Coach: Craig Berube (since 2019). 8/10
2018-19 record: 45-28-9, 99 points (3rd in the Central Division, tied for fourth in the Western Conference). Playoffs: Won Stanley Cup
Departures: Patrick Maroon (LW), Jordan Schmaltz (D), Adam Musil (C), Nikita Soshnikov (RW), Jakub Jerabek (D).
Arrivals: Nathan Walker (LW), Derrick Pouliot (D), Jake Dotchin (D), Andreas Borgman (D).
Top forwards: Vladimir Tarasenko (70-80 points), Jaden Schwartz (55-70 points), Brayden Schenn (55-70 points), David Perron (50-65 points), Ryan O'Reilly (55-65 points), Robby Fabbri (30-40 points, depending how many games he misses to injury), Alexander Steen (20-35 points), Tyler Bozak (20-30 points), Ivan Barbashev (20-30 points), Oskar Sundqvist (30 points), Robert Thomas (20-30 points), Samuel Blais (20-30 points).
Must-improve forward: O'Reilly will likely not repeat his 2018-19 season and wait until his contract year to play balls-out again, so it'd be an investment for me to say he has the talent to be even better and call him out here ahead of time, but by God, Tarasenko failing to hit the 40-goal mark for the third straight year is unfitting of someone who is in the middle of an eight-year deal that carries a $7.5M cap hit, particularly when that represented roughly 10% of the team's cap when it was signed.
Top defensemen: Alex Pietrangelo (45-50 points), Colton Parayko (35-40 points), Joel Edmundson (15-25 points), Vince Dunn (10-20 points), Jay Bouwmeester (10 points).
Goalies: Jordan Binnington (85/100), Jake Allen (77/100).
Top rookies: Jordan Kyrou (21 years old, C), Jake Walman (23, D), Klim Kostin (20, C, 6'3", 212 pounds), Ville Husso (24, G).
Analysis:
Craig Berube got the best out of this rag-tag team of underachievers all the way to the Stanley Cup. Can he do it two years in a row? Of course not, no one could. The elements aren't in place to do so, the magic of a January last-place in the standings, the unbelievable run of a rookie goalie who stops everything, the hometown boy (Maroon) playing on a one-year deal at less than what was offered elsewhere just so he can play in front of his children, the child serving as the team,s inspiration for a once-in-a-lifetime run...
It was lightning in a bottle in a year where the Tampa Bay Lightning did so well in the regular season that their flame burnt out in the playoffs. And that's saying nothing of the Western Conference teams, the rise of the Colorado Avalanche, the frightening stability of the Nashville Predators and Vegas Golden Knights, the offensive juggernauts that make up the Calgary Flames, the Winnipeg Jets who are trying to do like the 2017-18 Washington Capitals and add by subtraction in the hopes of getting over the hump, and the two-year window the Dallas Stars have just bought themselves...
And if the Caps and Blues can bypass years of choking to end with the coveted prize, maybe the San Jose Sharks can, too.
So it's going to be a long, hard road, is what I'm saying. It was nice while it lasted, though.
Prediction: 4th in the Central Division, 13th in the NHL.
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