Well, here's another stab at getting a read on the new NHL season. Last year, only one team in my finals pairing made the playoffs (thanks, Bruins). I will be writing a short sentence or two for each team stating why I feel they will be finishing where they will. I will be rating each conference separately.
It's a difficult thing to gauge how a team will do from the outset and a lot of what I see happening has a lot to do with off-season maneuverings. At best, this will all be more-or-less an educated guess (like any other prediction).
Here we go:
Eastern Conference
They Will Be In The Playoffs (If They Buy A Ticket):
Florida- the Panthers gained a headache (Bertuzzi) and lost Luongo, who will add buzz to the Canucks Cup Final hopes. Non-continuity problems and a suspect defense will doom this squad.
NY Islanders- it's hard to pick a team that has at least some appreciable degree of quality veterans this low but beyond the few good ones the Isles have they don’t have much left to work with.
Washington- past Ovechkin on the ice and Kolzig between the pipes the Caps have much the same problems that they do on Long Island.
Boston- this is a team in shambles after last season. They made some good moves in the off-season but it will take time to build team chemistry. They will have flashes of brilliance, just not enough of them.
Pittsburgh- with Crosby, Malkin and the younger Staal in the fold the future looks bright…real bright. Too bad this year is not the future. The Pens still have some maturing to do.
Toronto- the Leafs are still searching for the formula that will put them in the playoffs. The youngsters are still improving and a new coach will bring new hope but will it be enough to get them past the middle of April? I don’t think so. Not yet.
Philadelphia- these are still the Broad Street Bullies. Problem is, the new NHL doesn’t reward thuggery like it used to. Their style of play and the lack of the type of player that would make this team a front-runner will keep them from the playoffs.
They Will Be In The Playoffs (But Not Real Long):
Tampa Bay- they still have many of the forwards that made them the Cup Champs in 2004 but a lack of a deep back line and questionable goalkeeping will keep the Lightning in a bottle this year.
Montreal- the Habs always seem to have something that keeps them in the middle of playoff talk and this year they have the talent to back it up. Problem is, they don’t have enough to take out the best in the East.
New Jersey- these guys are the Flyers, only with more players and a stud goalie. That will put them in the playoffs, but won’t get them past a truly good team.
Atlanta- a team that has made slow but sure progress and may be ready to realize enough of a push to make a run to the playoffs. The eight-ball sez that the outlook isn’t so good for a Cup run but a first-time playoff qualification is decidedly so.
They Will Be In The Playoffs (For A While):
Carolina- many of the veterans picked up for the successful trip to the Stanley Cup finals are gone, as is the depth in goal with Gerber’s departure. Yet, this is still a team not to be taken lightly and will still be a handful.
Ottawa- there really isn’t a weakness to this squad so if they go out they will be a tough out. Therein lies the rub…when will they step up to get past the conference playoffs and into the finals?
They Will Be In The Playoffs (On Memorial Day):
NY Rangers- these guys are loaded with star power and have a truckload of expectations to live up to. The Rangers are up to the challenge for a long run to the Cup.
Buffalo- what happened last year was not expected at the start of the season. They damned near won the Cup. Much of last year’s squad is back with a few added tweaks in just the right places. This could be the year in WNY.
Western Conference
They Will Be In The Playoffs (If They Buy A Ticket):
St. Louis- last year was the first time since the Ford Administration that this team failed to make it to the playoffs. So why not go down in flames, right? Well, they won’t be going to the playoffs this year either.
Chicago- it is far too coincidental that this team shares a town with the Cubs. And their fate this year will be much like the fate of this year’s Cubs…lots of expectation, few results.
Phoenix- a Wayne Gretzky coached team is hard to not like and there are elements of this team to like. Still, they are a little too green for the playoff harvest. A year or two away, at least.
Colorado- this team needs a lot more than Sakic to be a playoff team. There are far too many holes left on this team from free agent departures and retirements to pick this squad for the playoffs.
Los Angeles- the Kings have decent talent that is noticeable. But it takes more than marquee names to put a team in the playoffs in the new NHL. Their suspect goalkeeping will keep them on the couch during the playoffs.
Minnesota- this is a playoff capable team in many respects. It appears more likely that the Wild simply don’t have the depth to get them past the regular season.
Detroit- yeah, that Detroit. Too many years of signing expensive free agents and not giving decent young players a chance from Grand Rapids will pay a mighty toll this year. Losing to an 8 seed was no accident last year.
They Will Be In The Playoffs (But Not Real Long):
Columbus- it’s go time in Cowtown. The coach and GM are on the spot and the playoffs are a good idea this year if they want to keep their jobs. Fortunately, they did upgrade the roster and the depth in the off-season to an already good team. The playoffs are not an unrealistic prediction for this crew.
Edmonton- the Oilers were 20 minutes away from hoisting the Cup last year. That’s a great accomplishment for an eight seed. It will be too much to expect that to happen again this year but this club is still formidable enough for more than a few headaches for opposing coaches.
Vancouver- getting Luongo from Florida was a coup for the Canucks. The rest of the team still has many of the same question marks that they did last year. A projection much more optimistic than this one could happen but is somehow unwarranted.
Anaheim- this is another team that could be a fooler to project. They could be first-round goodies for the elites or skate all the way to the Cup Finals. They need to prove that kind of love warrantable, however.
They Will Be In The Playoffs (For A While):
Calgary- the Flames were originally from Atlanta and bear a striking resemblance to the baseball team there (at least until this year). This team is steady and solid with a stone wall in front of the net in Kiprusoff. They probably don’t have enough fire power to get to the finals, but you never know.
Dallas- much like the Rangers, the Stars have plenty of their namesake. Tough competition from the elite teams in this conference makes Turco’s presence crucial at playoff time. Will he be equal to the task?
They Will Be In The Playoffs (On Memorial Day):
Nashville- this is the team who has the best chance of representing the teams south of the Mason-Dixon line this year. The stability of this franchise since its inception finally paid off last year and it should have paid off more (thanks to Vokoun getting hurt). A fully healthy Predator team can hoist the Cup.
San Jose- the Sharks are quite possibly the strongest team coming into this NHL season. They are also a team that could have very well lifted the Cup themselves last year had Ron Wilson not outsmarted himself with a questionable goalkeeping strategy. Consistency in coaching and game plan will put this team over the top.
They Will Lift The Cup:
The winner for this season appears to be Buffalo. They lost virtually nothing in the off-season and will be bringing back nearly every key component to last year’s final four side. The big questions will be the health of the defense and how well Miller will do as the number one goal keeper. Having Biron re-sign was a major coup, especially if anything happens to Miller. This is a team that is up against the limit of the salary cap, so it is a team that is largely built for this year. That shouldn’t be a problem for a side that appears to be a player deeper than the others in the East and it should also be enough to get them through the finals with a good mix of age and youth.
San Jose is the most likely team to emerge from the West, but it seems that they will have a tougher row to hoe. Calgary and Nashville are both better between the pipes, so they will have to rely on superior offensive and penalty killing prowess to escape. If any team can do that, the Sharks are a good bet.
Buffalo will capture the Cup in six games come June.
Game On!!!
Saturday, October 28, 2006
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