| 3rd October, 2008 - 6:45 pm
 By Michael Sonday
1. Detroit Red Wings: The addition of Marian Hossa to an already potent lineup makes the Red Wings the Stanley Cup favorites. Nicklas Lidstrom led all defensemen in scoring last season with 70 points; look for similar numbers from their leader this season.
2. Montreal Canadiens: Can the Canadiens make it 25 cups in 100 years? Montreal has to rebound from their Eastern Conference Semifinal exit last season in which the Philadelphia Flyers eliminated the Canadiens in five games. Young goalie Carey Price will be the key to their success.
3. Dallas Stars: Dallas may contend with the Wings for the top spot in the Western Conference. Sean Avery hopes to bring extra grit to the bid ?D? and help the Stars reach the Stanley Cup for the first time since 2000.
4. San Jose Sharks: Former Detroit assistant Todd McLellan is the new coach and hopes to take some of Detroit?s success down to San Jose. The Sharks revamped their defense with the additions of Dan Boyle and Rob Blake, filling the voids left by Brian Campbell and Matt Carle. The Sharks penalty kill was tops in the NHL last season at 85.8%.
5. Pittsburgh Penguins: Can the Penguins avoid the dreaded Stanley Cup hangover? The Penguins will have to rely on inexperienced defensemen to carry them through the first half of the season due to injuries to Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney.
6. Anaheim Ducks: The line of Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, and Chris Kunitz may be the best young trio in the game, but others must contribute for the Ducks to be effective. Finding secondary scoring will help the Ducks improve on their 28th rated offense last season.
7. Washington Capitals: Having Alex Ovechkin makes anything possible for the Capitals. Youngster Nicklas Backstrom may have a breakout year if he is playing alongside Ovechkin. Look for the Capitals to repeat as champions of the Southeast Division this season.
8. Minnesota Wild: There are a lot of questions surrounding the Wild, the most prevalent being who will score other than Marian Gaborik? Or, will Gaborik be traded during the season? The addition of Marek Zidlicky will add extra scoring from the blueline. Look for defenseman Brent Burns to be considered for the Norris Trophy this season.
9. Philadelphia Flyers: Having a healthy Simon Gange and the continued success of Mike Richards and Daniel Briere will put the Flyers in the position to return to the Eastern Conference Finals. The Flyers must avoid long losing streaks; last season the Flyers had a streak of ten games without a victory, going 0-8-2 during that span.
10. Chicago Blackhawks: Things are starting to come together in Chicago. The young core, anchored by Jonathan Toews, is prepared to make the playoffs this season after missing them by just three points last year. Free agent Brian Campbell may be the spark that their power play was looking for; the Hawks finished 24th (15.9%) with the man advantage last season.
11. New York Rangers: A hard team to judge at this point due to all of the new faces. Not having Jagr in the lineup will be a blessing in disguise. The Rangers' front office hopes Wade Redden can be the power play quarterback that they are looking for.
12. Ottawa Senators: This offense ranked number one in the NHL last season and should continue their success this season. There are many questions on defense as there will be three new starters on the backline. Defenseman Brian Lee will be a player to watch as the former first round pick is expected to get ample time on the power play.
13. Calgary Flames: I never thought I would see the day that Todd Bertuzzi would be in a Flames' uniform. The Flames must improve on their 21-20 home record of a year ago if they want to improve.
14. New Jersey Devils: With the additions of Brian Rolston and Bobby Holik it looks as if GM Lou Lamoriello is trying to re-build the old 1995 Stanley Cup team. Scott Stevens and Ken Daneyko can expect a phone call any day now.
15. Phoenix Coyotes: Can Gretzky take the Coyotes to the playoffs for the first time since 2002? The first line that will consist of Peter Mueller, Olli Jokenin, and Shane Doan could be one of the best in the league.
16. Buffalo Sabers: Buffalo can expect a year similar to last season: good offense with a defense that will let them down. The Sabers are hoping for big things from little man Nathan Gerbe (5,5-160), who led the NCAA in scoring last season.
17. Edmonton Oilers: Many experts have Edmonton winning the Northwest Division this season. This talented group of players will need another year to develop for that to come true.
18. Vancouver Canucks: The Canucks could be the surprise team of 2008. New captain Roberto Luongo is the beat goalie in the league (sorry, Brodeur) which will make them difficult to play against night in and night out.
19. Boston Bruins: With last season?s surprise playoff appearance, fans will expect a return to the postseason. The Bruins will have to do better on the penalty kill (78.6%) if they plan to have continued success. Having Bergeron healthy for the entire season will help the their offense.
20. Colorado Avalanche: Goaltending is a major question mark in Colorado, but having Joe Sakic back for another year makes the Avalanche a contender. Power play quarterback John-Michael Liles must score more than the six goals he scored last season.
21. Tampa Bay Lightning: Can Barry Melrose turn things around in Tampa? If he can, it will have to start with team defense as the Lightning allowed the most goals per game last year (3.22). All eyes will be on Steven Stamkos, the number one pick from this summer?s draft.
22. Carolina Hurricanes: With Joe Corvo in the lineup last season the Hurricanes averaged 3.46 goals a game. Will an entire season of Corvo put their offense over the hump? There could be a goalie controversy if Cam Ward stumbles out of the gate. Michael Leighton looks sharp and will contend for more playing time.
23. Nashville Predators: The Alexader Radulov has put a damper on the Predators' summer. There are a number of 'if's' heading into the season, including at goalie, where Dan Ellis will be a clear cut number one goalie in the NHL for the first time. If he can handle the pressure, the Predators will compete for one of the last playoff spots in the west.
24. Florida Panthers: The Panthers must get production from their young forwards now that Olli Jokinen is a Coyote. The defense will be solid, and Vokoun in the net will give them a chance to win every night.
25. Columbus Blue Jackets: If you are a Blue Jackets' fan you can?t be happy on how this summer panned out. All the cap space and draft picks and you still have a similar product as last year. The Jackets have hope for the future with players such as Jakub Voracek, Nikita Filatov, Derick Brassard, Rick Nash, and R.J. Umberger. This young group will lead the Jackets to the playoffs but not this season because they will miss the playoffs for the ninth straight year.
26. St. Louis Blues: The young Blues look to be a year or two away from contending for a playoff spot. Losing Erik Johnson for the season will hurt their overall development. To be competitive, the Blues must improve their power play, which was last in the NHL's previous season (14.1%).
27. Atlanta Thrashers: If Kovalchuck can master the art of passing to himself, the Thrashers might not be half bad. Well, there?s always next year.
28. Los Angeles Kings: Like the Blue and the Blue Jackets, the Kings will need a couple of years to develop their young players. Center Anze Kopitar is a superstar in the making and will make the Kings an exciting team to watch.
29. New York Islanders: Long gone are the glory days of the early 80s. Hockey has hit an all time low on the Island.
30. Toronto Maple Leafs: This year?s goal: John Tavares! |
