HOCKEY IS BACK!! We're all very excited about this. Now, I realize I haven't blogged here in a long time. But that's not because I forgot about it. It's just my home computer is a piece of (insert swear word here). I've seen the previews. And here is mine!
Western Conference:
1:Los Angeles Kings (Pacific Division)-The Kings have the most stacked team in the Western Conference, and arguably the best goaltender in the entire league. Most definitely the team to beat in the West. Even without Kopitar, they still have 4 all-star forwards in Dustin Brown, Justin Williams, Mike Richards and Jeff Carter.
2:Vancouver Canucks (Northwest Division)-The Canucks will be good for years to come. The Sedins are still good, D is solid with the likes of Bieksa, Hamhuis and Edler. Their second line is decimated right now but they will still be a power house. The losses of Kesler and Booth to injury will be costly, but they'll still be a power house.
3:St. Louis Blues (Central Division)-The stingy defense first Blues will once again win the Central. Gritty forwards with Backes, Oshie, and Perron, solid d in Peitrangelo, and Shattenkirk, and two All-Star goaltenders. That's a pretty damn fine mix.
4:Chicago BlackHawks (Central Division)-With a deep forward core including Toews, Kane, Sharp, and Hossa and two of the leagues premier d-men, the only question going forward for the Hawks is goaltending. Can Corey Crawford reach another level? We'll see!
5:Detroit Red Wings (Central Division)-Jimmy Howard is solid. Losing Lidstrom is a huge loss and it's Kronwalls turn to take hold of the blue line. All of Detroit's d-men will need to step up their games in a big way to even half replace Nick Lidstrom. Their Forwards will be good, as always is the case with Zetterberg and Datsyuk. It'll be interesting to see how newcomer Damien Brunner adapts to the NHL after lighting up the Swiss league.
6:Minnesota Wild (Northwest Division)- Adding Parise, and Suter makes Minnesota a playoff team. Give them their supporting cast in Dany Heatley, Devin Setoguchi, and rookie Mikael Granlund, Minnesota may be a dark horse in the West. They're a bit thin in regards to the rest of the back end, but having Nicklas Backstrom in net definately helps.
7:San Jose Sharks (Pacific Division)-Deep at the center position, expecting a big year out of Logan Coture, and of course Joe Thorton. With the rest of their forwards, and at least 4 solid d-men in Douglas Murray, Brad Stuart, Dan Boyle and Brent Burns the sharks will be a dark horse in the West this year. They share the same main concern with Chicago, can Antti Niemi get it done?
8:Nashville Predators (Central Division)-Nashville rounds out the playoff teams of the West. Pekka Rinne is in the one of the premier goaltenders in the league, and Shea Weber is the Norris favorite. Like St. Louis, they're stingy on d, have great goaltending, and a weaker yet opportunistic offense with the likes of Patric Hornqvist, David Legwand, and the Kostitsyn brother's.
9:Dallas Stars (Pacific Division)-This may be one that shocks some people, but I think Dallas made significant strides during the off season. Ray Whitney seems ageless, Jagr's in the same boat. Acquiring Derek Roy to play alongside Jamie Benn is also a solid move. However, their blue line is thin, and Kari Lethonen is inconsistent. They'll barely miss the cut.
10:Edmonton Oilers (Northwest Division)- Finally it's Edmonton's year. To not finish in last place. This is the best young group of forwards I've seen in years, adding Justin Schultz is huge, but he's too inexperienced. This mixed with questionable at best goaltending means the Oilers may come close, but won't make the cut.
11:Anaheim Ducks (Pacific Division)-Even with Perry and Getzlaf, the Ducks are too thin in most areas to make significant strides from last year. Smith-Pelley looks good for the future, as does Cam Fowler, and Lukas Sbisa on the back end. Hiller in net is the only consistent area of this team.
12:Colorado Avalanche (Northwest Division)-Ryan O'Reilly might stay in Russia, which is not good for Colorado. The Avs are similar to the Oilers in some respects. Just a few years behind. Nabbing Parenteau was a great addition, but their thin on the blue line, and in net. Landeskog is a stud. But the Avs won't make the cut.
13:Phoenix Coyotes (Pacific Division)-No matter how good they've been the past few years. I can still never get behind the Yotes. They're thin up front, Yandle is good but can't carry the offense, and Mike Smith is inconsistent. Chances are they'll surprise me again, but I don't think they'll make the cut this year.
14:Calgary Flames (Northwest Division)-Calgary's only sure things are Jerome Iginla and Mikka Kipprusoff. Everything else is a question mark. Giordano is shaping up to be a pretty good defender, but the Flames won't have enough to get into the playoffs this season.
15:Columbus Blue Jackets (Central Division)-What can I say about the Columbus Blue Jackets. Jack Johnson will be their only bright spot this year. They gave up Rick Nash, and Steve Mason and Curtis Stanford aren't exactly a solid goaltending duo. They will finish last place, and in a 48 game season. I think they'll be luck to win 10.
And here's the Eastern Conference:
1:New York Rangers (Atlantic Division)-The Rangers have finally followed suit after their New York Brethren in the Yankees and begun to throw their money around, in a big way. Acquiring Rick Nash and adding him to an already deep mix of forwards makes the Rangers arguably the best team in the NHL. The d is good, and Lundqvist is a stud. They're my pick for the President's Trophy Winners.
2:Boston Bruins (Northeast Division)-The 2010 Cup Champs will once again be the grittiest team in the NHL, and with Chara on the back end they're almost guaranteed to have a good back end. One question that I have is where Tukka Rask will be. This is his time to shine. Since Tim Thomas is taking the year off (what is he upset Obama won a second term?) this is Tukka Rask's team now. They may not have as many offensive stars as the Rangers or the Pens but they'll be a threat.
3:Carolina Hurricanes (Southeast Division)-With Ovechkin struggling, and every other team in the Southeast making small improvements, the Carolina Hurricanes are the only team that I see that's made themselves a Stanley Cup contender from that division. Adding Semin and Jordan Staal will boost Eric Staals productions because he won't be relied upon so heavily. Justin Falk looks good on the back end, though that may be a place where they're a bit thin. Cam Ward is a great goaltender, and Carolina will be a dark horse in the East this year.
4:Pittsburgh Penguins (Atlantic Division)-Although they were ousted early by Philly last year, Pittsburgh still has the two most talented players in the world on their roster. It doesn't matter what winger you put with either of them, they will be a good team. Orpik, Letang, and Niskanen will anchor the back end, and Vokun and Fleury will tend the pipes, giving the Pens one of the most dangerous goaltending duo's in the NHL.
5:Philadelphia Flyers (Atlantic Division)-I'm one of many hockey fans that would love to see another 4-5 matchup between the Pens and the Flyers. Giroux is definitely getting himself into the conversation for the top player in the world honors, and the Flyers are deep at forward again as usual. Adding Shea Weber WOULD have been nice, in the absence of Pronger, and losing Carle will leave the blue line a bit thin. The biggest question for Philly is how Bryzgalov will play, if he plays like the highest paid goaltender in the NHL, they'll be a Stanley Cup threat, if he doesn't. We'll see what happens.
6:Washington Capitals (Southeast Division)-Ovie is due for a bounce back year. Adding Ribero will be a nice touch but I don't think it will be enough to make them a president's trophy contender. They'll be relatively deep both up front on the blue line, but Holtby is untested. It'll be interesting to see if he can establish himself as a prominent #1 goaltender in the NHL.
7:Ottawa Senators (Northeast Division)-The biggest question for Ottowa is their goaltending situation. From what seems to be the consensus, Craig Anderson is their guy. Ben Bishop is no slouch though. Erik Karlsson will lead up the d-core playing with Marc Methot. Losing Foligno lessens their offense a bit, but it's not a significant loss. Spezza and Karlsson will be relied upon to carry the offensive load, seeing if Alfredsson can have another good year remains to be seen.
8:New Jersey Devils (Atlantic Division)-Although they may have lost Zach Parise, the Devils still have one of the premier snipers in the NHL in Ilya Kovalchuck. Signing Travis Zajac and the rise of Adam Henrique could prove to be the deciding factors for the Devils this season. Aside from Larsson, they don't have a lot going on the back end, but it's by no means a weak blue line. Brodeur may be old, but he's still a #1 goaltender in the NHL.
9:Tampa Bay Lightning (Southeast Division)-It's hard to go against a team with a 60 goal scorer that has also improved its goaltending. But the Lighting will fall just short this year. Adding Lindback will be nice, as he's studied under Pekka Rinne for the past few years, and feels he's ready to start in the NHL. Bringing in Carle on the back end is also a nice touch, but it may not be enough.
10:Buffalo Sabres (Northeast Division)-With Ryan Miller in net Buffalo is always a threat to make the post season. They lack depth up front, as well on the back end. Christian Erhoff will have to have a great year on the blue line. Hodgson and Leino will have to step up their game, and their secondary scoring will need to step up as well.
11:Winnipeg Jets (Southeast Division)-The Jets have improved over this past extended off season. Finding a stead top line center to play with Evander Kane in Olli Jokinen was their best addition this summer, as well as adding Ponikarovsky up front to add to their size, and depth. Bogosian's absence on the back end is a huge loss, and that means Stuart and Hainsey will need to step up their game, but Paul Postma may fit in nicely as well. Pavelec needs to be consistently good as well. The Jets have improved from last year, but it may not be enough.
12:Montreal Canadiens (Northeast Division)-With Carey Price in net, the Canadiens could sneak into the playoffs, especially in a shortened season. If Andrei Markov stays healthy, and Georges and Subban play like they can, then the Canadiens have a real shot. They're thin up front, which seems to be their main concern. They'll need Plekanec, Gionta, and rookie Alex Galchenyuk to have good seasons.
13:Florida Panthers (Southeast Division)-Despite the strong year they had last season, winning the Southeast Division, the Panthers don't have a #1 goaltender in their presence. They're in the running to acquire Roberto Luongo, which would make them a playoff team but until that happens, they'll need to rely on the stingy offense of Versteeg, and Fleischmann, and hope their back end can hold up against the talented forwards in the Eastern Conference.
14:Toronto Maple Leafs (Northeast Division)-The Leafs lack a top line center, in a big way. Moving Van Reimsdyk over could prove costly, as he is a natural winger. And Tyler Bozak isn't a top line center. While they are also in the running to acquire Luongo, without him their goaltending is decent at best. Phaneuf will anchor the back end, where they actually have some young bright spots in Gunnarsson, and Gardiner. Only way I see the Leafs making the playoffs is if Kessel, and Lupul have huge years again, and Reimer steps up as a top goaltender.
15:New York Islanders (Atlantic Division)-Losing PA Parenteau to Colorado is a loss that this Islanders team won't get over this year. Jon Tavares is a (Pierre McGuire) monster, and is destined to become one of the premier players in the NHL. Streit is the only established d-man that they have, with Travis Hamonic looking good for the future as well. They have a decent goaltender in Evgeni Nabokov, but none of this will be enough to keep the Islanders out of the basement.
Awards:
Hart Memorial Trophy: (Awarded to the leagues MVP): My pick is Sidney Crosby, he's unreal. (other contenders: Evegeni Malkin, Claude Giroux, H & D Sedin, Cory Perry, Jonathan Toews, Steven Stamkos)
Art Ross Trophy: (Most points in the season) My pick is Sidney Crosby. (other contenders: refer to above list).
Norris Trophy: (Best Defensman): My pick is Shea Weber, he should have won last year. (other contenders: Erik Karlsson, Zdeno Chara, Duncan Keith, Kris Letang, Ryan Suter, Drew Doughty).
Vezina Trophy: (Best Goaltender): My pick is Henrik Lundqvist. (other contenders: Jonathan Quick, Cam Ward, Jimmy Howard, M-A Fluery).
Maurice Richard Trophy: (Most goals in a season): My pick is Steven Stamkos, he scored 60 last year. (other contenders: Cory Perry, Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin)
Calder Trophy: (Best Rookie): My pick is Justin Schultz of the oilers. (other contenders: Mikael Granlund, Nail Yakupov, Alex Galchenyuk).
Predictions:
President's Trophy: New York Rangers
Western Conference Playoff Champ: Los Angeles Kings
Eastern Conference Playoff Champ: Pittsburgh Penguins
Stanley Cup Champs: Pittsburgh Penguins
Conn Smythe Winner: Sidney Crosby/M-A Fleury
Dark Horse in the West: St. Louis Blues
Dark Horse in the East: Carolina Hurricanes
