 Western
Conference Preview
Team
previews by Josh Brewster
"Who's on the Hot Seat?" by Karen Francis
(See also:
Eastern Conference Preview)
Hi, folks, welcome to another NHL
season. Hockeytalk takes a look at the league, and picks the
winners...plus, who's on the "Hot Seat" for each team? It could be a
star, a coach, a rookie, a veteran...someone's on the spot. Most
importantly, who will win the Stanley Cup?
Pacific Division
 1.
DALLAS STARS:
They have everything, and this season, they look to
progress further than the conference final.
It used to be that Mike Modano was the top dog in Texas. Now,
it’s Brenden Morrow. After scoring two overtime winners against San Jose in
the second round, and dominating Anaheim’s vaunted checking line in the
first, Morrow has emerged as the face of the franchise. He can play any
aspect of the game.
The Stars are taking a chance on Fabian Brunnstrom,
having bid farewell to Nik Hagman (the least-known 27 goal-scorer in the
league last season), who went to Toronto. Sean Avery was also added to the
mix. The Stars are hoping that with a few minor tweaks, like Brunnstrom and
Avery, the club is ready to win a Cup for the first time since 1999.
Most importantly, this will be the first full season
with Brad Richards in the lineup. With Richards centering the second line
and Modano the third, it’s clear that no one in the NHL is better down the
middle than Dallas (except perhaps Pittsburgh).
Now that Marty Turco has silenced all critics over
the past two playoff seasons, the Stars now feel that all the pieces are in
place. With a nice defensive mix of young and old, they may be right. Trevor
Daley, 25, Matt Niskanen, 21, and Nik Grossman, 23, are pulling regular duty
and contributing alongside vets such as Sergei Zubov and Philipe Boucher,
(who’s finally gotten the credit he deserves).
The Stars are Hockeytalk’s pick to win the Stanley
Cup, over Montreal.
 THE
HOT SEAT: SEAN AVERY, unanimously the NHL’s biggest pest, earned
a huge contract as a free agent over the summer. Avery can produce offense
(33 points in 57 games last season) in spite of spending hundreds of
penalties minutes in the box every single year. However, can Avery ever
manage to consistently produce the amount of goals that his four-year, $15.5
million contract would dictate? More importantly, can Dallas tolerate him in
their locker room? Avery has never lasted more than two seasons with any
former team. The more he produces on the ice, the more tolerance there will
be for his antics elsewhere. If he doesn’t produce and live up to his
contract, his tenure may be cut short.
 2.
SAN JOSE SHARKS
Revamped defense and new coach Todd McLellan look to
give elite club the push over the top to the conference final and beyond.
Rob Blake, Brad Lukowich and Dan Boyle join the
team, and since all three have won Stanley Cups, the club figures that any
psychological damage from this elite club’s inability to win its conference
over the last few years will dissipate. Chris Ehrhoff, Alex Semenov, Marc-Edouard
Vlasic and the curiously-named Swede, Douglas Murray, round out a great mix
of defensemen. Kyle McLaren is the odd man out; the vet was waived Oct 7.
Up front, Patrick Marleau is still captain, and
redeemed himself with a gritty playoff season (12GP: 4-4-8). Joe Thornton,
Jon Cheechoo, Milan Michalek and Jeremy Roenick is joined by promising
youngsters, including 23-year-old Torrey Mitchell (10 goals), 24-year-old
Joe Pavelski (19 goals) and 26-year-old Ryane Clowe, who was brilliant late
in the season, after returning from injury. Clowe went on to record five
goals for nine points in 13 playoff games.
The offense is there, the defense is there, and with
Evgeni Nabokov coming off a 46-win season, the Sharks are primed to take the
next step.
Look for the Sharks to face the Stars for the West
title.
THE
HOT SEAT: JONATHAN CHEECHOO was the Maurice Richard winner in
2005 with 56 goals and 93 points. Somewhere along the way he lost that
golden touch for scoring goals, dropping to 37 and 23 goals during the
following two seasons. The Sharks need him to be back in top scoring form if
they want to stay on top of the Pacific Division. An off season or two can
be excused or forgiven, but continuing to not play up to his potential will
cause him to be an asset the Sharks can part with for someone else happy to
step up.
 3.
ANAHEIM DUCKS:
Brendan Morrison is key; With 50-60 points from
second line center, the Ducks will have the secondary scoring, the lack of
which killed them last season.
Morrison will team with Teemu Selanne on the second
line. In the first game of the year, in San Jose, Morrison finished with
three shots on goal, Selanne, 6. There’s no underestimating how important
Morrison is to this year’s Ducks. Selanne is signed in Anaheim for the next
two years, and after the Todd Bertuzzi/Doug Weight experiments were a costly
fizzle, Morrison, at $2.75M on a one-year deal, represents a chance for GM
Brian Burke to right the ship. Burke is hoping that Morrison, who Burke knew
from their Vancouver days, will take the Ducks back to the future, so to
speak, a la 2006-07, the team’s championship season.
Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Chris Kunitz make for
an impressive first line. Travis Moen, of checking line fame, will get a
shot at one of the top two left wing positions. The club is pressed hard to
the salary cap, and can’t deal for a top forward right now, so Moen gets an
opportunity.
On defense, Sean O’Donnell and Mathieu Schneider are
out. Steve Montador (Florida) and Ken Klee (Atlanta) are in. Chris Pronger
and Scott Niedermayer anchor a very solid defense (the Ducks finished 2nd in
goals against). Kent Huskins and Francois Beauchemin will see their roles
expanded as they embark on the final years of their contracts.
Jean-Sebastian Giguere is, aside from Roberto Luongo
and Martin Brodeur, the best in the game today. Capable Jonas Hiller backs
up.
Unless the Ducks start to integrate some younger
players from the AHL, such as Drew Miller or Andrew Ebbett, it could be a
little tough for the big, veteran Ducks to keep up with the Stars and Sharks
in this super-tough division.
Figure one round of playoffs for the Ducks.
THE
HOT SEAT: FRANCOIS BEAUCHEMIN followed up a stellar year for the
Ducks in 06-07 with a poor showing last season. Part of his drop in point
production was due to his usual defensive partner, Scott Niedermayer,
missing for half the season. Even after Niedermayer returned to the lineup,
Beauchemin never recovered his Stanley Cup winning form and he went from a
+7 rating to -9. If he doesn’t step back up this year, there are plenty of
defensive prospects waiting in the wings in the likes of Brett Festerling,
Brian Salcido and Brendan Mikkelson.
 4.
PHOENIX COYOTES
Newly acquired Olli Jokinen, plus rookie Kyle Turris,
sophomores Martin Hanzal, Dan Carcillo and Peter Mueller, could lead the
Coyotes back to the playoffs.
Jokinen, 29, has never tasted the postseason, and
now, as top line center for the Coyotes, he has his best shot in years. He
led his former club, the Panthers, with 34 goals. He has missed only seven
games in eight seasons, and none in four years. At 376 consecutive games
played, he’s second only to Minnesota’s Andrew Brunette. Jokinen finished
2007-09 third in shots on goal with 341 (only Ovechkin and Zetterberg had
more).
No one will benefit from Jokinen’s presence more
than Shane Doan, the Coyotes’ longtime captain. Doan reached the 20-goal
mark for the eighth consecutive season, and led the team in scoring for the
fourth consecutive year. Doan, however, is best suited as a number two
center or top line wing. Jokinen will help ease the burden.
Not the flashiest, but as defenseman Derek Morris
says of Doan, “He’s one of those guys who does things to win games, and it
never goes unnoticed by his teammates.”
As for the youngsters on offense, Peter Mueller
scored 22 goals and got a lot of Calder Trophy attention. Martin Hanzal
scored eight goals and 27 points, not too shabby for a 6’5”, 208 lb. rookie
with lots to learn. Kyle Turris, the third overall selection in the 2007
Entry Draft, gets ready for his rookie year after appearing for almost 20
minutes per game in the club’s final three games of last season. 2008 Hobey
Baker Award winner Kevin Porter (U. Michigan) signed with the club.
Sophomore Dan Carcillo brings grit. Offensively, the Coyotes are awash with
promise.
Defensively, Ed Jovanovski continues to be one of
the top ten defensemen in the game. He chipped in 12 goals and 240 shots,
while leading the club in TOI at 22:33. Derek Morris continues to bloom as a
veteran. Goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov was the key to last season’s improvement.
The team finished one game above .500. Bryzgalov finished four games above,
with a 2.43 GAA and .920 save percentage.
Back to the playoffs! The Coyotes were 19-11-2
against the Pacific Division, and if that success continues, the Stars,
Sharks and Ducks will sweat.
THE
HOT SEAT: OLLI JOKINEN was brought in to be the top line
center that was missing from the Coyotes. The Yotes had to pay a big price
to get him, including sending defensemen Nick Boynton and Keith Ballard to
Florida. Jokinen has been consistently good for a consistently so-so team.
Now he has the opportunity to step up and continue the Coyotes improvement.
Anything less than a top performance will be a disappointment to Phoenix.
 5.
LOS ANGELES KINGS
Kids? Tons. Good ones? Lots. Veterans? Too few.
Kings will have their moments, but likely will dwell again in the cellar of
the conference.
Anze Kopitar is on the verge of stardom, after
scoring 32 goals and 77 points in his second NHL season. He’s big, 6’4”, 220
lbs., and turned 21 over the summer.
“He’s going to become an Ovechkin-, Crosby-type
guy,” says Calgary Flame Craig Conroy.
His supporting cast is getting older and more
skilled. Dustin Brown, 23, scored 33 goals last season. Making him even more
dangerous is the fact that over the past three seasons, the 13th overall
pick in the ’03 draft has registered more hits than any player in the NHL.
He led the league in hits with 311 in 2007-08, second in the NHL with 258 in
2006-07, and 175 in 2005-06. Few clubs possess two youngsters with so much
promise (only the Penguins are close with Malkin and Crosby).
On defense, Jack Johnson, 21, a phenom from the
University of Minnesota, ranked third among NHL rookies at 21:41 TOI.
Second overall pick Drew Doughty is expected to be paired with Sean
O’Donnell, the veteran acquired from Anaheim for his second stint with the
Kings. Matt Greene arrives from Edmonton.
As Gann Matsuda recounted in his Kings preview,
coach Terry Murray painted five dots on the ice in front of the goal during
training camp, to emphasize defense, encouraging the Kings to collapse in
front of their goaltender consistently. Surely, Jason LaBarbera and Jon
Bernier, both promising but unproven young goalies, will appreciate the
emphasis on defense, since the Kings ranked 28th overall defensively.
THE
HOT SEAT: The Kings go through goalies faster than Paris Hilton
goes through boyfriends. If JASON LABARBERA performs well and stays healthy,
he will provide stability for an otherwise shaky, young defense. LaBarbera
will be called upon more than a lot of goaltenders, adding to the pressure
to perform. There are several promising young goalies waiting for a chance
at the job in the system, something the Kings haven’t had in a while.
LaBarbera is going to be in the shooting gallery and he’ll have to play
better than average to keep his job.
Northwest Division
 1.
CALGARY FLAMES
Time for Mike Keenan's critics to be silenced. Club
finds secondary scoring, gives Jarome support needed to return to West's
elite.
Mike Cammalleri slumped to 19
goals with the Kings after recording 34 two seasons ago. The Flames are now
hoping that a hungry Cammalleri is preferable to Alex Tanguay, who was
jettisoned to Montreal. Cammalleri will get a chance to play with Jarome
Iginla.
“He’s a great playmaker,” says Eric Nystrom, who
played college hockey with Cammalleri at Michigan. “He can score. I’ve seen
him do some amazing things out there.”
Curtis Glencross, 26, will get a chance on the
second line, as will Todd Bertuzzi, who, at 33, still seeks to recover his
name after the Steve Moore incident of four years ago.
The Flames tied for fifth in the Western Conference
in scoring. With some new blood, the club may be able to win its division.
The defense is strong, with Dion Phaneuf, who could
unseat Nick Lidstrom for the Norris Trophy. Mikka Kiprusoff had a down year,
but should return to form.
The Flames did some business before the season,
waiving Anders Eriksson and Rhett Warrener, who are slated to earn a
combined $4 million US this season, so that the club could get under the
NHL's $56.7M salary cap.
THE
HOT SEAT: TODD BERTUZZI has not performed well since before
the Steve Moore incident. Injuries have played their part in hampering the
once dependable power forward. Bertuzzi scored 40 points last season with
Anaheim, not enough to merit his two-year $8 million contract and his final
year was bought out. Bertuzzi went back to the lion’s den of Canada where
the pressure to produce will be severe and he’ll be under the microscope
again. If he doesn’t have a good year, this could be the end.
 2.
EDMONTON OILERS
Erik Cole and Lubomir Visnovsky make nice additions
to a club that only hopes to be healthy enough to play, unlike last season.
Cole, 29, is still regaining the form he showed in
2005-06, when he scored 30 goals in 60 games. Over the past three seasons,
Cole, riddled with hip, neck and foot injuries, managed 81 goals in 204
games. He also likes to hit, with 186 and 222 over the past two seasons,
respectively. He will be likely be joined on the first line by Ales Hemsky
and Shawn Horcoff.
Horcoff comes equipped with a surgically repaired
left shoulder and a six-year, $33-million contract extension.
The rest of the Oilers’ offense is young and strong.
Dustin Penner, 26, responded well to his big contract, scoring 23 goals in
82 games. Ales Hemsky chipped in 20 goals and was 6-for-16 in shootout
attempts.
Youngsters Sam Gagner, 19, Robert Nilsson, 23, and
Andrew Cogliano, 21, give the Oilers a shot at three scoring lines.
On defense, Tom Gilbert, 25, appeared in all 82
games as a rookie, and logged 22:11 TOI, second among NHL freshmen. Ladislav
Smid, at 22, is one to watch. All eyes, however, will be on Visnovsky and
Sheldon Souray. Souray, armed with a big contract, saw his season evaporate
due to injury. The NHL’s 26th-ranked defense looks to rebound, but might be
a bit too young…for now.
In goal, Mathieu Garon was solid at 2.66 on a poor
club, and at 39, Dwayne Roloson keeps on trucking.
Look for the Oilers to play at least one playoff
round.
THE
HOT SEAT: DUSTIN PENNER was signed to a five-year, $21.5
million contract by GM Kevin Lowe primarily because of his size and
offensive skills. How much of that offense could have been attributed to
playing on a line in Anaheim with Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf? While he
started off slow, things did pick up and Penner nearly matched his previous
season points production. For that amount of money, however, Penner needs to
increase his goal scoring and reach his full potential. 20+ goals per year
is decent, but not at those rates.
 3.
MINNESOTA WILD
A Marian Gaborik looks less likely by season’s start
and the departure of Brian Rolston puts heat on Mikko Koivu.
First, Marian Gaborik rejected the Wild’s latest
contract extension.
"Not making any headway," said GM Doug Risebrough
recently.
"I've said numerous times, 'Ronnie, just deal with
them. Ronnie, I want to get the deal done,'" the Minneapolis Star-Tribune
reports.
Here’s where Risebrough would be smart to make a
deal right now, or ship Gaborik elsewhere at season’s start. There’s a
season to be played, and some clarity on this matter is long overdue.
The departure of Rolston means that 25 year old
center Mikko Koivu must step to the fore and continue his ascendancy to
being one of the game’s better all-around players.
“If I have a problem in our end, he fixes it,” says
Lemaire of Koivu. “If I want a checking line, I put him out there. If I want
a goal, I want Koivu. He can play in any situation.”
Kurtis Foster returns from injury, Kim Johnsson and
Nick Schultz bring veteran smarts to a solid defense that ranked 9th in
goals against last season. The crown jewel of the defense is Brent Burns.
Burns set the club’s record for goals by a defenseman with 15 last season,
and dressed for all 82 games. He’s big (six-foot-five, 225lbs.) and is a
power play stalwart.
In goal, Nik Backstrom set the team’s record for
wins with 33.
The Wild could sneak into the playoffs, but more
likely they’ll be eliminated late in the season.
THE
HOT SEAT: MARIAN GABORIK is the clear star of the Wild. However,
all stars need a supporting cast to do its job. Gaborik is in the last
year of his contract and the losses of Pavel Demitra and Brian Rolston, will
mean that he will have a tougher time doing what he does best – scoring.
Gaborik might choose to jump ship next summer rather than stick around
hoping for back up.
 4.
VANCOUVER CANUCKS
Steve Bernier is the new "triplet," the right wing
penciled in to play with the Sedins. Will he be their best compliment since
Anson Carter?
“I see a chance and I don’t want to leave it,” says
Bernier. “I don’t want to get nervous but it is always fun to see an opening
like this.” Bernier, 23, never filled a niche in San Jose under Ron Wilson.
Vancouver is happy to have him, and he’s still quite young.
Pavol Demitra looks to bounce back from a 15-goal
season, his lowest total since he was a 21-year-old with the Senators. He’ll
center the second line, likely alongside Taylor Pyatt and Alex Burrows or
Mason Raymond.
Roberto Luongo was named captain in a surprise move.
He looks to record 35 or more wins for the fourth consecutive season.
Shane O’Brien was brought in from Tampa to bring a
spark to the defense. With Alex Edler emerging (6 goals, 20 points, +6) and
Kevin Bieksa coming off an injury that limited him to 34 games, the NHL’s
seventh-ranked defense is solid. Mattias Ohlund averaged 23:46 TOI.
While still lacking depth on the forward ranks, the
Canucks are still solid in goal and on defense, and could steal enough
divisional games to keep the divisional race close.
THE
HOT SEAT: DANIEL AND HENRIK SEDIN have contracts that run out
July 1. With the absence of Marcus Naslund and Brendan Morrison, the Sedins
both have to continue to lead the Canucks on the scoresheet. A terrific year
and they can be rewarded with a new contract. An average year, and the twins
may find themselves playing on new teams and potentially without each other
for the first time in a long time.
 5.
COLORADO AVALANCHE
It was an unwise choice to let Andrew Brunette depart, made worse by then
having to watch Jose Theodore depart as well for Washington, which makes the picture in Denver fuzzy,
despite Joe Sakic's return.
Sakic, who missed 38 games last season after hernia
surgery, signed a one-year deal to return for a 20th season, his 16th as
captain. It’s the official end of an era.
With Brunette and Theodore gone, and Peter Forsberg
gone for good, the Avs are expected to slip this season.
"I know people are calling us a team headed for the
basement, Sakic told the Denver Post. “But I wouldn't have come back to play
if I thought we were going to finish in the basement. I really like this
team.”
Center Paul Stastny, whose father played with Sakic
in Quebec, will be expected to build on his team-leading 71 points. Stastny
is the first Avalanche player to score 20 goals in each of his first two NHL
seasons since Chris Drury in 1998-99 and 1999-2000.
26-year-old Marek Svatos potted 26 goals and Wojtek
Wolski, 18, to lead a good young group. 10-year veteran Milan Hejduk managed
29. Elsewhere on offense, gritty-but-declining Darcy Tucker, 33, will try to
make up for Brunette’s absence. Brunette was willing to pay the price in
front of the opponent’s net, and Tucker will be called on to create traffic.
Ryan Smyth missed 27 games, and a healthy campaign
should position him to increase his leadership role.
Adam Foote and Scott Hannan lead a decent defense,
and Peter Budaj is the man on the spot in net.
Avalanche on the outs this season.
THE
HOT SEAT: MILAN HEJDUK has been a presence on the Avalanche team
for the past 10 years. Hejduk scored 50 goals in 2002-2003, but hasn’t
managed more than 35 in a season since then. Even so, he has still been
their leading goal scorer for the past four seasons. Hejduk is now 32 and
the Avs have a couple of young scoring threats in Paul Stastny, Marek Svatos
and Wojtek Wolski. As the Avs are no longer the powerhouse they once were,
Hejduk will need to continue to produce and be effective to keep the team in
contention. At some point, his spot on the team will be usurped by the young
guns, and that could be sooner rather than later.
Central Division
 1.
DETROIT RED WINGS
Champions get stronger with Ty Conklin and Marian
Hossa jumping to Motown after facing Wings as members of Penguins during Cup
Final.
The Wings enter the season as an odds-on favorite to
repeat as champions. Then again, the ’07 Ducks looked good enough to repeat,
too.
One of the benefits of having such a strong
organization is that elite players like Hossa will be willing to take a
shorter term deal or one for less money to join the league’s classiest
organization.
Henrik Zetterberg is in the last year of his deal,
and GM Ken Holland will look to keep him from testing the free agency waters
on July 1. Look for an extension in the $6-7M range during the upcoming
season.
The thing that the Wings cannot change is the fact
that they’ve had a short offseason, and could easily stumble out of the gate
due to the not-so-mythic "Cup Hangover." The NHL’s third-ranked offense
(3.07GPG) could stumble if younger players Valteri Filppula, 24, Jiri Hudler,
24, and newer Wings like Johan Franzen or Mikael Samuelsson drag their heels
into the regular season. Not likely on such a veteran roster, but a Cup
hangover could happen. Marian Hossa’s arrival, however, means all bets are
off…this could indeed be the deal that seals a repeat.
The Wings sport the number one defense in the
league, led by the skilled Nick Lidstrom and swift Brian Rafalski, with
heavy-hitter Nik Kronwall and super-smart Andreas Lilja and Brad Stuart, who
just signed a new deal.
The goal is secure with Chris Osgood, who continues
to silence critics. Notably, Osgood has five playoff career shutouts in
series-clinching games. Ty Conklin, 32, backs up.
The Wings could easily win the Stanley Cup, but
we’ll look to their being knocked off in the second round or conference
final.
THE
HOT SEAT: KIRK MALTBY has contributed much over the years
for the Red Wings. The almost 36-year-old winger has been with Detroit since
1996. The Wings spotlight is turning to the talented youth, such as Henrik
Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk. Maltby will need to continue to contribute on
and off the ice. If he cannot keep up, he might find himself without a spot
on the roster for the first time in over a decade.
 2.
CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
They say it's all changed in Chicago. They're right.
Playoffs on the horizon.
While Pat Kane, new captain Jon Toews, Patrick Sharp
and Brian Campbell attract a lot of the spotlight, Martin Havlat—yes, the
oft-injured one—could be a big part of the team’s continued ascendancy.
Havlat, who has missed 57, 26 and 64 games in each
of the past three seasons, had a strong preseason, his shoulder seemingly
recovered. If he can get back to form, it would almost be like an
acquisition, considering the amount of time he’s lost.
An emerging talent can be found in Dustin Byfuglien,
who managed 19 goals in 67 games in his first full NHL season. At 6-foot-3
and 246 pounds, with the ability to play offense or defense, he could play
his way into a top-six spot eventually, especially with Robert Lang gone to
Montreal.
Brian Campbell has never been THE guy. He is now,
and how. With $56M over the next eight years, he’ll be called on to hit,
score and lead, not necessarily in that order. Elsewhere on defense, Duncan Keith, 25, finished tied for
fifth overall in plus/minus with a +30 rating and also logged 25:34 TOI. Brent Seabrook
continues to improve.
The team places its hopes in Cristobal Huet, who’s
expected to be the starter. The club failed to deal Nik Khabibulin, who
considered a stint in the KHL.
Finally! The Blackhawks continue their rise as an
organization on and off this ice, and will return to the playoffs.
THE
HOT SEAT: MARTIN HAVLAT always performs well when healthy. In
spite of only playing 35 games, he still had 27 points. The problem is his
health. Havlat cannot seem to remain off the injured reserve list. At $6
million per year, that hurts even more. How long will Chicago be patient
with their oft-injured winger before they look for a healthy body to replace
him?
 3.
NASHVILLE PREDATORS
Can Coach/Genius Barry Trotz finagle the Preds to the
playoffs again?
Got to give props to GM David Poile. He is a
connoisseur of fine defensemen. He’s watched Marek Zidlicky and Kimo Timonen
leave town, but after drafting Ryan Suter and Dan Hamhuis in the first
round, Shea Weber in the second round, he’s set the Preds up for playoff
contention for years. Hamhuis, 25, is entering his fifth season in
Nashville. Weber and Suter, both 23, their fourth.
“We’re one of seven teams that have made the
playoffs in the last four years,” says coach Barry Trotz. “So we’re doing a
lot of things right, but we’ve got to get to the next round.”
Offense remains the question mark in Nashville, but
after 33-year-old center Jason Arnott’s riveting performance in the playoffs
against Detroit, there’s hope on the leadership front. Arnott has scored 20
goals or more for nine consecutive seasons.
RW Martin Erat is one of the NHL’s quickest skaters.
After receiving a seven-year, $31.5M contract, Erat, who scored 23 goals
last season, will be expected to produce for years to come.
J.P. Dumont, 30, has recorded seven consecutive
20-goal seasons, finishing with 29 last year. With the continued absence of
Steve Sullivan and the departure of Alex Radulov (KHL), the offensive lines
thin out after the top four or five.
The Predators are in good shape in goal, with Dan
Ellis, who led all goaltenders in save percentage (.924) and set a franchise
record with six shutouts.
No dice this year. Preds finish ninth in the
conference.
THE
HOT SEAT: DAN ELLIS has been left holding the goaltender reins
for the Predators. First Tomas Vokoun left. Then Chris Mason. Now Ellis is
left to be the last line of defense on a team that is in flux. He had a
decent .924 save percent and 2.34 goals against during the regular season.
Ellis also helped the Preds win two games in the first round of the playoffs
against a dominant Red Wing team. What Ellis lacks is a long-term record of
consistency. He will have a solid blueline to help him out, but he will need
to prove that he is not just a one-hit wonder or the Predators will have a
difficult time returning to the post-season.
 4.
COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS
Kris Huselius shakes loose from Mike Keenan (see
Alex Tanguay), seeking to become purely offensive force in Columbus.
The Jackets have yet to make the playoffs, but GM
Scott Howson is taking the patient approach, building from within. He has,
however, made a few gutsy decisions, and this summer, he traded RW Nik
Zherdev and C Dan Fritsche to the Rangers for defensemen Fedor Tyutin and
Christian Backman. This might be one of the lesser-noticed trades of the
past few months. The Jackets’ blueline will be substantially better. Mike
Commodore was also brought in from Ottawa.
Huselius and center R.J. Umberger (from Philly) join
the club’s top-six forward group and here’s where the Blue Jackets will
improve on their 29th-ranked offense from a season ago. Rick Nash will have
some veteran help from these two, who still have many years left in the
tank. Manny Malhotra starts the season on injured reserve.
In goal, Pascal LeClaire ranked second in the NHL
with nine shutouts and a .919 save percentage. He missed 13 games to injury
last year, and will be backed up by Fredrik Norrena and Steve Mason.
Just barely out of the playoffs once again, but the
future is solid, especially with Ken Hitchcock (62-65-17 with CBJ).
THE
HOT SEAT: KRISTIAN HUSELIUS signed as a free agent over the
summer. He will have increased responsibilities on this Blue Jackets team.
Huselius needs to prove that he can be consistent and that he has more grit
than reported. The Blue Jackets need his skills and his leadership if they
want to dwell anywhere but near the bottom.
 5.
SAINT LOUIS BLUES
Season-ending, knee-wrecking injury to defensive
stud prospect Erik Johnson, coupled with a subpar 2007-08 from Paul Kariya
leaves major question marks around Blues.
According to owner Dave Checketts, there’s no reason
to fear.
“We'll be a Cup contender in the next three seasons.
The way everything is shaking out, if you look at our salary-cap room and
the things we might be able to accomplish in the offseason, and the growth
of our kids, we will absolutely be a Cup contender. I know that the plan we
put in place is working," he told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Center Andy MacDonald finished the preseason with 13
points, and if that hot streak continues, linemate Kariya will be smiling
and not slumping, as he did last season.
The team’s offense was 26th in the NHL. The Blues
are hoping that Pat Berglund, who scored 21 goals and 45 points last year in
Sweden, is, at 20 years of age, ready to crack the lineup. T.J. Oshie, 21, a
right wing from North Dakota (NCAA), is also slated to contribute. Brad
Boyes was fifth in the NHL in goals with 42, and will be hard-pressed to
repeat that feat.
Alex Pietrangelo, selected 4th overall at the June
draft, will be on the club’s opening night roster. This helps ease the
discomfort from the Johnson injury. At this point, the Blues defense looks
mediocre (it finished 21st), and veterans such as Jay McKee and Eric Brewer
have not exceeded expectations.
Goalie Manny Legace (2.41GAA; .911SV%) did an
admirable job and is one of the few bright spots.
Another season of struggle. Hopefully fans in St.
Louis can wait until Checketts’ prediction comes true.
THE
HOT SEAT: ANDY MCDONALD was struggling a bit offensively
when he was traded to the Blues last December. Many speculated his struggles
on the Ducks roster had to do with the absence of his linemate, Teemu
Selanne. He ended the year with 52 points, far less than previous totals of
78 and 85 points. That prompted speculation that without Selanne, McDonald
could not produce. McDonald finally seems to have recovered from the
surprising trade and settled in with his new linemates, tearing it up in the
pre-season. He’ll need to continue this way or the criticism will remain.
AND NOW, OUR CUP
PICKS:
Eastern Conference Final: Montreal over Pittsburgh
Western Conference Final: Dallas over San Jose
Stanley Cup:
Dallas over Montreal
Top
Home
|
