Which team is going to overachieve this year?

[Gregor Samsa]

I would feel bad for Arizona fans if the Utah team puts it together as soon as they get to Utah. I wouldn’t be surprised if Montreal is in the playoff hunt. Devils should make the playoffs but they are more a case of underachieving last year IMO. I could see the Flyers go either way: good season with a playoff push or the implosion continues from the end of last season with a bunch of unproven goalies. I think one of Detroit, Ottawa, and Buffalo will finally turn the corner but I can see one of the last two having a bad year and making a major shakeup

 

[DelZottoHitTheNetJK]

The Devils will be a wagon this year and I hate to admit it. What an offseason they had.

Healthy Hamilton and Hughes and they are going to cook

 

[Bank Shot]

I think Buffalo is finally going to take a step forward and make the playoffs. Not really going to be overachieving though, just finally arriving.

Pretty impossible to pick the team that will overachieve. It's mostly luck. Whichever team gets the best shooting % usually.

 

[LiseL]

It's plausible, but there are plenty of other teams in a similar position, namely NJ and Buffalo who will most certainly rebound from last year.

And all 3 teams also have new coaching staff. Only prediction I'll make is it will be a dog fight throughout the season.

 

[LiseL]

Vezina candidate with the Bruins elite structure in front of him. I'm very curious to see how he fares in a Travis Green - hang the goalie out to dry system.

As a Sens fan, if that's how he coached in the past, I hope he's learned a few things since then. In his interviews and some of the players comments, he seems to be stressing attention to details, gap control, playing as a 5 man unit and playing with speed. That last one is only logical if you have the horses to play that way so we'll see how it goes. I hope that the addition of Mike Yeo leads to better D coverage and special teams as I believe he was good for Vancouver last year with those areas.

I hope Ottawa exceeds expectations but I will believe it when I see it. Ullmark will be an improvement but the team has to play better and compete every game in order for them to have any success. They're also in the toughest division so it will be a challenge.

 

[scoopscj]

Overachieve: Utah, Buffalo (finally) and Senators. I'd love to say Detroit but I just don't see it.

I can see the Islanders dropping a bit, Lots of loser points last year and their goalie situation is sketchy with Sorokin on the mend.

Carolina might drop a bit due to personal but they still have great coaching and talent. If the Islanders and Carolina give back just a few points than last year, I can see the overachievers gain some ground. Does that mean playoffs for the overachievers? Can't say.

 

[CannonFire1]

Many people were picking CBJ to finish bottom 3 in the league even before JG was killed. If they find some consistency with defensive structure and some of the young guys find their stride offensively they could surprise. I'm not saying they will make the playoffs, but relative to expectations playing competitive games and finishing 5-10 spots from the bottom would be over achieving.

 

[kihei]

Montreal and New Jersey. Can see the Devils, especially, taking a big step forward this year.