NHL Preview 2019-20: New York Rangers

(This year again, I will twin-post with my Collectibles Blog and write about a player who is related to my Preview post here. Today, it's New York Rangers superstar goalie Henrik Lundqvist).

GM: Jeff Gorton (since 2015). 7.5/10
Coach: David Quinn (since 2018). 7/10

2016-17 record: 48-28-6, 102 points, 9th overall, Wild Card, lost in second round.

Departures: Kevin Hayes (C), Neal Pinok (D), Jimmy Vesey (F), Mats Zuccarello (RW), Ryan Spooner (F), Kevin Shattenkirk (D), Fredrik Claesson (D), Connor Brickley (LW).

Arrivals: Artemi Panarin (D), Jacob Trouba (D), Kaapo Kakko (RW), Adam Fox (D), Greg McKegg (C).

Top forwards: Artemi Panarin (75-85 points), J.T. Miller (40-50 points), Mika Zibanejad (45-60 points), Chris Kreider (45-55 points, although with his attributes, we've long expected close to point-per-game seasons from him), Kaapo Kakko (40-55 points), Vladislav Namestnikov (35-50 points), Pavel Buchnevich (40-55 points), Ryan Strome (30-35 points), Desharnais (30-35 points), Jesper Fast (20-30 points).

Must-improve forward: It's time for Buchnevich to give a complete effort in all three zones; if he does, you'll be looking at a 30-goal, 60-point man on the verge of signing a huge deal instead of a perennial middle-six guy who is constantly in trade rumours.

Top defensemen: Brady Skeij (40-45 points), Anthony DeAngelo (35-45 points), Jacob Trouba (35-45 points), Brendan Smith (20 points), Marc Staal (10 points).

Goalies: Henrik Lundqvist (85/100), Alexandar Georgiev (81/100).

Top rookies: Kakko (18, RW, 2nd overall pick in 2019), Adam Fox (21 years old, D), Libor Hajek (21, D), Filip Chytil (20, C/LW), Brett Howden (21, C), Lias Andersson (20, C, 2017 first-round draft pick), Brendan Lemieux (23, RW).

Analysis:
A case can be made that the Rangers "won" the summer: they landed the best forward on the free agent market (Panarin), the second-best defenseman on the trade market (Trouba) and the most NHL-ready rookie (Kakko) at the draft.

Add a season of experience to DeAngelo and Skeij, another very good young defender in Fox and Shattenkirk's buyout and that's a very good top-three on defense as well; it's too bad Smith and Staal are still there to eat too many minutes at too high a cap hit, but one of them can be bought out or traded next summer.

Lundqvist, who has been trending down for two straight seasons, is n ow 37. Does he have a final big splash in him before he retires? Possibly, but he won't when this roster is actually ready to contend with the likes of Tampa Bay, Florida and Philadelphia in two years, which is too bad, because the Hall Of Famer does deserve another shot at the Stanley Cup.

I'm still not sold on head coach Quinn, but he hasn't done anything to irk me either. He's earned a new beginning.
Prediction: 6th in the Metropolitan Division, 19th overall and oh-so-close to a playoff spot.

NHL Preview 2019-20: Anaheim Ducks

(This year again, I will twin-post with my Collectibles Blog and write about a player who is related to my Preview post here. Today, it's the Anaheim Ducks' much-maligned former top defensive prospect, Cam Fowler).

GM: Bob Murray (since 2008). 7/10
Coach: Dallas Eakins (since 2019). 6/10

2018-19 record: 35-37-10, 80 pts. (6th in the Pacific Division, 13th in the Western Conference).
Playoffs: Did not qualify.

Departures: Corey Perry (LW), Pontus Aberg (RW), Adam Cracknell (RW), Andrej Sustr (D), Chad Johnson (G), Jake Dotchin (D), Andy Welinski (D), Jaycob Megna (D).

Arrivals: Nicolas Deslauriers (F), Michael Del Zotto (D), Anthony Stolarz (G).

Top forwards: Rickard Rakell (70-75 points), Ryan Getzlaf (captain, 60-70 points), Jakob Silfverberg (50-60 points), Adam Henrique (40-50 points), Daniel Sprong (30-40 points), Ondrej Kase (30-35 points), Nick Ritchie (20-25 points), Devin Shore (20-25 points). Patrick Eaves and Ryan Kesler should not play this year.


Must-improve forwards: Adam Henrique seems to have fallen off some black days. I haven't relaly paid attention to him in recent years, but I remember a goal scorer who looked like he could one day score 40.

Top defensemen: Cam Fowler (35-45 points), Josh Manson (30 points and over 100 penalty minutes), SHampus Lindholm (25-35 points), Korbinian Holzer (15-30 points), Del Zotto (15-20 points).

Goalies: John Gibson (95/100), Ryan Miller (83/100).

Top rookies: Brendan Guhle (22, D), Sam Steel (21, C), Maxime Comtois (20, C/LW), Jacob Larsson (21 years old, D, 2015 first-rounder), Marcus Pettersson (22, D), Max Jones (20, LW, 2016 first-rounder), Troy Terry (22, C).

Analysis:
The Ducks are like Ryan Kesler: sitting idle, waiting for time to get rid of his contract obligations, in the shadows of what used to look like greatness.

Gibson will win a Vezina in the next decade, whether that's this year or not. When he does, Anaheim will have an outlier season and win its division. In the meantime, they'll struggle and have to hustle to make the playoffs.

Even by buying out Perry, the Ducks remain a heavy, slow and physical-to-the-brink-of-undisciplined team (see Getzlaf up-front and Manson out back) who appear ill-suited to even keep up with the likes of the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks in their own division, let alone the Calgary Flames and Vegas Golden Knights.

Prediction: 7th in the Pacific Division, 29th in the NHL.

NHL Preview 2019-20: Florida Panthers

(This year again, I will twin-post with my Collectibles Blog and write about a player who is related to my Preview post here. Today, it's the Florida Panthers' top-line right winger, Evgenii Dadodov).

GM: Dale Talon (second stint, since 2017). 8.5/10
Coach: Joel Quenneville (since 2019). 9/10

2018-19 record: 36-32-14, 86 points (5th in Atlantic Division, 10th in Eastern Conference).
Playoffs: Did not qualify.

Departures: Roberto Luongo (G), Troy Brouwer (F), Jamie McGinn (LW), Derek MacKenzie (C), Reily Sheehan (C).

Arrivals: Sergei Bobrovsky (G), Anton Stralman (D), Brett Connolly (RW), Noel Acciari (RW).

Top forwards: Aleksander Barkov (80-95 points), Jonathan Huberdeau (80-95 points), Vincent Trocheck (65-75 points), Evgenii Dadonov (60-75 points), Mike Hoffman (30 goals, 50-60 points), Frank Vatrano (30-40 points), Denis Malgin (20-30 points), Henrik Borgstrom (20-30 points), (25-30 points), Colton Sceviour (25-30 points).

Must-improve forward: The real answer is "no one". The Panthers have one of the best offenses in the league. But Borgstrom is a 22-year-old former first-round pick who was a better-than-a-point-per-game player in the NCAA and, as such, could do better than what he's shown (albeit in limited ice time) so far.

Top defensemen: Aaron Ekblad (30-40 points), Keith Yandle (45-60 points but poor +/- showing and possession stats), Michael Matheson (20-30 points), Alex Petrovic (20-25 points), Stralman (10-20 points).

Goalies: Sergei Bobrovsky (96/100), Samuel Montembeault (75/100).

Top rookies: Spencer Knight (18, G, 13th overall pick in 2019), Vladislav Kolyachonok (18, D), Grigori Deniskenko (19, W, 15th overall pick in 2018), Owen Tippett (20 years old, RW, 10th overall pick in 2017), Ian McCoshen (24, D), Jayce Hawryluk (23, RW).

Analysis:
The Panthers wasted Roberto Luongo's sunset years with a string of bad decisions that stemmed from their promoting Tom Rowe to GM and dismantling the work Dale Tallon had made building a team that won its division. Tallon's ready to show his new and improved team with a head coach that's at least as good in Joel Quenneville as he had when Gerard Gallant was primed for glory years.

It helps to have the best two-way player in the game in Barkov, and more than a few other stars up-front (Huberdeau, Dadonov, and Trochek can all aspire to Olympic rosters one day, Hoffman is an All-Star-caliber forward), a defense that is coming into its own highlighted by the extremely strong and savvy defensive play of Matheson... and the best goalie in the world to back it all up. It's a team, built a lot like the 2003-04 Tampa Bay Lightning that won the Stanley Cup with guys like Martin St-Louis, Vincent Lecavalier, Brad Richards, Dan Boyle and Nikolai Khabibulin.

A couple of years ago, I thought the rebuilding process would be harsher, that they'd be wasting prime Barkov, Huberdeau and Trochek years. I was being too negative and may have underestimated Tallon's resources.

Prediction: 3rd in the Atlantic Division, 10th overall.

NHL Preview 2019-20: Buffalo Sabres

(This year again, I will twin-post with my Collectibles Blog and write about a player who is related to my Preview post here. Today, it's Buffalo Sabres former All-Star Zemgus Girgensons).

 

GM: Jason Botterill (since 2017). 7/10

Coach: Ralph Krueger (since 2019). 8/10

2018-19 record: 33-39-10, 76 points (6th in Atlantic Division, 13th in Eastern Conference). Playoffs: Did not qualify

Departures: Matt Tennyson (D), Kyle Criscuolo (C), Scott Wedgewood (D), Alex Nylander (RW).

Arrivals: John Gilmour (D), Marcus Johansson (LW/RW), Curtis Lazar (C), Jimmy Vesey (LW), Jean-Sébastien Dea (C), Andrew Hammond (G), and Henri Jokiharju (D).

Top forwards: Jack Eichel (70-85 points), Jeff Skinner (45-60 points), Sam Reinhart (60-65 points), Kyle Okposo (30-35 points), Casey Mittelstadt (35-45 points), Johansson (40-50 points), Jason Pominville (30-40 points if he comes back), Connor Sheary (35 points), Evan Rodrigues (30-35 points), Alexander Nylander (30-40 points in his rookie year would be nice).

Must-improve forward: Okposo once again. He didn't even score 15 goals last season, when he was a lock to score 30 when he played with the New York Islanders... with a certain John Tavares.

Top defensemen: Rasmus Ristolainen (40-50 points), Rasmus Dahlin (look for 45-55), Marco Scandella (20-30 points), Jake McCabe (20 points), Zach Bogosian (10 points due to injuries).

Goalies: Carter Hutton (74/100), Linus Ullmark (76/100).

Top rookies: Victor Oloffson (24, LW), Brendan Guhle (22, D), Rasmus Asplund (21, C).

Analysis:
The Sabres are not as strong up front as they think they are - and certainly nothing close to what they're paying for; Eichel is not yet a $10M player and may never be; Skinner is by no means a true 40-goal man, so his $9M cap is also ludicrous, per capita almost as much as Okposo's $6M.

For less money, the Edmonton Oilers had Connor McDavid ($12.5M, 41 goals, 75 assists, 116 points) and Leon Draisaitl ($8.5M, 50 goals, 55 assists, 105 points) provide a total of 91 goals, 130 assists and 221 points; with $25M on next year's cap, Eichel, Skinner and Okposo combined for 82 goals, 92 assists and 174 points. Divided in three, not two. And some people call McDavid and Draisaitl overpaid.

Speaking of sad offenses, if Pominville decides to retire, will not only lose their 35-year-old former captain and pillar of the middle-six, but also their fourth-leading goal scorer. And he had a lowly 16 (which is still two more than Okposo).

You have to think GM Botterill also feels like he's on the hot seat, having already gone through a head coach of his choosing and barely entering his third season. The Sabres are on an eight-year playoff drought - the longest of its kind in the NHL - and the fans are getting impatient.

Oh, and they had AHL-level goaltending last season. At 26 years old, it's time for Ullmark to come out of his shell.

Prediction: 6th in the Atlantic Division, 23rd in the league.

NHL Preview 2019-20: St. Louis Blues

(This year again, I will twin-post with my Collectibles Blog and write about a player who is related to my Preview post here. Today, it's St. Louis Blues former top prospect Robby Fabbri).

GM: Doug Armstrong (since 2010). 6/10
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.

NHL Preview 2019-20: San Jose Sharks

(This year again, I will twin-post with my Collectibles Blog and write about a player who is related to my Preview post here. Today, it's San Jose Sharks former captain Joe Thornton).

GM: Doug Wilson (since 2003). 8.5/10
Coach: Peter DeBoer (since 2015). 5/10

2018-19 record: 46-27-9, 101 points (2nd in the Pacific Division, 2nd in the Western Conference).
Playoffs: Lost in Conference Final to St. Louis Blues.

Departures: Joe Pavelski (C), Joonas Donskoi (RW), Gustav Nyquist (RW), Joakin Ryan (D), Justin Braun (D), Francis Perron (F), Kyle Wood (D).

Arrivals: Dalton Prout (D), Jonny Brodzinski (RW), Trevor Carrick (D), Tom Pyatt (C).

Top forwards: Tomas Hertl (60-70 points), Logan Couture (50-60 points), Joe Thornton (40 points), Kevin Labanc (40-50 points), Evander Kane (30 goals, 50 points if he remains healthy), Timo Meier (50-55 points), Joel Ward (30 points but clutch in the playoffs), Melker Karlsson (25-30 points).

Must-improve forward: Ward was acquired to provide some playoff scoring acumen, but he hasn't been able to show it in years, in addition to being a regular-season disappointment as a bottom-line forward when he was expected to be a luxury third-liner of decent second-liner.

Top defensemen: Brent Burns (70-80 points), Erik Karlsson (70-80 points), Marc-Édouard Vlasic (25-30 points), Artemi Kniazev (20-25 points), Tim Heed (10 points), Prout (10 points).

Goalies: Martin Jones (79/100), Antoine Bibeau (72/100), Aaron Dell (70/100).

Top rookies: Dylan Gambrell (22 years old, C, point-per-game AHLer), Ryan Merkley (19, D), Jonathan Dahlen (21, F, already on his third team, may remain in Europe for a while), Alexander True (22, F, point-per-game AHLer), Mario Ferraro (20, D), Kniazev (19, D).

Analysis:
This is a make-or-break year for head coach DeBoer, who cannot keep choking like his predecessor Todd McLellan.

They have the best one-two defensive punch in the league with Karlsson and Burns - two of the four game-breakers at their position with Dustin Byfuglien and P.K. Subban - and their GM Doug Wilson keeps finding a way to rejuvenate his core and/or have his players perform well past their expiry date that keeps them contending without ever having to fully rebuild.

Soon enough, when he retires, Thornton will join Marcel Dionne as the best players to have never won a Cup. Through no fault of his own, mind you - he's one of the best playmakers of all time - he just either has never played with good/lucky enough teammates or just didn't have that little extra gear that turns very good players into championship winners.

And that won't happen with either goalie the Sharks currently have between the pipes.

They'll take advantage of a weak Pacific Division to make it to the final dance, perhaps a point or two ahead of the Edmonton Oilers, who aren't as deep, but even the Sharks' depth took a hit when they had to clear three players to make room for Karlsson on the back end, who they didn't actually need.

Prediction: 3rd in the Pacific Division, 9th in the NHL.

NHL Preview 2019-20: Nashville Predators

(This year again, I will twin-post with my Collectibles Blog and write about a player who is related to my Preview post here. Today, it's Nashville Predators first line winger Filip Forsberg.)

GM: David Poile (since 1997). 9.5/10
Coach: Peter Laviolette (since 2014). 8.4/10

2018-19 record: 47-29-6, 100 points (1st in Central Division, 3rd in Western Conference). Lost to Dallas Stars 4-2 in Round 1.

Departures: P.K. Subban (D), Wayne Simmonds (LW), Brian Boyle (C).

Arrivals: Matt Duchene (C), Steve Santini (D), Daniel Carr (RW).

Top forwards: Filip Forsberg (30-some goals, 60-65 points), Ryan Johansen (60-70 points), Viktor Arvidsson (55-70 points), Nick Bonino (30 points playing on a second line all season), Mikael Granlund (50-60 points), Craig Smith (30-40 points), Calle Jarnkrok (25-35 points), Kyle Turris (20 goals and 30-35 points).

Must-improve forward: Everyone at centre. Johansen gets paid like an 80-point player; Turris gets paid like a 60-70-point player; Bonino gets paid like a 60-point player - neither of them get close enough to those marks.

Top defensemen: Roman Josi (45-55 points), Ryan Ellis (usually good for 35-45 points, though he will start the season on LTIR), Mattias Ekholm (20-30 points), Dante Fabbro (20-30 points),  Colton Sissons (20-25 points), Yannick Weber (10-20 points, maybe a few powerplay goals now that Subban's gone).

Goalies: Pekka Rinne (90/100), Juuse Saros (81/100).

Top rookies: Dante Fabbro (21, D, 2016 first-round draft pick), Vladislav Kamenev (23, C), Eeli Tolvanen (20, RW).

Analysis:
Did the Preds get better of worse this offseason? Does leadership and team chemistry count?

The Preds' biggest problem the past couple of years has been the sub-par performance of their centre line; they addressed it by going for Duchene, a player who has also never hit the 80-point plateau.

They also gave up term to depth players like Scissons for some reason.

But they're still better than their immediate competition, i.e. the rest of the Central. But if they don't take advantage of their window soon, it will close, because a lot of their players are nearing the age of 30, so they're a couple of years away from the start of a sharp decline.

Prediction: 1st in the Central Division, 3rd overall.

NHL Preview 2019-20: Los Angeles Kings

(This year again, I will twin-post with my Collectibles Blog and write about a player who is related to my Preview post here. Today, it's former Los Angeles Kings captain and star defenseman - and current General Manager - Rob Blake, who will deserve much of the blame if the season unfolds like I think it will.)

GM: Rob Blake (since 2017). 6/10
Coach: Todd McLellan (since 2019). 6/10

2018-19 record: 31-42-9, 71 points (8th in Pacific Division, 15th in Western Conference), out of the playoffs.

Departures: Peter Budaj (G), Brendan Leipsic (RW), Dion Phaneuf (D), Willie Desjardins (HC), Brayden McNabb (D), Matt Greene (D).

Arrivals: Joakim Ryan (D), Martin Frk (LW), Todd McLellan (head coach).

Top forwards: Ilya Kovalchuk (30 goals, 50 points), Jeff Carter (60 points), Anze Kopitar (captain, 60-85 points), Adrian Kempe (40-50 points), Dustin Brown (20 goals and 40-45 points), Tyler Toffoli (40 points), Trevor Lewis (25-30 points), Kyle Clifford (20 points).

Must-improve forwards: Every single one of them. You don't finish 30th in total scoring and 27th on powerplay scoring and have a ton of players that can be proud of the season they're having, particualrly not with a handful of Olympians in the lot.

Top defensemen: Drew Doughty (35-45 points), Alec Martinez (40-45 points), Derek Forbort (20-30 points).

Goalies: Jonathan Quick (85/100), Jack Campbell (79/100).

Top rookies: Matt Roy (24, D), Blake Lizotte (21, C), Gabriel Vilardi (20, 11th overall pick in 2017, C), Carl Grundstrom (21, LW), Austin Wagner (22, LW).

Analysis:
Ron Hextall, please have mercy on the Kings and take over for Blake.

This situation looks extremely bleak - and it's going to get worse before it gets better because they're not helping themselves get out of it.

Prediction: 8th in the Pacific Division, 31st in the NHL.

NHL Preview 2019-20: Detroit Red Wings

(This year again, I will twin-post with my Collectibles Blog and write about a player who is related to my Preview post here. Today, it's hard-hitting defenseman Niklas Kronwall, who announced his retirement earlier tonight.)

GM: Steve Yzerman (since 2019). 9/10
Coach: Jeff Blashill (since 2015). 5/10

2018-19 record: 32-40-10, 74 points (7th in the Atlantic Division, 14th in the Eastern Conference). Third consecutive season outside the playoff picture.

Departures: Martin Frk (LW), Niklas Kronwall (D), Luke Witkowski (D), Thomas Vanek (RW) Wade Megan (C), and GM Ken Holland.

Arrivals: Valtteri Filppula (C), Patrik Nemeth (D), Calvin Pickard (G) and GM Steve Yzerman, fresh from making the Tampa Bay Lightning perennial contenders.

Top forwards: Dylan Larkin (30 goals, 70-80 points), Andreas Athanasiou (30 goals and 50-60 points), Anthony Mantha (30 goals and 50 points), Tyler Bertuzzi (45-55 points), Michael Rasmussen (30-40 points), Evgeny Svechnikov (30-40 points), Filppula (30 points), Frans Nielsen (30-35 points), Luke Glendening (20 points).

Must-improve forward: Rasmussen is still young and will grow into a regular contributing role, but at this point, you'd have to think Jacob De La Rose can smell he's at a crossroads between a middle-six role, a bottom-three assignment, or going back to Europe. If he keeps insisting on contributing less than 10 points per season and finishing in the minuses, there will be no room for him in the NHL when he reaches the age of 25 in a year and a half.

Top defensemen: Mike Green (30-50 points, depending whether he misses 15 or 35 games), Danny DeKeyser (30-35 points), Filip Hronek (25-35 points), Dennis Cholowski (20-30 points), Trevor Daley (10 points).

Goalies: Jimmy Howard (83/100), Picard (79/100), Jonathan Bernier (79/100).

Top rookies: Taro Hirose (23 years old, LW), Filip Zadina (19, LW/RW), Axel Homstrom (23, LW).

Analysis:
With Niklas Kronwall's retirement, that frees up one space on defense to mold a youngster into an NHLer for when the Wings are ready to aim at the playoffs in two or three years.

Most of the "bad contracts" at the forward position will expire at the end of the 2020-21 season (Darren Helm) or the following year (Nielsen), while those on the back end expire next summer (Green, Jonathan Ericsson, Daley), so the team is in a position to restock on young talent quickly and proceed to better days with the young veteran core of Larkin, Mantha and Bertuzzi already in place, and one hopes Zadina, Rasmussen and/or Svechnikov will also become a star forward, leaving Detroit rich in high-end talent for the better part of the next decade - provided Stevie Y. doesn't go overboard and overpay for these kids.

This will, however, have to happen with a better coach. Maybe Yzerman's waiting for Jon Cooper to be available if/when Tampa chokes in the playoffs again, but he missed out on quality candidates like Alain Vigneault and Joel Quenneville this summer, so you'd have to think the next crop of recyclable coaches will be of lesser quality, probably featuring the likes of Claude Julien, Bruce Boudreau and Peter Laviolette. Then again, Guy Boucher might get the call; refusing to go ahead with the Ottawa Senators' joke of a teardown last year with the only assurance being that he'd be out of a job the following month showed a decent amount of spine and balls.

Prediction: 7th in the Atlantic Division, 27th overall.

NHL Preview 2019-20: Washington Capitals

This year again, I will twin-post with my Collectibles Blog and write about a player who is related to my Preview post here. Today, it's former Vezina winner Braden Holtby.

GM: Brian MacLellan (since 2014). 8.5/10
Coach: Todd Reirden (since 2018). 7.5/10

2018-19 record: 48-26-8, 104 points (1st in the Metropolitan Division, 3rd in the Eastern Conference). Playoffs: Eliminated in Round 1 by the Carolina Hurricanes in seven games.

Departures: Brooks Orpik(D), Matt Niskanen (D), Dmitrij Jaskin (RW), Brett Connolly (LW), André Burakovsky (F).

Arrivals: Richard Panik (RW), Radko Gudas (D), Brendan Leipsic (RW).

Top forwards: Alex Ovechkin (captain, 70-85 points, look for him to flirt with the 50-goal mark again), Nicklas Backstrom (75-85 points), Evgeny Kuznetsov (70-80 points), Tom Wilson (45-50 points), T.J. Oshie (25-30 goals, 50-55 points, missing 10 games to injury), Panik (30-40 points), Carl Hagelin (30-40 points), Jakub Vrana (30-40 points), Lars Eller (25-30 points).

Must-improve forwards: Hagelin has all the tools to be a point-per-game player except one: a deadly shot. He does everything else well, has a good hockey sense, is super-fast and can control the puck at high speeds, but he seems to never be able to finish or set up perfect goals. With all his tools, he's a middling forward, but I'll always expect ONE jaw-dropping, 60-65-point season from him.

Top defensemen: John Carlsson (50-60 points), Dmitry Orlov (30-40 points), Michal Kempny (25-35 points), Jonas Siegenthaler (20-30 points), Gudas (15-20 points), Christian Djoos (10-15 points).

Goalies: Braden Holtby (92/100), Pheonix Copley (77/100).

Top rookies: Axel Jonsson-Fjällby (21 years old, LW), Alex Alexeyev (19, D), Martin Feherevary (19, D).

Analysis:
GM McLellan didn't like losing to the Carolina Hurricanes in Round 1, so he revamped his middle-six and added grit in the form of Gudas on the back end. The direct result is a net loss on the talent front (unless some talented rookies take the place of the departed, in which case the Caps will actually have improved) and possibly even the locker room chemistry.

But as long as they have a healthy trio of Ovie, Backstrom and Kuznetsov up front, they have a chance. So much so that despite falling back by roughly 5-7% in raw talent, they probably still can win the Metro because their competition either regressed (Pittsburgh Penguins, Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets), remained stable (New York Islanders) or didn't improve enough (New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, New Jersey Devils). All of these teams are good enough to challenge for a playoff spot if the stars align, but none have a real shot at un-seeding the Caps.

The X factor is Holtby and Backstrom entering their final contract seasons, and Ovie having just another year left after this one, meaning contract negotiations and retirement talk may cause distractions.

Prediction: 1st in the Metropolitan Division.