Serving the Youth

BOSTON BRUINS

2017-18 record: 50-20-12 (112 points)
Lost to Tampa Bay in Conference semi-finals
Captain: Zdeno Chara

What was supposed to be another season of transition for the Boston Bruins became an accelerated rebuild, as their youth became major contributors from the word go. They finished just behind Tampa Bay in the Atlantic Division, and as their playoff run showed, they still have some things to shore up before they can get back to Lord Stanley.

One of the pleasant surprises has been where the offense has come from, as Brad Marchand, super pest, has become a regular 30-goal scorer. David Pastrnak has also emerged as one of the offensive leaders on the team, and he's  not even close to his prime. They are still relatively top heavy when it comes to scoring, something that was exposed when last year's rental Rick Nash didn't pan out as expected. Improvements in that regard are expected to come from within, as they're counting on a healthier Patrice Bergeron and a declining David Krejci to rebound, as well as continued maturation from Jake DeBrusk and Danton Heinen and possibly Ryan Donato making the roster. Defensively, the torch may be passed down soon, as Zdeno Chara could fold any minute. Fortunately, there is depth, as Charlie MacAvoy has become a solid defender and only figures to get better, health permitting. Similarly, Brandon Carlo is banking on health becoming less of an issue as he figures to at least fill the defensive part of the Zdeno Chara talent pool. Depth got better thanks to signing John Moore to fill in as a third pairing defender who can step into the second pair if needed. For all that's been good, the goaltending has been somewhat ordinary, as Tuukka Rask hasn't been as dynamic as he was a few years ago. Part of the problem has been overuse, something the Bruins hope they fixed when they signed Jaroslav Halak to be the backup.

Prediction: 3rd in the Atlantic Division

Tampa Bay still has a loaded roster and Toronto got better down the middle thanks to signing John Tavares, which makes Boston's hopes for a division title look small. However, they should be comfortable in knowing that they are a playoff team that could surprise people despite not adding much to the roster.

Finding the Oasis

ARIZONA COYOTES

2017-18 record: 29-41-12 (70 points)
Missed the playoffs
Captain: TBA

The Arizona Coyotes' season, on the surface, was like every other season, in that they failed to take the next step forward in trying to make the playoffs. In reality, it was a horrid start in which they couldn't get a win for the first 20 games that doomed their 2017-18 season. Not having Antti Rantaa healthy in that time was a factor, as was the majority of their core failing to step forward. By the time they got their act together, it was too little, too late. The failure of some of their key players expected to lead them to the playoffs caused some changes beginning in the middle of the season, and it carried over into the off-season.

This time last year, the Coyotes were counting on the core that included Max Domi, Anthony Duclair, and Antti Rantaa to push them up in the standings. Instead, Rantaa was hurt to start the season and both Domi and Duclair underachieved to the point that Duclair was traded mid-season while Domi was traded for new core player Alex Galchenyuk. Galchenyuk joins Clayton Keller as the new bright spots up front while Oliver Ekman-Larsson was given an extension and Niklas Hjalmarsson was also given a new deal, thus solidifying a youthful defense. Rantaa showed that he was worth the Coyotes trading for him last off-season when healthy, and that will help considerably. In addition to Galchenyuk, the Coyotes added Michael Grabner to help out a penalty kill that just wasn't any good. There are pieces in place for the Coyotes to finally make the playoffs, but things must go exactly as planned. It would also help if Dylan Strome can finally break through onto the NHL roster this season.

Prediction: 6th in the Pacific Division

The Coyotes are a team that continues to rise, albeit slowly. Unfortunately, they are also in a pretty stacked Western Conference, so a playoff spot may be stretch. If they can stay in it until the final week or so of the regular season, the season can be considered a success.

Getting Unstuck from the Mud

This is my favorite time of year, the time when I get to try my hand at previewing each of the NHL teams and predicting what I think will happen. Thanks to Vegas being included prior to last season, that has thrown aside my tradition of starting in September. Saying that, let's go.

ANAHEIM DUCKS

2017-18 record: 44-25-13 (101 points)
Lost to San Jose in Conference quarterfinals
Captain: Ryan Getzlaf

The Anaheim Ducks were one of the hottest teams in the NHL leading up to the playoffs. However, they reverted back to the team that couldn't show up when it mattered the most, and were ousted in the opening round to San Jose in a sweep. They didn't make many moves in the off-season outside of re-signing key players and bolstering their depth. Their moves up front included extending Adam Henrique and Ondrej Kase and signing depth players Brian Gibbons and Carter Rowney. Their scoring was ranked 18th in the league, and outside of Rickard Rakell, there wasn't a great amount of scoring, as only Henrique and Kase scored 20 or more goals. It doesn't figure to get any better, as Corey Perry is in deep decline while Ryan Kesler may miss the entire season due to surgery. Where the Ducks figure to get scoring depends on whether Jakob Silfverberg and Ryan Getzlaf can get back some of their scoring touch. Defensively, they were one of the better teams in the league, as they allowed the fourth fewest goals, although they did miss Cam Fowler come playoff time. Luke Schenn and Andrej Sustr are depth pieces added to fill in the gaps left by departures of Shea Theodore and Sami Vatanen in the past year or so. John Gibson was once again a stud in the regular season, and once again, he couldn't stay healthy for an entire season, yet he got an 8-year extension. The good news is that Ryan Miller can fill in as a starter whenever Gibson needs a rest or is injured. Their special teams reflected their strengths and weaknesses, as their power play was 23rd while the penalty kill was 5th. With recent playoff failures, it may be time for Randy Carlyle to produce more than just a playoff appearance, as they have been exposed in terms of speed the further they go.

Prediction: 4th in the Pacific Division

The Ducks will have a hard time making the playoffs in a loaded Western Conference, but as long as their defense holds, they should be one of the last teams in, at worst. It will be in the playoffs that things bear monitoring.

Clownshows abound

What would an NHL off-season be without a clownshow? How about two of them? Today, that is the topic, and it just so happens that there is one in both the United States and Canada. Let's examine this in the timeline of the last 24 hours.

First, the United States and the Carolina Hurricanes. Let's preface this with the fact that the Hurricanes didn't completely crap all over themselves this off-season, with trading underachieving Elias Lindholm and Noah Hanifin for much needed toughness in Micheal Ferland, a proven scorer from the blue line in Dougie Hamilton, and a solid prospect in Adam Fox, plus hiring Rod Brind'Amour as head coach. So, how do they fall into the category of laughingstock? Prior to those moves, owner Tom Dundon has been on record as wanting to have the lower bowl filled to the point of not selling upper level tickets, which still hasn't helped their attendance problem. Also, remember when Dundon was on record as saying everyone except Sebastian Aho was on the trading block? Yesterday, he showed that he wasn't kidding, as Jeff Skinner was traded to Buffalo for Cliff Pu, and three draft picks. None of those draft picks were in the first round, and getting a second, third, and sixth round pick in 2019 and 2020 total isn't exactly the haul that the Hurricanes hoped for. It isn't helping that the only player to come the other way is a guy who isn't likely to help in the immediate future.

Now, on to Canada and their version of the clownshow. That's right, everyone's favorite soap opera, the Ottawa Senators. You already know about the Mike Hoffman/Erik Karlson saga, or more specifically, their significant others, and you already know about avaricious owner Eugene Melnyk and the many ways in which he trashes the city of Ottawa. Well, he's at it again, as they may no longer have two star players gone by the end of the season; they may have three players gone by the end of next season. Erik Karlsson and Matt Duchene can leave after the season, but now, Mark Stone, who could have left right now, just signed a new deal. The catch? It's only one year, which means he too, can leave after next season. I haven't even talked about the on-ice product, and if Craig Anderson doesn't find his 2016-17 form, the Senators are screwed. They may win the draft lottery...for Colorado, who if you remember, has the Senators' first round pick in 2019 thanks to the deal for Duchene. Oh, and they don't have anyone in the pipeline in goal if Anderson doesn't rediscover form.

Who says the NHL off-season isn't full of comedy? The Carolina Hurricanes and Ottawa Senators are proof that you can actually laugh at others' misery...or if you're a fan of either one, a source of income for the therapist.