Atlantic division
NHL bold predictions: Way-too-early division picks, Stanley Cup winners for 2018-19 season
Who's taking the division? Who's winning the Stanley Cup? It's early, but we've got picks
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7 min read
Would you look at that? It's already October and the puck drops on another NHL season on Wednesday night. The new campaign opens up with a slate of games that includes the defending champion Washington Capitals raising their first Stanley Cup banner to the rafters before playing host to the Boston Bruins.
With each new season brings countless way-too-early predictions, some bolder than others. It's hard not to stand at the starting line without envisioning what might take shape over the coming months, so we've gone ahead and put our picks down on paper before the season's opening puck drop. (Well, not technically on paper unless you print out this out, but you get the point.)
Let's take a crack at guessing who will come away as division champs and Stanley Cup victors at season's end, plus some bold predictions to top it all off.
Pete Blackburn: The Atlantic seems to have a three-headed monster at the top. The Leafs got better with the addition of John Tavares while, for the most part, the Lightning and Bruins stayed about the same. Still, Tampa has the most complete roster on paper and I like them to defend their division title.
Cody Benjamin: The Atlantic is absolutely packed up top, and the Lightning should be the favorites, but Tavares added to an already explosive Toronto unit is just too tempting to pass up.
Kevin Skiver: Between the Lightning, the Bruins and the Leafs, this division should be the toughest in hockey. But only one team added one of the better players in hockey in Tavares, so I'm going with the Maple Leafs coming off a solid 2017 season.
Blackburn: The Caps have won the Metro in three straight seasons and they'll be returning most of their Stanley Cup-winning roster, so that makes them an enticing pick. But combine a short, booze-fueled summer with the fact that the Caps got a new coach behind the bench and I think there's a chance they have some kinks to work out during the regular season. Pittsburgh should see a bounce-back campaign from Matt Murray and the Penguins still have a couple of the best players in the world.
Benjamin: The Capitals returned their core, but the Penguins seem destined to rebound after their curiously sloppy and slow start from a year ago. We haven't seen the last of Sidney Crosby's reign just yet.
Skiver: Sometimes when you're the best, all you have to do is stand pat. The defending Stanley Cup champs didn't do much to get demonstrably better, but they did lock up John Carlson before he hit free agency. The Flyers improved by signing James van Riemsdyk, and they could leapfrog the Penguins in the standings for it, but they could end up giving up a lot of goals this season with weak defense and weak goal-tending.
Blackburn: This is really a toss-up between the Preds and the Jets, but I have more faith in Nashville from start-to-finish. They're the reigning Presidents' Trophy winners with an outstanding defensive corps and the reigning Vezina winner in net. They're going to need Pekka Rinne to be every bit as good this year because there's not a lot of room for error in that tough division.
Benjamin: The Predators still seem like a safer bet than the Jets, but who can match Winnipeg's upside? Patrik Laine alone makes them an obvious terror.
Skiver: This is kind of a coin flip between the Jets and the Predators. The Preds are the defending President's Trophy winners, and they didn't really do, well, anything. The problem is, the Jets didn't do much either. They lost Paul Stastny, whom they traded for at least year's deadline and who was a nice second-line player, but other than that there weren't really any major transactions in Winnipeg.
Blackburn: Considering the Sharks can theoretically have at least one of Erik Karlsson, Brent Burns and Marc-Edouard Vlasic on the ice for a majority of time this season, it makes them very difficult to pick against. This a team that fought its way to the second round last year despite a bevy of injuries, then went out and added one of the best defensemen of this generation. Pretty strong case for a division title.
Benjamin: The Pacific truly could be wide open depending on how much Vegas regresses, if at all. This writer's riding the blue-line hype train and assuming that Erik Karlsson and Co. will wreak havoc for a spicy playoff contender out of San Jose.
Skiver: It's an absolute arms race on the West Coast right now, as it feels like every transaction comes down to the Sharks or the Golden Knights. Adding Erik Karlsson was a fun late-offseason surprise, and it improves what already may be the best defensive depth in the NHL.
Stanley Cup
Blackburn: Lightning over Sharks
At some point the Lightning have to finish the job, right? Despite consistently entering as legit contenders over the past handful of years, they've been struck down by injuries and bitter playoff finishes. If they don't lift the Cup soon they're in danger of inheriting the Capitals' label as postseason busts.
Benjamin: Predators over Maple Leafs
Everyone's drooling over the Sharks right now, and rightfully so. But don't forget that Nashville can also play defense and boasts some of the best depth in the NHL. Oh, and Ryan Johansen is back. Toronto could easily be swapped out for Tampa Bay here, but either way, the East is going to be represented with some goal-scoring firepower.
Skiver: Maple Leafs over Sharks
The Maple Leafs lost in seven games to the Bruins last year, but this is the year that they break their 50-year curse. The Lightning are this team's biggest obstacle in the East once again, but the Maple Leafs adding this year's prized free agent will make all the difference.
Bold Predictions
Blackburn: Mark Scheifele wins the Hart.
Last year's postseason served as something of a coming-out party for Jets center Mark Scheifele. Anyone who wasn't aware of his talent level was quickly put up on game as Scheifele tallied 14 goals and 20 points in 17 playoff games. Entering his eighth NHL season, I'm predicting the 25-year-old to build on that momentum and explode into the league's elite ranks, leading a dangerous Winnipeg team in points. His offensive production coupled with his strong two-way capabilities will land him atop the Hart voting as league MVP.
Todd McLellan will be the first coach to be fired.
Both Todd McLellan and Peter Chiarelli seem to be on the hot seat in Edmonton heading into this season. After a promising campaign that saw them win a playoff series a few years ago, the Oilers had a disastrous follow-up season in 2017-18. There's not a lot of reason to think it can get much worse for the Oilers this year but, considering they didn't really do much this summer, there's also not a ton of reason to believe it's going to get better. If the team struggles early on in the season, desperation could trigger Chiarelli to give McLellan the boot and see if someone else can right the ship behind the bench.
Benjamin: The Panthers will make the playoffs.
Florida came very close to cracking the postseason a year ago, but predicting that *any* team emerges from a division that houses the Bruins, the Lightning and the Maple Leafs is bold, if you ask me. And this is the Panthers we're talking about! Bob Boughner is only entering Year 2 of a young, rebuilt regime, and Florida has made the playoffs just twice in almost two decades. They've got some first-line talent, however, and Mike Hoffman should help their offense play spoiler late in the year.
Skiver: The Panthers will win a playoff series.
This team is markedly better from last season, and this "bold" prediction is slowly becoming so popular that it's less bold by the day. The Panthers were quietly a point away from missing the playoffs last year. They have the hallmarks of a Cinderella team, and adding Mike Hoffman has only improved them.
Erik Karlsson will win his third Norris Trophy.
There's nothing quite like a good partner to make a defender better. Even on the stupidly deep Sharks defense, Karlsson will set himself apart and win another Norris Trophy in his first season with San Jose.
