NBCSN’s coverage of the 2019-20 NHL season begins with Wednesday’s matchup between the St. Louis Blues and Washington Capitals when the Blues raise their 2019 Stanley Cup banner. Coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. The NHL Faceoff doubleheader on NBCSN continues at 10:30 p.m. ET when the San Jose Sharks visit the Vegas Golden Knights. Coverage begins at 10:30p.m. ET.
What one playoff team from 2019 will not be back in 2020 and why?
SEAN: They’re division got a bit more competitive over the summer, and I don’t feel like the New York Islanders kept up. A lot, however, can change depending on how some of their kids like Noah Dobson, Simon Holmstrom, and Oliver Wahlstrom can find regular roles in the lineup at some point this season. Is Semyon Varlamov even a lateral move from Robin Lehner? Likely not. They found their way last season with great defense and goaltending, even if their offense was in the lower tier of the NHL. That area wasn’t addressed in the offseason, hoping the improvements can come from within.
JAMES: While I agree with Adam that the Blue Jackets are likely to be better than the grimmest expectations, I also believe that they’re a pretty average team once you take Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky (heck, even Ryan Dzingel) out of the picture. For every moment that John Tortorella seems sneaky-shrewd, there’s another moment where it feels like he holds his teams back.
That said, it wouldn’t surprise me if both the Blue Jackets and Islanders (two teams I pick to miss after making it in 2018-19) end up making it after all.
JOEY: I’m guessing most people will say Columbus, so I’ll go with a hot take. I think the St. Louis Blues will miss the playoffs. Yes, they’re the defending Stanley Cup Champions, but the long playoff run will take a lot out of them. Also, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Jordan Binnington take a step back this year. He’ll get a full workload and that’s not easy to deal with right away. The Blues will miss the postseason. You heard it here first.
ADAM: The Blue Jackets and Islanders are the obvious picks, and I could easily see one (or both) missing. But I am going to go with the Winnipeg Jets. I just see this as being a potentially brutal season for them, mainly due to the state of the defense. It is bad, and it is only going to get worse if Dustin Byfuglien really does walk away from the NHL. This looked like a team trending in the wrong direction a year ago, and I see an even bigger slide this season.
Who is a player ready to breakout this season?
SEAN: It may be a year of stepping back for the Blue Jackets, but Alexandre Texier will give them reason to smile more often than not this season. The 20-year-old forward from France has seen time this preseason with Cam Atkinson and Pierre-Luc Dubois and already has big-game NHL experience. He scored twice in Game 4 to help complete the sweep of the Tampa Bay Lightning in April. He might even play his way into the Calder Trophy conversation.
JAMES: I’ve been on the Andrei Svechnikov bandwagon for quite some time, arguing that he deserved more reps and ice time as far back as December, so I might as well not play coy about the sniper’s chances of even bigger things as a sophomore. Maybe Rod Brind’Amour will unleash him a bit since he’s no longer a rookie?
If that isn’t bold enough, consider Andre Burakovsky, who should have new life -- and maybe better opportunities -- now that he’s with the Avalanche.
JOEY: Nico Hischier has put up some solid numbers in his first two NHL seasons (52 points in 82 games and 47 points in 69 games), but he’ll erupt offensively this year. He’s expected to skate on a line with Taylor Hall, which means they’ll be the offensive catalysts on an improved Devils team. It wouldn’t surprise me too Hischier put up over 80 points in 2019-20.
ADAM: Cale Makar made the jump from the NCAA to the Stanley Cup Playoffs and not only did not look out of place, he looked like he completely belonged. The Avalanche are going to relying on him and Sam Girard quite a bit this season and I think Makar is going to be an immediate star on that team. Maybe even a rookie of the year kind of season.
[PHT PREDICTIONS: EAST / WEST / STANLEY CUP]
Give us one bold prediction for this season.
SEAN: The Corey Perry move pays off in Dallas and the 34-year-old recovers from his broken foot and nets 20 goals for the first time since the 2015-16 season.
JAMES: We will soon look at Brendan Gallagher in the same way that we look at Brad Marchand: a pesty, smaller player who we thought was good, but it turns out he’s even better than we realized. Gallagher creates havoc for opponents, and I think there’s room for him to climb a rung or two on the imaginary ladder of NHL forwards.
JOEY: Bolder than the Blues missing the playoffs? Alright! I’m gonna say that the Boston Bruins will not finish in one of the top three spots in the Atlantic Division. They won’t miss the playoffs, but they’ll be a Wild Card team. They’re coming into the regular season a little banged up and their core is also getting older. I expect the Florida Panthers or Montreal Canadiens to grab the third spot in the division behind Tampa Bay and Toronto.
ADAM: Your NHL goal-scoring leader: David Pastrnak. Yes, someone finally takes over for Alex Ovechkin at the top of the league, and no it is not going to be Steven Stamkos, or Auston Matthews, or John Tavares, or Patrik Laine. David Pastrnak is the choice here.
MORE:
• Which 2019 NHL playoff teams are in danger of missing this season?
• 2019-20 NHL Power Rankings
• PHT’s 2019-20 season previews
