2009-10 NHL Preview

Today marks the start of the new NHL season, a.k.a. what I've been waiting for since Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby and company hoisted the Stanley Cup in June. The start of a new season is a time for optimism in any sport, and there are plenty of questions to be answered in the NHL this season. Big-name free agents have swapped sweaters, teams have another year of experience under their belts and a new crop of rookies is ready to make a splash and continue hockey's recent youth movement. I took some time to contemplate the upcoming season today and made my own predictions of where teams will finish in the standings, division-by-division (my picks for playoff teams are in all-caps).

Eastern Conference


Atlantic Division


PITTSBURGH PENGUINS - Let's start with the champs. One thing Pittsburgh won't have to worry about is scoring. Malkin and Crosby return after winning their first Stanley Cup and will both likely finish among the league's top 5 scorers...again. Add 21-year-old Jordan Staal and the Pens are one of the deepest teams down the middle in NHL history. Last season's additions of Chris Kunitz and Bill Guerin gave a boost to Pittsburgh's offensive output, as did timely goals by third- and fourth-liners. The Pens are also good-to-go in goal with Marc-Andre Fleury. The former top draft pick has developed into a legitimate NHL starter and is still only 24. The biggest concern for the defending champs is their depth on the blue line. Hal Gill and Rob Scuderi were lost to free agency, and while they aren't necessarily marquee names, they played a huge role in the Penguins run to the Cup. The pair was the team's best set of shut-down defensemen and always matched up with opposing teams top lines. Sergei Gonchar is still a strong defender but is getting up there (35) and youngster Kris Letang still has a lot to learn about defensive responsibility. If Brooks Orpik, Mark Eaton and offseason addition Jay McKee can fill the void left by Scuderi and Gill, a repeat is not out of the question for the Penguins.

PHILADELPHIA FLYERS - I only recently examined the Flyers roster and now realize that this team could be great, apart from two problems: goaltending and Scott Hartnell. Alright, the first one is the actual problem, I just don't like Hartnell. From what I can tell, Ray Emery is going to start for the Flyers. He took Ottawa to the Stanley Cup Finals, but hasn't done anything since and has the reputation of a head case. With such a big question in net I don't think the Flyers will advance deep into the playoffs...but they should win plenty of games this season. The Philly defensive corps should be able to cover for the team's sub-par goaltending, especially after adding Chris Pronger in the offseason. He and Kimmo Timonen are great veteran leaders for a young blueline (getting Braydon Coburn for an over-the-hill Alexei Zhitnik is still one of the most ridiculous trades I've ever seen). The Flyers also have a ton of depth up front. Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, Simon Gagne and a healthy Danny Briere are terrifying to see in the same lineup. First-round picks Claude Giroux and James van Riemsdyk are also in the forward mix and could contribute.

NEW JERSEY DEVILS - The Devils made themselves a consistent winner with defense, and while that reputation still stands, this team can also put the puck in the net. Zach Parise has emerged as one of the league's young stars and top scorers while fellow North Dakota alumnus Travis Zajac broke the 20-goal and 60-point plateaus in his third NHL season. Captain Jamie Langenbrunner is known for his leadership but also set career-highs in goals and assists last season. Even defensemen Paul Martin and John Oduya have shown that they can contribute offensively. That being said, this team is still great defensively and has one of the game's best goalies between the pipes in Martin Brodeur. Despite playing in just 31 games last season, Brodeur was still in good form when in the lineup...and the Devils still won the Atlantic Division. If New Jersey's young talent continues to develop and its trademark defense holds strong, the Devils could still fight for a division and conference title.

NEW YORK RANGERS- I'm not quite sure what to make of the Rangers, but I do think they should make the playoffs again, mainly because the East isn't an especially deep conference. Having Henrik Lundqvist in net gives New York a chance to win every night, and while the Rangers are decent defensively, they're not great. Wade Redden was a colossal disappointment during his first season in New York and needs to return to his Ottawa form. Still, Michal Roszival as an underrated defender and 22-year-old Marc Staal is only going to get better. Cutting ties with Nikolai Zherdev was a good addition-by-subtraction move, and the signing of Marian Gaborik gives the Rangers superstar talent on the wing, as long as they can keep him happy. The Blueshirts need Vinny Prospal to bounce back from a sub-par season and Chris Higgins to prove himself as a top-6 forward.

New York Islanders - To put it bluntly, this team's got problems. John Tavares, the top pick in the 2009 draft, hasn't played an NHL game and might already be the Islanders' best skater. Defenseman Mark Streit led the team in scoring last season, followed by rookie Kyle Okposo. The Islanders are theoretically set in goal, with Rick DiPietro under contract until 2021, though he only played in 5 games last season before having knee surgery. While the Isles might not win too many games this season, they will gain some much-needed experience: 13 players on the current roster are 25 or younger.


Northeast Division


BOSTON BRUINS - The B's cleaned-up at the NHL awards this summer and boast last season's top goaltender (Tim Thomas), defenseman (Zdeno Chara) and coach (Claude Julien) and should make an even stronger push for the Eastern Conference title this season. Dennis Wideman also had a breakout year on the blueline for Boston, tallying 50 points with an insane plus-32 rating. He and Chara, along with Mark Stuart, Andrew Ference and newly-acquired Derek Morris give the team a very strong group of defensemen. Despite the recent trade of Phil Kessel, the Bruins remain fairly deep up front. Marc Savard never seems to get the recognition he deserves as one of the NHL's best playmakers and Patrice Bergeron is a capable second-line center if he stays healthy. On the wing Milan Lucic made some noise at Team Canada's Olympic camp and is poised for a strong season, as is Blake Wheeler after putting up 45 points in his rookie campaign.

MONTREAL CANADIENS - There's been a lot of turnover in Montreal since last season, but once they get going this year the Habs should be firmly entrenched in the playoff picture. Former New Jersey teammates Brian Gionta and Scott Gomez are re-united and Mike Cammalleri also joins the Canadiens after setting career-highs in goals and points last season in Calgary. Montreal lost young Mike Komisarek on defense, but brought in Hal Gill and Paul Mara, who won't contribute much offensively but are both terrific in their own zone. Andrei Markov dished out 52 assists last season and is one of the game's underrated puck-moving defenders. The big question for Montreal is in net, where Carey Price has been dubbed the team's savior, but took a step backward last season. His numbers were still respectable (90.5 save percentage, 2.83 GAA) but he hasn't become the gamebreaker the Montreal faithful expect him to be. Still, the kid's only 22 and has plenty of time to develop. With Price still learning and a lot of new faces it could be a slow start for the 09-10 Canadiens, but they should start clicking and make plenty of noise by the season's end.

Buffalo Sabres - The Sabres managed to hang onto goalie Ryan Miller, but they just don't seem deep enough to be a playoff team. Derek Roy, Jason Pominville and Tomas Vanek are the Sabres' most proven scorers and their blue line is a hodge-podge of random players. Henrik Tallinder, Toni Lydman and Steve Montador headline the defensive corps, which doesn't sound particularly good. Still, Miller will give Buffalo a chance to win a lot of games and the Sabres are going to give some of their young players opportunities to contribute. If they're able to, this team could be surprisingly relevant.

Toronto Maple Leafs - I maintain that the Leafs gave up too much to acquire Phil Kessel from Boston, but it could pay off for them...we won't really know until he returns to the ice in November. In theory, though, he'll give Toronto a dynamic forward that they haven't had for years. Matt Stajan could be the perfect set-up man for Kessel and veteran Jason Blake should continue to produce up front. Goaltending has to be a concern for the Leafs (Vesa Toskala is not the answer for this team), but they're pretty much set on defense after acquiring Mike Komisarek and Francois Beauchemin over the summer. I'm actually not convinced that Beauchemin is as good as people think he is, but this season will show his true form as he'll no longer be playing alongside Scott Niedermayer or Chris Pronger. Toronto veteran Tomas Kaberle remains a presence on the blue line and 19-year-old Luke Schenn should only improve in his second pro season.

Ottawa Senators - Oh how the Senators have fallen. For years it seemed like Ottawa was inches away from finally winning the Stanley Cup. The Sens have gradually lost key players while acquiring lesser replacements, the most recent example being the trade of Dany Heatley to San Jose for flash-in-the-pan Jonathan Cheechoo and Milan Michalek. Heatley wanted to leave town, so I get that the Senators had to get what they could, but don't expect a whole lot from Cheechoo...his goal production has fallen off a cliff since scoring 56 in 05-06, including a whopping 12 tallies a year ago. Michalek has some potential but is still nowhere near Heatley's caliber. Maybe playing with Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson will give them a boost. Ottawa's defense is nothing to write home about, so I won't say anything more about it. Former Blue Jacket Pascal Leclaire will start in goal, which should be a good thing for this team. He certainly has the ability of a strong NHL starter, but he has to stay healthy to realize that potential. Hopefully the change of scenery will do him good.


Southeast Division


WASHINGTON CAPITALS - I love this team, but I'm still not sure that they're ready to make a run at the Cup. The Caps have plenty of young talent with forwards Alexander Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Alexander Semin and defenseman Mike Green. All four scored more than 70 points last season and Green was a finalist for the Norris Trophy. Even with all this ability, though, it seems like they could be so much better because they seem to be getting by on talent alone. I don't know if Bruce Boudreau just doesn't implement an offense, or if the players simply don't follow his instructions, but the Caps never seem to have a plan on offense. The addition of veterans Mike Knuble and Brendan Morrison could help give the young Washington forwards some guidance. Jose Theodore was supposed to be a solid presence in net, but was pulled early in the postseason for Semyon Varlamov, who has now played more NHL playoff games than regular season games. Whoever starts in goal will need play consistently well to give the Caps a chance to make a postseason run.

CAROLINA HURRICANES - Carolina made an impressive run to last season's conference finals and I'm still not totally sure how they did it. Cam Ward is a pretty average goaltender during the regular season, but hits another gear if the Hurricanes reach the playoffs. Eric Staal is obviously the team's offensive leader and ageless wonders Rod Brind'Amour and Ray Whitney don't appear to be running on empty. This team also has the tendancy to get a lot of timely goals from its third and fourth lines (ex.: Scott Walker in game 7 against Boston). The Canes' defense seems pretty thin to me after Joni Pitkanen and Joe Corvo, but it's mostly the same group they had last season. I don't think Carolina will really threaten to win the East, but it should still be in the playoff picture.

Florida Panthers - The Panthers might not be as bad as I originally thought, but I don't know that they'll be good. Bryan McCabe, Jordan Leopold and Dennis Seidenberg is a pretty strong trio of defensemen to build around, and Tomas Vokoun put up some impressive numbers in net last year. I'm not really sure where Florida's goals will come from, though. Stephen Weiss, Nathan Horton and David Booth make a good top line, but the Panthers don't have much beyond those three. They'll need to find some secondary scoring because teams will be able to shut down a single line if they really want to.

Tampa Bay Lightning - On paper, this team should be able to simply out-score a lot of its opponents. Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis are two of the NHL's most skilled forwards and Steven Stamkos is one of its top prospects. The Lightning also brought in Alex Tanguay this summer, who could end up being a steal if he can return to his 2003-07 form. The problem is Tampa is going to give up a lot of goals, too. Mattias Ohlund is the team's only proven defenseman and Mike Smith isn't really a number one goalie. Rookie defenseman Victor Hedman made the team out of training camp and could become one of the team's top defenders, but will have plenty of growing pains, as all young defensemen do. Despite these problems, I think the Lightning will be much improved from last season, and will definitely benefit from playing in a weak division.

Atlanta Thrashers - For the last few years this team has basically been Ilya Kovalchuk and Kari Lehtonen, there's not much else there. The Thrashers did pick up Maxim Afinogenov to complement Kovalchuk, but he's seen a staggering decline in production over the past two seasons. Rookie Evander Kane will get a chance to contribute offensively, and he'll need to if Atlanta wants to win some games. The defense in front of Lehtonen is pretty green, with the exception of Pavel Kubina. Zach Bogosian and Tobias Enstrom are the future for Atlanta on defense, but they're not there yet.


Western Conference


Central Division


DETROIT RED WINGS - This could be the year the Wings don't win the Central, but I just don't see it happening. I'd like to see it as much as anybody, but this team is just too good. Only an incredibly talented and deep team could win so much with a glorified backup goalie, which is what Detroit does. Sorry, but Chris Osgood is average at best, though he usually steps it up in the playoffs. Pavel Datsyuk is definitely on the same skill level as Crosby, Malkin and Ovechkin, he just doesn't get as much recognition because he only scores 90 points instead of 100. Henrik Zetterberg is great too and Tomas Holmstrom is the best in the game in front of the crease. Also, keep an eye out for Darren Helm this season. he was great in the playoffs, has a ton of speed and pretty good hands. Led by Nicklas Lidstrom, the Red Wing defense will continue to be rock-solid. I don't think the Wings will have the conference's best regular season record, but they'll still make a run at the Cup...they always do.

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS - The time is now for the Blackhawks. They have a boatload of young talent that they won't be able to keep under contract over the next couple years, so this might be their best chance to bring the Stanley Cup back to Chicago. Johnathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Kris Versteeg are joined by veteran Marian Hossa, which is just sickening to think about if you're not a Blackhawks fan. Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Brian Campbell and Cam Barker might be the most complete set of top-4 defensmen in the NHL. As it is with many teams, the concern for the Hawks is in net. Cristobal Huet claims he's ready to shoulder the load of an NHL starter, but I'll believe it when I see it. Still, this team is so loaded that it might be able to pull a Detroit and win with a mediocre goaltender.

COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS - I sure hope last year wasn't a fluke. Truthfully though, I don't think think it was. Goaltenders are a tricky bunch and you can't help but wonder if Steve Mason was a one-year wonder (Jose Theodore, circa 2002), but I don't think that will be the case. Plus, the defense in front of him should be stronger after another year of experience, as long as they stay healthy. For the first time, scoring shouldn't be much of an issue for Columbus, as long as its crop of talented young players continue to develop. Rick Nash is the team's unquestioned stud and finally has a playmaking center in Derick Brassard to get him the puck. Don't forget, Brassard led all rookies in scoring before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury last year. Jakub Voracek quietly had a very good rookie season, and Nikita Filatov will get a chance to play on the team's second line with Antoine Vermette, who was acquired from Ottawa at the trade deadline. Barring some horrible setback, the Blue Jackets should make the playoffs for the second time this season.

ST. LOUIS BLUES - The Blues run to the postseason was particularly impressive, as they did it missing a large chunk of their lineup. With Paul Kariya and Erik Johnson healthy, St. Louis should be even better this season. The Blues are strong on the blueline with Johnson, Eric Brewer and Barrett Jackman, and T.J. Oshie emerged as an effective scorer last season. If Chris Mason can repeat his success in net from a year ago, expect to see the Blues in the postseason again.

Nashville Predators - The Predators seem to have lost a lot of players recently without acquiring nearly as many. Their problem is depth, especially forward depth. Jason Arnott and Steve Sullivan aren't getting any younger, and J.P. Dumont is a decent scorer but can't give you 30 goals in a season. Nashville should do alright defensively, and Pekka Rinne had a strong rookie season in goal, but it just doesn't seem like this team will score too many goals.


Northwest Division


CALGARY FLAMES - Calgary acquiring Jay Bouwmeester may have been the biggest move this offseason. He and Dion Phaneuf are two of the NHL's top defensemen yet to reach their primes. Captain Jarome Iginla has scored 281 points over the past three seasons and could see his production climb even further, playing with Olli Jokinen for an entire season. If Miikka Kiprusoff is consistent in net, the Flames should be one of the best teams in the West.

VANCOUVER CANUCKS - With Roberto Luongo in net, any collection of players has a chance at winning. The re-signing of the Sedin twins was highly publicized, but signing Mikael Samuelsson to play with them might be the bigger move for Vancouver. Losing Mattias Ohlund will hurt the Canuck defense, but Christian Ehrhoff is a decent replacement with good puck-moving ability. This team isn't incredibly deep, but with Luongo between the pipes, anything seems possible.

Minnesota Wild - Without Marian Gaborik, this team just seems boring to me. The Wild did pick up Martin Havlat, who led the Blackhawks in scoring last season. Unfortunately for him, Minnesota doesn't have half the forward talent Chicago does. Niklas Backstrom is a top-notch young goalie, and Minnesota is known for playing tough defense, but this team just seems like its missing something...I'm not sure what.

Colorado Avalanche - An Avs team without Joe Sakic is kind of like seeing Bobby Orr in a Blackhawks jersey...it just doesn't work. This team has some potential, but right now that's all it has. It was important for the Avs to re-sign Milan Hejduk to provide some veteran leadership for Wojtek Wolski and Paul Stastny, but they just don't have as many weapons as they used to. Colorado also has goaltending issues and isn't very deep on defense. Scott Hannan and John-Michael Liles are solid, but Adam Foote is too old and slow to be effective anymore. I think it's pretty safe to say Colorado is in a rebuilding stage.

Edmonton Oilers - The Oilers look a lot like the Avs: some talent on offense, little-to-none on defense. Ales Hemsky has the ability to take over a game and Sam Gagner has shown flashes of brilliance in his first two seasons, but there isn't much else to talk about in Edmonton. The Oilers did pick up Nikolai Khabibulin, but he won't get too much help from his defensemen. In such a deep conference, this could be a long season for the Oilers.


Pacific Division

SAN JOSE SHARKS - With Dany Heatley, the Sharks should be better than ever. The question is, what does that mean? The finished last seson with the best record in the NHL, only to lose in the first round of the playoffs. With Heatley, Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Dan Boyle and Evgeni Nabokov, San Jose is strong from top-to-bottom and there is no reason why the Sharks shouldn't be one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup. The problem is, that's been the case for years. I've never seen a team inexplicably fail in postseason play like the Sharks. I think they'll have a great season, maybe even win another President's Trophy, but until I see them win in the playoffs, I can't expect them to.

LOS ANGELES KINGS - The Kings are my surprise team. They did a great job in the offseason by bringing in Ryan Smyth and free agent Rob Scuderi. Smyth gives L.A. a presence in front of the net to compliment Dustin Brown, Alexander Frolov and Anze Kopitar (one of the best young players nobody talks about). Scuderi brings playoff experience to a young defensive corps led by Jack Johnson and Drew Doughty. Jonathan Quick played 44 games in net last season and finished with a winning record, despite playing on the second-worst team in the Western Conference. If the progression of the Kings' young defensemen and goalie continues, the Kings could surprise a lot of people this season.

Anaheim Ducks - For some reason I think the Ducks are in for a down year. Chris Pronger is gone and while they still have Scott Niedermayer on defense don't forget, he didn't even know if he wanted to play a couple years ago. Last season's acquisition of Ryan Whitney will help, but nobody plays the game like Pronger does. Anaheim's top line of Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Bobby Ryan is terrific, but there's quite a drop-off after those three. Jonas Hiller played well in net last season, but he will probably have to cope with a heavier workload this season.

Dallas Stars - Marty Turco could be hung out to dry a lot this season. The Dallas defense is just not very good. Up front Brad Richards has had injuries problems and been a bit of a disappointment, considering how much money he makes. Mike Modano is in the twilight of his career and while Brendan Morrow is a good captain, he's not a scorer. Loui Eriksson scored 63 points last season and has a bright future, but the Stars have a long way to go to become the contender they once were.

Phoenix Coyotes - Who knows what's going to happen to this team. Its ownership is an issue and Wayne Gretzky resigned as head coach less than two weeks before the season. Those problems combined with a lack-luster lineup do not bode well for the Coyotes. Shane Doan is the team's only veteran scorer, and the Coyotes will likely look to Mikkel Boedker(19) and Peter Mueller(21) to pick up some of the offensive slack. Sorry Phoenix, but don't expect too many fireworks in the desert this season.

Now, let's drop the puck.