Bold Predictions For The Season

2 years ago  /  Kuklas Korner  /  Read Time: 1 minute 3 seconds

from Rory Boylen of Sportsnet,


Toronto's starting goalie for Game 1 of the playoffs is neither Jack Campbell nor Petr Mrazek
Nothing is guaranteed in Toronto's net this season, which is maybe not the best thing heading into such a critical one for the team. Jack Campbell was fantastic for them in 2021, but he's no stranger to injury and had a groin issue last season. Campbell has also never been leaned upon as a No. 1 over an 82-game calendar and the 22 appearances he made last season were the second-most of his career -- the most he's played in one season was 31 games in 2018-19 for the Kings.

Of course, Campbell doesn't need to be a 50-game starter necessarily, because Petr Mrazek was brought in to team up with Campbell in a tandem. But Mrazek was the primary starter for two Carolina teams that had Stanley Cup hopes in 2018-19 and 2019-20 and we wouldn't exactly call it a smashing success....]

Neither Pennsylvania team makes the playoffs
The Metropolitan Division could be one of the more fascinating this season because of the potential for immense turnover -- or maybe none at all.

Here you have your established contenders from years gone by: Washington and Pittsburgh. You have a team in the Islanders that doesn't look special, but clearly is after back-to-back Round 3 appearances. Carolina had more points than any of these teams last season, while the Flyers are a popular bounce back pick and certainly look better on paper than the inconsistency they've played with in recent years.


more on the above plus additional predictions......

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