No journalist from The Athletic sees the CH in the playoffs

Every off-season, the entire team at The Athletic makes early predictions for the upcoming field hockey season.

Some 30 journalists vote for players or teams in various categories.

These categories include, among others, the favorites to win various individual trophies, the teams with the best chances of winning the Stanley Cup, and the team that will accumulate the fewest points in the overall standings.

Three of the site’s journalists also comment on their picks.

I invite you to read this very interesting article.

One topic that caught my eye was the Eastern Conference playoff race.

The journalists at The Athletic all voted for eight teams they thought would make the playoffs.

Of the 16 teams in the Eastern Conference, three teams received no votes at all.

The Columbus Blue Jackets, the Philadelphia Flyers and… the Montreal Canadiens.

On the one hand, this isn’t surprising, since the Atlantic division is very talented, and the Metropolitan division doesn’t give away its place either.

But if you look at it the other way around, the Tricolore has a lot of youngsters who could blossom this year, and the club isn’t necessarily lacking in depth.

The goaltending situation remains to be seen, but we can expect Cole Caufield to fill the net on more than 40 occasions, if not 50.

With youngsters like Kirby Dach, Alex Newhook, Kaiden Guhle and possibly even Logan Mailloux, it’s important not to throw in the towel too quickly.

What’s more, the injury factor can completely change the game, as some teams are one or two serious injuries away from not being in the playoffs again.

As for Columbus and Philadelphia, we can expect these two teams to finish in the bottom half of the East.

After that, the Capitals and CH have, in my opinion, just as much chance of making the playoffs, and I think I’m ready to add Detroit and Ottawa to the discussion. The latter two teams still have a better line-up on paper than the Tricolore and Capitals.

Also in The Athletic article, there was the race for the Calder Trophy, awarded to the NHL’s top rookie.

Everyone agrees that phenom Connor Bedard should easily win this trophy, especially as he’ll be getting plenty of playing time in Chicago.

Apparently, The Athletic team wasn’t unanimous, as one reporter decided to give his vote to Matthew Knies of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Not a bad choice, as he already has NHL experience and will be very well surrounded in Toronto. But the mere fact that Bedard is there, you simply can’t not vote for him.

Bedard will be a generational player in the NHL and will score over 80 points in his first season, I’m convinced of that.

In gusto

– The young defenseman is back in the Red Wings organization.

– Samuel Piette and Mathieu Choinière return to the lineup.

Our XI🔥#CFMTL | Presented by @BMOfr pic.twitter.com/zbS0BimigX

– CF Montréal (@cfmontreal) July 15, 2023

– The Blues Jays are on a three-game winning streak.

– Congratulations to the Canadians.

Finals Bound. 🇨🇦@CanBball Women go undefeated in the Round Robin and will look to defend their #GLOBLJAM Gold Medal. pic.twitter.com/QSC345W4o9

– Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) July 15, 2023

– The 20th overall pick in the last draft, Eduard Sale, has signed his entry-level contract with the Kraken.