Predict the Atlantic Standings

[PaulD]

There was a thread for this a while back but it was made way too early before Boston made their signings and got way off track. I made this thread exactly 1 year ago: Predict the Atlantic Standings and got all 4 playoff teams right. Way off on the non-playoff teams. Here’s my order:

1. Toronto-116 points: This isn’t the playoffs, time and time again the Leafs have shown they are a great regular season team. While the Matt Murray move looks real bad to me, Campbell was one of the worst goalies in the league (if not the worst) in the 2nd half and Mrazek was garbage, and they were still very good, so I see no concerns. They lost some minor pieces but of the big 4 in the Atlantic, they definitely lost the least.
2. Florida- 109 points: If I read 1 more time how much worse Florida will be due to losing Giroux and Chariot I will lose my mind. Florida was on a 120 point pace before trading for them in March. They finished with 116 points in 2021. The loss of Weegar, Duclair and Marchment will hurt, but this is still a very good regular season team that Vegas still has 4th in President’s Trophy odds (not that I see a repeat). I have no idea why the loss of Weegar, Duclair and Marchment are so backbreaking to cause Florida to lose 30 points and miss the playoffs like part of HF seems to think but neither myself or Vegas buys it. As is I have them down 13 points which is significant.
3. Tampa- 106 points: A team that’s never cared about positioning, with the loss of McDonagh and Palat along with major injuries to Cirelli and Bogosian, I have them firmly in 3rd. One of the more interesting moves of the summer was keeping Philippe Myers, who has looked bad for several years and who had a unique buyout that actually would have increased Tampa’s cap room this year. They chose to keep him and he looks slotted in a top 4 role. Diamond in the rough of rare slipup?

4. Boston-99 points (wildcard): I may have had Boston out of the playoffs if the didn’t bring back Bergeron and Krecji. An older team, significant injuries to Marchand and McAvoy will have the Bruins in a tough spot the 1st half. But bringing back 2 good players should give them enough leeway. I like Jim Montgomery but have no idea why Cassidy was fired and not Sweeney. I'd have done it the other way around.


5. Ottawa-89 points: For these non-playoff teams it gets tricky. I don’t really buy the Sens hype. Giroux is still very good, nice signing. Debrincat trade, what a fleece job. But this was a 70 point team last year. Sure they had a tough covid run but I just don’t see the 30 point improvement needed to make the playoffs. Please get Chabot some help back there.

6. Detroit- 88 points: Copp and Perron are nice players. They have some great young players. I like Husso. In the same vein as Ottawa though, I don’t think they’ve closed the gap enough on the top teams. Also I don’t know what Ben Chariot does to a MFer, Zito gave up so much and Yzerman gave an awful contract, both of these guys are good GMs but no idea why he’s being paid as a borderline top pairing guy/#3.

7. Buffalo-85 points: Buffalo was good in the second half. A lot of fun to watch. Tage Thompson and Tuch were great, Dahlin improved, Power looks like the real deal. I’m just not a fan of their goaltending. 6k doesn’t look ready to carry the load, Comrie was good but 15 starts last year isn’t enough and he hasn’t shown much in his career till then, and Craig Anderson is 800 years old.

8. Montreal-62 points: Kent Hughes has done a nice job (Monahan and a 1st, BEN CHARIOT FOR A 1ST, excuse the caps) and they have some nice young players but this is going to be a very bad year (or good, Bedard sweepstakes?). It’s a great year to tank but they’ll have some tough competition in Chicago, Arizona and Philly.

Boston
Florida
Buffalo
Tampa
Ottawa
Detroit
Montreal
Toronto

 

[PaulD]

There she be!!

View attachment 578991

Giroux and Chariot are not really losses.
Panthers were flying high Cup contenders before getting them. Changing the lines trying to fit Giroux into the top six....Some Panthers media guys think acually hurt the team. Chariot isnt missed in Montreal or Florida. As Bob Macowan would say "hes just a another guy".
Huberdeau , Marchant, Zeager ....yes, huge losses.

Many folk here have Toronto tops...Media influence?

Yes. They are the sporting worlds weakest "contender"..driven by T.O media.

 

[Chainshot]

It's certainly been a topsy-turvy start to the year looking at the standings.

 

[BruinsFan37]

Lotta comedy gold looking back at this thread, more than a few plates of crow to be served.

But then, that's par for the course with HF.

 

[Gamimenos]

Lotta comedy gold looking back at this thread, more than a few plates of crow to be served.

But then, that's par for the course with HF.

There's a ton of threads like this. Whenever I have a slow day at the office, I go back to the Chiarot trade thread to get some good laughs.

 

[Bouboumaster]

I'm certainly not complaining that you guys will be drafting in a worse spot.

I'm certainly not complaining that your team is terrible and you will likely miss the playoffs (I had your team taking Boston's spot but it's a laughable take in hindsight)
What happened?
How can the newly revamped overpowered Sens find themselves somehow a worse team that last year's last place team?
Same goes for the Torontlol Maple Laughs btw

 

[NyQuil]

I'm certainly not complaining that your team is terrible and you will likely miss the playoffs (I had your team taking Boston's spot but it's a laughable take in hindsight)
What happened?
How can the newly revamped overpowered Sens find themselves somehow a worse team that last year's last place team?

Well, they are 4 points out of 2nd division and 3 points out of 3rd place in the division with a game in hand on both, and 2 points out of 4th-7th with a game or two in hand.

So perhaps it's not as dire as your laughable attempt to troll 8 games into the season.

But don't worry, I will continue to cheer for each and every one of your wins.

Go Habs!

 

[Bouboumaster]

Well, they are 3 points out of 3rd place in the division with a game in hand, and 2 points out of 4th-7th with a game or two in hand.

So perhaps it's not as dire as your laughable attempt to troll 8 games into the season.

Everything that is going to happen after this point doesn't count!
And if you pass us, you get us closer to Bedard anyway

Win-Win

 

[Tufted Titmouse]

Folk are severely under-rating the Sabres and over-rating Florida and Toronto. Sabres and Ottawa will be drastically better this year.

Toronto Boston and Florida are in for a rude awakening.

Thanks Blowfish for yet another gem

 

[Panthaz89]

Thanks Blowfish for yet another gem

View attachment 610839

At least wait until a quarter of the season is over....a moment ago the Blues and Penguins were supposedly dead in the water.

 

[danpantz]

Man a lot of ya’ll were convinced (and quite cocky) this was the year the Bruins were going to collapse.

There’s always next year though.

 

[VivaLasVegas]

Few things in this world are as consistently wrong as HFBoard pre-season predictions.

 

[HockeyVirus]

Man a lot of ya’ll were convinced (and quite cocky) this was the year the Bruins were going to collapse.

There’s always next year though.

20 games in friend

 

[danpantz]

20 games in friend

So 1/4 of the season?

 

[HockeyVirus]

So 1/4 of the season?

Yes. A minority of the season has taken place, it is much too early for victory laps.

 

[danpantz]

Yes. A minority of the season has taken place, it is much too early for victory laps.

Most of the posts were about how the Bruins would struggle due to the Marchand and McAvoy injuries and would be too far out by the time they came back.

So it’s too early for those people to be wrong? Because they were in first in the league when they got those guys back.

 

[SheldonJPlankton]

Man a lot of ya’ll were convinced (and quite cocky) this was the year the Bruins were going to collapse.

There’s always next year though.

I'll give it to Boston...today they're legitimate. 16 wins and 2 losses are clearly credentials to crow about.

They're not some 10 wins/9 losses bubble team chirping on about being something other than the total frauds and pretenders they truly are.

Boston is King at the moment.

 

[The Podium]

I'll give it to Boston...today they're legitimate. 16 wins and 2 losses are clearly credentials to crow about.

They're not some 10 wins/9 losses bubble team chirping on about being something other than the total frauds and pretenders they truly are.

Boston is King at the moment.

Just couldn’t help yourself eh?

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Man a lot of ya’ll were convinced (and quite cocky) this was the year the Bruins were going to collapse.

There’s always next year though.

In my defense, I was lead to believe the injuries to their key guys would keep them out a lot longer, which factored in to me thinking that might cost the Bruins a playoff spot.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Speaking of which, is there any easy way to search through a thread to see an old post of my own? I know I posted in this thread but I don't want to have to scan through all 20 pages just to see what my predictions were.

 

[Golden_Jet]

Speaking of which, is there any easy way to search through a thread to see an old post of my own? I know I posted in this thread but I don't want to have to scan through all 20 pages just to see what my predictions were.

Look at the search options , choose advanced, think your answer is in there

 

[JustAHabFan]

Well, they are 4 points out of 2nd division and 3 points out of 3rd place in the division with a game in hand on both, and 2 points out of 4th-7th with a game or two in hand.

So perhaps it's not as dire as your laughable attempt to troll 8 games into the season.

But don't worry, I will continue to cheer for each and every one of your wins.

Go Habs!

Cheer on. The Habs has shown they picked well in the middle of the draft. By keeping winning, it's very good the development of our young players. I would gladly to take that over lottery picks after lottery pick from teams like the Sabres, the Oilers and the Sens.

 

[NyQuil]

Cheer on. The Habs has shown they picked well in the middle of the draft. By keeping winning, it's very good the development of our young players. I would gladly to take that over lottery picks after lottery pick from teams like the Sabres, the Oilers and the Sens.

I've heard that many times before.

I've even said as much when the Senators went on a big streak at the end of last season.

Personally I'd prefer a .500 Montreal team without Bedard in the division.

Besides, Montreal has had as many high picks as the Senators over the last span of seasons. They just struck out on a lot of them.

 

[nbwingsfan]

20 games in friend

You think a team who’s currently 16-2 (about to be 17-2) has any chance of collapsing and missing the playoffs?

That’s somehow eve more ridiculous than thinking the Bruins weren’t going to make the playoffs before the season started.

 

[Blowfish]

Thanks Blowfish for yet another gem

View attachment 610839

The regular season was cut by 4 months and playoffs start December 2022? OOF Reilly !