It's time! After a short summer break, puck drop for the start of the 2021 NHL season is Wednesday. RotoWire's got you covered with our previews for the new Central, East, West and North Divisions, which include the teams favored to win the division, the sneaky sleeper team and your usual assortment of fantasy options.
Central Division
Hurricanes, Blackhawks, Blue Jackets, Stars, Red Wings, Panthers, Predators, Lightning.
Favorite: Even without Nikita Kucherov, the Lightning are the favorites to win the Cup again, though back-to-back titles are historically rare. They won't blitz through the regular season, but come playoffs they will demand a lot of respect as the defending champs. They have the best goalie in the league, the best defenseman in the league and a deep forward lineup that includes a healthy Steven Stamkos. Their riches could extend to their taxi squad at some point with top minor-league scorer Alex Barre-Boulet, who was assigned to the AHL on Monday.
Sleeper Team: The Hurricanes will be a popular dark horse again, but don't take the Predators lightly. They cut dead weight (Kyle Turris) and brought in extra help (Erik Haula, Luke Kunin, Mikael Granlund), and look for Dante Fabbro to take a step forward this season. The question will be consistency in net with Juuse Saros after a mediocre first season as the starter. The Stars and Jackets deserve a mention, but they have injuries to key players (Ben Bishop,
It's time! After a short summer break, puck drop for the start of the 2021 NHL season is Wednesday. RotoWire's got you covered with our previews for the new Central, East, West and North Divisions, which include the teams favored to win the division, the sneaky sleeper team and your usual assortment of fantasy options.
Central Division
Hurricanes, Blackhawks, Blue Jackets, Stars, Red Wings, Panthers, Predators, Lightning.
Favorite: Even without Nikita Kucherov, the Lightning are the favorites to win the Cup again, though back-to-back titles are historically rare. They won't blitz through the regular season, but come playoffs they will demand a lot of respect as the defending champs. They have the best goalie in the league, the best defenseman in the league and a deep forward lineup that includes a healthy Steven Stamkos. Their riches could extend to their taxi squad at some point with top minor-league scorer Alex Barre-Boulet, who was assigned to the AHL on Monday.
Sleeper Team: The Hurricanes will be a popular dark horse again, but don't take the Predators lightly. They cut dead weight (Kyle Turris) and brought in extra help (Erik Haula, Luke Kunin, Mikael Granlund), and look for Dante Fabbro to take a step forward this season. The question will be consistency in net with Juuse Saros after a mediocre first season as the starter. The Stars and Jackets deserve a mention, but they have injuries to key players (Ben Bishop, Tyler Seguin, Gustav Nyquist).
Best Fantasy Option: Aside from Patrick Kane and Brayden Point, it's a tie between Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov. The Canes have good, young talent and focus on puck possession, and playing in a non-traditional hockey market means they could slip in drafts even though both are slated to finish top-20 in scoring. Aho could see a regression in goals, but his assists could increase as the team gets better.
Fantasy Sleepers: Max Domi is slated to center the second line and could realize his potential after a demotion to the fourth line on the Habs last season. Anthony Duclair bet on himself again and will start the season on the top line in Florida. A lack of depth means his spot in the top six will go mostly unchallenged, but keep an eye on top rookie Grigori Denisenko later in the season. Filip Zadina has been excellent in camp and will play with Robby Fabbri on a high-risk, high-upside second line.
East Division
Bruins, Sabres, Devils, Islanders, Rangers, Flyers, Penguins, Capitals.
Favorite: It's a tough division that's fairly wide open, but the Caps should have the edge due to their talent and experience. Never mind their performance in the bubble; it was clear they weren't firing on all cylinders. The big question for the Caps is their goaltending, which is led by first-year starter Ilya Samsonov with 25-year-old rookie Vitek Vanecek as the backup.
Sleeper Team: The Rangers are tantalizing with their talent, including Alexis Lafreniere, Kaapo Kakko and Igor Shesterkin. Any team that employs Jack Johnson has questionable depth, but Adam Fox, Jacob Trouba, Ryan Lindgren and Tony DeAngelo should be good enough to keep them competitive. The Islanders lost some key pieces but are a defensively stout squad that always surprises under Barry Trotz. Goaltending should be strong with Semyon Varlamov and the highly-regarded Ilya Sorokin; the one question is how far Mathew Barzal can carry the offense.
Best Fantasy Option: Jack Eichel should be at the top of the list with Taylor Hall on his wing. Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin and Artemi Panarin remain top options this season, but Eichel is still very much on an upward trajectory. He's a first-round pick in any format, especially keeper leagues. David Pastrnak would be part of this group but is not fit to play with no return date set.
Fantasy Sleepers: Recency bias has Lafreniere floating to the top of draft lists, but don't forget about Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier and Nolan Patrick, all of whom will continue to improve. Boston's Jack Studnicka will start on the top line, so he's a viable option until Pastrnak returns. However, the two wingers with considerable upside because they have excellent centers are Kasperi Kapanen and Victor Olofsson, both of whom will be top-six wingers with ample PP time.
West Division
Ducks, Coyotes, Avalanche, Kings, Wild, Sharks, Blues, Golden Knights.
Favorite: It's tight at the top, but the Avs should have the slight edge over the Blues and Knights by virtue of having the best player in the division: Nathan MacKinnon. The Avs are young but talented and fairly deep at every position, while the Blues are missing Vladimir Tarasenko and the Knights still don't have a bona fide top center.
Sleeper Team: It's clear who's at the top and at the bottom, but the most intriguing team might be the Sharks, who have considerable talent despite an aging roster. Depth is an issue, but on paper they are better than the Ducks, Coyotes, Kings and maybe the Wild. They could just sneak in as the last playoff team if all goes well. Tomas Hertl, Logan Couture and Erik Karlsson are coming off disappointing injury-riddled seasons but should have plenty left in the tank. That goaltending, though …
Best Fantasy Option: Let's keep this short — it's MacKinnon by a country mile.
Fantasy Sleepers: Blues center Robert Thomas, who will start on the second line, is one of the best options. Winger Kirill Kaprizov has a ton of talent, but the Wild don't have a playmaking center. Barrett Hayton, Arthur Kaliyev and Quinton Byfield, Trevor Zegras, Cody Glass and Bowen Byram are interesting names, but they risk getting assigned to major junior or the minors when their leagues start up again. Drew Doughty seems poised for a revenge tour after two seasons of unrelenting criticism. Both Jakob Chychrun and Vince Dunn could see much bigger roles on their respective teams this season.
North Division
Flames, Oilers, Canadiens, Senators, Maple Leafs, Canucks, Jets.
Favorite: It's the Leafs, if only because they seem to have the most well-rounded team and recent playoff success, but otherwise the margin is pretty thin. Other than the Sens, almost every team has at least a shot of finishing first, but I wouldn't count out a bizarrely successful season from the Sens (read: playoff contention) with a short schedule and so many unknowns.
Sleeper Team: There's no real sleeper in this division, but the Habs should have a chance to finish first. They added a lot of quality depth (Tyler Toffoli, Josh Anderson, Alexander Romanov, Jake Allen) but also need Nick Suzuki and Jesperi Kotkaniemi to play well. The Flames are in a similar boat with big adds via free agency (Chris Tanev, Jacob Markstrom), but still carry too much dead weight (Milan Lucic), and their blue line depth leaves a little to be desired.
Best Fantasy Option: Order the top three any way you like: Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Auston Matthews, with Elias Pettersson pulling up the rear. Quinn Hughes, however, is unquestionably the best defenseman. How they rank will depend on your fantasy league's settings. This division has a ton of firepower and relatively weak defense and goaltending, so don't be surprised if everyone in this division outperforms their offensive expectations.
Fantasy Sleepers: Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau are both being drafted later than usual coming off disappointing seasons. Kailer Yamamoto is going to get a plush top-six assignment and Paul Stastny played very well in Winnipeg last time around, but the most intriguing player is Nils Hoglander, who may begin the season on the Canucks' top six next to Bo Horvat. The Sens have a few prospects ready to make the jump, but it's hard to pick between Colin White, Joshua Norris and Drake Batherson. Cole Perfetti joined the Jets' camp recently and may play an offensive role while Jack Roslovic sits out after requesting a trade.
