Five Bold Predictions for the Second Half of the NHL Season

The New Year has been rung in and the NHL season has reached its second half yet so much of the campaign is clear as mud.

We do know the Colorado Avalanche appear to be a force, although they could use an impactful middle-six forward and injuries to Gabe Landeskog and Devon Toews will put them to the test.

We know the defending Presidents’ Trophy winners, the Winnipeg Jets, area in serious trouble and poised to follow the path of the New York Rangers last season by going from regular-season champs to non-playoff squad.

Most importantly, we know how little we know.

Granted, things can change seemingly in an instant, but who prior to the season forecasted the New York Islanders, Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins ahead of both the defending Stanley Cup-champion Florida Panthers and New Jersey Devils at this juncture?

As well, who had the Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs ahead of only the Columbus Blue Jackets in the Eastern Conference?

In the Western Conference, the Avalanche, Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild (that trade for Quinn Hughes has proven to be a sensational move) are running away from everybody else, but the rest have created an absolute quagmire.

Adding to the chaos is the fact every other team in the conference is so obviously flawed, they can go from a six-game winning streak to a six-game losing skid.

As a fan, the second half will be an absolute wild ride to determining the playoff clubs, especially in the east with only 10 points separating all 16 clubs.

With that in mid, here are five predictions for the second half.

The Edmonton Oilers will find that final gear and claim the Pacific Division. Whether they reach the Stanley Cup Final for a third consecutive season, is another story.

Speaking of the Stanley Cup, the Panthers have hung tough without their two superstar forwards thus far. Whether Aleksander Barkov returns is up in the air, but it appears Matthew Tkachuk is on the verge of joining the lineup in the next two weeks. Injuries may be their undoing, along with a road-heavy second-half schedule, but sleep on the Cats at your own peril.

The Los Angeles Kings will be the most aggressive club before the trade deadline. The Kings have loads of salary cap space, plenty of draft capital and a few tantalizing prospects. Do not be shocked if they swing big and land defenseman Rasmus Andersson from the Calgary Flames.

The two clubs contending for division titles we are not sold on are the Montreal Canadiens and Vegas Golden Knights. Vegas keeps making hay thanks to loser points, a league-high 12, while the Canadiens are relying on their power play and overtime magic to overcome bad goaltending.

There are plenty of decisions to question about the various Olympic rosters. Bypassing Adam Fox and Jason Robertson in favor of Seth Jones and Vincent Trocheck is non-sensical by the U.S.A. braintrust. Likewise,

For Canada, having Anthony Cirelli on it instead of Mark Scheifele, Wyatt Johnston and Connor Bedard harkens back to Rob Zamuner named to the 1998 squad.

Even Sweden had a couple of head-scratchers with Pontus Holmberg named over William Eklund among the forwards and defenseman Philip Broberg chosen instead of Hampus Lindholm or Simon Edvinsson.

It is worth noting, the condensed schedule between now and the games in Milan sets the stage for several changes due to injury.