We round out the 2021 Season division previews with the Scotiabank NHL North Division, consisting of all of the Canadian teams in the league the: Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, and Winnipeg Jets. As a reminder, the NHL will be having a shortened, 56-game season with a divisional realignment that has changed the composition of the divisions. The top four teams of each division will make up the 2021 NHL Playoffs. My preview will be in order of how I see the season playing out.

#1 Toronto Maple Leafs

2019-20 Season – The Leafs finished the 2020 season with a 36-25-9 record, which was good for 3rd in the Atlantic and 8th in the Eastern Conference. The issues with the Leafs have been the playoffs, as they have not been able to overcome the 1st round of playoffs over the last 4 seasons. To make matters worse, they lost in game 5 of the qualifying round to the Blue Jackets. Offensively, this team was very good, only the Lightning and Capital produced better per game offense as the Leafs netted a 3.39 GPGA last season. They also checked in with a 6th best PP at 23.1%. Defensively, this team struggles, as the Leafs ranked 26th with 3.17 GAPG, and their PK was 21st with 77.7% clip. Goaltending wise, this team has been leaning on MVP netminder Frederik Anderson, who's kept them in contention. He did suffer a setback last season, posting a 2.85GAA and .909 SV%, but has historically been very good, keeping his teams in games most nights.

Outlook for 2021 - The team up front looks all around the same, with super star Auston Matthews leading the charge with John Tavares, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander part of the top-6. Bottom 6 production is questionable because they are getting older, and recent additions are aging veterans who may or may not be able to keep up anymore. Defensively, the team added TJ Brodie who’s a solid hire, recently with the Flames. Their top D-Man Jake Muzzin is a force and so we should see improvement on the back end all in all. Goaltending is expected to remain solid, though back up goaltending is one of the big question marks for this team, especially given this truncated season.

Players to Watch – Auston Matthews- The Arizona native is a force. The 23-year old saw an uptick in production when he was placed on the same line with Nylander and Marner. He's expected to help lead this team in scoring yet again and be a front runner for the Art Ross Trophy.

Frederik Andersen - We have seen Andersen carry the Leafs over the years at times, but he's entering the final year on his contract. The team will need to refrain from overworking him, which has been a constant problem for this squad. Getting a full season of an Andersen playing 100% is a scary thought for divisional rivals.

My Prediction - This team is scary, if only because they are a high-octane and fast team that can put up 5 goals against teams on any given night. The back-end is not the prettiest in the league but it is solid enough to help keep scoring chances at bay and if they get extra help from backup Jack Campbell, they will not finish lower than 2nd in the division. I would expect to see this team make the semi-finals of the playoffs, as they won't have to face the likes of the Boston juggernaut who has had their number every season as of late.

#2 Montreal Canadiens

2019-20 Season – The Habs finished the season 31-31-9, which was good for 5th in the Atlantic and 12th in the Eastern Conference. They were the final team to make the extended playoffs and turned heads by eliminating the Pittsburgh Penguins in 4 games in the qualifying round. On the offensive side, the Habs ranked below average at 19th with a 2.93GPG and 22nd on the powerplay at 17.7% clip. Advanced stats suggest a more impressive offensive squad 5v5, ranking 3rd in scoring chances generated, just unable to finish. Defensively, the Habs tied for 19th in GAPG at 3.10. Although, they ranked 12th in scoring chances against and tied for 11th in high-danger chances against, so perhaps they deserved better GA stats. Goaltending wise, Carey Price has held this team on this shoulders throughout his career. He's seen a bit of a decline in 2 of the 3 last seasons. Carey Price took home the Hart Trophy in 2014-15 turning in a 1.96 GAA and .933SV% while starting 66 game and his recent play in the bubble saw him turn in a 1.78 GAA and .936SV%, suggesting this guy is elite of elite.

Outlook for 2021 - This team made some solid additions including Tyler Toffoli, Joel Edmundson, Josh Anderson, and Corey Perry in terms of the skating squad. They were an outstanding possession team and that can only expect to remain going forward. The additions up front should definitely improve the offensive rankings this year. The improvement of goaltending from Carey Price and the addition of Jake Allen should also lead to improved defensive numbers for this squad. They have young core of players including Nick Suzuki and Kasperi Kotkaniemi who made some steps in the bubble and will be looked to continue their trend. This team has speed and has good coaching in Claude Julien and a smart GM in Marc Bergevin.

Players to Watch – Josh Anderson - Anderson was traded from the Blue Jackets, trading spots with Max Domi, before quickly signing a massive (especially given the covid era) contract for 7-years, at $5.4MM per year. He can score 25-30 goals and could bring that finish that this team needs. This is a big gamble and it’s always fun to watch these moves play out, for better or worse.

Jake Allen - Backup goalie will be watched because the Habs now have the most money tied up in the goaltending position at $15MM. Will this be worth it? Allen does give the team a capable back up to take the net when their HoF goalie Price is taking a breather and might be the key to unlocking a long season for this team.

My Prediction - While it could be recency bias from what I have seen in the first couple games here, but I really like this team. This team has a solid mix of truculence and speed/finesse that makes this a very dangerous team. They have the world's best goaltender of our era in Carey Price, who has been trending well since the bubble. I like this team's chances in making playoffs and putting up a fight for the semi-final round berth.

#3 Vancouver Canucks

2019-20 Season – The Nucks finished their 2020 season with a 36-27-6 record, good for 4th in the Pacific Division and 6th in the Western Conference. They cracked a playoff spot for the first time in 4 seasons and managed to make a 2nd round berth before losing to the Golden Knights in a hard fought 7-game series. Offensively, there wasn't much wrong with this team who ranked 8th with a 3.25 GPG while ranking 4th on the PP with a 24.2% clip. Elias Pettersson notched 27 goals and 66 points in 68 games. Quinn Hughes showed his skill, netting 53 points in 68 games, and was a close 2nd for the Calder Trophy. Defensively, the team struggled with some injuries and ranked 19th in GAPG at 3.10. At 5v5, the team ranked 29th in shots against per game and 30th in scoring chances against. Goaltending here was underpinned by a strong season from Jacob Markstrom, although he was lost in the offseason. The then backup situation was decent at best, with the 24-year-old Tatcher Demko posting a 3.066 GAA and .905SV%, though lit it up in the bubble.

Outlook for 2021 - The team has a lot of firepower up front, due to a lineup that includes Pettersson, Brock Boeser, and captain Bo Horvat. They have JT Miller, coming off a breakout season and will get another season from former King Tanner Pearson. The team lost Tyler Toffoli but did so to strengthen the back end. On the backend, Quinn Hughes lit up league on the offensive side of the puck, but his defensive stats were a bit questionable, which is to be expected of a young d-man. The team added Tyler Myers in free agency, who's a strong veteran and added Nate Schmidt, who's a very quality defender as well. With Alex Edler, this top 4 core is very quality, but the bottom pairing is the question mark. Goaltending wise, the team saw Markstrom move on and instead signed veteran Brayden Holtby, who's seen a bit of a decline since his Stanley cup win in 2018, and even during that regular season

Players to Watch – Holtby/Demko - Markstrom could very well have been a Vezina finalist and is now gone. Tatcher Demko had a spectacular post season, but less than stellar regular season. Holtby, while a Stanely Cup Champ, is regressing. This tandem will need to challenge each other and bring a level that can support this young, fast, and capable team, especially if defense ends up being shaky.

Elias Pettersson – Pettersson has been such a highlight for the Canucks since he set foot in the NHL. He's played for 2 years, but it feels like a lot longer because he's been elite from the get-go. He's a dynamic player to watch who can make plays, has one of the best shot releases in the league, and is just an all-around elite talent that alone is worth the price of admission.

My Prediction - This is a fun team to watch, much like the rest of the Northern Division. They have a young offensive core that gels very well together, are extremely lethal on the powerplay, and are so strong down the middle. I question some defensive guys given their age. Quinn Hughes is a revelation, but I don’t know if he's enough to offset the question marks. I don't know what goaltending I will get so that is concerning for me in regard to a deep playoff run, but this team, I think will make the playoffs at 3rd place.

#4 Calgary Flames

2019-2020 Season – The Flames finished the season with a 36-27-7 record, which was good for 4th in the Pacific and 8th in the Western Conference, which would have been good for the last wildcard team in a regular playoff format. Their time in the bubble was cut short in the 1st round of the playoffs when they got eliminated in 6 games to the Dallas Stars. Offensively, this team ranked 20th with 2.91 GPG, and hovered near the bottom 5 before finishing strong at the end. Their PP clicked at 21.2% for a 12th place rank. Their advanced stats suggested they were getting the chances as they ranked 5th in scoring chances, just couldn’t finish. Defensively, this team finished middle of the pack averaging 3.06 GAPG. Their 5v5 play was not helpful as they ranked 29th in scoring chances against. Goaltending was led by David Rittich and Cam Talbot, the latter of which is gone. Rittich worked a 2.97GAA and .907SV% season, but fell apart in February, where he turned a 3.65GAA and .887SV% on 10 starts, losing the net to Talbot.

Outlook for 2021 - The team has a set of forwards that are capable of scoring with the likes of Sean Monahan, Johnny Gaudreau, Elias Lindholm, and the turtle Matthew Tkachuk. Johnny G has had a dip in production, but this core group of players have been successful in the past. Defensively, the Flames lost Travis Hamonic, but replaced him with Chris Tanev and made some other depth moves to turnover this aging squad. Captain Mark Giordano leads the back end. It’s a question how this squad will fair this season. The Flames biggest move of the offseason was nabbing Jacob Markstrom from Free Agency and will share the net with David Rittich. This should be a close to equal share of the net and Markstrom and normal Rittich are quality net minders.

Player to Watch – Matthew Tkachuck - I personally hate this guy, but largely it’s because he's the biggest pest to play against, especially in the Battle of Alberta. He is scrappy, he's annoying but has tons of talent and skill. He’s a proven 30-goal scorer, 70-point player, so what else can he do?

Johnny Gaudreau - Johnny Hockey is still in his prime years, and signed to a team friendly deal. However, his production is very volatile on a team that needs consistency. Watch him try and bounce back on the score sheet early and often.

My Prediction - This team, I expect, will have a resurgence in goaltending and thus defensive numbers will improve. I am a Johnny G fan and really cheer for him to turn a corner and be an impact player. I also expect to see improvement from the other core forwards that will help them win games against high-octane teams in the North. I expect a playoff berth for this squad.

#5 Winnipeg Jets

2019-20 Season – The Jets finished last season with a 37-28-6 record, good for 5th in the Central Division and 9th in the Western Conference. They struggled in the bubble off the bat as they had to play without Patrik Laine and Mark Scheifele just one game into the bubble, and ended up losing to Calgary in the qualifier. The Jets are scoring beasts, at least they were before last year. Coming from the 3rd ranked offense in 2019, the team regressed to below average with a 3.00 GPG. They regressed to 25th in shots for per game on 5v5 play. Defensively, this team was decimated from game 1 as the team was without big man Dustin Byfuglien as well as losing key players to free agency and trades. They, somehow, ranked 10th in GPG at 2.83, but their advanced stats suggest they had no business in that spot. They ranked 26th in shots against per game and 24th in scoring chances against. What saved this team? Connor Hellebuyck, who deserved an MVP nomination for his performance, and did in fact win the Vezina. He worked a 2.57 GAA and .922SV%, ranking 11th and 5th, respectively. His back was hurting after that season, figuratively, and he is only 27 years old.

Outlook for 2021 - Patrik Laine seems to be staying for now, but question marks will surround him. Nonetheless, the team added veteran Paul Stastny to help shore up the forward group. This is a quality group that should be able to net a bounce back, if healthy, but they will need to bring it all. Defensively, the team has Josh Morrissey, an underrated defender, and Neal Poink, among addition Derek Forbort on the depth side. This suggests we have an improved group here with the likes of Dylan Demelo re-signing as well. After all, they are improving on fairly weak numbers. Starting goaltending wise, little question marks here as Connor Hellebuyck will be there for a while. Laurent Brossoit will back him up who turned in a weak 3.28 GAA and .896%, so perhaps those 25 games that Hellebuyck is not playing is the major question marks.

Players to Watch – Patrik Laine - This guy is intriguing if only because we don't know what is going to happen with him and the Jets. The player has made his feelings clear that he wants out but is entering the final year his current contract where the Jets will own his rights for the next one. He can score though, and score in bunches, so it’s a wonder if the Jets can afford to lose this guy.

Connor Hellebuyck - No team in the NHL has leaned on their goaltender more than the Jets the past three seasons. He has faced an ungodly amount of minute and rubber, leading the league over that time in pure minutes and games played along with shots faced. He is a star and is amazingly fun to watch.

My Prediction - The Jets used to be very scary, they could score in bunches and they couldn't let anything in. I do think last year was a bit of a fluke, but I do not think they are as good as they were two years ago either, somewhere in the middle. Therefore I have them on the outside looking in, but when you're in the most competitive division in the league, one good string of games could be the difference between golfing and playing hockey come May.

#6 Edmonton Oilers

2019-20 Season – The Oilers finished the season with a 37-25-9 record, good for 2nd in the Pacific Division and 5th in the Western Conference. The team looked very good before the pause, but they entered the bubble and got upset by the Chicago Blackhawks, in only 4 games. Offensively, this team ranked 14th in offense, despite having the top two scorers in the league. They excelled on the powerplay at a 29.5%, best in the league and among the best in league history. Depth scoring was very weak, however, and they ranked below average in 5v5 stats. Defensively, this team had its ups and downs. They finished 17th overall in defense with a 3.04 GAPG, though were stellar on the road, ranking 3rd. Goaltending wasn't robust, with veteran Mike Smith earning a 2.95 GAA and .902SV% and Mikko Koskinen earning a better but not great 2.75 GAA and .917SV%.

Outlook for 2021 - This team is led by the greatest player on the planet currently in Connor McDavid and a top-5 player in Leon Draisaitl. Both have fought to earn the Art Ross trophy in multiple seasons, and Leon is coming off a Hart Trophy season himself. That said, the scoring stops after the top 2 lines, which is an issue. The team attempted to offset the depth issues through key signings, but those remain to be seen, currently. On the defensive side, the team will be without their best defender in Oscar Klefbom, who ate 25:25 of average ice time, 5th in the league, and against tough opponents. They brought in notable D-man Tyson Barrie to bring some offensive potential, while hopefully brining average defending too. Their depth of the defensive side consists of young set of players who are just finding their way. The team will be sticking with Mikko Koskinen, though the backup situation is in question as Mike Smith is on LTIR. Stuart Skinner may take his place from Bakersfield, but he has not NHL experience and there other options out on the market.

Players to Watch – Connor McDavid - There's very few players that simple make audiences lose their breath when they play, and McDavid is that player. His combination of speed and raw talent is unlike anything else in the league. He's must watch tv for anyone who likes hockey.

Tyson Barrie - This guy was signed two a 1-year "show me" deal. He comes in as the new quarterback of an already lethal power play but also brings some ability 5v5 on the offensive side. It will be interesting if he can bring the necessary defensive help and unlock his offensive potential in this change of scenery experiment.

My Prediction - I am the biggest Oiler fan you will probably know, and I don't see this team as a playoff team. They lack some depth scoring, albeit some of it was addressed. Their defensive core has shown to be weak and unreliable but do have their moments. They are young and learning to find their stride in this league. The biggest question mark for me is the goaltending. Mikko Koskinen is solid but not lights out and in a division that has some of the best netminders in the game, it’s hard to expect this team to make playoffs, even with the best players on the planet.

#7 Ottawa Senators

2019-20 Season – The Ottawa Senators finished another disappointing season, finishing 25-34-12, 7th in the Atlantic, and 15th in the Eastern Conference. The Senators have been in all-out rebuild mode for the last couple seasons. Offensively the team struggled again, ranking 24th with a 2.68 GPG average. Brady Tkachuk was their highlight, scoring 44 points last season, following up a 45-point season just before. Defensively, the team struggling as well, ranking 30th with a 3.35 GAPG average, only beating the Red Wings. Goaltending wise the team has completely changed its guard so any prior discussion would be moot at this point.

Outlook for 2021 - This team lost two of their top scorers in Jean-G Pageau and Anthony Duclair but still have Brady Tkachuk, future captain I am sure of it. They added many pieces, though nothing of value besides Tim Stutzle from the 2020 draft. This kid lit it up in the world juniors for Germany, netting 10 points in 5 games. Quality offenses are built down the middle and the team doesn't have a number 1 or number 2 center right now, which isn't good. Defensively, the team has changed its back end corps, but it remains to be seen how they will fair. They are younger but inexperienced. They do have elite D-man Thomas Chabot, who led the league in minutes per game at 26. Goaltending wise, the team will be going with Matt Murray, former two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Penguins. The years since the last cup haven't been kind to the kid, getting outplayed by Tristan Jarry as he worked to a 2.87 GAA and .899SV% last season, a notable regression. He has the keys to the net in Ottawa now and will be sharing the house with Anders Nilsson as his backup.

Players to Watch – Matt Murray - The Sens wanted a long-term solution in net and they went all in on Murray. He has a strong resume and fairly solid career numbers, but his play as of late raises eyebrows. The question remains if he can bring back his old self.

Thomas Chabot – This player is a Sens cornerstone, and turns 24 this season. He is becoming one of the most productive offensive defensemen in the league, sitting among the top 15 in total points and points per game. He has defensive stats to improve but he's a huge guy to watch here.

My Prediction - This is another rebuilding team; all teams go through it. The Sens have brought in many players in an effort to turn things around. I actually like the Matt Murray signing as I think he was treated a big unfairly in Pittsburgh, much like what happened when he was soaring, and they tossed Fleury out. He is going to want to earn his contract. I like this team to improve but the Canadian division will be tough enough, I don’t expect anything better than 7th place here.

Thank you for tuning in every week to see my previews of the NHL Division. This will be a very fun season to watch and it will be a battle each and every night. Enjoy the season!

NHL Preview - Scotia Northern Division