Thursday, September 21, 2006
NHL Previews
Hockey season is almost upon us again. After last year's surprises (Edmonton, Anaheim, Carolina, and Buffalo comprising the final four) it is tough to speculate on who's going to do well this year. For all anybody knows it could be Pittsburgh and Cloumbus playing for the Cup in June. Nonetheless, I'll give my predictions for each team, and probably wonder what I was thinking by Christmas.
Pacific Division:
San Jose - The Sharks might have won this division last season if they had Joe Thornton to begin the season. The Hart Trophy winner will team with Rocket Richard winner Jonathan Cheechoo and newcomer Mark Bell to form one of hockey's top lines. Patrick Marleau should be good for 80 points as the second line center, and he'll be flanked by emerging Steve Bernier and Milan Michalek. Goaltending is solid whether it's Vesa Toskola or Evgeni Nabokov, and one of them could be traded to improve other areas of the roster. The only potential concern could be the defence, which will have four players with 105 or fewer NHL games, leaving Scott Hannan and Kyle McLaren as the veterans. The Sharks can definately ride the Thornton-Cheechoo combination to the top of the division, and possibly make a run at the Stanley Cup, unless somebody's checking line can figure out how to neutralize them.
Anaheim - Last year the Ducks were similar to San Jose, in the fact that they started slow and got on a roll later in the season which ended up in lengthy playoff drive. JS Giguere and Ilya Brzgalov will provide a great 1-2 punch in net until one of them (most likely Giguere) gets dealt, which Brian Burke will probably do to makle improvements up front. The Ducks are deep at center with under-rated Andy McDonald leading the way, and they have a good collection of young wingers that started coming into their own last year. The question is whether or not Teemu Selanne will remain a top scorer after last year's surprise season. But Anaheim's strength is no doubt on defence where they can have one of Scott Niedermayer or Chris Pronger on the ice at all times, if they choose to play them separately. It is almost unprecendented for one team to have arguably the two best defenders in the game at the same time. This makes the Ducks a legitimate Stanley Cup threat.
Dallas - The Stars won the division last year, but almost everything went right for them, until the playoffs of course, where the Avalanche embarassed them in a 5-game upset. Expect a setback this year. The Stars will still battle for a playoff spot, but Marty Turco will need another strong season. Mike Modano and Eric Lindros could provide a great 1-2 punch at center, but Modano is 36 and Lindros will almost certainly get injured. Brenden Morrow, Jere Lehtinen, and others provide decent depth on the wings. The defence is workmanlike, with an abudance of solid defensive d-men to compliment offensive-minded Sergei Zubov who had 71 points last season, but is also 36 years old and could slow down. Overall the Stars are well rounded, but having to battle the Sharks and Ducks eight times a piece could leave them on the playoff bubble.
Phoenix - Gretz's boys should be better than last season, but will still be in tough to make the playoffs. The defence is solid with free agent Ed Jovanovski, Derek Morris, and Nick Boynton as the top three. Up front they will rely on Shane Doan and, if he can stay healthy, Ladislav Nagy to turn in 80 point seasons. Steve Reinprecht and Mike Comrie will offer support, but old timers Owen Nolan and Jeremy Roenick are definately gambles. In goal Curtis Joseph had a rebound season in 05-06, but at 39 years old, it's hard to say if he can carry it over into this year. If the old boys can all have renaisance campaigns, a playoff spot is within reach. But when it's all said and done, Wayne and the boys will probably be hitting golf balls come April.
Los Angeles - The Kings are interesting in the sense that they appear to be in rebuilding mode with youngsters Patrick O'Sullivan and Anze Kopitar set to jump into the NHL, as well as Alexander Frolov, Mike Cammalleri, and Dustin Brown in the under 25 crop. They also brought in a new coach (Mark Crawford) and new GM (Dean Lombardi) and traded away Pavol Demitra. But they also signed Rob Blake on defense and brought in goalie Dan Cloutier, aparently set to abandon the platoon system between youngsters Mathieu Garon and Jason LaBarbera. They also inexplicably brought back disruptor Sean Avery after kicking him off the team last April. The Kings have some pieces in place, but scoring could be a problem with Craig Conroy and Eric Belanger as the top two pivots. The defense should be a decent group, especially if Lubomir Visnovsky can duplicate his 67 points. But like the Coyotes, the Kings probably need too much to go right for them to end up in the post-season.
Pacific Division:
San Jose - The Sharks might have won this division last season if they had Joe Thornton to begin the season. The Hart Trophy winner will team with Rocket Richard winner Jonathan Cheechoo and newcomer Mark Bell to form one of hockey's top lines. Patrick Marleau should be good for 80 points as the second line center, and he'll be flanked by emerging Steve Bernier and Milan Michalek. Goaltending is solid whether it's Vesa Toskola or Evgeni Nabokov, and one of them could be traded to improve other areas of the roster. The only potential concern could be the defence, which will have four players with 105 or fewer NHL games, leaving Scott Hannan and Kyle McLaren as the veterans. The Sharks can definately ride the Thornton-Cheechoo combination to the top of the division, and possibly make a run at the Stanley Cup, unless somebody's checking line can figure out how to neutralize them.
Anaheim - Last year the Ducks were similar to San Jose, in the fact that they started slow and got on a roll later in the season which ended up in lengthy playoff drive. JS Giguere and Ilya Brzgalov will provide a great 1-2 punch in net until one of them (most likely Giguere) gets dealt, which Brian Burke will probably do to makle improvements up front. The Ducks are deep at center with under-rated Andy McDonald leading the way, and they have a good collection of young wingers that started coming into their own last year. The question is whether or not Teemu Selanne will remain a top scorer after last year's surprise season. But Anaheim's strength is no doubt on defence where they can have one of Scott Niedermayer or Chris Pronger on the ice at all times, if they choose to play them separately. It is almost unprecendented for one team to have arguably the two best defenders in the game at the same time. This makes the Ducks a legitimate Stanley Cup threat.
Dallas - The Stars won the division last year, but almost everything went right for them, until the playoffs of course, where the Avalanche embarassed them in a 5-game upset. Expect a setback this year. The Stars will still battle for a playoff spot, but Marty Turco will need another strong season. Mike Modano and Eric Lindros could provide a great 1-2 punch at center, but Modano is 36 and Lindros will almost certainly get injured. Brenden Morrow, Jere Lehtinen, and others provide decent depth on the wings. The defence is workmanlike, with an abudance of solid defensive d-men to compliment offensive-minded Sergei Zubov who had 71 points last season, but is also 36 years old and could slow down. Overall the Stars are well rounded, but having to battle the Sharks and Ducks eight times a piece could leave them on the playoff bubble.
Phoenix - Gretz's boys should be better than last season, but will still be in tough to make the playoffs. The defence is solid with free agent Ed Jovanovski, Derek Morris, and Nick Boynton as the top three. Up front they will rely on Shane Doan and, if he can stay healthy, Ladislav Nagy to turn in 80 point seasons. Steve Reinprecht and Mike Comrie will offer support, but old timers Owen Nolan and Jeremy Roenick are definately gambles. In goal Curtis Joseph had a rebound season in 05-06, but at 39 years old, it's hard to say if he can carry it over into this year. If the old boys can all have renaisance campaigns, a playoff spot is within reach. But when it's all said and done, Wayne and the boys will probably be hitting golf balls come April.
Los Angeles - The Kings are interesting in the sense that they appear to be in rebuilding mode with youngsters Patrick O'Sullivan and Anze Kopitar set to jump into the NHL, as well as Alexander Frolov, Mike Cammalleri, and Dustin Brown in the under 25 crop. They also brought in a new coach (Mark Crawford) and new GM (Dean Lombardi) and traded away Pavol Demitra. But they also signed Rob Blake on defense and brought in goalie Dan Cloutier, aparently set to abandon the platoon system between youngsters Mathieu Garon and Jason LaBarbera. They also inexplicably brought back disruptor Sean Avery after kicking him off the team last April. The Kings have some pieces in place, but scoring could be a problem with Craig Conroy and Eric Belanger as the top two pivots. The defense should be a decent group, especially if Lubomir Visnovsky can duplicate his 67 points. But like the Coyotes, the Kings probably need too much to go right for them to end up in the post-season.
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