Prediction for NA, EU and the Cup

[Da_Berr 219]

S75 has just started, and it's been a wild start. EU this season looks like the more competitive division this year by far. A big storyline this season is the expansion teams starting to take off, at least those in the EU. When we first had the expansion draft in S73, we saw two main strategies coming from the four expansion teams. London and Warsaw both took the future approach, valuing future picks and young prospects over proven players, and it has finally started working out for them. They are both leading the EU this season, with London in front with 14 points and Warsaw following with 13 points. Something to note is that London also has played the least amount of games with only 9, tied with Chicago and LA. So far it's still too hard to say who will end up making the playoffs in the EU, as all the teams are only 4 points apart. So far, there is only one team in the EU with a below 0.500 win percentage, which is Riga, who's in a rebuild. If I had to guess one team from the EU who would be the favourite to win the cup, it would have to be Warsaw. Compared to my second pick, London, they both have very similar depth, but Warsaw has a much better goalie with Ajay Krishna. 

 

In the NA, we have a much larger gap from first to last. One of the reasons for that is the insane start that Seattle has had so far. In 11 games, they have 10 wins, 1 loss, 20 points and a goal differential of +25. They are by far the best team this season and looks like they will continue their rampage for the rest of the season. With 4 forwards all over 700 TPA and 1 over 1000 TPA, their high flying offence is what has been propelling them to the top of the league. Their defence and goalies are nothing to scoff at either, with both being better than average. With their record, they are 8 points ahead of the next NA team, who are at 12 points. VAN, DC, and CGY are all tied for second in the NA with 12 points each, although it is worth noting that CGY has played 1 more game than the other 2. Past the top 4, the rest of the NA has been struggling. Unlike the EU, where both expansion teams are thriving, Chicago and LA have been stuck in the bottom 4 with a respective 8 and 3 points each. To put into perspective how much stronger the EU is overall, the worst team in the EU, Riga, is still better than the 5th place team in the NA, Toronto. I'd say the top four teams in the EU are almost set in stone this season, and Seattle is by far the top team in NA. 

 

Overall I'd say that Seattle is the favourite to win the cup. Not only do they have top-end talent but also depth. With that, they aren't lacking in any position.

[Banackock 8,160]

I like this prediction.