I think it's easy to say the team will be brutal this year. I like how they are comparing to the 2014/15 team. Here's that roster;
https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/...000432015.html
Putting the sadness seeing Gaudreau on that list aside, the forward group was pretty mediocre from a points producing point of view that year. Jonas Hiller was the #1 goaltender. D corps is deeper on that team than what we'll put on the ice this year (on paper), but overall not a great roster.
Will this years team be a bottom feeder? Sure has the potential to be. Could this years team make the playoffs? It's not crazy to say they could.