NHL Standings Predictions: Offseason Edition10 NHL Teams Trending Down for
2018-19

A lot can happen between today and training camp or opening night, but now that
 my offseason standings predictions are out there, it's time to take a look at
10 NHL teams that are trending up for 2018-19.

Some were big buyers and landed key players this summer, while others are
primed to rebound from a down year or continue a steady rise thanks to internal
 growth.

Not all these teams are destined to make the playoffs this season, but all of
them are progressing in the right direction and should take a step forward.

Feel free to agree or disagree in the comments below.RELATED: 10 NHL Teams
Trending Down for 2018-191) Toronto Maple Leafs

John Tavares, Auston Matthews and Nazem Kardi, that is as deep as it gets down
the middle and centre is a position of power in today's NHL.

The addition of John Tavares has made the Maple Leafs betting favourites to win
 the Stanley Cup...https://t.co/3EzZ4WfiZ8

- Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) July 1, 2018

Granted Toronto lost James van Riemsdyk and Tyler Bozak, among other bit
pieces, in making room for Tavares' mega-deal, but the Leafs also have one of
the league's best feeder systems in the AHL champion Marlies, which allows for
replacements from within such as Andreas Johnsson and Kasperi Kapanen.

Toronto's top-10 forwards are dynamite and shouldn't skip a beat in outscoring
the opposition on most nights. There is some hope for the signings of Par
Lindholm and Tyler Ennis too, but if they don't pan out, the Leafs still have
Josh Leivo, Josh Jooris, Adam Cracknell and prospects like Carl Grundstrom and
Frederik Gauthier, so there are no worries up front.

The defence is more worrisome, especially if Morgan Rielly or Jake Gardiner
were to get hurt for an extended time, but the hope is for Nikita Zaitsev to
bounce back and for Travis Dermott to take another step. Ron Hainsey is the
veteran anchor and there will be competition between Connor Carrick, Justin
Holl, Andreas Borgman, Calle Rosen, KHL signing Igor Ozhiganov and Martin
Marincin to round out that group, with Timothy Liljegren and Rasmus Sandin
representing the future.

Frederik Andersen has been stellar as Toronto's last line of defence and he
thrives when facing a high shot volume, so goaltending shouldn't be a concern
either.

All in all, Toronto is suddenly built to win now with the addition of Tavares -
 many bookies have the Leafs as the betting favourites for the 2019 Stanley Cup
 - and Toronto is sure to push Tampa Bay for top spot in the Atlantic in the
lead-up to a second-round playoff showdown.2) St. Louis Blues

It's still only July, but Doug Armstrong might be the frontrunner for GM of the
 Year after signing an entire forward line in free agency - Bozak, David Perron
 and Patrick Maroon - before swinging a trade for versatile centre Ryan
O'Reilly from Buffalo.(Stan Szeto/USA TODAY Sports)
Ryan O';Reilly says he';s rejuvenated and looking forward to making an impact
as a member of the St. Louis Blues following his trade from the Buffalo Sabres
earlier this month.

O'Reilly and Bozak join Brayden Schenn down the middle - not on Toronto's
level, but three deep nevertheless - and the Blues have plenty of firepower on
the wings as well. Vladmir Tarasenko and Jaden Schwartz, Alex Steen and a
healthy Robby Fabbri, Perron and Maroon, that has the makings of a terrific
top-nine group. If Fabbri isn't ready, top prospects Jordan Kyrou, Robert
Thomas and Samuel Blais could become factors, and a fourth line of Ivan
Barbashev between Nikita Soshnikov and Dmitrij Jaskin also has promise.

St. Louis will now be one of the teams fortunate to roll four scoring lines,
which should make the Blues tougher to match-up against on a nightly basis -
home or away - and thus more competitive in the always tough Central.

St. Louis is returning the same defence, hoping for more miles out of vets Jay
Bouwmeester and Carl Gunnarsson combined with continued development from Joel
Edmundson and Vince Dunn alongside Alex Pietrangelo and Colton Parayko.

Jake Allen will now be backed up by Chad Johnson, but the crease once again
belongs to Allen and he needs to run with it this season. Consistency is key
for Allen, with Ville Husso marinating in the minors and eyeing that No. 1 job
in the not-too-distant future.

Looking up and down and all around that roster, it's hard to argue against St.
Louis making a return to the playoffs in 2019 and it's easy to envision the
Blues making a fair bit of noise.3) Calgary Flames

There is a new sheriff in Cowtown with Bill Peters taking the coaching reins in
 hopes of leading a team to the playoffs for the first time in his NHL
head-coaching career. This could be the year for the Alberta boy coming home
from Carolina.(James Guillory/USA TODAY Sports)
Bill Peters is replacing Glen Gulutzan as Calgary';s bench boss this season,
but Peters will still be coaching a team with red jerseys and a few of the same
 players from his Carolina tenure.

Peters' teams with the Hurricanes often had strong possession numbers and
underlying data but couldn't get over the hump because of bad goaltending. Mike
 Smith is marginally better than Cam Ward, so that is still something of a
concern, but Peters is inheriting a better overall roster in Calgary.

There will be a bit of familiarity, with the Flames acquiring Noah Hanifin and
Elias Lindholm and also signing Derek Ryan as a free agent - three former
Hurricanes from last season. James Neal was the other big addition, a proven
scorer to solidify Calgary's forward group that now stacks up well within the
Pacific and across the league.

Hanifin will be tasked with replacing Dougie Hamilton on defence in a shakeup
that will likely reunite T.J. Brodie with captain Mark Giordano on the top
pairing, while Hanifin partners with last summer's acquisition, Travis Hamonic.
 Mark Stone makes that blue line five deep, but the Flames' back end didn't
perform up to expectations last season and Giordano isn't getting any younger.

Still, top to bottom, the Flames appear better on paper and really look like a
playoff team again after missing the cut last season.4) Edmonton Oilers

The other side of the Battle of Alberta hasn't seen nearly as much change,
mainly because Peter Chiarelli's hands have been tied by the salary cap.
Chiarelli will claim confidence in the current group and a belief in their
bounce-back ability but, reality is, he had limited wiggle room and would have
been dealing from a position of weakness in most trade scenarios.(Bob
DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports)
Cam Talbot, in goal, and Leon Draisaitl, on the power play, are two of the key
players that the Oilers will need more from if Edmonton is going to make a
triumphant return to the postseason and save the jobs of Peter Chiarelli and
Todd McLellan.

So the Oilers are staying the course and sticking with Todd McLellan, opting to
 swap out his assistants in hopes of improving their special teams. The
low-level signings of Tobias Rieder and Kyle Brodziak should help the penalty
kill and free up Edmonton's best players to focus on the power play, which
essentially went from best to worst in the league last season.

The other hope is for better efforts from Cam Talbot, in a contract year, and
Milan Lucic, who still has five years at $6 million left. Those two can't be
muchany worse, and the Oilers' even-strength numbers still tilted the ice in
their favour last season, so if the special teams - particularly the power play
 - can become average or better, Edmonton is a strong candidate to return to
the playoffs and could even challenge for the division title despite returning
much the same roster.5) Florida Panthers

The Panthers enjoyed a second-half surge - becoming the second-best team after
the All-Star break, behind Nashville - but missed the playoffs by a single
point in Bob Boughner's first season as Florida's coach. There was an
adjustment process, but once the Panthers settled into their systems and hit
their stride, they made enough noise down the stretch to be taken seriously
this season.

Dale Tallon acquired Mike Hoffman to replace some of the scoring off the wing
that he lost in handing Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith to Vegas in last
 summer's expansion draft. The Panthers will also be bolstered by Henrik
Borgstrom, a rookie who was in the running for the Hobey Baker last season and
could be in the mix for the Calder this season. Together, Hoffman and Borgstrom
 should ensure the Panthers have three solid scoring lines.(Brad Rempel/USA
TODAY Sports)
Mike Hoffman is getting a fresh start in Florida, away from all the drama in
Ottawa, and the Panthers are hoping his goal-scoring ability will help push
them into the playoffs in 2019.

Florida's defence is a top-10 group in the league - arguably top five, assuming
 Aaron Ekblad and Michael Matheson keep getting better under Boughner - and the
 goaltending remains in good hands with Roberto Luongo and James Reimer.

The Panthers aren't a playoff lock, not with how strong the Metro is and the
possibility of claiming both wild-card berths again, but Florida will
absolutely be in the mix. From start to finish this time.6) Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers didn't do a whole lot, but getting back James van Riemsdyk was big.
If only there was a way of getting a better goalie - without rushing Carter
Hart - Philadelphia could be a real force to be reckoned with.(Amy Irvin / The
Hockey Writers)
James van Riemsdyk hasn';t been a Flyer since 2012 - spending the past six
seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs - but he';s returning to Philadelphia
after signing a five-year, $35-million contract with his former team as a free
agent on July 1.

Brian Elliott and Michal Neuvirth have been a bottom-10 tandem, so the Flyers
are going to have to outscore the opposition again this season. They are well
equipped to do so, with JVR rejoining the fold and Nolan Patrick taking another
 step as a sophomore. Philadelphia's forward group is impressive and the Flyers
 will get their share of offence from the defence with Shayne Gostisbehere,
Ivan Provorov and perhaps Travis Sanheim.

When things tighten up in the playoffs, Philadelphia is going to need those
timely saves but, by then, the Flyers might be getting them from Hart if Ron
Hextall doesn't make a move for a more established starter. Hextall, a former
goaltending legend in Philly, can't let another season go to waste because of
bad netminding - and he knows that.7) Buffalo Sabres

The Sabres are sure to be trending up because they can't go down as the
league's last-place team. Winning the Rasmus Dahlin lottery to land a franchise
 defenceman, if not a generational talent, will bump Buffalo up the standings
to some degree.

Phil Housley will be more prepared for his second season as a head coach and
he'll have Steve Smith to help him groom Dahlin and turn that defence corps
into a strength. They have lots of bodies on the back end and should be able to
 find the right fits this season.(Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)
Rasmus Dahlin is really embracing Buffalo and the Sabres are banking on this
year';s first overall pick to become their top blueliner sooner than later and
perhaps their best player in his prime.

Up front, scoring could be an issue for the Sabres. Jack Eichel and Sam
Reinhart should stay together since they have established chemistry. Casey
Mittelstadt could be another Calder candidate, but he needs a running mate and
Alex Nylander hasn't developed as hoped to this point. Buffalo will miss
O'Reilly and will need others to step up offensively for the Sabres to make a
substantial leap.

Goaltending could also continue to hold this team back, with Carter Hutton
signed to partner with Linus Ullmark as Robin Lehner's replacement. That's
another bottom-10 tandem on paper, so the defence will have to be much improved
 for Buffalo to make any marked progress in the standings.

Don't underestimate Dahlin, he's legit and his impact at both ends, even as a
rookie, could have the Sabres soaring into the playoff race. This team has
starpower for the years to come and should show signs of a future contender
this season.8) Carolina Hurricanes

The Hurricanes remain a work in progress, under Don Waddell and Rick Dudley,
but there are reasons for optimism with the additions of Dougie Hamilton and
Calvin de Haan on defence, while highly touted rookies Martin Necas and Andrei
Svechnikov are pencilled into prominent roles up front - perhaps even as
linemates.(Mark LoMoglio/Icon Sportswire)
Dougie Hamilton might be a little different than most hockey players - he might
 gravitate towards museums over Moxie';s - but he';s a heck of a defenceman and
 the Carolina Hurricanes are going to benefit from his on-ice presence
regardless of how he spends his off-ice time.

Youth will be served in Carolina, with Rod Brind'Amour overseeing that
development, but goaltending will make or break this season for the Hurricanes,
 who are taking a chance on Petr Mrazek and hoping Scott Darling can rebound as
 well. That might be wishful thinking, but if that tandem can produce a
league-average save percentage, the Hurricanes could surprise and sneak into
the playoffs. It's the same story as years past on that front, with Carolina's
other metrics translating to a playoff-calibre team.

Yet, there's lots of uncertainty surrounding the Hurricanes as the season
approaches, with Justin Faulk and Jeff Skinner reportedly still being shopped.
New owner Tom Dundon has ruffled some feathers internally and externally, and
there's no telling what trade-happy Waddell and Dudley will do next. That next
move will shed more light on the direction of this team going forward, but
there's optimism abound in Raleigh.9) Arizona Coyotes

Much like Florida, Arizona came on strong in the second half once Antti Raanta
was healthy and the team had adapted to Rick Tocchet's systems. Raanta will
have to prove himself all over again in more meaningful games to start this
season, but the Coyotes believe their goaltending is in good shape, their
defence is playoff calibre and their forwards have plenty of potential.

That's all true, and if Arizona's forwards play up to their potential -
particularly Alex Galchenyuk and Dylan Strome - the Coyotes could hang around
in the playoff race and make things even more interesting in the Pacific. They
probably won't make the postseason, but Arizona should take another step in
that direction this season and build enough momentum to be a popular playoff
pick for 2020.(Eric Bolte/USA TODAY Sports)
Alex Galchenyuk was the biggest acquisition of the offseason for Arizona -
swapped straight up for Max Domi - and the Coyotes are confident that he';ll be
 a better fit as a centre with their young forward group.

Had the Coyotes taken Filip Zadina, or even Quinn Hughes, instead of Barrett
Hayton at fifth overall in last month's draft, they would have been a more
popular pick for 2019.10) Dallas Stars

No offence to Ken Hitchcock, a coaching legend, but this new staff headed up by
 Jim Montgomery and Todd Nelson might be able to get more out of Jason Spezza,
Julius Honka and the rest of Dallas' depth players beyond the big four of Jamie
 Benn, Tyler Seguin, Alex Radulov and John Klingberg.

The Stars were top heavy last season, but they really shouldn't have been. On
paper, this a deep team that should be getting contributions throughout the
lineup. Of course, a healthy Mattias Janmark, the return of Valeri Nichushkin
from the KHL, and the arrival of stud defence prospect Miro Heiskanen from
Finland should make a sizeable difference. If Martin Hanzal and Marc Methot are
 also healthy, the Stars will be significantly better as long as Ben Bishop
doesn't get hurt again.(Jerome Miron/USA TODAY Sports)
Valeri Nichushkin is happily returning to Dallas after a two-year stint in the
KHL and the Stars are eager to see if that time back home in Russia aided his
development as a power forward.

If Jim Nill makes another buyer's move before the season - which is entirely
possible, if not probable - then Dallas will likely get back into the playoff
picture. That doesn't necessarily have to be Erik Karlsson, though he's the
biggest fish that Nill is attempting to reel in. There are several other
targets of interest, mostly scoring wingers, and Nill typically does his best
work in the offseason, so it's safe to assume he's not done yet. Stay tuned!

The post 10 NHL Teams Trending Up for 2018-19 appeared first on The Hockey
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