Year of the Underdogs
The year of the underdogs is upon us and the season is right around the corner. This year is going to surprise many fans with teams not normally in the hunt for a playoff position.
Carolina to start off had a very good off season, adding a player known for his playoff performances in Justin Williams, a centremen in Marcus Kruger and adding another defenseman in Trevor van Riemsdyk. Expect a much bigger and more impactful year by Sebastian Aho and Noah Hanifin with Jordan Staal leading the way for the Hurricane this year. The Hurricanes are a dangerous team this year so don't sleep on them.
Buffalo finally added what they needed, some defencemen. We all know Jack Eichel basically owns and operates the Sabres right now after demanding (and getting) a coaching change. Being able to snag a young defencemen like Nate Beauileu and Marco Scandella made their backend a lot more respectable. Jason Pominville make his return the the team that originally drafted him, adding some more firepower on the forward lines. Watch out for the Sabres this year, they could come out firing.
Arizona, now I know this might be a reach but the Coyotes aren't looking as bad as they use to. They’ve significantly upgraded their defensive core adding Demers and Hjalmarsson. Their forwards have added a year in experience and Derek Stepan will give them some leadership and maturity amongst the forwards. Although losing a teammate like Shane Doan will be tough in the locker room, the Coyotes look ready for the season, and ready to make in impact.
I wouldn't really call this an underdog but I know people don't believe in Columbus as much as I do. Columbus has everything they need to win a Stanley Cup, coaching, scoring, depth, defenseman but they’re oddly like the Washington Capitals. They can’t get past the Penguins. But maybe, just maybe this is their year. The Blue Jackets added a high scoring winger in Artemi Panarin and rumours swirling around they’re trying to land Matt Duchene, they have the back end. If they add a piece like Duchene, they might be able to get over their only kryptonite.
