Here's my season preview. For each division, I've listed the teams in the order I believe they will finish. For the teams, I have given a grade and analysis for each position, as well as suggested line combos. These are not the ones they are using necessarily, but the ones I believe they should use based on their current rosters. ** indicates an injured player (or suspended) and there will be the next bench player who will fill in for them listed to the right. I also made a point of inserting rookie players into the lineups even if there were better options, because since there is a cap on how long you can keep rookies before sending them down without eating a year of their contract, what's the point of keeping them on the bench?
Under the teams analyses, I have my playoff predictions. This is a tough year to call, with the new divisions, and the fact that the parity is so high in the league these days. The new atlantic division for instance features five team that made the playoffs last season. There are so many good teams, and something's gotta give. There are many playoff worthy teams, but they can't all get in and there are really only four or five times that would really shock me if they made the playoffs this season.
PACIFIC DIVISION:
1. LOS ANGELES
Forwards: This is likely to be an enigmatic group up front
for the Kings, with plenty of guys with premier scoring ability who are prone
to some serious cold stretches. Overall, the Kings have enough ability in their
top group to get by without any issues, but goals may sometimes be hard to come
by. They have great depth at center, but their wings drop off after the top
three. Toughness will not be an issue in this lineup, and if they are not
scoring on you, they will still wear you down enough to get the job done. This
is a team that will not need to score a lot of goals to win games, but they can
if they have to. Grade: A-
Williams Kopitar Brown
Frattin Richards Carter
Clifford Stoll King
Carcillo Lewis Fraser
Defense: This is about as good a group of defensemen as you
will find in the league. They
essentially have three top 2 defensemen with three more top 4 d-men behind
them. Last year injuries plagued the blue line, but the Kings are healthy to
start the year. If the injury bug returns, the Kings have three more guys who
would easily be in the top 6 on a lot of teams in the NHL in Jake Muzzin,
Keaton Ellerby, and Jeff Schultz. Grade: A+
Doughty Voynov
Greene Regehr
Mitchell Martinez
Goalie: Jonathan Quick is without a doubt one of the best
goalies in the league. While he had some inconsistencies last year, he still
got the job done and has shown in the past how to difficult it is to score on
him. With one of the best defensive groups (if not the best) in the league in
front of him, it will be that much harder to score on the Kings this season.
Grade: A
Quick
Scrivens
2. SAN JOSE
Forwards: A very deep group of forwards for the Sharks has a
great blend of skill and grit, though often the combination does not exist in
the players themselves. The Sharks have the ability to match skill guys with
sandpaper guys on every line, for a lineup that will really be a pain to play
against. Grade: A-
Marleau Thornton Burns
Havlat Couture Pavelski
Hertl Kennedy Torres** Desjardins
Burish Sheppard Wingels
Defense: This is a group that will really get the job done
for the Sharks. They have guys that can put up a lot of points like Dan Doyle,
and guys that are very responsible defensively in Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Scott
Hannan. Well-balanced, deep group. Grade: B+
Boyle Stuart
Vlasic Demers
Hannan Irwin
Goalies: After an inconsistent stretch, Antti Niemi picked
his game up enough last season to be a Vezina nominee. Look for more of the
same out of him this season. Grade: B+
Niemi
Stalock
3. ANAHEIM
Forwards: Great depth, scoring ability from top to bottom.
No one is out of place in their top six. Maybe a bit of grit is missing, though
Winnik should be able to provide some. Grade: A
Penner Getzlaf Perry
Etem Koivu Selanne
Silfverberg Cogliano Palmieri
Beleskey Perreault Winnik
Defense: When healthy, this is a very solid group. Even with
the current injuries, they have very capable replacements, and will only get
better when Souray returns to the lineup. A good mix of offensive and defensive
players here. Grade: B+
Beauchemin Fowler
Vatanen Souray** Fistric
Allen Sbisa** Lindholm
Goalie: Goaltending may be the biggest question. When Hiller
is on his game and healthy, he is an All-Star, but that is rarely the case.
Fasth was great in his rookie season, but so are a lot of goalies. This is the
year when he proves whether or not he is capable of being an NHL starter.
Grade: B-
Hiller
Fasth
4. EDMONTON
Forwards: When healthy, this is likely to be an explosive
group of scorers. But with RNH and Gagner missing extended time, there is a
serious lack of playmaking centers here. There is enough skill on this team to
get by without them, but there return should be quite a spark to a young team.
The fourth line is unproven, but the top three lines should be fantastic. If
grit becomes an issue, there are a few guys waiting in the wings to step in and
throw their weight around. Grade: B+
Hall Nugent-Hopkins** Eberle Gazdic
Yakupov Gagner** Perron Brown
Smyth Gordon Hemsky
Joensuu Acton Arcobello
Defense: This is a group of defense that is a little hard to
figure. On paper, they are solid, but the same could be said for past Oilers
groups who have not performed very well. They have the ability to be great, but
also the ability underachieve. They have a few guys who are very good, but
nobody is a real top tier defender in this league. Grade: B-
Ference J.
Schultz
N. Schultz Petry
Smid Belov
Goalie: Dubnyk was solid last season, but still remains
unproven. Goalies often come into this league and start with outstanding
performances to start, but drop off a bit once teams start to figure them out.
Look for similar numbers from Dubnyk this year. Grade: B-
Dubnyk
LaBarbera
5. VANCOUVER
Forwards: This is a forward group riddled with talent but
riddled with issues as well. The Sedins are a deadly offensive combination, but
it will be interesting to see how they do under John Tortorella with their
defensive faults and lack of toughness. Outside of them, the most capable
scorer is probably Alex Burrows, but he is likely being removed from their line
in favor of young Zack Kassian. Ryan Kesler put up moster numbers a few years
ago, but has been unable to remain healthy or come close to replicating those
numbers. David Booth is another guy with a ton of ability but is oft-injured
and inconsistent. The bottom six may actually be a greater asset to the Canucks
than the top, with some guys that can grind away while also chipping in some
offense, and will do well under Tortorella. Grade: C+
Kassian H.
Sedin D. Sedin
Booth Kesler Burrows
Hansen Higgins Dalpe
Weise Santorelli Richardson
Defense: This is a group with a very solid top 4, but the
door is kind of open for a rotating cast in the shaky bottom two. Any of the
top 4 could be the Canucks best defender on any given night, as they are all of
about a similar level. However, with none of them standing out as the real top
guy, this team is still missing a top tier-defender. Grade: B
Edler Garrison
Hamhuis Bieksa
Weber Tanev
Goalie: Depending on where his head is at Roberto Luongo
could either be outstanding or subpar this season. Based on his actual
abilities, he should do well, but as he showed in the 2011 Finals, the mental
game is a big one for goaltenders. Grade: B
Luongo
Lack
6. PHOENIX
Forwards: While the Coyotes have added a great center in
Mike Ribeiro, their issue will be the same as always this year: scoring. They
have a good group of okay players, but outside of their top two centermen and
first line wings, there are no real scoring threats on this team. The team
plays a defensive style, so the forward group suits them, but sooner or later,
you need to added some scorers to your lineup if you are going to win games.
Grade: D+
Vrbata Ribeiro Doan
Korpikoski Vermette Moss
Brown Hanzal Boedker
Bissonnette Chipchura Lessio
Defense: For as subpar as their forwards are, the Coyotes make
up for it with their defense. This is a good blend of offensive and defensive
specialist and is one of the deeper defenses in the league, with several more
solid defensive prospects ready to step in when they are needed. Grade: A-
Yandle Michalek
Klesla** Ekman-Larsson Stone
Morris Schlemko
Goalie: Mike Smith has shown in the past that he can be
great, but he can also be pretty shaky. Now that he has been given consistent
time as a starter, he seems to have kicked things up a notch, but is still
liable to have some bad games. Grade: B
Smith
Greiss
7. CALGARY
Forwards: This is a surprisingly solid bunch for the Flames,
but that’s about it. There is decent depth here, but nobody that really stands
out as a consistent top scorer, and they are fairly weak down the middle.
Grade: C
Glencross Stajan Cammalleri
Stempniak Backlund Hudler
Galiardi Monahan Baertschi
Bouma Colborne Jones
Defense: This will be an area of great weakness. The Flames
have an outstanding top pair, but each of the four players below them would
likely be a sixth or seventh d-man on most teams. Grade: D
Giordano Wideman
Russell Butler
O’Brien Brodie
Goalie: Who knows what we are going to see from Kari Ramo
this year, with little to no NHL experience. Based on his numbers outside the
league, he should be solid at least, but in his first year in the league with a
very weak group of defense in front of him, it will probably be a rocky start
for him. MacDonald also has never seen extended time as a start, but is often
solid in relief. Grade: D
Ramo
MacDonald
CENTRAL DIVISION:
1. CHICAGO
Forwards: The Blackhawks are nearly the same up front this
year as they were when they hoisted the Cup in the Spring. The only two gone
are Dave Bolland and Michal Frolik, who were certainly important player, but
Jimmy Hayes and Ben Smith should be capable of stepping in and filling the
void. Viktor Stalberg is gone as well, but he was scratched for parts of the
Cup run. The top two lines here are one of the best one-two punches in the
league, and the third line has some scoring ability mixed with some sandpaper.
This is a very deep and effective group. Grade: A
Bickell Toews Kane
Sharp Handzus Hossa
Kruger Saad Shaw
Bollig Smith Hayes
Defense: The defensive corps for the Hawks had even less
turnover than the offense, as all six of these d-men were on the Cup-winning
roster. This is one of the best groups of D in the game. Grade: A
Keith Seabrook
Hjalmarsson Leddy
Rozsival Oduya
Goalie: Crawford silenced a lot of critics last year,
putting up great numbers in both the season and the playoffs, arguably being
robbed of the Conn Smythe by teammate Patrick Kane. However, he will now be
under a lot of pressure, with a lot of expectations to live up to after winning
a Cup and signing a big contract. It will be interesting to see if he can
remain the goalie he was last year with those expectations, and to see how he
holds up in a full season. Goalie: B+
Crawford
Khabibulin
2. ST. LOUIS
Forwards: After a few offseason additions, the Blues are
back and better than before, boasting one of the deepest lineups in the game at
every position. The forwards feature almost three full lines of guys that are
potential 20-30 goal scorers and the fourth line has a good mix of skill and
grit. There may be a bit of sandpaper missing from a talented offensive group,
but guys like Ryan Reaves and Max Lapierre can be injected into the lineup if
it becomes an issue. Grade: A
Backes Roy Stewart
Oshie Berglund Tarasenko
Morrow Steen Paajarvi
Schwartz Sobotka Cracknell
Defense: This is another outstanding defenseive group,
featuring two guys that could be the best defender on any team, a third guy who
would normally be a top-2, and three others who are easy top-4 choices. Grade:
A
Bouwmeester Pietrangelo
Jackman Shattenkirk
Leopold Polak
Goalie: Goaltending is a question, but the only question is
who’s in goal. Both Halak and Elliott are capable starters. Halak’s knock is
injury history, while Elliott’s is consistency. When Halak is healthy, he can
be a top goalie, and will be valuable in the playoffs. His Cinderella run with
Montreal a few years back showed how clutch he can be, but injuries have kept
him from playing much in the playoffs since. Elliott can go on a stretch of a
bunch of shutouts or one-goal games, and then give up six goals in two
straight. When these goalies are healthy and on their game it is very hard to
score on the Blues. Grade: B+
Halak
Elliott
3. NASHVILLE
Forwards: The Predators are definitely deeper up front this
year. They added a few guys this year who will boost their lineup, though maybe
not in the offensive way that they need. Stalberg, who starts the year injured,
was there key offensive addition and fits the Predators mold of
middle-of-the-pack goal scorer. They have a bunch of guys that could be between
15 and 25 goals throughout the lineup, so expect the scoring to be by
committee, though the committee for Nashville is a bit larger this year.
Forsberg could break out as an offensive force. Grade: B-
Stalberg Legwand Wilson
Hornqvist Fisher Forsberg
Bourque Smith Cullen
Spaling Gaustad Hendricks
Defense: The defense is always a point of strength for
Nashville, but the loss of Suter definitely hurt them last year. His void
should be filled easily by Seth Jones in a couple of years, but Jones won’t
immediately have the impact that Suter did. Shea Weber is still one of the best
blueliners in the game and there are a number of solid younger guys behind him
that get better every year. Grade: B+
Weber Jones
Klein Josi
Ellis Bartley
Goalie: Pekka Rinne had a bit of a down year, but he is
usually a perennial Vezina candidate and should bounce back nicely this year.
Grade: A
Rinne
Hutton
4. MINNESOTA
Forwards: The Wild have an outstanding top line, but a
second line that is hard to call. Coyle is being tried out at center, and has a
lot of talent, so we’ll see how it works out. Brodziak showed a few years ago
that he has some scoring ability, but has been disappointing of late. Heatley
is a former 50-goal scorer, but is oft-injured and inconsistent. The third line
has a lot of potential. Niederreiter and Granlund are both former top 10 draft
picks, and if they breakout, they could be a dangerous combination, with Matt
Cooke providing some sandpaper on the wing. The fourth-line will provide grit,
energy, and timely faceoff wins from Zenon Konopka. Grade: B
Parise Koivu Pominville
Brodziak Coyle Heatley
Niderreiter Granlund Cooke
Fontaine Konopka Mitchell
Defense: Suter was a Norris nominee last year and Brodin was
outstanding as a rookie. Outside of them, the group is solid. Not great, not
bad, but right in the middle. Grade: B
Suter Brodin
Ballard Stoner
Dumba Spurgeon
Goalie: While having faced some injuries of late, Niklas
Backstrom has been one of the most consistent goalies in the NHL since he came
into the league, playing for a defensive-minded team that should now be able to
provide him with a few more insurance goals. Grade: B
Backstrom
Harding
5. DALLAS
Forwards: The Stars forwards are certainly getting better,
but they’re still not there yet. Look fro players like Seguin and Benn to put
up some big numbers in their first year together. There are some good veteran
leaders in this group who will help the development of the young guys, and the
Stars should be a potent group in a year or two. Grade: C
Benn Seguin Nichushkin
Whitney Horcoff Cole
Chiasson Peverley** Eakin Mueller
Garbutt Fiddler Roussel
Defense: The Stars have a strong top 4, and then it’s tough
to judge after that. They have a lot of solid young defensemen who could step
in and be great, or could just not be ready yet. Grade: B
Daley Goligoski
Gonchar Robidas
Rome** Dillon Benn
Goalie: Kari Lehtone has always been a goalie who has done
decently despite having little help in front of him. The defense is getting
better in Dallas, and if he stays healthy, he should have a good year. Grade:
B-
Lehtonen
Ellis
6. WINNIPEG
Forwards: The Jets forwards are still getting better. The
top two lines are very good, with a lot of scoring abilities, mixed with some
toughness in Kane and Ladd, who can both grind away and score upwards of 25
goals. The third line features young guys with skill and defensive aptitude and
will be an asset. The fourth line is a decent energy line, but nothing spectacular.
Grade: B-
Kane Little Wheeler
Ladd Jokinen Setoguchi
Tangradi Schiefele Frolik
Wright Slater Thorburn
Defense: Another solid group. Byfuglien and Enstrom is a
great pairing, and the young pair of Trouba and Bogosian could develop into a
great top-two in a couple of years. The last pairing is steady. Grade: B
Byfuglien Enstrom
Trouba Bogosian
Stuart Clitsome** Postma
Goalie: Goaltending will prove to be the biggest weakness
for the Jets this year. Pavelec has had a few good stretches in his career, but
overall, he is too inconsistent. He handles a heavy workload, and is just not
up to the task. The Jets need to find a more capable backup to take some of the
weight off of Pavelec shoulders, or bring in a new starter. Grade: C-
Pavelec
Montoya
7. COLORADO
Forwards: There is definitely some explosive ability in the
Avalanche offense, and with a new coach and some new faces young and old, it
should be a very interesting year for the Avalanche. While they have done
poorly in recent years, their young stars get more experience every year, and
they actually have a great mix of skill and grit. Don’t be surprised if the Avs
stumble again this year, but this is also a group who could definitely
overachieve and turn some heads. Grade: B-
O’Reilly Duchene Downie
Landeskog Stastny Tanguay
McGinn MacKinnon Parenteau
McLeod Mitchell Bordeleau
Defense: The defense will be suspect again for the Avs this
year. They have some very solid defenders, but the other half are still trying
to prove they belong in an NHL lineup. Grade: C-
Johnson Wilson** Guenin
Barrie Hejda
Sarich Holden
Goalie: Goaltending is another interesting area for
Colorado. Varlamov can still be very good, but with the defense the team puts
in front of him, he will be tested a lot more than he should. Grade: C+
Varlamov
Giguere
METROPOLITAN DIVISION:
1. NEW JERSEY
Forwards: With four new wings, the Devils look pretty
different up front, and have brought in plenty of scoring ability to offset the
loss of Kovalchuk and Clarkson. They are a much deeper team now, with their
third line being pushed down to the fourth spot. There is also a lot of
experience here. Grade: B+
Clowe Zajac Ryder
Elias** Zubrus Jagr Gionta
Brunner Josefson Henrique
Bernier Loktionov Carter
Defense: The Devils certainly won’t be expecting a lot of
offense from their blue line, but defensively, this is one of the strongest
groups in the league. Grade: A-
Salvador Zidlicky
Greene Volchenkov
Larsson Fayne
Goalie: This pair of goalies may be the best combo in the
league. Schneider is a bona fide starter, while future Hall of Famer Brodeur is
still a capable goalie. If one falters, the other can step in, no problem.
Schneider will only get better with Brodeur as a mentor and finally the Devils
future at goaltending seems to be in order for when the face of the franchise
retires. Grade: A
Schneider
Brodeur
2. PHILADELPHIA
Forwards: A few years ago after the Flyers did well and came
up short, they blew up the roster. Last year they failed to make the playoffs,
but kept the roster mostly intact up front. The only real addition is Vinny
Lecavalier, who will be a great asset if he can find his former offense. The
rest of the top two lines are very good, and the Flyers shouldn’t have any
issues scoring goals. There is a lot of grit and energy throughout the lineup
as well. Grade: A-
Voracek Giroux Hartnell
Simmonds Lecavalier Read
Laughton B. Schenn Couturier
Hall Talbot Rinaldo
Defense: The defense was decimated by injuries last year,
and was a big reason why the Flyers had a down year. This year there is only
one newcomer, and it is a very good one in Mark Streit. If the D can stay
healthy, this is one of the league’s most solid lineups top to bottom. Grade:
A-
Streit Timonen
Coburn L.
Schenn
Grossmann Meszaros
Goalie: Year after year, the question for the Flyers is
goaltending, and this year, both two new goalies replace last year’s tandem.
Steve Mason was acquired late in the season last year, and tore it up down the
stretch. The former Calder winner will hope to regain his old form on a new
team with better defense. Ray Emery returns to Philadelphia after winning a Cup
as Chicago’s backup. He set a record, starting last season with ten straight
wins. In the past, injuries hurt his abilities to be a starter, but he is
hoping to find a consistent form splitting time with Mason. Grade: B
Mason
Emery
3. PITTSBURGH
Forwards: As always, the Penguins offense will be
machine-like. Crosby and Malkin have the ability to turn any of their wings
into 20-30 goal-scorers. Malkin gets the better of the wings, as James Neal
would be good for 30-goals on most teams, but expect a lot of offense to come
from the top two lines. The bottom two are also solid and will get the job done
defensively while pumping in a few extra goals. Grade: A
Kunitz Crosby Dupuis
Neal Malkin Jokinen
Kobasew Sutter Bennett
D’Agostini** Vitale Adams Jeffrey
Defense: On paper, this defense is pretty good. But in
reality, there are some holes. This is one of those teams with a good group of
d-men who just don’t always perform well for some reason. Martin is a good
defensive defenseman, but has not done as well in Pittsburgh as he did in New
Jersey. Orpik and Scuderi are good defensively as well. Letang has been a Norris nominee, but while
he puts up a lot of points, he is really not all that good defensively and has
been battling a lot of injuries lately. Grade: B-
Letang** Martin Engelland
Orpik Niskanen
Scuderi Maatta
Goalie: This could be a very important season for Fleury. He
lost the starting job in the playoffs, and will need to remain the guy in net
with Vokoun out for a few months. Fleury has been extremely inconsistent for a
few years, and has been very poor in the playoffs. He will be good enough to
get the job done at the very least, as the team will score enough goals to
balance things out, but the playoffs will be a question as usual. Grade: B-
Fleury
Vokoun** Zatkoff
4. NY RANGERS
Forwards: With a new coach who led a very offensively
powerful team in Vancouver in Alain Vigneault, this will be an interesting year
for a Rangers offense that usually struggles to score goals despite a number of
talented forwards. This year, the names aren’t as big, but there are still a
lot of really good players here when they are on their game. If Brad Richards
can bounce back from a bad year and Derick Brassard can continue his strong
play from the end of last season, the Rangers will do alright. Grade: B+
Nash Richards Stepan
Hagelin** Brassard Callahan** Fast Dorsett
Zuccarello Miller Pouliot
Pyatt D.
Moore Boyle
Defense: The Rangers blue line looks the same as it did at
the end of last season. There are some guys very strong defensively, and a few
guys who can help out on the attack as well. They will try to find more of a
balance this year, as scoring is usually their weak point. Grade: B+
Staal Girardi
McDonagh Del
Zotto
J. Moore Stralman
Goalie: Some call Lundqvist the best goalie in the world,
and for good reason. While he faltered in the playoffs against Boston, last
year’s Vezina winner will be as wall-like as ever this season. Grade: A
Lundqvist
Biron
5. COLUMBUS
Forwards: After a strong finish that almost got them into
the playoffs, the Blue Jackets offense is deeper now. That still might not be
enough though, with so many good teams in the division and conference. Horton
is the key addition, but he will miss significant time to start the season.
There is young talent in this lineup, as well as grit and a star goal-scorer in
Marian Gaborik. They have a few solid centers, but a real star center is the
biggest need in this group of forwards Grade: B+
Atkinson Johansen Gaborik
Umberger Dubinsky Horton** Comeau
Calvert Anisimov Jenner
Foligno Mackenzie Letestu
Defense: The defense is getting better in Columbus, but is
still a big question. The top pairing is solid, but outside of Tyutin, the rest
of the group is young and inexperienced. The Jackets are really hoping for a
lot from former 2nd overall pick Ryan Murray. Defense: C+
Johnson Wisniewski
Murray Tyutin
Nikitin Prout
Goalie: Sergei Bobrovsky played well enough last season to
take home the Vezina on a team that failed to make the playoffs. A big question
for the Blue Jackets is whether or not Bobrovsky can replicate that form this
season, or if he will fall back to earth on a team without outstanding defense
or a quality backup to split time with. Grade: B+
Bobrovsky
McElhinney
6. CAROLINA
Forwards: There is a
lot of skill in this lineup, but other than that it’s hard to figure. There
should be plenty of goals coming from the top few players, but overall the
lineup is not overly impressive, though not very far off either. Grade: B-
Tlusty E.
Staal Semin
Ruutu** J.
Staal Skinner Westgarth
Gerbe Lindholm Dwyer
Bowman Sutter Nash
Defense: Much like the forwards, this is a solid group of
defensemen, but not one that is all that outstanding. There are a few new guys
in here, and the promising young Ryan Murphy, so maybe the Canes’ D will
perform a bit better this year. Grade: B-
Gleason Murphy
Faulk Sekera
Hainsey Komisarek
Goalie: Cam Ward is always a workhorse for the Canes and
does alright when he is healthy. Personally, I think he is very overrated, but
he does get the job done in the end. If the Canes don’t do well this season, it
will not be because of him. Grade: B
Ward
Khudobin
7. WASHINGTON
Forwards: The Forwards are the strongest area of the Caps.
There are a few guys who really know how to put the puck away and a lot of guy
who bring that edge every team needs. There are a few potential problem guys
here in a team-sense, though. Grabovski joins the team after bashing his old
coach Randy Carlyle after Toronto bought him out. Erat came to Washington in a
trade after requesting out of Nashville and is already complaining about his place
on the Capitals. Grade: B+
Johansson Backstrom Ovechkin
Erat Grabovski Brouwer
Chimera Laich Wilson
Latta Fehr Ward
Defense: The Capitals defense is suspect. Mike Green is one
of the best offensive defensemen in the league when healthy, and the biggest
name on the Caps’ blue line, but he is a liability defensively. Carlson and
Alzner are good, but not outstanding, but behind them, there isn’t a lot of
impressive depth. Grade: C-
Green Carlson
Hillen Alzner
Oleksy Erskine
Goalie: While Holtby seems to have established himself as
the Caps’ starter, he will still likely platoon with Neuvirth. Holtby in
particular has played strong, but neither one of them still to this point has
been consistent enough to prove themselves as a start. Grade: C
Holtby
Neuvirth
8. NY ISLANDERS
Forwards: The Islanders have a few young guys led by Tavares
who are still getting beter, but outside of their top line, the scoring drops
off a lot. They will have to make do for now until more young prospects develop
or they can attract some more scoring from other teams. Grade: C+
Moulson Tavares Okposo
Bouchard Bailey Clutterbuck** Regin
Nelson Nielsen Grabner
Cizikas McDonald Martin
Defense: Same story here, outside of solid veteran
Visnovsky, the defense is just green here. Hamonic should step up and have a
great year, but after that, it’s hard to figure. Grade: C
Hamonic MacDonald
Visnovsky Donovan
Reinhart Hickey
Goalie: Evgeni Nabakov has done well for the Islanders, but
he is well past his prime. It’s surprising that the Islanders have not yet
developed a top goaltending prospect like they have with their other positions.
This season, they should actively look at young and promising goaltenders.
Grade: C
Nabakov
Poulin
ATLANTIC DIVISION:
1. BOSTON
Forwards: The Bruins certainly look a bit different up front
this year, but they should actually be even better than their Cup run team from
last year. Eriksson is a Bruins type guy that can make scoring goals look easy
as well as make some nice plays and is defensively responsible. Iginla, who
made it to Boston eventually after an interesting ride last season, is still
great even in his late thirties and is exactly the kind of player the Bruins
have been missing: a shoot-first kind of guy. He has a cannon of a slapshot and
will also bring a physical presence while providing some much-needed help on a
power play that has struggled for years since the loss of Marc Savard. Grade: A
Marchand Bergeron Eriksson
Lucic Krejci Iginla
Soderberg** Kelly Smith Caron
Thornton Campbell Paille
Defense: The Bruins have a lot of young guys in their defensive
corps now, but they have already shown they can do well on the big stage after
filling in in the playoffs. With experienced d-men in front of them, they
should get even better. They do still have a lot of proving to do, however.
Grade: B+
Chara Hamilton
Seidenberg Boychuk
Krug McQuaid
Goalie: Tuukka Rask showed what he can do last year after
the strange departure of Tim Thomas. He should be able to be just as light-out
this season. The only question will be how much work he can handle in a full
season, with Chad Johnson now behind him. Grade: A-
Rask
Johnson
2. MONTREAL
Forwards: The biggest knock against the Canadiens is their
size. Small players are often very skilled and are an asset to the team, but
having a lot of them is an excuse for teams to beat up on your team physically.
They have a few good bruisers who can come into the lineup now and protect
them, and open up some ice for some goal-scoring. There may not be anyone over
and above the rest here as a star, but the Candiens can roll three lines who
can be their best on any night, and nine of these guys have the potential to be
either 20-goal or 50-point men. Grade: A-
Pacioretty Desharnais Briere
Bourque Plekanec Gionta
Gallagher Eller Galchenyuk
Moen Bournival Prust
Defense: In what seems to be a trend, the Canadiens are
facing injury issues again on the blue line. They have a very good group when
healthy, headlined by reigning Norris winner P.K. Subban, and the guys who can
jump in in the meantime should be capable as well. Grade: B+
Subban Gorges
Markov Tinordi
Murray** Emelin** Bouillon Beaulieu
Goalie: Though he has had a few downstretches in his career,
Carey Price is one of the best goalies in the league when he is on his game,
and should do very well this year if the defense holds up in front of him.
Grade: A-
Price
Budaj
3. DETROIT
Forwards: The Red Wings are a unique team. They bring in
crafty veterans to mix with patiently-developed homegrown talent. Alfredsson
and Weiss join the likes of Zetterberg and Datsyuk along with several other
players who have witnessed years of success in various stints in Motor City.
Star players in Detroit don’t always put up huge numbers, but the team wins
games. Grade: A-
Zetterberg Datsyuk Abdelkader
Franzen Weiss Alfredsson
Bertuzzi Helm** Samuelsson Emmerton
Tatar Andersson Cleary
Defense: The Wings blue line certainly isn’t what it used to
be, but it is still very solid. The star power isn’t there like it was before,
but there are a lot of steady defenders and some young guys still improving
their game. Grade: B
Kronwall DeKeyser
Kindl Ericsson
Smith Quincey
Goalie: The Detroit defense took a big dive last year
between losing Nick Lidstrom and Brad Stuart and some injury trouble, but in
the face of a defense on the decline, Howard managed to prove that he is a
capable NHL starter and not just the beneficiary of being on a great team. Grade: B+
Howard
Gustavsson** Mrazek
4. TORONTO
Forwards: Having Kadri take a greater role will prove to be
a big help at center if he can repeat his breakout performance from last year.
If he gets better, he will be the new number one center over Bozak. Bozak has
good chemistry with Kessel, but is otherwise better suited as a second line
center. Clarkson should fit in well with the Leafs once his suspension is over,
and Bolland is a nice addition as well. They can use some more consistency in
the makeup of their bottom line, but overall this is a very solid group of
forwards. Grade: B+
van Riemsdyk Bozak Kessel
Lupul Kadri Clarkson** Orr
Kulemin Bolland Raymond
Bodie McClement Ashton
Defense: The Toronto defense has been getting stronger, but
will need to find consistency from its veterans. Toronto typically has a good
lineup of defensemen who still finds way to play poorly for stretches. Grade: B
Phaneuf Franson
Gardiner Gunnarsson
Rielly Ranger
Goalie: The Maple Leafs should feel a little better about
their goaltender this year. If Reimer slips, Bernier can take over, and vice
versa. Both are capable goalies who will do better splitting time than handling
a full season’s workload alone. Grade: B+
Bernier
Reimer
5. OTTAWA
Forwards: The Senators will look very different up front
with no Daniel Alfredsson, however, the addition of Bobby Ryan could make for a
particularly lethal duo with Jason Spezza. Michalek will also be solid on the
line if he stays healthy. The second line should be a solid one as well
offensively, but you can’t really predict what will come out of the bottom six.
The team has done surprisingly well the last two years despite facing a lot of
adversity, so there should be no reason to think they won’t do the same this
year, but they are in a division crowded with good teams. Grade: B+
Michalek Spezza Ryan
MacArthur Turris Conacher
Greening Pageau Condra
Kassian Da
Costa Neil
Defense: The Ottawa defense features a lot of
one-dimensional players. Karlsson is a perennial Norris nominee for his
point-production, and can put up close to a point per game when healthy, but
his defense is not so great. Corvo also has some offensive skill but is a
defensive liability. Phillips and Methot won’t put up many points, but will be
there to hold steady when Karlsson and Corvo join the rush. Wiercioch and Cowen
are two good young players. Grade: B+
Karlsson Methot
Phillips Corvo
Wiercioch Cowen
Goalie: Craig Anderson has had some health issues, but is
usually an overachiever when he gets his playing time. He can put up the
numbers of an elite goaltender, but injuries and inconsistency are big knocks
on him. Robin Lehner is also a capable young goaltender who will push Anderson
for time this season. Grade: B
Anderson
Lehner
6. FLORIDA
Forwards: Florida is a team on a sudden upswing after some
late offseason acquisitions. They have a lot of decent players, with a few good
ones, and a few young guys will be the keys to how they do this year. If Calder
winner Huberdeau and 2nd overall pick Barkov have good seasons, they
will be a huge spark to an offense that contains a lot of depth scorers. Grade:
B-
Fleischmann Huberdeau Versteeg
Matthias Barkov Boyes
Bjugstad** Goc Kopecky Crabb
Shore Gomez Upshall
Defense: The depth of the Cats’ defense is surprisingly very
good, thanks in part to the late additions of Gilbert and Whitney. With a
healthy Jovanovski, they have a great top 4 of experienced vets, and an
outstanding bottom pairing of two young guns in offensive-minded Kulikov and
defense-first Gudbranson. Grade: B+
Campbell Jovanovski** Weaver
Gilbert Whitney
Kulikov Gudbranson
Goalie: This is a tough one to call. We all know what Tim
Thomas is capable of, but how will the year off have affected his game? If his
game hasn’t suffered, he gets an A-, but I’ll need to see it first. Markstrom
is a good youngster, but he is not ready to start. Grade: B
Thomas
Markstrom
7. BUFFALO
Forwards: The rebound has begun in Buffalo, as young
prospects are entering the lineup for a glimpse of the Sabres’ future. They are
not great down the middle right now, but will be outstanding in another year or
two. They have a great wing in Vanek, but he may be shipped out this year to
grab more prospects for the rebuild. Grade: C+
Vanek Hodgson Stafford
Leino Ott Ennis
Foligno** Grigorenko Flynn Larsson
Kaleta Girgensons Porter
Defense: The Sabres have a few top defenders who have done
poorly of late and will be looking to bounce back this season. Behind them, a
number of young and developing defensemen will be getting their feet wet. C+
Ehrhoff Myers
Tallinder Ristolainen
McBain Zadorov** Weber
Goalies: Ryan Miller is still a great goalie, but he has not
has much help in front of him. Enroth is waiting to be the starter, so Miller
may also be traded away for a nice haul of rebuilding chips. Grade: A-
Miller
Enroth
8. TAMPA BAY
Forwards: The combination of Stamkos and St. Louis will
always be a deadly one, but the lineup has a severe dropoff behind them. There
are a few young players who will be very good soon, but for now, they need time
to develop. Grade: C
Purcell Stamkos St. Louis
Malone Filppula Killorn
Johnson Pyatt Connolly
Panik Thompson Labrie
Defense: This is a fairly solid group of defenders that just
needs to find a way to stay healthy. They could use another top defender though
to improve play in front of a pair of inexperienced goalies. Grade: B-
Carle Hedman
Brewer Gudas
Lee** Salo Sustr
Goalie: Both Bishop and Lindback will be trying to prove
themselves as the starter, and will likely be splitting time. Look for them to
put up decent numbers in categories other than the win column. Grade: C+
Bishop
Lindback
PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS
The playoffs are run a bit differently now. The top teams in each division get the top two seeds in their conferences. Two more from each division make it, with an additional two wild card teams in each conference. The top seed plays the bottom seed wild card, and the second seed plays the higher-seeded wild card, while the remaining teams play the other team from their division.
For the second round, the divisional play continues, minus the wild card team if they advance. For example, if the top seed is from the Atlantic and plays the bottom wild card, who is in the Metropolitan, than the winner of that round plays the winner of the other Atlantic Division matchup. Third round is the by Conference, and the two Conference champs meet in the final.
Predictions now:
EASTERN CONFERENCE:
1. Boston Bruins (Division winner)
2. New Jersey Devils (Division winner)
3. Montreal Canadiens (Atlantic)
4. Philadelphia Flyers (Metropolitan)
5. Detroit Red Wings (Atlantic)
6. Pittsburgh Penguins (Metropolitan)
7. Toronto Maple Leafs (Wild card)
8. Ottawa Senators (Wild card)
WESTERN CONFERENCE
1. Los Angeles Kings (Division winner)
2. Chicago Blackhawks (Division winner)
3. St. Louis Blues (Central)
4. San Jose Sharks (Pacific)
5. Anaheim Ducks (Pacific)
6. Nashville Predators (Central)
7. Minnesota Wild (Wild card)
8. Edmonton Oilers (Wild card)
Wild Card/Division Round 1
Bruins def. Senators
Canadiens def. Red Wings
Devils def. Maple Leafs
Flyers def. Penguins
Kings def. Oilers
Sharks def. Ducks
Blackhawks def. Wild
Blues def. Predators
Division Round 2
Bruins def. Canadiens
Devils def. Flyers
Kings def. Sharks
Blues def. Blackhawks
Conference Finals
Bruins def. Devils
Blues def. Kings
Stanley Cup Finals
Bruins def. Blues
I know people will think I'm a homer for picking the B's, but I'm not. I'm pretty impartial, and usually end up picking AGAINST the Bruins. But this year I really think they can do it. They were close last year and should be even better this year. So I guess we'll see what happens.
