STANDINGS PREDICTIONS-where I expect teams to finish this season.
Eastern Conference Standings:
1. Pittsburgh Penguins
2. Washington Capitals
3. Buffalo Sabres
4. Philadelphia Flyers
5. Tampa Bay Lightning
6. Boston Bruins
7. New York Rangers
8. Toronto Maple Leafs
9. Montreal Canadiens
10. Carolina Hurricanes
11. New York Islanders
12. Florida Panthers
13. Winnipeg Jets
14. Ottawa Senators
15. New Jersey Devils
Western Conference Standings:
1. Los Angeles Kings
2. Vancouver Canucks
3. Detroit Red Wings
4. San Jose Sharks
5. Nashville Predators
6. Chicago Blackhawks
7. Minnesota Wild
8. Anaheim Ducks
9. St. Louis Blues
10. Columbus Blue Jackets
11. Edmonton Oilers
12. Dallas Stars
13. Calgary Flames
14.Colorado Avalanche
15. Phoenix Coyotes
PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS
WEST EAST
Conference Quarterfinal: 1LAK def. 8ANA 4-1 1PIT def. 8TOR 4-0
7MIN def. 2VAN 4-3 2WSH def. 7NYR 4-2
6CHI def. 3DET 4-3 3BUF def. 6BOS 4-3
4SJS def. 5NSH 4-2 4PHI def. 5TBL 4-1
Conference Semifinal: 1LAK def. 7MIN 4-2 1PIT def. 4PHI 4-3
4SJS def. 6CHI 4-2 2WSH def. 3BUF 4-2
Conference Final: 4SJS def. 1LAK 4-2 2WSH def. 1PIT 4-3
Stanley Cup Final: WSH def. SJS 4-3
This will be the year for the Caps and Sharks to silence their critics and shake off their playoff problems. In the end, Ovechkin will raise the Cup and be on a more even plane with Crosby, taking out his Penguins in the Conference Final.
GOAL SCORING-These are the potential goal ranges I am projecting for players I expect to score at least 20 goals this season. Injjuries will be a factor, but this is the bar I am setting for these players. Higher than expected will be a pleasant surprise, and totals below will be a disappointing season. The 20-24 range will be the most volatile in my predictions, as there are so many I have deemed capable.
50+ goals: TBL-Steven Stamkos, Alexander Ovechkin.
45-49 goals: VAN-Daniel Sedin.
40-44 goals: Corey Perry. CBJ-Rick Nash. CGY-Jarome Iginla. NJD-Ilya Kovalchuk NYR-Marian Gaborik.
35-39 goals: Bobby Ryan. CRL-Eric Staal. CHI-Patrick Sharp. COL-Matt Duchene. MIN-Dany Healtey. NJD-Zach Parise. NYI-John Tavares. PIT-Sidney Crosby. SJS-Patrick Marleau, Martin Havlat. TOR-Phil Kessel. VAN-Ryan Kesler. WSH-Alexander Semin.
30-34 goals: BOS-Nathan Horton. BUF-Derek Roy, Thomas Vanek. CRL-Jeff Skinner. CBJ-Jeff Carter. COL-Paul Stastny. DAL-Jamie Benn. DET-Henrik Zetterberg. EDM-Taylor Hall. LAK-Anze Kopitar, Dustin Penner. MTL-Brian Gionta, Tomas Plekanec. NYI-Michael Grabner. PHI-Daniel Briere, Claude Giroux, Jaromir Jagr. PIT-Evgeni Malkin. STL-David Backes, Chris Stewart. SJS-Logan Couture. TBL-Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis. TOR-Nikolai Kulemin. VAN-Alexandre Burrows.
25-29 goals: ANA-Ryan Getzlaf, Teemu Selanne. BUF-Brad Boyes, Jason Pominville, Drew Stafford. CBJ-Matt Calvert. CHI-Marian Hossa, Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews. COL-Milan Hejduk, David Jones, Gabriel Landeskog. DAL-Loui Eriksson, Brenden Morrow. DET-Daniel Cleary, Pavel Datsyuk, Johan Franzen. EDM-Ales Hemsky. FLA-David Booth, Stephen Weiss. LAK-Dustin Brown, Mike Richards, Justin Williams. MIN-Guillaume Latendresse. MTL-Michael Cammalleri. NSH-Colin Wilson. NJD-Patrik Elias. NYI-Matt Moulson, Kyle Okposo. NYR-Brandon Dubinsky, Brad Richards. OTT-Daniel Alfredsson, Nikita Filatov, Jason Spezza. PHI-James van Riemsdyk. PIT-Chris Kunitz, James Neal, Jordan Staal. STL-David Perron. SJS-Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton. TOR-Mikhail Grabovski. VAN-Mikael Samuelsson. WSH-Nicklas Backstrom, Mike Knuble. WPG-Evander Kane, Andrew Ladd.
20-24 goals: ANA-Jason Blake, Andrew Cogliano, Saku Koivu. BOS-Patrice Bergeron, Milan Lucic, Brad Marchand, Tyler Seguin. BUF-Tyler Ennis, Ville Leino. CRL-Jussi Jokinen, Tuomo Ruutu, Brandon Sutter. CBJ-Ryan Johansen, R.J. Umberger, Antoine Vermette, Derrick Brassard. CGY-Rene Bourque, Curtis Glencross, Lee Stempniak, Alex Tanguay. CHI-Bryan Bickell, Dave Bolland, Michael Frolik. COL-Chuck Kobasew, Peter Mueller. DAL-Michael Ryder. DET-Todd Bertuzzi, Tomas Holmstrom. EDM-Jordan Eberle, Shawn Horcoff, Ryan Jones, Magnus Paajarvi, Ryan Smyth. FLA-Evgeny Dadonov, Tomas Fleischmann, Scottie Upshall, Kris Versteeg. LAK-Simon Gagne, Jarret Stoll. MIN-Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Cal Clutterbuck, Matt Cullen, Mikko Koivu, Devin Setoguchi. MTL-Erik Cole, Max Pacioretty. NSH-Martin Erat, Blake Geoffrion, Patric Hornqvist, Sergei Kostitsyn, David Legwand. NJD-Travis Zajac. NYI-Blake Comeau, P.A. Parenteau, Brian Rolston, Ryan Strome, Nino Niederreiter. NYR-Artem Anisimov, Brian Boyle, Ryan Callahan, Ruslan Fedotenko, Derek Stepan, Wojtek Wolski. OTT-Bobby Butler, Milan Michalek. PHI-Scott Hartnell, Jakub Voracek. PHX-Shane Doan, Lauri Korpikoski, Radim Vrbata, Ray Whitney. PIT-Pascal Dupuis, Tyler Kennedy, Steve Sullivan. STL-Patrik Berglund, Matt D'Agostini, Andy McDonald, T.J. Oshie, Alex Steen. SJS- Ryane Clowe. TBL-Ryan Malone, Teddy Purcell. TOR-Tyler Bozak, Joffrey Lupul, Clarke MacArthur. VAN-Henrik Sedin, Marco Sturm. WSH-Jason Chimera, Mike Green, Brooks Laich. WPG-Nik Antropov, Dustin Byfuglien, Bryan Little, Blake Wheeler.
AWARDS-my guesses at who will win and be nominated
Vezina: W-Henrik Lundqvist. N-Pekka Rinne, Ilya Bryzgalov
Jennings: W-Pekka Rinne
Calder: W-Gabriel Landeskog. N-Adam Larsson, Ryan Strome
Hart/Lindsay: W-Alex Ovechkin. N-Evgeni Malkin, Steven Stamkos
Lady Byng: W-Loui Eriksson. N-Pavel Datsyuk, Martin St. Louis
Selke: W-Pavel Datsyuk. N-Ryan Kesler, Patrice Bergeron
Norris: W-Shea Weber. N-Drew Doughty, Mike Green
Art Ross: W-Evgeni Malkin
Richard: W-Alex Ovechkin.
Conn Smythe-Alex Ovechkin.
DRAFT ORDER-draft seating i project for the 2012 draft (pick ownership subject to change).
1. Phoenix Coyotes
2. Colorado Avalanche
3. New Jersey Devils
4. Ottawa Senators
5. Calgary Flames
6. Dallas Stars
7. Winnipeg Jets
8. Florida Panthers
9. Oilers
10. Islanders
11. Hurricanes
12. Blue Jackets
13. Blues
14. Canadiens
15. Maple Leafs
16. Ducks
17. Rangers
18. Wild
19. Blackhawks
20. Bruins
21. Lightning
22. Predators
23. Red Wings
24. Sabres
25. Flyers
26. Canucks
27. Los Angeles Kings
28. Pittsburgh Penguins
29. San Jose Sharks
30. Washington Capitals
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Season Preview-Northeast Division
1. BUFFALO SABRES
Last Season: 43-29-10, 96 points. 7th in Conference (3rd in Div.)-Lost in Conference Quarterfinal to PHI
Key Gains: Ville Leino, Robyn Regehr, Ales Kotalik, Christian Ehrhoff
Key Losses: Tim Connolly, Chris Butler, Steve Montador, Mark Parrish
Coach: Lindy Ruff
Forward Lines: 1. Thomas Vanek, Derek Roy, Jason Pominville
2. Drew Stafford, Paul Gaustad, Brad Boyes
3. Ville Leino*, Jochen Hecht, Tyler Ennis
4. Patrick Kaleta, Cody McCormick, Nathan Gerbe
Defensive Pairings: 1. Robyn Regehr*, Christian Ehrhoff*
2. Tyler Myers, Andrej Sekera
3. Jordan Leopold, Mike Weber
Goalie Tandem: Ryan Miller, Jhonas Enroth
Analysis:The Sabres are a team who managed to get a whole lot better without making all that many moves. They beefed up their defense massively, bringing in Christian Ehrhoff and Robyn Regehr, two of the game's better defenseman to add to an already talented blue line. Put them in front of all world goalie Ryan Miller, and teams will find it very hard to score goals against the Sabres, and boy will they have to. The Sabres offense is very talented and very deep. Derek Roy's return to the lineup after an injury-plagued season may make the biggest difference. Add in a potential 25 goal scorer in Ville Leino and the potential for a bounce back season from former 40-goal scorer Brad Boyes, and the Sabres will be one of the most feared teams in the league.
2. BOSTON BRUINS
Last Season: 46-25-11, 103 points. 3rd in Conference (1st in Div.)-Won Stanley Cup
Key Gains: Benoit Pouliot, Joe Corvo
Key Losses: Michael Ryder, Tomas Kaberle, Mark Recchi
Coach: Claude Julien
Forward Lines: 1. Milan Lucic, David Krejci, Nathan Horton
2. Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, Tyler Seguin
3. Benoit Pouliot*, Chris Kelly, Rich Peverley
4. Shawn Thornton, Greg Campbell, Daniel Paille
Defensive Pairings: 1. Zdeno Chara, Dennis Seidenberg
2. Joe Corvo*, Johnny Boychuk
3. Andrew Ference, Adam McQuaid
Goalie Tandem: Tim Thomas, Tuukka Rask
Analysis: Fresh off their championship season, the Bruins look to repeat. There have been hardly any changes made to their roster Tomas Kaberle was replaced by Joe Corvo, who is almost as offensively talented and is much better defensively than Kaberle. Benoit Pouliot will replace streaky Michael Ryder. A former 4th overall pick, Pouliot comes to his third team hoping to taste some of his true potential. Mark Recchi's retierment will be offset by a now more experienced Tyler Seguin. If last year's team was enough to win the Cup, that means the hardly retooled B's have a decent shot at a repeat. However, with so many powerhouse teams, particularly in their Conference, the road to continued glory will certainly be a difficult one.
3. TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
Last Season: 37-34-11, 85 points. 10th in Conference (4th in Div.)-Did not qualify for playoffs.
Key Gains: Tim Connolly, John-Michael Liles, Cody Franson, Matthew Lombardi
Key Losses: Tim Brent, Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Brett Lebda, Christian Hanson
Coach: Ron Wilson
Forward Lines: 1. Nikolai Kulemin, Mikhail Grabovski, Phil Kessel
2. Clarke MacArthur, Tim Connolly*, Joffrey Lupul
3. Matthew Lombardi*, Tyler Bozak, Colby Armstrong
4. David Steckel*, Nazem Kadri, Mike Brown
Defensive Pairings: 1. Dion Phaneuf, Luke Schenn
2. John-Michael Liles*, Mike Komisarek
3. Carl Gunnarsson, Cody Franson*
Goalie Tandem: James Reimer, Jonas Gustavsson
Analysis: The Maple Leafslook to have a surprisingly good season. After a promising push for the playoffs, the Leafs showed they were not far off from being a postseason squad late last season. Brian Burke added a sprinkling of under the radar talent to bolster their young lineup. The oft-injured Tim Connolly, who will begin the season on IR, is an extremely talented centerman when he's healthy. Matthew Lombardi fits a similar mold. John-Michael Liles brings offensive prowess to the blue line and Cody Franson will provide greater depth and future potential. The biggest question will be if James Reimer can build on his stellar rookie season. He may very well be the difference between the playoffs and an early spring. With 30-40 goal talent in Kessel, Grabovski, and Kulemin, plus Phaneuf and Liles on the point, the Leafs look to have a fearsome power play.
4. MONTREAL CANADIENS
Last Season: 44-30-8, 96 points. 6th in Conference (2nd in Div.)-Lost in Conference Quarterfinal to BOS
Key Gains: Chris Campoli, Erik Cole, Peter Budaj, Brian Willsie
Key Losses: Benoit Pouliot, Jeff Halpern, Roman Hamrlik, Alex Auld, James Wisniewski, Tom Pyatt
Coach: Jacques Martin
Forward Lines: 1. Andrei Kostitsyn, Tomas Plekanec, Michael Cammalleri
2. Erik Cole*, Scott Gomez, Brian Gionta
3. Max Pacioretty, Lars Eller, Mathieu Darche
4. Travis Moen, Blair Betts*, David Desharnais
Defensive Pairings: 1.Andrei Markov, Jaroslav Spacek
2. P.K. Subban, Hal Gill
3. Josh Gorges, Yannick Weber
Goalie Tandem: Carey Price, Peter Budaj*
Analysis: The Canadiens managed to have a solid season last year despite constant and major injury probelms, but I expect their luck to finally run out a bit this season. Though Andrei Markov will be returning, they lost both James Wisniewski and Roman Hamrlik from their blue line. They are still extremely deep there, but with the injury history of Markov, Gorges, and Spacek, they will have a lot harder time if they run into injury trouble this year. Their only major addition was Erik Cole, who is a solid second liner, but will not provide all that much of a spark to a streaky and generally unperforming group of talented forwards. Look for the Habs to float around the edge of the playoff picture.
5. OTTAWA SENATORS
Last Season: 32-40-10, 74 points. 13th in Conference (15th in Div.)-Did not qualify for playoffs.
Key Gains: Alex Auld, Nikita Filatov, Zenon Konopka, Mark Parrish
Key Losses: Ryan Shannon
Coach: Paul MacLean
Forward Lines: 1. Milan Michalek, Jason Spezza, Daniel Alfredsson
2. Nikita Filatov*, Peter Regin, Bobby Butler
3. Nick Foligno, Colin Greening, Erik Condra
4. Chris Neil, Stephan Da Costa, Mika Zibanejad
Defensive Pairings: 1. Chris Phillips, Erik Karlsson
2. Sergei Gonchar, Filip Kuba
3. Brian Lee, Jared Cowen
Goalie Tandem: Craig Anderson, Alex Auld*
Analysis: Hopes are not very high for the Senators this season. Last year was an extreme disappointment and Bryan Murray quickly gutted the team. Little remains of the old Sens, but the young are what will be fun to watch. Many young prospects will be coming in to fill roles fresh off a championship season in the AHL. This is a team who could be very good in a few years, but will also need to choose how to deal with the returning players, many of whom are old and have huge contracts. Alfredsson will be healthy and put up decent numbers, but is nearing retirement. Gonchar could be on the move, and this may finally be the year the Sens dump the underachieving Jason Spezza. Craig Anderson is a question mark in net; He's generally either red hot or ice cold.
Last Season: 43-29-10, 96 points. 7th in Conference (3rd in Div.)-Lost in Conference Quarterfinal to PHI
Key Gains: Ville Leino, Robyn Regehr, Ales Kotalik, Christian Ehrhoff
Key Losses: Tim Connolly, Chris Butler, Steve Montador, Mark Parrish
Coach: Lindy Ruff
Forward Lines: 1. Thomas Vanek, Derek Roy, Jason Pominville
2. Drew Stafford, Paul Gaustad, Brad Boyes
3. Ville Leino*, Jochen Hecht, Tyler Ennis
4. Patrick Kaleta, Cody McCormick, Nathan Gerbe
Defensive Pairings: 1. Robyn Regehr*, Christian Ehrhoff*
2. Tyler Myers, Andrej Sekera
3. Jordan Leopold, Mike Weber
Goalie Tandem: Ryan Miller, Jhonas Enroth
Analysis:The Sabres are a team who managed to get a whole lot better without making all that many moves. They beefed up their defense massively, bringing in Christian Ehrhoff and Robyn Regehr, two of the game's better defenseman to add to an already talented blue line. Put them in front of all world goalie Ryan Miller, and teams will find it very hard to score goals against the Sabres, and boy will they have to. The Sabres offense is very talented and very deep. Derek Roy's return to the lineup after an injury-plagued season may make the biggest difference. Add in a potential 25 goal scorer in Ville Leino and the potential for a bounce back season from former 40-goal scorer Brad Boyes, and the Sabres will be one of the most feared teams in the league.
2. BOSTON BRUINS
Last Season: 46-25-11, 103 points. 3rd in Conference (1st in Div.)-Won Stanley Cup
Key Gains: Benoit Pouliot, Joe Corvo
Key Losses: Michael Ryder, Tomas Kaberle, Mark Recchi
Coach: Claude Julien
Forward Lines: 1. Milan Lucic, David Krejci, Nathan Horton
2. Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, Tyler Seguin
3. Benoit Pouliot*, Chris Kelly, Rich Peverley
4. Shawn Thornton, Greg Campbell, Daniel Paille
Defensive Pairings: 1. Zdeno Chara, Dennis Seidenberg
2. Joe Corvo*, Johnny Boychuk
3. Andrew Ference, Adam McQuaid
Goalie Tandem: Tim Thomas, Tuukka Rask
Analysis: Fresh off their championship season, the Bruins look to repeat. There have been hardly any changes made to their roster Tomas Kaberle was replaced by Joe Corvo, who is almost as offensively talented and is much better defensively than Kaberle. Benoit Pouliot will replace streaky Michael Ryder. A former 4th overall pick, Pouliot comes to his third team hoping to taste some of his true potential. Mark Recchi's retierment will be offset by a now more experienced Tyler Seguin. If last year's team was enough to win the Cup, that means the hardly retooled B's have a decent shot at a repeat. However, with so many powerhouse teams, particularly in their Conference, the road to continued glory will certainly be a difficult one.
3. TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
Last Season: 37-34-11, 85 points. 10th in Conference (4th in Div.)-Did not qualify for playoffs.
Key Gains: Tim Connolly, John-Michael Liles, Cody Franson, Matthew Lombardi
Key Losses: Tim Brent, Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Brett Lebda, Christian Hanson
Coach: Ron Wilson
Forward Lines: 1. Nikolai Kulemin, Mikhail Grabovski, Phil Kessel
2. Clarke MacArthur, Tim Connolly*, Joffrey Lupul
3. Matthew Lombardi*, Tyler Bozak, Colby Armstrong
4. David Steckel*, Nazem Kadri, Mike Brown
Defensive Pairings: 1. Dion Phaneuf, Luke Schenn
2. John-Michael Liles*, Mike Komisarek
3. Carl Gunnarsson, Cody Franson*
Goalie Tandem: James Reimer, Jonas Gustavsson
Analysis: The Maple Leafslook to have a surprisingly good season. After a promising push for the playoffs, the Leafs showed they were not far off from being a postseason squad late last season. Brian Burke added a sprinkling of under the radar talent to bolster their young lineup. The oft-injured Tim Connolly, who will begin the season on IR, is an extremely talented centerman when he's healthy. Matthew Lombardi fits a similar mold. John-Michael Liles brings offensive prowess to the blue line and Cody Franson will provide greater depth and future potential. The biggest question will be if James Reimer can build on his stellar rookie season. He may very well be the difference between the playoffs and an early spring. With 30-40 goal talent in Kessel, Grabovski, and Kulemin, plus Phaneuf and Liles on the point, the Leafs look to have a fearsome power play.
4. MONTREAL CANADIENS
Last Season: 44-30-8, 96 points. 6th in Conference (2nd in Div.)-Lost in Conference Quarterfinal to BOS
Key Gains: Chris Campoli, Erik Cole, Peter Budaj, Brian Willsie
Key Losses: Benoit Pouliot, Jeff Halpern, Roman Hamrlik, Alex Auld, James Wisniewski, Tom Pyatt
Coach: Jacques Martin
Forward Lines: 1. Andrei Kostitsyn, Tomas Plekanec, Michael Cammalleri
2. Erik Cole*, Scott Gomez, Brian Gionta
3. Max Pacioretty, Lars Eller, Mathieu Darche
4. Travis Moen, Blair Betts*, David Desharnais
Defensive Pairings: 1.Andrei Markov, Jaroslav Spacek
2. P.K. Subban, Hal Gill
3. Josh Gorges, Yannick Weber
Goalie Tandem: Carey Price, Peter Budaj*
Analysis: The Canadiens managed to have a solid season last year despite constant and major injury probelms, but I expect their luck to finally run out a bit this season. Though Andrei Markov will be returning, they lost both James Wisniewski and Roman Hamrlik from their blue line. They are still extremely deep there, but with the injury history of Markov, Gorges, and Spacek, they will have a lot harder time if they run into injury trouble this year. Their only major addition was Erik Cole, who is a solid second liner, but will not provide all that much of a spark to a streaky and generally unperforming group of talented forwards. Look for the Habs to float around the edge of the playoff picture.
5. OTTAWA SENATORS
Last Season: 32-40-10, 74 points. 13th in Conference (15th in Div.)-Did not qualify for playoffs.
Key Gains: Alex Auld, Nikita Filatov, Zenon Konopka, Mark Parrish
Key Losses: Ryan Shannon
Coach: Paul MacLean
Forward Lines: 1. Milan Michalek, Jason Spezza, Daniel Alfredsson
2. Nikita Filatov*, Peter Regin, Bobby Butler
3. Nick Foligno, Colin Greening, Erik Condra
4. Chris Neil, Stephan Da Costa, Mika Zibanejad
Defensive Pairings: 1. Chris Phillips, Erik Karlsson
2. Sergei Gonchar, Filip Kuba
3. Brian Lee, Jared Cowen
Goalie Tandem: Craig Anderson, Alex Auld*
Analysis: Hopes are not very high for the Senators this season. Last year was an extreme disappointment and Bryan Murray quickly gutted the team. Little remains of the old Sens, but the young are what will be fun to watch. Many young prospects will be coming in to fill roles fresh off a championship season in the AHL. This is a team who could be very good in a few years, but will also need to choose how to deal with the returning players, many of whom are old and have huge contracts. Alfredsson will be healthy and put up decent numbers, but is nearing retirement. Gonchar could be on the move, and this may finally be the year the Sens dump the underachieving Jason Spezza. Craig Anderson is a question mark in net; He's generally either red hot or ice cold.
Season Preview-Atlantic Division
1. PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
Last Season: 49-25-8, 106 points. 4th in Conference (2nd in Div.)-Lost in Conference Quarterfinal vs. TBL
Key Gains: Steve Sullivan, Jason Williams
Key Losses: Maxime Talbot, Mike Rupp, Chris Conner
Coach: Dan Bylsma
Forward Lines: 1. Chris Kunitz, Sidney Crosby, Pascal Dupuis
2. James Neal, Evgeni Malkin, Steve Sullivan*
3. Matt Cooke, Jordan Staal, Tyler Kennedy
4. Dustin Jeffrey, Marc Letestu, Joe Vitale
Defensive Pairings: 1. Kris Letang, Brooks Orpik
2. Paul Martin, Zbynek Michalek
3. Matt Niskanen, Ben Lovejoy
Goalie Tandem: Marc-Andre Fleury, Brent Johnson
Analysis: This was a tough choice between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia for top team in the division. Both teams are extremely deep and talented in every facet of the game. But when it comes down to it, my reasoning for choosing Pittsburgh is what the Penguins did last season. While missing both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin for the entire second half of the season, the Penguins stilled finished the season with their second highest win total in team history, and had the same amount of points as the division leading Flyers. If they were that good with a mediocre offensive lineup, imagine what they'll be like with Crosby and Malkin back in the lineup. It is still uncertain as to when Crosby will return, but adding the Art Ross caliber talent of Evgeni Malkin will provide enough of a spark as it is. Scoring from the wings will, as usual, be the one thing lacking from the Penguins this year.
2. PHILADELPHIA FLYERS
Last Season: 47-23-12, 106 points. 2nd in Conference (1st in Div.)-Lost in Conference Semifinal vs. BOS
Key Gains: Jakub Voracek, Maxime Talbot, Andreas Lilja, Wayne Simmonds, Brayden Schenn, Ilya Bryzgalov
Key Losses: Ville Leino, Daniel Carcillo, Brian Boucher, Darroll Powe, Sean O'Donnell, Jeff Carter, Mike Richards, Kris Versteeg, Blair Betts
Coach: Peter Laviolette
Forward Lines: 1. Scott Hartnell, Danny Briere, Jaromir Jagr*
2. James van Riemsdyk, Brayden Schenn*, Claude Giroux
3. Jakub Voracek*, Sean Couturier, Matt Read
4. Andreas Nodl, Maxime Talbot*, Wayne Simmonds*
4. Andreas Nodl, Maxime Talbot*, Wayne Simmonds*
Defensive Pairings: 1. Chris Pronger, Kimmo Timonen
2. Matt Carle, Andrej Meszaros
3. Braydon Coburn, Andreas Lilja*
Goalie Tandem: Ilya Bryzgalov, Sergei Bobrovsky
Analysis: After a season which saw them stay atop the Eastern Conference for most of the year, the Flyers were swept in the second round of the playoffs by the Bruins thanks to their game of musical chairs in net. The first major move they made in the off-season was to correct their long-standing net issues by acquiring Ilya Bryzgalov from Phoenix. Many question how he will fare in Philly, but keep in mind that he has put together stellar, Vezina-caliber seasons behind a team that is really not very good. Imagine what difference he will make with a team that has as much talent as the Flyers. The Flyers continued a questionable array of salary dumping moves, shipping off Captain Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, and Kris Versteeg to L.A., Columbus, and Florida respectively, but their adequate gains from these deals mixed with the presence of Bryzgalov and a healthy Chris Pronger will make the Flyers extremely tough to beat. They are not as talented as the Penguins down the middle, but their scoring ability from the wings is far superior, and they WILL be deep at center within a few years thanks to the acquisitions of Brayden Schenn and the 8th overall pick from Columbus which they used to draft Sean Couturier.
3. NEW YORK RANGERS
Last Season: 44-33-5, 93 points. 8th in Conference (3rd in Div.)-Lost in Conference Quarterfinal vs. WSH
Key Gains: Brad Richards, Mike Rupp
Key Losses: Matt Gilroy, Sean Avery, Vinny Prospal, Bryan McCabe
Coach: John Tortorella
Forward Lines: 1. Ruslan Fedotenko, Brad Richards*, Marian Gaborik
2. Wojtek Wolski, Brandon Dubinsky, Ryan Callahan
3. Artem Anisimov, Brian Boyle, Derek Stepan
4. Mats Zuccarello, Mike Rupp*, Erik Christensen
Defensive Pairings: 1. Marc Staal, Dan Girardi
2. Michael Sauer, Ryan McDonagh
3. Steve Eminger, Michael del Zotto
Goalie Tandem: Henrik Lundqvist, Martin Biron
Analysis: The Rangers are definitely a better team then they were last year with the addition of Brad Richards. He should spark Marian Gaborik back into 40, even 50, goal form if he can stay healthy. The rest of the lineup is extremely deep with 20-goal talent. Henrik Lundqvist is perennially a top-5 goaltender, which makes up a little bit for the fact that the Rangers are not very deep on defense. All-around, this should be a very good team. But they are in a division with two powerhouse teams, and their habit of choking despite owning high-priced talent makes me hesitant to say they will go very far into the playoffs, despite their very obvious reasons for signing Richards (who is a former Conn Smythe trophy winner) and Rupp (who scored a Cup winning goal for the Devils), as well as resigning Ruslan Fedotenko (who scored two goals in Game 7 when Richards won the Cup with the Lightning and Tortorella).
4. NEW YORK ISLANDERS
Last Season: 30-39-13, 73 points. 14th in Conference (5th in Div.)-Did not qualify for playoffs.
Key Gains: Marty Reasoner, Brian Rolston, Steve Staios, Jay Pandolfo
Key Losses: Bruno Gervais, Zenon Konopka, Trent Hunter, Radek Martinek, Jack Hillen
Coach: Jack Capuano
Forward Lines: 1. Matt Moulson, John Tavares, Michael Grabner
2. Blake Comeau, Frans Nielsen, Kyle Okposo
3. P.A. Parenteau, Ryan Strome, Nino Niederreiter
4. Jay Pandolfo*, Marty Reasoner*, Brian Rolston*
Defensive Pairings: 1. Mark Streit, Travis Hamonic
2. Andrew MacDonald, Milan Jurcina
3. Mark Eaton, Steve Staios*
Goalie Tandem: Al Montoya, Evgeni Nabakov
Analysis: The Islanders are always a tough team to call because of their lack of depth and experience. This year however, I see them doing a little better. They are still not a playoff team, but they have a ridiculous amount of young talent up front, and now have some veterans in Reasoner, Pandolfo, and Rolston to guide them. Tavares is getting better every year, Grabner and Moulson had 30 goal seasons a year ago, Okposo is set to break out finally if healthy, and Strome and Niederreiter are likely to make the team and add an extra youthful spark. Mark Streit will be healthy on defense, which will make a huge difference. Travis Hamonic was very promising in his rookie season, and veteran Steve Staios will help round out a now more experienced blue line crew. The goalie situation is questionable as always: Al Montoya was very good at the end of last season, but is still unproven; Rick DPietro is oft-injured and unreliable; Evgeni Nabakov flat-out refused to play for the Islanders last season.
5. NEW JERSEY DEVILS
Last Season: 38-39-5, 81 points. 11th in Conference (4th in Div.)-Did not qualify for playoffs
Key Gains: Cam Janssen, Eric Boulton
Key Losses: Colin White, Brian Rolston, David Steckel
Coach: Peter DeBoer
Forward Lines: 1. Ilya Kovalchuk, Travis Zajac, Zach Parise
2. Patrik Elias, Dainius Zubrus, Petr Sykora
3. Mattias Tedenby, Jacob Josefson, Nick Palmieri
4. Eric Boulton*, David Clarkson, Cam Janssen*
Defensive Pairings: 1. Anton Volchenkov, Henrik Tallinder
Defensive Pairings: 1. Anton Volchenkov, Henrik Tallinder
2. Adam Larsson, Mark Fayne
3. Andy Greene, Bryce Salvador
Goalie Tandem: Martin Brodeur, Johan Hedberg
Analysis: The Devils surge late last season showed that they are capable of great things. But that doesn't mean they will achieve them. Thanks to a decent D, decent goaltenidng, and expected bounceback seasons from Parise, Kovalchuk, and Zajac, the Devils will win some games, but likely not nearly enough to put them anywhere near a playoff spot. They have three major problems in their way: depth, and, paradoxically, youth and age. Outside of Patrik Elias, there is not a reliable scorer after the top line, depending on how Petr Sykora is after a year off from the NHL. They have many young inexperienced players who are unproven, and not expected to perform other than Adam Larsson, and should they fail or other players become injured, there are only more inexperienced callups to plug into the lineup. Outside of these players, most of the remaining lineup is very old. Brodeur is likely in his last season. Elias was an All-Star last year, but is still only getting older. Sykora may not have much left in the tank either. Many aged veterans have proven they can still play, but it is still hard to expect much of them. The Devils have a very talented top line, but that's really about it.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Season Preview-Southeast Division
1. WASHINGTON CAPITALS
Last Season: 48-23-11, 107 points. 1st in Conference (1st in Div.) Lost in Conference Semifinal vs. TBL
Key Gains: Ryan Potulny, Tomas Vokoun, Roman Hamrlik, Joel Ward, Jeff Halpern, Troy Brouwer, Christian Hanson
Key Losses: Boyd Gordon, Marco Sturm, Semyon Varlamov, Matt Bradley, Brian Willsie, Jason Arnott, Eric Fehr, Tyler Sloan, Scott Hannan
Coach: Bruce Boudreau
Forward Lines: 1. Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Alex Semin
2. Jason Chimera, Brooks Laich, Mike Knuble
3. Troy Brouwer, Jeff Halpern, Joel Ward
4. Mathieu Perreault, Marcus Johansson, Matt Hendricks
Defensive Pairings: 1. Mike Green, Tom Poti
2. Roman Hamrlik, Dennis Wideman
3. Karl Alzner, John Carlson
Goalie Tandem: Tomas Vokoun, Michal Neuvirth
Analysis: After a late-season surge to the top of the Conference, the Caps were swept in the second round by the Lightning for another disappointingly early exit. This year, they mean business as they've added tons of experience. Tomas Vokoun is an aging former all-star, who has put together remarkably solid seasons recently considering he played with Florida and she be more than stable in between the pipes. Roman Hamrlik will bring a veteran presence and defensive prowess to a relatively young and offensively-focused defensive corps. Up front, the Caps are far deeper, with former Captain jeff Halpern returning, and most importantly, some strong playoff-minded additions on the wings in Joel Ward and Troy Brouwer. Brouwer was a member of the 2010 Cup team in Chicago and Joel Ward had a goal-scoring explosion this past offseason, helping the Predators reach the second round of the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. Ovechkin and Backstrom are expected to have bounce back seasons, and Semin is in the final year of his contract,, making this team frighteningly good in all three facets of the game. I believe that this year they will finally silence their critics and win the Cup.
Last Season: 48-23-11, 107 points. 1st in Conference (1st in Div.) Lost in Conference Semifinal vs. TBL
Key Gains: Ryan Potulny, Tomas Vokoun, Roman Hamrlik, Joel Ward, Jeff Halpern, Troy Brouwer, Christian Hanson
Key Losses: Boyd Gordon, Marco Sturm, Semyon Varlamov, Matt Bradley, Brian Willsie, Jason Arnott, Eric Fehr, Tyler Sloan, Scott Hannan
Coach: Bruce Boudreau
Forward Lines: 1. Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Alex Semin
2. Jason Chimera, Brooks Laich, Mike Knuble
3. Troy Brouwer, Jeff Halpern, Joel Ward
4. Mathieu Perreault, Marcus Johansson, Matt Hendricks
Defensive Pairings: 1. Mike Green, Tom Poti
2. Roman Hamrlik, Dennis Wideman
3. Karl Alzner, John Carlson
Goalie Tandem: Tomas Vokoun, Michal Neuvirth
Analysis: After a late-season surge to the top of the Conference, the Caps were swept in the second round by the Lightning for another disappointingly early exit. This year, they mean business as they've added tons of experience. Tomas Vokoun is an aging former all-star, who has put together remarkably solid seasons recently considering he played with Florida and she be more than stable in between the pipes. Roman Hamrlik will bring a veteran presence and defensive prowess to a relatively young and offensively-focused defensive corps. Up front, the Caps are far deeper, with former Captain jeff Halpern returning, and most importantly, some strong playoff-minded additions on the wings in Joel Ward and Troy Brouwer. Brouwer was a member of the 2010 Cup team in Chicago and Joel Ward had a goal-scoring explosion this past offseason, helping the Predators reach the second round of the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. Ovechkin and Backstrom are expected to have bounce back seasons, and Semin is in the final year of his contract,, making this team frighteningly good in all three facets of the game. I believe that this year they will finally silence their critics and win the Cup.
2. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
Last Season: 46-25-11, 103 points. 5th in Conference (2nd in Div) Lost in Conference Final vs. BOS
Key Gains: Matt Gilroy, Tom Pyatt, Bruno Gervais, Mathieu Garon, Ryan Shannon
Key Losses: Sean Bergenheim, Simon Gagne, Randy Jones, Mike Smith, Marc-Antoine Pouliot, Cedrick Desjardins, Mike Ludin, Matt Smaby
Coach: Guy Boucher
Forward Lines: 1. Steve Downie, Steven Stamkos, Martin St. Louis
2. Ryan Malone, Vincent Lecavalier, Teddy Purcell
3. Adam Hall, Dominic Moore, Ryan Shannon
4. Blair Jones, Nate Thompson, Dana Tyrell
Defensive Pairings: 1. Eric Brewer, Victor Hedman
2. Brett Clark, Marc-Andre Bergeron
3. Pavel Kubina, Mattias Ohlund
Goalie Tandem: Dwayne Roloson, Mathieu Garon
Analysis: After a very strong season that led them within one goal of the Stanley Cup finals, the Lightning remain relatively intact. While they didn;t bring in much, they didn;t lose much either outside of strong playoff performer Sean Bergenheim and the oft-injured Simon Gagne. With Gagne gone, expect Purcell to move onto Lecavalier's line and continue to see his production rise. The Lightning are very deep, and very talented, so the only question is how much gas does Dwayne Roloson have left in the tank?
3. CAROLINA HURRICANES
Last Season: 40-31-11, 91 points. 9th in Conference (3rd in Div.) Did not qualify for playoffs.
Key Gains: Anthony Stewart, Brian Boucher, Tim Brent, Alexei Ponikarovsky, Tomas Kaberle
Key Losses: Erik Cole, Joe Corvo
Coach: Paul Maurice
Forward Lines: 1. Jussi Jokinen, Eric Staal, Tuomo Ruutu
2. Chad LaRose, Jeff Skinner, Anthony Stewart
3. Alexei Ponikarovsky, Brandon Sutter, Patrick Dwyer
4. Jiri Tlusty, Tim Brent, Zac Dalpe
Defensive Pairings: 1. Tomas Kaberle, Joni Pitkanen
2. Tim Gleason, Bryan Allen
3. Jay Harrison, Jamie McBain
Goalie Tandem: Cam Ward, Brian Boucher
Analysis: Like the Dallas Stars, the Canes were one game away from making the postseason, which means there wasn't much to fix. However, they didn't do much to push themselves any farther ahead. Kaberle for Corvo was a pretty even trade off. Ponikarovsky had a very disappointing season last year with the Kings, and he and Stewart likely will not be able to make up for the loss of Erik Cole. The Canes have little depth outside of the center position, and a middle of the road defense in front of a streaky goalie in Cam Ward. The Canes could certainly do well enough to make the playoffs, but I find it more likely that they disappoint again this year.
4. FLORIDA PANTHERS
Last Season: 30-40-12, 72 points. 15th in Conference (5th in Div.) Did not qualify for playoffs.
Key Gains: Sean Bergenheim, Marcel Goc, Ed Jovanovski, Scottie Upshall, Jose Theodore, Tomas Fleischmann, Nolan Yonkman, Matt Bradley, Brian Campbell, Tomas Kopecky, Kris Versteeg, Angelo Esposito
Key Losses: Tomas Vokoun, Niclas Bergfors, Marty Reasoner, Darcy Hordichuk, Clay Wilson, Rostislav Olesz, Byron Bitz
Coach: Kevin Dineen
Forward Lines: 1. David Booth, Stephen Weiss, Kris Versteeg
2. Tomas Fleischmann, Mike Santorelli, Scottie Upshall
3. Sean Bergenheim, Jonathan Huberdeau, Evgeny Dadonov
4. Tomas Kopecky, Marcel Goc, Jack Skille
Defensive Pairings: 1. Ed Jovanovski, Brian Campbell
2. Dmitry Kulikov, Erik Gudbranson
3. Keaton Ellerby, Jason Garrision
Goalie Tandem: Jose Theodore, Scott Clemmensen
Analysis: The salary cap floor did wonders for the Panthers this offseason. Forced to spend, Dale Tallon brought in a ridiculous number of players, and the Panthers are eons ahead of where they were last year, with a ton of depth and young talent. The only problem is, deep as they are, they have no real big scorers. All of their forwards are of a similar skill. Expect the Panthers offense to be scoring-by-committee, unless of course the new found depth behind them finally pushes David Booth and Stepehn Weiss int 30-35 goal scorers. With high-valed veterans in Jovanoski and Campbell added on the back end, youngsters like Kulikov and Gudbranson will have great mentors. Jose Theodore is always a question in net, but Scott Clemmensen has proven both in Florida and New Jersey that he can be very solid in relief stints. The Panthers likely aren't quite playoff ready yet. But they could definitely surprise.
5. WINNIPEG JETS
Last Season: 34-36-12, 80 points. 12th in Conference (4th in Div.) Did not qualify for playoffs.
Key Gains: Tanner Glass, Randy Jones, Derek Meech, Eric Fehr, Kenndal McArdle, Jason Jaffray, Kyle Wellwood
Key Losses: Anthony Stewart, Radek Dvorak, Angelo Esposito, Eric Boulton
Coach: Claude Noel
Forward Lines: 1. Andrew Ladd, Nikolai Antropov, Blake Wheeler
2. Evander Kane, Alex Burmistrov, Bryan Little
3. Chris Thorburn, Kyle Wellwood, Eric Fehr
4. Tanner Glass, Jim Slater, Tim Stapleton
Defensive Pairings: 1. Dustin Byfuglien, Tobias Enstrom
2. Zach Bogosian, Mark Stuart
3. Johnny Oduya, Ron Hainsey
Goalie Tandem: Ondrej Pavelec, Chris Mason
Analysis: For all the hype surrounding hockey being back in Winnipeg, this is likely to be a disappointing season for the former Thrashers. They added no big names this offseason and look to have a very similar season to last year, except the rising Panthers should finish ahead of them. They have plenty of young talent on the first two lines, but after that, their offense is not at all impressive. They have a solid defense, but Ondrej Pavelec is very streaky in goal. Expect the Jets to win a lot of games at the beginning on pure adrenaline. After that, they will fall back to earth and start losing a lot more games.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Season Preview-Central Division
This is without a doubt the closest division to call. Whereas last year, 4 out of 5 teams in the Pacific Division made the playoffs, with Dallas missing by one game, expect this year's logjam to be here in the Central. Each team has their strengths and weaknesses, but each one of these teams has the potential to clinch a playoff berth.
1. DETROIT RED WINGS
Last Season: 47-25-10, 104 points. 3rd in Conference (1st in Div.) Lost in Conference Semifinals to SJS
Key gains: Ian White, Mike Commodore, Ty Conklin, Chris Conner
Key losses: Andreas Lilja, Brian Rafalski, Kris Draper, Mike Modano, Chris Osgood
Coach: Mike Babcock
Forward Lines: 1. Tomas Holmstrom, Pavel Datsyuk, Johan Franzen
2. Todd Bertuzzi, Henrik Zetterberg, Danny Cleary
3. Patrick Eaves, Jiri Hudler, Valteri Filppula
4. Drew Miller, Darren Helm, Justin Abdelkader
Defensive Pairs: 1. Nicklas Lidstrom, Niklas Kronwall
2. Brad Stuart, Jonathan Ericsson
3. Ian White*, Mike Commodore*
Goalie Tandem: Jimmy Howard, Ty Conklin*
Analysis: Despite the retirement of Brian Rafalski, the Wings are still as strong and deep as ever. They replaced Rafalski and Ruslan Salei with Ian White and Mike Commodore and remain totally intact up front. Expect their offense and defense to dominate opponents as always. Their one question mark remains the same: goaltending. Jimmy Howard is still an unproven goalie. He has moments of brilliance but is overall inconsistent. The team in front of him is good enough to win whether he plays well or not, but, as we saw with the Flyers last postseason, his play will become a much larger factor at crunch time.
2. NASHVILLE PREDATORS
1. DETROIT RED WINGS
Last Season: 47-25-10, 104 points. 3rd in Conference (1st in Div.) Lost in Conference Semifinals to SJS
Key gains: Ian White, Mike Commodore, Ty Conklin, Chris Conner
Key losses: Andreas Lilja, Brian Rafalski, Kris Draper, Mike Modano, Chris Osgood
Coach: Mike Babcock
Forward Lines: 1. Tomas Holmstrom, Pavel Datsyuk, Johan Franzen
2. Todd Bertuzzi, Henrik Zetterberg, Danny Cleary
3. Patrick Eaves, Jiri Hudler, Valteri Filppula
4. Drew Miller, Darren Helm, Justin Abdelkader
Defensive Pairs: 1. Nicklas Lidstrom, Niklas Kronwall
2. Brad Stuart, Jonathan Ericsson
3. Ian White*, Mike Commodore*
Goalie Tandem: Jimmy Howard, Ty Conklin*
Analysis: Despite the retirement of Brian Rafalski, the Wings are still as strong and deep as ever. They replaced Rafalski and Ruslan Salei with Ian White and Mike Commodore and remain totally intact up front. Expect their offense and defense to dominate opponents as always. Their one question mark remains the same: goaltending. Jimmy Howard is still an unproven goalie. He has moments of brilliance but is overall inconsistent. The team in front of him is good enough to win whether he plays well or not, but, as we saw with the Flyers last postseason, his play will become a much larger factor at crunch time.
2. NASHVILLE PREDATORS
Last Season: 44-27-11, 99 points. 5th in Conference (2nd in Div.) Lost in Conferece Semifinal to VAN
Key gains: Niclas Bergfors, Brett Lebda, Kyle Wilson, Zack Stortini, Jack Hillen, Tyler Sloan
Key losses: Marcel Goc, Steve Sullivan, Joel Ward, Mark Dekanich, Cody Franson, Matthew Lombardi, Shane O'Brien
Coach: Barry Trotz
Forward Lines: 1. Sergei Kostitsyn, David Legwand, Martin Erat
2. Blake Geoffrion, Mike Fisher, Patric Hornqvist
3. Matt Halischuk, Colin Wilson, Niclas Bergfors*
4. Nick Spaling, Cal O'Reilly, Jordin Tootoo
Defensive Pairs: 1. Shea Weber, Ryan Suter
2. Kevin Klein, Jonathon Blum
3. Jack Hillen*, Ryan Ellis
Goalie Tandem: Pekka Rinne, Anders Lindback
Analysis: The Predators definitely lost more than they gained this summer, and the trade of Cody Franson and Matt Lombardi for Brett Lebda still has me scratching my head. Despite these facts, they are still a very solid team and their strong defense in front of the tremendous Pekka Rinne should keep them in games. Their offense is still filled with nothing but middle of the road talent, but they shouldn't have to score many goals to win games.
3. CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
Last Season: 44-29-9, 97 points. 8th in Conference (3rd in Div.) Lost in Conference Quarterfinal to VAN
Key gains: Daniel Carcillo, Sean O'Donnell, Jamal Mayers, Andrew Brunette, Rostislav Olesz, Steve Montador, Sami Lepisto
Key losses: Jake Dowell, Troy Brouwer, Brian Campbell, Tomas Kopecky
Coach: Joel Quenneville
Forward Lines: 1. Michal Frolik, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane
2. Andrew Brunette*, Patrick Sharp, Marian Hossa
3. Bryan Bickell, Dave Bolland, Viktor Stalberg
4. Rostislav Olesz*, Ben Smith, Jamal Mayers*
Defensive Pairs: 1. Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook
2. Sean O'Donnell*, Steve Montador*
3. Niklas Hjalmarsson, Sami Lepisto*
Goalie Tandem: Corey Crawford, Ray Emery*
Analysis: For the second straight year, the Blackhawks underwent some major changes to their roster. However, they may be the stronger for it this time. They still have managed to keep the key guys in Toews, Kane, Sharp, Hossa, Bolland, Keith, Seabrook, and Hjalmarsson. In addition they have unloaded some salary by finally giving up Brian Campbell. They didn't get much in return in Olesz, but shouldn't need much out of him. Steve Montador should boost offensive production on the point, and the additions of three veterans should also help this club a lot: Andrew Brunette still is a big offensive producer, Jamal Mayers a seasoned enforcer, and Sean O'Donnell a solid and experienced defenseman. The main question will be if Corey Crawford can repeat his surprising rookie season.
4. ST. LOUIS BLUES
Last Season: 38-33-11, 87 points. 11th in Conference (4th in Div.) Did not qualify for playoffs
Key gains: Brian Elliott, Kent Huskins, Jamie Langenbrunner, Jason Arnott
Key losses: Cam Janssen, Ty Conklin
Coach: Davis Payne
Forward Lines: 1. David Perron, Andy McDonald, David Backes
2. Patrik Berglund, Alex Steen, Chris Stewart
3. T.J. Oshie, Jason Arnott*, Matt D'Agostini
4. Jamie Langenbrunner*, Vladimir Sobotka, Jonathan Cheechoo*
Defensive Pairs: 1. Barrett Jackman, Carlo Colaiacovo
2. Alex Pietrangelo, Kevin Shattenkirk
3. Kent Huskins*, Nikita Nikitin
Goalie Tandem: Jaroslav Halak, Brian Elliott*
Analysis: The biggest question marks for the blues this season are experience and durability. They have a lot of young talent with 20-30 goal ability as well as highly productive offensive defenseman. The question will be can they produce like they are capable of doing. Their defense may be shaky at times, but veterans Jackman, Colaiacovo, and Huskins should be a steadying influence in front of Halak. While much of the scoring talent up front is young and unproven, Jason Arnott and Jamie Langenbrunner were brought in and should be great mentors to the youngsters. Additionally, former Rocket Richard winner Jonathan Cheechoo was brought in. This is a no-lose situation for the Blues. Cheechoo has been awful the past few years and was lucky to even get a contract, albeit a small one. If he can find his old form, the Blues could be extremely dangerous and deep. If not, they didn't risk much. The Blues last season was derailed by injuries early on and a big key to their success will again be staying healthy. David Perron and Andy McDonald are still recovering from devastating concussions and it is still uncertain how much they will play this season.
5. COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS
Last Season: 34-35-13, 81 points. 13th in Conference (5th in Div.) Did not qualify for playoffs
Key gains: Curtis Sanford, Mark Dekanich, Jeff Carter, James Wisniewski, Radek Martinek, Vinny Prospal
Key losses: Scottie Upshall, Jan Hejda, Jakub Voracek, Mike Commodore, Mathieu Garon, Nikita Filatov, Andrew Murray, Sami Lepisto, Ethan Moreau
Coach: Scott Arniel
Forward Lines: 1. Rick Nash, Jeff Carter*, Kristian Huselius
2. R.J. Umberger, Derrick Brassard, Antoine Vermette
3. Vinny Prospal*, Samuel Pahlsson, Matt Calvert
4. Jarred Boll, Derek Mackenzie, Derek Dorsett
Defensive Pairs: 1. James Wisniewski*, Fedor Tyutin
2. Kris Russell, Marc Methot
3. Radek Martinek*, Grant Clitsome
Goalie Tandem: Steve Mason, Mark Dekanich*
Analysis: The Blue Jackets made a big splash this summer by adding Jeff Carter and James Wisniewski, but with these acquisitions, it is easy to forget how much they lost. They are definitely a stronger team than last year, but how much stronger remains to be seen. Wisniewski will be a big boost to the blue line, but they are still not very deep after the first pairing. With a questionable defense in front of the enigmatic Steve Mason, the Blue Jackets could end up letting in a ton of goals. Mason was outstanding as a rookie, but in the two seasons since, has not had a GAA under 3.00. He will need to be as spectacular as we know he can be if he is to lead the Blue Jackets to their second playoff appearance. As questionable as their D may be, the Blue Jackets' offense is as deep as ever. Huselius will be out the first part of the season, but Carter and Nash, both 40-goal talents, should be able to get some scoring done without him. The question will be how the two will share the puck without the playmaker on their wing. After Huselius' return, expect an even greater offensive explosion. Pahlsso, Dorsett, Boll, and MacKenzie should provide a gritty balance, while the remaining forwards, Wisniewski, and Tyutin will give Columbus fearsome power play options.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Season Preview-Pacific Division
1. LOS ANGELES KINGS
Last season: 46-30-6, 98 points. 7th in Conference (4th in Div.) Lost in Conference Quarterfinal to SJS
Key gains: Simon Gagne, Mike Richards, Ethan Moreau
Key losses: Alexei Ponikarovsky, Michal Handzus, Brayden Schenn, Wayne Simmonds, Ryan Smyth
Coach: Terry Murray
Forward Lines: 1. Dustin Penner, Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown
2. Simon Gagne, Mike Richards, Justin Williams
3. Ethan Moreau, Jarrett Stoll, Kyle Clifford
4. Scott Parse, Trevor Lewis, Brad Richardson
Defensive Pairs: 1. Drew Doughty, Jack Johnson
2. Willie Mitchell, Matt Greene
3. Rob Scuderi, Alec Martinez
Goalie Tandem: Jonathan Quick, Jonathan Bernier
Analysis: After coming in 4th place in their log-jammed division last year, the Kings had to face the eventual Conference finalists and division rival San Jose without Anze Kopitar and Justin Williams. Since then, they have made a few subtractions but a few even greater additions. There first three lines are riddled with 20-40 goal talent. A healthy Kopitar could be severely dangerous between Captain Dustin Brown and underachieving Dustin Penner. Penner struggles when he arrived in Los Angeles late last season, but he could flourish now that he's used to his new talent-filled environment and return to his 40-goal form. The acquisitions of former Flyers Simon Gagne and Mike Richards should provide a huge offensive spark as well. Gagne, though often injured, is another 40-goal talent when healthy and on his game, while Richards, last season's captain in Philadelphia, brings leadership, grit and offensive ability to the table. Justin Williams and Jarrett Stoll also have 20-30 goal capabilities. Mix all that offensive talent with a perpetually maturing defense with stars Drew Doughty and Jack Johnson in front of stonewall netminder Jonathan Quick and you get a team that is very hard to beat.
2. SAN JOSE SHARKS
Last season: 48-25-9, 105 points. 2nd in Conference (1st in Div.) Lost in Conference Final to VAN
Key gains: Michal Handzus, Jim Vandermeer, Brent Burns, Martin Havlat, Colin White, James Sheppard
Key losses: Ben Eager, Jamal Mayers, Ian White, Kent Huskins, Devin Setoguchi, Charlie Coyle, Dany Heatley, Kyle Wellwood
Coach: Todd McLellan
Forward Lines: 1.Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton, Martin Havlat
2. Ryane Clowe, Joe Pavelski, Michal Handzus
3. Torey Mitchell, James Sheppard, Benn Ferriero
4. Jamie McGinn, Andrew Murray, Andrew Desjardins
Defensive Pairs: 1. Dan Boyle, Brent Burns
2. Douglas Murray, Marc-Edouard Vlasic
3. Colin White, Jason Demers
Goalie Tandem: Antti Niemi, Antero Niittymaki
Analysis: The Sharks have the same highly competitive team they always do, which is impressive considering the turnover the team made during this offseason. With a speedier system desired, Dany Heatley was shipped off to Minnesota in exchange for speedy scorer Martin Havlat. He may not be a 50-goal threat like Heatley, but he is still a game-changer who could see his 30-goal capabilities go above and beyond that playing with Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau. Dan Boyle will not have to hold the back end load by himself this year, as the Sharks brought in another All-Star caliber offensive defenseman in Brent Burns. In the bottom two pairs, the Sharks have a good mix of offensive ability with Demers and Vlasic and defensive prowess with Douglas Murray and former Devil Colin White. In fact, the Sharks may be a little overloaded at D, with newcomer Jim Vandermeer as a seventh defenseman, which is never a bad problem to have.
3. ANAHEIM DUCKS
Last season: 47-30-5, 99 points. 4th in Conference (2nd in Div.) Lost in Conference Quarterfinal to NSH
Key gains: Andrew Cogliano, Kurtis Foster
Key losses: Andy Sutton, Kyle Chipchura
Coach: Randy Carlyle
Forward Lines: 1. Bobby Ryan, Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry
2. Jason Blake, Saku Koivu, Teemu Selanne
3. Matt Beleskey, Andrew Cogliano, Dan Sexton
4. Jean-Francois Jacques, Brandon McMillan, George Parros
Defensive Pairs: 1. Toni Lydman, Lubomir Visnovsky
2. Kurtis Foster, Francois Beauchemin
3. Cam Folwer, Luca Sbisa
Goalie Tandem: Jonas Hiller, Dan Ellis
Analysis: After Corey Perry's MVP finish propelled the Ducks from almost missing the playoffs to receiving home-ice advantage, the Ducks were dealt a 6-game defeat to the Nashville Predators in the first round. Since then, they have made little change. They replaced Andy Sutton on D with Kurtis Foster and also brought in talented but underachieving young center Andrew Cogliano. With the reigning MVP on the wing with Ryan Getzlaf and Bobby Ryan, it is hard to imagine having a more dangerous top line. Behind that, Teemu Selanne is back for another go after a 30-goal, 80-point season at the age of 40. Outside of shutdown guy Francois Beauchemin, the Ducks have mainly offensive defenseman, which will be their Achilles heel should Jonas Hiller have a recurrence of his vertigo problems that cut his All-Star season so short last year. One thing is sure with this team, they shouldn't have any trouble scoring goals.
4. DALLAS STARS
Last season: 42-29-11, 95 points. 9th in Conference (5th in Div.) Did not qualify for the playoffs.
Key gains: Vernon Fiddler, Radek Dvorak, Michael Ryder, Sheldon Souray, Jake Dowell
Key losses: Brad Richards, Jamie Langenbrunner, Jason Williams, Jeff Woywitka
Coach: Glen Gulutzan
Forward Lines: 1. Loui Eriksson, Mike Ribeiro, Michael Ryder
2. Jamie Benn, Jake Dowell, Brenden Morrow
3. Steve Ott, Vernon Fiddler, Adam Burish
4. Tom Wandell, Toby Petersen, Scott Glennie
Defensive Pairs: 1. Treor Daley, Stephan Robidas
2. Alex Goligoski, Sheldon Souray
3. Mark Fistric, Nicklas Grossman
Goalie Tandem: Kari Lehtonen, Andrew Raycroft
Analysis: After a loss on the last day of the season which cost them a playoff berth, the Stars decided to make some changes. After failing to retain stud center Brad Richards, they attempted to fill an offensive void by signing streaky wing Michael Ryder, fresh off a solid championship run with the Boston Bruins. They also took a chance in signing Sheldon Souray, once one of the most feared offensive defenseman in the league who has fallen to the bottom of the bin these last few seasons. Pair these acquisitions with a developing young group of forwards and defenseman, the Stars should be able to put together a solid season.
5. PHOENIX COYOTES
Last season: 43-26-13, 99 points. 6th in Conference (3rd in Div.) Lost in Conference Quarterfinal to DET
Key gains: Alex Bolduc, Boyd Gordon, Mike Smith, Raffi Torres, Curtis McElhinney, Kyle Chipchura, Marc-Antoine Pouliot, Patrick O'Sullivan, Daymond Langkow
Key losses:Eric Belanger, Ed Jovanovski, Andrew Ebbett, Vernon Fiddler, Ilya Bryzgalov, Lee Stempniak
Coach: Dave Tippett
Forward Lines: 1. Ray Whitney, Daymond Langkow, Shane Doan
2. Raffi Torres, Martin Hanzal, Radim Vrbata
3. Lauri Korpkikosi, Kyle Turris, Taylor Pyatt
4. Mikael Boedker, Boyd Gordon, Patrick O'Sullivan
4. Mikael Boedker, Boyd Gordon, Patrick O'Sullivan
Defensive Pairs: 1. Keith Yandle, Adrian Aucoin
2. Derek Morris, Rostislav Klesla
3. Michal Rozsival, David Schlemko
Goalie Tandem: Mike Smith, Jason LaBarbera
Analysis: Expect this to be the end of the Coyotes surprising playoff streak. They have plenty of defensive talent, led by the impressive Keith Yandle, but the impressiveness ends there. The scoring-by-committee team did not add any major offensive pieces and even worse, they traded away the only reason that they have made the playoffs these last few seasons: Ilya Bryzgalov. Bryzgalov was shipped off to Philadelphia and replaced with Lightning goalie Mike Smith, who is streaky and nowhere near as talented as Bryzgalov. Bryz consistently puts together Vezina-caliber seasons, while Smith struggles to string together consecutive starts. Don't be surprised to see the Coyotes with a top 5 pick in the 2012 draft.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Season Preview-Northwest Division
So I've been a little lazy this summer....
The plan was to analyze free agency as it happened. But I didn't really get around to that.
So now that I'm back at school toiling away in the computer lab (jk, lulz, this is hardly work), I figure it's time to write up a season preview to summarize everything I should have been writing all along this summer.
So the plan here is I will go division by division, likely in multiple posts, analyzing who left and who's come in to each team, what their strengths and weaknesses are, I'll name their coach, as there are many new ones, show what combinations of lines I would use if I were in their shoes, and I'll give my projected standings for each division.
Note: A player with * is a player new to the team.
Starting with the Northwest Division.....
1st. VANCOUVER CANUCKS:
Last season 54-19-9, 117 points. 1st place (1st in Div.)-Lost in Stanley Cup Final to BOS
Key additions: Andrew Ebbett (PHX), Marco Sturm (WSH), Byron Bitz (FLA)
Key losses: Raffi Torres (PHX), Tanner Glass (WPG), Alex Bolduc (PHX), Chrstian Ehrhoff (BUF)
Coach: Alain Vigneault
Forward Lines: 1. Alex Burrows, Henrik Sedin, Daniel Sedin
2. Mason Raymond, Ryan Kesler, Mikael Samuelsson
3. Marco Sturm, Manny Malhotra, Chris Higgins
4. Jannik Hansen, Max Lapierre, Cody Hodgson
Defensive Pairings: 1. Kevin Bieksa, Alex Edler
2. Dan Hamhuis, Sami Salo
3. Aaron Rome, Keith Ballard
Goalie Tandem: Roberto Luongo, Cory Schneider
Analysis: After a monster season that ended one win away from glory, the Vancouver Canucks look to be back with a vengeance this season. Most of their roster is still intact, having really only lost Chirstian Ehrhoff and Raffi Torres, and they should gobble up the Northwest title with ease once again. While Ehrhoff was a key presence on their blue line, they still are as deep as anyone on the back end. If Marco Sturm can remain healthy, he should more than replace Torres offensivelyThe two biggest questions seem to be how speedster Mason Raymond will change after a devastating vertebrae injury and if the injured Ryan Kesler can build upon his outstanding 40-goal season.
2nd. MINNESOTA WILD:
Last season 39-35-8, 86 points. 12th place (3rd in Div.)-Did not qualify for playoffs.
Key Additions: Devin Setoguchi (SJS), Charlie Coyle (SJS), Darroll Powe (PHI), Dany Heatley (SJS), Mike Lundin (TBL)
Key losses: Jose Theodore (FLA), Chuck Kobasew (COL), Cam Barker (EDM), Andrew Brunette (CHI), Brent Burns (SJS), Martin Havlat (SJS), Patrick O'Sullivan (PHX), James Sheppard (SJS)
Coach: Mike Yeo
Forward Lines: 1. Guillaume Latendresse, Mikko Koivu, Dany Heatley*
2. Cal Clutterbuck, Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Devin Setoguchi*
3. Kyle Brodziak, Matt Cullen, Eric Nystrom
4. Colton Gillies, Darroll Powe*, Brad Staubitz
Defensive Pairings: 1. Nick Schultz, Marek Zidlicky
2. Greg Zanon, Clayton Stoner
3. Mike Lundin*, Justin Falk
Goalie Tandem: Nicklas Backstrom, Josh Harding
Analysis: The Wild are by no means an outstanding or fearsome club, but should be able to put together a decent season and clinch a playoff berth. A very defensive team, the Wild brought in 50-goal man Dany Heatley and young Devin Setoguchi to help spark their offense. If they can bounce back after down years in San Jose and scorer Guillaume Latendresse can stay healthy, they should be able to provide enough offense to make up for the rest of the roster. With a strong defensive system, solid defenseman, and a consistently good goaltender in Nicklas Backstrom, the Wild don't need that many goals to win games, so these acquisitions should be able to push them over the edge into the playoffs. The loss of All-Star defenseman Brent Burns is a key one, but the remaining defenders should be solid enough in his absence.
3rd. EDMONTON OILERS:
Last season 25-45-12, 62 points. 15th place (5th in Div.)-Did not qualify for playoffs.
Key additions: Eric Belanger (PHX), Cam Barker (MIN), Ben Eager (SJS), Ryan Smyth (LAK), Andy Sutton (ANA)
Key losses: Jim Vandermeer (SJS), Sheldon Souray (DAL), Kurtis Foster (ANA), Zack Stortini (NSH), Andrew Cogliano (ANA)
Coach: Tom Renney
Forward Lines: 1. Ryan Smyth*, Shawn Horcoff, Ales Hemsky
2. Taylor Hall, Sam Gagner, Jordan Eberle
3. Magnus Paajarvi, Eric Belanger*, Ryan Jones
4. Ben Eager*, Gilbert Brule, Linus Omark
Defensive Pairings: 1. Ryan Whitney, Tom Gilbert
2. Ladislav Smid, Cam Barker*
3. Theo Peckham, Andy Sutton
Goalie Tandem: Nikolai Khabibulin, Devyn Dubnyk
Analysis: The Oilers are a team that is hard to predict this season. They have the potential to surprise the hockey world, but are just as likely to continue to patrol the bottom ranks of the Western Conference this season. IF Ryan Smyth can regain some of his old Edmonton magic and fellow vets and former teammates from the 2006 Cup run Shawn Horcoff and Ales Hemsky can regain their scoring touch, Edmonton could have a very dangerous top line of veterans in front of a lot of energetic and talented youths. The 2nd and 3rd projected lines are riddled with young stars in the making who could explode offensively at any time. The defensive corps are as deep and solid as they have been in years, which may take some of the stress off of an old and faltering Nikolai Khabibulin. Also, should he fail again, Devan Dubnyk put together a promising season last year. If all of these young pieces work together well, the Oilers could find themselves in a surprise playoff position, much like the 2009-2010 Colorado Avalanche. If not, they get another high draft pick.
4th. CALGARY FLAMES:
Last season 41-29-12, 94 points. 10th place (2nd in Div.)-Did not qualify for playoffs.
Key additions: Chris Butler (BUF), Scott Hannan (WSH), Lee Stempniak (PHX)
Key losses: Robyn Regehr (BUF), Ales Kotalik (BUF), Daymond Langkow (PHX)
Coach: Brent Sutter
Forward Lines: 1. Alex Tanguay, Olli Jokinen, Jarome Iginla
2. Lee Stempniak*, Matt Stajan, Rene Bourque
3. Curtis Glencross, Brendan Morrison, Niklas Hagman
4. Tom Kostopoulos, David Moss, Mikael Backlund
Defensive Pairings: 1. Jay Bouwmeester, Cory Sarich
2. Anton Babchuk, Chris Butler*
3. Scott Hannan*, Brett Carson
Goalie Tandem: Miikka Kiprusoff, Henrik Karlsson
Analysis: The FLames are another hard team to figure out. On the one hand, they have some of the best first line talent in the league, as well as 20-goal scoring ability through the third line. On the other hand, their defense just isn't that great. In front of Miikka Kiprusoff, they may not need it; however, keep in mind that the Flames missed the playoffs last season. They tore it up late in the season and can blame a bad start for there lack of a playoff berth, but they did nothing to improve themselves this offseason. If anything, they may have gotten worse. They traded their best defenseman, Robyn Regehr, to Buffalo for unproven young defenseman Chris Butler. This was seen as a salary dump, but the Flames did not do much to use this freed-up salary. Jarome Iginla is a perennial 40-goal scorer and will continue to perform whether his team does or not, but not much is certain other than that. Olli Jokinen is a talented center with tons of scoring ability, but has been a shade of his former self since leaving Florida. Alex Tanguay is also a talented playmaker who has never quite been the same threat since leaving Colorado. This top line could be one of the biggest producers in the league, which it will need to be if the Flames hope to make the playoffs; or more likely, Iginla will carry the team by himself and the Flames will miss out again.
5th. COLORADO AVALANCHE:
Last season 30-44-8, 68 points. 14th place (4th in Div.)-Did not qualify for playoffs.
Key additions: Chuck Kobasew (MIN), Jean-Sebastien Giguere (TOR), Jan Hejda (CBJ), Semyon Varlamov (WSH), Shane O'Brien (NSH)
Key losses: Peter Budaj (MON), Brian Elliott (STL), Tomas Fleischmann (FLA), John Michael-Liles (TOR)
Coach: Joe Sacco
Forward Lines: 1. Milan Hejduk, Paul Stastny, Chuck Kobasew*
2. David Jones, Matt Duchene, Peter Mueller
3. T.J. Galiardi, Kevin Porter, Ryan O'Reilly
4. Daniel Winnik, Jay McClement, Brandon Yip
Defensive Pairings: 1. Erik Johnson, Jan Hejda*
2. Shane O'Brien, Kye Wilson
3. Ryan O'Byrne, Matt Hunwick
Goalie Tandem: Semyon Varlamov*, Jean-Sebastien Giguere*
Analysis: Two years ago, the Colorado Avalnche made a very surprising trip to the playoffs. Last year around the All-Star break, they seemed to be in line to return, but thanks to a historic collapse, they ended the season as the second worst team in the league. They still have plenty of young talent that could be a surprise spark and win this team some games. However, a lot of talent has been shipped off and the Avalanche's defense is one of the worst in the league. This team definitely has potential, and with two new goalies in young talent Semyon Varlamov and aging veteran J-S Giguere, this team could end up having a decent season. But most of the team's talent is still budding and unproven and the Avs are likely to continue sweeping the cellar of the Western Conference for at least another year.
The plan was to analyze free agency as it happened. But I didn't really get around to that.
So now that I'm back at school toiling away in the computer lab (jk, lulz, this is hardly work), I figure it's time to write up a season preview to summarize everything I should have been writing all along this summer.
So the plan here is I will go division by division, likely in multiple posts, analyzing who left and who's come in to each team, what their strengths and weaknesses are, I'll name their coach, as there are many new ones, show what combinations of lines I would use if I were in their shoes, and I'll give my projected standings for each division.
Note: A player with * is a player new to the team.
Starting with the Northwest Division.....
1st. VANCOUVER CANUCKS:
Last season 54-19-9, 117 points. 1st place (1st in Div.)-Lost in Stanley Cup Final to BOS
Key additions: Andrew Ebbett (PHX), Marco Sturm (WSH), Byron Bitz (FLA)
Key losses: Raffi Torres (PHX), Tanner Glass (WPG), Alex Bolduc (PHX), Chrstian Ehrhoff (BUF)
Coach: Alain Vigneault
Forward Lines: 1. Alex Burrows, Henrik Sedin, Daniel Sedin
2. Mason Raymond, Ryan Kesler, Mikael Samuelsson
3. Marco Sturm, Manny Malhotra, Chris Higgins
4. Jannik Hansen, Max Lapierre, Cody Hodgson
Defensive Pairings: 1. Kevin Bieksa, Alex Edler
2. Dan Hamhuis, Sami Salo
3. Aaron Rome, Keith Ballard
Goalie Tandem: Roberto Luongo, Cory Schneider
Analysis: After a monster season that ended one win away from glory, the Vancouver Canucks look to be back with a vengeance this season. Most of their roster is still intact, having really only lost Chirstian Ehrhoff and Raffi Torres, and they should gobble up the Northwest title with ease once again. While Ehrhoff was a key presence on their blue line, they still are as deep as anyone on the back end. If Marco Sturm can remain healthy, he should more than replace Torres offensivelyThe two biggest questions seem to be how speedster Mason Raymond will change after a devastating vertebrae injury and if the injured Ryan Kesler can build upon his outstanding 40-goal season.
2nd. MINNESOTA WILD:
Last season 39-35-8, 86 points. 12th place (3rd in Div.)-Did not qualify for playoffs.
Key Additions: Devin Setoguchi (SJS), Charlie Coyle (SJS), Darroll Powe (PHI), Dany Heatley (SJS), Mike Lundin (TBL)
Key losses: Jose Theodore (FLA), Chuck Kobasew (COL), Cam Barker (EDM), Andrew Brunette (CHI), Brent Burns (SJS), Martin Havlat (SJS), Patrick O'Sullivan (PHX), James Sheppard (SJS)
Coach: Mike Yeo
Forward Lines: 1. Guillaume Latendresse, Mikko Koivu, Dany Heatley*
2. Cal Clutterbuck, Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Devin Setoguchi*
3. Kyle Brodziak, Matt Cullen, Eric Nystrom
4. Colton Gillies, Darroll Powe*, Brad Staubitz
Defensive Pairings: 1. Nick Schultz, Marek Zidlicky
2. Greg Zanon, Clayton Stoner
3. Mike Lundin*, Justin Falk
Goalie Tandem: Nicklas Backstrom, Josh Harding
Analysis: The Wild are by no means an outstanding or fearsome club, but should be able to put together a decent season and clinch a playoff berth. A very defensive team, the Wild brought in 50-goal man Dany Heatley and young Devin Setoguchi to help spark their offense. If they can bounce back after down years in San Jose and scorer Guillaume Latendresse can stay healthy, they should be able to provide enough offense to make up for the rest of the roster. With a strong defensive system, solid defenseman, and a consistently good goaltender in Nicklas Backstrom, the Wild don't need that many goals to win games, so these acquisitions should be able to push them over the edge into the playoffs. The loss of All-Star defenseman Brent Burns is a key one, but the remaining defenders should be solid enough in his absence.
3rd. EDMONTON OILERS:
Last season 25-45-12, 62 points. 15th place (5th in Div.)-Did not qualify for playoffs.
Key additions: Eric Belanger (PHX), Cam Barker (MIN), Ben Eager (SJS), Ryan Smyth (LAK), Andy Sutton (ANA)
Key losses: Jim Vandermeer (SJS), Sheldon Souray (DAL), Kurtis Foster (ANA), Zack Stortini (NSH), Andrew Cogliano (ANA)
Coach: Tom Renney
Forward Lines: 1. Ryan Smyth*, Shawn Horcoff, Ales Hemsky
2. Taylor Hall, Sam Gagner, Jordan Eberle
3. Magnus Paajarvi, Eric Belanger*, Ryan Jones
4. Ben Eager*, Gilbert Brule, Linus Omark
Defensive Pairings: 1. Ryan Whitney, Tom Gilbert
2. Ladislav Smid, Cam Barker*
3. Theo Peckham, Andy Sutton
Goalie Tandem: Nikolai Khabibulin, Devyn Dubnyk
Analysis: The Oilers are a team that is hard to predict this season. They have the potential to surprise the hockey world, but are just as likely to continue to patrol the bottom ranks of the Western Conference this season. IF Ryan Smyth can regain some of his old Edmonton magic and fellow vets and former teammates from the 2006 Cup run Shawn Horcoff and Ales Hemsky can regain their scoring touch, Edmonton could have a very dangerous top line of veterans in front of a lot of energetic and talented youths. The 2nd and 3rd projected lines are riddled with young stars in the making who could explode offensively at any time. The defensive corps are as deep and solid as they have been in years, which may take some of the stress off of an old and faltering Nikolai Khabibulin. Also, should he fail again, Devan Dubnyk put together a promising season last year. If all of these young pieces work together well, the Oilers could find themselves in a surprise playoff position, much like the 2009-2010 Colorado Avalanche. If not, they get another high draft pick.
4th. CALGARY FLAMES:
Last season 41-29-12, 94 points. 10th place (2nd in Div.)-Did not qualify for playoffs.
Key additions: Chris Butler (BUF), Scott Hannan (WSH), Lee Stempniak (PHX)
Key losses: Robyn Regehr (BUF), Ales Kotalik (BUF), Daymond Langkow (PHX)
Coach: Brent Sutter
Forward Lines: 1. Alex Tanguay, Olli Jokinen, Jarome Iginla
2. Lee Stempniak*, Matt Stajan, Rene Bourque
3. Curtis Glencross, Brendan Morrison, Niklas Hagman
4. Tom Kostopoulos, David Moss, Mikael Backlund
Defensive Pairings: 1. Jay Bouwmeester, Cory Sarich
2. Anton Babchuk, Chris Butler*
3. Scott Hannan*, Brett Carson
Goalie Tandem: Miikka Kiprusoff, Henrik Karlsson
Analysis: The FLames are another hard team to figure out. On the one hand, they have some of the best first line talent in the league, as well as 20-goal scoring ability through the third line. On the other hand, their defense just isn't that great. In front of Miikka Kiprusoff, they may not need it; however, keep in mind that the Flames missed the playoffs last season. They tore it up late in the season and can blame a bad start for there lack of a playoff berth, but they did nothing to improve themselves this offseason. If anything, they may have gotten worse. They traded their best defenseman, Robyn Regehr, to Buffalo for unproven young defenseman Chris Butler. This was seen as a salary dump, but the Flames did not do much to use this freed-up salary. Jarome Iginla is a perennial 40-goal scorer and will continue to perform whether his team does or not, but not much is certain other than that. Olli Jokinen is a talented center with tons of scoring ability, but has been a shade of his former self since leaving Florida. Alex Tanguay is also a talented playmaker who has never quite been the same threat since leaving Colorado. This top line could be one of the biggest producers in the league, which it will need to be if the Flames hope to make the playoffs; or more likely, Iginla will carry the team by himself and the Flames will miss out again.
5th. COLORADO AVALANCHE:
Last season 30-44-8, 68 points. 14th place (4th in Div.)-Did not qualify for playoffs.
Key additions: Chuck Kobasew (MIN), Jean-Sebastien Giguere (TOR), Jan Hejda (CBJ), Semyon Varlamov (WSH), Shane O'Brien (NSH)
Key losses: Peter Budaj (MON), Brian Elliott (STL), Tomas Fleischmann (FLA), John Michael-Liles (TOR)
Coach: Joe Sacco
Forward Lines: 1. Milan Hejduk, Paul Stastny, Chuck Kobasew*
2. David Jones, Matt Duchene, Peter Mueller
3. T.J. Galiardi, Kevin Porter, Ryan O'Reilly
4. Daniel Winnik, Jay McClement, Brandon Yip
Defensive Pairings: 1. Erik Johnson, Jan Hejda*
2. Shane O'Brien, Kye Wilson
3. Ryan O'Byrne, Matt Hunwick
Goalie Tandem: Semyon Varlamov*, Jean-Sebastien Giguere*
Analysis: Two years ago, the Colorado Avalnche made a very surprising trip to the playoffs. Last year around the All-Star break, they seemed to be in line to return, but thanks to a historic collapse, they ended the season as the second worst team in the league. They still have plenty of young talent that could be a surprise spark and win this team some games. However, a lot of talent has been shipped off and the Avalanche's defense is one of the worst in the league. This team definitely has potential, and with two new goalies in young talent Semyon Varlamov and aging veteran J-S Giguere, this team could end up having a decent season. But most of the team's talent is still budding and unproven and the Avs are likely to continue sweeping the cellar of the Western Conference for at least another year.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Swift Swaps
Philadelphia's two major deals on Thursday were definitely the biggest moves of Draft Weekend, but there was no shortage of player movement made in the past few days. Here's a look at some of the significant deals around the league.
Toronto Maples Leafs receive D John-Michael Liles from Colorado Avalanche for 2012 2nd-round pick.
This is a move made by two rebuilding teams at different stages of the process. Toronto has been rebuilding for a while and is inching closer to contention. Meanwhile, the Avs are not so far along and are continuing to shed age and salary. Despite his team's terrible season, Liles had a great offensive year, setting a career high in assists with 40 helpers and notching 46 points. His presence could help the offensivley challenged Maple Leafs, whose production is unimpressive outside of talented young scorers Mikhail Grabovski, Nikolai Kulemin, and Phil Kessel. He will likely see power play time, probably with Dion Phaneuf. A power play unit of Grabovski, Kulemin, Kessel, Phaneuf, and Liles could be a fearsome one.
Washington Capitals receive W Troy Brouwer from Chicago Blackhawks for 2011 1st-round pick.
Washington has been running into a problem recently. That problem is that despite their potent offense and two-straight Eastern Conference leading seasons, they have been dealt early playoff losses. What is it that they are missing? It's anyone's guess really, but the acquisition of Troy Brouwer could be a step in the right direction. Brouwer is no superstar, but he blends toughness with 20-goal scoring ability and will add some grit to an already talented lineup. He also bring recent Cup winning experience which could prove invaluable to a team that has is share of postseason woes. Meanwhile, Chicago continues upon the cap-driven dismantling that blew apart their team last offseason.
Minnesota Wild receive W Devin Setoguchi, F Charlie Coyle, and 2011 1st-round pick from San Jose Sharks for D Brent Burns and 2012 2nd-round pick.
After a 31-goal campaign 2 seasons ago, Devin Setoguchi's production has dropped over the past two seasons. However, at 24, he still has tons of potential and a change of scenery could do wonders for his game. He will be leaving a franchise clogged with talent and instantly have a chance to shine as one of the more talented scorers in Minnesota. Also in the deal is Charlie Coyle, a promising young forward who just finished up his freshman season with the Boston University Terriers. The Sharks meanwhile add another All-Star defenseman coming off the best offensive season of his career to play alongside Dan Boyle. The two are very offensively gifted defenseman who will work wonderfully behind a stellar offense. The long term winner in this deal will be Minnesota, and while the Sharks add more offensive talent, they still need a top-tier shut down defender. Minnesota will also need to add more offense in free agency, as well as a defender to fill the void left by Burns.
Edmonton Oilers receive W Ryan Smyth from Los Angeles Kings for F Colin Fraser and 2012 7th-round pick.
Ryan Smyth is a talented goal-scoring, but has lost some of his explosive goal-scoring ability with age. A requested return to his hometown Oilers could bring back some of his old magic. Also, he will act as a mentor for a very young and talented offense. Los Angeles does not get much in return, but with the addition of Mike Richards, they could afford to make a swap like this.
Florida Panthers receive D Brian Campbell from Chicago Blackhawks for F Rostislav Olesz.
This is another obvious salary dump for the Blackhawks. Campbell's contract, with a cap hit upwards of 7 million, was one of the biggest hindrances for the Blackhawks, and now they have dumped it on a team with no cap problems whatsoever. Thanks to a 3.1 cap hit for Olesz, the gain could be bigger, but 4 million more to work with can still come in very handy. Olesz has yet to reach the goal-scoring potential he seems to have, but a move to the much more talented Hawks could help him find a break out performance. Campbell, although coming off one of the least productive seasons of his career, is still one of the league's better defenseman and could be a major piece to build around for the Panthers.
Tampa Bay Lightning receives D Bruno Gervais from New York Islanders for future considerations.
Gervais is a defender with decent potential, but is dipping into his late 20s and needs to break out now. Leaving the defensively pathetic Islanders could help for a better surrounding group could help, but it may be tough for him to crack into the every day lineup in defensively strong Tampa Bay.
Ottawa Senators receive W Nikita Filatov from Columbus Blue Jackets for 2011 3rd-round pick.
Nikita Filatov has been a total bust for the Columbus Blue Jackets after he was expected to be a superstar for many years in Columbus. After a few disappointing seasons, the Jackets have had enough and have sent him to the rebuilding Senators. The Senators have little to lose in this case. Filatov is still young and could still become an explosive scorer. If not, they will continue to search for rebuilding pieces regardless.
Buffalo Sabres receive D Robyn Regehr, W Ales Kotalik, and 2012 2nd-round pick from Calgary Flames for D Chris Butler and F Paul Byron. While Chris Butler could develop into a cornerstone defenseman down the road, the Flames certainly gave up a ton to move Robyn Regehr. Regehr himself is one of the most underrated shut-down D in the league and his presence will be an enormous boost to the Sabres D if he can do well in his first season away from Calgary. Also, Ales Kotalik returns to the only team he's had much success with. He had many strong scoring seasons in Buffalo but has seen limited success resulting in limited playing time since he left. The return to Buffalo could bring him surging back to the player he once was.
Toronto Maples Leafs receive D John-Michael Liles from Colorado Avalanche for 2012 2nd-round pick.
This is a move made by two rebuilding teams at different stages of the process. Toronto has been rebuilding for a while and is inching closer to contention. Meanwhile, the Avs are not so far along and are continuing to shed age and salary. Despite his team's terrible season, Liles had a great offensive year, setting a career high in assists with 40 helpers and notching 46 points. His presence could help the offensivley challenged Maple Leafs, whose production is unimpressive outside of talented young scorers Mikhail Grabovski, Nikolai Kulemin, and Phil Kessel. He will likely see power play time, probably with Dion Phaneuf. A power play unit of Grabovski, Kulemin, Kessel, Phaneuf, and Liles could be a fearsome one.
Washington Capitals receive W Troy Brouwer from Chicago Blackhawks for 2011 1st-round pick.
Washington has been running into a problem recently. That problem is that despite their potent offense and two-straight Eastern Conference leading seasons, they have been dealt early playoff losses. What is it that they are missing? It's anyone's guess really, but the acquisition of Troy Brouwer could be a step in the right direction. Brouwer is no superstar, but he blends toughness with 20-goal scoring ability and will add some grit to an already talented lineup. He also bring recent Cup winning experience which could prove invaluable to a team that has is share of postseason woes. Meanwhile, Chicago continues upon the cap-driven dismantling that blew apart their team last offseason.
Minnesota Wild receive W Devin Setoguchi, F Charlie Coyle, and 2011 1st-round pick from San Jose Sharks for D Brent Burns and 2012 2nd-round pick.
After a 31-goal campaign 2 seasons ago, Devin Setoguchi's production has dropped over the past two seasons. However, at 24, he still has tons of potential and a change of scenery could do wonders for his game. He will be leaving a franchise clogged with talent and instantly have a chance to shine as one of the more talented scorers in Minnesota. Also in the deal is Charlie Coyle, a promising young forward who just finished up his freshman season with the Boston University Terriers. The Sharks meanwhile add another All-Star defenseman coming off the best offensive season of his career to play alongside Dan Boyle. The two are very offensively gifted defenseman who will work wonderfully behind a stellar offense. The long term winner in this deal will be Minnesota, and while the Sharks add more offensive talent, they still need a top-tier shut down defender. Minnesota will also need to add more offense in free agency, as well as a defender to fill the void left by Burns.
Edmonton Oilers receive W Ryan Smyth from Los Angeles Kings for F Colin Fraser and 2012 7th-round pick.
Ryan Smyth is a talented goal-scoring, but has lost some of his explosive goal-scoring ability with age. A requested return to his hometown Oilers could bring back some of his old magic. Also, he will act as a mentor for a very young and talented offense. Los Angeles does not get much in return, but with the addition of Mike Richards, they could afford to make a swap like this.
Florida Panthers receive D Brian Campbell from Chicago Blackhawks for F Rostislav Olesz.
This is another obvious salary dump for the Blackhawks. Campbell's contract, with a cap hit upwards of 7 million, was one of the biggest hindrances for the Blackhawks, and now they have dumped it on a team with no cap problems whatsoever. Thanks to a 3.1 cap hit for Olesz, the gain could be bigger, but 4 million more to work with can still come in very handy. Olesz has yet to reach the goal-scoring potential he seems to have, but a move to the much more talented Hawks could help him find a break out performance. Campbell, although coming off one of the least productive seasons of his career, is still one of the league's better defenseman and could be a major piece to build around for the Panthers.
Tampa Bay Lightning receives D Bruno Gervais from New York Islanders for future considerations.
Gervais is a defender with decent potential, but is dipping into his late 20s and needs to break out now. Leaving the defensively pathetic Islanders could help for a better surrounding group could help, but it may be tough for him to crack into the every day lineup in defensively strong Tampa Bay.
Ottawa Senators receive W Nikita Filatov from Columbus Blue Jackets for 2011 3rd-round pick.
Nikita Filatov has been a total bust for the Columbus Blue Jackets after he was expected to be a superstar for many years in Columbus. After a few disappointing seasons, the Jackets have had enough and have sent him to the rebuilding Senators. The Senators have little to lose in this case. Filatov is still young and could still become an explosive scorer. If not, they will continue to search for rebuilding pieces regardless.
Buffalo Sabres receive D Robyn Regehr, W Ales Kotalik, and 2012 2nd-round pick from Calgary Flames for D Chris Butler and F Paul Byron. While Chris Butler could develop into a cornerstone defenseman down the road, the Flames certainly gave up a ton to move Robyn Regehr. Regehr himself is one of the most underrated shut-down D in the league and his presence will be an enormous boost to the Sabres D if he can do well in his first season away from Calgary. Also, Ales Kotalik returns to the only team he's had much success with. He had many strong scoring seasons in Buffalo but has seen limited success resulting in limited playing time since he left. The return to Buffalo could bring him surging back to the player he once was.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Philly Flurry
With the NHL Entry Draft occurring tonight, the Flyers opened back up the trade scene in a big way.
A little while ago, they acquired the negotiating rights to pending UFA and former Vezina-nominated goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov from the Phoenix Coyotes. This was the move the Flyers had been looking for to solve their perpetual goaltending issues. After seeing the goaltending musical chairs that resulted in their second round trouncing by the eventual champion Boston Bruins, it was no mystery that what the Flyers lacked was reliable goaltending. The only problem here was they did not acquire a player under contract. Just last year, they had obtained the negotiating rights to standout defenseman Dan Hamhuis from Nashville, which they quickly traded to Pittsburgh when contract talks faltered. And still, when the free agent market opened, he did not sign with the Penguins, instead heading up to Vancouver.
The Flyers needed to clear cap space if they were to sign Bryzgalov, and they did so with the most surprising coupling of trades you could have imagined.
In one deal, they Flyers sent gifted goal-scorer Jeff Carter to Columbus for young winger Jakub Voracek and first and third round draft picks. In a second deal, they shipped captain Mike Richards off to Los Angeles for Wayne Simmonds and coveted prospect Brayden Schenn. After these deals, Bryzgalov was signed to a nine year deal.
For Columbus, they may have picked up the #1 center they've been missing. Imagine the goal-scoring ability of a line with Jeff Carter centering Rick Nash. This pairing could give monster offensive production, or could backfire gorribly. The only catch with pairing two 40-goal men is where is the set-up guy? Without a set-up man, these two could play a little puck hog and end up COSTING their team some goals. OR they could explode and propel the Blue Jackets into the playoffs. But if the Jacks are to have any postseason success, they still need to fill a massive void on the back end.
For the Kings, they add another star center-man who is a gifted offensive producer with leadership skills galore. With Ryan Smyth reportedly on the move to Alberta, Richards would round out a ferocious top 6 up front which would include Anze Kopitar, Justin Williams, Dustin Brown, Jarrett Stoll, and Dustin Penner, all 20 to 30 to even 40 goal men. With Drew Doughty and Jack Johnson on D, and Jon Quick in net, the talented youth is in place in L.A. for the long term, and all that really remains to be seen as some depth.
From the Flyers perspective, they gave up a ton, but this could end up really paying off for them. Bryzgalov has yet to play in a city with big hockey pressure, but he could end up being the big game goaltender they've been missing, and his presence should aid in the development of promising young goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. Meanwhile, their stellar defense remains intact and while they gave up their two-biggest offensive producers, plenty of offensive talent remains. They still keep guys like James van Riemsdyk, Claude Giroux, Danny Briere, Scott Hartnell, Kris Versteeg, and Ville Leino, who all know how to find the back of the net, plus they brought in two talented young forwards in Voracek and Simmonds to bring in talent and grit, just they way they like it in Philly. But even with Briere moving back to his natural position of center, there may be a depth issue down the middle if the Flyers cannot bring in a number 2 center. Schenn can fill that void down the line, but he is likely not close to ready. That leaves just Darroll Powe and Blair Betts, neither of whom have the talent to anchor a second line. The Flyers also got the 8th overall pick out of the Carter deal, so they may be able to get a top find there as well, but that's a gamble. If they really want another talented center, I would trade a defenseman. They have a very talented group of 6 in Chris Pronger, Kimmo Timonen, Braydon Coburn, Matt Carle, Andresz Meszaros, and Sean O'Donnell and surely can afford to let one of them go. There may be a question of leadership with their captain out of the picture, but both Pronger and Timonen have been captains of different teams previously, so there is still plenty of leadership mixed in with all that talent, as well as valuable playoff experience.
Before last season, I guessed that the Flyers would be the most dangerous team in the league, and for most of the season, they were second. But their Achilles heel was predictably their goaltending. Sacrificing offense for Bryzgalov here could be a move that pays huge dividends, and brings the Flyers much closer to drinking from the chalice of champions.
A little while ago, they acquired the negotiating rights to pending UFA and former Vezina-nominated goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov from the Phoenix Coyotes. This was the move the Flyers had been looking for to solve their perpetual goaltending issues. After seeing the goaltending musical chairs that resulted in their second round trouncing by the eventual champion Boston Bruins, it was no mystery that what the Flyers lacked was reliable goaltending. The only problem here was they did not acquire a player under contract. Just last year, they had obtained the negotiating rights to standout defenseman Dan Hamhuis from Nashville, which they quickly traded to Pittsburgh when contract talks faltered. And still, when the free agent market opened, he did not sign with the Penguins, instead heading up to Vancouver.
The Flyers needed to clear cap space if they were to sign Bryzgalov, and they did so with the most surprising coupling of trades you could have imagined.
In one deal, they Flyers sent gifted goal-scorer Jeff Carter to Columbus for young winger Jakub Voracek and first and third round draft picks. In a second deal, they shipped captain Mike Richards off to Los Angeles for Wayne Simmonds and coveted prospect Brayden Schenn. After these deals, Bryzgalov was signed to a nine year deal.
For Columbus, they may have picked up the #1 center they've been missing. Imagine the goal-scoring ability of a line with Jeff Carter centering Rick Nash. This pairing could give monster offensive production, or could backfire gorribly. The only catch with pairing two 40-goal men is where is the set-up guy? Without a set-up man, these two could play a little puck hog and end up COSTING their team some goals. OR they could explode and propel the Blue Jackets into the playoffs. But if the Jacks are to have any postseason success, they still need to fill a massive void on the back end.
For the Kings, they add another star center-man who is a gifted offensive producer with leadership skills galore. With Ryan Smyth reportedly on the move to Alberta, Richards would round out a ferocious top 6 up front which would include Anze Kopitar, Justin Williams, Dustin Brown, Jarrett Stoll, and Dustin Penner, all 20 to 30 to even 40 goal men. With Drew Doughty and Jack Johnson on D, and Jon Quick in net, the talented youth is in place in L.A. for the long term, and all that really remains to be seen as some depth.
From the Flyers perspective, they gave up a ton, but this could end up really paying off for them. Bryzgalov has yet to play in a city with big hockey pressure, but he could end up being the big game goaltender they've been missing, and his presence should aid in the development of promising young goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. Meanwhile, their stellar defense remains intact and while they gave up their two-biggest offensive producers, plenty of offensive talent remains. They still keep guys like James van Riemsdyk, Claude Giroux, Danny Briere, Scott Hartnell, Kris Versteeg, and Ville Leino, who all know how to find the back of the net, plus they brought in two talented young forwards in Voracek and Simmonds to bring in talent and grit, just they way they like it in Philly. But even with Briere moving back to his natural position of center, there may be a depth issue down the middle if the Flyers cannot bring in a number 2 center. Schenn can fill that void down the line, but he is likely not close to ready. That leaves just Darroll Powe and Blair Betts, neither of whom have the talent to anchor a second line. The Flyers also got the 8th overall pick out of the Carter deal, so they may be able to get a top find there as well, but that's a gamble. If they really want another talented center, I would trade a defenseman. They have a very talented group of 6 in Chris Pronger, Kimmo Timonen, Braydon Coburn, Matt Carle, Andresz Meszaros, and Sean O'Donnell and surely can afford to let one of them go. There may be a question of leadership with their captain out of the picture, but both Pronger and Timonen have been captains of different teams previously, so there is still plenty of leadership mixed in with all that talent, as well as valuable playoff experience.
Before last season, I guessed that the Flyers would be the most dangerous team in the league, and for most of the season, they were second. But their Achilles heel was predictably their goaltending. Sacrificing offense for Bryzgalov here could be a move that pays huge dividends, and brings the Flyers much closer to drinking from the chalice of champions.
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