2017 Pool Projections: St. Louis

Sure, it was a disappointing finish to their playoffs, but Blues management knew they were on the right track, re-signing head coach Ken Hitchcock to a new 1-year deal before the end of May.  This gave us the first hint that the Blues would be much of the same, before the off-season really kicked off.

Thankfully for St. Louis, what won't be the same is the goaltending situation, as Brian Elliott was shipped off to Calgary and this leaves the reins in Jake Allen's hands and this could be the best thing that could happen to this club.  Now that the 26-year old has the number one job, his focus will now be on winning and I have a feeling that is what he is going to do.

With David Backes leaving the organization via free agency, the Blues are going to be in need of some new leadership, something that may or may not be hard to come by on this team.  It's really hard to say.  It will be interesting to see who takes the role of captain and what effect it will have on this club.  Will it be someone who leads by example or is there someone vocal enough in the room that can take charge?

Nevertheless, I think St. Louis is in for making a big charge in the 2017 season, because I believe they have taken some steps in the right direction here.  Let's not forget, this is Ken Hitchcock's last season, I'm sure the players would love to win one for the skipper this year.

Player	Pos	16/17 Proj	Rookie
Jake Allen	G	100	N
Vladimir Tarasenko	F	80	N
Jaden Schwartz	F	70	N
Alexander Steen	F	65	N
Paul Stastny	F	60	N
Kevin Shattenkirk	D	55	N
Alex Pietrangelo	D	45	N
Robby Fabbri	F	35	N
Patrik Berglund	F	35	N
David Perron	F	30	N
Jori Lehtera	F	30	N
Colton Parayko	D	30	N
Ty Rattie	F	30	N
Jay Bouwmeester	D	25	N
Scottie Upshall	F	20	N
Dmitrij Jaskin	F	20	N
Ivan Barbashev	F	20	Y
Carter Hutton	G	15	N
Landon Ferraro	F	15	N
Carl Gunnarsson	D	10	N
Magnus Paajarvi	F	10	N
Kyle Brodziak	F	5	N
Joel Edmundson	D	5	N
Ryan Reaves	F	5	N
Robert Bortuzzo	D	5	N

Table last updated on August 4th

Most Intriguing or Breakout Player

Coming out of nowhere in the 2016 season was defenseman Colton Parayko and that earns him the most intriguing player for the upcoming season for the Blues, mostly because of his scoring numbers and his position on the blueline.  The 23-year old finished last season with 33 points and was 42nd among defensemen in scoring, which will make him attractive in the draft, no doubt.  Will he be able to repeat the performance as a sophomore in the league?  I say that he'll be close.

My initial projection for him is in the 30-point range, give or take, but already being a more mature sophomore in the league, it will give him some much better odds of having a repeat or improved performance.

First Round Picks

By my count, the Blues have two players worthy of opening round consideration and I think Jake Allen can go as high as 1st overall, if one felt so compelled to do so.  Allen, taking the reins as the number one, and Vladimir Tarasenko, being a premier scorer, gives the Blues two perfectly sound options in the early part of the hockey pool draft.

Other Pool Worthy Forwards

If the 30-point range is where pool worthiness ends, I think the Blues are going to be a very popular team in this year's draft.  I have the feeling that they could have upwards of nine more forwards taken in the draft, if all goes well.  Jaden Schwartz is set to have a big year, while Alex Steen and Paul Statsny should continue to do what they do.  Robby Fabbri (sophomore) and Patrik Berglund (plain ol' wild card) will have the potential for better things, but I just can't bet heavily on them.

Other Pool Worthy Defense

With Kevin Shattenkirk and Alex Pietrangelo, the Blues have a very special dynamic duo, if they manage to stay together this season.  Both have real offensive upside and they'll be snapped early in the push for big defenseman names in the first three rounds of the draft.  I still think Jay Bouwmeester has something to give and if Shattenkirk does go via trade, as some of the rumours may suggest, then the veteran blueliner has a lot to gain with more ice-time.

Goaltending Situation

With all the moves in the off-season for St. Louis, we now know it will be Carter Hutton who will be behind the new number one, Jake Allen.  Allen hasn't exactly proved to be 65+ start goalie yet for the Blues, so that will work in Hutton's favour, making him into a potential back-up goalie, if needed in the hockey pool.

Team To Pick From?

The Blues are not going to be short on talent this year and that could mean for some really good picks late on in the draft, as the scoring trickles down to the guys that won't be defended nearly as hard.  Guys like David Perron or Jori Lehtera could find their way down the ranks a bit, but certainly wouldn't disappoint near the end of the draft.

Unsigned Players and Salary Cap

There have been some rumblings that Vladimir Sobotka could return to the team, but that's a matter of commitment, as an arbitration ruling would still be in effect, if he decided to come back to the team.  Today, he's the only player of any real value on the unsigned list.

The Blues' 23-man projected roster is still fairly cost-efficient, leaving more than enough space for Sobotka, if he said yes to a return.  I have the Blues in slightly under $3.2 million from the cap ceiling and the Czech forward would be signing for $2.725 million.

Injuries

Shoulder surgery for forward Alex Steen has pretty well ruled him out of the World Cup, but the timetable for him is still in and around the start of the regular season, likely getting in a good portion of training camp.  I would imagine he'll be 100% when he finally hits the ice.

2017 Pool Projections: San Jose

There were far too many years, pretty much the entire Joe Thornton/Patrick Marleau era in San Jose, where the Sharks would be looked upon to do some big things leading up to a season, only to put up some crazy numbers in the regular season and disappear in the playoffs.

As much as those two are still on the team, it is a significantly different era in the tank, as Joe Pavelski is your new leader, Martin Jones emerged out of the shadows of a divisional rival to be their new backstop and the wookie, Brent Burns, continues to evolve into one of the NHL's all-time beasts.  It's amazing to think about how far they have come in the matter of last summer's off-season and how they translated it on the ice.

The playing days for the grizzled veterans are obviously numbered, but how big those numbers are, only they or the club really know for sure.  They have already imparted an absolute ton of knowledge on some fresh ears and you can really see the impact on those key guys and further down in the lineup.  Their appearance as the Western Conference finalists for the Stanley Cup was a long time coming and they have remarkably continued to add, so they can do it all over again.

Player	Pos	16/17 Proj	Rookie
Martin Jones	G	90	N
Joe Pavelski	F	80	N
Brent Burns	D	80	N
Joe Thornton	F	75	N
Mikkel Boedker	F	60	N
Logan Couture	F	55	N
Patrick Marleau	F	50	N
Tomas Hertl	F	50	N
Joonas Donskoi	F	45	N
Joel Ward	F	40	N
Marc-Edouard Vlasic	D	40	N
Timo Meier	F	35	Y
Justin Braun	D	25	N
Melker Karlsson	F	25	N
Chris Tierney	F	20	N
Tommy Wingels	F	20	N
Brenden Dillon	D	20	N
Paul Martin	D	15	N
David Schlemko	D	15	N
Matt Nieto	F	15	N
Barclay Goodrow	F	10	N
Nikolay Goldobin	F	10	Y
Troy Grosenick	G	10	Y
Dylan Demelo	D	5	N
Aaron Dell	G	5	Y

Table last updated on August 6th

Most Intriguing or Breakout Player

The San Jose Sharks were not poised to lose too much of their Stanley Cup Final core group of players, so when they were able to add a scorer like Mikkel Boedker to their mix, it really says something about what they wanted to do in the coming season (and hopefully, playoffs).  That would be, score even more!

I don't think the Sharks are going to be short on offense this season and since they have found a top end goalie to anchor the rear, there is a feeling that they are going to push the tempo a little bit more and come at their opposition quickly and often.  Boedker has some real potential in his career and we might just see him realize it with some of these talented Sharks on his line.

First Round Picks

The Sharks may not be the defending champs, but they sure came close and their point production was certainly a reason why.  Martin Jones will likely win more than his fair share of games, while Joe Pavelski continues to thrive in his leadership role and Brent Burns will be a part of that early blueline contingent that goes in the draft.  With all this talent assembled, Joe Thornton also has a good shot at being worthy of a 1st round pick, so don't forget about him.

Other Pool Worthy Forwards

More and more depth seem to emerge as you go down the list of the Sharks that could be taken in the pool and either they have really turned a corner or this is an elaborate ruse for us poolies.  Logan Couture, Tomas Hertl and Joonas Donskoi are all plenty good enough to not lead us astray.

Other Pool Worthy Defense

After Burns, the Sharks do have a few names that will keep the pool worthiness continue on this list, including Marc-Edouard Vlasic, who will take a turn for Canada at the World Cup and Justin Braun, who has been very steady over the last couple of years as well.  They will try to find a little bit more depth after that, but nothing really jumps off the page to say that it will be them.

Goaltending Situation

You have to believe that the Sharks have all kinds of confidence in Martin Jones, as he helped them all the way to the Cup Finals.  Jones was dynamite for the Sharks, after coming from the Kings through Boston in the off-season and he can call this team his own going into 2017.  The back-up job might be up for grabs this season, with the early consideration going to Troy Grosenick, but that kind of uncertainty might not be the right thing to pick into at the hockey pool draft.

Team To Pick From?

The Sharks are a good gamble this year.  They are a confident bunch in front of their new number one goalie and they keep things fresh and light, thanks to the personalities of everyone's favourite wookie.  I don't think there are a great deal of late round home run hitters in San Jose, but I have probably given you enough reason to give it a try.

Unsigned Players and Salary Cap

There is absolutely no pressing business that needs to happen in San Jose, they are all set to go, free agent wise and it's a good thing too, because they have no room to maneuver under the cap.

Their current projected 23-man roster is coming in with $175,000 to spare, which is barely giving one of their current roster players a bonus for showing up most nights.  This is likely how the Sharks will lineup, minus some minor tweaks, so get used to it.

Injuries

Despite a long run to the Cup Finals, the Sharks didn't have a great deal of injury concerns after the fact, so we are expecting a full showing for training camp at the moment.

2017 Pool Projections: Tampa Bay

The Tampa Bay Lightning haven't been short on story lines over the last 24 months, have they?

The Bolts continue to be a very interesting team, thanks to the personalities they have in place, both on the ice and in management, they continue to win games through long periods of controversy and their cap situation continues to hang over their heads and cause more speculation and stories about their immediate future.

How much of this stuff actually gets reflected on the ice?  Well, maybe a good portion, but all of this off-season stuff has to weigh on this franchise to a certain degree.  A Stanley Cup Finals appearance in 2015, bounced in the Conference Finals last Spring, they are walking a confident stride these days, but there are questions about how long this confidence will last.

Nevertheless, the team has done a good job of keeping all of its moving parts together and they appear to be going into the new season with the better part of their roster from the last two seasons.  There is still a little housekeeping to be done and we'll tackle that a little bit later, but the Lightning have found a way to put a team together and seemingly keep it together for a few years.  That has to mean something, right?

All of this excitement and these stories will likely keep the Lightning at the front of many poolie's minds, come draft time, so I would imagine that they will be a hot commodity in October.

Player	Pos	16/17 Proj	Rookie
Ben Bishop	G	70	N
Nikita Kucherov	F	70	N
Steven Stamkos	F	70	N
Tyler Johnson	F	65	N
Victor Hedman	D	55	N
Ondrej Palat	F	50	N
Alex Killorn	F	45	N
Jonathan Drouin	F	45	N
Vladislav Namestnikov	F	40	N
Valtteri Filppula	F	40	N
Anton Stralman	D	35	N
Andrei Vasilevskiy	G	30	N
Ryan Callahan	F	25	N
J.T. Brown	F	25	N
Andrej Sustr	D	25	N
Slater Koekkoek	D	25	Y
Brian Boyle	F	15	N
Jason Garrison	D	15	N
Cedric Paquette	F	10	N
Erik Condra	F	10	N
Braydon Coburn	D	10	N
Nikita Nesterov	D	10	N
Jeremy Morin	F	10	N
Joel Vermin	F	5	Y
Yanni Gourde	F	5	Y
Cory Conacher	F	5	N
Luke Witkowski	D	5	Y

Table last updated on August 6th

Most Intriguing or Breakout Player

This is looking more and more like a good year to buy low on some young defensemen, especially if you are in a keeper league of some sort. I know my pool isn't, but maybe it really should be. The Lightning will offer a kid like Slater Koekkoek, who quietly emerged as an everyday defender for the Lightning at the back end of the regular season and through the two rounds of the playoffs.

He didn't pick up very many points in his time on the ice for the Lightning, but I wouldn't be discouraged by that, since he still needed a little bit of experience to get his feet wet in the league.  With a number of good options for a blueline partner, Koekkoek will be put in a position where he will be able to succeed and that could make him into a pretty good sleeper-type pick at the end of the draft.  He will also still carry his rookie status into next season, which could be good for the mini-games, if they fall that way.

First Round Picks

There are a lot of questions up at the top of the depth chart for the Lightning and that has kept projections down.  Will Ben Bishop stay or go?  When will Nikita Kucherov sign his new deal?  How will Steven Stamkos come back, now that he has his new deal?  All three are potential 1st round picks, but none of them got the projection, since they have more questions than answers associated with them.

Other Pool Worthy Forwards

Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat, Alex Killorn, Jonathan Drouin, Slava Namestnikov and Valterri Filppula... all likely to play well, when healthy, now that they've all received some votes of confidence, some new contracts and some returning linemates.  After their Cup Finals run, the Lightning were all of a sudden really deep at forward, but they really only showed how great they could be, when the playoffs rolled around again.  That might be something to consider at the draft.

Other Pool Worthy Defense

Their main man, Victor Hedman, will be playing with some job security, after his long-term extension this Summer, but there is little doubt that he will fall short of showing why he will make that big money in 2018.  Anton Stralman was a solid contributor last season and then it could be a matter of adding a couple more contributing names to this list, Andrej Sustr and Slater Koekkoek, each had decent playoff performances as well.

Goaltending Situation

Touched on earlier, the immediate future of Ben Bishop is still up in the air and before the season starts, the whole thing could change, which would not only answer a question, but also give the team some much needed cap space.  The Lightning have been said to be confident in both Andrei Vasilevskiy and Kristers Gudlevskis, but until Bishop is moved, it is his team.

Team To Pick From?

The parity in the league today makes the call for quality depth far more imperative than in years previous and the Lightning have embraced that fully.  I believe that there are players on this depth chart that are worthy of a late round gamble, but the cupboard will feel a bit bare, when all of the main players are gone.  Those main players will take up many of those key spots, so be careful how far you dig.

Unsigned Players and Salary Cap

Still quite a bit of concern with restricted free agents, as Nikita Kucherov is still looking for a new deal, as is defenseman Nikita Nesterov, but we all know where the bulk of the concern actually is.  The Lightning would be amiss to not have these two in camp, but they have worked themselves into a bit of a corner.

Those salary cap concerns that were spoken of earlier look a little like this... with a current 23-man projected roster, the Lightning are only $4.54 million away from the cap ceiling and with the way Kucherov has performed over the last couple of seasons, the Lightning are not going to get both with that number, let alone one.  Enter the Ben Bishop trade rumours and it all starts to make sense.

Injuries

In June, the Lightning announced that forward Ryan Callahan had undergone successful hip surgery and that recovery would be in the 4-to-5 months range, which will keep him out of next month's World Cup of Hockey.  Callahan was slated to play for the USA in the tournament, but his spot has been taken by Kyle Palmieri of the Devils.

2017 Pool Projections: Toronto

The trouble with the Toronto Maple Leafs, heading into the 2017 hockey pool season, will be that they have far more variables than constants in their equation heading into training camp and before you can throw names at the wall to see what sticks, that's exactly what their coaching staff has to do.

The Leafs have a truckload of young talent, ready to make their mark on the NHL and in your hockey pool, but are they going to fit the model that the team's coaching staff and management have laid out for themselves in the 2017 season.  This will be more a question of how will this season affect the development of these players, rather than making the playoffs, as their biggest priority.

Where will some of these players develop better?  There's no question that Auston Matthews will be an everyday guy in their lineup, he will develop to be a top level superstar at the top level right away, but you look at a kid like Mitch Marner and he's either got to be with the big club or back in junior, as the rules state, he won't be eligible for AHL development, like William Nylander or Kasperi Kapanen.

The projection list I am offering now likely isn't going to be the final list I would take into the draft, nor should it be yours.  I am very curious to see where a lot of these guys end up, once the hockey pool draft takes place on October 8th, by then, we'll know who is staying, who is going and who may only get a small tryout before heading back.

Player	Pos	16/17 Proj	Rookie
James Van Riemsdyk	F	65	N
Auston Matthews	F	60	Y
Frederik Andersen	G	50	N
Morgan Rielly	D	45	N
Nazem Kadri	F	40	N
William Nylander	F	40	Y
Leo Komarov	F	35	N
Jake Gardiner	D	35	N
Peter Holland	F	35	N
Tyler Bozak	F	30	N
Milan Michalek	F	25	N
Joffrey Lupul	F	25	N
Kasperi Kapanen	F	25	Y
Brooks Laich	F	20	N
Garret Sparks	G	20	Y
Mitchell Marner	F	20	Y
Matt Martin	F	15	N
Roman Polak	D	15	N
Colin Greening	F	15	N
Kerby Rychel	F	15	N
Martin Marincin	D	15	N
Frank Corrado	D	15	N
Matt Hunwick	D	10	N
Josh Leivo	F	5	N
Viktor Loov	D	5	Y
Rinat Valiev	D	5	Y

Table last updated on August 6th

Most Intriguing or Breakout Player

Some may not acknowledge it, but there is a lot of pressure on Frederik Andersen heading into the 2017 season, as he is now being paid as the team's number one goalie and there will be a lot of immediate pressure from the fan base and media to help right the ship.  Acquired in the week before the entry draft, Andersen will have some competition from his crease mate and we'll get to see if the Leafs improved their defense enough to help their goalies win enough games.

The most intriguing part about Andersen is how much value the Leafs had put into him, when the Ducks knew full well that they were going with John Gibson and easily pulled the trigger to rid themselves of a goalie that may have only been 'good enough.'

First Round Picks

Since the playoffs are not in the cards, I don't see a 1st round pick in the cards from the centre of the universe.  Auston Matthews has 1st round potential, but that may still be a year or two away, especially given the team around him to start his career.

Other Pool Worthy Forwards

James Van Riemsdyk and Nazem Kadri return for another spin for the Maple Leafs and both will get their ice-time to be pool worthy, for sure.  This will be the year that the youth starts to take over and it will be guys like William Nylander and Peter Holland that will be looked upon for that extra bit of draftable offense.  I believe they'll get it.  Leo Komarov and Tyler Bozak are also in the mix, I would think.

Other Pool Worthy Defense

The pair of Morgan Reilly and Jake Gardiner may not have got to the elevated heights yet, but if you've been watching these two, you know that they are pretty close and that's pretty exciting for the Maple Leafs.  These two will be big pieces and could end up being some higher picks this season, but that's about where the worthiness ends.  All or nothing with these two right now.

Goaltending Situation

The design is for Frederik Andersen to be the number one for Toronto and as of this blog post, the projected back-up is last year's surprise, Garret Sparks, who did a lot to impress everyone around Toronto.  Sparks may not have won every game he started, but he sure did play well in most of those starts, keeping the Leafs in games and if they are going to be getting better, he'll be a big part of that down the line.

Team To Pick From?

The Maple Leafs were likely trying to move some of their overpriced talent in this off-season, something they might able to wait through this season and let unrestricted free agency take them away.  This is the sort of talent you might consider to take late, but I would certainly advise against it, since that talent may sit, as the Leafs audition their promising youth before too long.

Unsigned Players and Salary Cap

The only players the Leafs have left unsigned were the very, very deep veterans that are unrestricted free agents and some have already taken deals in Europe for the coming season.

The Leafs don't have a lot of cap concerns, as they are still in their rebuilding phase, but they have contracts that are still running, even with injuries attached to them.  This will likely make for some LTIR relief, but they'll cross that bridge when they get there.  I have a 25-man projected roster, which includes Nathan Horton and Stephane Robidas, both injured, coming in $535,000 over the ceiling.

Injuries

Neither Horton or Robidas are playing in the 2017 season and that was a given, while Jared Cowen may have been cleared of his injury, but is citing that he isn't good to go and that had kept the Leafs from buying him out this year.  His $3.1 million is a pretty big lump, but one way or another, the Leafs should be able to restrict it from being too much of a burden.

2017 Pool Projections: Vancouver

You cannot accuse the Vancouver Canucks' management team of working too quickly or even just quickly, briskly or rapidly.  No, their exercise in patience is a tough one for a lot of people to swallow, but they remain convinced that this slow build will be much better in the long run, assuming they live to see how long that run lasts.

The Canucks were not very good in the 2016 season and they were unlucky at the draft lottery, but they were fortunate enough to have one of the big free agents sign with them, as it was very attractive for Loui Eriksson to play with the Sedin twins, trying to form a very potent top line.

Patience is also the name of the game for a few of their young players already on the roster, the likes of Bo Horvat, Sven Baertschi, Ben Hutton, Emerson Etem, Jake Virtanen and now the late season acquisition Markus Granlund.  The team's scouting department are high on these guys and they would like to see this roster come through.

This will be a tough year for the Canucks, they are in tough against a division that was either really hard to play against last season or they are improving at a faster rate than Vancouver.  This lack of expedited improvement may also hurt the Canucks and their hockey pool value, which has led to some fairly low projections.

Player	Pos	16/17 Proj	Rookie
Henrik Sedin	F	75	N
Loui Eriksson	F	70	N
Daniel Sedin	F	70	N
Bo Horvat	F	50	N
Jacob Markstrom	G	45	N
Jannik Hansen	F	35	N
Sven Baertschi	F	35	N
Brandon Sutter	F	35	N
Alexander Edler	D	30	N
Ben Hutton	D	25	N
Alexandre Burrows	F	25	N
Emerson Etem	F	25	N
Jake Virtanen	F	25	N
Ryan Miller	G	20	N
Christopher Tanev	D	20	N
Derek Dorsett	F	15	N
Markus Granlund	F	15	N
Nikita Tryamkin	D	15	Y
Phillip Larsen	D	15	N
Erik Gudbranson	D	10	N
Luca Sbisa	D	10	N
Alex Biega	D	5	N
Michael Chaput	F	5	N
Jayson Megna	F	5	N

Table last updated on August 6th

Most Intriguing or Breakout Player

The role that Brandon Sutter plays for the Canucks will dictate a lot about the coming season, as it wasn't any secret that the management staff wanted him to be the team's second centre, but injury forced him out of the role and it was handed to Bo Horvat, who did fairly well with it, considering his experience.  Now, a new season upon us and the question remains, where do they want him to play?

I have the feeling that he will be third line centre for the team this year, as Horvat is going to run with the second line job and it will be a matter of adjustment for Sutter, who will still need to produce from a line below.  There's nothing set in stone here, but if he can have a healthy season, the 35-point range should be easy to achieve and there could be more in there for him.

First Round Picks

The addition of Loui Eriksson to the Canucks makes Henrik Sedin into a potential 1st round pick, as the pivot will have a couple of good trigger men to pass to in Eriksson and his brother, Daniel.  They won't be too far apart, when it comes to their scoring totals, given that they should be playing together on a regular basis, but it will be up to the coaching staff to minimize the mistakes they made, when they moved Radim Vrbata off their line full-time to help "spread out the offense."

Other Pool Worthy Forwards

Bo Horvat, Jannik Hansen, Sven Baertschi and Brandon Sutter are really going to have to carry the load and be better than these projections, if the Canucks want to stay in any sort of race this season.  They are all worthy of being selected, but most are going to be some late round action, the later the better, if you're looking for any sort of bargain potential.

Other Pool Worthy Defense

Scoring from the blueline will be questionable this season, as the long-term ability of Alexander Edler is in question, while Ben Hutton is coming along, but might be a bit young to carry the bulk of the load for the Canucks.  Chris Tanev is another guy, who is very serviceable, but doesn't quite seem to have the instincts of a top offensive defender.  Another late round guy, at best.

Goaltending Situation

This could very well be the year that Jacob Markstrom takes over the number one job for the Canucks, as Ryan Miller, his counterpart, is in the last year of his current deal and is getting up there in age, so things are adding up for the Swede.  I would think that Miller would get the first look, but when it is all said and done, I am expecting Markstrom to be the number one.

Team To Pick From?

The Canucks could be guilty of being a team where there are more late round picks than early round picks, as an effect of a lack of depth up in the top lines.  If you're looking for players late on from a team that scores, I'm thinking that you're not going to find that here in Vancouver.

Unsigned Players and Salary Cap

Forward Radim Vrbata and defenseman Matt Bartkowski still remain unsigned as unrestricted free agents and both were pool worthy in the 2016 season.  Vrbata's age a question and Bartkowski's two-way game was pretty poor, which could be the leading reasons why they still don't have deals.

The Canucks still have about $3.3 million under the cap ceiling with their 23-man projected roster, so if they change their minds on one of them, they would be able to work with it.

Injuries

The Canucks didn't finish the 2016 season on a healthy note, as Alexander Edler missed the end of the year with a broken leg and Brandon Sutter's season was marred by injury, including a late season broken jaw.  Both should be good to go for the start of the season.

2017 Pool Projections: Washington

How many more years are the Washington Capitals going to be on the brink of something special?  Seriously.

Another year getting ready to go and now we wonder, do the Capitals have enough this time for the whole shebang?  Okay, to be fair, this post is more for the regular season and all, but they have done a good job to make sure that they are through without any issue.  They score, they have the best goalie running at the moment, they have been able to make the most out of their depth, if not better and they're able to turn it over year after year.

When is it going to be their time, hockey gods?!?  When?!?

2017 is shaping up to be another big season for the Capitals, who are out to follow up a President's Trophy year, where they were winning at will or so it would seem.  There's no way that these guys won't be popular at this year's hockey pool draft and for good reason, really.

Player	Pos	16/17 Proj	Rookie
Braden Holtby	G	95	N
Alex Ovechkin	F	85	N
Evgeny Kuznetsov	F	80	N
Nicklas Backstrom	F	80	N
T.J. Oshie	F	55	N
John Carlson	D	55	N
Justin Williams	F	50	N
Marcus Johansson	F	50	N
Andre Burakovsky	F	35	N
Lars Eller	F	35	N
Matt Niskanen	D	30	N
Dmitry Orlov	D	30	N
Jay Beagle	F	25	N
Philipp Grubauer	G	20	N
Brett Connolly	F	20	N
Tom Wilson	F	20	N
Daniel Winnik	F	20	N
Karl Alzner	D	20	N
Nate Schmidt	D	20	N
Brooks Orpik	D	15	N
Brad Malone	F	10	N
Madison Bowey	D	10	Y
Zach Sill	F	5	N
Darren Dietz	D	5	Y
Aaron Ness	D	5	N

Table last updated on August 6th

Most Intriguing or Breakout Player

Here's a question... wasn't T.J. Oshie supposed to really take off with the Washington Capitals last season? Wasn't he going to be some kind of offensive dynamo, joining the ranks of Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom? What happened to that? Maybe more importantly, could it happen in year two?

It's somewhat funny to think that his points had actually gone down between his move from St. Louis to Washington, if only marginally, and it's kind of strange that his goal total went up at the same time.  Was it a message of just 'shoot the puck?'

It's certainly possible that someone may have noticed that any will ask Oshie to be more of a complete player again, but in the grand scheme of things, nothing has really changed in Washington; the coaches are the same, the supporting cast is the same, so the overall message has to be the same, right?  This is a story worth watching.

First Round Picks

Well, I couldn't say I had Evgeny Kuznetsov making the leap up, but there he is.  Kuznetsov had a better point total than both Ovechkin and Backstrom last season, so the expectations will remain high for him to repeat those numbers.  Throw in the best goalie over the last two seasons, Braden Holtby, into the mix and you have a very potent foursome hitting the ice to start the season.  There could be a significant Washington flavour to this year's 1st round of the draft.

Other Pool Worthy Forwards

You've got your 1st round picks, your intriguing or breakout player... is there anything left?  How about Justin Williams or Marcus Johansson?  Maybe Andre Burakovsky is your flavour a little later on in the draft and there is a good chance you think Lars Eller is going to fit in well with his new team.  Yeah, the Capitals will be decorating a number of hockey pool teams this season and rightfully so.

Other Pool Worthy Defense

We really haven't touched on the defense and pool-wise, John Carlson remains a very sexy pick, leading up to this draft.  He was the breakout player last year and didn't quite put up the numbers, but he should remain steady.  Matt Niskanen and Dmitry Orlov are also slated for decent years, thanks in large part to this quality offense that Washington is rolling with.

Goaltending Situation

You're not going to change the goaltending situation after a President's Trophy season, as Braden Holtby has been awesome over the last couple of years.  In behind, Philipp Grubauer is set to be the back-up, but Holtby's numbers may restrict the minutes that Grubauer gets and he may not be a viable selection at the draft, due to a lack of minutes.

Team To Pick From?

Have I convinced you that the Capitals will be a good team to pick from yet?  No?  Why not?

Okay, maybe you're a Penguins fan or something and that's okay... they're good too.  I think if you're picking with your head, you'll have some Capitals in consideration.  If you're picking from your heart, you might end up with Tom Sestito.

Unsigned Players and Salary Cap

There is one concern on this Capitals depth chart, still yet to be taken care of and that's defenseman Dmitry Orlov, who remains a restricted free agent, now into the home stretch of the off-season.  It's hard to say where either side is coming from after he missed the 2015 season altogether, so this one could be at a bit of an impasse.

The Capitals don't have a lot of room left, considering some teams that are going to be contending do, but their 23-man projected roster is coming in $3.3 million short of the ceiling and Orlov is bound to take a good chunk out of that, if not the whole thing.  He might be a player worth inquiring about.

Injuries

The off-season's concern was only that of defenseman Karl Alzner, but his sports hernia surgery would have been taken care of before anything was to get too crazy.  The expectation here is that the Capitals should start the World Cup, at the very least, with healthy participants and they hope that carries over into training camp.

2017 Pool Projections: Winnipeg

Being right in the middle of the Central Division is making life very hard to be noticed for the Winnipeg Jets, but the tide might finally be turning after a couple of years, where it should have been their time and then downgraded month over month, before everyone realized that they were not the Chicago Blackhawks or St. Louis Blues or Dallas Stars.

Getting a franchise forward in this year's draft was an amazing win for this organization and something they could really hang their hat on coming into the season.  The Jets have had (and still have) good players on their roster, but these players have failed to carry the load for them, lead the way and/or show them the light.  This is where Patrik Laine is aiming to succeed, as he has tremendous skill and a personality, to boot.

Now, if the Jets could sort out their goaltending situation, possibly someone else to assume most of the minutes, rather than wait for Ondrej Pavelec to go back on the shelf again, this team might really be able to find more wins.  One step at a time, I suppose, but I would have to think that it should be a priority.

As for us hockey poolies, I think there is a real strength in this Jets side heading into the 2017 season and I'm projecting those numbers to suggest that.  They will have to come out swinging this year, because no one in their division is going to let them go with a simple pass.

Player	Pos	16/17 Proj	Rookie
Blake Wheeler	F	75	N
Mark Scheifele	F	70	N
Bryan Little	F	55	N
Patrik Laine	F	55	Y
Dustin Byfuglien	D	55	N
Mathieu Perreault	F	45	N
Ondrej Pavelec	G	40	N
Drew Stafford	F	40	N
Nikolaj Ehlers	F	35	N
Tyler Myers	D	30	N
Jacob Trouba	D	30	N
Michael Hutchinson	G	25	N
Shawn Matthias	F	25	N
Kyle Connor	F	25	Y
Toby Enstrom	D	25	N
Connor Hellebuyck	G	20	N
Alexander Burmistrov	F	20	N
Adam Lowry	F	20	N
Marko Dano	F	15	N
Joshua Morrissey	D	15	Y
Andrew Copp	F	10	N
Chris Thorburn	F	10	N
Ben Chiarot	D	10	N
Quinton Howden	F	5	N
Joel Armia	F	5	N
Nic Petan	F	5	N
Anthony Peluso	F	5	N
Brian Strait	D	5	N
Mark Stuart	D	5	N

Table last updated on August 6th

Most Intriguing or Breakout Player

It is quite something to ponder, that Blake Wheeler was worthy of a 1st round pick in last season's pool.  That's right, he finished 16th in pool scoring, 7th among all forwards and he just quietly did it among his Winnipeg chums.  He did finish 32nd overall in pool scoring back in 2014, so it was sort of in there, but it still seems a bit shocking that you could have taken him as a 1st rounder and come away not looking like a fool.

That makes him into quite the intriguing player, leading up to this year's draft, because I could ask you for 27 NHL players that you would consider taking in the 1st round of the hockey pool draft and would Blake Wheeler be in that group?  At last year's draft, Wheeler slipped all the way down to the 4th round and look what kind of bargain he turned out to be.  No surprise, he was the best player taken in that round.

First Round Picks

Well, I'd hate to let the cat out of the bag, but he is in the conversation this year.  I don't exactly have him trending upwards, rather plateauing, staying in that 75-point range, which isn't trying to be a sleight against him, rather he hasn't instilled me with much confidence that he has more in the tank.  As of now, he is the only 1st rounder that I have for Winnipeg, although Mark Scheifele is close and I think he's meant to belong there more.

Other Pool Worthy Forwards

There's no question that the Jets' forward crew got a whole lot more exciting by winning the rights to Patrik Laine, especially when you have guys like Bryan Little, Mathieu Perreault and Drew Stafford around as solid veterans.  Nikolaj Ehlers continues to show why he should be considered an exciting player to watch, but only in spits and spurts, so far.  The Jets will certainly have lots to offer, when it comes to their forwards.

Other Pool Worthy Defense

The big man, Dustin Byfuglien, will certainly be drawing some attention early on in the draft and Tyler Myers is certainly finding his way with the Jets, while Toby Enstrom has seemingly found a backseat role, which the team may or may not be comfortable with, it's really hard to tell.  Jacob Trouba is still awaiting a new deal, but when one comes his way, he is in line for a big season, one would think.

Goaltending Situation

The crease is awfully crowded for the Jets, although one of these keepers will probably find his way to the minors, dealt away in a trade or lost on waivers at one point, but to start the season, it will be a question of who starts.  This is my spot to guess and I am thinking that the Jets still want Ondrej Pavelec to be the guy, but the split might not work in his favour.  I think the Jets will improve this season, but Pavelec might not reap all of those benefits, as Michael Hutchinson and Connor Hellebuyck will still be around to pick up some time.

Team To Pick From?

The Jets may have some players to offer in those lower rounds, when everythiing gets picked apart in the first 10-to-12 rounds and their defense could play a large part of that as well.  Depending on where you see a couple of those blueliners, they could really take a cue from some of their teammates and have a good season.

Unsigned Players and Salary Cap

Yes, Jacob Trouba is a big piece still left unsigned, now into the middle of August.  By no means is he the biggest RFA out there, but his name has been batted around in the rumour mill and could find some traction, if the team can't come to terms on a bridge or long-term deal for him.  There's no doubt that the 21-year old has some potential, I think the Jets are more willing to pay for what they've seen so far.

It's not that the Jets couldn't fit him underneath the cap ceiling, no that isn't the case at all.  They have to find a way to fit him in under their own budget numbers.  With over $10 million in overall cap space, it is the real dollars and cents that come into play here.

Injuries

Doesn't look like there should be anything holding back this current batch of Jets players.  Let's get the season started already!

Handing Out Camp Invites (Aug 11)

On Wednesday, the Tampa Bay Lightning extended an invite to defenseman James Wisniewski, adding a veteran defenseman to their training camp roster and possibly giving him a shot at an NHL roster spot.

The 32-year old defenseman had a tough 2016 season, watching from the press box, as he dealt with a torn ACL after the first game of the season with the Carolina Hurricanes, an injury that led to his eventual buyout in this off-season.

The puck-moving defender was still pool worthy in the 2015 season, despite multiple injuries, and if he can find a regular job and stay healthy, he should be worthy of a selection once again.

With two pending restricted free agents to deal with and limited cap room under the ceiling, signing with the Lightning seems to be a little bit of a long shot, unless something changes in the thinking of the team.  If they were able to add a player like Wisniewski though, they would do well to improve their blueline, as it would likely come at a discounted cost.  Stay tuned through camp on this one.

Top Prospect Signing (Aug 5)

The Vancouver Canucks announced on Friday afternoon that they have come to terms with their top pick in the 2016 entry draft, defenseman Olli Juolevi, to his 3-year entry-level deal.  Juolevi was the top defenseman taken in the draft, taken 5th overall and the Canucks are hoping that they have a cornerstone piece to their franchise rebuild/retool.

The 18-year old is hopeful of making the NHL right out of junior, but the number of young defensemen that jump from the junior ranks to the pros and make an impact have been few and far between, but if there is a lineup that it can happen in, it could be Vancouver's.

Expect to see Juolevi at this September's Young Stars Classic, playing against some of the other top prospects in the Northwest quadrant of the NHL.

The Look of the Heritage Classic Unveiled

It's already been a few years since the last Heritage Classic in Vancouver and the grand ol' town of Winnipeg will play host to the fourth such game in NHL history and it will go early on in the regular season.

The Heritage Classic will be played on October 23rd in Winnipeg at Investors Group Stadium and will be the first of four outdoor games that will go during the regular season.

Barring any bad news, this game will feature a lot of the game's premier young talent, playing on a big outdoor stage.  Connor McDavid, Jordan Eberle, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Darnell Nurse for the Oilers, while Mark Scheifele, Nikolaj Ehlers, Patrik Laine and Jacob Trouba would headline the game for the Jets.

On Friday, it was the NHL's press conference to display the jerseys that both teams will be wearing, both for the alumni game on the 22nd and the actual game on the 23rd.  These two WHA rival teams will have their resembling looks from those days on the ice and it should make for a really good match-up.  The Jets have also announced that they will wear the retro jerseys twice more, so we'll get to see the old logo more than once this coming season.

With some plans already in place, but yet to be announced here on the blog, there is a chance that the outdoor games might play a bit of a role in this year's hockey pool, in a mini-game capacity.  The operative word here is 'chance,' but you'll find out how that will play out soon.

2016 Hockey Pool Draft Date Announced

And what's one draft announcement without another?  Of course, when I'm booking dates, I am going to do it all at once, it would be kind of silly to do it any other way.

As you may have noticed, the location for the World Cup draft wasn't the same as previous years, as the Voodoo Lounge appears to have changed owners and format, so it didn't look like it was going to be the right place to get the draft done, so on the recommendation of Tony, one of the pool regulars, I had checked out Nicastro's Public House up on Centre Street North and they have a great venue for this sort of thing, so we're going to take the party up to them.

I am certainly hopeful that the kinks about going to a new venue are all sorted out for the World Cup draft, that would be ideal, since this is the big event on the Opiated Sherpa calendar.

This year, with the World Cup taking place, the NHL season will get a little bit of a later start, which means we'll get a bit of a later start on the NHL draft, giving everyone a little extra time to do their homework.  Let's not forget about some of that advanced scouting, since players like Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine will be participating in the World Cup and their performances will greatly affect where they are taken in this year's draft.

The date has been chosen, we will draft our hockey pool teams on...

October 8th, 2016 at 1pm

I have confirmed with Nicastro's that this is a very social event and that we'll be eating and drinking, so they were kind enough to waive the room rental fee, but it would be very good for everyone to confirm whether or not they will be attending and if you'll be bringing anyone new, just so we have a head count and that they can make sure we get the best service possible.  If you can possibly RSVP by the 1st, that would be greatly appreciated.

Last season, we hit new highs with 27 participants and we did it in record time, which was awesome!  There were a few concerns about the draft format itself and the pool, which will be looked at going forward, I do want to make sure that this pool is enjoyable and fun for everyone, especially given the cost and the time invested by everyone to join us and play.

Scoring won't change at all for the coming year, the formula has worked year over year and there's no reason to change that part of the pool.

• goal - 1 point
• assist - 1 point
• win - 2 points
• shutout - 2 points

The roster size will also remain the same, we'll keep it at 14 players, regardless of how many people are going to show up, but the restrictions may change, due to the amount of participation.  For the coming season, if we have 25 teams or less, the breakdown will remain the same, eight forwards, four defensemen and a pair of goalies.  There is an element to the drafting strategy that keeps everything exciting and I would like to keep that, but if we exceed 25 teams this year, we'll move to only one goalie and add a forward and get a little deeper into that pool of players.

I'm sure, once Las Vegas joins the fold for the 2018 season, we'll readjust those numbers again, due to having two more goalies to choose from, in theory, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there.

We will have mini-games again this year, keeping the pool entertaining for those who may have fallen out of contention for the big money, but we won't know what they are until the day of the draft and there will be another announcement in regards to that in the coming days.

For those wondering, there will be a remote option for those out of town, please get yourself onto Google Hangouts, add me as a contact, if you haven't already, opiatedsherpa@gmail.com, and we'll get you all signed in for the draft and you can do it from your location.  I know we should be having at least one or two remotely, which will keep things interesting, I'm sure.

If you have any more questions, please drop me a line... but please do RSVP!

World Cup Draft Date Changed, With Location

The 2016 World Cup proceedings are not very far away, as the pre-tournament games are to get started on September 7th, which means the short training camps will likely start congregating at the end of August, so it's time to really get thinking about this.

On Tuesday, I was able to secure a date and a location for the World Cup draft, but I wasn't quite able to secure the actual date that I had wanted, but I had come as close as I could, with the schedule I have at the moment.

So, save the date, we'll be picking our World Cup teams on...

September 11, 2016 at 1pm

Nicastro's Public House, click here for a map

Just a reminder about the format... this will be a free-for-all draft, a very quick one, since we are only dealing with eight teams in the tournament.  We will draft all of the players to the point where all the teams will have an even amount of players and there will be no positional restrictions.  You can take as many forwards, defensemen and/or goalies as you wish, but there will certainly be some landmines out there, when it is all said and done.

Scoring will be very much the same as the regular pools, 1 point for goals and assists, 2 points for wins and shutouts and I am leaning towards the bonus point for game-winning goals, like the Playoff Pool.  More points for more fun, right?

Looking at the tournament schedule, it is important to note that the finals of this tournament will be a best-of-three series, so there will be a couple extra games for the two teams that make it that far.

Feel free to pass this information along, I would like to have at least 12 to 15 teams at $20 a head, but if we get more, that's great too.  The teams will get fairly small after that mark, but it's a little something to keep this tournament interesting.  I don't think there are any sure things out there, so it has some real potential for fun.

Fringe Signing (Aug 2)

The Columbus Blue Jackets added a little bit more depth to their forward ranks on Monday, taking a flyer on centre Sam Gagner, signing him to a risk-free 1-year deal, reportedly worth $650,000.

Last season, Gagner was a part of the Flyers organization, splitting time between the big show and the AHL.  He managed to appear in 53 games with Philadelphia, scoring 8 goals and 16 points, which was below pool standards, but with the Blue Jackets, he'll get another shot to be worthy again or at the very least, compete for a job.

Buyout Period (Aug 2)

The Arizona Coyotes opted to buyout centre Antoine Vermette, a year after returning to the team from his championship turn with the Chicago Blackhawks. The buyout, made official on Tuesday, will take care of the last year of his deal, which was for $3.75 million.  The cap hit for the two years will be $1.25 million, saving the team a cool $2.5 million this season against the cap.

Vermette, 34, was a solid contributor for the Coyotes last season, finishing with 17 goals and 38 points in 76 games, ranking 148th among all forwards and was right in the middle of the pack, when it comes to the hockey pool worthiness.  He now becomes an unrestricted free agent and teams will be able to get him at a better rate, which should make him more attractive on the market.  I don't think it will be long before we see his name on the blog again.