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THN 2016-17 Yearbook: Devils to Finish Last in Metro


smelly

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I mean, I guess it's possible.

Pitt, NYI, Washington are all playoff locks imo.

Philly got a career year from Neuvirth that I doubt happens again, but Giroux and Voracek will probably produce more based on peripherals. They will also start seeing an influx of talent defensively enter since Provorov will probably make the team. 

Rangers's d will be much worse w/o Yandle and it was already trash. Skjei should help a bit but they Girardi and Staal are both one year older and slower and same with Lundqvist. They do have spectacular forward depth but not a single star. Zib is also worse than Brassard but they did get cap space.

I LOVE Carolina's future but they did absolutely nothing to change their biggest problem...their goaltending. They have a fantastic young d corps but they're also shallow up front. They got Stemp and maybe Aho makes the team. 

CBJ looked so promising but I think Jarmo has done a brilliant job ****ing up that team. All the bad contracts he signed and poor asset management has set the team back. They still have some good prospect, but Torts is an awful head coach.

Then of course there is the Devils. I could honestly see them finishing between 4-7. I think CBJ is the worst by a fairly easy margin.

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I think the Devils miss the playoffs, but I don't see them finishing dead last in the Metro unless Schneider and several others suffer long-term injuries.  No way that they're that bad.

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Other than Washington, Pittsburgh and Tampa at the top and Toronto on the bottom, not a whole lot separates 4-15 in the Eastern conference IMO.   Maybe Florida belongs in that top group as well but I just don't understand the level of changes they made on and off the ice after they had their most successful season in a long time.    

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Didn't we get picked dead last in the entire NHL last year?

PITT is just a few injuries from despair. Rangers are a few injuries from despair with an older Lundqvist. Isles are a bit better with Ladd and Chimera added.

Bold Prediction: NJ leads the division by middle of the season.

Edited by CarpathianForest
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39 minutes ago, CarpathianForest said:

Didn't we get picked dead last in the entire NHL last year?

PITT is just a few injuries from despair. Rangers are a few injuries from despair with an older Lundqvist. Isles are a bit better with Ladd and Chimera added.

Bold Prediction: NJ leads the division by middle of the season.

I see this happening if we remain relatively healthy and Hall, Palms, and Camm tear it up.  

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6 hours ago, BlueSkirt said:

Last ?   No.   A lot would have to go wrong & also for a bit of time before we end up last.   The Leafs will bring up the rear

The Leafs can't finish last in the Metro...

The East has 4-5 teams that are pretty much locks and then all kinds of weirdness can happen with the remaining teams. 

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10 hours ago, Lateralous said:

Other than Washington, Pittsburgh and Tampa at the top and Toronto on the bottom, not a whole lot separates 4-15 in the Eastern conference IMO.   Maybe Florida belongs in that top group as well but I just don't understand the level of changes they made on and off the ice after they had their most successful season in a long time.    

Though I don't see the Devils finishing last in the Metro, I will say that the defense could be pretty shaky, especially with Larsson gone (though I don't blame Shero for making that deal one bit).  The D is my greatest area of concern heading into this season.  Also don't see Palmieri and Henrique combining for 60 goals again (though I think 50 or a little more is plenty reasonable). 

The Devils got a lot of good fortune last season...they really weren't as "good" as their overall record suggested.  It wouldn't surprise me if they finished right around the same number of points this season (mid-80s).  I still think they're headed in the right direction though.  I still feel that this is a stepping-stone season. 

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Good, every year we exceed these crap pre-season expectations and I love being the underdogs

My Metro predictions:

  1. Pitt
  2. Wash
  3. NJ
  4. NYI
  5. PHI
  6. CBJ
  7. CAR

If we stay healthy (big if) I think we are better than the Islanders, but as others have said i think the 3-5 positions are a bit of a toss up.

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Just now, dmann422 said:

Good, every year we exceed these crap pre-season expectations and I love being the underdogs

My Metro predictions:

  1. Pitt
  2. Wash
  3. NJ
  4. NYI
  5. PHI
  6. CBJ
  7. CAR

If we stay healthy (big if) I think we are better than the Islanders, but as others have said i think the 3-5 positions are a bit of a toss up.

I guess the Rangers folded this off-season?  A man can dream...

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I can see the Devils being better than CBJ, the Isles and the Hurricanes (if they trot out Cam Ward a lot). Obviously that changes if, say, Lundqvist has an injury for the Rangers, but still. A bubble team, most likely, and if a significant piece (Hall, Schneider, Greene, Henrique) misses significant time it could get really tough.

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WTF teams' board is this?? :evil:

 

1. Devils 

2. Caps 

3. Pens 

4. Isles

5. Flyers

6. Rags 

7. Jackets 

8. Hurricanes 

Edited by Masked Fan
7 for 8 I loathe the Canes
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