And just like that, the regular season is over! Playoffs start on Saturday already and I can’t wait. As an aside, how the hell isn’t the full playoff schedule out yet? It’s 11:15 PM EST and we only know the start times for Saturday. Anyways, I hope all of you won your fantasy championships so you have full bragging rights for the next year. Today, I’m going to start my year in review posts, starting with my bold predictions. Before I get to them, two things… check out MarmosDad’s playoff pool post if you’re joining one, and join the Razzball Bracket Challenge! Links are below:
And with that, let’s give me some props and also laugh hysterically at how bad some of these went!
1) Matvei Michkov scores 90 points.
Well, this was a disaster. On one hand, I still am a huge fan of Michkov. He had over 50 points playing in a checking line role for the Flyers. The problem is that Tocchet put him in said role. He was a disaster this season, but I’m not going to lie, I’m almost certainly going to be back in next season. The talent is off the charts.
2) Jet Greaves is a top twelve goalie.
My first correct prediction! Despite Columbus’ collapse down the stretch, Greaves ended as the #7 overall goalie. You were able to get him as your #3 almost everywhere, so it was a huge win for Razzballers. I will say that I have a very good track record hitting on goalies that are outside the top 20 overall in drafts. Greaves proved that his small sample size from previous years wasn’t a fluke. I suspect that he will be ranked as a bottom end #1 for me going into next season.
3) The Los Angeles Kings miss the playoffs.
Man, this was looking good for a while. Even after they traded for Panarin, I still thought they were going to miss once Fiala broke his leg in the Olympics. Instead, they piled up enough overtime losses and took advantage of an easy schedule down the stretch to clinch with a couple games to spare. The reward is getting a beatdown from Colorado. At least it isn’t Edmonton this time? So close, unlike…
4) Evander Kane works his way into being a hold in all formats for the full season
So… yeah. The Canucks were terrible and so was Kane. He piled up his usual PIM and hits, but the goals and assists fell off a cliff, as did the shot rate. The only good news is that it was obvious pretty early on that he didn’t have it so we were able to cut bait early. And for those of you in deep leagues that took the plunge, at least he did crush the hits and PIM.
5) Cole Caufield finishes top five in the league in goals, scoring 45.
Yes! I sold Caufield short as he crossed the 50 goal plateau. “A full season of Hutson and Demidov is only going to help Caufield on the power play, and better depth should limit how much teams can focus on the top line.” And that’s me quoting me copying what Grey does! The first part was proven to be dead on. The second part didn’t, but it didn’t matter because the top line was that good. I’m fascinated by the Montreal – Tampa series. I get why Tampa is prohibitive favorites, especially with Dobson out to start the series, but I do find Montreal’s ability to matchup super interesting. They’re completely fine going best on best with Suzuki being the clear Selke favorite, so does Tampa try to hide Kucherov from them? Can the smaller guys withstand the beating Tampa will surely put on them? I can’t wait to see it.
6) Rasmus Dahlin wins the Norris Trophy.
Well, this actually has some hope. Elliotte Friedman and Chris Pronger both said that Dahlin is their pick. Since I have a +2000 ticket, I really hope they’re right! I do think Werenski and Seider missing the playoffs helps his chances. There will be people who vote Bouchard first because points but others who leave him off entirely for his gaffes. There will be people who vote Makar first because he’s the best defenseman in the league, but others who leave him off because he hasn’t been at that level this season. Dahlin started a bit slow, but he was absolutely dominant after returning from Sweden to see his recovering fiance. I can’t wait to be in the building Sunday over 15 years since our last playoff game at home, but I suspect that Dahlin thrives with the bigger stakes ,as he did in the Olympics.
7) Ottawa doesn’t have a top 150 player besides their big four.
That’s a failure. Cozens and Batherson easily got to this level as both finished around the 50th best forwards. Batherson has managed to improve every season in terms of his point total. Cozens is the one weak link defensively for Ottawa, but he crushed the power play and played all 82 games. Ottawa is a trendy pick to upset Carolina, and I understand why. Time will tell if I’m right, but I’m very happy that the Sabres are playing Boston instead of Ottawa. If Ullmark plays well, there is huge upside for the Sens.
8) Morgan Rielly is a top 15 defenseman.
Toronto was terrible, and Rielly was that bad too. I don’t even feel like talking about the Leafs. Here’s to hoping that they lose their pick to the Bruins.
9) Brandt Clarke is top ten in defenseman points.
Hiller never gave Clarke a chance. After the coaching change, Clarke did have 9 points in 14 games, but eventually fell off in April. I’m hoping they don’t keep Smith and a new coach unleashes Clarke. Like Michkov, I remain bullish long term.
10) Sidney Crosby gets traded at the deadline.
Well, I’m glad that this didn’t happen. It’s even better that the Penguins made the playoffs, and even better that they’re playing the Flyers. Do they deserve to be playing each other? Hell no, the system is a joke. Thanks Bettman! But I can’t wait to watch it. Crosby set the record with his 21st season over a point per game, and I’m sure as hell not betting against 22.
That’s all for now guys. Be sure to join the Bracket Challenge before the playoffs start at 3 PM EST Saturday! As always, feel free to ask any questions, leave any comments, or give any suggestions below. I’m going to have 3-4 more posts this month before I wrap things up for the season, so keep checking the site for those. Thanks for reading, take care!
