2023-24 NHL Predictions

It's that time of year again when yours truly puts what's left of his reputation on the line. Two years ago, I had the Vegas Golden Knights and New York Islanders in the Stanley Cup Finals; neither team made the playoffs. Last year, I picked the Rangers and Colorado Avalanche to meet in the Finals; both teams were eliminated in the first round. So, I guess you could say I'm improving. At this rate, in another three years, I'll finally nail it.

All kidding aside, it's all done in fun, so don't take it too seriously. After all, I had the Columbus Blue Jackets as a wild card last season and they were one of the worst teams in the NHL. So with that in mind, let's get on with the predictions.

Eastern Conference:

Atlantic Division:

Toronto Maple Leafs: The Leafs finally won a playoff series last season - beating the Tampa Bay Lightning in seven - and then promptly lost to the Florida Panthers in the next round. As usual, it's never about the level of talent in Toronto, but rather the level of toughness. Hence, the signings of Tyler Bertuzzi and Ryan Reaves. The fab four will carry the offensive load, but after that, they're a little thin to make a deep run in the postseason.

Florida Panthers: Last season, the Panthers - formerly known as the Puddy Tats - shocked the hockey world by not just knocking off the Presidents' Trophy Boston Bruins, but going all the way to the finals before finally losing to the Vegas Golden Knights. Matthew Tkachuk is one of the best all-around forwards in the game and Sergei Bobrovsky redeemed his reputation last spring as a money goaltender.

Boston Bruins: Patrice Bergeron and David Krejčí both retired, Taylor Hall was dealt to the Blackhawks, and Tyler Bertuzzi and Dmitry Orlov both left via free agency. No team in the league was probably more negatively impacted by the constraints of the flat salary cap than the Bruins. And yet, this will still be a solid defensive team with elite-level goaltending that will win its fair share of games.

Metropolitan Division:

New Jersey Devils: If you saw their meteoric rise last season you're a better man than me. Rarely has a core popped all at once. Their speed down the middle is their greatest asset and they will give defenses fits all season long. I'm still not sold that their goaltending is up to the task of going the distance and they're a little thin on the blue line. But their top six is as good as it gets.

Carolina Hurricanes: Michael Bunting should fit right in with this group of forwards which, though lacking explosiveness, is one of the most cohesive groups in the NHL. No team generates more scoring chances than the Canes. But as we saw in last year's ECF, they lack the finishers to capitalizes on them.

New York Rangers: Peter Laviolette is tasked with turning this talent laden team into a Cup contender. It may take a while for his up-tempo system to be fully implemented, hence the third place prediction. With Shesterkin in net, they will always be a threat. Whether they have the testicular fortitude to go all the way remains to be seen.

Wild Cards: 

Buffalo Sabres: If the Sabres had played as well at home as they did on the road, they would've made the playoffs last season. This is an up and coming team that is young, talented and on the verge of being a genuine contender. They will drive whichever team they meet in the postseason up the wall. Defense is their only concern.

Ottawa Senators: Another young team on the rise. Brady Thuchuk - Matthew's younger brother - and Tim Stützle are genuine stars. Like the Sabres, they're also a year or two away from being a contender, but watch out.

Close but no cigar:

Pittsburgh Penguins: One of the oldest teams in the league needed to get younger and better on D. So what did new GM Kyle Dumas do? He traded for 32 year-old winger Reilly Smith and 33 year-old defenseman Erik Karlsson, quite possibly the worst plus / minus recipient of the Norris trophy ever.

New York Islanders: The shame here is that Ilya Sorokin will be a finalist for the Vezina trophy and he's trapped on a team that will struggle to find offense. Poor Lou Lamoriello; he still thinks it's the '90s.

Tampa Bay Lightning: Since they won their second Cup in a row in '21, they've turned over half their roster. And now they'll be without Andrei Vasilevskiy until mid-December. Not even Toe Blake could save them.

Western Conference:

Central Division:

Colorado Avalanche: Even without Gabriel Landeskog, they are a formidable force to be reckoned with. Nathan MacKinnon is one of the best two-way centers in the league and Cale Makar a perennial Norris trophy candidate. Ryan Johansen and Ross Colton were shrewd pickups by Chris MacFarland. They are well coached and a legit threat to go all the way.

Dallas Stars: I underestimated them last season, as did a lot of people. They're deep and they have one of the best defensemen in the the league in Miro Heiskanen, not to mention one of the best goalies in Jake Oettinger.

Minnesota Wild: G.M. Bill Guerin is doing the best he can with the dead cap hits he was forced to take thanks to his predecessor. They'll be in the mix but a lack of depth will come back to bite them in the end.

Pacific Division: 

Vegas Golden Knights: Boy, do I feel really stupid. Not only did I not have them winning the Cup last season, I didn't even have them making the playoffs. I won't make that mistake again. The secret to Vegas's success is their depth at both forward and defense. They can come with you with four lines and all three of their defense pairings are big and mobile. They are the odds-on favorites to repeat.

Edmonton Oilers: The over / under on Connor McDavid's point total this season is 137.5. Take the over. McDavid is without question the best player in the NHL. Mattias Ekholm - a trade deadline pickup - is a solid, stay at home defenseman, a rarity in Edmonton. The flat salary cap has hindered what G.M. Ken Holland can do to address the lack of depth. Jack Campbell is an adequate, but hardly elite, goalie.

Los Angeles Kings: The Kings are betting that Pierre-Luc Dubois will provide the offensive balance they've been looking for to make them a legit contender. It's a bet that may pay off. With Dubois at center and Kevin Fiala at wing, LA has a potent one-two punch.

Wild Cards:

Seattle Kraken: Were it not for the upset of the Bruins at the hands of the Panthers, the Kraken's upset of the Avalanche would've been the story of the year. In just two short seasons G.M. Ron Francis has done a tremendous job meticulously building a team that last season was one win away from advancing to the conference finals.

Calgary Flames: Now that old blood and guts Darryl Sutter has been shown the door, this team can finally exhale. The Flames have the talent and the goaltending to be a playoff team. They're not in the same class as Vegas or Edmonton or Colorado, but they are much better than what they showed last season.

Close but no cigar:

Winnipeg Jets: Losing Dubois and Blake Wheeler - a buyout - will hinder a team that made the playoffs last season by the skin of its teeth. It's going to be a tough year in Winnipeg.

Playoffs:

Eastern Conference Finals: Rangers over the Maple Leafs 4-3

Western Conference Finals: Avalanche over the Golden Knights 4-3

Stanley Cup Finals: Rangers over the Avalanche 4-3

Year End Awards:

Presidents' Trophy: Colorado Avalanche

Art Ross Trophy: Connor McDavid, Oilers

Hart Trophy: Matthew Tkachuk, Panthers

Norris Trophy: Miro Heiskanen, Stars

Vezina Trophy: Ilya Sorokin, Islanders

Jack Adams Award: Peter Laviolette, Rangers

Conn Smythe Trophy: Igor Shesterkin, Rangers

Gary Bettman's Potential Early Christmas Present

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman's announcement, following a board of governors meeting in New York, that the salary cap might go up to $86.5 million instead of the expected $83.5 million came as welcomed news to every general manager and player agent in the sport.

"We believe that there is a good probability that the escrow will be paid off this season. It may not be, but it’s going to be close we think, which means the flat cap will be replaced by a bigger increase. Revenue is pretty vibrant. We probably did $5.4 billion in [hockey-related revenues] this past season, which is actually about a half a billion more than we projected a year ago when we were starting things up. Things are good."

For those who haven't been paying attention - and from what I've seen on Twitter, that appears to be a rather large contingent of fans - the league has been operating under a flat cap since the 2019-20 season was paused due to the Covid-19 pandemic. At the time, the salary cap was $81.5 million, and to make sure the cap wasn't reduced, the NHLPA agreed to have part of their players salaries placed into an escrow account. The understanding being that once that balance was paid off, the cap would resume its pre-pandemic trajectory. Initially, that was supposed to be at the conclusion of the 2023-24 season. That timeline has now been accelerated by one season.

It cannot be overstated just how significant this development is. Notwithstanding the financial losses the league suffered, many teams are literally staring at cap hell, both this season and next. A look at some of the moves GMs were forced to make over the past two summers underscores just how difficult it's been to build and retain a core of players. Many teams were unable to field a full roster of 23 players this season because they simply don't have the cap space. The Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche couldn't re-sign their number two center Nazem Kadri over the summer because they would've been over the cap. He subsequently signed with the Calgary Flames. Imagine if the Avs had an extra $3 million in the kitty.

Closer to home, Chris Drury is facing something of a quandary himself. At the conclusion of this season, Alexis Lafreniere, K'Andre Miller and Filip Chytil are all RFAs. At present, the Rangers, after waiving Dryden Hunt - or as Ranger Twitter has referred to him, the second coming of Rick Middleton - have just over $900k in cap space. That translates to about $4 million in deadline cap space for Drury to shop around for reinforcements at the trade deadline.

Assuming there are no additional buyouts this offseason, the Rangers will get $3.4 million in dead cap space off the books. Every cent of that money, and then some, will go to re-signing either Lafreniere or Miller, leaving Drury with some tough choices about which players to trade or let go. Even with the expected additional $1 million in salary cap and the expiration of Ryan Reaves' $1.75 million contract, there just isn't enough room at the inn to keep the band together. Imagine going through the pains of a rebuild and not being able to see it all the way through.

Now if all goes according to plan, Drury might be able to have his cake and eat it too. With a salary cap at $86.5 million, the Rangers would be able to keep Lafreniere, Miller and Chytil, provided they can get at least one of them - preferably Chytil - into a bridge deal. Below is what a potential 2023-24 roster could look like:

2023-24 Salary Cap

$86,500,000.00

Forwards
Panarin	$11,642,857.00
Zibanejad	$8,500,000.00
Kreider	$6,500,000.00
Trocheck	$5,625,000.00
Lafreniere	$5,000,000.00
Chytil	$3,750,000.00
Goodrow	$3,641,667.00
Kakko	$2,100,000.00
Blais	$1,525,000.00
Othmann	$894,167.00
Korczak	$859,167.00
Cuylle	$828,333.00
Rydahl	$800,000.00

Total  $51,666,191.00

Defensemen
Fox	$9,500,000.00
Trouba	$8,000,000.00
Miller	$4,000,000.00
Lindgren	$3,000,000.00
Jones	$1,200,000.00
Schneider	$925,000.00

Total

$26,625,000.00

Goalies
Gerand	$828,333.00
Shesterkin	$5,666,667.00

Total

$6,495,000.00

Total Cap Hit	$84,786,191.00
CAP SPACE	$1,713,809.00

As you'll note, I have Blais returning next year for the same salary he's making now and both Othmann and Cuylle making the team. Also, I have Gerand as the backup to Igor. I assume Drury will include Vitali Kravtsov in a deadline deal for either Patrick Kane or someone with a similar skill set. The bottom line is that under the higher cap, the Rangers would be able to retain not only their core but their young studs as well for the foreseeable future.

Of course, none of this is etched in stone. Knowing the NHL's penchant for disappointing their fans, it's entirely possible that the escrow might not be fully paid off by the end of the season. In that event, Bettman has made it clear that the cap will only go up $1 million to $83.5. And if that's the case, GM's like Drury will have to, once more, make lemonade out of lemons.

2022-23 NHL Predictions

Seeing as how I was so "great" with my predictions last year - I actually had the Islanders over the Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup finals and neither team qualified for the postseason - I thought I'd give it another whirl. As always, take them with a rather large grain of salt.

Eastern Conference:

Atlantic Division:

Florida Panthers: They gave up their leading scorer and second best defenseman to land Matthew Tkachuk. That should tell you how desperate they were to get rid of the stench of last year's sweep at the hands of the Lightning. Time will tell if it was worth it.

Tampa Bay Lightning: Both Ryan McDonagh and Ondrej Palat were cap casualties and will be sorely missed. But there's still more than enough talent on this roster, and so long as they have Andrei Vasilevskiy in net, they have to be taken seriously as a Cup contender.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Everyone has jumped on their bandwagon this season, which is odd given that they didn't address their lack of depth during the offseason and they're relying on a goaltender whose best years are half a decade behind him. Auston Matthews will once again keep them relevant. 

Metropolitan Division:

New York Rangers: Vincent Trocheck is a step above Ryan Strome; the "kids" seem poised to have a break out year; and last season's Vezina trophy winner Igor Shesterkin is the best in the league. Chris Drury has done a masterful job as GM.

Carolina Hurricanes: Yes, Brent Burns is better than Tony DeAngelo, and they got Max Pacioretty from the Golden Knights ostensibly for free, but losing Trocheck to the Rangers and Nino Niederreiter to the Predators will cost them.

Pittsburgh Penguins: They kept "the band" together. So what? The last time this "band" won a playoff series was 2018. The core of this team is old and getting older. Ron Hextall keeps punting the ball hoping for a muff. It won't work.

Wild Cards: 

Boson Bruins: God only knows how Don Sweeney managed to entice Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci to return on such team-friendly contracts - $2.5m and $1m respectively. Good for him. Sans them, this team would have a hard time staying above .500. But even with both on the roster, it's hard imagining them going far in the playoffs.

Columbus Blue Jackets: They made the biggest splash during the offseason, signing Johnny Gaudreau and then re-signed Patrik Laine. They'll score a ton of goals but struggle on D. 

Western Conference:

Central Division: 

Colorado Avalanche: They steamrolled their way to a Stanley Cup championship last season, going 16-4 in the tournament. And while losing Nazem Kadri to the Flames will test the depth of this team, the core is about as elite as it gets.

Nashville Predarors: McDonagh and Niederreiter were solid additions during the offseason and will make this team a formidable opponent during both the regular and postseason. Their goaltending is elite and their defense is among the best in the league.

St. Louis Blues: Balanced scoring throughout the lineup makes them a genuine threat, and Jordan Binnington is still one of the better goalies in the league.

Pacific Division:

Calgary Flames: Talk about turning lemons into lemonade. Their two best players departed over the summer: one via free agency, the other via a trade, and they managed to actually get better. Jonathan Huberdeau is one of the best forwards in the league and Kadri was the second best center on last year's Colorado Cup team. Despite last season's poor showing against the Oilers in the second round, Jacob Markstrom is an outstanding goaltender.

Edmonton Oilers: I'm going out on a limb here by picking them again for second place. They have the scoring up front with Connor McDavid; the issue is the defense. Jack Campbell may not be an elite goalie, but he's head over heels better than Mike Smith.

L.A. Kings: They lucked out when the Wild had to shed Kevin Fiala's contract in an obvious salary dump. Now they will at least be able to put some pucks in the net. Jonathan Quick should still have enough left in the tank to give them first-rate goaltending.

Wild Cards:

Minnesota Wild: Fiala was a salary cap casualty. And that's unfortunate for a team that challenged for second place in the division last season. They re-signed Marc-Andre Fleury so that will help.

Vancouver Canucks: Now that they've extended J.T. Miller and they have their coach in place, I expect they will do what they should've done last year: make the playoffs.

Close but no cigar:

Eastern Conference:

New York Islanders: For the second straight offseason, Lou Lamoriello failed to add an elite scorer to this otherwise pedestrian forward group. Pity Mathew Barzall, who deserves better than what he's been given.

Washington Capitals: They needed to get younger and didn't. The good news is that at least their fans will be able to see Alex Ovechkin break Wayne Gretzky's goal record.

New Jersey Devils: They needed a sniper on the wing; they got Ondrej Palat. They needed a solid goaltender; they got Vitek Vanecek. They'll score a lot of goals; they'll give up more.

Western Conference:

Vegas Golden Knights: Their successful pursuit of Jack Eichel has cost them Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs, and Max Pacioretty. It will now cost them a second-consecutive postseason berth.

Dallas Stars: They extended the Flames a full seven games in the opening round of the playoffs last season. This year they won't get that chance.

Playoffs:

Eastern Conference Finals: Rangers over the Lightning 4-2

Western Conference Finals: Avalanche over the Flames 4-3

Stanley Cup Finals: Avalanche over the Rangers 4-2

Year End Awards:

Presidents' Trophy: Colorado Avalanche

Art Ross Trophy: Connor McDavid, Oilers

Hart Trophy: Jonathan Huberdeau, Flames

Norris Trophy: Roman Josi, Predators

Vezina Trophy: Andrei Vasilevskiy, Lightning

Jack Adams Award: Gerard Gallant, Rangers

Conn Smythe Trophy: Cale Makar, Avalanche

NHL Playoff Preview (Second Round)

With round one now complete, the second round starts Tuesday with four series: two in each conference. Before we get to them, though, let's review what happened in the last round.

I went seven for eight, the only miss being the Minnesota Wild. While I thought that series would go the distance, I expected the Wild to emerge on top. I also didn't think the Dallas Stars would extend the Calgary Flames out to seven games before finally succumbing in overtime. Either Stars goalie Jake Oettinger is much better than his stats indicate, or the Flames aren't quite as good as the experts thought.

One thing that stood out was how many game sevens there were: five in all. In fact, the only series that wasn't remotely competitive was the one between the Colorado Avalanche and Nashville Predators. The Avs dispatched the Preds in four straight. That may not necessarily help them against their next opponent as they've been idle since May 9, but we'll see.

Like the last round, I will start with the matchup involving my Rangers and will continue to do so as long as they are in the playoffs. Let's hope both they and I stay hot.

Eastern Conference:

Carolina vs. New York: Both these teams took the full seven games to defeat their first round opponents. What was striking was how the Hurricanes did it. They went 4-0 at home and 0-3 on the road against the Boston Bruins. It's unusual to see such results given how tight this conference was during the regular season. Even more unusual was the margin of victory in each of the games. With the exception of game seven, there wasn't a single game in the series that wasn't decided by two goals or more. The Canes won their contests 5-1, 5-2, 5-1 and 3-2; while the Bruins won theirs 4-2, 5-2 and 5-2. By contrast, the Rangers series against the Pittsburgh Penguins was considerably closer. Only one rout, two overtime decisions and four empty net goals in three games, padding what would've been one-goal margin of victories. Bottom line: the Rangers / Pens series was far more exciting to watch.

So how do these teams measure up against each other? I won't soft soap it: the Hurricanes, despite being extended by the Bruins, are the worst possible matchup for the Rangers. It isn't just that they went 1-3 against them in the regular season, with the lone win owed entirely to Alexandar Georgiev having the best game of his life in goal. It's that their style of play has historically given them fits for years. Against the Pens they at least had some room to create in the offensive zone; the Canes smothering defense will take away even that.

The one advantage the Blueshirts have - and it's massive - is in goal. Everyone who opted to vote for Auston Matthews over Igor Shesterkin for the Hart trophy must feel pretty stupid right about now, given that Matthews is home and Igor is still playing hockey. Without Shesterkin between the pipes, the Pens, not the Rangers, would be opening up Wednesday night in Raleigh.

Mika Zibanejad had the best two games of his Rangers career in games six and seven. He will have to replicate that over a full seven games against an opponent that is both deep and talented. The Canes employ the same type of stick-in-the-lane defense that the Islanders are notorious for, only they do it better. There's only one way to beat it - assuming it can be beat - and that is by driving to the net and getting as many shots on goal as possible. The Bruins accomplished that three times, but failed in their fourth attempt. This incessant need to pass up a good shot to get a better one almost cost them against the Pens; it has stop now. When the Rangers have a scoring opportunity they must capitalize on it. And when the Canes have the puck, the Rangers must do a much better job in front of their goal than they did against the Pens. Shesterkin might be able to steal one or two games, but he can't steal four. He will need some help from his teammates.

The heart says Rangers in seven; the head says otherwise. Hurricanes in six.

Florida vs. Tampa Bay: The Lightning beat the Maple Leafs in seven, while the Puddy Tats needed six to dispatch the Capitals. That by itself should be all you need to pick the winner of this series. However, if Brayden Point, injured in game seven of the Leafs series, is unable to play or is hobbled, that changes everything. Assuming he only misses the first two games, it shouldn't matter that much. The Lightning have the experience, the defense and the goaltending to overcome the Panthers' vaunted offense. Bolts in seven.

Western Conference:

Colorado vs. St. Louis: The Blues have nine 20 plus goal scorers on their roster. That's called depth and they will need every bit of that depth against an Avalanche team that seems poised to go through the postseason tournament the way crap goes through a goose. The only potential road block might be the play of Blues goalie Jordan Binnington, who went 3-0 against the Wild and has regained the form that helped St. Louis win the Cup in 2019. Avs in seven.

Calgary vs. Edmonton: The Battle of Alberta. These two teams haven't met in the playoffs since 1991, the last season Mark Messier was an Oiler. The Oilers won that series 4-3. Thirty-one years later, the Flames hope to return the favor. They are, at least on paper, the superior team, with the better goaltender, even if Connor McDavid is the best player in the series. Edmonton did something no-one thought they were capable of doing: play a defensive system in beating the Kings; and Calgary surprised a lot of people by barely beating a team that had no business hanging around as long as it did. Oilers in seven.

As with all my picks, don't go bettin' the ranch on them.

NHL Power Rankings: Evaluating the Top Eight Teams in Each Conference

Now that we're past the halfway point in the NHL season, it's time to re-evaluate my power rankings for the sixteen best teams in the NHL. 

Since my initial season-opening projections, there've been a few surprises; the biggest being the collapse of the Islanders, who I picked to win the Stanley Cup this year, and who were only five wins away from doing just that last year. Read my thoughts on what went wrong. Whether they will be sellers at the trade deadline remains to be seen.

Unlike October, when I predicted who the top three teams in each division would be, plus the wild cards, this time around, I've decided to rate the top eight teams in each conference, followed who I believe will win the Cup.

My criteria for evaluating each team comes down to the following: won/loss record, goals for and against, special teams, 5v5 play, goaltending and, finally, my gut instincts. That last one isn't always as trustworthy as I would like it to be.

As always, take these predictions with a grain or two or three of salt.

Eastern Conference:

1. Carolina Hurricanes: From top to bottom, the most balanced team in the NHL. Their forwards check with a reckless abandon and their defense, while lacking the pizazz of an Adam Fox or Cale Makar, has allowed the second fewest goals in the league. Imagine having to win four out of seven games in a playoff series against this team. I pity whoever draws the short straw in the wild card race.

2. Tampa Bay Lightning: They lost their entire third line during the offseason and didn't miss a beat. Credit GM Julien BrisBois for retooling on the fly. No one navigates the salary cap better. They can skate and they can check, and they have the number one goalie in all of hockey. It wouldn't shock me one bit if they won it all again.

3. Pittsburgh Penguins: Despite losing four straight going into the all-star break, they've been one of the most consistent teams this season, and they've managed to do it with Sidney Crosby missing a dozen games and Evgeni Malkin missing more than 30. Coach Mike Sullivan deserves a lot of credit. Don't sleep on them.

4. Florida Panthers: A world-class offense reminiscent of the great Edmonton Oilers teams of the '80s, and yet for all their prowess with the puck, they can be sloppy in their own end, which could bite them in the postseason. They remind me of the '92 Rangers: loaded up front, but soft.

5. New York Rangers: They have four of the top twenty scorers in the league, their special teams have been in the top ten all season long, and goalie Igor Shesterkin has stolen at least a half dozen games for them. Still, their 5v5 play ranks near the bottom, and unless it's addressed via a trade, it could undermine their playoff prospects.

6. Toronto Maple Leafs: Their regular season successes have been consistently met by epic collapses in the postseason. On paper, they look like world beaters, but until they prove they can win when it counts, I will remain a skeptic.

7. Washington Capitals: Ever since they won the Cup in 2018, they've consistently underperformed in the playoffs. And I've seen nothing this season that makes me believe a repeat performance isn't in the offing. They're showing their age and their goaltending is suspect.

8. Boston Bruins: They've been looking for a number two center ever since David Krejci retired, going so far as to put a winger between Taylor Hall and David Pastrnak. And now that Tuukka Rask has called it a career, it's hard to see this team making a serious run in the postseason.

Western Conference:

1. Colorado Avalanche: Watching this team play is like watching a tsunami come ashore. Just when you're done with the first wave, the second wave hits you. How dangerous are they? Their best forward, Nazem Kadri, happens to be their number two center. With Cale Makar having a Norris trophy-type season, they might be unstoppable in the playoffs.

2. Vegas Golden Knights: Jack Eichel is expected to make his season debut in a couple of weeks. The rest of their forward contingent is the perfect blend of skill and grit. They have the goaltending and the depth to make a deep run in the postseason. The only thing standing in their way might be the Avs.

3. Calgary Flames: Jacob Markstrom leads the NHL with eight shutouts, and their coach, Darryl Sutter, has twice before piloted a team to a Stanley Cup championship. It's worth noting that both times the LA Kings won, they were not the best team in the league. Food for thought.

4. Minnesota Wild: I'll be honest, I totally missed this team. The third best offense in the conference and a very stingy defense makes them a dangerous opponent in the playoffs. And I have a soft spot for Mats Zuccarello. The ex-Ranger is having a career year and I'd like to see him hoist the Cup.

5. Nashville Predators: They have the comeback player of the year in Matt Duchene and an all-star goalie in Juuse Saros. I'm not sure they have enough depth to go far in the postseason but their hard-nosed style of play will be difficult for opponents to overcome.

6. St. Louis Blues: Three years removed from a Stanley Cup, this team has been quietly flying under the radar. They've retooled and they could shock someone.

7. Los Angeles Kings: Talk about rebuilds. The Kings weren't supposed to be competing for a playoff spot. Yet, here they are. Jonathan Quick is still solid in net and Anze Kopitar, at 34, is the leading scorer. They'll probably exit early but this is a team moving in the right direction.

8. Edmonton Oilers: As of this writing, the Oilers are 5th in the Pacific Division, six points out of a playoff spot. It's unfathomable that a team with Connor McDavid and Leon Drasaitl could miss the postseason, and that's why I'm predicting that won't happen. Somehow, someway, this team will find a way to sneak in. But poor goaltending and a lack of grit will prove to be their undoing. 

Cup finals: Colorado Avalanche over the Carolina Hurricanes, 4-3.