The NHL is back tomorrow night and as a hard core hockey fan I can hardly wait for the buzzer to sound as the Flyers score their first goal of the season. But my hockey life isn’t only about the Flyers, I follow every team; whether I like them, hate them, or they’re irrelevant to me I just love watching hockey. As you all know we at The Riot! preview all major sports and as much as some overlook it, hockey is a major sport, so watch it, it’ll change your life. So look forward to my three-part segment reviewing every team in the NHL, along with my season predictions. We’ll start with the Eastern Conference.
ATLANIC DIVISION
The Devils didn’t make any big offseason moves and Martin Brodeur isn’t getting any younger nor is Patrik Elias. With the Achilles injury to Travis Zajac, someone needs to step up and I’m not sure the Devils have that unless they turn to a young prospect like Jacob Josefson. If the Devils hope to contend they are going to have to rely heavily on Zach Parise and Ilya Kovalchuk. The biggest addition to help the Devils this season might be first round pick Adam Larsson. He was the most NHL ready player in the draft and is an offensive defenseman. He could give the Devils some needed blue line strength on the power play. Devils fans hope last season was just an anomaly, but a lot of things need to go right for the Devils to bounce back from last year’s disaster.
No team had a busier and more shocking offseason than the Flyers. Trading captain Mike Richards and sniper Jeff Carter in a matter of minutes rocked the Flyer fan base, but brought the Flyers a top NHL prospect in Brayden Schenn, who could contend for the Calder Cup in 2011-2012, as well Wayne Simmonds and Jakob Voracek and a first-round draft pick (Sean Couturier). The addition of goalie Ilya Bryzgalov gives the Flyers their first elite goalie since Ron Hextall. Claude Giroux and James van Riemsdyk will be counted on to step up and fill the shoes of the departed Richards and Carter. The wild card for the Flyers will be Jaromir Jagr who has returned to the NHL after three seasons in the KHL. They are questions on whether the Flyers offense can continue to ravage the opponents goaltending, but, I don’t think there’s much to worry about.
The other day a friend of mine emailed me asking me if I thought the Islanders would be good anytime soon. The response to his email was “NO”. The poorest run franchise in the NHL will still pay for bad front office decisions (and those bad seasons with the Gordon’s Fisherman displayed on their jerseys). They will again rely on goalie Rick DiPietro (who is in the fifth year of a fifteen year contract),to stay healthy and keep the Islanders in the game because outside of captain Mark Streit, the defense isn’t too impressive. Matt Moulson should build on his 30-goal outbreak last season and I don’t think we’ve seen the bet yet from John Tavares. Beyond that, any real talent the Islanders have isn’t ready for the NHL except Nino Niederreiter, who should make the second line. Otherwise additions like Brian Rolston or Marty Reasoner are no reason for Islander fans to get excited. What would get Islander fans excited is for owner Charles Wang to sell the team and bring in a management team that knows what they are doing.
Most people think that missing Sydney Crosby for the beginning of the season means the Penguins demise, but this team is talented enough to hang in there until he returns. Marc-Andre-Fleury will continue to put up strong numbers between the pipes to help a defense that beyond Paul Martin and Kris Letang is full of questions, but a healthy Evgeni Malkin along with Jordan Staal, James Neal, Tyler Kennedy, and Chris Kunitz should be able to give the Pens a lead on most nights. Dan Blysma is one of the best teaching coaches in the league and should be able to make progress with youngsters Simon Despres and Joe Morrow. The biggest question for Penguins fans is when Crosby returns will be return to his former self or will his concussion be lingering in his mind when he rushes into the corner boards for the puck.
The Rangers made a splash in the offseason when they signed prized free agent center Brad Richards. Richards give the Rangers a top center and a veteran leader to help mentor young players like Brian Boyle and Ryan Callahan. Hendrik Lundquist is a solid goaltender, but he will have to stand on his head sometimes as the Rangers defense is porous especially with the injury to Marc Staal. Dan Girardi will be relied on to earn his paycheck and to pick up some slack until Staal returns. I’m looking for Brandon Dubinsky and Artim Anisimov to have break out seasons, but in order for the Rangers to be successful they are going to need veterans Wojtek Wolski and Marian Gaborik to play how they are capable of playing. Like many stars the Rangers have signed in the past, they stepped on the ice at Madison Square Garden and forgot how to play hockey. Let’s hope Richards isn’t one of those.
Order of finish:
1) Philadelphia Flyers
2) Pittsburgh Penguins
3) New Jersey Devils
4) New York Rangers
5) New York Islanders
NORTHEAST DIVISION
Bruins fans danced in the streets (and didn’t riot), as their hometown Bruins won their first Stanley Cup since before color television. The biggest question in Boston is will the Bruins have a Stanley Cup hangover. On a positive note forward Nathan Horton is healthy and will be on the ice opening night. On the negative side the ageless Mark Recchi finally retired. Even though he was as old as Jamie Moyer, those will be some tough skates to fill. Brad Marchand showed some of his potential and if Tyler Seguin can do in the regular season what he did in last years playoffs Bruins fans will utter “Mark who?” In net, Tim Thomas is among the leagues elite and there’s no sign he’s slowing down and even with the loss of Tomas Kaberle the defense should still be strong. First round pick Dougie Hamilton probably will not make the team out of camp but should an injury occur it wouldn’t be surprising for him to get the call and be productive.
The Canadiens are an interesting team. Carey Price is a top notch goaltender but a lot of questions surround him. P.K. Subban is becoming and elite defenseman, but Andrei Markov’s knee is a big question and behind those two it’s nothing but serviceable players like Hal Gill, but nothing exceptional. Josh Gorges is a bit of a wildcard and the fact that he only signed a one-year contract in the offseason, he might have something to prove. Offensively this club doesn’t impress me. I like Tomas Plekanec but Brian Gionta and Scott Gomez aren’t the players they were three seasons ago. I know a lot of people like Erik Cole but I think that signing will end up biting Montreal in the ass. How this team is currently set up, things can go real good or they can go real bad.
If there’s a way to spell mediocrity in the NHL its M-A-P-L-E-L-E-A-F-S. They have a strong defensive front led by Dion Phaneuf and John-Michael Liles. I like the potential of Luke Schenn, but then it tapers off and isn’t very exciting. Mike Komisarek can be a good defensive defenseman if he decides not to be a tough guy and make bonehead decisions, but that’s not likely. Otherwise there are some serviceable stay at home defenseman who should help average goaltending at best. James Reimer had a strong second half in his rookie debut going 20-9-8, but there’s no guarantee he’s going to repeat that. Should he fail, Jonas Gustavsson will have to pick up the pieces and he’s proven he couldn’t do that last season. The addition of Tim Connolly should improve the game play of Phil Kessel and Clark McArthur. The rest of the offense like Joffery Lupul can contribute but they’re not going to do anything special. If Mikhail Grabovski can build on last season he should help the offense but for Toronto to be successful they are going to need Nazem Kadri to step up. When he was brought up last season he was touted to be a first line winger. Instead he looked lost and overmatched.
With new ownership in place changes were made in Buffalo and the Sabres are on the rise. The additions of Robyn Regehr and Christian Erfhoff lead a revamped defense that will make goalie Ryan Miller’s job a lot easier (who’s no slouch in his own right). The addition of Regehr alone is a huge acquisition as it gives them a big physical defenseman who is a defensive leader (and makes all teams in the Northwest breather a sigh of relief). I think the Sabres probably overpaid for Ville Lieno, but he’s a solid player who can play both sides of the puck and should make somewhat for the loss of Tim Connolly. Derek Roy is finally healthy so I expect him to lead the offense along with Thomas Vanek. A player to keep an eye on is Nathan Gerbe. Although undersized, he plays a big mans game, he just tends to be streaky. Should he become consistent, he’ll be a nice surprise for the Sabres.
The Senators aren’t a very good team. Goalie Craig Anderson is a good backup, but he’s not a starter and defensively he’s not going to get much help. Sergei Gonchar and Chris Phillips are veteran defenseman who are not too far from being put out to pasture. The rest of the defense is young, inexperienced and makes too many mental errors. Erik Carlsson can have a bright future on the blue line and can contribute offensively but can’t play defense worth a lick. Zenon Konopka and Chris Neal will continue to lead the league in penalty minutes, giving Ottawa a big physical presence, but they lack a penalty kill so that tends to backfire. Jason Spezza will continue to lead the offense, but he’s not getting any younger, and Daniel Alfedsson has recovered from a knee injury, so the captain will be back on the first line. At 38, he’s not the player he once was, but he will give the Senators a spark. Otherwise are a lot of good prospects but I think the only one ready for the NHL is Mika Zibanejad. The forward has impressed in preseason and should make the team out of camp. Given the mix of prospects and aging veterans, the Senators need to decide to fully rebuild, or hope for the best. If I was a Senators fan, I wouldn’t hope for the best.
Order of Finish:
1) Boston Bruins
2) Buffalo Sabres
3) Montreal Canadiens
4) Toronto Maple Leafs
5) Ottawa Senators
SOUTHEAST DIVISION
Washington might have finally put it together. With the addition of Tomas Vokoun, the Capitals might be the most complete team in the NHL with the least amount of questions. The line of Nicklas Backstrom, Alexander Ovechkin, and Alexander Semin is the best line in the Eastern Conference if not the NHL. Mike Green will lead a strong defensive unit, and the off season signing of Roman Hamrlik adds defensive depth. The player to watch for the Caps is Marcus Johnasson. He had a decent rookie campaign and I expect him to add to that this season. If there is one question it might be depth on the third and fourth lines, but the Capitals have the talent up front to make up for it. Things are looking good in Washington. Should everyone stay healthy, Capitals fans will have a lot to cheer about.
Things are looking up for the Hurricanes. GM Paul Rutherford has put together a good young team and this might be the season the youth gels and the Hurricanes can take their team to the next level. Offensively they are led by Eric Staal, who is only 26, and he’ll provide leadership to young players like Brandon Sutter and Jeff Skinner. Skinner had a surprising rookie campaign in which he won the Calder trophy and he’s only going to get better. Cam Ward is a good goalie and the addition of Tomas Kaberle gives Carolina the anchor on the blue line they were missing. Forward Anthony Stewart is going to get every opportunity to take it to the next level, so he’s a player Hurricane fans should keep an eye on as the season progresses. Are the Hurricanes Stanley Cup bound? I highly doubt it, but the playoffs might not be out of the question.
The Jets are back!!! Fans in Winnipeg are counting the minutes until the puck drops in Winnipeg and the regular season starts (I’m wearing an old Jets hat as I type this). In saying this it should be an interesting season for the Jets. Once the announcement was made that the Thrashers were relocating (you suck Atlanta), I expected some offseason splashes but outside of forward Eric Fuhr, all was quiet. Andrew Ladd and Bryan Little should lead the a fairly young offense, and I think Fuhr will have more of an opportunity in Winnipeg than in Washington so his numbers should improve. Evander Kane will get every opportunity on the second line to take his game to the next level, and should he the Jets offense won’t be terrible. The real strength with the Jets is on defense. Tobias Enstrom is one of the top offensive defenseman in the league, and Dustin Byfuglien is one of the best all around defenseman in the league (providing he can stay out of legal trouble). I question whether goalie Ondrej Pavelec can handle an entire season, so there could be some trouble between the pipes. The Jets aren’t going to contend this season, but they may turn some heads.
The Lightning are a good team with a real good offense. Steven Stamkos should again lead the league in goals and Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier will continue to have no trouble putting the puck in the net. Pavel Kubina, and Eric Brewer are only a couple of defenseman on a defensive unit that is extremely deep. One defenseman in particular I like is third-year defenseman Victor Hedman. A former top prospect should take his game to the next level. Dwayne Roloson is strong in net and the signing of Mattieu Garon gives the Lightning a top backup netminder. The Lightning are for real.
The Panthers are a team I find extremely stagnant. They have no real player that stands out and unless you’re a Panthers fan you probably couldn’t name one player on the Panthers. In saying that, the Panthers do have a team of decent players. David Booth and Stephen Weiss will continue to lead the offense and the additions of Tomas Fleischmann and Kris Versteeg should increase their goal total. Brian Campbell on paper should help the defense but after he signed his big contract with the Blackhawks two seasons ago he was no where to be found. They also added former fan favorite Ed Jovanovski but he’s way past his prime. Young defensemen Dimitri Kulikov and Erik Gundbranson both have high ceilings and should both make the team. With Tomas Vokoun leaving for Washington the Panthers signed Jose Theodore. Theodore was an elite goalie 10 years ago, but now he’s nothing more than average. It could be a long season in Florida.
Order of Finish:
1) Washington Capitals
2) Tampa Bay Lightning
3) Carolina Panthers
4) Winnipeg Jets
5) Florida Panthers
Conference Standings (X- Playoffs, Y- Division Winners):
1) Y - Washington Capitals
2) Y - Boston Bruins
3) Y - Philadelphia Flyers
4) X - Tampa Bay Lightning
5) X – Pittsburgh Penguins
6) X – Buffalo Sabres
7) X – Carolina Hurricanes
8) X – New Jersey Devils
9) New York Rangers
10) Montreal Canadiens
11) Toronto Maple Leafs
12) Winnipeg Jets
13) New York Islanders
14) Ottawa Senators
15) Florida Panthers
Book it folks. Do you agree? Disagree? Email me at shatmeself@yahoo.com and we can tell each other how we are wrong.
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