The NHL Season preview is winding down as Peter Klein gives his predictions for every team in the Eastern Conference. He goes team-by-team breaking down their projected point totals and giving his predictions for the upcoming season.
Apple Pod: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/couch-potato-diary/id1564122189
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3QgazeHcSKSteZbBIubcuM
Twitter: twitter.com/primetimeklein
IG: instagram.com/primetimeklein
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Couchpotatodiary
Twitch: twitch.tv/primetimepk
Email: couchpotatodiary@yahoo.com
We Had No Idea: every Wednesday morning,
instagram.com/wehadnoideapodcast
Apple Pod: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/couch-potato-diary/id1564122189
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3QgazeHcSKSteZbBIubcuM
Twitter: twitter.com/primetimeklein
IG: instagram.com/primetimeklein
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Couchpotatodiary
Twitch: twitch.tv/primetimepk
Email: couchpotatodiary@yahoo.com
We Had No Idea: every Wednesday morning,
instagram.com/wehadnoideapodcast
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Toxic, I'll get to the Flames thing in a bit here for sure, but yeah, we're gonna be talking
00:11Flames in a little bit, but we're gonna start with the point projections.
00:17I keep saying wins, it's not that.
00:19We're not saying, although I do feel comfortable in saying Boston's gonna get under 99.5 wins
00:23this year, but this is the point totals that we're gonna be running through.
00:27So like I do for every other sport, gonna run through each team.
00:30There's a couple that the odds just weren't there for, so yeah, just gonna run through
00:35every team over under on their point predictions, and then we'll give the playoff predictions
00:40at the end.
00:41Cool?
00:42Cool.
00:43All right, let's begin in the Eastern Conference.
00:44We begin, we're going alphabetically with the Boston Bruins.
00:48Their total is at 99.5.
00:50I have under.
00:52I just feel like there's a little tumult in Boston right now with what's going on with
00:56the goal tending situation, and all of those sorts of things.
01:00It just, it feels concerning that they don't have their goalie locked up, and they seem
01:05to be fighting with him now.
01:06Also, I know, the last like three years, you know what?
01:11This is the year Boston falls.
01:12You know what?
01:13This is when Boston, this is gonna be the time Boston Bruins gonna completely collapse
01:17and fall apart.
01:18This is gonna be the year.
01:20And then it ends up, ends up not being the year.
01:23But I do think that this is going to be a team that doesn't get to 100 points this year.
01:27I think adding Lindholm and adding Zdorov are good pieces, but like, Lindholm kind of
01:33saved his value with a really good postseason last year, but he was not very good in the
01:38regular season.
01:40Zdorov is an upgrade for a bit, but again, I think that they're going to be asking maybe
01:44a little bit too much of him.
01:46And so I just, I don't see this as being the year that Boston rockets again to the top
01:50of the standings.
01:51The Buffalo Sabres.
01:53I have them under 89.5.
01:55This is absolutely a team that I have bought in on before.
02:01I think this has the potential to be one of the best blue lines in the NHL.
02:04I have questions about the goaltending, and I have questions about where the other goals
02:08are coming from.
02:09Tadej Thompson is obviously a beast, I just don't know if they have added enough around
02:14him to create the offense that's going to be needed in a really, really competitive
02:19Eastern Conference to be able to take that step and move forward.
02:23So I have Buffalo coming in under 89.5 this year.
02:27Carolina, 100.5, I have them over.
02:30I was saying, like, once they were done, like, hey, watch out, because they're going to lose
02:35some pieces.
02:36And this is not a team that I think maybe, this is a team that maybe takes a step back.
02:40But I do think that they kind of weathered that storm a little bit with a couple of the
02:45moves that they made, bringing in guys like Walker and all of that.
02:48And then, like, you keep that core with Aho, and all of those guys around.
02:53This is still a very talented hockey team.
02:55I do have concerns about the goaltending, I do think they have the best coach in the
02:58league, but I…
03:01I think that they lost quite a few big pieces, but it was pieces from a blue line that was
03:07kind of stacked.
03:08And now they just have a regular blue line.
03:10But still, a lot of very good, very talented players.
03:13So I have Carolina going over 100 and, um, yeah, 100.5.
03:18Columbus there was no win total for.
03:19I think there's some pretty obvious distractions out in Columbus, given everything that happened
03:25with Johnny Goudreau.
03:27I think that this could be a very difficult year for them.
03:30I was a little skeptical on the team anyway, and then all of that happened.
03:37And so I just, I…
03:40You can absolutely understand it, but I don't think this is going to be a great year out
03:46in Columbus.
03:47I mean, yeah, like it's, it is a very difficult situation, and it feels glib to be analyzing
03:54what Johnny Goudreau not being there means from a hockey standpoint, because it's obviously
03:59a very emotional, very raw story.
04:02But I mean, again, from a hockey standpoint, like, he's not going to be there.
04:07Lyonnet is gone.
04:08Monaghan is there, but he's been banged up.
04:10I like a lot of the young pieces, but I think this kind of…
04:15I think things have shifted dramatically out there for very, very obvious reasons.
04:19The Detroit Red Wings.
04:20I have them over 89 and a half.
04:22They were right there on the cusp of a playoff spot last year.
04:25I like so many of their pieces, and I get, they have had a contentious offseason with
04:30some of their players as well, but there is, I just think, so much young talent on this
04:35hockey team.
04:36Debrinkit, that start that he got off to last year, and then things cooled off a little
04:40bit, but I do think that there is a lot of really high-end talent with this group, and
04:44I think they're going to be able to finally break through and make it back into the postseason.
04:49The Florida Panthers.
04:50Their total is at 101.5.
04:52I have them going over that.
04:55I get that they lost Montour, I get that their offseason was like 45 minutes, and so maybe
04:59there is a bit of a hangover, and they kind of go the Kansas City Chief route from last
05:04year where, yeah, we're just going to, let's just get in, we're not going to battle for
05:08the President's Trophy or anything like that, let's just kind of ease our way in,
05:12make sure we can make it into the playoffs, and then do our damage there.
05:14But they still have a very good goaltending situation, obviously.
05:19Ekblad and Forsling aren't gone, Montour leaving does suck, but this is still an incredibly
05:24deep forward group as well, with Kachuk, Verhege, Barkov, all of those guys, so this is still
05:30a team that is not to be messed with, and still one of the best teams in the National
05:35Hockey League.
05:36I mean, in the previews before here, having them as the most talented team in the NHL.
05:42Kind of have to pick over on them, don't I?
05:44Up next, Montreal.
05:45I have them going over, admittedly, throughout the entire preview process, been banging the
05:51drum on Montreal, and today was going to be the big, like, yeah, this team, this team
05:55is for real, here we go.
05:56But losing Lyonnet and Reinbacher, and the injuries that they have had so far, does kind
06:01of slow that momentum down a little bit.
06:04But I do still think that there is another level that Caulfield can get to, and I do
06:08still think that, assuming Jacai doesn't get suspended for the year for violently attacking
06:15everyone who he plays against in the preseason, I do think that there are steps that are going
06:20to be made from their blue line.
06:23The biggest key is going to be in goal.
06:26One of those guys has to figure it out, and obviously, like, I think they were getting
06:30there.
06:31Like, I think they have put together some pretty good performances, but I do think one
06:34of those guys kind of needs to figure it out now.
06:36Up next, it is the New Jersey Devils.
06:38I have them going over 100.5.
06:40I have said before that this team, again, they add Shea, they add Markstrom, Hughes
06:45with that injury before preseason started sucks, but, I mean, the offensive talent is
06:51OBVIOUSLY there.
06:52They just couldn't get any stops last year, and they gave up a boatload of scoring opportunities.
06:57Well now Ducky Hamilton's back, Brady Shea is there, and Jacob Markstrom SHOULD be awesome,
07:02so I'm going to go over 100.5 on the Devils.
07:06Next, it's the Islanders at 91.5.
07:09I continue to underestimate this team, and that rolls into this season as well, because
07:15I just, and it's basically the exact same team as last year, and I still just don't
07:22see it.
07:23And I think part of what happened last year is that this is, it's not a veteran group,
07:27but it is a well-tested organization.
07:31And as the game started to get a little bit more important, and all of a sudden Detroit's
07:35dropping big games, and Montreal is dropping, or not Montreal, sorry, but Buffalo's dropping
07:39big games, and all of those teams, they just kind of stayed the course.
07:44And so this isn't so much a, I think the Islanders are going to fall off, but I do think, like
07:47Detroit's better.
07:48Obviously I think Montreal's going to be better, I think the Devils are going to be better,
07:50and so I just think a few teams have kind of leapfrogged them a little bit, and that's
07:54going to knock them back.
07:55They do have pieces I like, like Barzel is really fun, Bo Horvat, I would take him on
07:59my team a million times out of ten.
08:01I am a huge fan of his.
08:02They have a couple guys on the blue line that you like as well, but I'm just, I'm not there
08:07with them.
08:08Up next, it is the New York Rangers.
08:10Their total is at 100.5.
08:13I am there with this Rangers team, and we talked about it, I think one of the keys for
08:18this group this year is going to be the play of Kapo Kako.
08:21If he can be someone who we all thought he was going to be when he was taken in the,
08:26he was second overall, right?
08:28I think that this is, all of a sudden, an incredibly dynamic team.
08:31It already is.
08:32You know the big pieces, right?
08:33Panarin, Zibanejad, Kreider, Fox, like, just, silly.
08:40Silly talented hockey team.
08:41Up and down the lineup.
08:43Then, you get the playoff experience of Lafreniere.
08:46I think they built out their bottom six really effectively to just have a deep team that
08:52is difficult to play against that can also play with a lot of speed and talent, and Lafreniere
08:57really kind of is the cherry on top of that.
08:59And if Kako can be, can kind of take a step here, then that is 100% a team that can go
09:05out and win the Stanley Cup.
09:07Ottawa, up next.
09:08I have them under 90.5.
09:11I think they think they figured out the goaltending situation, and maybe they did, with going
09:16out and getting Lymark, but, or sorry, Almark.
09:19Linus Almark.
09:20Oh yeah, Lymark.
09:22But getting Almark, I think that does solidify the goaltending spot a little bit.
09:27And this is, this is a flaw of mine, and I have addressed it.
09:31Anytime we do an accountability thing, it's like, yeah, you know what, like, they made
09:33a move I didn't agree with, that doesn't mean the whole organization's going to shit.
09:36That being said, they got fucking boat raced on that Jacob Chikorin trade, and just annihilated
09:45in that deal.
09:46And so, I just, I can't, I can't get there with this team.
09:50I want to, but I can't.
09:53Maybe if Norris is healthy, you can maybe get there.
09:57But, I'm just, there's still something missing in Ottawa, for me.
10:02For Philadelphia, it is under 85.5, and to be perfectly honest with you, substantially
10:08under 85.5.
10:09I don't, I like a few of the pieces on this team, but I do think the ones that I like,
10:15you know, the Couturiers, Lawtons, those guys, we're kind of past it now, and so that concerns
10:22me a little bit.
10:23The problem with Philadelphia is that we are just banking on a core that is still a little
10:28bit post-Apex here, and there hasn't been, there's a couple prospects to be excited about.
10:33Obviously the goaltending situation took a rather dramatic and aggressive turn, but the
10:40Russian kid, why am I blanking on his name, but you know who I'm talking about, comes
10:43in, maybe there's something there.
10:45But I just, I don't think the blue line's good enough, I don't think they have nearly
10:50enough scoring on this team, again, to compete in this conference.
10:53I think that this could be just an absolute bludgeoning of the Philadelphia Flyers this
10:58year.
10:59The Pittsburgh Penguins are next, and they don't have a point total on where I was looking,
11:03so apologies for that, we're not going to be able to get an over-under on that, I know
11:07the world weeps, but I do think that this is going to be another tough year in Pittsburgh.
11:12They, it looked like they were going to make a move between the pipes, and they kind of
11:17just didn't?
11:19Which was strange.
11:21They signed Crosby to the extension, so there at least isn't that, but, what, what makes
11:26you think that this is going to be a good hockey team this year?
11:30Like last year, all of the old guys except for Crosby fell off.
11:33You could not ask for a better Sidney Crosby season than you got last year, and just no
11:37one around it stepped up.
11:38And they added NOTHING to this team.
11:41So I, I think this is going to be rough for Pittsburgh.
11:44This next one probably shouldn't surprise you.
11:46Tampa Bay Lightning, under 99.5 points.
11:48The loss of Stamkos, in that locker room, and on the ice, I think is going to be for
11:53real.
11:54I think that there is going to be, not that, like, I mean, you have Hedman, Pointe, and
11:57Kucherov.
11:58There's still a lot of leadership there.
12:00John Cooper can kind of be an arrogant prick, but I think he is one of the best coaches
12:05in the NHL too.
12:06So, there is a lot there.
12:07But I do think, losing Stamkos and Sergeyev, and replacing them with Gensel and McDonough,
12:12like, I just, I view both of those as Ls.
12:15And this is why I talked about them in the I'm Worried I'm Wrong About Them, or Things
12:20I'm Worried About episode, because I could be, right?
12:24Like, Gensel could be the perfect fit with Kucherov and Pointe, and just score 80 billion
12:29goals, and this team is going to ride off into prominence.
12:31And McDonough, back where he is comfortable, out in Tampa Bay, isn't going to have maybe
12:36a bit of a fall off that I expected, and he is going to fit perfectly with what this team
12:40does.
12:41And Varlamov, er, sorry, not Varlamov, Vasilevsky, is going to be just one of the, the bright
12:45shining stars of the league one more time.
12:47And this team is going to ride off to 110 points and threaten for the President's Trophy.
12:52Maybe all of that happens.
12:53I just don't think so.
12:54I think that they're, like, losing your captain for a billion years, and emotional leader
12:59in Stephen Stamkos, and a guy who has scored 40 goals in two of the last three years, and
13:03replacing him with Jake Gensel, is a loss.
13:05And I think Gensel's a fine player, but I don't think he's that guy.
13:08And then losing the athleticism and the skating ability that Sergeyev has, and replacing it
13:12with a relatively expensive Sean McDonough, Ryan McDonough, doesn't help either.
13:17So I think Tampa Bay takes a step back this year.
13:19I have them under 99.5.
13:22The Toronto Maple Leafs, at 102.5 points, I...
13:28I went back and forth on this one a lot.
13:30Because on the one hand, every year when we go into the regular season, the last viewing
13:35experience of the Leafs has been bad.
13:37Because the playoffs were bad.
13:39I also think that giving a long-term contract to Tanev is the slightest bit of insane.
13:44And also, there's the whole Mitch Marner... thing.
13:48Going on there.
13:49Oh, and you switched captains this year.
13:50Which is never awkward.
13:52And so there's just a lot of noise going on.
13:54That being said, the additions they made on the blue line, while maybe not the best for
13:57the long-term security of this franchise, I think makes them better this year.
14:02And I think does improve the blue line.
14:04And this is the last go at it for this team with the core 4 or 5 or whatever you want
14:11to say.
14:12And I do think that wall between the pipes is fine.
14:16So I do think that there are a few reasons for optimism.
14:21The one thing you can say about the Leafs...
14:24They're pretty good in the regular season.
14:26So I am going over 102.5 for this Toronto Maple Leafs team.
14:30I do think the additions they made are enough to get them at least into the postseason.
14:34And then finally, we close out the NHL preview on the Eastern Conference side with the Washington
14:39Capitals.
14:40They come in at 88.5 points.
14:42I have them going under.
14:44I just don't like this team.
14:48I think that they got a goalie who got hot last year.
14:50I think to really bet the farm on that this year is maybe a little bit of fool's gold.
14:57And we'll see.
14:58I think that Lengren does come back and is just awesome again.
15:01But I have major concerns about that.
15:03I think that they are... to get to this number, to get to basically 90 points is what you're
15:09looking to get with a over on this.
15:12Pierre-Luc Dubois has to be the Pierre-Luc Dubois that whoever is still defending that
15:16guy thinks he can be.
15:19And Andrew Mangiapane needs to get back to being a 30 goal scorer.
15:22I just, I don't, I don't see it happening.
15:24They got a, it was a really cool story, what they were able to do.
15:27And they traded off a few pieces and then all of a sudden the kids started going.
15:31But it just, I don't, I don't think it's sustainable.
15:34I think Ovi's going to get all of his goals.
15:36I think Washington is going to be fun to watch still, but I just, there are too many pieces
15:40on this team I don't like for me to think that this is going to be a 90 point team or
15:43a playoff team this year.
15:45So I have Washington under 88 and a half.