long-ish post coming up boys. initially was replying to cap but just went "#### it" and did a quick overview of every team listed.
post-typing note: the HF rankings are a bit inaccurate since they don't include this year, but i mean it didn't change too much IMO. the rankings are still quite accurate. since i looked at their outdated prospects list too for teams i didn't know of, i may have missed one of two on my listings as well. too lazy to fix all of that though. Sad :3
the senators really don't have the same degree of prospective depth, prospective potential, and young (quality) NHL players that the other listed teams do. they're ranked 21st on Hockey's Future, who are pretty good at predicting this type of thing.
i do think the stars are a bad inclusion in this list, past julius honka and brett ritchie they really lack top tier prospects. they have a lot of second tier prospects and depth is always great. if they play their pieces right they can make up for their lack of top tier prospects for sure.
devils are probably the worst choice on the list IMO, they're such a goalkeeper-reliant team ATM, they don't have any really notable prospects (except zacha), and schneider isn't getting any younger. i can see them being a consistent playoff team in 2-3 years but not dominant, especially in 5-10 years when schneider is gone. then again they could trade for another top goalie but gl w/ that.
IMO the islanders they have too many high risk/high reward prospects. if everything works out perfectly than they could be really good but they don't have many great prospects, and as i said they're all high risk/high reward. tavares is elite though so he could carry them like he already is.
florida has a great mix of youth and veterans right now, but when loungo retires i think they'll just have a massive hole in net. i mean they had an open tryout for goalkeepers when both were injured!!!!!! idk, maybe reimer will prove he can be a starter again but i don't think he will. berra isn't near starting quality either IMO.
jets have a massive hole in LD but are really stacked elsewhere and can definitely trade to fix it, most importantly at goalkeeper with hellebuyck and eric comrie having starting goalkeeper talent. it's also not a glaring weakness, with morrissey starting to prove himself.
arizona has great forwards but really lacks D and GK prospects. of course they have some great players already and a duclair-strome-domi line is 𝗌𝖾𝗑𝗒 𝖺𝗌 𝖿𝗎𝖼𝗄 ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡° )
this list should include tampa too honestly, they've built their team EXTREMELY well and even when they inevitably lose some pieces due to the cap they'll still be a really good team. but i think this list is more about teams that'll be at least a step above what they currently are in the future, and the lightning are pretty much at the peak outside of winning the cup anyways.
the sabres are really iffy for me. if evander kane can get his #### together and get back into his 30-goal potential, i can see them being a really good team, at least with their top line, and to a lesser degree their second line. dominant though? i'd argue a step below if everything goes right.
if the oilers can finally stop mismanaging then they'll be among the best teams for sure. even if they mismanage, as long as it's not something hilarious like trading ha-wait...seriously though, as long as they don't mismanage terribly (ie. losing mcdavid) then i think they'll make the playoffs in a few years. their prospects are good enough that it'd be hard not to if everything goes along fine with development.
the leafs have a lot of really good prospects and babcock is an elite coach, they actually look like they could be a great team in a few years. of course, the massive media pressure in toronto is a definite concern. it's wayyy worse there than anywhere. they have a lot of top tier prospects though, even after some of them have graduated.
and finally the flames. sure, they're ranked low on Hockey's Future but most of their higher-end prospects have graduated and for the most part proven themselves already. they have one or two high tier prospects still as well. they do need to prove that they can start contending though, they'll need to play a lot better this season to show that they'll be very good in a few years.
@l2000
seguin is 24, and benn is 27. a quick google search reveals this lol.
RIP Koolboy123, Oct. 1, 1992-Apr. 27, 2016 ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ |