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31 Teams in 31 Days, 2018-19


Randall Flagg

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I did this last year and had a lot of fun, so I'm doing it again. We'll start an alphabetical countdown to summarize where the other 31 teams are going into the season, recapping their performance last season, their roster changes, and a projected lineup (I'm going to try to get their fans' views from hfboards on this - I started a topic telling everyone to put their team's projected lineups down a few days ago). We can talk about how well we think the teams will do this year, or people can just poke their head in to see how many days are left.

If I do one team per day, the last one will be complete the morning of the first NHL game-day, and we'll be ready to go! First up: 

Anaheim Ducks
Record last season: 44-25-13, 101 points, 2nd in the Pacific
Playoffs: Swept in Round 1 by the Sharks
Coach: Randy Carlyle
GM: Bob Murray
Captain: Ryan Getzlaf

GF: 231 (19th)
GA: 209 (3rd)
PP: 17.8% (23rd)
PK: 83.2% (5th)


Top 5G:
1.) Rickard Rakell (34)
2.) Ondrej Kase (20)
3.) Adam Henrique (20)
4.) Corey Perry (17)
5.) Jakob Silfverberg (17)

Top 5A:
1.) Ryan Getzlaf (50)
2.) Rickard Rakell (35)
3.) Corey Perry (32)
4.) Josh Manson (30)
5.) Cam Fowler (24)

Top 5 PTS:
1.) Rickard Rakell (69)
2.) Ryan Getzlaf (61)
3.) Corey Perry (49)
4.) Jakob Silfverberg (40)
5.) Ondrej Kase (38)

Key Additions:  Brian Gibbons (LW), Andrej Sustr (D), Carter Rowney (RW), Luke Schenn (D)
Key Losses: Antoine Vermette (currently still UFA), Jason Chimera (currently still UFA), Derek Grant (C), JT Brown (RW), Jared Boll (RW)

 

Projected Lineup:
Rakell - Getzlaf - Eaves
Cogliano - Kesler* - Silfverberg
Ritchie - Henrique - Perry 
Jones - Steel - Kase

*Kesler might be hurt a while?

Lindholm - Manson
Fowler - Montour
Petterson - Schenn
Larsson, Sbisa in the mix

John Gibson
Ryan Miller

Top Prospects we might/might not see 

Sam Steel, center
Troy Terry, IDK (I won't have more info on this section until my edition of THN comes in)
Jacob Larsson

My thoughts
I think the Ducks' defense-and-goaltending group is top 3 in the entire league, and that can get you a long way. I think they'll be in contention for the Pacific Division all season long. But the clock is ticking on Getzlaf and is already just about done on Perry, who is still an ok middle-sixer, but who drives Ducks fans crazy like Okposo drives us crazy, whereas Getzlaf is still a low-tier 1C. Rakell is a helluva player and Kase is turning into a nice find as well. If father time did more damage to Kesler (I have no idea when/how much he's playing this year) and Getzlaf/Perry, then their defense might not be enough to keep them in contention for anything and they could slide out of the playoff picture. But if those three are strong and supplemented by good years from Henrique, Rakell, Cogliano, Silfverberg, Kase etc. then they could find themselves in the WCF again. 

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What are your thoughts on me/you posting your 31 Thoughts on each team from last year as you do them this year? I found the thread you did last year, and was going to post the Ducks thoughts you had, but didn't want it to seem like I was critiquing your prediction

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Quote

My thoughts:

The Ducks should be strong again this season, and could very well win playoff rounds, largely on the back of their defense (which managed to keep everyone but Theodore, still a prospect). Corey Perry is likely going to continue his downward spiral (Ducks fans often complained that not only was he not as productive, he was actively hindering the team when on the ice). Getzlaf is still a premiere center in the league, and Kesler is an elite #2C who plays ugly, effective defensive hockey and can put up points. Rakell was a revelation with underrated hands and finishing abilities. Vermette played okay as a 3C (unlike in Chicago and Arizona) and they should be able to roll 3 effective lines with everyone healthy. Their defense, again, is their main focal point and it's one of the top 3-5 units in the league. I don't know if they'll finish ahead of Edmonton again, but I think they're one of the top 2 teams in that division (but better win fast - time is catching up with them). 

The Ducks finished 2nd in their division in 2017 with 101 points, getting swept in the 1st round by Vegas. Would say Flagg hit pretty well with this one

Will say though, I would be shocked if the Ducks made it to the WCF this year.

Edited by WildCard
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https://theathletic.com/499363/2018/09/03/luszczyszyn-2018-19-nhl-season-previews/

Luszczyszyn (I know great name), of the The Athletic is doing something similar based on his model.  He is going worst to first and so far he has reviewed in order Det, Ott, Van, NYR, Mon, and the NYI.  That means we are at worst 25th in his model.  

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1 hour ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

https://theathletic.com/499363/2018/09/03/lusz okczyszyn-2018-19-nhl-season-previews/

Luszczyszyn (I know great name), of the The Athletic is doing something similar based on his model.  He is going worst to first and so far he has reviewed in order Det, Ott, Van, NYR, Mon, and the NYI.  That means we are at worst 25th in his model.  

We haven't been listed yet, so how do you know we're 25th?

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1 hour ago, Huckleberry said:

Yeah but all the articles I read stated it was better to take a full year off to recover proper.

I can see them wanting to be cautious because he went through the same thing basically last season. Sounds like it's anyone's guess they might get desperate and have to chance it.

Edited by LikeEich
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1 hour ago, LikeEich said:

I can see them wanting to be cautious because he went through the same thing basically last season. Sounds like it's anyone's guess they might get desperate and have to chance it.

They actually need him, but he won't be fully 100 % after 5 months , so what is the point in having him suck and maybe put himself in danger of more injuries.

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5 hours ago, Huckleberry said:

They actually need him, but he won't be fully 100 % after 5 months , so what is the point in having him suck and maybe put himself in danger of more injuries.

He got a hip scope. The team said he will resume normal activity in 12 weeks. If he's not 100% in 5 months than something isn't right.

Edit: surgery was 2017, so nevermind haha. Sounds like they are waiting to see if it hits 100%. I think it's fairly likely that if he doesn't play this season his career might be in jeopardy

Edited by LikeEich
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Arizona Coyotes
Record last season: 29-41-12, 70 points, 7th in Pacific
Playoffs: None
Coach: Rick Tocchet
GM: John Chayka
Captain: OEL

GF: 206 (30th)
GA: 251 (21st)
PP: 16.9% (26th)
PK: 79.5% (19th)


Top 5G:
1.) Clayton Keller (23)
2.) Brendan Perlini (17)
3.) Christian Dvorak (15)
4.) Christian Fischer (15)
5.) Derek Stepan (14)

Top 5A:
1.) Clayton Keller (42)
2.) Derek Stepan (42)
3.) Max Domi (36)
4.) OEL (28)
5.) Alex Goligoski (23)

Top 5 PTS:
1.) Clayton Keller (65)
2.) Derek Stepan (56)
3.) Max Domi (45)
4.) OEL (42)
5.) Christian Dvorak (37)

Key Additions:  Michael Grabner (LW), Alex Galchenyuk (C/LW), Vinnie Hinostroza (C), Jordan Oesterle (D)
Key Losses: Max Domi (LW), Jordan Martinook (LW), Luke Schenn (D), Zac Rinaldo (C)

 

Projected Lineup:
Keller - Stepan - Panik
Strome - Galchenyuk - Hinostroza
Perlini - Dvorak - Grabner
Cousins - Richardson - Fischer
Crouse

OEL - Demers
Goligoski - Hjalmarsson
Chychrun - Connauton
Oesterle

Raanta
Kuemper

Top Prospects we might/might not see 
1.) Dylan Strome, C, Drafted 3OA in 2015
2.) Barrett Hayton, C, Drafted 5OA this past June
3.) Nick Merkley, RW, drafted in the first round of 2015
4.) Pierre-Olivier Joseph, D, drafted in the first round of 2017
5.) Lawson Crouse, LW, traded from Florida

My thoughts
I think we'd look at this team a little differently if they didn't have one of the worst start of all time last year - it took them 21 games to get their first regulation win (!!!). But they finished the season going 17-10-3 after February 6th, and were playing some fun and solid hockey. One of these years, you'd think it has to click. Raanta actually looks like a legit starter. The top 4 D is certainly not in the dregs of the league, though it isn't one of the best, and Chychrun looks as good as their fans could have hoped. The forward group is a little weak up top but Keller has PPG potential and there's a chance Strome becomes something. They have top six players and that third line scored over 50 goals last season, which is damn good. But something about the group still feels raw and undeveloped and just not good at NHL hockey yet. I don't think this is the year we see them turn the corner, and I predict another bottom 10 finish. But I don't think they are a bottom 3 team/franchise like they have been with us for so long anymore, and things are looking up. If everything goes perfectly, they could compete for a wildcard spot.

Edited by Randall Flagg
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BostoBruins
Record last season: 50-20-12, 112 PTS, 2nd in Atlantic
Playoffs: Beat Toronto in round 1, lost in 5 games to Tampa in round 2
Coach: Bruce Cassidy
GM: Don Sweeney
Captain: Zdeno Chara

GF: 267 (6th)
GA: 211 (4th)
PP: 23.5% (4th)
PK: 83.7% (3rd)


Top 5G:
1.) David Pastrnak (35)
2.) Brad Marchand (34 in 68 games)
3.) Patrice Bergeron (30)
4.) David Krejci (17)
5.) Danton Heinen, Jake DeBrusk (16)

Top 5A:
1.) Brad Marchand (51)
2.) David Pastrnak (45)
3.) Torey Krug (45)
4.) Patrice Bergeron (33)
5.) Danton Heinen (31)

Top 5 PTS:
1.) Brad Marchand (85...in 68 games.... a 103 point pace ? )
2.) David Pastrnak (80)
3.) Patrice Bergeron (63, in 64 games)
4.) Torey Krug (59)
5.) Danton Heinan (47)

Key Additions: Jaroslav Halak (G), John Moore (D), Joakim Nordstrom (LW), Chris Wagner (C)
Key Losses: Rick Nash (LW), Riley Nash (C), Nick Holden (D), Anton Khudobin (G), Tim Schaller (C), Brian Gionta (RW), Tommy Wingels (C)

 

Projected Lineup:
Marchand - Bergeron - Bjork 
DeBrusk - Krejci - Pastrnak
Donato - Backes - Heinen
Nordstrom - Kurlay - Wagner
Cehlarik

Chara - Carlo
Moore - McAvoy
Krug - Miller

Rask
Halak

Top Prospects we might/might not see 
1.) Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson, C, taken 2nd round 2015
2.) Urho Vaakanainen, D, 1st round 2017
3.) Ryan Donato, C, 2nd round 2014
4.) Anders Bjork, LW, taken 146th in 2014
5.) Trent Frederic, C, 1st round 2016

My thoughts
In the throes of the tank, we laughed at these guys. They were on the way down. They missed the playoffs at the last possible second and were getting old. Then Pastrnak and McAvoy blossomed, and Marchand is suddenly a top 3 scoring forward in the league? Imagine fans of a franchise that lost on purpose, finishing last 3 years later again, making fun of a franchise that "declined" in the form of : 117 points, 96 points, to rock bottom at 93 points, then 95, and then 112. If only we could fall apart like that, eh? 
They lost some old depth forwards this summer, but with the emergence of Heinen and DeBrusk, this might actually be a net good thing. I've read good things about the readiness of Kurlay and Bjork and Donato too. I doubt these guys miss a beat. Cassidy appears to be a good coach, and the swing-and-a-miss in the 2015 draft is already a distant memory and won't harm them, even if they could be set up better now. Marchand and Bergeron are still only 29/30 and have plenty of miles left. Hopefully Bergeron can stay healthy. At absolute worst, injuries could make this team a bubble team. At best, they could win the division and the cup with a fair bit of ease. They're likely a top 5-6 team in the NHL. Also, McAvoy is a goddamn stud. I'm jealous of this franchise. Luckily we get 'em on the second night of a back-to-back with travel, opening day. 

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As far as the Coyotes go, I have trouble seeing a team with Stepan as the top centre and Panik and Hinostrozza in the top six as being a playoff team. Like the D for the most part, Raanta looks solid, they do have some kids who could improve, and they displayed decent hockey down the stretch, (when, as Weave and Freeman would say, the season was over). But overall they seem like a 70-something team to me.

Edited by dudacek
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Boston's first line is what drives the rest of the team, that line is the best in hockey.   I really don't think I can find any top line in hockey where all 3 players are so good none drag another down.     Most top lines have a  1-2 punch, this line can play 30 minutes a night and the rest can clean up the scraps.

Its their D though, I expected them to fall down last year, I mean Chara can't keep going right ? But yeah I'd like McAvoy.

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Buffalo Sabres
Record last season: 25-45-12, 62 points, last place in NHL
Playoffs: ?
Coach: Phil Housley
GM: Jason Botterill
Captain: Vacant

GF: 198 (31st)
GA: 278 (29th)
PP: 19.1% (20th)
PK: 77.9% (22nd)


Top 5G:
1.) Jack Eichel (25, 67 games)
2.) Sam Reinhart (25)
3.) Ryan O'Reilly (24)
4.) Evander Kane (20, in 61 games for us)
5.) Jason Pominville (16)

Top 5A:
1.) Jack Eichel (39)
2.) Ryan O'Reilly (37)
3.) Rasmus Ristolainen (35)
4.) Kyle Okposo (29)
5.) Sam Reinhart (25)

Top 5 PTS:
1.) Jack Eichel (64)
2.) Ryan O'Reilly (61)
3.) Sam Reinhart (50)
4.) Kyle Okposo (44)
5.) Rasmus Ristolainen (41)

Key Additions: Conor Sheary (LW), Vladimir Sobotka (LW/C), Patrik Berglund (LW/C), Jeff Skinner (LW), Tage Thompson (RW), Rasmus Dahlin (D), Matt Hunwick (D), Carter Hutton (G)
Key Losses: Ryan O'Reilly (C), Robin Lehner (G), Chad Johnson (G), Benoit Pouliot (LW), Victor Antipin (D), Jordan Nolan (LW), Seth Griffith (RW), Josh Gorges (D), Justin Falk (D), technically Kane? 

 

Projected Lineup: (Just a guess as what we'll see, who knows what it looks like)
Sheary - Eichel - Reinhart
Skinner - Mittelstadt - Okposo
Girgensons - Berglund - Rodrigues
Wilson - Sobotka - Baptiste/Pominville/Larsson/kid
You all know who the prospects are knocking at the door

Scandella - Ristolainen
Dahlin - Bogosian
McCabe - Nelson/Guhle/Pilut/Hunwick

Hutton
Ullmark

Top Prospects we might/might not see 
1.) Rasmus Dahlin, i think his name is.
2.) Casey Mittelstadt
3.) Brendan Guhle
4.) Alex Nylander
5.) Tage Thompson

We'll probably see all of these guys this year.

My thoughts
These are well-documented elsewhere. It's certainly a completely different team from the one which finished in last place. Let's hope for the best!

Edited by Randall Flagg
I forgot Sheary
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2 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Wouldn't you say Mittelstud is also a key addition?  6 games at the end of the season doesn’t make him a vet.

I used The Hockey News as the source for most of the lists including that bit. They must define addition as someone who wasn't in the organization last season but is now, not someone who will likely make the team that didn't last year - hence Guhle/possible rookies not making it on that list either

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1 minute ago, Randall Flagg said:

I used The Hockey News as the source for most of the lists including that bit. They must define addition as someone who wasn't in the organization last season but is now, not someone who will likely make the team that didn't last year - hence Guhle/possible rookies not making it on that list either

Except Mittelstadt was basically our 1st off-season signing at the end of last season.  

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