Cu-bet on it: Team-by-team bold fantasy predictions

This is usually my favorite fantasy hockey story to write each preseason. This is my chance to go a little off the wall with some outrageous predictions.

I'm not here to tell you Tyler Seguin might lead the NHL in points. That's obviously a possibility considering he was fourth in the NHL last season. I'm here to say Logan Couture will lead the NHL in goals.

I know, I know, that's crazy. But that's the point of this story. These predictions might not actually happen, but I believe there is a chance they could, even if that chance is ever so slim. The point of writing this, and for you reading it, is so you can discover which players I might be high on, and those I think you should avoid having on your team.

I'm sure you'll all disagree with most of them, but have a look at my bold predictions from last season and you'll see I nailed a few (http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=684462). Of course I got more wrong than right, but again, these are supposed to be over-the-top predictions to emphasize how strongly I feel about that specific player.

Let's go ...

ATLANTIC DIVISION

Boston Bruins -- Dougie Hamilton finishes as a top-20 fantasy defenseman, while Loui Eriksson ends up ranking outside the top 150 players by season's end.

Buffalo Sabres -- Chris Stewart is a top-100 fantasy player, scoring 25-plus goals, 50-plus points and over 100 penalty minutes.

Detroit Red Wings -- Gustav Nyquist, who had 28 goals in 57 games last season, won't reach 25 goals this season. Henrik Zetterberg stays healthy and is a top-20 player.

Florida Panthers -- Roberto Luongo is a top-10 fantasy goalie, Jonathan Huberdeau scores 30 goals and Aleksander Barkov reaches 50 points.

Montreal Canadiens -- PA Parenteau posts 50-plus points and 50-plus penalty minutes and Alex Galchenyuk goes off for 30-plus goals.

Ottawa Senators -- Bobby Ryan bounces back and scores a career-high 37 goals, and is a top-25 fantasy player. Robin Lehner provides more value than Craig Anderson.

Tampa Bay Lightning -- Ben Bishop finishes as the No. 1 fantasy goalie this season. Ondrej Palat is droppable by the All-Star break, but Jonathan Drouin earns the Calder Trophy despite his preseason injury.

Toronto Maple Leafs -- Dion Phaneuf tallies over 45 points and 100 penalty minutes and is a top-10 fantasy defenseman. Joffrey Lupul stays healthy and is a top-50 player.

METROPOLITAN DIVISION

Carolina Hurricanes -- Jeff Skinner is one of six NHL players to exceed the 40-goal mark this season (the most since 2009-10). Anton Khudobin makes 55-plus starts and is a top-20 goalie.

Columbus Blue Jackets -- Brandon Dubinsky is the most valuable Blue Jackets fantasy player and Ryan Murray ends up with the most fantasy value among their defensemen.

New Jersey Devils -- Mike Cammalleri scores 35 goals and 60 points, and Cory Schneider is a top-10 goalie, finishing in the top five in goals-against average.

New York Islanders -- Brock Nelson records 25 goals and 50 points, but John Tavares doesn't finish among the top-25 fantasy players.

New York Rangers -- Ryan McDonagh continues to evolve and finishes as a top-five fantasy defenseman. Chris Kreider scores 30 goals and is a top-50 player.

Philadelphia Flyers -- After Claude Giroux and Wayne Simmonds, Brayden Schenn ends up with the most fantasy value among Flyers, scoring 25 goals and 55 points with 75 penalty minutes.

Pittsburgh Penguins -- Christian Ehrhoff has more fantasy value than Kris Letang. Marc-Andre Fleury finishes outside the top-15 fantasy goalies.

Washington Capitals -- Nicklas Backstrom leads the NHL in assists and posts 90-plus points. Braden Holtby is a top-15 fantasy goalie.

CENTRAL DIVISION

Chicago Blackhawks -- Jonathan Toews posts more points than Patrick Kane and Brandon Saad finishes with more fantasy value than Marian Hossa.

Colorado Avalanche -- Tyson Barrie is a top-10 fantasy defenseman and Matt Duchene finishes with the most fantasy value among Avalanche players, recording 35 goals and 75 points.

Dallas Stars -- Last season I said Jamie Benn would be a top-15 fantasy player. This season I'm saying he finishes as the No. 1 fantasy player, scoring 41 goals, 86 points, plus-16, 70 penalty minutes (PIMs), 24 power-play points (PPP), and 287 shots on goal (SOG).

Minnesota Wild -- Charlie Coyle finishes with more goals and points than popular sleeper pick Mikael Granlund. Jared Spurgeon records 40 points on defense.

Nashville Predators -- Mike Ribeiro bounces back and records 60 points, Pekka Rinne is a top-10 goalie and James Neal, expected to regress, puts up 30 goals, 60 points, 60 PIMs and 300 SOG.

St. Louis Blues -- T.J. Oshie has a career-year with 25 goals and 70 points. Brian Elliott is a top-15 goalie and Kevin Shattenkirk out-produces Alex Pietrangelo.

Winnipeg Jets -- Mark Scheifele scores more than 60 points, Evander Kane scores more than 30 goals and Jacob Trouba has more fantasy value than Dustin Byfuglien this season.

PACIFIC DIVISION

Anaheim Ducks -- Frederik Andersen ends up as the higher-ranked goalie ahead of John Gibson. Devante Smith-Pelly scores 20 goals and 50 points with 50 PIMs.

Arizona Coyotes -- Max Domi cracks the lineup and scores 20 goals, and Sam Gagner leads the team with 55 points, finishing as a top-100 fantasy player.

Calgary Flames -- After being a top-10 fantasy defenseman last season, Mark Giordano takes a step back and falls outside the top 20. Johnny Gaudreau makes the team and scores 20 goals.

Edmonton Oilers -- Taylor Hall finishes third in the NHL in points and is a top-10 fantasy player. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins records 65-plus points.

Los Angeles Kings -- Drew Doughty is the No. 1 fantasy defenseman with 17 goals, 58 points and 70 PIMs. Jeff Carter puts home 35-plus goals.

San Jose Sharks -- As promised … Logan Couture leads the NHL in goals (he joins Skinner, Alex Ovechkin, Steven Stamkos, Corey Perry and Jamie Benn as the six 40-plus goal scorers). Joe Pavelski isn't a top-30 fantasy player.

Vancouver Canucks -- Alexander Edler bounces back and is a top-20 fantasy defenseman. Radim Vrbata scores 30-plus goals and 60 points.