Time Capsule - Prediction Thread for 2016-17 NHL season

[MikeyBoy44]

The Vancouver Canucks are proud select at 1st overall.......

[IBatch]

On 6/29/2016 at 1:01 AM, Hortankin said:

 

 

[IBatch]

7 hours ago, MikeyBoy44 said:

 

[IBatch]

On 7/6/2016 at 10:48 PM, Pink Sock said:

 

[Kokanee king]

1. SJ   

2. VAN 

3. ANA  

4. LA

5. ED    

6. ARI   

7. Cal

[thrago]

I think they will have a 96 point season +- 2 points which I think will put them just in or just out of the playoffs.

[Toyotasfan]

Erikson will have good chemistry with the Sedins but it will go flat by Christmas. Hansen and Virtannen will take turns with the Sedins come February. Some major injury in January to a top 6 forward.End of the road for Burrows , another disappointing start could lead to a buyout before the seasons done.a defence man Either Sbisa or Larsen get traded for a forward. We're on the bubble between wild card or missing the playoffs but I expect some improvement over last year. Markstrom establishes himself as clear cut #1. Improved power play with more seasoned Hutton. Willie Mitchell let go at end of season .

[numb3r 16]

On 7/24/2016 at 9:10 PM, Toyotasfan said:

Erikson will have good chemistry with the Sedins but it will go flat by Christmas. Hansen and Virtannen will take turns with the Sedins come February. Some major injury in January to a top 6 forward.End of the road for Burrows , another disappointing start could lead to a buyout before the seasons done.a defence man Either Sbisa or Larsen get traded for a forward. We're on the bubble between wild card or missing the playoffs but I expect some improvement over last year. Markstrom establishes himself as clear cut #1. Improved power play with more seasoned Hutton. Willie Mitchell let go at end of season .

Uhhh...I wouldn't count on that

[apollo]

On Monday, July 18, 2016 at 8:17 PM, MikeyBoy44 said:

The Vancouver Canucks are proud select at 1st overall.......

So for the first time in nhl history, the cup champions will be picking first overall!   

 

Here's some predictions from me... Really swung and missed last year. 

 

- Vancouver fans will Luuu once again. Whether it's due to a breakout year from Luca or Eriksson tapping in countless stunners created by the Sedins. 

 

- Linden Vey will score a goal vs the Canucks 

 

- B Sutta earns his contract and stays healthy most year 

 

- Sven scores 20+ goals 

 

- Burrows scores 20+ goals and ends up with the twins for the playoffs 

 

- Hansen has a career points year and becomes even better looking than he currently is 

 

- Lucic watch some vintage Sedinery unfold as he sits in the penalty box and gives us goal after goal 

 

- Sbisa Gudbranson combo becomes the LEGION OF BOOM. 

 

- Ryan Miller gets nominated for the vezina. (obviously has a stellar year)  

 

- Sedins surpass last year's point totals 

 

- Sedins get surgery to get less good looking so the rest of the nhl doesn't feel bad and stops cutting themselves 

[Lui's Knob]

If the season starts slow WD has got to go. If they fail miserably at making the playoffs Benning is gone and linden may be asked to step down. As it stands today with the roster they have I don't see a playoff team but likely somewhere near the quarter bottom of the west

[Tomato Pajamas]

Bo finishes the season with 25 goals

 

Markstrom posts a .919 SVG

 

Hutton nets 20 assists

 

Henrik gets injured half way through the season, posts around ~45 points when it's all said and done

 

Eriksson gets 27 goals and 30 assists. 

 

Edler plays drastically better than last season, and Tryamkin-Sbisa becomes the staple 3rd d pairing. 

 

Sutter plays the entire season and gets 40 points.

 

Canucks place 3rd in the Pacific. 

[Puckster]

Canucks will finish in a strong 2nd place finish to easily make the playoffs. With all players hot to Trot into the playoffs, we make it to the finals and we go down to some very dirty hits and lose.

The NHL has no official response to horrible officiating...Canuck management makes no comment.... the ensuing riot will speak for itself.

 

[Buckeye Fruit]

I find it more fun to be optimistic and cheer for the team to WIN. 

 

OK, LETS GET IT ON!!!!

 

This season goes much better than most expect. 

We ain't no last place team!

We ain't no draft lottery team!

 

We cruise through the year with no serious injuries and build some tasty chemistry rolling 4 lines. 

 

Our defense takes some big leaps....Hutton man, Hutton.

 

Sedins and Eriksson are a top 10 line.

 

Marky mark relegates miller to back up role with Price like performances

 

We bounce the ducks in the first round, lose to SJ in the second but look to come back strong. Benning works the expansion draft and we come out better than everybody else and BOOM! Cup contender 2017-2018

 

GO CANUCKS GO!!!

[wildcam]

On June 28, 2016 at 9:15 PM, ruilin96 said:

I posted this at another thread 

Will write the same thing for here as well:

 

I believe the Canucks will be a playoff team if the team can stay healthy and play to their potential.

 

Forwards:

 

First Line:

D. Sedin - H. Sedin - Eriksson

 

Expect the Sedins to bounce back, because last year up until Henrik's injury they are a point a game player, adding Eriksson a solid 2 way winger would only make the Sedins better. They will also have some extra time to familiarize with each other playing for Sweden in the World Cup of hockey before the start of the season, and that should be a plus when it comes to developing chemistry.

Projection: Daniel 22~26 goals and 70~80 points, Henrik 12~18 goals and 70~80 points, Eriksson 25~32 goals and 55~65 points

 

Second/Third Line:

??? - Sutter - Hansen

 

A healthy Sutter is capable of scoring 20 goals and play smart shut-down defensive hockey and also able to help out our penalty kill drastically. Hansen and Sutter are both hard working guys are aren't afraid to go to the net and the dirty areas. On the left side of this line, I don't see permanent guy playing there throughout the season, it will all depend on the chemistry, injuries, who's hot and who's not. We will see the likes of Rodin, Etem or Virtanen rotating on the left side of that line.

Projection: Sutter 17~24 goals 36~46 points, Hansen 15~20 goals 35~45 points

 

Second/Third Line:

Baertchi - Horvat - ???

 

Having Sutter back full time will give Bo more sheltered ice-time and reduces a fair-share of his responsibility and work-load. Bo was our leading scorer for the 2nd half of the season, where he scored 14 of his 16 goals. Sven also took off around December and January, the two looked great together and developed some great chemistry. Both Sven and Bo will likely get 2nd unit PP time as well, and I expect this to be another solid line of ours. Candidates for the right wing of this line would be Rodin, Etem, Virtanten, Gaunce or Dorsett, all depending on chemistry, injury, who's hot and who's not.

Projection: Horvat 18~24 goals and 45~55 points, Baertchi 20~25 goals 40~50 points

 

Fourth Line:

Gaunce/Burrows - Granlund/Gaunce - Dorsett

 

I like the shaping of our fourth line with strong veteran presence on the wing in Burrows and Dorsett, 2 guys who works hard everyday and a great role model for the 2 younger guys on this line in Granlund and Gaunce. One of these guys will be up in the press box every game, and that would all depend on injuries and performances. Granlund and Gaunce both can play center/wing which gives us a good option to take a look at both of them in different positions. There are potentially other candidates such as Virtanen or Etem may also be slotted into this line sometime in the season. This line has a good mix of good grit and skill, and it is going to be line that we can depend on defensively and also chip in the odd goal.

Projection: Burrows 10~15 goals and 25~30 points, Granlund 10~15 goals 25~30 points, Gaunce 5~10 goals 20~25 points, Dorsett 5~10 goals and 18~23 points

 

Wild Cards or X-Factors among forwards:

Virtanen - Main question for Virtanen is, will he be able to have a solid training camp after a solid summer of hard work to earn himself a roster spot and have a bounce back second year similar to Draisaitl's last season? I don't think he would put up the numbers Draisaitl put up last season yet and think a bounce back for him would be a solid 10+ goals and 30+ points guy. Or is he going to start his season in Utica and earn his way back up to the big league in call-ups? If he puts everything together and have a solid year improving his production to 10+ goals and 30+ points and his strong physical presence, we will have a solid player that would not only just help us get to the playoffs but also be a great player to have when we are in the playoffs.

 

Rodin - Perhaps the biggest question mark of our forward group is Rodin. He is been able to light it up in the SHL, but can he translate his game to NHL ice when the ice is smaller? Can he still put up offense playing against the big, bad and tough Western Conference heavy teams? Is he our Artemi Panarin or would he just be another player who can play in the European leagues but not the NHL (he is most likely somewhere in the middle)? He is definitely the most difficult to project the goals or points he is going to put up, but his style of play suggests that a top 6 scoring role is definitely much more suitable for him. He should be able to make his way out of camp and anything onward would depend on how much he can adjust to the NHL ice. 

 

Etem - If the last 5-10 games of last season is any indication of the real Emerson Etem, we definitely have got ourselves another quality top 6 winger if he can consistently put up those numbers on a regular basis. He was acquired last season to improve our bottom 6 scoring, but since his days in Anaheim, I have always believe that he can be solid top-6 scorer in the NHL if he is able to utilize all his tools. Personally I like to see him on the line with Horvat and Baertchi as it seems he played his best hockey as a Canuck when he plays with Bo Horvat. It is hard to project how many goals he will score because I believe it can be anywhere between from 10 goals to even 20 goals if everything goes right for him. I see him making our line-up out of camp, but anything onward is all going to depend on him.

 

Defense:

 

First Pairing:

Edler - Tanev

 

Despite the constant bashing and ripping of Alex Edler, I still believe him and Tanev are our best defencemen heading into next season. Our records last year without Edler was abysmal and he is really not as bad as most people here describe him as. The acquisition of Gudbranson is a significant upgrade to our D-corp in general, and it will reduce some penalty killing and defensive responsibility from both Edler and Tanev. Edler is a much more effective player when he isn't counted on to do everything at every situation. He was a great player for us when we had other guys like Bieksa, Hamhuis, Erhoff and Salo at their prime sharing his workload. I expect Edler to have a solid bounce back season, and he may also improve his offensive numbers now as we don't have to drain him out game after game now that we have a better defensive depth. The World Championship winning experience should be great for Tanev, and he has always been a solid smart, shut-down defenceman for us, don't expect much change to Tanev's style of game and he should still gradually improve since he is still 26.

Projection: Ice Time: 22-24 minutes per game. Offence: Edler 8~12 goals/30~40 points; Tanev 4~7 goals and 20~25 points.

 

Second Pairing:

Hutton - Gudbranson

 

Hutton was a nice surprise from last year's training camp and had a very solid rookie season putting up 25 points. He has also been working out hard this summer, and should have another good year of hockey and solid improvements from his game. Many criticizes his +/- stats last season, but keep in mind that the Canucks as a team last season has the league worst goals differential at -52, and most people on our team has an abysmal +/- stats. Considering the fact that Hutton played a lot of tough minutes with the injuries last season to Edler, Tanev and Hamhuis and also constantly playing with defensive liability partners in Weber/Bartkowski bailing out those 2's mistakes as a rookie. No doubt those are factors of why his +/-  takes a hit. This season, he would be playing with Gudbranson, a solid intimidating shutdown defenceman who is considered a goalie's best friend (see Lou's reaction on twitter on this trade). Gudbranson's solid defensive game would mean that Hutton can have more time to go out and develop his offensive game to reach the potential of an offensive puck moving defenceman. Gudbranson also serve as a guardian of our backend protecting our goalie and young defenceman like Hutton from being pushed around by oppositions. Gudbranson would also help improve our penalty kill and Hutton may also get some power play time as a quarter back on our 2nd unit and the duo could both improve our special teams.

Projection: Ice time: 20-22 minutes per game. Offence: Hutton 5~7 goals/30~35 points; Gudbranson: 3~6 goals/12~18 points.

 

Third Pairing: 

Sbisa - ???

 

Sbisa is another one of CDC's favorite whipping boy but just like Edler, he isn't as bad as most of the people on this board thinks he is. Last season was an injured riddle season for him, but when he was away from the line-up, the team miss his toughness from the back-end. He is much more effective when playing on a 3rd defensive pairing, and he still has rook to grow. Playing much sheltered minutes and less of a significant role would also help him to focus on his game and boost his confidence. His defensive partner would be a rotation between, Tryamkin, Pedan, Larsen or Biega (atleast 1 of 4 would be sent down in Utica to start the season). And this would depend on performance and injury.

Projection: Ice time: 16~18 minutes per game. Offence: Sbisa 5~7 goals, 16~20 points.

 

Wild Cards or X-Factors among defencemen:

Tryamkin - For him to make it to the opening night roster, it will solely depend on how hard he trains over the summer to stay in shape and how much he impresses the coaching staff during training camp and pre-season. He looked solid last season with the 13 games he played in. Most CDC here expect him to be the second coming of Chara but please note that Chara really just focused on his defensive game early on his career and his offensive output did not take a leap until his 6-7th season in the NHL and did not become a Norris caliber Dman until his 11th season. Tryamkin should also follow the similar foot-step, whether or not he becomes a Chara or not, I see his floor would atleast be a solid Top 4 defenceman in the NHL. If Tryamkin is hoping to be a regular in our line-up, he needs to show that he is capable of playing a solid defensive game and Gudbranson should be a great person for him to learn from.

 

Pedan - Pedan has speed, a hard shot, a big body-frame that is perfect for hitting and intimidating to play against. The question would be can he translate this to the NHL? Can he show the coaches and management that he can be the player that they have hoped to be? Last season in the call ups he show flashes of his brilliance and also revealed some signs of his weaknesses defensively. Similar to Tryamkin, if he wants to be a regular, he needs to show our coaching staff that he can play a solid defensive game in the NHL.

 

Larsen - Larsen was a puck moving offensive defenseman in the KHL, and he was brought in to improve the offence from the back end and the potential of becoming a solid quarter back for the power play. Larsen's biggest question would be translating his game to the NHL and able to play that same game consistently. Interesting note is that he requested for his rights to be traded away from Edmonton as he really wants to make a come back in the NHL and refuse to play for the Oilers organization (I mean who doesn't )

 

 

Defense:

 

Starter:

Ryan Miller - Yes, I do think atleast going into this season, Miller would be our starting goalie. Last season, in most nights, he was the only guy playing on the ice and most of the time, he kept the game close and give us a chance to win. He was often left hung out to dry with our injured and lack of depth defensive group last year, and it does not help his stats at all. With a much improved group of defense, Miller should have a bounce back year. However, given his age and the direction this team is heading in the future, I think his work load would be reduced, and Markstrom will likely get a few more starts then the average back-up goalie of the NHL. Miller is also a competitor and he is definitely working hard to prove that he is still a No. 1 goalie in the NHL. He is also  a strong veteran presence in the locker room, and if we are in a playoff spot by the deadline, I see him play his way out of the contract and become a UFA next season before passing on the torch to Markstrom.

Projection: Games Played: 55, Wins: 28~30, Save-Percentage 0.917%, GAA: 2.43

 

Back-up:

Jacob Markstrom - As much as the fans love to put Markstrom as the starter, I think another season of backing up to Miller is not going to hurt his development. He had shown last season that he can be a NHL goalie, just like Miller, a lot of nights, he seems to be the only guy playing and give us a chance to win every game. His overall stats should also improved with our upgraded defensive group. I am predicting his stats to be slightly better than Miller because fewer games played and improvement over the season. We just signed him to an extension and if he can keep improving his game and become our version of Ben Bishop, his contract would definitely be one of the best bargaining contracts in the league.

Projection: Games Played: 33, Wins: 17~20, Save-Percentage 0.920%, GAA: 2.38

 

 

 

Wild Cards or X-Factors among Goalies:

Thatcher Demko - Demko should find himself sharing the net in Utica with Richard Bachman to start the season. However, if there is a possibly of an injury to one of our two regular goalies, would he be our first call up? And if this call up does happen, is he able to turn some heads and become a NHL regular sooner than most expected? This would depend on how he translates his game from college to the professional level. Goalies took the longest to develop and reach their prime after being drafted, fans and management should be patient with his development and don't rush him by throwing him out to a pack of wolves before he is ready. I saw him at the development camp in the practices and scrimmages, from my memory, he gives up very few goals and make the save look easy. He also doesn't give up many rebound as well. 

 

Overall:

I think the management group have upgraded our team overall and if everything goes right and the guys can find chemistry and win some games early on, I think this team would definitely make the playoffs and might even make some noise as a more underrated team. I think this squad would have a similar season to the 2014-2015 squad, wanting to prove it to the league after a bad year.

Team Projection: 45~50 Wins and 96~103 points, making the playoffs finishing anywhere between 2nd place in the Pacific Division to the final wild card spot of the Western Conference.

 

On June 28, 2016 at 9:15 PM, ruilin96 said:

I posted this at another thread 

Will write the same thing for here as well:

 

I believe the Canucks will be a playoff team if the team can stay healthy and play to their potential.

 

Forwards:

 

First Line:

D. Sedin - H. Sedin - Eriksson

 

Expect the Sedins to bounce back, because last year up until Henrik's injury they are a point a game player, adding Eriksson a solid 2 way winger would only make the Sedins better. They will also have some extra time to familiarize with each other playing for Sweden in the World Cup of hockey before the start of the season, and that should be a plus when it comes to developing chemistry.

Projection: Daniel 22~26 goals and 70~80 points, Henrik 12~18 goals and 70~80 points, Eriksson 25~32 goals and 55~65 points

 

Second/Third Line:

??? - Sutter - Hansen

 

A healthy Sutter is capable of scoring 20 goals and play smart shut-down defensive hockey and also able to help out our penalty kill drastically. Hansen and Sutter are both hard working guys are aren't afraid to go to the net and the dirty areas. On the left side of this line, I don't see permanent guy playing there throughout the season, it will all depend on the chemistry, injuries, who's hot and who's not. We will see the likes of Rodin, Etem or Virtanen rotating on the left side of that line.

Projection: Sutter 17~24 goals 36~46 points, Hansen 15~20 goals 35~45 points

 

Second/Third Line:

Baertchi - Horvat - ???

 

Having Sutter back full time will give Bo more sheltered ice-time and reduces a fair-share of his responsibility and work-load. Bo was our leading scorer for the 2nd half of the season, where he scored 14 of his 16 goals. Sven also took off around December and January, the two looked great together and developed some great chemistry. Both Sven and Bo will likely get 2nd unit PP time as well, and I expect this to be another solid line of ours. Candidates for the right wing of this line would be Rodin, Etem, Virtanten, Gaunce or Dorsett, all depending on chemistry, injury, who's hot and who's not.

Projection: Horvat 18~24 goals and 45~55 points, Baertchi 20~25 goals 40~50 points

 

Fourth Line:

Gaunce/Burrows - Granlund/Gaunce - Dorsett

 

I like the shaping of our fourth line with strong veteran presence on the wing in Burrows and Dorsett, 2 guys who works hard everyday and a great role model for the 2 younger guys on this line in Granlund and Gaunce. One of these guys will be up in the press box every game, and that would all depend on injuries and performances. Granlund and Gaunce both can play center/wing which gives us a good option to take a look at both of them in different positions. There are potentially other candidates such as Virtanen or Etem may also be slotted into this line sometime in the season. This line has a good mix of good grit and skill, and it is going to be line that we can depend on defensively and also chip in the odd goal.

Projection: Burrows 10~15 goals and 25~30 points, Granlund 10~15 goals 25~30 points, Gaunce 5~10 goals 20~25 points, Dorsett 5~10 goals and 18~23 points

 

Wild Cards or X-Factors among forwards:

Virtanen - Main question for Virtanen is, will he be able to have a solid training camp after a solid summer of hard work to earn himself a roster spot and have a bounce back second year similar to Draisaitl's last season? I don't think he would put up the numbers Draisaitl put up last season yet and think a bounce back for him would be a solid 10+ goals and 30+ points guy. Or is he going to start his season in Utica and earn his way back up to the big league in call-ups? If he puts everything together and have a solid year improving his production to 10+ goals and 30+ points and his strong physical presence, we will have a solid player that would not only just help us get to the playoffs but also be a great player to have when we are in the playoffs.

 

Rodin - Perhaps the biggest question mark of our forward group is Rodin. He is been able to light it up in the SHL, but can he translate his game to NHL ice when the ice is smaller? Can he still put up offense playing against the big, bad and tough Western Conference heavy teams? Is he our Artemi Panarin or would he just be another player who can play in the European leagues but not the NHL (he is most likely somewhere in the middle)? He is definitely the most difficult to project the goals or points he is going to put up, but his style of play suggests that a top 6 scoring role is definitely much more suitable for him. He should be able to make his way out of camp and anything onward would depend on how much he can adjust to the NHL ice. 

 

Etem - If the last 5-10 games of last season is any indication of the real Emerson Etem, we definitely have got ourselves another quality top 6 winger if he can consistently put up those numbers on a regular basis. He was acquired last season to improve our bottom 6 scoring, but since his days in Anaheim, I have always believe that he can be solid top-6 scorer in the NHL if he is able to utilize all his tools. Personally I like to see him on the line with Horvat and Baertchi as it seems he played his best hockey as a Canuck when he plays with Bo Horvat. It is hard to project how many goals he will score because I believe it can be anywhere between from 10 goals to even 20 goals if everything goes right for him. I see him making our line-up out of camp, but anything onward is all going to depend on him.

 

Defense:

 

First Pairing:

Edler - Tanev

 

Despite the constant bashing and ripping of Alex Edler, I still believe him and Tanev are our best defencemen heading into next season. Our records last year without Edler was abysmal and he is really not as bad as most people here describe him as. The acquisition of Gudbranson is a significant upgrade to our D-corp in general, and it will reduce some penalty killing and defensive responsibility from both Edler and Tanev. Edler is a much more effective player when he isn't counted on to do everything at every situation. He was a great player for us when we had other guys like Bieksa, Hamhuis, Erhoff and Salo at their prime sharing his workload. I expect Edler to have a solid bounce back season, and he may also improve his offensive numbers now as we don't have to drain him out game after game now that we have a better defensive depth. The World Championship winning experience should be great for Tanev, and he has always been a solid smart, shut-down defenceman for us, don't expect much change to Tanev's style of game and he should still gradually improve since he is still 26.

Projection: Ice Time: 22-24 minutes per game. Offence: Edler 8~12 goals/30~40 points; Tanev 4~7 goals and 20~25 points.

 

Second Pairing:

Hutton - Gudbranson

 

Hutton was a nice surprise from last year's training camp and had a very solid rookie season putting up 25 points. He has also been working out hard this summer, and should have another good year of hockey and solid improvements from his game. Many criticizes his +/- stats last season, but keep in mind that the Canucks as a team last season has the league worst goals differential at -52, and most people on our team has an abysmal +/- stats. Considering the fact that Hutton played a lot of tough minutes with the injuries last season to Edler, Tanev and Hamhuis and also constantly playing with defensive liability partners in Weber/Bartkowski bailing out those 2's mistakes as a rookie. No doubt those are factors of why his +/-  takes a hit. This season, he would be playing with Gudbranson, a solid intimidating shutdown defenceman who is considered a goalie's best friend (see Lou's reaction on twitter on this trade). Gudbranson's solid defensive game would mean that Hutton can have more time to go out and develop his offensive game to reach the potential of an offensive puck moving defenceman. Gudbranson also serve as a guardian of our backend protecting our goalie and young defenceman like Hutton from being pushed around by oppositions. Gudbranson would also help improve our penalty kill and Hutton may also get some power play time as a quarter back on our 2nd unit and the duo could both improve our special teams.

Projection: Ice time: 20-22 minutes per game. Offence: Hutton 5~7 goals/30~35 points; Gudbranson: 3~6 goals/12~18 points.

 

Third Pairing: 

Sbisa - ???

 

Sbisa is another one of CDC's favorite whipping boy but just like Edler, he isn't as bad as most of the people on this board thinks he is. Last season was an injured riddle season for him, but when he was away from the line-up, the team miss his toughness from the back-end. He is much more effective when playing on a 3rd defensive pairing, and he still has rook to grow. Playing much sheltered minutes and less of a significant role would also help him to focus on his game and boost his confidence. His defensive partner would be a rotation between, Tryamkin, Pedan, Larsen or Biega (atleast 1 of 4 would be sent down in Utica to start the season). And this would depend on performance and injury.

Projection: Ice time: 16~18 minutes per game. Offence: Sbisa 5~7 goals, 16~20 points.

 

Wild Cards or X-Factors among defencemen:

Tryamkin - For him to make it to the opening night roster, it will solely depend on how hard he trains over the summer to stay in shape and how much he impresses the coaching staff during training camp and pre-season. He looked solid last season with the 13 games he played in. Most CDC here expect him to be the second coming of Chara but please note that Chara really just focused on his defensive game early on his career and his offensive output did not take a leap until his 6-7th season in the NHL and did not become a Norris caliber Dman until his 11th season. Tryamkin should also follow the similar foot-step, whether or not he becomes a Chara or not, I see his floor would atleast be a solid Top 4 defenceman in the NHL. If Tryamkin is hoping to be a regular in our line-up, he needs to show that he is capable of playing a solid defensive game and Gudbranson should be a great person for him to learn from.

 

Pedan - Pedan has speed, a hard shot, a big body-frame that is perfect for hitting and intimidating to play against. The question would be can he translate this to the NHL? Can he show the coaches and management that he can be the player that they have hoped to be? Last season in the call ups he show flashes of his brilliance and also revealed some signs of his weaknesses defensively. Similar to Tryamkin, if he wants to be a regular, he needs to show our coaching staff that he can play a solid defensive game in the NHL.

 

Larsen - Larsen was a puck moving offensive defenseman in the KHL, and he was brought in to improve the offence from the back end and the potential of becoming a solid quarter back for the power play. Larsen's biggest question would be translating his game to the NHL and able to play that same game consistently. Interesting note is that he requested for his rights to be traded away from Edmonton as he really wants to make a come back in the NHL and refuse to play for the Oilers organization (I mean who doesn't )

 

 

Defense:

 

Starter:

Ryan Miller - Yes, I do think atleast going into this season, Miller would be our starting goalie. Last season, in most nights, he was the only guy playing on the ice and most of the time, he kept the game close and give us a chance to win. He was often left hung out to dry with our injured and lack of depth defensive group last year, and it does not help his stats at all. With a much improved group of defense, Miller should have a bounce back year. However, given his age and the direction this team is heading in the future, I think his work load would be reduced, and Markstrom will likely get a few more starts then the average back-up goalie of the NHL. Miller is also a competitor and he is definitely working hard to prove that he is still a No. 1 goalie in the NHL. He is also  a strong veteran presence in the locker room, and if we are in a playoff spot by the deadline, I see him play his way out of the contract and become a UFA next season before passing on the torch to Markstrom.

Projection: Games Played: 55, Wins: 28~30, Save-Percentage 0.917%, GAA: 2.43

 

Back-up:

Jacob Markstrom - As much as the fans love to put Markstrom as the starter, I think another season of backing up to Miller is not going to hurt his development. He had shown last season that he can be a NHL goalie, just like Miller, a lot of nights, he seems to be the only guy playing and give us a chance to win every game. His overall stats should also improved with our upgraded defensive group. I am predicting his stats to be slightly better than Miller because fewer games played and improvement over the season. We just signed him to an extension and if he can keep improving his game and become our version of Ben Bishop, his contract would definitely be one of the best bargaining contracts in the league.

Projection: Games Played: 33, Wins: 17~20, Save-Percentage 0.920%, GAA: 2.38

 

 

 

Wild Cards or X-Factors among Goalies:

Thatcher Demko - Demko should find himself sharing the net in Utica with Richard Bachman to start the season. However, if there is a possibly of an injury to one of our two regular goalies, would he be our first call up? And if this call up does happen, is he able to turn some heads and become a NHL regular sooner than most expected? This would depend on how he translates his game from college to the professional level. Goalies took the longest to develop and reach their prime after being drafted, fans and management should be patient with his development and don't rush him by throwing him out to a pack of wolves before he is ready. I saw him at the development camp in the practices and scrimmages, from my memory, he gives up very few goals and make the save look easy. He also doesn't give up many rebound as well. 

 

Overall:

I think the management group have upgraded our team overall and if everything goes right and the guys can find chemistry and win some games early on, I think this team would definitely make the playoffs and might even make some noise as a more underrated team. I think this squad would have a similar season to the 2014-2015 squad, wanting to prove it to the league after a bad year.

Team Projection: 45~50 Wins and 96~103 points, making the playoffs finishing anywhere between 2nd place in the Pacific Division to the final wild card spot of the Western Conference.

The best post I have ever read on this site...I agree on your great knowledge of each player, example Pedan was Etem, Gaunce,

Gudbranson fantastic read.....

I also feel Rodin will be better then this Vesey guy coming out of college...Both of these guys are the same age but Rodin was most valuable player in Sweden last season....Vesey won Hoby Baker, swedish league is more skilled then college hockey league..

 

Vesey - Will be hard to compare players as Vesey is in control of the team he will play on and will demand top minutes, maybe 16mins a game

Rodin - will have to prove himself and start on bottom line maybe,  12 mins a game

[BenDrinkin]

I think we will get the last playoff spot in the west and get to the second round, where we get swept.

[Warhippy]

Someone go through and ensure to quote all the reserved people so they don't change their minds too often

[bertuzzi4eva]

I'll jump in here ....

 

Vancouver misses the playoff's yet again narrowly with slight improvements in small areas ... fans are disappointed yet again . Willie gets fired, TL becomes interim head coach ....

[ForsbergTheGreat]

Final prediction

 

Pacific

1. ANA*
2. SJ*
3. VAN*
4. .EDM*
5. .LA
6. .CGY
7. .ARZ

Central

1. NSH*
2. DAL*
3. STL*
4. CHI*
5. WPG
6. MIN
7. COL

 

*Playoffs

 

Summary

 

Locks

 

1. Nashville

They have one of the best D core in the league, along with a great goalie in Rinne.  They are starting to stack young talent up front with Forsberg, Johansen and Arvidsson, they are the team to beat with little to no flaws.

 

2. Anaheim

Very few flaws with this team,  big, strong offense, mobile defense, and a young upcoming goalie.  The only knock on them is they will likely have to lose some of their D depth this year with the upcoming expansion draft.  They will easily float to the top of a relatively weak division and rack up the regular season points. 

 

3. Dallas

Although their defense is quite poor, they’ve got so much offensive upfront that they are still a hard team to beat even with average goaltending.  I see them walking through the regular season with ease but if they really want to make a playoff push they will need to upgrade their back up.  Bishop or Fluery could be a Star by the end of the year. 

 

4. San Jose

Even though Thornton and Marleau have gotten older Pavelski, Hertl, Burns, Couture, Boedker, Vlasic are all in their primes.  They biggest flaw might be goaltending but if Jones can replicate the way he played last playoffs they should be fine. 

 

Should be playoff teams

 

5. St. Louis

A change in the guard for the blues after losing their long time captain.  They will expect some growth from their young players like Edmundson, Parayko and Fabbri and hope that Allen is ready for a full time takeover.  But they still have the best D core in the league and will help them with any transitioning. 

 

6. Chicago

I don’t see them as the powerhouse they once were, they’ve tied too much cap into a few players and it’s really hurting their depth. Sharp, Saad, Shaw,  along with 2 straight years of trading 1^st round picks and young prospects for cup runs will start to catch up with them.  I still think they are a playoff team but will be taking a step back from being the locks we’ve always known them as.

 

Bubble teams

I don’t think there will be much gap between 7-12.  All these spots are all very interchangeable as it will be that tight.  A injury or two, or a couple shootout wins might be the difference between making and missing the playoffs.  Last year there was a 19 point gap, I’d expect that number to be closer to 14 this year, with it being as small at 8 points heading into final two weeks. 

 

7. Vancouver

Canucks have a lot of things going for them this year.  A healthy team alone is a big upgrade over last year’s roster, but then you add in the year of develop for key players like Baertschi, Horvat, and Hutton the additions of Eriksson and Gudbranson and this team is starting to look much more competitive.  A few surprises with Rodin, Granlund, Tryamkin, and Larsen and they could push Sharks in the Pacific.  Overall they should be strong enough in the top 3 of the Pacific as long as they stay relatively healthy. 

 

8. Edmonton

After 10 straight years of missing the playoffs the oiler will play beyond April.  They’ve added much needed depth to they D, they’ve added size up front with Kassian, Lucic, and Maroon, they have skill down the middle lead by McDavid and decent enough goalie in the pipes.  I still think they have a few more moves to make involving RNH and Yakupov to fill out the rest of their roster but will be right there at end of the year in the hunt for the final spot

 

9. Los Angeles

Another team very similar to the hawks.  They’ve been pushing so hard for playoff runs that it’s cost them youth and has resulted in their window closing fast.  Browns contract on the books, Gaborik soon to be another aged overpriced hit, they are extremely lucky they got out of the Richards contract.  Sutter’s shelf life might be at the end this year.  They will be in the mix for the wild card spot. 

 

10. Calgary

This team just doesn’t have the depth,  they’ve will rely on 3 players under the age of 23 to bring the offense night in night out.  They lost a lot of their scoring depth from the last two years and a long with that the veteran leadership upfront.  Elliot will be in for a challenge as the flames D core players a much more run and gun style on the back end compared to the blues. 

 

11. Winnipeg

This is a team that needs to see a jump in standings.  2 home playoff games since returning home is not enough.  They have the youth coming in but I’m not sure if this youth will be able to push them into a playoff spot yet.  At some point the youth has to take the next step from being high potential to actually impact players or else they just being the next oilers.  A successful year would be seeing that promise from the youth. 

 

12. Minnesota

Parise hasn’t look as energized as he once was and same can be said about Suter.  They do have a good youth crop coming up through the ranks but not enough top end talent to provide the team with consistent effort every night.  Staal could be a very good upgrade to the roster and if he pans out the Wild will be right in the mix for the final playoff spot.

 

Bottom teams

 

13. Colorado

Lots of offensive and exciting run and gun hockey.  But unless your goalie stands on his head and is your teams best player night in and night out, it’s not a recipe for success in the regular season. 

 

14. Arizona

Arizona is planning for the future, the amount of cap they’ve taken on this summer was a sign that they are looking beyond the near sighted and rebuilding for the long term.  They still have some exciting pieces but have a long ways to go.  I think they will be happy to be picking in the top 5, hopefully ahead of their future rivals in Vegas.  Ideally for the Yotes, them picking another swede with a right handed shot by the name Liljegren would be a perfect match. 

[skates_with_a_stick]

I am optimistic about the upcoming season as long as we stay as healthy as possible. We started last season as "Canada's second best team" then the Habs declined. Injuries were a big factor in our decline.

 

I like our chances and will say that even though we aren't finished with our roster, we will compete for 2nd or 3rd in the conference. 

 

The twins will help the  third man on the line to be too 2 in goals. Our young guns will earn their pay. Because. Of this, they will be a target for hits and pain. Our mix of players will gel and make Vancouver a competitor again.

 

Our tandem in the back will share the workload and rebound from the disastrous season last year. They won't be the best, but I guess top 10 tandem. We might see our American prospect a couple of games due to the flu. 

 

All in all, I think it's a good showing due to all of the negative media. Human's love adversity. We have a good show in the post season, but not good enough. Regardless we do well. 

[davidtriemstra]

Reserved