Sunday, October 01, 2006
Central Division
Central Division Preview
Nashville - The Predators continue to improve every year and have become a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. Thomas Vokoun is one of the top five goalies in the league and if he hadn't got injured late last year the Predators could have made some noise in the playoffs. He should be a Vezina candidate this season. Nashville is very deep at all forward positions with three very capable scoring lines after signing Jason Arnott and JP Dumont in the off-season. Paul Kariya and Steve Sullivan fit in well to the style of the NHL right now and can produce at point-per-game clips. The defense is clearly the weakest part of the team. Marek Zidlicky and Kimmo Timonen are servicable but are not exactly studs back there. There is a lot of potential in Ryan Suter, Dan Hamhuis, and Shea Weber but sometimes too many green defensemen causes problems. There is little depth in case of injury as well. The Predators should win their division because of their scoring ability, but GM David Poile will need to pick up another blueliner heading into the playoffs.
Detroit - The glory days officially ended this spring when the Oilers sent the Wings packing in the first round. That would be the last time Steve Yzerman and Brenden Shanahan would play for Detroit. This years Wings come in completely devoid of any toughness what-so-ever, but have enough skill players that they should still make the playoffs. Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, and Robert Lang should provide a good offensive attack while Kris Draper and Kirk Maltby form a good checking tandem. The defense still has Nicklas Lidstrom and other recognizable names, but is definately long in the tooth as a whole. If Lidstrom ever slowed down the defense could become problematic, but for now he's able to carry them. In goal the Red Wings might have made a big mistake in replacing Manny Legace with Dominik Hasek. It is only a question of when, not if, he will get injured. Chirs Osgood is a very good back-up, but he's also nearing the end of his career. The Wings should be back in the post-season 16th consecutive year, but they are no doubt the NHL's softest team and a first round exit will be imminent.
Columbus - The Blue Jackets continue to plod along in mediocrity and patience is begining the wear thin amongst the fan base. They need to step up this year and become competitive. With Rick Nash there is that possibility, but as a whole their forward crop doesn't scare anyone. Sergei Fedorov's best days are behind him, and No. 2 center Gilbert Brule is a raw rookie. Anson Carter, David Vyborny, and Fredrik Modin will provide some support, but the key might be the play of Nikolai Zherdev who could become a star this year. The defense is adequate with Adam Foote to play defense and Bryan Berard to score points, but is not overly deep. In net the Blue Jackets need to hope Pascal Leclaire comes through on the potential that allowed Columbus to trade away Marc Denis. Overall, Columbus has what it takes to be competitive but the playoff drought will probably continue.
Chicago - The Blackhawks are looking to rebound from a horrible year near the bottom of the league just when it looked like they might have turned the corner. In net they have Nikolai Khabibulin who needs to remember how to play goal after a brutal 2005-06 season. If he does, the Hawks have one of the best in the league. The defense is thin, but if Adrain Aucoin returns to form and Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook build off of excellent rookie seasons, they shouldn't cost Chicago any number of games. At forward new acquisitions Martin Havlat and Michal Handzus need to produce. Tuomo Ruutu is a dangerous player if he could ever stay healthy, but that doesn't generally happen. Rene Bourque was a pleasant rookie surprise last year and needs to avoid the sophomore jinx. It appears as though Eric Daze is going to retire due to recurring back problems which leaves some production to be replaced. Even if everybody lives up to expectations the Hawks probably still aren't going to be competing for a playoff spot and will maintain their spot near the bottom of the conference.
St. Louis - Apparently the Blues forgot they were rebuilding in the summer and went out and signed up several 30+ year olds, including Doug Weight and Bill Guerin. Those two, along with Keith Tkachuk are probably more concerned with having a good time than winning at this point, and it remains unclear as to what the Blues saw in Radek Dvorak and Martin Rucinsky that they couldn't get out of a younger player with some upside. The defense is under-rated and is the Blues' strength if Eric Brewer and Barrett Jackman stay healthy. In goal Manny Legace is a solid but not spectacualr starter, but he'll need to be good on most nights to give the Blues a chance to win. After witnessing the Penguins performance of last year, there's no reason to believe that the Blues' veteran experiment wont blow up in their faces and land them back in the basement of the Western conference.
Nashville - The Predators continue to improve every year and have become a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. Thomas Vokoun is one of the top five goalies in the league and if he hadn't got injured late last year the Predators could have made some noise in the playoffs. He should be a Vezina candidate this season. Nashville is very deep at all forward positions with three very capable scoring lines after signing Jason Arnott and JP Dumont in the off-season. Paul Kariya and Steve Sullivan fit in well to the style of the NHL right now and can produce at point-per-game clips. The defense is clearly the weakest part of the team. Marek Zidlicky and Kimmo Timonen are servicable but are not exactly studs back there. There is a lot of potential in Ryan Suter, Dan Hamhuis, and Shea Weber but sometimes too many green defensemen causes problems. There is little depth in case of injury as well. The Predators should win their division because of their scoring ability, but GM David Poile will need to pick up another blueliner heading into the playoffs.
Detroit - The glory days officially ended this spring when the Oilers sent the Wings packing in the first round. That would be the last time Steve Yzerman and Brenden Shanahan would play for Detroit. This years Wings come in completely devoid of any toughness what-so-ever, but have enough skill players that they should still make the playoffs. Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, and Robert Lang should provide a good offensive attack while Kris Draper and Kirk Maltby form a good checking tandem. The defense still has Nicklas Lidstrom and other recognizable names, but is definately long in the tooth as a whole. If Lidstrom ever slowed down the defense could become problematic, but for now he's able to carry them. In goal the Red Wings might have made a big mistake in replacing Manny Legace with Dominik Hasek. It is only a question of when, not if, he will get injured. Chirs Osgood is a very good back-up, but he's also nearing the end of his career. The Wings should be back in the post-season 16th consecutive year, but they are no doubt the NHL's softest team and a first round exit will be imminent.
Columbus - The Blue Jackets continue to plod along in mediocrity and patience is begining the wear thin amongst the fan base. They need to step up this year and become competitive. With Rick Nash there is that possibility, but as a whole their forward crop doesn't scare anyone. Sergei Fedorov's best days are behind him, and No. 2 center Gilbert Brule is a raw rookie. Anson Carter, David Vyborny, and Fredrik Modin will provide some support, but the key might be the play of Nikolai Zherdev who could become a star this year. The defense is adequate with Adam Foote to play defense and Bryan Berard to score points, but is not overly deep. In net the Blue Jackets need to hope Pascal Leclaire comes through on the potential that allowed Columbus to trade away Marc Denis. Overall, Columbus has what it takes to be competitive but the playoff drought will probably continue.
Chicago - The Blackhawks are looking to rebound from a horrible year near the bottom of the league just when it looked like they might have turned the corner. In net they have Nikolai Khabibulin who needs to remember how to play goal after a brutal 2005-06 season. If he does, the Hawks have one of the best in the league. The defense is thin, but if Adrain Aucoin returns to form and Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook build off of excellent rookie seasons, they shouldn't cost Chicago any number of games. At forward new acquisitions Martin Havlat and Michal Handzus need to produce. Tuomo Ruutu is a dangerous player if he could ever stay healthy, but that doesn't generally happen. Rene Bourque was a pleasant rookie surprise last year and needs to avoid the sophomore jinx. It appears as though Eric Daze is going to retire due to recurring back problems which leaves some production to be replaced. Even if everybody lives up to expectations the Hawks probably still aren't going to be competing for a playoff spot and will maintain their spot near the bottom of the conference.
St. Louis - Apparently the Blues forgot they were rebuilding in the summer and went out and signed up several 30+ year olds, including Doug Weight and Bill Guerin. Those two, along with Keith Tkachuk are probably more concerned with having a good time than winning at this point, and it remains unclear as to what the Blues saw in Radek Dvorak and Martin Rucinsky that they couldn't get out of a younger player with some upside. The defense is under-rated and is the Blues' strength if Eric Brewer and Barrett Jackman stay healthy. In goal Manny Legace is a solid but not spectacualr starter, but he'll need to be good on most nights to give the Blues a chance to win. After witnessing the Penguins performance of last year, there's no reason to believe that the Blues' veteran experiment wont blow up in their faces and land them back in the basement of the Western conference.
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