Here it is, sorry this took so long but I got lazy and then some trades happened, so it took a little longer than expected. Enjoy. Standings: 1. Dallas Stars 2. Chicago Blackhawks 3. Colorado Avalanche 4. Minnesota Wild 5. Nashville Predators 6. Winnipeg Jets 7. St Louis Blues ————————————————— Dallas Stars Forwards: B Dallas put together a pretty solid group of forwards for this season. @eastons17 @Kush-Demon_QC and @VegaRidge are all on contracts that are considerably lower than what they would go for in bidding. Expect all three of them to easily outperform their contracts. Next we have @H3ad--v--Sh0t d, who I know is very good but im not quite sure he’s worth 8.75 compared to some of the other players at that price. Nonetheless, with a great supporting cast around him he should be able to earn his keep. Next there is @ZVM93 otherwise known as the kid who made Piper retire. Jokes aside, he is alright for 2M and should definitely improve on his rookie season in which he struggled. They also have @x_Jedi_x420 who has been up and down throughout his career, and @Apperation who has been a standout AHL player the past 3 seasons. Overall, expect plenty of goals from one of the better offenses in the league. Defense: B Seems Chief has put together a pretty good defense to go along with the offense. Having @x Braydenn as GM gets you your go-to-guy on the backend, as he is considered one of the best in LG. @Pal_27_ himself isnt that bad, and is surely serviceable in a top 4 role. @dparans_ while overpriced, is still a good fit for the team. @stay_at_homed at 3.25m is a good signing considering what others had gone for in bidding. @Vikes and @kapxis are good quality 500k guys. It will be interesting to see if controversial draft pick @GOAT_Neal makes the roster, and if he does this might be one of the best defenses in the league. Jokes aside this group is definitely good, and should find itself having plenty of success. Goalies: B+ @drally20 is known as a top goalie on not only PS4 but Xbox too. His availability during bidding said 3 games a week only, but im not sure if that is true or not. Regardless, expect him to win most of his games and dominate while doing it. @IceBergzHD is new, as i think last season was his first. I’ve heard good things about him so I expect him to do just fine. Overall, this largely depends on how much Rally plays, the more he plays, the better chance this team has of taking the division. Players to Watch: @H3ad--v--Sh0t @x Braydenn @drally20 Chicago Blackhawks Forwards: B- The forwards here are confusing, they have plenty of top line talent on good contracts, but they somehow still lack depth. Having @Kraz18 as GM gets you a bona fide 1st liner, who has put up 85+ points in every season so far. Expect him to continue that trend as he will find himself playing with other LG elites such as @Class_Act_27 and @Serpe x 13. The Hawks also have @Hriiz on a steal of a contract at just 1.25m, which is a whole lot less than what he would go for in bidding. Expect all of them to do very good this season. After that, the talent drops off considerably, although @nismo_l18l is a good 500k signing. They paid 2.75m for @Kash-kormier which i think is an overpay as he’s had average AHL numbers and has never played a full NHL season. They do have @brothers1873_ in the AHL, and he had success in his short stint in the NHL before heading off to summer camp. Overall, lack of depth hurts the grade but the top talent hey have saves it at the same time. Defense: B- The defense here is looking solid. Owner @Desjy99 will be starting his sixth (6th!!) season as a member of the Blackhawks, and I expect him to dominate as he has the past five. They also have controversial 5m dollar man @Desyd19 to form a Desyd-Desjy D-pairing (Try to say that 5 times fast). Expect that pair to win alot of games together as they are both good defensemen. Elsewhere they have @KyleY12 who should prove to be a good signing at 4m. Ive heard Kyle is a nice young lad and hes also decent at the sticks so he should live up to that contract. They’ve also got @TheKaner_88 who i think they may have overpaid for a tad, as he hasnt really done much at the NHL level yet. Those two I haven’t seen much of on defense so i cannot really comment on there skill, but their stats are average at best. Overall, this defense is good but nothing special, expect them to be solid for the entire season. Goalies: A- Welcome to Golf Galaxy. @Kerns-_- is well known as arguably the best goalie in the game, and many consider him the GOAT, which is fair. So obviously expect him to dominate as he has pretty much every season. He will be the first to tell you how great he is (He will probably scold me for not talking about it enough) so I don’t think i need to explain any farther. @Back342 will take the 2nd goalie spot, he’s mostly a smallies goalie if i remember correctly, but I have seen him do some things in 6s. He’s an okay goalie and he will do just fine behind this team. With Kerns in net expect very few goals against this Blackhawks team. Players to Watch: @Hriiz @Desyd19 @Kerns-_- Colorado Avalanche Forwards: B- Seems Colorado has a good balance of top talent and depth this season. @lmaoBBK and @xTheGreatMP7 are likely to have huge seasons, as they will be counted on as the 1st line for this team. @xNav61 is a guy who talks a big game so we will see if he can back up his words and improve on the good season he had on the powerhouse NJ team last season. Also among the forwards is @XGeneral420X who had a decent rookie campaign, and @Kuzy--92-- who I’ve heard is a steal at 500k, yet his stats from previous seasons suggest nothing that good. Draft pick @nickyP1999 will surely make the roster after a monster season in the CHL, and that gives this team yet another weapon on offense. Overall, a good group of forwards that should score plenty of goals. Defense: B- There are alot of people not sold on Colorado’ defense but they are more solid than you think. They recently called up @D_SPORS_5 from the AHL at 7m, while i know nothing of this guy they are putting alot of faith in him and hopefully he can earn his keep. Owner @CoUnTeR-AtTaCk43 is back after a successful first season at D, and although he is criticized a bit he should be effective in a 2nd or 3rd pairing. First round draft picks @Cwooks and @NorrisWinner aka JonFromEarth will both be counted on to have big rookie seasons, and from playing with or against both, I think they are plenty good enough to do it. Overall, a defense that looks pretty solid throughout and it should be able to hold off much of the competition this season. Goalies: A- @xUnknown_31 isn’t really unknown anymore. You may know him as chuck or even fish265, but regardless of the name you surely know him as one of the best G’s in the game. He dominated in his first season, and will likely do the same this season, expect him to be in Vezina voting. Draft pick @Cage will fill the 2nd goalie spot, and having played with him in club a few times i can confidently say he is good. He also gets to play behind a solid team so expect him to look very good in his rookie season. Overall, this duo will win Colorado a ton of games. Players to Watch: @lmaoBBK @D_SPORS_5 @xUnknown_31 Minnesota Wild Forwards: B- Perhaps one of the deepest forward groups in the league, this team will have three lines that can all win on any given night. The two big guys here are @Marner-- aka Kadri and @TGil36 both at 6.5m. In todays market those arent bad prices, but they did overpay somewhat. Having both on my VG team I can say they both are more than capable of taking on 1st line duties for this team. Next they have Selke winner and fan favorite @HJHF14 on a steal of a contract at 1m. HJ doesnt put up many points, but he’s a glitch on faceoffs and he is one of the best defensive C’s in the league. @RBCressor @SiDD_05 @Holy_Coley and @Vish_b are all great depth at cheap prices. Overall, a very deep forward group who i expect to win alot, however, lack of true top line talent will hurt them against the strongest lines. Defense: C+ Leading the pack here is controversial Norris winner, and GM @Bo-Dangles10 who has had two great seasons thus far. Expect him to dominate yet again, and find himself in Norris voting for the 3rd season in a row. @Hardik88 is the highest paid player on the team at 7m, and based off his stats thats just about what he is worth as he has been a constant winner throughout his LG career. Owner @Suter_I20I aka Agger has made the switch to defense this season and based off some club games against him he should do alright. @oSUPAHSTARo and @brvsfan4 provide some decent depth, as they have had some success in the NHL. Overall, a sturdy defense that should do just fine, however in a tough division like this one you never know what can happen. Goalies: B- @Shmucked is a good goalie who I’ve seen absolutely stand on his head at times. Other times I have seen him let in three blue line 5-hole shots. Nontheless, he is a solid goalie and should do good behind a solid team. @bNYCe83 is a decent goalie who has had succes at the AHL level, and so he should be pretty good as he always has had good numbers. Overall, this duo should be able to get Minnesota into the playoffs, and who knows what can happen after that. Players to Watch: @HJHF14 @Bo-Dangles10 @Shmucked Nashville Predators Forwards: C+ The Preds definitely have some talent here, but im just not too convinced on them in a division like this one. They paid 16.25m for the duo of @vxWoytkiw8xv and @XxJusT4TheShoWxX which not bad but also not great because that costs them depth. Expect both of them to lead this offense as true first-liners. Next they have @H2O Fluri at 5.25m which may turn out to be an overpay, as the guy hasnt played PSN since S1 and has average stats on Xbox. GM @x-RECKI-x is better known as a G these days but hes more than capable at forward as well. Vibez also brought up a trio of forwards from his Calder Cup winning Moose in @LaFamiglia15 @gohawks48 and @nylander-_-62. MafiaMan will find success I think, but I dont see the others’ game translating too well to the tougher competition there is in the NHL. Overall, a decent forward group that will be able to hold its own for the most part, but probably will get exposed against better lines. Defense: D All that spending on forwards really hurt them on defense. Maybe i just dont know these guys, because i dont really recognize a single one aside from @Zubov_x_21 and @jaZz134. @calmblueicex has put together a few good seasons, as has xxrynoe. Habsdan is coming off a good season with the Preds last season which saw him rack up 16 wins. Vibez really isnt a good player anywhere, no offense to him, so i expect him to shelter himself behind a good forward line, or perhaps he will just place him self on the third and call it a day. Overall, all the money spent on forwards cost them on defense, with no top line talent or even noticeable 2nd line talent, expect the defense to be weak. Goalies: B+ With @DoubleZERO33 recently being shipped over, this team gets the consistent goaltending it will need to stay relevant in this division. DZ had a bit of an off season in S5 but before that he was one of the best Gs LG had to offer. Expect him to come back strong, but his numbers may not reach S4 heights with such a mediocre defense. @x_2-Domi-8_x is another one of Vibez’ AHL guys he brought up, and he is the self-proclaimed best goalie in the game. His numbers are good and hes pretty good in club so he has potential, but with this defense he may see some struggles. Players to Watch: @vxWoytkiw8xv @Zubov_x_21 @DoubleZERO33 Winnipeg Jets Forwards: C The forwards here arent anything at all to get excited about. They do have @PenguinsHockey__ who was unreal in S4, but came back down to earth in S5. He is a good player and should serve as the 1st line C. After that, they have @The_Blind_Ref at 6mil, which may be an overpay, but Ref is good and should be able to do some good things for this team. @Bossy_22_ is an xbox guy who has some legit stats, we will see if he can translate that to the PSN side of things. They also have good depth signings in @Timyz7 and @Sfic16 under 1m. @xXLikeABOSSXx92 himself is good for 40-50 points or more. Overall, just a lackluster group, although they are not the worst they wont be outscoring many opponents. Defense: D It will be a long season in the Peg i think. The defense here looks pretty bad, as they lack anyone that could be considered “good”. Just a whole bunch of average to below average players, so i dont have much to say. @LikeASumbooodeh is an xbox guy who has some good numbers but i know nothing about him so im not sure if he is good or not. Overall, an underwhelming group of defensemen that wont do much good. Goalies: B @lx JoneZ xl is one of the better Gs in the game on both Xbox and PSN. He consistently has put up ridiculous numbers, but with this team he will probably end up going inactive or something. @TylerLOEKEY is one of my favorite goalies in this me, but hes not well-known as he has been in the AHL for the past few seasons. He is good, but wont be helped by this team, which is unfortunate. Overall, a good pair of goalies that will suffer on this team. Players to Watch: @Bossy_22_ @LikeASumbooodeh @lx JoneZ xl St Louis Blues Forwards: C They have some good forwards here for sure, but they also have two enormous overpays that will come back to bite the team. We will start with 8.5m signing @im just a squid who is coming off of 2 terrific AHL seasons. He is a good player but he is definitely overpaid here by a few million. Next is @Furdayzbuddy at 5.25m, which is also an overpay, he is good for sure, but he is not 5.25m good. They also have GM @Double_brah who is one of the more underrated Cs in the game, he is a great playmaker and also very good on draws. @WillRolltide has been a solid C just about every season thus fas as well, constantly putting up around 60 points. @Labrat @miguelzetterberg and @mapleleafs1981 all provide some depth scoring. Overall, definitely not the worst group but definitely not the best either, expect middle of the pack give or take a few spots Defense: C- Owner @Agent-PC looks to lead this defense after finally making the jump to NHL as an owner, and after a few very successful seasons in the AHL he looks to transition nicely into the big leagues. @JSILVERS is the big earner on this back-end with a 5m contract, and while it may be a bit of an overpay he is a good defensemen, just not someone i would call “1st line”. Elsewhere they have a few good 500k signings in @ImSikBoi and @VanishingPoint92. Overall, a below average group of defenders that wont steal them any games. Goalies: C @Ucantcme_kamakaz is a well known goalie if you play the game at all, as he usually is top of the leaderboards, meaning he plays a lot of chel. He has absolutely stolen some games from me and there are other times he looks bad, but altogether he is a decent goalie. @Krok-o-dill is a skater turned goalie this season, i havent seen him at all i dont think so i cannot really comment on his skill. Overall, no matter how these goalies perform this likely wont be a playoff team. Players to Watch: @Double_brah @JSILVERS @Ucantcme_kamakaz Thats it folks. Also, there may have been roster moves i missed so forgive me.
@Furdayzbuddy is an amazing player very overlooked especially being top scorer in ahl with a shorter season last season. Will be exciting to see how he carries his team. But overall I like your predictions.
Thanks for the mention, I have had connection issues with NHL 18 but I'll be switching back to a wired connection for the start of the season which should clear up the weak goals I let in on occasion. Great write-up as usual.
I'm stoked that all I have to live up to is being a decent depth signing. No one play first lines against me pls
