It is currently October 2nd, and it is the first day of the 2019-20 NHL Season as there are four games tonight! It's an incredible time for those of us who are hockey fans. I'm now going to make some bold predictions on what I think will happen division by division and then in the playoffs.
Starting in the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division, I believe that the Tampa Bay Lightning will win the division for the 3rd straight season. The Lightning, despite their embarrassing first-round loss last year, have the best overall talent. The Toronto Maple Leafs will finish 2nd, as they are poised to have another good year, and I have the Florida Panthers taking 3rd, the last automatic qualifying spot in the Atlantic. Florida is poised to take a huge step up after the additions of coach Joel Quenneville, goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, and defenseman Anton Stralman.
I have the Stanley Cup runner-up Boston Bruins finishing in 4th but grabbing a wild card spot, as their age will take them a step back. The Montreal Canadiens will finish in 5th, just missing out on the playoffs, while the Buffalo Sabres will be competitive for most of the season, slotting in 6th. The Detroit Red Wings are probably a year away, and could do better than most expect, but are my 7th team in the Atlantic. The Ottawa Senators are clearly the 8th place team in the division, as they are in the midst of a lengthy rebuild.
The Metropolitan Division is incredibly tough to predict, as you could make the case for any team making the playoffs. I have the Washington Capitals winning the division, as they have all the pieces to be successful again. The Carolina Hurricanes will be 2nd, as they are coming off a surprising playoff run, and have added well to their core. The Pittsburgh Penguins are going to finish 3rd in the division, even though they are aging.
The Philadelphia Flyers will finish in 4th and be a wild card team, bouncing back from missing the playoffs last year. I have the New York Rangers in 5th, as the addition of Artemi Panarin will boost them closer to making the playoffs. The Columbus Blue Jackets will finish 6th, better than many expect, but questions about goaltending have them looking like a non-playoff team. The New Jersey Devils should be improved compared to last year, but not as much as many believe, so they will be 7th. And I have the New York Islanders taking a huge step back to finish 8th in the division, in major part due to the loss of goaltender Robin Lehner.
In the Western Conference's Central Division will be interesting to follow as most teams should be in playoff contention. I believe the Colorado Avalanche take a huge step forward to finish 1st, the defending Cup Champion St Louis Blues finish 2nd, and the Nashville Predators remain a playoff team to finish in 3rd. The Dallas Stars and Chicago Blackhawks slot into 4th and 5th, both wild card teams for me. Surprising to some, I have the Winnipeg Jets missing the playoffs finishing 6th after losing several defensemen this offseason. The Minnesota Wild finish 7th and last in the division, as they don't have the firepower to be consistently better than any of these teams.
In the Pacific Division, the Vegas Golden Knights are my division champ, while the San Jose Sharks and Calgary Flames follow in 2nd and 3rd, notably the same top 3 in the Pacific as last year. The Arizona Coyotes and Vancouver Canucks will narrowly miss the playoffs finishing 4th and 5th, but both could slide in there after nice offseason additions. The Edmonton Oilers are still a mess and will be 6th, while the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings round out the division in 7th and 8th, both in the midst of retooling and rebuilding.
In the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs, I think the Toronto Maple Leafs finally go on a run, getting past Florida, Tampa, and Carolina making it to the Stanley Cup Final. For the 2nd time in three years, the Vegas Golden Knights are poised to make another run and will defeat Chicago, Calgary, and Colorado to face the Leafs in the Final. Even though I don't want this to happen, I believe the Toronto Maple Leafs break their Cup drought of 52 years and win the 2020 Stanley Cup over the Golden Knights in six games.
I know I'll be wrong, but it should be a great season of hockey to watch.
