Opening 2019-20 NHL Projected Team Point Totals: Lightning Set the Highest at 108.5, Leafs Second at 101.5

Odds taken 07/24/2019

Tampa comes in at the top of the list, but their projection of 108.5 points is a 19.5-point decline from last season. The much improved Toronto Maple Leafs are second with a projection of 101.5.

The Lightning are entering their first full season without former general manager Steve Yzerman — the architect behind this Tampa team — who went on to take his dream job with the Detroit Red Wings earlier this summer.

Lightning still the team to beat

Tampa did little in the way to tinker with its Presidents’ Trophy roster in the off-season. The Lightning’s biggest summer free agency splash was the signing of backup goaltender Curtis McElhinney.

In other words, if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.

However, there is still one main piece missing that could have an early impact on Tampa Bay heading into the season. The club has yet to sign restricted free agent Brayden Point to a contract and there’s speculation the stalemate between the all-star center and the Lightning could drag on into camp and beyond.

Everyone is still on Brayden Point watch. https://t.co/MHGuBDdIuI @TBLightning #GoBolts

— Sports by Tampa Bay Times (@TBTimes_Sports) July 16, 2019

Point’s absence, even for a short period of time, could hurt Tampa’s chances of exceeding its projected point total of 108.5. Point had 92 points and was third in team scoring behind Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos.

The same applies for the Maple Leafs, who have been in a negotiation battle with RFA Mitch Marner. Toronto finished with an even 100 points last season and will need Marner on the top line with John Tavares if the club wants to surpass the century point mark again in 2019-20.

https://youtu.be/x6wEgb6izQc

Bruins, Golden Knights teams to watch

The defending Eastern Conference champion Boston Bruins and Vegas Golden Knights round out the top three projections at 100.5 points.

The Golden Knights have a much higher chance of going over that mark with its current roster. Even though Vegas finished well below 100 points (93) last season, general manager went all in with the additions of forwards Mark Stone, Paul Stastny and Max Pacioretty.

The Golden Knights are not only considered to be favorites to top the Pacific Division, but with its current roster could win the entire Western Conference.

Look for the Bruins to take a step back from last season, which saw Boston accumulate 107 total points, ranking second best in the entire league.

Go under on Canucks, over on Blues

What are other NHL team point projections to keep a close watch at this point?

Sportsbooks are projecting a drastic boost for the Vancouver Canucks at 90.5 — a 10.5 point improvement from the 2019-20 season. The Canucks bulked up on the back end with the off-season additions of Tyler Myers and Jordie Benn, but playing in one of the toughest divisions in the NHL will result in another challenging season for Vancouver.

The defending champion St. Louis Blues sit at 96.5 at sportsbooks. The Blues turned around a miserable season after Christmas to finish with 99 points and will likely be around that mark as long as Craig Berube is behind the bench.

While Tampa is considered to be the favorites, this may be the year to go all in on the Leafs. Toronto solved its main issue on the blue-line with the additions of Cody Ceci and Tyson Barrie. The Leafs have a solid top 4 pairing that will take a lot of pressure of Frederik Andersen.

Pick: Toronto Maple Leafs (101.5), over