Predictions for 2016-17 season
NHL.com, NHL Network experts say Stanley Cup champion will be …
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The predictions for the 2016-17 regular-season standings and 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs are in, and they paint an interesting picture, to say the least.
According to 20 voters from NHL.com and NHL Network, the Tampa Bay Lightning are the odds-on favorite to win the Stanley Cup; half of those polled have the Lightning, the runner-up two years ago, as the last team standing this season. Perhaps, more amazingly, eight of those 10 voters predicted defenseman Victor Hedman would be the Conn Smythe Trophy winner.
The Pittsburgh Penguins, who won the Stanley Cup in June, were picked by two voters to repeat as champions. The Detroit Red Wings, in 1997 and 1998, are the most recent team to repeat.
Though the Lightning are considered the team to beat in the Eastern Conference, things are much less clear in the Western Conference. Seven different teams received votes as Western Conference champion and five received multiple votes. The Nashville Predators led the field with six votes, followed by the Los Angeles Kings (four), the St. Louis Blues (three) and Chicago Blackhawks (three). The San Jose Sharks, who lost to the Penguins in six games in the 2016 Stanley Cup Final, received two votes to win the Western Conference this season.
The Montreal Canadiens missed the playoffs last season, but each of the 20 voters say they will return to the postseason in 2017, including one vote as the champion of the Atlantic Division.
Video: Picking 2017 Stanley Cup Champions
Here are the individual predictions:
Arpon Basu, Managing Editor, LNH.com
Atlantic Division
1: Tampa Bay Lightning / 2: Montreal Canadiens / 3: Florida Panthers
Metropolitan Division
1: Pittsburgh Penguins / 2: Washington Capitals / 3: New York Islanders
Eastern Conference Wild Cards
No. 1: Philadelphia Flyers / No. 2: New York Rangers
Central Division
1: Dallas Stars / 2: Chicago Blackhawks / 3: Nashville Predators
Pacific Division
1: Los Angeles Kings / 2: San Jose Sharks / 3: Edmonton Oilers
Western Conference Wild Cards
No. 1: St. Louis Blues / No. 2: Anaheim Ducks
Conference champions
East: Tampa Bay Lightning / West: Los Angeles Kings
Stanley Cup champion; Conn Smythe Trophy winner
Tampa Bay Lightning; Victor Hedman (TBL)
Amalie Benjamin, NHL.com Regional Writer
Atlantic Division
1: Florida Panthers / 2: Tampa Bay Lightning / 3: Montreal Canadiens
Metropolitan Division
1: Pittsburgh Penguins / 2: Washington Capitals / 3: New York Islanders
Eastern Conference Wild Cards
No. 1: Carolina Hurricanes / No. 2: Boston Bruins
Central Division
1: St. Louis Blues / 2: Nashville Predators / 3: Dallas Stars
Pacific Division
1: San Jose Sharks / 2: Los Angeles Kings / 3: Anaheim Ducks
Western Conference Wild Cards
No. 1: Chicago Blackhawks / No. 2: Arizona Coyotes
Conference champions
East: Tampa Bay Lightning / West: St. Louis Blues
Stanley Cup champion; Conn Smythe Trophy winner
Tampa Bay Lightning; Victor Hedman (TBL)
Tim Campbell, NHL.com Regional Writer
Atlantic Division
1: Tampa Bay Lightning / 2: Montreal Canadiens / 3: Florida Panthers
Metropolitan Division
1: Washington Capitals / 2: Pittsburgh Penguins / 3: New York Islanders
Eastern Conference Wild Cards
No. 1: Ottawa Senators / No. 2: New York Rangers
Central Division
1: St. Louis Blues / 2: Nashville Predators / 3: Dallas Stars
Pacific Division
1: Anaheim Ducks / 2: San Jose Sharks / 3: Calgary Flames
Western Conference Wild Cards
No. 1: Chicago Blackhawks / No. 2: Los Angeles Kings
Conference champions
East: Washington Capitals / West: Nashville Predators
Stanley Cup champion; Conn Smythe Trophy winner
Nashville Predators; Pekka Rinne (NSH)
Brian Compton, NHL.com Deputy Managing Editor
Atlantic Division
1: Tampa Bay Lightning / 2: Florida Panthers / 3: Montreal Canadiens
Metropolitan Division
1: Pittsburgh Penguins / 2: Washington Capitals / 3: New York Islanders
Eastern Conference Wild Cards
No. 1: Philadelphia Flyers / No. 2: New Jersey Devils
Central Division
1: Nashville Predators / 2: Dallas Stars / 3: Minnesota Wild
Pacific Division
1: San Jose Sharks / 2: Los Angeles Kings / 3: Anaheim Ducks
Western Conference Wild Cards
No. 1: Chicago Blackhawks / No. 2: St. Louis Blues
Conference champions
East: Tampa Bay Lightning / West: Los Angeles Kings
Stanley Cup champion; Conn Smythe Trophy winner
Tampa Bay Lightning; Victor Hedman (TBL)
Nick Cotsonika, NHL.com Columnist
Atlantic Division
1: Tampa Bay Lightning / 2: Florida Panthers / 3: Montreal Canadiens
Metropolitan Division
1: Washington Capitals / 2: Pittsburgh Penguins / 3: New York Rangers
Eastern Conference Wild Cards
No. 1: Philadelphia Flyers / No. 2: Detroit Red Wings
Central Division
1: Dallas Stars / 2: Nashville Predators / 3: Chicago Blackhawks
Pacific Division
1: San Jose Sharks / 2: Los Angeles Kings / 3: Anaheim Ducks
Western Conference Wild Cards
No. 1: Minnesota Wild / No. 2: St. Louis Blues
Conference champions
East: Tampa Bay Lightning / West: Nashville Predators
Stanley Cup champion; Conn Smythe Trophy winner
Tampa Bay Lightning; Victor Hedman (TBL)
Matt Cubeta, Director, NHL.com International
Atlantic Division
1: Tampa Bay Lightning / 2: Florida Panthers / 3: Boston Bruins
Metropolitan Division
1: Washington Capitals / 2: Pittsburgh Penguins / 3: New York Rangers
Eastern Conference Wild Cards
No. 1: Montreal Canadiens / No. 2: Buffalo Sabres
Central Division
1: Dallas Stars / 2: Nashville Predators / 3: Chicago Blackhawks
Pacific Division
1: Anaheim Ducks / 2: San Jose Sharks / 3: Los Angeles Kings
Western Conference Wild Cards
No. 1: St. Louis Blues / No. 2: Calgary Flames
Conference champions
East: Tampa Bay Lightning / West: Nashville Predators
Stanley Cup champion; Conn Smythe Trophy winner
Tampa Bay Lightning; Victor Hedman (TBL)
Tom Gulitti, NHL.com Regional Writer
Atlantic Division
1: Tampa Bay Lightning / 2: Florida Panthers / 3: Montreal Canadiens
Metropolitan Division
1: Pittsburgh Penguins / 2: Washington Capitals / 3: New York Islanders
Eastern Conference Wild Cards
No. 1: Philadelphia Flyers / No. 2: New York Rangers
Central Division
1: Nashville Predators / 2: Chicago Blackhawks / 3: Dallas Stars
Pacific Division
1: San Jose Sharks / 2: Los Angeles Kings / 3: Anaheim Ducks
Western Conference Wild Cards
No. 1: St. Louis Blues / No. 2: Minnesota Wild
Conference champions
East: Tampa Bay Lightning / West: Chicago Blackhawks
Stanley Cup champion; Conn Smythe Trophy winner
Tampa Bay Lightning; Victor Hedman (TBL)
Mike Johnson, NHL Network Analyst
Atlantic Division
1: Tampa Bay Lightning / 2: Montreal Canadiens / 3: Florida Panthers
Metropolitan Division
1: Washington Capitals / 2: Pittsburgh Penguins / 3: New York Islanders
Eastern Conference Wild Cards
No. 1: Philadelphia Flyers / No. 2: New York Rangers
Central Division
1: St. Louis Blues / 2: Minnesota Wild / 3: Nashville Predators
Pacific Division
1: San Jose Sharks / 2: Anaheim Ducks / 3: Los Angeles Kings
Western Conference Wild Cards
No. 1: Chicago Blackhawks / No. 2: Dallas Stars
Conference champions
East: Tampa Bay Lightning / West: St. Louis Blues
Stanley Cup champion; Conn Smythe Trophy winner
Tampa Bay Lightning; Tyler Johnson (TBL)
Adam Kimelman, NHL.com Deputy Managing Editor
Atlantic Division
1: Tampa Bay Lightning / 2: Florida Panthers / 3: Montreal Canadiens
Metropolitan Division
1: Washington Capitals / 2: Pittsburgh Penguins / 3: New York Islanders
Eastern Conference Wild Cards
No. 1: New York Rangers / No. 2: Philadelphia Flyers
Central Division
1: Chicago Blackhawks / 2: Dallas Stars / 3: Nashville Predators
Pacific Division
1: San Jose Sharks / 2: Los Angeles Kings / 3: Edmonton Oilers
Western Conference Wild Cards
No. 1: St. Louis Blues / No. 2: Winnipeg Jets
Conference champions
East: Tampa Bay Lightning / West: Dallas Stars
Stanley Cup champion; Conn Smythe Trophy winner
Tampa Bay Lightning; Victor Hedman (TBL)
Brian Lawton, NHL.com Analyst
Atlantic Division
1: Tampa Bay Lightning / 2: Florida Panthers / 3: Boston Bruins
Metropolitan Division
1: Pittsburgh Penguins / 2: Washington Capitals / 3: New York Islanders
Eastern Conference Wild Cards
No. 1: New York Rangers / No. 2: Montreal Canadiens
Central Division
1: Chicago Blackhawks / 2: Dallas Stars / 3: St. Louis Blues
Pacific Division
1: San Jose Sharks / 2: Anaheim Ducks / 3: Los Angeles Kings
Western Conference Wild Cards
No. 1: Nashville Predators / No. 2: Winnipeg Jets
Conference champions
East: Tampa Bay Lightning / West: Chicago Blackhawks
Stanley Cup champion; Conn Smythe Trophy winner
Chicago Blackhawks; Corey Crawford (CHI)
John MacLean, NHL Network Analyst
Atlantic Division
1: Tampa Bay Lightning / 2: Florida Panthers / 3: Montreal Canadiens
Metropolitan Division
1: Washington Capitals / 2: Pittsburgh Penguins / 3: New York Islanders
Eastern Conference Wild Cards
No. 1: New York Rangers / No. 2: New Jersey Devils
Central Division
1: Chicago Blackhawks / 2: Nashville Predators / 3: Dallas Stars
Pacific Division
1: San Jose Sharks / 2: Anaheim Ducks / 3: Los Angeles Kings
Western Conference Wild Cards
No. 1: St. Louis Blues / No. 2: Colorado Avalanche
Conference champions
East: Tampa Bay Lightning / West: San Jose Sharks
Stanley Cup champion; Conn Smythe Trophy winner
San Jose Sharks; Martin Jones (SJS)
Mike Morreale, NHL.com Staff Writer
Atlantic Division
1: Tampa Bay Lightning / 2: Florida Panthers / 3: Montreal Canadiens
Metropolitan Division
1: Washington Capitals / 2: Pittsburgh Penguins / 3: New York Rangers
Eastern Conference Wild Cards
No. 1: Carolina Hurricanes / No. 2: New Jersey Devils
Central Division
1: Chicago Blackhawks / 2: Dallas Stars / 3: Nashville Predators
Pacific Division
1: San Jose Sharks / 2: Anaheim Ducks / 3: Los Angeles Kings
Western Conference Wild Cards
No. 1: Minnesota Wild / No. 2: Colorado Avalanche
Conference champions
East: Washington Capitals / West: Nashville Predators
Stanley Cup champion; Conn Smythe Trophy winner
Washington Capitals; Braden Holtby (WSH)
Bill Price, NHL.com Editor in Chief
Atlantic Division
1: Tampa Bay Lightning / 2: Florida Panthers / 3: Montreal Canadiens
Metropolitan Division
1: Pittsburgh Penguins / 2: Washington Capitals / 3: New York Islanders
Eastern Conference Wild Cards
No. 1: New York Rangers / No. 2: Philadelphia Flyers
Central Division
1: Chicago Blackhawks / 2: Dallas Stars / 3: Nashville Predators
Pacific Division
1: Anaheim Ducks / 2: San Jose Sharks / 3: Los Angeles Kings
Western Conference Wild Cards
No. 1: St. Louis Blues / No. 2: Minnesota Wild
Conference champions
East: Washington Capitals / West: Chicago Blackhawks
Stanley Cup champion; Conn Smythe Trophy winner
Washington Capitals; Alex Ovechkin (WSH)
Dave Reid, NHL Network Analyst
Atlantic Division
1: Tampa Bay Lightning / 2: Montreal Canadiens / 3: Florida Panthers
Metropolitan Division
1: Washington Capitals / 2: Pittsburgh Penguins / 3: Philadelphia Flyers
Eastern Conference Wild Cards
No. 1: New York Rangers / No. 2: Boston Bruins
Central Division
1: Dallas Stars / 2: St. Louis Blues / 3: Chicago Blackhawks
Pacific Division
1: San Jose Sharks / 2: Los Angeles Kings / 3: Anaheim Ducks
Western Conference Wild Cards
No. 1: Nashville Predators / No. 2: Calgary Flames
Conference champions
East: Tampa Bay Lightning / West: San Jose Sharks
Stanley Cup champion; Conn Smythe Trophy winner
Tampa Bay Lightning; Tyler Johnson (TBL)
Shawn Roarke, NHL.com Director of Editorial
Atlantic Division
1: Tampa Bay Lightning / 2: Montreal Canadiens / 3: Florida Panthers
Metropolitan Division
1: Washington Capitals / 2: Pittsburgh Penguins / 3: New York Islanders
Eastern Conference Wild Cards
No. 1: Boston Bruins / No. 2: New York Rangers
Central Division
1: Nashville Predators / 2: St. Louis Blues / 3: Chicago Blackhawks
Pacific Division
1: San Jose Sharks / 2: Anaheim Ducks / 3: Los Angeles Kings
Western Conference Wild Cards
No. 1: Dallas Stars / No. 2: Winnipeg Jets
Conference champions
East: Pittsburgh Penguins / West: St. Louis Blues
Stanley Cup champion; Conn Smythe Trophy winner
Pittsburgh Penguins; Kris Letang (PIT)
Dan Rosen, NHL.com Senior Writer
Atlantic Division
1: Florida Panthers / 2: Tampa Bay Lightning / 3: Montreal Canadiens
Metropolitan Division
1: Washington Capitals / 2: Pittsburgh Penguins / 3: New York Islanders
Eastern Conference Wild Cards
No. 1: New York Rangers / No. 2: Buffalo Sabres
Central Division
1: Nashville Predators / 2: Chicago Blackhawks / 3: Dallas Stars
Pacific Division
1: San Jose Sharks / 2: Anaheim Ducks / 3: Los Angeles Kings
Western Conference Wild Cards
No. 1: Minnesota Wild / No. 2: St. Louis Blues
Conference champions
East: Pittsburgh Penguins / West: Chicago Blackhawks
Stanley Cup champion; Conn Smythe Trophy winner
Chicago Blackhawks; Corey Crawford (CHI)
Video: Dan Rosen's 2016-17 Stanley Cup Predictions
Mike Rupp, NHL Network Analyst
Atlantic Division
1: Tampa Bay Lightning / 2: Florida Panthers / 3: Montreal Canadiens
Metropolitan Division
1: Washington Capitals / 2: Pittsburgh Penguins / 3: New York Rangers
Eastern Conference Wild Cards
No. 1: Columbus Blue Jackets / No. 2: Boston Bruins
Central Division
1: Dallas Stars / 2: Nashville Predators / 3: Chicago Blackhawks
Pacific Division
1: Anaheim Ducks / 2: San Jose Sharks / 3: Los Angeles Kings
Western Conference Wild Cards
No. 1: St. Louis Blues / No. 2: Minnesota Wild
Conference champions
East: Tampa Bay Lightning / West: Nashville Predators
Stanley Cup champion; Conn Smythe Trophy winner
Tampa Bay Lightning; Victor Hedman (TBL)
Dave Stubbs, NHL.com Columnist
Atlantic Division
1: Tampa Bay Lightning / 2: Florida Panthers / 3: Montreal Canadiens
Metropolitan Division
1: Pittsburgh Penguins / 2: Washington Capitals / 3: Philadelphia Flyers
Eastern Conference Wild Cards
No. 1: New York Rangers / No. 2: Boston Bruins
Central Division
1: Dallas Stars / 2: Chicago Blackhawks / 3: Nashville Predators
Pacific Division
1: San Jose Sharks / 2: Los Angeles Kings / 3: Anaheim Ducks
Western Conference Wild Cards
No. 1: Calgary Flames / No. 2: St. Louis Blues
Conference champions
East: Pittsburgh Penguins / West: Los Angeles Kings
Stanley Cup champion; Conn Smythe Trophy winner
Los Angeles Kings; Drew Doughty (LAK)
Rob Vollman, NHL.com Correspondent
Atlantic Division
1: Montreal Canadiens / 2: Tampa Bay Lightning / 3: Detroit Red Wings
Metropolitan Division
1: Washington Capitals / 2: Pittsburgh Penguins / 3: New York Islanders
Eastern Conference Wild Cards
No. 1: Carolina Hurricanes / No. 2: Florida Panthers
Central Division
1: Nashville Predators / 2: Minnesota Wild / 3: Chicago Blackhawks
Pacific Division
1: Los Angeles Kings / 2: Edmonton Oilers / 3: Anaheim Ducks
Western Conference Wild Cards
No. 1: St. Louis Blues / No. 2: Winnipeg Jets
Conference champions
East: Washington Capitals / West: Los Angeles Kings
Stanley Cup champion; Conn Smythe Trophy winner
Los Angeles Kings; Drew Doughty (LAK)
Kevin Weekes, NHL Network Analyst
Atlantic Division
1: Tampa Bay Lightning / 2: Florida Panthers / 3: Montreal Canadiens
Metropolitan Division
1: Pittsburgh Penguins / 2: Washington Capitals / 3: New York Rangers
Eastern Conference Wild Cards
No. 1: Philadelphia Flyers / No. 2: Ottawa Senators
Central Division
1: Nashville Predators / 2: Chicago Blackhawks / 3: St. Louis Blues
Pacific Division
1: San Jose Sharks / 2: Anaheim Ducks / 3: Los Angeles Kings
Western Conference Wild Cards
No. 1: Minnesota Wild / No. 2: Winnipeg Jets
Conference champions
East: Pittsburgh Penguins / West: Nashville Predators
Stanley Cup champion; Conn Smythe Trophy winner
Pittsburgh Penguins; Sidney Crosby (PIT)