Offseason Review and Season and Roster preview for Minnesota, Nashville, St.Louis and Winnipeg as well as my predictions for the Central division standings.
Minnesota
Last years record: 53-22-7 113 points
Significant UFA losses: Nicholas Deslauriers, Nick Bjugstad, Kyle Rau, Jordie Benn
Significant UFA additions: Sam Steel, Nick Petan, Andrej Sustr
Significant trades:
To MIN: Brock Faber, 2021 1RD (LA)
To LA: Kevin Fiala
To MIN: Filip Gustavsson
To OTT: Cam Talbot
To MIN: Future considerations
To ANA: D.Kulikov
Minnesota’s 2022 Draft results:
1RD #19 LW Liam Ohgren
1RD #24 RW Danila Yurov
2RD #47 C Hunter Haight
2RD #56 LW,C Rieger Lorenz
3RD #89 LWMichael Milne
4RD #121 RD Ryan Healey
5RD #153 RD David Spacek
6RD #185 C Servac Petrovsky
Season and Roster preview: the Minnesota Wild were able to manoeuvre around their cap problems quite nicely this year as they have the major cap penalties due to the Parise and Suter buyouts and I think that they were able to do pretty well but did have to make cost cutting moves by trading Fiala who played well last year, and also moved Kulikov and Talbot due to their tight cal situation and while they were able to replace them with young players who could do good like Rossi, Addison and Gustavsson I do think they wound up downgrading a little this offseason and I think they will be in a real hard battle this year for a top 3 spot.
In Net they had to move Talbot due to cap reasons and the fact that Talbot wasn’t happy with his situation but were able to retain their deadline acquisition and get a young goalie back for Talbot who will most likely be their duo in Net this year. Now their starter should be Fleury who they acquired at last years trade deadline from the Chicago Blackhawks and he was able to take over the starting role in Minnesota but wasn’t able to lead them past the first round and after a up and down year last season I would bet that Fleury is able to keep playing a good game throughout this year, and on the backup side they have Filip Gustavsson who I think could be a great backup for Minnesota as that was what he was projected to be for Ottawa but he did have his up and downs last year and I think he still needs a few more years playing consistent minutes at the NHL level to smooth out his play so there may still be hiccups this year but I think he has a real shot to be a 20-30 games backup for the Wild this year and should give them a chance to win every night but I definitely think their goaltending position got a little weaker in the offseason with Talbot now leaving but I think this team should still have some pretty good goaltending this year and should be able to make stops when they need it most.
On the defensive side the Wild have made some small moves on their blueline but letting the young guys play should be able to help the Wild for this season and I think the D-Corp could actually be better this year then last. On the top pair I would keep the top line that was put together last year after the trade deadline and that is the Middleton-Spurgeon pair as Spurgeon is the Wild’s captain and a really good offensive defensemen coming off a 40 point season and I could see him hit 50 points this year playing consistent minutes with one good player this year and I think that Middleton it the best partner for Spurgeon as Spurgeon needs a defensive partner to play a good offensive game and Middleton showed last year in San Jose and Minnesota that he can be that kind of player and I think those two should do really well together, on pair 2 I have a duo that has played really well together and that is Dumba and Brodin as Dumba is entering the final year of his deal and hasn’t broken 30 points in the past few seasons but he is still a lethal offensive forward and Brodin brings the defensive game that could be one of the better defensive games in the NHL but it also allows Dumba to be his offensive self and since being put together a few years ago they have player extremely well so I wouldn’t touch that pair, and on pair 3 I would have Addison and Goligoski as Addison is the Wild’s best defensive prospect right now and is probably going to be a top 4 defensemen in a couple years and could be a very offensive defensemen so starting him getting to play full time on the 3rd pair is smart and Goligoski is a good 3rd pair defensemen right now and he showed that last year and while he would usually compete with Merrill for that spot, Merrill so he should be able to play well with Addison and I expect them to be a great 3rd pair and with Merrill injury es I would have Sustr be the 7th defensemen as he showed last year he can fill that role well and if there are more injuries I could definitely see Sustr come in and play on the 3rd pair for some time but I do like how this team is set up defensively as they have a great top 4 and with the addition of Addison I think it actually makes the defence better and I think they will still be a good defensive team for this upcoming season.
And with the forward group losing guys like Bjugstad and Fiala was hard for them as they were both really good players but they have some offensive talent that should be able to make the roster this year and make this team competitive again. So on line 1 I would keep Kaprizov and Zuccarello together as Kaprizov is coming off a 100 point season and in only his second season it is fair to say that he is capable of hitting 100 points again this year and I think he is going to be a handful to play against and Zuccarello has been a good partner since Kaprizov came in and I think that a playmaker in Zuccarello is a great partner for a goal scorer like Kaprizov and I would have Rossi Center that line as Rossi seems to be the top line Center of the future for the Wild and with him likely being a regular in his first full season I think playing between the guys like Kaprizov and Zuccarello would be best for him, on line two I would keep the checking line intact from last year as Eriksson Ek proved he can be a 2nd line Center for this Wild team last year and can put up a good amount of points and Foligno is coming off one of his better season in the NHL and has some really good chemistry going with Ek on that line so I would keep them together and when Greenway is back I would expect him to play with those two again but in his absence I would have Ryan Hartman play on the other Wing as Hartman solidified himself as a top 6 forward last year and had a career year last season so him getting a shot to remain in the top six is probably a smart idea, on line 3 I would have newly acquired Sam Steel who is a good bottom six forward and I am surprised the Ducks didn’t qualify him but he should be a good 3rd line addition to the Wild and I see him playing with Gaudreau who is a good 3rd line Center and I think is actually one of the better 3rd line Centers in the league after his productive season last year and Boldy should be on the other wing as Boldy played extremely well as a rookie last year and in his sophomore season I could see him put up 60 points or maybe more but that is going to be a greatly productive 3rd line, and on line 4 I would keep young forwards Dewar and Duhaime who have both done very well on the 4th line in their rookie years last season and could play more prominent roles then they did last year but to start I would keep them on the fourth line and I would have Jost Center that 4th line as he is a really good 4th line Center and should be able to be a very productive player in his first full season with the Wild and they have a few good players in Shaw and Petan who I would think could play on the 4th line if they run into injuries but this offense should be pretty good again this year and I expect them to put up lots of goals this year but I do think they will feel the loss of Fiala but I think that the young guys should help soften the blow and this team should be able to be a productive offense this year.
Rating C+: the Wild were able to make some good moves in a tight cap situation due and while I think Talbot and Fiala moving on will hurst this team I still think they should be able to shrug them off as young guys like Gustavsson in Net and Rossi up front should help replace those guys and Addison playing a full time role on the blueline makes that defence better in my opinion so the Wild should still be a dangerous team in the Central and should contend for a top 3 spot in the Central this year and while I am not convinced they can make the top 3 this year I have no doubt they will at least be a wildcard team and should be dangerous come playoff time.
Minnesota
Projected lineup
K.Kaprizov-M.Rossi-M.Zuccarello
M.Foligno-J.Eriksson Ek-R.Hartman
S.Steel-F.Gaudreau-M.Boldy
C.Dewar-T.Jost-B.Duhaime
J.Middleton-J.Spurgeon
J.Brodin-M.Dumba
A.Goligoski-C.Addison
M.A Fleury
F.Gustavsson
N.Petan-M.Shaw-A.Sustr
(IR J.Greenway, J.Merrill)
My Projected point total and record for the Wild
44-30-8 for 96 points
Nashville
Last years record: 45-30-7 97 points
Significant UFA losses: Nick Cousins, Rocco Grimaldi, Matt Luff, Matt Benning, Ben Harpur, David Rittich
Significant UFA additions: Nino Niederriter, Zach Sanford, Mark Jankowski, Kevin Lankinen
Significant trades:
To NAS: 2022 4RD (TOR)
To COLU: Mathieu Olivier
To NAS: Ryan McDonagh
To TB: Grant Mismash, Philippe Myers
To NAS: John Leonard, 2023 3RD (SJ)
To SJ: Luke Kunin
Nashville’s 2022 Draft results:
1RD #17 RW Joakim Kemell
3RD #82 C Adam Ingram
3RD #84 RD Kasper Kulonummi
4RD #114 RW Cole O’Hara
5RD #146 LD Graham Sward
7RD #210 FOR Benjamin Strinden
Season and Roster Preview: the Predators have been able to sneak into the playoffs in both of the last years before exiting in the first round and they should be a tougher team to play against this year after they acquired guys like Niederriter, Sanford and McDonagh this year and it seems they are going to contend again for a playoff spot with a stronger roster but with all the other Central teams still good and some of the Pacific Division improving I think it will be mighty difficult for Nashville to find their way back to a playoff spot this year.
In Net I think the Predators have a better duo then last year as they still have their elite level starter but also were able to improve their backup position from last year and should be more prepared if Saros goes down again. Now in the Net they have Elite level starter Juuse Saros who is probably a top 10 goalie in the NHL right now and really carried this team last year when he had a pretty good .918 SV% but was able to play in 67 games last year and had he not been injured he would’ve hit over 70 games which is quite outstanding for the Predators but the team wasn’t the same without him and getting a better backup was a priority and they were able to do that by getting Lankinen in the offseason who I think is better then Rittich and should excel in this role as while he is coming off a down year in Chicago he should only need to play 20-25 games with the Predators and just keep Saros refreshed and with a better team in front of him I think Lankinen should definitely have a rebound season this year and should make that tandem better and they even have a good 3rd string goalie in Ingram who could be the backup in a year or 2 but had a good showing in the playoffs and for now is going to be the security net in case one of the other two goalies wind up injured but this is definitely improved off of last season for the Predators and I expect them to be one of the better teams in the league when it comes to goaltending this year.
With the Defensive corp the Predators were able to add to their left side with their big offseason acquisition and while I think they should be better defensively this year I am not sure exactly how much the team will improve this season. So to start I would keep the top pair from last season together as Roman Josi is the best defensemen on this team and it isn’t really close as he almost had 100 points as a defensemen which is pretty rare and he should be able to chase 100 points again this season and following being a Norris finalist I think his best fit is this top pair and o would keep Fabbro there as Fabbro is definitely the best right side defensemen in Nashville and has shown over the past few years that he is a good top 4 defensemen with offensive upside and I think that those two played well together last year and it shouldn’t change this year, on pair two I would keep Ekholm and Carrier together as those two played majority of the season last year together and Ekholm is a good top 4 defensemen who can score when needed two and is very good defensively while Carrier would still be more of a 3rd pair defensemen in my eyes but is young and absolutely has top 4 potential but coming off a year where he had 30 points in 77 games playing top 4 minutes I don’t see why they should take him out of the top 4, while on pair 3 I would have Lauzon who is a good 3rd pair defensive defensemen and has fit in quite nicely since being acquired at last years deadline should be paired with offseason acquisition McDonagh who was mostly a solid 3rd pair defensemen in Tampa and should keep that role in Nashville as he can score when needed and is a good shutdown defensemen and as 7th I would have Mark Borowiecki who can easily play a 3rd line role and should get into some game action but I could see him be a scratch with a healthy Preds defence, so the Nashville blueline looks better and deeper then it was last year and I think some teams will be surprised by how well this defence will play in front of Saros this year and I think this team should definitely be able to defend much better then last years team and with a good goalie should be able to shutdown some games.
And with the forward group they were able to keep some big pieces of last year’s offensive team and bring in some players to replace guys who left but with a few guys coming off of career seasons it is safe to say the Preds offense could take a step back this year. So on line 1 I would have Forsberg who is coming off a career season after he put up 84 points last year and was able to get not only his first but was the Preds first ever 40 goal scorer as he hit 42 goals and he is going to push 40 goals again this year in my opinion and in the middle I would have Johansen who had a really good rebound season last year and played for the first time like a $8 Million dollar player since signing that deal and he should be able to play on the top line, and with those two I would have Granlund who is coming off his best season in Nashville and he showed just how much of a playmaker he could be last year so having him on a line with Forsberg should be able to help both players and should make a lethal top line, on line two I would have Duchene who is coming off of his best year since signing with the Predators and was over a point per game last year and showed why he was signed by the Predators and I think if he can keep that play up this year and is still a good top 6 forward he should be able to hit 70-80 points and I would have Eeli Tolvanen on one wing who finally was able to prove himself as a middle six forward last year and should be able to solidify a role on the 2nd line this year and on the other wing I would have Niederriter who came in the offseason and was a really good forward in Carolina playing mostly on the 3rd line last year but has put up 20 goals consistently and I think playing with these two on the 2nd line he should be able to hist 20-25 goals this year, on line 3 I would keep the checking line from last year as I would have Trenin on one wing as he is coming off a very productive season last year and was by far their best forward in the playoffs and can be a productive 20 goal scorer this year and on the other wing I would have Jeannot who was able to find a role as a rookie and found his spot quite quickly as he is a big physical forward but was able to be a pretty good contributor last year and was one of the more productive rookies last year so I definitely think he should so good again this year and centering that line should be Sissons as he is a good Center man and really brings that line together and he isn’t a elite point producer but should still be able to be a good bottom six contributor and that line that did so well last season should be able to do well again this year, and on line 4 I would have young forward Tomasino who was able to get playing time last year in his rookie year and should be the first option to go into the top nine if there is a injury but I also think that he should be able to prove he can be a productive bottom six forward for the Predators, on the left side I would have newly acquired Zach Sanford who was able to show he can still be a productive bottom six forward last year with the Sens and Jets and was able to sign with Nashville last his offseason and I think he can replace Cousins really well on that 4th line and he should be able to to put up a decent amount of points this year while I would have Glass be the 4th line Center as he definitely needs to improve as he has really fallen since being drafted 6th overall in the 2017 draft but he is the best option for the 4th line Center role in my opinion and he should be able to prove this year that he is a NHL forward and can play well in the bottom six and guys like Sherwood and McCarron who should both start out as spares but if there are injuries and some guys aren’t doing to well they can easily slot into a 4th line role and be quite productive but I think that the Predators will have a highly productive offense again this year and while I am not sure that all the guys who had huge career years last year like Duchene, Forsberg, Granlund and Johansen can top what they did last year and I think they could end up doing a bit worse then they did last year because they are not all having career seasons this year but they should be able to still have a pretty good offense this year.
Rating B: the Predators were able to do a lot of good things this offseason like being in McDonagh and Niederriter to help this team out and their offense looks pretty good with their defence looking solid but I am not sure if the Preds players can have career seasons again as they were able to get a lot last year out of Duchene and Johansen who hadn’t done so good and Forsberg and Josi had exceptional seasons but can they all do that again so I think the offense could regress a tiny bit and while I think they will finish closer to their point total from last year I do think they will fall a few points shy and they will in my eyes be a team who makes it really interesting and is close to a playoff spot but at the end of it they will miss the playoffs by a few points.
Nashville
Projected lineup
F.Forsberg-R.Johansen-M.Granlund
E.Tolvanen-M.Duchene-N.Niederriter
Y.Trenin-C.Sissons-T.Jeannot
Z.Sanford-C.Glass-P.Tomasino
R.Josi-D.Fabbro
M.Ekholm-A.Carrier
R.McDonagh-J.Lauzon
J.Saros
K.Lankinen
K.Sherwood-M.McCarron-M.Borowiecki
My Projected point total and record for the Predators
39-34-9 for 87 points
St.Louis
Last years record: 49-22-11 109 points
Significant UFA losses: D.Perron, T.Bozak, M.Maceachern, J.Neal, D.Joshua, C.Lindgren
Significant UFA additions: N.Acciari, J.Leivo, M.Highmore, M.Frk, T.Greiss
Significant trades:
To ST.L: 2022 3RD (ST.L)
To DET: V.Husso
St.Louis 2022 Draft results:
1RD #23 RW,C Jimmy Snuggerud
3RD #73 C Aleksanteri Kaskimaki
3RD #88 LD Michael Buchinger
4RD #120 LD Arseni Koromyslov
5RD #152 LD Marc Andre Gaudet
6RD #184 RW Landon Sims
Season and Roster preview: the Blues were able to retain most of the roster this year but with them being tight against the cap they did lose a few key players from last year and they do have a few injuries on the backend but this team still looks like a team not only built to make the playoffs but go deep in them and I think they will be a handful to play against but with a few key contributors not back this year will they be able to nail down a top 3 or top 2 spot in the Central this year.
In Net the Blues still have a great starting goaltender who lead them to the Stanley Cup while they were able to replace Husso who left in the offseason and brought in a veteran who can be a good backup. So the Starter for the Blues should be Binnington again as he had a bit of a off year for the Blues last season and end up losing the starting job to Husso but was able to regain the role in the playoffs and started playing like the Binnington that carried the team to the Stanley Cup Victory a few years ago and he will need to play like that Binnington again as there backup situation isn’t as good as it was last year and if the team is going to do good this year Binnington will need to play like a number 1 goalie, and in the backup position the Blues had to move Husso who was a good 1B last year because he was a UFA and were able to bring in veteran goalie Griess now Griess is a good backup and put up some okay numbers with the Red Wings last year but he will not compete with Binnington for the starting job like Husso was last year and instead should be able to play 20-25 good games and be a backup instead of a 1B so I do think their goaltending declined a bit from last year with Griess the backup instead of Husso but I do think that if Binnington can find his Stanley Cup Winning form and Griess can play good in the games he starts then I have no doubt that the Blues should still have a good goaltending game this year.
With their D-Corp they have a few players who will be out for a extended period of time due to injuries but they were able to keep their defensive group together that played for them last year and they should be able to play a good defensive game again this year. On pair 1 I would keep the Blues best defensemen there in Parayko who should continue to be a productive top pair defensemen and after he tied his career high in points last year I do think he should be able to get a new career high this season and possibly hit 40 points for the first time in the NHL and I would pair him with Nick Leddy who was added at the deadline and extended before free agency and while Leddy isn’t the defensemen he was in New York he is still a pretty good veteran and I think he should be able to play well with Parayko, on line two I would keep Faulk and Krug together as Faulk is coming off of one of his better seasons in the NHL and definitely with the Blues last year and he should be able to continue to be a good point producing defensemen on the 2nd pair and on the other side I would have Krug who was in the rumour mill this offseason as possibly being moved as the Blues wanted to really upgrade their defence but that never happened and he is coming off a better year then his first in St.Louis so I think he should continue to take strides with the Blues, and on pair 3 I would have Robert Bortuzzo as he has played well in that 3rd pair role for the Blues and seems like he should be able to continue to produce in that role while there probably would’ve been a log jam on the other side between Scandella, Mikkola and Perunovich but with the injuries to Scandella and Perunovich, Mikkola Will probably get that spot as he showed over the past two seasons that he can be a really good top 6 defensemen and plays really well on the 3rd pair so being paired with a Veteran like Bortuzzo should help him and with the injuries I would have Rosen be the spare as he has shown that he can play on the 3rd pair if there are injuries and the blue line is banged up so he could be a really good guy to have if they need a change but this blueline still looks pretty good as they were able to be quite a good defensive team last year and I think the injuries will definitely hurt them and I am not sure keeping Leddy will help improve this offense but they are at least still the same type of defence as last year and should be able to be good defensively.
With the forward group they did lose a few guys to free agency who did quite well last year but they have some good young prospects who could come in this year and help them fill the void. So on line 1 I would have the two big players entering the final year of their contracts as captain Ryan O’Reilly may still have a future with the team as O’Reilly is coming off a pretty productive year but it wasn’t his best with the Blues as he declined a bit and he will definitely want to prove that he is still a force at Center who can play big minutes and on his wings I would have Tarasenko who still wants out of St.Louis and probably won’t be there following this year but following a year where he hit 80 points and had his highest goal total since the 16-17 season it is a safe to say that the Blues like what Tarasenko brings to the team and with them still seeing themselves as contenders they won’t weaken their team and on the other side where Perron was most of the year last year I would have Schenn now that Perron is gone as Schenn is more of a Center but I think with the Blues Center depth and a chance to play higher in the lineup Schenn would probably welcome the idea and coming of a year where he almost hit a point per game it is safe to say that the Blues could use some more productivity from Schenn, on line two I would have two young stars who broke out last year and got long term mega extensions in the offseason and that is Kyrou and Thomas as Thomas makes a great second line Center behind O’Reilly and following his 77 point season last year he is only going to get better and I could see him hit 80-90 points this year and Kyrou is probably being primed to play top line minutes once Tarasenko is gone as he is also coming off a career year where he was over a point per game and the Blues really benefited from him being a extremely productive middle six forward and he should so outstanding again this year and on the other wing I would have Buchnevich who showed how well he can be a top 6 forward last year as he smashed his previous career high and showed he can be a lethal goal scorer and on a line with the two young guys I don’t see why he can’t push 40 goals this year, on line 3 I would have Barbashev who was another amazing point producer last year as he broke out from being a bottom six forward to a productive middle six forward and he should be able to produce like that again this year on the third line and on his wings I would have Brandon Saad who had a okay season last year but I think should so a bit better this year with a bigger role due to the Perron departure and on the other wing Neighbours as he had a great 9 game stint early last year and it seems like he is ready for a full time NHL role and I think working him in on the 3rd line would be the smartest move for the Blues, and on line 4 I would have a good penalty killing 4th line Center in Noel Acciari who the Blues brought in this offseason to solidify their depth and make their 4th line hard to play against, and on his wings I would have Nathan Walker who I think after being a player who came in and out of the lineup last year should be able to play consistently on the 4th line and Logan Brown who played quite well last season after coming over in a trade and seems ready to keep a 4th line spot and come into the top 9 if there is a injury and older veterans like Leivo and Frk should be able to be spares and come in if there are injuries or they can play on the 4th line if someone isn’t playing well but I still think this offense will be good this year I am not sure how many players will be able to have seasons like last year when there were a lot of career seasons but I think they will miss Perron’s production but with Neighbours coming in and still a lot of good pieces I just think that this team has too much talent to regress to much this year.
Rating C: the Blues had a pretty good offseason in my eyes as Griess is as good of a backup that you are going to get especially if they don’t have the cap space to retain a guy like Husso, while Leddy wasn’t the best addition that I think was available he did fit in quite well with St.Louis last season and I think retaining him was big for the Blues and while Perron and Bozak did wind up leaving this year they were able to get Acciari who is a good 4th line forward and Neighbours should do a good job to replace Perron so in my eyes this team don’t to much different from last year and I think that they should be able to keep a top 3 spot in the Central and while I wouldn’t rule out them getting 2nd in the Central this year I would still expect them to probably remain 3rd in my opinion.
St.Louis
Projected lineup
B.Schenn-R.O’Reilly-V.Tarasenko
P.Buchnevich-R.Thomas-J.Kyrou
J.Neighbours-I.Barbashev-B.Saad
N.Walker-L.Brown-N.Acciari
N.Leddy-C.Parayko
T.Krug-J.Faulk
N.Mikkola-R.Bortuzzo
J.Binnington
T.Greiss
J.Leivo-M.Frk-C.Rosen
(IR A.Toropochenko, M.Scandella, S.Perunovich)
My Projected point total and record for the Blues
46-30-6 for 98 points
Winnipeg
Last years record: 39-32-11 89 points
Significant UFA losses: Paul Stastny, Zach Sanford, Evgeny Svechnikov, Adam Brooks, Eric Comrie
Significant UFA additions: Kevin Stenlund, Sam Gagner, Kevin Capobianco, David Rittich
Significant trades:
None
Winnipeg’s 2022 draft results:
1RD #14 LW,C Rutger McGroarty
1RD #30 C,RW Brad Lambert
2RD #55 RD Elias Salomonsson
3RD #77 C Danny Zhilkin
4RD #99 RD Garrett Brown
6RD #175 C Fabian Wagner
7RD #207 G Domenic DiVincentiis
Season and Roster preview: the Jets kept pace with the west teams for a playoff spot for most of the season last year but at the end of the day they ended up finishing out of a playoff spot and while a lot of people were expecting change and they were a lot of rumours about players being moved, none ended up happening as the Jets didn’t do much of anything this offseason and while some think they should still be able to compete for a playoff spot, I think the lack of moves this team made couple and probably should be their downfall this year.
In Net the Jets still have a great starting goalie but they downgraded a bit in my opinion with the backup option so in my opinion they could regress a little. Now their starter will still be Hellebuyck this year but he is coming off a down year and Comrie backing up really was able to help the Jets last year so if the Jets are going to do better then they did last season they are going to need Hellebuyck to be the elite level goalie that help carry them to the West final a few years ago but if he continues to not play at a elite level I would be worried as their backup in Comrie left via free agency in the offseason and they got David Rittich to fill his role as the Jets backup position gets a bit worse in my opinion as Rittich was t the best backup last year in Nashville and while I think he could still have some upside they did move on from a good young goalie like Comrie and so if Hellebuyck plays like he did last year I don’t think giving Rittich more games would be the right move so I am worried about the goalie situation for the Jets with a worse backup and Hellebuyck not playing at a elite level and if that happens for the Jets this year then it may start their regression.
In the D-Corp the literally didn’t change anything and they were one of the lower ranked defensive teams last year so not making any moves does worry me but I am sure with some youth being injected into this team they should be able to get over it very quickly. So on pair 1 I would keep the Jets best defensemen in Josh Morrissey there as he is coming off a career season last year putting up 37 points and I think he showed everyone that he can bare the weight of being a top pair defensemen in the NHL and for this defence to be good this year he will have to be good so putting him on the top line will set him up for the most success and I would put with him Dylan DeMelo as DeMelo had a pretty good season last year and while he doesn’t put up much points as a defensive defensemen he can be a solid top 4 contributor and I think DeMelo actually brings out the better defensemen in Morrissey so to keep Morrissey excelling I think having this two together would be the best bet, on pair 2 I would have a young defensemen who has been a great offensive piece on the backend and that is Neal Pionk who since coming over from NYR has definitely been a key piece for the Jets blueline but is coming off a bit of a down year last season but I think he is going to have a good bounce back season this year and maybe top his career high of 45 points and I would pair him with Brendan Dillon who was acquired last offseason by the Jets and didn’t have too good of a season and wasn’t the best acquisition as his defensive game was okay but he also didn’t put up too many points so the Jets will need Dillon to play better this year if they are going to be a better defensive team cause if Dillon is playing well then he is a goalie top 4 defensemen, and on pair 3 I would finally have a rookie who has waited to get a opportunity to play regular minutes in the NHL play on one side in Ville Heinola who has tried to make the NHL for a few years and while he has gotten some looks he hasn’t been able to solidify a NHL role but with his offensive upside and the need to become younger and better I think that he should finally make the team on the Left side and his partner should be Schmidt who had a pretty decent first season in Winnipeg as he put up one of his better point totals in his career last season and while he isn’t a defensive power house I do think he could be a beneficial partner for Heinola so he can learn what it takes to be a regular NHL defensemen and I would have Logan Stanley be the spare as he is still a good defensemen who can easily play on pair 3 for the Jets if someone isn’t playing well or there is a injury and I think he is still going to get time on the 3rd pair this year but the Jets offense needs some more youth and their veterans to play better defensively as I think if Schmidt and Dillon played better defensively then I have no doubt this Jets team will be a better defending group but having the same roster as last year does worry me a little bit as they could hind themselves in a tough position if it doesn’t improve.
And with the forward group the Jets didn’t really add to here either but they do have a few young players who could come in and help replace the production that was lost with guys like Stastny, Copp and Sanford not with Winnipeg anymore. Now on the top line I would have Scheifele Center as he is a pretty good top line Center and after all of the trade rumours and locker room rumours this offseason he should be wanting to prove that he can still be a valuable member of the team as he can still produce well especially after last year when he was over a point per game, and his buddy Wheeler I would put with him on the top line as I think that having those two play together is a good thing as Wheeler can still be productive and while he was stripped of his captaincy I do think that he is still a pretty good top six forward and even though he is declining he should still be a good top six player for Winnipeg and I would have Kyle Connor play with those two as he has developed into a fantastic top line powerhouse for the Jets and is coming of a season where he was able to hit over 90 points and 47 goals last year and I wouldn’t be shocked if he was able to get 100 points and 50 goals this year and be a key contributor for the Jets, on line 2 I would have Dubois Center it as he had his first full season with the Jets was a productive one as he was able to get 60 points in 81 games and I think he could reach a career high in points this year even if he isn’t going to stay long term like a lot of people have been speculating this offseason, and I would have Ehlers on one wing who has played most of last year with Dubois and the two had good chemistry so I think that Ehlers should be able to keep up Dubois performance and should hit at least 50 points this year and on the other wing I would have Cole Perfetti who did make the team last year and played a couple of NHL game and did pretty well in a middle six role before he went down with injury and didn’t play again at all last season but he has top six potential no doubt and with Copp gone I think that Perfetti could role with Dubois and Ehlers and be one of the more productive rookies this season, on line 3 I would have Adam Lowry Center the line as he can be a pretty good depth scorer for the Jets and a good penalty killer when they need to and he is a good defensive player so I would keep him centering the 3rd line, while I would have hard hitting forward Jansen Harkins play on one side as he isn’t the most offensive forward and has been in and out of the lineup the last few seasons for the Jets but with their lack of forward depth after losing some players I think he is the best option to play on that 3rd line with Appleton playing on the other side as he split time last season with Winnipeg and Seattle and didn’t do all to well but did have his best seasons of his career the past few years in Winnipeg and I think he should rekindle the chemistry he had with Lowry and will need to be a good depth scorer to help the Jets offense, and on line 4 I would have Sam Gagner who is a great veteran 4th line forward who can be utilized in many different ways and is coming off a very productive season for a 4th liner in Detroit and should be able to help the Jets offensive game this year, and I would have Barron Center that line as he was acquired at last years trade deadline and actually did quite well getting into 14 games and putting up 4 points and with the weakened depth in Winnipeg he should be able to nail down a 4th line role with the team and show that he can be a consistent NHL forward and have Gustafsson play on the other wing as Gustafsson has played in some NHL games over the last few seasons but hasn’t been able to nail down a consistent spot but being a good forward with offensive upside I definitely see him playing this year and then have guys like Stenlund and Toninato who can be good spare forwards who can come into the lineup on the 4th line if they are needed and they should be able to play well and I think it is plain to see that the Jets are worse then they were at forward last year and I think they heavily regressed as they do have a few good players like Perfetti and Barron who could help this offense but without key offensive forwards like Stastny and Copp in the lineup they will definitely have trouble with depth scoring this season and will be the primary reason of their downfall this year.
Rating D: the Jets didn’t do much this offseason and the things they did do made them worse in my opinion as they replaced Comrie who was a good backup with Rittich, didn’t make any changes to a bad blueline and lost Copp (at trade deadline), Stastny and Sanford and replaced them with Gagner and in my opinion you can’t expect to do good with your team if you can’t make it better so I have some concerns on the defence but if the young guys play well they could turn that around but the offense and backup position really worry me and in my opinion the Jets will not only miss the playoffs but they will miss badly and I would be shocked if they finished in the bottom 7-8 teams this season.
Winnipeg
Projected lineup
K.Connor-M.Scheifele-B.Wheeler
N.Ehlers-P.L Dubois-C.Perfetti
J.Harkins-A.Lowry-M.Appleton
D.Gustafsson-M.Barron-S.Gagner
J.Morrissey-D-DeMelo
B.Dillon-N.Pionk
V.Heinola-N.Schmidt
C.Hellebuyck
D.Rittich
D.Toninato-K.Stenlund-L.Stanley
My Projected point total and record for the Jets
29-38-15 for 73 points
My Projected Standings for the Central Division
Colorado 54-21-7 for 115 points
Dallas 48-26-8 for 104 points
St.Louis 46-30-6 for 98 points Minnesota 44-30-8 for 96 points
Nashville 39-34-9 for 87 points
Arizona 32-37-13 for 77 points
Winnipeg 29-38-15 for 73 points
Chicago 26-47-9 for 61 points
This year in The Central I think it is still the Avalanche division to lose as they didn’t lose too much this offseason and in my eyes are still the same dominant team that won the Stanley cup last year and should definitely be in the conversation this year, Dallas has done enough in my opinion adding in t he offseason to be a better team then the Blues and Wild as they added quite a bit to their team while the other two subtracted and while I could see the Blues and Stars swap spots I think the Stars will have what it takes to edge St.Louis for a home playoff date, the Blues and Wild will both make the playoffs I have no doubt but I think the Blues are more well positioned then the Wild right now to keep a top 3 spot in the Central as they didn’t lose as much as the Wild did and have some better players to replace the guys so I think the Blues lock in 3rd while the Wild are a wildcard team, I think Nashville will fight for that last wildcard spot with some of the pacific division teams but in my opinion while they did improve and do look a lot better then last year I am not sure if they can oust a improved Pacific team and I think that they will barely miss out on a playoff spot this year, I think the Coyotes, Jets and Blackhawks will all have bad years this year, I think the Coyotes will be more competitive then most think and last year I though Buffalo would fall on their face and they actually did quite well and I think that Arizona can follow suit and have a pretty decent season it they will still not be close to a playoff spot, the Jets got worse in the offseason and I wouldn’t be shocked if they wound up a bottom 5 team this year and started going through a rebuild as they aren’t a team who can make the playoffs in my opinion, and the Blackhawks are the Arizona of this year as they have basically solid off all their major pieces this offseason and should be the front runner for Bedard as I think they will wind up last in the NHL this year and won’t be able to compete with many teams this year.
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