Still a few weeks away from the start of the regular season and so far most teams are just skating their young guys in pre-season games however it is time to make some bold predictions.
Let us start off with 5 teams who will almost certainly miss the playoffs this season:
Vegas Golden Knights
New Jersey Devils
Colorado Avalanche
Vancouver Canucks
Arizona Coyotes
Metropolitan Division –
- Pittsburgh Penguins
- New York Rangers
- Columbus Blue Jackets
Atlantic Division –
- Tampa Bay Lightning
- Toronto Maple Leafs
- Montreal Canadiens
Eastern Conference Wild Card –
- Ottawa Senators
- Boston Bruins, Philidelphia Flyers or New York Islanders
Central Division –
- Dallas Stars
- Nashville Predators
- St. Louis Blues
West Division –
- Edmonton Oilers
- Anaheim Ducks
- San Jose Sharks
Western Conference Wild Card –
- Minnesota Wild
- Chicago Blackhawks, Calgary Flames or Winnipeg Jets
Eastern Conference Champions –
- Pittsburgh Penguins
Western Conference Champions –
- Edmonton Oilers
Stanley Cup Champions –
- Pittsburgh Penguins 4-2
You’re not very good at this. Of the 5 teams you thought had almost no chance to make the playoffs, 1 won the division easily (first to clinch) and 2 others are sitting in a playoff spot. EDMONTON?! EDMONTON???? My god… LOL you gotta be kidding me.
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No one expected the Oilers to tank the season the way they did. Also these were preseason predictions based on numbers. 6 months later, I am not surprised things turned out differently. For the 5 teams I thought had no chance, I am glad I was wrong. It means they defied the analytics and were better on the ice than they were on paper.
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