The Chicago Blackhawks have signed defenseman Brandon Davidson to a one-year contract, the team announced Thursday.

The 27-year-old had had been attending Chicago's training camp on a professional tryout offer.

Davidson suited up for the Montreal Canadiens, Edmonton Oilers, and New York Islanders in 2017-18.

"I think he's one of those defensemen I appreciate because he's real steady and predictable," head coach Joel Quenneville told ChicagoBlackhawks.com's Chris Wescott. "A little bit of everything, in every area, he's not bad in. I think that consistency is something and knowing what you're going to get out of a guy on the back end is usually a good sign."

There's opportunity for Davidson on the Blackhawks' bottom pairing, particularly with fellow defender Connor Murphy sidelined for at least eight weeks.

In 152 career appearances, Davidson has tallied nine goals and 13 assists.

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If hockey fans didn't find Gritty terrifying before, they will after seeing this photo series featuring the Philadelphia Flyers' new mascot.

The photoshops are the work of Pittsburgh viral media company Benstonium.

Since he was unveiled by the Flyers on Monday, Gritty has also sparked a GoFundMe campaign and inspired a new beer called "Nightmare Fuel."

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Legendary broadcaster Bob Cole will be back in the booth for one final go around this season, Sportsnet announced on Thursday.

The 85-year-old will be on the mic for 10 games - starting with the Montreal Canadiens versus the Pittsburgh Penguins on Oct. 6 - during the first half of the schedule, marking his 50th season on Hockey Night in Canada.

"Hockey has been my passion for as long as I can remember," Cole said. "It's been an honor and a privilege serving Canadian hockey fans across the country and being part of the Hockey Night in Canada institution. I'm looking forward to getting to the rinks for this last season, seeing familiar faces and getting out there to do what I love most in the world."

Cole is a member of the Order of Canada and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a recipient of the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award in 1996.

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Divisions:
Pacific (Sep. 28) | Central
Atlantic (Oct. 1) | Metropolitan (Oct. 2)

One Central Division squad made waves with a significant trade and several other clubs locked up key players to long-term deals, but the rest of the group didn't make many earth-shattering moves over the summer.

Here's how each Central club fared this offseason:

Some contract figures are reported. Most players on two-way deals have been omitted. Total contract value does not include bonuses.

Chicago Blackhawks

Key arrivals

Key departures

Rookies who could crack the lineup

Re-signed: N/A

Given the uncertainty surrounding Corey Crawford, landing a reliable backup goaltender was paramount for Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman this offseason. The Cam Ward signing made sense then, even if he's 34 years old and well past his prime.

However, aside from that move and the less-than-inspiring additions of Kunitz and Manning, the Blackhawks were fairly quiet over the summer. They were forced to part with Hinostroza, a promising but unproven forward, to offload Hossa's contract.

Adam Boqvist and Victor Ejdsell won't start the season with Chicago, but the future appears bright for the two Swedish prospects.

Grade: C

Colorado Avalanche

Key arrivals

Key departures

Rookies who could crack the lineup

Re-signed

Like the Blackhawks, the Avalanche needed goaltending depth, but the difference in Colorado is that Grubauer will challenge Semyon Varlamov for the starting role.

Acquiring Grubauer and veteran defenseman Brooks Orpik (who Colorado immediately bought out) from the Washington Capitals for the 47th pick in June's draft (forward Kody Clark) was a smart move by Avalanche GM Joe Sakic, given Varlamov's injury concerns and Grubauer's stellar play in Washington while spelling Braden Holtby.

Cole is a solid depth defenseman, and Calvert similarly reinforces the forward group.

Grade: B-

Dallas Stars

Key arrivals

Key departures

Rookies who could crack the lineup

Re-signed

Stars GM Jim Nill had a busy offseason, making his biggest move in September when he inked Seguin to a long-term extension not long after the superstar said he was disappointed with the lack of negotiations over the summer.

Seguin has one year left on his current deal, but getting him signed for the long haul was Nill's top priority, The star center will have a deeper supporting cast this season with the return of Nichushkin, and with the highly touted Heiskanen seemingly ready to play a big role on the back end.

Grade: B

Minnesota Wild

Key arrivals

Key departures

Rookies who could crack the lineup

Re-signed

New Wild GM Paul Fenton didn't make any big splashes on the free-agent market in his first offseason with Minnesota. But he did lock up a few key players for the long run in Dumba and Zucker.

The Wild have a solid veteran core, but it's aging, as Mikko Koivu is 35, Zach Parise is 34, Eric Staal will turn 34 in October, and Ryan Suter will do the same in January. It remains to be seen whether Fenton did enough this summer to account for that.

Grade: C+

Nashville Predators

Key arrivals

Key departures

Rookies who could crack the lineup

Re-signed

The Predators' primary goal this offseason was the Ellis extension, and while it's a bit lengthy and not exactly cheap, there's no denying how important the bearded blue-liner is to Nashville's defensive corps.

Predators GM David Poile now has three of his top four on the back end locked up through 2021-22.

Poile didn't have to do anything extreme this summer. His two biggest offseason priorities were further securing his core by getting Ellis signed, and making sure Saros, the heir apparent to veteran goaltender Pekka Rinne, was taken care of, too. He did both, and the Predators - who were already a Stanley Cup contender - are solidified as a result.

Tolvanen won't start the season with Nashville following a disappointing camp, but a strong showing in the AHL should earn him a ticket back to the Music City before long.

Grade: A-

St. Louis Blues

Key arrivals

Key departures

Rookies who could crack the lineup

Re-signed

GM Doug Armstrong used both the trade route and free agency to solidify the Blues' forward group, landing O'Reilly in a blockbuster with the Sabres and adding Bozak, Perron, and Maroon on the open market.

He also replaced backup goaltender Hutton with the less expensive Johnson.

St. Louis may not be the best team in the Central Division, but it definitely did the most to improve and could finally be primed for a breakthrough.

Grade: A

Winnipeg Jets

Key arrivals

Key departures

Rookies who could crack the lineup

Re-signed

Losing Stastny in a bidding war with the Golden Knights and letting Trouba go to arbitration undoubtedly hurt for Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff. But he did get Wheeler, Hellebuyck, and Morrissey signed to new deals at relatively reasonable rates and terms.

Paying Wheeler until he's 37 years old isn't ideal, but removing Mason's $4.1-million cap hit from Winnipeg's books helps in the short term.

Grade: B+

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Winnipeg Jets superstar Mark Scheifele envisions a lengthy career for himself because of his meticulously crafted diet and an unrelenting love for the game.

"I want to play until I'm 40," Scheifele told ESPN's Emily Kaplan. "That's my goal. There are so many opportunities now to innovate to get a little bit of an edge, and I'd love exploring that. Doing the right things now will affect me 10 years from now and will give me the longevity to play until I'm old."

Scheifele's mission is sounding similar to the goals made by 41-year-old New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. Brady also cites his regimented diet as one of the reasons he feels several good years are still ahead for him.

"Tom Brady is the best in the world and only seems to be getting better with age," Scheifele said. "Why wouldn't I want to learn from him?"

Scheifele is 25 years old, and he's developed into one of the NHL's top producers. Over his last two seasons, he's registered 142 points in 139 games, cementing his status as one of the league's elite with 14 goals in 17 playoff games over the spring.

Scheifele has a long way to go and is aiming high with his goals. Entering the 2018-19 season, only two players in the NHL - Matt Cullen and Zdeno Chara - are 40-plus years old and still playing.

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Winnipeg Jets superstar Mark Scheifele envisions a lengthy career for himself because of his meticulously crafted diet and an unrelenting love for the game.

"I want to play until I'm 40," Scheifele told ESPN's Emily Kaplan. "That's my goal. There are so many opportunities now to innovate to get a little bit of an edge, and I'd love exploring that. Doing the right things now will affect me 10 years from now and will give me the longevity to play until I'm old."

Scheifele's mission is sounding similar to the goals made by 41-year-old New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. Brady also cites his regimented diet as one of the reasons he feels several good years are still ahead for him.

"Tom Brady is the best in the world and only seems to be getting better with age," Scheifele said. "Why wouldn't I want to learn from him?"

Scheifele is 25 years old, and he's developed into one of the NHL's top producers. Over his last two seasons, he's registered 142 points in 139 games, cementing his status as one of the league's elite with 14 goals in 17 playoff games over the spring.

Scheifele has a long way to go and is aiming high with his goals. Entering the 2018-19 season, only two players in the NHL - Matt Cullen and Zdeno Chara - are 40-plus years old and still playing.

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We're officially one week away from puck drop for the 2018-19 NHL campaign.

To help ring in the new season, we're predicting point totals for every team. Here are the 15 Western Conference clubs.

(All point totals are taken from Bookmaker.eu; be sure to shop around for the best numbers available.)

Anaheim Ducks

Pick: Under 94.5 points

The Ducks were below average in scoring last season, but they made up for that in the crease with John Gibson. And given the team just lost Corey Perry for roughly five months due to knee injuries, Gibson will likely have to carry the load once again.

Perry's injury is another big blow to an offense that's still waiting to get back Ryan Kesler and Patrick Eaves after respective setbacks. Added together, I don't think Gibson can bail out the team for a second straight year.

Arizona Coyotes

Pick: Over 82.5 points

So much for the leap forward.

If fresh blood and Year 2 under new management was a call for improvement, Arizona was disappointing in 2017-18. But, after finishing somewhat strong, there's reason to believe a step forward is right on the doorstep. Seeing as the season finished with 70 points, it'd be tough not to take it.

There are certainly some "ifs" with Arizona, too. If Antti Raanta can perform even close to as well as he did last season, if Clayton Keller and Christian Dvorak can make strides, if the Coyotes can stay healthy - especially on the blue line - then sure, why not? You're not asking for more than a couple lucky bounces and a slight improvement from the 'Yotes.

#TrustInChayka.

Calgary Flames

Pick: Under 94.5 points

Take away the offseason moves and I'd probably be on the opposite side of the fence with the Flames. Whether shipping out Dougie Hamilton, Micheal Ferland, and Adam Fox to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Noah Hanifin and Elias Lindholm was a knee-jerk reaction or a deal the Flames thought would benefit them long term, I thought Calgary should have stayed put.

The Flames still have the talent to improve on their 84-point total from a season ago, but I don't think they'll be 11 points better.

Chicago Blackhawks

Pick: Over 85.5 points

It's not easy being a Blackhawks fan - going from watching a dynasty blossom before your eyes to seeing your core get older and all that success blow away in a single year.

Even still, Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews pack a scoring punch (albeit while facing age-related declines), Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Sikura are youngsters who can be productive, and Brandon Saad is an offensive factor.

But the defense? Whew. The goaltending? Chicago's going to need Corey Crawford to thrive in the worst way.

Overall, the Blackhawks fell off hard last season. It was the first real nosedive after rattling off three Cup wins in six years, and has many people thinking the team is officially a bottom-feeder in the NHL.

I don't think it's that bad. Not yet, at least.

Colorado Avalanche

Pick: Under 88.5 points

I'm not breaking new ground here by pointing out that the Avalanche, to some degree, will regress in 2018. Expected goals, shot share, and other metrics are calling for a huge downturn for Colorado - to the extent that projecting a team that posted 95 points last season to go under 88.5 isn't exactly "sharp" in this sense.

Dallas Stars

Pick: Over 94.5 points

The entire Stars offense should have been pasted on the back of every milk carton in Dallas last season. After enjoying a lot of past success, the scoring completely dropped off under one-and-done head coach Ken Hitchcock, who's since been replaced by Jim Montgomery.

The style of play last season completely wrung the talent from the Stars' cloth, and I'd be surprised if the drop-off in offensive production continues in 2018-19.

Edmonton Oilers

Pick: Over 89.5 points

Edmonton was nothing more than a paper tiger last season. After posting 103 points and losing a tough second-round series in 2016-17, the huge expected jump never materialized. Instead, the Oilers fell flat with a 78-point campaign.

Edmonton will likely split those two numbers this season - and given this point total has been driven down in most shops, I'll take the over.

Los Angeles Kings

Pick: Under 91.5 points

Los Angeles is being judged as a so-so team, and it sounds about right. As good as the top six is, the bottom six absolutely isn't. Drew Doughty and Jake Muzzin tote the load on the blue line, but the talent level takes a huge dip from there. On the other hand, the Kings won the Ilya Kovalchuk sweepstakes and still have Jonathan Quick between the pipes, so those are two pluses.

It's a tight number for a team with some volatility. I'll take the under.

Minnesota Wild

Pick: Under 95.5 points

The Wild are essentially the Washington Capitals of the West, to a lesser degree. The annual aspirations might not be as high, but if there was an award given to teams that consistently make the playoffs and lose in the first round, the Wild's trophy case would be full.

Unless Minnesota goes all-in at the trade deadline, I'm not sure how a team that made no significant roster additions can expect to be in the thick of things.

Nashville Predators

Pick: Over 104.5

Let's make this short and sweet - the Predators are going to clean up in the Central and compete with the Sharks to represent the Western Conference in the Stanley Cup Final.

St. Louis Blues

Pick: Over 96.5 points

I'll join the masses on the St. Louis hype train. The Blues put up an extremely quiet 94 points last season, and pass the "on paper" test with flying colors after making some offseason additions. If the main concern is goaltending - the Blues are fine elsewhere - I'll pay to find out.

San Jose Sharks

Pick: Over 101.5 points

Erik Karlsson! Erik freakin' Karlsson! The addition of the superstar defenseman has obviously affected the market, but I'm not sure it matters given the competition (or lack thereof) within the division.

Vancouver Canucks

Pick: Under 75.5 points

A changing of the guard and a roster flush with youth is expected to turn the Canucks in the right direction. I'll still call for at least one more year of toiling away in the basement of the West before the team starts turning heads.

Vegas Golden Knights

Pick: Under 99.5 points

Remember when the Golden Knights hit their point total by like, October last season? Sheesh, what the franchise did in Year 1 was Team Building 101.

I don't think the Golden Knights are in for a regression that will send them out of the postseason completely, but it's going to be extremely difficult to match the production they got last season from certain players.

I verbally shouted, "Give me the Vegas point total 'under,' whatever the number is next season," once the horn sounded in the Stanley Cup Final. I'm not rescinding my choice.

Winnipeg Jets

Pick: Under 105.5 points

Winnipeg had been scratching the surface of something special, and finally broke through last season with 114 points.

The Jets are still extremely talented, but the difference between them and the other contenders in the West is that Winnipeg's roster makeup is lopsided. Of course, there's so much scoring to go around that it might be enough to overshadow the holes on the left side of the defense.

Or, maybe it won't. I'll sell high on Winnipeg.

Alex Kolodziej is theScore's betting writer. He's a graduate of Eastern Illinois who has been involved in the sports betting industry for 11 years. He can quote every line from "Rounders" and appreciates franchises that regularly wear alternate jerseys. Find him on Twitter @AlexKoIodziej.

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Leading up to the start of the 2018-19 season, theScore will be counting down the top 100 players in the game today, as voted on by four of our NHL editors. We'll reveal 10 players every weekday until the top 10 is unveiled on Oct. 3.

100-91 | 90-81 | 80-71 | 70-61 | 60-51 | 50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21 | 20-11 | 10-1

50. John Carlson, Capitals

Carlson led all NHL defensemen with 68 points last season. He wasn't a Norris Trophy finalist, but if a similar award was handed out for postseason play, he would've been the recipient after recording 20 points in 24 games during the Washington Capitals' championship run. He may not be a prototypical shutdown No. 1 defender, but Carlson is one of the top power-play quarterbacks. -- Wegman

49. Sean Couturier, Flyers

Last season's breakout star, Couturier exploded with 31 goals and 76 points in 2017-18, obliterating his previous career single-season bests (he reached 39 points twice previously). He's been heralded for his defensive abilities, and adding high-end offensive production makes him one of the league's most valuable pivots. -- O'Leary

48. Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Coyotes

Since the departure of Shane Doan, Ekman-Larsson has been the face of the Arizona Coyotes. Over the last five seasons, he ranks second in goals by defensemen, behind only Brent Burns. He's now the Coyotes' captain and will look to finally lead his team out of the league's basement this season.-- Hagerman

47. John Gibson, Ducks

Gibson was one of the league's best goalies in 2017-18, and arguably the Ducks' most important player. He was his team's best penalty killer, too, leading the NHL with a .919 save percentage while down a man. He also finished second in the league in goals saved above average, according to Corsica. At 25 years old, the sky is the limit for this uber-athletic netminder. -- Wegman

46. Braden Holtby, Capitals

Holtby had the worst regular season of his career in 2017-18, but a March "reset" helped him return to form. He didn't look back, helping lead the Capitals to Stanley Cup glory. The regular-season woes were concerning, but Holtby's steady - and at times brilliant - play in the postseason proved he's still one of the NHL's elite goalies. -- Gold-Smith

45. Phil Kessel, Penguins

Hilarious personality aside, Kessel just flat-out produces year after year. Last season was his best yet, as he led the league with 42 power-play points while also establishing a new career high with 92 total points. He suited up in every game for the eighth consecutive season - an underrated aspect of his value. -- O'Leary

44. Alex Pietrangelo, Blues

Pietrangelo is an excellent skater with great size, and he has the skills and smarts to excel at both ends of the ice while exhibiting all the qualities of a No. 1 defenseman. He's coming off a career year despite playing without Jay Bouwmeester, his longtime defensive partner, for most of the season. With an improved supporting cast, Pietrangelo is a dark horse for this year's Norris Trophy. -- Wegman

43. Nicklas Backstrom, Capitals

Backstrom isn't a No. 1 center now thanks to Evgeny Kuznetsov's emergence in Washington. But he still plays like one and would occupy that role on many other teams. The 30-year-old's production dipped last season, but he still poured in 71 points, drove possession, trailed only Alex Ovechkin among Capitals forwards in ice time, and won 51.2 percent of his faceoffs. -- Gold-Smith

42. Pekka Rinne, Predators

Rinne is the reigning Vezina Trophy winner. In 2017-18, he posted his third 40-plus win season along with a .927 save percentage and a 2.31 goals-against average. He also posted the fifth-best goals saved above average. Since the 2008-09 season, Rinne has produced the third-most wins behind only Marc-Andre Fleury and Henrik Lundqvist. -- Hagerman

41. Mathew Barzal, Islanders

Barzal simply dazzled during his rookie campaign, capturing the Calder Trophy with an 85-point effort. Barzal is expected to step up and lead the Islanders offensively now that John Tavares is in Toronto. Whether he can follow up his first-year performance as the club's top dog is one of the more intriguing storylines heading into the upcoming season. -- O'Leary

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Pierre Dorion shed light Thursday on the Ottawa Senators' decision to place veteran forward Zack Smith on waivers earlier this week.

"We knew that if we let the team know we are not going to accept what happened last (season), including how Zack played, that hopefully the message would be passed to the room," the club's general manager told TSN's Brent Wallace.

Dorion stressed that it wasn't easy, but Smith's play justified the move.

"It was probably the toughest discussion I have ever had with a player." the GM said. "Zack is a high-character person. He is (the) heart and soul of that dressing room, but at the same time, it was performance related."

Smith cleared waivers on Wednesday after being placed on the wire the day before. He'll play for the Senators on Thursday night in their preseason game against the Chicago Blackhawks.

The 30-year-old has three years left on his contract at a cap hit of $3.25 million. He managed five goals and 19 points last season.

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We're officially one week away from puck drop for the 2018-19 NHL campaign.

To help ring in the new season, we're predicting point totals for every team. So, without further ado, here are the 16 Eastern Conference clubs:

(All point totals are taken from Bookmaker.eu; be sure to shop around for the best numbers available.)

Boston Bruins

Pick: Under 101.5 points

After underlying numbers suggested an uptick for the Bruins following a 95-point 2016-17 season, Boston did just that, surging to 110 points and second in the Atlantic behind an elite top line and a dash of youth movement within the bottom-six forward group and the blue line.

This is one of the tighter numbers right out of the gate. With a gun to my head, I'll bet against the Bruins, or in this case, Tuukka Rask, who isn't exactly trending in the right direction.

Buffalo Sabres

Pick: Over 80.5 points

When you finish in the NHL basement, you make changes. The Sabres did just that, bringing in wingers Conor Sheary (trade) and Jeff Skinner (trade) and netminder Carter Hutton (free agency), while shipping out Ryan O'Reilly.

Oh, and that Rasmus Dahlin fella should be a pretty decent building block for a future that also includes 20-somethings Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart.

Contender? Hardly. But I'll gamble on the Sabres' revamp.

Carolina Hurricanes

Pick: Under 86.5 points

It seems the Hurricanes have been the perennial sleeper among the public for years now, to no avail. They still own the longest playoff drought in the NHL.

They're also another franchise that opted for changes over the summer. The 'Canes shipped out Skinner, Elias Lindholm, and Noah Hanifin, and brought in Dougie Hamilton and Calvin de Haan.

The good news is Scott Darling probably can't get worse between the pipes than he was in his first season with the franchise. Then again, where the scoring will come from is the burning question. The Hurricanes have finished bottom 10 in scoring in each of the past five seasons and are now banking on youngsters like Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen to take bigger leaps with Skinner out the door.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Pick: Over 96.5 points

Columbus will soon have to deal with the situations of star winger Artemi Panarin and two-time Vezina winner Sergei Bobrovsky, who are both eligible for unrestricted free agency next summer. Still, the Jackets are rife with talent up top - with Panarin, Cam Atkinson, and Pierre-Luc Dubois - and have capable goal-scorers on the blue line in Zach Werenski and Seth Jones. The total is ambitious, but I think they'll get there.

Detroit Red Wings

Pick: Over 75.5 points

When Anthony Mantha is your best player in terms of value, you'll struggle to find wins. That's not to discredit Mantha, but to stress just how short on talent Detroit is.

The defense is old. The bottom six is an island of misfit toys. For the Red Wings to at least be fun, they'll need to squeeze out every ounce of scoring from guys like Thomas Vanek and Andreas Athanasiou.

I don't trust the Red Wings to magically spike in the East, but I sure as hell trust this franchise's current position and how it will treat the upcoming season more than, say, the New York Rangers.

Florida Panthers

Pick: Under 93.5 points

Is Florida the best bad team in the division? Or the worst good team?

The Panthers should be right in the middle of the Atlantic again in 2018-19 - a notch below the Lightning, Bruins, and Maple Leafs, but above the non-contenders.

For the Panthers to succeed again following a 96-point season, you'd be betting on the top-six forward group, which is chock-full of scoring.

What I'm betting against here is the bottom six (yikes) and the expected decline of veteran goaltender Roberto Luongo behind what should be a questionable blue-line corps.

Montreal Canadiens

Pick: Under 80.5 points

I desperately want to find a reason to take this over based on everything the franchise has endured over the last few months. But, I just can't.

The offense would have struggled to score even with Max Pacioretty in the fold. Key players are out due to injury, and that includes Shea Weber, which puts an already suspect defense completely behind the eight ball. We saw last season how tough it was for Carey Price to stop pucks behind a below-average defense, and I wouldn't expect anything different in 2018-19.

New Jersey Devils

Pick: Under 90.5 points

Welcome to the Devils regression train; I'll be your conductor for this long, sad ride back to reality.

This team outperformed its projections last season by a mile thanks to MVP Taylor Hall. That's not to say New Jersey can't surpass this year's projected point total, but I'll take a stab and say the team comes way back down to earth ... or at minimum, under the Vegas total.

New York Islanders

Pick: Over 83.5 points

I still think the Islanders, an underachiever from a year ago, have a shot at nailing this over despite the loss of John Tavares.

There's still some scoring left over. The defense figures to be a middle-of-the-pack group that probably just needs to avoid being horrible. Barry Trotz is now behind the bench, and unless the Islanders start tearing down the walls at midseason, he should be able to get the most out of his roster.

New York Rangers

Pick: Under 75.5 points

Some pundits I respect still peg the Rangers as a team that can jump the low point total despite a talent-poor roster. It's clear which direction New York has chosen to head, and perhaps knowing the playoffs are an afterthought for now will actually help the franchise and new head coach David Quinn.

Or perhaps Henrik Lundqvist is finally on his decline following consecutive subpar seasons, and perhaps the Rangers will roll over with no motivation as a bottom-five team in the league.

Give me the latter, please.

Ottawa Senators

Pick: Under 69.5 points

Yeah, no thanks.

Philadelphia Flyers

Pick: Under 98.5 points

This team has been mired in mediocrity for a while now, but last season showed a glimmer of hope for the days to come in Philly. The roster contains skilled veterans, bright youth, and the elite defensive pairing of Shayne Gostisbehere and Ivan Provorov. But goaltending is a major concern, and is the one thing keeping the Flyers from an guaranteed jump in the standings.

Philadelphia still figures to be chasing Pittsburgh and Washington while keeping pace with the Blue Jackets. I'm just not ready to push my chips into the middle of the table.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Pick: Over 102.5 points

The Penguins are so good that they topped the 100-point mark (again) last season despite finishing in the bottom seven of the league in both five-on-five save percentage and shooting percentage. Unless 2018-19 is the year we start seeing wear and tear on Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Phil Kessel, this team is simply tough to bet against.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Pick: Over 107.5 points

You can point to distractions within the front office, the caliber of starting goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, how the postseason ended last year, expectations, injury concerns, and all that other jazz to explain why Tampa might disappoint in 2018-19

Still, there's too much talent on both offense and defense for me to pick against this team, even though some of the smarter guys out there are pegging the Lightning as a tad overrated.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Pick: Under 105.5 points

The youth movement brought in John Tavares to help solidify the Leafs as a true contender. The rich got a bit richer.

That is, offensively, and at the top.

Once you get past Tavares, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and Nazem Kadri, that's where the concern lies. Toronto might be built to simply try to score its way to the Cup, but what happens if it can't? There are still obvious weaknesses on this team - depth and essentially half the defense - and I think the number is a bit inflated due to Tavaras' arrival and offseason traction Toronto has gained.

Washington Capitals

Pick: Under 97.5

I like the Capitals, but I don't love them. Then again, that's usually how it goes with this team.

Washington had been so hard to trust in the past. It was a roster built for contention centered around the best goal-scorer in the world that couldn't make the big leap. The difference last season was once the Caps were written off and sold, they mowed through the postseason.

This season, the aging core is a bit older and the head coach (Trotz) is no longer in the fold. The Capitals are now the hunted, and I'd bet against them here post-Stanley Cup.

Alex Kolodziej is theScore's betting writer. He's a graduate of Eastern Illinois who has been involved in the sports betting industry for 11 years. He can quote every line from "Rounders" and appreciates franchises that regularly wear alternate jerseys. Find him on Twitter @AlexKoIodziej.

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