Northwest Division Preview

1. Vancouver Canucks

They’ll need to get over last years final failure

2. Calgary Flames

They’re still contenders, but the division is becoming more competitive

3. Minnesota Wild

An influx of offense should rejuvenate them

4. Colorado Avalanche

After going two steps backward last year they must leap forward

5. Edmonton Oilers

It will be another year before they will contend for the playoffs

Key Acquisitions

Canucks: F Marco Sturm

Flames: D Chris Butler

Wild: F Dany Heatley, F Devin Setoguchi

Avalanche: G Semyon Varlamov, G J.S. Giguere

Oilers: F Ryan Smyth, F Eric Belanger

Team Previews

Vancouver

There has been a lot of time for the Canucks to think about what happened in the last two games of the Stanley Cup Finals last year. It’s hard to say that Vancouver won’t make it back, but they have a lot of soul searching to do. First is with goaltender Roberto Luongo. More concerns are coming up that he can never win the Stanley Cup. That still remains to be seen because he can still get the job done by getting Vancouver back into the playoffs. They decided to stand pat with the roster that took them to the Stanley Cup Finals last year. Henrik and Daniel Sedin are still among the best players in the NHL. Their playoff performances though will damage their reputations going forward. Ryan Kesler would be on the top line of the other 29 teams in the league, but he fits in perfectly with the Canucks top two lines. Alex Burrows was a pest during the playoffs and will look to continue his upward trend. Whether Mason Raymond and Mikael Samuelsson can have better scoring seasons will be the key to their offense. Their depth on the blue-line is still staggering. Kevin Bieksa and Dan Hamhuis form a terrific duo and Alex Edler complements Vancouver’s power play with excellent precision.

Calgary

They had a rough going last year, but remained competitive even after firing GM Darryl Sutter halfway into the season. This year the roster looks the same, but are counting too much on aging veterans to make another run at the playoffs. Jarome Iginla is still a productive force for the Flames. Him and Alex Tanguay formed a good duo last year and the Flames re-signed Tanguay to keep that chemistry going. Whether they can ever get anything out of Olli Jokinen remains to be seen, but they expect more of the same from Rene Bourque and Curtis Glencross with their 20+ goal seasons. Calgary invested a lot in defenseman Jay Bouwmeester and they haven’t yet seen that investment come to fruition. Anton Babchuk and Mark Giordano had great seasons, but it will be overlooked if Bouwmeester has another down year after wanting out of Florida for so many years. Goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff is still playing in a lot of games at this stage in his career. The Flames will have to keep him fresh if they are to end their two year drought in the playoffs.

Minnesota

A big splash was made in two separate deals between Minnesota and San Jose this offseason. The Wild gave San Jose Brent Burns in exchange for Devin Setoguchi in a draft day deal. Then into the free agency period the Wild dealt Martin Havlat to San Jose for Dany Heatley. The deal that brought Setoguchi fulfilled needs for both teams, but the deal that brought Heatley was a surprise. For one no one thought that they would be able to deal Havlat and his contract. And two who thought they would be able to get one of the best scorers in the process? Heatley’s two years in San Jose weren’t spectacular by any stretch. They expected him to play big in the playoffs and he fell flat. With Heatley and Setoguchi playing on the top line with Mikko Koivu it will instantly bring life to Minnesota’s offense. Far less pressure playing in Minnesota than in San Jose. Nick Schultz is their top defenseman on the blue-line now that Burns is gone. Schultz isn’t an offensive force, but can manage the teams attack. Niklas Backstrom had a nice bounce back season in net for the Wild, but his record indicates that there was no support from the offense. That should change this year.

Colorado

The expectations were getting to this young team last year and it showed down the stretch. The peculiar deadline trade of Kevin Shattenkirk and Chris Stewart to St. Louis for Erik Johnson and Jay McClement brought more angst than relief. Going forward this year the Avalanche believe that they are poised to get back into contention with a fresh start. Young stars Matt Duchene and Ryan O’Reilly have to shake off their struggles from last year. Paul Stastny and David Jones should continue to provide support with Duchene and O’Reilly on the top two lines. With Erik Johnson now charged with leading the defense he must start living up to is billing as the number one overall pick in 2006. Another problem in the Rocky Mountains was their goaltending. They believe they’ve solved that problem with the additions of Semyon Varlamov and J.S. Giguere. Both have had trouble staying healthy for a full season. The Avs believe that with both of them sharing the load in net that they will stay healthy for what Colorado hopes is a playoff run.

Edmonton

The Oilers are going about their rebuilding project the right way. They have two stars in the making in Taylor Hall and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins who will eventually bring Edmonton back into the playoffs. They haven’t been to the playoffs since 2006, the year in which they lost in the Stanley Cup Finals. Looking at them now they have good pieces in place to remain competitive and stay out of the cellar in the Western Conference. Bringing back Ryan Smyth won’t make a big impact for the Oilers, but it will help in bringing along the young players. Eric Belanger is a great playmaker and will help win important faceoffs throughout the game. Taylor Hall led the team in goals scored last year and should approach the 30 goal plateau this year. If Shawn Horcoff and Ales Hemsky can remain healthy for more than 40 games it will put less pressure on Sam Gagner and Jordan Eberle to repeat their early success last year. Ryan Whitney is becoming a mainstay on the blue-line, but health has become a problem for him. Tom Gilbert is another big body who was a good producer on the point when Whitney was out. They’ll have to find a new goalie soon. Nikolai Khabibulin is nearing the end of his career. Waiting in the wings is the 6-6 Devan Dubnyk who put up good numbers in 35 games last year.

Southeast Division Preview

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.

Northeast Division Preview

1. Boston Bruins

Their stellar defense has them positioned to repeat

2. Buffalo Sabres

With a new owner in place the future looks bright

3. Montreal Canadiens

They’re on the cusp of breaking into elite status

4. Toronto Maple Leafs

Too many question marks for a team that must win now

5. Ottawa Senators

A lot of young talent is waiting to make an impact

Key Acquisitions

Bruins: D Joe Corvo

Sabres: D Christian Ehrhoff, F Ville Leino, D Robyn Regehr

Canadiens: F Erik Cole

Maple Leafs: F Tim Connolly, D John-Michael Liles

Senators: F Nikita Filatov

Team Previews

Boston

If you want to repeat let alone make it back to the Stanley Cup Finals you’re going to have to get a repeat performance from your goaltender. It’s hard to imagine Tim Thomas doing just that after the tremendous regular season and playoffs he had. With defenseman Zdeno Chara and his 6-9 frame protecting Thomas it might not be that far fetched to think the Bruins can repeat. New defenseman Joe Corvo is being counted on to do what Tomas Kaberle couldn’t do last year and that’s be another scoring threat from the blue-line. Health will be an issue for the Bruins forwards. Milan Lucic was the only 30 goal scorer for the Bruins last year. They will need Nathan Horton and/or Patric Bergeron to do the same. Brad Marchand will be expected to capitalize on his playoff success with a stellar regular season. With the Bruins now having some open spots on the top two lines it will be interesting to see what Tyler Seguin does with more opportunities to showcase his talent.

Buffalo

They were the busiest team during free agency. Defenseman Christian Ehrhoff had a magnificent season in Vancouver, but it remains to be seen if he can do that for another 10 years. Which is the length of the contract he signed in Buffalo. Also acquired was Robyn Regehr who waived his no-trade clause to come to Buffalo from Calgary. He’s a gritty defenseman who will help keep big bodied forwards away from goalie Ryan Miller. The scary thing is that Tyler Myers and Jordan Leopold didn’t have great seasons last year. With Ehrhoff and Regehr aboard the Sabres will have a devastating defense. Goalie Ryan Miller did everything he could to get the Sabres deep into the playoffs, but they were without a consistent scoring threat. They hope to have solved that problem with Ville Leino being signed. The same Ville Leino who’s overtime goal in Game 6 of the quarterfinals helped the Flyers beat the Sabres. He is a deceptive skater. Pairing him with Thomas Vanek will make both players even better. The breakout player last year was Drew Stafford and his 31 goals. If he comes close to that Buffalo will be riding high.

Montreal

The Canadiens kept playing the ‘what if’ game all offseason. It does them no good at this point, but they certainly could have competed with the rest of the league for the Cup. Goalie Carey Price was fantastic in net for Montreal. The pressure seemed to have vanished over thin ice as the season progressed. The key once again for Montreal is the health of defenseman Andrei Markov. He is their best point man on the blue-line and without him they seemed lost on the point. P.K. Subban filled in nicely, but Markov must be around for Montreal to stay in the hunt. Michael Cammalleri is on a downward trend the last two seasons. He and Brian Gionta are the top two scorers on the team. Cammalleri has to bounce back so that newly acquired Erik Cole doesn’t have so much pressure to perform right away. If Max Pacioretty can recover from a devastating hit by Zdeno Chara at the end of last season then he will be on his way to a 30 goal season.

Toronto

The big question in Toronto this offseason is did GM Brian Burke do enough? Did he do enough to try to lure Brad Richards in free agency? Did he do enough in putting the right pieces in place to get the Maple Leafs back to the playoffs? Toronto has some talented pieces in place all over the ice, but is it enough? Goaltender James Reimer did well to earn the starting job going into this season and get a three year contract extension. Captain Dion Phaneuf received some help on the blue-line when Toronto traded for defenseman John-Michael Liles from Colorado. Both are excellent puck passers and point men on the power play. It remains to be seen if there will be other defenseman to help lighten the load. Tim Connolly isn’t exactly Brad Richards, but he is a good playmaker when healthy. That has been the only problem his entire career. He has to stay healthy to play up to his standards. If that happens Phil Kessel will continue to be a top goal scorer. And if Joffrey Lupul can stay healthy as well that will take pressure off Mikhail Grabovski and Nikolai Kulemin to duplicate their 50+ point seasons.

Ottawa

They have built one of the best farm systems in the NHL. But that doesn’t mean they will be able to compete for a playoff spot right away. First things first, the Senators don’t have a reliable goaltender. Craig Anderson had a phenomenal season in Colorado two seasons ago, but it’s starting to look more like a one year wonder. Defenseman Sergei Gonchar was lost at times last year and he must make the most out of the situation in Ottawa. Youngster Erik Karlsson is developing quickly into one of the best offensive defenseman in the league. This will only be his 3rd NHL season and his 21. They’re starting to go with a younger looking scoring line as well, but at the top remains center Jason Spezza. His playmaking skills are still among the best and with younger players around him it will only help those players develop faster. If the Senators can get a rejuvenated season out of Milan Michalek and Daniel Alfredsson, it will help keep them competitive in most games.

Atlantic Division Preview

1. Philadelphia Flyers

Being a defensive team rather than an offensive team might be better

2. Pittsburgh Penguins

The health of Crosby and Malkin will determine the teams success

3. New York Rangers

One player won’t change their fortunes, but it will help

4. New Jersey Devils

They’re not going to dwell on last season. Instead they’ll push forward

5. New York Islanders

Time is running out to build a winner in Long Island

Key Acquisitions

Flyers: G Ilya Bryzgalov, F Jaromir Jagr, F Jakub Voracek

Penguins: F Steve Sullivan

Rangers: F Brad Richards

Devils: F Eric Boulton

Islanders: F Brian Rolston, F Marty Reasoner

Team Previews

Philadelphia

Gone is their captain Mike Richards and two of their best scorers in Jeff Carter and Ville Leino. The Flyers completely changed their identity with the acquisition of goalie Ilya Bryzgalov. He finally solves their problem of finding a consistent goal stopper. That will allow Sergei Bobrovsky to further develop into a top tier goalie. The return of Jaromir Jagr to the NHL is a headliner, but it isn’t expected to be a big help to the Flyers. If they can get 50 points out of Jagr that will be a surprise. As always when you have a top notch goaltender you must have a good defense. It’s crucial that Chris Pronger stay healthy for an entire season. Kimmo Timonen, Matt Carle and Andrej Meszaros can’t do it without the big 6-6 defenseman. The scoring will have to come from Claude Giroux and James van Riemsdyk. Both have had great playoff statistics and now must step it up during the regular season. Danny Briere will have to repeat his 68 point performance from last year. If Jakub Voracek can live up to his billing as a top 10 pick with Columbus, the Flyers will be all right without Richards and Carter.

Pittsburgh

It’s simple. So goes Sidney Crosby, so goes the Pittsburgh Penguins chances of winning the Stanley Cup. If Crosby doesn’t miss as many games as he did last year, the Penguins will be contenders. It has to be mentioned that even without Crosby and Evgeni Malkin the Pittsburgh finished second in the conference in points. Emerging as one of the best defenseman in the NHL is Kris Letang. His 50 point season last year was his breakthrough season and shows that he should be considered among the best in the league. As long as the Penguins can get 30 wins or more from goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, they will be contending with their rivals in Philadelphia. Pittsburgh has tremendous depth on offense if Crosby and/or Malkin are out for a significant period of time. James Neal is another 30 goal scorer they acquired last year from Dallas. Tyler Kennedy had his best year to date with 45 points. And Chris Kunitz remains one of the most underrated forwards in the NHL. This is still a great team, but will be among the best if Crosby comes back.

NY Rangers

They nabbed the biggest free agent prize in Brad Richards now they’ll need him to produce. He is one of the best passing centers in the game. His Stanley Cup title proves that when he was with Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier in Tampa Bay. Also there was current Rangers head coach John Tortorella. He knows how good Richards can be and welcomes his playmaking skills. As will Marian Gaborik who must bounce back from a disappointing 22 goal season. With Richards aboard that problem should be solved. The amount of young scorers the Rangers have is staggering. Brian Boyle, Ryan Callahan, Brandon Dubinsky and Derek Stepan all scored 20 or more goals last season. Those goal stats should stay the same and even rise with Richards. The Rangers have a mainstay in net with Henrik Lundqvist. He plays so much that it’s crucial the Rangers give him some rest for a longer playoff run. There is still a weakness defensively for the Rangers, but youngsters Marc Staal and Michael Sauer are growing into their roles rapidly. Expect the Rangers to make a move mid-season to improve in that area.

New Jersey

It’s hard to imagine the Devils being any better than last year. They did finish the season on an incredible run, but they didn’t make any major improvements in the offseason. The only major change was naming Peter DeBoer the new head coach. It will be interesting to see what he can do with this group. Led by Ilya Kovalchuk, who had the worst season of his career. He’s better than the 60 point performance from last season. Another crucial aspect for New Jersey is the health of Zach Parise. If he is healthy the Devils are a much better offensive team. The only problem is if the Devils start out slow do they trade their best player in a contract year? Defense has been a stalwart in New Jersey for a long time, but how much longer does Martin Brodeur have left? Johan Hedberg is just as old as Brodeur and he will be the primary backup in net. Whether defenseman Henrik Tallinder can improve upon his best season in New Jersey will be something to watch for. They don’t have a lot of NHL prospects on defense, but Mark Fraser and Mark Fayne appear ready.

NY Islanders

They are amassing a lot of talent, but time is starting to run out on their chance to see that talent being unleashed on Long Island. John Tavares and Kyle Okposo lead the way. Tavares has the pieces in place, but Okposo must stay healthy for the entire lineup to be cohesive. Michael Grabner broke out for a 34 goal season last year. He and Matt Moulson are the Islanders best goal scorers going forward. Veterans Brian Rolston and Marty Reasoner will provide balance at the back end of the lines, but they can’t be counted on to produce more than their 30 point production nowadays. It’s been said so many times that goalie Rick DiPietro must stay healthy, but that might not be important this season with the emergence of Al Montoya last year. In limited time (21 games played) his .921 SV% opened some eyes in the organization. Mark Streit being healthy will improve the defense immensely. Youngsters Andrew MacDonald and Travis Hamonic had breakthrough years, but Milan Jurcina struggled not having Streit next to him.

Week 5 Review of the NFL

“Just Win Baby”

Yes, that’s what the Oakland Raiders did this past Sunday. With the passing of owner Al Davis the entire NFL community has a heavy heart. This was one of the few franchises that has been tied to one man for most of its existence. You can look at his passing in two ways. One is to say that he is one of the most innovative and outspoken owners ever in any sport. And two, it was either his way or nobody’s way. He has butted heads with so many people that it’s hard to keep track. From head coaches to commissioners and even to city leaders. One thing is for certain that it was fitting that the Oakland Raiders won that game against the Houston Texans. Houston had the advantage playing at home and have better players at key positions. However, there was motivation on the Raiders side to just win one for Al and that’s just what they did.

Timmy has arrived

For far too long there was rumbles about starting Tim Tebow in Denver. I’m not going to bash and critique Tim’s quarterback prowess unlike some, mainly Merril Hoge, who isn’t even a quarterback to begin with. I am going to say that it was unwise to think that Tim Tebow would have done better than Kyle Orton through the first 5 games. He’s learning a new system in only his second year. The coaching staff obviously doesn’t think much of him because they didn’t draft him and John Elway isn’t going to risk everything he’s trying to build on one guy. Granted when Tebow entered the game in the second half against the San Diego Chargers the entire team transformed. They nearly beat the Chargers, but I’m not going to say that it was entirely because of Tebow because it wasn’t. This issue is finally coming to an end with him being named the starting quarterback in Denver, but if the Broncos don’t win another game while Tebow is the starter who will they turn to then? I think he can be a good quarterback, but only under a staff that believes they can win with him.

Now is not the time to panic

Everyone in New York and Philadelphia are up in arms about their respective teams. New York Jets fans to be more specific there. Both are off to slow starts, but it’s only Week 5 folks. Calm down. Lets take a look at the Jets brutal road schedule the last 3 games. At Oakland, at Baltimore and at New England. Not one team in the league could go 3-0 on the road against those teams. Not one. The Jets however went 0-3, but you can’t count them out just yet. They have been a second half team as their history shows under head coach Rex Ryan. They play Miami and San Diego at home going into their bye week so be thankful for that. The Eagles with all those expectations that everyone stupidly put on them have bit them in the butt. The only loss that the Eagles were totally dominated in was against the New York Giants and that was without Michael Vick for most of that game. Now Vick’s turnovers haven’t helped, but they play at Washington which is a winnable game. Who expects the Redskins to stay in first place, honestly? If they win that game going into their bye week they play at home against Dallas, Chicago and Arizona the next three weeks. All the groaning will go away with wins in those games. Atlanta is fortunate that they play in Atlanta. Mainly because no one is paying attention. They were supposed to be atop the NFC, but are wallowing near the bottom. Playing Carolina at home should be the wake up call they need for their next game. But if they continue to disappoint they will be scrutinized a lot more towards the end of the season when everyone will wonder, ‘What happened to the Falcons? Weren’t they supposed to be good?’