NHL Power Rankings: Reviewing preseason predictions
By Jeremy Tuch
The Bubble-In Tier
Here’s where things get messy. We had some sleeper picks here that didn’t pan out, and some teams that are way better than just barely getting into the dance.
Calgary Flames
Original Prediction – Bubble In, Slightly Up
Were we right? No and Yes
Going into this year, our main concern with the Flames has been their goaltending. Mike Smith is well past his prime, and has even shown cracks this year in his main strength, puck handling. The offense we knew would be deep, but without a good goaltender, you’ll have trouble winning games.
Enter David Rittich, and the Flames are now an elite team. Elias Lindholm and Noah Hanifin both proved to be excellent acquisitions that meshed perfectly with the roster the Flames already had. The Flames are now battling for title of best in the West. Much better than barely getting in from the West.
Colorado Avalanche
Original Prediction – Bubble In, Up
Were we right? No and Yes
Hockey can be a hard game to predict sometimes, and seeing how the Avalanche struggled after a strong start to the year can prove how weird a game this is. The issues found in Colorado can be whittled down to two categories: secondary scoring, and goaltending.
Despite the Avs being in the middle of the pack now in terms of team save percentage, this can be credited with the good numbers being banked at the beginning of the year. Additionally, the offense is simply too top-heavy, relying on Nathan Mackinnon, Mikko Rantanen, and the now-injured Gabriel Landeskog. This team could have rolled into the playoffs like we thought they would. Turns out they just couldn’t overcome those two issues.
Florida Panthers
Original Prediction – Bubble In, Up
Were we right? No and Unclear
The last few years, the Panthers had been doomed by slow starts. They have just one playoff appearance in the current playoff format. Last year, they made a mad dash for the playoffs and fell just one point short. We thought this year they’d improve and make the playoffs with more breathing room.
However, their goalies fell apart, to the tune of one of the worst team save percentages in the league. To overcome the shortcomings of James Reimer, the aging of Roberto Luongo, and inexperience of Sam Montembeault, the team needed more offense out of Alex Barkov and Mike Hoffman and crew. They didn’t get enough and are missing the playoffs again. What happens next? Who knows at this point.
Los Angeles Kings
Original Prediction – Bubble In, Down
Were we right? No and Yes
We knew the Kings window was closing, but I’m not sure how many people saw that window slamming shut so fast. The offense completely dried up, the goaltending hasn’t been good, and their star players are all passing the peak of their career arc, or worse.
After an MVP nominating season, Anze Kopitar’s offensive numbers fell off a cliff, and Ilya Kovalchuk isn’t nearly as potent as he was when he left the Devils years ago. Jonathan Quick is being left out to dry, and can’t keep up like he used to.
On top of that, the Kings still have some gnarly contracts that will be difficult to get rid of. The glory days were indeed glorious in Los Angeles, but it’ll take time to get back there, as things sit right now.
New Jersey Devils
Original Prediction – Bubble In, Up
Were we right? No and Unclear
Perhaps the team that surprised the most for making a playoff appearance last year was New Jersey. With such a young roster, the thought was that they can build off the success they had last year, and reach new heights.
The faults in the team, being reliant on MVP Taylor Hall and hot goaltending, were quickly exposed this year. Hall has missed over half the season, and the combination of Keith Kinkaid and Cory Schneider was getting shelled night after night.
This resulted in Mackenzie Blackwood’s emergence, which looks good for the Devils future. On the flip side, almost their entire opening night forward group has been either injured or traded away, which isn’t great. The Devils will be in the lottery next month, and this summer will tell if they can rebound.
Philadelphia Flyers
Original Prediction – Bubble In, Up
Were we right? No and Yes
The classic Flyers problem is in goal. We thought that the team’s issues in net would be muted by the emergence of some highly touted prospects, as well as their current young core, and that would lead Philadelphia to a playoff berth.
However, the Flyers’ offense didn’t perform well at all to start the year, and their goaltending was so bad that they have broken the record for most goalies used to start a game in a season in NHL history.
Though, one of those goalies is Carter Hart, who’s come in and stole the show on some nights for the Flyers. His emergence is a boon to the Flyers, who hope to ride him next year to a much improved effort. This could lead to Gritty in the playoffs next year. The NHL might explode.
St. Louis Blues
Original Prediction – Bubble In, Steady
Were we right? Yes and Yes (almost No to both)
The Blues had a terrible start to the year, to the point where trading franchise cornerstones Vladimir Tarasenko and Alex Pietrangelo weren’t impossibilities. Along comes Jordan Binnington, and the Blues suddenly become a juggernaut. They’ve returned to earth lately, but the hot streak was enough to propel them into playoff certainty.
It’s really amazing how close most people were to counting the Blues out in mid-January, and how close the Blues were to just blowing up the roster and starting from scratch. They’re probably very happy they didn’t, and are looking good for a potential playoff run. It’ll take them through the guts of the Central division, but it’s possible that these Blues are better than what we think.
Vegas Golden Knights
Original Prediction – Bubble In, Steady
Were we right? Yes and Yes (before the trade deadline, anyway)
It was very difficult to repeat the magic that Vegas showed us during last year’s campaign. This season looked like the magic wasn’t there, and their players came back down to earth. Not that they were bad, they’ve been locked into third in the Pacific all season long. But they didn’t have the same gusto as last year.
Once they traded for Mark Stone, however, the team evolved into a monster. Now, it’s looking like whoever doesn’t win the Pacific division will have a really tough matchup with Vegas in the first round (good for us fans!). It may be that the magic is back in Vegas, and we’ll be treated to a bunch of elaborate pre-game ceremonies during the playoffs.