8 Bold Predictions for the Rest of the 2022 NHL Season

The final month of the regular season is upon us after the NHL's trade deadline. The Eastern Conference clubs will be vying for home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. In the Western Conference, a few teams will fight for the last playoff berths.

The Art Ross Trophy race will feature two superstars trying to pull away from the pack. Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews is the first player to score 50 goals in a season. The Hart Memorial Trophy could be won by those players.

The Stanley Cup favorites will be some of the top teams in the league. The Colorado Avs are certain to win the Presidents' Trophy for the second year in a row. The Carolina Hurricanes and Florida panthers are in the same conference.

Anything can happen down the stretch and into the playoffs. There could be an upset winner for the Stanley Cup, a club outside the playoff picture could rise up and secure a spot by the end of the season, or there could be an unexpected winner of an individual award.

We have made eight bold predictions for the rest of the season. You can express your views in the comments section.

On March 13, we suggested that the Arizona Coyotes ship Jakob Chychrun to the Detroit Red Wings as a win-win move at the March 21 NHL trade deadline. Since trades are still allowed between non-playoff clubs, we think this trade will take place before the end of June.

According to GOPHNX.com's Craig Morgan, theCoyotes will entertain offers for Chychrun during the off-season. The Red Wings have a lot of promising young players and prospects to make a competitive bid for the defenseman. The Wings are an Eastern Conference club.

Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman has been patiently rebuilding with promising talent but could use an established NHL player to accelerate the process. The Wings will be a key part of the future with a $4.6 million cap hit through 2024-25 for Chychrun. He would provide valuable left-side depth on Detroit's top defense pair.

It feels like a perfect fit. Yzerman might be able to meet the return that Armstrong is seeking. Simon Edvinsson and Filip Zadina could be Detroit's first-round pick in 2022.

The Jets are in a race with Nashville, Dallas, and Vegas for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference. As of March 31, they had 76 points, six points behind the Predators and three points behind the Stars, who hold the final two playoff spots.

By the end of the season, the Jets could be in the playoffs. They have won seven of their last 10 games and are within striking distance of the two teams in the Central Division. If they can overtake the Golden Knights in the race for a wild-card spot, taking one or both could be enough.

Several of the Jets leading scorers have stepped up in recent games. Leading scorer Kyle Connor is enjoying a career-best 82 point performance while center Mark Scheifele and winger Blake Wheeler had 21 and 19 points in March, respectively. The return of Nikolaj Ehlers from a knee injury provided a welcome boost to their offense.

The Jets are still in a tough spot as they compete with other teams that want to reach the playoffs. They have what it takes to catch up with their opponents and end a difficult season with one of the last playoff spots in the West, because of their recent performance and strong play of their core leaders.

Brock Boeser will become a restricted free agent in July. He earns $7.5 million in salary this season, but his average value is $5.9 million. Boeser could be traded to the New JerseyDevils before the playoffs end in late June, if it costs theVancouverCanucks that much to qualify his rights.

The March 21 trade deadline was the subject of trade rumors. Because of his RFA status, he was not under pressure to be moved by that date. If they don't agree to a new contract with a lower annual salary before July 11, they will lose him as an unrestricted free agent.

With $69.1 million already invested in 12 active roster players next season, Boeser's $7.5 million will take a big chunk out of their remaining cap space. He could be traded before July 11 if he doesn't accept a lower salary. On March 13, we suggested a win-win trade scenario where the Canuck ship Boeser to the Devil for a return that includes the player.

The move would be tied in with a Feb. 12 report by Sportsnet that the Canucks had an interest in the player. Boeser will get a big raise, and they will have a top-six scoring winger to skate with. A more affordable and versatile forward who might benefit from a change of scenery would be given to the Canuck.

Johnny Gaudreau has been the leading scorer for the Flames since he made his full-time NHL debut in the summer of 2015. The 28-year-old left winger is slated to become an unrestricted free agent but will not test the market. He will opt for an eight-year extension with the Flames.

The Flames early-playoff exits made him the subject of criticism. The summer debates about whether the winger should be traded were noted by Eric Francis. With his status among this season's leading scorers, it will be expensive to re-sign Gaudreau given his six-year contract.

Francis pointed out that Gaudreau and his wife love living in the city. He's flourished this season under head coach Darryl Sutter, who told theCalgary Sun he considers the winger to be his best checker. The Flames star is on track to eclipse his career-best 99-point performance. He is an important part of a club that could be a serious Stanley Cup contender.

The status of contract negotiations has not been made public. Matthew Tkachuk and Andrew Mangiapane are going to re-sign with Treliving. He can't let his player go to free agency. It is expected that he will sign an eight-year deal worth $10 million annually before the end of the playoffs.

Adam Fox of the New York Rangers was the winner of the James Norris Memorial Trophy last season. Leading all blueliners with 18 goals and sitting among the top-five with 44 points in 40 games by February 6th, the 23-year-old Makar appeared to have the race for the Norris sewn up.

The final weeks of the regular season have Roman Josi ahead of Makar. The Nashville captain has taken over the scoring lead among blueliners with 81 points in 65 games, six ahead of the second-place Makar. He has a chance at becoming the first NHL defense to reach 100 points since Brian Leetch in 1991-92.

Josi is Nashville's top scorer and is also among the league's top 10. He leads the team with 25 minutes and 19 seconds of ice time per game, as well as being third in the league in blocked shot s, and third in the league with 38.

By the mid-point of the season, he was already among the league's best defenders. Over the last 35 games, he has scored 81 points, and 52 of them have been in the second half. If he reaches 100 points, the trophy will be his.

The Hart Memorial Trophy has been won by two goaltenders over the past 20 years. Jose Theodore received the honor in 2002 and Carey Price in 2015. The first Ranger to win since Mark Messier in 1992 and the first Blueshirts goalie since Chuck Raynor in 1950 will be this year.

The case can be made that the Art Ross trophy should be given to the player who is on the verge of winning it. Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews is on the verge of winning his second Richard Trophy, which would make him deserving of the nod. Johnny Gaudreau and Jonathan Huberdeau are worthy candidates.

Shesterkin has been more valuable to his team than any of the other players. The goalie is a favorite to win the Vezina Trophy, leading the league with at least 30 games played and a.................

The Rangers went from a rebuilding club to a top-four team in the Eastern Conference this season. The Blueshirts are 17th in goals-per-game (3.04) while giving up 31.6 shots-against per game but their 2.59 goals-against per game is the league&s third-best thanks to their starting.

In the week leading up to the trade deadline, Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin was busy. He acquired goalies, defenders, and forwards. The Wild have enough depth to reach the Stanley Cup Final.

The deals show that Guerin is going for it this season because he will face a salary cap crunch over the next three seasons. In 2022-23, the contract buyouts of Parise and Suter will take up $12.7 million of the cap room.

He has three Stanley Cup rings on his resume. As a stay-at- home defense, Middleton played four minutes as a stay-at- home defense for the Sharks, while Deslauriers played four minutes as a checking-line forward. The styles of play of those three skaters are best suited for the slower pace of the playoffs.

Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello are on the first line with Matt Dumba and Jared Spurgeon on the blueline. The Wild have a cast that should surprise this year in the playoffs. The same thing was said about the Montreal Canadiens last year.

It has become something of a joke to suggest that the Toronto Maple Leafs will win the Stanley Cup this year. Their last championship was 55 years ago. The Toronto Maple Leafs were upset in seven games by the Montreal Canadiens last year.

This simply means that the Leafs are going to go all the way. This is the year that they finally end their long Stanley Cup losing streak, and they are motivated by their early playoff exits of the past five years.

Auston Matthews is the 50-goal scorer for the Leafs, who pack an offensive wallop. They strengthened their defense by acquiring Mark Giordano before the trade deadline and will get Jake Muzzin back from injury. When Jack Campbell returns from his rib injury, he should regain his first-half form.

The Leafs have what it takes to go all the way. They have learned from their failures. The Maple Leafs will win the Stanley Cup this year because of their fan base. It's got to end sometime.

Hockey-Reference.com has additional information, as of March 31, 2022.