Columbus Blue Jackets

2015/16 NHL Standings, Playoffs, and Award Predictions

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It’s that time of year again where I make my sometimes awful predictions on how the upcoming season of NHL hockey will play out. Despite there always being a few surprises that no one accounts for, I’m fairly confident I’ll do quite well this season. It seems like most of the bottom feeders gunning for the chance to draft Auston Matthews are set in stone, while the heavy hitters look like they’re largely going to be the same as last season. Or not, who the hell knows?

First up are my final division standings predictions, with teams I’m picking to make the playoffs in bold.

Central

  1. Stars
  2. Blackhawks
  3. Predators
  4. Blues
  5. Avalanche
  6. Wild
  7. Jets

Pacific

  1. Ducks
  2. Kings
  3. Flames
  4. Sharks
  5. Oilers
  6. Canucks
  7. Coyotes

Atlantic

  1. Lightning
  2. Senators
  3. Canadiens
  4. Panthers
  5. Red Wings
  6. Bruins
  7. Sabres
  8. Maple Leafs

Metropolitan

  1. Penguins
  2. Capitals
  3. Rangers
  4. Blue Jackets
  5. Islanders
  6. Hurricanes
  7. Flyers
  8. Devils

Gambling on Dallas to win the Central division, while taking the safe picks in Anaheim, Tampa Bay, and Pittsburgh for the others. I also think Colorado makes it back into the playoffs with a healthier/improved defense, which along with the Stars now making it, unfortunately bumps both Minnesota and Winnipeg out of the playoff picture. Finally, the Blue Jackets better damn well make the playoffs this year and I’m probably wrong in dropping both Boston and Detroit out of the top 8 in the East, but whatever.

As for the playoffs, I’ll just pick what I think/hope the Stanley Cup Finals matchup will be…

Anaheim Ducks vs. Washington Capitals

Bruce Boudreau finally coaching a team to the finals, only to come face to face with his old team led by Alexander Ovechkin. That would be awesome!!

The Ducks are a safe pick as they improved in the offseason and came within a game of the Finals last season, falling to a Blackhawks team that shouldn’t be as strong this time around.

The Capitals are a slight gamble, but the East is much more of a toss up anyway. I think they’ll improve with another season under coach Barry Trotz, who much like Boudreau also hasn’t reached the Finals yet despite tons of regular season success.

Oh, and if I’m going to pick Washington to reach the Finals you know damn well I’m picking them to win the Stanley Cup, somehow. Seeing Ovechkin carrying that silver chalice around the ice would be glorious.

Lastly, here are some award predictions, which never goes well…

Hart Memorial Trophy: Sidney Crosby

Ted Lindsay Award: Sidney Crosby

Conn Smythe Trophy: Alexander Ovechkin

Art Ross Trophy: Sidney Crosby

Maurice Richard Trophy: Alexander Ovechkin

James Norris Memorial Trophy: Victor Hedman

Vezina Trophy: Braden Holtby

Calder Memorial Trophy: Jack Eichel

Frank J. Selke Trophy: Jonathan Toews

Jack Adams Award: Lindy Ruff

NHL GM of the Year Award: Jim Nill

Mark Messier Leadership Award: Ryan Getzlaf

Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: Anze Kopitar

Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy: Jaromir Jagr

King Clancy Memorial Trophy: Mark Giordano

NHL Foundation Player Award: P. K. Subban

William M. Jennings Trophy: Jonathan Quick

NHL Plus-Minus Award: Jonathan Toews

Toews

2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Round Two Picks

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BecauseCup

I went 6 for 8 during the opening round, which isn’t too shabby, and I guess it’s my own fault that the two I got wrong I would never have picked in most years because I despise both teams (Colorado and Philadelphia). Oh well. As for number of games predictions, nailed Pittsburgh/Columbus and San Jose/Los Angeles.

Round Two looks like it should be much easier in my opinion as only one series really is evenly matched. Here are my picks…

Eastern Conference

Boston Bruins vs. Montreal Canadiens

Gotta go with the big bad Bruins. I honestly don’t think the Canadiens have a chance in this series, but they’ll still manage to squeak out a few wins because of the hometown fans and the terrible, biased referees. Just too much depth on that impressive Boston team for Montreal to contend with.

Bruins in 6.

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. New York Rangers

Pittsburgh didn’t exactly look great against Columbus and when they were good it only came in spurts. Lucky for them, the Rangers are built very similarly to the Blue Jackets (mediocre offense, great defense and goaltending), so just as long as they can pot a few goals and Marc-Andre Fleury doesn’t completely shit the bed, they’ll take it.

Penguins in 6.

Western Conference

Anaheim Ducks vs. Los Angeles Kings

This is by far the toughest series to pick in Round Two, maybe even for the entire playoffs thus far, but in the end I think it’ll come down to the Kings having the edge in goaltending and on defense. Quick has really turned his game around after that disastrous opening against the Sharks and LA’s team defense is still tops in the West when it wants to be. This will be one heck of a series either way.

Kings in 7.

Chicago Blackhawks vs. Minnesota Wild

And this should be the easiest Round Two series to predict, though I also said that about the Round One series featuring Minnesota, so not a good omen. I just don’t see how the Wild can upset the defending Stanley Cup champions when their goaltending is patchwork at best and Ryan Suter can’t clone himself so he can be on the ice a full 60+ minutes. Sure, they can score goals when they outshoot the opposition, but that won’t happen against Chicago.

Blackhawks in 5.

 

 

The Power Rankings also went 6 for 8 in the opening round, incorrectly taking the higher ranked Avalanche and Lightning, though to be fair they would have picked Montreal over Tampa Bay had it been known that Ben Bishop would miss the entire series.

The Power Rankings have now been updated to reflect the opening round results and changed to reflect only the 16 teams that took part. Teams are still ranked based on overall strength, meaning a strong team that was eliminated, such as the Blues or Sharks, would still be favoured over an advancing team like the Wild.

Eastern Conference

Boston Bruins (#1) defeat Montreal Canadiens (#8)
Pittsburgh Penguins (#5) defeat New York Rangers (#13)

Western Conference

Los Angeles Kings (#3) defeat Anaheim Ducks (#4)
Chicago Blackhawks (#2) defeat Minnesota Wild (#10)

For Round Two it looks like I went with the exact same outcome that the Power Rankings predict.

To conclude, as of now, the official Puck Propaganda Power Rankings continue to project that the Boston Bruins will become the 2014 Stanley Cup champions.

Enjoy Round Two!!

2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Round One Picks

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2014_Stanley_Cup

Well it’s that time of year again, the time when I make myself look bad by trying to predict who will win each playoff series. Fun fun!!

Once again, apologies for the lack of blogging and new articles this year. I’ve been having a lot of fun writing for another website and in turn this one has taken a backseat. Hockey remains my one true love however and I’m actually going to start writing some stuff soon that can be posted both here and that other site, killing two birds with one stone, so to speak.

Anyway, let’s get down to business.

Eastern Conference

Boston Bruins vs. Detroit Red Wings

On paper, Boston should steamroll this one in epic fashion. However, Detroit is finally getting back to mostly full health and they’ve been playing excellent hockey for the last month or so. Also, it’s the Red Wings, man, they’re never a pushover. Still, no chance they win this series as far as I’m concerned, but they will make it interesting.

Bruins in 6.

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Columbus Blue Jackets

Again, on paper, it’s another easy one to predict. Pittsburgh is filled to the brim with star power and depth at all positions. Only problem is Marc-Andre Fleury. Does he spontaneously combust in the playoffs yet again? Probably not this round as Columbus doesn’t have a lot of fire power. The Blue Jackets are stacked defensively though and have a Vezina winner in goal, so don’t count them out entirely.

Penguins in 6.

Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Montreal Canadiens

This could be the most entertaining first round series in the East from an offensive standpoint as both teams are fast and skilled while largely relying on a single defensive pairing, so breakdowns will happen. Unfortunately for Tampa Bay their fate largely relies on the health of Ben Bishop. If he’s not ready to go or close to 100%, Steven Stamkos will need to score A LOT.

Canadiens in 6.

New York Rangers vs. Philadelphia Flyers

Now this one is the actual highlight of the opening round in the East. These two teams hate each other and therefore it should be a fiercely contested, physical affair. It’s a tough series to call because the Flyers easily have the superior offense, but the Rangers easily have the better defense and goaltending. Defense wins championships and that’s what I usually go with, but I think I’ll gamble slightly on this one.

Flyers in 7.

Western Conference

Anaheim Ducks vs. Dallas Stars

I really, really want to pick Dallas here because I feel this is the most likely true upset in the first round. They won the season series over Anaheim, they’ve got Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin firing on all cylinders, and they’ve got some goo playoff experience throughout the lineup. Nonetheless, the Ducks lineup will just be way too deep in the end for the Stars to overcome.

Ducks in 7.

Colorado Avalanche vs. Minnesota Wild

Colorado lucked out big time in the playoff seeding, snagging the one team they match up against the best. The Avalanche easily outclass the Wild on offense and in goal, while they both have fairly unremarkable defense outside of one or two key guys. The one wrinkle here for Colorado is Ryan Suter. He’ll be out there 30+ minutes per night for the Wild and should limit Colorado’s offense somewhat.

Avalanche in 5.

St. Louis Blues vs. Chicago Blackhawks

Probably the two most stacked, well-rounded teams in the entire playoffs, yet both stumbled to the finish line and put a major dent in their Stanley Cup hopes. The Blues seem a little more banged up and are struggling the most, whereas the Blackhawks are the defending champions and know what to do when the pressure’s on. Gotta stick with Chicago on this one.

Blackhawks in 7.

San Jose Sharks vs. Los Angeles Kings

If you only watch one series in the first round, make it this one and I promise you won’t be disappointed. This is the third playoff meeting between the two in the past four seasons, each with a victory, and both were hugely entertaining, while also extremely close. It’s a real toss up as to who comes out on top here, but I’m going to give the edge to the Kings, assuming Drew Doughty plays, and he better.

Kings in 7.

 

 

Finally, as always, I’ll also provide the first round winner predictions as determined by the recently updated end of regular season Power Rankings. Playoff injury adjustments have been made to the formula to only include those where the player is expected to miss all of or most of the opening round. It’s not a perfect science, but they’re easily the best in the business if I do say so myself.

Eastern Conference

Boston Bruins (#1) defeat Detroit Red Wings (#12)
Pittsburgh Penguins (#6) defeat Columbus Blue Jackets (#15)
Tampa Bay Lightning (#9) defeat Montreal Canadiens (#10)
New York Rangers (#13) defeat Philadelphia Flyers (#14)

Western Conference

Anaheim Ducks (#2) defeat Dallas Stars (#16)
Colorado Avalanche (#8) defeat Minnesota Wild (#11)
Chicago Blackhawks (#3) defeat St. Louis Blues (#4)
Los Angeles Kings (#5) defeat San Jose Sharks (#7)

The Power Rankings are projecting that the majority of the top seeds will prevail, with the lone exceptions being the Blackhawks and Kings moving on to round two. The picks also mirror my own aside from the Power Rankings going with the Rangers and Lightning.

To conclude, as of now, the official Puck Propaganda Power Rankings project that the Boston Bruins will become the 2014 Stanley Cup champions.

Enjoy the playoffs!!

Power Rankings Update: O Captain! My Captain!

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I meant to have the Power Rankings available yesterday, but once again they were delayed, this time due to a wonky internet connection at home. Anyway, they’re now up for your viewing pleasure and this time the notes are all about each team’s captain. Well, except for the Blue Jackets, who don’t currently have a captain. Oh, and the Sabres have two for some God awful reason. Bleh.

A lot of the league’s captains are doing amazingly in the early going, especially Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin. Some of the new captains as well, such as John Tavares and Mark Giordano, are off to hot starts. Then you have disgraceful captains like Claude Giroux tarnishing what it means to be a captain. Shameful.

ClaudeGiroux

Enjoy the rankings! There was a ton of movement this week due to a rash of injuries league wide. Gotta love it.

Midweek Rumor Report: Vanek, Yakupov, and Defensemen

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Welcome to a new weekly feature for the site, the Midweek Rumor Report! Each week, usually Wednesday but sometimes maybe Tuesday or Thursday, I’ll be taking a look at some of the recent trade and/or contract rumors floating around the NHL landscape. Occasionally I may also dabble in other gossip, such as coaches or general managers on the hot seat,  expansion/relocation talk, rule change proposals, and so on. Maybe even some non-NHL hockey stuff from time to time. It all depends on what’s out there for me to pick from.

This week I’ll take a look at one of the big name pending UFAs in Buffalo, a potential star in the doghouse, and various other tidbits involving defensemen.

ThomasVanek

Thomas Vanek will quite easily be one of the most sought after players this season and possibly during the offseason as well if he makes it to free agency, which would appear to be almost guaranteed. He turns 30 in January and should be more than capable of providing 30+ goals on a top line for numerous seasons to come. However, his value via trade for the Sabres is taking a huge hit due to the Minnesota connection.

You see, Vanek’s going to the Wild in free agency for sure. His wife is from there, his good buddy Jason Pominville is there, he played two seasons of college hockey at the University of Minnesota, and the Wild have the cash to pay him and a hole to fill with Dany Heatley coming off the books this summer. Therefore the best the Sabres can hope for in trade is a rental package for Vanek. That means a first round pick and a decent prospect or two.

I suppose there is a possibility the Sabres could pull off some crazy sign and trade with the Wild that nets them a slightly better return, but the chances of that would be pretty slim I think. Anyway, I’m sure I’ll report more on this story throughout the season.

NailYakupov

Nail Yakupov has been a healthy scratch for two games already this season and when he has played he hasn’t really done anything, though part of that is likely due to his linemates being Boyd Gordon and Jesse Joensuu half the time. Normally this type of information wouldn’t amount to anything when you’re dealing with a recent first overall draft pick, but for Edmonton it’s different. They have other recent first overall picks and plenty other quality offensive weapons, but their defense is downright atrocious and Devan Dubnyk is arguably the worst starting goaltender in hockey.

The easiest way to solve a problem is to deal from a position of strength, so that means Yakupov is expendable. Now they obviously won’t be giving him away for free, but don’t let anyone tell you that the Oilers aren’t fielding inquiries on his availability. It will take a considerable offer to part with him though.

There are a few candidates out there for Yakupov as a landing spot that can deal from their own position of strength that matches Edmonton’s needs. At the top is probably the Blue Jackets due to their wealth of defensemen. They have a ton of prospects, such as Ryan Murray, Tim Erixon, and David Savard, plus a few veterans that are still relatively young. James Wisniewski is still only 29, while Fedor Tyutin is 30. Nikita Nikitin is only 27, but may not have a ton of value due to being a pending UFA. Jack Johnson is the only defenseman I feel Columbus wouldn’t consider trading, but I suppose you never really know.

Another destination for Yakupov could be Phoenix. They need some elite offensive potential and Keith Yandle could be available due to the rise of Oliver Ekman-Larsson. If not Yandle, they have plenty of younger guys on the cusp of breaking out also, like David Rundblad, Michael Stone, and Brandon Gormley. The Coyotes might also be able to help out Edmonton in the goaltending area, as with Mike Smith signed for the next six seasons it’s possible they could move Mark Visentin, a former first round pick that’s certainly better than anything Edmonton has in the pipeline.

KimmoTimonen

It’s not just Edmonton looking for defensemen and goaltending though. Here’s some quick notes on other teams that are exploring options in that regard…

  • The Hurricanes are definitely still looking for another top four defenseman. Problem is Carolina doesn’t have much to offer aside from maybe their best prospect not currently on the team, Victor Rask. He wouldn’t be enough to get one on his own though.
  • Colorado may be flying high right now, but you know they want another veteran defenseman that can handle around 18+ minutes per night. How about Kimmo Timonen as a rental? Might be able to re-sign him to a cheap extension also if it works out.
  • Depending on the seriousness of Dan Boyle’s injury, the Sharks could be another team interested in Timonen. He’d fit in perfectly as a Boyle replacement and this may be the year the Sharks have to go all in.
  • Minnesota could definitely use another top four defenseman, as they only have three current defensemen playing over 16 minutes per game. Maybe Jason Zucker, who seems to have fallen out of favor,  plus a young defenseman could get it done?
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