2015-2016 NHL season discussion

I know I'm not the only big hockey fan here (I hope). We are getting into the allstar break this weekend marking the point of coasting for some teams and desperation for others in terms of playoff bids. So far this season, some of the biggest surprises to me are:

- How bad the Habs have been without Carey Price. It's amazing that a team with so much talent and experience in their top 6 can't seem to find the back of the net, and although he has had GREAT games (see the Winter Classic), Condon has just been showing how he will always be a great backup and mediocre starter, IMO. Acquiring Scrivens could prove to help out a lot as they become more of a starting due like they have in Dallas with Lehtonen and Niemi.

- How terrible the Jackets have been all around this entire season. They've started to turn it around slightly after hiring John Tororella, but are still Metro Division bottom feeders and stuck ina 3-way tie for last in the league after a much hyped offseason. Todd Richards definitely had to go after a 0-7-0 start, and Torts is a hell of a hockey coach, but something there has gone horribly wrong this year.

- The Ducks season start. From Cup contenders last year, to going 10-10 in their first 20 games.

- Crosby and Malkin's disappearing acts. I'm a die-hard Caps fan through and through, but even I was a little concerned with this one.

- The Capitals season. They were good last year. Really good. Should've beaten the Rags out and been in the Conference Finals. I'm not sure if they could've held on against TBL especially with Stamkos' hot streak right there at the end, but they definitely had a shot. This year is a whole different level though. There are very few weaknesses in their game. Holtby has been stellar and is the front runner for the Vezina and in the pack of expected Hart Trophy finalists, Ovechkin and Backstrom have been doing their thing, the addition of Oshie has been a great pickup, getting rid of Green has allowed for Carlsson to really come out of his shell and Niskanen has been showing his grit lately, and overall they have four very solid lines that can score on pretty much any team in the league any given night. Kuznetsov and Burakovsky continue to progress and show that they will become perennial league leaders in the future, and the addition of experience from Williams and now Richards is great.

I'm predicting to see the Caps and the either the Hawks or the Kings in the Cup finals. Hopefully the Caps can pull it together this year and bring home Lord Stanley's Cup!