yr too, and then Huberdeau was drafted as a center and may play there too. I think keeping Weiss would help all those prospects but if he's not willing to stay, there's a plethora of young guys ready to step in. Theodore isnt the be-all-end-all of starting goalies so replacing him isnt impossible. At least 3 starters would also be free agents after 2012-13 too (Backstrom, Howard, Smith) who could just as easily be a stopgap to Markstrom. Or if they go a different direction, then they could trade for Luongo depending on what the cost would be. Honestly, the only stat that should matter is the number of pts. Goal differentials, OTL, etc doesnt really matter how you get into the playoffs really. So long as you have more than the normal 92 pts, thats what is a playoff contender in my view. The Panthers are coming off a 94 pt season and I see zero reason why they cant reproduce that again...I've given plenty of reason why too. In terms of reaching the playoffs, points are indeed the only stat that matters (until you hit tie-breakers). In terms of predicting which teams will be good in future games (ie, what's happening right now), previous years' point totals aren't a great indicator. That's where these other stats can become very useful. And of course you see zero reason, you're a Panthers fan/homer. I saw zero reason why the Capitals couldn't reproduce their 1st place seasons of 2010 and 2011