20 Maybe Ridiculous 2021-22 NHL Predictions!

Hockey season is back!!! And that means it’s time to start digging into things and watching and cursing and cheering and predicting.

Ready?

Just like last season and the season before (and so on) I’ve got a list of 20 predictions for the 2021-22 NHL season that may or may not come true or even make sense.

I’ve tried not to be too nuts here. I think that most of these things have a chance to be realized. Some may be more likely than others. Some are going to be total misses. Some might even be right.

The elephant in the room of course is the Montreal Canadiens and my fandom. Yes I have 5 predictions here that have something to do with the Habs. But I did not pick them to win the Stanley Cup. I tried that last year, and they came close – and honestly, that was pretty darn lucky.

The team I did pick to take home the cup (see #20) was my pick for the finals last year with the Canadiens, but they didn’t make it.

Here’s hoping that this is a fun season. A healthy season. And that we all have the chance to cheer for our favourite teams through thick and thin.

Enjoy the hockey!

20 Maybe Ridiculous Predictions for the 2021-22 NHL Season

1. 🏒 Carey Price will get a Saku Koivu-like ovation when he returns to the Centre Bell after his time away from the Montreal Canadiens. It will be wonderful and deserved.

2. 🏒 The Toronto Maple Leafs will barnstorm the regular season and head into the playoffs as a favourite.

3. 🏒 Alex Ovechkin will score 52 goals in the regular season, giving him a career total of 782.

4. 🏒 The Colorado Avalanche will score the most goals in the NHL season.

5. 🏒 The Montreal Canadiens will make the playoffs, after a challenging season.

6. 🏒 The Edmonton Oilers will break the cycle and make the playoffs!

7. 🏒 Watch out for the New York Islanders – because they’ve got a big run in them if they stay healthy and productive.

8. 🏒 Seattle becomes a feel-good story instead of a hapless expansion deal. Somewhere between the 1992-93 Senators and the 2017-18 Golden Knights (but closer to the Sens).

9. 🏒 The Detroit Red Wings will win the fewest games in the 2021-22 season. Though they may not finish with the fewest points.

10. 🏒 Now that we have the Seattle Kraken, the buzz will grow again for Quebec City to get a team back in the city – though an immediate solution won’t be available.

11. 🏒 Montreal’s sniper kid, Cole Caufield will win the Calder Trophy.

12. 🏒 Traditionalists who hold on to (sometimes antiquated) views of what hockey should be and how it should be presented will find ways to complain (rightly and wrongly) about the new coverage from US media partners.

13. 🏒 Overall chippiness and hard feelings will be down from last year as we move away from the division only schedule of that weird season.

14. 🏒 Marc-Andre Fleury may not light up the league with stats this season, but he will cross the 750 games, 500 wins, and 70 shutouts marks for his career.

15. 🏒 The Carolina Hurricanes will continue to have perhaps the greatest Twitter account in all of North American professional sports.

16. 🏒 At some point in the season I’m going to think I know what’s going on and I’m going to place (legal) wagers on games and I’m going to lose money.

17. 🏒 Once a week or so I’m going to fall asleep listening to some kind of NHL focused podcast.

18. 🏒 I’m going to tell myself that I’m smart enough and well-adjusted enough not to care too much or get too caught up in things – but I’m going to get sucked in and catch feelings again, like every year.

19. 🏒 Montreal Canadiens fans will go back to thinking ugly thoughts about Corey Perry now that he’s gone to the Lightning. And while they may cheer for him when Tampa comes to play on December 7… he’s not one of theirs anymore.

20. 🏒 The Colorado Avalanche will win the Stanley Cup.