Eastern Conference Predictions

By : Mike Rifkin

With the NHL season upon us here is how I view the Eastern Conference 

1. Hurricanes – Yes I think Carolina repeats as division champions. Rod Brind’Amour is one of the best coaches in the league. They added Brent Burns and Max Pacioretty, Pacioretty will eventually come back from an injury, but Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov are superstars and Frederik Andersen should have been a Vezina nominee after posting a 35-14-3 record with a 2.17 Goals Against Average, .922 save percentage and four shutouts. 
2. Rangers – Igor Shesterkin did win the Vezina with 36-13-4 record, a 2.07 GAA, .935 save percentage and six shutouts. I don’t think Chris Kreider scores 52 goals again. I think Vincent Trocheck is an upgrade over Ryan Strome, but how quickly will chemistry with Panarin come? With Strome, Frank Vatrano and Andrew Copp departing more will be asked of the young players. Can the kids take another step forward? If so the Rangers can challenge the Canes for the division. 
3. Penguins –  They kept their core intact, bringing back Malkin, Letang and Rust. That being said this is an aging roster but as long as they stay healthy they are in a position to be a solid team. Jake Guentzel is becoming a premier goal scorer after posting 40 goals for the second time in his career. Tristan Jarry had the best season of his career going 34-18-6 with a 2.42 GAA and .919 save percentage with four shutouts. 
4. Islanders –  Last year there were a lot of circumstances around the Islanders. They started the season with a 13 game road trip so their new arena could be finished. They had Covid go through their team. I don’t love firing Barry Trotz, but if it means guys like Mat Barzal, who just got a new contract, Anthony Beauvillier, and Oliver Whalstrom are going to produce more offensively it might be worth it. Ilya Sorokin was 26-18-8 with 2.40 GAA, .925 save percentage and seven shutouts. 
5. Capitals – Yes Darcy Kuemper is an upgrade over what the Caps have had in goal recently.  Alex Ovechkin is still going to do his thing on his quest to conquer Wayne Gretzky’s goals record. But they will be without Nicklas Backstrom and Tom Wilson for a bit. Wilson is the bigger blow because of what he means to the team. They will need TJ Oshie and Anthony Mantha to have good years. 
6. Devils – I really like their upside and loved what they did in the offseason. Ondrej Palat was a great player in Tampa and can fit anywhere up and down a lineup, John Marino gives them size on the blue line. If Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier can stay relatively healthy they will put up numbers.  Can Dawson Mercer replicate his rookie season? The biggest question is in goal. What will they get out of Vitek Vanecek and Mackenzie Blackwood? 
7. Blue Jackets –  Yeah they won the Johnny Gaudreau sweepstakes, and kept Patrik Laine. They traded Oliver Bjorkstrand because of those signings. The biggest question is the same as the Devils, what will Joonas Korpisalo and Elvis Merzlikins give them in goal. 
8. Flyers – There are a lot of questions here that will be answered early on. John Tortorella is in the fold as the team’s new coach. They didn’t sign Johnny Gaudreau. According to GM Chuck Fletcher, defenseman Ryan Ellis is going to miss the season, while Sean Couturier will miss some time. This is a make or break year for Carter Hart. If he doesn’t have a good season he will need a change of scenery. Kevin Hayes should have a bounce back season, there were terrible circumstances for him last year and I expect him to bounce back. 

Atlantic Division

1. Lightning –  This is weird to say, but I feel losing the Cup Final may have put a chip on their shoulder again. Also weird was last year was the first time Steven Stamkos hit 100 points in a season. Andrei Vasilevskiy is still the best goalie in the NHL. Most of their core is still intact. I expect good years from Nick Paul and Brandon Hagel especially after the departure of Palat.
2. Panthers – I love the addition of Matthew Tkachuk, even though they paid a big price. But I feel the loss of Mason Marchment and Mackenzie Weegar are huge for this team. The team will also be without Anthony Duclair, who had Achillies surgery and should be back by midseason. But ultimately this comes down to Sergei Bobrovsky, if he plays well the Panthers will be solid, if he doesn’t there will be questions.’
3. Maple Leafs – Let’s be honest it doesn’t matter what the Leafs do in the regular season, it’s all about winning a playoff series for the first time since 2004. The biggest question mark is always the same for the Leafs goaltending. What will Matt Murray and Ilya Samsonov give them and more importantly can they stay healthy? But if the Leafs lose in the first round how will that affect the roster going forward, including the future of Auston Matthews who scored 60 goals last year.
4. Senators – Yes, I am high on the Senators and who wouldn’t be after the offseason they had. Alex Debrincat comes from the Blackhawks after another 40 goal season, Claude Giroux will provide big time leadership for the team and Cam Talbot is a massive upgrade in goal. Add this to the nucleus of Brady Tkachuk, Josh Norris, Thomas Chabot, etc… I love this roster.
5. Bruins – Every year people ask when will the Bruins drop off? Yes, I think this is the year they may slip a bit. My major reason is injuries, a lot of key players will miss the start the season including Brad Marchand and Charlie Mcavoy. Captain Patrice Bergeron is back as is David Krejci who played in the Czech Republic last year. Jeremy Swayman had a solid rookie season in goal. The biggest question in Boston is can they get David Pastrnak signed long term?
6. Red Wings – Another team who had a tremendous offseason. Bringing in Andrew Copp, David Perron and Ville Husso will help the team. Young players like Lucas Raymond and reigning Calder winner Moritz Seider taking a step forward. But most importantly having Jakub Vrana healthy for a whole season will be huge for the Wings.Vrana had 13 goals in 26 games after shoulder surgery. Can Husso and Alex Nedeljokvic have similar success to what Husso and Jordan Binnington had in St.Louis. 
7. Sabres  – Don Granato has done a tremendous job since taking over as Head Coach. But this is all about the young players in Buffalo taking steps forward. Can Tage Thompson replicate his season from last season? Alex Tuch should have a massive impact if healthy all season. What will they get in goal? Eric Comrie has never been considered a starter, but will have a chance in Buffalo.
8. Canadiens – Cole Caufield was an absolute show after Marty St.Louis took over as the head coach. They  will probably be without Carey Price this season, but Jake Allen has the ability to steal a game. Loved their offseason additions of Kirby Dach, Evgenii Dadonov ( who I think gets moved at deadline), and Mike Matheson but this is a team in the midst of a rebuild.