Think about what has happened in hockey in the last month?  Talk about a seismic shift!  And the Don Cherry thing, that was controversial, but nobody is going to disagree with Bill Peters being gone, and the weeding out of just how awful the “old school” coaches were to play for.  That prehistoric way of coaching has been outdated for a while now, but it is still shocking to hear the extent it went to.  And we can debate all day about the motives of the players who are now coming out, in a lot of ways it feels like piling on which I hate, but at the same time it is important to hear the stories to help remove the possibility of these things happening again.

Ok, onto business.

I wish I had more a window to do these in.  Where I fudged up (I’m sorry guys, I fudged up) is not being ready to work on these on U.S. Thanksgiving.  That way I could have had time to calculate my own numbers for each team.  Special teams total, that’s an easy one and something the Oilers are making me look at more.  Percentage of wins in regulation is something I’ve started to look at (kind of like points percentage but I do believe we need to give more love to teams who take the two points cleanly).  And also five on five goals excluding empty netters.  There are lots.  PDO is one I’ve always found to be extremely reliable, simply regulation wins, points percentage (which I listed last time), etc.  I’ll hopefully have time during the Christmas break to add those things up and perhaps come up with some kind of formula to better explain my rankings.

Anyway, the point here is I’m looking at the teams who I believe are closest to the Cup.  I also look at how far into a rebuild a team is with the teams near the bottom of the standings.  With all this being said, allow me to roll out the rankings.

31. LA Kings

Last Rank: 31

It’s just not a fun situation, and again I’m not sure Rob Blake is the man for the job.

30. Detroit Red Wings

Last Rank: 30

Stevie Yzerman has a lot of work ahead of him.  They’ve lost 8 straight for the 2nd time this season.

29. Columbus Blue Jackets

Last Rank: 25

I really don’t like where this team currently sits.  They have some good pieces, but barring a big move out of nowhere they look like they’re in a rebuild.

28. Anaheim Ducks

Last Rank: 22

I’m done believing that their young talent is going to emerge.  Bob Murray is going to have to do a lot more.

27. New Jersey Devils

Last Rank: 27

Last night was rock bottom, and they’re about to trade Taylor Hall (and I’m guessing P.K. Subban could go too).  But they’ve been essentially rebuilding for three or four years now.  As bad as it is, they’re in a good spot moving forward.

26. Chicago Blackhawks

Last Rank: 26

They are trying hard to rebuild on the fly, but I’m not sure it’ll happen while Toews, Keith and Kane can still play at a high level.

25. Ottawa Senators

Last Rank: 28

This has to be incredible for Sens fans given where they were in early April.  Team is getting better, team is loaded with good young talent, and they own their 1st.  Good for them, no fan base deserves what they’ve gone through.

24. NY Rangers

Last Rank: 24

They’re in the hunt for a playoff spot as we speak.  Not sure they’ll get there, but considering how it was looking they’ve done a good job at steadying the ship.

23. Minnesota Wild

Last Rank: 29

One thing we’ve all slept on this season: They still have Bruce Boudreau behind the bench, and Bruce Boudreau wins in the regular season.  11 of their 12 wins have come in regulation, they aren’t doing it on smoke and mirrors.

22. Buffalo Sabres

Last Rank: 15

Last night’s game doesn’t technically count (though I don’t make a lot of it because the Devils goaltending was just horrendous even by their standards), but they are showing signs that they may get it going again.

21. Calgary Flames

Last Rank: 11

Last time around I said they would be the top team in the Pacific by now.  OOPS!!!  Peters mess aside, this team only has 7 wins in regulation.  To put that in context, it is the smallest percentage of their wins (13) in the league at 53.8%.  But they are very much a Jekyll and Hyde team so don’t count them out.

20. Montreal Canadiens

Last Rank: 17

I don’t actually think they are as bad as they’ve been lately.  But Carey Price is their superstar, so when he struggles then obviously they will too.

19. Vancouver Canucks

Last Rank: 13

I still like this team a lot, gave my Oilers fits this weekend.  I just worry that the leadership core isn’t ready yet, but this team is big time on the rise.  Oh, and I HATE their coach (because he’s smart).

18. Florida Panthers

Last Rank: 12

There point totals look real good, but if you look closer, this team is ahead of Calgary only for the smallest percentage of their wins being in regulation (61.5%).  So far, Sergei Bobrovsky has been a massive bust, yet they’ve withstood it.  If he can get his game back together, they should take off.

17. Nashville Predators

Last Rank: 3

The biggest slide of any team in my power rankings.  The night I wrote the last ones, Nashville had just blown a game against the Flames.  I thought that win was going to catapult the Flames and the Preds would be fine.  Instead, the Flames remained listless, while it was the Preds hit the skids.  It’s mainly goaltending, and I worry Rinne is shot and that Saros isn’t good enough.  We’ll see.

16. San Jose Sharks

Last Rank: 20

They look like they are figuring it out.  I still hate their speed and goaltending, and they aren’t going to win a Cup barring Doug Wilson severely f***ing over another GM (which is possible), but they are much better than this time last month.

15. Vegas Golden Knights

Last Rank: 4

I worry about that blueline for them, and I also don’t like their lack of speed up front.  But A) they were right around where they are at this time last season and B) I’ve learned to not bury this team because they love to humiliate me specifically!

14. Arizona Coyotes

Last Rank: 14

I’m not a big fan of nearly half their points being a result of games going to extra time.  But they are really deep and I’ve never been shy raving about the job John Chayka has done there.

13. Philadelphia Flyers

Last Rank: 23

They have a team Sv% of .908 as of last night, and yet they are 6th overall in points percentage this season.  That is IMPRESSIVE!

12. Winnipeg Jets

Last Rank: 18

If Connor Hellebyuck keeps this up, he might not just be in the Vezina discussion, we might be talking about him for the Hart.

11. Edmonton Oilers

Last Rank: 21

7-5-2 in the month might not sound overly impressive, but considering how tough the schedule looked last time around it is pretty impressive.  Even in defeat, you can see this team is right there.  Probably should have beat both St. Louis and Dallas, awful effort in LA, and in their words an awful performance in Denver vs the Avs. Big difference is they are keeping their confidence up when things don’t go well and in the process you can see that it has risen.

10. NY Islanders

Last Rank: 16

I don’t get it other than Barry Trotz is just that damn good of a head coach.

9. Pittsburgh Penguins

Last Rank: 9

They look great even without Sid.  This window is closing, but in saying that you know that Jim Rutherford will look to load up at the deadline.  Taylor Hall?

8. Colorado Avalanche

Last Rank: 10

How this team withstood the injury issues they had this month, I’m really not sure!  But it goes to show you how good they are.  My concern entering the season was Makar being given Tyson Barrie’s spot…I think he’s doing ok…

7. Carolina Hurricanes

Last Rank: 7

They have been pretty inconsistent.  The big thing to watch for is to add a stud between the pipes.  That guy could put them over the top.  But the problem is, who?!

6. Toronto Maple Leafs

Last Rank: 8

Not at all surprised that they look poised to go on a huge run now that Sheldon Keefe is behind the bench.  Won’t be shocked if they win the division.  But to be a true Cup contender, Kyle Dubas has to address the issues, which are being tough to play against (i.e. gamesmanship, size, grit, etc.) and a backup netminder to ease the workload for Andersen.

5. Dallas Stars

Last Rank: 19

Unlike the Leafs, this team is currently built for the post-season.  In the regular season, it looks like a three horse race for top spot in the Central.  However, come playoff time I believe it is only a two horse race to come out of the Central (at this point) and the Stars are one of those teams.

4. Tampa Bay Lightning

Last Rank: 2

Point totals still don’t look good, the team still hasn’t hit their stride, but they very literally have it all.  And don’t forget: they own the Canucks 1st round pick.  Lottery protected, but in this draft a 1st is gold and could fetch them something big at the deadline.

3. St. Louis Blues

Last Rank: 6

Last time I spoke about how I wasn’t the biggest Vladdy Tarasenko fan, and I’m not.  But I assumed they’d miss him more than THIS!

2. Washington Capitals

Last Rank: 5

We tend to forget if they’d put the Hurricanes away last spring, who knows how deep they could have gone yet again.  Much like Pittsburgh, the window is closing (Backstrom and Holtby both UFA’s) but they look pretty damn good right now.

1. Boston Bruins

Last Rank: 1

I will still maintain that I’m not sure how this team is THIS good, but they sure are!

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Remembrance day is always a sad day no matter what.  Remembering such tragic events and that people had to give their lives for our freedom is pretty damn sombre.  But then the news broke that Rogers was getting rid of Don Cherry.  And while I want to do a bit of a tribute to a man who I view as the most entertaining hockey broadcaster of all time and a man who did a lot to grow the sport I love, there is also the other side to this.  I’m probably way out of my lane on a lot of this and should keep my mouth shut.  But like an idiot, I’m not going to.  First things first, I want to talk about Grapes.

Don Cherry

I got my first Rockem’ Sockem’ VHS (yes, I’m THAT old) from my Grandma Babb for my 8th birthday.  To this day, I can quote the entire video.  In fact, I’ve been wanting to start doing “watch-along” podcasts with different videos like that which are now on YouTube, and that will be the first one I do if or when I get around to it.  Anyway, I obviously was well aware of Don Cherry before I got that video, but after I got that video I became a massive fan of Grapes.  Coaches Corner became appointment TV for me on Saturday’s, despite not having the attention span to watch a full game (unless maybe it was the Oilers), I would know that Grapes would be on around 6:45 MST, and then starting in 1995 it would be around 5:45 MST (actually in that season and maybe 96 too, might have been 6:15 because I believe when HNIC first switched to doubleheaders they started at 5:30, not 5:00).  My Grandma knew I loved the Rockem’ Sockem’ videos so much that I’m not sure I ever again got a different Christmas gift from her (she got me 2 for my birthday, but of course they were always released around Christmas).  Even after they dropped off (around 7-10 they declined in quality), I’d still look forward to getting that gift, symbolic of one of my favourite gifts I ever received.  And you’d always watch the latest one once.  Even if they got bad, at some point on Christmas day (normally in that lull from about noon until 4 or 5) I’d be off to watch it with my brother, brother in law, nephews, whoever.

I’ve got his books, his videos/DVD’s, and watched Coaches Corner for years.  In more recent years, I haven’t cared whether or not I watched Coaches Corner, because if we’re being frank, it’s declined.  It’s what happens.  It just was no longer appointment TV for me.  Nothing wrong with that, and no doubt Don still had a big audience.  Otherwise, he wouldn’t continually be brought back.  But I still hold him in very high regard, have always understood that he shouldn’t have been taken overly seriously and that a lot of what he had to say was more schtick/brand than anything else.  “But he said X” yeah, and why are you taking it seriously?  He’s just being a loudmouth, that’s his schtick.

More than anything, Grapes reminds me of my Grandma who passed away a little over six years ago.  So when he was fired, a lot of that pain came back.

Outrage/cancel culture

Let’s be honest, people got “outraged” because it was Don Cherry, not so much because of what he said.  I follow a lot of hockey analytics people on Twitter for example, and a lot of them seem to watch Coaches Corner non-stop because they hate what Grapes had to say on hockey.  They wanted him fired, not because of anything controversial that he had to say, but because he had a different view of the game then he did.  If they were being honest, they would say they just wanted him gone, they didn’t care how.  In reality, they were likely the ones keeping his numbers up having far too little common sense to simply turn the channel.  But there is this desire to silence anyone who disagrees with anyone in anyway (speaking of all people).  And guess what?  It’s working.  Corporations are listening to this vocal minority.  The “outrage” about this is no different than it was for the latest Dave Chappelle Netflix special.  Is what’s being said truly offending people, or is it just that people are so thin-skinned these days that nobody can say anything?  It’s the latter, without a doubt.  People in general, no matter what your political affiliation, race, gender, etc need to get thicker skin.  Too many people love to play the victim card.  It’s something I talked to my psychologist about because I worry that I do it all the time.  A shit ton of people LOVE to play that card and it is an awful quality.

Hypocrites

So many people on social media love to look down on others as if they are so much morally better than everyone.  I think of a guy like Bruce Arthur, who will go after people on Twitter he views as pieces of shit (for lack of a better term).  Which is fine.  I have no issue with that.  But then you better be one damn good person.  A lot of people act this way online.  And you can tell with how they converse with people online that they aren’t.  They actually seem like the complete opposite of that.  Otherwise, why are you talking down to people no matter what the setting is?  I’ve got into it with people online and more specifically on Twitter, and I’m humiliated by it.  But I can at least say that I rarely do it, I’m not looking to do it as so many others are.  They’ll talk in one tweet about how they’re anti-bullying, and then they are looking to intellectually bully someone.  That’s not any better, jackass.  I go back to Bruce Arthur, and I have no idea if Bruce is perhaps the best person mankind has ever known, he could be.  But I do know that a day after he tweets #belletstalk, he is then looking to shout down or humiliate anyone who disagrees with anything he has to say.  I know when I get humiliated in more of a public setting, there are times that I get embarrassed to the point where I go into depression.  Do I “deserve” to get depressed?  Do I “deserve” to feel worthless and have suicidal thoughts?  Are there some people on social media who are pieces of shit?  ABSOLUTELY.  Is that everyone who might disagree with you?  Hell no it’s not and some people just don’t know how to articulate their opinion well or maybe just are heated in the moment but are actually a good person.  If you’re so much more intelligent than other people, how about we have the intelligence to know that you don’t know what might be going on in someone’s life and just walk away from it?  Those people would likely say that people just need to be more educated.  Well if I smack you in the teeth, shouldn’t you just hit a weight room or take some self-defence classes to fight back?

There are a lot of self-righteous people like I’m talking about above disgustingly dancing on the grave of Coaches Corner and claiming their reason is that Don Cherry would hurt people with what he would say.  And that’s not untrue, I’m sure this and other things have hurt people.  But they just want to use that as their crutch.  They are the same people who wouldn’t be anything even respectful, let alone gracious, to people in everyday life.  It’s all an act just because they believe it makes themselves look good.  Scott Burnside from the Athletic wrote earlier today that Rogers should look at Christie Blatchford as a possible replacement for Don.  Scott, you’re completely full of shit because the only reason you said that was to make yourself look “woke” to your readers (Scott also called for Ron McLean’s head in the piece, if you think Ron McLean should be fired from his job or that he’s ANYTHING other than one of the best people in the country, you should retire from writing because you are simply horrendous at your job).  Jonathan Willis did the exact same thing when writing about the Oilers GM opening last spring for the Athletic.  Fuck, Jon didn’t even mention the most qualified woman for the job!!  The woman he brought up didn’t have anything close to the qualifications for the job, and meanwhile, Meghan Chayka (sister of Coytoes GM John Chayka) was more than qualified and he didn’t bother to mention her.  If you MUST attempt to sound woke, AT LEAST get it right!!  That’s how you know these guys don’t actually believe what they’re saying.  I’m a guy that has ZERO issue with women getting roles predominately filled by men.  Could not care less who might occupy a job.  Gender, race, age, doesn’t even slightly matter to me.  I simply have one ask for any person getting any job: They’re qualified.  That’s it.

Back to my point here though which is looking to legitimately be a good person and not just act like it.

I know for myself, I look to beat people to the punch with politeness.  I think of anyone in the service industry, and how I’ll try to tell them to have a good day before they can say it to me.  Why?  Because I worry that others might not, and they are essentially forced to do that to customers, no matter how those customers might treat them.  I’ll look to hold doors open for people, and I’ll never forget the elderly man at the EPCOR offices in Edmonton 15 years ago who I did it for who was ELATED that I did that and exclaimed to me “apparently chivalry isn’t dead after all!”  I laughed and said “oh thanks” and then proceeded to go back to my apartment, go to excite.com, and look up what that word was he used…because at 20 years old and taking broadcasting, I didn’t know the word chivalry.  Look, am I a hero?  Of course.  But do I brag about it?  No….Seriously though, I don’t think I’m any kind of “do-gooder”.  I can pick apart a ton of things that I do wrong or should do better.  But common courtesy things like holding doors open, telling people to have a good day, showing respect by always shaking someone’s hand, I look to do non stop because you never know what someone might be going through and how you might impact that.  So why not do little things like that?  I deal with depression, and I don’t want anyone else to feel how I might when I’m going through that depression.

The easy thing to do on the internet is to be a social justice warrior and act like you care about everyone.  In most cases, those people are just looking for likes, the same as people are looking for likes for pictures of their kids on Facebook or likes for their beach body on Instagram.  It sounds good, but they don’t actually walk the walk.  If there is a quality I loathe more than any other, it’s being phony.  I really hate fake people.  I have an uncle who is the most fake person I’ve ever met in my life, guess how I get along with him.  It’s a disgusting quality in my books, and on social media it is all over the place.

Rogers

I’ve never been a Rogers/Sportsnet fan.  I knew they would do a poor job with the NHL package since desperately and wildly overpaying for it in the fall of 2013 (even wrote about it at the time how they were just looking to buy their way out of being a poorly run organization).  Whether or not you agree or disagree with Don Cherry being fired, announcing it on Remembrance day just shows how poorly this company is run.  It was disrespectful to the day and disrespectful to the man who perhaps does more to bring awareness to the importance of the day than anyone else in the country.  Wait until Tuesday or Wednesday to announce it.  Awful decisions are why Sportsnet is bleeding money and having to let so much talent go, and they proved it yet again with the timing of this.

The obvious bad in what he said

Back to the task at hand…I was in Edmonton on Sunday (November 10th) and was in Southgate mall (because Steph just HAD to go to Lululemon…although she also impressed me when she asked if we could go into Jersey City and later Lids where she bought a new Jays hat, brought a tear to my eye).  I made a point of looking for poppies because of what Grapes had said.  And in there, he was right.  Steph and I were in the MAYBE 5% of people wearing poppies.  It seems to me if I had to GUESS that it’s an urban thing, but even then I don’t want to generalize it like that, because it’s not as if Lloydminster is flooded with poppies on coats and shirts either.  And I’m sure as fuck not going to blame “immigrants” for not wearing one.  Those of us who have a few generations head start on them need to do a better job bringing awareness to its importance and lead by example.

For me, I do believe Rogers had no choice but to fire Don in the end.  From the outside looking in, it looks like Rogers were set to keep Don and just wanted an apology.  Don wasn’t willing to, and so how can Rogers bring him back (even if you wanted to suspend him)?  It was worded wrongly, and if you aren’t willing to clarify that, then yes you should be fired.  However, if he was willing to apologize on the air, then this definitely went too far.  It is painful to see such an iconic and from all accounts, a truly good man go out like this.  But if he had the chance to right the wrong and chose not to, then unfortunately, it was likely the choice that had to be made.

What can be done to further what he was saying

Let’s not forget the true point of what should have been taken here despite the way it was said.  We don’t do enough for our vets and we don’t do enough to honour those who have fallen on Remembrance day.  I’m guilty some years of not wearing my poppy, or at least not enough.

This is going to sound very “millennial” of me, but I believe it needs to be said because it actually could really help the issue.  Our government needs to look at not only how poppies are distributed, but how they can be improved.  Sounds funny?  Sounds ridiculous?  I’ve OFTEN relented from picking up a poppy when I’ve needed one because I don’t have any change to donate.  I rarely have any kind of cash on me.  I know I can simply take one and don’t have to donate, but then I’d feel like a complete piece of shit.  However, if I were able to donate while purchasing something, I’d be more than happy to add the charge to my purchase.

Then you also have the fact that the damn things don’t stay on!!  I just said this to my broadcast partner Shane Tomayer off-air a few weeks ago that they need something better.  The last four games we did I was wearing one and my head-set cord knocked mine off at least once a period.  They can fall off so damn easily.  They also can stab you if they aren’t pinned in properly.  I’d GLADLY pay a toonie for one every year in exchange for backs being put on them.  I’m well aware that I can find something myself (Steph and Shane both have something to ensure they stay on), but most are like me where they don’t think to go to such length’s, even though I’m well aware that we should.  Sometimes a person just doesn’t think, especially if they believe they’ve had the right intentions.

Let’s wrap this up

Grapes is going out on his shield so to speak.  He refused to apologize, which whether you agree or disagree, I strongly believe he should have.  And he didn’t, which I believe is the actual reason he is now gone.  But in his mind, I believe he was standing up for those who have fallen, and if that was in his mind, then good on him.  I don’t do a good enough job honouring those who have fought and/or given their lives for this country, nor have far too many of us.  Don has in a way sacrificed his career to bring more attention to this issue.  I guarantee you next November, you’re going to see a lot more people wearing a poppy.

As for Don himself, again, it’s a damn shame that he is going out like this.  But then again, Don has said in the past “Someday I’m going to say something that they don’t like and that’ll be it”.  And that is exactly what happened.  He’s 85 and has given those of us who enjoyed him damn near 40 years of entertainment.  For the faults that he has, his values are incredibly admirable.  I don’t consider myself an intelligent guy (in fact I often tell myself I’m just barely smart enough to realize how dumb I am), but I was intelligent enough to know to laugh off the things that I disagreed with and to incorporate the values he’d pass on.  And I believe there were MANY people who did the same.  Thank you Grapes.

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Power rankings.  They’re the WORST.  But here are mine.  Started doing these last year (although I didn’t have the time to do them all season as I had planned), and my method is different than simply ranking who the hot teams are in the moment.  That is pointless.  I try to look at where teams are in terms of being contenders, and at the bottom of the list (or top in this case because it descends) I shift my focus away from how well the teams are doing and more towards where they are as an organization.  For example, you won’t see Ottawa in the 31st spot because their rebuild is further along than other teams.

Ok, so with that awful intro out of the way, here are my rankings:

31. Los Angeles

Points %: .308 (T-30th)

For me, they’re the worst because the rebuild hasn’t even been able to start until they can clear out some of the bad deals like Quick, Brown and Carter.  So are they the worst team in the league?  Maybe not, but they’re in the worst situation.

30. Detroit

Points %: .346 (T-27th)

Again, not sure they are the worst team in the league, but out of the group that makes up the worst teams, they are further away than most.

29. Minnesota

Points %: 308 (T-30th)

The one thing I like for the Wild is that once Billy Guerin is able to rebuild this roster, he’ll have some real good D-men locked up to help things along.

28. Ottawa

Points %: .318 (29th)

Not much to say here, but at least the worst is over for this organization.  Bad now, but they have a ton of talent throughout the organization and might end up with two lottery picks this draft.

27. New Jersey

Points %: .350 (26th)

They wouldn’t be SO bad if they had any kind of goaltending, but they don’t have any kind of goaltending.  I’d trade Hall now because the offers aren’t going to get better.

26. Chicago

Points %: .364 (25th)

I really thought they found something in the 2nd half last season and were going to be able to build on that.  But it simply hasn’t happened.

25. Columbus

Points %: .500 (T-20th)

They work their asses off, but it just looks like they severely lack talent at the moment.  They’re in no man’s land, and I would guess Jarmo Kekelainen decides to sell this deadline to get the train back on the tracks.

24. NY Rangers

Points %: .450 (23rd)

Let this be a lesson to those who are fans of rebuilds: Just because you have drafted well and stockpiled the talent, doesn’t mean it’s ready to win.  This team got BADLY overhyped entering the season.  I overrated them too, but not anywhere near what some did.

23. Philadelphia

Points %: .500 (T-20)

Please don’t tell me they’re ruining ANOTHER goalie!!  Although, maybe Ken Holland can turn Carter Hart into his Sergei Bobrovsky?…

22. Anaheim

Points %: .571 (17th)

Maybe the most goaltender reliant team in the league right now.  John Gibson has a .920 Sv% right now, it looks as though he’ll have to be better than that to get them into a playoff spot.  But the scary thing is that he’s capable of doing so.

21. Edmonton

Points %: .679 (9th)

My fellow Oilers fans will be screaming at me right now and calling me a Frank Seravalli wannabe.  But it’s not an indictment on the team, it’s just that they haven’t had a chance to truly prove it yet.  November’s schedule is MUCH tougher than what they faced in October.

20. San Jose

Points %: .346 (T-27th)

Higher than most have them right now, I’m still going to give them the benefit of the doubt that they can get back to being a contender.  But I was the one person who HATED the Erik Karlsson trade for them and HATED the Erik Karlsson contract, and this is why.  No cap space, no assets to deal, not a good situation.

19. Dallas

Points %: .393 (24th)

Like the Sharks, I believe the Stars are eventually going to get things going.  But they have holes.  Still not too deep up front, and while they have some real good young D-men, Sekera isn’t a number four anymore which is where they have him.

18. Winnipeg

Points %: .462 (22nd)

The news just keeps getting worse for the Jets with Byfuglien (if he even had plans of returning) now for sure out for four months.  Cheveldayoff has to bring in a quality D-man to help out his squad.

17. Montreal

Points %: .615 (T-12th)

Right about where I expected them to be and expect them to be all season.  Quality club, battling for a playoff spot, 50/50 whether or not they can get in.

16. NY Islanders

Points %: .727 (5th)

I don’t buy them, but I should one of these days because once again Barry Trotz is making chicken salad out of chicken shit.

15. Buffalo

Points %: .769 (2nd)

Still too early for me to trust them any more than this.  That goaltending just hasn’t ever proven anything.  But still, great start, and I do believe they’re much improved.

14. Arizona

Points %: .625 (11th)

There is nothing flashy about the Coyotes.  But they have built a team with quality all over the roster.  They’re going to be a bitch to handle all season.

13. Vancouver

Points %: .708 (T-6th)

I’m a believer in the Canucks.  The kids look great, they’re insulated with a lot of players capable of playing the tough minutes, and the goaltending looks fantastic.

12. Florida

Points %: .615 (T-12th)

It’s concerning that they’ve done so much of their damage in OT thus far.  6 of their 13 games so far have gone to OT.  Having said this, I believe they have all the pieces in place to jump into the top 10 on my list.

11. Calgary

Points %: .533 (19th)

I had this ranking before last night.  This team is about to take off now.  Top team in the Pacific by the end of November, guaranteed.  They ride momentum better than any team I’ve ever seen.

10. Colorado

Points %: .750 (T-3rd)

Just outside of true contender status, but the depth they’ve acquired is noticeable, and the loss of Tyson Barrie hasn’t been thus far.

9. Pittsburgh

Points %: .615 (T-12th)

Without Malkin they’ve played outstanding.  Tomorrow, he returns (just in time to play the Oilers…lovely…).

8. Toronto

Points %: .536 (18th)

To me, they remain a team that is a true Cup contender, but all of a sudden I’m fearing for them.  The Toronto media really seems to be turning on them as they like to do, and it remains to be seen how this group will handle that kind of adversity.

7. Carolina

Points %: .708 (T-6th)

Maybe the best run organization in the league right now, at least when it comes to amassing talent.  Question will be whether or not they have the goaltending.

6. St. Louis

Points %: .654 (10th)

I’m not the biggest Vladdy Tarasenko guy, but they are definitely going to miss him for the next five months.  Brutal blow, but still a great team.

5. Washington

Points %: .750 (T-3rd)

They just keep on keeping on.  John Carlson, not a bad month…

4. Vegas

Points %: .607 (15th)

I still don’t like this blueline, but they somehow make due with what they have.  No other big concerns though.

3. Nashville

Points %: .692 (8th)

Awful loss in OT last night, but still look like they have all the pieces in place to compete for the Cup.

2. Tampa Bay

Points %: .583 (16th)

I really don’t give a damn how they’ve started, they still have the most talented roster in the league.

1. Boston

Points %: .833 (1st)

Look as though they’re primed for another deep run come this spring.

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Well, here we go.  It seems like every year I make these grand plans to do about a month worth of blogs leading up to opening night.  A new top 32 prospect list.  A mock draft.  A top 20 Oilers prospect list.  An Oilers season preview.  Do 2-3000 words on each division, coupled with my top 10 prospects for each team.  Yeah, none of that was done, and I barely got in what I did here.  And the big piss off is that this opening was left for last, most of this was written before the TSN preview show last night, which is essentially the same thing as this.  So if you’re still reading, you’re a true pal.  Before I begin, for you Oilers fans, I’ll have time this morning and I’m going to try to do a season preview podcast, so make sure you check that out (hopefully out around noon MST).  Without further ado, my prognostications:

Pacific Division

1. Vegas Golden Knights

I’m done not believing in them.  Once they got Mark Stone last season, they were right back to the beast they were in 17-18.  Add a good rookie like Cody Glass, trade chips to load up at the deadline, they’re a contender.

2. San Jose Sharks

Right there with Vegas, but they badly need to stay healthy.  They don’t have the prospect capital that the Knights have, and they’re an older team.  A lot of their season depends on what Martin Jones will give them.

3. Calgary Flames

I doubt that they’re going to be as good as last season as they had perhaps their five best players all have career years.  But don’t sleep on some of the kids they have coming either.  I believe Rasmus Andersson will be next to Mark Giordano by the end of the season, he’s that good.  Valimaki, Dube, Mangiapane, these kids are players who are ready to contribute.  What scares me is the goaltending, but they didn’t have that great of goaltending last season and still were the best team in the West.

4. Arizona Coyotes

I don’t see them improving on what they did last season.  They should in theory, as it is highly unlikely that they’ll sustain the injuries they did.  But I’ve seen it too many times before where teams feed off that adversity and then once everyone is healthy they’re underwhelming.  They’ll compete for the playoffs, maybe get in, but maybe not the improvement some believe will happen.

5. Vancouver Canucks

They’re getting real close.  I love the job they’ve done with this rebuild, and while I’m not sure that they’re ready, it won’t be long until this team is contending for the division crown.  Might come as soon as next season.  But if they want to make the playoffs this season, they’re going to need Markstrom and Demko to be one of the best combo’s in the league.

6. Anaheim Ducks

I’m sure Oilers fans really won’t like me having the Ducks ahead of them, but the Ducks have a very key ingredient that the Oilers don’t: elite goaltending.  John Gibson gives this team a chance to win every night.  I also believe that Dallas Eakins is going to do a good job there.  So combine those two things with a lot of real good young talent and I believe the Ducks will be at least challenging for a playoff spot.

7. Edmonton Oilers

There is a path to the playoffs, but they’d need so much to go right.  Smith and Koskinen have the ability to work.  James Neal has the ability to bounce back.  Nurse and Larsson have the ability to be a good shutdown pairing.  Bear has the ability to be a top four D-man.  Riley Sheahan has the ability to be a good 3C.  The team as a whole have the ability to be a terrific defensive squad that Dave Tippett loves.  So the path is there.  But what are the odds that all these things happen?  And what are the odds that IF all these things happen they also have perfect health?  It’s just so damn unlikely.  But they are on the right path, no longer have Peter Chiarelli taking a blow torch and a jerrycan to the organization.

8. L.A. Kings

I don’t have much to say about the Kings.  Easily the worst situation currently in the West.  I haven’t liked a lot of what Rob Blake has done.  I’d dislike their situation no matter who was the GM, but Blake has made a lot of missteps.  It’ll be interesting to see long term if Koptiar and Doughty want to stick around because it is going to be a long time before this organization is back to contender status.

Central Division

1. Nashville Predators

Essentially, it’s Subban out, Duchene in.  But the key here is Dante Fabbro.  Can he step into a top four role for the Preds?  I believe he can, mainly because of who his D partner would be.  He might be a better fit for the Preds than Subban was with how good Fabbro is defensively.  And Duchene makes them great down the middle and gives them speed up front which they were pretty hard up for.  As long as Rinne doesn’t fall apart, they should win this division.

2. Dallas Stars

Might be getting a bit overrated entering the season.  I’m still seeing a lot of question marks in key positions, combined with concerns over some guys being too young, some possibly being too old, and concerns for me whether the goaltending can be THAT good again.  Last year’s squad didn’t exactly set the world on fire and needed amazing goaltending to even get 93 points.  Most years that wouldn’t crack the playoffs in the West.  So I do like them to finish 2nd in the division, but I’m seeing some people loving them to come out of the West and I’m saying those people might want to slow down on that until they prove they’re worthy.  Ability is there to be that team though.

3. St. Louis Blues

Here is a question that nobody seems to be asking: do we KNOW Jordan Binnington is for real?!?!  I THINK he is, but we’ve seen goalies get scorching hot for half a season before and then fade away.  So that’ll be interesting to see.  Even if he isn’t though, this squad still has enough to get in the playoffs again.  Last year I picked them to win this division knowing that Jake Allen was as inconsistent as any goaltender in the league.  The Justin Faulk addition is interesting, and I can’t help but wonder like everyone else, is there another shoe that is going to drop i.e. Pietrangelo walks after the season or Parayko is dealt?

4. Chicago Blackhawks

If this team gets goaltending, they’ll get in.  I believe that is lost on a lot of people.  As bad as it’s gone the last two seasons, when Corey Crawford has been right they’ve been fine.  And now they have insurance with Robin Lehner, not to mention more experience on the blueline, and a hell of a pickup last season in Dylan Strome who was near a PPG player in 58 games with the Hawks last season.  I believe you can put the Hawks, Avs, and Jets in any order, but I needed to change some things from how TSN had it so I’m going to say the Hawks get in.

5. Colorado Avalanche

Much like with the Stars, we should probably slow down a bit on the Avs.  To my eye, this looks like the next power team in the league.  I have become a MASSIVE Avs fan over the last few seasons.  But let’s keep some things in mind here.  They only had 90 points last season.  They are relying on Cale Makar to replace Tyson Barrie’s offence.  They are planning to run with a guy in net who has never started 40 games in a season.  I really like this team and between MacKinnon, Rantanen, and all the amazing talent on the blueline they are going to be a blast to watch and a powerhouse.  But be careful in anointing them a contender just yet as they have a ways to go.

6. Winnipeg Jets

What a difference a year can make.  This time in 2018, it was Cup or bust and this was the best young team in the league.  Now, they’re a mess, mostly thanks to shit luck, and I’m really not sure if they’re going to get back to contender status anytime soon.  It won’t be this season.  This season they’re going to be hard pressed to make the playoffs.  That blueline is just such a mess.  They do have the one wildcard in Byfuglien.  If he comes back, the blueline could be OK, and I feel good saying they’ll get in.  But as of right now, I just don’t know if this blueline can get the job done and I’m a MASSIVE Josh Morrissey guy.  Ville Heinola was the 20th pick in the draft, he’s in their top four.  It’s bad.

7. Minnesota Wild

I don’t know if we’ll ever know the whole story, but what I know from afar is that this mess wasn’t ALL Paul Fenton despite what Mike Russo writes.  Craig Leipold has a reputation as an owner who loves to meddle and from the outside looking in I’d say his BIG issue with, Fenton was that Fenton wanted to rebuild.  Leipold has stated he thinks they can still contend.  What the FUCK is wrong with you?!?  This team is DONE, and no gross overpayment of Jared Spurgeon is going to change that.  I’m pulling for Billy Guerin, love the guy.  But I believe they got an owner who is never going to know how to let his GM’s do their job and build things properly

Atlantic Division

1. Toronto Maple Leafs

The job Kyle Dubas has done keeping the core intact and keeping their window open has been very impressive.  Now, he got taken to the cleaners in a few of these contract negotiations, but at the end of the day they have a good system, studs locked down, what looks like a pretty good blueline, and are solid between the pipes.  I believe they take another step this season.

2. Tampa Bay Lightning

I honestly believe it would be good for the Bolts to not cruise through the regular season and face a little adversity through the season.  In the long run though, 1st in the Atlantic should mean absolutely nothing to them.  It’s Cup or bust.

3. Boston Bruins

It’s Cup or bust for these guys too.  The difference is that I keep waiting for the bottom to fall out with the Bruins.  When will Bergeron show his age?  Or Marchand?  Or Chara?  Or Rask?  At some point, these guys will digress and even though the rest of the roster is pretty young and talented, they would be in some trouble if a few of these guys finally start to fall off.  Until that happens though, they’re contending for a Cup.

4. Florida Panthers

I’ve loved them for years, and now they finally have their goaltending shored up and a proven head coach running the show, I can’t see why they wouldn’t take off with what they have throughout the lineup.  Top to bottom, this is a real good roster and if they make the playoffs, they’re built for the postseason.

5. Montreal Canadiens

A dirty little secret with Carey Price is that he’s only shown flashes of being an elite goaltender since his MVP season in 2015.  I’m not a big believer in what this team did last season.  But on the flip side, I expect Kotkaniemi to take a big step.  So I see them having a similar season where they push for a playoff spot, but it’ll be really tough given how good the top of this division is.

6. Buffalo Sabres

Finally, I actually feel like this team is building a playoff team.  This summer was far and away the best job that Jason Botterill has done, and even though they aren’t likely to make the playoffs, I expect them to be much improved thanks to that blueline adding some quality RH shooting puck movers.  The goaltending is still a massive question mark though, and while the media drools all over Ralph Kruger, I wasn’t a big fan of his in his season with the Oilers.  People point to his record and point to the fact it was in an extremely difficult Western Conference, but they actually got goaltending that season…and still didn’t come close to the playoffs.

7. Ottawa Senators

The dark clouds that hovered over this organization last season are now gone.  They didn’t give up the 1st overall pick, or even a top three pick in the Duchene deal, the Karlsson/Hoffman stuff is a thing of the past, and they have a lot of good young players ready to roll.  Will they be all that good?  No.  But they can now just focus on the rebuild and grow.

8. Detroit Red Wings

Stevie Yzerman is going to do a tremendous job in Detroit.  But the problem is that he’s inheriting a pretty big mess.  They still need another two seasons before the bad contracts are burned off and he can really start putting his imprint on this organization.  But at this time, it just doesn’t look promising.

Metro Division

1. Washington Capitals

Not a big reason to change this pick.  They’re well set up for another big season.  One concern might be between the pipes.  Braden Holtby has been digressing.  They probably thought that Ilya Samsonov would be ready to give Holtby some relief by now, maybe a 60/40 split.  But he had a rough first season in North America and isn’t ready.  But that is about it.  I like the centres, like the wingers, like the blueline, good goaltending, and as far as regular season goes they’ve been a dynasty now for the last

2. Carolina Hurricanes

It all depends on the goaltending that they get.  This roster is LOADED top to bottom, but the goaltending is a big question mark.  Petr Mrazek is inconsistent at best, and James Reimer has been digressing.  I wonder how long it’ll be before Eric Tulsky….I mean Don Waddell is calling up Alex Nedeljkovic to see if he’s the answer.  But that’s the only fear I have for them and do believe that Mrazak will be good enough to get them home ice in the first round.

3. Pittsburgh Penguins

Still have them making the playoffs, but they’re digressing and it looks like the window has closed.  I’m not sure what in the hell Jim Rutheford has been trying to do with this blueline the last few seasons.  The man won with a purely puck-moving blueline, and now he’s trying to build with stay at home guys who can’t move it.  Brandon Tanev was apparently given the contract he was because they believe he’s another Connor Sheary?  Ok…that’s…risky, to put it nicely.  I hope I’m wrong because I’m a Sid fan and the league is better when he and Geno are contenders, but I don’t feel good about this situation.

4. Philadelphia Flyers

They’ll bounce back, but the big thing will be whether or not Carter Hart can hold up throughout the season.  He was impressive last season, but they’ll need him to give them at least 45-50 starts this season.  If he can (obviously at a high level), then they should win a wildcard spot because this squad is deep up front and real solid on the blueline.  Matt Niskanen is a very underrated pickup.  But they’ll need their goalie of the future to be a stud in the present.

5. NY Rangers

A lot of buzz around the Rangers entering the season.  Panarin, Kravtsov, and Kakko are three pretty big time wingers to add to the lineup (even if two of them are rookies).  But there is the issue with this team is are they too young?  What I don’t like is people are talking about them accelerating the rebuild.  When in the fuck does that ever work?!  That is code for “we don’t have any patience to do this right so we’re good with mediocrity long term”.  Having said this, it is the Rangers and they have the easiest time drawing UFA’s in the league.  So they might be the exception to the rule on that, but why risk it?  They can make the playoffs, but I’m not sure it would be a good thing for this organization long term.

6. NY Islanders

Man, I cringe predicting that they’ll take a step back knowing how great of a bench boss Barry Trotz is.  One of the keys to their success last season was they gave up I believe the fewest HD scoring chances in the league (hint hint if you’re looking for a sleeper fantasy goaltender, also buyer beware on Lehner).  Still, as much as I love Noah Dobson stepping in for them, and I love Mathew Barzal, I just am not sure how they did it last season and not sure how they can do it this season.  They can, but I don’t know how, so I’m likely to be very wrong on this prediction.

7. New Jersey Devils

They made a shit ton of noise, but I don’t believe they improved the team that much.  The goaltending is still a mess unless they know that Cory Schneider is going to bounce back, and maybe they do?  Subban is big if he’s right, and Hughes will make an impact, but 2018 was such a fluke for this team and last year was who they really were.  Calling them to finish 7th in this division doesn’t mean they won’t have a shot at the playoffs.  They can challenge for a playoff spot, but nothing more than that in my opinion.

8. Columbus Blue Jackets

Probably won’t be as bad as some are projecting them to be.  That blueline is still real solid, and Jonas Korpisalo has looked like a guy who can handle 50 games a season to my eye in the past.  But if you look at the division, I’m not sure how you can pick them anywhere else but last.  It’s not a big shot at what they have, they just don’t have as much as anyone else in the Metro.

Playoffs

Pacific

1P Vegas vs WC1 Chicago

Something we all here from commentators throughout the season when two teams who could potentially meet in the playoffs get talked about, it is quickly followed by “what a matchup that would be”.  There hasn’t been one potential series ever discussed in the history of the NHL where someone isn’t saying “wow, what a series that could be!!”  So I have to stick with this ridiculous narrative when predicting all these series.  So the G-Knights vs Hawks, potentially the greatest series in the history of the game.  Knights in six.

2P San Jose vs 3P Calgary

This could be the best series in any sport in the history of time.  Sharks in seven.

Central

1C Nashville vs WC2 Colorado

ISIS vs society takes a backseat to what this series would be.  Preds in seven.

2C Dallas vs 3C St. Louis

Remember World War II?  It will be forgotten because of how amazing Stars vs Blues would be.  Blues in seven.

Western Conference final

Vegas vs Nashville

Fuckin’ Preds.  The last few years I’ve been on their bandwagon.  This isn’t post them making the 17 final, I was on them that season too.  On paper right now, Nashville is a much more well rounded team than the Knights.  But if the Knights are sitting pretty in the standings come late February, I have to believe that Kelly McCrimmon will be going after a big time D-man to round out his blueline and possibly get this team over the hump.  And there is something to be said for this Knights team.  They just seem to be bulletproof.  So even though I believe the Preds would have the better roster, I’d like the Knights (at this point) to beat them.  Golden Knights in six.

Atlantic

1A Toronto vs WC2 Philadelphia

I’m more excited at the prospect of a Leafs/Flyers first round matchup than I would be to win the lottery.  Leafs in five.

2A Tampa Bay vs 3A Boston

Should this matchup happen, it might be the most anticipated sporting event since Ali met Frazier for the first time.  Safe to say it would be the greatest series in the history of hockey.  Lightning in seven.

Metro

1M Washington vs WC1 Florida

If we get Caps v Panthers in round one, I fully anticipate the Super Bowl ratings to be completely dwarfed.  Panthers in six.

2M Carolina vs 3M Pittsburgh

Hurricanes and Pens?  This would be better TV than Breaking Bad!  Canes in six.

Eastern Conference final

Florida vs Tampa Bay

The battle of Florida is alive and well!!!  I love the Panthers as a dark horse come playoff time as they’re much better built for the playoffs than they are the regular season, and they have a bench boss who knows how to coach in a seven game series.  Having said this, the Lightning are likely not going to give a damn about ANYTHING this season until the playoffs where I expect them to be on a mission.  Lightning in five.

Stanley Cup final

Tampa Bay vs Vegas

Would be a pretty exciting final.  But I think you’ve likely figured it out by now, I’m like most in believing it’s Tampa’s time.  I believe the Lightning would smoke the Golden Knights in four.

Stanley Cup Champions

Tampa Bay Lightning

Awards

Hart

John Tavares – It is going to be tough for any of the Leafs big three to win an award like this.  But then again, we would have said that same thing for Kucherov last year.  With Tavares, I just believe him being in his prime combined with him now being settled with the Leafs, I expect a career year.

Vezina

John Gibson – He was my pick for the award last season, and early on he was looking like he might be in line to win the Hart.  I’m guessing the workload, not just the amount of games but how much action he was seeing night after night, wore him down.  I believe the Ducks will be improved this season and with that could come a Vezina season from Gibson.

Norris

Victor Hedman – These days, he’s just simply my guy.  I believe he is far and away the best defenceman in the league.  If you had a draft of defencemen for this season, Hedman is the top pick by all 31 GM’s.

Selke

Aleksander Barkov – Heavily considered Barkov for the Hart, but settle for the Selke, the award we give to players when they actually deserve an MVP award but don’t give it to them because they don’t have as much flash as another guy…like two years ago when Taylor Hall won it even though any case for Hall could be made for Anze Kopitar while Kopitar was also one of the best defensive players in the league…

Calder

Cale Makar – The D-men who could challenge for this award this season are ridiculous.  Noah Dobson, Rasmus Sandin, Quinn Hughes, Erik Brannstrom, Adam Fox, etc.  I feel somewhat safe in predicting it’ll be a defenceman.  The big thing for Makar is he comes in with a lot of fanfare, and he is going to get the opportunities out of necessity for the Avs.  Kappo Kakko is going to be a big threat for the award, so is Jack Hughes, don’t sleep on guys like Cody Glass or Vitali Kravtsov either, but I can’t help but look to the crop of defencemen entering the league and select one of them, and to me Makar is going to be in the best position to win the award.

Art Ross

Connor McDavid – I don’t know why you’d risk predicting someone else at this point.  Far and away the most points in the league over the last three seasons, and despite the concern with the knee entering camp, he appears to be back to 100% health.  If the Oilers did make the playoffs, then it’d be shocking if he didn’t win the Hart given the perception of the team.

Richard

Brock Boeser – Most are expecting Pettersson to make another big step this season, and most are expecting big things out of Quinn Hughes.  Both of those players will be able to create for Boeser, especially on the PP.  And of course, we know already that this kid has the ability to finish with the best of them.

Jack Adams

Joel Quenneville – I would be pretty shocked if they don’t break through this season, and I don’t just see them breaking through, but I could see them challenging for the division title.  Might seem insane at this time, but they have all the pieces and if that were to happen, coach Q would be getting a lot of love for this award.

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