VegasCanuck Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 We're only a week in, thought it would be fun to see what people think so far. We all know who the favorites are / should be. Who do you like that may be a dark horse to sneak in like Los Angeles did a couple of years ago? I've left out teams that I think came into this season with expectations that they should be challenging, and teams that I really don't believe have any chance this year, like Edmonton, Buffalo and Florida. As much as I'd like to make my pick Vancouver, my sleeper coming into the year is the Islanders! I think they have a ton of young talent and that they made the best overall pickups coming through training camp and right before the season. Who's your pick? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeremyCuddles Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 Vancouver, stand by my team everytime. They can have the 1st overall pick every year. I'll believe in them until the standings say they are officially eliminated. And after that don't care about playoffs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AriGold Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 I feel like NJ is a real sleeper this year. Solid goaltender in Schneider and they have depth beyond depth with all the vets they signed in the offseason.. They might surprise some people as long as they stay healthy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex425 Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 Us Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VegasCanuck Posted October 17, 2014 Author Share Posted October 17, 2014 Vancouver, stand by my team everytime. They can have the 1st overall pick every year. I'll believe in them until the standings say they are officially eliminated. And after that don't care about playoffs. Was hard not to pick Vancouver. I think they will make the playoffs this year, but unless Benning has a miracle trade up his sleeve, or Anaheim and Los Angeles get decimated by injuries, I can't see us getting out of the west this year. I think the Canucks can do some good damage though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theminister Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 Vancouver all the way. Rematch with the Isles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gross-Misconduct Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 The Canucks!! Yeah!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VegasCanuck Posted October 17, 2014 Author Share Posted October 17, 2014 Vancouver all the way. Rematch with the Isles. Would be AWESOME! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeefGormley Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 Oilers. er who am i kidding da canucks of course Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bookie Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 I'll stick with my pre-season pick of a Minnesota vs. Montreal final, though neither are complete sleeper picks having made it out of the first round last year. Of course personally I like the Vancouver-Islanders prediction as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VegasCanuck Posted October 17, 2014 Author Share Posted October 17, 2014 I'll stick with my pre-season pick of a Minnesota vs. Montreal final, though neither are complete sleeper picks having made it out of the first round last year. Of course personally I like the Vancouver-Islanders prediction as well. I left Montreal off. I think they have the overall talent level and goaltending to pull off an upset and they should be one of the teams in the East that are expected to perform. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bookie Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 alright then, Minnesota it is Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2SKATES1STICK Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 And after that don't care about playoffs. wow you really like hockey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5Fivehole0 Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 My top 3 are #1 Dallas #2 Vancouver #3 Minnesota Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watermelons Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 A lot of "ifs" but the Canucks could be a dark horse/sleeper pick to win the cup this year. If we get back to playing the puck posession game that we dominated the league with we will be able to get into the playoffs. This means, however, that the Sedins will need to prove that last year was just an abnormality (which I believe) and that they can become 70-80 point players again. I think this could happen with Vrbata on their line. Our second line with guys has to provide consistent scoring. I've been impressed by what Burrows and Bonino have been doing together but it's going to be harder to produce against the likes of Ducks, Kings, Hawks, Blues, etc. Our second line needs to be able to go against the other teams top players (especially at home) to free up the Sedins. One reason we were so successful in 2011 was because we had Malholtra and Kesler taking the most difficult matchups to free up the Sedins. Can Burrows, Bonino and Higgins take on the likes of Getzlaf, Toews, Kesler, Statsny, Backes, Thornton, Couture, Kopitar, etc.? Our bottom six has a lot of skill and grit. I'm liking the addition of Vey and he could easily slot into the top six in case of injuries or slumps. If Vey and Kassian can develop chemistry together then we have ourselves a fast, gritty and skilled third line. This will be different from the typical "shut down third line" but they could provide us much needed secondary scoring. Especially since WD is planning on rolling four lines. Richardson is an intriguing player. He's one of the best PK'ers on our team and can slot into the third or fourth line centre spot. He's no Malholtra but he's been winning faceoffs here and there and can be counted on late in the game to defend the lead. Dorsett also is another solid player and I'm liking the energy that he brings to our team. That brings us to Hansen, Matthias and Sesito fighting for spots on the team. They each bring a different skillset and I'm really hoping that Hansen can get back to the 2011 Hansen. At the very least he has speed and could open up space for the fourth line to create some scoring opportunities. Matthias is a big body but he's inconsistent. Sesito is a guy that I'd like to keep. He appears to be a really good teammate and can go up against the heavyweights of the other team. Winning one or two fights here and there could swing the momentum in our way and help us gain some valuable points. I wonder where Horvat slots in here... Our D-core is one of the better ones in the league but we lack a PMD. Edler could be what we are looking for and I'm hoping that he can keep up his play from the last two games. If we get the good Edler who is hitting everything that moves, carrying the puck into the offensive zone and making plays, then we will be good. I'm hoping that playing with a calm player like Tanev will help his play. With Hamhuis/Bieksa we know what we are getting. If we are against tough teams we could put them together and have them shut down their top line. I'm not so sure about the rest of our guys. Stanton played well so far and Weber is okay but Sbisa has been disappointing. Weber and Sbisa could be used interchangeably and paired with a guy like Hamhuis to cover for their mistakes. Our goaltending is as solid as it gets. Miller is calm and keeps his composure even if he lets in a couple goals. I expected Lack to put up similar numbers to last year if he plays about 30-35 games. He still isn't ready for a starting role but he's close and I hope the Canucks will steadily increase the amount of games he plays from now till when Miller leaves in three years. If we get the Buffalo Miller then we will make the playoffs no doubt. Our prospect pool looks really exciting and I'm pretty pumped for the future. Go Canucks Go! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theminister Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 alright then, Minnesota it is Wait.....aren't you The Bookie? I should really go with what an oddsmaker says. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canucks1219 Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 I really like the Dallas Stars' forward group. Their D is a little suspect, but oh well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gross-Misconduct Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 Ok, who picked Nashville? oh wait, nvm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Master Mind Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 Out of those options, I'd pick the Rangers, even though I wouldn't consider them a sleeper team. They did just make the finals, so clearly they're a contending team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VegasCanuck Posted October 17, 2014 Author Share Posted October 17, 2014 Out of those options, I'd pick the Rangers, even though I wouldn't consider them a sleeper team. They did just make the finals, so clearly they're a contending team. Personally, I don't think they have enough depth to repeat their run to the finals. I think they need a lot of tweaking to make another run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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