The Odds are Stacked Against the Detroit Red Wings

The odds are stacked against the Detroit Red Wings from the get-go.  The initial 2018/19 regular season total point prediction, place the Wings in the basement.

The Detroit Red Wings weren’t exactly expected to compete for the Stanley Cup this up and coming season.  Oddsshark.com has the Wings (under/over) total points for the regular season set at 75.5.

That comes in as the second lowest total point projection in the NHL. I would take the “over.”  The Wings should be able to finish around the 80 point mark.

I get it, they are rebuilding, but the only team with a worse total point prediction are the Ottawa Senators at 71.5. The Ottawa Senators have been in shambles the entire off-season.  They had to trade away a top 6 forward in Mike Hoffman because he and Erik Karlsson couldn’t get along.

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I don’t know if it was more the players’ wives or the players themselves, but it was a weird and unusual story.  Karlsson and his wife accused Mike Hoffman and his significant other of creating a fake social media account and harassing them.

Ottawa shipped Hoffman out-of-town, and Karlsson seems to be not too far behind.  Expect the game-changing defenseman to be moved soon.  Expect the San Jose Sharks or the Vegas Golden Knights to both make a push for his services.

I consider the Detroit Red Wings better than Ottawa right now, and so does OddsShark.com, after they move Karlsson they will be considerably better than the Sens.

The Vancouver Canucks have been set at 77.5 total points by OddsShark.  Vancouver has some terrific young talent but with the departure of the Sedin twins leaves the Canucks without two longtime top 9 forwards.  Bo Horvat and Brock Boeser both look like they will contribute for many years to come but it gets thin after that for the Canucks.

Elias Pettersson is a highly regarded prospect they have penciled in as their second line center. Are the Canucks better than the Red Wings today?  I don’t think so.

The Buffalo Sabres have climbed considerably over the last couple of weeks.  It started with winning the draft lottery and allowing them to draft Rasmus Dahlin.  They will pair him with stand out defender Rasmus Ristolainen.

The Sabres would then go on and acquire Jeff Skinner to play alongside Jack Eichel. The addition of Carter Hutton in-goal brings them an upgrade in net from last year.  Buffalo is currently set at an underwhelming 79.5 total points.  I would take the “over” on this.  Buffalo got a lot better this offseason.

Arizona is still Arizona.  They along with Montreal are placed at 80.5.  The New York Islanders (83.5) are minus John Tavares, a franchise-changing loss.  All three of these teams will be in the lottery conversation all season long.

The New York Rangers total season point prediction opened tied with the Detroit Red Wings at 75.5.  Glenn Sather is trying to get the Rangers much younger and refill the cupboard with prospects.  The Rangers are expected to sell off a couple of players entering the last year of their contract.  Mats Zuccarello, in particular, will be a trade chip to watch.

I think the Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers, Montreal Canadians and Vancouver Canucks will all be competing for draft positions 2 thru 5 this season.  I expect the Ottawa Senators to be the lowest point achievers in the NHL.

As the draft lottery approaches, you, of course, don’t need the worst record to have the first overall pick.  The lower you finish, the more ping-pong balls you get into the “magic” machine.  For a rebuilding team, the more, the better.

A couple of teams I would take the “over” on is the L.A Kings, they open at 93.5 total points.  I think the Kings will finish near 100  total points this season.

The Chicago Blackhawks, open projected at 84.5 total points.  That seems low for a team with Johnathan Toews, Patrick Kane, and Duncan Keith.  The Hawks underachieved last season, but Cam Ward brings them stability and a veteran presence in goal. Ward will push Corey Crawford similar to the Red Wings current situation.  I have to think the “over” on the Hawks is a safe bet.

The Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets both penciled in at 106.5 points.  I would take the “under” on both.  Achieving 107 points in today’s NHL is hard.  Granted the arrival of John Tavares to the Toronto Maple Leafs becomes a massive offseason addition.

The Leafs still missing a lot in the way of defense.  Though they will benefit from playing in such a weak division, I would put them around 102 points.  They should have more total points than the Jets will have, just with the Jets having to play in a difficult Western Conference.

Last but not least Steve Yzerman‘s Tampa Bay Lightning open at the top of the mountain.  The Lightning’s odds open at 107.5 total points on the season.  I could see Tampa finishing with 108 points.  The Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference is top-heavy.

Tampa Bay has the scoring, they have the goaltender, and unlike Toronto, the Lightning has a stout defensive group anchoring the team.  I would be shocked if Tampa Bay didn’t win the Atlantic division.  I think Tampa Bay will finish this season as the Eastern Conference’s overall number one seed.

The bottom of the division is a bit dysfunctional, with a lot of rebuilding teams.  This will allow the top of the Atlantic Division many more opportunities to gain “easier” points than some other divisions throughout the league.