Before the start of the NHL season I made predictions about the season to come. Here are the results of those predictions:

Rookie Auston Matthews will lead the Maple Leafs to the Stanley cup.

To be fair this was mostly a joke, and as it turned out, a joke it was. Matthews did help the Leafs navigate to the postseason, but it didn’t last long. That being said the rookie has the potential to make things happen in the league, so make sure to watch him going forward.

Matthews will however win the Calder Memorial Trophy.

While the winner has yet to be announced, Matthews was listed as one of the three finalists and has a very decent chance at winning the award. At just 19 years of age, Matthews has the skills to make it big.

Pennsylvania is on the up.

I predicted that both Pennsylvania teams were playoff bound. Pittsburgh is currently making a run at their back-to-back Stanley Cups, but as for the Flyers? They missed the playoffs and were three spots off the wild-card slot. There is always next year for the Flyers but now is looking as good as ever for the Penguins.

The Calgary Flames and The Ottawa Senators will solely represent Canada in the postseason.

Canada had a rough go of it last season sending zero teams to the Stanley Cup playoffs. This season was a big improvement. Both the Flames and the Senators clinched playoff spots but they were accompanied by the Oilers, Leafs, and the Canadians as well. The Senators are the only team remaining (through Conference Finals). Needless to say, Canada is back.

Erik Karlsson will be assist leader in back to back seasons, this time exceeding 70 assists.

Karlsson is making this one interesting. At the end of the regular season he had 54 assists, I would have told you he had no chance of doing either. Connor McDavid hit 70 assists in the regular season and four more in postseason play. However Karlsson has assisted a staggering eleven postseason goals to raise his total to 65. This man is an assist machine, 10 more in playoff hockey to be overall leader is unlikely, but five to break 70? It is very very possible.

Holtby to win back to back Vezina Trophies

Again, the results will be determined after the school year is out, however, Holtby has been named as one of three finalists for the award. With more shutouts than the other finalists and a .925 save percentage Holtby has a decent chance at winning the award. Whether or not he wins the trophy, Holtby is no doubt one of the best net-tenders in the entire league.

The Columbus Blue Jackets will be the worst team in the entire league.

The Blue Jackets surprised the entire league this season winning 50 games, surging to the playoffs, finishing third in the Metropolitan, and going on one of the longest streaks in history. Their amazing season was unfortunately undone by a poor postseason, but things are looking bright in Columbus

Jaromir Jagr will be up to his old, old, old tricks.

While Jagr was not able to pass Messier on the all time points list, he still had a very respectable season. 46 points for a 45 year old man is incredible. Florida did not have a particularly great season so a strong offseason will be needed to build a team capable of going the distance. Regardless, Jagr will go down in history as one of the greatest players of all time.

Local Avs to reach playoffs.

This was far and away my worst prediction, the Avs were not bad, they were very bad. So bad that going to games was hard. Six NHL teams won more games than the Avs were able to accumulate in point totals. For example the Avs got 48 points, Washington won 55 games. One of the few bright spots in a season of sadness was the addition of Jost, a fan favorite with an adorable grandfather. The seasons to come do not look particularly bright and I would expect the team to spend several seasons rebuilding.

This will be Alexander Ovechkin’s season.

This was not Ovechkin’s season, he was not the top goal scorer in regular or postseason, nor was particularly close. The Capitals lost against Pittsburgh in the second round and ended yet another season in disappointment. At some point Washington will have to asses whether it is better to stick with Ovechkin or attempt to trade up for the next big star. His days may be limited in DC, but he is an amazing goalscorer and will still make his impact felt in the league.