The Way Too Soon To Be Written 2015-16 NHL Outlook Part I

With the Chicago Blackhawks finally hoisting their third Stanley Cup Championship in six seasons, the 2014-15 NHL Season has officially come to a close. Sure every team still has draft picks to make, free agents to sign, and gameplans to scheme, but that doesn’t mean it’s too early for SV’s Julian Coltre to give you his thoughts on every team for NEXT season. In Part I, Julian will break down the bottom ten teams in this years NHL Standings.

30) Buffalo Sabres: 2014 (23-51-8 last place in the NHL)

Photo by Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images)

Good: Well Buffalo finally has a coach that is seemingly “their guy” with the hiring of Dan Bylsma, and even though they lost the draft lottery they still get a pretty nice consolation prize in Jack Eichel (should Edmonton actually do the smart thing and take Connor McDavid.) Add him to the prospect pool that Buffalo has racked up in recent years, and the trade for Evander Kane this season, and Buffalo seems to be in good shape.

Bad: Buffalo seems to really lack goaltending…and when i say seems to, i mean they definitely do. The Sabres got by with a goaltending tandem at the NHL level that included Chad Johnson, Anders Lindback, & for a while Michael Neuvirth last season. If Buffalo is truly serious about contending soon, they either have to strike gold with a goalie in their own system, or go out and make a trade for a serviceable #1 netminder.

Prediction in 2015-16: Don’t expect Buffalo to be a playoff team in 2015-16, but they are skyrocketing in the right direction! Still, I don’t expect them to be more than a bottom team in the NHL again. They’re still a few pieces away and won’t hit their window for another season or two.

29) Arizona Coyotes: 2014 (24-50-8 29th in the NHL)

Good: Oliver Ekman-Larsson? That’s about it. There really isn’t that much good going on for this franchise. They have a top 3 pick this year so hopefully they will be able to make that count, and sure they have some up front talent on their roster, but really their best asset is OEL, who has quietly become one of the best two-way defenseman in the NHL and he’s only 23! (such a shame he’ll never get the recognition while playing on Arizona)

Bad: Where do I start? Maybe it’s the fact that now AGAIN the Coyotes have to reshuffle ownership, or perhaps its the fact that the city of Glendale, where the team is located, has pretty much given up on the franchise! Meanwhile, on the ice they have an aging captain, a real lack of grade A talent in any of their spots, and obviously the misfortune of playing in one of the toughest divisions in the NHL.

Prediction in 2015-16: Well i guess the first prediction i should make is whether or not the franchise will even be in Glendale or Arizona in 2015-16 (they probably will but i mean at this point who really knows…) As far as overall team success though, i’d be shocked if the Yotes were anything better than a bottom three team in the NHL next year.

28) Edmonton Oilers: 2014 (24-44-14 28th in the NHL)

The Hockey News

Good: Can you say Connor McDavid? I’m sure Edmonton’s new GM Peter Chiarelli was licking his chops when he was awarded the 1st overall selection in this years NHL Draft (Edmonton’s fourth 1st overall pick since 2010.) Pair the generational talent that is McDavid with the already impressive forward core that Edmonton has in Taylor Hall and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, as well as the coaching expertise of their new man behind the bench Todd McLellan, you could see this team competing sooner rather than later.

Bad: As strong as Edmonton is on the forward front, they still have some ?’s in regards to their D-men and goalies. They signed Mark Fayne to a big contract last summer, and they have Justin Schultz and Andrew Ference, but they need constant output from all of them to compete. In terms of goalkeeping, this will be the year to see whether or not Viktor Fasth & Ben Scrivens are actual contenders to lead Edmonton in the future, or just pretenders that had some good stretches.

Prediction in 2015-16: Edmonton has the talent coming in to next season (especially with the expected addition of Connor McDavid.) Add that all together and don’t be surprised if Edmonton is competing for a playoff berth in 2015-16 just like Colorado did back in the 2013-14 season when they drafted Nathan MacKinnon

27) Toronto Maple Leafs: 2014 (30-44-8 27th in the NHL)

Good: Mike Babcock! That’s the best thing that has happened to Toronto hockey not just this year, but you can make a case in the last couple of seasons! Toronto now has a legitimate coach to take over the mess that is currently going on in one of the pinnacles of the hockey world. Sure they gave up an absolute ton in order to get Babcock, but for the possibility of him leading them to the promise land for the first time since the 60’s, you’re prepared to make that sacrifice.

Bad: The Toronto Maple Leafs aren’t an Arizona Coyotes level of mess, but they sure are a mess. Rumors continue to swirl about whether or not players like Phil Kessel and Dion Phaneuf will be on the team next year, you don’t really know what to expect in the development of most of their young players such as the ever polarizing Nazim Kadri, and they don’t really have that much grade A talent stockpiled in their system.

Prediction in 2015-16: I wouldn’t expect the immediate turnaround for the Leafs in 2015-16, but with Babcock there to put some order in place, and a top 5 pick in this years draft they will be headed in the right direction next year. The real prediction for Toronto next year is where Kessel will end up.

26) Carolina Hurricanes: 2014 (30-41-11 26th in the NHL)

Good: The Carolina Hurricanes have talent, especially in the form of younger guys like Justin Faulk, Elias Lindholm & Jeff Skinner. They also have a top 5 pick in this years draft to hopefully add to their talent pool. Not a bad situation for a team that was one of the worst in the league this past season.

Bad: Carolina has a ton of money wrapped up in aging players, or players that just haven’t lived up to their expectations. Eric Staal hasn’t scored more than 70 points since 2010-11 (and he isn’t getting any younger at 30 years old.) His brother Justin suffered an injury last year and missed significant time, and Alex Semin (who their paying 7 mil a year to over the next three seasons) scored 6 goals in 2014-15. Add that to the fact that they really lack a #1 goalie between Cam Ward & Anton Khudobin, and there is probably more questions then answers with the Canes.

Prediction in 2015-16: Carolina isn’t an easy fix right now, and even though they do have some talented young players and prospects, I don’t expect them to be competing for a playoff spot next year. More likely then not they will be trying to stay out of the league cellar.

25) New Jersey Devils: 2014 (32-36-14 25th in the NHL)

Good: With the hiring of Ray Shero and then the addition of former Penguins AHL coach John Hayes, it seems as though the Devils have mapped out a plan to return to league prominence. They’re set in goal with Corey Schneider (who despite playing for the poor NJ team finished top 5 in the league in Sv% and top 10 in GAA) and they also have a very deep set of defensive prospects (both at the NHL level with guys like Adam Larsson, Jon Merrill, and Damon Severson, and the AHL/Junior level with the likes of Steve Santini & Josh Jacobs.)

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

Bad: When you say no scoring you probably can look up the NJ Devils in the dictionary. At the NHL level they have very little scoring talent (and guys that can score such as Mike Cammalleri aren’t exactly in their prime) and in their prospect pool they are lacking top line, difference making talent. If NJ is serious about getting to the level that they were in the early 2000’s, they have to start striking gold with the offensive talent they evaluate.

Prediction in 2015-16: New Jersey has some work to do to turn things around. They’ll be right outside the top 5 with their 2015 draft pick, but much like Buffalo they seemingly have a plan in place to restore the franchise to dominance. They won’t be in the playoffs next season, but they’re taking the necessary steps to get there soon

24) Philadelphia Flyers: 2014 (33-31-18 24th in the NHL)

Good: The Flyers have scoring talent, especially up front, which was demonstrated last year when Jakub Voracek had a career year with 81 points (and was 5th in the league in scoring) and Claude Giroux was top ten in overall points. Philly has also made their nut with players like Wayne Simmonds contributing. Lastly they seem to be set with Steve Mason in net, and even though he isn’t going to be the next coming of Marty Brodeur, he could put up necessary numbers to win big games for the Flyers.

Bad: Dave Hakstol isn’t a bad hire for Philly, it’s just yet to be seen what he can do to get Philadelphia another crack at the Stanley Cup like they did back in 2010. Their other concern is the lack of high quality scoring prospects, as well as the success they can achieve with their current defensive core (are Andrew MacDonald, Mark Streit, & Michael Del Zotto really the answer?)

Prediction in 2015-16: Philadelphia took a step back after making the playoffs in 2013-14, but they have a top ten pick in the draft this year, they have Claude Giroux and Jake Voracek up front, and if Dave Hakstol can deliver like he did with his talent at North Dakota, I would expect Philly to return to the playoff race in 2015-16.

23) San Jose Sharks: 2014 (40-33-9 23rd in the NHL)

Good: They just hired a guy in Peter Deboer that, even though he was fired in New Jersey, has been a pretty consistent coach in the NHL, and will do wonders with the current roster that San Jose has. They also still have a very consistent roster (despite the aging aspect that i’ll get to in a second) with guys like Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture, and Marc-Edouard Vlasic.

Bad: San Jose is old in a lot of aspects. Look first at the fact that in 2014-15 they were one of the older average aged teams in the league, also add in the fact that two of their best players (Patrick Marleau & Joe Thornton) are both 35 years old, and you’ll see that the window for San Jose to get that elusive cup is quickly closing. They have some younger pieces to compete, but father time is creeping up on the Sharks.

Prediction in 2015-16: San Jose plays in a tough division, but they were over .500 last year and with a top ten pick this season will be able to add some talent to their prospect pool. That being said, a lot of the Pacific Division & Western Conference is getting better, and I think that San Jose just doesn’t have enough right now to get back. Expect them to compete but ultimately fall short.

22) Columbus Blue Jackets: 2014 (42-35-5 22nd in the NHL)

Good: Columbus has some great talent, and you might even go as far as to say that now that the dust has settled from the Rick Nash trade, Columbus is the overall winners (obviously open to discussion.) Sergei Bobrovsky is an absolute monster for CBJ in net, they have some incredible forward talent with Nick Foligno & Ryan Johansen.

Bad: Despite some NHL level talent with D-men, they still do lack some defensive depth in their minor league system. In order for the Blue Jackets to take the next step in their quest for the NHL Playoffs & the Stanley Cup, they need to be as deep on the blue line as they are in goal and up front.

Prediction for 2015-16: I’d expect Columbus to be back in the thick of things next season. They’re only a move or two away from being one of the elite teams in the Eastern Conference. Worth noting, they didn’t win the Stanley Cup in 2014-15 but they definitely have the best Twitter account in possibly all of sports.

21) Colorado Avalanche: 2014 (39-31-12 21st in the NHL)

Good: Their forward pool is pound for pound one of the best in the league right now, and it’s exceptionally young. Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon, and Matt Duchene are some of the most fun players to watch in the league, and they’re only going to get better as they get older. They also seem set in goal with Semyon Varlamov, who led them to a playoff berth in 2013-14. Varlamov played less than 60 games last year which wound up hurting Colorado.

Bad: They really lack solid defensive players on the team, and a lot of the guys they do have are upwards of 27+ in age. Speaking of old, how confident can Colorado be when they have to rely on Jerome Iginla & Danny Briere to contribute on a secondary level to this team?

Prediction for 2015-16: If Colorado stays healthy, they they will be able to compete for one of the final playoff spots in the Western Conference. There is still a gap in talent between teams like Colorado & the Chicago’s/Anaheim’s of the West, but they’re good enough to lock up a seven or eight seed next year.