How the time flies! We're already a couple of weeks away from the start of the NHL regular season. With a new television contract, a budding dynasty, and a new team, there'll be plenty of exciting moments in the hockey season. Here are a few hot takes I have for the upcoming 2021-2022 regular season.
The Seattle Kraken Will Make the Playoffs: You heard that right, Krak-heads. Your Kraken will follow the route of the Vegas Golden Knights and make an immediate impact. With one of the best goaltending tandems in Phillip Grubauer and Chris Dreidger, along with a solid backcheck, Seattle looks hard to score on. Combine that with a weak Pacific Division, and you have a recipe for the Kraken to make the playoffs right out the gate. Granted, they probably won't go to the Stanley Cup as Vegas did. However, it'll still be a fun time for hockey fans in the Pacific Northwest.
The Red Wings Will Start to Ascend Once Again: Steve Yzerman has made some shrewd moves in the off-season. Acquiring Alex Nedelijkovic from Carolina for peanuts while adding veteran pieces has put Detroit in a nice position to dominate once again. Wings fans watching the past two Stanley Cup Finals have to be greatly inspired by the teams Yzerman built, bringing depth and stability all around.
Tampa Bay Won't Repeat: It's not that the Lightning will suck this year. Tampa Bay will still be a force to be reckoned with this season. It's that there are plenty of other teams vying for the Stanley Cup this season. With teams such as Vegas, Colorado, the Islanders, and Toronto, the Bolts will face stiff competition from other hockey teams this season. Plus, it's extremely hard to three-peat in any sport, specifically hockey.
