Hockey is
back after a year-long lockout wiped out last season. New
rules are designed to increase scoring and speed up the
games and there are tons of new faces in new places. A
preview of the season:
EASTERN
CONFERENCE
Atlantic
Division
This
division is quite top-heavy. There is a huge gap between the
top three and the bottom two teams. There is even a gap
between No. 1 and No. 2 in the division. The Flyers are
absolutely loaded. The Devils do still have goalie Martin
Brodeur. And the Islanders are young and getting better.
Although the Penguins are trying, they still can’t compete
with the big boys, at least not yet. And the Rangers
…well…there’s always next season.
Kings
of
the Ice:
7 to Watch |
Dan Boyle
Tampa Bay |
Paul Kariya
Nashville |
Sydney Crosby
Pittsburgh |
Marcus Naslund
Vancouver |
Chris Pronger
Edmonton |
Jose Theodore
Montreal |
Ziggy Palffy
Pittsburgh |
1.
Philadelphia Flyers – This is the most complete team in
the Atlantic Division, if not in the NHL. They have big
forwards (i.e., Keith Primeau and Michal Handzus), fast
forwards (i.e., Peter Forsberg), consistent defense, and the
number 1 American goalie in Robert Esche. They should easily
win the Atlantic Division by 20 to 25 points. They will
outrun the Lightning for the Eastern Conference and should
make the Cup finals.
2. New
Jersey Devils – Brodeur will carry this team to the
playoffs and a second consecutive first-round exit. Being
unable to run the Trap because of new rules will be a tough
transition for the Devils, who have relied on this defensive
strategy for so long. Get ready to see plenty of odd-man
rushes, but Brodeur should stop most of them. As good as
Patrik Elias and Scott Gomez are, they can’t outscore other
teams on their own.
3. New
York Islanders – They are closing the gap on the Devils,
but losing ground on the Flyers. But one step at a time.
They have solid goaltending in Rick DiPietro; good defense
in Janne Niinimaa, Brad Lukowich, and Alexei Zhitnik; and
good forwards in Miroslav Satan, Alexei Yashin,
and Oleg Kvasha. If these players have career years, expect
the team to fare better than last season’s first-round
loss.
4.
Pittsburgh Penguins – Wow. What a summer in Pittsburgh.
First, they signed number one draft pick Sidney Crosby, and
then signed nearly everyone else available: Ziggy Palffy
from L.A., Mark Recchi and John LeClair from Philly, and
Jocelyn Thibeault from Chicago. Now getting all these parts
to play as one is a different story. If they can, the
Penguins will make a run for the playoffs. If not, at least
they can beat the Rangers.
5. New
York Rangers – This is why we needed a salary cap. The
Rangers have overpaid players for years (i.e., Jaromir Jagr),
so there isn’t much left after having to dump a lot of
salary to make the cap. Goaltending is suspect, the defense
is good, but Jagr may be it on offense, and that’s not good.
Steve Rucchin will offer some help, but not enough even to
get this team close to the playoffs.
Northeast Division
This
division has tradition, talent, and loads of Stanley Cups,
but no Cups since the Montreal Canadiens won it all in 1993
and only one team has made it to the finals since then, when
the Buffalo Sabres lost to Dallas in 1999. The Ottawa
Senators have had the talent, but haven’t fulfilled their
promise. Boston and Toronto have been very unfortunate in
the playoffs, repeatedly being paired against big bruising
teams. As a result, the hopes for a Stanley Cup in the
Northeast Division will have to wait at least another
season.
1.
Montreal Canadiens – This was a tough one, as four teams
could win this division, but I went with the team with the
most talented goalie, Jose Theodore. The Canadiens’ forwards
will keep them in games, but Theodore will win them. If
Theodore gets injured, it would mean a fourth or fifth place
finish in this strong division.
2.
Toronto Maple Leafs – Mats Sundin and company can score
against anyone. Nice additions over the off-season will add
to this team’s depth. Ed Belfour is a warrior in goal, and
can still play a full season. More production from the blue
liners could mean a deep playoff run into May or June.
3.
Ottawa Senators – The Dany Heatley-Marian Hossa trade (Heatley
coming to Atlanta for Hossa) was good for the Sens. Both
teams got better…isn’t that what it’s all about? The goalie
situation here has me baffled. Patrick Lalime helped Ottawa
win a President’s Trophy. Dominek Hasek played 14 games in
2003-04, and I’m not sure he’ll make it through a season.
Ottawa may start strong, but if Hasek can’t finish the
season, they will fade late.
4.
Boston Bruins – Re-signing goalie Andrew Raycroft was
huge, as he was essential to their hope for a playoff run.
Had they lost Raycroft, it would have been a struggle to get
enough goals each night to win with their backup in goal.
Boston is big, brawny, and talented…I just don’t think
they’re deep enough to skate with the Canadian teams.
5.
Buffalo Sabres – This team is fine in goal with Martin
Biron. They have fine forwards like J.P. Dumont and Daniel
Briere. They are fine on defense. The bad news is that
“fine” in this division will win them fifth place and make
them fall just short of the playoffs yet again. They
struggle against fast teams … too bad that speed is where
the NHL is headed. At least, too bad for Buffalo.
Southeast Division
The
Southeast is getting better, and now it has the Stanley Cup
champions to help with bragging rights. Young players abound
in this division, from Ilya Kovalchuk in Atlanta to Brad
Richards in Tampa Bay to Alexander Ovechkin in Washington.
The future is bright for these franchises.
1. Tampa
Bay Lightning – Offensively, they are loaded. The
biggest question will be goaltending. Can the John Grahame-Sean
Burke tandem play consistently enough to keep this team on
top if they struggle on offense? If they can, expect another
deep run into the playoffs.
2.
Atlanta Thrashers – These guys also benefited from
getting Hossa from Atlanta. If they can build depth beyond
the top line and get consistent goaltending from Pasi
Nurminen, we’ll see this team in the playoffs for the first
time and might even see them pull off a first-round series
win.
3.
Carolina Hurricanes – Cam Ward is a good goalie. If
Martin Gerber can keep the ‘Canes competitive while Ward
develops, the goalie situation in Raleigh will be fine. The
offense has to get career years from veterans Erik Cole and
Corey Stillman to get into the playoffs. If that happens,
this team can win.
4.
Florida Panthers – Any team with Roberto Luongo in goal
has a chance to win. Acquiring Martin Gelinas from Calgary
was huge for this team. He’ll provide Olli Jokinen with some
much-needed help. The playoffs are getting closer for
Florida, but they need a few more quality players to make a
serious playoff run.
5.
Washington Capitals – This team has fallen so far, so
quickly. Only two seasons ago, this team led the Lightning
2-0 in the playoffs and now they are the worst team in
hockey. Goalie Olie Kolzig and rookie Alexander Ovechkin are
the lone bright spots for this team.
My
Eastern Conference predictions:
1.
Philadelphia Flyers
2. Tampa Bay Lightning
3. Montreal Canadiens
4. Toronto Maple Leafs
5. Ottawa Senators
6. New Jersey Devils
7. Atlanta Thrashers
8. New York Islanders
9. Boston Bruins
10. Carolina Hurricanes
11. Buffalo Sabres
12. Pittsburgh Penguins
13. Florida Panthers
14. New York Rangers
15. Washington Capitals
WESTERN
CONFERENCE
Central
Division
This
division got a facelift. Detroit will be vastly different
with the salary cap, which forced them to dump several high
dollar players. Chicago got a world-class goaltender.
Nashville signed star Paul Kariya. St. Louis lost a big part
of their defense, while Columbus added to theirs.
1.
Detroit Red Wings – Goaltending got better with the
signing of Patrick Lalime, but their offensive production
took a hit. They are still the Red Wings, and are strong
enough to win this division. The President’s Trophy which
they won in ’04, however, is a little out of reach. They
will be in the playoffs, but don’t be surprised if summer
starts early in Detroit.
2.
Chicago Blackhawks – Without Nikolai Khabibulin in goal,
this team would have struggled. They won’t go without some
growing pains, but the future is bright. Tuomo Ruutu will
shine in Chicago and Khabibulin will help them win the close
ones that got away from them last season.
3.
Nashville Predators – This team got immensely better
with the signing of Paul Kariya. He should take some of the
pressure off of goalie Tomas Vokoun by keeping the puck on
the offense. They should be able to score against most teams
and, if they get a few breaks, could fight for the division
crown. They could repeat their run to the playoffs for a
second consecutive season.
4. St.
Louis Blues – Their impressive streak of consecutive
playoff trips may be in jeopardy this year. Their blue line
took a big hit with the loss of Chris Pronger. Keith Tkachuk
coming into the preseason out of shape isn’t a big help
either. A .500 year and a spot in the playoffs isn’t out of
the question, but they will have to play well above their
talent level to fare any better.
5.
Columbus Blue Jackets – Rick Nash may not lead the
league in goals again, but he’ll be right up there. The
addition of defenseman Adam Foote will help shore up a
suspect blue line. Veteran Marc Denis in goal will hopefully
provide consistency while the young guys up front learn to
play as a team. The playoffs are just out of reach, but this
team is improving.
Northwest Division
Huge story
on Oct. … that’s when Todd Bertuzzi and his Vancouver
Canucks visit the Colorado Avalanche. We’ll see if the
Avalanche have any retribution in store for Bertuzzi for the
2004 assault on Steve Moore. Outside of this story line,
this is a deep, talented division with a chance of getting
all five teams into the playoffs.
1.
Vancouver Canucks – With the return of Bertuzzi, some of
the pressure on Marcus Naslund will be alleviated. Dan
Cloutier is a better goalie than we saw in the ’04 playoffs.
This team is big and deep, and will out-duel Colorado for
home ice advantage in the playoffs.
2.
Colorado Avalanche – They lost a lot of firepower with
the salary cap. They still have enough to go far but the
ultimate goal, another Stanley Cup, rests with goaltender
David Aebischer. If he can stop shots with smaller pads,
this team will make a deep playoff run. If he can’t, expect
an early exit.
3.
Calgary Flames – This is a different team than the one
we had in the ’04 Stanley Cup finals. Martin Gelinas has
departed for sunny Florida. Ville Niemenen and Mike
Commodore are gone as well. Still around, however, are
Jarome Iginla, who can control a game, and Mikka Kiprusoff,
who was amazing in goal in last season’s playoffs. Expect
another playoff run…how far depends on developing depth.
4.
Edmonton Oilers – Hopefully, just missing the ’04
playoffs was not the start of a trend. The addition of
defenseman Chris Pronger will help solidify the blue line,
and the young forwards will continue to develop. The biggest
question is if goalie Ty Conklin can survive a whole season.
If so, a playoff run could be in the cards for this team.
5.
Minnesota Wild – Goaltending is the strength of this
team. Duane Roloson and Manny Fernandez will share duties
between the pipes. The question is up front…will they be
able to score? Marian Gaborik needs help. How far this team
goes depends on getting scoring beyond the top line.
Pacific
Division
With Wayne
Gretzky behind the bench in Phoenix, the Pacific Division
now has a fan favorite as a coach. Too bad he’s not able to
play for the Coyotes. San Jose should dominate this division
as Dallas ages and the Kings’ injuries (i.e., Jeremy Roenick)
start creeping up. Anaheim hasn’t been a player since they
lost to the Devils in the Cup finals in ’03.
1. San
Jose Sharks – Loaded offensively with Jonathan Cheechoo,
Patrick Marleau, and Niko Dimitrakos, the Sharks can score.
Goalie Evgeny Nabokov can stop the puck as well as anyone.
This team didn’t fulfill their promise with home ice in the
’04 playoffs against Calgary. I don’t think they’ll let it
go this year if given the same opportunity.
2.
Dallas Stars – Even though they are an aging team, they
still have firepower with Mike Modano and Bill Guerin. They
have a world-class goalie in Marty Turco. They have enough
to get into the playoffs and a possible first series win,
but don’t expect more.
3. Los
Angeles Kings – The injury bug has already gotten to the
Kings. Roenick has suffered yet another concussion. The
’03-’04 season was marred by injuries, and hopefully this
season won’t be a repeat. If they avoid injuries, this team
could make a playoff run.
4.
Mighty Ducks of Anaheim – The brothers Rob and Scott
Neidermeyer are together in Southern California. That is
about as good as it gets in Anaheim, outside of goalie J.S.
Gigeure. This team will struggle again until it can find
consistent play from its forwards. Expect a second
consecutive summer at home instead of in the playoffs.
5.
Phoenix Coyotes – Shane Doan can score, and should
flourish under The Great One as his coach. Too bad he’s all
the offense the Coyotes have. In goal, they have Curtis
Joseph, although it’s been a while since he has proven
himself to be a #1 goalie. This team will struggle, but it
seems the commitment to win is beginning to emerge.
My
Western Conference predictions:
1. San Jose
Sharks
2. Vancouver Canucks
3. Detroit Red Wings
4. Colorado Avalanche
5. Dallas Stars
6. Calgary Flames
7. Chicago Blackhawks
8. Edmonton Oilers
9. Nashville Predators
10. Los Angeles Kings
11. St. Louis Blues
12. Minnesota Wild
13. Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
14. Columbus Blue Jackets
15. Phoenix Coyotes
Stanley
Cup Finals: Philadelphia over Vancouver
Oct. 4,
2005
