love the puck

Saturday, September 24, 2005

Pacific Division

San Jose Sharks- This team came so close to making a trip to the Stanley Cup finals last year. They lost some of the players from roster, including Mike Rathje, Mike Ricci and Vincent Damphoussed, and though the Sharks made no moves this off season to replace them, I don't think they needed too. Jonathan Cheechoo is ready for as much ice time as head coach Ron Wilson will give him, and Patrick Marleau should keep getting better with all this experience. The Sharks are most impressive from the blueline back, boasting a very nice top four defense tandem of Scott Hannan, Brad Stuart, Kyle McLaren and Christian Erhoff. Evgeni Nabakov is back this year and should be stellar again between the pipes. This team has some great chemistry and barring disaster should roll through the West this year.

Dallas Stars- This is a team that is very hard to predict. I think they'll have a tough year. Marty Turco is a great goalie, but I think he gets off a little easy when he doesn't perform down the stretch and in the post season. Patrick Lalime gets crucified for the same thing, but Marty hears nothing about it. Mike Modano stuck around, but signed a rather long deal (5 years) and it pays him quite comfortably. Bill Guerin was not bought out, but he's guarenteed to score at least 25 goals, without bending over at the waist. The Stars are a little bit thin up front, but they have some good prospects on defense. Shawn Belle, Trevor Daley and Mark Fistric, could be a solid trio in the future. The Stars will factor into the post season somehow, they always seem to find a way.

Los Angeles Kings- They have the one of the best coaches in the league in Andy Murray. If the Kings were stronger in goal, I think they would make strides this year. Mathieu Garon and Jason LaBarbera have 43 starts in the NHL- combined. So it will be hard for the Kings to play with confidence that their netminders will steal them games. Mike Cammalleri was second in AHL scoring last year for the Manchester Monarchs, and he'll be the player to watch. Even more pressure lies on Alexander Frolov, who just signed a long term deal over the summer, and will be the player asked to carry the offensive load this season. Additions of Jeremy Roenick, Pavel Demitra, Valeri Bure and Craig Conroy can only help the Kings get better, however this year won't be a playoff year for them. On D, Matthias Norstrom quietly has become one of the toughest, most dependable defenseman in the league, while Aaron Miller and Nathan Dempsey are still improving. If L.A. stays healthy, tinseltown could be a fun place to play hockey this year.

Phoenix Coyotes- Who wouldn't be excited to play for Wayne Gretzky? If you can't get yourself prepared for the moment that the Great One taps your shoulder and sends you over the bench, then you shouldn't even strap on the equipment. Phoenix has made strides toward improvment, getting Petr Nedved and Brett Hull. They also signed Mike Ricci, Boyd Deveraux and made the trade that cost them Daymond Langkow and brought in Oleg Saprykin and Denis Gauthier. They look great on the back end, with Derek Morris, David Tanabe, Paul Mara and Gauthier making a smooth skating and physical defense team. Phoenix has good young players, veteran leaders, and of course, they signed Curtis Joseph for under a million dollars on top of that. All this before we mentioned Shane Doan, who may be the most underrated elite player in the league. Soon, the Coyotes will be playing hockey that matters.

Anaheim Mighty Ducks- I wonder how Scott Niedermayer would take it. The Ducks could miss the playoffs, and for the first time in his NHL career, Mr. Niedermayer would have to watch the entire post season on T.V. All hope is not lost yet. They still have Giguere, who has yet to prove that he can return to Conne Smythe winning form. They still have Sergei Fedorov, who when he feels like it, can control a game. They have a Norris trophy winner on the blue line and some great young players up front. Ryan Getzlaf should be in the NHL this year. Corey Perry won't be far behind. Joffrey Lupul has already established himself on the team, and Ladislav Smid shouldn't be far behind on defense. If Anaheim makes the post season this year, it'll be a squeaker, but with the addition of Bobby Ryan in this years draft, they might not be too long away from being a noise maker in the West.

Posted by Jon at 12:04 PM | | e-mail me

Saturday, September 17, 2005

Central Division

Chicago Blackhawks- This is the team I am excited to see. Maybe not excited to see this year, but I think that Chicago has put themselves in a position to get stronger, similiar to Pittsburgh, but on a smaller scale. Chicago has used the draft and Free Agent dollars to get stronger, luring Nikolai Khabibulin and Adrian Aucoin to the Windy City this off season. Also, the Blackhawks have been drafting well, especially on defense, and they hold the rights to Brent Seabrook, Cam Barker, and a young man who will have to fall flat on his face to not make this team- Anton Babchuk. Martin Lapointe gives them a lot of leadership, experience and toughness, even if the price was a bit high. They have good young players to build on with Daze, Calder, Mark Bell and the sometimes pillowy soft Tyler Arnason. And the crown jewel of those young players, Tuomo Ruutu, should have a great year this year. The only thing about a team like these Blackhawks is that any significant injury could ruin their (lofty) playoff dreams. What would happen if Aucoin or the Bulin Wall went down with an injury? It would be disastrous, and because depth will be so important this year, Chicago will be a few years before they're contenders.

Columbus Blue Jackets- Who isn't excited about Rick Nash? After watching him tear the world to pieces in Innsbruck at the World's, I've been chomping at the bit to watch the Nasher play. Much to my chagrin the Jackets don't play the Leafs this year, but much to my delight, they do play the Canucks, and I currently reside just outside Vancouver. The Jackets are a wild card team this year, thanks to the additions of Adam Foote and Bryan Berard. The issues with the Jackets lie in the forwards. They'll need big years from someone other than Nash and Zherdev, if they're going to do anything special this year. They are extremely weak up the middle, though Dan Fritsche and Gilbert Brule are on the way in the next few years. I think Marc Denis is an underrated goalie, and he will be glad to see Adam Foote in front of him, because a guy like Foote will impermeate the entire defense and they will all play better because of his toughness and leadership. The Blue Jackets got better this year, and that's always good, but they're still a ways behind Detroit and Nashville for that division crown. They'll be watching the post season from home this year.

Detroit Red Wings- They couldn't get young Pavel Datsyuk signed, and thus suffered a massive loss. He was the superstar on this team, the potential point per game guy that could get it done night in and night out. This does however open up a spot for a young player, like Jiri Hudler, who is small, but should be an asset in a league looking to promote skill and speed. They lost Hatcher and Dandenault on the back end, and I don't think they'll feel it too much. Niklas Kronwall can step in and Jiri Fischer is better than Hatcher anyways. I think this team is a little too old to do anything magical this year, but I hope they have a good year, as it could be the last for Stevie Y and Brendan Shanahan. In goal the Red Wings decided not to hand the starting job to Manny Legace, but rather, they signed veteran Chris Osgood in order to make Manny earn that job. I think this is a smart move, because contrary to popular opinion, there is no guarantee Legace is ready for the starting job. He has the talent sure, but he's never played 60 games in a season before. This way, Osgood and Legace will split time, and then Detroit will know better where they are at with Legace's mental and physical durability. If he plays well, then Osgood will be gone, as he signed only a one year deal anyways. Detroit will factor into the post season this year, then hopefully have Datsyuk back in time for next year when Stevie Y and Shanny are gone.

Nashville Predators- This is a market that I wonder how they will do in a new system. They won't be able to attract players just by their location- so will they have to overpay players to get them to come? They threw a lot of money at Paul Kariya, who I feel will have a great year, but 4.5 million is an awful lot to pay a guy who has fallen from his once lofty position in the hockey world. Nonetheless, I think this Nashville team will play in the post season again. They have their star netminder back, they added some grit (Danny Markov) on the blue line and they have some good young forwards that play responsibly. I think that Shea Webber and Ryan Suter combine to make the most promising looking future blue line among all the rookies in the league. Weber is going to be a monster, not flashy in any way, but solid and consistent and a great leader. Kimmo Timonen quietly continues his development and is an all-star calibre defenseman. The Preds got their first taste of the post season last year, and now they'll come back more experienced and hungrier. I think they have a chance at beating Detroit for that division crown.

St. Louis Blues- I have never like Keith Tkachuk. I am not saying this to slander him, I'm just telling the truth. So when I heard that he showed up to camp so grossly overweight that the team suspended him, I was secretely glad. No matter what anyone says, Lalime is an upgrade in goal from Chris Osgood. He might not be an all-star, or even a game stealer, but he can still stop pucks. Unless Joe Nieuwendyk is shooting, and then forget about it. Eric Brewer has the skates of Chris Pronger to fill, which is impossible, but St. Louis faithful should be excited about getting Doug Lynch and Jeff Woywitka in this deal, because they both hold great potential. Barret Jackman is back, and he's a great player, and so the Blues aren't bad on the back end. Up front its a different story, and it seems that Eric Boguniecki is slated to be the first line right winger. Enough said. It'll be a tough year in St. Louis.

Posted by Jon at 3:31 PM | | e-mail me

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

Southeast Division

Tampa Bay Lightning- Losing your starting goalie coming off the heels of your franchise's stanley cup victory usually isn't the best way to start an off season. However, for Tampa Bay it could have been much worse. They could have had trouble signing Lecavalier, but instead locked him up for a long term deal. Same with the mighty mite, Marty St. Louis. The question remains however, will they be able to make room for Brad Richards? Three superstars on one team means things are going to get crowded. I hope that they find a way to make it work, because this is a fun team to watch. They have the majority of their role players back, only losing Corey Stillman, tough guy Andre Roy, Jassen Cullimore and of course Khabibulin. But despite not being as strong in net, the Lightning still have their star players up front and a solid blue line, and should finish first in the Southeast.

Atlanta Thrashers- The only team in the southeast that is poised to make a really big move is this Atlanta team. Adding Marian Hossa gives them a guarenteed 85 points or so, and we'll see how big Bobby Holik fits in down south too. The only huge question, and the thing that this whole teams success hangs on, is getting Ilya Kovalchuk signed. This team, and this league, needs a player of this calibre on the ice. It's good for hockey, and it's integral for the Thrashers, but it seems like Ilya is leaning towards Russia. Kari Lehtonen should make a relatively easy transition to the net in the NHL, and Marc Savard had a great season in 2003-2004. Braydon Coburn is ready for the NHL, and it wouldn't make much sense for Atlanta to not bring him up this year. If Ilya's around, the Thrash will finish in the post season, but if not, it could be a frustrating year making up for all those goals.

Carolina Hurricanes- There's not a tonne to be excited about in Carolina these days. Off-season acquisitions off Corey Stillman and Ray Whitney add some veteran experience, but I think they'll be frustrated with the way the 'Canes play hockey. If I owned this team, I'd scrap the name, and the unis and just start over. Eric Staal is a bright spot on a bad team, and I hope and think he'll have a great year. Kevin Weekes is gone, which makes Martin Gerber the starter in net. Oleg Tverdovsky and Mike Commodore are additions on defense. All in all, Carolina will finish well out of the hunt in the east.

Florida Panthers- Like the Montreal Canadiens, this team is a wild card. With major acquistions like Joe Nieuwendyk, Gary Roberts, and Martin Gelinas, and minor ones like Jozef Stumpel and Chris Gratton, the Panthers have added a nice veteran nucleus to their yount, talented team. Olli Jokinen, Steven Weiss, Nathan Horton and rookie Anthony Stewart are ready up front, and Jay Bouwmeester, Sean Hill, and Mike Van Ryn are in charge of keeping people away from Roberto Luongo. Luongo is probably looking at his last season in Florida, but I have a hunch it'll be a good one. Roberts, Nieuwendyk and Marty Gelinas will teach the young guys how to play in their own zone, which will mean Roberto should see less rubber this year. If Ilya leaves Atlanta, and this team can gel, I think they'll finish second in the Southeast, and have a shot at the post season down the stretch.

Washington Capitals- This team is in disarray. I think Ovechkin is an exciting player. But his learning curve is not going to be made easier with no supporting cast. Alexander Semin is developing nicely, but he's no Jaromir Jagr. Dainus Zubrus is not Robert Lang. And yet the caps did nothing to make any free agent signings of significance. I get upset just thinking about it. It's like they want to lose. They do know that Sidney Crosby has already been drafted right? I just feel bad for the Southeast division teams that have to play this team 8 times a year. The NHL is supposed to be winning fans back!

Posted by Jon at 10:26 AM | | e-mail me

Thursday, September 08, 2005

North East Division

Boston Bruins- Just when it looked like the Bruins were going to lose their star player to free agency last summer, the Bruins opened up the bankbooks and signed big Joe Thornton to a long term deal. It is a no-brainer to lock Joe up, but the Bruins have a shady history of making awkward front office decisions regarding their money and their players. I think if they sign Nick Boynton and Andrew Raycroft to long term deals, that solidifys the building blocks at all positions. All three guys are young, two are all-stars and one is a former rookie of the year. All this is without even mentioning Patrice Bergeron who undoubtedly plays beyond his age of 19 years. The off-season was an interesting one as well for Beantown, as they picked up Brian Leetch from division rival Toronto and also Alexei Zhamnov, who will likely team with Sergei Samsonov to add some flair up front. I think Boston overpaid a little for these guys, but veteran leadership and talent doesn't come cheap. Leetch showed he can still play, and Zhamnov is one of those guys who can turn it on and off whenever he feels like. If Captain Joe can keep him motivated he could score 25-30 goals. I think the Bruins are a lock for the post season, and could go deeper this year than they have in a while if Joe stays healthy and Raycroft plays to his potential.

Toronto Maple Leafs- When the leafs lost Nieuwendyk I was crushed. No acquisition could replace what a guy like that does, on the ice and in the locker room. But all things considered I think the Leafs have done well for themselves. Going into the free agent free for all, John Ferguson was looking at some tight finances. Money was no longer an abundant option in Toronto, and he had to do some really serious negotiating to get a competitive team on the ice. I think that the acquisitions of Lindros, O'Neill and Allison hold very serious risk, but at the same time, very serious reward. Is there injury questions? Yes. But that headline is nothing new in Toronto. Alex Mogilny's hip, Joe Nieuwendyk's back, Owen Nolan's everything, Toronto has seen and faced it all. So Lindros' concussions seem like a small deal. He had his dome looked at, and the doctors say it's cobweb free until he gets thumped. So the Big E is officially on the loose, and I think he's motivated. Jeff O'Neill will score goals in Toronto. Carolina is not an offensive team, and there are no Mats Sundins or Jason Allisons to feed him pucks. Now in Toronto he will get powerplay time with players who can create and finish. Jason Allison was a dominant player in this league and he too is healthy and ready to go. I think he'll be great for the Leafs. A lot of people were calling for the head of Ed Belfour on a platter, but I think keeping the Eagle is a good move. He's been resting that creaky back, and is a positional goalie, and one of the most intelligent to boot- so Eddy is ready. There is no one good enough to replace him right now, and I think Toronto should take a stab at Roberto Luongo when he comes off Florida's books. The Leafs will make the Playoff's this year, even if they haven't made a significant move on defense. I can't help but think that Ferguson will do something about this blueline soon.

Ottawa Senators- I hate to admit it, but the Senators will be awesome to watch this year. Havlat, Spezza, Heatley, Alfredsson up front, Redden, Chara, Phillips on Defense and Hasek in goal. I personally don't think that Hasek will return to the form that saw him win a handful of Vezina's and a Stanley Cup, but nonetheless, it will help the Sens to know that Lalime is not behind them to let them down. Jason Spezza is more than ready for the big time which he proved by being the AHL's MVP last year. And I am an advocate for what was done with Marian Hossa and Dany Heatley. If the Senators can hold onto Wade Redden, they'll be racing for first in the east with Philly and Tampa Bay. Every year they bost one of the leagues top powerplays, and this year will be no different. They will score in bunches and their defence will keep pucks out. I still think they should have kept Jacques Martin, as he is one of the elite coaches in the league and has tonnes of class.

Montreal Canadiens- This is another team I am really excited for. A good mix of young and veteran talent, a premiere goaltender and just not enough defence to make sure they'll be consistently dominant. Other than Sheldon Souray and Mathieu Dandenault there isn't really any other guy who plays like he won't melt down at any other moment. They'll keep Kovalev and Zednik together, and they'll be able to let Michael Ryder and Pierre Dagenais lose this year. Mike Ribeiro, though soft, it extremely talented, and could put up some really good numbers in the new look NHL. Radek Bonk gives them a reliable, defensive centreman, and if they re-sign Yannic Perrault, they'll get their premiere face-off man back. Montreal should not have any problems making the playoffs, and once they get there, they'll be great to watch because of their wild-card status. They could get hot and pummel anyone, or they could disintegrate with a few bad decisions. Teams like that are always fun to watch.

Buffalo Sabres- The Sabres shouldn't be too disappointed about losing Miro Satan and Alexei Zhitnik, because though talented, they spent a lot of time looking disinterested. The Sabres actually have a lot going for them right now. Three goalies that are good but not yet stellar- though all have the potential to be, and some good young forwards like Daniel Briere, Chris Drury, Maxim Afinogenov, Jochen Hecht, J.P. Dumont and Derek Roy. I think that Jay McKee is a very good defeneman who is seldom talked about, but should be. There is a lot of good things happening in Buffalo. Their power play got better when they snagged Toni Lydman from Calgary for basically nothing. The Sabres will be an outside shot at the post season, but they could squeak in if they get hot and stay out of injury trouble. A question that does come up is who will get moved from their net? Ryan Miller and Mika Noronen are both capable and Martin Biron is a legitimate starter. It would not make any sense to hang on to all three, as they are strong assets and if they move Miller or Noronen, they could get a legit player or great prospect. Lots for them to consider.

Next up is the South East division.

Posted by Jon at 11:10 AM | | e-mail me

Monday, September 05, 2005

Atlantic Division

Philadelphia Flyers- I have to go on record and say I dislike the Flyers. But they have potentially made the best moves of the off season. There is a not a world we live in where Peter Forsberg for Jeremy Roenick is not an amazing deal. And Clarke got it done dollar for dollar too which is unbeatable. Add that to the fact that they got Mike Rathje, Jeff Carter and Mike Richards, and the flyers are looking deep. Richards and Carter were unsigned before the lockout and could have signed with other teams, but wanted to come to Philly, and took less money than they could have gotten elsewhere. On top of that, signing Esche to a small payday makes them a pretty complete team. The only off season blunder being the over payment of the leagues largest pilons, Derian Hatcher and Chris Therien. Never fear though, Joni Pitkanen and Kim Johnsson, who only keep getting better and better, will be logging lots of ice on the back end. This year, the Flyers are a legitimate cup contender. They have a superstar, four good centres, a deep defense, experience and a pretty good goalie.

New Jersey Devils- Tough off-season for the Devils. They lost Niedermayer, and Patrick Elias just had to go and get Hepititas A. They still have Marty, Brian Rafalski and solid two way players like Gomez, Pandolfo and Johnny Madden. I think they overpaid Alex Mogilny, but if he's healthy he is still an elite player in this league. This could be a tough year for the Devils, but who knows, if Elias comes back in full form, and they get a good rookie year from Zach Parise, they could still sneak in the playoffs. Any team with Marty Brodeur is a legit playoff contender.

New York Islanders- This team had a revolving door going in the off-season. Except one player just couldn't make his way to that door, and that player is Alexei Yashin. It seems like this guy just carries a bad aura everywhere he goes. All the way from Ottawa to Long Island to the Russian National team, Yashin is spreading the negativity. They lost Mike Peca and Roman Hamrlik, but decided to ransack the Buffalo Sabres, taking Miro Satan and Alexei Zhitnik. Rick DiPietro looks poised to have a great year, as he played brilliantly in the World Championships. Even still there is no saving the Islanders this year.

New York Rangers- Well the Rangers decided to sign Kevin Weekes. I like him, but i think it's too bad he has to play for the Rangers. Glen Sather swore he was going to give the young players in the system some serious playing time, and then instead went out and signed Martin Rucinsky, Martin Straka and Steve Rucchin. So much for the youth movement. Marik Malek was a decent pick up, and I do think that Ville Niemenen will give them some much needed grit. All things considered I don't see any way the Rangers make the post season. Teams this year will need depth, and the Rangers just don't have it.

Pittsburgh Penguins- I gotta say it. I just can't get on the Penguins bandwagon. Not yet. Am I excited to see them play? Absolutely. The thought of Sidney and Ziggy and Mario makes me drool. I even think they made great signings like Gonchar, Andres Roy and Ryan Vandenbussche. Even Jocelyn Thibault is an upgrade. Geez, I'm not even opposed to picking up John LeClair. The only problem in Steeltown is that there is no one to really keep pucks out of the net. And in an Olympic year, does anyone think that Mario is going to play a full year? Not a chance. The Penguins though have made serious, serious moves to make them a legitimate team. No more front office and on ice confusion, the Penguins are now a team people want to play for. And once Evgeni Malkin emerges from Russia, they'll have two young kids to put the team on. I think Pittsburgh will be a lot better, but if they make the playoffs, it'll be by the skin of their teeth. They're counting on scoring goals, most of them on the powerplay, where Gonchar and Tarnstrom will quaterback a deep unit. Vandenbussche and Roy will more than protect Mario and Sid the Kid, which will make the team fun to watch, because they'll be offensive, physical and won't play D, which all makes for up and down hockey.

Next up is the NorthEast Division.

Posted by Jon at 2:58 PM | | e-mail me