2017/18 Stefan Division Preview

The Stefan division was historically bad last year. Four of the seven teams finished in the bottom 5 last year, and the 2/3 seeds were near the bottom of the 16 playoff teams. As we take a look at how the teams shape up for this season, the division hasn't taken any steps forward and should be safe betting on who are the playoff teams in this group. 

7. St. Louis Blues

Last Season: 4^th in Stefan Division - 81 PTS

The Good: Oh boy……so let’s try this. Craig Anderson is a solid veteran goalie who has proven in the past that he can carry teams and steal games at will. Brett Connolly put up a 30-goal season last year, the loss of his linemate will hurt but he has the ability.

The Bad: Where to begin? The offense was carried by Patrick Marleau and now he’s gone. The top pair of defenders are Jason Garrison and Brooks Orpik are solid but not guys you want to count on 25 minutes a night, which they’ll need to when you look at the rest of the group. The Blues top line might be considered a good 3^rd line on a fringe playoff team.

And the Verdict: It’s bad, it’s really bad in St. Louis but I think that’s what they want. This team is not built to make the playoffs (if it is, something went horribly wrong). They have some really exciting prospects and expect them to add another one early when the 2018 Draft rolls up.
 

6. Colorado Avalanche

Last Season: 5^th in Stefan Division - 79 PTS

The Good: The centre position was a point of strength last year with Mikko Koivu and Sean Monahan. Both are back and we shouldn’t expect anything less from the duo this year, who will be providing most of the offence this season. The D is not game changing, but they are all proven veterans that should provide stability, which as we’ll get to, will be incredibly important this season.

The Bad: A three headed monster in net provided the Avalanche a decent run throughout the season. Now they’re handing over the keys to rookie Tristian Jarry and enigmatic Ondrej Pavelec, which does not exude confidence. Other than the intriguing rookie Sebastian Aho, the wing depth is littered with a bunch of castoffs. The loss of Jay Bouwmeester is a critical blow.

And the Verdict: The Avs were strung along by a competent core of veterans last year that saved them from the bottom of the standings. This year without stable pieces like James Reimer, Patrick Sharp and Jay Bouwmeester, the Avalanche seem destined to finish near the bottom of the league

5. Minnesota Wild

Last Season: 7^th in Stefan Division - 74 PTS

The Good: One of the lone bright spots last year for the Wild was its one-two punch up the middle in Travis Zajac and Mark Scheifele, who both carried the offence last season. A healthy competition in net between veterans Jimmy Howard and newly acquired Jonathan Quick should provide stability for the Wild’s last line of defence, a step up from the average work Al Montoya put in last season. Some young defenders in Ceci, Hanifin and Mueller are interesting and for the Wild’s sake are ready to make that next step.

The Bad: Once again the problem for the Wild is the lack of not only the secondary scoring, but an impact winger as well. It’s no surprise that the Wild finished at the bottom of the West last year with their inability to score. With the loss of Matt Hunwick, their inexperienced D will have step up and fill those 26 minutes a night, where they are already relying on Radko Gudas too much for their own good.

And the Verdict: The Wild have two stud defencemen in their system, but they are still a few years off. It’s probably going to be another year of hurting in Minnesota, but with stronger goaltending they should be able to pick up a few more points this season.

4. Dallas Stars 

Last Season: 6^th in Stefan Division - 74 PTS

The Good: The Stars backend just continues to get more experience and continues to get better. With one more year under the belts of guys like Jacob Trouba, Matt Dumba and Aaron Ekblad, they should continue to make strides. John Gibson is entering his 3^rd year as the Dallas starter and while the 37 losses might seem bad, the underlying numbers show a good season with a lack of support.

The Bad: Talking about that lack of support, the Stars were one of the lowest scoring teams in the MRFHL last year. To combat that issue the Stars decided to trade Taylor Hall…..their leading scorer last year. So that’s not a great solution, and while the top two lines have some interesting names the team lacks depth throughout the rest of the lineup that would give us confidence that this problem is fixed.

And the Verdict: The Stars should be better than they are. A team seemingly stuck in perpetual rebuild just can’t escape mediocrity and string together some consistent seasons. They were defensively decent last year and should be better in that regard, but the lackluster offense will be their Achilles heel again.

3. Nashville Predators

Last Season: 2^nd in Stefan Division - 94 PTS

The Good: Depth, depth and more depth down the middle, headlined by All-Star Patrice Bergeron.  Ben Bishop has been excellent in his 3 years as a starter in Nashville and no reason to see a slow down there. The team now gets a full season of Erik Johnson and Michael Stone after they were acquired mid-season, both were key in eating big minutes for the Predators last season down the stretch. The combination of Bergeron and Wheeler was dynamite after Blake was acquired from Washington, so a full season of that should produce great numbers.

The Bad: Outside of Wheeler, the depth on the wings is fairly pedestrian. They will get the job done but can’t be counted on a nightly basis. The defence is solid as a group but not quite as dynamic as the other heavyweights in the division.

And the Verdict: The Predators were an interesting case last season. They finished 2^nd in the division with only a +1 goal differential, and were better on the road than at home last season. They are a good team and should be in the playoffs but probably will not have home ice advantage this time around.

2. Winnipeg Jets

Last Season: 1^st in Stefan Division - 104 PTS

The Good: A remodeled defence core with newcomers Kris Letang and Matt Hunwick join an already stringent core with Cam Fowler, Andrej Sekera and Colton Parayko. The offence remains intact and top end guys like Nathan MacKinnon, Max Pacioretty and Anze Kopitar will continue to build on their successful campaigns a year ago. In his short work last season, Andrei Vasilevskiy was great in net for the Jets.

The Bad: While maybe not a bad aspect, the Jets were one of the lowest scoring contenders in the MRFHL last season (the hopes are that sophomore Teuvo Teravainen and rookie Jake Guentzel will help that). The Jets are handing off the net to Vas and Bernier who didn’t start a game last year, so the year ahead could be an experiment in net to find if anyone can steal the net.

And the Verdict: The Jets were supremely close to a finals appearance last year. The team then went through extensive changes, sending out starter Jonathan Quick and #1 defender Dustin Byfuglien. They should still be a contender this upcoming season but I’m still unsure if they really solved the problems that held them from last year’s finals.

1. Chicago Blackhawks

Last Season: 3^rd in Stefan Division - 93 PTS

The Good: We might say it every year, but the Blackhawks have a defence core that any team would be envious of. A mixture of World-Class veterans and now with Seth Jones added to the mix, it continues to be one of the most efficient and dynamic cores in the league. A re-modelled offence sees the likes of Eric Staal and Logan Couture on the way out, giving way to exciting rookies William Nylander and Brayden Point. The team still has its most proficient scorers in Ryan Johansen, Brad Marchand and Jeff Carter. Martin Jones first year as a starter couldn’t have gone any better and should continue to build on that.

The Bad: One issue with the Blackhawks last year was their lack of success on the road, which cost them dearly in the playoffs last year. It’s hard to find a serious fault in this team. The lack of seriously defensively responsible forwards up front could cause issues. Antti Niemi was brought in the backup and was solid last year, but consistency has always been his issue.

And the Verdict: There’s no debating that the Blackhawks underachieved last year. It could happen again, but Todd has done a good job at remodeling the core and the Blackhawks should be competing for the President’s Trophy this season. 

Brendan Kapeller

Excellent writeup! Can't wait to see the rest of the league. :)

2017/18 Stefan Division Preview
A look at all teams in the Central

• 0 teams Like this  7 years

Dylan Wilson

Bonsignore on Wednesday, Daigle on Thursday and Brendl on Friday.

2017/18 Stefan Division Preview
A look at all teams in the Central

• 0 teams Like this  7 years