3 NHL predictions for 2017

The start of a new year is a time for reflection, but it's also an opportunity to look forward.

Plenty of intrigue awaits the NHL in 2017, from the usual slew of outdoor games to the expansion draft and the debut of the league's 31st franchise.

Here are three things we believe will happen in the new calendar year:

Jack Capuano will finally be fired

The New York Islanders' bench boss will be the second NHL head coach fired this season following the Florida Panthers' unexpected dismissal of Gerard Gallant last month.

The final straw for general manager Garth Snow and the team's new owners will come in late January, when the Islanders win only one of six games in a homestand that pits them against the Dallas Stars, Los Angeles Kings, Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Montreal Canadiens, and Washington Capitals.

Capuano isn't entirely to blame for the Islanders' struggles - much of the club's woes stem from poor decisions by Snow - but the coach is always the first to go when a change is deemed necessary.

Fairly or unfairly, New York's mediocre offense and the ultra-competitive Metropolitan Division will be Capuano's undoing.

The Bruins will narrowly miss the playoffs again

Boston will be eliminated from postseason contention in the final days of the campaign for the third consecutive year.

The Bruins failed to qualify last season despite finishing with the same number of points as the Detroit Red Wings, losing the tiebreaker on regulation-or-overtime wins. Boston missed out by three points in 2014-15.

They'll be squeezed out again in 2017, with the injury-riddled but perennially competitive Tampa Bay Lightning primed to leapfrog them and the talented but turbulent Florida Panthers also on their heels in the Atlantic Division.

The Lightning have proven they can win without Ben Bishop, and when Steven Stamkos returns in mid-March, they'll make a late push that will doom the Bruins, who - beyond David Pastrnak - won't find a cure for their scoring woes.

Matthews will edge Laine for the Calder Trophy

Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine will continue piling up points until the conclusion of the regular season, and the first overall pick in June's draft will justify the Toronto Maple Leafs' decision to take him in that spot by outproducing his Winnipeg Jets counterpart down the stretch.

Matthews will beat Laine for the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie in the closest vote in years, thanks to a surplus of young talent that also includes Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski, as well as Matthews' teammate, Mitch Marner, and stellar but currently injured Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Matt Murray.

Voters will cite Matthews' ability to produce at a similar clip to Laine despite playing with less experienced linemates. Matthews will continue to be flanked by fellow youngsters Zach Hyman and Connor Brown on the Leafs' second line, while Laine will benefit from playing alongside Mark Scheifele and Nikolaj Ehlers on the Jets' top unit.

Both Matthews and Laine are surely primed to have terrific careers, but the former will earn the accolade over the latter following their rookie seasons.