Tampa Bay Lightning
Last season: 62-16-4, 128 points, 1st place, lost in Atlantic Division semifinals
Key losses: F J.T. Miller, F Ryan Callahan, F Adam Erne
Key additions: D Kevin Shattenkirk, F Pat Maroon, D Luke Schenn, D Luke Witkowski, G Curtis McElhinney

Perhaps the most dominant season in NHL history ended with a resounding thud when the Lightning were swept out of the playoffs by the Columbus Blue Jackets in April. Most of the core remains in Tampa, including Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman, Mikhail Sergachev and more. The Brayden Point contract saga is also over, giving the Lightning another plethora of talent among its forward group. With so much talent on the roster again, it’s another Stanley-Cup-or-bust season.

Toronto Maple Leafs
Last season: 46-28-8, 100 points, 3rd place, lost in Atlantic Division semifinals
Key losses: D Nikita Zaitsev, F Connor Brown, F Nazem Kadri, D Ron Hainsey, D Jake Gardiner
Key additions: D Tyson Barrie, F Alexander Kerfoot, D Cody Ceci, F Jason Spezza, F Patrick Marleau

Now that Mitchell Marner’s contract dispute is over, Toronto can finally get back to focusing on its hopes of ending the league’s longest current Stanley Cup drought. A combination of young and old talent — including free agent signing Jason Spezza — puts Toronto in the conversation for best forward talent in the league. Questions remain on defense, and it’s not certain yet whether Barrie and Ceci can provide the answer. The Maple Leafs roster looks significantly different than the team that lost in Game 7 to Boston last season, but will that change the outcome for Toronto every other time it’s faced Boston in the playoffs this decade?

 

Metropolitan Division

Carolina Hurricanes
Last season: 46-29-7, 99 points, 4th place, lost in Eastern Conference Final
Key losses: F Justin Williams, D Calvin de Haan, G Scott Darling, G Curtis McElhinney, F Michael Ferland, D Justin Faulk
Key additions: D Joel Edmundson, F Ryan Dzingel, F Erik Haula, G James Reimer, G Anton Forsberg, D Gustav Forsling

After a surprising run to the conference final last season, Carolina has its sights set on even more this season. The Canes matched Montreal’s offer sheet for Sebastian Aho, keeping the talented Finnish center in town. Losing veteran Justin Williams to a pseudo-retirement will hurt, but the additions of Ryan Dzingel and Erik Haula could help offset that loss. Despite trading Faulk, Carolina still boasts a deep blue line with enough forward talent to make this team capable of another season that’ll last into the summer.

New Jersey Devils
Last season: 31-41-10, 72 points, 8th place
Key losses: D Steven Santini, D Jeremy Davies
Key additions: C Jack Hughes, D P.K. Subban, F Wayne Simmonds, F Nikita Gusev

There’s hope in New Jersey after a busy offseason, which included acquiring Subban in a trade and selecting Hughes with the No. 1 overall pick in the NHL draft. Throw in veteran forwards like Simmonds and Gusev, and the Devils roster appears much more formidable than it had just one year prior. Taylor Hall’s expiring contract will be a storyline to watch by the trade deadline, because he’ll be in high demand if New Jersey falls out of contention and elects to stock up for the future.

New York Islanders
Last season: 48-27-7, 103 points, 2nd place, lost in Metropolitan Division final
Key losses: G Robin Lehner, F Valtteri Filppula
Key additions: G Semyon Varlamov, F Derick Brassard

Coach Barry Trotz stepped behind the bench and turned the Islanders into a playoff team in his first season. Despite losing Vezina candidate Robin Lehner in free agency, the New York goaltending situation remains strong with the addition of Semyon Varlamov, and Thomas Greiss provides a worthy partner for a goalie platoon. The potential development of young forwards like Michael Dal Colle, Kieffer Bellows and Oliver Wahlstrom could have a major influence on whether the Islanders can score enough to support their solid defense.

New York Rangers
Last season: 32-36-14, 78 points, 7th place
Key losses: D Neal Pionk, F Kevin Hayes, F Jimmy Vesey
Key additions: F Artemi Panarin, D Jacob Trouba, D Adam Fox, F Kaapo Kakko

Hughes may have been the No. 1 overall pick but there was plenty to like about Kakko, whom the Rangers selected second overall and expect to feature heavily at the NHL level this season. Signing Panarin in free agency was an instant boost to the offense, while trading for Fox and Trouba helped fortify the defense. For a team that announced it was rebuilding not so long ago, the Rangers could be back in the playoff picture by next spring — provided that veteran goaltender Henrik Lundqvist shows he still has it, even after turning 38 in early March.

Philadelphia Flyers
Last season: 37-37-8, 82 points, 6th place
Key losses: D Radko Gudas, F Ryan Hartman, F Jori Lehtera
Key additions: F Kevin Hayes, D Matt Niskanen, D Justin Braun

It all starts in net, where 21-year-old Carter Hart is out to prove he can be the No. 1 franchise goalie that’s developed goalies like the Chicago Bears have developed quarterbacks. Philadelphia also traded for Hayes and signed him to a massive contract extension that will heighten the scrutiny on Hayes should he not live up to that salary. Veterans like Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek and Sean Couturier are still here and top defenseman Ivan Provorov has been locked up to a long-term deal. Young players to watch include Joel Farabee and Nolan Patrick, as the Flyers look for a return to the postseason, where they haven’t won a series since 2012.

Pittsburgh Penguins
Last season: 44-26-12, 100 points, 3rd place, lost in Metropolitan Division semifinals
Key losses: D Olli Maatta, F Phil Kessel, F Matt Cullen
Key additions: F Dominik Kahun, F Alex Galchenyuk, F Brandon Tanev

Trading Kessel away to Arizona may hurt the offensive numbers, but the Penguins believe they can offset that with Galchenyuk, who was one of the return pieces in that trade. They’ve also added Kahun in the deal that brought Maatta to Chicago. But the familiar names remain in Pittsburgh: Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang are still the heartbeat of this franchise’s playoff hopes. If all three are healthy — especially in Letang’s case — then it’s hard to count out the Penguins.

Washington Capitals
Last season: 48-26-8, 104 points, 1st place, lost in Metropolitan Division semifinals
Key losses: D Matt Niskanen, D Brooks Orpik, F Brett Connolly, F Andre Burakovsky, F Devante Smith-Pelly
Key additions: D Radko Gudas, F Richard Panik, F Garnet Hathaway, F Brendan Leipsic

One season removed from their Stanley Cup victory, Washington also brings back the majority of the familiar faces that have made the Capitals division champions for the last four seasons. Alex Ovechkin remains one of the game’s best snipers while Nicklas Backstrom, T.J. Oshie and Evgeny Kuznetsov all serve as additional offensive threats, although Kuznetsov has a brief suspension to serve after a certain offseason incident. Some changes occurred on the blue line, with Orpik retiring and Niskanen being traded away. If Michal Kempny fully recovers from the torn left hamstring that ended his season last March, though, Washington’s blue line should be fine. Braden Holtby remains a solid goaltender and the Capitals should remain as one of the top teams in the East.

 

Pacific Division

Anaheim Ducks
Last season: 35-37-10, 80 points, 6th place
Key losses: F Corey Perry, D Jake Dotchin
Key additions: Head coach Dallas Eakins, D Michael Del Zotto, F Nicolas Deslauriers

The Ducks let franchise legend Corey Perry depart in free agency, but his prime had long since past. To be fair, much of Anaheim’s roster’s primes have long since past, including Ryan Kesler and Patrick Eaves — who will spend the season on injured reserve — and Ryan Getzlaf. It will be a challenge for the Ducks to get back to the playoffs, even in this weaker division, but that’s a challenge new head coach Dallas Eakins will hope to be up to. This doesn’t seem like a season the Ducks will be competitive, but rather spent developing their youth, like Ondrej Kase, Sam Steel and Troy Terry.

Arizona Coyotes
Last season: 39-35-8, 86 points, 4th place
Key losses: F Alex Galchenyuk, D Kevin Connauton
Key additions: F Phil Kessel, C Carl Soderberg

The Coyotes hope to get back in contention, having added a superstar scorer in Phil Kessel, while losing Galchenyuk and defensive prospect Pierre-Olivier Joseph. It’ll be a challenge, as nobody on their roster scored more than 50 points last season, but with Kessel and a newly re-signed Clayton Keller aboard and probably on the same line, the Coyotes will likely cross that mark this season. There are at least three teams projected ahead of them currently, but if their goaltending can hold up and Antti Raanta can stay healthy and they get more offense, Arizona can be a dark horse in this division.

Calgary Flames
Last season: 50-25-7, 107 points, 1st place, lost in Pacific Division semifinals
Key losses: G Mike Smith, D Oscar Fantenberg
Key additions: G Cam Talbot

The Flames were the top regular season team in the Western Conference last season and didn’t overhaul their roster too much. A change in net from Smith to Talbot was the biggest move of the summer. However, the Flames are a year older, and Mark Giordano’s ability to replicate a Norris season when he’ll be 36 years old will be in serious doubt. Still, with Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, Matthew Tkachuk, and a great defensive corps, the Flames will likely be bound for the playoffs again and try to make a bigger mark than they did last season.

Edmonton Oilers
Last season: 35-38-9, 79 points, 7th place
Key losses: F Milan Lucic, D Andrej Sekera
Key additions: Head coach Dave Tippett, F James Neal, F Markus Granlund, F Josh Archibald, F Riley Sheahan

The Oilers chose to surround Connor McDavid with more front-office talent than on-ice talent this season, changing their GM from Peter Chiarelli to Ken Holland and making a coaching shift to Tippett. Tippett’s already said this preseason that while his reputation is as a defensive coach, he has more experience with forwards, and that could be good news for McDavid and his could-be-former linemate Leon Draisaitl. The Oilers tried to add to their lackluster forwards from last season with depth moves in Archibald, Granlund and Sheahan, but the trade of Milan Lucic for James Neal could make the biggest mark, if Neal regains his goal-scoring form. Edmonton still feels a piece or two away, even with McDavid.

Los Angeles Kings
Last season: 31-42-9, 71 points, 8th place
Key losses: F Brendan Leipsic, F Jonny Brodzinski
Key additions: D Joakim Ryan, D Ben Hutton

The Kings had a similar fall from grace as the Blackhawks but the Kings haven’t had the luck the Blackhawks have had and weren’t as smart with their draft picks. They’re still at the bottom of the NHL, and should end up at the bottom of the Pacific Division because there are simply too many questions about their team. Can Jonathan Quick regain his form, or will Jack Campbell surpass him? Is there a next generation after Dustin Brown, Drew Doughty, and Anze Kopitar? With Jake Muzzin gone, who will step up as the second defenseman? The Kings aren’t in a position to contend yet, but they may still have time with their veteran core if they develop their youth.

San Jose Sharks
Last season: 46-27-9, 101 points, 2nd place, lost in Western Conference final
Key losses: F Joonas Donskoi, F Joe Pavelski, D Justin Braun, D Joakim Ryan, F Gustav Nyquist
Key additions: F Jonny Brodzinski, F Sasha Chmelevski

After a run to the Western Conference final, the Sharks extended Erik Karlsson before losing a good number of players who got the Sharks to that position in the playoffs, including former captain Joe Pavelski. They’ve rebuilt the bottom of their roster from their youth, but the top of their roster will need to do much of the heavy lifting this season, with Logan Couture finally gaining the captaincy. The Sharks lost a good bit of depth, but they’re still in a position to succeed, especially with two of the league’s best (offensive) defensemen in Brent Burns and Karlsson, especially if Martin Jones gets back to NHL-starter form.

Vancouver Canucks
Last season: 35-36-11, 81 points, 5th place
Key losses: F Markus Granlund, D Luke Schenn
Key additions: F Micheal Ferland, D Tyler Myers, D Quinn Hughes, F J.T. Miller

The Canucks’ youth movement will gain another foothold after Elias Pettersson won the Calder Memorial Trophy last season. Quinn Hughes will join the team full time and be a member of a defense that could see him on the top pairing by season’s end. Bo Horvat and Brock Boeser remain vital parts of this team, and the Canucks rebuilt their top nine by adding pieces in Ferland and Miller that can be capable of making an impact after having the league’s seventh-worst offense. The Canucks likely have a few more areas to develop before they’re fully realized as a competitor and a playoff team, but this season should be a proving ground for the team and their youth as they look to get in better position for the 2020-21 season.

Vegas Golden Knights
Last season: 43-32-7, 93 points, 3rd place, lost in Pacific Division semifinals
Key losses: D Colin Miller, F Erik Haula, C Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, C Ryan Carpenter
Key additions: C Cody Glass, D Zach Whitecloud*, D Dylan Coghlan*

*at time of posting, these are the best guesses for who makes the roster

The Golden Knights had a rough offseason by trading away key pieces in Haula and Miller without the ability to retain Gusev. Vegas’ top six remains in tact, and it might be the best in the NHL, with William Karlsson, Jonathan Marchessault, Max Pacioretty, Reilly Smith, Paul Stastny and Mark Stone. The next generation is also strongly represented, with Shea Theodore and Alex Tuch, and more youth joining them in Glass, Coghlan, and Whitecloud from the AHL. Vegas will seek redemption after that blown Game 7 to San Jose, and have the hunger to get back there without any noticeable weak spots.

 

Minnesota Wild
Last season: 37-36-9, 83 points, 7th place
Key losses: F Eric Fehr, F Pontus Aberg, D Nate Prosser, D Anthony Bitetto
Key additions: GM Bill Guerin, F Mats Zuccarello, F Ryan Hartman

It all started so well for the Wild last season, too. After a 4-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets on the day after Thanksgiving, the Wild owned a 14-7-2 record and appeared destined for a spot in the postseason. Minnesota’s season unraveled from there, though, first with a five-game losing skid around Christmas and then a 1-6-3 stretch through the first half of February.

Injuries didn’t help matters. Center Mikko Koivu missed the last two months with a torn ACL and meniscus in his right knee, while defenseman Matt Dumba tore a pectoral muscle in mid-December, ending his season prematurely.

Trade deadline moves last February sent away forwards Charlie Coyle, Mikael Granlund and Nino Niederreiter, while bringing back forwards Ryan Donato, Kevin Fiala and Victor Rask. In the offseason, the Wild signed Zuccarello and Hartman on the first day of free agency then fired GM Paul Fenton in late July and hired Guerin as the team’s new GM in August.

Minnesota still has a deep blue line with Dumba, Ryan Suter, Jared Spurgeon and Jonas Brodin all back. Goaltender Devan Dubnyk is back in net, looking to rebound after his numbers took a mild dip in 2018-19. But the biggest question for the Wild remains on offense, where the Wild must improve upon their 211 goals scored (28th in the league).

Second City Hockey’s 2019-20 season preview: Minnesota Wild

 

Colorado Avalanche
Last season: 38-30-14, 90 points, 5th place, lost to San Jose in conference semifinals
Key losses: D Tyson Barrie, F Alexander Kerfoot, G Semyon Varlamov
Key additions: F Nazem Kadri, D Calle Rosen, F Andre Burakovsky, F Joonas Donskoi, F Pierre-Édouard Bellemare

After multiple seasons of assembling a young, talented group of players, the Avalanche started putting it all together late last season. Colorado went 8-1-2 down the stretch to earn a playoff spot, eliminated the Flames in five games and pushed the Sharks to a seventh game before its season was ended.

The Avalanche have a glutton of young talent. Center Nathan MacKinnon remains one of the game’s most dynamic players and his frequent linemates in Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen provide Colorado with one of the most dangerous lines in the entire league. On the blue line, Sam Girard’s emergence meant the Avalanche were OK with unloading Tyson Barrie in the offseason, acquiring Kadri to boost the team’s defensive play. Cale Makar will get his first full NHL season after dazzling in the Stanley Cup playoffs last spring and Bowen Byram could be a future mainstay, but he’ll be skating in the WHL for the immediate future.

In net, Philipp Grubauer returns after backstopping Colorado’s late-season surge and will be backed up by Pavel Francouz now that Varlamov has left for the Islanders.

Injuries to veteran defensemen Ian Cole and Erik Johnson will test Colorado’s young core early. But after a surprise run to the postseason last spring, Colorado is shaping up to emerge as a Western Conference contender — in the short-term as well as the long-term.

Don’t just take our word for it, here’s what Tom Hunter, the managing editor at Mile High Hockey,had to say about the 2019-20 Avalanche.

What’s the general outlook for the team this year?

There is a lot of excitement, particularly now that Mikko Rantanen is back in the fold. Fans were starting to get nervous that the team would be without one of the all stars for part of the season, but with Rantanen expected to join the team in time for the season opening on Thursday (there are some visa issues) fans are ready to build on the success of last season’s playoff run. Nathan MacKinnon has spoken this offseason about falling just short of the 100-point mark for the past two seasons. He has looked like a man on a mission the past month and as hard as it is to believe, he could be even better this year. Nazem Kadri and Joonas Donskoi provide the team with an extra element that was missing last season. The anticipation of a legitimately dangerous second line has fans expecting a lot more depth in the forward group than we’ve seen over recent years. The Avs have one of the best lines in the NHL and how they actually have some support. Falling a game short of the Western Conference final last season has Avalanche fans expecting big things from a team that is just starting to open their contention window. That said, with all the excitement, there’s always the one ”but …” and in this case it’s the goaltending. As good as this team can be, they’re still relying on a goalie tandem that has a combined 139 NHL games under their belt.

Any offseason acquisitions that affected the way you’ve approached this season?

The Avalanche were able to swing one of the biggest moves of the offseason when they hooked up with Toronto for a blockbuster. The trade is going to have a major impact on how the Avs play from both an addition and subtraction perspective. The deal brought in Kadri to be a legitimate 2C – something the team has desperately needed. Kadri scored 32 goals in the only two seasons where he was tasked with being the 2C in Toronto. In the right role, he can provide secondary offense while bringing a gritty, hard-forechecking style that the Avs lacked outside of Gabriel Landeskog. Kadri will relieve some of the pressure that has been on MacKinnon over the last two season. While the addition of Kadri was necessary, the deal saw Tyson Barrie going the other way. For all his faults, Barrie is one of the best puck moving defensemen in the NHL and he was a big reason why the Avs were able to play the up-tempo style they like. The hope is that Calder favourite Cale Makar can step into the role vacated by Barrie but as a rookie, there are likely to be some growing pains.

Just how good can this Avs team be in the next 3-4 years?

For right now, the window is four years. Nathan MacKinnon is locked into the best contract in the NHL ($6.3m AAV) until July 2023 so that is the time to maximize the potential of this season. That said, this team is still young. They are going to rely on a top defensive paring of Samuel Girard and Cale Makar who are 21 and 20 years old, respectively. Add to them the combination of Bo Byram and Conor Timmins and this Avs team has the potential to have the most exciting top-4 defense groups in the NHL in a couple years. The team is young, exciting and still has a lot of cap flexibility to work with. It’s not over-hyping them to say that this team has the potential to win a Stanley Cup of two over the next handful of years.

 

Dallas Stars
Last season: 43-32-7, 93 points, 4th place, lost to St. Louis in conference semifinals
Key losses: F Ryan Hartman, F Tyler Pitlick, F Mats Zuccarello, D Ben Lovejoy
Key additions: F Joe Pavelski, F Corey Perry, assistant coach John Stevens

The Stars, who missed the playoffs the previous two seasons, qualified in their first year under head coach Jim Montgomery’s tutelage. Dallas dispatched the Predators in six games then fell to the eventual champion Blues in crushing fashion in double overtime in Game 7 of the second round.

Stars general manager Jim Nill wasn’t able to re-sign Zuccarello after acquiring him at the trade deadline, so he signed forwards Joe Pavelski and Corey Perry on the first day of free agency. While both players are on the other side of 30 years old, they still can produce with Pavelski carrying much more weight among the two in that department. He had 38 goals last season, including 12 on the power play. Perry’s contract was bought out by Anaheim after he was limited to only 10 points in 31 games last season due to season-ending surgery to repair a torn meniscus and MCL.

Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and Alexander Radulov return as Dallas’ top line. Pavelski could play up top or on the second unit with Roope Hintz and Jason Dickinson. Perry will miss two weeks at the start of the season with a small fracture in his foot.

On the back end, Nill re-signed top-four defenseman Esa Lindell to a six-year extension. Lindell could return to his role with John Klingberg, but Miro Heiskanen is already trending toward being a No. 1 role after his strong rookie season. If Montgomery breaks Heiskanen away from Roman Polak, the Finnish blue liner could thrive even more with another puck mover like Klingberg. If Andrej Sekera performs well he could end up in the top four and drop Polak down to the third pairing with Jamie Oleksiak.

Ben Bishop was the star on Dallas’ team last season with a .934 save percentage in 46 outings. His play down the stretch was huge in pushing the team into the playoffs, and finished as the Vezina Trophy runner-up. But he’ll be 33 in November and there are some injury concerns there. Anton Khudobin, however, had a .923 save percentage and a reliable backup for Dallas.

The Stars a top-heavy team at forward and defense, but they lack a strong supporting cast. They should make back-to-back trips to the playoffs for the first time since 2008, but being a legitimate championship contender seems out of reach until they have more depth.

Don’t just take our word for it, here’s what Taylor Baird, the managing editor at Defending Big D, had to say about the 2019-20 Stars blog.

Generally, you have to feel good about the Stars if you’re a Stars fan. They (in theory) upgraded the top six by adding Joe Pavelski. The defense that was the second-most stingiest in the league last season came back. You’ve still got Ben Bishop, who looks like he could have another Vezina-worthy season and Antoin Khudobin is a stellar backup. It’s all looking positive. As long as the team buys in the way they did down the stretch last year, the Stars should expect to make a deep run. They’ve just got to make it out of their division first.

Pavelski should improve the power play, which should help improve Dallas’ offense. That’s the biggest weapon that should change the way they approach the season. Additionally, the Stars have had a year to get used to head coach Jim Montgomery and how he wants to play, so the expectation is there won’t be as many growing pains early in the season as there was last year. Hopefully that means less ugly hockey and more of the hockey we saw after the All-Star break.

In the short-term, hope springs eternal from the likes of Tyler Seguin, Miro Heiskanen and John Klingberg. The offensive potential is there, it just needs to be unlocked. It’s a matter of whether they can do that and sacrifice a bit of defensive structure to open up the creativity among their forwards or not. In the long-term, the Stars have a decent number of prospects that look like they can be serviceable NHLers, but they’re lacking a true blue chip guy (as it seems today, Thomas Harley could be the closest to a blue chip guy as he had an excellent preseason showing in Dallas, but still needs some work).

 

Nashville Predators
Last season: 47-29-6, 100 points, 1st place, lost in Central Division semifinals
Key losses: D P.K. Subban
Key additions: C Matt Duchene, D Steven Santini, D Dante Fabbro

The Predators won the Central Division, but had a disappointing postseason appearance, losing to the Stars in the first round in six games. The Winter Classic this season will feature those two teams, so hey, finally something interesting on New Year’s Day! (I kid because I love, NCAA football)

The Predators, have had one of the best defensive top fours in the league the last few seasons, but have also paid a lot of money for them and traded off their most expensive member in P.K. Subban. He was shipped to the Devils in exchange for ... not really much. The vacancy in the Predators’ top four is expected to be filled by 2016 first-rounder Dante Fabbro.

Nashville is getting the last drops of productivity out of Pekka Rinne, while Juuse Saros continues to get more and more starts. One story arc to follow this season will be to see if Saros finally overtakes Rinne, who has only two years left on his contract worth $5 million per season.

Duchene will be added to a center group that already includes Ryan Johansen, Kyle Turris and Nick Bonino. Turris will likely be either moved to wing or bumped to the bottom six, and one of Johansen or Duchene will anchor the first line. With the success of the line combination of Filip Forsberg, Johansen and Viktor Arvidsson in the past few seasons, it would likely be a mistake to separate them.

The biggest question mark remains what the Predators can do offensively. Their 240 goals for last season were third-to-last in the Central ahead of only the injury-plagued Stars (210) and the last-place Wild (211). If the Predators can improve on that mark, they stand a serious chance in being in the same position they were in last season.

Don’t just take our word for it, here’s what Kate from On The Forecheckhad to say about the 2019-20 Predators.

What’s the general outlook for the team this year? Expecting a deep run? Already counting down to the draft? Somewhere in between?

The Predators have probably the best offensive depth they’ve ever had right now — definitely the best in over a decade. There’s a lot to like about the roster construction, and David Poile has clearly been going closer and closer to all-in the last few years. At this point, it’s going to be a huge disappointment if they don’t make a deep run, and they have the player talent to do it. At the same time, after two consecutive years where the Preds were the best in the division in the regular season only to fizzle out in the playoffs, the faith might not be there.

Any offseason acquisitions that affected the way you’ve approached this season?

The obvious answer here is the signing of UFA center Matt Duchene, but I’m more excited about the acquisition of a new assistant coach for the power play. The Predators’ biggest problems last season were structural, and while upgrading the personnel can’t hurt, I think they need to make some changes to their systems if they’re going to play up to their potential, especially once the postseason arrives and the coaching battles really begin.

What about this team gives you hope, either in the short-term or the long-term? Or, is there a reason why you may not have much hope at all?

Like I said, they have some great talent on the roster; if they can continue to get good goaltending as well I think they can impress us. At the same time, I have qualms about Laviolette as head coach. He’s the biggest question mark for me heading into the season. I’m glad the team has made some personnel changes--the previous assistant coach’s power play was absolutely nightmarish, and I can’t believe it was allowed to be that bad for that long (Author’s note: sound familiar?) — but ultimately everything goes through the head coach, and that kind of overshadows all the more obvious player things for me. This isn’t about the current season or exactly about the long term, but I’m also concerned about Roman Josi’s contract negotiations, which don’t seem to be going as quickly as a lot of other recent extensions have gone. How that goes will definitely affect the next few seasons; either the Preds keep Josi, or flip him for assets, or lose him for nothing, and each of those outcomes has its own set of repercussions.

 

Winnipeg Jets
Last season: 47-30-5, 99 points, 2nd place, lost in Central Division semifinals
Key losses: D Jacob Trouba, RW Brandon Tanev, D Tyler Myers, D Dustin Byfuglien(?)
Key additions: D Neal Pionk, D Ville Heinola, C Mark Letestu

The Jets have one of the biggest issues in the NHL ahead of them. Yes, they recently re-signed Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor, locking up crucial pieces of their forward corps. But after an offseason that saw the Jets trade Jacob Trouba to the Rangers in exchange for Neal Pionk and also lose Tyler Myers and defensive forward Brandon Tanev, the Jets could be losing what may be the face of their franchise in Dustin Byfuglien, who’s currently suspended without pay as he considers his future in the sport.

Byfuglien, 34, has two years remaining on his contract worth $7.6 million per season. He won the Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks in 2010, and after a series of injuries, could be walking away from the sport to spend more time with his family. That would devastate Winnipeg’s defensive corps, who would turn to Josh Morrissey as their No. 1 defenseman, and after Laine questioned his future with the team this offseason, could perhaps trade their young goal scorer for a more veteran No. 1 defenseman.

The Jets season may hang in the balance, between being favored to make the playoffs and potentially missing it. Their forward group is still excellent - between Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler, Connor, Laine, Nikolaj Ehlers and Mathieu Perreault, there’s no lack of scoring - but a weakened defensive group ahead of goaltender Connor Hellebuyck could dash Winnipeg’s hopes.

It’s hard not to stress how important Byfuglien now is to the Jets. With him, they’re an emerging powerhouse who can play multiple styles of hockey and have a reliable workhorse who can eat minutes better than perhaps anyone when healthy. But without him, they’re still an effective scoring machine, but their blue line could allow just as many or more goals against.

Byfuglien’s decision could be one of the most important in the NHL this season.

Don’t just take our word for it, here’s what Cara Thorington, managing editor of Arctic Ice Hockey, had to say about the 2019-20 Jets.

What’s the general outlook for the team this season?

The Jets are going to be a really interesting team to watch this year. They do have both Laine and Connor signed, but Byfuglien is still up in the air and the rest of the defence outside of a couple players is not that great. But you never know what will happen and all could work out in the end.

Any offseason acquisitions that affected the way you’ve approached this season?

Expectations must be changed when you go from Jacob Trouba to Neal Pionk. The Jets did not make a lot of acquisitions which makes sense based on their salary cap. Minor issue is the coach loves old vets instead of younger, better players normally so the Jets could be in for a long, long season even if Byfuglien comes back.

What about this team gives you hope, either the short-term or the long-term? Or, is there a reason why you may not have much hope at all?

Short-term: younger guys playing more. Longer-term: they have some good pieces in the AHL who look like they belong when they get called up. My lack of hope comes from who the coach is. If that changes for the better, things could really look up.

 

Украл мазу (но это не точно) из чатика:

 

Toronto Maple Leafs - Ottawa Senators 5:3

хорошо украл

 

@Катберт ты проценты эти где смотришь?

 

проще в лотерею наверное)) Сколько там подряд угадать надо напомни?