X75 Productions

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  • 2018-19 Winnipeg Jets Preview

    WIN

     

    Last Season: 52-20-12 104 pts (2nd in Central Division; Lost in Western Conference Final)

    Key Additions: G Laurent Brossoit

     

    Key Departures: D Toby Enstrom, F Paul Stastny, F Joel Armia, F Matt Hendricks, F Shawn Matthias, and G Michael Hutchinson

     

    Top Questions Facing the Jets:

    1. Can the Winnipeg Jets rise to the occasion?

    The hockey world is buzzing about the Winnipeg Jets and their continued growth the past several seasons, even so The Hockey News is sticking to their prediction from the Future Watch 2015 issue where they tout the Jets will be the 2019 Stanley Cup Champions. Can the Jets live up to these expectations?

     

    2. How will the Jets handle the adversity?

    With how close the Jets were to the Stanley Cup Finals this past postseason they cannot sit back and be content with how they are currently. They are going to have to push back all of the adversity that will be put before them this season and continue to play hard. The Jets are clearly one of the best teams in the West and they need to continue playing that way to be the best team in the West.

  • 2018-19 Vegas Golden Knights Preview

    VEG

     

    Last Season: 51-24-7 109 pts (1st in Pacific Division; Western Conference Champions)

     

    Key Additions: D Nick Holden, F Paul Stastny, and F Daniel Carr

     

    Key Departures: D Luca Sbisa, D Jason Garrison, D Clayton Stoner, F James Neal, and F David Perron

     

    Top Questions Facing the Golden Knights:

    1. Can Vegas continue playing the way they did last season?

    Last season was record breaking for any expansion franchise, which saw an entire team of “misfits” bond together and took the NHL by storm and set all time of new records and made an eventful run to the Stanley Cup Finals, but can they duplicate it this season? With the loss of veteran leaders James Neal and David Perron to Free Agency and top defenseman Nate Schmidt suspended the first 20 games of the regular season due to a failure of the wellness policy (which was questionable at best) will bring some challenges to the Golden Knights.

     

    2. Can Vegas overcome adversity?

    Last season it can be said that Vegas had a lot of doubters and as a result used that doubt as motivation as they took part in their first season as every game was an opportunity to silence the critics. This season however everyone knows what this team is capable of doing and will bring stronger challenges when they face the Golden Knights. Will the Golden Knights also play with that same chip on their shoulder that they had last season, or will we see a more “relaxed” group knowing what they can accomplish when the spotlight is on them? It will be very interesting to see how Vegas performs this season.

  • 2018-19 Vancouver Canucks Preview

    VAN

     

    Last Season:  31-40-11 73 pts (7th in Pacific Division; Did Not Make Playoffs)

     

    Key Additions: F Jay Beagle, F Tim Schaller, and F Antoine Roussel

     

    Key Departures: F Daniel Sedin, F Henrik Sedin, and F Jussi Jokinen

     

    Top Questions Facing the Canucks:

    1. Can the Canucks stay healthy this season?

    Last season the Canucks became riddled with injuries and to key players to end last season. With an anemic roster to begin with, the Canucks cannot allow to go through a season with so many injuries. Especially to players like Bo Horvat, Brock Boeser, Sven Baertschi, Chris Tanev, and Eric Gudbranson who make up the majority of the offense and defense.

     

    2. What is the identity of the Canucks now?

    With future Hall of Famers Daniel and Henrik Sedin now retired, the Vancouver are faced with what is their most trying question to date. Who are they? A big part of this question lies on General Manager Jim Benning who last season faced criticism for the Canucks’ lack of direction as the team now transitions out of the Sedin era. Plus head coach Travis Green will feel the pressure this season to guide the Canucks toward meaningful games.

  • 2018-19 San Jose Sharks Preview

    SJ

     

    Last Season: 45-27-10 100 pts (3rd in Pacific Division; Lost in Western Conference 2nd Round)

     

    Key Additions: F Antti Suomela

     

    Key Departures: D Paul Martin, F Eric Fehr, F Mikkel Boedker, F Jannik Hansen, and F Joel Ward

     

    Top Questions Facing the Sharks:

    1. Can Joe Thornton stay healthy?

    Last season Thornton was playing very well scoring 13 goals, 23 assists for 36 points in 47 games before a knee injury ended his season in late January. At 39 years old, Thornton is looking to pick up where he left off last season, but can he stay healthy? He has shown that he can contribute at a high level, but Father Time is telling him that the wear and tear his body has taken is now taking its effect on him. If he can stay healthy for an entire season, that would be a huge plus for the San Jose Sharks.

     

    2. How will Evander Kane fare in his first full season with the Sharks?

    It is known that Evander Kane has brought some baggage with him as he has worn out his welcome in both Winnipeg and Buffalo, but so far the match of Kane with the Sharks has been a good one. Kane produced 9 goals in 17 games during the regular season, and had four goals  in the playoffs. Plus with Kane’s more physical style, the Sharks hope that his style of play will rub off on his teammates in an effort to make them more of a complete team.

  • 2018-19 Nashville Predators Preview

    NAS

     

    Last Season: 53-18-11 117 pts (1st in Central Division; Lost in Western Conference 2nd Round)

     

    Key Additions: D Dan Hamhuis and F Connor Brickley

     

    Key Departures: D Alexei Emelin, F Mike Fischer, and F Scott Hartnell

     

    Top Questions Facing the Predators:

    1. No change. Good or Bad?

    During exit interviews the team stated that they wanted to stick together and give it one more try which was easy to accomplish for General Manager David Poile, now in his 20th season with the franchise, as 19 players were already under contract for this season, and three were Restricted and were automatically qualified. However, recent history has shown that the last three teams (Vancouver 2011, Boston 2013, and NY Rangers 2014) to reach the Stanley Cup Finals, then win the President’s Trophy don’t make it close to the Stanley Cup the following seasons. Can Nashville break this trend?

     

    2. Can they fix their defensive woes that were exposed in the playoffs?

    During their 2nd round matchup against the Winnipeg Jets, their defense was exposed by Winnipeg’s heavy forecheck which caused them to cough up many turnovers. While Nashville’s defense contributes a lot of offense for this team, this will be a key area that they will need to focus on fixing. One key thing that will help is the fact that all of the defensive pairings are going to be back together for a third straight season.

  • 2018-19 Minnesota Wild Preview

    MIN

     

    Last Season: 45-26-11 101 pts (3rd in Central Division; Lost in Western Conference 1st Round)

    Key Additions: D Greg Pateryn, D Matt Bartkowski, F Matt Read, F Eric Fehr, F JT Brown, F Matt Hendricks, G Andrew Hammond, and General Manager Paul Fenton

     

    Key Departures: D Kyle Quincey, F Tyler Ennis, F Daniel Winnik, F Matt Cullen, and GM Chuck Fletcher

     

    Top Questions Facing the Wild:

    1. Will Ryan Suter be healthy going into this season?

    Late last season Suter broke his talus, an ankle bone that usually fractures from high trauma events, and his status going into this season is very much up in the air at this time. If Suter cannot go right away then the Minnesota Wild will need to rely on their defensive depth to step up in his absence. Jared Spurgeon is a very underrated defenseman and can be a very solid replacement for Suter, plus Matt Dumba has made great strives defensively for the Wild. Plus the additions of Greg Pateryn and Matt Bartkowski bring some needed depth to the Wild’s defensive corps.

     

    2. Is Bruce Boudreau on the hot seat this season?

    During the offseason Wild owner Craig Leipold made it clear that this franchise doesn’t need a rebuild, but that of a tweaking when firing Chuck Fletcher as General Manager and naming Paul Fenton the new GM. Bruce Boudreau survived, but for how long. After leading the Wild to back to back 100 point seasons they failed to go deep in the playoffs which has been the norm for Boudreau. If the Wild falter out of the gates or have yet another abysmal postseason, we may see Boudreau looking for a new job in the League.

  • 2018-19 Los Angeles Kings Preview

    LA

     

    Last Season: 45-29-8 98 pts (4th in Pacific Division; Lost in Western Conference 1st Round)

    Key Additions: F Ilya Kovalchuk and G Perter Budaj

     

    Key Departures: D Christian Folin, F Tobias Rieder, and G Scott Wedgewood

     

    Top Questions facing the Kings:

    1. How will the Kings continue to improve this season?

    Last season under John Stevens the Los Angeles Kings saw a resurgence from two key leaders in Anze Kopitar (35g, 57a for a career high 92p) and Dustin Brown (28g, 33a for 61p), and the midseason addition of Dion Phaneuf added more experience and grit to their defensive corps, however, when it came to the playoffs they only scored 3 goals in a 4 game sweep by Vegas. Only key addition was Ilya Kovalchuk who is returning to the NHL after a 5 year absence. Kovalchuk will  add some scoring punch, but it still doesn’t solve their speed issue.

     

    2. Will Jonathan Quick be a difference maker again for the Kings?

    Quick only played in 17 games in 2016-17 due to injury, but when he returned in 2017-18 he was a force to be reckoned with. In 64 games played Quick ranked ninth in save percentage (.921) and eighth in goals against average (2.40) while posting 33 wins and winning the Jennings Trophy. Plus a key thing for Quick was that he kept the Kings in their first round series against Vegas. For the Kings to be successful, Quick will need to repeat his 2017-18 success this season if the Kings hope to make it back into the playoffs again this season.

  • 2018-19 Edmonton Oilers Preview

    EDM

     

    Last Season: 36-40-6 72 pts (6th in Pacific Division; Did Not Make Playoffs)

     

    Key Additions: D Jakub Jerabek, F Tobias Rieder, F Kyle Brodziak, and G Mikko Koskinen

     

    Key Departures: D Eric Gryba and F Michael Cammalleri

     

    Top Questions Facing the Oilers:

    1. Can the Edmonton Oilers return to their 2016-17 form?

    After making an impressive run to the playoffs in the 2016-17 season, last season the Oilers laid an egg. They went from 103 points in 2016-17 to 78 points in 2017-18. Also key players like Milan Lucic and Cam Talbot did not play to their full potential, and need to have huge turnarounds this season. Also Jesse Puljujarvi needs to step up his game as well. Being the 4th overall pick in the 2016 Draft, Puljujarvi has a lot of expectations put upon him, and with the Oilers tight against the Salary Cap, his and other young forwards like Kailer Yamamoto and Ty Rattie are going to need to step up to help the Oilers become a force again.

     

    2. Can Connor McDavid will a return to the playoffs?

    McDavid is going to be looking for his third straight Art Ross, but he is going to want more. Entering the first year of an 8 year $100 million contract, McDavid is going to want to prove he is worth the long term investment, and leading the Oilers back to the playoffs would be a huge bonus for both McDavid and the Oilers. Also with McDavid’s recent comments about how he needs to improve both in the defensive zone and in the faceoff circle, and how much he hates losing especially after a winning season that took them to the playoffs, it is without a doubt that McDavid is commited to becoming a better player, and leading the Oilers back to the playoffs.

  • Max Pacioretty Signs Extention with Vegas Golden Knights

    The Vegas Golden Knights have signed Max Pacioretty to a four-year extension worth $28 million dollars with an AAV of $7 million per year. This deal kicks in during the 2019-20 season and carries him through the 2022-23 season. His deal also has a no-trade clause to ten teams it’s expected that the Canadiens are one of those teams.

    Pacioretty was traded to the Golden Knights earlier this morning in exchange for Nick Suzuki, Tomas Tatar and a conditional second-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. Pacioretty will look to make an impact on a Golden Knights team that had a remarkable playoff run last year but lost in the Stanley Cup Finals to the Washington Capitals.

    What Does Pacioretty Bring to the Golden Knights

    Max Pacioretty brings a lot to a young Golden Knights team. Pacioretty adds another scorer for the Knights and has playoff experience which the Knights didn’t have much of going into their first Stanley Cup Playoff appearance. He also won’t be pressured to be the guy the Knights rely on like he was in Montreal. Vegas has scorers like William Karlsson and Eric Haula. Expect to see Pacioretty on the top line with Reily Smith and William Karlsson which will make for a dangerous top line.

  • 2018-19 Dallas Stars Preview

    DAL

     

    Last Season: 42-35-8 92 pts (6th in Central Division; Did Not Make Playoffs)

    Key Additions: D Roman Polak, F Erik Condra, F Blake Comeau, and G Anton Khudobin

     

    Key Departures: D Dan Hamhuis, D Greg Pateryn, F Antoine Russel, and G Kari Lehtonen

     

    Top Questions Facing the Stars:

    1. How will the Stars develop under new coach Jim Montgomery?

    Dallas hired Jim Montgomery from the University of Denver to help with the development of their young talent, but how will Montgomery do with the veteran guys on this team? How Montgomery is received can dictate how successful the Stars will be this season, and being how top players like John Klingberg are singing his praises already, this could be a good turn around season for the Stars.

     

    2. Does Tyler Seguin remain a Dallas Star?

    Seguin is in the last year of his contract and depending on how this season goes he may choose to not remain with the team either via trade or free agency. With Seguin’s comments recently stating he is disappointed that a new deal isn’t place for him yet one has to wonder if this will be a distraction like how it was for the New York Islanders with John Tavares, and currently with the Ottawa Senators and Erik Karlsson. Seguin fits in well with the Stars and is complimented greatly by playing with Jamie Benn. For both him and the Stars, one hopes that this does not become a distraction.