2024-25 NHL Playoff & Trophy Predictions
In this episode, we dive into our comprehensive predictions for the upcoming NHL season. We'll analyze team standings, potential playoff outcomes, and trophy winners. Our discussion spans the Central, Pacific, Metro, and Atlantic divisions, evaluating teams like Dallas, Colorado, New Jersey, and Toronto. We also debate key NHL awards contenders, including the Hart, Norris, Vezina, and Calder Trophies.
00:00 Welcome to Overtime Hockey Talk
00:26 Season Predictions and Trophies
00:45 Reflecting on Past Seasons
03:51 Playoff Bracket Predictions
04:12 Central Division Insights
09:03 Pacific Division Breakdown
14:47 Eastern Conference Overview
19:57 Atlantic Division Analysis
24:31 Stanley Cup Predictions
29:17 Rookie of the Year Predictions
31:35 Logan Stankovic's Promising Start
33:02 Dallas Stars Lineup Analysis
34:56 Norris Trophy Predictions
37:29 Lady Byng Trophy Predictions
39:05 Rocket Richard Trophy Predictions
41:11 Art Ross Trophy Predictions
44:14 Selke Trophy Predictions
48:40 Coach and GM of the Year Predictions
51:08 Vezina Trophy Predictions
54:22 Hart Trophy Predictions
59:45 Hockey Season Kickoff and Final Thoughts
Transcript
Hello and welcome to Overtime Hockey Talk.
Speaker:My name is Mark Paul.
Speaker:Co host here is Justin Baker and we are ready to give you our predictions.
Speaker:we have been a little slackish on, on our previews of the league.
Speaker:So we did what we did what we did and now it's just time to, it's time to move on.
Speaker:and we'll, we'll just, let's just get current here.
Speaker:So we're going to give you our predictions on the season.
Speaker:my predictions didn't have.
Speaker:Too much basis in the first, like what two to four games for most teams.
Speaker:I left most of that, didn't really look at the standing so much because I don't
Speaker:really care three games into the year, but, giving our predictions for the
Speaker:season and our predictions for trophies.
Speaker:So Justin, how did you,
Speaker:how does this year differ for you?
Speaker:this is year
Speaker:Oh, gosh,
Speaker:for us.
Speaker:That's insane.
Speaker:there are.
Speaker:Potentially children that listen to this show now.
Speaker:No, I don't know any eight year olds that listen to our show, but that'd be weird.
Speaker:I, eight years is a long
Speaker:longer than I've been
Speaker:with my
Speaker:are, that's true.
Speaker:Same.
Speaker:I guess I've known my wife, let's see, we met in March and
Speaker:we started the show in August.
Speaker:So You guys are same year, at least, 2017 is our, is both of our anniversaries.
Speaker:yeah, but, so we're going on into our eighth season of
Speaker:hockey, which is incredible.
Speaker:has anything changed for you in these predictions?
Speaker:I was thinking about that a little bit today.
Speaker:I'm wondering if you.
Speaker:from that first year to now, if you're thinking about them a
Speaker:I'm a little bit more of a gambler.
Speaker:I think sometimes not necessarily just taking swings or just
Speaker:throwing shit out there.
Speaker:But just, you may have, I don't know, four or five guys piled up like, okay, cool.
Speaker:I can make an argument for these guys.
Speaker:And so sometimes instead of taking the obvious pick, I'm just going
Speaker:to take a swing on somebody.
Speaker:Sometimes I
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:I, what you learn is that all the predictions in the beginning of the
Speaker:year, all the should be is, and could be like, usually at least one of them just
Speaker:gets completely blown out of the water.
Speaker:And there's some team that shocks everybody.
Speaker:So there's no reason not to take a swing.
Speaker:if you just go with all the teams that are Good on paper, Hey, an
Speaker:NHL simulation, they would win.
Speaker:That's no fun.
Speaker:So there, there's gotta be, there's always a team that is unexpected that
Speaker:sneaks in and causes some damage.
Speaker:got a couple of those that might
Speaker:play off previews.
Speaker:yeah.
Speaker:And I think I've got a couple of those with my trophies that, I guess maybe
Speaker:everybody's just sick of is McDavid going to win every single thing?
Speaker:Maybe.
Speaker:No, he could certainly win some awards, but, I'm.
Speaker:I bank on the fact that a lot of writers are like me where they don't
Speaker:want the same guy winning all the
Speaker:And can I just say this?
Speaker:Cause I'm just going to throw a little tease out there, for anybody who wants
Speaker:to listen to the rest of the podcast.
Speaker:I did not give McDavid or anybody from Edmonton a single award this year.
Speaker:Wow.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:I, I did give him one.
Speaker:That's it.
Speaker:Just gave him one.
Speaker:I'm not ready.
Speaker:I'll just tell you right now.
Speaker:I'm not ready to give anyone else the art Ross trophy.
Speaker:that's just his trophy to lose.
Speaker:And if he goes and loses it fair enough, but that's, it's like
Speaker:picking against Gretzky in his prime to not win that award.
Speaker:And for my money, there's no Lemieux yet.
Speaker:But Dard isn't good enough yet.
Speaker:He doesn't have the pieces around him yet to, for me to even consider him for that.
Speaker:So, so there you go.
Speaker:There's my art Ross already a little too early in the show.
Speaker:do we want to start with trophies or do we want to do teams?
Speaker:Cause we're going to do both.
Speaker:We're going to do predictions for, teams making the playoffs
Speaker:and then also the trophies.
Speaker:So Justin, I'll let you
Speaker:Let's do the teams first.
Speaker:I actually did my whole entire playoff bracket down to the Stanley cup champ.
Speaker:Oh, okay.
Speaker:I've got like the first round and then I have who I have
Speaker:okay.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:so I don't have all that, but we can,
Speaker:can go through mine
Speaker:we can
Speaker:you want.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:let's start here.
Speaker:Let's start at the places that we've already done.
Speaker:if you have missed some of the show, we did preview the metropolitan division,
Speaker:we did preview the central division, so you can go back and listen to
Speaker:those subscribe to the show, wherever it is that you are listening slash
Speaker:watching, why don't we start in that division, in that central division?
Speaker:Like playoff bracket vibe since we did cover that already.
Speaker:what did you end up, where'd you end up landing
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:So I think initially, I had Dallas, Nashville and Colorado, but I
Speaker:did make a little tweak to that.
Speaker:gave it a little bit more thought and I don't want to say the beginning of
Speaker:the season waited on it, but maybe it was like Yeah, 10 percent weight on it.
Speaker:so for me anyways, when you look at the, the central division,
Speaker:I've got Dallas at number one.
Speaker:and then of course,
Speaker:yeah.
Speaker:So do I actually,
Speaker:And then I have them for their, for the first round playing wild card.
Speaker:I've got them playing the Utah hockey club.
Speaker:so do
Speaker:I love it.
Speaker:I
Speaker:I didn't even, and I know you sent me your predictions.
Speaker:I didn't even look at I just looked and went, Oh, okay.
Speaker:I see what he's doing.
Speaker:And I did the same thing.
Speaker:I did not process what was actually in yours.
Speaker:think I texted you and said I was
Speaker:going to make some minor tweaks to it.
Speaker:so the expectation
Speaker:wasn't that it was going to be what I sent you.
Speaker:yeah.
Speaker:And then.
Speaker:And I will say that pick was influenced by what I have seen so far because I've
Speaker:watched a couple of their games and a, they look really fast and there's always
Speaker:the factor of it being a new team.
Speaker:We've seen how that can have an impact on a team season.
Speaker:I just loved what.
Speaker:The owner, Ryan Smith, I heard an interview and he was like, look,
Speaker:Utah jazz guys come here and they have, everyone's having career years.
Speaker:People were like, why are they having career years?
Speaker:He's it's because it's amazing here.
Speaker:It's beautiful.
Speaker:You've got the mountains.
Speaker:You've got like all these places to hike this.
Speaker:Like you have a disconnect from the rest of the world where you
Speaker:can like unplug for a little while.
Speaker:And what that does for player's psyche.
Speaker:And the, just the health benefits of being able to unplug is it's just
Speaker:immeasurable and you see it in the way that basketball players go to
Speaker:the Utah jazz and have career years.
Speaker:I was like, all right, you know what, I'm a buy into that.
Speaker:I'm willing to put like some prediction power behind the Utah jazz because
Speaker:of what he said in the first, it was leading up to the first game of the year.
Speaker:I was like, that is a good point.
Speaker:if that's true and a bunch of guys have career years, that usually spells the
Speaker:And what I will say to that to add on to that is if you think about it,
Speaker:like in Toronto, New York, there's the pressure that comes with the added
Speaker:media availability and just being in the city in a marketplace like that.
Speaker:Whereas in Utah, yes, it's still a, it's a good market, but it doesn't have
Speaker:that added pressure that typically comes with places like New York or Toronto.
Speaker:sure, and the first year, everyone's just
Speaker:And I think that's,
Speaker:And if you
Speaker:yeah.
Speaker:And I think that's what I My, my thought process was behind putting them in.
Speaker:This was its first year.
Speaker:We look at what Seattle did right there.
Speaker:First year.
Speaker:Yes.
Speaker:They didn't make the playoffs, but I think considering what they had, as
Speaker:far as their team is concerned and not really having, seasons together, like
Speaker:everybody else, they still got that, I think that new franchise boost where
Speaker:they played a little bit better than maybe they should have, and of course
Speaker:it worked out pretty well for them.
Speaker:I think the next year.
Speaker:Yes.
Speaker:wall.
Speaker:And the difference for Utah is that this is a team that has been playing together.
Speaker:And some of these younger guys did have.
Speaker:Sneaky good years last year, and now they're being put into a situation
Speaker:where you're not dealing with all this outside noise, is the team going to move?
Speaker:Are we getting an arena?
Speaker:Like, all that stuff, I'm sure just Was annoying.
Speaker:It was, yeah, playing in front of 17 people each night is just silly.
Speaker:now you feel like, even though I know there's a spot in that arena,
Speaker:if you get too high up on either side of the goalies where you actually
Speaker:advertise it as a one goal seat, is what they call it.
Speaker:a one goal.
Speaker:it is what it is, right?
Speaker:Like they'll fix, they'll do something to fix that eventually.
Speaker:I'm sure.
Speaker:But, for now it is what it is.
Speaker:Not a seat I would ever buy.
Speaker:I couldn't buy it rather watch on TV.
Speaker:that's just, if you want to go to a game and just get drunk.
Speaker:Okay, fine.
Speaker:But I
Speaker:20 bucks, I'll take it for 20 bucks.
Speaker:uh, okay.
Speaker:So we've got Dallas and Utah.
Speaker:who do you have in your two to three for that division
Speaker:got Nashville and Winnipeg, for my next playoff round there.
Speaker:And I think,
Speaker:I didn't hear
Speaker:no, and so Colorado was in that three spot, and I think that's
Speaker:where I made a little bit of a change to, tweaked it a little
Speaker:bit after giving it some more thought and Utah was one of those other teams.
Speaker:But for me, I just, when push comes to shove, I'll always lean
Speaker:towards a better goaltender, and just giving it more thought.
Speaker:Obviously, Connor Hollibuck, I think is still going to have a phenomenal season.
Speaker:And so I gave them the nod.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:do you have Colorado in another wild card
Speaker:are in the other wild card.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:So we'll, we'll just jump into the Pacific from there.
Speaker:I have Winnipeg to Colorado three, and then I have Nashville
Speaker:as that first wildcard spot.
Speaker:So we're right there.
Speaker:Like we've just flipped
Speaker:So a 5 3 though.
Speaker:That's I like that though.
Speaker:A
Speaker:five three.
Speaker:five from the central three from the
Speaker:Pacific.
Speaker:I love it.
Speaker:Yep.
Speaker:I actually did the same exact thing in the Eastern Conference as well.
Speaker:I do have Vegas winning the
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:So I've got Nashville playing the Vegas Golden Knights
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:I've got Edmonton playing Colorado in round one.
Speaker:Edmonton takes the Pacific.
Speaker:I'm, I did let the beginning of this year influence me a little bit as I
Speaker:went, God, like this is the second year in a row that you're starting out.
Speaker:Really not just Oh, we lost a seven, six game.
Speaker:We lost us a five, four game in overtime or something like they've
Speaker:scored three goals in three games.
Speaker:And that's a, I don't know.
Speaker:It's just concerning that it feels like we're going through it again.
Speaker:It does have that feeling, doesn't it?
Speaker:I know that could all change, game number four, they go and they win
Speaker:five, nothing, and they start rolling.
Speaker:I know it can all change.
Speaker:It's just, I'm just, I'm dropping Vegas in at number one.
Speaker:I just think after last year, they're extra hungry again, and
Speaker:they're having a great start.
Speaker:And I expected them to have a great start.
Speaker:I love the fact that early on in a place like Vegas, there's no pressure right now.
Speaker:Like people aren't watching the way that they are in Edmonton, right?
Speaker:Like in Edmonton, in Vancouver, the season starts and that's what people watch.
Speaker:That's it.
Speaker:There's nothing else to watch.
Speaker:whereas in Vegas, we've still got, we've got the NFL, there's other
Speaker:things going on and the NFL takes center stage until January or whenever,
Speaker:the Raiders get eliminated there.
Speaker:then, then we move on to Vegas, but it's not the center stage to start the year.
Speaker:So I think you've got a little bit more, you're a little, maybe a little looser
Speaker:hopping in and you're just having fun.
Speaker:Not everyone's talking about you the same way that they're talking
Speaker:about the Oilers and there's a ton of pressure on the Oilers.
Speaker:Like you made it to the finals game seven.
Speaker:It's time to go.
Speaker:And McDavid's talking about I don't want to talk about last year anymore.
Speaker:This year is starting a whole lot like last year and that's concerning.
Speaker:So I have them too, though.
Speaker:This, I don't, it's not like I have them out of the playoffs or anything.
Speaker:They just have them number two and I've got Vancouver as
Speaker:Ooh.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:So I've got Vegas as my number two and personally, I think there's just,
Speaker:there's not much separation, right?
Speaker:This is why I'm okay with making the argument for Vegas at number one.
Speaker:I don't think there's only going to be one or two wins separating
Speaker:Edmonton and Vegas there at the top.
Speaker:and then as far as three, four or five in this division, I think there, again,
Speaker:there's not much separation, but there is a huge drop off between two and three.
Speaker:So when you go from Vegas to the next team, which for me, I've got LA.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:so I've got Vancouver missing the playoffs entirely.
Speaker:so I've got Vegas and LA in the, in that first round series, but for me, it's
Speaker:just Vancouver, Seattle, I think they're right there on the bubble with Utah, but
Speaker:I think Utah gets a slight nod because for me, I'm concerned when it comes to
Speaker:Vancouver, no Thatcher Demko for a while.
Speaker:She lost.
Speaker:The first game aside, I just, I don't trust them.
Speaker:I don't trust their goaltending duel they have with Lankett in there.
Speaker:And I don't think, with that defense, obviously outside of
Speaker:that Heronic and Hughes pairing up front, I don't have a lot of faith
Speaker:in what's left on that back end.
Speaker:So between the goaltending and back end, to me, I just think
Speaker:that's a recipe for disaster.
Speaker:And I don't know how often they're going to be able to
Speaker:score their way out of games.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:I think, you look at the central division and I just go, Chicago's better.
Speaker:They just naturally are going to be better.
Speaker:I think St.
Speaker:Louis is going to be a little bit better.
Speaker:I know, they start the season two and one, but I don't think they're
Speaker:a playoff team, but I think there'll be better than they were last year.
Speaker:And I think Minnesota is still going to be knocking around there.
Speaker:They're not going to get worse.
Speaker:So I think, the central division is a tough division too.
Speaker:so is the Pacific.
Speaker:the sharks with adding Celebrini, that just makes them automatically better
Speaker:than they were last year.
Speaker:There's something to play with.
Speaker:And they're bringing up younger guys and, I think is going to be slightly
Speaker:improved, not by a ton, but I think that all in all the West got better,
Speaker:the bottoms pulling their way up.
Speaker:So I don't know that we see as drastic of a point difference between the two.
Speaker:but.
Speaker:I still, I'm going Nashville in Utah, snagging those wild cards and the Pacific.
Speaker:I'm just not sold.
Speaker:Like I'm not sold on Calgary.
Speaker:Although they did have, they have had a really nice start three, they're battling,
Speaker:like they're clearly going to be a team that is going to battle all year long.
Speaker:And the problem with that is that eventually you get exhausted, you
Speaker:get injuries and you go through slumps and that, that will happen
Speaker:to Calgary eventually, I think.
Speaker:but.
Speaker:Hey, they're having a great start enjoying their start really.
Speaker:Like they've had some great, really fun games.
Speaker:and I Anaheim to me is still a couple of years away from
Speaker:doing anything of significance.
Speaker:So yeah, I've got Edmonton, Vancouver.
Speaker:I think Vancouver's both games.
Speaker:They've blown a lead.
Speaker:they've had the lead deep into games.
Speaker:Some, you could say, they're not defending elite.
Speaker:it's early on in the year.
Speaker:You're not playing as great defensively, usually early in the season.
Speaker:They've been fine.
Speaker:they're scoring goals.
Speaker:They just let up, let in too many right now.
Speaker:and I think they'll figure that out.
Speaker:I don't think she loves is going to be quite as impressive.
Speaker:They're definitely going to want to get Demco back.
Speaker:so maybe their result in the end depends on how long that Thatcher Demco.
Speaker:couldn't agree more.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:Eastern conference
Speaker:Oh boy.
Speaker:Metro, since we've already done the Metro, the full preview of it,
Speaker:where'd you end up landing on the
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:So I didn't
Speaker:change my standings at all for this division, but they
Speaker:only get three teams in.
Speaker:for the first spot, obviously I've got the Rangers.
Speaker:I think again, they repeat last year and they're not going to be the
Speaker:president's trophy again this year.
Speaker:even though I do think
Speaker:shisterkin is going to have a career year, if you want to call it that.
Speaker:Or at least a really good year.
Speaker:we know he's in a contract year, so I think he's going to
Speaker:play extremely well this year.
Speaker:and then playing them in the wild card spot.
Speaker:The number eight seed is going to be the Red Wings.
Speaker:Okay, Red Wings second wild card.
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:that's yeah, we differ there a little bit.
Speaker:So I've got New Jersey as the top team in the Metropolitan Division.
Speaker:I just, it's no secret that I love Sheldon Keefe in the regular season.
Speaker:I think he's a fantastic regular season coach because he just does well.
Speaker:Managing through slumps.
Speaker:He does well at keeping guys really level all year long.
Speaker:there's, he doesn't go and change a lot, like he's got his lines.
Speaker:He, if he likes a line, he's just going to keep on going.
Speaker:And his mentality is like, yeah, maybe things aren't
Speaker:going well in this moment, but.
Speaker:We know these players are good.
Speaker:They're good together.
Speaker:Let's keep them together.
Speaker:Whereas you get other coaches who change things a lot.
Speaker:and I actually think it's funny.
Speaker:Greg Berube is a guy who will just change.
Speaker:he's been changing lines the whole time, but that's what the Leafs
Speaker:need because they've just spent the last five seasons with someone who.
Speaker:and frankly, Mike bad pack was a lot like that too, where they just
Speaker:gets, they're stuck in the lines that they want and they stick to them.
Speaker:And eventually, if that proves not to work well with that particular group,
Speaker:then yeah, you need somebody who's willing to switch things up, but I think for New
Speaker:Jersey, the consistency is going to be a huge factor and, I, I think it's going
Speaker:to work out well for them and regular season wide, like they're defensively.
Speaker:They weren't great last year.
Speaker:I think he's going to shore that up.
Speaker:From a team perspective, and they're just going to play fast and with
Speaker:the puck all the time, they're going to have the puck a ton.
Speaker:They have tons of players who can hold onto that puck and do a lot with it.
Speaker:So I love the fit with Keefe and his system.
Speaker:And I think New Jersey is going to be.
Speaker:they're going to be that team to beat in the metropolitan division
Speaker:because adding in Markstrom is just
Speaker:Save with a year already.
Speaker:That's right.
Speaker:And it's what they need.
Speaker:It's what they need.
Speaker:They have a fantastic goaltending duo and that's going to change things
Speaker:for them through the entire year.
Speaker:That's the difference.
Speaker:They have Markstrom last year.
Speaker:They're in the playoffs.
Speaker:Almost no doubt about it during the playoffs.
Speaker:And I think with Keith system, I think it's going to work
Speaker:well with a lot of those guys.
Speaker:yeah, I've got New Jersey winning.
Speaker:I have them winning the Metro.
Speaker:I do not have them winning the president's trophy.
Speaker:I also don't have them.
Speaker:They are the second, number one.
Speaker:I, so I have them playing the first wild card whom I think is
Speaker:going to be the Boston Bruins.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:I don't hate it though.
Speaker:So Boston Bruins, I think Boston's going to be good.
Speaker:they finally got their goalie.
Speaker:They got Swayman and, they'll battle here all year long.
Speaker:And I don't think that they're a team that is going to be tops in the Atlantic
Speaker:anymore, but I'm not willing to eliminate them from the playoffs this year.
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:I can dig it though.
Speaker:Boston.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:who do you have in the two, three for, Oh, you, yeah, no,
Speaker:you didn't say it, you didn't say
Speaker:So I've got New Jersey and Carolina, right?
Speaker:Unchanged
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:So we switched New Jersey.
Speaker:We switched New Jersey and New York because I have New York and Carolina.
Speaker:And that's it from the Metro for me.
Speaker:No one else gets in.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Same.
Speaker:I looked at it and I just went, okay, Columbus.
Speaker:No.
Speaker:Philly, I'm still, I still think that last year they overperformed and I'm
Speaker:just not ready to put them in there yet.
Speaker:Pittsburgh, they just don't look like, they look like they'll be
Speaker:at times fun to watch, but I don't think that they're a playoff team.
Speaker:The Islanders, I just don't want the Islanders to get in.
Speaker:No
Speaker:They're boring.
Speaker:I just think they're boring and I want them to change their team.
Speaker:Like I want them to lose so that they can finally go, okay fine, we'll change.
Speaker:we'll change like three players.
Speaker:and then Washington, I think there'll be more interesting as Ovechkin
Speaker:starts to inch towards that record.
Speaker:But I don't, I, they got so lucky to make the playoffs last year.
Speaker:It was unbelievable.
Speaker:And I think that they'll find themselves quite a bit further down the standings
Speaker:than they were this last season in the
Speaker:Yeah, I'm not buying into Charlie Lindgren myself.
Speaker:Although I do think Logan Thompson will eventually, I think we talked
Speaker:about this, but I think he'll eventually steal that starter spot.
Speaker:Not to say that he's going to play phenomenal or out of his mind, but,
Speaker:I think Lindgren just won't hold on.
Speaker:30 type of game split seems reasonable.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:Who do you have winning the
Speaker:Okay, so I've got Boston winning the Atlantic and at number one.
Speaker:Oh, okay.
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:So that
Speaker:I flip flopped on,
Speaker:no wonder you
Speaker:I flip flopped on Boston and Toronto here for quite a long time.
Speaker:but ultimately, when push came to shove, I just think, with Craig
Speaker:Berube, I think, he's, obviously he's gonna, he's gonna win.
Speaker:Changed lines quite a bit and just having a whole new system and a whole
Speaker:new way that they're gonna play the game.
Speaker:I think for me is just gonna take a little bit of time and not knowing
Speaker:where Wall is and how, what kind of, production they're gonna get out of
Speaker:him yet because he is not really a true tried and true tested goaltender.
Speaker:he is not a veteran guy.
Speaker:He's relatively new untested, I think the defense is going to be a little
Speaker:bit better, at least from that aspect.
Speaker:I think on that side of the puck, they'll play better.
Speaker:They'll have less goals for, but, how much is Austin Matthews going to score?
Speaker:I think will be, will be a good topic of conversation.
Speaker:Hasn't scored yet.
Speaker:yeah, maybe Willie Nelander for,
Speaker:Oh, okay.
Speaker:I actually have the Leafs as the number one team in the Atlantic.
Speaker:I'm willing to go out on a limb here and say they're going to win the
Speaker:president's trophy for the first
Speaker:Woo hoo.
Speaker:Oh, I love it though.
Speaker:That is my.
Speaker:I think that this, this is it.
Speaker:We've said this too many times.
Speaker:I've been calling, I've been calling the Rangers to win
Speaker:the cup for the last five years it feels So this is it.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:but this hat, like this group isn't getting another chance.
Speaker:There's just no way on God's green earth.
Speaker:Because if they lose, I know they're talking about an extension with Tavares.
Speaker:I think that's cute.
Speaker:I think that they just need to be like, look, this deal is on the table
Speaker:and we will sign, we will leave this here for you as long as you guys
Speaker:do something in the playoffs that.
Speaker:Is exciting and worth speaking about.
Speaker:So if they lose in the first round of the playoffs, again, Tavares
Speaker:can't be on the team anymore.
Speaker:You just can't, I don't care how good he is.
Speaker:I don't care if you feel like you have a hole now at two C, three C,
Speaker:whatever you, wherever you want to slot them, you can't bring them back.
Speaker:Can't.
Speaker:And I, man, I don't think you want to lose Marner for nothing.
Speaker:But maybe you just lose Marner for nothing and you just take your
Speaker:cap space and hope that you can build because, and guys want to
Speaker:convince Meko Rantin to
Speaker:come there and
Speaker:know.
Speaker:I don't know.
Speaker:It just doesn't like, how could you come back with even most of the group,
Speaker:like not re signing the old guy who.
Speaker:Is in his mid thirties.
Speaker:Isn't the, Oh, they finally switching it up.
Speaker:I think you gotta do something crazy.
Speaker:So anyways, I think they are going to, this is going to be their year.
Speaker:I'm not calling them for the Stanley cup yet, but I'm saying
Speaker:they are going to be really good.
Speaker:They're going to be really hard to play against and they're going
Speaker:to set themselves up to have home ice advantage through the entire
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:I don't hate it.
Speaker:Really?
Speaker:again, I flip flopped between Boston and Toronto, so I think they're
Speaker:both gonna finish right there.
Speaker:And by the way, I have Detroit as
Speaker:Ooh.
Speaker:wild card playing the Toronto Maple Leafs in round one.
Speaker:So the other side of this is if they did lose in round one and my prediction was
Speaker:right, I think I would just have to quit
Speaker:not life, but like maybe the show, I don't know.
Speaker:I don't know if I could ever talk
Speaker:Oh, that would be brutal.
Speaker:I'll say.
Speaker:That would be brutal.
Speaker:I, for, I also forgot to mention too, for my wild card spot, they're gonna finish
Speaker:above Detroit in the wild card standings.
Speaker:But, I've got Florida actually as a wild card.
Speaker:I
Speaker:think there's going to be a little bit of a Stanley Cup hangover and they're
Speaker:going to be battling and then I think
Speaker:that loss on defense too, is going to hurt him.
Speaker:I don't think Eric Eckblad and Forsling are going to be able
Speaker:to play 35 minutes a night.
Speaker:So we'll see how that pans out.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:And you honestly, you hope they don't have to play as often if you can
Speaker:figure that out, but, so no senators.
Speaker:Senators aren't in.
Speaker:I know right now they're third in that division.
Speaker:So that's why I
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:No, no senators, no Buffalo.
Speaker:Okay, Tampa,
Speaker:So for the two three?
Speaker:yeah, I've got Toronto at two and I've got Tampa at three.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:I have Florida at two and Tampa at three.
Speaker:So Toronto, Florida, Tampa, Boston, Detroit for the Atlantic all
Speaker:I think we're, we've got the same picks, different spots.
Speaker:So yeah, same exact teams.
Speaker:That's funny.
Speaker:okay.
Speaker:Yeah, so there's I don't have Trucking through all the, all these rounds,
Speaker:but, let's just hear your quick predictions on who you think, who's
Speaker:going to be in the conference finals.
Speaker:Tell us
Speaker:let's go west.
Speaker:so I've got Dallas over Utah, Winnipeg over Nashville, right?
Speaker:So then we've got Dallas, Winnipeg, and then I've got Edmonton losing
Speaker:to Colorado, in the first round, and then I've got Vegas over LA.
Speaker:So then we've got Vegas over Colorado and Winnipeg over Dallas.
Speaker:So in the west, I've got Winnipeg and Vegas for the conference finals there.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:And Winnipeg and Vegas, they finally make it back to the conference
Speaker:Yep.
Speaker:Yep.
Speaker:Yep.
Speaker:And then in the east, so I've got, New York or I got the Rangers over
Speaker:Detroit, Jersey over Carolina.
Speaker:And then I've got Florida over Boston.
Speaker:And then Toronto over Tampa Bay.
Speaker:And
Speaker:then, to go into the conference finals, I've got Toronto over Florida
Speaker:and the Rangers over New Jersey.
Speaker:So we've got a Rangers, Toronto conference, final
Speaker:shoot.
Speaker:So Rangers, Toronto, and then Dallas and.
Speaker:or no Winnipeg and Vegas.
Speaker:or no, Winnipeg and Vegas.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:yeah, I still think I actually can really see a Dallas Vegas rematch.
Speaker:And this time it happening in the conference finals where it belongs.
Speaker:Where it belongs that belongs there.
Speaker:and then in the East, wouldn't it be fun to just have a Toronto, New Jersey
Speaker:conference final and have Sheldon Keefe, like finally you made it to the, you made
Speaker:it here and now it's with another team.
Speaker:And now the one team standing in your way of a
Speaker:Yeah, that would be rough.
Speaker:That would be fun.
Speaker:Although I think that, with my bracket, I think I probably go New Jersey
Speaker:beats Boston and then New York beats Carolina and then New York beats Jersey.
Speaker:So I would also have the Leafs and the Rangers in the conference
Speaker:final, so we're the same there.
Speaker:Who do you have winning the cup?
Speaker:got the Rangers over Toronto.
Speaker:Of course you do.
Speaker:and Vegas, Wilfrid, Winnipeg.
Speaker:ultimately I'm still sticking with it.
Speaker:I've got the Rangers again, winning the cup.
Speaker:I got to ride or die this one.
Speaker:I feel
Speaker:like this is it for me, right?
Speaker:If they don't pull it out this year.
Speaker:I think I'm going to have to change picks.
Speaker:yeah, I would think after that, after six straight years of picking
Speaker:the Rangers to win the cup on one hand, it's bound to happen.
Speaker:On the other hand, you may be cursed.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:And I will say, I do think, what we're going to probably see happen
Speaker:is we're going to see Capocacco get traded at the deadline, I think, for
Speaker:a top four defenseman for the Rangers.
Speaker:okay.
Speaker:I think I got to go Vegas making it to the finals, in the Western
Speaker:conference and they're going to play
Speaker:Oh, the Leafs,
Speaker:in the Leafs in the finals.
Speaker:who wins?
Speaker:I am picking the Leafs over the Rangers and ultimately Leafs win the Stanley cup.
Speaker:Here we go.
Speaker:Ruby's first
Speaker:I don't care if it's a home or pick.
Speaker:Ruby's first year.
Speaker:Hey, sometimes that first year is like your only shot.
Speaker:it.
Speaker:Especially for a guy like Brube, you just got to jump in there, change the culture.
Speaker:Let's go win.
Speaker:The last time he got hired as a head coach.
Speaker:His team won the Stanley cup his first year.
Speaker:So that's what I'm going with.
Speaker:They are going to have to make some kind of really intense trade, really
Speaker:a trade that sends shockwaves through that team in order to get there.
Speaker:But I think it's somewhere on the table,
Speaker:Ooh, really intense
Speaker:especially if we're, if, okay.
Speaker:So if the Leafs are in a position to be that top team in the league,
Speaker:you're going to look at them and go, they're really good.
Speaker:It's time to spend our assets on bringing in players.
Speaker:And at that point, that's where you're, you're going out and you're bringing in
Speaker:Maybe
Speaker:Nicholas Robinson, first round pick goes out.
Speaker:for sure.
Speaker:Nicholas Robertson is going to be the chip.
Speaker:I think right now what you're doing is you're going to try and
Speaker:build him up as much as you can.
Speaker:I think you recognize that he may not be a fit long term on
Speaker:this team, but he's got talent.
Speaker:And he's somebody that you could flip for somebody.
Speaker:it's probably more likely that you're looking to trade Lilligran.
Speaker:He doesn't seem to be a favorite of Berube at this stage and he's
Speaker:costing them some money as well.
Speaker:Like a yarn croak.
Speaker:You're looking to get him out of there so that you can open up the salary cap.
Speaker:They are 1 under the salary cap.
Speaker:That's unbelievable that you could be 1.
Speaker:You're like, look, I can't give you this extra dollar because
Speaker:we'll be equal to the cap.
Speaker:So we have to, we've got to keep 1 under the cap.
Speaker:Amazing.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:there are our predictions for the year.
Speaker:We'll, save these.
Speaker:Spreadsheets that we have, and we will look back at them, maybe at the halfway
Speaker:point and see if we're anywhere close
Speaker:I love it.
Speaker:Ah,
Speaker:and, we'll check back in.
Speaker:All right, let's do our predictions for these different trophies.
Speaker:Obviously we'll save the heart for last.
Speaker:So let's just, let's get into some of the lesser trophies.
Speaker:who do you think is going to win the rookie of the
Speaker:Calder.
Speaker:Yes.
Speaker:This one, obviously Celebrini, Mitchcoff, those kinds of picks are the sexy picks.
Speaker:But, like I said, sometimes I just like to swing for the fences a little
Speaker:bit more and, or take a gamble.
Speaker:so for me, I'm going Lane Hudson from the Montreal Canadians.
Speaker:Yeah, he's had a great start.
Speaker:Would you have made that pick before this year?
Speaker:if we were doing this two weeks
Speaker:Yeah, I think so.
Speaker:I probably I think my reasoning I know a lot of people are going to pick Mitch
Speaker:cough because he's the phenom right?
Speaker:The Russian phenom.
Speaker:But for me, I just don't know how well he's going to work
Speaker:with Tortorella in his system.
Speaker:And Tortorella has a very short fuse with guys.
Speaker:he could be up and down that lineup really quick and celebrity.
Speaker:I leaned towards him a little bit and then he got hurt and I was like, okay,
Speaker:are we going to have another Bedard year where he still comes back healthy
Speaker:and then knocks out of the park.
Speaker:But, I wanted to take a little bit of wild card.
Speaker:I like Lane Hudson's game.
Speaker:I love, Just the speed, the offense he brings to the game and he's going
Speaker:to see a lot of power play time.
Speaker:I think if he can put up 50 ish points, much like most cider did a few years back,
Speaker:I think he can lock this thing up because I don't think cell bringing he's going
Speaker:to, eclipse 60 points, or even get close to a point per game, really, I think.
Speaker:if Lane Hudson can do that, I think it's his.
Speaker:And if Montreal is a player, they look like they're going to
Speaker:Yeah, I think
Speaker:they're not going to be nearly as bad as last year.
Speaker:They're two in one to start the year.
Speaker:they're playing well, they're much faster and they've got a lot more talent upfront.
Speaker:So they're more dangerous.
Speaker:They're goaltending.
Speaker:on paper, I don't love their goaltending, but Montempo looks
Speaker:like a frigging man on fire.
Speaker:willing to.
Speaker:at least see how they, how that rides out.
Speaker:I think the pressure of being the number one guy walking into camp last
Speaker:year was too much for him, but this year he's been able to deal with it.
Speaker:And he's been much better to start the year.
Speaker:So I think that if like they're in it and his games are meaningful,
Speaker:Lane Hudson's goals are important.
Speaker:That gives him the tip over a Celebrini who's, there's no way his goals are
Speaker:going to be meaningful as far as like chasing the playoffs or anything just
Speaker:going to be, can he get the numbers?
Speaker:I actually have someone that you did not mention.
Speaker:As my winner, he has the same exact stat line right now as Lane Hudson, though.
Speaker:And that is Logan Stankovic for the Dallas stars also has four points in three games
Speaker:to start the year and is a plus three.
Speaker:but yeah, Logan Stankovic, I think he's a center and he's going to get
Speaker:power play time and he's playing with better players and a better team.
Speaker:I think he has a legitimate chance of putting up 70 points.
Speaker:If he does that, he wins.
Speaker:I don't disagree with you.
Speaker:And like Dallas is going to go through fewer slumps than Montreal.
Speaker:And that is going to, a guy, first 10 games in the league teams,
Speaker:maybe you aren't playing for them and they're going to have, they're
Speaker:going to start targeting Hudson.
Speaker:I think about Dylan Larkin, his rookie season, I think he had 15 goals
Speaker:by the end of December and people were like, Oh man, he's killing it.
Speaker:Like he's going to have 40 goals.
Speaker:and then I think he had six the rest of the year.
Speaker:I want to say fact check me, let's see if I'm wrong, but, pretty sure
Speaker:that Dylan Larkin is rookie season.
Speaker:I remember it was, I, and I remember saying, this isn't
Speaker:this is not going to continue.
Speaker:He's young and no one's targeting him and now they're going to start
Speaker:targeting him and they did, and then he really struggled and that's that, I
Speaker:obviously Dylan Larkin has turned into a phenomenal player for the Red Wings.
Speaker:yeah, his rookie season, he had 23 goals.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:So I'll tell you what.
Speaker:The good
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:As far as Stan Covins concern, the one thing I think a lot of people
Speaker:are going to forget is obviously, I think when you look up and down this
Speaker:lineup, we've got Rupe Hintz and Jason Robertson on that top line, and we
Speaker:forget Joe Powell was on that right wing.
Speaker:Stan Coven right now is slotted in at that third line right wing spot
Speaker:with Wyatt Johnson and Jamie Bennet.
Speaker:And so Bennet and Johnson are going to stick together.
Speaker:They had such good chemistry last year, but for me, Stan Coven could
Speaker:be a guy because right now they got dadded off on that top line.
Speaker:I could see Stan Coven slowly make his way up there.
Speaker:And yeah,
Speaker:and if he does that, then like just hand them the color
Speaker:because if you think about it,
Speaker:Guys are gonna, you, you say targeting guys, right?
Speaker:Guys are gonna target Lane Hudson once he gets going.
Speaker:I think guys, when you see Robertson and hints out there, they're gonna
Speaker:look at those two guys first.
Speaker:Stan Covin could just be sitting on an island and have just ample
Speaker:opportunity to really cash in.
Speaker:know, and I think Stan Colvin had that extra year in the American league.
Speaker:bless you.
Speaker:Excuse me.
Speaker:He had that extra year in the American league.
Speaker:And I think that, he may be like, he's a year older.
Speaker:He's bigger.
Speaker:not bigger.
Speaker:I didn't mean to say bigger.
Speaker:He's certainly smaller.
Speaker:He's 165
Speaker:He's put on a little
Speaker:but.
Speaker:But he's got that, he's got that extra year, which does make a, a difference.
Speaker:I think what I, when I say bigger, you have that extra year to develop your body.
Speaker:yes, he's small.
Speaker:Consider the great late Johnny Goudreau in his early, early on his career.
Speaker:He was still equally as short.
Speaker:He put on some.
Speaker:Strength as he got older and became much tougher to play against because
Speaker:of that power that he had developed.
Speaker:and one year can make a big difference.
Speaker:So I'm, again, I'm going with, with Stan Coven
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:Donate it.
Speaker:any of those Hudson or even Celebrini, all those are good picks.
Speaker:Uh, the guy from Philly, good picks.
Speaker:let's go Norris
Speaker:it.
Speaker:defenseman of the year.
Speaker:Who do you
Speaker:got Roman Yossi finally taking home this hardware.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:I think the addition of Stamkos,
Speaker:he won it in, no, he didn't win.
Speaker:he was
Speaker:I remember the year.
Speaker:he had 90 some points and he was, I think, 10 points above
Speaker:Cael McCarr and still lost out.
Speaker:I get it.
Speaker:Cael McCarr is the offensive dynamo.
Speaker:He just looks so good.
Speaker:Like a more exciting player.
Speaker:But I think with the addition of, those extra couple pieces up front for Nashville
Speaker:and, even getting Brady, she back on that backend, I think is gonna help him.
Speaker:get a little extra, couple minutes where he's not just having to play that
Speaker:tough defensive, those tough defensive minutes is going to give him a little
Speaker:bit more time in the offensive zone where I think he's just going to, again,
Speaker:flourish, especially he's going to see all PP one time all this year for them.
Speaker:for me, I think Roman Yossi is going to finally, finally take home some hardware
Speaker:Now here's the problem with Roman Yossi.
Speaker:He's been nominated every other year and he was nominated last year.
Speaker:I think that means he won't, he's not going to get nominated this year.
Speaker:He can't do it.
Speaker:He can't do it two years in a row.
Speaker:You're not allowed.
Speaker:no, he's a great pick for that.
Speaker:and with the addition, you gotta think that he's going to be in a better
Speaker:position now that could make it so that he doesn't need to put up the same amount
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:carry the play the same way.
Speaker:and that could lower his amount of points, but I don't think by very much.
Speaker:and can you think the power play should be better for Nashville once they
Speaker:all figure it out and gel he'll just be feeding stam close on that left
Speaker:side anyway, so it'll be all good.
Speaker:I have Josh Morrissey
Speaker:Ooh,
Speaker:the Norris trophy.
Speaker:I think that he's going to be the sneaky guy that like, just
Speaker:has a great year for Winnipeg.
Speaker:Winnipeg is poised to look, they looked great defensively last year.
Speaker:Hellebuck makes everybody look better defensively.
Speaker:I think Hellebuck has another phenomenal year and Josh Morrissey
Speaker:puts up career high end points and.
Speaker:The Winnipeg Jets are, one of the top teams in the NHL.
Speaker:And I think that he'll take the Norris trophy.
Speaker:It'll be, it'll be one of those.
Speaker:Wow.
Speaker:Like this is his one year to win it kind of thing.
Speaker:I don't think he's had never been up for the Norris before, at least not top three.
Speaker:but this will be his year.
Speaker:I love it.
Speaker:what am I, off the
Speaker:I don't think it's that off the board.
Speaker:not too far off the board, but still like he's consistently
Speaker:been a top 10, top 15 defenseman.
Speaker:But I think this will be his, extra special year
Speaker:okay.
Speaker:I love it.
Speaker:Uh, let's do, do the lady Bing just to toss it out there.
Speaker:Who do you think is going to win the
Speaker:Ooh You know what?
Speaker:I'm just gonna throw out just a little bit of a wild card.
Speaker:I really don't have any reason for this at all I'm just gonna say Gustav
Speaker:Nyquist just cuz I think why not
Speaker:Interesting.
Speaker:I
Speaker:actually was looking at Roman Yossi
Speaker:and I just, I, I always thought the goose, when he gets loose, man, he
Speaker:just, he always keeps it together.
Speaker:He's a gentleman.
Speaker:So I figured, why not?
Speaker:You know what?
Speaker:My old Detroit
Speaker:When the goose gets loose, when the goose gets loose, I am going to
Speaker:throw out a random, this is funny.
Speaker:not funny.
Speaker:I think it's going to be Conor Bedard.
Speaker:I think the league would love to have him win a trophy and he's not
Speaker:going to win the other big ones yet.
Speaker:So if he can stay out of penalty trouble, he had 28 penalty minutes last year.
Speaker:And.
Speaker:it was just, he is often put in spots where he shouldn't have been.
Speaker:And so I, I think that hurts there.
Speaker:I think he'll have fewer this year and, yeah, he wins the lady
Speaker:The goose,
Speaker:My other pick was Matthews.
Speaker:So one of those two
Speaker:Yeah, the Goose only had
Speaker:one of those two guys, I think he's one at once.
Speaker:I think he won it once before.
Speaker:And he, didn't he win a lady Bing
Speaker:Slaven won it last year.
Speaker:Copa tar, Kyle, Connor, Slaven, McKinnon.
Speaker:Those are the last
Speaker:Matthews was the
Speaker:nominee
Speaker:you're right.
Speaker:He hasn't won
Speaker:see that.
Speaker:Yes.
Speaker:Oh, okay.
Speaker:let's, what trophy you want to go into
Speaker:Ooh, let's do the Rocket Richard.
Speaker:Let's do a big one.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:my picks Matthews is going to win it.
Speaker:Don't care that he has no goals through the first three games.
Speaker:I had not picking against Austin Matthews to
Speaker:Yeah, I don't hate that either.
Speaker:for me, I'm actually predicting he's gonna crack 70.
Speaker:It'll be 70, but he'll crack it.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:I here's the one thing.
Speaker:I don't know about 70 only because I think that they're going to have
Speaker:a lot like they're going to be like, look, you, yes, you had 69 goals.
Speaker:Congratulations.
Speaker:It's incredible.
Speaker:Almost 70.
Speaker:And we're not going to make this year about you getting 70 again.
Speaker:Like we saw what happened last year.
Speaker:It just, we don't need to do that.
Speaker:we need to be playing playoff hockey.
Speaker:Those last, like the last 10 games of the year, even if we're
Speaker:way ahead, like we need to start getting in gear for the playoffs.
Speaker:And I think it's going to be less about him getting 70.
Speaker:He shouldn't have played in the last game of the season.
Speaker:Nylander shouldn't have played in the last game.
Speaker:And everything was all wrapped up.
Speaker:Everything was done.
Speaker:And.
Speaker:They wanted to get him 70, and I think it was foolish, and I think it cost
Speaker:them the first round of the playoffs.
Speaker:Because Nylander plays those first two games, and if Nylander's healthy for the
Speaker:other games, the Leafs win hands down.
Speaker:The way that series went, like, all it takes is that, a
Speaker:superstar player at 100 percent
Speaker:By the way, have you seen the Face Off series on Prime?
Speaker:So
Speaker:I have not watched it
Speaker:we just started watching it.
Speaker:The first episode, they basically follow around pasta and Nylander
Speaker:and you see Nylander sitting at home watching the games.
Speaker:And I'm like, Oh, if only man, if only,
Speaker:dude.
Speaker:okay, let's see.
Speaker:Selkie.
Speaker:okay.
Speaker:Oh, wait, you
Speaker:No, I got Matthews too.
Speaker:I told you he, he cracked 70.
Speaker:So
Speaker:yeah, And I think it's accidental.
Speaker:Oh, I didn't know if anybody else would crack 70 on your list.
Speaker:I think it's going to be accidental 72.
Speaker:They're not going to be trying for it.
Speaker:It's just going to happen.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:That's fair.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:You hit, maybe you hit 70 in like game 79 or something like that.
Speaker:And then you're good.
Speaker:okay.
Speaker:if we're doing the rocket, we might as well do the art Ross.
Speaker:And like I said, I can't pick anybody but McDavid until he loses it.
Speaker:pick Eichel right now.
Speaker:I think he leads the league in points.
Speaker:yeah.
Speaker:Actually, so I've got McKinnon taking the ro, the Art Ross.
Speaker:for me, I just think, okay, he's got the heart trophy from last year.
Speaker:But I think, again, I look at the depth of this Colorado team and part
Speaker:of the reason I've got them in a wild card spot is I think they just.
Speaker:They have an issue with depth up front at the forward position.
Speaker:I think they're going to lean very heavily on, on Miko and
Speaker:Nathan to really carry this team.
Speaker:And I think ultimately, that's just going to produce a lot of points maybe
Speaker:where, you know, like last year's with Matthew's right, maybe not focus as
Speaker:much on that to be successful, but I think Colorado, is going to need them.
Speaker:To be successful.
Speaker:And I think ultimately you're gonna see again, Matthews McDavid, McKinnon,
Speaker:Kuro, all those guys still bundled up there, 120, 130 points each.
Speaker:but ultimately, I think McKinnon just sneaks it out.
Speaker:The Art Ross, I have McDavid, there's one other guy I could
Speaker:see Kucherov winning again.
Speaker:he had a hundred assists last year.
Speaker:Crazy.
Speaker:He doesn't have Stamkos to feed, but he does have Genzel to feed.
Speaker:And he may be better.
Speaker:But Getzel is gonna play in that bumper.
Speaker:I think.
Speaker:He doesn't really like to play outside like Stammer did.
Speaker:I don't know.
Speaker:Yeah, but you're not going to replace Kutcherov in that bumper.
Speaker:no, you're not going to replace him.
Speaker:But so I'll tell you who I think is going to be a sneaky dark horse pick
Speaker:that I think is going to explode for, probably 110, 120 points this year is
Speaker:going to be Kirill the Thrill Kaprizov.
Speaker:I got to say, watch out for this guy.
Speaker:I think he's just going to,
Speaker:he's going to carry this Minnesota team all year long and
Speaker:it's going to be fun to watch.
Speaker:And he, I think we've talked about it that, he occasionally
Speaker:does get off to slow starts.
Speaker:Like a couple of years in a row, we've been like, man, where's, where'd he go?
Speaker:And of course he finishes, what he finished last year at 96 points.
Speaker:I think this year he started off with four points in three games.
Speaker:Like I think that he's starting off much quicker than he has in the past.
Speaker:So that may mean.
Speaker:Hey there you go.
Speaker:those extra, if you have an extra 15 games of production, that's, that puts
Speaker:them right there in that 120 point range.
Speaker:So that would be, I don't know if that's good enough to win an art Ross,
Speaker:not with this group of talent, but
Speaker:it seems like you need a hundred and how many points
Speaker:I think 144 last year
Speaker:when, okay.
Speaker:I was going to say over 140, but
Speaker:to take a hundred and at least 130 this year.
Speaker:if you get 130, you're definitely in the top three.
Speaker:Maybe I would think, yeah, that's a 140 points is massive.
Speaker:We might see a decline in the very top end of a point like that.
Speaker:That was a pretty crazy year to see that many guys with well over a hundred points.
Speaker:And that may not be the norm every single year moving forward.
Speaker:we'll have to see.
Speaker:I hope it is.
Speaker:It's more fun that way.
Speaker:let's see.
Speaker:We have the Selkie.
Speaker:I just have Barkov.
Speaker:I just didn't even think about it.
Speaker:Just put his
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:I thought about that too, but I actually, you know what?
Speaker:Again, I'm a gambling man today, so I'm going to go Elias
Speaker:Lindholm from the Boston Bruins.
Speaker:Elias Lindholm.
Speaker:Boy, never been nominated.
Speaker:Oh, no, he was nominated in 2022.
Speaker:I'm sorry.
Speaker:That was the year that everyone had a hundred points,
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:That was that, that phenomenal Goudreau Kachuk line.
Speaker:That he was centering
Speaker:that was just outta this world good.
Speaker:But, I think he had a plus 45.
Speaker:it was ridiculous.
Speaker:all those guys had plus forties.
Speaker:It was crazy.
Speaker:But for me, I just think he's in a great system.
Speaker:I think he's gonna have great talent around him, both
Speaker:on the front and back end.
Speaker:That's just gonna, make him look phenomenal.
Speaker:Now, I don't think, he's gonna.
Speaker:look anything like Bergeron, but I think, with Barkov being hurt and I
Speaker:think just a lot of questions around other guys, I think, Rupe hints
Speaker:could be another guy could see be a sneaky dark horse pick for this, but.
Speaker:And I think that part of his game is underrated, but for me,
Speaker:I'm just, I'm going to go Lin O.
Speaker:is a good argument to be made.
Speaker:Now, Austin Matthews was up for this award last year and now with a much
Speaker:more defensively minded and like a physically minded coach, like first
Speaker:shift against Montreal, Austin Matthews went out and threw a pretty big hit.
Speaker:if Austin Matthews starts to Engage physically and that's noticed.
Speaker:And then he continues to play the way that he plays defensively.
Speaker:I, he, especially with Barkov's injury, depending on how long he's out, that
Speaker:really could tip the scales in favor of Matthews being from such a big market
Speaker:to that, you just go, not only did he play just as well defensively, but
Speaker:he's actually thrown some hits too.
Speaker:That could.
Speaker:That could tip it.
Speaker:He just needs to have 55 goals instead.
Speaker:So people are like, yeah, he doesn't, he cares just as much about the
Speaker:defensive side as the offensive.
Speaker:He has, if he has 70, there'll be like, he doesn't even really care about defense.
Speaker:I'll tell you what though, I think if people put a little bit more onus on this
Speaker:award for wingers, I would say that Mitch Marner would probably have one by now.
Speaker:he was nominated,
Speaker:that's what I mean.
Speaker:I think he would probably have one if people put as much value on the wing as
Speaker:they do in the center position for this award, I think he'd probably have one.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Since 2022, there's been only two wingers nominated for the Selkie that
Speaker:is Mitch Marner and Mark Stone in 2021.
Speaker:So it doesn't happen often.
Speaker:Although Uri Lettinen won several of those awards.
Speaker:I want, did he win?
Speaker:What, how many did he win?
Speaker:I think he won three, but let's check.
Speaker:He won three selkies.
Speaker:Yep.
Speaker:Three selkies.
Speaker:I think they were all, so he won in 97, 90.
Speaker:Oh, sorry, 98, 99.
Speaker:And then again, in 2003,
Speaker:there you go.
Speaker:Who knew
Speaker:Not this guy.
Speaker:he only it's funny because he had the year that he won one year, he had 42 points.
Speaker:Another year he had 52 points.
Speaker:so it wasn't as much about Hey, who's this really good player who also plays defense?
Speaker:It was like, who's phenomenal defensively.
Speaker:And he was the reward has become much more Hey, who's a phenomenal player.
Speaker:And also plays phenomenal defense.
Speaker:Like geek carbonyl.
Speaker:Was it, is it geek carbonyl?
Speaker:The guy who.
Speaker:Who won a bunch of them.
Speaker:He was not offensively gifted at all.
Speaker:when you go back and you look at his stats and he won, he won the Selkie three times,
Speaker:That's a bunch.
Speaker:the years he won it 38, 56 and 39 points.
Speaker:so not winning it.
Speaker:It's not, no, they're who, dang it.
Speaker:who's the guy that won the Selkie a ton of years in a row?
Speaker:that basically it's a Mon another Montreal guy.
Speaker:Just my brain is obviously
Speaker:Montreal guy?
Speaker:Oh, Bob Ganey.
Speaker:He won it the first four years in a
Speaker:Bob Ganey's the one.
Speaker:Yes, and they were like, oh, it's the Bob Ganey award.
Speaker:But yeah, he put up, let's see, he won it.
Speaker:He put up 31, 38, 33, and 47 points.
Speaker:And, that's that's just not going to happen anymore.
Speaker:You're never going to have a guy who puts up 39 points and they're
Speaker:like, he's a great penalty killer.
Speaker:Unless you got 30 points short handed, you're not winning.
Speaker:all right.
Speaker:Your favorite, let's do what coach of the year GM of
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Let's do them both.
Speaker:Why not?
Speaker:I'll make it
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:who do you have?
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:Yeah, you go
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:coach of the year.
Speaker:I've got Sheldon Keefe.
Speaker:I think we know what's going to happen in New Jersey.
Speaker:He's going to look phenomenal regular season, right?
Speaker:I agree with you.
Speaker:He's a phenomenal regular season coach and GM of the year.
Speaker:I'm going, I'm going down, Sweden and Boston.
Speaker:I think the addition of Zdorov and Elias Lindholm and getting that
Speaker:contract done for Swayman finally, no thanks to Cam Neely, but, I think he's
Speaker:going to get the nod, especially when they finished top of that division.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:I also have my prediction of a top team in the Atlantic division winning the GM
Speaker:of the year, which is Brad tree living.
Speaker:I think he wins it because he's going to do something like whether it's
Speaker:trading Marner or like doing something big that has a big impact on the team.
Speaker:and I think a bringing in Craig Brube was a good move.
Speaker:I don't think Craig Brube wins coach of the year, but I think that he'll.
Speaker:He'll be in consideration.
Speaker:if you're the top team in the league, you're probably going
Speaker:to be one of the nominees, especially you go with first year
Speaker:I even think if they just win that division.
Speaker:my coach of the year,
Speaker:my coach of the year.
Speaker:this is a kind of anti my predictions.
Speaker:I do have Detroit in that second wildcard spot, Boston in the first,
Speaker:but I do think that Montreal is in a position to, to compete for that spot.
Speaker:And if.
Speaker:Things don't go perfect, for my predictions and Montreal,
Speaker:I think Montreal could get in.
Speaker:I think they have a legitimate shot at making the playoffs.
Speaker:Martin St.
Speaker:Louis hands down wins coach of the year.
Speaker:So I've got Martin St.
Speaker:Louis winning the coach of the year because what he has done for
Speaker:Cole Caulfield, it just in, in what now two and a half seasons.
Speaker:I think you may like Cole Caulfield could have 50 goals this year.
Speaker:okay.
Speaker:He's going to be, we're going to be talking end of the year.
Speaker:We're going to be talking about is Cole Caulfield going to
Speaker:But is it enough?
Speaker:when you don't make the playoffs,
Speaker:If they make the playoffs.
Speaker:Yes.
Speaker:okay.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:If they make the
Speaker:Only if they make the play.
Speaker:That's why I'm saying if they don't make the playoffs then no, but if they
Speaker:make the playoffs and it's I'm on the bubble about them being in the playoffs,
Speaker:I could see a scenario where Detroit doesn't make it in Montreal does.
Speaker:I could see that.
Speaker:So in that case, I think St.
Speaker:Louis wins it.
Speaker:And so I'm picking Martina St.
Speaker:Louis.
Speaker:I'm going to be right about something either.
Speaker:They'll miss the playoffs and he won't win it.
Speaker:Or the teams I said that made the playoffs will be in,
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:There you go.
Speaker:I'm covering all my bases here.
Speaker:Okay, let's go your favorite trophy the Vesna
Speaker:I think you probably know where I'm going with this one.
Speaker:it's going to be Igor Shusterkin for me.
Speaker:Again, I think he's
Speaker:not necessarily going to carry the Rangers, but I don't think we're
Speaker:going to see, a terrible year.
Speaker:He's going to have a really good year.
Speaker:probably a nine 20 say percentage.
Speaker:maybe 40 wins this season and he's going to get that big contract he wants, right?
Speaker:He rejected that eight times 11 deal.
Speaker:I think he's got, with that being out there, I think he's got to
Speaker:go out and earn it now, right?
Speaker:He's got to go out there and prove that, you know what?
Speaker:I'm
Speaker:worth that money.
Speaker:I'm worth the investment.
Speaker:If you're going to spend 12 million bucks a year on a cold tender.
Speaker:I think
Speaker:Did you see the rumor that?
Speaker:There is a team out there that is willing to pay him a
Speaker:a max,
Speaker:heard a max
Speaker:I'd like to know what team that is.
Speaker:Ooh,
Speaker:I heard I thought I heard it was LA it might have just been LA's willing
Speaker:to give him eight years at some big number But I heard a max maxes
Speaker:see, I could see Utah doing that, making a splash this off season again, but.
Speaker:I don't think he'd go to Utah.
Speaker:not a guy who's I'm in New York, I'm a ranger.
Speaker:And I think he wants to be there.
Speaker:I don't think, I think this deal gets done.
Speaker:And
Speaker:I do too.
Speaker:he'll stay with New York as soon as they come at the right number, he'll sign.
Speaker:I know he said he won't sign during the year.
Speaker:He'll sign.
Speaker:He'll go, they offered me 13 million.
Speaker:So I said, yes, apparently he wants more than
Speaker:yeah.
Speaker:I think he means more to
Speaker:That team in my opinion than Panarin does, but when you're
Speaker:yeah, but you still are only, you can't play more than like 55, 60
Speaker:That's the problem.
Speaker:right?
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:We'll see.
Speaker:That's the tough part about paying a goalie that much money, but really, if
Speaker:you're a good team and you're paying a goalie that you're not paying them
Speaker:for the, those extra 10 games that maybe somebody else is playing over
Speaker:him, you're playing, paying him for the playoffs and really he has been
Speaker:a, he has been good in the playoffs.
Speaker:the Rangers have gotten to where they did and they, the fact that they went
Speaker:from rebuilding to a really damn good team quickly is because of Shusterkin.
Speaker:yeah, Panarin came there and they got some high draft picks, which
Speaker:really didn't even pan, have hardly panned out other, Lafreniere
Speaker:He's not there
Speaker:yet, but
Speaker:yeah, he's not a reason.
Speaker:he's not there.
Speaker:He's not.
Speaker:He's doesn't look like he'll ever be a first overall pick that many other
Speaker:teams have been able to capitalize on.
Speaker:He'll he's a fine player, but it's just Sturgeon.
Speaker:If they didn't have just Sturgeon, they're probably not in the position they're in.
Speaker:all right, let's, I think the last one we have left is.
Speaker:Is my pick for the first time in a very long time.
Speaker:I have the same goalie winning two years in a row and that would be Conor Hellbuck.
Speaker:I like it.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:I think they're a better team and he's going to win it.
Speaker:He's going to win it again.
Speaker:With that new deal, you get that distraction free camp coming in.
Speaker:I think he's just going to be better than ever.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:I don't hate it.
Speaker:I love him.
Speaker:So he's in a top three for me all day long.
Speaker:I know you will.
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:let's go heart.
Speaker:Who's your heart trophy
Speaker:Austin Matthews
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Even though, again, McKinnon's got the art Ross, he's got the points, but I,
Speaker:again, I think he's going to, quietly, I don't want to say quietly, cause it's
Speaker:going to be a topic of conversation, but I think he's accidentally going
Speaker:to hit that 70 goal mark and, even if he's within 10 points, I think of
Speaker:McKinnon or McDavid there at the top.
Speaker:I think 70 goals is too hard to ignore.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:If he gets 70 for sure, nobody's ever gotten 70 goals
Speaker:and not won the heart trophy.
Speaker:What about Brett
Speaker:it's just like an automatic.
Speaker:I know he went, he did win the
Speaker:Yeah, but I think he?
Speaker:got 70 more than once, so
Speaker:he did have 70 more than once he had 86.
Speaker:And, yeah, he only won the heart the one year.
Speaker:Let's see.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:He had 72, 86, 70.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:So he, Maybe it was that they're at least nominated
Speaker:Yeah,
Speaker:he
Speaker:the heart.
Speaker:Yeah, he was nominated
Speaker:Yeah, he got third place those other two years.
Speaker:Let's be honest though.
Speaker:He was, he had 72 goals and was still a minus one
Speaker:and then he had 70 goals and he was a minus two.
Speaker:So yeah, defense wasn't really his thing.
Speaker:my heart trophy pick.
Speaker:I was like, I know everyone tends to look at who wins the
Speaker:rocket, who wins the art Ross.
Speaker:I think maybe there's a guy who's in the mix for all of them and helps
Speaker:his team to have a phenomenal year.
Speaker:And I just I think that he's due for some trophy.
Speaker:I think Jack Eichel is going to win the
Speaker:Okay, I can see a couple
Speaker:jacks winning this award.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Jack Hughes.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:but I think Jack Eichel is going to take this one.
Speaker:I think he'll be up there in points.
Speaker:He already is, but I think he'll be up there in points at the end.
Speaker:I think this is probably the year that he finally eclipses.
Speaker:he only had, he's had 32 or 30 goals twice.
Speaker:He had 31 last year, 36 the year before.
Speaker:I think he probably has 30 goals again, but I think he's going
Speaker:to eclipse that 82 career point.
Speaker:Mark, I think he gets a hundred points and, or, and plus, and I
Speaker:think he'll be really important for
Speaker:yeah, I agree with you.
Speaker:look, their depth.
Speaker:and I think the league would love to give Vegas a trophy like
Speaker:Yeah, I agree with you.
Speaker:I think, as long as Stone can stay healthy because Barber Chef Stone,
Speaker:Eichel look phenomenal and that lack of depth up front, right?
Speaker:No more Chandler Stevenson, no more, Marsha.
Speaker:So I think there's going to be more opportunity for Eichel to take advantage.
Speaker:And this would be the year to do it.
Speaker:he's still on the positive side of thirties.
Speaker:He's he'll turn 28 here in a.
Speaker:On the 28th and just two weeks.
Speaker:So this would be the year, like the heart of your prime, 28
Speaker:years old, to go out and have a
Speaker:I will.
Speaker:who'd you pick for the
Speaker:I picked Austin Matthews, right?
Speaker:I will say the one
Speaker:sneaky dark horse pick.
Speaker:I think, we talked about both Jacks, Connor McDavid.
Speaker:if for some reason, I know you and I both have this team missing playoffs,
Speaker:but if some reason they get in, I think it's going to be because this guy, it
Speaker:wouldn't shock me to see Sidney Crosby's name up towards the top of the list.
Speaker:if they make the playoffs, it's probably going to be because of
Speaker:Yep.
Speaker:It's not going to be.
Speaker:And Malkin's
Speaker:Yeah, he has, but I don't think, I don't think
Speaker:goaltending is going to carry them and I don't think defense is going to do it.
Speaker:So It's going to be on Crosby's back, so that could get him a lot of consideration.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:I would love to see it by the way.
Speaker:Did you see the commercial?
Speaker:I'm sure you have the Gen Z commercial.
Speaker:No, I don't think so.
Speaker:Oh, you haven't seen it.
Speaker:You got to go look it up.
Speaker:It's like Conor Bedard, Nick Suzuki.
Speaker:I think celebrities in there, a bunch of younger stars.
Speaker:And they're all, Austin Matthews is on there.
Speaker:They're all talking about like basically the stereotypes about Gen Z, like
Speaker:everything's handed to me and it shows Jack Eichel getting the Stanley cup.
Speaker:And the different little like stereotypes about a Gen Z, then
Speaker:you've got Sidney Crosby at the very end and he's like kids these days.
Speaker:It's just great.
Speaker:It's really great.
Speaker:You gotta go look it up.
Speaker:I'll post a link in the description there.
Speaker:But it's probably the best commercial that I've seen the
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:I miss those old ESPN commercials.
Speaker:Like we had Crosby, or we had Ovechkin coming in from the ceiling.
Speaker:What are you some sort of Russian spy?
Speaker:And he gets pulled away.
Speaker:It's just the greatest.
Speaker:Pieces.
Speaker:all those, all the, pizzas.
Speaker:yeah.
Speaker:I always, my favorite ones, the best ones ever.
Speaker:I, they were CBC one.
Speaker:I think it was back in the day as Stanley cup was, or the
Speaker:playoffs were all on CBC and.
Speaker:It was the commercials were like, I do anything for the cup.
Speaker:I'd even do this thing.
Speaker:And it would be like some insane thing.
Speaker:And one of them was like, I'd even wear breast implants.
Speaker:And it's like a guy, a man running down the street and he's just Bouncing.
Speaker:Oh, no.
Speaker:It was like NHL commercials.
Speaker:There was one where it was like, I'd even wear a deer a, a moose
Speaker:costume during mating season.
Speaker:And it's this guy walking around in a moose costume
Speaker:and then a moose like sticks.
Speaker:Its head up in the camera and it's
Speaker:Oh, no.
Speaker:I will post a links to those commercials.
Speaker:I'll go find them.
Speaker:I'll send them to you.
Speaker:They're phenomenal.
Speaker:I'll just post 'em on our Instagram or something.
Speaker:I'm sure I can find 'em.
Speaker:Oh, all that's our show.
Speaker:There's our predictions for the season.
Speaker:We'll stash those away and we'll, we'll consult those later on.
Speaker:And, now here we go.
Speaker:Here's hockey started.
Speaker:We're three, four games in and, next show, we'll just break down early returns.
Speaker:You know what we're seeing out there and let us know if you have any
Speaker:questions at Instagram and, and Twitter and or X, whatever it's called, and
Speaker:we'll, we'll keep riding it out.
Speaker:Justin, any final thoughts?
Speaker:see when I get back from the sunshine state.
Speaker:So
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Have fun in Florida.
Speaker:Yeah, I guess I don't really want to go if I'm being honest with you I
Speaker:well, I shouldn't say it like that.
Speaker:Like I don't mind going on vacation to florida But I this time of
Speaker:year, it's just nice outside.
Speaker:I'd rather go up north or colorado or
Speaker:something, and camp
Speaker:nice here.
Speaker:Although hopefully, hopefully wherever you're going, there's still the hotel is
Speaker:we're so her parents have a place in destin.
Speaker:So we've got free lodging.
Speaker:they own a condo down there You
Speaker:Nice.
Speaker:Awesome.
Speaker:have fun on your trip.
Speaker:Stay safe.
Speaker:And we will talk to all of our listeners very soon.
