Quote:
Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814
At this point, the flames have to be 30th place favourites.
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I'm not so sure about the Flames being a lock for 30th. Granted, our new division is going to be very tough on us and that could be the factor that solidifies our spot at the bottom of the standings.
I agree that Nashville should be improving this year. If Jones cracks the lineup immediately then their D group will be even stronger than it already was. Rinne is a beast in net. And they have some young talent in Forsberg and Budish that could hopefully make the big club and inject enough scoring to win some 1-0 games.
Tampa and Carolina had no business being in the bottom 5 last year and should be closer to the playoff bubble than to the top draft pick.
The Avs have enough talent up front that they shouldn't be losing as bad as they have been. I can see them being in the top5 at the draft but not top3.
Florida should be improving but they have a tough division to play in this year and I expect they will be looking hard at the bottom of the standings and in the top3 at the draft.
The Devils are my favorite for the 30th spot but as bad as the whole Kovalchuk loss is to that team they did bring in Schneider, Clowe, Ryder and Jagr. They also have some pretty good prospect depth that they may try to tap into for roster depth. However, I think the most important thing is how their division rivals pan out. The Pens are guaranteed to give them a hard time. The Canes, Caps, BJs, Flyers, Islanders and Rangers should all be playoff teams but they are not consistently strong. If all of those teams are fighting for playoff spots then I can see the Devils at 30th.