Pre-Season Ranking of All Teams (In Tiers)

Discussion in 'Leaguegaming Hockey League (LGHL PSN)' started by JClaus33, Oct 13, 2017.

  1. JClaus33

    JClaus33 Josh

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    Hi guys, back again for some more MEDIA. This time, a discussion started, asking my thoughts on the worst 5-10 teams this season, and instead of just doing a list, I thought it would be more appropriate to group teams in tiers. Teams could fall into multiple groupings depending on what exactly I come up with for tiers, but please do keep in mind none of these are personal shots towards anyone specifically, just my opinion on the possibilities that this season may bring. Enjoy!
    (P.S. the teams are in tiers then sorted alphabetically, so you can try and guess how I rank them within the tiers :) )

    Tier 1; The Cream of the Crop:

    Chicago Blackhawks
    Columbus Blue Jackets
    Dallas Stars

    These 3 teams for the most part share one common trait that no other team can match, and this is what sets them apart from the rest for me, and that is; High End Depth. Having star quality players on multiple lines makes these teams a headache to plan against no matter who you end up facing from their roster.
    I was a bit hesitant to group Columbus here, but there wasn't a lot of turnover from a roster that just won a cup, so I felt like they earned their place here, and no surprise seeing Dallas and Chicago amongst the top teams like always.
    __________________________________________________________________________

    Tier 2; The Contenders:

    Colorado Avalanche
    Los Angeles Kings
    New York Islanders
    Ottawa Senators
    Pittsburgh Penguins
    San Jose Sharks
    Vancouver Canucks
    Vegas Golden Knights

    For me, I had a hard time drawing the line here as I wasn't totally sure how to define contender, but I settled on teams that I thought with their current roster, could all win a cup, but also all have a noticeable flaw. For example, Colorado appears ready to jump into that top tier, and maybe they are, but they have an extremely inexperienced d core, and are really lacking that top guy. Maybe they expect @D_SPORS_5 to step into that role, or maybe they think @NorrisWinner (Jonfromearth) takes that spot, but the other teams in the tier above them don't have that question mark in my mind.

    The Islanders d core is...questionable at best, but they have 2 extremely strong forward lines.

    Ottawa is lacking proven forward depth, they may be the safest team of this bunch but they will be asking a lot of forwards who haven't proven themselves in the NHL yet.

    San Jose doesn't have a true game 7 d man, let alone having 2, @Lazy Pedestrian is solid but I don't think even he would call himself a top guy for a d core to have.

    Pittsburgh, I've learned not to doubt Niner, but quality forward depth is definitely something this team needs to improve on, because their defense will be top notch, they just need to find either a gamebreaking forward to put this team squarely into the top tier, or fill out their roster with a bit better depth.

    Vegas doesn't have any top end d men themselves, they do have a very solid team overall, but the defense could be exposed come playoff time, as they will squarely fit into the playoff picture.

    Los Angeles fits into the same boat as Vegas, the lack of top end d men could hurt them come playoff time, but with the forward depth and number of above average d men across the board they (we) should see themselves in the playoffs come December. (Probably a bit high on my own team, but I’m an optimist at heart, so sue me)

    Vancouver finally rounds out my true "contenders" tier, as I think they lack the true top top end talent but overall have a quite solid team.

    For the rest of these, I will be a bit shorter with my explanations, and if you feel I need to clarify something, don't hesitate to ask.
    __________________________________________________________________________

    Tier 3; Playoffs but Ringless:

    Anaheim Ducks
    Boston Bruins
    Calgary Flames
    Minnesota Wild
    Montreal Canadiens
    Toronto Maple Leafs

    These are teams that I see making the playoffs, but don't see as title contending teams with their current roster.

    Anaheim; Offense
    Boston; Defense depth
    Calgary; Lack of high end talent
    Minnesota; Good but not good enough- prove me wrong
    Montreal; Lack of quality depth (O and D)
    Toronto; Lack of quality depth (O and D)
    __________________________________________________________________________

    Tier 4; Bubble Teams:
    Detroit Red Wings
    Florida Panthers
    Nashville Predators
    New Jersey Devils
    Philadelphia Flyers
    Washington Capitals

    These are the teams I see fighting for a playoff spot right near the very end and potentially squeaking in, but I can't see any of them at the end of the season sitting pretty and not worrying come games 75 and on.

    Detroit; Depth both fwd and d but mostly fwd
    Florida; no top end talent
    Nashville; very difficult division + d core
    NJD; lack of top end talent
    Philly; look at their forwards
    Washington; Look at their forwards
    __________________________________________________________________________

    Tier 5; Not Happening:

    Arizona Coyotes
    Buffalo Sabres
    Carolina Hurricanes
    Edmonton Oilers
    New York Rangers
    St Louis Blues
    Tampa Bay Lightning
    Winnipeg Jets

    These teams I just can't see a scenario with their current roster where they wind up in a playoff spot. I don't think these teams are without hope (for the most part), but I just can't see a situation with the current squads where any of these teams are playoff bound 10 weeks from now.

    Arizona; Lack of talent, love the Morans as much as anyone, but counting too much on guys coming up and carrying
    Buffalo; Lack of NHL caliber talent
    Carolina; Quality Depth
    Edmonton; fwd depth + d core
    New York (R); defense
    St Louis; lack of NHL talent
    Tampa Bay; No high end talent + d core
    Winnipeg; D core + forward depth

    Please do keep in mind I don't dislike anyone and this is about as unbiased as it gets when it comes to outlooks on teams, so if you're upset that your team isn't rated higher, then improve it! Maybe this opens eyes to some management that don't see the holes in their rosters. (I didn't analyze goaltending too much, as I won't claim to be an expert on goalies)
    __________________________________________________________________________

    Bonus Tier!!

    Ready to Explode; (Teams that could totally blow up)
    Winnipeg
    Washington
    St Louis
    New York Rangers
    Florida
    Detroit
    Arizona
    Los Angeles
    Montreal
    __________________________________________________________________________

    Odds I make it through the whole season: 65%


    Hope you guys enjoy, I will try to keep the media coming on a consistent basis. Also, do note I wasn't around at all last season, so there are a few newer guys that I'm still learning and don't have a complete grasp on in terms of their skill level, so I may be a bit off in a few places, but this is my best prediction when it comes to the outlook of teams and the tiers they may fall in this season!
     
    Last edited: Oct 13, 2017
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  2. JTresatti

    JTresatti Kobe

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    Could be worse, I like bubbles.
     
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    Umm EDM is winning the cup sooooo you might want to re do this
     
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    Carolina has a better roster than people are giving credit for. They will be a playoff team, calling it now. I mean, they might make it on FF wins, but playoffs nonetheless.
     
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    Tampa might surprise a few people
     
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    @JClaus33

    Once again a very solid write-up! There's a lot of good teams out there & bad ones. Also teams that WILL implode & spent way to much on one player. As a player of the Tampa Bay Lightning :team21: we hope that we can make a valid push for the playoffs as we are expected to not make it. Keep up the solid articles & I am looking forward to seeing more down the road. ​
     
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  9. GonzoArmstrong

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    @JClaus33 - What exactly do you mean by "blow up" in the bonus tier?
     
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    One day people will learn the difference between shoutbox troll and team cancer :(.

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    MEDIA! MEDIA! MEDIA! MEDIA!
     
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    Winnesota in the wrong tier!
     
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    OdessaSteps I'm still your dad

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    I agree but we had that same problem in Florida last season and solved it...


    by winning in 6 (or losing in 5)
     
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