NHL sends a message to Tom Wilson

The NHL is only two days into its season and already there a few surprises in the early going.

It looks like Carey Price has put last season behind him as he looked really good in an overtime loss on the road to Toronto.

Jake Allen had a tough start and it appears that he always has trouble holding onto the number one spot with the Blues. He has less competition this season with Chad Johnson as the backup. Allen has lost playing time in the past to Carter Hutton and Brian Elliott. Hopefully it is not a repeat.         

The Capitals were a Jekyll and Hyde team this week as were the Bruins. Washington knocked off Boston 7-0 Wednesday and then lost 7-6 in overtime to Pittsburgh the following night. Boston came back to shut out Buffalo 4-0 Thursday behind the strong performance of backup Jaroslav Halak. Tuukka Rask was weak in the opener, making only 14 saves on 19 shots before he was pulled.

Don’t be alarmed by the loss to Anaheim by the Sharks. San Jose out-shot them 37-15 and it is only a matter of time before Erik Karlsson starts clicking with his teammates. With Karlsson and Brent Burns back on the blueline, that is going to be some power play.


4 Games - Anaheim, San Jose, Vegas

3 Games –Boston, Buffalo, Calgary, Carolina, Colorado, Columbus, Detroit, Los Angeles, Nashville, Ottawa, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Toronto, Vancouver, Washington, Winnipeg

2 Games - Arizona, Chicago, Dallas, Edmonton, Florida, Minnesota, Montreal, New Jersey, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay

San Jose and Vegas play all four games away from home.

Boston and Nashville play three games at home.

Calgary, Los Angeles and Vancouver play three games on the road.

INJURIES

Dustin Brown is out indefinitely with a broken finger. (Click here to see the rest of the injury list.)

Note: A tired team is one that has played the day or night before and is going against a team that did not play the previous day or night. The reverse is true for a rested team.

ANAHEIM

Games this week
vs. Detroit, vs. Arizona, @ Dallas, @ St. Louis

Rested Team: vs. Detroit (Monday)
Tired Team: None

Notes
The Ducks play four times this week so Ryan Miller should see action in one game while John Gibson is expected to play three times. Maxime Comtois became the sixth fastest player in NHL history to score his first goal as he did so 49 seconds into his debut Wednesday. Rickard Rakell got his season off to a fine start with a goal and two assists while Ryan Getzlaf chipped in with a couple of assists plus four hits. Ondrej Kase who was expected to be a third line winger, is out with a concussion. The Ducks picked up Pontus Aberg off waivers from Edmonton.

ARIZONA

Games this week
@ Anaheim, vs. Buffalo

Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None

Notes
The Coyotes need to get off to a better start this season. They started last year at 0-10-1 so that should not be too hard to beat. Jakob Chychrun could return in a couple of weeks after undergoing off-season knee surgery. The Coyotes need him to be a top-four blueliner. Dylan Strome is having trouble establishing himself as a top center and will begin the season on the fourth line despite injuries to Alex Galchenyuk and Christian Dvorak. Fifth overall pick Barrett Hayton made the final roster but expect to see him back in junior hockey before the end of the month.  He was a healthy scratch Thursday. Clayton Keller will likely start the season at center due to injuries.

BOSTON

Games this week
vs. Ottawa, vs. Edmonton, vs. Detroit

Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None

Notes
The Bruins got their season off to a tough start as they were annihilated by the Capitals on opening night to the tune of 7-0. Tuukka Rask gave up five goals on only 19 shots. He got off to a real slow start last season as he was 3-8-2 to start the year. He hates playing Washington as well as he was 1-10-5 heading into the season opener. Danton Heinen started the season on the second line with David Krejci and Jake DeBrusk while David Backes started on the third unit. Jaroslov Halak got Boston back on track Thursday as he shut out the Sabres 4-0 making 32 saves. Brad Marchand had 19 penalty minutes Wednesday and assisted on all four goals Thursday.

BUFFALO

Games this week
vs. Vegas, vs. Colorado, @ Arizona

Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None

Notes
Jack Eichel is now the youngest captain in the NHL as he was named the Sabres 27^th captain at the tender age of 21. Ramsus Dahlin, the first overall pick in the 2018 Draft, is paired with Jake McCabe to start the season. The Sabres picked up Remi Elie off waivers from Dallas. Scott Wilson is out of action after undergoing surgery for a broken ankle. Alexander Nylander was once again sent to the minors. The eighth pick in the 2016 Draft, has played in seven NHL games over the last two seasons and should find himself in the NHL at some point this season.

CALGARY

Games this week
@ Nashville, @ St. Louis, @ Colorado

Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None

Notes
The Flames did not get off to a good start as they dropped a 5-2 decision to the lowly Vancouver Canucks Wednesday. Mike Smith gave up four goals on only 22 shots. Elias Lindholm started the season on the top line with Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau but his minus-four rating against Vancouver will change things in a hurry. The Flames dealt Brett Kulak to Montreal and received defensemen Matt Taormina and Rinat Valiev in return.   Juuso Valimaki, the 16^th overall pick in 2017, made the Flames final roster. He has good offensive skills and should have fantasy value eventually. Travis Hamonic missed practice on Thursday with an undisclosed injury after getting into a fight the previous night.

CAROLINA

Games this week
vs. Vancouver, @ Minnesota, @ Winnipeg

Rested Team: None
Tired Team: @ Winnipeg (Sunday)

Notes
Victor Rask is likely out for months as he underwent hand surgery just before the start of training camp. He was placed on the non-roster injured reserve list. Scott Darling will start the season on the injured list, giving Petr Mrzaek the opening night start. The Hurricanes picked up Curtis McElhinney on waivers from Toronto and he will share the net at this time. The goalie of the future is Alex Nedeljkovic. Martin Necas, the 12^th overall pick in 2017, has made the Hurricanes to start the season as has Andrei Svechnikov, the second overall pick in 2018. If both perform adequately this season, the future will be bright in Carolina.

CHICAGO

Games this week
@ Minnesota, vs. St. Louis

Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None

Notes
The goaltending woes of the Chicago Blackhawks continue as Corey Crawford is still hurt (but close to returning) as he has been out since December 23 with a concussion. Anton Forsberg was slated to start the season as the backup to Cam Ward but he suffered an undisclosed injury at practice Thursday forcing Chicago to recall Collin Delia from the minors. Dominik Kahun will start the season with Jonathan Toews, but he is not the Toews of old, especially fantasy-wise. Artem Anisimov is centering the third line with Chris Kunitz and David Kampf on his wings. Patrick Kane got off to a nice start with an overtime goal and an assist in the opener.

COLORADO

Games this week
@ Columbus, @ Buffalo, vs. Calgary

Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None

Notes
The Avalanche are expected to play backup goaltender Philip Grubauer once in the team’s first three games. He likely will take over from Semyon Varlamov at the beginning of next season if not sooner as Semyon Varlamov is slated to be a UFA as of July 1. Varlamov was good in the opener, stopping 20-of-21 shots for the win over the Wild. Nathan MacKinnon was back at practice and will be ready for the start of the season. Young blueliner Samuel Girard put on 15 pounds in the off-season and that bodes well for the smallish defenseman. He is someone to watch out for this season. Vladislav Kamenev, Anton Lindholm and Sven Andrighetto will start the season on the injured reserve list.

COLUMBUS

Games this week
vs. Colorado, @ Florida, @ Tampa Bay

Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None

Notes
Pierre-Luc Dubois starts the season on the top line with Artemi Panarin and Cam Atkinson on his wings. Ryan Murray (groin) played in the opener and that was great news for the Blue Jackets who will miss Seth Jones for the next three-five weeks. Coach John Tortorella was pleased with the effort of the Brandon Dubinsky, Boone Jenner and Josh Anderson line on Thursday. Dubinsky is a nice source of penalty minutes at center and could be the tops in the NHL at the position. Joonas Korpisalo received the opening night start and rewarded Tortorella with a  3-2 overtime win.

DALLAS

Games this week
vs. Toronto, vs. Anaheim

Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None

Notes
The Stars will start the season with Miro Heiskanen in their lineup. The third overall pick in the 2017 draft has tons of upside and should be taken in all keeper leagues. He may not be up to the task this season but he will be a top blueliner in the seasons to come. The Stars added to their depth on the blueline when they acquired Connor Carrick from Toronto for a conditional seventh round pick in 2019. Valeri Nichushkin was taken 10^th overall in 2013 and played three seasons with the Stars before bolting back to the KHL. He has returned after a two-year absence and while he is day-to-day with a lower-body injury, he should be fine for this week’s games. Ben Bishop opened the season with a 30-save shutout.

DETROIT

Games this week
 @ Anaheim, vs. Toronto, @ Boston

Rested Team: None
Tired Team: @ Anaheim (Monday)

Notes
The Red Wings are lacking in NHL talent at this time so good players like Anthony Mantha and Dylan Larkin will get plenty of ice time. Luke Witkowski should be looked at, if you are in need of penalty minutes as he was recalled by the Red Wings. Niklas Kronwall and Jonathan Ericsson are hurt at this time, so Detroit recalled Joe Hicketts. Tyler Bertuzzi is playing alongside Frans Nielsen and Michael Rasmussen on the second line but Bertuzzi and Rasmussen have also been playing on the top power play unit. Jimmy Howard should get around 45-50 starts this season with Jonathan Bernier getting the remainder this season.

EDMONTON

Games this week
@ Boston, @ New York Rangers

Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None

Notes   
The Oilers will return from Sweden where they opened their season on Saturday against the Devils and stay on the East Coast as they ease into their season. In a paper move, Ethan Bear was sent to the minors and then quickly recalled. Edmonton signed Jason Garrison to a one-year deal as Andrej Sekera is out long-term after surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon. Ty Rattie continues to impress and will start the season as Connor McDavid’s winger.  Milan Lucic will look to Improve on a 10 goal, 34 point performance from last season. Kris Russell is on the injured reserve list but did practice Thursday with the Oilers.

FLORIDA

Games this week
vs. Columbus, vs. Vancouver

Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None

Notes
Henrik Borgstrom, who was on some lists for the Calder, was sent to the minors. Micheal Haley should be ready to go this week after a tough training camp where he had a lower-body injury as well as missing time this past week an illness. The Panthers continue to stay in Florida this week with a couple of home games after starting the season in Tampa Bay. MacKenzie Weegar is expected to play in the opener on October 6 after missing action in training camp with a shoulder injury. He should be a third pairing on the blueline.

LOS ANGELES

Games this week
@ Winnipeg, @ Montreal, @ Ottawa

Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None

Notes
The Kings head to Canada where they begin a four-game road trip that will end in Toronto on October 15. A big surprise out of training camp is that Jaret Anderson-Dolan has made the final roster. The 19-year-old had 40 goals and 91 points last season in the WHL and was considered a longshot to make the squad but lo and behold there he will be on opening night. Ilya Kovalchuk will start the season on a line with Anze Kopitar and Alex Iafallo. Iafallo is taking the place of Dustin Brown who is out indefinitely with a broken finger. Derek Forbort returned to action on Saturday and is in line to start the season on opening night. Adrian Kempe is expected to start the season on the first power play in front of the net, taking over from the injured Brown.

MINNESOTA

Games this week
vs. Chicago, vs. Carolina

Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None

Notes
Devan Dubnyk played well in a 4-1 loss to the Avs Thursday as he gave up only two goals on 38 shots. Alex Stalock will be the backup this season. Veteran Zach Parise was the lone goal scorer for Minnesota and it would sure be nice if he was able to score 60 points this season, something he has not done since the 2014-15 season, and that was the only time since 2011-12. The Wild added William Bitten from the Canadiens (giving up defenseman Gustav Olofsson) and he will start the season in the minors. The Wild are at home for both games this week.

MONTREAL
              
Games this week
vs. Los Angeles, vs. Pittsburgh

Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None

Notes
The Canadiens looked like a different team in their opener as they played Toronto tough and picked up a point on the road. Despite giving up three goals on 26 shots, Carey Price looked great in net, something that did not happen often in 2017-18. Third overall pick Jesperi Kotkaniemi set up Andrew Shaw’s power play goal for his first NHL point. Montreal needed help on the blueline with Shea Weber out of action and dealt for Gustav Olofsson from the Wild, giving up minor leaguer William Bitten.  Montreal sat veterans Karl Alzner and Tomas Plekanec for the opener.  

 NASHVILLE

Games this week
vs. Calgary, vs. Winnipeg, vs. New York Islanders

Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None

Notes
The Predators got their 2017-18 season off on the right foot with a 3-2 win over the Rangers. Colton Sissons led the way offensively with a goal and an assist but we cannot recommend him at this time. Pekka Rinne was strong as he attempts to forget a relatively poor playoff performance from last season. Ryan Hartman was expected to start the season on the injured reserve list with a shoulder injury but he was in the lineup Thursday. He should be a good source of 35-40 points and plenty of penalty minutes. The Predators picked up Nicholas Baptiste from Buffalo, giving up Jack Dougherty in exchange.

NEW JERSEY

Games this week
vs. Washington, vs. San Jose

Rested Team: v. Washington (Thursday)
Tired Team: None

Notes
The Devils return home from their adventures in Europe to play a couple of games at home. Jesper Bratt suffered a broken jaw in practice on Thursday and that has to be the worst luck for the forward as he was going to play Saturday in front of family and friends in his native Sweden. The Devils signed Drew Stafford to a one-year deal. Cory Schneider will start the season on the injured reserve list as he is trying to return from off-season hip surgery. His return should be sooner rather than later. Keith Kinkaid will begin the season as the starter with Mackenzie Blackwood as his backup.

NEW YORK ISLANDERS

Games this week
vs. San Jose, @ Nashville

Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None

Notes
Thomas Greiss was great in stopping 45-of-46 shots in a 2-1 opening night win for the Islanders over Carolina. The Islanders look to have the same problem as last season in giving up too many shots and that will come back to haunt them. Mathew Barzal picked up where he left off last season with an assist Thursday on Josh Bailey’s overtime winner. Barzal is centering the top line with Bailey and Anthony Beauvillier while Jordan Eberle, Anders Lee and Brock Nelson will make up the second line. Lee was named captain of the Islanders.

NEW YORK RANGERS

Games this week
vs. San Jose, vs. Edmonton

Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None

 Notes
Henrik Lundqvist looked good in the opener as he turned aside 30 shots in a 3-2 loss to Nashville. Alexandar Georgiev will back up Lundqvist this season and likely see more action than previous backups under Lundqvist. Filip Chytil drew an assist in the opener while Lias Andersson who was drafted seventh overall in 2017 to Chytil’s 21^st, was sent to the minors.  Brett Howden, who was drafted 27^th overall in 2016 by Tampa Bay and part of the Ryan McDonagh deal, made the Rangers out of camp. He has some offensive upside but is not worth taking this season.


OTTAWA            

Games this week
@ Boston, vs. Philadelphia, vs. Los Angeles

Rested Team: vs. Philadelphia (Wednesday)
Tired Team: None

Notes
The Senators looked good on Thursday as they dropped a 4-3 overtime decision to Chicago to pick up a point but to be fair, the Blackhawks are not exactly among the elite in the NHL this season. Craig Anderson played quite well as he stopped 39 shots. Maxime Lajoie had a goal and an assist in his NHL debut. Brady Tkachuk missed the opener with a groin injury. The Senators had Bobby Ryan with Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel on the top line with Colin White on a line with Mark Stone and Zack Smith. Keep an eye on Alex Formention. He is fast (nearly Connor McDavid fast).

PHILADELPHIA

Games this week
vs. San Jose, @ Ottawa, vs. Vegas

Rested Team: vs. San Jose (Tuesday)
Tired Team: @ Ottawa (Wednesday)

Notes
The Flyers did something not too many teams did last season, waltzed into Las Vegas and knocked off the Golden Knights 5-2. Mikhail Vorobyev made his NHL debut in the game and picked up an assist with a plus-two rating. While he is not fantasy-worthy at this time, he could surprise if he sees any top-six minutes. Wayne Simmonds had a pair of goals in the opener. Samuel Morin starts the season on injured reserve and will likely be out until February as he underwent knee surgery for a torn ACL suffered during the AHL playoffs. Carter Hart, the Flyers goalie of the future, will begin his professional career in the AHL.

PITTSBURGH

Games this week
vs. Vegas, @ Montreal

Rested Team: vs. Vegas (Thursday)
Tired Team: None

Notes
Well, it was quite an offensive explosion in the Penguins opening game as they defeated the Stanley Cup champions 7-6 in overtime. It was stated before the start of the season that Kris Letang was not hurting and back to the blueliner he once was and that was apparent Thursday as he had two goals and an assist in the win. If he remains healthy, 70-plus points is within his range. Matt Murray continued his woes from last season in giving up six goals on 36 shots but did get the win. Keep an eye on Juuso Riikola, an undrafted 24-year-old defenseman who surprised many by making the final roster. Zach Aston-Reese will start the season in the minors.
 
ST. LOUIS

Games this week
vs. Calgary, @ Chicago, vs. Anaheim

Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None

Notes
The Blues play three games in four nights so expect to see Chad Johnson play once with Jake Allen getting the call twice. It was a rough start to the season for Allen who gave up five goals on 25 shots in a loss to the Jets. Alexander Steen was well enough to play in the opener. Robby Fabbri is skating and could return in a couple of weeks from a Grade 1 groin strain. He missed all of last season with a torn ACL and subsequent surgery. Oskar Sundqvist is out indefinitely following a cheap shot from Washington’s Tom Wilson which resulted in a concussion. Wilson got a 20-game suspension. Carl Gunnarsson is on long-term injured reserve with hip/knee problems.

SAN JOSE

Games this week
@ New York Islanders, @ Philadelphia, @ New York Rangers, @ New Jersey

Rested Team: None
Tired Team: @ Philadelphia (Tuesday)

Notes
The Sharks are on the road for all four games this week and play three games in four nights. Look for Martin Jones to play three games with Aaron Dell likely getting his first start of the season. Jones had his difficulties in the opener as he stopped just 10-of-14 shots to the Ducks. He will rebound. Keep an eye on Antti Suomela who led the Finnish League in scoring last season. It looks like the Sharks are going with a top-nine instead of a top-six and he will start on the third line which could bode well for his fantasy value. Joe Thornton was not injured in the opener. That’s good news for the veteran who has had major injuries in each of the last two seasons.

TAMPA BAY

Games this week
vs. Vancouver, vs. Columbus

Rested team: None
Tired Team: None

Notes
The Lightning start their season on October 6 and expect Nikita Kucherov back in the lineup after he suffered a lower-body injury in training camp. Ryan Callahan is working his way back from surgery last season to repair a torn labrum. He has been given the go ahead to start participating in contact drills. Look for a return in a month. Tyler Johnson has an upper body injury that forced him to miss the final two pre-season games.  He practiced on Thursday without a no-contact jersey but is still questionable for the opener. For now, Yanni Gourde with replace Johnson on the second line with Brayden Point and Ondrej Palat.

TORONTO

Games this week
@ Dallas, @ Detroit, @ Washington

Rested team:  None
Tired Team: None

Notes
Courtesy of Rotoworld’s Gus Katsaros, the Maple Leafs goaltending tandem of Garret Sparks and Frederik Andersen should be dubbed ‘Sparky Andersen’! The Maple Leafs looked tentative in their opener against Montreal but the John Tavares era got off to a good start with an overtime win. The strength down the middle showed as Auston Matthews had a pair of goals, Tavares had the other and Nazem Kadri had two assists. The Maple Leafs lost their depth in net as Calvin Pickard and Curtis McElhinney were both claimed off waivers by Philadelphia and Carolina respectively.  Still no report on the status of RFA William Nylander who is home in Sweden awaiting a new contract.

VANCOUVER

Games this week
@ Carolina, @ Tampa Bay, @ Florida

Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None

Notes
The Canucks are considered one of the bottom-dwellers this season but sure looked good on Wednesday in a 5-2 win over Calgary. Elias Pettersson had a goal and an assist in his NHL debut, scoring on a rocket of a shot past Mike Smith. He is exciting to watch and the Canucks are starting to accumulate plenty of young talent. Imagine if they get the first pick next year and get Jack Hughes to play with brother Quinn Hughes. Antoine Roussel started the season on the injured reserve list with a concussion.  Brock Boeser did not score in five pre-season games but did the same last season and still potted 29 goals in 62 games. He played alongside Bo Horvat and Sven Baertschi in the opening and the trio were each a minus-two with no points.

VEGAS

Games this week
@ Buffalo, @ Washington, @ Pittsburgh, @ Philadelphia

Rested Team: None
Tired Team: @ Pittsburgh (Thursday)

Notes
The Golden Knights complete their five game road trip this week with four games in the East including three games in four nights. Look for Marc-Andre Fleury to play three times with Malcolm Subban seeing the crease once.  It was not a good opening night for Fleury on Thursday as he gave up five goals on only 16 shots before he was pulled in the second stanza. The Golden Knights, who were so dominant at home last season, looked anything but on Thursday. They could be vulnerable this season and I would not be surprised if they were life-and-death to make the post-season. Nate Schmidt is having his 20-game suspension appealed by the NHLPA. In the meantime, he will head to Europe to practice.

WASHINGTON

Games this week
vs. Vegas, @ New Jersey, vs. Toronto

Rested team: None
Tired Team: @ New Jersey (Thursday)

Notes
The Capitals play three games in four nights this week so Pheonix Copley should get one start with Braden Holtby getting the call twice. The Capitals came flying out of the gate as the destroyed the Bruins 7-0 in Wednesday’s opener. Braden Holtby put last year’s poor regular season behind him with an opening night shutout while all the studs of the team Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, John Carlson etc. had big nights. A downer for the day was the 20-game suspension for Tom Wilson. The repeat offender was given the suspension for an illegal check to the head on Oskar Sundqvist of the Blues. It’s weird that his suspensions never take place for regular season misdeeds, rather pre-season and playoff hits. He will appeal. The story was different on Thursday as Hltby allowed seven goals in an overtime loss to Pittsburgh. The offense looks great but Holtby is still spotty.

WINNIPEG

Games this week
vs. Los Angeles, @ Nashville, vs. Carolina

Rested team: vs. Carolina (Sunday)
Tired Team: None

Notes
Connor Hellebuyck picked up right where he left off last season and stopped 41-of-42 shots in an opening night win for Winnipeg over the Blues Thursday. Patrik Laine had a goal and a helper in the win. Bryan Little had an off-season last year but is starting the season on the second line with Patrik Laine. Although he was pointless on Thursday, look for a better season from the veteran pivot. Nic Petan is still away from the team, a couple of weeks following the death of his father. It is unknown as to when he will return. Kristian Vesalainen made his NHL debut Thursday as he picked up an assist and was a plus-one. He was drafted 24^th overall in 2017. He is worth keeping an eye on.

The NHL Returns and here's how I see all the teams.

1. Tampa Bay – The deepest team in the league from the net out. Vasilevskiy is a top-three goalie, Victor Hedman, Ryan McDonagh and Mikhail Sergachev head a strong blueline while Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos, Yanni Gourde, Brayden Point, J.T. Miller and Ondrej Palat give the Bolts plenty of firepower up front.

2. Winnipeg – Can the Cup return to Canada after a 26 year absence? The Jets are a close second to the Lightning as they have a strong netminder in Connor Hellebuyck, a great top-nine up front with Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler, Patrik Laine, Kyle Connor, Nikolaj Ehlers etc. They have quite a good defensive corps headed up by Dustin Byfuglien, Tyler Myers and Jacob Trouba.

3. San Jose – The addition of Erik Karlsson makes them a contender as he and Brent Burns give the Sharks the best one-two punch on the blueline in the NHL. Martin Jones is a solid NHL goalie. The Sharks have a nice mix of veteran and young forwards in Evander Kane, Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture, Timo Meier and Tomas Hertl.

4. Toronto – John Tavares, Auston Matthews and Nazem Kadri form the best center group in the NHL and teams will have a tough time getting the puck from the top three lines. Toss in Mitch Marner, RFA William Nylander and Patrick Marleau and you can see why the opposition will have trouble. Frederik Andersen is a good goalie but the one point of contention is their lack of a stud on the blueline but Morgan Rielly could take a step forward. The Leafs will have a tough time coming out of the Atlantic which has three of the best seven teams in the NHL.

5. Nashville – They had the best record last season but lost to a young and improving Winnipeg team in the divisional final. Can they do as well this season? Pekka Rinne is one of the best but is a year older. Their defense is one of the best in the NHL with P.K. Subban, Roman Josi, Ryan Ellis and Mattias Ekholm. Arvidsson is one of the most underrated forwards in the league. Ryan Johansen, Filip Forsberg, Kevin Fiala and Kyle Turris are their best forwards.

6. Boston – Best first line in hockey with Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak. Jake DeBrusk, David Krejci and David Backes give them a second good line. The defense is good with Torey Krug, an aging but still effective Zdeno Chara and an up-and-coming Charlie McAvoy. Tuukka Rask is still a top-ten goalie and could be a top-five.

7. Washington – The Stanley Cup Champions have Alex Ovechkin to lead them. Backstrom had an inconsistent regular season before starring in the playoffs and the same can be said for Braden Holtby. Evgeny Kuznetsov is solid up front and Tom Wilson provides some scoring and plenty of grit. John Carlson leads the blueline. The question is whether or not the team partied too much in the summer?

8. Pittsburgh – Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin will always make them contenders as they are elite centers. Phil Kessel will have trouble approaching the career-high 92 points from last season. Kris Letang looks like he is ready to regain his spot as an elite defenseman again. Matt Murray was inconsistent last season and the Penguins need a lot better from him this season.

9. Vegas – The Cinderella story of sports. Can they come close again? My head says no but there is still plenty of talent. Marc-Andre Fleury and William Karlsson should come back down to Earth after unworldly seasons last year. But there is plenty of talented young forwards and terrific depth on the blueline. They could surprise again.

10. Columbus –The loss of Seth Jones for 4-6 weeks will hurt but Zach Werenski is ready to go and it was thought he would be out to start the season. Columbus needs a big year from Sergei Bobrovsky and Artemi Panarin who will likely be UFA’s at the end of the season. Cam Atkinson, Pierre-Luc -Dubois, Nick Foligno and Boone Jenner are nice pieces up front and the defense with Seth Jones and Zach Werenski leading the way is strong.
 
11. Anaheim – The Ducks are hurting now with Corey Perry, Patrick Eaves and Ryan Kesler out for various periods of time. John Gibson is a very good goalie who is getting better. The blueline has Cam Fowler, Hampus Lindholm, Brandon Montour and Josh Manson and that helps. Getzlaf is still the leader of the team with Rickard Rakell and Jakob Silfverberg helping out up front. The youngsters like Sam Steel, Maxime Comtois and Troy Terry will get an early opportunity to show their talent.

12. Philadelphia – The Flyers have plenty of young talent especially in goal where Carter Hart will start the season in the minors. The big question mark in Philly is whether or not Brian Elliott can to the job. If not, Hart will be up sooner rather than later. Claude Giroux had a career year and should regress. Jakub Voracek, Sean Couturier, Nolan Patrick, James van Riemsdyk and Wayne Simmonds are just some of the excellent forwards while Ivan Provorov and Shayne Gostisbehere lead a good and young blueline.

13. Dallas – The Stars have been an enigma the last two seasons. There is plenty of talent at forward with Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn, Alexander Radulov, and the return of Valeri Nichushkin. Jason Spezza looks to be done. The blueline has John Klingberg and a great rookie in Miro Heiskanen. The goaltending should be better with Anton Khudobin backing up Ben Bishop.

14. Minnesota – The Wild are veteran team with Eric Staal, Mikko Koivu, Ryan Suter and Devan Dubnyk leading the way. Staal is unlikely to repeat 42 goal season. Zach Parise looks to bounce back after two bad years and five average seasons. The future up front is in Mikael Granlund and Jordan Zucker. Matt Dumba took a big step forward last season. Dubnyk is better than good in net but the Wild will net a Herculian performance to go anywhere.

15. Los Angeles – The Kings got career years from Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown and still barely made the playoffs. Brown is out indefinitely to start the season with a broken finger. The Kings signed Ilya Kovalchuk and he will play alongside Kopitar. Jeff Carter should get back to the 30-goal mark after an injury filled 2017-18. Drew Doughty leads a very good blueline which includes Jake Muzzin. Jonathan Quick gives the Kings great goaltending.

16. Florida – Aleksander Barkov is the new captain and the real deal. He is joined up front by Jonathan Huberdeau, Evgenii Dadonov,Vincent Trocheck and Mike Hoffman. The defense features Aaron Ekblad, Keith Yandle and the up-and-coming Mike Matheson. Roberto Luongo needs to give them 50 games in net as the Panthers are old between the pipes with James Reimer as the backup.

17. Edmonton – Connor McDavid is the best player in the world. The problem is that he does not have enough talent around him. Leon Draisaitl is solid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is a nice complement to McDavid but they need Ty Rattie, Jesse Puljujarvi and Kailer Yamamoto to step it up. Milan Lucic had a terrible season last year and needs to bounce back. The blueline is okay but non-descript with Darnell Nurse, Oscar Klefbom and Adam Larsson the best of the bunch. Evan Bouchard is the unknown on the blueline. Cam Talbot must have a comeback season if the Oilers are to contend for a playoff spot.

18. St. Louis – Goaltending is always a question mark with the Blues as Jake Allen has had every opportunity to corral the top job but rarely rises to the occasion. Vladimir Tarasenko is a top player and leads the forward crew which includes Jaden Schwartz, Brayden Schenn, Alexander Steen and off-season acquisitions Ryan O'Reilly, Tyler Bozak, Patrick Maroon and David Perron. Alex Pietrangelo and Colton Parayko lead the blueline.

19. Colorado – The Avalanche came out of nowhere to make the playoffs after finishing dead last in 2016-17. Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen give Colorado a great 1-2 punch up front. Add in linemate Gabriel Landeskog and the Avs have a big top line. Tyson Barrie is their top defenseman but watch for Samuel Girard who has plenty of talent. The Avs could be vulnerable in net with the oft-injured Semyon Varlamov but picked up Philipp Grubauer from Washington to back him up this season.

20. Calgary – The Flames are one of the teams who could surprise or take a downward turn. Their trade with Carolina should help as they picked up Elias Lindholm and Noah Hanifin. Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan are terrific on the first line and will have both Lindholm and UFA pickup James Neal splitting time on the other side. Sam Bennett needs to show why he was selected fourth overall a few years ago. The defense is strong with Mark Giordano, T.J. Brodie and Travis Hamonic as well as Hanifin. Mike Smith is a veteran in goal but he is inconsistent.


21. Buffalo – This is a rising team. Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart lead the way up front. Casey Mittelstadt could be the top rookie in the league this season as could Rasmus Dahlin, the possible generational defenseman who was selected first overall in the 2018 Draft. This will ease some pressure on Rasmus Ristolainen. They eventually will be a great one-two punch but that could be a couple of seasons away. Carter Hutton was a UFA signing and needs to be good in goal for the Sabres to make the playoffs.

22. New Jersey – Another Cinderella team from last season as they came out of nowhere to make the playoffs. It helped that Taylor Hall was the Hart Trophy winner as the NHL’s MVP. There is talent up front with Nico Hischier, Kyle Palmieri and Marcus Johansson to name a few. The blueline was bolstered last season with Sami Vatanen coming over from Anaheim to anchor the defense. Will Butcher quarterbacks the power play and will look to repeat his offensive prowess from his rookie season. Cory Schneider needs to be better as he was unable to win a regular season game after December 29.

23. Carolina – Another team that could surprise. The biggest problem is in net with Scott Darling and Petr Mrazek but if they are unable to do the job, rookie Alex Nedeljkovic could be recalled from the minors quickly. Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen lead the way up front while Dougie Hamilton, who the Canes acquired from Calgary, leads a good blueline which includes Justin Faulk and Jaccob Slavin as well as Calvin de Haan.

24. New York Rangers – Four of the next six teams were original six squads. The Rangers start with veteran Henrik Lundqvist in goal but he is not the Lundqvist from even a couple of seasons ago. He is not a top-15 goalie anymore and may not be in the top-25 by the end of the season. The thing the Rangers have going for them is their talented youth, be it on the big club or in the minors. There is youth up front with Filip Chytil, Brett Howden, Pavel Buchnevich, Lias Andersson and Vitali Kravtsov and that bodes well for the future. The future is bright for the Rangers but there could be a couple of tough seasons.
 
25. Chicago – The Blackhawks received some good news as Corey Crawford is back at practice after not playing since December 23. The defense is old as Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook had bad seasons last year and it does not look like they are going to return to their glory years. The same goes for Jonathan Toews. Patrick Kane had an off-season for himself but is young enough to bounce back. Don’t be surprised if Chicago finishes last in the Central Division if Crawford is not great.

26. Montreal – The Canadiens would be a lot higher if they did not pull off so many poor trades, including dealing P.K. Subban, Mikhail Sergachev, Max Pacioretty and Alex Galchenyuk over the last couple of seasons. Carey Price had an awful season last year and needs to bounce back. Shea Weber was named captain but will be on the shelf until at least the middle of December after off-season knee surgery. They may have a stud in rookie Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Jonathan Drouin could be good but too many mistakes in the front office has cost them dearly.

27. New York Islanders -The loss of John Tavares to free agency hurts bad. Mathew Barzal takes over as the top center but it is doubtful he can come close to the 85 points from his Calder Trophy winning season from last year. The goaltending is suspect with Thomas Greiss and Robin Lehner and the defense has Nick Leddy and Ryan Pulock. The Islanders did well at the draft with Oliver Wahlstrom and Noah Dobson but they are still not close to making the team. It will be a long year on the Island and in Brooklyn.

28. Arizona – The Coyotes will start rising up the rankings but for now this is where they have settled in. Antti Raanta should give them NHL goaltending if he can remain healthy. There is a lot of young talent but the trade that brought Alex Galchenyuk to the desert will have to wait as he was injured in preseason. When healthy, they will be fine at center with Derek Stepan, Galchenyuk and Dylan Strome while Clayton Keller will star on the wing. Brendan Perlini and Lawson Crouse should have solid careers in Arizona. Oliver Ekman-Larsson leads the blueline with the injured Jakob Chychrun and Alex Goligoski supplying support. The Coyotes could surprise this season.
         
29. Detroit – The once proud Red Wings are re-building and it will take a miracle to make the post-season without buying a ticket. Jimmy Howard is a veteran goalie as is his backup Jonathan Bernier. Veteran Mike Green leads the defense corps while the loss to retirement of Henrik Zetterberg hurts on the ice and in the dressing room. Youngsters Anthony Mantha, Dylan Larkin, Michael Rasmussen and Filip Zadina (who was sent to the minors) provide some hope for the future but it will be a long time coming.

30. Vancouver – The Sedin era is over as the twins retired last season. As with many bottom dwellers, there is hope on the horizon as the Canucks have a plethora of young talent including forwards Brock Boeser, Elias Pettersson and Bo Horvat with goaltender Thatcher Demko waiting at the minor league level. Even on the blueline there is hope for the future with Quinn Hughes and Olli Juolevi. They should struggle this season but the future is bright on the West Coast of Canada.

31. Ottawa – The future is not bright in the Canadian capital as the Senators have been torn apart by trades and troubles in the dressing room. The real bad news is that they do not even own their first pick this season, giving it away in a trade that brought Matt Duchene to town last season. Duchene and Mark Stone lead the Senators up front and Brady Tkachuk is the future after being drafted fourth overall this season. Craig Anderson needs a comeback season and the defense looks weak even with Cody Ceci leading the way.

Anyways that the way I see it.

Ther're Baaaack

We are baaaaaack!

It’s another start to the NHL season and this is the first column of the regular season. There’s lots to look forward to this season including the return of Ilya Kovalchuk to the NHL after five seasons in the KHL, John Tavares in Toronto, Erik Karlsson in San Jose, Max Pacioretty in Las Vegas and so much more.

It will be interesting to see if the Golden Knights are capable of coming even close to last year’s Cinderella story (don’t think so) as well as how much damage has been done to the Ottawa Senators franchise.

There is a lot of information to get to so let’s get started.

WEEK OF OCTOBER 1-7


3 Games - Carolina, Chicago, New York Rangers, Toronto

2 Games – Anaheim, Arizona, Boston, Buffalo, Calgary, Colorado, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Montreal, Nashville, New York Islanders, Ottawa, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, San Jose, Vancouver, Vegas, Washington, Winnipeg

1 Game - Edmonton, Florida, New Jersey, Tama Bay

INJURIES

Corey Perry is out about five months after undergoing knee surgery. (Click here to see the rest of the injury list.)

Note: A tired team is one that has played the day or night before and is going against a team that did not play the previous day or night. The reverse is true for a rested team.

ANAHEIM

Games this week
@ San Jose, @ Arizona

Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None

Notes
The loss of Corey Perry will hurt the Ducks. Perry has lost plenty of fantasy value in the last couple of seasons and was having trouble keeping up in the faster NHL but he was still a big contributor on and off the ice. Nick Ritchie is one of two RFA’s still unsigned and the Ducks could really use him now with Perry out of action. Ryan Kesler (hip) is likely to miss the start of the season but he is skating. Patrick Eaves (shoulder) could skate with the Ducks this week and if so, will be back 7-10 days later. He missed all of last season save for two games with Gullain-Barre Syndrome so it will be great to see him back in action. Troy Terry is seeing first line action alongside Ryan Getzlaf and Rickard Rakell.

ARIZONA

Games this week
@ Dallas, vs. Anaheim

Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None

Notes
The big trade the Coyotes made in the off-season was to pick up Alex Galchenyuk from Montreal in exchange for Max Domi. Unfortunately, Galchenyuk suffered a lower-body injury in training camp and is currently week-to-week. Christian Dvorak is also out of action and that will give Lawson Crouse a boost on the depth chart. The Coyotes in the interim have moved their rookie sensation from last season, Clayton Keller, to the middle as Dylan Strome has also been hobbled by injury. Jordan Oesterle is someone to watch on the blueline as is Ilya Lyubushkin who had 73 penalty minutes in 50 KHL games.  Hopefully Antti Raanta will be healthy this season and provide the Coyotes with solid netminding.

BOSTON

Games this week
@ Washington, @ Buffalo

Rested Team: None
Tired Team: @ Buffalo (Thursday)

Notes
Torey Krug has missed training camp action with an ankle injury but was in the lineup Wednesday and should start the season healthy. The same goes for Patrice Bergeron who is expected to return to the ice on Friday as he has been hampered during camp with back spasms. The Bruins have one of the best lines in hockey with Bergeron centering Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak. John Moore could be paired with Charlie McAvoy on the blueline. Don’t forget about Ryan Donato. He played 12 games at the end of last season with five goals and nine points and should be a top-six forward by Christmas if not earlier. Anders Bjork has been unable to see any action due to injuries and his chances of making the Bruins out of camp are slim.

BUFFALO

Games this week
vs. Boston, vs. New York Rangers

Rested Team: vs. Boston (Thursday)
Tired Team: None

Notes
The Sabres are one of the unknown and exciting teams coming into this season. After missing the playoffs yet again last season and getting the first overall pick in Rasmus Dahlin, they finally have the stud defenseman every team needs. Add to that another rookie Casey Mittelstadt, who was taken in the first round by Buffalo in 2017 and is very highly regarded, and all of a sudden there is plenty of hope in the Queen City. The Sabres added sniper Jeff Skinner from Carolina, UFA goalie Carter Hutton from the Blues as well as Tage Thompson, Patrik Berglund and Vladimir Sobotka from St. Louis in the Ryan O’Reilly deal, and Conor Sheary from the Penguins. That is a lot of change and it’s for the better. Look for Sam Reinhart and Jack Eichel to have big years.

CALGARY

Games this week
@ Vancouver, vs. Vancouver

Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None

Notes
The Flames open the season with back-to-back games against the Vancouver Canucks. Matthew Tkachuk will likely start the season off with some penalty minutes in the two game set. The Flames made a big deal with Carolina, giving up Dougie Hamilton and Micheal Ferland while getting back Elias Lindholm and Noah Hanifin. Lindholm should be on the top line with Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau and that should up his fantasy value. Dillon Dube has had a great pre-season and could get a shot out of camp. That being said, he should start the season on the waiver wire in your fantasy league. The Flames inked James Neal as a UFA and he will head up the second unit. The Flames look like playoff contenders this season.

CAROLINA

Games this week
vs. New York Islanders, @ Columbus, vs. New York Rangers

Rested Team: vs. New York Rangers (Sunday)
Tired Team: None

Notes
The Hurricanes play three games in four nights to start the NHL season so look for Scott Darling to play twice while Petr Mrazek makes his Carolina debut. As mentioned above, the Hurricanes picked up Micheal Ferland and Dougie Hamilton from Calgary. Hamilton will get first power play time in Carolina and should get 15-20 goals and 45-55 points. Teuvo Teravainen and Sebastian Aho will once again lead the Hurricanes offensively. Warren Foegele has had a terrific camp and should make the team but his status to start the season could be in jeopardy as he has a two-way contract. The Hurricanes selected Andrei Svechnikov second overall in the draft and he is a goal scorer. Draft him high in big keeper leagues.

CHICAGO

Games this week
@ Ottawa, @ St. Louis, vs. Toronto

Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None

Notes
The Blackhawks start the season off with three games in four nights. Corey Crawford is still suffering the effects of a concussion that sidelined him on December 23 and has yet to play. Therefore expect Cam Ward to play in two games with Anton Forsberg seeing action in one. The Blackhawks had a horrible season in 2017-18 and missed the playoffs by a healthy margin so they need Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook to rebound big time. Patrick Kane also slumped last season but should get 85-90 points this campaign. Keep an eye on Dominik Kahun who has been skating on a line with Jonathan Toews and Alex DeBrincat. Gustav Forsling (wrist) is expected to be out until November.

COLORADO

Games this week
vs. Minnesota, vs. Philadelphia

Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None

Notes
The Avs surprised many last season by making the playoffs after finishing dead last in 2016-17. The big line of Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog. They made a great trade by dealing Matt Duchene and picking up rookie defenseman Samuel Girard among others. Girard will be a top-two defenseman in the NHL.  Philipp Grubauer will back up Semyon Varlamov this season and should get plenty of action with as Varlamov tends to be injured quite a lot. Tyson Jost needs to step it up this season. Alexander Kerfoot was a pleasant surprise in 2017-18 and hopes to build on his 19 goal, 43 point season.

COLUMBUS

Games this week
@ Detroit, vs. Carolina

Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None

Notes
This is an important year for the Blue Jackets as their top two players, Sergei Bobrovsky and Artemi Panarin head towards unrestricted free agency on July 1. Both do not seem to give an indication that they are willing to re-sign with the Blue Jackets at this time so Columbus has a very limited window of opportunity. A big strength of the Blue Jackets is their blueline with Seth Jones and Zach Werenski leading the way. Jones will miss the first three-five weeks of the season with a knee injury while Werensk underwent off-season surgery on his shoulder and could start the season on the sidelines. Pierre-Luc Dubois is looking to build on a solid rookie campaign and Cam Atkinson will attempt to hit the 30-goal mark again after only 24 last season.

DALLAS

Games this week
vs. Arizona, vs. Winnipeg

Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None

Notes
The Stars have disappointed over the last two seasons as hopes have been high in Dallas. This year is no different with Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn and Alexander Radulov leading the way offensively, while John Klingberg leads the blueline corps. All have big fantasy value and should be taken quite high. The Stars will put Miro Heiskanen in their lineup this season. The defenseman was drafted third overall in 2017 and is very highly regarded. His name came up a lot in trade rumors, especially when the Stars were interested in Erik Karlsson but the Stars would not part ways with the youngster. Ben Bishop should give the Stars excellent goaltending and they finally got away from Kari Lehtonen in net as Anton Khudobin was signed as a UFA, giving the Stars a solid backup.

DETROIT

Games this week
 vs. Columbus, @ Los Angeles

Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None

Notes
The Red Wings are not the Detroit team of old as they have missed the post-season two years in a row after going 26 straight seasons in the playoffs. They are a young team and got even younger when veteran Henrik Zetterberg called it quits earlier in the month due to back woes. They had a great draft as Filip Zadina, who many thought was the third best player in the draft, fell to them at number six. He is a scorer and should stick with Detroit out of camp. Add in youngsters Dylan Larkin, Anthony Mantha, Michael Rasmussen and Tyler Bertuzzi and the future up front for the Wings is strong. Detroit is lacking on the blueline and need some youth in net as Jimmy Howard is now 34. Don’t expect the Red Wings to make the playoffs this season.

EDMONTON

Games this week
@ New Jersey

Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None

Notes   
The Oilers play only once this week and that’s in Scandinavia, so there is only one chance to see the great Connor McDavid. Talk out of camp was that McDavid was better and faster than last season and if true, he should be close to the 120 point mark if he can remain healthy. Ty Rattie looks to be matching up with McDavid on the top line and if so, his fantasy value goes through the roof. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is slated to be on the other side and that gives him nice value as well. Leon Draisaitl heads up the second unit and look for Jesse Puljujarvi to take a big step forward and show why he was selected fourth overall in 2016. The blueline should be okay with Darnell Nurse, Oscar Klefbom and Adam Larsson leading the way. Cam Talbot needs to bounce back after a tough 2017-18 season and should get a decent backup in Mikko Koskinen who has returned after playing in the KHL for the last five seasons.

FLORIDA

Games this week
@ Tampa Bay

Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None

Notes
The Panthers are quite talented up front with the likes of Aleksandar Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau and Evgenii Dadonov as their top line, as well as Vincent Trocheck and the recently acquired Mike Hoffman heading up the second unit. Their blueline of Aaron Ekblad, Keith Yandle and the emerging Michael Matheson is also quite encouraging but they are old in net with Roberto Luongo and James Reimer. If the duo can hold it together one more year then the Panthers are definite playoff contenders, but if not, they could struggle Barkov was named captain of the Panthers at the start of training camp. Jamie McGinn is out indefinitely after undergoing back surgery.

LOS ANGELES

Games this week
vs. San Jose, vs. Detroit

Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None

Notes
The Kings received a couple of unbelievable seasons last year from Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown and that led them to the playoffs. After scoring 118 points over the previous four seasons, Brown had 61 points last season, a comeback beyond anyone’s expectations. Kopitar had a career year as well with 92 points, 11 better than any other year in his career and 40 points better than in 2016-17. The Kings signed veteran Ilya Kovalchuk and he should be the third member of the line. Jeff Carter missed most of last season with injury but he should return to the 30-goal mark this season. The defense had a re-birth from Jake Muzzin and Drew Doughty is still one of the best in the business. Jonathan Quick is a top-ten goalie, if he can stay healthy, which he managed to last season but not the year before.

MINNESOTA

Games this week
@ Colorado, vs. Vegas

Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None

Notes
The Wild are a veteran team with some youth sprinkled in. Eric Staal led the way last season and has proven to be a great signing despite a lot of pundits thinking he was finished as an elite player two seasons ago. He had 42 goals and 76 points last season. Mikael Granlund has been terrific in his last two seasons while Jason Zucker took a leap forward last season with 33 goals and 64 points. The Wild have been disappointed with the play of Zach Parise who looks to be well beyond his prime. A return to glory would be great news for Parise and Wild fans. The blueline is led by Ryan Suter but Matt Dumba had an outstanding season last year with 50 points. The netminding is solid with Devan Dubnyk between the pipes. Look for Jordan Greenway to possibly do some damage this season.

MONTREAL
              
Games this week
@ Toronto, @ Pittsburgh

Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None

Notes
The Habs are in a free-fall due to some more than questionable trades and the demise last season of Carey Price. If Price can regain his form (hopefully the Montreal defense will be a lot better) then the Habs will be competitive but a playoff spot is still unlikely. They traded away P.K. Subban and Mikhail Sergachev from their blueline in the last few years and that has hurt as Shea Weber has been injured throughout his stay in Montreal, while Jonathan Drouin seemed lost during most of last season. The trading of Alex Galchenyuk could hurt as he is a better player than Max Domi, who they received in the Galchenyuk deal with Arizona. Max Pacioretty is also gone from the scene as he is now a Golden Knight with Nick Suzuki the big piece they received coming back. The Canadiens did pick up Jesperi Kotkaniemi with the third overall pick in the 2018 draft and he should stick but it appears the Canadiens are in for a few bad years.

 NASHVILLE

Games this week
@ New York Rangers, @ New York Islanders

Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None

Notes
The Predators were the best team in the West during the regular season last year but could not get past division rival Winnipeg in the playoffs.  They return with a similar team and that bodes well as they are one of the best teams in the NHL. They are strong in net with Pekka Rinne and have Juuse Saros coming on to give them a strong backup. The blueline is one of the best in the NHL with P.K. Subban, Roman Josi, Ryan Ellis and Mattias Ekholm leading the way. The Preds have Ryan Johansen and Kyle Turris as their top two centers while Filip Forsberg, Kevin Fiala, Victor Arvidsson and Craig Smith fill out a strong top-six. They have Eeli Tolvanen in the minors but need to bring him back before he plays 10 AHL games or he has the ability to return to the KHL this season.

NEW JERSEY

Games this week
vs. Edmonton

Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None

Notes
The Devils were one of the big surprises of last season with Taylor Hall, the Hart Trophy winner, leading the way. They were a speedy team and some of their opponents were surprised by how good they were, especially early in the season.  There is a worry in net as Cory Schneider was unable to secure a victory after December 29 in the regular season but did so in the playoffs. He underwent hip surgery in May but it appears that he will not be ready for the start of the season. Keith Kinkaid was exceptional last season until the playoffs where he struggled. The Devils had a few surprises last season from rookies Will Butcher and Jesper Bratt but they may be regression candidates. Blake Coleman was a pleasant surprise last season, especially in goals and hits. Nico Hischier will look to improve on his first season in the NHL and should as he was selected number one in the 2017 draft.

NEW YORK ISLANDERS

Games this week
@ Carolina, vs. Nashville

Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None

Notes
The Islanders got hit and hit hard in the off-season as they lost their captain and  best player John Tavares to free agency and then to the Maple Leafs. That makes things a lot tougher this season, especially for Mathew Barzal who was the Calder Trophy winner. He had 85 points but never saw the opponents top defensive line as Tavares drew that look. It will be different this season five-on-five for Barzal and he may struggle to get to 70 points. The Islanders are weak in net with Thomas Greiss staying and he will be backed up by former Sabre Robin Lehner. The defense will be okay with Nick Leddy and Ryan Pulock leading the way. There is still plenty of offense with Anders Lee, Josh Bailey and Jordan Eberle as part of the top-six.

NEW YORK RANGERS

Games this week
vs. Nashville, @ Buffalo, @ Carolina

Rested Team: None
Tired Team: @ Carolina (Sunday)

 Notes
The Rangers play three games in four nights so look for the veteran Henrik Lundqvist to play twice with Alexandar Georgiev getting one start. The Rangers are in a big re-build and there is a plethora of young talent available including Lias Andersson, Filip Chytil and Pavel Buchnevich up front. Ryan Spooner was very good for the Rangers after he was acquired from Boston as part of the Rick Nash trade and should be a valued member of the Rangers this season. It should be interesting to see how well Kevin Shattenkirk returns from knee surgery this season. We think he should get around 50 points and should be worth a middle round draft pick.


OTTAWA            

Games this week
vs. Chicago, @ Toronto

Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None

Notes
The Senators are in shambles and could be the worst team in the NHL. To makes matters worse, they traded away their first round pick in the Matt Duchene deal and could lose out on Jack Hughes who is projected to go first overall in the 2019 Draft.  The Senators also dealt Mike Hoffman and the great Erik Karlsson away, both to San Jose in different deals but the Sharks quickly sent Hoffman to Florida for more than they gave up to Ottawa. Hmm. Matt Duchene and Mark Stone will lead the Senators offensively (if they are not traded at some point this season) and first round pick Brady Tkachuk looks to be the real deal. The blueline will be led by youngsters Thomas Chabot and Cody Ceci while Craig Anderson will look to rebound from a poor 2017-18 campaign.

PHILADELPHIA

Games this week
@ Vegas, @ Colorado

Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None

Notes
The Flyers start the season out west again this season but instead of three games in California like last season to start the year, they are in Vegas and Colorado. They are strong up front and on the blueline but could struggle in net with Brian Elliott and Michal Neuvirth okay goalies at best. They have a stud in Carter Hart but he has yet to play in the NHL and is only 20 so he should get some seasoning in the minors. Claude Giroux had a career year last season so expect a big regression. Sean Couturier exploded last season when given his opportunity and should get 70-75 points this season. Look for big things from Nolan Patrick in his second NHL season. The blueline is strong and led by Ivan Provorov and Shayne Gostisbehere. The future is extremely bright in Philadelphia and the Flyers should make the post-season, especially with some half-decent goaltending.

PITTSBURGH

Games this week
vs. Washington, vs. Montreal

Rested Team: vs. Washington (Thursday)
Tired Team: None

Notes
The Penguins are aging but still have Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin to lead them as they are two of the best in the NHL. The rest of the forwards are led by Phil Kessel who actually out-pointed Crosby last season as he had 92 to Sid’s 89. They need Jake Guentzel and Patric Hornqvist to be better as both failed to hit the 50 point mark. There are high hopes for Daniel Sprong but he struggled in training camp and will start the season on the fourth line. The blueline will be headed by Kris Letang who is healthy and should outperform his 51 points of last year. I like Olli Maatta as well and keep an eye on Jamie Oleksiak who should get 20-25 points and plenty of penalty minutes. The netminding will be handled by Matt Murray who struggled last season but won Stanley Cups in each of his first two seasons.
 
ST. LOUIS

Games this week
vs. Winnipeg, vs. Chicago

Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None

Notes
The Blues were busy in the off-season as they acquired Ryan O'Reilly in a trade from Buffalo and then signed UFA’s David Perron, Tyler Bozak and Patrick Maroon to fill out their offense. O'Reilly will slot into a top-two center spot with Maroon and Vladimir Tarasenko. That has the makings of a strong line. Brayden Schenn should have another strong season and theBlues hope that Robby Fabbri is healthy. Jaden Schwartz will be strong and the Blues hope to squeeze another good season out of Alexander Steen. Alex Pietrangelo will head up the blueline and should be a top-ten fantasy blueliner. The Blues could struggle in net with Jake Allen and Chad Johnson. Either do not give us any confidence between the pipes.

SAN JOSE

Games this week
vs. Anaheim, @ Los Angeles

Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None

Notes
The Sharks keep on improving and the trade that brought Erik Karlsson out west has to be one of the best ever in San Jose history. Their power play will be outstanding with Karlsson and Burns manning the point and Logan Couture, Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton up front. They are very strong at forward with Evander Kane, Tomas Hertl and Timo Meier expecting to excel. Add to that Antti Suomela who should be their third line center and capable of much more after leading the Finnish SM-liiga in scoring last season. The aforementioned blueline is also very good and adding the strength of Marc-Edouard Vlasic to the mix gives the Sharks a team capable of winning the Stanley Cup. Martin Jones is strong in net and will be backed up by the competent Aaron Dell. 

TAMPA BAY

Games this week
vs. Florida

Rested team: None
Tired Team: None

Notes
The Lightning head into the season among the favorites for the Stanley Cup and rightfully so as they are strong everywhere. It starts in net with one of the best goalies in the NHL in Andrei Vasilevskiy who was strong last season, his first as a regular in the NHL. They have a very good defense led by Norris Trophy winner Victor Hedman and he is backed up ably by Ryan McDonagh and Mikhail Sergachev who is only 20. The power of the team is up front as they are a strong group of forwards. Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov and J.T. Miller should make up the top line and the second unit is not too shabby either with Brayden Point centering Ondrej Palat and Tyler Johnson. Add in Yanni Gourde who had 64 points last season and you can see why the Lightning could be playing in June.

TORONTO

Games this week
vs. Montreal, vs. Ottawa, @ Chicago

Rested team:  None
Tired Team: None

Notes
The Maple Leafs open the season with three games this week so look for Frederik Andersen to play twice. The Leafs led the way in off-season signings by inking the great John Tavares to a seven-year deal. They lost a few players in free agency like James van Riemsdyk and Tyler Bozak but they are easily replaced as the farm system is deep.  In addition to Tavares up front, the Leafs have Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, Nazem Kadri and Patrick Marleau and also have RFA William Nylander who is at home in Sweden awaiting a new contract. The blueline is a bit suspect but Toronto still has Morgan Rielly and the improving Travis Dermott to lead the way, along with veteran Ron Hainsey. Andersen should provide good goalkeeping. The Leafs are also Cup contenders but there are still a few question marks surrounding the team.

VANCOUVER

Games this week
vs. Calgary, @ Calgary

Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None

Notes
The Canucks have a home-and-home series against the Calgary Flames to start the season and look for newcomer Antoine Roussel to make his presence felt right away with some fisticuffs. The Canucks lost their past last season when the Sedin twins retired at the end of the season but there is plenty of hope as they have a lot of young studs to build around. Elias Pettersson is one of the favorites (he is my pick) for the Calder and when you add him to Brock Boeser and Bo Horvat, you see why there is plenty of hope in Vancouver. Adam Gaudette will be part of the group as well but he was sent to the minors on Thursday for more seasoning. The Canucks have so-so goaltending but are relying on their goalie of the future, Thatcher Demko. He will start the season in the minors as well so Jacob Markstrom and Anders Nilsson will be in charge of the cage to start the season. The Canucks have young talent on the blueline as well but they will start the season in the minors or college as Olli Juolevi and Quinn Hughes are their future.


VEGAS

Games this week
vs. Philadelphia, @ Minnesota

Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None

Notes
Well, the Golden Knights will be hard pressed to repeat last year’s run to the Stanley Cup Final and do not be surprised if they are unable to make it to the playoffs as I expect a lot of players to regress, especially Marc-Andre Fleury. Of course, I thought they would be dead last in 2017-18 and they won the Western Conference. William Karlsson led the Golden Knights in goals with 43 after picking up only six in 81 games with Columbus in 2016-17. They had a strong off-season in picking up Max Pacioretty via the trade route and Paul Stastny in free agency. They lost James Neal to free agency as well. The Golden Knights will have a good blueline but will miss Nate Schmidt for the first 20 games due to a suspension for taking a performance enhancing substance. He is appealing.

WASHINGTON

Games this week
vs. Boston, @ Pittsburgh

Rested team: None
Tired Team: @ Pittsburgh (Thursday)

Notes
The Washington Capitals are finally the Stanley Cup champions! No one was happier than captain Alex Ovechkin as the team finally got the monkey off their back. The Capitals should be strong in net with Braden Holtby but he was mediocre in the regular season last year with a 2.99 GAA and a .907 save percentage, peripherals that put him near the bottom of the goaltending stats. He was great in the playoffs and that redeemed his season but there is some concern heading into the regular season. John Carlson was outstanding offensively with 68 points to lead all NHL defensemen and then inked an eight-year deal with Washington. Nicklas Backstrom was erratic last season as he had some lengthy slumps to go with some nice scoring streaks. His 71 points were a low total for him. Tom Wilson is a penalty minute machine and Jakub Vrana is due to break through. If not, he could be dealt.

WINNIPEG

Games this week
@ St. Louis, @ Dallas

Rested team: None
Tired Team: None

Notes
The Jets are also Stanley Cup contenders. They are outstanding in all areas of the ice starting in goal where Connor Hellebuyck seized the moment last year and never gave the net back to Steve Mason. Mason is now gone and Hellebuyck will be backed up by Eric Comrie or Laurent Brossoit at times. The blueline features Dustin Byfuglinen, Tyler Myers, Jacob Trouba and Josh Morrissey while up front, the stars are Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler, Patrik Laine, Nikolaj Ehlers and sophomore Kyle Connor. That’s a lot of firepower and the Jets are one of the top teams in the league because of their overall strength. They could easily be Western Conference champions (they lost to the Golden Knights in the WCF last season) and lifting Lord Stanley’s Cup at the end of the season.
Late Note: Comrie was sent to the minors so it will be Brossoit backing up Hellebuyck to start the season.