NHL 2013-14 SEASON PREVIEW

NHL 2013-14 SEASON PREVIEW

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 2^nd 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 2^nd 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.

Speculation of Movement of Remaining Free Agents

This has been a very odd offseason in terms of free agents. Normally, there are a flurry of moves on the first day, and still a decent amount on the next few days. Most if not all of the big names are gone by day 5 or so, leaving a few minor signing here and there for the rest of the summer. This year however, it has been quite different. There were a ton of signings the first day, and there has been almost nothing overly significant since then. A lot of big names are still out there and it doesn't seem as though they'll be signing anytime soon. For me this is awful, because I'll still be checking rumors and Twitter buzz all summer and get nothing from it. I would prefer everyone going at once to this, and in a best case scenario, four or five guys going a day steadily all summer.

So to keep me occupied, I have speculated on team's targets and player's destinations. I took a look at players under contract for each team to put together their depth charts and identify their needs. Then I took a look at remaining free agents and determined what players would fill those needs and also be good fits on that team or in that city. Next I went team by team and picked the top 5 targets each team should go after if I were the GM, and then the top 5 destinations where each player would fit in. Below is what I came up with. Note: I totally ignored RFAs for this. I left them off the rosters as if they were nonexistant, so many of these teams needs will shift when they get their RFAs signed.

For now here's just the Targets Section:

TOP 5 TARGETS FOR EACH TEAM

Anaheim Ducks
Needs: 2nd line center, forward depth, defensive depth
Targets: Kyle Wellwood, Cam Barker, Colby Armstrong, Jerred Smithson, Tom Poti

Arizona Coyotes
Needs: top six wings, forward depth, scoring
Targets: Chad LaRose, Peter Mueller, Kyle Wellwood, Guillaume Latendresse, Brad Boyes

Boston Bruins
Needs: 3rd line wing
Targets: Chad LaRose, Brad Boyes, Brenden Morrow, Damien Brunner, Daniel Cleary

Buffalo Sabres
Needs: top 6 center, top 6 wing, defense
Targets: Toni Lydman, Matthew Lombardi, Tom Gilbert, Marc-Andre Bergeron, Brenden Morrow

Calgary Flames
Needs: top 6 forwards, defense, goalie
Targets: Toni Lydman, Ilya Bryzgalov, Steve Montador, Tom Gilbert, Marc-Andre Bergeron

Carolina Hurricanes
Needs: forward depth, defense
Targets: Ian White, Brenden Morrow, Tom Poti, Vinny Prospal, Matthew Lombardi

Chicago Blackhawks
Needs: nothing
Targets: nobody

Colorado Avalanche
Needs: 4th line, wings, defense
Targets: Tom Gilbert, Mark Fistric, Brad Boyes, Toni Lydman, Guillaume Latendresse

Columbus Blue Jackets
Needs: top 9 forwards, defense
Targets: Tom Gilbert, Mark Fistric, Kyle Wellwood, Mark Eaton, Guillaume Latendresse

Dallas Stars
Needs: top 6 wing, forward depth
Targets: Damien Brunner, Mason Raymond, Daniel Cleary, Brad Boyes, Kaspars Daugavins

Detroit Red Wings
Needs: above average defensemen, depth scoring
Targets: Toni Lydman, Tom Gilbert, Chad LaRose, Kyle Wellwood, Guillaume Latendresse

Edmonton Oilers
Needs: defense, goalie
Targets: Marc-Andre Bergeron, Toni Lydman, Tom Poti, Ian White, Roman Hamrlik

Florida Panthers
Needs: scoring
Targets: Kaspars Daugavins, Brad Boyes, Chuck Kobasew, Guillaume Latendresse, Alexei Ponikarovsky

Los Angeles Kings
Needs: top 6 wing, forward depth
Targets: Chad LaRose, Damien Brunner, Daniel Cleary, Brenden Morrow, Brad Boyes

Minnesota Wild
Needs: top 6 wing, top 6 center, top 4 defensemen
Targets: Mark Fistric, Douglas Murray, Vinny Prospal, Ian White, Damien Brunner

Montreal Canadiens
Needs: scoring depth
Targets: Guillaume Latendresse, Chad LaRose, Kaspars Daugavins, Damien Brunner, Vinny Prospal

Nashville Predators
Needs: scoring
Targets: Chad LaRose, Damien Brunner, Vinny Prospal, Peter Mueller, Guillaume Latendresse

New Jersey Devils
Needs: top 6 center
Targets: Damien Brunner, Mikhail Grabovski, Matthew Lombardi, Nikolai Antropov, Scott Gomez

New York Islanders
Needs: top 6 forwards, defense, goalie
Targets: Marc-Andre Bergeron, Toni Lydman, Tom Gilbert, Steve Montador, Douglas Murray

New York Rangers
Needs: top 9 forwards, top 6 defensemen
Targets: Marc-Andre Bergeron, Ian White, Ryan Whitney, Guillaume Latendresse, Mason Raymond

Ottawa Senators
Needs: defense
Targets: Toni Lydman, Wade Redden, Mark Eaton, Tom Gilbert, Steve Montador

Philadelphia Flyers
Needs: depth wings
Targets: Chad LaRose, Steve Sullivan, Kaspars Daugavins, Chuck Kobasew, Peter Mueller

Pittsburgh Penguins
Needs: forward depth
Targets: Chad LaRose, Kaspars Daugavins, Colby Armstrong, Jerred Smithson, Kyle Wellwood

San Jose Sharks
Needs: 4th line
Targets: Chad LaRose, Colby Armstrong, David Steckel, Jerred Smithson, Kaspars Daugavins

St. Louis Blues
Needs: top 6 center
Targets: Kyle Wellwood, Tim Connolly, Mikhail Grabovski, Nikolai Antropov

Tampa Bay Lightning
Needs: 3rd line, 4th line wings, defense, goalie
Targets: Carlo Colaiacovo, Tom Gilbert, Tim Connolly, Kyle Wellwood, Chad LaRose

Toronto Maple Leafs
Needs: top 6 center, 4th line wings, defense
Targets: Ian White, Carlo Colaiacovo, Kyle Wellwood, Tom Gilbert, Mark Fistric

Vancouver Canucks
Needs: top 6 wing, top 9 forwards, top 6 defensemen
Targets: Marc-Andre Bergeron, Mark Fistric, Matthew Lombardi, Guillaume Latendresse, Ryan Whitney

Washington Capitals
Needs: top 6 forwards, defense, goalie
Targets: Mikhail Grabovski, Damien Brunner, Toni Lydman, Mason Raymond, Nikolai Antropov

Winnipeg Jets
Needs: 2nd line center, top 6 wings, forward depth, defense, goalie
Targets: Tom Gilbert, Brad Boyes, Vinny Prospal, Mark Eaton, Tim Connolly

Regrouping and Retooling: Taking a Deep Breath and Calmly Analyzing the Bruins Big Moves

I'm a guy who loves hockey shirts, and loves when teams make a change to their jersey style, colors, or logo. The Dallas Stars have recently done all three, so earlier this week I decided to order one of the new Stars t-shirts. I had it down between a Jamie Benn shirt and a Loui Eriksson shirt, but Loui has been my favorite player on the Stars for a while, so I went with the Eriksson shirt. A few days later on the Fourth of July, I thought to myself, it'll be funny if Eriksson ends up getting traded and never actually plays a game in these jerseys. Well, as fate would have it, that thought would become a reality just a few hours later, as he was brought here to Boston in a shocking trade.

There are many changes happening to the Bruins roster right now, and using the word skeptical to describe many Bruins fans right now would be a bit of an understatement. I myself am still somewhat mad that the Bruins have already given up on the young and talented Tyler Seguin, but looking at all of these moves, if you take a step back and look at them without emotional attachment to the players, you may realize that the Bruins are just as good as before, and honestly might even be a stronger contender next year.

I'm gonna take a look at the players leaving versus the players coming in and give you my take on the situations, but first here is the Bruins depth chart from the end of the season, followed by my projected depth chart for next year based on the roster at the moment, to give a good sense of who is filling what spaces.

BRUINS 2012-13

Milan Lucic                    David Krejci                    Nathan Horton
Brad Marchand             Patrice Bergeron               Jaromir Jagr
Daniel Paille                   Chris Kelly                       Tyler Seguin
Shawn Thornton             Greg Campbell                 Rich Peverley
          Zdeno Chara                    Dennis Seidenberg
          Andrew Ference              Johnny Boychuk
          Adam McQuaid              Torey Krug
                    Rask
                    Khudobin

BRUINS PROJECTED 2013-14

Milan Lucic                    David Krejci                    Jarome Iginla
Brad Marchand             Patrice Bergeron               Loui Eriksson
Daniel Paille                   Carl Soderberg                Ryan Spooner
Shawn Thornton            Greg Campbell                 Chris Kelly
          Zdeno Chara                    Dennis Seidenberg
          Adam McQuaid               Johnny Boychuk
          Dougie Hamilton              Torey Krug
                    Rask
                    Svedberg

FORWARDS:
Add-Iginla, Eriksson, Soderberg, Spooner
Lose-Horton, Jagr, Seguin, Peverley

There are three big storylines among the forwards: the Tyler Seguin trade, Nathan Horton leaving, and the eventual acquisition of Jarome Iginla.

I was blown away when I first found out that Seguin was traded. I knew his name had been tossed around, but I assumed it was only in an attempt to give the kid some motivation. Most Bruins fans will always be skeptical of this move, and quite probably, it will be a regret in the future when Seguin develops into a star in the league. But he still may not, and in that case, this will be a great move. But, in the short term, this still is a great move if you really think about it. Essentially, this trade amounts to Tyler Seguin and Rich Peverley for Loui Eriksson and some prospects. Eriksson, will take the place of Seguin in the lineup, and should provide more consistent scoring in the short term than Seguin has been. While talented, Seguin did not perform well in the playoffs, so you are essentially replacing minimal scoring with a guy who has put up a few 70-point seasons, and was capable of consistently putting up 25-35 goals a year on a team that has not been very good for a while. Eriksson, who is also a great two-way player, is also a much better fit for the Bruins system than Seguin was. Seguin will likely become a big scorer in Dallas, but because of the Bruins style of play, I'm not so sure that he would have broken out as a scoring star with Boston. Eriksson, will likely move into Jagr's position on the right wing with Bergeron and Marchand, where Seguin had been previously. Meanwhile, the Bruins also gave up another player I liked a lot in Rich Peverley. But as much as he has been valuable for us in the past, he had a really poor season and was playing on the fourth line by the end of the playoffs. The Bruins have several young players who can step into his roster spot and contribute, the most likley of which is probably Ryan Spooner. Other candidates are Jordan Caron, Jared Knight, Carter Camper, Seth Griffith, and Alexander Khokhlachev. Rielly Smith and Matt Fraser, who are two solid young prospects acquired in this deal, will also fight for that position.
The Bruins were also surprised when Nathan Horton informed them that he would not be returning, instead seeking a quieter life in Columbus. As I stated in my last post, I think while Horton will be missed, he was also an inconsistent scorer, and I think Jarome Iginla will easily make up for the loss of his scoring. Jagr is gone too, so that's one more spot to take,and that will be filled by Carl Soderberg, who is a more promising player than he showed at the end of the year. Carl Soderberg was a great scorer in Europe and just needs a little time to get adjusted to the speed of the NHL.
As I said before, Jarome Iginla will have no problem filling the void of Nathan Horton. e is not as old as you would think, he's 36, the same age as Chara, and he has been carrying a team on his back for his entire career. He is more than capable of stepping up and contributing to a more well-rounded team, and was an important asset tot the Penguins, whether Bruins fans are aware of that or not. He struggled in the Boston series, but so did that entire team. And in regards to the unique situation of Iginla going to Boston after the deadline fiasco, Bruins fans need to suck it up and realize that this is an outstanding player, a future Hall of Famer, and a standup guy, whose only real crime is wanting to win his first Stanley Cup after a long and impressive career. If you asked any non-Bruins fan or player before the deadline whether Pittsburgh or Boston was the better contender, likely most of them would have said Pittsburgh, and also after a career of playing without a talented center, it is extremely hard to pass up the opportunity to play with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Iginla very correctly called those two the best players in the world when he went to Pittsburgh, and if you are a Bruins fan and try to deny that, than you need a serious reality check. So don't boo Iginla, cheer for him. He is a great player, and will be an outstanding fit for this team.

DEFENSE:
Add-Hamilton
Lose-Ference

Personally, I've never been a huge fan of Andrew Ference. He is an unbelievable guy and great in the community, so I wish him all the best, but to me he's just an okay defenseman. He makes some decent plays on occasion, but he also makes a lot of mistakes. Honestly his most valuable assets are heart and leadership and I feel great for the guy to be going back to play for his hometown team in Edmonton. But in Dougie Hamilton and Matt Bartkowski, the Bruins have two great defensive prospects who can step in and contribute right away. They can be just as good as Ference defensively while providing a lot more offense.

GOALIES:
Add-Svedberg
Lose-Khudobin

Anton Khudobin was a solid backup for the Bruins, but he did not play enough to be missed all that much by the Bruins. Niklas Svedberg had an outstanding season in Providence, and is more than capable of filling that role. New acquisition Chad Johnson is also a candidate for the backup job and was solid in relief of Mike Smith and Jason LaBarbera in Phoenix this year. Now all we need to do is get Rask signed........

So all in all, don't panic Bruins fans. The Bruins are still in great shape. I would still like them to add another bottom-six forward with that plays a hard-nosed game but still capable of providing some offense, but really, the B's will be very good again next year. Just don't boo Iginla, welcome Eriksson with open arms, and don't be bitter about losing the guys you've grown attached to. I think they will contend with the Red Wings to win the new division next year.

Welcome Back! 2013 Draft Reaction

After a period of little motivation spanning nearly two years, I have decided to start back up with the blog! I've been considering it for a while, but with the draft yesterday, and the uncertainty of the buyout and upcoming free agent period in the face of the lowering salary cap, I figured now would be as good a time as any to fire the old keyboard back up for some post-draft reaction.

SETH JONES FALLS TO NO. 4
One of the biggest stories leading up to and following the draft was Seth Jones. Highly-touted as one of the best all-around defensive prospects in years, many scouts had Jones ranked as the top player available, and certainly a top-two pick. It was originally expected that the Colorado Avalanche, who have several talented young forwards and plenty of centermen, but no truly outstanding blueliners, would be taking Jones first overall, but then words came around that they would instead be taking center Nathan MacKinnon. On draft day, the Avs made good on their word, taking MacKinnon, and then it seemed obvious that  Florida would take Jone with the next pick. To the surprise of many, Florida jumped down to the number four ranked player to take Aleksander Barkov. Tampa as expected initially stayed with their pick up forward Jonathan Drouin, which left Jones for Nashville.
Many may look at this as a case of teams having reservations about Jones. While this could be the case, I don't really think it was as much of a knock against Jones as it was teams choosing to fill needs over taking the best player available. Florida is starved for goals, so they took a talented and potentially NHL-ready forward. Tampa was likely to take Drouin all along and have a lot of high-potential or solid D-men already. In fact, I wouldn't have been all that surprised if Jones had slipped one more spot and gone to Carolina, because Nashville has always been a team that struggles to score goals, and needed a forward more than another defenseman. Still, David Poile loves building from the back end and has now added another great blueliner to an already solid defensive corps. And as it was, I don't think any of the remaining forwards would have been the type of scorer that would have been worth taking over Jones, outside of maybe Valeri Nichushkin, who slipped down to Dallas at tenth overall.

FLAMES PASS ON FUCALE
There have been a lot of instances this year when Flames GM Jay Feaster has left me shaking my head. To his credit, he made the smart move of keeping all three of his first round picks for the rebuild. On the other hand, I could not believe that he did not use one of those three picks to take Zachary Fucale. Right now, the Flames top goalie for next year would be Joey MacDonald, a career backup and journeyman, and behind him there are several decent but not outstanding goaltending prospects. Craig Button said that he has never seen a goalie at the ages of 16 and 17 dominate a league like Fucale has, and many scouts said of him "all he does is win." With three chances to pick in the first round and a serious goaltending need, it seemed like a no-brainer that Calgary would have taken Fucale. After making the obvious choice of Sean Monahan at number six, Feaster instead jumped way off the board to take Emile Poirier, and then after took Morgan Klimchuk, leaving Fucale to be snatched up by the Canadiens in the second round. While Calgary needed forwards, I have a hard time believing using all three picks on forwards and not taking Fucale was a smart move.

TYLER SEGUIN AND NATHAN HORTON
There have been a surprising number of rumors about Tyler Seguin being on the trading block. I believe this to be more of an attempt at sending a message to Seguin that he needs to be better for the Bruins than it is about dumping him. While they could certainly bring in a large number of assets while clearing a decent amount of cap space, I don't believe it would be in the Bruins best interests to give up on Seguin so early. He has had some pretty bad stretches, but has also shown that he can be an outstanding player when he is hot, and maybe this will help give him some extra motivation next season.
Supposedly, the talks about Seguin cooled after Nathan Horton said that he would not re-sign with the Bruins. While I will be sad to see Horton go, I was actually kind of hoping they would not bring him back. Horton has great character and is a fan favorite, but I do have a few knocks against him. He is going to be overpaid, and it is not merited thanks to his production and his injury history. While he has scored some big goals for the Bruins and puts up some decent numbers, he is extremely streaky. I often don't notice him on the ice unless he is the one who scored a goal, which I guess means he doesn't do anything that bad, but it also means he isn't making many plays. He has been valuable in the playoffs, but so has David Krejci, and I would be interested to see what the playmaking Krejci can do if a sniper is added on his line, rather than two power forwards. The Bruins also have many promising forward prospects, like Jared Knight, Ryan Spooner, Alex Khokhlachev, and Seth Griffith, and the loss of Horton will help give them a chance to step in and contribute.

SCHNEIDER TO NEW JERSEY

In the most surprising move of the day, Vancouver ended their long goaltending debate by trading the goalie who was supposed to be their number one goalie. Roberto Luongo, much to his probable chagrin, will once again be the guy in goal for the Canucks while Cory Schneider will be suiting up for the New Jersey Devils. This was an outstanding move for New Jersey and a little bit of a head-scratcher for Vancouver.
New Jersey is getting a guy who is a potential elite goaltender who will be able to take the reigns of the most consistently-filled net in the NHL once Martin Brodeur retires, and Schneider will get at least one year of platooning with arguably the best goalie to ever play the game. For the first time, it appears the Devils have a long-term plan for the post-Brodeur era.
Meanwhile, Vancouver will now be utilizing a goalie who has been waiting to leave for over a year and has been very unhappy in Vancouver. Perhaps the new coach John Tortorella can motivate him. A lot of pressure will be on new Canuck prospect Bo Horvat. Schneider brought the Canucks a surprisingly low return, just one first round pick, and that pick was used immediately on Horvat, so the trade was essentially Schneider for Horvat straight-up. So it'll likely be a few years before we see whether or not this was a trade worth it for the Canucks. Horvat is a strong-tow way player with tons of promise. He is underappreciated in a now famous clip of London Knights teammate Max Domi making a between-the-legs pass. TO many it goes unnoticed that Horvat scores on the play, one-timing the slick pass out of the air into the roof of the net. That is unbelievable hand-eye coordination and a real good sign for a scout. Coast to coast flash in a junior league can be hard to project to the NHL because the competition is at such a higher-level, but that kind of pinpoint hand skill is something translatable to any league.

OVERACHIEVERS

Here are my picks for two players that teams will wish they had picked earlier.

Jonathan Drouin. Drouin was picked number three overall by Tampa Bay. While saying the Panthers and Avalanche will wished they had picked him could be a stretch because Barkov and MacKinnon will be such players, I personally thought Drouin was the best player in this draft. He was MacKinnon's teammate and scored many more goals and many more assists than him, and was also the MVP of the CHL. From the clips I saw of Drouin, I thought he was far more impressive. The biggest knock on him is his size, but he is now going to a team with the king of all underachieving small forwards in Martin St. Louis.
Hunter Shinkaruk. Shinkaruk is a similar story to Drouin. He is a goal-scorer who put up a boat load of points, though he played for an underachieving Medicine Hat team, while Drouin played for the Memorial Cup-winning Halifax Mooseheads with Nathan Mackinnon and Zachary Fucale. He's not a big kid, but he looks to have a lot of skill and energy, and should be a very promising scoring prospect for the Canucks, He was projected to go anywhere between about 8th and 16th overall, but fell to 24th.

CHICAGO SALARY DUMP

Just days after winning the Cup, the Blackhawks have begun their salary sump. Dave Bolland, who scored the Cup winning goal was sent to Toronto for picks, and well-like penalty-killer Michal Frolik was sent to Winnipeg. While it is hard to see good character guys go from a championship team, it is a necessary part of the business that is professional hockey, and the Hawks will survive. They still have an outstanding core of players, and they have already survived this once. After winning the Stanley Cup in 2010, the Hawks were in a cap crunch and lost three important players in Antti Niemi, Dustin Byfuglien, and Andrew Ladd. But they kept the strongest parts of their core together in Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, Marian Hossa, Jonathan Toews, Brent Seabrook, Duncan Keith, and Niklas Hjalmarsson, and won the Cup again only a few seasons later. All of those players are still on the team, for now at least, and the Hawks should continue to be a real threat to win the Cup for years to come.

Season Predictions

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

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.

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*

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

                             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.