1. Washington Capitals
The moves they made in the offseason will result in a deep playoff run
2. Tampa Bay Lightning
Their success depends on their goalies and blue-line
3. Carolina Hurricanes
They will need even more production from Staal and Ward
4. Florida Panthers
All the offseason moves combined with the young talent will eventually lead to the playoffs
5. Winnipeg Jets
A supportive fan base won’t be enough to get the Jets into the playoffs
Key Acquisitions
Capitals: F Troy Brouwer, D Roman Hamrlik, G Tomas Vokoun, F Joel Ward
Lightning: G Mathieu Garon
Hurricanes: G Brian Boucher, D Tomas Kaberle
Panthers: D Brian Campbell, G Jose Theodore, F Kris Versteeg, F Scottie Upshall
Jets: F Eric Fehr
Team Previews
Washington
They desperately needed some grit after another early exit in the playoffs. George McPhee didn’t stand pat and made some key moves to bring some grit to their talented roster. Acquiring Troy Brouwer and Joel Ward to complement the scoring of Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin and Nicklas Backstrom was huge. Brouwer is a Stanley Cup winner in Chicago and knows what it takes to play during the playoffs. Ward had a fantastic playoff run last year in Nashville and was rewarded for that run by signing with a powerhouse team. Should all the players mentioned perform up to their standards the Capitals will be among the best scoring teams once again. Tomas Vokoun was signed to a one year contract to help the Caps win right now. He is among the best goaltenders year in and year out, but Michal Neuvirth will get his chance to play as well learning under Vokoun. Mike Green has to return to form. If he doesn’t the defense will suffer again. Signing Roman Hamrlik was a big acquisition as it helps offset the issue of Green’s health. John Carlson and Dennis Wideman aren’t too bad either on the blue-line.
Tampa Bay
Boston had to beat the Lightning in 7 games of the conference finals to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals last year. They lost some key pieces during the offseason, but the majority of their core has stayed intact. Steven Stamkos and Martin St. Louis are apart of that core and they both are expected to continue their 90 point production. Vincent Lecavalier had a good year and an even better playoff run. He’ll need to be even better for the Lightning to make the next step into the Stanley Cup Finals. Teddy Purcell will have to step into a bigger role with the departures of Simon Gagne and Sean Bergenheim. Tampa Bay received a spark in net when they acquired goaltender Dwayne Roloson last year. They will be careful not to overwork the 42 year old net-minder. That’s why they signed Mathieu Garon to be the backup. He is more than capable of spelling Roloson for 30 games. This will be the year for defenseman Victor Hedman to see if he can live up to his billing as a top-5 pick. He has been good, but he must be great. A full season with Eric Brewer should help Hedman become a great player.
Carolina
They just missed out on the playoffs last year. Now Carolina has to regroup with the talent they have. Captain Eric Staal will look to have another stellar season, but he will need help from other teammates to get Carolina into the playoffs. Particularly Jussi Jokinen and Tuomo Ruutu. Both were fantastic two years ago, but with the expectations they haven’t been able to repeat those performances. Jeff Skinner was phenomenal in his rookie season. Can he continue to put up 30 goal seasons from here on out? Goaltender Cam Ward is a fan favorite for the Hurricanes. He is their security blanket with a suspect defense the past couple years. Brian Boucher was a great acquisition to keep Ward fresh for the playoff run later in the year. Will the Hurricanes get what they expect out of defenseman Tomas Kaberle? That will be a big question for them as he instantly becomes their best defenseman. Joni Pitkanen and Jamie McBain aren’t too shabby either, but they will need Kaberle to produce a 40 point season.
Florida
There is a good mix of established players, free agent signings and young players that is built to win for a long time in Florida. At the top is Stephen Weiss and David Booth. With all the moves GM Dave Tallon made in the offseason both Weiss and Booth will have less pressure and should produce 60+ point seasons. Kris Versteeg is one of three former Chicago Blackhawks players that Tallon acquired in the offseason. Tomas Kopecky and Brian Campbell are the other two. Tallon is familiar with those players since he was the former GM of Chicago before their Stanley Cup championship two years ago. Versteeg is a talented young forward who should push for 30 goals this season. Scottie Upshall can do the same. He’s a pure shooter and is exactly what the Panthers need with Booth and Weiss on the top line. Sean Bergenheim’s playoff performance in Tampa Bay didn’t go unnoticed and the Panthers would like to see that from him. With Campbell and Ed Jovanovski on the blue-line Florida has a deep defensive line. Dmitry Kulikov is already establishing himself as a mainstay for many years. Jose Theodore isn’t an upgrade over Tomas Vokoun, but with him and Scott Clemmensen sharing the net it isn’t a bad combination.
Winnipeg
The NHL has returned to Winnipeg for the first time since 1996. That last year in Winnipeg happened to be a playoff year for the Jets. They have inherited a good team in the Atlanta Thrashers, but they play in perhaps the toughest division in the NHL. It is unlikely these Jets will compete for a playoff spot this year, but with a supportive fan base it will be tough to beat the Jets in Winnipeg. Subtle moves were made in the offseason to improve the Jets. They hired a new coach in Claud Noel who coached in the same arena in Winnipeg for the Manitoba Moose last season. He knows the area and will take advantage of that. He has a pretty good roster that includes captain Andrew Ladd. His 59 point season last year was a career high, but expect that to go up this year. Evander Kane is a young talented forward that is ready to breakout into the 60 point range. If Eric Fehr can stay healthy he can provide added scoring punch coming over from Washington. Dustin Byfuglien transitioned nicely into a defenseman last year. He still put up amazing offensive numbers and will continue to improve on defense. Tobias Enstrom is ready to become a Norris Trophy contender. Back to back 50 point seasons prove that. Goaltender Ondrej Pavelec rebounded nicely after a scary scene on opening night last year. He is healthy and ready to show he can play amongst the best in the league.
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