Central Division

Chicago Blackhawks - 2nd place

With a potent forward group that consists of Brayden Schenn, Jonathan Toews, Gabriel Landeskog and Mark Stone, the Blackhawks have the potential to take the top spot in the division. The only weakness at the moment seems to be goaltending. The backend is solid with a core of Muzzin, Krug and Petry. If the Hawks don't get a goalie in free agency, they can only go so far with Robin Lehner between the pipes. The Hawks have had a pretty smooth ride to the top in recent seasons with only the Predators really posing a threat.

Dallas Stars - 3rd place

The Stars will find themselves battling the Predators for the 3rd spot in the division. There are some nice pieces in the lineup, specifically down the middle with Couturier, Scheifele and O'Reilly. In fact, the center depth the Stars possess might be the best in the division. Add Patrick Kane to the mix and the Stars look like a playoff team. The backend consists of a few top heavy defensemen in Zach Weresnki, Jared Spurgeon and Alex Pietroangelo. Newly signed Carl Soderberg and Blake Comeau should help to keep goals out of the net. If the goaltending was upgraded, the Stars would be in a dogfight with the Hawks and Aves.

Colorado Avalanche - 1st place

The Avalanche thought they were making the playoffs as soon as last season but failed to progress much further then the year before. This season will have a happier ending as Bryce leds the Avalanche to the top of the Central Division. MacKinnon, Hall, Dadonov, Aho, Rantanen and Smith led the top 6. The defense could use some work with Erik Johnson, Jake Gardiner and Nick Leddy as the centerpieces. Where the Avs really stand out in the division is their goaltending. The duo of Rinne and Grubauer is a top pairing in the league. The Avs could lose out on the top spot if Dave finds a goalie upgrade in-season.

Nashville Predators - 4th place

The Predators look to take a step back this season. Their roster is still good enough to make the playoffs as the Pacific Conference is too weak to take 5 playoff spots. The Predators will rely on a tandem of Jimmy Howard and Braden Holtby this season. Both goalies are borderline starters at the moment, but definately better then backups. Upfront, the team does not have much scoring. They will expect goals from Evander Kane and Alex DeBrincat. The team should do a good job of keeping the puck out of the net as Hertl, Kesler, Filppula, Abdelkader and Frolik are solid two way forwards. Defensively they could be a train wreck though. Roman Josi remains their only top 4 defensemen.

St.Louis Blues - 6th place

Who are we kidding here. Any team that brings in Rick Nash as a top line player is in trouble. All kidding aside, the Blues do have some nice pieces in Erik Karlsson, Mikeal Granlund and Joe Pavelski. Unfortunately there is not much else. Matt Murray should rebound again next season, but their goaltending is going to be awful this season. There really isn't much to get excited about this season in St.Louis. The only glimmer of hope is the Pacific is not good, which in theory may get the Blues a playoff spot if they can beat out the Jets.

Winnipeg Jets - 5th place

One of the Hansfords gremlins had a good free agency. Signing early were Alex Steen and Dion Phaneuf. Both players who will play bigger roles for the team this year. Up front, the Jets have an average forward group which consists of Steen, Jenner, Domi, Sutter, Kadri, Nylander and Marner. We can see the Leaf love here as we also find Connor Brown, Andreas Johnsson, Travis Dermott and Garret Sparks on the team. My best guess is a trade for John Tavares is coming which should put the Jets securely in a playoff position. If we don't see a Tavares trade, the Jets should still squeak into the playoffs on the back of Garret fucking Sparks.

Minnesota Wild - 8th place

Big Wehr'd Al is a newcomer to the BRHL and I think hockey in general. He's said he's watched a Minnesota Wild game before but I'm not sure if I believe him. I don't think he knew who Alex Ovechkin was or even Pekka Rinne for that matter. With that said, he is doing the absolute right thing and rebuilding. It takes a lot of guts to commit to a rebuild and the trading of Rinne, Ovechkin and Voracek solidify's that. There are a few more useful players on the roster that should be shipped out by years end. Bryan Little, Chris Kreider and Kyle Okposo are most likely next on the chopping block. The Wild do their job and finish last in a division that has Rex in it.

Seattle Stoners - 7th place

I might be in the minority here, but I like what Rex has done so far.. in comparison to Larry that is. I believe he made a mistake handing out 2 year contracts to Subban and Carter. Perhaps he didn't know he needed cash to retain these guys. If he thinks he will only retain for ONE season, then the buyer list is going to become a lot smaller. With that said, if he can get value from Carter and Subban, it puts the Stoners progression miles ahead of the Washington Capitals.

Pacific Division

Calgary Flames - 3rd place

The Flames are coming off a Stanley Cup finals performance. We can see a little bit of a Stanley Cup hangover this season. Not because the Flames are a weaker team, which would be untrue, but because the sudden emergence of two teams in the division. The Kings and Knights look like the better teams on paper, although the Flames could squeak out a 2nd place finish in this division. They have a good core of Monahan, Barzal, Gaudreau, Pacioretty and Fiala upfront. On defense Sergachev and Klinberg look like nice pieces. In net is where they may find themselves struggling with a duo of Reimer and Elliott.

Vegas Golden Knights - 2nd place

The Golden Knights are the newcomers to the division. It must be nice going from perhaps the best division in the league to the weakest. Vegas has a solid forward group of Eichel, Larkin, Horvat and Forsberg. All of which are under 23. They were also very active in free agency signing Patrice Eaves, Alex Edler and probably some other guys. Their defense is solid with Provorov, Carlson, McDonaugh and Edler. Varlamov re-rated well which gives them one more season to find a replacement. A 2nd place finish is in the cards, but they will need to fend off the Flames.

Edmonton Oilers - 6th place

I had the Oilers penciled in as the 8th place team before I even looked at the remaining rosters, but then I remembered they had Rob in the division. I also remembered that Mika is joining the division this season... and this is why the Pacific is not a good division. The lowly Oilers will find themselves better then two other mediocre teams, and that's not a good thing. There are some nice pieces here with Nick Schmaltz, Ryan Johansen, Jason Zucker and newly minted prospect Nolan Patrick. One defense it's a who's who of shits hawks and shit moths.

Los Angeles Kings - 1st place

There is no more ripping on Rumpy this season. His Kings have the top spot locked down in the division. They come in as a top 3 team in the East as well. A true contender. Kuznetsov, Laine, Bailey, Drouin, Karlsson and Keller lead the way up front, while they also got good rerates from Ryan Donator, Timo Meier, Jake Debrusk, Danton Heinen and Anthony Beauviller. On defense, they are set as well with a future of Seth Jones, Aaron Ekblad and Noah Hanifin. Rumpy also messed with the goaltending market this off-season by upping bids on goalies he doesn't need. Ranta and Talbot come in as the #1 and #2 goaltenders.

San Jose Sharks - 8th place

When Mika recruited all his Finnish friends to come play with him, he didn't think of the reprocussions of his decisions. Acquiring players from your native tongue is always fun, but atleast acquire the good ones. Artturi Lehkonen, Sami Vatanen and Jusse Saros are the only Finns worth a damn on this team. They also decided to sign one Swede in Henrik Sedin. Signing his brother Daniel would have thrown off the population in the dressing room. The team is destined for another last place finish. Let's hope he can make the most of these next draft picks.

Arizona Coyotes - 5th place

The Coyotes are missing out on prime playoff opportunity in this division. They went out and signed Zach Parise this off-season which should help increase their chances. They also just traded for Joe Thornton. It looks like the Coyotes will make a push for the playoffs this season. A 4th place finish is not out of the question for the 'Yotes. Martin Jones should provide enough between the pipes to get it done. While not great, the backend isn't too bad with Klefbom, Miller, Brodin and Gunnarsson.

Vancouver Canucks - 7th place

Rob made a bold move this season by basically trading a 3rd round pick for the privelage to sign Ryan Suter to a 2 year contract at 14 million a season. I'm still not sure if he expects the move to put his team over the top, or if he plans on retaining on Suter and moving him for an asset. Either way, the Canucks get a little better, but not good enough for the playoffs. If your top forward is Nico Hischier and no one else, there is trouble brewing. The saving grace in Vancouver is they had a decent prospect pool who should be entering the league shortly. Bean, Benson, Gadjovich and Brown should provide some top 9 play time in their careers.

Anahiem Ducks - 4th place

Devon's team grabs 4th place by default. There are 3 top teams in the division, and then everyone else. Gibson alone is enough to get him 4th place. In terms of current talent on the roster?. There isn't a lot. Kevin Labanc and Beau Bennett. Yup.. that's it. Lias Andersson may see play time as well, but his current ratings are not BRHL worthy. Josh Manson is a nice piece on the backend. Expect Gibson to have a Price-esque effect on this team.

Playoff Picture

Central

Avalanche
Blackhawks
Stars
Predators
Jets
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Blues
Stoners
Wild

Pacific

Kings
Golden Knights
Flames
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Ducks
Coyotes
Oilers
Canucks
Sharks