For this one, we’re talking about the NHL as a whole instead of the normal CBJ conversation. There may be some Jackets nuggets in here, so be sure to take a look.
Who will win the Hart Trophy? Auston Matthews will finally take home a win over Connor McDavid.
Who will win the Art Ross? Connor McDavid will total 160 points and win the Art Ross, again.
Who will win the Rocket Richard? Auston Matthews will break his personal record of 69 goals and score an even 70.
Who will win the Norris Trophy? Cale Makar took a major step last year and had 90 points. This year he tops 100 and wins the Norris.
Who will win the Vezina Trophy? I picked Jake Oettinger last year and I’m sticking with him this year to get it done.
Who will win the Calder Trophy? Matvei Michkov will score 30 goals this year to beat out favorite Macklin Celebrini.
Who will win the Selke Trophy? Auston Matthews wins the Selke for the first time in his career.
Who will win the Jack Adams Award? The new coach of New Jersey Sheldon Keefe wins after taking the Devils to the Stanley Cup Final.
Who will be the first coach fired? I picked Mike Sullivan last year, and I’m picking him again this year. Dubas will panic after a bad start and dump Sullivan as the Pens finally accept that a rebuild is coming.
Which GM is feeling the most heat? Steve Yzerman is on the hot seat. They haven’t been able to show much during his tenure, and Hockeytown is growing more and more impatient by the day. Might we see a change soon?
Which player is due for a breakout? Columbus Blue Jackets forward Adam Fantilli is like a bull waiting to be let out of the cage. After only playing 49 games last season due to injury, he has come out flying in the pre-season. Get ready for the full Fantilli experience.
Which team is due for a breakout? The Utah Hockey Club (Yeti) has a great owner, some new players, and an enthused fanbase. Much like recent expansion teams, be ready for Utah to make the playoffs and make some noise.
Which player will suffer a setback? Sam Reinhart nearly doubled his all-time high in goals when he scored 57 last year, but can he do it again? I don’t think so. He takes a major step back and only hits 35.
Which team will suffer a setback? The Vancouver Canucks won 50 games last season but had the Oilers, Kings, and Golden Knights on their doorstep. Look for Edmonton to surpass them this year as the Canucks finish 4th in the Pacific Division.
Who will win the Presidents’ Trophy as the best regular season team? The Dallas Stars finished one point behind the New York Rangers last season. This season they overcome the Rangers and have 116 points to win the Presidents Trophy.
Who will win the Stanley Cup? Dallas vs New Jersey – Dallas wins in 6 games.
Who will win the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP? Jason Robertson gets himself back on track and guides his team to a Cup.
What Canadian team will go the furthest? The Edmonton Oilers will play the Dallas Stars in the West Finals.
Who will have the best odds of winning the Draft Lottery? The San Jose Sharks will lead the Reverse Power Rankings once again. They will however take some major steps forward with the youngsters they have.
What player will benefit the most from a change in scenery? The Maple Leafs find a way to trade Mitch Marner and he takes fire, scoring 115 points.
Which team will suffer the most from buyer’s remorse? The Washington Capitals went out and got Pierre-Luc Dubois, Andrew Mangiapane, Jakob Chychrun, and Logan Thompson in hopes of surrounding Alex Ovechkin with enough talent to get them into the playoffs one more time. This will backfire though, as the Caps miss the playoffs. Dubois only has 30 points.
Which star player will be traded (and to where)? The Columbus Blue Jackets have a bunch of money to spend. Don Waddell will find a way to get Nikolaj Ehlers. This will be the jumping-off point for the summer of 2025, in which Waddell will start building a championship roster.
Which rookie are you the most excited to see? Matvei Michkov, although in the Metro with the CBJ, will be exciting to watch. Not sure how John Tortorella is going to deal with him, but it should be fun to watch.
Who will challenge Connor McDavid for the Art Ross Trophy? Jack Hughes only played 62 games last season due to injury but still had 74 points. This season, Hughes goes off for 140+ and will make a run at supplanting McDavid.
What off-season move will be the most impactful? Jacob Markstrom might just be the goalie to put the Devils over the top. Look for Jersey to win the Metro and play for the Cup this season.
Who is the NHL’s most overpaid player? Darnell Nurse will almost certainly always be the answer to this question. With a career-high of only 43 points, he would probably need to score 90 to be worthy of his current contract. Playing on a team like the Oilers, he should be getting points night in and night out.
Who is the NHL’s most underpaid player? Quinn Hughes could easily be making what Nurse is making. And after his 92-point season last year, there’s no doubt that his $7.8 million contract is looking like a steal for the Canucks right now.
Whose bad season was an indicator of reality? Jonathan Huberdeau has not been the same player since being traded to the Calgary Flames. Is this the real Jonathan Huberdeau?
Whose good season was an aberration? See question 13 about Sam Reinhart.
What older player will show signs of aging? Brad Marchand had a few surgeries in the off-season that will hamper him. His points production has been dipping for a few years now. The good part for him is that he has young guys picking up the slack. The Captain can rely on those guys to score more and let him do his thing. But he takes a major step back this season and his points drop to below 40, which has never happened in an 82-game season.
What backup goalie could end up as a No. 1? Joonas Korpisalo was traded to the Boston Bruins this summer to back up Jeremy Swayman. Well, that drama doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon, so the former CBJ goalie will be the opening night starter unless something crazy happens between now and opening night. If Swayman doesn’t sign soon, the Bruins will have to rely on Korpi to be the man until Swayman gets back. We’ve yet to see Korpisalo play with an elite team in front of him, so this is his time to shine and prove he’s a starter.
Which city will get the next NHL team? Last season I chose Salt Lake City and I was right. This time around I’m going to say Houston. Houston is a major city and has 2.3 million people, so there are bound to be hockey fans who will fill an arena. Bring back to The Houston Aeros.
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