The 2021-22 NHL season is approaching, and projections for where teams will finish in the standings will fill media feeds for the coming weeks. Here, we look at three hot takes for this upcoming season.

The New York Islanders Will Finish First in the Eastern Conference

The New York Islanders are poised to dominate the East for the next half-decade. Two consecutive years featured the Islanders and Tampa Bay Lightning as the masterclasses of the East, and there seems to be no change. Of the top teams in the East, only the New York Islanders have gotten better. The Tampa Bay Lightning lost their third-line of Yanni Gourde, Barclay Goodrow, and Blake Coleman, the Florida Panthers lost goaltender Chris Driedger to the Seattle Kraken in the expansion draft and the Toronto Maple Leafs lost a top-six forward in Zach Hyman. 

The Islanders have added Zach Parise and Zdeno Chara to an already veteran-heavy roster while also managing to re-sign Kyle Palmieri. Barring any significant injuries, the Islanders will finish first in the Eastern Conference, with the two teams in Florida being their only real competition. The Metropolitan Division is strong, and any team can make the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Islanders are the only team where no argument can be made for them falling out of the playoffs aside from injury troubles. 

The Washington Capitals Will Miss the Playoffs

The Washington Capitals regular season reign of terror will come to an end this season. The Washington Capitals have consistently finished in the top 10 of the NHL standings for nearly a decade, aside from a rare playoff miss in 2014. This season has the potential to feel like the fateful 2014 season, rather than the iconic 2017-18 season in which Alexander Ovechkin won the Stanley Cup. 

For the past two years, the Capitals have followed up promising regular seasons with first-round exits. Those exits are at the hands of the Islanders and Bruins. The Capitals did not improve much this offseason, while teams in the East, let alone their division, have all improved. 

The New York Islanders have added veteran depth in Parise and Chara. The New Jersey Devils arguably won the offseason with the signing of Dougie Hamilton, the Penguins are always in contention with Crosby and Malkin at the helm, and Philadelphia has revamped their blueline. Carolina or Columbus, who have gotten worse, will always be threats due to fantastic coaching, defense, and deep depth upfront. 

The sun may be setting on the Capitals, as rising teams will overtake them in the standings. An injection of youth may be good for the Capitals, as missing the playoffs will give them a shot at standout prospect Shane Wright. In 2014, the Capitals were able to draft Jakub Vrana, and four years after, he was a key piece to their Stanley Cup Championship. 

The years of will they or won’t they in the playoffs may be on pause for a few years, but a possible injection of youth to pair with Ovechkin in his older years may prove fruitful for the Capitals organization. 

The Montreal Canadiens Will Finish Bottom-Five in the League, Just Above the Buffalo Sabres in the Atlantic Division

The Montreal Canadiens are coming off one of their most successful seasons in decades. Making it to the Stanley Cup Finals is a tremendous accomplishment. This season, their roster and overall make-up are far from last year’s squad. General Manager Marc Bergevin is not to blame, as he has consistently iced a competitive roster. 

The injury bug has effectively rendered most of the Canadiens roster obsolete for this upcoming season. Captain Shea Weber will be out indefinitely, dealing with countless injuries that have stacked up over his lengthy NHL career. Carey Price will be out for a minimum of a month, with projections having him return in December. Free-agent signing Mike Hoffman will be out to start this season, along with some other nagging injuries upfront for the Habs.

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The Canadiens’ unfortunate fall will be due to their crippled roster and playing in an Atlantic Division where every team aside from Buffalo has either improved or leagues above Montreal. The Buffalo Sabres, Arizona Coyotes, and Anaheim Ducks are the only teams that project to finish worse. A bottom-five finish, accompanied with a bottom-two finish in their division is a reality Montreal may face this upcoming season. 

John Smark