With the BRHL Preseason kicking off, we get a jump start on the action we take a quick look at each team, and what lies ahead this season.

 

1.       AVALANCHE

a.       Was it worth it? Tearing it down to the bones, then rebuilding it and trying to be competitive all in the same offseason, the Avalanche look to be a borderline playoff team, with a lot tied into UFA players. The key to the season? Will Tuukka be good enough to steal some games for the Aves and keep them in the race in the Central, which is undoubtedly the best division in the league.

2.       BLACKHAWKS

a.       Is this the last kick at the can? With a slew of pending UFA, and riding Thomas Greiss in net, is this the last season the Hawks will be amongst the elite? And if so, do they have enough to win it?

3.       BLUE JACKETS

a.       Has Auston Matthews picked out an apartment? One of the few teams who are tanking, I mean taking a longterm approach. Not a critique, as it’s the right play. For the optimistic, will the Monsters win the AHL title? Will the team be run based on that goal?

4.       BLUES

a.       How will they choke this year? The big three remain (Benn-Karlsson-Holtby), but there is a startling lack of depth after them. Pavelski is still a star, and Hamonic a good dman, but we are starting to see cracks in the foundation, can the franchise get over the hump this year, and is this the start of a longterm downward spiral?

5.       BRUINS

a.       What rules can they skirt around this year? Kirk Jr. Has a squad who will struggle this year, but is too good to truly be a bottom team in the Matthews hunt. But the prospect list is looking exceptionally strong, the Bruins are likely 2 years away from starting to climb into the serious contenders, but there is a lot for the franchises fans to be excited about, providing their GM doesn’t go on another hissy fit and threaten to move the team to Omaha.

6.       CANADIENS

a.       Is this the year GM Vardy brings the franchise back into the playoffs? He made one of the ballsiest moves of the offseason in trading his first, and the team has undoubtedly gotten better. Is it enough though? Steve Mason will need to be exceptional, and he has the talent to do so.

7.       CANUCKS

a.       Always in the hunt, will the Canucks be able to be in the playoffs again this year? There are concerns, but there is still Ben Bishop in net. This team is getting older, and questions remain how good they actually are, but smart money once again has the Canucks in the playoffs.

8.       CAPITALS

a.       After a dynamic offseason, drafting Connor McDavid and being active in FA. The rebuild appears to in fact be over. That said, the Caps are still loaded with young assets, and some will contribute this year, but most will continue to feed the pipeline moving forward. The Caps will try and make the playoffs for the first time under GM Bast. His patience is about to start being rewarded. Pursuit of MA Fleury in FA was one of the most entertaining parts of the offseason.

9.       COYOTES

a.       New GM Joel Mireau has put his stamp on the squad, now it’s time to see if that results in the playoffs, and an extended run. Price and Smith are one of the top tandems in the league, and will be relied upon to carry the Coyotes. A sleeper in the Pacific, by my eyes, they are the second best team in the division, and with the goaltending, should stay close to the Flames all year.

10.   DEVILS

a.       One of the more active team, completely remaing his lineup this offseason, the Devils are going to be right in the thick of the Metropolitan race. A few years removed from a Cup the Devils plan on getting back into the playoffs and causing damage. While I think the defense is still a bit thin, especially offensively, Dubnyk will give the team some leeway for mistakes, and hopefully get the team in the hunt.

11.   DUCKS

a.       Biggest question, can Devon pick a route and stick to it? There’s a ton of good young pieces, but then we see a move like a longterm deal for Bobby Ryan, that contradict that strategy. Regardless, the future is bright in Anaheim, it just won’t be this year. While they aren’t as bad as some of the bottom feeders, the Ducks will be well out of the playoffs, as they look to add assets for some of their vets.

12.   FLAMES

a.       The big bet, is James Reimer and Ryan Miller good enough to win the division, and ultimately the cup? The rest of the roster is good enough, but I’m not sold on the goaltending. As I’ve mentioned, their only competition for the division is the Coyotes, who have the best goaltending in the league possibly. Is the Flames firepower going to be enough? Will they trade for every Flame player by the end of the year?

13.   FLYERS

a.       Do they REALLY believe that Anti Niemi will be enough to win the division? The defense and forward corps are stocked, but goaltending remains a huge question mark. Also of note, the third pairing on defense will likely be a liability, I’d expect this to be addressed in preseason. With the team uncharacteristically having picks, they will undoubtedly tap into that well.

14.   HURRICANES

a.       Copy/paste from last year. Is this the year the Hurricanes fall off and meet most prognosticators projections of doom and gloom? Or will Richard continue to defy conventional logic and remain competitive? The goaltending will be very good, as will the defensive play of the team, but is there enough offense? I think they will be close to the playoffs, but I think expecting to compete for the division isn’t likely, nor is bottoming out to the lower 5 teams in the league.

15.   ISLANDERS

a.       The slow build continues, still buoyed by the past FA signing of Henrik Lundqvist, the rest of the team is primarily developed in house, and will continue to be for the upcoming years. The Isles are my pick to win the Metro division, and once again be in the hunt for a championship.

16.   JETS

a.       An odd offseason for Jordan, as he seemingly couldn’t make his mind up what to do, many vets were sent out, then more were acquired. The result, a team that will be competitive, but isn’t likely to be a playoff team in the Central division. The Jets will be gunning for a wild card this season, and hoping that Malkin can carry the offense.

17.   KINGS

a.       Gunning for a lottery pick, but the roster is way to good for that. Even with an offseason of “tanking” the Kings still might be the second best team in the division. Ultimately I don’t think that Rinne and Bobrovsky are good enough after rough NHL years to get the team to the playoffs, but they will be right in it. With 6 picks in the first round next year, the Kings are transitioning for 1 last season.

18.   LIGHTING

a.       The franchise has long been a doormat, with the move to Tampa and a new GM in Roger, optimism is reigning supreme in Tampa. Patrick Kane will need to carry the offense, and Cam Talbot steal some games in net, but the Bolts will be competitive as they strive for a playoff spot. All in all, this is a franchise on the rise.

19.   MAPLE LEAFS

a.       As usual, Garrett will have a competitive team, but I think this version is weaker as prior ones, and as such, don’t view the Leafs as serious contenders. They will almost assuredly be a playoff team, but this team will not be the one to bring a cup to Toronto as currently constructed.

20.   OILERS

a.       After a few years of going for it, it would appear the window has, or is, closed in the City of Champions. That being said, there are plenty of good pieces here. The Oilers could drive the trade market this season if they commit to retooling, or they could get creative, and look to add, particularily in net, and try for 1 last gasp at the cup with Datsyuk and Zetterberg amongst other key FA.

21.   PANTHERS

a.       Heads up Eastern Conference, after a few years stockpiling prime assets, a new contender is here, and they won’t be going anywhere soon. The Panthers look to jump from 3^rd worst in the league, to the top, as they have a deep, young, and highly skilled team. Signing Crawford, while pricy, gives them an anchor in net, and someone that the kids can rely on in net. For my money, the Panthers are as good as any in the East.

22.   PENGUINS

a.       A great offseason, as the team probably won FA in terms of value signings. The biggest question mark for me, is Semyon Varlamov good enough to carry the Pens and win them the division? Or will he doom them to fighting for the playoffs? The rest of the squad is well balanced, and should be able to play good offense and defense.

23.   PREDATORS

a.       It was thought the Preds would do a rebuild, but they decided to take the opportunity of 1 more year of Luongo to try and compete, and at the end of the day, they will be right in the thick of things in the Central. With Bergeron and company up front, and Josi on the backend, the team has the horses to compete with most teams.

24.   RANGERS

a.       Will they win 10 games? For my money the favorite for the Auston Matthews sweepstakes, the Rangers have done a great job of blowing things up. Rather than being destined to be a 14-20 placed team, they tore it to the foundation, and now have a clear direction, and some very good young pieces, and a bunch of picks, as they start to stock the cupboards. Something that hadn’t really been done in NYR for 6 or 7 years. The only question remains, is who else can they move this season?

25.   RED WINGS

a.       After seemingly starting to rebuild, Nolan doubled down, and made some great moves in FA and via trade to retool this roster. The result is one of the deepest teams in the league, and one that has the pieces to be a serious challenger in the division, and in the playoffs. The biggest question regarding the team now, is will they finally sim to their potential after firing Bryce last season?

26.   SABRES

a.       The defneding champs made a tough call and moved out Steven Stamkos this season. So the biggest challenge is obvious, can they repeat? Will Pavalex and Mrazek again be good enough? Or was that a fluke run?The team is still very deep throughout the lineup, and will get scoring from many different avenues, but will it be enough to defend their title?

27.   SENATORS

a.       Scared to stay in the Central, Kirk headed out East to try and get the easiest path to the finals, as he knew he couldn’t match up with Dave anymore. The Sens have a good squad again, but there’s been a lot of questionable moves. On a team where players are rented, and no-one owns their own home, will the Sens get back to glory, glory that had never come to Winnipeg? Or without the early league patsies around, is this the continual decline of the franchise?

28.   SHARKS

a.       Another team I am excited to watch. The Sharks loaded up some in the offseason, and despite an underwhelming defense, will be much better this season. Tyler has revamped all aspects of this franchise this offseason, the specs, the minors, and the pro’s and fans in San Jose are excited to be trending the right way, for the first time in a long time.

29.   STARS

a.       Fresh off one of the flukiest runs we’ve seen, right to the cup finals, the Stars have been active all offseason, but transaction wise, and running their mouth. While he strives to be like his idol Dan, Junya has a solid team, but despite his claims to have figured out the sim, Al Montoya and Reto Berra do not inspire a ton of faith in the Stars goaltending this season. That said, there is plenty of firepower, and a solid D core. The Stars will be in the thick of the race for a playoff spot, though I don’t see them being above the Blues or Hawks in the Central.

30.   WILD

a.       A team in transition, there are starting to be some good pieces put in place, and a future that is bright, but the current will be rough. While not a bottom 5 roster, I suspect the Wild will be a bottom 5 team, simply because the rest of the division is loaded and will give them more losses than they deserve. There is plenty of vets on the roster, and they undoubtedly will be one of the busier trade teams selling off throughout the season.