Post Draft/Pre Season rankings and predictions

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bigguyren68
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Joined: Sun Jan 07, 2018 11:46 am

Post Draft/Pre Season rankings and predictions

Post by bigguyren68 » Wed Sep 29, 2021 1:06 pm

We are in the blissful time between best day of the year (draft day) and start of the season where all the contenders aspire to win AHL championship cups, division crowns, champions league titles, and maybe survivor fires.

As always my comments/predictions are not meant to offend anyone, but just the blunt facts.

AHL WEST
1- Puck Warfare
Clearly the class of this division. Last years AHL +/-leader looks to put up similar numbers , Due to the influx of Eagle cash via a trade, he was able to resign most of his team and pick up Girioux and Perron to replace Radulov and Staal. Slight regression on defense losing Ekblad but getting Letang pre draft. Goalies individually look solid, and at first glance look like a terrible combo as they are all in same division, however Jay managed to find a perfect playoff combo with only 4 regular season empty nights.

2-Red Ravens
This team looks to be the biggest improver over last year. Bryan picked up 3 great defenceman Josi, Yandle, Giordano and lost Weber, and forwards picked up Bergeron, Toews, and Radulov to replace Pacioretty. Solid goalies, only 4 regular season empty and one playoff. They will have lots of farm use and should have a better playoff run then regular season standings. While I am picking Jay to win division, a playoff match-up with Bryan will be close to 50/50

3-Shootloose
Last years division winner will not fare as well this year. Increases to salaries across the board made it difficult to replace some lost key forwards as Kopitar was only top pick-up. With only 6 defensemen on the team (2 from Winnipeg and 2 from Carolina),this will cause many empty spots to start the season. This will be addressed quickly by Tony and John most likely via trades. They are doubled up on Vegas with Karlsson, so should be able to get a bunch of top 10 defenseman for Alex Tuch. Goalies are reasonable with 6 empty during season and one empty playoff.

4-Winning Combo
Winning Combo ran into money issues (only $55) and was not able to resign enough players to compensate for lost ones. They were able to get Malkin very cheap due to injury concerns. It might be hard to get into playoffs having that high priced player in the reserve. Defence is not as solid as forwards, but with Quinn Hughes, it is always a shot at big nights. Goalies are all strong teams but bad nights when combined. Playoffs will be an issue with 5 empty nights. I'm sure late season trade will rectify this.

5- Magically Delicious
$40. That is the minimum allowed to enter the draft with, and Dan is the first to accomplish the feat during my 7 years. A shrewd trade of acquiring RNH and collecting $5 for future use helps with salary floor. The delish went back in American history (May 6, 1882) and rearranged his farm. The draft went according to plan and Magic Dan should have no problem finishing last in division. The goal of finishing last in league might be harder as there are other teams rebuilding this year.


AHL EAST
1- Cheap Thieves
Last years Conference playoff winner looks to continue his hot streak into this season. His 6 most expensive resigns are doubled up on Carolina, New Jersey, Vegas which could cause some problems. At the draft, the Thieves were more then able to replace lost forwards and get players (philly) that worked well with his current players. The defense is going to be suspect with lose of Karlson and Reilly. Ellis, Werenski, and Weegar will be called on to do a lot. Goalies were a strong point as Daniel currently has best set out there. No empty playoff spots and only one regular season. Add to that Vegas and NYI will probably be top 5 in league.

2-Mustangs
This team went from ranked 4th to 2nd, 3 days before the draft. Acquiring $23 before draft will do that. Last years division winner will most likely drop to second. With re-signed players and auction wins he will have one of the most potent forwards in the league. There is 5-7 players that have shots for great years, however no chance that the 7-team parley comes in. Like his beloved Leafs, he lacks heavily on defense. When your top 2 defense are Reilly and Dermott (play for same team) you can not be taken for a serious contender. Lack of Farm will hurt playoff run, however expect trades to correct some of these flaws.

3 Canadian Gothic
This 2-time AHL champ team missed the playoff for the first time in a while last year. The team has no real superstars but some good contracts. 3 nice pickups at draft on defense make that aspect solid. Some solid mid-level forwards will help but only 1-2 top 25 will make it tough to go far. I suspect this will be a float year. Improve the team, but sacrifice no future. A Playoff contender but a reject cup favorite

4- Underdogs
This could be JP's last run before a rebuild period. Lack of cash this year really hindered the dogs in acquiring a competitive team. Owning the best defensemen in the league helps but its not enough. Forwards are a lot weaker then defense however goalies while weak individually work better as a combo. If things don't start well, expect Underdogs to compete with Gothic for the celler in the division.

5-Steelheads
The Steelheads have started their big rise for the next few years. Farm players coming of age, and lots to follow will do wonders for a team. Question marks with franchise player stopped Chris from being ranked 2nd. At the draft, he was like a kid in the candy store grabbing some good forwards left and right. Steelheads toughest test will be on defense. Goalies are good and covered well.He was able to trade for some warm defence bodies post-draft, but in order to compete fully with the big boys, some top 25 defense are needed.


AHL NORTH
1-Greaseballs
Probably the least changed team in the league. Ehlers was only real loss. Depth of Defense and goalie coverage are improved over last year. One goalie option choice trying to be too cute cost him a shot at the title last year and he will not make that mistake this year. He has plenty of cash and picks in the futures so that trading for this year is an option.

2-Shortstackers
How can I pick the 2-time defending champion and 4-time conference champ not to win? Simple, salary increases to too many players. Zach was unable to resign a bunch of players due to lack of cash. Now trading will help, but how much future are you willing to sacrifice? At forwards he is lead my Mackinnon sucking up 20% off salary and worth every penny, and he has plenty of a support cast. On defence. Fox is a steal at $1.00 but Dumba could be a drag. The auction was mostly fill in players and goalies. 3 empty playoff spots in playoffs is cause for concern, and there will be no goalie blunder by Greaseballs, or Covid rules against Pkdealers to help them win.

3-Big M's
Another team that is similar to last year although having Kutch play is huge upgrade. 3 years ago having Kutcherov and Gaudreu looked like an big 1-2 punch. While Kutcherov is doing wonders, Johnny hockey has raised some question marks. Krill looks like the next cheap cheap really good player that seems to be Big M's habit. On defense Bob traded the 2014 #40 pick for the 2014 #41 pick. One aspect of the pool is that while Bob is doing administrative work, it clearly hinders the Big M's drafting. I believe this is a fair handicap and gives all a chance. This was evident for goalies this year. Minnesota, Chicago, and Columbus all are good goalie sets, however do not work well together. This will be rectified I'm sure within the first month

4 Ingman
For the first time in a long long while it looks like the 4th place team in the North will not make the playoffs. $13 spent on Tavares is a high price to pay and hurts chances. As for players there are no real losses this year by Wayne, howver no major pickups at auction. This team should be similar to last year. Goalies have some empty nights but not worst in the league.

5-Whalers
This team has made the playoffs every year that I have seen, until now. Entering the draft with $40 there is no need to study this team too much, as clearly he will be taking a run at magic Dan in the quest for lottery odds for my neighbour Shane Wright. Focused on getting good contracts for future use Arp was fairly quiet at the draft, and stealthy picked up a few. This will be one of the best battles to see who can lose the most (while following anti-tanking rules).

AHL SOUTH
1-Broadway
First overall last year as well as close second in +/-, John will once again be the class of the South. Last years auction wins were much better then this year (less cash) but not enough of a drop off to be a problem. Top forwards plus depth as well as top defenceman and depth will mean there will be no easy games against Broadway. Goalies are solid for regular season although playoffs are a concern. Round 1 he has multiple empty goalies on short nights which can be a disaster, so he better win the division

2-Screaming Eagles
The gap will close between Ed and John this year. Ed lost no defenseman this year, and at auction picked up Hoffman, Landeskog and Forsberg to replace lost Giroux. With lots of cash and drafts accumulated, the eagles could end up trading for more help down the stretch and be the top contender. Goalies are also good and a balanced team in all spots.

3-Scarbourgh Shooters
When you have McJesus on your team anything is possible. Biggest issue is that Edmonton is the Anaheim of the 21-22 season. They only play 39 AHL games where most teams play 46-51. Forwards will be slightly worse then last year, but with Karllson, Doughty, Subban at auction, defense will be better. Goalies are perfect in the playoffs but with 6 empty regular season, making playoffs will be difficult.

4-PKdealers
You can only go up from last year. After successfully finishing last the previous year, the Pkdealers will be back to attempting to win games. As usual the goalies will be solid with perfect playoffs and regular season. At skaters, with no superstars, but 6 30-40 point defenseman, and 9 45-60 point forwards, this team will be easy to beat on big-game nights, and hard to beat on shorts nights. Expect them to compete with Shooters for that last playoff spot.

5-Swacker
Sorry ran out of time
Nothing to see here


Playoffs
Looks like a Puck Warfare VS Cheap Thieves on one side
Looks like a Broadway vs any of 4- Big M's, Stackers, Greaseballs, Eagles

Good luck to all the teams and all their goals.

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