[Cali Panthers Fan]

Just a note off the top of this post; ALL of the Canadian teams were essentially in the bottom 10 in the league (Ottawa at 19th was highest). Nobody should expect any of these teams to be any higher than 11th this year, and even that is a bit of a stretch. There have been improvements to most of these teams, but it probably won't be enough to get any more than 2 of these teams in the playoffs.

Montreal-4th in the Atlantic, 8th in the East, 15th overall. 95 points.
Pros: A healthy Carey Price could easily give any team an extra 5-6 wins, and that's all the Habs would need to be in the playoffs a year ago. They may have fixed a mediocre offense by adding Radulov, and having Weber's shot on the PP (although the latter is maybe a lateral move from Subban).
Cons: There's not a lot of depth on this team. Get past the first two lines and it's a mixed bag of mediocre to below average players. That will be trouble if there are injuries to any of their top players. They are also pretty close to the cap, meaning there are few opportunities to fix the team through trades.

Calgary-4th in the division, 8th in the West, 16th overall. 95 points.
Pros: Offense was not a problem for the Flames last year, and this year should be no different. A new coach with an effective breakout strategy should limit defensive zone time and put the puck more often in the offensive zone. A power play that was poor for most of the year should be improved with a new strategy and new personnel. The absolute worst defensive team added two goalies of high calibre and accomplishment last year.
Cons: This is still a young team that has some learning to do. They were the worst team defensively last year because they were not good at playing defense AND they had awful goaltending. One of those things was fixed, but it remains to be seen if this team can play a stronger game in their own end. Also, new and unproven coaches could have a tough time teaching new and better habits.

Winnipeg-5th in Central, 9th in the West, 18th overall. 90 points.
Pros: A team that struggled to score last year should have no problem doing so this year. Adding Connor, Laine, and possibly Dano and Petan to a lineup that already has Scheifele, Ehlers, Wheeler, Little, Stafford etc. should fix that. The goaltending will be massively improved if Hellebuyck is given the net.
Cons: Pavelec might still be the starter this year, and the d-core doesn't play defense all that effectively. The Jets still take a lot of penalties, and there's no guarantee their PK will be any better than the 25th ranked one last year.

Ottawa-7th in Atlantic, 13th in the East, 23rd overall. 83 points.
Pros: They still have a superstar in Karlsson and some good complimentary/secondary scoring players.
Cons: They don't have a star forward to rely on for consistent offense. Their defense is so woefully thin that Phaneuf looks like a great 2nd pairing d-man for them. Patrick Sieloff might have a legitimate chance to make this team. If Andersson doesn't play out of his mind again, that team is bottom of the barrel.

Edmonton-5th in the Pacific, 11th in the West, 24th overall. 82 points.
Pros: Best thing they ever did was move Taylor Hall. The inmates are no longer running the asylum. A more well-rounded team with a healthy McDavid will move up in the standings, but not drastically so.
Cons: This team still doesn't have a top pairing defenseman, although they have 3 2nd pairing guys at least. However, there's still not enough defensive depth and not enough leadership to get everyone playing a consistently good brand of hockey.

Vancouver-6th in Pacific, 13th in the West, 28th overall. 72 points.
Pros: When you have the Sedins, you still have a legitimate top line. Miller is still a solid goaltender, and Markstrom is slowly taking over the net. Edler and Tanev are good, but not stars.
Cons: There's almost no legitimate secondary attack whatsoever. This team is going to struggle mightily to score goals this year outside of the Sedin line. The defense after the top two is mediocre at best. No relief coming soon with the Canucks right near the cap. Long year for Vancouver as they continue their descent.

Toronto-8th in the Atlantic, 16th in the East, 29th overall. 71 points.
Pros: They finally have some potential top line talent to work with (Matthews, Nylander, Marner), and with established secondary scorers they should finally be able to score a little. There's enough quality veterans on the team to aid the transition for the young talent in the pipe. Andersen should give them better goaltending than last year.
Cons: They still don't have anything close to a real top pairing defenseman, and there's not much coming down the pipe for prospects. The other established defensemen are old and slow, and it will be a long year for Andersen in net.


Just FYI-Arizona Coyotes: Dead f'ing last in the NHL.