The Dallas Stars surprised a lot of people last season winning the Central Division with 109 points. They made it to the second round of the playoffs losing in 7 to the Blues without superstar Tyler Seguin. Now, there's hope that last season was just the beginning. While the forwards remain loaded, there are additional question marks on defense now and they still have the goaltending duo that led to their demise. Let's take a look at what they're working with:
After years of playoff struggles, the St. Louis Blues finally made a deep run into the playoffs in 2015-16, losing to the San Jose Sharks in the Conference Finals. This offseason, they lost their captain in free agency and traded one of their goaltenders while making only one minor signing. Health and true breakouts for the young cores will largely determine their fate this season. Let's take a look at the Blues roster along with their top prospects:
For the first time since 2007-08, the Chicago Blackhawks were quite mediocre. Yes, they finished with 103 points but they had a negative goal differential at even strength. That's simply not going to get it done and at this point, the Blackhawks are out of the first tier of teams in the NHL. It sounds crazy to say with the stars they have but man, the roster is incredibly thin after the top few guys. For fantasy, there's not much in terms of value plays but if you're willing to spend a high pick, you'll have your choice of some studs. Let's take a look at what Chicago is working with:
Last season, the Nashville Predators won a playoff series for the first time since 2012 beating the division champion Ducks before losing to the Sharks in 7 games. The first blockbuster trade for Ryan Johansen gave the Preds a bonafide #1 center while still maintaining a strong defensive core. Then in the offseason, David Piole pulled off one of the most lopsided trades ever acquiring P.K. Subban for Shea Weber. Now, the Predators are absolutely loaded and if Pekka Rinne has one of his good years, they're among the favorites to win the Cup. Let's take a look at what Peter Laviolette has to work with:
Insert 100 emoji! We're finally getting through the top 100 for the upcoming season which brings us to an interesting group of players. This tier is full of guys who are either high floor, low ceiling or high ceiling, low floor (low is relative to where they are being drafted). There are a few guys from this group that could reach the top 75 but for the most part, these guys are in a tier behind the players in front of them. Let's get right to it!
The Minnesota Wild are one of the most interesting teams to watch this coming season. They have a strong older core that is supplemented by an up and coming young group ready to make a consistent impact. Their defense is among the best in the league and they have a goaltender who has settled in as a true #1 goalie since his arrival. Add in the hiring of Bruce Boudreau, one of the best coaches in the league, and you have a team that could surprise in the best division in hockey (and it's not even close). Let's take a look at what the Wild are working with from top to bottom:
As far as top heavy teams go, the Colorado Avalanche may be at the top of the pack. They have their three young studs at forward leading the way offensively but then a bunch of question marks behind them. Same goes with the defense where they have a few strong players, some aging guys and more question marks. As I've talked about in this space multiple times, Patrick Roy was clueless behind the bench and he abruptly quit his job in the summer. He's been replaced by Jared Bednar who won the AHL championship with the Lake Erie Monsters (Columbus affiliate) last season. Bednar rose through the ranks and was a winning coach every season in the AHL and ECHL making me think the Avs made a fairly big coaching upgrade. The help of a system can only help the players so let's take a look at the players Bednar are working with:
Here is what everyone wants, more rankings! You can find my top 50 here and I hope to get through the top 100 by Friday. These are all still elite players, some of which have the potential to shoot up these rankings while others are declining but still worth this spot. Let's get right to it!
The Winnipeg Jets looked to be turning a corner in 2014-15 when they made the playoffs for the first time since moving from Atlanta. However, their goaltending fell apart and injuries piled up last season causing the Jets to struggle mightily, consequently trade their captain and bottom out. Luckily for them, they moved up in the lottery to the second pick to give them an absolutely loaded top 6. The Central Division will be a bloodbath but I expect the Jets to bounce back and fight to return to the playoffs. They have a handful of players I'm extremely high on so let's take a look at what they're working with:
The Washington Capitals ran train through the entire league last season finishing with an absurd 120 points. Like every other season in the Alex Ovechkin era, they fell short in the playoffs, although this time they weren't a prohibitive favorite despite their regular season dominance. They played extremely well only to fall short to their rival in Pittsburgh. They remain as loaded as before with the hope that some young guys on the roster find another gear. The Caps are full of fantasy superstars and others who carry plenty of value. Let's take a look at what they're working with:
To start the season, the Pittsburgh Penguins were a mess. They were sitting in the middle of their division, their studs were extremely struggling and the defense was lost without Kris Letang. The Penguins fired their coach, Letang sparked the entire team and the rest is history. Maybe the Penguins need to fire their coach every season, it's worked twice now! Sorry, Mike Sullivan. Anyways, the Penguins have a handful of superstars worry of a top pick in drafts, a few middling players and the unknown between the pipes. Let's take a look at the defending champion's roster:
It's finally that time! The season starts in just under 2 months so it's time to get the first set of rankings out. Today, I'll be posting my top 50 overall for the upcoming year. To save repeating myself, I'm going to limit what I write about guys who I had in my Way Too Early Top 20 to things that have changed for them, if any, and give more details on the other 30 players. You can find my original top 10 post here and top 20 here. Also, check out each team's previews for additional in-depth analysis. Let's get to it!
