The NHL's Central Division saw the division winner from 2015-16 miss the playoffs last season, the 2016-17 division winner lost in the first round to the 4th place team who went on to make the Cup finals. Once again, the Central is loaded with offensive talent which is great for our fantasy teams. Reid and I talk about which teams got better and worse, breakout players, players who will regress and then our predicted order of finish for 2017-18. I even steal Reid's hot take by having the same take first! All of those topics and more on the latest edition of the Razzball NHL Hockey Podcast brought to you by League Safe!
You can get $10 added to your fantasy sports league's prize pool by going to leaguesafe.com/razzhockey
If I had to pick a team to break out this year like Columbus did last season, it would be the Carolina Hurricanes. They have an excellent young core in place, especially on the blue line, and now they may finally an answer in net. After being dragged down by a few different goalies (mostly Cam Ward), Scott Darling now gets his chance to be a #1 goalie. If his performance in Chicago is a predictor for the future, Darling should be just what the Hurricanes need to make the jump. Let's take a look at what Carolina is working with:
The Philadelphia Flyers were one of the most irrelevant teams in the league last season. That's not to say they were a complete bottom feeder, they certainly weren't, but they were never truly in the playoff hunt either. The majority of their top players had down seasons leaving them with the third most points of any non-playoff team 7 points out. Luckily for them, the lottery gods were on their side as they hit a 7.3% chance of moving into the top three in the lottery, and more importantly, a 4.6% chance of moving into the top two. In comes Nolan Patrick to add to their developing young core. Can their core members who are currently in their prime bounce back? Can their blue line be even average? What will they get in net? As Reid and I talked about in our Metro Division preview podcast, they are on the biggest wild cards in the league. Let's take a look at what the Flyers are working with to see if we have any answers for fantasy this coming season:
For a team that missed the playoffs last season, there is so much on the line for the Islanders this year. The team caught a massive heater towards the end once Doug Weight took over behind the bench but it wasn’t enough. Please, blog, may I have some more?
After a few minutes of talking about the solar eclipse, Reid and I get to talking about what everybody wants, hockey! Today, we preview the Metro Division. What teams got better and who got worse? We pick players on each team that we like to break out and regress for this fantasy season along with some sleepers that we like throughout the division. Things get wrapped up with each of us predicting the final standings in the Metropolitan for the upcoming season. Reid has a couple bold predictions! All of that and more in the latest edition of the Razzball Hockey Podcast brought to you by League Safe!
Use leaguesafe.com/razzhockey to collect your entry fees for your fantasy leagues and get $10 added to your prize pool!
Last season for the New York Rangers was both a success and disappointment. The Rangers were the 4th team in a 4 team race in the Metro division last season but that was a huge boost to their playoff chances since that meant they would cross over into the Atlantic Division. After beating the Canadiens in the first round, the Rangers were upset by the Senators in Round 2. A few big offseason moves give the Rangers a different feel than in the past. Off went mainstays Derek Stepan and Dan Girardi, in comes Kevin Shattenkirk. A few forwards will be placed into bigger roles giving us a few potential value forwards. Let's take a look at what Alain "The Brain" Vigneault has to work with:
After the season from hell in 2015-16, the Columbus Blue Jackets took the NHL by storm to begin last season and never looked back. Their goalie won the Vezina Trophy, their rookie defenseman was a Calder finalist and a bunch of their forwards broke through in a big way. Now, they have some more young forwards on the way and made another blockbuster trade bringing in Artemi Panarin for Brandon Saad. Let's take a look at what Torts is working with:
It's finally time! After hours of writing and nitpicking one or two spots for multiple players, my top 50 overall players for this coming season are complete. This post is long enough so no need to right a long intro, let's get right into it!
We're back! After a month-plus hiatus, Reid joins me to start looking at the upcoming season. Today, our focus is on the entire Atlantic Division. We discuss each team through a wide array of topics. Which teams are better than last year, who is around the same and who are worse? What player(s) on each team is due for regression, either positively or negatively? In what order will the teams finish this year? All of that and more are discussed on the newest Razzball Hockey Podcast brought to you by League Safe!
You can use League Safe for your fantasy leagues by going to leaguesafe.com/razzhockey
It's nice to have a bunch of superstars and a lot of luck on your side. The Penguins became the first team in almost two decades to win back to back Stanley Cups. On top of their usual fantasy studs, they had a few wingers emerge that look at the verge of becoming elite fantasy assets. Not much has changed on the whole but hey, why change a team that keeps winning? Let's take a look at the Penguins' roster and see what they're working with for fantasy hockey:
Another year, another Capitals heartbreak. Once again, Washington had the most points in the NHL during the regular season only to lose to the Penguins in the second round of the playoffs. I feel pretty safe in saying that last season's Capitals was the best version of them all. They still remain one of the best teams in the league but they lost plenty of talent in the offseason and their window is starting to close. They have as much elite talent as anyone in the league but they desperately need some young players to produce to give them necessary depth. Let's take a look at what the Capitals are working with:
There were plenty of positives and negatives for the Buffalo Sabres last season. Injuries were a big reason why they stayed at the bottom of the Atlantic Division. Their defense was as bad as anyone's in the league. Sam Reinhart failed to take a step forward. On the other hand, they had the best power play in the league, Jack Eichel was outstanding and their goaltending, notably Robin Lehner, was excellent. Out went Dan Bylsma and Tim Murray, in comes Phil Housley and Jason Botterill. It's time for a return to the playoffs for the Sabres and they have the talent to make it back. How the team improves tactically under Housley and how much the defense improves will be the major factors. Let's see what my hometown team are working with:
