The Bruins set a record for wins and points last season and went down in the first round.
The Lightning will be without goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy for the start of the season.
An older team already showing cracks will play from behind all season and miss the playoffs.
The Senators have been sold, and things will start to improve.
It will be a lengthy rebuild in Montreal.
The Hurricanes are due for a Stanley Cup.
They outplayed the Panthers in the Eastern Conference Finals but were thwarted by Sergei Bobrovsky.
The Rangers hope new coach Peter Laviolette can take them over the hump.
The Penguins' late-season collapse saw them miss the playoffs last season.
The New York Islanders did nothing to improve their team from last season.
Josh Bailey is gone, and the team appears stagnant and directionless.
The Blue Jackets are a dumpster fire.
They sign the biggest free agent and finish with the worst record in the NHL.
Then they hire Mike Babcock, and the training camp turns into a fiasco.
The only question is, How does GM Jarmo Kekalainen keep his job?
Gabriel Landeskog will likely miss a second straight season after receiving a cartilage transplant on his knee.
This makes a return to the Stanley Cup Final a tall task for Colorado.
The Predators landed Ryan O’Reilly in the offseason, hoping to return to the postseason.
Andrew Brunette is finally getting a head coaching chance.
Expect him to be in contention for the Jack Adams as the Predators top 100 points.
If the feeling becomes they cannot be re-signed, the Jets may be unloading their two top players.
The Blues made an in-season turnaround to win the Stanley Cup in 2019.
Those days are gone, and it is time to rebuild in St. Louis.
Expect a firesale at the trade deadline.
The Arizona Coyotes are still looking for a home and hope as they continue to struggle.
A youth movement will help them be more fun to watch, but another last-place finish is unavoidable.
Pacific Division
The Oilers have the best offense in the NHL.
If they can get any goaltending, they will win the Stanley Cup.
Connor McDavid is a favorite to win the Hart Trophy again as the Oilers finally win the Pacific Division.
The Los Angeles Kings were big spenders in the off-season.
They are a team that could make some noise if the puck bounces the right way.
With the addition of Pierre-Luc Dubois, the Kings could make a long postseason run.
The Canucks are improving but are likely at least two years from being a playoff contender.
However, Rock Tocchet will get things going in the right direction in his first full season as coach.
The San Jose Sharks have bitten the bullet and decided a complete rebuild is needed.
The draft lottery is the focus for San Jose, as the losses will quickly mount.
