Atlantic Standings Predictions Thread

[Aurinko]

Montreal defense looks dreadful and the kids, while they are all over the place, they HAVE done it the right way and given a lot of chances to a lot of young players. Don't really think it will start paying dividends just yet, but it really is sort of exciting team. I would not be too surprised if they got a hot start or streak during the season and got close.

 

[SheldonJPlankton]

"Still way too soft, weak, fragile, and heartless" implies that they haven't been able to be top two in their division in the past. 3 of the last 4 years they were top 2 in their division.

2nd in their division is the most likely. The question for the regular season is if they can improve their consistency and make a push for the division title to give themselves the best chance to finally have some playoff success.

Yeah, let's beat the drum on the North Division. The Leafs shining moment as a division title winner before being pimped-slapped by the Habs in the first round.

The ship has sailed on those 115 and 111 point teams. It ain't coming back. 102 points last season and falling. Mediocrity is approaching on the horizon. They'll be lucky to finish third. With that questionable goaltending, they just might be wildcard contenders.

 

[DKH]

Toronto ahead of Boston every year here and in Athletic, publications

When will they learn

 

[DapperCam]

Florida
Toronto
Boston
Tampa Bay
Ottawa
Detroit
Montreal
Buffalo

I think unfortunately Buffalo will be in the last spot for a couple more years. I actually was thinking of putting Ottawa higher, but Tampa Bay in my view is safe in #4 spot.

Sabres haven't finished last in the Atlantic division since the 2017-2018 season. Why would they be in the last spot for the next couple of years? Do you think they've gotten worse?

 

[Dread Clawz]

Montreal defense looks dreadful and the kids, while they are all over the place, they HAVE done it the right way and given a lot of chances to a lot of young players. Don't really think it will start paying dividends just yet, but it really is sort of exciting team. I would not be too surprised if they got a hot start or streak during the season and got close.

They will be an exciting young up and coming team in a couple years. But I don't see how they aren't last in the division yet again. Just not enough there on the roster in an incredibly tough division.

 

[viper0220]

Almost all the posters have Ottawa outside of the playoffs, with them needing to forfeit the pick in the next 2 years, do they make any big trade to try and push themselves higher in the standings?

 

[Wayfarer13]

They will be an exciting young up and coming team in a couple years. But I don't see how they aren't last in the division yet again. Just not enough there on the roster in an incredibly tough division.

Three points to consider. If CP and Monty replicate their numbers prorated would drop GA by about 36 goals. Caufeild,Suzuki and Slafkovsky scored 54 of their 81 goals in the last 41 games. Prorated for 82 games would be 104 goals giving an improvement of 49 goals on the goal differential. To add to this they may have an actual second line.

 

[TheOrangeDesk]

They will be an exciting young up and coming team in a couple years. But I don't see how they aren't last in the division yet again. Just not enough there on the roster in an incredibly tough division.

They are the oilers of 2014

 

[The Hockey Tonk Man]

Toronto ahead of Boston every year here and in Athletic, publications

When will they learn

Leafs goaltending seems like a coin flip, could work, could be a mess.

But what do I know

 

[Dread Clawz]

They are the oilers of 2014

Agreed, how Hutson, Demidov, and Hage turn out for them will be huge IMO. It seems like Slaf is on the right course, and Guhle and Xhekaj are promising pieces on the backend that have shown they will be pillars. Reinbacher is likely be become a top 4 D as well.

 

[Ulysses31]

Toronto ahead of Boston every year here and in Athletic, publications

When will they learn

what boston has done pretty remarkble, half of ppl here been picking them for years to fall off for at least the last 5 years

 

[DKH]

what boston has done pretty remarkble, half of ppl here been picking them for years to fall off for at least the last 5 years

In 2016 they said their run was over

They arguably have the best D/G group in league ~ certainly top 5

They are young in that area and Lohrei looks like a star which changes everything on that defense

Bruins defensive prospect group the shallowest and maybe/llikely overall skill at the bottom of the 32~ but to get Lohrei is like finding a mint Nolan Ryan rookie card at a yard sale

 

[bert]

I think Montreal will surprise a lot of people.

Dach & Dvorak (2 & 3 C) out basically all season. They didn’t have the depth to absorb that at all.

Pearson, Pezzetta, White, Ylonen and Stephens were all 35-42% xGF player which is ATROCIOUS and unacceptable for bottom 6 players, and they played a lot of minutes for us. We should get no minutes from them except maybe pezzetta.

In the bottom 6 RHP was injured early on and came back flat. Anderson has an outlier really bad year. Jake Evans played a lot of minutes in the middle 6 and he is overmatched there. 3 players who should improve easily on their 40% possession numbers playing on the 4th line.

Dvorak on a contract year and a long summer of getting back in shape. Should solidify the bottom 6.

PP underperformed a lot early on, but looked promising later in the year with the first line clicking.

Despite all this they had a close to flat goal differential 5v5 and 46 % xGF….

I think they are in the fight for one of the 2 WC spot.

1. Toronto
2. Florida
3. Boston
4. TB
5. Montreal
6. Buffalo
7. Detroit
8. Ottawa

A bit of a wish cast but I’ll stand by it!

Hahahaha Montreals fanbase is the least disconnected with reality on this entire site and its not remotely close. Trade rumor threads... check, prospect threads check, predictions check.

They're by far the worst team in the division. They over achieved last season by almost every statistical measure and were still terrible. Riding unsustainable goaltending and a new coach bump.

Dach and Dvorak as your 2/3 centers is not a net positive. You couldn't give Dvorak away for free. Dach is talented but inconsistent and injures all the time. Best case scenario and he's at best an average to below average #2.

There's nothing wrong with being bad in the middle of a rebuild. That's what they are in. It serves them best long term to get another top 5 pick anyway this season. Which they will.

 

[Lshap]

Hahahaha Montreals fanbase is the least disconnected with reality on this entire site and its not remotely close. Trade rumor threads... check, prospect threads check, predictions check.

They're by far the worst team in the division. They over achieved last season by almost every statistical measure and were still terrible. Riding unsustainable goaltending and a new coach bump.

Dach and Dvorak as your 2/3 centers is not a net positive. You couldn't give Dvorak away for free. Dach is talented but inconsistent and injures all the time. Best case scenario and he's at best an average to below average #2.

There's nothing wrong with being bad in the middle of a rebuild. That's what they are in. It serves them best long term to get another top 5 pick anyway this season. Which they will.

Luckily for Montreal, the standings aren't determined by your imagination.

 

[bert]

Luckily for Montreal, the standings aren't determined by your imagination.

Only people living in an imaginary world are Habs fans if they think they're gonna be any good this season.

 

[Lshap]

Only people living in an imaginary world are Habs fans if they think they're gonna be any good this season.

I won't spend time explaining the many things you got completely wrong. You're obviously not interested in having an informed opinion. Enjoy your story

 

[Imgoingtowork]

Predict:

Ottawa, Montreal, Florida and Toronto to the Stanley Cup.

Montreal have more talented than Tampa Bay.

Montreal reach the goal the Stanley Cup.

 

[saska sault]

Predict:

Ottawa, Montreal, Florida and Toronto to the Stanley Cup.

Montreal have more talented than Tampa Bay.

Montreal reach the goal the Stanley Cup.

 

[Imgoingtowork]

Florida Barkov.

 

[DKH]

Bruins are big and loaded

Can’t wait for this season

1. bruins
2. Florida
3. Tampa

the rest are soft or lack skill

 

[Imgoingtowork]

Extremely what people think previous big team Tampa Bay.

 

[Imgoingtowork]

Coming season I didn't believe in Tampa Bay and Boston.

 

[Satanphonehome]

No they got worse, replacing Jeff Skinner with Jason Zucker makes them worse.

Jeff Skinner scored 24 goals last year that was a down year for him

The best Zucker ever did was 33 goals, Skinner has done that 5 times, and scored 31 as a rookie.

So you either downgraded from Skinner to Zucker.

OR you could see Zucker as the Oloffsson replacement which could be an upgrade, but if you do that, that means you didn't replace Skinner.

So you either replaced Skinner with Zucker

Or you didn't replace Skinner at all.

No matter how you look at that you got worse.

And no Jack Quinn by himself will not get you into the top 4.

Even if you accept Skinner is better than Zucker, this is a pretty narrow way of judging whether or not a team improved.

Last year’s Sabres had a team that played too soft, and too slow and lacked accountability.

Skinner is hardly a useless player, but he was the poster child for the above. And most of the other guys they moved on from were also lacking in one or more of those areas.

Incoming are five players who rank among the league’s fastest, three of which would have led last years Sabres team in hits.

And they brought in a veteran coach who preaches hard, fast and accountable.

I don’t know that the Sabres are any more skilled than they were last year, but this is a team that took some pretty serious steps to address its most obvious shortcomings.

They are significantly faster, harder and more accountable.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

Even if you accept Skinner is better than Zucker, this is a pretty narrow way of judging whether or not a team improved.

Last year’s Sabres had a team that played too soft, and too slow and lacked accountability.

Skinner is hardly a useless player, but he was the poster child for the above. And most of the other guys they moved on from were also lacking in one or more of those areas.

Incoming are five players who rank among the league’s fastest, three of which would have led last years Sabres team in hits.

And they brought in a veteran coach who preaches hard, fast and accountable.

I don’t know that the Sabres are any more skilled than they were last year, but this is a team that took some pretty serious steps to address its most obvious shortcomings.

They are significantly faster, harder and more accountable.

You said they are faster, that's objectively true.

You said they are harder, that's objectively true.

You said they are more accountable with Lindy Ruff as their coach that's going to be objectively true.

You know what you didn't say? You didn't say that they were better,and I suspect I know why.

You said they were faster, harder and more accountable because you believe those things to be true, and I agree.

You did not say they are better, because they are not, and regardless of if you want to admit it or not you know it.

Even if they are better, and I don't think they are, but even if they are they aren't good enough to finish top 4 in the Atlantic and that's what It's going to take.

Which one of Toronto, Boston, Florida or Tampa are they overtaking? They aren't unless one of those teams suffer SEVERE injury and not just 1 either.

Truthfully I'm not convinced they are better than Ottawa or Detroit.

They are 5th in the Atlantic at best, 7th at worst

 

[DougBodger]

Buffalo is the type of team that can make a huge jump with the same group.

Tons of untapped potential in guys who just hit the NHL the last few seasons in Quinn, Cozens, Peterka, Benson, Power, and Byram.

Add in Tage, Dahlin, and Tuch that is a team with a lot of talent + a revamped bottom 6.

Will they put it all together? Probably not, but if it hits it's going to hit big all at once.