5 bold NHL predictions for 2019
2018 was a great year for the NHL. It saw a ton of unpredictable moments. To top those moments, here are five bold predictions for the 2019 portion of the 2018-19 season.
In many ways, 2018 will be remembered as one of the most unforgettable in NHL history. The Vegas Golden Knights nearly won the Stanley Cup in their first year. After decades of falling short, the Washington Capitals finally hoisted the Stanley Cup. Alex Ovechkin secured his legacy. The moment when he lifted Lord Stanley brought tears to everyone’s eyes. Yes, even Pittsburgh Penguins fans. It’s OK, we won’t judge you.
To top 2018, 2019 is going to have to have some pretty special moments. Borderline historic moments. That’s why we’re giving you five bold predictions for the rest of the 2018-19 season. If these predictions come true, 2019 might match the very high bar 2018 has set.
1. Peter Chiarelli Will Finally Be Fired
The Edmonton Oilers are treading water. Just when you thought they figured things out under Ken Hitchcock, things went downhill. Entering 2019, the Oilers have lost six straight games. General manager Peter Chiarelli has passed the blame numerous times. But now, he’s run out of people to blame. Except for the guy responsible for the Oilers struggles since he took the job in 2015 – himself.
Assuming Edmonton misses the postseason, Chiarelli’s team will have made the Stanley Cup Playoffs just once in four seasons. Each of those seasons has been spent with generational talent Connor McDavid on his roster. When you get a guy like him, success is expected.
The bar has been set by the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals. Sidney Crosby and the Pens have been a playoff fixture since his second season while Ovechkin and his Caps have been a regular playoffs attendee (sans 2013-14) since his third season. In baseball, getting on base 25 percent of the time is unacceptable. Likewise, Chiarelli’s failure to make the postseason is going to cost him his job. And deservedly so.
2. Gritty’s Going To Assault A Mascot
Mascots are made to captivate the hearts of their team’s fans. The Philadelphia Flyers did an amazing job with Gritty. He (I think?) has united hockey fans in their love and admiration with his silly antics and those irresistible googly eyes.
Gritty embodies everything about Philly. The Flyers mascot doesn’t really care what anyone thinks about him. He loves his fans, but at the same time, if you’re not careful, he’ll make you an object for one of his antics. Just imagine if the Philly Phanatic rolled around in Cheetos dust and somehow grew a beard. That’s Gritty for you.
So what’s next for the new mascot in town? Most teams host some sort of “Mascot Night”, during which some of their mascot brethren (mostly local) will show up and do a bunch of silly stuff. If the Flyers have one of those nights or if some team is crazy enough to ask Gritty to show up, he’s going to destroy one of his brothers.
Maybe he’ll crash a Penguins game and get back at the Pens for laughing at him when he first debuted. Perhaps Gritty will go up to New York or New Jersey and let his wrath rain down on Sparky or the NJ Devil. Whatever happens, we’re all in Gritty’s corner and we can’t wait to see what that crazy bearded freak does next.
3. Morgan Rielly Wins A Historic Norris Trophy
The Toronto Maple Leafs have won the second-most Stanley Cups among all NHL teams. They’re an Original Six team. The Leafs have seen countless legends play in Toronto. However, one thing they’ve never had is a Norris Trophy winner. Borje Salming came mighty close several times.
That’s going to change in 2019. Morgan Rielly will become the first Maple Leafs defenseman to win the Stanley Cup. He gets a ton of minutes for one of the league’s best teams. There’s no overwhelming favorite, so Rielly will definitely have a chance.
Mark Giordano is going to give him a great challenge. However, East Coast bias is a thing and the Calgary Flames play out west. John Carlson of the Washington Capitals will definitely get some love in the Norris Trophy race. But will he be overshadowed by star captain Alex Ovechkin? Though the same could be said for Rielly and Frederik Andersen or Auston Matthews.
Rielly currently has the NHL lead among defensemen with 44 points. He also has one of the league’s highest goal differentials at five-on-five. Combine that with Rielly’s passable, but unspectacular, possession numbers and all this adds up to the first Norris in Leafs history. It’s been a long time coming.
4. Either Mark Stone or Matt Duchene Is Going To Be A Boston Bruin
The Ottawa Senators have some tough decisions to make. They will likely give an extension to either Mark Stone or Matt Duchene. That’s a tough decision, but whoever gets traded will likely be heading to the Boston Bruins.
Either one would make a ton of sense for the hopeful contenders. Injuries have decimated the Bruins, but they’re hanging in there in the postseason hunt. Boston’s finally getting their best guys healthy, but it’s clear they’re going to need some outside help if they want to get past the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Stone would give the Bruins one of the deadliest right wings in the league. He’d be a perfect linemate for Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, if they choose to go that route. Stone would also make sense on the second line. Not only is he a very impressive scorer, he’s also one of the best two-way forwards around.
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Meanwhile, Duchene would give the Bruins a much-needed upgrade at second line center. His versatility would let head coach Bruce Cassidy try him out at wing as well. Both players would strictly be rentals, but the Bruins are getting one of them.
5. Tampa Bay Lightning Win Long Overdue Stanley Cup
It’s darn hard to win the Stanley Cup. Just ask the Washington Capitals, who wandered in the wilderness for over 40 years before they finally won the Stanley Cup last year. The Tampa Bay Lightning are proof of this as well. While they haven’t had to wait as long as the Caps, they’ve come so close recently only to fall just short.
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They’ve made three of the past four Eastern Conference Finals. In two of those seasons, the Lightning lost to the eventual Stanley Cup champions, each time in seven games. They also made the Stanley Cup Final in 2015, only to lose to the Chicago Blackhawks in six games. And the one year the Lightning didn’t make it (2016-17)? They narrowly missed the playoffs. Steven Stamkos’ injury had a lot to do with that.
The 2018-19 incarnation of the Lightning might be their best one yet. Brayden Point has emerged as a top-notch talent. Nikita Kucherov is having a Ted Lindsay Award kind of season. A healthy Ryan McDonagh has given their blue line a much-needed spark.
More importantly, they’ve shown outstanding resiliency, overcoming numerous injuries. Most notably, Vezina Trophy finalist goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy missed over a month. The Lightning only lost four games without him. That’s absolutely insane.
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Hockey is an incredibly cruel game. The best team doesn’t always win the Stanley Cup. But this season, the Lightning are the best team. And they will win the Stanley Cup.