Hockey starts tomorrow. No further explanation is necessary. Every year I try to make 30 bold fantasy predictions for a player on each team. Keep in mind these are meant to be "out there", predictions that might seem ridiculous at times but that's what makes it fun.
Make your own predictions in the comments! At year's end we'll come back and take a look and see how we fared.
Anaheim Ducks: Cam Fowler will finally break out, posting 15 goals and 55 points, 20 of which came on the power play. His offensive upside has never been in question. It's just a matter of him developing the confidence and being in the right situation. This is the year for both.
Boston Bruins: Torey Krug, not Chara, leads their defensive corps in goals and points this year with 15 and 48, respectively. Bergeron showcases his underrated offensive skills and puts up career high numbers just under a point-per-game.
Buffalo Sabres: Neither Vanek nor Miller finish the year on the team. Miller will be traded to either the Penguins, Flyers, or Islanders. A good, completely uneducated guess for Vanek would be Minnesota or Carolina.
Calgary Flames: Dennis Wideman will lead the team with 48 points. You probably don't want anyone from Calgary on your team this year.
Carolina Hurricanes: Cam Ward will have a major bounce-back year, between the pipes for a 37-12-4 record and sporting a 1.89 GAA and .942 SV%.
Chicago Blackhawks: Call it Stanley Cup hangover or just a good old recession, but Patrick Kane will put up a meager 22 goals and 61 points after being a sparkplug all season long last year. Blackhawks will finish 4th in the West and will not make a long playoff run again.
Colorado Avalanche: The kids start clicking. Duchesne puts up point-per-game numbers, and as a result Landeskog takes strides as well, taking a bid at 25 goals. Stastny is dealt at the trade deadline.
Columbus Bluejackets: Bobrovsky sees a decline after last year's stellar performance. Gaborik stays healthy and pots 40 goals. Horton struggles in his new environment and only plays 50 games due to injuries.
Dallas Stars: Tyler Seguin will click with Benn and have a Stamkos-like breakout season, posting 48 goals and 91 points. Dallas will rejoice, Boston will weep. But Dallas will still be finish in 8th and be eliminated in the first round.
Detroit Red Wings: Datsyuk, Zetterberg, and Alfredsson will be moved to the same line just a few games in and never look back. Like Alfie's supreme old line in Ottowa, this will be the best line in hockey and their final total will look like this: Datsyuk 34-71-105, Zetterberg 42-56-98, Alfredsson 31-52-83.
Edmonton Oilers: Nail Yakupov will be the best player in hockey this season. 56 goals, 62 assists for 118 points, He'll take over 300 shots and post 30+ PPP, making him a top 5 pick next season across the board. I said bold, right?
Florida Panthers: Kulikov scores 17 goals. Tim Thomas proves everyone wrong and puts up career high numbers across the board and ends up being traded to a contender at the deadline. He is nominated for the Vezina once again.
LA Kings: Jake Muzzin will lead the team's defense in points with 11 goals, 46 points. Kopitar will struggle all season, putting up a meager 16 goals and 51 points.
Minnesota Wild: Danny Heatley will re-emerge as an elite winger, scoring 50 goals for the first time since 2007. Hey, it could happen. #50in13
Montreal Canadiens: Galchenyuk leads the team in points with 71, putting up 26 goals. Briere thrives in his new environment, potting 16 goals in the first 30 games before getting hurt and shutting down for the season.
Nashville Predators: Seth Jones (18) scores more goals than Weber (14).
New Jersey Devils: Brodeur laces them up one time too many and Schneider earns the starting gig, performing well but the Devils are still basement dwellers. Elias finally slows down with just about 45 points, but Ryder does his thing and quietly scores 30 goals.
New York Islanders: John Tavares earns his top-5 draft spot by chasing in on 90+ points, bringing the Islanders into contender territory. Moulson scores 35 goals. They're buyers at the deadline and make a move for a puck-moving defenseman and a starting goalie.
New York Rangers: The entire team will struggle under Vigneault, even King Henrik himself. Everyone, that is, except Stepan and Del Zotto. Each will take the next step in their progression and have career years. Do I think that because I have them on my team? No, I have them on my team because I think that. See the difference?
Ottowa Senators: Thriving in his first season as the real "go-to" guy on the team, Bobby Ryan will post highs in goals in points, with 42 and 86. This all hinges on Spezza staying healthy, which he does.
Philadelphia Flyers: Brayden Schenn makes a major jump forward, scoring 26 goals and 59 points. He'll center the Flyers' second line and even see some time on Giroux's line.
Phoenix Coyotes: Boedker scores 33 goals and Oliver Ekman-Larsson puts up 52 points. The Yotes still don't make the playoffs.
Pittsburgh Penguins: For the first time since they entered the league, neither Crosby or Malkin will be in the top 5 in scoring. They'll both "settle in" around a point per game pace, focusing more as a team to make a deeper playoff run.
St. Louis Blues: Tarasenko continues his rise to stardom by putting up 65 points. David Backes emerges as one of the games most complete players, scoring 36 goals, 81 points, and leading his team physically in all aspects of the game. He'll finish among the top 3 in Hart nominations, and wins the Selke.
San Jose Sharks: Brent Burns, playing alongside Joe Thornton, solidifies himself as a top power forward in the league. He pots 26 goals and 64 points, to go along with 250 shots and 115 PIMs. And did I mention he's eligible as a defenseman in Yahoo! this year? Talk about underranked.
Tampa Bay Lightning: The net tandem of Bishop and Lindback challenges each other and brings creates out a competition that brings out the best in each other. They become one of the best 1-2 punch in the league, never giving opponents an easy night. Lightning still don't make playoffs though.
Toronto Maple Leafs: Van Riemsdyk, not Kessel, leads the team in goals with 34. Nazem Kadri leads the team in points with 79. Bernier runs away with the starting job over Reimer.
Vancouver Canucks: Roberto Luongo is able to put the past behind him and focuses on winning, becoming the best goalie in the league this year. He leads the team to 44 wins and adds 9 shutouts.
Washington Capitals: John Carlson finally has his breakout season, becoming the Caps' best d-man both offensively and defensively. He's got 41 points by the trade deadline, making Mike Green expendable. Green is traded to Anaheim.
Winnipeg Jets: Evander Kane mirrors Lucic, putting up power forward stats across the board. 28 goals, 60 points, 210 PIMS, and a team leading +/- of +21.
What are your bold predictions?
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