2013-14 NHL season predictions

[Evil G]

TEEN NHL SQUAD!!

[Funky Bunky]

But watch Silfverberg score 90 points and lead you guys to a cup just because he's a player who used to play for Ottawa.

I'm really exciting about him. His game will fit in a lot better here than Ryan did, especially if Silfverberg plays with Getz and Pears.

[The_Admiral]

I want to pronounce his name Silf...verberg, with a nice long caesura.

[CS85]

I want to pronounce his name Silf...verberg, with a nice long caesura.

[BigBubba]

Predictions:

- The Leafs will quickly learn that when you have a few quality players (Grabbo, Mac, Liles) who clash with Carlyle, the solution is not to get rid of all the players

- Clarkson will try too hard to prove himself early on and will suck for the first 20 games, but then pick up the pace

- Colorado will have another dismal year and Landeskog will lose the "C", à la Vinny Lecavailer

- Edmonton misses the playoffs again

- The Leafs will get past round one

- MONSTER MEGA HOMER PREDICTION: Morgan Rielly will win the Calder

- Crosby has a monster, 78-game season with 30+ goals and 100+ assists

[ninersdd]

It will be tough sledding for the Leafs in that division with Boston, Detroit, Montreal, and Ottawa.

[MSOFMYKIN]

The observable difference between this year and last year's formats will appear in the geographical disparity relative to the ("2nd round" in 2012-13) Division Finals, in the 2013-14 Conference Finals.

PIT over NYR

MTL over OTT

CHI over MIN

SJ over LA

PIT over MTL

CHI over SJ

PIT over CHI

[Lee.]

Way to skip over a full 8 other playoff teams, Maxy.

[The_Admiral]

Has Ron Hainsey’s NHLPA lockout ‘bad cop’ role blackballed him in free agency?

Puck Daddy also wants to know if bears crap in the woods.

[MSOFMYKIN]

If the 7th/8th seeds come from the Pacific Division, the Central Division's top seed will be the series with the largest time zone difference. Every time.

*circadian rhythm affects

If the Central gets the 2seed in the conference and the 7seed comes from the Pacific Division, the 2seed in the West will be at a bigger disadvantage than the 2seed in the East. Same goes for 1-8 series. Geography. Sleep. Airplanes.

Idea b16: The "7/8 crossover wildcard" should only be applied to the Eastern Conference.

[Stampman]

It's still way too early to make predictions--we haven't even had training camp...

So I'll defer until later.

[pluggerplugger1]

That is also my strategy^

[pluggerplugger1]

Pacific
Anaheim (2)
Los Angeles
Vancouver
San Jose (WC 2)
Edmonton
Phoenix
Calgary

Central
Chicago (1)
St. Louis
Minnesota
Dallas (WC 1)

Winnipeg
Nashville
Colorado

Atlantic
Boston (1)
Montreal
Detroit
Toronto (WC 2)
Ottawa
Buffalo
Tampa Bay
Florida

Metropolitan
Pittsburgh (2)
Washington
New York Islanders
New York Rangers (WC 1)
Columbus
Philadelphia
Carolina
New Jersey

Playoffs:

Chicago def. San Jose in 5

Anaheim def. Dallas in 6

Los Angeles def. Vancouver in 7

Minnesota def. St. Louis in 6

Boston def. Toronto in 7

Pittsburgh def. NY Rangers in 5

Detroit def. Montreal in 7

Washington def. NY Islanders in 5

Chicago def. Minnesota in 5

Los Angeles def. Anaheim in 6

Detroit def. Boston in 7

Pittsburgh def. Washington in 6

Los Angeles def. Chicago in 6

Pittsburgh def. Detroit in 4

STANLEY CUP:

Pittsburgh def. Los Angeles in 5

[TorinK92]

I do not approve of those predictions

()

[NEW.ERA]

So after taking a grasp of how asinine the new playoff system is, here are my predictions.

Atlantic Division

1. Boston

2. Ottawa

3. Toronto

4. Detroit WC1

5. Montreal

6. Tampa Bay

7. Buffalo

8. Florida

Met Division

1. Pittsburgh

2. Philadelphia

3. Washington

4. NY Rangers WC2

5. NY Islanders

6. Columbus

7. Carolina

8. New Jersey

Central Division

1. Chicago

2. Dallas

3. St Louis

4. Winnipeg WC2

5. Minnesota

6. Nashville

7. Colorado

Pacific Division

1. Los Angeles

2. San Jose

3. Anaheim

4. Vancouver WC1

5. Edmonton

6. Phoenix

7. Calgary

SO I think this is how the Playoffs would look.

East

1 Pittsburgh v 8 Detroit

2 Boston v 7 NY Rangers

3 Philadelphia v 6 Washington

4 Ottawa v 5 Toronto

West

1 Chicago v 8 Winnipeg

2 Los Angeles v 7 Vancouver

3 San Jose v 6 Dallas

4 St Louis v 5 Anaheim

[The_Admiral]

St. Louis is so much better than Dallas. Are you on drugs?

[HedleyLamarr]

Has Ron Hainsey’s NHLPA lockout ‘bad cop’ role blackballed him in free agency?

Puck Daddy also wants to know if bears crap in the woods.

Hainsey just sucks, unless you consider defensemen turning over the puck in his own half of the ice a good thing......

[Funky Bunky]

St. Louis is so much better than Dallas. Are you on drugs?

The Blues' lineup should be something like this:

Steen - Backes - Rattie

Paajarvi - Berglund - Tarasenko

Sobotka - Schwartz - Oshie

Jaskin - Roy - Stewart

When you have Derek Roy and Chris Stewart on your 4th line, you should be a pretty good team. Obviously their top 6 isn't anything special (unless Taransenko and Rattie just go off), but that depth should have them at least in the 2nd spot in the Central.

[Stampman]

My prediction?

Fans will complain abotu the officiating.

Don Cherry will complain abotu soem European players.

Gary Bettman will get booed.

Or am I going out on a limb?

[RyanMcD29]

Here's what I've settled on. Quite a few divisions are very tightly packed (such as the Metropolitan and Pacific) that this will probably blow up into smithereens quite quickly.

Atlantic

1. Boston

2. Detroit

3. Ottawa

4. Toronto

5. Montreal

6. Tampa Bay

7. Florida

8. Buffalo

Metropolitan

1. Pittsburgh

2. Washington

3. NY Rangers

4-7. Whatever of the Columbus, New Jersey, NY Islanders, Philadelphia group and give two wild cards between them

8. Carolina

Central

1. Chicago

2. St. Louis

3. Minnesota

4. Dallas (WC)

5. Nashville

6. Winnipeg

7. Colorado

Pacific

1. Vancouver (because for some reason the Canucks will find regular season success)

2. Los Angeles

3. Anaheim

4. San Jose (WC)

5. Edmonton

6. Phoenix

7. Calgary

ECF: Pittsburgh over Detroit

WCF: Los Angeles over St. Louis, as is tradition

SCF: Los Angeles over Pittsburgh