Western Conference 2024-25 NHL Predictions | NHL 2024-25 Season Preview - video Dailymotion

Peter Klein

The NHL Season preview is winding down as Peter Klein gives his predictions for every team in the Western Conference. He goes team-by-team breaking down their projected point totals and giving his predictions for the upcoming season.  Apple Pod: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/couch-potato-diary/id1564122189 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3QgazeHcSKSteZbBIubcuM Twitter: twitter.com/primetimeklein IG: instagram.com/primetimeklein Facebook: www.facebook.com/Couchpotatodiary Twitch: twitch.tv/primetimepk Email: couchpotatodiary@yahoo.com We Had No Idea: every Wednesday morning,  instagram.com/wehadnoideapodcast

Transcript

00:00The Western Conference side of the NHL preview now, as it is the Anaheim Ducks, and their

00:12point total wasn't available.

00:14So that's a bit of a bummer.

00:16What a way to start the Western Conference.

00:17But I think that this is a team that takes a step this year.

00:20I think that they have accumulated enough high-end pieces.

00:23We talked about McTavish in the breakout episode.

00:27I think that they have, like, a big key is going to be what Zegras is, or what they can

00:32get for him.

00:33I do still think that there is, there's obviously some holes on this team, and so maybe I am

00:40being a little optimistic about it, but I just think that their young kids are ready

00:43to take that step, and so, they're not going to be a playoff team, but I think things are

00:47going to improve out in Anaheim.

00:48Alright, let's go to the Calgary Flames.

00:50We've got the Calgary Cannons hat on, we've got a Calgary Stampede shirt in the background.

00:54Well, let's talk about it.

00:55First toxic saying in the chat, I find out that Hanzik's ELC slides for another year,

01:01I think it's best to keep him in the A this year.

01:04I am on that train.

01:05I understand, it has been awesome, what he has done in the preseason.

01:09I do find it weird, where it's like, ah, you know, preseason, these games don't matter,

01:12but this guy's kicking ass in them, so let's go.

01:16It's exciting.

01:17It's exciting to see what he has done, and it is exciting to see what he, the progress

01:21that seems to have been made in his game.

01:24And I think that if you send him down to the American Hockey League, you have to have

01:27a very honest conversation with him, to be like, look, this was awesome.

01:32Keep doing that.

01:33You going down there has nothing to do with what we think of you as a player or anything,

01:38it is just from a roster or contract, whatever, this, it sucks, but you are the path of least

01:43resistance going back down there.

01:45So, that's what we're doing.

01:47We talked about the Pelce thing yesterday, I just think you have to kind of try to keep

01:50that guy around and on your roster.

01:53The total for the Flames is 81 and a half.

01:56We have talked before, I do not know how you get to this team being a 500 hockey team.

02:03They, I think, what was it, 80 points last year?

02:06And that was with all of those guys who they traded away, at least playing for part of

02:11the season.

02:12You had Markstrom the whole year.

02:13You had Hannafin for most of it.

02:15You had Tanev for most of it.

02:16You had Zdorov for a bit of it.

02:18You had Lindholm for at least some of it.

02:19Now he wasn't giving you a whole lot, but he was still there.

02:23And so you had all of those pieces.

02:25This blue line is not the blue line of a 500 hockey team.

02:30And while I do think that there is a scenario where Wolff and Vladar are just great, and

02:37they maybe steal a few, I think you are asking a lot of this team to assume that they're

02:43going to get to 500.

02:45Maybe they don't just totally bottom out, but 82 points for this group?

02:49I do not see it.

02:51So I am going under on the Flames at 81 and a half.

02:54Chicago!

02:5573 and a half.

02:56I have them over this year.

02:58I think that Conor Bedard showed last year he is special.

03:01Everything that we thought about him, he is.

03:03They went out, they're basically acquiring Taylor Hall again, because he missed basically

03:08all of last season with that injury.

03:10They acquire Bertuzzi.

03:11They just bring in a few more, like, actual NHL players to hang out on this roster.

03:17And so, goaltending could still be a concern, but I think that they do take a step this

03:20year.

03:21Colorado at 102 and a half points.

03:25This was one I went back and forth on a little bit, and if for no other reason than when

03:29I went over my central after, a lot of overs.

03:33A lot of overs.

03:34Oh Deeds, it's fine.

03:35Deeds, it's all good.

03:38We did the 10-30 stream yesterday, so it messes with you a little bit, so no worries, no need

03:44to worry.

03:45Happy you're here now.

03:46Colorado.

03:49The downsides are pretty obvious.

03:52Landis Cog issues, goaltending we don't trust, and those sorts of things.

03:57But the upside is they have, like, one of the three best players in the world in Nathan

04:00McKinnon.

04:01They have one of the five or six best players in the world in Kahle McCarr.

04:04They have the best defensive pairing in the league with McCarr and Taves, and they're

04:08just kind of awesome.

04:10So I do think that this will be a team that gets over 102 and a half points this year.

04:14The Dallas Stars, their total is 102 and a half as well.

04:17I have them also going over.

04:20So again, the Central has a lot of points, a couple teams that are going to get beat

04:23up on.

04:24We'll talk about them in a second.

04:25But I think that this is a Dallas Stars team that, yes, it could be another year of regression

04:31for some of the older guys.

04:33But now a full season with all of those young kids, the Johnstons, the Stankovans, all those

04:38guys, kind of pushing that forward, and Ottinger continuing to show progress and growth.

04:45Or just staying great.

04:46I think either way makes this one of the best teams in the National Hockey League.

04:51And I think Highskinnen is criminally underrated.

04:54Losing Tanev is a bit of a blow from the playoff team from last year, and I don't think they

04:59really replaced him that well, but there's still enough talent on this team to get them

05:02pretty far.

05:03Edmonton, their total is at 108.5, by far the biggest point total in the NHL totals

05:12this season.

05:13I have to go under on that.

05:15I just, to assume a team gets to 110 points, basically, is just a lot.

05:22And I get, like, they figured it out last year.

05:26And I know some people have been a little bit questioning of the offseason, and it's

05:29not, it didn't end great with Holloway and Broberg on their way to St. Louis, but I still

05:36think adding Skinner, adding Arvidson, those are some smart moves.

05:40And so I do think this is going to be a good hockey team.

05:43But 109 points is insane.

05:45To assume, anyway, teams are going to get to that point.

05:48But that's just, no, no, I can't, I cannot get them there.

05:54When you still have maybe some of the blue line issues you may have, when you have the

05:58goaltending inconsistency that this team has had, I just can't get them to that point.

06:05And you know, Stanley Cup hangover and all that stuff as well.

06:07So I go under on them.

06:08Although, I mean, the last team that lost in the Stanley Cup final went on to win it

06:11in the next year.

06:12And maybe Edmonton will.

06:13We'll talk about playoff stuff in a little bit.

06:15Up next, it's the LA Kings.

06:16I'm going under 96 and a half.

06:18I just think a lot of teams have kind of passed them by a little bit.

06:22Maybe they figured out the goaltending situation when they moved on from PLD and brought in

06:27Kemper in the offseason, but I still think something is missing.

06:33And maybe it is a step, another step forward for Quinton Byfield, but I think that there

06:39just needs to be a little bit more scoring punch.

06:41And also, this blue line, like Doughty was kind of starting to fall off anyway, and now

06:45he's just hurt.

06:47And I think that it's not as strong of a defense as maybe some people give them credit for.

06:52So I'm going under 96 and a half on the Kings.

06:54Minnesota!

06:55I'm going over 94 and a half for this group.

06:58Kirill the Thrill is back and he is just absolutely, um, just dealing.

07:06So yes, he is, he is great.

07:09And this offense, like there's a lot of pieces to like on this team.

07:12They got super banged up a year ago, and so I think that just health is going to help

07:17get them to this point, or to over 94 and a half here this year.

07:23Nashville.

07:24Their total is at 99 and a half.

07:27I can't, in all good conscience, or just for continuity, go off about how Tampa Bay

07:33lost Stephen Stamkos and how that's going to hurt their season, and then say Nashville

07:37brought in Stamkos and nah that's not going to mean anything.

07:39No.

07:40I think it's going to mean something.

07:41I think that this team went very far considering they had EXACTLY one line that you were worried

07:47about with Forsberg, Nyquist, and then whoever.

07:52And now, to go out and acquire Stamkos and Marcheseau to basically just build a second

07:58line.

07:59They are a little soft down the middle, and that is a bit of a concern.

08:02But there is, with Forsberg and Nyquist and Stamkos and Marcheseau and still Roman freaking

08:08Yossi back there on the blue line, there is still, I think, a lot to be excited about

08:15with this team this year.

08:16And they are clearly going for it.

08:18So, I think that this is really going to be a team that takes a step.

08:25San Jose.

08:26I have them under 64 and a half.

08:27I think this is going to be similar to the Chicago Bears, what we kind of predicted for

08:31them.

08:32Now that hasn't necessarily turned out.

08:33But, they're going to take steps forward, but maybe it's not going to show so much in

08:38the standings.

08:39It's going to be more an on-ice thing, like okay you feel better about this.

08:42They did go out and acquire some actual NHL players, which helps.

08:46But, I still think that there is a severe lack of talent on this team that is going

08:50to, I think, hold them back quite a bit.

08:52Now, you'll need them to get to 65 points to hit the over on this, but I still think

08:56it's going to be under on that group.

08:58Seattle.

08:59I don't necessarily love the long-term contracts they handed out, but I do think, again, Montour

09:04and Stevenson make them better this year.

09:06And those are two guys, like, proven commodities in the postseason and all of those things.

09:10And like Stevenson, I have long said, that's just a dude you win with.

09:14So I think that there is a lot to be, a lot to be excited about in Seattle, honestly.

09:20If Biniers can take, maybe have a bounce back from what happened a season ago, they have

09:25still quite a few very good players.

09:27It's just built out to be a bit of a deeper team.

09:30Goaltending maybe, but defensively, excellent hockey team.

09:34And adding Stevenson I think does boost them over that 88 and a half.

09:38St. Louis Blues.

09:39I have them under 87 and a half.

09:42They are a team that feels like they are kind of stuck in the middle.

09:45And going out and getting Broberg and Holloway I think help quite a bit, but I just, you

09:50look at the rest of that central division, and it is tough.

09:54Man.

09:55Like, we just talked about how Nashville got better.

09:57Dallas is still really good.

09:58Colorado is still really good.

10:00Anticipating a better year for Minnesota based on health.

10:03They're going to be good.

10:04Utah, I think takes a couple of steps forward this year.

10:07Winnipeg is still challenging.

10:09And the Chicago Blackhawks were expecting to take a step.

10:12I think that kind of similar to Philadelphia over on the east, I think here in the west,

10:17St. Louis has a real challenge on their hands with just there being a lot of very good teams

10:24around them, and some of your kind of core pieces maybe starting to fade a little bit.

10:30And so I think, I kind of think this is going to be a really, really long year out in St.

10:35Louis.

10:36So I have them under 87 and a half, and honestly probably substantially.

10:40The Utah Jazz.

10:41I have them at over 88 and a half.

10:43Talked about it before.

10:44I think that this is a team that 100% takes a big step this year.

10:49I think they were ready to take one last year, and then all the uncertainty of last year

10:53really sent things spiraling.

10:55Then they go out and acquire Sergeyev.

10:56They have a new home.

10:57They have so much talent that you can be excited about.

11:00I think that this is the year that the Utah team takes the step that a lot of people thought

11:05Arizona was going to a season ago.

11:07Vancouver, I have them under 99 and a half.

11:10The goaltending situation with Demko and injuries and all of that just scares me off

11:15of it a little bit.

11:16I still think they needed to do a little bit more on the blue line.

11:19Adding DeBrusque to this forward group is actually quite intriguing to me, and I think

11:25does make this a little bit fun for what this team can be offensively, but I think that

11:30defensively they're just not quite there, even though I do love Quinn Hughes.

11:34But the goaltending situation, the health of Demko, and the long term whatever of all

11:39of that, I just have some concerns, so I do have Vancouver slightly under 99 and a

11:43half.

11:44Vegas, I have them over 97 and a half.

11:46I think the way last season ended is leaving a bit of a sour taste in some people's mouths.

11:53And losing Marchessault and Stevenson is a hit, no question about it.

11:57They still have Eichel, and Hannafin, and Stone, and Petrangelo, and Theodore.

12:02It goes on and on and on.

12:03Like, this is a really really talented team.

12:05It is not a deep team.

12:07Not obvious.

12:09Not a deep team.

12:10But this is a group that has a lot of high end skill, and so I just can't bet against

12:16them.

12:17I have them over 97 and a half.

12:18And Winnipeg!

12:19I have them over 96 and a half.

12:22Kinda wanted to not, but I just, again, a very talented roster.

12:28And with Scheifele, Perfetti, Ehlers, Connor, all those guys up front, Morrissey I think

12:33still doesn't get talked enough about his play on the blue line.

12:37And Connor Hellbuck between the pipes when he is on, one of the best goalies in the league.

12:40Again, it ended very poorly out of Winnipeg last year, but I think there is, for regular

12:45season purposes anyway, I think this team is going to be alright.

Western Conference 2024-25 NHL Predictions | NHL 2024-25 Season Preview

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