CarterHud

From Getty Images

      The offseason was very eventful for the Jets, and almost all of it was bad. They lost three of their top five defensemen, without gaining anyone better. It took them until there was a week left until the season started to sign their two star RFAs, and now one of their best defenseman is considering retirement. Things are crashing down in Winnipeg.

       Additions: Neal Pionk, Anthony Bitetto, Gabe Bourque, Mark Letestu

       Subtractions: Jacob Trouba, Tyler Myers, Kevin Hayes, Ben Chiarot, Brandon Tanev, Matt Hendricks, Marko Dano, Par Lindholm, Joe Morrow

       Forwards
Even though he is now 33 years old, Blake Wheeler remains a star. While his 20 goals in 2018-19 were lower than average, a career high 71 assists led to a second consecutive 91 point season. Mark Scheifele got even better. He scored a career high 38 goals and 84 points, leading the team in the former category. Yesterday, Kyle Connor signed a seven year deal worth $50 million. The winger is coming off a season where he scored a career high 34 goals and 66 points. Patrik Laine had a down season. As the calendar turned to 2019, Laine had scored 24 goals with three hattricks, included a five goal night. However, he scored just six more goals throughout the rest of the season, finishing with 30 goals and 50 points, both career lows. His -24 rating was the worst on the team, 12 points higher than the next worst player. Nikolai Ehlers played in just 62 games, resulting in 21 goals and a career low 37 points. Bryan Little had a rough season. Not including the lockout 2012-13 season, Little\’s 15 goals and 41 points were his lowest since 2009-10. Mathieu Perreault scored 15 goals, but his 30 points were his lowest in a season where he played in at least 50 games. In just 69 games, Andrew Copp scored a career high 11 goals, and was a +20. 6\’5\’\’ center Adam Lowry scored 12 goals with 23 points. In his first full season, Jack Roslovic scored nine goals with 24 points. The last two spots are up for grabs. Mason Appleton is the favorite for one of them. He had 32 points in 40 AHL games, earning himself a 36 game NHL trial. Gabe Bourque had eight points in 55 games for the Avalanche last season. Depth center Mark Letestu has 560 games of NHL experience, though only two of those games came last year.

         Defensemen
Josh Morrissey is under contract for the next nine seasons after signing an eight year extension recently. Playing in just 59 games, Morrissey finished with a career high 31 points in 2018-19. The Jets season could depend on if Dustin Byfuglien retires or not. Byfuglien has been the backbone of the Jets defense over the years. He played in just 42 games last year, resulting in a career low four goals with 31 points. Nathan Beaulieu returns after scoring five assists in 18 games for the Jets after being acquired at the trade deadline. Coming back for Jacob Trouba was Neal Pionk. The offensive defenseman had 26 points in his first full NHL season. Sami Niku had four points in 30 games last year, with 12 points in 20 AHL games. Dmitry Kulikov is in the last year of a three year deal. He had six points, all assists, in 57 games last season. The Jets signed depth defenseman Anthony Bitetto. In 36 games for the Predators and Wild last season, Bitetto had three points.

          Goalies
After finishing 2nd in Vezina voting in 2017-18, Connor Hellebuyck had a down season. He allowed a league high 179 goals, but his 1,872 saves led the league. He had a .913 SV% and a 2.90 GAA. Laurent Brossoit had a good season as backup. He had a .925 SV% and a 2.52 GAA.

          Deep Depths
Tucker Poolman spent all of 2018-19 in the AHL after playing in 24 NHL games the season before. He had 25 points in 43 games. Seth Griffith had 57 points in 69 AHL games last year. He has 19 points in 79 career NHL games. Logan Shaw scored 27 goals in 63 AHL games. He has 180 games of NHL experience.

          Up and Coming
Kristian Vesalainen had a good shot at a fourth line role, but a weak camp cost the 2017 1st rounder that opportunity. He had 17 points in 31 KHL games, 13 points in 22 AHL games, and one assist in five NHL games, all last season. 2016 first rounder Logan Stanley didn\’t impress in his first AHL season, with 22 points in 73 games.

           2019 draft class
Round 1, 20th overall: Ville Heinola
Round 2, 51st overall: Simon Lundmark
Round 4, 113th overall: Henri Nikkanen
Round 5, 134th overall: Harrison Blaisdell
Round 5, 144th overall: Logan Neaton

            Management
Paul Maurice is entering his 22nd season as NHL head coach, and his 7th with the Jets. Overall, his teams have a .525 winning percentage. While the Jets have been good under him, he could be fired if they don\’t start off well. The same could be said for GM Kevin Cheveldayoff, who had a losing offseason.

             Projected Lineup
Kyle Connor – Mark Schiefele – Blake Wheeler
Nikolai Ehlers – Bryan Little – Patrik Laine
Mathieu Perreault – Adam Lowry – Jack Roslovic
Gabriel Bourque – Andrew Copp – Mason Appleton
Extras: Kristian Vesalainen, Mark Letestu

              Josh Morrissey – Neal Pionk
              Nathan Bealieu – Dustin Byfuglien (if he doesn\’t retire)
              Dmitry Kulikov – Sami Niku
Extras: Anthony Bitetto, Tucker Poolman

                           Connor Hellebuyck
                           Laurent Brossoit
Extras: Eric Comrie

               Prediction
The Jets have been very good recently, but they are coming off a terrible offseason. Still, with Connor and Laine signed, they have a strong offense and goaltending. If Byfuglien comes back, then their defense can hold up, and propel the Jets into 4th in the Central Division and a playoff birth.

From NHL.com

            The theme of this past NHL playoffs was that anyone can beat anyone. All four division winners were eliminated in the first round, applying to the Metropolitan Division winning Capitals. The offseason saw the unloading of some 2018 Stanley Cup champions, and they also signed three depth players to four year contracts. However, the Capitals are still favorites for the 2020 Stanley Cup.

             Additions: Radko Gudas, Richard Panik, Garnet Hathaway, Brendan Leipsic

             Subtractions: Matt Niskanen, Brett Connolly, Andre Burakovsky, Devante Smith-Pelly, Brooks Orpik, Dmitrij Jaskin, Nathan Walker, Riley Barber

             Forwards
It was another amazing season for Alex Ovechkin. Arguably the greatest goal scorer ever, Ovechkin scored 51 goals with 89 points. It was his 8th 50 goal season, and he was a point away from his first 90 point season since 2009-10. He won the Rocket Richard trophy for the 8th time in his career, and for the sixth time in the past seven seasons. One of the best pending free agents is Nicklas Backstrom. The center scored 22 goals with 74 points. In his 10 seasons with at least 70 games played, Backstrom has reached 70 points eight times. Evgeny Kuznetsov is expected to serve a minor suspension to start the season. He scored 21 goals with 72 points, and might now be the best number two center in the league. TJ Oshie had a great season, with 25 goals and 54 points in 69 games. Jakub Vrana had a big breakout season, as the now 23 year old scored 24 goals with 47 points with a +20 rating, all career highs. Tom Wilson played in just 63 games after being suspended for parts of the season. He scored a career high 22 goals with 40 points. Lars Eller had another solid season, with 13 goals and 36 points. The Capitals signed Richard Panik. For the Coyotes last year, Panik scored 14 goals with 33 points. Carl Hagelin had 11 points in 20 games after the trade deadline from the Capitals. However, he had just eight points in 38 games for the Penguins and Kings earlier in the season. The Capitals signed Garnet Hathaway to a questionable four year deal. In a career high 76 games for the Flames last year, Hathaway scored 11 goals. Nic Dowd scored a career high eight goals with 20 points in 64 games. He competes with Travis Boyd for the fourth line center role. In his first full season, Boyd had 20 points in 53 games. Boyd could move to the wing, pushing out either Chandler Stephenson or Brendan Leipsic. Stephenson played in 64 games with 11 points and a -13 rating. In 62 games for the Canucks and Kings, Leipsic scored seven goals with 23 points. The Capitals are already Leipsic\’s 5th team, and he has played in just three seasons.

                Defensemen
In the first year of a new deal with an $8 million AAV, John Carlson scored 13 goals with a career high 70 points and a +21 rating. Dmitry Orlov had 26 assists with 29 points. Michal Kempny had a career season, with six goals and 25 points. He missed the playoffs after tearing his hamstring. The physical Radko Gudas was acquired via trade. He had 20 points with a +6 rating. He also had 63 penalty minutes. The Capitals acquired Nick Jensen at the trade deadline, and he had five assists in 20 games. Christian Djoos played in 45 games, with 10 points. It was a step down from a solid rookie season. In his rookie season, Jonas Siegenthaler played in 26 games, with four assists.

                 Goalies
Not only is Nicklas Backstrom a pending free agent, but Braden Holtby is too. The former Vezina winner had a .911 SV% and a 2.82 GAA. In his first season as Holtby\’s backup, Pheonix Copley had a .905 SV% with a 2.90 GAA.

                 Deep Depths
Tyler Lewington made his NHL debut, and had a goal and an assist in two games. He also had seven penalty minutes. Liam O\’Brien scored 15 goals in the AHL, with 118 penalty minutes. Michael Sgarbossa scored 30 goals with 65 points in the AHL.

                 Up and Coming
Ilya Samsonov had a weak first season in North America after dominating in the KHL. He had a 2.70 GAA and a .898 SV% in the AHL. 2018 first rounder Alex Alexeyev had 10 goals with 43 points in 49 WHL games. 2016 first rounder Lucas Johansen had 14 points in 45 AHL games.

                 2019 draft class
                 Round 1, 25th overall: Connor McMichael
                 Round 2, 56th overall: Brett Leason
                 Round 3, 91st overall: Aliaksei Protas
                 Round 5, 153rd overall: Martin Has

                 Management
After losing the eventual Jack Adams winner, Barry Trotz, the Capitals hired his assistant, Todd Reirden to be their Head Coach. The Capitals had another great season under Reirden. Brian MacLellan returns as GM. The Stanley Cup victory probably keeps him his job for a couple more seasons.

                  Projected lineup
Alex Ovechkin – Nicklas Backstrom – Tom Wilson
Jakub Vrana – Evgeny Kuznetsov – TJ Oshie
Carl Hagelin – Lars Eller – Richard Panik
Garnet Hathaway – Nic Dowd – Travis Bowd
Extras: Brendan Leipsic, Chandler Stephenson

                  Michal Kempny – John Carlson
                  Dmitri Orlov – Nick Jensen
                  Christian Djoos – Radko Gudas
Extras: Jonas Siegenthaler

                             Braden Holtby
                             Pheonix Copley

                    Prediction
The Capitals are a very good team. They have a great core, and even though they are aging and some are reaching free agency, they will still be very good in 2019-20. I predict a first place finish.

from Getty Images

       The St. Louis Blues have acquired defenseman Justin Faulk and a 2020 5th round draft pick from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for defenseman Joel Edmundson, forward Dominik Bokk and a 2021 7th round pick. The Blues immediately signed Faulk to a seven year extension with a $6.5 million AAV.

       Even after winning the Stanley Cup, the Blues could use some defensive help. Captain Alex Pietrangelo will be a free agent after the season, and Jay Bouwmeester and Carl Gunnarsson are aging. Faulk is a big addition to the defensive core, even though he could be on the third pairing, behind Pietrangelo and Colton Parakyo. Faulk was entering a contract season, and will have a $4.83 million cap hit for his first season in St. Louis from his previous contract. The new contract for Faulk is hefty, and overpays him, and seven years is a lot, plus the extra year the Blues get him before the extension kicks in. They also traded Edmundson, one of their current starters, and Bokk, a recent first round pick.

        Faulk, 27, scored 11 goals with 24 assists for 35 points in 82 games for the Hurricanes in 2018-19. In his NHL career, all in Carolina, Faulk has scored 85 goals with 173 assists for 258 points in 559 games.

        The Hurricanes have a boatload of defensemen. With Faulk entering a contract year, it looked like he wasn\’t going to stay in Carolina. There were rumors of a trade with Anaheim, but Faulk reportedly blocked that deal (he has a no-trade clause). By acquiring the left handed Edmundson for the right handed Faulk, the Hurricanes balance out their defensemen; three lefties (Jaccob Slavin, Jake Gardiner and Edmundson) and three righties (Dougie Hamilton, Brett Pesce, Trevor van Riemsdyk) with Haydn Fleury and Gustav Forsling as extras. They also get Bokk, who was drafted 25th overall in 2018. The German is currently playing in the Swedish League.

         Edmundson, 26, scored two goals with nine assists for 11 points in 64 games for the Blues last season. In his NHL career, all in St. Louis, Edmundson has scored 13 goals with 39 assists for 52 points in 269 games.

         Bokk, 19, has no points in four games for Rogle BK Angelholm of the Swedish League this season. In his SHL career, Bokk has scored nine goals with 16 assists for 25 points in 66 games.

        

      Cap space was a common theme throughout the NHL offseason, but it may have applied to the Golden Knights the most. The Golden Knights had players to sign, including William Karlsson, and they started the offseason over the salary cap. Vegas got through the offseason, but they had to trade some players along the way.

      Additions: Garret Sparks, Jaycob Megna, Patrick Brown, Tyrell Goulbourne,

      Subtractions: Colin Miller, Erik Haula, Nikita Gusev (rights), Ryan Carpenter, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Daniel Carr, Tomas Hyka, Maxime Legace, David Clarkson (contract)

      Forwards
Jonathan Marchessault fell from an amazing first season in Vegas in 2017-18, but he still had a good season. His 25 goals and 59 points lead the Knights. William Karlsson wasn\’t going to keep up his league high +49 rating and 23.4 shooting percentage, which led to a career high 43 goals. Those numbers came in 2017-18. In 2018-19, he scored 24 goals with 56 points. The Golden Knights made the biggest trade at the trade deadline, acquiring Mark Stone from Ottawa, then extending him to an eight year deal. Stone scored five goals with 11 points in 18 games after the trade, with six goals and 12 points in seven playoff games. Overall in the regular season, Stone\’s 33 goals and 73 points had him finishing 12th in Hart voting. As a winger, he finished 2nd in Selke voting. Reilly Smith had another solid season, with 19 goals and 53 points. Alex Tuch signed a seven year extension, and followed it up with a 20 goal, 52 point season. Max Pacioretty had a tough first year in Vegas. The five time 30 goal scorer scored 22 goals in 66 games, with 40 points. His -13 rating was the worst on the team. Paul Stastny played in just 50 games, but he still scored 13 goals with 42 points. Cody Eakin had a career high in goals (22), points (41), and plus/minus (+19). Brandon Pirri played in just 31 games, but he still scored 12 goals, for an 82 game pace of 31.75 goals. A known enforcer, Ryan Reaves scored a career high nine goals and 20 points, while racking up 74 penalty minutes. Tomas Nosek and William Carrier compete for the final spot. Both scored eight goals last year. In 68 games, Nosek had nine assists, while Carrier had just one in 54 games. Valentin Zykov scored two goals in 10 games in Vegas.

         Defensemen
Shea Theodore emerged as the top defenseman, with 12 goals and 37 points. However, Nate Schmidt isn\’t far behind. After returning from a PED suspension, Schmidt had nine goals with 30 points and a +22 rating in 61 games. Brayden McNabb finished with 16 points and a +11 rating. In his first season in Vegas, Nick Holden had 15 points and a +5 rating. Jon Merrill had a career high 15 points and a +16 rating. Deryk Engelland re-signed. He had 12 points in his age 36 season.

         Goalies
Marc-Andre Fleury had a .913 SV% with a 2.51 GAA, and finished 4th in Vezina voting, and received Hart votes as well. Malcolm Subban took a step back. He had a .902 SV% and a 2.93 GAA. Garret Sparks comes from Toronto, where he was the backup last year.

         Deep Depths
Jaycob Megna comes to the Golden Knights after spending three seasons in Anaheim. He had four points in 28 games last year. Curtis McKenzie has 99 games of NHL experience. In 71 AHL games last year, McKenzie scored 20 goals with 112 penalty minutes. Due to many injuries, Patrick Brown played in eight playoff games for the Hurricanes last year despite not playing in any regular season NHL games. In the AHL last year, Tyrell Goulbourne had 135 penalty minutes.

          Up and Coming
Cody Glass has a great chance of making the team. He had 69 points in 38 WHL games. He had 15 points in 22 playoff AHL games. Defenseman Nic Hague had 32 points in 72 AHL games. He could play in an NHL depth role.

          2019 draft class
Round 1, 17th overall: Peyton Krebs
Round 2, 41st overall: Kaedan Korczak
Round 3, 79th overall: Pavel Dorofeyev
Round 3, 86th overall: Layton Ahac
Round 4, 110th overall: Ryder Donovan
Round 5, 135th overall: Isaiah Saville
Round 5, 139th overall: Marcus Kallionkieli
Round 5, 141st overall: Mason Primeau

            Management
Gerard Gallant won the Jack Adams award in 2017-18, but the Golden Knights\’ winning percentage went down by 98 points. He is definitely not on the hot seat. To avoid Kelly McCrimmon getting a GM gig with another team, the Golden Knights moved McCrimmon to GM, and promoted former GM George McPhee.

           Projected Lineup
Max Pacioretty – Paul Stastny – Mark Stone
Jonathan Marchessault – William Karlsson – Reilly Smith
Brandon Pirri – Cody Eakin – Alex Tuch
Tomas Nosek – Cody Glass – Ryan Reaves
Extras: William Carrier, Valentin Zykov

           Shea Theodore – Nate Schmidt
           Brayden McNabb – Jon Merill
           Nick Holden – Deryk Engelland
Extras: Jimmy Schuldt, Nic Hague

                        Marc-Andre Fleury
                        Malcolm Subban
Extras: Garret Sparks, Oskar Dansk

             Prediction
The Golden Knights had a rough season last year. But, they are still very talented. They are just a year removed from a Stanley Cup Finals experience, and their entire first line wasn\’t even on that team. I think the Golden Knights will finish 1st in the Pacific Division, and win the Stanley Cup in 2019-20.

        It was an eventful offseason for the Canucks, as it seemed like they are sick of losing. With a young core, the Canucks added multiple veterans to hopefully put heir rebuild on the fast track. They could potentially have the Calder winner two years in a row as well, which isn\’t easy to do.

        Additions: JT Miller, Tyler Myers, Michael Ferland, Jordie Benn, Oscar Fantenberg, Justin Bailey, Tyler Graovac, Zane McIntyre

        Subtractions: Ben Hutton, Markus Granlund, Derrick Pouliot, Ryan Spooner, Luke Schenn, Tom Pyatt

        Forwards
Elias Pettersson was a Calder favorite entering 2018-19, and won the trophy by the season\’s end. He scored 28 goals with 66 points in 71 games. It was a very successful first year for the former 5th overall pick. Brock Boeser had a solid second year, with 26 goals and 56 points, but he failed to play in 70 games once again. Bo Horvat scored a career high 27 goals and 61 points. The Canucks sacrificed their upcoming first round pick for JT Miller. Miller scored 13 goals with 47 points for the Lightning last year, breaking his three year 20 goal streak. The Canucks signed Michael Ferland, who scored 17 goals with 40 points for Carolina in 2018-19. Former sixth overall pick Jake Virtanen scored a career high 15 goals and 25 points. Sven Baertschi played in just 26 games, and scored nine goals. Tanner Pearson struggled with the Kings and Penguins, and was traded for the second time midseason, this time to the Canucks. In just 19 games, Pearson scored nine goals, the same amount of goals he scored in 61 games with his previous two teams. In his first year in Vancouver, Antoine Roussel scored nine goals with a career high 31 points in 65 games. Loui Eriksson scored 11 goals with 29 points, the latter his most in three seasons with the Canucks. Josh Leivo was acquired from midseason, and scored 10 goals in 49 games. Overall, his 76 games played, 14 goals, 10 assists and 24 points were all career highs. Brandon Sutter played in just 26 games, with six points. Jay Beagle had a rough first season in Vancouver. He scored three goals with 13 points, and the defensive center was a minus player for the first time since 2013-14. Nikolay Goldobin\’s 27 points were a career high. In his first full season in Vancouver, Tyler Motte scored a career high nine goals. Tim Schaller had 10 points in 47 games in his first season with the Canucks.

           Defensemen
Longtime Canuck Alex Edler re-signed before hitting unrestricted free agency. He scored 10 goals with 34 points. He had a double digit goal total for the first time since 2011-12. The team signed Tyler Myers to a five year deal worth $30 million. The 6\’8\’\’ defender scored nine goals with 31 points for Winnipeg this past season. The often injured Chris Tanev enters a contract year. The defensive defenseman played in less than 60 games for the third consecutive season. He had 12 points in 55 games. The 2019-20 season will be the long awaited rookie season for Quinn Hughes. Hughes played in five NHL games last year, with three assists. In 32 games at the University of Michigan, Hughes had 33 points. Troy Stecher had 23 points, one less than his career high set in his rookie season. He is a good bottom pairing defenseman. The Canucks signed Jordie Benn to a two year deal. Benn\’s 22 points for the Canadiens last year were a career high. He was also a +15. The Canucks signed Swedish defenseman Oscar Fantenberg. In 61 games with the Kings and Flames last year, Fantenberg had four points. Playing in just 41 games last season, Alex Biega nearly doubled his career high point total, with 16 points.

          Goalies
In his second season as the Canucks\’ starter, Jacob Markstrom had a .912 SV% and a 2.77 GAA, finishing 10th in Vezina voting. Perhaps the team\’s second biggest prospect after Hughes, Thatcher Demko had a .913 SV% and a 2.81 GAA in nine games last year. He had a 2.58 GAA and a .911 SV% in 16 AHL games.

          Deep Depths
Even after the 16 forwards mentioned above, the Canucks still have good forward depth. Adam Gaudette had a weak rookie season, with 12 points in 56 games. In 63 NHL games over the past four seasons, Justin Bailey has nine points. Reid Boucher played in just one NHL game, but in the AHL he scored 31 goals with 62 points in 56 games. Defenseman Guillaume Brisebois played in eight NHL games at the end of the season.

          Up and Coming
Former fifth overall pick Olli Juolevi\’s future seems murky. He was already assigned to the AHL. He had 13 points in 18 AHL games last year. He needs to have a good AHL season to have an NHL chance in 2019-20. Goalie Michael DiPietro had a .920 SV% in 21 games for the Windsor Spitfires, but he was traded to the Ottawa 67\’s, and had a .897 SV% with Ottawa. He played in one NHL game, and allowed seven goals on 24 shots.

           2019 draft class
Round 1, 10th overall: Vasily Podkolzin
Round 2, 40th overall: Nils Hoglander
Round 4, 122nd overall: Ethan Keppen
Round 5, 133rd overall: Carson Focht
Round 6, 156nd overall: Arturs Silovs
Round 6, 175th overall: Karel Plasek
Round 6, 180th overall: Jack Malone
Round 7, 195th overall: Aidan McDonough
Round 7, 215th overall: Arvid Costmar

           Management
A former NHLer of almost 1,000 games, Travis Green enters his third season as Canucks Head Coach. The Canucks haven\’t had a season over .500 under Green. GM Jim Benning signed an extension in the offseason, which was a surprise to many.

           Projected Lineup
Michael Ferland – Elias Pettersson – Brock Boeser
Sven Baertschi – Bo Horvat – JT Miller
Tanner Pearson – Jay Beagle – Jake Virtanen
Loui Eriksson – Brandon Sutter – Josh Leivo
Extras: Antoine Roussel, Tyler Motte, Tim Schaller, Nikolay Goldobin

           Alex Edler – Chris Tanev
           Quinn Hughes – Tyler Myers
           Jordie Benn – Troy Stecher
Extras: Oscar Fantenberg, Alex Biega

                       Jacob Markstrom
                       Thatcher Demko

             Prediction
The Canucks are an improved team. But, they still aren\’t good enough to make the playoffs. I predict the Canucks will finish 5th in the Pacific Division, but miss the playoffs in 2019-20.