Greetings, citizens of Leafs Nation, as well as visitors who have the proper documentation, and aren't here in Leafs Nation illegally, committing crimes and taking away jobs from those who really deserve them.

It's back! The Official Toronto Maple Leafs Prediction Thread.

You know the drill. Cut and paste the template (below) and fill out your predictions for the year. There are no real rules - put down point totals, beeyotchy insults, general thoughts - I don't particularly care.

Sunday night I'll get a ref to lock the thread, and your predictions will be frozen in time - or at least until mid-January, where I will start mocking you mercilessly for saying that Leivo will score 40 goals or we will trade Bracco for Doughty.

DO NOT MOCK OTHER GUYS' PREDICTIONS IN THIS THREAD!

Do that in the main Leafs threads. But simple rule - if you want to rip a guy a new one for a stupid prediction, you had better have made your own (stupid) predictions first. Otherwise, it's a one day ban (pending approval by Dozzer or Leafsman).

There are no prizes. I will not declare an official winner. Rather, the purpose of this exercise is for you to demonstrate your Leafy geniousness, and to allow others to witness your glory.

So without further ado...

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The Leafs will finish:

The main reason for this is:

The biggest surprise will be:

The biggest disappointment will be:

The unsung hero will be:

The goat will be:

People think this guy is good, but he sucks (and the reason is):

People think this guy sucks, but he's not so bad (and the reason is):

The best move Shanny/Dubas did in the off-season was:

If I was GM, I would have:

If you remember nothing else I said, remember I said this about the 2018-19 Leafs:

Player Predictions

Forwards
John Tavares
Kadri, Nazem
Matthews, Auston
Hyman, Zach
Marleau, Patrick
Marner, Mitchell
Nylander, William
Leivo, Josh
Brown, Connor
Tyler Ennis
Fred Gauthier
Andreas Johnsson
Kasperi Kapanen
Par Lindholm

The defence
Gardiner, Jake
Hainsey, Ron
Dermott, Travis
Marincin, Martin
Rielly, Morgan
Zaitsev, Nikita
Ozhiganov, Igor
Holl, Justin

The goalies
Andersen, Frederik
Sparks, Garret


The League:

Eastern Conference Winners:
Western Conference Winners:

Most surprising team:
Most disappointing team:

Art Ross Winner:
Hart Winner:
Norris Winner:
Calder Winner:
Vezina Winner:
Richard Winner:

Western Stanley Cup Finalist:
Eastern Stanley Cup Finalist:
Stanley Cup Winner:
Conn Smythe Trophy Winner:

The Leafs will finish: 6th Overall, 2nd in Division, Eliminated in 2nd round

The main reason for this is: Tampa is just a little bit better, and Bruins play the right way (but we still beat Boston anyways)

The biggest surprise will be: Dermott

The biggest disappointment will be: Johnsson

The unsung hero will be: Gardiner

The goat will be: Marner

People think this guy is good, but he sucks (and the reason is): Hmm this is a tough one, every Leaf is Elite. But I'll just go with Kapanen, he has a hard time hitting the net.

People think this guy sucks, but he's not so bad (and the reason is): Gardiner, as much as people like to harp on him, myself included. He makes more good plays than he makes bad.

The best move Lou did in the off-season was: Leaving the Organization.

If I was GM, I would have: Hired UG as my Assitant GM since he's never wrong. Also knows more than anyone else involved in the hockey world.

If you remember nothing else I said, remember I said this about the 2018-19 Leafs:

Player Predictions

Forwards
John Tavares 41G 55A 96P
Kadri, Nazem 28G 30A 58P
Matthews, Auston 51G 40A 91P
Hyman, Zach 18G 28A 46P
Marleau, Patrick 29G 30A 59P
Marner, Mitchell 25G 67A 92P
Nylander, William 22G 47A 69P
Leivo, Josh 10G 12A 22P
Brown, Connor 15G 26A 41P
Tyler Ennis 12G 22A 34P
Fred Gauthier 0G 2A 2P
Andreas Johnsson 17G 18A 35P
Kasperi Kapanen 13G 16A 29P
Par Lindholm 9G 14A 23P

The defence
Gardiner, Jake 12G 34A 46P
Hainsey, Ron 4G 12A 16P
Dermott, Travis 8G 23A 31P
Marincin, Martin 0G 0A 0P
Rielly, Morgan 10G 43A 53P
Zaitsev, Nikita 5G 21A 26P
Ozhiganov, Igor 4G 13A 17P
Holl, Justin 2G 5A 7P

The goalies
Andersen, Frederik 42 wins .924
Sparks, Garret 9 wins .902
Picard, Captain
McElhinney, Curtis


The League:

Eastern Conference Winners: Tampa
Western Conference Winners: Jets

Most surprising team: Florida
Most disappointing team: Colorado

Art Ross Winner: McDavid
Hart Winner: Marchand
Norris Winner: Hedman
Calder Winner: Pettersson
Vezina Winner: Andersen
Richard Winner: Laine

Western Stanley Cup Finalist: San Jose
Eastern Stanley Cup Finalist: Pittsburgh
Stanley Cup Winner: Winnipeg
Conn Smythe Trophy Winner: Blake Wheeler

The Leafs will finish: 8th OA

The main reason for this is: Most teams above them stay. A few drop but our replaced by improved teams like SJ.

The biggest surprise will be: Brown will bring his offensive numbers up a bunch

The biggest disappointment will be: Kapanen not taking the next step

The unsung hero will be: Kadri. Again. Will play against top fwds while having great numbers.

The goat will be: AM34 obviously.

People think this guy is good, but he sucks (and the reason is): Leivo. Has some wheels and a dece shot but not much else.

People think this guy sucks, but he's not so bad (and the reason is): Jakey. I still think his positives outweigh his blunders.

The best move Shanny/Dubas did in the off-season was: LOL

If I was GM, I would have: DONE IT ALL AGAIN BABY!

If you remember nothing else I said, remember I said this about the 2018-19 Leafs: Marner breaks 100.

Player Predictions

Forwards
John Tavares
Kadri, Nazem
Matthews, Auston
Hyman, Zach
Marleau, Patrick
Marner, Mitchell
Nylander, William
Leivo, Josh
Brown, Connor
Tyler Ennis
Fred Gauthier
Andreas Johnsson
Kasperi Kapanen
Par Lindholm

The defence
Gardiner, Jake
Hainsey, Ron
Dermott, Travis
Marincin, Martin
Rielly, Morgan
Zaitsev, Nikita
Ozhiganov, Igor
Holl, Justin

The goalies
Andersen, Frederik
Sparks, Garret
Picard, Captain
McElhinney, Curtis


The League:

Eastern Conference Winners: TB
Western Conference Winners: NSH

Most surprising team: Florida
Most disappointing team: Buffalo (they should be stepping back into relevancy by now)

Art Ross Winner: McJesus
Hart Winner: JT
Norris Winner: Karlsson
Calder Winner: Dahlin
Vezina Winner: Pekka
Richard Winner: Kuch

Western Stanley Cup Finalist: SJ
Eastern Stanley Cup Finalist: Tor
Stanley Cup Winner: Tor
Conn Smythe Trophy Winner: Marner

The Leafs will finish: 1st in Eastern conference. 110 points.

The main reason for this is: Leafs have best top 9 in league.

The biggest surprise will be: Kapanen

The biggest disappointment will be: Jake Gardiner (decent offensive #3/4 D-man but a huge liability in defensive zone, and no PK skills).

The unsung hero will be: Rielly (proves himself as a legit topline D who can do it all)

The goat will be: Matthews (won't be leading the Leafs in scoring, but will get 100 points while shutting down opposing top offensive lines (Bergeron line, Backstrom line, Crosby line, Stamkos line, Giroux line etc.)

People think this guy is good, but he sucks (and the reason is): Sparks (not good enough for NHL).

People think this guy sucks, but he's not so bad (and the reason is): Zaitsev (steady d-man that will do all things well and improve Leafs' PK)

The best move Lou did in the off-season was: leave to NYI (if you meant Dubas: not sign Nylander to a contract of over 6.75million/y caphit).

If I was GM, I would have: kept Pickard and waived Sparks.

If you remember nothing else I said, remember I said this about the 2018-19 Leafs:
It will be hard to deal with the bandwagon fans.

Player Predictions

Forwards
John Tavares - 52 goals, 55 assists.
Kadri, Nazem - 25 goals, 35 assists.
Matthews, Auston - 48 goals, 52 assists. Selke Trophy winner.
Hyman, Zach - 30 goals, 30 assists.
Marleau, Patrick - 16 goals, 20 assists.
Marner, Mitchell - 37 goals, 75 assists.
Nylander, William - 20 goals, 25 assists (starts playing by 1st of November)
Leivo, Josh - 9 goals, 12 assists.
Brown, Connor - 14 goals, 11 assists (still a solid season)
Tyler Ennis - 18 goals, 23 assists
Fred Gauthier - non-factor
Andreas Johnsson - will only play 40 games. 7 goals, 5 assists.
Kasperi Kapanen - 27 goals, 32 assists.
Par Lindholm - 6 goals, 10 assists. solid season as #4C with limited minutes.

The defence
Gardiner, Jake - less PP time will hurt his production. 12 goals, 14 assists.
Hainsey, Ron - 2 goals, 5 assists.
Dermott, Travis - 9 goals, 21 assists.
Marincin, Martin - 2 goals, 5 assists.
Rielly, Morgan - 22 goals, 34 assists.
Zaitsev, Nikita - 6 goals, 19 assists.
Ozhiganov, Igor - 12 goals - 7 assists.
Holl, Justin - 1 goal, 1 assist. only plays 7 games.

The goalies
Andersen, Frederik - 42 wins. .920 save percentage. will do what is needed.
Sparks, Garret - done by mid november for Leafs.
Picard, Captain - will split backup games with McSavey after Sparks tanks. (14games)
McElhinney, Curtis - will split backup games with Captain after Sparks tanks. (14 games)


The League:

Eastern Conference Winners: Toronto Maple Leafs
Western Conference Winners: San Jose Sharks

Most surprising team: Arizona Coyotes
Most disappointing team: Minnesota Wild

Art Ross Winner: Mitch Marner
Hart Winner: Auston Matthews
Norris Winner: Ivan Provorov
Calder Winner: Miro Heiskanen
Vezina Winner: Andrey Vasilevskiy
Richard Winner: John Tavares

Western Stanley Cup Finalist: Nashville Predators
Eastern Stanley Cup Finalist: Toronto Maple Leafs
Stanley Cup Winner: Toronto Maple Leafs
Conn Smythe Trophy Winner: Zach Hyman (yes!!)

The Leafs will finish: 4th Atlantic

The main reason for this is: horrible defense and spotty goaltending

The biggest surprise will be: Marner

The biggest disappointment will be: Nylander

The unsung hero will be: Kadri

The goat will be: Ander7en

People think this guy is good, but he sucks (and the reason is): Kapanen, whole lot of effort, not much results

People think this guy sucks, but he's not so bad (and the reason is): Gardiner, too easy to remember the gaff and not the great plays

The best move Shanny/Dubas did in the off-season was: letting JVR walk

If I was GM, I would have: Traded Nylander

If you remember nothing else I said, remember I said this about the 2018-19 Leafs: They believe too much of their own press and are out in the first round, again.

Player Predictions

Forwards: (Goals Assists)
John Tavares 34,37 = 71
Kadri, Nazem 26,28 = 54
Matthews, Auston 46,36 = 82
Hyman, Zach 18,22 = 40
Marleau, Patrick 24,21 = 45
Marner, Mitchell 28,62 = 90
Nylander, William 29,25 = 54
Leivo, Josh 2,2 = 4
Brown, Connor 14,18 = 32
Tyler Ennis 3,12 = 15
Fred Gauthier 0,1 = 1
Andreas Johnsson 11,16 = 27
Kasperi Kapanen 12, 18 = 30
Par Lindholm 6,17 = 23

The defence:
Gardiner, Jake 8,28 = 36
Hainsey, Ron 2,10 = 12
Dermott, Travis 4, 17 = 21
Marincin, Martin 0,0
Rielly, Morgan 18,32 = 50
Zaitsev, Nikita 7,24 = 31
Ozhiganov, Igor 1,5 = 6
Holl, Justin 1,4 = 5

The goalies
Andersen, Frederik 35-23-9 (79)
Sparks, Garret 3-5-3 (9)
Picard, Captain 1-1-0 (2)
McElhinney, Curtis 1-0-1 (3)


The League:

Eastern Conference Winners: Tampa
Western Conference Winners: Winnipeg

Most surprising team: Vegas
Most disappointing team: Leafs

Art Ross Winner:
Hart Winner: McDavid
Norris Winner: Karlsson
Calder Winner: Pettersson
Vezina Winner: Hellybuck
Richard Winner: Laine

Western Stanley Cup Finalist: Winnipeg
Eastern Stanley Cup Finalist: Tampa
Stanley Cup Winner: Winnipeg
Conn Smythe Trophy Winner: Wheeler

The Leafs will finish: 3rd in the east, 2nd in the atlantic

The main reason for this is: Solid backup performances

The biggest surprise will be: Kapanen (not really a surprise, he'll just be good)

The biggest disappointment will be: Ozighanov (he'll be playing with the Marlies by December)

The unsung hero will be: Nylander, because everybody hates him but he'll put up close to 70 points

The goat will be: Tavares

People think this guy is good, but he sucks (and the reason is): Ennis, he'll get points but his flashes of brilliance will cover up his overall suckiness (like a reverse Gardiner)

People think this guy sucks, but he's not so bad (and the reason is): Gardiner, because his overall brilliance will be covered up by flashes of suckiness and Leafs fans will say i-f'in-a-todaso when it happens

The best move Lou did in the off-season was: Trade for Matt Martin

If I was GM, I would have: Kept one of McElhinney or Pickard on the roster for a month to start the season

If you remember nothing else I said, remember I said this about the 2018-19 Leafs: Umm, he liked it? No wait..

Player Predictions

Forwards
John Tavares 41g-38a
Kadri, Nazem 26g-34a
Matthews, Auston - 48g-30a
Hyman, Zach - 22g-15a
Marleau, Patrick - 28g-33a
Marner, Mitchell - 18g-62a
Nylander, William - 18g-48a-77gp
Leivo, Josh - 10g-18a
Brown, Connor - 18g-21a
Tyler Ennis - 12g-10a
Fred Gauthier - 1g-1a
Andreas Johnsson - 15g-13a
Kasperi Kapanen - 14g-31a
Par Lindholm - 8g-21a

The defence
Gardiner, Jake - 5g-52a
Hainsey, Ron - 1g-12a
Dermott, Travis - 3g-22a
Marincin, Martin - 0g-0a-RIP
Rielly, Morgan - 14g-40a
Zaitsev, Nikita - 5g-12a
Ozhiganov, Igor - 2g-10a
Holl, Justin - 8g-0a

The goalies
Andersen, Frederik - 41w 2.41gaa 930sv%
Sparks, Garret - 3w 2.95gaa 895sv%
Picard, Captain
McElhinney, Curtis


The League:

Eastern Conference Winners: Tampa
Western Conference Winners: San jose

Most surprising team: Habs
Most disappointing team: Habs

Art Ross Winner: McDavid
Hart Winner: McDavid
Norris Winner: Hedman
Calder Winner: Dahlin
Vezina Winner: Vasilevskiy
Richard Winner: Kuchie

Western Stanley Cup Finalist: Golden Knights
Eastern Stanley Cup Finalist: Tampa
Stanley Cup Winner: Tampa
Conn Smythe Trophy Winner: Hedman

The Leafs will finish: 2nd in the division

The main reason for this is: offense, offense, more offense. Leafs score 300 goals this year

The biggest surprise will be: Josh Leivo, he scores 20 goals this year.

The biggest disappointment will be: Marincin, because he has always been disappointing.

The unsung hero will be: Freddy Andersen. Will get 40 wins

The goat will be: The Goat, will get sent down to the minors after 12 games.

People think this guy is good, but he sucks (and the reason is): Hainsey, too old and slow.

People think this guy sucks, but he's not so bad (and the reason is): Gardiner. Not a lot of defensemen in the league that can do what he does offensively,

The best move Shanny/Dubas did in the off-season was: Sign Tavares

If I was GM, I would have: traded for Jacob Trouba or Brett Pesce already.

If you remember nothing else I said, remember I said this about the 2018-19 Leafs: 2018-19 Stanley Cup Champs.. WooHoo.

Player Predictions

Forwards
John Tavares 85 points
Kadri, Nazem 54 points
Matthews, Auston 81 points
Hyman, Zach 40 points
Marleau, Patrick 49 points
Marner, Mitchell 83 points
Nylander, William 51 points
Leivo, Josh 36 points
Brown, Connor 28 points
Tyler Ennis 19 points
Fred Gauthier 1 point
Andreas Johnsson 36 points
Kasperi Kapanen 39 points
Par Lindholm 32 points

The defence
Gardiner, Jake 57 points
Hainsey, Ron 14 points
Dermott, Travis 37 points
Marincin, Martin 1 point
Rielly, Morgan 55 points
Zaitsev, Nikita 26 points
Ozhiganov, Igor 19 points
Holl, Justin 12 points

The goalies
Andersen, Frederik 40 wins.
Sparks, Garret 11 wins.


The League:

Eastern Conference Winners: LIGHTNING
Western Conference Winners: JETS

Most surprising team: Panthers
Most disappointing team: Ducks

Art Ross Winner: McDavid
Hart Winner: McDavid
Norris Winner: Drew Doughty
Calder Winner: Elias Pettersson
Vezina Winner: Vasilievskiy
Richard Winner: Matthews

Western Stanley Cup Finalist: LEAFS
Eastern Stanley Cup Finalist: JETS
Stanley Cup Winner: LEAFS
Conn Smythe Trophy Winner: Tavares

[quote=Atomic Wedgie]

The Leafs will finish: 1st in division

The main reason for this is:
Goal scoring and solid play all year
The biggest surprise will be:
Dermott
The biggest disappointment will be:
Hainsey
The unsung hero will be:
Rielly
The goat will be:
Hainsey
People think this guy is good, but he sucks (and the reason is):
No one
People think this guy sucks, but he's not so bad (and the reason is):
Gardiner. Has a couple brain farts but his breakout passes and visions outweighs the bad.
The best move Shanny/Dubas did in the off-season was:
Tavares
If I was GM, I would have:

If you remember nothing else I said, remember I said this about the 2018-19 Leafs:
Go to conference finals
Player Predictions

Forwards
John Tavares 40g 45a
Kadri, Nazem 35g 38a
Matthews, Auston 48g 42a
Hyman, Zach 20g 20a
Marleau, Patrick 28g 25a
Marner, Mitchell 35g 58a
Nylander, William 30g 35a
Leivo, Josh 15g 18a
Brown, Connor 18g 15a
Tyler Ennis 12g 18a
Fred Gauthier 3g 5a
Andreas Johnsson 12g 15a
Kasperi Kapanen 15g 20a
Par Lindholm 5g 7a

The defence
Gardiner, Jake 15g 39a
Hainsey, Ron robidas islander
Dermott, Travis 5g 27a
Marincin, Martin 1g 5a
Rielly, Morgan 13g 34a
Zaitsev, Nikita 7g 15a
Ozhiganov, Igor
Holl, Justin

The goalies
Andersen, Frederik 40w
Sparks, Garret 10w


The League:

Eastern Conference Winners: Boston
Western Conference Winners: Winnipeg

Most surprising team: Florida
Most disappointing team: Columbus

Art Ross Winner:
Hart Winner:
Norris Winner:
Calder Winner:
Vezina Winner:
Richard Winner:

Western Stanley Cup Finalist:sj
Eastern Stanley Cup Finalist:boston
Stanley Cup Winner: sj
Conn Smythe Trophy Winner

The Leafs will finish: 2nd Atlantic; 3rd Eastern Conference

The main reason for this is: Depth for dayz

The biggest surprise will be: Zaitsev. He'll pick his game up.

The biggest disappointment will be: Anus

The unsung hero will be: Freddy. People keep underestimating his greatness.

The goat will be: Hopefully better. haha

People think this guy is good, but he sucks (and the reason is): Anus. He ain't nothing.

People think this guy sucks, but he's not so bad (and the reason is): Freddy. He's one of the best goalies in the world. And he'll make that obvious during this coming season.

The best move Shanny/Dubas did in the off-season was: Not give in to Bill Ny's retarded agent and Dad.

If I was GM, I would have: Signed Rick Nash to a cheap 1 year contract.

If you remember nothing else I said, remember I said this about the 2018-19 Leafs: Them boys can score.

Player Predictions

Forwards
John Tavares: 50g 50a
Kadri, Nazem: 25g 25a
Matthews, Auston: 50g 45a
Hyman, Zach: 16g 34a
Marleau, Patrick: 30g 25a
Marner, Mitchell:24g 70a
Nylander, William: 22g 40
Leivo, Josh: 12g 24a
Brown, Connor: 22g 20a
Tyler Ennis: Anus
Fred Gauthier: 1g 3a
Andreas Johnsson: 15g 35a
Kasperi Kapanen: 26g 14a
Par Lindholm: 8g 24a

The defence
Gardiner, Jake: 6g 40a
Hainsey, Ron: 2g 15
Dermott, Travis: 5g 26a
Marincin, Martin: (frank) this guy
Rielly, Morgan: 8g 50a
Zaitsev, Nikita: 3g 30a
Ozhiganov, Igor: 4g 18a
Holl, Justin: 1g 4a

The goalies
Andersen, Frederik: 44W
Sparks, Garret: 6W


The League:

Eastern Conference Winners: Tampa
Western Conference Winners: Winterpeg

Most surprising team: Florida
Most disappointing team: Nashville

Art Ross Winner: McJesus
Hart Winner: McJesus
Norris Winner: Doughty (Seriously. No one is even close to as good as he is.)
Calder Winner: Pettersson
Vezina Winner: Freddy
Richard Winner: OV

Western Stanley Cup Finalist: Anaheim
Eastern Stanley Cup Finalist: Pittsburgh
Stanley Cup Winner: Anaheim
Conn Smythe Trophy Winner: Getzlaf

So without further ado...

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The Leafs will finish: 2nd in there in the Eastern conf and 2nd in the Atlantic

The main reason for this is: The Leafs Center man

The biggest surprise will be: Oz

The biggest disappointment will be: Gardiner

The unsung hero will be: Marner

The goat will be: Gardiner

People think this guy is good, but he sucks (and the reason is): Lindholm

People think this guy sucks, but he's not so bad (and the reason is): Leivo

The best move Shanny/Dubas did in the off-season was:

If I was GM, I would have: not trade for Karlsson

If you remember nothing else I said, remember I said this about the 2018-19 Leafs: no bad games in October for Andersen

Player Predictions

Forwards
John Tavares: 45g - 52A
Kadri, Nazem: 30g - 42A
Matthews, Auston: 52g - 40A
Hyman, Zach: 22G - 28A
Marleau, Patrick: 20G - 33A
Marner, Mitchell: 30G - 69A
Nylander, William: 16G - 20A
Leivo, Josh: 10G - 19A
Brown, Connor: 18G - 22A
Tyler Ennis: 18G - 31A
Fred Gauthier: 4G - 10A
Andreas Johnsson: 12G - 17A
Kasperi Kapanen: 15G - 19A
Par Lindholm: 10G - 18A

The defence
Gardiner, Jake: 16G - 29A
Hainsey, Ron: 5G - 22A
Dermott, Travis: 10G - 33A
Marincin, Martin: 1G - 8A
Rielly, Morgan: 18G - 28A
Zaitsev, Nikita: 11G - 32A
Ozhiganov, Igor: 6G - 22A
Holl, Justin: 7G - 24A

The goalies
Andersen, Frederik: 38W - 22L
Sparks, Garret: 9W - 13L


The League:

Eastern Conference Winners: TB Lightning
Western Conference Winners: San Jose

Most surprising team: Arizona
Most disappointing team: Vegas

Art Ross Winner: Marner
Hart Winner: Tavares
Norris Winner: PK Subban
Calder Winner: Warren Foegele
Vezina Winner: Andersen
Richard Winner: Matthews

Western Stanley Cup Finalist: Leafs
Eastern Stanley Cup Finalist: SJS
Stanley Cup Winner: Leafs
Conn Smythe Trophy Winner: Tavares

The Leafs will finish: in the top 31

The main reason for this is: there are 31 teams

The biggest surprise will be: Sparks

The biggest disappointment will be: Brown

The unsung hero will be: Gardiner

The goat will be: Gardiner

People think this guy is good, but he sucks (and the reason is): Hainsey

People think this guy sucks, but he's not so bad (and the reason is): Gardiner

The best move Shanny/Dubas did in the off-season was: Tavares Duh!

If I was GM, I would have:

If you remember nothing else I said, remember I said this about the 2018-19 Leafs:

Nylander is very close to Marner in skill and on ice impact

Player Predictions

Forwards
John Tavares 33g 42a
Kadri, Nazem 27g 31a
Matthews, Auston 51g 40a
Hyman, Zach 8g 12a
Marleau, Patrick 17g 20a
Marner, Mitchell 26g 52a
Nylander, William 23g 43a
Leivo, Josh 12g 12a
Brown, Connor 7g 8a
Tyler Ennis 16g 15a
Fred Gauthier 1g
Andreas Johnsson 17g 23a
Kasperi Kapanen 14g 27a
Par Lindholm 5g 12a

The defence
Gardiner, Jake 6g 33a
Hainsey, Ron 2g 10a
Dermott, Travis 7g 23a
Marincin, Martin 1g 4a
Rielly, Morgan 11g 33a
Zaitsev, Nikita 7g 14a
Ozhiganov, Igor 2g 7a
Holl, Justin 1g 1a

The goalies
Andersen, Frederik
Sparks, Garret


The League:

Eastern Conference Winners: Leafs
Western Conference Winners: 'peg

Most surprising team: Arizona or Carolina
Most disappointing team: edmuntun

Art Ross Winner: Mcdavid
Hart Winner: Mcdavid
Norris Winner: Karlsson
Calder Winner: Petterson
Vezina Winner: Vaseline guy
Richard Winner: Marthews

Western Stanley Cup Finalist: Preds
Eastern Stanley Cup Finalist: Leafs
Stanley Cup Winner: Leafs
Conn Smythe Trophy Winner: matthews

The Leafs will finish: 2nd in the Atlantic

The main reason for this is: Centre depth, scoring, and Anderson having a great season

The biggest surprise will be: Kasperi Kapanen scoring 20+ goals

The biggest disappointment will be: Connor Brown not getting 20 goals

The unsung hero will be: Kasperi Kapanen

The goat will be: Auston Matthews

People think this guy is good, but he sucks (and the reason is): Obtain, none of they truly suck, at least not the ones we think are good 😉

People think this guy sucks, but he's not so bad (and the reason is): Zach Hyman, because hell score a bit more with Tavares

The best move Shanny/Dubas did in the off-season was: John Tavares

If I was GM, I would have: Tried to sign Dan Hamhuis

If you remember nothing else I said, remember I said this about the 2018-19 Leafs: The Leafs will be a Top 4 team in the league

Player Predictions

Forwards
John Tavares 40G, 51A, 91P
Kadri, Nazem 29G, 30A 59P
Matthews, Auston 52G 44A 96P
Hyman, Zach 21G 31A 52P
Marleau, Patrick 26G 25A 51P
Marner, Mitchell 22G 54A 76P
Nylander, William 15G 30A 45P
Leivo, Josh 4G 16A 20P
Brown, Connor 17G 26A 43P
Tyler Ennis 20G 26A 46P
Fred Gauthier – Who cares
Andreas Johnsson – 19G 26A – 45P
Kasperi Kapanen – 21G 28A – 49P
Par Lindholm – 5G 18A – 23P

The defence
Gardiner, Jake – 13G 41A – 54P
Hainsey, Ron – 3G – 20A – 23P
Dermott, Travis – 11G – 28A – 39P
Marincin, Martin – Not on roster
Rielly, Morgan – 11G – 44A – 55P
Zaitsev, Nikita – 7G – 18A – 25P
Ozhiganov, Igor – 4G – 15A – 19P
Holl, Justin – 2G – 7A – 9P

The goalies
Andersen, Frederik 43W, GAA 2.64, SV% 923
Sparks, Garret – Hell do ok


The League:

Eastern Conference Winners: Tampa
Western Conference Winners: Nashville

Most surprising team: Buffalo
Most disappointing team: Vegas

Art Ross Winner: McDavid
Hart Winner: Matthews
Norris Winner: Doughty
Calder Winner: Middlestadt
Vezina Winner: Vasilevsky
Richard Winner: Matthews

Western Stanley Cup Finalist: Nashville
Eastern Stanley Cup Finalist: Tampa
Stanley Cup Winner: Nashville
Conn Smythe Trophy Winner: Arviddson

The Leafs will finish: 3rd overall

The main reason for this is: our elite forward depth

The biggest surprise will be: Tyler Ennis

The biggest disappointment will be: Johnsson or Kap

The unsung hero will be: Johnsson or Kap

The goat will be: back in the Ahl before you can say Gauthier or Jake Gardiner again.

People think this guy is good, but he sucks (and the reason is): Tavares - old and slow

People think this guy sucks, but he's not so bad (and the reason is): Hyman

The best move Shanny/Dubas did in the off-season was: sign Tyler Ennis

If I was GM, I would have: bought a good toaster for the coach

If you remember nothing else I said, remember I said this about the 2018-19 Leafs:2018-19 Leafs: Tyler Ennis will turn the $650k contract into $15m over the next 5 years....or he'll be hurt and out of hockey by end of Dec.

Player Predictions

Forwards
John Tavares - 35 goals 55 assists
Kadri, Nazem - 25 goals 40 assists
Matthews, Auston - 48 goals 53 assists
Hyman, Zach - 12 goals - 30 assists
Marleau, Patrick - 23 goals - 40 assists
Marner, Mitchell - 25 goals - 71 assists
Nylander, William - He's dead to me 20 goals - 30 assists
Leivo, Josh - 5 goals - 10 assists
Brown, Connor - 18 goals - 20 assists
Tyler Ennis - this year making $650k makes him $15m over the next 5 years
Fred Gauthier - who cares, probably back to the AHL
Andreas Johnsson - 15 goals - 15 assists
Kasperi Kapanen - 20 goals - 20 assists
Par Lindholm - 8 goals - 10 assists

The defence
Gardiner, Jake 10 goals 50 assists
Hainsey, Ron 1 goal 10 assists
Dermott, Travis 3 goals 20 assists
Marincin, Martin haha
Rielly, Morgan 10 goals 50 assists
Zaitsev, Nikita 5 goals 30 assists
Ozhiganov, Igor 2 goals 10 assists
Holl, Justin - scores every game he plays

The goalies
Andersen, Frederik - good goalie
Sparks, Garret - just ok


The League:

Eastern Conference Winners: TB
Western Conference Winners: Nashville

Most surprising team: Vegas.....again
Most disappointing team: Washington

Art Ross Winner:
Hart Winner: Matthews
Norris Winner: Karlsson
Calder Winner: don't care
Vezina Winner: Vasilevsky
Richard Winner: McDavid

Western Stanley Cup Finalist: Nashville
Eastern Stanley Cup Finalist: TB
Stanley Cup Winner: TB
Conn Smythe Trophy Winner: Kucherov

The Leafs will finish:2nd in the division

The main reason for this is:They will get more points than the 3rd place team in the division.

The biggest surprise will be: Dermott or Lindholm

The biggest disappointment will be: Leivo for some

The unsung hero will be: Andersen again or Marleau

The goat will be: Marner, he will lead the team in points and tear up the league.

People think this guy is good, but he sucks (and the reason is):

People think this guy sucks, but he's not so bad (and the reason is):

The best move Shanny/Dubas did in the off-season was: Move on from Lou and sign JT

If I was GM, I would have: tried to get 4/5 dman.

If you remember nothing else I said, remember I said this about the 2018-19 Leafs: it will most likely be Gardiner's last year.

Player Predictions

Forwards
John Tavares - lots of points
Kadri, Nazem - his average
Matthews, Auston - lots of points
Hyman, Zach - his average
Marleau, Patrick - a little more than last year.
Marner, Mitchell - lots of points - will lead the team
Nylander, William - lots of points
Leivo, Josh - dont care
Brown, Connor - a little more than last year
Tyler Ennis - whatever
Fred Gauthier - dont care
Andreas Johnsson - a decent showing
Kasperi Kapanen - a decent showing
Par Lindholm - a decent showing

The defence
Gardiner, Jake - Im sure around the same as last year but he'll still be bad defensively.
Hainsey, Ron - his average.
Dermott, Travis - a decent showing
Marincin, Martin - who cares
Rielly, Morgan - same as last year.
Zaitsev, Nikita - close to his first year numbers
Ozhiganov, Igor - whatever
Holl, Justin - whatever

The goalies
Andersen, Frederik - will play great.40 wins
Sparks, Garret - hopefully 10 wins minimum


The League:

Eastern Conference Winners: I wanna say Washington but I feel it will be Tampa
Western Conference Winners: Jets

Most surprising team: Florida
Most disappointing team: St Louis - wont meet expectations

Art Ross Winner: dont care
Hart Winner: dont care
Norris Winner: dont care
Calder Winner: dont care
Vezina Winner: dont care
Richard Winner: dont care

Western Stanley Cup Finalist: Jets
Eastern Stanley Cup Finalist: Tampa
Stanley Cup Winner: Jets
Conn Smythe Trophy Winner: dont care

The Leafs will finish: 3rd Atlantic

The main reason for this is: tough 10 game stretch after the trade deadline

The biggest surprise will be: Holl

The biggest disappointment will be: Johnsonn

The unsung hero will be: Rielly

The goat will be: Matthews

People think this guy is good, but he sucks (and the reason is): Babcock thinks Hainsey and Ozhiganov are good but they will be overused. Hainsey will lead the league in chipping the puck off the glass.

People think this guy sucks, but he's not so bad (and the reason is): Gardiner. This team just needs the dmen to make a pass to the forwards and let them go to work from there.

The best move Shanny/Dubas did in the off-season was: Letting Komarov walk and dealing Martin

If I was GM, I would have: Shaken my head at Ottawa

If you remember nothing else I said, remember I said this about the 2018-19 Leafs: The D will continue to be underrated. Rielly, Gardiner, Dermott, and Holl (brief sample) are all capable of making a good first pass. Underappreciated skill and all that's needed with the teams forwards.

Player Predictions

Forwards: (Goals Assists)
John Tavares 39,40 = 79
Kadri, Nazem 31,23 = 54
Matthews, Auston 50,36 = 86
Hyman, Zach 12,25 = 37
Marleau, Patrick 25,25 = 50
Marner, Mitchell 18,69 = 87
Nylander, William 22,38 = 60
Leivo, Josh 2,2 = 4
Brown, Connor 12,16 = 28
Tyler Ennis 8,12 = 20
Fred Gauthier 0,1 = 1
Andreas Johnsson 10,16 = 26
Kasperi Kapanen 15, 14 = 29
Par Lindholm 5,15 = 20

The defence:
Gardiner, Jake 8, 35 = 43
Hainsey, Ron 2,10 = 12
Dermott, Travis 3, 18 = 21
Marincin, Martin 0,0
Rielly, Morgan 15, 40 = 55
Zaitsev, Nikita 5,20 = 25
Ozhiganov, Igor 1,5 = 6
Holl, Justin 5,10 = 15

The goalies
Andersen, Frederik 40-15-5 (79)
Sparks, Garret 10-7-5 (9)



The League:

Eastern Conference Winners: Toronto
Western Conference Winners: SJ

Most surprising team: Calgary, Johnny Hockey has a big year
Most disappointing team: Columbus - Bob & Bread will they/wont they gets in the way

Art Ross Winner:
Hart Winner: McDavid
Norris Winner: Karlsson
Calder Winner: Pettersson
Vezina Winner: Gibson carries the ducks to a wildcard spot
Richard Winner: Laine

Western Stanley Cup Finalist: SJ
Eastern Stanley Cup Finalist: Toronto
Stanley Cup Winner: Drinking the blue koolaid this year
Conn Smythe Trophy Winner: Rielly

The Leafs will finish:4th overall

The main reason for this is:They will be 2nd in east behind TB and 2 western teams will break out

The biggest surprise will be:Sparks does a good job as back up

The biggest disappointment will be:Hainsey, going to faulter this year.

The unsung hero will be:Dermott Going to improve on his play from last year

The goat will be:Marner as he will control alot of the play when he is on.

People think this guy is good, but he sucks (and the reason is):Nylander, because he is being too greedy asking for 8M/year when he should get 6M

People think this guy sucks, but he's not so bad (and the reason is):Ennis, He is capable of playing through out the lineup.

The best move Shanny/Dubas did in the off-season was:Ummmm tough choice but guessing signing JT

If I was GM, I would have:Traded Nylander by now for defensive help.

If you remember nothing else I said, remember I said this about the 2018-19 Leafs:All other teams fan base hates us!

Player Predictions

Forwards
John Tavares:40g 40a
Kadri, Nazem:30g 35a
Matthews, Auston 50g 35a
Hyman, Zach:20g 30a
Marleau, Patrick:25g 30a
Marner, Mitchell:25g 50a
Nylander, William:25g 40a
Leivo, Josh:15g 20a (if plays full year)
Brown, Connor:15g 25a
Tyler Ennis:10g 15a (if plays full year and not on Matthews line)
Fred Gauthier:2g 5a (not going to be playing much at all)
Andreas Johnsson:15g 20a (If playing on 4th line)
Kasperi Kapanen:15g 20a (If playing on 4th line)
Par Lindholm:15g 20a (If playing on 4th line)

The defence
Gardiner, Jake: 55pts
Hainsey, Ron: 25 pts
Dermott, Travis: 30 pts
Marincin, Martin: Won't be playing so less the 5 pts
Rielly, Morgan: 60 pts
Zaitsev, Nikita: 35 pts
Ozhiganov, Igor: 15 pts
Holl, Justin:15 pts

The goalies
Andersen, Frederik: 36 wins
Sparks, Garret: 12 wins


The League:

Eastern Conference Winners:TB
Western Conference Winners:SJ

Most surprising team:Dallas will be in top 8 OA
Most disappointing team:Chicago will be near the bottom this year

Art Ross Winner:McDavid
Hart Winner:McDavid
Norris Winner:Hedman
Calder Winner: Petterson (Vancouver)
Vezina Winner:Hellybuck for the LOLs
Richard Winner:Matthews (if stays healthy)

Western Stanley Cup Finalist:SJ
Eastern Stanley Cup Finalist:Tor
Stanley Cup Winner:Tor (thanks EA simulation....lol)
Conn Smythe Trophy Winner: Marner

The Leafs will finish: 2nd in Division, 2nd in Conference

The main reason for this is: This is the learning year to better years to follow

The biggest surprise will be: Ennis for 2 weeks, then Marner

The biggest disappointment will be: Sparks

The unsung hero will be: Kapanen

The goat will be: GOAT or goat? The GOAT is still Sittler? Mahovolich? Keon? The goat will be Gardiner - it's his job.

People think this guy is good, but he sucks (and the reason is): Leivo. Wait. Does anyone think he's good?

People think this guy sucks, but he's not so bad (and the reason is): Gardiner. High risk, high reward. You get more reward than you lose from him, though.

The best move Shanny/Dubas did in the off-season was: Pretty obvious.

If I was GM, I would have: Gotten the big 3 together in a room, and worked on a collective contract strategy for them and the organization.

If you remember nothing else I said, remember I said this about the 2018-19 Leafs: Patrick Marleau's iron man streak is coming to an end.

Player Predictions

Forwards
John Tavares: 82GP--41G--52A--93Pts
Auston Matthews: 80GP--50G--43A--93Pts
Mitch Marner: 82GP--26G--56A--82Pts
Nazem Kadri: 75GP--29G--21A--50Pts
William Nylander: 66GP--15G--31A--46Pts
Zach Hyman: 82GP--17G--29A--46Pts
Patrick Marleau: 70GP--21G--15A--36Pts
Connor Brown: 82GP--15G--15A--30Pts
Kasperi Kapanen: 82GP--15G--10A--25Pts
Andreas Johnsson: 70GP--15G--10A--25Pts
Tyler Ennis: 60GP--7G--12A--19Pts
Par Lindholm 60GP--4G--10A--14Pts
Josh Leivo: 30GP--2G--6A--8Pts



Defense

Morgan Rielly: 78GP--6G--50A--56Pts
Jake Gardiner: 82GP--5G--46A--51Pts
Travis Dermott: 75GP--2G--26A--28Pts
Ron Hainsey: 77GP--4G--12A--16Pts
Nikita Zaitsev: 66GP--6G--10A--16Pts
Igor Ozhiganov: 60GP--4G--10A--14Pts
Justin Holl: 30GP--3G--10A--13Pts


Goalies
Frederik Andersen: 42 wins, .920
Garret Sparks: 3 wins, .898; replaced through waiver claim or Kaskisuo



The League:

Eastern Conference Winners: Tampa
Western Conference Winners: Nashville

Most surprising team: Buffalo
Most disappointing team: Columbus

Art Ross Winner: McDavid
Hart Winner: McDavid
Norris Winner: Burns
Calder Winner: Dahlin
Vezina Winner: Rinne
Richard Winner: Laine

Western Stanley Cup Finalist: Winnipeg
Eastern Stanley Cup Finalist: Tampa Bay
Stanley Cup Winner: Winnipeg
Conn Smythe Trophy Winner: Mark Scheifele

The Leafs will finish: 2nd in Division and Conference Finals +

The main reason for this is: The center depth and fast wingers on third and fourth lines

The biggest surprise will be: Tyler Ennis - He will prove his salary is worth every penny. I can see him staying with the Leafs for the whole season but as a starter for 75%+ of the games. 40+ pts.

The biggest disappointment will be: William Nylander - After this long hold out, I can see him re-joining the Leafs and getting injured within the first 5 games back and he will be on and off the injury list all season.

The unsung hero will be: Nazem Kadri - 3rd line playing time 5 on 5 with 1st line Power Play time will see him stay as a 30 Goal 30 Assist player with top 5 +/- for forwards in the league.

The goat will be: Mitch Marner - I see the potential of him being a 100+ point player this season or next. An honest 95 points for this hard working player should be doable. 25 Goals 70 Assists.

People think this guy is good, but he sucks (and the reason is): I need to go with Gardiner. He is good, but man, he picks the worst time to have a brain fart. He's not a big game player. I’m also a stats guy comingled with actual play. He does player 22+ minutes a night, but his takeaways and giveaways last year were 39 to 105. 317 shot attempts and only 42% (133) made it on net. He reminds me of Phaneuf when he shoots except Phaneuf has been hitting the net more than Gardiner lately.

People think this guy sucks, but he's not so bad (and the reason is): Patrick Marleau. I read and hear how he is old and this is the season that he starts his decline. They said that last year as well. If a decline for Marleau is 27 goals and 47 points. That’s not too bad for the role he has last season. This year, he’s starting off on the top line with Matthews and it’s his job to lose. I can see Marleau putting up 30+ goals and 30+ assist this year playing up there with Matthews and whoever else they put on the other wing. He’s not just going to benefit from Matthews, but he’s going to help Matthews get better as he’s going to be able to open up some space for him as people can’t leave Marleau alone. Marleau is going to be in another gear this season.

The best move Shanny/Dubas did in the off-season was: Not caving into William Nylander’s $8 million per year request (speculated).

If I was GM, I would have: I like the idea of giving some of our young guys the shot at a 4th line center gig, but the player I would have went after would have been Kyle Brodziak. He’s a low cost ($1.15 mil in Edm). He’s a positive faceoff, which is what you need when he’s starting almost 70% of the time in the defensive zone. Because of this, I believe this is why he’s Corsi is low and below relative, but his over all PDO is 101.6 which shows that the team is better with him on the ice than below where it counts, on the score sheet. Only 11.5 minutes a night on 5on5 last year and 13.5 overall average ice time, he stays positive with his takeaways vs giveaways. Only 18 giveaways all last season. 63.8% of his shots reach the net with an 8.8% S%, which is down from his career average of 10.5% and the previous 2 seasons of 14+%.

If you remember nothing else I said, remember I said this about the 2018-19 Leafs: Their defense is better than other teams and opposing fans give them credit for.

Player Predictions

Forwards
John Tavares 42G 45A – 87 Pts
Nazem Kadri 32G 30A – 62 Pts
Auston Matthews 47G 37A – 84 Pts
Zach Hyman 10G 18A – 28 Pts
Patrick Marleau 31G 33A – 64 Pts
Mitchell Marner 25G 60A – 85 Pts
William Nylander 14G 30A – 44 Pts (Injuries due to holdout)
Josh Leivo 4G 8A – 12 Pts
Connor Brown 9G 17A – 26 Pts
Tyler Ennis 20G 22A – 42 Pts
Fred Gauthier 0G 2A – 2 Pts
Andreas Johnsson 12G 14A – 26 Pts
Kasperi Kapanen 12G 11A – 23 Pts
Par Lindholm 1G 5A – 6 Pts
Totals – 259G 332A – 591 Pts

Defense
Jake Gardiner 5G 45A – 50 Pts
Ron Hainsey 3G 20A – 23 Pts
Travis Dermott 4G 22A – 26 Pts
Martin Marincin 1G 2A – 3 Pts
Morgan Rielly 10G 41A – 51 Pts
Nikita Zaitsev 7G 17A – 24 Pts
Igor Ozhiganov 2G 5A – 7 Pts
Justin Holl 5G 9A – 14 Pts
Totals 37G 161A – 198 Pts
2018-19 Overall 296G 493A – 789 Pts (Predictions)
2017-18 Overall 270G 445A – 715 Pts
2016-17 Overall 250G 411A – 661 Pts
The goalies
Andersen, Frederik 42W – 18L – 5 OT/SOL
Sparks, Garret 10W – 6L – 1 OT/SOL
2018-19 Overall 52W – 24L – 6OT/SOL – 110 PTS – This will get the Leafs 2nd in the Division.
2017-18 Overall 49W – 26L – 7OT/SOL – 105 PTS
2016-17 Overall 40W – 27L – 15OT/SOL – 95 PTS

The League:

Eastern Conference Winners: Leafs over Washington
Western Conference Winners: Winnipeg over Vegas

Most surprising team: Arizona Coyotes
Most disappointing team: Edmonton Oilers

Art Ross Winner: Connor McDavid
Hart Winner: Connor McDavid
Norris Winner: Victor Hedman
Calder Winner: Elias Pettersson
Vezina Winner: Andrei Vasilevskiy
Richard Winner: Alex Ovechkin

Western Stanley Cup Finalist: Winnipeg Jets
Eastern Stanley Cup Finalist: Toronto Maple Leafs
Stanley Cup Winner: Winnipeg Jets
Conn Smythe Trophy Winner: Connor Hellebuyck

The Leafs will finish: 2nd in division, behind Tampa. But it will be close.

The main reason for this is: goals, goals, and more goals. This team will score in buckets.

The biggest surprise will be: the Leafs' goals against will be low - but the defence will not get credit.

The biggest disappointment will be: Zaitsev. Oh Lord, the contract is looking worse every day.

The unsung hero will be: Marleau. I'm wildly speculating here, but I think the guy keeps the young kids on an even keel.

The goat will be: Obviously Gardiner.

People think this guy is good, but he sucks (and the reason is): I'm going to go with Sparks here. Why? Because I had an emotional attachment to MakeASavey. And with Komarov gone, I need a new guy to have an irrational hate-on for...

People think this guy sucks, but he's not so bad (and the reason is): I'm going to go with Gardiner here. He won't be worth the money that someone signs him for next year, but let's stop with the talk that he's the worst defenceman in the league.

The best move Shanny/Dubas did in the off-season was: obviously signing Tavares.

If I was GM, I would have: addressed our problems at defence. With Tavares, we now have a surplus at forward.

If you remember nothing else I said, remember I said this about the 2018-19 Leafs: The best team (as of opening night) in my lifetime. The regular season is really just the pre-season. This year will be a failure if they don't make it to the third round.

Player Predictions

Forwards
John Tavares: 82 points. Yeah, I said it.

Kadri, Nazem: lower points totals than last year, but I won't care. Some people will start mentioning him for a Selke - he's not there, but it's still a good sign.


Matthews, Auston: last year I said something to the effect of "this is the year that he becomes recognized as one of the top 5 players in the game." It didn't happen last year. So I'm going to say it again...

Hyman, Zach: poor bastard is the new Bozak: not his fault he's being put on the 1st line. I don't hate him, but I think there are 20 other guys who could do his job.

Marleau, Patrick: I worry that Father Time will catch up with him. So I'm not going to make a prediction here - I'm just going to say a little prayer.

Marner, Mitchell: 70 points. And will be my favourite player. Damn, this kid is creative.

Nylander, William: traded for a defenceman.


Leivo, Josh: I have nothing to say about him - good or bad. If he plays, he won't make much of an impact.

Brown, Connor: I feel like Mr. Brown is slowly dropping in the impact department. I think he'll be less effective than last year.

Tyler Ennis: by the end of the year, his suits will reek of popcorn.

Fred Gauthier: enjoy the Marlies.

Andreas Johnsson: Leafs Nation wildly over-rated this guy. 30 points.

Kasperi Kapanen: Another wildly over-rated player. Good on PK, not much else.

Par Lindholm: I have no idea.

The defence

Gardiner, Jake: Not as bad as people make him out to be, but not worth re-signing. Will continue to have a play a week that will make you scratch your head. This is his last year in Toronto.

Hainsey, Ron: not good. We need to make a trade.

Dermott, Travis: I really am hoping this kid can step up his game - but my heart tells me he won't.

Marincin, Martin: why is this guy on the team? He won't be for long.

Rielly, Morgan: Love him. 5 more points than last year.

Zaitsev, Nikita: franking terrible. Will remain terrible.

Ozhiganov, Igor: I have no idea.

Holl, Justin: Once again, I have no idea.

The goalies

Andersen, Frederik: I'm sorry, but I'm still not convinced. He's not terrible, but I wouldn't put him in the top 15 in the league. Sorry.

Sparks, Garret: won't be as good as MakeASavey.


The League:

Eastern Conference Winners: Tampa
Western Conference Winners: Winnipeg

Most surprising team: Montreal
Most disappointing team: Boston. This is the year Chara can't do it anymore.

Art Ross Winner: McJesus
Hart Winner: McJesus
Norris Winner: Doughty
Calder Winner: that kid from Montreal (I know nothing about juniors, so this is really just a wild stab - don't give me credit if I get it right).
Vezina Winner: Hellebuyck
Richard Winner: Matthews

Western Stanley Cup Finalist: Winnipeg
Eastern Stanley Cup Finalist: Tampa (sigh)
Stanley Cup Winner: Stanley is coming back to Canada
Conn Smythe Trophy Winner: Hellebuyck

The Leafs will finish: in the top 31

The main reason for this is: there are 31 teams

The biggest surprise will be: Sparks

The biggest disappointment will be: Brown

The unsung hero will be: Gardiner

The goat will be: Gardiner

People think this guy is good, but he sucks (and the reason is): Hainsey

People think this guy sucks, but he's not so bad (and the reason is): Gardiner

The best move Shanny/Dubas did in the off-season was: Tavares Duh!

If I was GM, I would have:

If you remember nothing else I said, remember I said this about the 2018-19 Leafs:

Nylander is very close to Marner in skill and on ice impact

Player Predictions

Forwards
John Tavares 33g 42a
Kadri, Nazem 27g 31a
Matthews, Auston 51g 40a
Hyman, Zach 8g 12a
Marleau, Patrick 17g 20a
Marner, Mitchell 26g 52a
Nylander, William 23g 43a
Leivo, Josh 12g 12a
Brown, Connor 7g 8a
Tyler Ennis 16g 15a
Fred Gauthier 1g
Andreas Johnsson 17g 23a
Kasperi Kapanen 14g 27a
Par Lindholm 5g 12a

The defence
Gardiner, Jake 6g 33a
Hainsey, Ron 2g 10a
Dermott, Travis 7g 23a
Marincin, Martin 1g 4a
Rielly, Morgan 11g 33a
Zaitsev, Nikita 7g 14a
Ozhiganov, Igor 2g 7a
Holl, Justin 1g 1a

The goalies
Andersen, Frederik
Sparks, Garret


The League:

Eastern Conference Winners: Leafs
Western Conference Winners: 'peg

Most surprising team: Arizona or Carolina
Most disappointing team: edmuntun

Art Ross Winner: Mcdavid
Hart Winner: Mcdavid
Norris Winner: Karlsson
Calder Winner: Petterson
Vezina Winner: Vaseline guy
Richard Winner: Marthews

Western Stanley Cup Finalist: Preds
Eastern Stanley Cup Finalist: Leafs
Stanley Cup Winner: Leafs
Conn Smythe Trophy Winner: matthews
- senstroll

boo

Ottawa doesn't count as a team. top 30 finish for sure.

matthews and tavares will score in the 1st game

The Leafs will finish: 4th Overall, 2nd in the division

The main reason for this is: Tampa Bay

The biggest surprise will be: Lindholm being valuable even without scoring points.

The biggest disappointment will be: Sparks. He's not that good.

The unsung hero will be: Rielly. He gets a lot of praise, but not enough, especially for his defensive play. Our D without him is atrocious.

The goat will be: Traded.

People think this guy is good, but he sucks (and the reason is): Tough call. I will go ahead and say Kap. He doesn't suck, but he's overrated by most.

People think this guy sucks, but he's not so bad (and the reason is): Ennis I guess? He's not great but he'll do better than people are expecting. Ditto Leivo if he gets his time of day.
Honourable mention to Johnsson who people have been riding already. He's good and will play good.

The best move Shanny/Dubas did in the off-season was: A) Not name a captain and B) Ennis, I guess. Read above.

If I was GM, I would have: Done everything Dubas did.

If you remember nothing else I said, remember I said this about the 2018-19 Leafs: I can't think of any big specific thing so here are a couple small predictions:
Tavares will be worth ever penny.
Marner will get in a fight.
Gardiner will not be traded or signed.
We make it to the conference finals.
Marner will sign before the draft.
Borgman will play a few games this year due to injury and he'll play well.
The Marlies will be knocked out in the first round of the Calder Cup playoffs.

Player Predictions

Forwards
John Tavares 35G 35A
Kadri, Nazem 23G 26A
Matthews, Auston 45G 45A
Hyman, Zach 12G 22A
Marleau, Patrick 19G 30A
Marner, Mitchell 29G 49A
Nylander, William 27G 25A
Leivo, Josh 6G 8A (in 25 games played)
Brown, Connor 13G 15A
Tyler Ennis 15G 24A
Fred Gauthier 1G 1A (in 5 games played)
Andreas Johnsson 16G 22A
Kasperi Kapanen 9G 18A
Par Lindholm 5G 10A


The defence
Gardiner, Jake 12G 35A
Hainsey, Ron 3G 12A
Dermott, Travis 10G 22A
Marincin, Martin- With a bit of luck shot out of a cannon
Rielly, Morgan 18G 31A
Zaitsev, Nikita 5G 9A
Ozhiganov, Igor 6G 1A
Holl, Justin 1A- (only 5 games played)

The goalies
Andersen, Frederik .916sv% 45 wins
Sparks, Garret .890sv% in 7 games. 3 wins.
Another goalie will give us 5 wins also


The League:

Eastern Conference Winners: Tampa
Western Conference Winners: Winterpeg

Most surprising team: Carolina
Most disappointing team: Colorado

Art Ross Winner: McDavid
Hart Winner: Barkov (A bit off the board, but what the hell)
Norris Winner: Karlsson because points. Should be Doughty
Calder Winner: Not a damn clue. Pettersson??
Vezina Winner: Vasilevskiy
Richard Winner: Kucherov

Western Stanley Cup Finalist: San Jose
Eastern Stanley Cup Finalist: Tampa Bay
Stanley Cup Winner: Tampa
Conn Smythe Trophy Winner: Kucherov

The Leafs will finish: 2nd in division, behind Tampa. But it will be close.

The League:

Eastern Conference Winners: Tampa
Western Conference Winners: Winnipeg

Most surprising team: Montreal
Most disappointing team: Boston. This is the year Chara can't do it anymore.

Art Ross Winner: McJesus
Hart Winner: McJesus
Norris Winner: Doughty
Calder Winner: that kid from Montreal (I know nothing about juniors, so this is really just a wild stab - don't give me credit if I get it right).
Vezina Winner: Hellebuyck
Richard Winner: Matthews

Western Stanley Cup Finalist: Winnipeg
Eastern Stanley Cup Finalist: Tampa (sigh)
Stanley Cup Winner: Stanley is coming back to Canada
Conn Smythe Trophy Winner: Hellebuyck
- Atomic Wedgie

If I would of written this post, could you imagine the names people would call me...very realistic predictions.

Glak Approved.

The Leafs will finish: 2nd in the Atlantic, 4th in the East, 7th overall

The main reason for this is: High powered offense / PP and Andersen

The biggest surprise will be: Kapanen

The biggest disappointment will be: Nylander (not a huge disappointment but not a big step forward either)

The unsung hero will be: Kadri, jack of all trades and master of none, does a lot of different jobs reasonably well but isn't the best at any one aspect of the game. If Zaitsev turns it around, he could be a quiet hero (more hopeful than realistic).

The goat will be: Zaitsev. And Hainsey might start showing his age this year. Nylander will get some heat if he holds out too long and doesn't put up big numbers to back it up, especially during the playoffs. Ozhiganov because 6th defensemen usually (frank) up a lot, no matter who they are, especially rookies who have never played on North American ice.

People think this guy is good, but he sucks (and the reason is): Hyman. Not a top-six forward. Hainsey, again, getting a bit old for that much ice time.

People think this guy sucks, but he's not so bad (and the reason is): Hyman. He's not that bad, he's just playing on the wrong line. Works hard though, great 3rd liner. Also, Gardiner, usually does more good than bad.

The best move Shanny/Dubas did in the off-season was: Josh Jooris.

Tavares. Greatest UFA signing in team history. A (frank)ing miracle among miracles.

If I was GM, I would have: Signed one or two bigger, more physical "playoff" type bottom-six players, more proven experienced depth players (4C) and a proven back-up to avoid having to pay for them at the dumbest time of the year; the trade deadline. Oh and acquired a top pair RHD (Erik Karlsson).

If you remember nothing else I said, remember I said this about the 2018-19 Leafs: They're going to score a lot of goals but they're probably going to give up a lot of them too and struggle to play in all areas of the ice equally.

Player Predictions

Forwards

John Tavares:
GP: 80 G: 41 A: 50 P: 91 (See what I did there?)

Kadri, Nazem:
GP: 75 G: 30 A: 30 P: 60

Matthews, Auston
GP: 75 G: 44 A: 40 P: 84

Hyman, Zach:
GP: 82 G: 16 A: 25 P: 41

Marleau, Patrick:
GP: 82 G: 22 A: 25 P: 47

Marner, Mitchell:
GP: 82 G: 28 A: 55 P: 83

Nylander, William:
GP: 70 G: 18 A: 40 P: 58

Leivo, Josh:
GP: 70 G: 6 A: 13 P: 19

Brown, Connor:
GP: 82 G: 13 A: 18 P: 31

Tyler Ennis:
GP: 50 G: 8 A: 12 P: 20

Fred Gauthier:
GP: 21 G: 1 A: 2 P: 3

Andreas Johnsson:
GP: 70 G: 8 A: 10 P: 18

Kasperi Kapanen:
GP: 75 G: 15 A: 15 P: 30

Par Lindholm:
GP: 70 G: 6 A: 10 P: 16

Defence

Gardiner, Jake:
GP: 80 G: 8 A: 50 P: 58

Hainsey, Ron:
GP: 75 G: 2 A: 18 P: 20

Dermott, Travis:
GP: 70 G: 4 A: 20 P: 24

Marincin, Martin:
GP: 17 G: 0 A: 2 P: 2

Rielly, Morgan:
GP: 75 G: 7 A: 50 P: 57

Zaitsev, Nikita:
GP: 75 G: 6 A: 28 P: 34

Ozhiganov, Igor:
GP: 50 G: 1 A: 6 P: 7

Holl, Justin:
GP: 50 G: 1 A: 6 P: 7

Goalies

Andersen, Frederik:
GP: 68 W: 39 L: 23 OTL/SO: 6 GAA: 2.70 SV%: .917

Sparks, Garret:
GP: 14 W: 4 L: 5 OTL/SO: 5 GAA: 3.00 SV% .905


The League:

Eastern Conference Winners: Tampa Bay Lightning
Western Conference Winners: Nashville Predators

Most surprising team: Edmonton Oilers (mostly because of McDavid)
Most disappointing team: Minnesota Wild

Art Ross Winner: McDavid
Hart Winner: McDavid
Norris Winner: Karlsson
Calder Winner: Pettersson
Vezina Winner: Vasilevskiy
Richard Winner: McDavid

Western Stanley Cup Finalist: Nashville Predators
Eastern Stanley Cup Finalist: Tampa Bay Lightning
Stanley Cup Winner: Nashville Predators (on paper, got all the pieces)
Conn Smythe Trophy Winner: Pekka Rinne