From the Chicago Blackhawks to the Edmonton Oilers, what do the experts who know each team best think of the model\u2019s analysis? Are the projections too high, too low or just about right?<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s what they said.<\/p>\n
Chicago BlackhawksProjected points: 70.8Verdict: About right<\/p>\n
Unless the young players take a massive step this season, it\u2019s difficult to envision the Blackhawks climbing much higher in the standings than in the past few seasons. They just didn\u2019t do much in the offseason to improve the team\u2019s offense and will be depending on a very young defense. The team could be 10 points better than last season and still be among the worst teams in the league. \u2014 Scott Powers<\/p>\n
San Jose SharksProjected points: 73.2Verdict: Too high<\/p>\n
Getting to 73 points is a reachable goal for the Sharks. Especially if Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith and the equally dynamic William Eklund continue their rise and the goaltending is stabilized and improved between Yaroslav Askarov and Alex Nedeljkovic. But a 21-point jump is still quite a bump. What might make them fall short is if GM Mike Grier conducts another deadline sell-off with all the pending UFA veterans in his lineup. They\u2019ll be assuredly better, but maybe not 21 points better. \u2014 Eric Stephens<\/p>\n
Pittsburgh PenguinsProjected points: 74.1Verdict: Too low<\/p>\n
The Penguins are projected to have the third-lowest point total this season. I think this is entirely possible and I do not believe the Penguins are good. But as currently constructed, I don\u2019t think they\u2019re the third-worst team in the league. Sidney Crosby, Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell and Erik Karlsson form a nice foundation in terms of offense. The Penguins will score a lot of goals. They\u2019ll give up even more. If Rust, Rakell or Karlsson \u2014 or some combination of the three \u2014 get traded sooner rather than later, then yes, this could be a bottom-three team. \u2014 Josh Yohe<\/p>\n
\n Kraken goalie Matt Murray has looked sturdy in the preseason. (Bob Frid \/ Imagn Images)<\/p>\n Seattle KrakenProjected points: 76.6Verdict: Too low<\/p>\n Seattle lacks top-end talent, and I\u2019m concerned about its backup goaltending, although Matt Murray looking sturdy in the preseason is an interesting development. But the Kraken are a relatively deep team with good players at every key spot. Throw in some upside with a young group of players, including Berkly Catton, who looks ready, and I see the Kraken as an 80-85 point team instead of a proper bottom-feeder. \u2014 Thomas Drance<\/p>\n Nashville PredatorsProjected points: 78.6Verdict: About right<\/p>\n How much does psychology matter? A lot, the Predators hope \u2014 so much that it can overcome the physiological realities of this aging roster, marginally improved if at all in the offseason after a 68-point disaster of a season. The Preds entered last season with unbridled hype, which helped the early struggles snowball. Will zero expectations help these guys get gritty and competitive again? Maybe? \u2014 Joe Rexrode<\/p>\n Philadelphia FlyersProjected points: 79.1Verdict: About right<\/p>\n While I tend to think this is a tad low, it\u2019s not all that far off. Until the Flyers show that they can get reliable goaltending, there\u2019s no reason to think they can be in the mix for a playoff spot. That said, this does look like a stronger roster going into a season than it did last season, particularly if Trevor Zegras can successfully transition back to the middle, and younger players such as Matvei Michkov, Tyson Foerster and Cam York continue to improve. \u2014 Kevin Kurz<\/p>\n Boston BruinsProjected points: 79.9Verdict: About right<\/p>\n Jeremy Swayman and Joonas Korpisalo should be dependable in net. Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm are good No. 1 and 2 defensemen. The Bruins have a good No. 1 line with Morgan Geekie, Elias Lindholm and David Pastrnak. There\u2019s not much else. They will struggle to score. \u2014 Fluto Shinzawa<\/p>\n Calgary FlamesProjected points: 80.8Verdict: About right<\/p>\n It will be tough for the Flames to make the playoffs as they continue their retool\/rebuild. The Pacific Division remains strong at the top, and the Flames didn\u2019t do much to address scoring concerns on their roster. Dustin Wolf has shown he can be relied upon as a starting goalie, and their youth has shown promise. But the Flames will have to surprise many with their offense, which finished last in goals at five-on-five last year. \u2014 Julian McKenzie<\/p>\n Anaheim DucksProjected points: 81.9Verdict: Too low<\/p>\n Talk is cheap when it comes to the Ducks being a team on the rise. It\u2019s time to prove it after years of stumbling, following a period of bottoming out and rebuilding. They have an interesting mix of young impact players who need to take another step as leaders and veterans who have previously been part of winning clubs. Joel Quenneville hasn\u2019t forgotten how to coach, and the bet is he\u2019ll get more out of this group. And if Lukas Dostal stars in net, Anaheim could find its way into the postseason. Too low might be too conservative here. \u2014 Eric Stephens<\/p>\n New York IslandersProjected points: 83.3Verdict: Too low<\/p>\n The Islanders are retooling under Mathieu Darche\u2019s direction, so it\u2019s not surprising to see them outside of the playoff picture. That being said \u2026 there\u2019s a way to get above the 83.3-point mark, even with this roster. A full season of Mathew Barzal (who was excellent last year) should help give the Islanders a spark up front. Plus, Ilya Sorokin\u2019s excellence could steal this team a few more wins, too. So sliding just above the 85-point mark (which the model gives a 17 percent chance of) feels right. \u2014 Shayna Goldman<\/p>\n Detroit Red WingsProjected points: 83.4Verdict: About right<\/p>\n I\u2019d go a little higher, as I don\u2019t see the Red Wings going backward from last season (86 points), but it\u2019s right there in the range of likeliest outcomes. Detroit only made a couple of moves this summer, and thus will be relying on internal improvements for any gains. John Gibson should help in goal, but somewhere between 82 and 90 points feels about right. \u2014 Max Bultman<\/p>\n Columbus Blue JacketsProjected points: 85.7Verdict: Too low<\/p>\n A backslide, which is what Dom has predicted, is always possible. But there are three easy reasons why that seems unlikely for the Blue Jackets, who had 89 points last season. 1) Their wave of young talents \u2014 Adam Fantilli (31 goals), Kirill Marchenko (31), Kent Johnson (24) and Dmitri Voronkov (23) \u2014 are all a year stronger, wiser and more confident. 2) Boone Jenner, Sean Monahan and Yegor Chinakhov all missed a significant number of games with injuries and they still won 40 games. 3) Goaltender Jet Greaves has a chance to push Elvis Merzlikins aside in net. \u2014 Aaron Portzline<\/p>\n Vancouver CanucksProjected points: 89.9Verdict: About right<\/p>\n The projected point total for the Canucks is almost certainly off by 5-10 points. It\u2019s about right, though, because it feels like a reasonable base case for one of the NHL\u2019s most volatile bets. I won\u2019t be surprised at all if Vancouver pushes for 100 points with Elias Pettersson bouncing back, Thatcher Demko staying healthy, Quinn Hughes dominating and things coming together. I also won\u2019t be surprised at all if Vancouver falls back to 80 points, given its concerning lack of scoring. But 90ish points is a fair enough middle bar, and in line with the betting markets. \u2014 Thomas Drance<\/p>\n Buffalo SabresProjected points: 90.1Verdict: About right<\/p>\n Dom\u2019s projection of 90.1 points would be a dramatic improvement for the Sabres, but he\u2019s also projecting them to be 10th in the Eastern Conference. This feels on-the-nose for where the Sabres are heading into this season. On paper and on the ice, they look like a better team than last season. But will they improve enough to overtake other Eastern Conference contenders and make the playoffs? They could be a bubble team right up until the end of the season. \u2014 Matthew Fairburn<\/p>\n St. Louis BluesProjected points: 90.3Verdict: Too low<\/p>\n Dom made a lot of good points about the expectations and concerns for the Blues in his 2025-26 season preview. His analytics paint an understandable picture of the players based on the ages of the veterans and small sample sizes for the younger ones. But 90.3 points is a tad too low for a group coming off a strong second half, including a near upset of Winnipeg in the playoffs, and a team that will have Jim Montgomery from the onset. Dom acknowledged these facts in his article, but I still had fun telling him what he got wrong! \u2014 Jeremy Rutherford<\/p>\n Utah MammothProjected points: 90.5Verdict: About right<\/p>\n A 90-point projection may seem low at first glance. After all, the Mammoth are a team with tons of exciting young talent that could exceed expectations, and if things break right, it\u2019s easy to see them knocking on the door of a 100-point season. However, relatively speaking, Dom\u2019s model has Utah rated as the eighth-best team in the West and with a 50 percent chance of making the playoffs. In other words, the model is expecting them to be in the thick of the playoff race with a good chance of actually breaking through, which sounds about right. \u2014 Harman Dayal<\/p>\n Montreal CanadiensProjected points: 92.1Verdict: About right<\/p>\n The Canadiens might get a few more than the 92.1 points the model projects, but having them as the 16th-ranked team in the NHL is in the ballpark of where I think they might finish the season. It will be tough for the Canadiens to get back to the playoffs because many of the teams that missed last year also got better. There is definitely potential for the Canadiens to outperform this mark because of how much talent they have and how young that talent is. But with youth comes inconsistency and unpredictability. This projection seems to strike a fair balance between that talent and that youth. \u2014 Arpon Basu<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/USATSI_27223461-scaled.jpg\")
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