Well, lots. I got to see a lot of preseason games this year, thanks to the NHL Network. It seemed there were 2 or 3 games most days being repeated over and over throughout the day. I saw some good games, both seeing actual NHL players and some good play from AHL and CHL prospects.
Magnus Paajarvi has the, I think, good fortune to begin his North American career at the same time that Jordan Eberle and Taylor Hall, last June's overall #1 draft pick, have also begun with the Edmonton Oilers. The spotlight can't really stay in one place for too long. By now, most hockey fans have seen Eberle's first NHL goal, scored against Calgary in their opening game last Thursday. It was a beaut! Absolutely. But watching Paajarvi get a hat trick in the preseason was jawdropping. I know it wasn't a game that counts, but I had no idea that Paajarvi is not only fast as a skater, he's got great moves as well. And Hall has looked like the most calm of all of the under-20 rookies who started this season on an NHL roster. Looks the most comfortable on the ice. It's not going to be a quick fix, though an exciting young roster and solid goaltending got the Avs to the playoffs last year. Edmonton has Nikolai Khabibulin back healthy, so I suppose it's not out of the realm of possibility, but in the future, Edmonton have some great young forwards to use a good foundation going forward.
And watching that game, Ray Ferraro was working that Edmonton v Tampa Bay exhibition game that Paajarvi went off in. At some point in the broadcast, the cameras showed some of the Lightning players not playing up a box, press or otherwise, couldn't really tell. But they focused on Steven Stamkos and he said something I've been saying to people for months. Actually he put it out there as a question. Can't remember the exact quote, but he goes, "Hey...think anyone watched some film on Stamkos this offseason and realized he gets most of his goals with no one on him at the faceoff circles? Think that will get shut down?" Thank you for confirming that I'm not just a crazy person. Or can't stand him because he's on the Lightning, a team I don't really like. Besides, Ferraro is a former Whaler; they will never do any wrong.
Carolina got their 2nd win before game 18 this season. Got 'em both in the first two. With 18 year-old rookie Jeff Skinner scoring in the shootout to win it, no less. On a team that, aside from Cam Ward and Eric Staal, haven't really introduced many full-time players that were young draft picks in a long time. With many of their older free agents either leaving this summer, traded back in March or, in Rod Brind'amour's case, retiring, Carolina is ready to introduce youth into their lineup, with 5 new players on their roster this season. AHL players, including current Hurricanes backup goalie Justin Peters, were at times almost half of the Hurricanes roster in the second half of last season, when Carolina had the 2nd best record in the league after January 1, 2010 going 25-12-3. With Tampa looking good early but also learning what is being talked about as a difficult new playing system, Florida rebuilding and Atlanta with a few questions, especially starting with the health of goalie Ondrej Pavelec, solid goaltending from Ward and the one-two combo of Staal and Brandon Sutter down the middle, Carolina could win some early games that could help them make a run at the playoffs this year.
Pittsburgh is a little unlucky in their nice new arena. Let's be honest. No big deal; it won't last forever, but that Montreal game Saturday night was crazy. Like a playoff game, like it was the next game in their series from last postseason. Unreal. And to score, what seemed like a game winner late off the stick of Mark Letestu with about 12 minutes left. They give up two goals in 24 seconds a few seconds before and after 2 minutes left. The arena sounded like all the air after this intense first 58 minutes. It just ended. Carey Price has battled well, even last night stopping 44 shots in the overtime loss late to Tampa last night, and his game in Pittsburgh was a good one.
Some nice opening night festivities this season as well. The Hawks raised their banner on Saturday night in a nice way. A group of players from their 1961 Stanley Cup team, including Stan Mikita and Bobby Hull, came out from one end of the ice and handed the banner to the remaining players from the current Cup champs, who skated it over to the other end of the ice, where it was raised. The same night, the Vancouver Canucks celebrated their 40th anniversary season with the same team they played that night 40 years ago, Los Angeles. Both teams were wearing replicas of those jerseys too (the return of the gold and purple!). Before the game started, original Canuck captain Orland Kurtenbach presented new Vancouver captain Henrik Sedin with his new C on his retro 33 jersey.
This part of the season is kind of fun too though. Some players get off to a good start and tail right off, though Alexander Ovechkin had 4 goals and 3 assists sounds like he's picking up where he left off last season. But if you're a fan of a team like Toronto that has pulled out some tough wins when they weren't playing all that great. Had some good goaltending. Are 3-0 and Clarke MacArthur has 4 goals? Sure, everyone had that in their predictions for this season right? That to me is kind of fun. Early streaks are just that, but a lot of people thought Colorado or Phoenix weren't build for the whole season last year. We'll see which early season surprises are for real.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
2010-11 Season Preview WEST
Do I think Chicago will repeat? They absolutely could. Marty Turco could play well, with something to prove in the eyes of some fans and personalities. And they still have a great core at forward and defense. But you can't discount a healthy Detroit, if they can stay that way. Or Vancouver, with arguably the best 1-2 punch in the game now with Henrik and Daniel Sedin. So how will the West be won? And the "*" is for the playoff teams.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Central: Detroit*, Chicago*, St. Louis*, Nashville, Columbus
Pacific: Los Angeles*, San Jose*, Phoenix*, Dallas, Anaheim
Northwest: Vancouver*, Colorado*, Calgary, Minnesota, Edmonton
And from there, I like Washington and Pittsburgh to meet in the East finals and Detroit and Vancouver in the West. And for the Cup itself? I like Vancouver over Washington. Been a while since a Canadian team won, and I think this will be the year.
1. Detroit - Ok...if they stay healthy and play like they did in the last half of the 09-10 season, Detroit could dominate the West. Seriously. They add Jiri Hudler and Mike Modano to that lineup. Just look at the talent that could play in the bottom 6 if they are healthy: Hudler, Modano, Dan Cleary, Darren Helm. A top 4 of Nicklas Lidstrom, Brian Rafalski, Niklas Kronwall and Brad Stuart. If Jimmy Howard can come close to the numbers he put up last year on his way to a Calder trophy finalist spot, this team will be the toughest to beat in a 7 game series.
2. Vancouver - They have added some know character guys like Manny Malholtra and Raffi Torres to the solid core of the Sedins, Ryan Kelser, Alexandre Burrows (once he's back), Mason Raymond and more. And they overhauled the d, by adding Dan Hamhuis, Keith Ballard and Ryan Parent to make it a better 6 in front of Luongo. And this is the time if this collection of players wants to make a run. The only question with the Canucks is that this isn't the first time these kinds of things have been said about this team and it's starting to sound like a broken record. But they're not the Sharks. Yet.
3. Los Angeles - Two, maybe three years from now, this is the team in the West that will be giving everyone nightmares. Already there is Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown and a solid pair of young, exceptional defensemen with Drew Doughty and Jack Johnson. Don't forget the 39 wins goalie Jonathan Quick got last year. Though you might if their other young goaltender Jonathan Bernier gets in and starts winning games. They still have 4 or 5 more highly-touted young players either just starting the in the NHL (like Brayden Schenn) or in the minors and juniors. Just like Pittsburgh, Washington and Chicago built through good drafts when poor seasons give them high picks, Los Angeles will soon be reaping those benefits. And i think once they do, they will be tough for years to come.
4. Chicago - With a caveat here. They could repeat. They could win their division. But with the loss of goalie Antti Niemi, Byfuglien, Versteeg and Ladd and also a good number of role players (John Madden, Ben Eager, Brent Sopel, Adam Burish). It is going to be a little more uniquely difficult for these Hawks. They do still of course have Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa and Patrick Sharp to score. Johnathan Toews is the best young captain in the league. Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook are the best young defensive tandem in the league. The big factor here will be Marty Turco. If he can be solid, not even spectacular, the Hawks could be in place for a good run at a repeat.
5. Colorado - They made it in as the 8 last year, and with more youth infused into the lineup, the Avs could be even better this year. Mainly, it's going to follow Craig Anderson. He came out hot last season and that really helped set the team's tone for the year. This year, they won't sneak up on anyone, but they are still fast and work hard. They also have to count on a number of young players to have just as good a year as last year, if not better. And sometimes you just have an instinct and I think Colorado is going to have a good season.
6. San Jose - Right off the bat, you have an interesting story with the captaincy. A lot of hockey writers and personalities have said that Thornton is no captain, but he sure is now. It will be seen if it gives him a shift up in his game, or just adds more pressure. And more pressure is the last thing this team needs. Maybe with no picking them this year and a lot of folks (like me) thinking it's Vancouver's year, maybe this underacheiving-after-April team will finally make a run to the Finals. Maybe not. And how do you have to feel if you're Antero Niittymaki? He gets signed early in the free agent frenzy, then a few weeks later, they also sign Antti Niemi. If the two of them can play well without letting become a controversy, it really may help this team in the long run. If it does become a problem, it could take the whole team down with them. I really think they could finish anywhere from the top 3, down to 10 or 11.
7. Phoenix - They were for real. They have a great goalie in Ilya Bryzgalov. They added a very complimentary player in Ray Whitney, who not only can shoot, but passes real well as well. They still have a good number of young players in their system and they showed that they can block things out to come together as a team, with their home city issue up in the air on a season-long basis. But Phoenix will be tough to beat and could be an upset special to beat the higher seed they play in the plyaoffs. They found a good mix of their players and players no one else seemed to want (Petr Pruccha?) and made it work. Not pretty on paper, but got some good results. They should have more magic in them.
8. St. Louis - Adding Halak and a good D in front of him will go a long way to get St. Louis (who seemed like they were always in the playoffs for awhile there) back into the Western mix. Brad Boyes needs to bounce back and Patrik Berglund needs to be the player we keep hearing he's going to be. Halak will now be faced with the pressure of playing up to a contract, but there's no way how to know how that will be. If he played the type of playoff hockey he did under the glare of the media in Montreal, being a highly paid hockey player in St. Louis should be easier than what Halak's already been through.
9. Nashville - Could easily be in Colorado's spot at 5 too. Ever notice how Nashville gets no preseason kudos, yet there's always standing after 82 games? True, they lose that first series, but they're there. Pekka Rinne took that starting job and hung on so tight that no one seemed to have any idea who the backup would be all summer. Matthew Lombardi could play a role similar to Ryan Kesler as one of the most dangerous second line centers in the game (if he even skates there, might be up on the first, we'll see). And new captain Shea Weber with Ryan Suter are an excellent defensive foundation.
10. Calgary - Miikka Kiprusoff might actually make this prediction higher than I wanted it to be. Really. Olli Jokinen and Alex Tanguay weren't exactly dominate the first times they were in Calgary. Honestly, did anyone else think they read it wrong when they saw that the Flames brought him back. I thought the guys on TSN were going to just shrug and say "I've got nothing...". And when you mix off-season head-scratchers with early injuries to Matt Stajan, Daymond Langkow and Ales Kotalik just to start, makes you think this might be a long season for the Saddledome faithful.
11. Dallas - The switch is on. Turco and Modano are both no longer Stars. Kari Lehtonen is now the present and near future in net. Brad Richards, Mike Riberio, captain Brenden Morrow, these are the faces in Dallas now. They may also have one of the most underrated snipers in the league with Loui Eriksson. But on D, you look and don't see the balance Dallas always has had. You could argue that they still haven't replaced Sergei Zubov. And not only is there a need for an offensive presence back there, no one on the Stars roster really jumps out at you as a stopper back there either.
12. Anaheim - Look at their D on paper. Do it. You know Scott Neidermayer and Chris Pronger are gone. But really...it's a rough looking D. But Jonas Hiller is solid in net. They have some exceptional top 6 talent with Bobby Ryan (sniper), Corey Perry (a scorer with a tough guy's nose for penalty minutes) and new captain Ryan Getlaf (who can do a little bit of everything). Some good players in the system who could come up and play if the team decides to accelerate their development. But it may be a year out of the playoffs for the Ducks.
13. Minnesota - It's interesting to consider the Wild down in the bottom of the conference when they have Niklas Backstrom, one of the best goalies in the West. But all I could think as I looked at their possible lineup is "Wow...with Mikko Koivu, Matt Cullen and John Madden, they aren't going to lose many faceoffs, are they?". Beyond that, we'll see if Guillaume Latendresse can continue to score, as he did when he got there from Montreal mid-season. And if their healthy lineup can score enough. It's year two of coach Todd Richards trying to get this team from the defense-first posture they had with Jacques Lemiere being the only coach in the history of the franchise up to that point. It's still a team in transition, and that is going to hurt their chances in the West. They might actually fair better this season if they played in the East.
14. Columbus - They made the playoffs when Steve Mason had a year for the ages in 2008-09, but then last season, Mason couldn't repeat that success. And beyond Rick Nash, I don't see a lot of players on that roster that could score more than 40-45 points. And there's nothing I see that makes me think they could make a run or that they have a great stash of young players somewhere, waiting for their shot to make the roster. So...
15. Edmonton - They are going to probably be an exciting team to watch. They are starting to show that, like Los Angeles, their draft picks are building a great future foundation for the franchise. I wonder how long Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle and Magnus Paajarvi will be on the same team. They all have great raw skills and if they all develop well, how long could Edmonton afford to pay them beyond their 3 year entry level contracts? There's a lot of attention (rightfully so) for Eberle's first goal (go search his name online to find it and see it if you haven't already), but Hall looks a lot more poised, like he belongs there. And Paajarvi's first exhibition game dropped my jaw to the floor. He not only has amazing speed, he also has some sick moves. The D is being turned over a bit (see: Sheldon Souray is being paid his Edmonton contract playing for Hershey in the AHL), and Nikolai Khabibulin is almost like a new acquisition, seeing as how he only played 18 games last season. They could surprise. But the rebuild is on and so far, it looks very promising.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Central: Detroit*, Chicago*, St. Louis*, Nashville, Columbus
Pacific: Los Angeles*, San Jose*, Phoenix*, Dallas, Anaheim
Northwest: Vancouver*, Colorado*, Calgary, Minnesota, Edmonton
And from there, I like Washington and Pittsburgh to meet in the East finals and Detroit and Vancouver in the West. And for the Cup itself? I like Vancouver over Washington. Been a while since a Canadian team won, and I think this will be the year.
1. Detroit - Ok...if they stay healthy and play like they did in the last half of the 09-10 season, Detroit could dominate the West. Seriously. They add Jiri Hudler and Mike Modano to that lineup. Just look at the talent that could play in the bottom 6 if they are healthy: Hudler, Modano, Dan Cleary, Darren Helm. A top 4 of Nicklas Lidstrom, Brian Rafalski, Niklas Kronwall and Brad Stuart. If Jimmy Howard can come close to the numbers he put up last year on his way to a Calder trophy finalist spot, this team will be the toughest to beat in a 7 game series.
2. Vancouver - They have added some know character guys like Manny Malholtra and Raffi Torres to the solid core of the Sedins, Ryan Kelser, Alexandre Burrows (once he's back), Mason Raymond and more. And they overhauled the d, by adding Dan Hamhuis, Keith Ballard and Ryan Parent to make it a better 6 in front of Luongo. And this is the time if this collection of players wants to make a run. The only question with the Canucks is that this isn't the first time these kinds of things have been said about this team and it's starting to sound like a broken record. But they're not the Sharks. Yet.
3. Los Angeles - Two, maybe three years from now, this is the team in the West that will be giving everyone nightmares. Already there is Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown and a solid pair of young, exceptional defensemen with Drew Doughty and Jack Johnson. Don't forget the 39 wins goalie Jonathan Quick got last year. Though you might if their other young goaltender Jonathan Bernier gets in and starts winning games. They still have 4 or 5 more highly-touted young players either just starting the in the NHL (like Brayden Schenn) or in the minors and juniors. Just like Pittsburgh, Washington and Chicago built through good drafts when poor seasons give them high picks, Los Angeles will soon be reaping those benefits. And i think once they do, they will be tough for years to come.
4. Chicago - With a caveat here. They could repeat. They could win their division. But with the loss of goalie Antti Niemi, Byfuglien, Versteeg and Ladd and also a good number of role players (John Madden, Ben Eager, Brent Sopel, Adam Burish). It is going to be a little more uniquely difficult for these Hawks. They do still of course have Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa and Patrick Sharp to score. Johnathan Toews is the best young captain in the league. Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook are the best young defensive tandem in the league. The big factor here will be Marty Turco. If he can be solid, not even spectacular, the Hawks could be in place for a good run at a repeat.
5. Colorado - They made it in as the 8 last year, and with more youth infused into the lineup, the Avs could be even better this year. Mainly, it's going to follow Craig Anderson. He came out hot last season and that really helped set the team's tone for the year. This year, they won't sneak up on anyone, but they are still fast and work hard. They also have to count on a number of young players to have just as good a year as last year, if not better. And sometimes you just have an instinct and I think Colorado is going to have a good season.
6. San Jose - Right off the bat, you have an interesting story with the captaincy. A lot of hockey writers and personalities have said that Thornton is no captain, but he sure is now. It will be seen if it gives him a shift up in his game, or just adds more pressure. And more pressure is the last thing this team needs. Maybe with no picking them this year and a lot of folks (like me) thinking it's Vancouver's year, maybe this underacheiving-after-April team will finally make a run to the Finals. Maybe not. And how do you have to feel if you're Antero Niittymaki? He gets signed early in the free agent frenzy, then a few weeks later, they also sign Antti Niemi. If the two of them can play well without letting become a controversy, it really may help this team in the long run. If it does become a problem, it could take the whole team down with them. I really think they could finish anywhere from the top 3, down to 10 or 11.
7. Phoenix - They were for real. They have a great goalie in Ilya Bryzgalov. They added a very complimentary player in Ray Whitney, who not only can shoot, but passes real well as well. They still have a good number of young players in their system and they showed that they can block things out to come together as a team, with their home city issue up in the air on a season-long basis. But Phoenix will be tough to beat and could be an upset special to beat the higher seed they play in the plyaoffs. They found a good mix of their players and players no one else seemed to want (Petr Pruccha?) and made it work. Not pretty on paper, but got some good results. They should have more magic in them.
8. St. Louis - Adding Halak and a good D in front of him will go a long way to get St. Louis (who seemed like they were always in the playoffs for awhile there) back into the Western mix. Brad Boyes needs to bounce back and Patrik Berglund needs to be the player we keep hearing he's going to be. Halak will now be faced with the pressure of playing up to a contract, but there's no way how to know how that will be. If he played the type of playoff hockey he did under the glare of the media in Montreal, being a highly paid hockey player in St. Louis should be easier than what Halak's already been through.
9. Nashville - Could easily be in Colorado's spot at 5 too. Ever notice how Nashville gets no preseason kudos, yet there's always standing after 82 games? True, they lose that first series, but they're there. Pekka Rinne took that starting job and hung on so tight that no one seemed to have any idea who the backup would be all summer. Matthew Lombardi could play a role similar to Ryan Kesler as one of the most dangerous second line centers in the game (if he even skates there, might be up on the first, we'll see). And new captain Shea Weber with Ryan Suter are an excellent defensive foundation.
10. Calgary - Miikka Kiprusoff might actually make this prediction higher than I wanted it to be. Really. Olli Jokinen and Alex Tanguay weren't exactly dominate the first times they were in Calgary. Honestly, did anyone else think they read it wrong when they saw that the Flames brought him back. I thought the guys on TSN were going to just shrug and say "I've got nothing...". And when you mix off-season head-scratchers with early injuries to Matt Stajan, Daymond Langkow and Ales Kotalik just to start, makes you think this might be a long season for the Saddledome faithful.
11. Dallas - The switch is on. Turco and Modano are both no longer Stars. Kari Lehtonen is now the present and near future in net. Brad Richards, Mike Riberio, captain Brenden Morrow, these are the faces in Dallas now. They may also have one of the most underrated snipers in the league with Loui Eriksson. But on D, you look and don't see the balance Dallas always has had. You could argue that they still haven't replaced Sergei Zubov. And not only is there a need for an offensive presence back there, no one on the Stars roster really jumps out at you as a stopper back there either.
12. Anaheim - Look at their D on paper. Do it. You know Scott Neidermayer and Chris Pronger are gone. But really...it's a rough looking D. But Jonas Hiller is solid in net. They have some exceptional top 6 talent with Bobby Ryan (sniper), Corey Perry (a scorer with a tough guy's nose for penalty minutes) and new captain Ryan Getlaf (who can do a little bit of everything). Some good players in the system who could come up and play if the team decides to accelerate their development. But it may be a year out of the playoffs for the Ducks.
13. Minnesota - It's interesting to consider the Wild down in the bottom of the conference when they have Niklas Backstrom, one of the best goalies in the West. But all I could think as I looked at their possible lineup is "Wow...with Mikko Koivu, Matt Cullen and John Madden, they aren't going to lose many faceoffs, are they?". Beyond that, we'll see if Guillaume Latendresse can continue to score, as he did when he got there from Montreal mid-season. And if their healthy lineup can score enough. It's year two of coach Todd Richards trying to get this team from the defense-first posture they had with Jacques Lemiere being the only coach in the history of the franchise up to that point. It's still a team in transition, and that is going to hurt their chances in the West. They might actually fair better this season if they played in the East.
14. Columbus - They made the playoffs when Steve Mason had a year for the ages in 2008-09, but then last season, Mason couldn't repeat that success. And beyond Rick Nash, I don't see a lot of players on that roster that could score more than 40-45 points. And there's nothing I see that makes me think they could make a run or that they have a great stash of young players somewhere, waiting for their shot to make the roster. So...
15. Edmonton - They are going to probably be an exciting team to watch. They are starting to show that, like Los Angeles, their draft picks are building a great future foundation for the franchise. I wonder how long Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle and Magnus Paajarvi will be on the same team. They all have great raw skills and if they all develop well, how long could Edmonton afford to pay them beyond their 3 year entry level contracts? There's a lot of attention (rightfully so) for Eberle's first goal (go search his name online to find it and see it if you haven't already), but Hall looks a lot more poised, like he belongs there. And Paajarvi's first exhibition game dropped my jaw to the floor. He not only has amazing speed, he also has some sick moves. The D is being turned over a bit (see: Sheldon Souray is being paid his Edmonton contract playing for Hershey in the AHL), and Nikolai Khabibulin is almost like a new acquisition, seeing as how he only played 18 games last season. They could surprise. But the rebuild is on and so far, it looks very promising.
2010-11 Season Preview EAST
I wasn't sure if Chicago were going to develop as a team enough to win the Stanley Cup last year, but , apparently, they were. And they had to be, with so many contracts having to be sorted out by the beginning of the summer. This year, it's easy to think that the Cup is again up for grabs, with such a depleted returning cast for the defending champs. But if Phoenix, Colorado, Montreal and Philadelphia showed hockey fans anything last year, it was that any team with any record can make a run in the playoffs and that big starts for young teams can sometimes be sustained for an entire year.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Southeast: Washington*, Carolina*, Tampa Bay, Atlanta, Florida
Atlantic: New Jersey*, Philadelphia*, Pittsburgh*, New York Rangers, New York Islanders
Northeast: Buffalo*, Montreal*, Boston*, Ottawa, Toronto
1. Washington - With the front line firepower of Alexander Overchkin, Alexander Semin, Nicklas Backstrom and others, the questions in Washington are never going to be about their offense. The Caps will take shots, will rush the puck and be more than glad to have defensemen like Mike Green and John Carlson join the rush and take fire as well. It really is going to be all about the pipes. Whoever is going to be the netminder needs to play strong from April 1st on, something this team has lacked in the last couple of seasons. They look the part of Eastern Conference favorite, but either Semyon Varlamov or Michal Neuvirth (back-to-back Calder Cup winner, mind you) needs to be the solid goalie this high-octane, lighter-on-d team achieve the playoff goals they've been falling short of.
2. Buffalo - You know what never really looks too impressive? A Buffalo roster. All summer I would look at all the moves being made, all the new players in new cities, teams that overhauled their roster and there's Buffalo: same as it ever was. A lot of the same players, most developed through their own drafting and farm system, solid not flashy. But they play Lindy Ruff's system well. And they work incredibly hard in all three zones. Oh...and they have Ryan Miller. Without Miller, this team might be a .500 team, hanging around that 8th seed in the East. With him, they could dominate their division. Honestly, if you're in that division, how happy are you about possibly seeing Miller 6 times a season? Thought so. Last year, he put on an amazing display. Not just in the league, but in Vancouver for Team USA as well. It may have won him the Vezina, but he didn't look too happy about it when he got it. Oh when he talks about it now. Happy, just not too happy. He really seems to be driven by winning big in the playoffs and looking at East as a whole, Buffalo is strongest where most teams have a ton of questions.
3. New Jersey - Martin Brodeur. Big contract for Ilya. Brodeur. Salary cap issues. Marty. Another backup for Marty (Johan "The Moose" Hedberg) that will supposedly play more games (how many times have we heard that?). Martin Brodeur. Arnott's back. And they have Marty still. They're having issues now just putting a full team on the ice (with salary problems, they just dressed 15 total players yesterday at home vs. Pittsburgh). But over the course of the season, once that problem gets sorted out, the Devils will continue to win a little more than they lose and somehow win the division. Not sold on my logic? Me neither, but every year I look at this team on paper and think the ride is over. It never is. Ol' #30 and the rest of the Devils are always there, usually winning the division, one of the high playoff seeds. So I give up...
4. Philadelphia - They went from only making the playoffs because they won a shootout vs. the Rangers on the last day of the season. They came back from down 3-0 in their series against Boston. And made it all the way to Game 6 of the finals. They addressed their problem on defense; the Flyers leaned very heavily on their top four D during the playoffs and that may have worn them out. They brought in some players, in Matt Walker and Andrej Meszaros, that are a 3rd pair upgrade. They have loads of weapons up front. But playoff hero (and journeyman goalie before that) Michael Leighton will be out 6-8 weeks, from what I've seen, and they need to figure out who will get the job done in the meantime. Those couple of months may make their win-loss record a little less impressive, but they will be around for the playoffs.
5. Pittsburgh - What??? Sidney isn't going to win? No. Not this year, I don't think. Two big things here: Jordan Staal is going to miss a good chunk of time and that lessens their advantage of being so strong up the middle. And they didn't replace Gonchar. True, they added Paul Martin and Zbynek Michalek back there, but they don't have the offensive vision, or the first pass, that Gonchar has. They will continue to be the center of attention, and could get hot late and make a nice run. But this team doesn't look like enough to win into June.
6. Montreal - Carey Price probably has more pressure on him than any other goalie in the league. You could argue Luongo in Vancouver, but many people still go on about how great Luongo really is. In Montreal, the fans boo Price in the preseason. After their improbable run last playoffs, many Canadien fans were shocked when the team traded playoff hero Jaroslav Halak to St Louis and went back to their first choice for goalie, Price. They all shed some of their big role players on the lower lines (Glen Metropolit, Dominic Moore). But they did settle on team leadership finally, naming American Brian Gionta as Captain and they also bring in playoff sensation P.K. Subban for his first full NHL season. There is enough good on this team that they should win enough to try for a encore this postseason.
7. Boston - Savard and Sturm out. Still some confusion in net. And a horrible playoff loss sticking in their heads. And I still have them making the playoffs. Why? Those two goalies are still Tim Thomas and Tuukka Rask. Whoever ends up in net, it should be okay; these two goalies had some of the best statistical numbers at the position over the last two seasons. And they brought in Nathan Horton from Florida to just shoot and score. And they have their own exciting young rookie with 2nd overall pick (that they got from Toronto in the Kessel deal) Tyler Seguin. Most younger centers get moved from that position to start, but Seguin, with the injuries, is needed there now.
8. Carolina - They missed the postseason after their horrible start, winning their 2nd game at game #18 and losing 14 in a row at one point in that run. But they will return this year as long as Eric Staal and Cam Ward both play to their potential. Staal is supported by enough scoring up front to compete, and additions on D that should help produce more goals from the back (Joe Corvo and Anton Babchuk returning and Jamie McBain starting his first full season) and a Conn Symthe winner in net...even with some AHL players and rookies, Carolina should be tough to play. They will run into trouble with teams that can play overly physical or if they start getting hurt. They have a leg up and the rest of the Southeast with the simple fact that every other team has some questions in goal, and Carolina has none. Cam Ward, if healthy, is more of a factor than any other goalie in the division.
9. New York Rangers - With Henrik Lundqvist in net, it's hard to believe that the Rangers will ever be that far away from the 8th spot (they just missed losing a shootout to Philly on the last day of the season). But starting the season with both injuries at center (Vinny Prospal, Chris Drury) and a mess on D, including sending Wade Redden to the AHL to get his salary off the cap, will make the playoffs a bit of an uphill battle for the Rangers this year. No denying the excitement of rookie Derek Stepan's hat trick the other day, it just is going to take a couple weeks to even have an idea of what this team is going to be like.
10. Tampa Bay - You have to like the changes Tampa has made since the 2009-10 season ended. New GM (some Yzerman bloke from Detroit), highly regarded new coach Guy Boucher. You have Stamkos coming off a big year and apparently, he spent the entire offseason working out with Gary Roberts. But the goalie tandem of Mike Smith and Dan Ellis doesn't exactly look that imposing. And their giant add on D was bringing Pavel Kubina back. For way more of a contract than I thought his play earned in the last couple of years. And, keep in mind, teams have had the whole summer to watch Stamkos on tape and see how to play him. That may change how much of an impact he has on the team. That's something to watch not just now, but all season.
11. Ottawa - Spezza was in trade rumors, but he didn't go anywhere. Leclaire was supposed to be the big unknown there, but while the team has had a slow start, he has looked great regardless of the score. Again, this is not a problem of what Ottawa has, it's just that they don't have anything at any one position that stands out in the conference, let alone the league. If Alfredsson and Spezza can get back to their higher-end totals and Leclaire can have a good season, they could easily make the top 8. You have to remember, just a few points can separate teams 6-10 when April rolls around. These teams are going to be closer than this list may make it look.
12. Toronto - This team could be an upset. J.S. Giguere in net. Soild D led by new captain Dion Phaneuf. Phil Kessel healthy to start the season. And actually, that first line of Tyler Bozak centering Kessel and former Hawk Kris Versteeg is a huge improvement over last season. But the rebuild is still going to take a little more time and a few more younger players to really make a lasting difference in a town that is sick of waiting for a winner. Won't be long, but might not be this year.
13. Atlanta - They should be fine in the back. A good defense core, bolstered by old dman, then a bruising winger, now a dman again Dustin Byfuglien. Chris Mason will play well in Ondrej Pavelec's absence. But up front...where is the offense? Evander Kane has a bright future. Andrew Ladd is great in front of the net and battling for pucks. But there looks like no goalscoring on this roster. And in a conference with some teams that can really score, Atlanta is going to have to find a way to keep up.
14. Florida - The only thing I think keeping them from spot 15 is Tomas Voukon. Like Roberto Luongo before him, Voukon sees
a ton of shots (second most a game last season) and keeps Florida close with his skill. And you take Horton away from a team that doesn't score a lot and that isn't going to help. There are some good young players in the system, but they are still a year or so away from bringing more of them up to the roster. I can say the same thing as I just said for Atlanta: in a division with high scoring teams that they have to play more than the other divisions, Florida needs to keep up if they even want a chance to make the postseason for the first time in a decade.
15. New York Islanders - This year, the problem with the Islanders isn't just that they are still rebuilding a team with a little more youth added each year, they also have some terrible health issues. Rick DiPietro hasn't been healthy in years. Kyle Okposo and Mark Streit are both out for a while and were since early in their camp in scrimmages. Second year player John Tavares got injured right when the season started. Adding AHL players and other teams' training camp cuts isn't going to accelerate the rebuild, it's just going to make it more interesting.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Southeast: Washington*, Carolina*, Tampa Bay, Atlanta, Florida
Atlantic: New Jersey*, Philadelphia*, Pittsburgh*, New York Rangers, New York Islanders
Northeast: Buffalo*, Montreal*, Boston*, Ottawa, Toronto
1. Washington - With the front line firepower of Alexander Overchkin, Alexander Semin, Nicklas Backstrom and others, the questions in Washington are never going to be about their offense. The Caps will take shots, will rush the puck and be more than glad to have defensemen like Mike Green and John Carlson join the rush and take fire as well. It really is going to be all about the pipes. Whoever is going to be the netminder needs to play strong from April 1st on, something this team has lacked in the last couple of seasons. They look the part of Eastern Conference favorite, but either Semyon Varlamov or Michal Neuvirth (back-to-back Calder Cup winner, mind you) needs to be the solid goalie this high-octane, lighter-on-d team achieve the playoff goals they've been falling short of.
2. Buffalo - You know what never really looks too impressive? A Buffalo roster. All summer I would look at all the moves being made, all the new players in new cities, teams that overhauled their roster and there's Buffalo: same as it ever was. A lot of the same players, most developed through their own drafting and farm system, solid not flashy. But they play Lindy Ruff's system well. And they work incredibly hard in all three zones. Oh...and they have Ryan Miller. Without Miller, this team might be a .500 team, hanging around that 8th seed in the East. With him, they could dominate their division. Honestly, if you're in that division, how happy are you about possibly seeing Miller 6 times a season? Thought so. Last year, he put on an amazing display. Not just in the league, but in Vancouver for Team USA as well. It may have won him the Vezina, but he didn't look too happy about it when he got it. Oh when he talks about it now. Happy, just not too happy. He really seems to be driven by winning big in the playoffs and looking at East as a whole, Buffalo is strongest where most teams have a ton of questions.
3. New Jersey - Martin Brodeur. Big contract for Ilya. Brodeur. Salary cap issues. Marty. Another backup for Marty (Johan "The Moose" Hedberg) that will supposedly play more games (how many times have we heard that?). Martin Brodeur. Arnott's back. And they have Marty still. They're having issues now just putting a full team on the ice (with salary problems, they just dressed 15 total players yesterday at home vs. Pittsburgh). But over the course of the season, once that problem gets sorted out, the Devils will continue to win a little more than they lose and somehow win the division. Not sold on my logic? Me neither, but every year I look at this team on paper and think the ride is over. It never is. Ol' #30 and the rest of the Devils are always there, usually winning the division, one of the high playoff seeds. So I give up...
4. Philadelphia - They went from only making the playoffs because they won a shootout vs. the Rangers on the last day of the season. They came back from down 3-0 in their series against Boston. And made it all the way to Game 6 of the finals. They addressed their problem on defense; the Flyers leaned very heavily on their top four D during the playoffs and that may have worn them out. They brought in some players, in Matt Walker and Andrej Meszaros, that are a 3rd pair upgrade. They have loads of weapons up front. But playoff hero (and journeyman goalie before that) Michael Leighton will be out 6-8 weeks, from what I've seen, and they need to figure out who will get the job done in the meantime. Those couple of months may make their win-loss record a little less impressive, but they will be around for the playoffs.
5. Pittsburgh - What??? Sidney isn't going to win? No. Not this year, I don't think. Two big things here: Jordan Staal is going to miss a good chunk of time and that lessens their advantage of being so strong up the middle. And they didn't replace Gonchar. True, they added Paul Martin and Zbynek Michalek back there, but they don't have the offensive vision, or the first pass, that Gonchar has. They will continue to be the center of attention, and could get hot late and make a nice run. But this team doesn't look like enough to win into June.
6. Montreal - Carey Price probably has more pressure on him than any other goalie in the league. You could argue Luongo in Vancouver, but many people still go on about how great Luongo really is. In Montreal, the fans boo Price in the preseason. After their improbable run last playoffs, many Canadien fans were shocked when the team traded playoff hero Jaroslav Halak to St Louis and went back to their first choice for goalie, Price. They all shed some of their big role players on the lower lines (Glen Metropolit, Dominic Moore). But they did settle on team leadership finally, naming American Brian Gionta as Captain and they also bring in playoff sensation P.K. Subban for his first full NHL season. There is enough good on this team that they should win enough to try for a encore this postseason.
7. Boston - Savard and Sturm out. Still some confusion in net. And a horrible playoff loss sticking in their heads. And I still have them making the playoffs. Why? Those two goalies are still Tim Thomas and Tuukka Rask. Whoever ends up in net, it should be okay; these two goalies had some of the best statistical numbers at the position over the last two seasons. And they brought in Nathan Horton from Florida to just shoot and score. And they have their own exciting young rookie with 2nd overall pick (that they got from Toronto in the Kessel deal) Tyler Seguin. Most younger centers get moved from that position to start, but Seguin, with the injuries, is needed there now.
8. Carolina - They missed the postseason after their horrible start, winning their 2nd game at game #18 and losing 14 in a row at one point in that run. But they will return this year as long as Eric Staal and Cam Ward both play to their potential. Staal is supported by enough scoring up front to compete, and additions on D that should help produce more goals from the back (Joe Corvo and Anton Babchuk returning and Jamie McBain starting his first full season) and a Conn Symthe winner in net...even with some AHL players and rookies, Carolina should be tough to play. They will run into trouble with teams that can play overly physical or if they start getting hurt. They have a leg up and the rest of the Southeast with the simple fact that every other team has some questions in goal, and Carolina has none. Cam Ward, if healthy, is more of a factor than any other goalie in the division.
9. New York Rangers - With Henrik Lundqvist in net, it's hard to believe that the Rangers will ever be that far away from the 8th spot (they just missed losing a shootout to Philly on the last day of the season). But starting the season with both injuries at center (Vinny Prospal, Chris Drury) and a mess on D, including sending Wade Redden to the AHL to get his salary off the cap, will make the playoffs a bit of an uphill battle for the Rangers this year. No denying the excitement of rookie Derek Stepan's hat trick the other day, it just is going to take a couple weeks to even have an idea of what this team is going to be like.
10. Tampa Bay - You have to like the changes Tampa has made since the 2009-10 season ended. New GM (some Yzerman bloke from Detroit), highly regarded new coach Guy Boucher. You have Stamkos coming off a big year and apparently, he spent the entire offseason working out with Gary Roberts. But the goalie tandem of Mike Smith and Dan Ellis doesn't exactly look that imposing. And their giant add on D was bringing Pavel Kubina back. For way more of a contract than I thought his play earned in the last couple of years. And, keep in mind, teams have had the whole summer to watch Stamkos on tape and see how to play him. That may change how much of an impact he has on the team. That's something to watch not just now, but all season.
11. Ottawa - Spezza was in trade rumors, but he didn't go anywhere. Leclaire was supposed to be the big unknown there, but while the team has had a slow start, he has looked great regardless of the score. Again, this is not a problem of what Ottawa has, it's just that they don't have anything at any one position that stands out in the conference, let alone the league. If Alfredsson and Spezza can get back to their higher-end totals and Leclaire can have a good season, they could easily make the top 8. You have to remember, just a few points can separate teams 6-10 when April rolls around. These teams are going to be closer than this list may make it look.
12. Toronto - This team could be an upset. J.S. Giguere in net. Soild D led by new captain Dion Phaneuf. Phil Kessel healthy to start the season. And actually, that first line of Tyler Bozak centering Kessel and former Hawk Kris Versteeg is a huge improvement over last season. But the rebuild is still going to take a little more time and a few more younger players to really make a lasting difference in a town that is sick of waiting for a winner. Won't be long, but might not be this year.
13. Atlanta - They should be fine in the back. A good defense core, bolstered by old dman, then a bruising winger, now a dman again Dustin Byfuglien. Chris Mason will play well in Ondrej Pavelec's absence. But up front...where is the offense? Evander Kane has a bright future. Andrew Ladd is great in front of the net and battling for pucks. But there looks like no goalscoring on this roster. And in a conference with some teams that can really score, Atlanta is going to have to find a way to keep up.
14. Florida - The only thing I think keeping them from spot 15 is Tomas Voukon. Like Roberto Luongo before him, Voukon sees
a ton of shots (second most a game last season) and keeps Florida close with his skill. And you take Horton away from a team that doesn't score a lot and that isn't going to help. There are some good young players in the system, but they are still a year or so away from bringing more of them up to the roster. I can say the same thing as I just said for Atlanta: in a division with high scoring teams that they have to play more than the other divisions, Florida needs to keep up if they even want a chance to make the postseason for the first time in a decade.
15. New York Islanders - This year, the problem with the Islanders isn't just that they are still rebuilding a team with a little more youth added each year, they also have some terrible health issues. Rick DiPietro hasn't been healthy in years. Kyle Okposo and Mark Streit are both out for a while and were since early in their camp in scrimmages. Second year player John Tavares got injured right when the season started. Adding AHL players and other teams' training camp cuts isn't going to accelerate the rebuild, it's just going to make it more interesting.
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