CarterHud

             In another successful season, the San Jose Sharks hit 100 points for the first time since 2013-14. The followed that by trading for the league\’s top defenseman, Erik Karlsson, making them cup contenders. Before we look at their team, here\’s some fast facts for the San Jose Sharks.

Head Coach: Peter DeBoer
General Manager: Doug Wilson
Arena: SAP Center
AHL Affiliate: San Jose Barracuda
2017-18 record: 45-27-10 (100 points)
2017-18 placement: 3rd
Division: Pacific
2017-18 goals leader: Logan Couture (34)
2017-18 assists leader: Brent Burns (55)
2017-18 points leader: Brent Burns (67)
2017-18 points leader (defensemen): Brent Burns (67)
Captain: Joe Pavelski
Assistant Captains: Logan Couture, Joe Thornton
2018 first round pick: Ryan Merkley

Offseason additions: Erik Karlsson

Offseason subtractions: Mikkel Boedker, Chris Tierney, Jannik Hansen, Joel Ward, Dylan DeMelo, Eric Fehr, Paul Martin, Rudolfs Balcers

Forwards: Joe Thornton comes off an injury riddled season, and Joe Pavelski scored just 22 goals in 2017-18. Now playing with Evander Kane full-time, the Joes could see an improvement. Logan Couture is coming off a 34 goal season, and will play alongside Tomas Hertl and Timo Meier, who both survived the Karlsson trade. Joonas Donskoi is coming off a down year.

Forward lines:

Evander Kane – Joe Thornton – Joe Pavelski
Tomas Hertl – Logan Couture – Timo Meier
Joonas Donskoi – Melker Karlsson – Kevin LaBanc
Marcus Sorenson – Antti Suomela – Barclay Goodrow

Defensemen: Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson are arguably the two best defenseman in the game. Marc-Edouard Vlasic is top 20. This is a top 2 defensive core in the league.

Defensive pairs:

Joakim Ryan – Brent Burns
Marc-Edouard Vlasic – Erik Karlsson
Brendon Dillon – Justin Braun
Other: Tim Heed

Goalies: Martin Jones is coming off a down season. But, Aaron Dell is sneakily one of the better backups in hockey. This is one of the league\’s more interesting tandems.

Goalie alignment:

Martin Jones
Aaron Dell
Other: Antoine Bibeau

Predictions:

Top five scorers:

Joe Pavelski
Erik Karlsson
Brent Burns
Evander Kane
Logan Couture

Playoffs: Yes
Division: 1st
I think the San Jose Sharks will be eliminated in the third round of the playoffs.

                After a disappointing season where they missed the playoffs by one game, the St. Louis Blues went out and had one of the best offseasons any team had this year. They fixed their center problems, and didn\’t mess up their good defensive core. Before we look at their roster, here\’s some fast facts for the St. Louis Blues.

Head Coach: Mike Yeo
General Manager: Doug Armstrong
Arena: Scottrade Center
AHL Affiliate: San Antonio Rampage
2017-18 record: 44-32-6 (94 points)
2017-18 placement: 5th
Division: Central
2017-18 goals leader: Vladimir Tarasenko (33)
2017-18 assists leader: Brayden Schenn (42)
2017-18 points leader: Brayden Schenn (70)
2017-18 points leader (defensemen): Alex Pietrangelo
Captain: Alex Pietrangelo
Assistant Captains: Vladimir Tarasenko, Alexander Steen
2018 first round pick: Dominik Bokk

Offseason additions: Ryan O\’Reilly, David Perron, Patrick Maroon, Tyler Bozak, Chad Johnson, Jordan Nolan

Offseason subtractions: Carter Hutton, Patrik Berglund, Vladimir Sobotka, Tage Thompson, Kyle Brodziak, Scottie Upshall, Beau Bennett

Forwards: Vladimir Tarasenko, Brayden Schenn and Jaden Schwartz already formed a good first line. But, the team always lacked in center depth. Enter Ryan O\’Reilly and Tyler Bozak, plus the awaited debut of Robert Thomas, and now it\’s one of the league\’s best cores. David Perron and Patrick Maroon are two good top-9 wingers that were brought in. After missing 18 months, Robby Fabbri finally returns.

Forward lines:

Jaden Schwartz – Brayden Schenn – Vladimir Tarasenko
Patrick Maroon – Ryan O\’Reilly – Alexander Steen
Robby Fabbri – Tyler Bozak – David Perron
Ivan Barbashev – Robert Thomas – Dmitrij Jaskin
Other: Nikita Soshnikov, Oskar Sundqvist

Defensemen: Alex Pietrangelo had a great start, and looked like a Norris contender at times in 2017-18. Colton Parakyo has established himself as a good top-4 defenseman. While Jay Bouwmeester fell off, Joel Edmundson arose last year. Carl Gunnarsson and Vince Dunn fill out the last two spots.

Defensive pairs:

Jay Bouwmeester – Alex Pietrangelo
Joel Edmundson – Colton Parakyo
Carl Gunnarsson – Vince Dunn
Other: Robert Bortuzzo, Jordan Schmaltz

Goalies: Losing Carter Hutton after his breakout season hurts, but they trust Jake Allen. They even trust Chad Johnson to be his backup, over Steve Mason and Kari Lehtonen. This is their biggest weakness.

Goalie alignment:

Jake Allen
Chad Johnson
Other: Ville Husso

Predictions:

Top five scorers:

Vladimir Tarasenko
Ryan O\’Reilly
Brayden Schenn
Jaden Schwartz
Alex Pietrangelo

Playoffs: Yes
Division: 3rd

I think the St. Louis Blues will be eliminated in the 1st round of the playoffs. 

          After two consecutive Stanley Cup victories, the Pittsburgh Penguins finally lost to the Washington Capitals in the playoffs. But this year, the Penguins look to create a dynasty, if they can win three cups in four years. Before we look at their roster, let\’s look at some fast facts for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Head Coach: Mike Sullivan
General Manager: Jim Rutherford
Arena: PPG Paints Arena
AHL Affiliate: Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins
2017-18 record: 47-29-6 (100 points)
2017-18 placement: 2nd
Division: Metropolitan
2017-18 goals leader: Evgeni Malkin (42)
2017-18 assists leader: Sidney Crosby (60)
2017-18 points leader: Evgeni Malkin (98)
2017-18 points leader (defensemen): Kris Letang (51)
Captain: Sidney Crosby
Assistant Captains: Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang
2018 first round pick: None, selected Calen Addison 53rd overall

Offseason additions: Jack Johnson, Matt Cullen, Jimmy Hayes, Derek Grant

Offseason subtractions: Conor Sheary, Matt Hunwick, Tom Kuhnhackl, Carter Rowney.

Forwards: the Penguins will keep on winning with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin as the top two centers. They even have Phil Kessel and Derick Brassard on the third line. Don\’t forget about Jake Guentzal and Patric Hornqvist. Daniel Sprong and Zach Aston-Reese are two young players who will get a big chance. This is a really good group.

Forward lines:

Jake Guentzal – Sidney Crosby – Patric Hornqvist
Bryan Rust – Evgeni Malkin – Daniel Sprong
Carl Hagelin – Derick Brassard – Phil Kessel
Zach Aston-Reese – Matt Cullen – Riley Sheahan
Other: Dominik Simon, Derek Grant

Defensemen: Kris Letang is a first pairing defenseman, but needs to stay healthy. Brian Dumoulin, Justin Schultz and Olli Maatta are top-4 guys. They paid Jack Johnson a lot, but I think he\’s a third liner at best. The Pens saw good things out of Jamie Oleksiak after getting him midseason from Dallas.

Defensive pairs:

Brian Dumoulin – Kris Letang
Olli Maatta – Justin Schultz
Jack Johnson – Jamie Oleksiak
Other: Chad Ruhwedel

Goalies: Matt Murray is entering his second season of being a full time starter. Now, he has number two prospect Tristan Jarry backing him up. Casey Desmith played a little last year, but is an AHL goalie.

Goalie alignment:

Matt Murray
Tristan Jarry
Other: Casey Desmith

Predictions:

Top five scorers:

Sidney Crosby
Evgeni Malkin
Phil Kessel
Derick Brassard
Patric Hornqvist

Playoffs: Yes
Division: third
I think the Pittsburgh Penguins will be eliminated in the third round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

            In a surprise season that saw Claude Giroux regain his identity, the Philadelphia Flyers made it to the playoffs, only to be eliminated by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1st round. They followed that by signing the second best free agent out there in James van Riemsdyk. Before we look at their roster, here\’s some fast facts for the Philadelphia Flyers.

Head Coach: Dave Hakstol
General Manager: Ron Hextall
Arena: Wells Fargo Center
AHL Affiliate: Lehigh Valley Phantoms
2017-18 record: 42-26-14 (98 points)
2017-18 placement: 3rd
Division: Metropolitan
2017-18 goals leader: Claude Giroux (34)
2017-18 assists leader: Claude Giroux (68)
2017-18 points leader: Claude Giroux (102)
2017-18 points leader (defenseman): Shayne Gostisbehere (65)
Captain: Claude Giroux
Assistant Captains: Wayne Simmonds, Andrew MacDonald
2018 first round pick: Joel Farabee, Jay O\’Brien

Offseason additions: James van Riemsdyk, Christian Folin

Offseason subtractions: Valtteri Filppula, Petr Mrazek, Brandon Manning, Matt Read, Johnny Oduya

Forwards: After great seasons from Claude Giroux, Sean Couturier and Jakub Voracek, this is a good offense. Adding James van Riemsdyk helps a lot too. Wayne Simmonds can score another 35 goals when healthy. Nolan Patrick moves into the top six, but Travis Konecny is still really good for the third line. Morgan Frost and German Rubtsov are coming, but are still a year away. Oskar Lindblom is another name to look out for.

Forward lines:

Claude Giroux – Sean Couturier – Travis Konecny
James van Riemsdyk – Nolan Patrick – Jakub Voracek
Oskar Lindblom – Jordan Weal -Wayne Simmonds
Michael Raffl – Scott Laughton – Dale Weise
Other: Jori Lehtera

Defensemen: Shayne Gostisbehere finished fourth in defensive points in a comeback season. Ivan Provorov took big strides as well, with 17 goals. Robert Hagg and Travis Sanheim will get a full year this year, as Phillipe Myers and Sam Morin look towards 2019-20. Radko Gudas and Andrew MacDonald are the vets of the group.

Defensive pairs:

Shayne Gostisbehere – Ivan Provorov
Robert Hagg – Radko Gudas
Travis Sanheim – Andrew MacDonald
Other: Christian Folin

Goalies: Michal Neuvirth and Brian Elliott are both coming off surgery, and in a contract year. This will probably be their last year in Philly, as Carter Hart and Alex Lyon are knocking on the door for 2019-20.

Goalie alignment:

Brian Elliott
Michal Neuvirth
Other: Carter Hart, Alex Lyon

Predictions:

Top five scorers:

Claude Giroux
Jakub Voracek
Sean Couturier
James van Riemsdyk
Shayne Gostisbehere/Wayne Simmonds

Playoffs: Yes
Division: 4th
I think the Philadelphia Flyers will be eliminated in the second round of the playoffs.

             After trading their first round pick, Kyle Turris and Shane Bowers as part of the package for Matt Duchene, the Ottawa Senators fell. They ended up finishing 30th overall, and would have been last in every division except their own. To top things off, their best player Erik Karlsson\’s wife filed a case against second best player Mike Hoffman\’s girlfriend for harassment, which ended in both being dealt to the San Jose Sharks, only to have Hoffman being traded back to their division. Their best player now, Mark Stone, reportedly requested a trade. It\’s a very dark side in Ottawa. Before we look at their team, here\’s some fast facts for the Ottawa Senators.

Head Coach: Guy Boucher
General Manager: Pierre Dorion
Arena: Canadian Tire Centre
AHL Affiliate: Belleville Senators
2017-18 record: 28-43-11 (67 points)
2017-18 placement: 7th
Division: Atlantic
2017-18 goals leader: Matt Duchene, Ryan Dzingel (23)
2017-18 assists leader: Erik Karlsson (53)
2017-18 points leader: Erik Karlsson, Mark Stone (62)
Captain: None
Assistant Captains: Zack Smith, Mark Stone
2018 first round pick: Brady Tkachuk, Jacob Bernard-Docker

Offseason additions: Mikkel Boedker, Chris Tierney, Dylan DeMelo, Rudolfs Balcers, Mike McKenna

Offseason subtractions: Erik Karlsson, Mike Hoffman, Alexandre Burrows, Frederik Claesson, Chris DiDomenico

Forwards: Matt Duchene, Ryan Dzingel and Mark Stone are good, but form one of hockey\’s worst first lines. Chris Tierney will get boosted to second line center, and play alongside 4th overall pick Brady Tkachuk. Drake Batherson and Logan Brown didn\’t make the team, but Alex Formenton likely will. Jean-Gabriel Pageau\’s injury hurts. Colin White will get a fourth line center gig, as Formenton fights Tom Pyatt and Magnus Paajarvi for the wing spot.

Forward lines:

Ryan Dzingel – Matt Duchene – Mark Stone
Brady Tkachuk – Chris Tierney – Bobby Ryan
Zack Smith – Filip Chlapik – Mikkel Boedker
Magnus Paajarvi – Colin White – Alex Formenton
Other: Marian Gaborik, Tom Pyatt, Max McCormick
Injured: Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Clarke MacArthur

Defensemen: It doesn\’t look pretty at all. Cody Ceci is their only top-4 defenseman, but Thomas Chabot has the potential to be one. So does Christian Wolanin. Chris Wideman and Dylan DeMelo are two right side bottom pair defensemen playing. Mark Borowiecki is highly liked by owner Eugene Melnyk, and will only be a bottom pair guy.

Defensive pairs:

Thomas Chabot – Cody Ceci
Christian Wolanin – Chris Wideman
Mark Borowiecki – Dylan DeMelo
Other: Ben Harpur

Goalies: At 37, Craig Anderson is not as good as he used to be. Or close to that. Mike Condon saw regression as well. Like last year, it\’s very dark time in Ottawa.

Goalie alignment:

Craig Anderson
Mike Condon

Predictions:

Top five scorers:

Mark Stone
Matt Duchene
Ryan Dzingel
Filip Chlapik
Bobby Ryan/Cody Ceci

Playoffs: Hell no
Division: 8th