Hey everyone, we’re in the homestretch and back for another week of the Takes! The free agents have been processed, the trade requests honored, and everyone’s happy with the team they’ll be playing the rest of the season with…right? xCxshy interviewed some management groups this week about how they feel about their team and its performance, while Simpson and I knocked out the rest of the takes. Only one more week after this, then we head into playoff previews! It’s time for the final push, fellas.

1) St. Louis Blues (^3 , 51 points, 8-1-0 last week) – The Blues are still playing really good hockey. I feel this team will make a deep run. They had some management turnover before deadline and ToxicDecayX stepped up to be GM so GotDaPlugBro now has a solid manger partner. IlHav1qlI might be one of the league’s best goalies so far this season, even though I feel Haviq is a better wing and the Blues can solve a lot of their scoring problems if Haviq plays out. Having said all of that, St. Louis should make a deep run. -Simpson

2) Utah Hockey Club ( – , 53 points, 6-1-2 last week) – The highlight of Week 4 is a no-doubter for UHC, who outworked and ultimately outplayed the Rangers in a monumental 3-1 victory on Thursday. It’s a step back in the right direction for Utah, who spent the lion’s share of the first half of the season in command of the Banter. There’s only one all-star on this team, but Place42 has more than earned the honor, with a 16-2-2 record and 37 points in his 20 games played. -TDK

3) New York Rangers (v2, 60 points, 8-1-0 last week) – A bit of a step back for the Rangers this week, who drop out of the top spot of the Takes after seeing their winning streak snapped at SEVENTEEN wins by Utah. I think it’s less of a matter of ability and more of a matter of apathy with New York as far as reasoning behind them falling from the top of the Takes. New York will likely coast into a bye for the first round of the playoffs, so I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect a lot of their top players will likely coast for the rest of the regular season, and this spot in the Takes might be some anticipation of that. -TDK

4) Pittsburgh Penguins (^4 , 44 points, 6-2-1 last week) – The Penguins have been a force for the majority of the season. It’s no doubt this team will be a contender for the cup, but right now they’re in a tight race to lock up a top four seed which can grant them a bye in the first round. -Cxshy

5) Seattle Kraken (v2 , 42 points, 3-6-0 last week) –
Seattle Owner xCxshy:
“I think we’re a strong team, capable of winning the whole thing if we all do our part. Our first line has looked very scary when they’re buzzing. So when they set an example, I think it pushes our whole team to compete. We’re all competing with each other, which I believe makes us better. [This team is a] solid group of banter and skill. When the time comes, I think we can get it done. And I still suck.”
-Simpson

6) Toronto Maple Leafs (v1 , 41 points, 4-4-1 last week) – There’s something a little sick and twisted about the fact that the Leafs (virtual) were struggling because the Leafs (real-life) were actually winning in the playoffs. It’s been availability issues that have handed Toronto some of their worst losses on the season, and it looks more and more likely they might be ECU-lining themselves out of a first round bye. That’s likely no concern, seeing as Toronto has some of the best bargain contracts in the league and dependable talent as management, but we’ll have to see if things improve sooner rather than later. -TDK

7) San Jose Sharks (^4 , 36 points, 5-4-0 last week) – The Sharks have had a big drop since the start of the season, sitting at .500 right now after four weeks. For a team that sat in the top five after the first two weeks of the season, what went wrong? From my analysis, there hasn’t been much production offensively outside of PK EXCLUSIVE34 and Madhatterjokerr, who have contributed to 12 of San Jose’s 18 wins. They desperately need their depth to show up and steal games, or they could potentially slip out of a playoff spot. -Cxshy

8) Colorado Avalanche (^2 , 41 points, 5-3-1 last week) – The Avalanche have arguably been the most consistent team in the BAHL. They’ve hovered around 6th and 10th in the standings for pretty much the whole season. Colorado is exactly the kind of team you’d expect to be pretty decent. They don’t have much star power, but they have a well-rounded team from top to bottom, just like I mentioned in Week 1. This is my potential dark horse come playoff time. -Cxshy

9) Chicago Blackhawks (v3, 38 points, 3-5-1 last week) – As much as I hate to say it, the repeat looks more and more in question for this Chicago team, who struggled to rise to the level of some tough competition this week. Na9y420 simply hasn’t been the same goalie he was last season, due to a defence that has simply allowed more high-danger chances. Chicago did a great job bringing back a lot of the old guard in an attempt to run it back, and the rest of the league caught up a bit more than I think the Hawks could have expected. The only real silver lining might actually lie in the fact that the Hawks are unlikely to see a first-round bye, which means they’ll get a good test in the first round to get their feet wet. -TDK

10) Ottawa Senators (v3 , 36 points, 2-7-0 last week) – The Senators have been on a rollercoaster so far this season, and I don’t think anyone is really sure how it’ll end for this team. They don’t have much of a firm grip on a playoff spot at the moment, and with how many teams we have battling for the last few tickets to the playoffs, the Senators are really have to pull it together and stay in the win column to keep their playoff hopes alive. -Cxshy

11) Buffalo Sabres (^4 , 35 points, 5-2-2 last week) –
Buffalo GM DuK3ofKR0N1TR0N:
“I think Iquefalot and I built a very solid team, regardless of our record at the moment. I think we have a lot of depth, and it’s just putting the puzzle pieces together. We’re seeing guys play better and trying to get the right chem on each line. If we can figure that out quick, I think we can have a good run.”
-Simpson

12) Vegas Golden Knights ( – , 34 points, 5-3-1 last week) –
Vegas Owner Fox_l14I:
“We’ve been almost a .500 team so far this season, so these next two weeks the boys need to kick it into high gear and get into a playoff spot. I think we’ve underperformed and I think we might not have the best first line in the league, but we definitely have a deep team that could end up stealing series if we make it.”
-Simpson

13) Edmonton Oilers (^3 , 35 points, 6-3-0 last week) – Where to start? Edmonton has the pieces, but can’t seem to score. When TimMcKibbon is scoring your goals (10 in 3 GP last week), you know you’ve gotta find more to help the guy out on offense. Defensively, they seem to be lacking, and the goaltending has been iffy at times. Having said all of that, they’ve got the depth to make a push for the playoffs, so let’s see what becomes of this team the rest of the season. -Simpson

14) Detroit Red Wings (v5 , 34 points, 0-6-3 last week) – The Red Wings are among the last of the teams right at the cut line for the playoffs coming into this week, even after an awful Week 4. They’ve made some critical roster changes to hopefully bring a spark to their squad. This a team with the league’s best penalty kill, and they’ve had some bad luck in close games lately. If Detroit can take more advantage of their special teams, that will give them the best shot of making the playoffs. -Cxshy

15) Carolina Hurricanes (v2 , 34 points, 5-3-1 last week) – Now that I’m out of the storm that has been Carolina this season, I can talk a little bit about what’s got them struggling so far. The Hurricanes have actually done a decent job producing offensively, and Torvechkin- absolutely deserves his all-star nod as the driving force behind a majority of Carolina’s wins. It’s been consistency, notably from the defensive end, that has led to a lion’s share of Carolina’s losses to this point. While the addition of Codinov will be a boon to the offense, I’m really interested to see if lMarner16l brings some stability and structure to the defensive core this team desperately, desperately needs. -TDK

16) Vancouver Canucks (^2 , 20 points, 6-3-0 last week) – It brings me no pleasure to say this, but it might be too little, too late for the Canucks. Vancouver more than doubled it’s win count this week after an outstanding effort by new Owner Mineheart- to rebuild from the ground up, who went out and acquired genuine star players in PrecutClub, Clampse, and CraveDogg among others. I think Vancouver will be a winning team down the stretch, and certainly play spoiler for any number of teams looking to push for the playoffs. Having said that, the cut line for the playoffs looks as though it will likely fall somewhere in the 52-54 point range, so Vancouver could only afford a couple more losses at most the rest of the season from where they’re at now. Never say never… -TDK

17) Philadelphia Flyers (v3 , 27 points, 2-7-0 last week) – I think it’s fair to say the Flyers’ season is practically over. They looked like a team that needed to be active at the deadline, but only made one move. I’m confused if this team is really going to make a push or not. Personally, I think Philly should come to terms with the state of their roster and try and find ways to make these last two weeks as fun as possible. -Cxshy

18) Montreal Canadiens (v1 , 28 points, 2-4-3 last week) –
Montreal GM Merkk x 71:
“We are certainly excited with the players we received at the trade deadline and through our bids in free agency. There is a lot of potential in the locker room, but the biggest thing is that these are guys that want to be here. We’re hoping to move up the rankings in the coming weeks and push for a playoff spot. We have a lot to prove.”
-Simpson