NHL Predictions: 4 Teams with Expectations That Don't Match Reality

With only a couple days before the start of the NHL season, every team in the league has their expectations for the upcoming year.

Unfortunately for some of those teams, their expectations are not compatible with reality.

Whether it's a loss of key players, questionable goal tending, or they just can't get out of the bottom of the standings, several teams' hopes of making it to the postseason will vanish—for some quicker than others.

There are simply too many questions surrounding these teams for them to find the success needed to compete in two very tough conferences.

With power house teams like Washington in the East and Vancouver in the West, every game is crucial and these teams cannot afford to lose a winnable game.

Some teams fell just short of reaching the Stanley Cup finals and are looking to finish the job, while others are just trying to make it to the playoffs.

However, it will be an uphill battle for each of them, a battle that some will not be able to win.

Nashville Predators

Last season, the Nashville Predators made franchise history when they won their first playoff series against the Anaheim Ducks.

The Predators were a team on the rise and were looking to make it two in a row against the Vancouver Canucks.

Goaltender Pekka Rinne was on fire and Mike Fisher, who was acquired at the trade deadline, was making an immediate impact.

However, in a hard-fought series that was one of the most entertaining of the year, the Preds fell just short and lost in six games to the eventual Western Conference Champions.

This season, the Predators' expectations are to not only return to the playoffs, but to eventually make it past the second round and beyond.

The offseason was hard for the Predators as they did whatever they could to re-sign captain Shea Weber.

Weber, one of the best defenseman in the league, was looking for a huge payday, while Nashville was looking to sign him to a long-term deal.

In the process, the Predators had to let a lot of their core players go in order to have enough money to pay Weber. Players Joel Ward, Steve Sullivan, Cody Franson and Shane O'Brien—that all contributed in some way—were allowed to go to free agency and they never looked back.

Weber and the Predators could not reach an agreement and the deal went to arbitration, where the 26-year-old received a one-year deal worth $7.5 million.

The Predators will still be a competitive team this year, but nowhere close to the level they reached last year.

Nashville's not being able to lock up the face of the franchise could end up being a distraction for a team and city that showed so much promise last season.

Florida Panthers

The Florida Panthers have struggled for the past few seasons and have missed the playoffs every year for the past 10 seasons.

The Cats' front office vowed to change that this off season, as the team was one of, if not the most, aggressive team in free agency.

Florida signed several top players, including Kris Versteeg, Sean Bergenheim, Scottie Upshall, Brian Campbell (via trade), Tomas Fleischmann, Tomas Kopecky and Ed Jovanoski.

With all of the acquisitions, the Panthers goal totals will most likely improve and Florida is hoping it will help them get out of the cellar of the Eastern Conference.

However, the big question for the Panthers this season is in net, as they had to part with their best player from last season in Tomas Vokoun.

Vokoun loved playing in Florida, but the two could not come to terms and he left for Washington.

To replace him, the Panthers signed Jose Theodore, who has, for most of his career, been a backup.

The 35-year-old, originally drafted in 1994 by the Montreal Canadians, has struggled so far this preseason, including giving up seven goals to a struggling Dallas Stars game in the team's last preseason game.

According to ESPN.com, there is a good chance that Theodore could be doing more of the same during the season, and the players behind him may do the same,

If Theodore struggles, Panthers fans will get to see their future in net in the form of Jacob Markstrom. Markstrom was one of the main reasons that the Panthers ranked first in organizational rankings as he is one of the top ranked goalie prospects in the league.

Columbus Blue Jackets

In their 10 years of existence as a franchise, the Columbus Blue Jackets have always played it safe and built their team through the draft, while adding the necessary pieces in free agency.

Rarely did the Jackets ever make a big splash in the off season, and had no plans of ever doing so.

However, at the end of last season, general manager Scott Howson realized that he had to do something quickly or else his job would be on the line.

The Jackets had missed the playoffs for the second-straight year and were not getting any better.

A few weeks before the draft, Howson had made it known that the team was willing to deal their eighth overall pick, but in return wanted a top-line center.

The night before the draft, Howson pulled off a huge deal when the Blue Jackets traded their pick, as well as young winger Jakub Voracek, and a third-round pick to the Philadelphia Flyers for All-Star Jeff Carter.

Columbus was not done there, as just hours before the beginning of free agency, the team signed James Wisniewski, one of the best defensive free agents, to a six-year contract.

With the two moves, as well as several small ones, it's either playoffs or bust for the Blue Jackets this season.

The Jackets payroll is now higher than that of the defending Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins, and Columbus is hoping the extra money spent will improve their chances.

Even with the big splash made in the off season, the pressure still falls on young goaltender Steve Mason.

Mason has struggled the past two seasons with consistency, but the front office has given him their stamp of approval, as they did not go after any of the big-name goaltenders available in the offseason.

If Mason continues to struggle, the Jackets will not have a lot of options, as his backup is the inexperienced Mark Dekanich, who only has 56 minutes of NHL experience.

The Jackets are playoffs or bust, but if they can't show that the money spent has changed their fortunes, they may be changing general managers as well as in net.

Tampa Bay Lightning

The Tampa Bay Lightning were one of the most impressive teams last season.

With one of the best young players in the league in Steven Stamkos, the ageless wonder Martin St. Louis, and the talented captain in Vinny Lecavalier, the Lightning cruised into the playoffs.

In the postseason, the Bolts were down 3-1 early on in their first series against the always-tough Pittsburgh Penguins.

However, Tampa would go on to win the next three games, as well as sweep the No. 1 ranked Washington Capitals in the next round.

In those two series, Tampa Bay really showed their scoring ability as they outscored their opponents, 27-14.

They came up just short in the Eastern Conference finals, losing to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins in seven games.

In the offseason, the Bolts took care of their No. 1 priority, which was to re-sign Stamkos, which they were able to do, even after several rumors that other teams, including the Toronto Maple Leafs, would outbid the Lightning for the 21-year-old's services.

The Lightning are looking to continue their impressive season into this year and have hopes to win not only the Southeast division, but to eventually make it back to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 2004.

However, there are some questions leading into this season that could hurt Tampa's chances.

First of all, their goaltender Dwayne Roloson is 42 years old and is not getting any younger.

Over time, a long season can take its toll on an aging goaltender, and Roloson will feel the effects sooner rather than later.

Roloson was an upgrade last season when the Lightning traded for him to replace Mike Smith, but Tampa still ranked 21st in the league in goals against.

The only reason this was not a big issue was the fact that their offense scored so much—ranking seventh in the league—that no one was worried as long as they won.

The Lightning lost some of their key players from their playoff run, including Simon Gagne and Sean Bergenheim, who tallied nine postseason goals as well as two assists.

With most of their offense coming from the forwards, the Lightning will have to hope for an offensive defense as the team has struggled to put up points from the blue line.

If the Lightning struggle to get on the board early and Roloson struggles, Tampa Bay could be in an early hole that they cannot rebound from.