Dimitri Filipovic does this hockey podcast - this week if you listen from about 29:30 to 34:30 they talk about how the seven Canadian teams will fare this year. They believe the surprise team is the Flames - that Smith will be a better goaltender than he is getting credit for, and that there are not many weaknesses in the forward group, and the d-core is solid ( they expect better results from Brodie this year as well).
Link is here
https://hockeypdocast.com/2017/08/10...ilbag-episode/
Certainly less fatalistic than Lambert!