Only one silly prediction this year as the new National Hockey League season gets under way. Watch out for the New Jersey Devils.
Every season seems to offer up major surprises in the NHL. They’re hard to predict because, well, they’re surprises, and the dictionary says that word ‘surprise’ means ‘a completely unexpected occurrence.’
So while Sportsnet’s panel of TV experts in its preseason prognostications had 15 of last year’s 16 playoff teams returning to post-season play this year — suggesting that ‘surprises’ would be few and far between — here’s an argument that the Devils, who finished well out of the playoffs last year (15th out of 16 in the Eastern Conference), will not only be a playoff team, but one of 2019-20’s most pleasant surprises.
If the Devils were a stock, it would have a green ‘up’ arrow next to its listing. Brokers would be talking about the team being ‘bullish.’ Let us outline the reasons why (even though they blew a 4-0 lead and lost 5-4 to Winnipeg in a shootout in their opening game and suffered a 7-2 thrashing by Buffalo in their second start):
Let’s start with No. 1 overall draft picks. The Devils won the draft lottery this past summer and picked the consensus best player, Jack Hughes, from the U.S. development program. He’s a superstar in the making, apparently. Then there’s Nico Hischier, who was the No. 1 overall pick in 2017. He has been trending upwards (47 points as a rookie, 52 last year) and ready for a Season 3 breakout. Another one is Taylor Hall, who was the No. 1 pick overall by Edmonton Oilers in 2010. He was the NHL’s most valuable player in 2017-18, but played only 33 games last year due to injury. He's back this year — and healthy.
Up front, the Devils have added Nikita Gusev, a 27-year-old Russian who some observers say was the best player in the world outside of the NHL. He’s in the NHL now — thanks to a trade with the Vegas Golden Knights — and it’s almost like the Devils have another No. 1 overall draft pick in their lineup.
Considering the Devils improved their blue line with the addition of former Norris Trophy winner P.K. Subban, and also acquired power forward Wayne Simmonds, the biggest question is in goal. With Cory Schneider and MacKenzie Blackwood covering the crease, the Devils are only so-so, but decent. Schneider played only 26 games last year due to injury, but is ready to rebound this season.
So if the Devils turn into a contending team this year, don’t say you weren’t warned. If they don’t, just chalk it up to another lousy prediction.
- Comedy writer Alex Kaseberg: “O.J. Simpson posted a video on Twitter giving Antonio Brown legal advice. That's like Roman Polanski giving Kevin Spacey babysitting advice.”
- Ryan Dahlman of the Prairie Post: “Food for thought: Waiting for Keith Tkachuk to come out of retirement to play with Brady and Matthew. Everyone will be saying ‘Howe about that?’”
- Terry Golden of Vienna, Va., asks columnist Norman Chad of the Washington Post: “Is it true that the NFL is suing SeaWorld for exclusive use of the term “Dolphin Tank”?
- Steve Rushin of SI.com, on Twitter: “Astros-Rays series at Minute Maid Park and Tropicana Field would be a victory for Big Pulp.”
- Norman Chad of the Washington Post, on Twitter: “I will never bet against Tom Brady again, unless he’s the Democratic party presidential nominee.”
- Comedy writer Jim Barach: “A vendor at the Miami Dolphins game was arrested for selling two beers for $724. Apparently he figured if they are willing to pay money to see the Dolphins play, why not give it a shot?”
- Alex Kaseberg again: “After Kansas City's win over Detroit, the Chiefs' coach, Andy Reid, said, ‘Not all of Mozart's paintings were perfect.’ Where does that dumb jock stereotype come from?”
- Patti Dawn Swansson, aka the River City Renegade: “That was a serious paddywhacking the New Zealand All Blacks delivered to our gnarly Canadian lads at the Rugby World Cup. I mean, 63-0. Winnipeg Jets fans have decided that it’s Connor Hellebuyck’s fault.”
- Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times: “Owning a dog can help people sleep better, according to a study published in Sleep Review. Hey, don’t laugh: It’s certainly cheaper than Detroit Tigers season tickets.”
- Perry again: “Jim ‘Mattress Mack’ McIngvale, owner of Gallery Furniture in Houston, placed a $3.5 million bet on the Astros to win the World Series. And, doubling down, he rolled out his latest mattress, the George Springer.”
- Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel, on Tennessee’s hapless football team: “The situation has become so bad that Smokey, the team mascot, has entered the transfer portal.”
- Mike Hart of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: “If you want to dress up as The Invisible Man on Halloween, buy a Todd Gurley jersey.”
Care to comment? Email brucepenton2003@yahoo.ca
