For any number of seasons now, the Metropolitan and Central are the deeper and better of the NHL’s four divisions.
That has intended teams from the Atlantic and Pacific have been picking higher in the entry draft in recent years.
Is that balance of power on the verge of changing this year? According to my annual preseason predictions, the answer is yes — at least to a level.
A few of those predictions — by the divisional standings into the playoff picture to the draft lottery odds — are, admittedly, aggressive in nature.
Maybe that’s the Vegas effect or that parity is alive and well in the NHL, with plenty of playoff turnover and standings shuffling from 1 season to another.
William Karlsson Golden Knights 2018
(THW file photo)
William Karlsson along with the Vegas Golden Knights surpassed all expectations last time whilst completely ruining everybody’s predictions. Now the slate is wiped clean and we’re starting from scratch again.
With the exception of a couple of teams, it’s safe to assume 25-plus owners and general managers are entering this season with the anticipation of making the playoffs or believing in that possible.
Heck, that amount could be as high as 31. Again, Vegas demonstrated anything is possible by advancing to the Stanley Cup Final as an expansion franchise.
Granted, that has been a remarkable run of Leicester-level improbability, but it’ll be difficult to dispute any forecasts from this day forward.
For the record, my preseason forecasts from last year had the Golden Misfits bringing up the rear in the Pacific, not just missing the playoffs but finishing dead last with the highest odds of winning the Rasmus Dahlin lottery.
Boy, was I wrong about these Golden Knights, but so was everybody else who posted their predictions before last season. I can not remember a single published forecast of Vegas producing the playoffs in its inaugural effort.
Come to think of it, my head can also be drawing blanks on any printed predictions from last collapse in favour of Colorado or New Jersey creating the playoffs? Feel free to inform me, but they have been few and far between to be certain. Most had three of these clubs in the lottery combination according to my memory. Yes, including yours truly.
Taylor Hall
(Brian Babineau/NHLI through Getty Images)
Taylor Hall and the New Jersey Devils surprised the hockey world by creating the playoffs last season. Hall was so dominant in the second half that he went on to win the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player.
Counting Vegas, there have been seven distinct playoff teams in 2018 from 2017. That’s nearly half 7 of 16!
That comprised Winnipeg, Colorado, Vegas and Los Angeles in the West, substituting Chicago, St. Louis, Edmonton and Calgary. In the East, Tampa Bay, Philadelphia and New Jersey bumped out Ottawa, Montreal and the New York Rangers.
Crazy, what a difference a year makes today.
Sure, that was a crazy year and may have been more turnover than normal, but I feel it’s likely to become the new norm due to this aforementioned league-wide parity.
In fact, I’m feeling a tad conservative in calling”only” six different teams in 2019 out of 2018. Put the over/under at five and I’m totally taking the above.
Tempting as it is to reveal that listing right here and right now, I’ll hold off on the spoilers and make you continue reading. But apologies in advance to the 15 fan bases of teams that didn’t make my playoff picture, particularly the six that dropped out from last season since they will be the most enraged.
Without further ado, here are my 2018-19 preseason predictions (using the variation from my offseason predictions in parenthesis)
Read more: australian open men’s final betting odds