The Hockey PDOcast - The Watchability Rankings For The 2026-2027 Season, Part 1

Episode Date: September 28, 2026

Dimitri Filipovic is joined by Harman Dayal to put together our Watchability Rankings for the upcoming NHL season. In Part 1 we go through teams ranked 32 to 14, discussing our process for having them where we did and taking a look at the reasons why we'll be tuning in to their games. In the upcoming Part 2 we'll finish the list by breaking down the top 13 teams we're excited to watch this year.There will be a couple of new episodes each week that will be Patreon-exclusive only for our subscribers, and won't be appearing on the free feed. To gain access to all of that content make sure you've subscribed to the PDOcast's Patreon. The subscription provides you with the ad-free version of every single episode we do this season, and they will be available for you to listen as soon as we're done recording.We've also finally got some merch available for our listeners! If you'd like to get your hands on a PDOcast shirt or hat to rep the show, you can do so here. We've recently added a really fun new option on there to celebrate the start of the season. If you've already subscribed to the Patreon, one of the perks that comes with it is that you get a discount on all of the show merch.I'd also recommend subscribing to our Youtube channel. We'll be posting full shows on there more regularly this season so that you can watch along with us. I'm hoping to grow the channel this year, so each subscription, like, and comment is greatly appreciated. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Progressing to the mean since 2015. It's the Hockey Pediocast with your host, Dmitri Filipovich. Welcome to the Hockey Pediocque. My name is Dimitri Filipovich. And joining me is my good buddy, Harmon. Dylem, what's going on, man? Doing well. Excited for the season being right around the corner now and just can't wait for the puck to drop. It's going to be fun. So we're going to do our watchability rankings for the 26-27 season. This is an exercise that we've been doing for years now. I feel like it's a staple of our preview content. It's also one that's a bit tricky. I feel like it requires a certain amount of projection on our part. What we saw last year from a lot of these teams is going to influence our decision making.

We're doing it in the preseason, so we haven't actually had the benefit of watching these teams play yet. And so maybe we'll have to revisit it at some point once we have new information. But the season starts on Tuesday. And I thought it would be fun for us to prepare for it by ranking all 32 teams based on how excited we. are to watch them this year. I'm going to quickly run through our methodology or criteria, just so we're all on the same page. It's a very subjective formula, trying to find the right mix, not necessarily scientific by any means. We're factoring in individual players who we like watching a viewer-friendly playing style. So a team's likelihood of engaging in a fun, entertaining,

high-scoring game relevance, you know, wanting to keep up with a team because people are going to be watching, talking about them, they're going to matter, especially by the time we get to the postseason vibes. Now, this is a fun one, and we're going to note it throughout. It can either be jersey aesthetics, game presentation, home broadcast quality, just the general sort of outlook for an organization right now, and then novelty. So off-season changes, the trajectory of the organization, seeing if there's any improvement. This is where, I think, without spoiling.

it too much. We're going to knock teams like Carolina and Vegas maybe because we got to just watch them so frequently throughout the postseason and I'm going to be looking forward to watching some other teams instead now. But that's what we're considering. That's our list. And now we're going to run through it. What we're going to do here is we're going to start at 32. I've ranked my teams. You've ranked your team separately. We put them together. We have an aggregate score. I'll note when there was a big disparity for the most part. Maybe it's because you and I generally view the game the same way, but we were pretty aligned. For the most part, I believe, like,

there were four or five teams where there was a couple spot gap in the rankings, but otherwise there was nothing too crazy, but I'll note where the biggest disparities were and we'll kick off with 32, a team that you cover on a day-to-day basis of Vancouver Canucks. We were both consensus here. I have to be honest.

I don't think there's any compelling argument for making anyone else 32, and this was a very easy write in for me. There were some teams where I like deliberated. I went back, moved them up and down, tinkered with my list. I started this one off. 32 Canucks in Sharpie did not have to worry about scribbling over it or putting someone else there.

Do you have any notes on what you're looking forward to when tuning into a Canucks game this season? Yeah, it's going to be a long 84 game season. I think right there with you. I didn't have to think twice about it. Vancouver is going to be. and 32nd, it's the start of a rebuild, right? So it's, it takes me back to watching the team last year was similar to watching the

pre-McClin celebrating his San Jose sharks. They were that miserable, that little high-end talent. And when you're at the start of a rebuild, you haven't had yet the opportunity to really bring in the kinds of rookies that can realistically contend for a color trophy, right? They have some intriguing young talent, Tom Vlander, and certainly, Ziv Bouillon, like it's going to be interesting to see what step he can take forward. Liam Ogren, there's certainly guys there that are worth tuning into if you're a Canucks fan specifically and want to monitor the progress of the early stages of his rebuild.

And certainly with Nanny Mahhotra coming in as head coach replacing Adam foot, you're going to see something that resembles an organized hockey team on a much more consistent basis. So it's not to say if you're a Canucks fan that, oh, it's pointless tuning into game. It's more, if you're outside of Vancouver and don't have a rooted, a invested interest in the Canucks, there's not really a whole lot of reasons to tune into them, especially because I'm pretty bearish personally on this idea of a big Elias Patterson bounceback. And if that's not happening, then I think for viewers outside of Vancouver, there's just not much of a reason to watch the games.

Yeah, the notes that I had, and I tried to include at least a couple bullet points for each team in terms of selling points for tuning in, what to look for when you're watching their games. It's a fascinating science experiment in terms of kind of just validating how bad last year's coaching was. And you and I spoke about this when we did our Pacific Division preview. Ken Z. William show signs of improvement fresh off that eight-year extension. Ken Elias Pedersen show signs of life and shoot the puck more often and harder than he has the past couple years. I think you sort of answered where you're leaning there, but I'm still curious to tune in.

There are some young players that I'm interested to watch. I think the reason why I felt confident putting them 32 here is one, to your point, we're still probably like at least a year or two away from a lot of the meaningful, most interesting young players they've drafted and accumulated along the way actually playing on this team. So you kind of track their growth. They're going to be playing elsewhere this season. And the other is there aren't exactly a ton of competitive. compelling veterans on this team where it's like for an analyst like you and I, we have to keep an eye on them because if they're traded near the deadline, we want to have takes in terms of how they've looked, how much they have left in the tank. Like I'm pretty familiar with the work of one Paul Carter at this point. Luke Shen, Jake DeBrusk. Like there's not that much here, I guess, beyond a Drew O'Connor that's like legitimately fascinating trade fodder either in season. And so that's why I have them 32 and you did as well. Number 31.

sticking in the Pacific, the Calgary Flames. Now, I initially considered bumping them a bit higher because I do think there are a few things that I'm interested to watch with them, but ultimately, especially with the state of this war group and beyond Matt Faye Gridden, my skepticism that there's anyone that has legitimate upside, they settled in at 31 for me,

but how confident were you in terms of that ranking and did you consider having them a bit higher? Maybe a tad bit, just because, the back end, I'm really interested to see how Perak and Nemichco exist. And especially Perak, it's so fun watching him make plays offensively. He's obviously so raw from a defensive standpoint. But watching him at the junior level, even World Juniors, the vision that he has, how he can wheel around, he's such a fun player to watch.

And I think that back end is going to make that team look more dynamic in the offensive zone because of those two and the creativity. and just seeing the internal competition, who wins PP1. That'll be fun. And certainly Matt Vaidgridden, I'm expecting him to take a big step, maybe even lead the flames of the scoring this coming season as he so confidently says he wants to do.

That's his goal. And as he should, that kid's got swagger. But, like, this is a scrappy, likable, hardworking team. They aren't very aesthetically pleasing to watch. They're going to have to grind out a lot of low. scoring victories. And really just looking at the forward group as a whole, it's in the same ballpark as Vancouver's for me in terms of most lifeless in the

NHL, how little creative dynamic talent there is outside of grid. I don't see, like I expect Matt Coronado to bounce back. I think he was unlucky last year to not bury more. You created a lot of chances. But what does the Coronado bounce back or like a breakout look like? 25 goals, maybe inching closer to 30. I just don't see a player among that forward group that I'm excited to tune into and watch on an every night basis.

And like that's the biggest reason I had them this low is just the forward group is kind of depressing. It is. You know, one selling point for me is I do feel like Dustin Wolf is one of the few golees in the league that actually adds to a team's entertainment value, especially when he's on and just so fun seeing them stretch laterally and compete. I enjoy their home. Jersey's and they're wearing the throwbacks to celebrate the final season at the Saddle Dome, Nemitz and Perrek, as we discussed last time you and I spoke at greater length.

Now my one negative here, and this is where we get into the aesthetics or the vibe or wherever around the team is they made a change in the broadcast booth. They brought in Kevin Sawyer to be their color commentator this season. He was previously the TSN Jets broadcaster. And I really do not like listening to him. He is one of the biggest cope artists in the league. And especially watching him cover all the Jets games over the past couple of years. You'd think a guy like Cole Kepke, for example,

was one of the best players in the league based on the way he talks about. And I get there's a certain Homer element that can be charming at times to local fans. But as someone watching from the outside, I think I'm good on that. So maybe I'll be watching other teams broadcast more frequently. they are 31st for us. Number 30, the Seattle Cracken. Tough look for the Pacific here, kicking off our rankings with the bottom three teams.

I think they have too many good players to be ranked lower, especially in the forward group comparing what we just said about Calgary and Vancouver, probably or certainly not the upside in terms of top line players that are really going to move the needle, but they have a bunch of good players who are somewhere near their pride at the very least, or even ascending, curious to see what a guy like Mackie Semiskevich looks like in this spot, they generally play faster pace, even though nothing is actually ultimately happening. Like they're flying up and down the ice and not really scoring or giving up goals, but at least the pace is there.

And so it's not like a particularly slow affair when they're playing. I think I'm more interested in watching this team in the second half, though, assuming they are bad this year and they sell a McCann. events done because they have so many interesting players that were playing Coachella previously and probably will start the year there. And if they promote those guys throughout the season, I think I'm going to want to tune in more frequently just to get some viewings of them and see how they look at this level. But to start the season, there is a certain level of predictability or maybe inevitability

that we know what we're going to get from this group. Like they're not going to be that bad, but they're also not going to score a lot of goals. They're not going to win. And so, I don't know, at 30, it felt like a pretty safe choice here. And you and I both agreed on that ranking. Yeah, as you noted, between Sam Miskavich and I'm also really fascinated to see what step or Berkeley Canton can take in year two and extremely high pedigree, top 10 pick, terrific production profile a couple of years ago when he was in the CHL.

There's a lot of, like when we think about the crack and big picture needing a star, he's one of the bets you have in terms of maybe having that first line upside for the future, not saying it's necessarily all going to come together for him in his age 20 season this year specifically. But I am excited to watch him play see if he can use his creativity and show flashes of, hey, this guy's going to be a part of watch moving forward. But I agree where for the crack and it's not so much that they're a depressing watch on the ice.

It's more that as a franchise, I feel pretty jaded about their trajectory right now, their direction, what they're trying to do in trying to be competitive and building rosters that are ultimately just going to be mediocre. I'm right there with you. If they start off all the wrong foot to begin the season and they begin selling UFAs at the deadline

and they shift toward a traditional rebuild and they start to call up the youth that they have from Coachella Valley where they've got a lot of intriguing guys that actually want to see, hey, what can they do at the next level? Then I think the narrative around the cracking could change pretty quickly because the prospect pool as a whole is actually in a pretty strong position. They're one of the franchises that could actually pivot into rebuild and not feel like, okay, we're starting from scratch with nothing. And I think narrative matters as much as it shouldn't when you're watching a team play on the ice. It just does for me. Part of the reason why I'm so me about watching the Cracken is I have no faith in their direction and what they're building toward right now. And if that changes and if they just lean into the youth, then I think all of a sudden they become such a more compelling product to invest your time and energy into.

That's a really interesting point. Something I think I want to circle back to a couple teams from now because I think it'll be really. when we have that discussion. Let's keep them moving. We, wow, we really were on the same page to kick this off

because 29th, we got the National Predators, 28. We have the LA Kings. We're 5 for 5 right now in terms of agreement at the bottom of our list. For the Predators,

losing Luke eventually does a big hit to their watchability. He was a genuine reason to tune in. Last year, seeing what him and Ryan O'Reilly were doing together atop the lineup, I do really like their broadcast with Willy Donic and Chris Mason. It just feels like you're hanging out with buds and it's always a good time.

The issue is that you look at this roster and it's kind of pushing and pulling in two different directions, right? After making the Imgelese trade, I know there was an idea that they're going to pivot and use those features they got from New Jersey to add a player, maybe even a center that fits better with their timeline or has longer. team control, I guess, and Evangelista did at the time. We'll see what happens with that. But for the time being, they had a very active offseason with Chris McFarlane coming in. They brought in a bunch of decent, useful players, but not anyone who you're particularly tuning in for that frequently. And so I guess it raised their floor a little bit, yet at the same time, particularly after trading of Evangelista, the ceiling is certainly in question. And the roster, just in general, doesn't make a lot of sense right now. There's pieces like Matthew

Wood that I'm very excited to tune in, watch their progression. But for the most part, it's kind of a team that doesn't make a lot of sense right now as currently constructed. And so I guess you can make the argument that you want to tune in just to see if a guy like Ross Colton gets traded again or something, what that looks like, what he's got left in the tank. But for the time being, I just find it a bit confusing. And it's kind of tough as someone who's watched a lot of printers hockey the past couple years, even for myself, I'm like, I'm not that excited to tune into a game this season. Yeah. And especially because they're stuck in the central where you've got so long. many other viewing options and you know being in that division specifically that there are

chances of even making some kind of unlikely like the vets somehow play to the peak of their potential and the young guys explode and sorrows as a vintage year and maybe they somehow push to make the playoffs maybe that case could have been feasible in the Pacific but they're in the central and just with how many competitive teams are ahead of them. It's hard to really tune in with that, with that hope in mind for them. I agree with you that they're kind of a weird in-between team. There are actually just like looking through the, when I look through the forwards, more individual guys that like I'm genuinely excited to watch.

You mentioned Matthew Wood. I'm curious to see obviously what Maverick Bork can do. He was so fun to watch in the first round series against Minnesota. was one of the only doubts forwards that could consistently create off the forecheck. And is he going to play center? Is he going to play wing? Same thing with Wood who made the transition. And like those are fascinating storylines. And, you know, Niels Hoaglander, watched him a lot in Vancouver.

And I've always felt he's got more upside if given more opportunity. And I'll be tuning in to see if that comes to fruition. But I think what always gives me a sense of dread is, is the blue line they've constructed after Yossi. Like D-Men number two to six is just such a hodgepodge of bad contracts, guys who I don't enjoy watching, like the Nick Hague bet, didn't love that. The Brady Shay contract has aged poorly.

He just hasn't fit in that system, even though he was a bit better in year two in Nashville. Yeah, it's just the back end outside of Yosie is a tough watch. Yeah, the Kings, who somehow, managed to get even older this summer, bringing in Zuccarello, Hala, and Perry. No Kopitar is going to be very strange and takes him getting used to. It's a shame. I was excited because we never got to see upon Panarin's arrival last year, him and Fiala

on the same team because Fiala suffered that injury at the Olympics and his recovery doesn't seem to be going as well as I would have hoped earlier in the offseason. So hopefully he can come back at some point in the not too distant future. they did jump up from 31st to 18th in goals per 60 post-Olympics. A lot of that was against the worst teams in the Pacific with a pretty easy schedule. You know, I'm hopeful this is the year that Brand Clark gets the usage as talent deserves. He was one on our hour guys list that I did with Jack Brazer earlier this week. But beyond him, the blue line is just so deficient in terms of puck moving ability that I'm skeptical, even if they have some interesting forwards.

that they're going to be able to get them the puck consistently enough to actually meaningfully threaten an attack off the rush. And so with all of that in mind, like it's probably going to be more of the same in L.A. And I feel beaten down by it at this point. And so maybe if I didn't have that baggage, I'd view this a little bit differently. Because of all of that,

I felt like having them near the bottom of this list was probably the right decision. Yeah, I'm in alignment. They were a snooze fest. for most of last season. They, they, they, they suck the oxygen out of games. And I understand that's how they, like, that's been their identity. That's their most optimal path to success in being competitive because of some of the

limitations they have offensively as a group. But, like, it made for a lot of tough watches. Like, I even remember a game against Tampa last year that we broke down on the show. and Tampa, as we know, it was one of the funnest teams in the league to watch. And they somehow, because of how suffocating their L.A. style is, they somehow made that game less entertaining. I think their viewing experience last season,

it's as if they bring other teams down to their level. And again, I don't blame them for it from a competitive standpoint. That's just how they play. but it's not very aesthetically pleasing. I will say I'll be tuning in just to see if Byfield and Clark can take the next steps. Like I think big picture for that organization so much hinges on can they become franchise players. Byfield's going to get full-time PP-1 opportunity. I know there are people within that within that organization that fully expect,

hey, this is finally going to be the year that he pops and takes off. And if he does, you know, watching him down the stretch last season, when he's on and it's been inconsistent spurts, which is so frustrating. But when he's on, he's so fun to watch with his range, with his size, with this speed, with his motor, the flashes of one-on-one skill. So if we get the best version of Quinted Byfield and we get the best version of Brant Clark Unleashed playing 23 minutes a night, then I certainly think they could climb up. The watchability ranking, especially since for as old as Panarin is, he's still fun to watch

in the regular season when there's more time at space to make plays. So there is an upside case here for the kings, but I'm going to need to see it to really buy in. Thankfully, we are escaping the death grip of the Pacific and we're getting into some of the other teams as we move up our list. We had the Bruins and the Red Wings tied on aggregate score.

You had the Bruins a little bit higher than I did. couple of spots. I think the Bruins are an interesting team, right? Particularly last year, when I thought they did have a talent deficit, especially further down the lineup, Marco Stern did some really interesting stuff in year one tactically. Like they did not have the puck a lot. They had very poor possession and underlying metrics generally. They were 32nd in the league in offensive zone possession time. And yet they scored a lot of goals because they were very efficient counter attacking, making the most of their opportunities. They had a top 10 power play. a lot of that is enabled by David Pasternak's progression into one of the best distributors in the game.

He finished tied with McDavid for first in primary assists. You're adding Paterka to that mix, and that should be fun. One of my issues is that I just hate tuning into their games. If it's the home broadcast, because they have the worst lighting in the league, I really just wish they would turn the brightness up. I have no idea why the screen is as dark as it is. And so that's frustrating from a nerd perspective for me. but I had them 27th.

You had them 25. You had any other notes on the Bruins while we're here? Yeah, Pasta single-handedly makes them must watch, right? I have to tune in just to see, again, his evolution from sniper when he was on that perfection line early in his career with Marsha and Bergeron to what he is now where he's just a playmaking engine. He's so slick.

He's so smooth. He's so smart. the way that he can create and buy time and space for not only himself but his teammates the way he meticulously breaks defenses down it's art and look part of the reason we have them or we both have them low is because there's not a whole lot beyond him and they are very reliant on goal tending to and in like a stingy working like defensive approach to keep them competitive. I know last season their middle six went on a bit of a shooting percentage bender

and made things look better than the talent level on paper, like Victor Arvinson somehow ended up being one of the most efficient 5.15 points per 60 producers in the league last season. So part of why I have them low is because I'm baking in some regression from the middle six and expecting that, hey, Boston might be a very top heavy offense again, where you're leaning very heavily on Posternak and Paterka to, and Zaka, those three to kind of drive the boss offensively and the other lines might not give you a lot.

But I am also fascinated to watch James Hagan's this year. And on the back end, any team that employs Nikita Zedorov and the constant antics that he's up to and the physicality of the chirping, that's why I had them ahead of Detroit. I had Detroit one spot higher because I have a certain, level of morbid curiosity to tune in to watch the start of their season with all the organizational uncertainty right now assuming larkin is quote unquote healthy enough to play in those games they

start the season with i believe seven of their first eight games at home and it's going to make for a very awkward situation i'm curious to see what the reception is like from the fans a home crowd that is very good when the team is is fun and scoring goals i like their home and broadcast, cider and Raymond are beasts, but I feel like if anything, me having them higher than some of these other teams that they're clearly going to be worse than is a bit generous just because of that car crash element that seems like it's brewing at the start of the season. So you were a bit lower on them than I was, not much, but do you have anything to add there in terms of what the start of the year could look like and kind of reasons beyond that to tune

into a Red Wings game. Yeah, I would have had them, so we're in opposite directions here. I would have had them higher if there wasn't that sense of the car crash coming. Because, I mean, look, their broadcast is best in the business. Sider is so fun to watch the way that, yeah, he's an all-around stud, but just the physical edge that he has too, just blowing guys up with his hits. And like there's no other defenseman like him in terms of. play style in the NHL.

And Lucas Raymond, he's just always buzzing and creating offense and chances. If there was no lark and drama and, you know, there was optimism surrounding this team, I'd feel, I'd feel good. But it just feels like the vibes are so bad that I think I have a bit of Quinn Hughes in watching the Canucks PTSD from last season, just watching a depressing situation unfold to where that's almost making me less excited to tune in to Wings games. Fair, very fair. The Winnipeg Jets are up next.

I was a bit higher on them than you were. I had them 24th. You have them 27th. And that's partly because I mentioned this when we did our guys earlier this week. There's a number of players that I'm pretty high on the Colper Fetti bounce back. Now that he's healthy with a proper ramp up to the season and training camp, it seems like he's going to finally get reps on the. the top line and it's nice to see them actually trying to change that around a little bit after

being so stuck in their ways previously. Vigal Bjork falls into her lap of the draft and seems like he can make an immediate impact. There's actually some young players in this starting lineup for them that at least have a bit of upside and even if they don't work out or they have young players struggles, at least it's a bit different than the past when it's like, all right, well, it's a bunch of old players who we know aren't going to make the cut and we're just watching watching them play anyways, which was exactly what they did last year. It turns out replacing Nikola Euler is one of the most electric players in the league with a bunch of old slow players was a bad strategy and their offense was dreadful last season.

They were 25th in goals and that did not do justice to how bleak it was beyond the top line. Their depth just completely flatlined. They scored one and a half goals per hour without Sheifley and Morrissey on the ice 515, which is catastrophically bad. if I told you that Shifley, Connor, Fulardi were top three and five-on-five goals for them, and then Alex Al-Falo was fourth with 10, would you be able to guess who the next three guys

on the team in five-on-five goals were last year? No, I would not be able to. Morgan Barron with nine, Logan Stanley, who got traded at the deadline, with eight, and then the aforementioned Cole Kepke, with seven. So it was pretty dire. The outlook in terms of the skater group is actually more promising heading into this year.

The defense is going to be rock solid. The issue is that kind of what you mentioned with the crack in, like the vibes around the Hellebuck holdout, the ambition or strategy for this organization moving forward are so bleak and dire right now. And listen, if you're a fan of the Jets or you're just a casual viewer and you're tuning into one of these games, it's probably not front of mind. And you're just going to watch and enjoy it if some of these players are. playing up to their capability. But for an analyst like myself, and I'm sure you probably feel the same way, I can't help but shake that feeling of like to what end, even if they have a bunch of these bouncebacks and they come together, finishing eighth in the West and getting smoked

by Colorado in round one does not excite me that much. And so I can't kind of help shake that feeling. And that's why I didn't have them higher because actually, like, if I just removed that element of it and just looked in a vacuum at some of these players, I'd probably have them higher than I did. Last season, there were a bottom three watch for me in the NHL. It's really that simple. They were so old. There were the slowest team in the Western Conference to me, like not even particularly

close. Just watching in the defensive zone when there would be a change of possession, trying to see them mount. And when I say all these things, I'm excluding the top line from the conversation because obviously those guys were dynamic, electric, shifely, a hundred, plus points. But lines two to four, watching them off a change of possession, try to form some semblance of a counterattack was painful.

Like you could, your eyes would light up at, oh, okay, here's a chance to maybe counter. And then watching Jonathan Taves, labor his way up the ice, watching it die in real time was a really frustrating experience for me. So look, I might be penalizing them a little bit too much based off my viewings last season. certainly you're right to point out that I think with some of the younger bets and internal guys that are going to take on some roles, the addition by subtraction of not only Taves, but a guy like Gus Nyquist as well who just had nothing left in the tank last season will likely lead to them being a more enjoyable watch.

But the Hellibuck situation just really puts a damper on all of it. If Hullabuck was on the team, going to play at the start of the season, they would be way higher on my list, just in the sense of, okay, I actually think there's a case where you guys could bounce back, especially because of Salamanston and adding Ferraro, like that. Now I wouldn't have the same concerns about the third pair

and getting crushed when Luke Shen and Logan Stanley are on the ice or whatever. And there'd be some, all right, are they, going to make the playoffs here and not make noise in the postseason, but get back to something that more closely resembles what they were before last season. But without Hellebock and not having that caliber of goaltending, it just feels like they're headed toward the mediocre, mushy middle. And that just doesn't excite me at all when I pair it with how slow they were as a team last season.

24th, the Chicago Blackhawks, I'm excited to watch Cancer All. I'm excited to watch Frontell in his first full season. I'm curious to see how Bowen Byram looks, finally getting all the usage that he's clearly wanted, whether their young defenseman can show signs of improvement from last year. It's unfortunate that Bredard's going to miss the start of the year because I imagine if he were available, I mean, I'd certainly be more excited,

but I think their power play, which was 29th last year, is going to be significantly better when he's back in the mix with Patrick Cain's playmaking there. As well, the issue is there's just, so much ground for them to cover here, right? Like they could improve a lot of those things that come together, but they were so bad last year and they were so low and pretty much every metric at both ends of the ice

that they could improve and be better and more fun to watch. And it's still results in only moving up a couple of spots in the standings, for example, like to take a meaningful step, a lot of these things are really going to hit. So I imagine when Bedard's back. And if we were doing this like a month or two from now, they'd probably be higher just because there is that not, novelty element of seeing how a lot of these pieces fit and at least there's a bit of hope

heading into this season but stripping him from this it still looks pretty thin and I have a lot of questions so I don't know I had them 23rd you had them 24th it seems like we're kind of in lockstep there on that analysis yeah when badard returns I am really excited to see what it all looks together I mean bull and bar I'm seeing I know it's preseason but scoring a hat trick and taking just more assertive ownership of his game. Like putting the trade price aside for a second, curious to see what kind of upside he can show because I go back to the player that he was for Colorado

when they won the cup in 2022. And you watched him play at that age and leading the abs in 5 and 5 ice time and dominating his minutes, just being such a two-way force. And I was so convinced he was going to be a star. And then obviously the injuries, the concussions. He never really took that next step.

In fact, his game took steps backward. And there was a point 12 months ago where I was pretty down on the player. So it's just an interesting case study in terms of, all right, you're going to get the opportunity to be the guy. What does that actually look like on top of once Bedard returns? And it's such a disappointment that he got hurt when he did because I was so fired up to see if he could be the player that he was through the first third of last season for an entire 84 game season because when he got hurt, I want to say around mid-December, I double-checked

this. He was third in the league in points behind only McKinnon and McDavid. And the conversation at that time was Baderd and Celebrity are taking superstar leaps at the same time. We were talking about Bidard and celebrating in the same breath. And then unfortunately, he gets hurt, misses some time. And then just isn't the same when he comes back. His father. of five metrics also collapse in terms of winning his minutes on top of just just the point production. But look, when he returns, I'm hopeful that you see him take the next step and some of the other young forwards you mentioned.

But ultimately with Chicago, as you alluded to, there are still just so many holes on this team and the back end is so limited. It's one of the worst in the Western Conference that I still think they're going to have a lot of trouble controlling play. And once the first month or two buzz of them and the novelty kind of wears off when we get to late February, I think that's when it's going to sink in. We're going to have an idea of what the Hawks are, who these individual players are. And I think at that point, once there's more certainty around these young players

and they're like 15 points back of a wildcard spot, then they're going to be a pretty tough watch. And that's why I had them a little bit lower, even though the initial buzz is really high. Yeah, the defense on this team, and it's so young, so there is the hope that they're going to get better as the year goes along, is such a make or break point for them, because regardless of how exciting the forwards are, if you're just struggling to actually retrieve pucks

and get out of your zone and handle four checks and defend in front of your own net, and you're just stuck kind of spending entire shifts chasing, you're not really going to get to actually do fun stuff with the puck if you're some of these young forwards. And so I think to unlock that, they actually need guys, on the back end to really kind of come together and just be much better than they were last year. Number 23 to Philadelphia Flyers.

This was our first big disparity. I had them 25th. You had them 20th. I like the wingers on this team in particular, and it's beyond, you know, I'm very excited to watch a full season with Porter Marto. He gave their offense a very different dimension in his small sample at the end of last year, seeing what an in-shaped Mitchkov looks like, even beyond that, like guys like Alex Bump, in Denver Barkie, I think, have actual juice. Owen Tippett's certainly one of my favorite players to watch every seventh game.

He's going to look like Nathan McKinnon. And it's an awesome viewing experience. I couldn't have them higher and I couldn't justify it, though, because I know that if I told Rick Talkett, for example, that I had them 20th on this list, he'd be like, that's unacceptable. We need to be lower. And so the fact that that's their approach is why I was a bit more down on it. But this team, I think, is going to be pretty difficult to play. against once again and I actually do like, you know, just the skaters in general, quite a bit.

But you were sort of undeterred in that analysis and you had them 20. So I'll let you cook on them a little bit. Yeah. So I'm with you in that, hey, I covered Rick Tocket here in Vancouver for two seasons. Rick Tocket, an incredible coach at raising the defensive floor for a team, helping make them way more competitive. if we saw that in full last season, it's not a very aesthetic viewing experience. We know not a lot of offense is going to be created.

There isn't going to be a lot of East West, a very simple dump and chase. It also is going to limit the opposition's ability to create chances off the rush. Because of that suffocating style, I understand that a pure on-ice entertainment standpoint, the flyers may not be justified to be as high as I had them. But for me, it's narrative. And it's the opposite of what I said about Seattle, for example. example where I am so intrigued to see, so excited to see whether last year was just a case of them overachieving and whether they request or whether they can actually build on this

and with a full year of Martone and a better Mitchkov solidify themselves as, okay, you're a consistent, solid playoff team now. And if that's your foundation, if what they did last season is, all right, that's your floor now, all of a sudden, I think we're having a different conversation about the flyers long-term rebuild and ceiling. And there's, of course, still work to be done. They need more help down the middle. They're eventually going to need a 1C, probably eventually going to need a number one

defenseman for their rebuild. But they have a lot of talent and there's still more coming in the prospect pipeline to where if what they did last season is their floor, I just think from a league-wide perspective, they're a lot more relevant, especially in a metro division where outside of Carolina and Washington, like just so much is up in the air.

It's not like the Atlantic where you're, where there's so much more competition. There's actually an opportunity where if the pieces fall into place correctly, we're talking about the Flyers as an up-and-coming team and like not a model rebuild necessarily. any means because of the holes I mentioned at one C and 1D. But just, hey, that's a really interesting project.

And all of a sudden with some of the assets that they've accumulated the cap space they're going to have, I mean, we saw it with the Carlson offer sheet. They're going to be positioned to make a big swing at some point. And just the trajectory of that franchise starts to look a whole lot different. Now, if they take a step back, if last season was a situation where, all right, they got terrific goaltending from Danville, Dar, and that's going to take a step back. and they're in the mediocre mushy middle, they're an 85-ish point team,

then all of a sudden they're going to fall quite a bit for me. But I'm just so excited to tune in from pure narrative standpoint and trying to assess where the flyers are at as a franchise in the grand scheme of things. Yeah, and listen, they, to their credit, valiantly tried to add the type of high-end talent down the middle that they still need. They didn't succeed ultimately.

And so that factored into their outlook for me, For this season, they are, to your point, just so aggressive and efficient in the neutral zone. And that makes them very difficult to play against. I also love watching Ziegers play. I should note that. He is, like, he, there are certain guys that I enjoy watching more than I should, like relative to their ability level. And I know Zegro's had a good year. There's him.

There's Matt Barzel kind of falls into this territory as well where I enjoy watching their Pock possession style, the way they see the ice. the enjoyment I get far exceeds their actual point production output, if that makes sense. So I think there's some bias there too. That's a good segue because next on our list, 22, the New York Islanders. And they opened their game up so much last year. Upon Matthew Schaefer's arrival, he was such a difference maker in terms of not only their future outlook, but their immediate style of play. It made them a lot more fun to watch.

It also made them dreadful defensively. And Ilya Sorokin covered for a lot of that. I am very curious to see what Pete DeBird chooses to do with this group tactically now that he's had a full off season to kind of game plan and sink his claws into the operation and incorporate more of his concepts. And also as long-time listeners know, I love the Pete DeBer kind of like sad face where he looks like he forgot to turn off the stove before he left the house in the middle of the game regardless of what's going on in front of them. And so that adds to the viewing experience. I do love the Brendan Burke Thomas Hickey duo on the call for them as well. And I just couldn't have the team that has Matthew Schaefer lower, partly because I know he's going to play such a high percentage of the game. And the other is like he scored 23 goals as an 18 year old defenseman last year, which is ridiculous.

And yet I feel like that is just scratching the surface of what he could do. I feel like he really could join as soon as this year that Kail McCarr kind of seemingly impossible, 30 plus goal area at the position, which is rarefied air. And so I'm excited to see what this team looks like, yet I find myself a bit disappointed because their offseason was so quiet. They essentially just replace Anders Lee, who goes to Utah with Matthias Machelli, and otherwise they're kind of rolling the group back. And so I think there's individual elements that I'm quite excited to watch this year,

yet I do wish there was a bigger splash or maybe a bit more novelty in terms of you faces coming in, they really could add more juice to this group. Yeah, last season, the aisles were the biggest discrepancy between how entertaining I thought they were going to be, which my expectations were very low, to what they actually were, which was I had such a blast every time I tuned into the aisles. Last season, I had to dock them just because I'm expecting that DeBoer is going to tighten them up. And last year under Patrick Waugh, they were run and gone end to end, tons of speed for both teams. And that's a huge reason why they were entertaining for me to watch.

And I just think they need to clean things up defensively. It would be the right move to introduce some semblance of structure and give Ilyosuriken a chance to survive and not be left out to drive every night. It's the logical tweak and change to make. from optimizing your chances of winning standpoint. But I do think their speed, their rush offense, just how fun their games look is going to take a serious hit as a consequence. And I'm with you in that. I was disappointed by not only the lack of moves in the offseason,

but what they did at the deadline getting Braden Shen, which I think preceded the offseason. season that they had. There are certainly individual guys, you know, Schaefer obviously, but also I mentioned Barzell, just watching the way that that guy commands possession of the

pock, transports it, finds seams, he just controls the flow of how every shift unfolds. A ton of fun to watch and Bo as a sniper

as well, but outside of that, there just aren't a lot of guys there yet. We'll see if Victor Eklund plays a much bigger role than expected, then all right, that could be more interesting. But I just outside of a few of their individual players, it's just a lot of meh. And a year where I'm expecting them to kind of be in the mediocre mushy middle. The New York Rangers are up next.

they were 21st on our aggregate score. I had them 19th. You had them 23rd. And I think that's a reflection as we've gotten closer and closer to the season. I've given it more thought. I'm kind of coming around a bit more. I still don't love the long-term approach that they chose to take this offseason with the future firsts that they gave up in the process.

Yet they added a lot of talent to this group. If you look on paper, they just got so much better and very quickly, right? They add a legit second pair that makes a lot of sense stylistically. from scratch it seems like we're going to get Albert smits right away and he provides you on the on the back end on the third pair that i'm excited to get viewings of they add an elite shooter in dorif which i think they're going to need not just in the power play because sabinajad has kind of remodeled his game the past couple of years to be more of a distributor and passer than he was earlier in his career i thought gay proe looked very promising down the stretch they add two useful good wingers in

borkshire and tolvanin for very cheap and free agency and if farm and it's just starting our healthy this year, unlike last year, I'm coming around the idea this is going to be a pretty good team and a very wide open metro division. And so I am curious to see kind of how that all comes together and particularly the forward group, like what they chose to do in terms of the combinations and who plays with whom.

Yeah, they could definitely be a playoff team this year, right? You nailed it in that there's zero disagreement around how much they improve this offseason. I think there are a couple of reasons why I had them low, one is I still think their playing style is going to be a tough watch. They're going to be trying to grind out lots of low scoring, 2-1, 3-2 contests. Also last season they were,

I remember watching their season opener right off the bat. And I was shocked at how slow they looked. To my eye, last year, there was the slowest team in the Eastern Conference. A lot of veterans there. And I think I'm also, just, I think I've had too much of the J.T. Miller experience in Vancouver. To be honest, I might just be jaded of that watching Miller,

not backtrack in certain situations, not have the same juice that he used to, kind of flounder around defensively, turn pox over, pick up his points on the power play still, but be pretty ineffective five on five, yet he's still playing a big role. And the captain of a team that in the grand scheme of things isn't really headed toward a trajectory

of actually contending for a Stanley Cup, like that kind of tracks down the, like how enjoyable that experience is for me with the Rangers. And just knowing big picture, yeah, I could see a scenario where they make the playoffs, but I just can't shake the feeling that in the long run, I don't see how they can become cup contenders, especially now that they've traded away future first round picks

and their prospect pool isn't anything to write home about. I don't like their, I don't trust Chris Ruey's long-term vision. They're still a slow team. And I think aesthetically, even if they make the playoffs, they're going to be very reliant on goaltending and, you know, special teams. and then the whole J.T. Miller experience and me being over exposed to that, having followed and covered the Canox is why I had them low. You know what? That's a very good point and something I didn't factor in nearly enough,

particularly after the Vinitrochik trade, right? He's very involved in this team as the second line center. So I probably should have considered that a little bit more. The Ottawa senators are up next. You had them a bit higher than I did. You had them 17. I had him 21. Now, I'm a bit concerned about prognosis in Artem Zub and him still being unavailable, but assuming he's able to come back at some point and reunite that pair with Jake Sanderson, they probably should be the best defensive team in the league. We saw a lot of that last year, particularly post-Olympics. And I do think the Brady Kachuk being gone will help with the vibes.

I'm curious to see what it does to their offensive numbers, because they were fifth in slot shots, fifth and inner slot shots, and expected goals to go along with that defensive environment. And he, despite being kind of a flawed and efficient player, is a beast inducing those particular categories. So, you know, hopefully Willie Meckland can come in, fill some of that, take a step as a shooter, replace some of that, particularly if he's playing. With Stutzlaw in the top line, I do think it's also possible.

Jake S. Anderson just takes another step offensively, becomes truly elite at the position and scores, let's say, 20 goals, 70 points, and is viewed as a top five Norris guy by the end of the season. And so that'll help compensate for some of that loss a little bit as well. I still think 17 was a bit ambitious just because of, you know, the playing style. And I think Travis Green's preferences. And so I bake that into my equation a little bit, but I had them 21. You had them a little bit higher though at 17. Yeah. And this is where, you know, watchability rankings, important reminds. and everyone, it's subjective.

A lot of it is vibes based, and this is just a vibes take for me where I understand that they're going to be playing a pretty defensive style, and that's not going to necessarily lend itself to the most exciting back-and-forth games with crazy comebacks and a lot of rush offense on both ends of the equation.

But to be honest, just as a story, I'm rooting for them. I'm just rooting for a small market Canadian team to like your franchise player, your, well, I shouldn't say franchise player because it wasn't their best player, but your captain leaves you. And it's different than, let's say, the Quinn Hughes situation, where the Canucks were a tire fire. And you could understand a player wanting out from that situation, in Brady-Kachuk situation, the Sands were a competitive playoff team. They were successful. And I just, I feel for them. I feel for the way that that exit happened, knowing that, hey,

it is typically harder to attract talent to one of the smaller Canadian teams like that. I'm rooting for them. I want them to kind of have success. I think they could be a fun story. And to be honest, I don't think that they're necessarily going to take a huge step back after losing Brady, even though that division is a behemoth. Because as you alluded to,

that blue line is incredible. And you think about even from a goaltending perspective, they made the playoffs to split. by Linus Allmark being up and down for a long time. And obviously he had his mental health leave of absence. I'm rooting for him, especially he looked better down the stretch and then was sensational in the playoffs. If he can deliver sturdy goal tending for them, I still think this could very well be a

playoff team. And then they're just like, I love watching Jake Sanderson play. In terms of pure skating ability, I think he's top five in the league of any position. mind you. Watching roam around and Stutzla's electric, they obviously don't have a lot of elite forward talent outside of Stutzla, which, you know, hurts. But I think part of it is just I'm rooting for the story, man. I want them to succeed and make the playoffs.

I am as well. The Columbus Blue Jackets. So kind of the inverse of what I just said about Ottawa, you had them 21. I had them 17th. They net out at 19th on our list. It is such a shame that they're not. higher. They really should be in this tier that we're going to get to later on

with the other young flawed but ascending teams in the league. They're going to be exciting to watch and scoring a ton of goals. I'm nervous about the vibes. Fantilli finally signs this week, but they let it drag through pretty much the entire training camp and preseason

to the point where we're only a couple days away from the regular season and he now is being thrust back into the mix. Murchenko clearly doesn't want to be there and I don't see any scenario where they trade him at some point and come out ahead this season, both from an on-ice results perspective, but certainly from a watchability perspective. I have no faith at this point that Ken Johnson and Demetri Broncov will play as much as they should

or as much as I think they should. Rick Bonas, who's back as the coach, fundamentally changed the way they played last year. And as a result, they slowed everything down that made them so fun previously, turned them into a half-court team, all of the volume in terms of how much they generate and give up. dipped and so it was just lower event hockey kind of like dots down grinding stuff out as opposed to being a free flowing

rush team and we saw their offenses dry up down the stretch and it was a big reason why they missed the playoffs so the actual players themselves I think weren't a higher ranking than this yet because of the vibes and because of my I guess fear of like

how vulnerable this is to just going south I had them a bit lower than I really should have because I viewed them coming into this exercises near that sort of like ducks, sharks, group of teams where it's like, yeah, they're probably not going to be that good, but man, it's going to be exciting

to watch these players progress. And instead, I'm just less sure that's going to be the case this year in Columbus. Yeah, and if we did this last year, they would have been top 10 to 15 for me. Now, I'm with you where the talent, we're based on their talent, they should be higher.

The main reason I docked them and docked them hard is because of the Rick bonus experience. And hey, maybe tightening things up will lead to more winning hockey. Maybe, I'm not sure. But tuning into a lot of those games down the stretch, I was just shocked at how lifeless they looked offensively, how much more dump and chase they were. It just felt like the puck possession style,

the rush offense, the green light to make plays was just zapped. and I mean, maybe it was just a case where my viewing experience of them was backweighted toward the end of the season when they fell off. And so maybe that isn't representative of what they're going to be this coming season. But with how low event Rick Bonas has been as a head coach and even just watching his teams in previous stops, I think he alone is going to significant. drag the watchability and entertainment of Blue Jackets games. That's why I ding them so hard.

And then also what you said in terms of the vibes and if they get off to a rough start, the Zach Wrenzky questions are going to start reappearing along with Marchenko. And also just I feel burned after last season. I think around the midway point of the year and when they went on their initial run, we were all convinced, all right, they're going to make the playoffs. And then the catastrophic collapse that they had second year in a row where they fall just short of things. And then you have Rick Bonas calling out his team. And it's just I feel really let down from last season to where I'm just protecting my heart

and not letting myself get excited about them, even though the possibility of them being good and making the playoffs still exists. You got to protect your heart, Harmon. It's very important. The St. Louis Blues, we both had them 18th. I really like this forward group. It's a lot of guys in their early to mid-20s. That top line, as we've discussed, the Rob Thomas, Dylan Holloway, and Jimmy Snuggierood was phenomenal down the stretch, really, like March 1st on when Thomas and Holloway came back and they played with Snuggarood.

They were, I think, up 22 to 6 in their 5-on-5 minutes from that point forward. They do lose Jordan Kairu this off season, which hurts because he's so fun to watch, but they replace him with. with Connor McMichael, who I think has a lot of juice available in his game. Mason McTavish, a player I'm skeptical of, but it's still young enough that maybe in a different environment, they can get more out of than Anaheim was able to. And you put all that together with a blue line after trading away Justin Falk, like they bring up, Yo Linstein, a young player who plays with Colm Preco. That pair really plays well together.

I think there's a mobility to their game. I know it's maybe not the most exciting team or in terms of like what their immediate upside. days, but assuming we see more of what we saw from them down the stretch and less of what we saw early in the year when they struggled, I think it could be a sneaky, fun, high-scoring team to watch. And so, yeah, I hope for their sake that they can start stronger because the past two years they've really kind of had to dig out of a big hole and make a spirited run down the stretch. I'm curious for your take on sort of what their outlook looks like in a central that's going to be really tough to compete in.

Yeah, at their best, they would be higher on this list. Not a lot, but certainly a little bit. Down the stretch after the Olympic break, watching Thomas Holloway and Snuggard Cook was a ton of fun, even though it was in relatively meaningless games. And the issue I keep coming back to the blues is, and maybe this is just a function of, hey, when you're a middle of the pack team,

you're going to be prone to highs and lows. they're just so inconsistent for me. We know that in 2024-25, they made a coaching change, and then all of a sudden went on that tear and we were talking about them as, all right, this is a dark horse team that could actually make a lot of noise. But then they'll, they're an on again, off again team

in terms of make the playoffs one year, miss it the next, make it one year, miss the next. And I think that reflects in the team that you're, watching in November could look very different to the product you're getting in February. And so when they're at their best, yeah, I love tuning into Blues games. But when they're messy defensively, when, especially when if they're vulnerable to injuries from an aesthetic standpoint in that if they, if what happens last year happens where Thomas is out for a stretch, Holloway's out for a stretch, like immediately my incentive

for watching blues games goes down a lot. So it's just, they're a tricky team for me because at their high end, I really appreciate what they're able to do. And I think they have the potential to make the playoffs this season. But they're just an inconsistent bunch. And if they get one wrong, one injury to the wrong player, it just changes the outlook of the team so much. Well, it's fascinating that you frame it that way because number 17 on our list up next,

the biggest golden nights and you were a bit higher on them than i was you had him 50 and i had them 20th i'd say the same thing about them i think at their best they're clearly higher than this we just saw they make the stanling up final they have a ton of high-end players which you can't say about a bunch of the teams that we've already covered on this list yet i'm just kind of skeptical on how often we're actually going to see that level from them throughout the regular season i think they've shown that they're clearly guided by just trying to get to the playoffs and then are going to judge based on how they do there. And so I think that's going to be reflected in how many games we see their best players play.

Like when everyone's available, when Mark Stone's playing, when William Carlson's playing, they're higher on this list. But Mark Stone's going to miss 20 to 25 games. William Carlson is probably going to be banged up again. Shea Theodore has a history of missing time. And so on any given night, I'm just not sure what I'm going to get from this group. The bottom six, especially on the wing, looks pretty hideous. I think they're going to significantly miss Pavil Dorfia.

shot making. He was one of the few guys who could really turn the volume they generate into goals. And so we'll see. I think it's still a work in progress, as you and I discussed in our Pacific Division preview. I imagine post-traded line after they make the one or two annual big moves that they make every year, they'll probably rank higher on this. And we're going to see them kind of make a push towards the playoffs. And then I'll be tuning in. But at the start of the year, I'm a little bit burnt out after watching them play whatever 20-plus playoff games recently. So they're not going to be like priority viewing for me. But on the right night against one of the best teams in the league,

they're certainly going to be worth tuning into. I just think in the aggregate from a season perspective, if I'm picking between them and one of these kind of new teams, I'm probably going to lean towards the latter just to see what that looks like instead. Yeah, that's all very fair. I think when I was ranking them, I was doing it with the assumption of if Vegas's lineup is healthy. Because you're right, if they lose a Theodore on the back end,

I remember in previous years, that injury happens, and all of a sudden their ability to move the puck out of their own zone. Suffers tremendously. All of a sudden, their forwards get a lot less puck touches in the neutral zone. And they just become bogged down. They struggle offensively. And same sort of thing. If Stone goes down, the power play, which, man, that power play is so fun to watch

when everyone's healthy. And I know they're going to have to replace Dorofiev. but we saw that when Stone got hurt. Their manned advantage numbers absolutely crumbled and it's an entirely different viewing experience. So yeah, you're right. The moment of Theodore or Mark Stone gets hurt, they're tumbling down the list for me.

But when they're healthy, just watching Eichel, Marner, Stone, Theodore cook together, five on five on the power play, just the collection of star talent they have is a ton of fun, especially Eichel. I have an appreciation for the way that he picks defenses apart,

given that he's such a smooth, powerful skater, but he's obviously not a McKinnon or McDavid-Berner. So seeing the way, the deception in his game, how he shields the puck, how he still finds ways to drive entries, how he's just probing when he's attacking downhill. I love watching him cook. one of my favorite players in the league to watch.

And I also honestly don't know much about their new head coach, Ryan Craig. So I want to learn more about his tactics, usage, deployment. And yeah, all of that is probably more relevant down the stretch closer to the playoffs. But that at least gives me enough curiosity to make me tune in. But yeah, you're right. The moment someone gets hurt, that's important. They're tumbling down this list. Yeah, it's a bit fragile.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are 16th, the biggest surprise from last season. Only the abs and hurricanes scored more goals than they did last year. They were also second in both slot and inner slot shots. I just love the way they kind of move the puck creatively despite not being a very fast team still. Some of their offensive zone sets are really fun to watch, like indirect passes off the end wall or out the boards, kind of trying to drag defenses to join them on the periphery and then working the inside. did a lot of really cool stuff. Offensively under Dan Mews last year, they also used 40 different skaters.

And once again, they were very active kind of bringing in new guys. There's at least a handful of new lineup regulars that they added this offseason. And so it's going to be a fascinating test case, I think, not only to kind of show the last year wasn't just an aberration that they could do it again, that Dan Mews can once again put these players in positions to succeed and get more out of them than they previously did at their various stops. and then that Kyle Dubus was able to like identify some of these guys and that their underlying numbers are going to translate into results. So you put that together. And then the fact that the old guard, Crosby, Malkin and Carlson, still got it and were still so fun to watch.

I had them 15th on my list. You had them 19th. They are right in the middle of our rankings at 16. And I'm pretty excited to tune in again. And that was something that, you know, I forget where I had them at the start of last year, but it was very low. It seemed very bleak. and like they were headed for completely bottoming out. And so I think their rank this season is a testament to what we saw from them last year.

For sure. I had them lower because of the whole. And I think this has been a consistent theme throughout this exercise so far. The narrative of a team matters to me. And last season, I think from a pure watching them standpoint, I was blown away at how quick they looked, moving the puck up the ice, overall team speed, how dynamic they were offensively in the first month of the season.

I remember a game against Anaheim where I was like, whoa, this is one of the best regular season games I've watched from any team period in the month of October. And that wasn't just a one-off. It continued throughout the season. I think for me, part of it is believing that they overachieved last season, that everything went perfectly right. And not that I expect the bottom to necessarily fall out, but I'm baking in some regression risk with them.

But also, even if they are able to replicate what they did last year, the main reason it's hard for me to get excited about watching the penguins this year is the whole, like, to what end though? Just watching the way, like I had hopes heading into playoffs going up against the team in Philly who I thought they were better then that okay here's a chance to win a first round playoff series and who knows maybe go on this like shocking little Cinderella run where they again win a round or two it wasn't just that they lost it was how convincing they lost and how like that series just kind of cemented it to me that as much as my heart still wants to

make me think that they've got more playoff success left in them, even if it obviously doesn't amount to a cop. It just killed my sense of optimism to where I'm looking at and going, even if they replicate what they did last year, the veterans are just another year older and they're just going to get destroyed in the playoffs. So I think that's part of why I have them lower because it, and that's why, like, it, it, explains the difference between Philly and Pittsburgh for me, because Pittsburgh, pure aesthetics is funner to watch. They're faster, they're more offensive and creative,

more wide open. But just Philly is a, as a narrative with the young talent they have and being on the upward swing as a franchise, whereas Pittsburgh, let's be honest, the big guns are still the old guard and those guys are on the downhill and, you know, their time is limited. That's why I have Pittsburgh lower. here. It's very fitting that next up on our list back to back at 15. We've got the Carolina Hurricanes at 14. We got the Florida Panthers, two teams that have accounted for the past three Stanley Cups, who will be kicking off this regular season with the banner raising in Carolina and then the game to follow. You know, for the hurricanes, I think on the one hand, you

know what you're going to get. It's such a proven formula from them. I, similar echoing what I said about Vegas. There's a bit of fatigue on my part just by virtue of watching them so much last post season. Yet I really admired the steps they made offensively last year. They were so much more fun to watch. The talent level improved, but I think their approach as well, they were just more efficient creating off the rush. I think only Colorado generated more rush chances than them last year. The mid range of the offensive zone with stuff that Blake and Eelers kind of unlocked for them there. and then the power blade being as efficient as it was. So I don't view this as a knock at all.

It's just kind of like you know exactly what the hurricanes are. They're going to be one of the best teams in the league, probably win the Metro and be poised to defend their crowd come to postseason. And that's why I had them a bit lower. But I actually just significantly enjoyed watching them more last year. And I imagine that's going to continue this year with kind of being freed up after winning a cup and sort of shedding some of those demons. And so I'm excited to see if they can build on that.

and keep kind of improving in that particular area. With that New Look second line they have, they are, they were more dynamic off the rush than I expected them to be. And I think there are their team, along with Florida, that I think is going to be opponent dependent, where we saw it. Remember Colorado, Carolina last year,

when both teams had the throwback jerseys, the whalers and Nordique ones, that was hands down one of the best regular season games I've ever watched. It's because both teams understood, hey, this is a measuring stick game and they were going all out.

It legitimately felt like a playoff game with the physicality, the pace, the intensity, all that. The issue is they are so suffocating as a team with their pressure that if they go up against an opponent that just, there are a lot of opponents

where they go up against them and that team just can't hang. They can't break the puck out. They can't handle the pressure. And so your opponent gets so bogged down that the game doesn't look remotely interesting. Like I go back to the Kane's Capital series from a couple of years ago,

it was a little bit painful for me aesthetically to watch. I'm not going to lie, just because it was so clear that the caps couldn't hang with Carolina at five on five. And the entire game, it felt like, was just played in the cap. Capital Zone and it was just shot offensive zone recovery, funnel it back to the point. It felt very repetitive machine-like.

And yeah, that's how you want to be as a team to maximize your chances of winning. But just as a viewer, it feels like against certain opponents, they don't even have a chance to play with you. So I think that's why I have them like not in the top 10, for instance. You know, for the Panthers, I'm so excited to have Sasha Barkall back. in our lives. I'm curious to see how they approach the regular season on the one hand. Like you'd think they'd take it easy to ensure their vets are available come to the playoffs and they're firing on all cylinders when the games matter yet on the other.

Everything you've heard coming out of Florida is that they are itching to prove the last year was a one-off and that they're officially back and are going to be at the top of the league. These games, it's very nice that we get it right off the bat. The games against the hurricanes, for example, I think we're going to be particularly fascinating to see kind of what they look like, what kind of statement sending there is. I think we'll get a good glimpse into what to expect from the Panthers this year.

I'm just skeptical, like, as we get into the middle of the season, maybe along lines of what we said about Vegas, what the minutes are going to look like and who's going to be available. And I think their sort of middling placement on this list where we had them 14 reflects those two outcomes and kind of the range of them, right?

I think at full health, they should be higher just because their playing style is so aggressive. and they're so full blast at all times, but how often they sort of like really lean into that, I'm a bit skeptical of particularly early in the year. So you had them 14th, I had them 13th.

What went into your process of ranking them where you did? Certainly excited to watch them with Barcob being healthy and seeing how Brady fits and whatnot. But I'm with you. I just have a feeling that they've never been a dominant regular season team. And their watchability, changes dramatically if we're talking playoffs. That's a team that when they ramp it up with how physical they are,

how nasty, how violent. Like I love watching that kind of hockey. I'll be honest. You love when there's a villain in the league just because it makes everything so much more interesting. If this is in the playoffs, like Florida from a pure watchability standpoint, they'd be like top three without any doubt.

issue is 84 game regular season, especially for a season veteran group, I'm just expecting that there are going to be a lot of nights where they coast and do put it in cruise control, do the bare minimum to get the two points. And I think we especially notice this. Like I learned my lesson down the stretch in the 20, 24, 25 season, where the race for the Atlantic was still wide open. And Florida basically, like, I actually remember being on the show with you and being like,

they're very uninspiring to watch right now. They just aren't playing great hockey. I don't know what to make of them. And you just made the point. I just think they're saving their energy for the playoffs. And we saw them flip the switch as soon as the puck dropped against Tampa. They were a completely different team. So this is a regular season watchability ranking.

So that's why I've dinged them along with their forward groups slow. So they're not going to be an end-to-end rush team necessarily. And that docks their pure entertainment a bit, I think. Well, it should come as no surprise to anyone listening that you and I got together and are running ridiculously long, nerding out about every team in the league. I think we're about to hit the 80-minute mark since we started this exercise and we still got 13 teams to get through. So here's what we're going to do.

We're going to split the watchability rankings into two. two parts. We're going to take a quick break here. And then when we come back, we'll jump into the top 13 teams in the league in part two. So once you're done listening to this, just hop over the next episode. Join us for a closer look at the teams Harmon and I are most excited to watch this season. Thank you for subscribing and for listening to the Hockeypedio cast.