2017/18 Brendl Division Preview

The Brendl division came down to the last weekend; which teams got playoff spots and who could avoid the wildcard. This year might be just as interesting as the whole divsion could turn itself upside down and these predictions just fall apart. 

8.  Philadelphia Flyers

Last Season: 8^th in Brendl Division – 87 PTS

The Good: Oshie, Hazal and Lucic were dynamite as a 1^st line last year and are back together once again for the 2017-18 campaign. Pekka Rinne did his best when he was peppered with shots last year, so if he’s able to get a bit of a respite from the onslaught, he is very capable at holding down the fort in Philadelphia.

The Bad: Outside of the top line, secondary scoring had a minimal impact last year for the Flyers. They’ve done little to address this area, so it’s still a glaring weakness. The defence is weirdly put together with no consistency. It’s not the strongest group and it really had its struggles last year, now without Zdeno Chara.

And the Verdict: The Flyers were the best worst team in a division last year. The matter of the fact is that the Flyers are still a pretty good team. They have a handful of really good players that help carry them throughout the season, but the problem is that they are not better than most of the teams in the East. So safe bet that the Flyers will be on the outside of the playoff picture.

7.  New Jersey Devils

Last Season: 6^th in Brendl Division – 92 PTS

The Good: The defence led by Justin Braun and Brent Seabrook are an unspectacular but safe and solid group of defenders. They should have no problem defending but driving the offence could be difficult. The offence is solid enough to have four decent lines. Darren Helm was excellent after being acquired last year.

The Bad: The offence is definitely filled out with free agent signings Valtteri Filppula and Mark Letestu, but there’s not a single top line talent at all upfront. The lack of an elite talent upfront will be an issue when the teams is struggling for goals over the grind of a season. Chad Johnson and Mike Condon as the goalie tandem lacks the confidence that you’d want for a team that’s going to need to win some low scoring games.

And the Verdict: A point away from a playoff spot after a collapse down the stretch, the Devils made a lot of moves over the summer. I’m not sure if those moves put them any closer to a playoff spot. The have some major question marks in their lineup that other teams in the division don’t have.

6.  Carolina Hurricanes 

Last Season: 5^th in Brendl Division – 93 PTS

The Good: The defence is a really solid group with seven pro level defenceman, including recently acquired Shayne Gostisbehere and Olli Maata. Filip Forsberg and Henrik Sedin both had excellent chemistry last year (they’ve lost their linemate Zach Parise though), so it can be expected that that trend will continue. Corey Schneider was great in net last season and will continue to be a stable force in net.  

The Bad: In their own zone the Hurricanes are able to string together a performance that would make them a playoff team, the forwards are an issue though. The Hurricanes let go of a few key forwards this summer and did not replace those players adequately (3 of their top 7 from last year are gone).  It now remains to be seen if Henrique or Vrbata can even somewhat replace the production that Parise brought in last season.

And the Verdict: The Hurricanes got hot at the right time and just squeaked in to a playoff spot. Sort of like the Devils, they have significant pieces that keep them in games but might be having a hard time finding those goals. With the Daigle division getting better, the 5^th seed in the Brendl might not cut it this time around.

5.  Pittsburgh Penguins 

Last Season: 4^th in Brendl Division – 101 PTS

The Good: Devan Dubnyk was outstanding last year and the native of Regina is poised to have another great year as a #1 goalie. Upfront the Penguins have two dynamite lines. The Russian connection of Evgeni Malkin and Kuznetsov will be hard to stop, while Bobby Ryan and Brandon Saad will be firing from both wings. The defence is not the greatest in the league, but Tyson Barrie and Jake Gardiner are both capable of moving the puck with ease.

The Bad: Past the top two lines, the Penguins are filled with grinders and AHL level players. If teams have two good pairs on defence, they should be able to feast upon the Pens 3^rd and 4^th lines. They don’t have the most defensively responsible guys on defence, so Dubnyk will definitely have to bail them out a handful of times each game.

And the Verdict: A 100+ point team last year, the Penguins may have been overachieving last year. They are a good team that might just get caught up in the numbers game with only 8 teams in the east making the playoffs.

4.  Washington Capitals

Last Season: 2^nd in Brendl Division – 104 PTS

The Good: Henrik Lundqvist and Jake Allen are a 1-2 punch in net that should be able to jump in when one is struggling or tired and not miss a beat, which they did efficiently last year. Their defence is a great bunch, especially after acquiring Alex Goligoski in a trade over the summer. Patrick Sharp was excellent after being acquired and was able to come to terms with the Capitals in the summer as well.

The Bad: Similarly, to other teams in the division, the Capitals are deep upfront but just don’t have that game breaking talent that you can count on at any moment. The Capitals were one of the lowest scoring playoff teams last year and unfortunately for the Capitals they’ve done nothing to fix that issue.

And the Verdict: Goaltending saved the Capitals last year and there is really no reason to question that they can’t do it again this season. We may see more games from Jake Allen this year, but the Capitals should still be in a good spot next season.

3.  Columbus Blue Jackets

Last Season: 7^th in Brendl Division – 88 PTS

The Good: So many changes in Columbus this summer that it’s almost not even worth going in to about the new additions and who is even left from last year, so throw out any preconceived notions. The defence is a veteran heavy group, with all 8 of their defenceman being 29 and over. Upfront it’s a similarly an aging group besides JT Miller and Logan Couture, but it’s still a great group with reigning Maurice Richard winner Patrick Marleau.

The Bad: The ages of all the players could be a bit worrisome but there will not be any lack of leadership. James Reimer was excellent in his stint in Colorado, but questions remain whether he can be a full time starter. Finding the right chemistry could cause some growing pains through the first quarter of the season.

And the Verdict: The Jackets were a good team last year but just missed the playoffs. These are not those same Jackets. It’s a really good team that has thousands of game experience on the record. This team is hard to place. They have the talent to take the division, but they could also be sitting right where they were last year. I think it’s safe to say that they’ll be in contention up until near the end of the season at least.

2.  New York Islanders

Last Season: 3^rd in Brendl Division – 101 PTS

The Good: One of the constants in life is that Roberto Luongo is going to be great in net (and on Twitter). Now with a defence group that has received reinforcements in Nick Leddy and rookie Ivan Provorov, which should allow Tanev and Myers not having to log 27 minutes a night anymore. The offence is four lines deep with newest signing Tyler Bozak slotting somewhere on the 2^nd or 3^rd line.

The Bad: Claude Giroux will be a big hole to fill after he posted a PPG after coming over, but a full season of Phil Kessel should help with that. The centres are all really good except that they are either inexperienced or unspectacular, but their hope is that Bo Horvat continues to become the top-level player he is trending towards becoming.

And the Verdict: The Islanders deserved to be in the playoffs last year, and it can be argued that they improved upon that team this year. The Islanders have the depth and talent to make not only the playoffs, but a strong run in the playoffs as well.

1.  New York Rangers

Last Season: 1^st in Brendl Division – 110 PTS

The Good: The defence is outstanding after acquiring Alex Pietrangelo and Mike Green over the summer. A full year of Nikita Kucherov should result in just rewards. Four lines of different level of skill but consistent enough that scoring shouldn’t be an issue on Broadway.

The Bad: Goaltending, oh boy goaltending. The Rangers are handing over the number one duties to Antti Raanta this year and while he was solid last year in his sporadic appearances, handing over the full season to him might blowup in their face especially with no viable backup in the organization. The centre depth is solid but there’s no real true number one centre in the group that can compete with the big guns in the league.

And the Verdict: The Rangers were the best team in the division last year and in a division, that’s really up for grabs, the Rangers just have that little bit extra that should put them in the best spot to take the top spot once again. The problem is, if goaltending falters, they could fall all the way out of a spot.