CALGARY FLAMES: 08-09 Season Preview

07-08 RECORD: 42-30-10 94 points
DIVISION: 3rd
CONFERENCE: 7th
RESULT: Lost in 1st round

OFF-SEASON:
ARRIVALS: LW Mike Cammalleri(LA), RW Todd Bertuzzi(ANA), LW Rene Bourque(CHI), LW Curtis Glencross(CBM/EDM), LW Andre Roy(TB), LW Kyle Greentree(PHI), C Jamie Lundmark(AHL)
DEPARTURES: D David Hale, RW Eric Godard, LW Kristian Huselius, G Curtis Joseph, RW Owen Nolan, C Mike Smith, LW Alex Tanguay, C Stephane Yelle, D Andres Eriksson

Our beloved Flames needed to change something after 3 straight seasons of early 1st round losses. The team has switched to more of a offensive style in recent which has seen their goal production become one of the best in the league but doing so they lost their 'Flames style' of play. The Flames have been simply too old, slow and not hard working enough to compete with the best in the league. This summer GM Darryl Sutter looked to switch that in his 6th season with the Flames and started off by trading highly talented but soft Alex Tanguay to the Canadiens then acquiring younger more grittier Mike Cammalleri from the Los Angeles Kings. Cammalleri was injured most of last season and only appeared in 63 posting a decent 47 points. Cammalleri can easily put up as many points as Tanguay can at his best. I love Cammalleri and actually posted that the Flames should go acquire him and trade Tanguay the other way. The Flames then let go of also very talent but awfully inconsistent Kristian Huselius and he signed with the Blue Jackets during the off-season free agent frenzy. To fill that gap the Flames added more youth and most importantly more speed. The additions of Curtis Glencross, Rene Bourque and even Cammalleri will make the team way faster, add them with Lombo and Iggy and you all of a sudden have a much improved skating team. I have been talking about the Flames lack of speed for probably almost a year now and Sutter has finally figured out the 'new' NHL is all about speed. Gone are old and slow Owen Nolan, Marcus Nilson, Eric Godard and Mike Smith.
The Flames added more grit by signing Andre Roy and giving Brandon Prust a one-way contract even after Sutter started the summer off by saying the Flames dont need any guys who can only chip in 5-8 minutes a minute, if that. To finish off the summer, Sutter made the boldest of all moves by signing LW Todd Bertuzzi to a one-year contract. Mixed feelings came from this deal and from my stand point, I didn't like it at all. I first thought it counter-acted all of Sutter's previous moves with youth and speed since Big Bert is known for laziness and floating around the ice but once you break it down it could be worth the risk and here's why. Bert signed for 1.95 million and if you compare him to Nolan who he is essentially replacing, he signed for 2.75 million and a two year contract. I will definitely admit that is a great steal, Bert is younger, and is way more talent than Nolan. Second, Bert knows this could be his final shot and has looked pretty good in the pre-season, not including game #1, so I think we will see a harder working Bertuzzi this season. Finally, there's our great captain Iggy, who really pushed for the deal to get done. Bert is starting the season alongside Iggy and Iggy will push Bert every step of the way.

CAP HIT: 57.09 million

FORWARDS:
My Projected Lines:
1- T.BERTUZZI-D.LANGKOW-J.IGINLA
2- M.CAMMALLERI-M.LOMBARDI-D.BOYD
3- R.BOURQUE-C.CONROY-C.GLENCROSS
4- E.NYSTROM-W.PRIMEAU-D.MOSS
E- A.ROY-J.LUNDMARK-B.PRUST

The Flames will once again be lead offensively by Iggy. Iggy has been remarkable since the lockout, become more finesse and improving his skating vastly while still being tough as nails. Iggy is coming off back-to-back 90+ point seasons and scored 50 goals last year, nothing less should be expected from Iggy even without the play-making ability of a Huselius or Tanguay by his side. This is where Big Bert comes into the scene again. From what I have seen in the pre-season, Bert is a pretty good passer, more than capable of feeding enough to Iggy. Daymond Langkow has been one of the most consistent Flames in recent years and has created pretty good chemistry alongside our captain. The second line should be full of speed with Cammalleri and Lombo. Cammalleri if healthy should be good for at least 75 points while the will be a ton of pressure on Lombo to finally become a top-6 forward. I have Dustin Boyd on the second line only becuase I think it is only a matter of time before he gets there. He was easily the best player in pre-season and I was fumed when I heard that he was sent down to Quad Cities yesterday, but it sounds very temporary so that definitely makes the situation better. Calgary's third line should be full of speed and add some extra scoring depth as well. Bourque and Glencross will be alongside Craig Conroy. I like this line alot but it could see alot of different names with David Moss and Boyd in the factor as well. Wayne Primeau is the only remaining dead weight left on the club while Eric Nystrom, Prust and Roy bring the toughness and grit to the line-up.

DEFENSE:
My Projected Pairings:
1- D.PHANEUF-J.VANDERMEER
2- R.REGEHR-C.SARICH
3- A.AUCOIN-M.GIORDANO
E- A.PARDY-R.WARRENER(INJ.)

The pairings are kind of up in the air at the moment, except for probably the Robyn Regehr, Cory Sarich duo. Dion Phaneuf and Regehr give the Flames one of the best 1-2 punches in the league. Phaneuf brings the offense and toughness while Reggie brings toughness as well along with the ability to shut-down the elite players of the league. Like I said the Reggie, Sarich pairing should be in tact and will be counted on to be the Flames shut-down pairing. Phaneuf could see time with pretty much anyone else who is left including Adam Pardy who made the Flames as the seventh defensemen and all I have to say to that is that it is 'PARDY TIME'. The biggest addition to the back-end is Mark Giordano who comes back after playing one season in Russia. Giordano is a much needed puck-mover from the back-end and should help on the PP. Adrian Aucoin and Jim Vandermeer return for another season. Many Flames fans eyes will be on Aucoin this season with his ok play and his huge salary cap hit.

GOALIES:
1- M.KIPRUSOFF
2- C.McELHINNEY
3- M.KEETLEY

The most pressure going into the season is one Miikka Kiprusoff who is coming of s sub-par year. He will have to bounce back to his old self to help the Flames become legitimate contenders again. He came into camp more fit but did let in a few softies during pre-season but I think he will be ok. His relationship with Keenan better be ok, cause that is what I'm more worried about because elite goalies are tougher to find than good coaches. Curtis McElhinney was given a one-way contract in the off-season and will back-up Kipper this season.

OVERALL:

Personally, I'm not worried about Kipper at all. I'm more worried about guys like Aucoin and Sarich on the back-end to do their job and earn their contracts. With the added offensive production the Flames defensive game hasent been so great and that is what I think has effected Kipper more than anything. If Kipper is as good as he was when he won the Vezina trophy, the Flames will be a team to be reckoned with. With additions of Big Bert, Glencross and Bourque the Flames will be a once again be a extremely tough team to play against. It should be an exciting and interesting season.

PREDICTION: 1st Division, 3rd Conference

SAN JOSE SHARKS: 08-09 Season Preview

07-08 RECORD: 49-23-10 108 points
DIVISION: 1st
CONFERENCE: 2nd
RESULT: Lost in 2nd round

OFF-SEASON:
ARRIVALS: D Brian Boyle, D Rob Blake, D Brad Lukowich
DEPARTURES: C Curtis Brown, D Brian Campbell, D Matt Carle, D Sandis Ozolinsh, LW Patrick Rissmiller, D Craig Rivet

After yet another disappointing early playoff exit, the Sharks had to do something to change up their squad and they did so by firing head coach Ron Wilson. In replacement the Sharks hired young Todd McLellan, formerly the Red Wings assistant coach who the Sharks hope to bring a new youthful outlook to the team. The Sharks also bolstered their blueline adding big names Brian Boyle, Rob Blake and Brad Lukowich. They replace Brian Campbell, Matt Carle and Craig Rivet. Campbell was thought to be re-signing with the Sharks at the start of the summer but took the big money in Chicago. Boyle, Blake and Lukowich all bring huge expierence which what could be the missing piece to get the Sharks over the hump. The Sharks paid big money for 39 year old Blake and took a bit of a risk with Boyle and his huge contract at age 32.

CAP HIT: 56.93 million

FORWARDS:
My Projected Lines:
1- P.MARLEAU-J.THORNTON-J.CHEECHOO
2- M.MICHALEK-J.PAVELSKI-R.CLOWE
3- D.SETOGUCHI-J.ROENICK-M.GRIER
4- T.PLIHAL-M.GOC-J.SHELLEY
E- L.KASPAR-T.MITCHELL(INJ.)-M.MORRIS

Like many other teams the Sharks have good depth down the middle with Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Joe Pavelski and Torry Mitchell. One of them is likely to move to the wing, either Pavelski or Marleau but with the injury to Mitchell, Marleau and Pavelski will probably start the season playing the 2nd and 3rd line center positions. Thornton who is good for 90+ a season will be looked to try to revitalize Jonathan Cheechoo's scoring ability. Cheechoo needs to become the 40+ goal scorer he was in order for the Sharks to take the next step in winning a Stanley Cup. Milan Michalek was also a disappointment last season and will have to regain his form. Ryan Clowe was a nice surprise in the playoffs after only appearing in 15 regular season games and should be good for at least 20 goals this season. Jeremy Roenick was one of the biggest surprises in the league last season, no one could of predicted he'd score 14 goals and if he does it again, it will be simply a miracle. Devin Setoguchi looks to stick with the club the whole year and should get the chance to play big minutes if he produces offensively. Jody Shelley, Mike Grier, Marcel Goc and Tomas Plihal bring the grit and toughness every team needs.

DEFENSE:
My Projected Pairings:
1- R.BLAKE-M-E VLASIC
2- B.BOYLE-D.MURRAY
3- C.EHRHOFF-B.LUKOWICH
E- A.SEMENOV-K.McLAREN

The Sharks added alot of leadership to this group with the acquisition of Boyle and the signing of Blake. Both bring Stanley Cup rings and experience which the Sharks management hope they will spread through the whole team. Blake and Boyle will both be looked upon to continue the development of both M-E Vlasic and Doug Murray. Vlasic seems to be on his way to be a top-4 defensemen while it will be wait to be seen whether Murray is more than a one-year wonder. Christian Ehrhoff and Brad Lukowich give the Sharks a solid 3rd pairing while veteran Kyle McLaren was the odd man out and was placed on waivers.

GOALIES:
1- E.NABOKOV
2- B.BOUCHER
3- T.GREISS

Evgeni Nabokov was spectacular last season and many Sharks fans and hockey fans will argue the Vezina as leagues best goalie by stolen from him by Martin Brodeur. Nabokov gives the Sharks a chance to win every night and nothing less will be expected of him this year. Brian Boucher was signed late last season but adds good leadership in the dressing room and is very capable of playing the 3-5 games Nabokov doesn't.

OVERALL:

The Sharks are once again heavy Cup contenders and have new reason to believe this is the year with new head coach Todd McLellan and the additions of Blake and Boyle. It remains to be seen if forwards Thornton Michalek and Cheechoo can step up and become playoff performers. The Sharks will be nip and tuck in the division race all year in probably the best division in the league. It is obviously win now for the Sharks with the additions of veterans Blake and Boyle and if they dont do it this year, GM Doug Wilson could be the next out the door following Wilson.

PREDICTION: 2nd Division, 4th Conference

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS: 08-09 Season Preview

07-08 RECORD: 47-27-8 102 points
DIVISION: 1st
CONFERENCE: 2nd
RESULT: Lost in Stanley Cup final

OFF-SEASON
ARRIVALS: LW Ruslan Fedotenko, RW Miroslav Satan, LW Matt Cooke, LW Janne Pesonen, RW Eric Godard, RW Bill Thomas, D Danny Richmond
DEPARTURES: G Ty Conklin, RW Adam Hall, RW Marian Hossa, RW Georges Laraque, LW Ryan Malone, LW Gary Roberts, LW Jarrko Ruutu

Even after the Penguins run to the Stanley Cup finals, it was a tough off-season for one reason, Marian Hossa. Hossa showed that he wants to win a Cup and the Penguins have a the credentials to do it and they offered him a long-term contract. Yet even after all of that Hossa went to Detroit taking only a 1-year contract, it was a slap in the face to the whole franchise. You cant dread on the past and the Penguins didn't, moving their focus to other free agents to fill in the holes. The Penguins quickly swept up Islanders cast-offs Miroslav Satan and Ruslan Fedotenko. Both have won a Stanley Cup and both with play with either Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin. Point totals for both should be on the rise even after their dreadful seasons on long-island. The Penguins also lost tough guy Georges Laraque but signed Eric Godard to protect their young franchise duo.

CAP HIT: 56.49 million

FORWARDS:
My Projected Lines:
1- P.DUPUIS-S.CROSBY-M.SATAN
2- R.FEDOTENKO-E.MALKIN-P.SYKORA
3- M.COOKE-J.STAAL-T.KENNEDY
4- E.GODARD-M.TALBOT-B.THOMAS
E- R.STONE-J.TAFFE-P.BISSONNETTE

The Penguins will never have a problem scoring goals with Crosby and Malkin. They are probably the best 1-2 punch in the league and until someone stops them, the Penguins have nothing stopping them. Some observers are worried the Penguins will suffer without Hossa but Crosby had never played will a legitimate top-6 before other than when Malkin played the odd game on the wing. Satan is probably not a 1st line winger anymore but he has enough scoring ability to finish off Crosby's passes. Pascal Dupuis was with Crosby all through the playoffs and seemed to add some nice grit to the line while popping the odd goal, he should be good for 15-20 goals too. Malkin will be joined with new-comer Fedotenko and Petr Sykora. Malkin and Sykora had some nice chemistry together last season and Malkin really helped Sykora resurrect his career. Can Malkin do the same with Fedotenko? Probably, Fedotenko isn't a top-6 forward but can excel when put with elite players, look at him with Lecavalier in Tampa. Jordan Staal rounds out the Pens big three down the middle. Staal is just as important as Crosby and Malkin for his great all-around play. New addition Matt Cooke and Tyler Kennedy will play the 'Sean Avery" role while adding some offense here and there. Maxime Talbot and Eric Godard bring the grit and toughness up front.

DEFENSE:
My Projected Pairings:
1- K.LETANG-B.ORPIK
2- M.EATON-A.GOLIGOSKI
3- H.GILL-R.SCUDERI
E- R.WHITNEY(INJ.)-S.GONCHAR(INJ.)/D.SYDOR

The injuries of both Sergei Gonchar who is out 4-6 months and Ryan Whitney who is out till at least mid-November hurt the Pens big time. GM Ray Shero has given the Pens good depth but loosing your top-2 defensemen will hurt no matter what. Brooks Orpik now steps up into the #1 role and will have to play huge minutes till at least Whitney returns and takes off some of the pressure. The most pressure while Gonchar and Whitney are out will be on youngsters Kris Letang and Alex Goligoski who now have to be big minutes while running the PP. If those two step up then the injuries will all of a sudden feel better for everyone. Hal Gill and Rob Scuderi played well in the playoffs and will have to continue with their play, especially Gill who can be slow and can get burned awfully fast. Darryl Sydor brings depth and leadership to the group.

GOALIES:
1- M-A.FLEURY
2- D.SABOURIN
3- J.CURRY

The biggest surprise last season was the play of M-A Fleury after his return from injury. He was simply remarkable and finally looked like he is going to live up to his #1 overall selection status. He was dynamite throughout the whole playoffs and the Pens can feel a little better without Gonchar and Whitney with him in the net. Dany Sabourin should be more than a capable back-up but probably wont see a ton of playing time with Fleury becoming an elite goaltender.

OVERALL

The Pens have one of the best young cores the game has seen with Crosby, Malkin, Staal, Whitney and Fleury. All 5 players have or looked to be elite players in the league and with them in tact and healthy the Pens are heavy Cup contenders once again. The loss of Gonchar and Whitney will hurt the Pens and it should make the battle for the division neck and neck with Philadelphia. The leadership from Crosby with really show with these loss's and to prevent a Stanley Cup finalists 'hang-over'.

PREDICTION: 1st Division, 2nd Conference

WELCOME TO ME!

Hey guys i'm the newest addition to the Blog! My Name is Jamie and i'm a die hard hockey fan. I'm pleased to have been brought aboard. I think my biggest strength will come in the form of ex-ncaa players. I'm a huge college hockey fan and have been to 2 of the last 4 Frozen fours. I'm a huge UND Fighting Sioux fan and Detroit Red Wings fan however still love the hometown Flames as well as Phoenix. I love to follow the progression of ex Sioux players like this year T.J. Oshie! Thanks again to everyone for taking the time to read my posts and thanks to Nick for adding me a board! 

PHOENIX COYOTES: 08-09 Season Preview

07-08 RECORD: 38-37-7 83 Points

Division: 4th

Conference: 12th

Result: Missed the playoffs

OFF-SEASON

ARRIVALS: Olli Jokinen (FLA), Todd Fedoruk (MIN), Brian McGratton (OTT), Jeff Hogan (BOS), Garth Murray (FLA), Kurt Sauer (COL), David Hale (CGY), Kevin Porter (FA)

DEPARTURES: Blake Wheeler, Keith Ballard, Nick Boynton, Marcel Hossa, Niko Kapanen, Bill Thomas, Mathais Tjarnqvist, Radim Vrbata, Craig Weller, Mike York

The Coyotes felt they were just 1 or 2 major players from making an impact in the play-offs last year and they went out and got them. The addition of Olli Jokinen brings 71 much needed points to the line up as well as gives the young talent of the Yotes someone else to look up to. The Coyotes had to give up alot to get Jokinen, most notably defensemen Keith Ballard but it could be Jokinen's scoring and not Ballards good defense that puts the Yotes over the top. Phoenix also added a solid D man in the addition of Kurt Sauer. He struggled last year with 6 points in 54 games but look for him to be a solid 5th or 6th guy. The Coyotes also went out and added free agent winger Kevin Porter, Porter won the 2008 Hobey Baker award which is awarded to the most outstanding NCAA college hockey player. He scored 33 goals and added 30 assists for 63 points in only 43 games. He led his Michigan Wolverines to within 1 game of the National Championship however fell just short 5-4 in OT to the eventual runner up Notre Dame. Finally the Coyotes added lots of toughness with Brian McGratton and Todd Fedoruk but some would wonder with tough but talent Daniel Carcillo already on the roster how many tough guys do you need? I definitely didn't work out for Minnesota last year.

CAP HIT: 39.07 million

FORWARDS:

My Projected Lines:

1- P. MUELLER-O.JOKINEN-S.DOAN

2- D. CARCILLO-K.TURRIS-M.BOEDKER

3- D.WINNIK-M.HANZAL-V. TIKHONOV

4- B. McGRATTON-S.REINPRECHT-K. PORTER
E- E.LISIN-J.PERRAULT-C.KOLARIK

The Coyotes asked Peter Mueller to move to the wing with the acquisition of Jokinen he has happily agreed. This give the Yotes a solid top line mixing youth with experience. The Coyotes have a young second line with Boedker and Turris. I think you'll be seeing a little of Boedker on the top line before the year is up. Turris is a kid with a natural ability to put the puck in the net. He played in 3 games last year for the club and even grabbed an assist during his brief stint. I think one of the surprises of this year will be the energy line or the 3rd line. The line consisting of Hanzal, Tikhonov, and Winnik will be out there against some of the leagues top lines and asked to shut them down. Winnik had a good rookie season with 26 points in 79 games. Tikhonov is another kid I think you might see move up in the depth chart this year and might end the year on the 2nd line.

DEFENSE:

My Projected Lines:

1. Z. MICHALEK- E. JOVANOVSKI

2. D. MORRIS- K. YANDLE

3. D. HALE- K. SAUER

4. D. FATA- M. JONES

The Coyotes went out and got some help in the back end however still lost some key D men. Hale is somewhat streaky as fans in Calgary got to see. He ended up with 2 points last year in 58 games. He's a guy that isn't flashy but you don't really notice him out there with which as a D man isn't that bad because you aren't making mistakes. The paring of Jovanovski and Michalek will be asked to shut down the premier lines of the league and should be able to hold their own as well as adding some points. Morris give this young team much needed leadership as well as points on the power play.

GOALIES:

1- I. BRYZGALOV

2- M. TELLQVIST

3- A. MONTOYA

The Coyotes finally went out last year and got themselves a number 1 goalie. Bryzgalov played in 55 games last year boasting a 2.42 GAA with 3 shout outs. With the added talent up front I'd expect to see this number go down. Tellqvist was brought in expecting to come into the no. 1 roll but he struggled at the start of last season and he will spend most of his time this year on the bench. Former Michigan goalie Al Montoya will most likely start the year in San Antonio but might make the break into the NHL at some point this year.

OVERALL:

The Coyotes have made some major additions in the offseason and teams can no longer expect to go in to Phoenix and expect 2 points. You can expect that they will battle for the Western Conference's 8th and final play off spot with Vancouver and Minnesota. I fully expect them to be a tougher team than last year which is pretty tough considering Carcillo's league leading 324 PIMS.

PREDICTION: 4th Division, 8th Conference

PHILADELPHIA FLYERS: 08-09 Season Preview

07-08 RECORD: 42-29-11 95 points
DIVISION: 3rd
CONFERENCE: 6th
RESULT: Lost in Conference Finals

OFF-SEASON:
ARRIVALS: C Glen Metropolit(BOS), RW Aaron Asham(NJ), D Ossi Vaananen(EUR), D Steve Eminger(WSH)
DEPARTURES: C Jim Dowd, RW Sami Kapanen, D Jaroslav Modry, LW Vaclav Prospal, D Jason Smith, LW R-J Umberger, C Patrick Thoresen

It was a very quiet off-season for the Flyers especially when you look at what they did last summer. GM Paul Holmgren's work was all done last summer and those moves along with the young guys stepping up another level all helped towards the Flyers gigantic turn around and into the Conference Finals. The Flyers did loose some veterans like former captain Jason Smith, Sami Kapanen and Vaclav Prospal and were forced to trade R-J Umberger to make cap room for Jeff Carter. The Flyers did bring in some defensive depth with Ossi Vaananen and Steve Eminger and some leadership up front with Glen Metropolit but its a new time for the Flyers and all the player they let go were to let their young core step up and really make the Flyers their team. It all starts will their new 23 year old captain Mike Richards.

CAP HIT: 61.21 million(including injured Derian Hatcher & Mike Rathje)

FORWARDS:
My Projected Lines:
1- S.GAGNE-D.BRIERE-M.KNUBLE
2- S.HARTNELL-M.RICHARDS-J.LUPUL
3- S.DOWNIE-J.CARTER-S.UPSHALL
4- R.COTE-G.METROPOLIT-A.ASHAM
E- B.KANE-D.POWE-C.GIROUX

The Flyers are stacked down the middle. Daniel Briere, Richards and Carter are the core and leaders of this group and will be looked upon to continue their offensive production. Briere who had a disappointing season after signing that huge contract last summer, had a remarkable playoffs so the Flyers hope that he will build on that confidence. It was only a matter of time before Richards was the captain of the Flyers and he is the true face of 'Flyers hockey'. Carter who got and deserved a big raise this off-season was one goal away from scoring 30 while playing on the third line. The wingers will have to join their fellow centerman and produce offense. Simon Gagne will be looked to bounce back to his former 40+ goals after playing in only 25 games last season due to a concussion. Scott Hartnell and Joffrey Lupul both bring a pesky role while proving enough offense alongside Richards. Scottie Upshall will be looked to improve on his 14 goals last season but if he plays the full season that shouldn't be a problem alongside Carter. Metropolit, Riley Cote, Aaron Asham and Steve Downie bring the grit and toughness up front while Downie could have the chance to be a little more offense alongside Carter and Upshall.

DEFENSE:
My Projected Pairings:
1- K.TIMONEN-B.COBURN
2- R.JONES-L.KUKKONEN
3- O.VAANANEN-S.EMINGER
E- R.PARENT(INJ.)-D.HATCHER(INJ.)

The Flyers are set on defense but could be hampered early on with the injuries to Ryan Parent and Derian Hatcher. The Flyers prepared for Hatcher since he has been inured since the playoffs and they brought in Eminger and Vaananen. Kimmo Timonen will lead this group of young inexperienced players. He was great in all situations last season and was the Flyers go-to-guy. Randy Jones and Braydon Coburn stepped up huge last season and were pleasant surprises. Both were physical just like the Flyers like. Lasse Kukkonen will have to take another step in his career with the injuries to Hatcher and Parent. Vaananen returns from Europe and Eminger is more of a depth defensemen than anything but could succeed with the change of scenery.

GOALIES:
1- M.BIRON
2- A.NIITTYMAKI
3- J-S.AUBIN

Martin Biron was more than the Flyers expected last season especially during the playoffs. Biron proved he was a #1 goalie but proved he wants to win by his play during the playoffs. Biron and Antero Niittymaki give the Flyers a good 1-2 punch. Niittymaki hurt his hip early in training camp but it doesnt seem to be serious as the Flyers only have him listed as day-to-day and they put J-S Aubin on waivers today.

OVERALL

Lead by Richards the Flyers look to be set to take another long playoff run. They have the depth up front and are adding a healthy Gagne to the line-up. Timonen will be looked on huge to lead their young group of defensemen while Coburn and Jones will have to continue their development. With the Penguins top 2 defensemen injured, the Flyers will take a very good shot at the division.

PREDICTION: 2nd Division, 4th Conference

WOW!!!

WOW!!!

Thats all I can say after hearing the news about the Flames sending down Dustin Boyd to the minors. Unbelievable, even if it is just for a short time. Like what did the guy have to do to stay, play goalie? He was easily the best player during the pre-season and even though he has a two-way contract he deserved to stay. At this point I think risking losing a Andre Roy or Brandon Prust is worth is to keep this guy on the roster, he would have looked pretty good alongside Lombo and Cammalleri in my opinion. This better be temporary!

The Flames also placed Rhett Warrener on injured reserve list. After hearing/reading what this is, I guess Warrener is permitted to travel anywhere and do anything with the club except play and his salary doesnt count against the cap. I like this move because Warrener brings good leadership to the team and most of all wont have his salary killing us throughout the year. Plus if necessary he could fill in for someone etc.

OTTAWA SENATORS: 08-09 Season Preview

07-08 RECORD: 42-27-13 97 points
DIVISION: 2nd
CONFERENCE: 7th
RESULT: Lost in 1st round

OFF-SEASON:
ARRIVALS: LW Jarrko Ruutu(PITT), D Jason Smith(PHI), D Brenden Bell(PHO), RW Ryan Shannon(VAN), G Alex Auld(BOS), D Alexander Picard(TB), D Filip Kuba(TB)
DEPARTURES: D Mike Commodore, G Ray Emery, RW Brian McGrattan, D Wade Redden, C Randy Robitaille, LW Cory Stillman, D Lawrence Nycholat, D Andrej Meszaros

The Senators suffered one of the biggest collapses in NHL history last season, going from Stanley Cup contenders to barley making the playoffs and getting swept by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round. The Senators didn't want to be known for being a team easy to push around, they wanted to get tougher and be a harder working team and started by hiring Craig Hartsburg. Hartsburg brings a hard working attitude and seems like the perfect man to change the Senators personality. The Sens key off-season acquisitions were Jarrko Ruutu and Jason Smith who are known for their toughness. The Senators were forced to deal Andrej Meszaros near the end of the summer because they were unable to lock him up long-term. In return the Senators acquired defensemen Alex Picard and Filip Kuba. Alex Auld was also brought in to back-up Martin Gerber. This will be an interesting year for Senators fans.

CAP HIT: 54 million

FORWARDS:
My Projected Lines:
1- D.HEATLEY-J.SPEZZA-D.ALFREDSSON
2- A.VERMETTE-M.FISHER-J.WINCHESTOR
3- J.RUUTU-C.KELLY-C.NEIL
4- S.DONOVAN-D.McAMMOND-N.FOLIGNO
E- B.ISBISTER-C.BASS-R.SHANNON

The Senators will never have trouble scoring with their big three up front. Dany Heatley, Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson are probably the best line in hockey and will once again be counted on to produce the majority of the Sens offense. Jesse Winchestor could rotate with Alfredsson to help out the secondary scoring but for now Winchestor will play on the 2nd or 3rd line. Mike Fisher and Antoine Vermette have produced more and more each year offensively while still being two of the best Senators all around players. Ruutu and Neil could form one of the most toughest and grittiest lines in the league. Players will hate to play against them and that is exactly what Ottawa has been looking for. Chris Kelly was rewarded with a three year contract extension in the off-season for his good defensive play while Dean McAmmond, Shean Donovan and Nick Foligno give the Senators a 4th line filled with energy.

DEFENSE:
My Projected Pairings:
1- B.LEE-J.SMITH
2- C.PHILLIPS-A.VOLCHENKOV
3- A.PICARD-F.KUBA
E- C.SCHUBERT-L.RICHARDSON

The loss of both Wade Redden and Andrej Meszaros will hurt the Senators. Meszaros will hurt long-term while Redden seemed to be the odd man out even before the season was over. In their place, young Brian Lee and Alex Picard will have to step up and develop into everyday NHLers. The toughness and grit will not be lost with Jason Smith, Chris Phillips and Anton Volchenkov. Phillips and Volchenkov are one of the league's best shut-down pairings and Smith works hard every game and is always in the oppositions face. Filip Kuba will fill in on the PP and should do a decent job.

GOALIES:
1- M.GERBER
2- A.AULD
3- J.GLASS

Even with disgruntled and very distracting goaltender Ray Emery out of the picture, goaltender is still the major issue with the Sens heading into the season. Martin Gerber has never proven he can be a NHL starter since joining Ottawa and Auld has been a back-up the last couple of seasons. If neither one can step up and take the number 1 role, the Senators will be in for another short season.

OVERALL:

It will all come down to goaltending for the Senators. They have the scoring they need, a good top-6 defensive core and finally the toughness that has been lacking but if Gerber and Auld cant at least split time, the Senators will be a 1st round wonder again. Hartsburg will make his players play hard every shift and the Sens should be a better team because of it.

PREDICTION: 2nd Division, 6th Conference

NEW YORK RANGERS: 08-09 Season Preview

07-08 RECORD: 42-27-13 97 points
DIVISION: 3rd
CONFERENCE: 5th
RESULT: Lost in 2nd round

OFF-SEASON:
ARRIVALS: LW Markus Naslund(VAN), RW Nikolai Zherdev(CBM), LW Patrick Rissmiller(SJ), C Dan Fritsche(CBM), LW Aaron Voros(MIN), D Wade Redden(OTT), D Dmitri Kalinin(BUFF)
DEPARTURES: LW Sean Avery, D Christian Backman, LW Ryan Holloweg, RW Jaromir Jagr, D Marek Malik, RW Brenden Shanahan, LW Martin Straka, D Jason Strudwick, D Fedor Tyutin

There was no bigger make-over than there was in New York. The Rangers have a completely new supporting cast after they let go of Jaromir Jagr, Martin Straka, Sean Avery and Brenden Shanahan just to name a few. The fill their spots the Rangers signed long-time Canuck Markus Naslund and long-time Senator Wade Redden and traded for disgruntled winger Nikolai Zherdev from the Blue Jackets. The Rangers also acquired C Dan Fritsche in the Zherdev trade and signed LW Patrick Rissmiller, LW Aaron Voros and D Dmitri Kalinin. All these new faces will have to mesh with the Rangers core of Chris Drury and Scott Gomez who themselves have only played one season with the blueshirts.

CAP HIT: 55.72 million

FORWARDS:
My Projected Lines:
1- M.NASLUND-S.GOMEZ-N.ZHERDEV
2- N.DAWES-C.DRURY-P.PRUCHA
3- L.KORPIKOSKI-B.DUBINSKY-R.CALLAHAN
4- P.RISSMILLER-B.BETTS-F.SJOSTROM
E- A.VOROS-D.FRITSCHE-C.ORR

There will have to be alot of meshing going on this season for the Rangers will so many new faces. Naslund and Zherdev will join Gomez to form the Rangers #1 line. All three have proven they can handle top line status it is just a matter if they can do it together. Drury, the Rangers new captain centers the second line and could see a variety of players of his wings throughout the season. Nigel Dawes had some good chemistry with Drury last season so he is a good candidate to start of the left wing while the Rangers need Petr Prucha find his touch from his rookie season where he scored 30 goals. The Rangers third line could be their line of the future. Lead by Brandon Dubinsky, the Rangers have three potential top-6 forwards along with Ryan Callahan and Lauri Korpikoski. Patrick Rissmiller, Blair Betts and Fredrick Sjostrom bring the grit while Aaron Voros, Dan Fritsche and Colten Orr should all see playing time throughout the season.

DEFENSE:
My Projected Pairings:
1- M.STAAL-M.ROZSIVAL
2- D.GIRARDI-W.REDDEN
3- P.MARA-D.KALININ
E- C.PORTER-I.BARANKA

The Rangers have a good mix of young and old in their top six. Lead by Michael Rozsival who has revived his career since going to the Rangers and newly signed Wade Redden, the Rangers dont lack any experience. Both with be looked to play in all situations and Redden will be looked to improve the Rangers 22nd ranked PP. Marc Staal and Daniel Girardi bring the youth to the group and both look like they are going to have long successful careers. Paul Mara and Dmitri Kalinin round out the top-6 adding some more leadership. The only problem here is depth with the Rangers loosing Tomas Pock on waivers.

GOALIES:
1- H.LUNDQVIST
2- S.VALIQUETTE
3- M.WIIKMAN

The Rangers have no problem here with Henrik Lundqvist. Lundqvist has turned into an elite goalie in this league, falling just short of winning the Vezina trophy the last three seasons. He has had a few moments of inconsistency but nothing to be too worried about. He is a top-5 goaltender in the league. Stephane Valiquette has proven he is a capable back-up whenever Lundqvist needs a rest.

OVERALL:

Even with all the new faces, the Rangers should easily be a playoff team. Naslund and Zherdev could be new players in a their new surroundings and being on a line with Gomez doesnt hurt either. It will be up to Gomez, Drury and Naslund to help all the young guys up front. Redden should help the Rangers PP and the Rangers wouldn't have any problems keeping the puck out of their net.

PREDICTION: 3rd Division, 7th Conference

FINALLY!!!

Every Flames fans can rejoice today after news that the Flames have placed defensemen Andres Eriksson on waivers! The Flames also placed Rhett Warrener and Jamie Lundmark on waivers as well. News about Eriksson is music to my hears, he is probably the worst player in the league and he can now be the worst player in the AHL unless some idiot picks him up. I liked Warrener but his contract is just too pricey, I could definitely seeing someone picking him up. It is too bad for Warrener he plays hard every game and Flames fans should be great full for what he brought to our beloved team. Lundmark was a long shot to make the team in the first place but will be a great injury call-up sometime during the season.

With these moves the Flames rosters is pretty much set. Adam Pardy looks to have the 7th spot locked up while there is only one more spot up front and the battle is probably between Andre Roy and Brandon Prust.

NEW YORK ISLANDERS: 08-09 Season Preview

07-08 RECORD: 35-38-9 79 points
DIVISION: 5th
CONFERENCE: 13th
RESULT: Missed playoffs

OFF-SEASON:
ARRIVALS: C Doug Weight(STL/ANA), D Mark Streit(MON), G Yann Danis(MON), D Tomas Pock(NYR)
DEPARTURES: C Shawn Bates, G Wade Dubielewicz, LW Ruslan Fedotenko, RW Miroslav Satan, C Josef Vasicek

The Islanders are the weirdest ran franchise in the league. Last summer their back-up goaltender retired to become the teams GM then this off-season they fired last season's Jack Adam's trophy winner, Ted Nolan. Anyways this is the way Garth Snow wanted it and now he has put his mark on the team. After a dismal 13th place finish last season the Islanders are in full re-building mode. The Islanders signed PP specialist Mark Streit and veteran Doug Weight in the off-season and have left the rest of the holes to be filled in by youngsters from within their organization.

CAP HIT: 43.49 million

FORWARDS:
My Projected Lines:
1- T.HUNTER-M.COMRIE-K.OKPOSO
2- S.BERGENHEIM-D.WEIGHT-B.GUERIN
3- J.TAMBELLINI-A.HILBERT-B.COMEAU
4- J.SIM-F.NIELSEN-R.PARK
E- T.JACKMAN-M.SILLINGER(INJ.)-B.WALTER

The Islanders were dead last in scoring last season and they only added Weight in the off-season and he is in no way going to change that 30th rank, he will help but just him wont be enough for the Islanders to score more goals. Welcome the Islanders young guns, Kyle Okposo, Sean Bergenheim, Jeff Tambellini and Blake Comeau. There will be alot of pressure on these guys to produce, the time is now for all of them and the Islanders cant afford to wait any longer. They will battle for PP time but should all get a sniff during the season. Mike Comrie lead the team with 49 points last season but is more suited as a second line center. Bill Guerin lead the team with 23 goals, but at age 37 those numbers aren't going to improve much. Trent Hunter who brings tons of grit to the line-up will have added pressure to produce offensively.

DEFENSE:
My Projected Pairings:
1- M.STREIT-B.WITT
2- F.MEYER-R.MARTINEK
3- B.GERVAIS-T.POCK
E- C.CAMPOLI(INJ.)-A.SUTTON(INJ.)

If the Islanders top-6 can stay healthy all season the Islanders have a decent group of defenders. Streit was brought in for his ability to move the puck and to help the 29th ranked PP. Streit will have huge pressure to prove he can be a top-4 defensemen and lie up to his contract. Brendan Witt and Andy Sutton bring the leadership to the group, both are good defensively and both bring good toughness. Freddy Meyer was a pleasant surprise after coming over from the Flyers last season and the Islanders are hoping his development continues. Radek Martinek has been injury prone throughout his career but when healthy is a capable top-6 defensemen. Chris Campoli had a terrific rookie season but has faltered a bit since with injuries and will start the season on injured reserve.

GOALIES:
1- R.DiPIETRO
2- J.MacDONALD
3- Y.DANNIS

This is easily the Islanders strongest position when Rick DiPietro is healthy. DiPietro has lived up to his 1st overall status the last couple of seasons and has been the lone reason why the Islanders have even been competitive. His nagging hip problems are a concern for the Islanders organization. They have a 15 year contract riding on this guy who is their franchise player. If DiPietro's hip doesnt hold up the Islanders will be in trouble after letting Wade Dubielewicz sign in the KHL and now only having un-proven Joey MacDonald backing DiPietro up.

OVERALL:

Where is the offense going to come from? Who knows when you look at the Islanders roster because on paper they look to be in trouble. Youngsters Okposo, Comeau, Bergenheim and Tambellini look to be solid NHL players but to what extent is unknown. Okposo has the best shot of being a top-6 forward but all 4 of them have to step up in order for the Islanders to be competitive. Even more important is how good is DiPietro's hip, cause if he goes down for an extended period of time, the Islanders will be in even more trouble than if they can only score 2 goals a game. It is up to new head coach Scott Gordon to get the most of the young guys and with so many, it wont be an easy task.

PREDICTION: 5th Division, 14th Conference

NEW JERSEY DEVILS: 08-09 Season Preview

07-08 RECORD: 46-29-7 99 points
DIVISION: 2nd
CONFERENCE: 4th
RESULT: Lost in 1st round

OFF-SEASON:
ARRIVALS: C Brian Rolston(MIN), C Bobby Holik(ATL), G Scott Clemmensen(TOR)
DEPARTURES: RW Aaron Asham, LW Sergei Brylin, D Karel Rachunek

With Martin Brodeur and a defense with no real stars(yet they still get the job done), the Devils have been in the top 5 in goals against year after year. Offense like many other teams has been the Devils down fall in recent years so GM Lou Lamoriello who usually hasn't brought in the big free agent, did it this off-season by brining in/back 30 goal man Brian Rolston. Rolston is a bit of a risk at 35 and a contract that will take him till he is 39 but you cant argue with 30 goals and with the market the way it is today the Devils were forced to pay that kind of money for him. Rolston will probably be moved to center where he played earlier in his career to center the top line. Bobby Holik was also brought back to add some size and depth down the center.

CAP HIT: 53.26 million

FORWARDS:
My Projected Lines:
1- Z.PARISE-B.ROLSTON-B.GIONTA
2- P.ELIAS-T.ZAJAC-J.LANGENBRUNNER
3- J.PANDALFO-J.MADDEN-D.CLARKSON
4- D.ZUBRUS-B.HOLIK-M.RUPP
E- B.TALLACKSON-R.PELLEY-N.BERGFORS

The Devils finally have 2 lines that will have no problem scoring goals. Lead by the first line with Rolston who will be in between of Zach Parise and Brian Gionta, the Devils have three players that could potentially score 80 points. Parise who lead the Devils in points last season with 65 is only going to get better with time. Gionta will look to get back to his 48 goal form from two years ago but playing on the top line should definitely help. Having Rolston play center also helps Patrick Elias who can now move back to the left side where he is used to. Along with Travis Zajac and Jamie Langenbrunner the Devils will have lots of secondary scoring. The Devils were also able to re-sign LW Jay Pandalfo to keep the lethal penalty kill combo of him and John Madden together. These two have been one of the reasons the Devils have been so good at keeping the puck out of their own net. They should play on the third line together with David Clarkson. The Devils 4th line should be one of the biggest in the league with 6'4 Holik, 6'5 Danius Zubrus and 6'5 Michael Rupp.

DEFENSE:
My Projected Pairings:
1- J.ODUYA-P.MARTIN
2- C.WHITE-A.GREENE
3- B.SALVADOR-V.VISHNEVSKI
E- M.MOTTAU-S.BROOKBANK

This group is quite remarkable. They dont have a true top defensemen but as a group they are one of the best. They dont do anything flashy but sit back and quietly do their jobs. Paul Martin is probably their top defensemen but hasn't developed into that top defensemen like the Devils had hoped for. Colin White is the leader of the group and when he is healthy he is one of the nastiest and best shutdown guys in the league. Johnny Oduya and Andy Greene are both cast-offs the Devils have brought in and have flourished with the franchise. Bryce Salvador was a nice surprise after coming over from St.Louis at the deadline and Vitaly Vishnevski can dish out the big hit.

GOALIES:
1- M.BRODEUR
2- K.WEEKES
3- S.CLEMMENSEN

What is there to say about Martin Brodeur? He is probably one of the most consistent, if not the most consistent players in the last decade and he gives the Devils a chance to win every night. This year Brodeur should break Patrick Roy's record for most wins by a goalie with 551. Brodeur needs just 14 wins to do it so it wont take long.

OVERALL:

Once again the Devils will be a tough team to beat, even more so with the acquisition of Rolston which solidifies the Devils with two top lines. Lamoriello has done a remarkable job with this team finding gems like Madden and Oduya from no where and turning them into top NHL players. With the added scoring and Brodeur in net the Devils will push for the division championship.

PREDICTION: 3rd Division, 5th Conference

NASHVILLE PREDATORS: 08-09 Season Preview

07-08 RECORD: 41-32-9 91 points
DIVISION: 2nd
CONFERENCE: 8th
RESULT: Lost in 1st round

OFF-SEASON:
ARRIVALS: LW Josh Gratton(PHO), LW Ryan Jones(PHI), C Nick Tarnasky(TB)
DEPARTURES: LW Martin Gelinas, LW Jan Hlavac, LW Darcy Hordichuk, G Chris Mason, D Marek Zidlicky, RW Alexander Radulov

Off-season after off-season the Preds have been in tough to bring in anyone. Big names have elected to go elsewhere to a point where GM David Poile pretty much doesnt even make the effort to go after them. Coach Barry Trotz, the Preds only coach since they came in the league in 98' has done a remarkable job in getting the best out of his players and over-achieving making the Preds a playoff team the last couple of seasons. Drafting has been the only thing that has saved the Preds with stars like Shea Weber, Ryan Suter, Martin Erat and Alexander Radulov. This off-season has been the probably been the toughest for the Preds because they lost their star RW who they drafted and still had under contract. Alex Radulov ignored his current contract and signed in the new Russian league, the KHL. This contract is going to go to an arbitrator but the Preds have already took action and suspended Radulov for the whole year without pay. This one is not only going to hurt the Preds this season but into the future because Radulov was developing into their franchise player, a had a plan to build their team around him. Now the Preds are back to step one.

CAP HIT: 43.39 million

FORWARDS:
My Projected Lines:
1- J-P.DUMONT-J.ARNOTT-M.ERAT
2- R.JONES-D.LEGWAND-P.HORNQVIST
3- V.FIDDLER-R.BONK-J.TOOTOO
4- S.NICHOL-N.TARNASKY-J.SMITHSON
E- J.ORTMEYER-R.PEVERLY-S.SULLIVAN(INJ.)

The Preds will have trouble scoring goals this year, especially without Radulov. Steve Sullivan will start the season on injured reserve with his bad back so the Preds will look to J-P Dumont, Jason Arnott and Martin Erat to provide and lead their offense. All three were good last season with Dumont and Arnott leading the team in points with 72. Erat is now the focal point of the Preds offense with his new contract and the Preds are hoping this is the year he can produce in the 70 point range as well. Rookie Patric Hornqvist has even more pressure on him with the loss of Radulov to provide the Preds with some secondary scoring. David Legwand has never lived up to his 2nd overall selection but if he finally does this season it will be happy times in Nashville where they will just have to say better late then never. Ryan Jones who was acquired from the Flyers will also be looked upon to provide some secondary scoring in his rookie season. The Preds third line has lots of grit with Vernon Fiddler, Radek Bonk and Jordin Tootoo but all with have to help out more offensively. Scott Nichol, Nick Tarnasky, Jerred Smithson and Jed Ortmeyer will cycle through the 4th line bringing the toughness and grit night in and night out.

DEFENSE:
My Projected Pairings:
1- S.WEBER-D.HAMHUIS
2- V.KOISTINEN-R.SUTER
3- G.De VRIES-G.ZANON
E- K.KLEIN-A.SULZER

The Preds have one of the best young defensive corps in the league. Lead by Shea Weber and Dan Hamhuis the Preds have a good mix of offensive and defensive defensemen throughout the group. Weber will look to rebound after a injuring filled season which saw him appear in only 54 games. He will be a star defensemen for years to come and the Preds will build their team around him. Hamhuis has been steady throughout his career and is developing into a very good defensemen. Ville Koistinen was a pleasant surprise last season and along with Ryan Suter, round out the Preds top-4. Greg De Vries is the veteran of the group and alongside Greg Zanon, they bring the toughness.

GOALIES:
1- D.ELLIS
2- P.RINNE
3- D.MacINTYRE

This is another concern for the Preds this season. Dan Ellis was great last year but it came out of no where and the Preds need him to repeat his performance. Ellis is still young and was the Predators top priority to sign in the off-season. Pekka Rinne is highly touted so if Ellis falters, Rinne will be there to step into his place.

OVERALL

The loss of Radulov has to hurt the Predators alot. This is a bigger loss than any of their big name players signing elsewhere. All their work in drafting and developing players through their own system, then to have one of their best leave while still under contract must have the franchise questioning themselves. Radulov could make a return one day but his relationship with the franchise has been severely damaged. With that the Preds have never been the one to quit and as long as Trotz is being the bench the Preds have a chance to win. This season however with all the questions surrounding the franchise it could be tough especially in the insanely competitive western conference.

PREDICTION: 3rd Division, 11th Conference

Flames Trim to 26

The Flames cut another 3 on Saturday, sending C Mikael Backlund back to Vasteras of the Swedish Elie League and re-assigning C John Armstrong and G Matt Keetley to Quad-City. No surprises here, Backlund had to do something special to stick with the club and not to say he played bad, he just needs another season of developing before he becomes a everyday Flames. This now leave the Flames roster at 26 with only the goaltending position being determined with Curtis McElhinney Backing up Kipper. The final roster spots will be upfront between Roy, Prust and Lundmark and on the back-end between Warrener, Pardy and Eriksson. All I hope for it that Eriksson has played his last game as a Flames but at the same time I would be shocked if he hasn't.

MONTREAL CANADIENS: 08-09 Season Preview

07-08 RECORD: 47-25-18 104 points
DIVISION: 1st
CONFERENCE: 1st
RESULT: Lost in 2nd round

OFF-SEASON:
ARRIVALS: LW Alex Tanguay(CGY), LW George Laraque(PITT), D Alex Henry(NAS), D Shawn Belle(STL), G Marc Denis(TB), C Robert Lang(CHI)
DEPARTURES: C Mikhail Grabovksi, RW Michael Ryder, C Bryan Smolinski, D Mark Streit

The Canadiens didn't have to do a whole lot in the off-season after their surprising 104 point, 1st place finish. But after their disappointing 2nd round playoff loss to the Flyers, there were a few things that needed to be addressed. GM Bob Gainey started by acquiring LW Alex Tanguay from the Flames on draft day. Tanguay will bring even more depth up front for the Canadiens and if he plays alongside Chris Higgins, it could help Higgins become a 30 goal scorer. From the Canadiens loss to the Flyers, toughness was the glaring hole the Canadiens needed to address. The Canadiens went out and signed home-boy George Laraque who will bring more than enough toughness. To finish off the off-season the Canadiens acquired C Robert Lang from the Blackhawks to add depth and size down the middle.

CAP HIT: 54.89 million

FORWARDS:
My Projected Lines:
1- A.KOSTITSYN-T.PLEKANEC-A.KOVALEV
2- A.TANGUAY-S.KOIVU-C.HIGGINS
3- G.LATENDRESSE-R.LANG-S.KOSTITSYN
4- G.LARAQUE-K.CHIPCHURA-M.LAPIERRE
E- M.DANDENAULT-S.BEGIN-T.KOSTOPOULOS

The Canadiens have depth throughout all three positions especially with the acquisition of Lang. Lead by their top line of Andrei Kostitsyn, Tomas Plekanec and come-back player of the year Alex Kovalev the Canadiens will score alot of goals this season. Tanguay and Higgins will be centered by captain Saku Koivu to form a very solid second line. The Canadiens third line shouldn't have a problem scoring either. Guillaume Latendresse. Lang and Sergei Kostitsyn will bring yet another line of scoring while helping the Canadiens defensively. Laraque, rookie Kyle Chipchura and Maxim Lapierre will bring the grit and toughness on the 4th line. Steve Begin, Mathieu Dandenault and Tom Kostopoulos are hard pressed to make the team but can fill in for injuries without a problem.

DEFENSE:
My Projected Pairings:
1- A.MARKOV-M.KOMISAREK
2- F.BOULLION-R.HAMRLIK
3- P.BRISEBOIS-J.GORGES
E- R.O'BRYNE-M.CARLE

The Canadiens have a solid top-6 but will look for repeat performances by Roman Hamrlik and Patrice Brisebois who both played surprisingly well. Andrei Markov leads the group alongside Mike Komisarek to form one of the best pairings in the league. They bring a equal mix of offense and defense while not forgetting about one or the other. Markov will be looked upon even more on the PP with the loss of PP specialists Mark Streit. Francois Boullion is very steady and has become a solid top-4 defensemen. Josh Gorges really started to make strides last last season and will continue his development into an everyday defensemen. Ryan O'Bryne brings the depth to the group and is a solid injury replacement.

GOALIES:
1- C.PRICE
2- J.HALAK
3- M.DENIS

Last season Carey Price came into camp just looking to make the team. What a difference a season makes with Price now the teams starting goaltender for this year and the future. Price will be a star goaltender but had some problems last season but that is expected being a rookie goalie. Price made amazing strides last season especially when you look at other young goalies like M-A Fleury who took a little longer to be the caliber of goaltender Price has already become. Jaroslav Halak is a solid back-up but dont expect him to play very many games.

OVERALL:

The Canadiens are solid from top to bottom and baring any injuries they will be tough to beat coming out of the east. GM Bob Gainey added some toughness and some scoring depth in the off-season and it should be what pushes the Canadiens deep into the playoffs. In their 100th season, the Canadiens are hoping they capture their 25th Cup.

PREDICTION: 1st Division, 1st Conference

MINNESOTA WILD: 08-09 Season Preview

07-08 RECORD: 44-28-10 98 points
DIVISION: 1st
CONFERENCE: 3rd
RESULT: Lost in 1st round

OFF-SEASON:
ARRIVALS: LW Andrew Brunette(COL), LW Owen Nolan(CGY), RW Antii Miettinen(DAL), RW Craig Weller(PHO), C Krys Kolanos(AHL), C Cody Locke(MON), D Marek Zidlicky(NAS), D M-A Bergeron(NYI/ANA), D Tomas Mojzis(NYR)
DEPARTURES: D Keith Carney, LW Pavol Demitra, LW Todd Fedoruk, RW Matt Foy, D Sean Hill, D Petteri Nummelin, LW Brian Rolston, LW Chris Simon, LW Aaron Voros, RW Mark Parrish

New faces will be all over the Wild's roster. The Wild headed into the free agent season with alot of UFA's and elected to head in a different direction, letting alot of them walk. With the loss of both Brian Rolston and Pavol Demitra, the Wild lost alot of offense so it was the focus on the summers transactions. The Wild started with two trades for defensemen Marek Zidlicky and M-A Bergeron. Both will be looked to help bring some more offense from the back-end. The Wild then brought in fan favourite Andrew Brunette on July 1st. Brunette has continued to produce offensively but was the Wild's really only true top-6 forward acquisition. The Wild then added some grit in signing LW Owen Nolan, RW Antii Miettinen and RW Craig Weller. Miettinen and Nolan will be looked upon to add some secondary scoring as well as their grit. The Wild finished off the off-season by buying out RW Mark Parrish to make some extra room under the cap.

CAP-HIT: 50.38 million

FORWARDS:
My Projected Lines:
1- A.BRUNETTE-M.KOIVU-M.GABORIK
2- O.NOLAN-J.SHEPPARD-P-M.BOUCHARD
3- C.GILLIES-E.BELANGER-A.MIETTINEN
4- S.VEILLEUX-B.POULIOT-C.WELLER
E- D.BOOGARD-C.LOCKE-C.CLUTTERBUCK

The Wild's biggest concern heading into the 08-09 season will be goal scoring. After the Wild lost 30 goal man Brian Rolston and 54 point man Pavol Demitra who had good chemistry with Marian Gaborik, the Wild brought in 59 point man Andrew Brunette from the Avalanche and Owen Nolan who only had 38 points last season. There will be big pressure on Mikko Koivu and youngster James Sheppard to prove they can be the top 2 centers. Gaborik's health is also a concern and if he misses a long period of time, the Wild could be in big, big trouble. P-M Bouchard will also have to step up this season an contribute 70-80 points on the Wild's second line. Colton Gillies looks like he is going to make the big squad, at least to start the season and with his great speed he could be a guy to watch for. Eric Belanger and Miettinen can play both ways and will have to be at their best night in and night out. Stephane Veilleux and Craig Weller will bring the grit and toughness while Benoit Pouliot looks like he will finally become a everyday NHLer.

DEFENSE:
My Projected Pairings:
1- B.BURNS-K.JOHNSSON
2- N.SCHULTZ-M.ZIDLICKY
3- M.SKOULA-M-A BERGERON
E- E.REITZ-K.FOSTER(INJ.)

As long as the Wild have Jacques Lemaire behind the bench their defensive game will never be a problem. Lead by Brent Burns, the Wild have a solid group of defensemen, 1 through 6. Burns continues to become one of the best in league and one of the leaders of this team. Kim Johnsson didn't bring the offense like the Wild hoped for when they signed him last year but was played a solid all-around game which made up for the loss of offense. Nick Schultz is the Wild's best defensive defensemen and will be put against the oppositions best night in and night out. Zidlicky and Bergeron will be looked to help Burns to add some offense from the back end. Kurtis Foster will start the season on injured reserve after that awful icing incident with the Sharks Tory Mitchell where he broke his leg.

GOALIES:
1- N.BACKSTROM
2- J.HARDING
3- B.BRUST

With Lemaire's defensive first game plan and with a solid top-6 in front of them, the Wild's goaltending should be a problem. Nicklas Backstrom and Josh Harding are both capable NHL goaltenders. Backstrom will get the majority of the work but Harding is more than capable of playing in 25-30 games.

OVERALL

We all know it is tough to score goals against the Wild but will they have enough scoring to even win the 2-1 or 1-0 games? Gaborik has to stay healthy and that will be the biggest concern throughout the whole season. Forwards like Bouchard, Shepard and Koivu all have to take their game to the next level cause Gaborik cant do it by himself. There are alot of new faces in the very competitive Northwest division and it will be very tough for the Wild to encore their division title from last season.

PREDICTION: 3rd Division, 8th Conference

Flames Make More Cuts

The Flames announced they have cut LW Kyle Greentree, C Brett Sutter and D Matt Pelech. All three have been re-assigned to Quad-City. No surprise here, none of them were in the running to make the big club and Sutter was only in the game last night after Langkow was a late scratch because of the flu. This now leaves 29 players in Flames camp and after their showing against the Canucks last night, some work still needs to be done. Players like Backlund, Lundmark, Pardy, Warrener and Eriksson will be closely watched as training camp starts to wind down and as the season opener creeps closer and closer. Looking forward to the game tomorrow night against our hated rivals from up north, hopefully we completely dominate them once again!

LOS ANGELES KINGS: 08-09 Season Preview

07-08 RECORD: 32-43-7 71 points
DIVISION: 5th
CONFERENCE: 15th
RESULT: Missed playoffs

OFF-SEASON:
ARRIVALS: C Jarrett Stoll(EDM), RW Brad Richardson(COL), D Matt Greene(EDM), D Denis Gauthier(PHI), D Sean O'Donnell(ANA)
DEPARTURES: D Rob Blake, LW Mike Cammalleri, LW Shaun Thornton, D Lubomir Visnovsky, RW Brian Willsie

The Kings are in obvious re-build mode, more than ever after the off-season. Veterans Rob Blake, Lubomir Visnovsky, Shaun Thornton and Mike Cammalleri were all traded or in Thornton's case left to sign with someone else. Their replacements, Jarret Stoll, Matt Greene, Brad Richardson and 2nd overall pick Drew Doughty. Only veterans Denis Gauthier and Sean O'Donnell were brought in and more to get the Kings closer to the cap floor than anything. The Kings are younger than ever and have a very bright future. They had to over pay Stoll and his contract extension to help get them to the floor cap but otherwise the Kings money is invested well in their young players. Stoll has the potential to live up to his contract. The Kings still have some work to do to get to the floor but are still in negotiations with Patrick O'Sullivan and a contract extension for him, which will be a hefty raise. Things haven't been sounding good coming out of it, so the Kings are hoping they wont have to deal O'Sullivan which would be a huge blow to the franchise.

CAP HIT: 32.72 million

FORWARDS:
My Projected Lines:
1- P.O'SULLIVAN-A.KOPITAR-D.BROWN
2- T.PURCELL-J.STOLL-A.FROLOV
3- K.CALDER-M.HANDZUS-B.RICHARDSON
4- M.ELLIS-D.ARMSTRONG-R.IVANANS
E- M.MOULSON-B.BOYLE-J.ZEILER

The Kings will have no problems scoring goals lead by Anze Kopitar, Patrick O'Sullivan, Dustin Brown and Alexander Frolov who all have he potential to score 30 goals this season. Everyone else will be looked upon to follow suit and add some secondary scoring. Stoll will look to rebound from a awful year offensively in Edmonton and Teddy Purcell will have to take the next step and become a top-6 forward. Kyle Calder and Michael Handzus bring the leadership to the group and will be a good 3rd line. Richardson should join them on the right side and will have to take the next step and become an everyday NHLer. Derek Armstrong could be moved to the wing if 6 foot 6 Brian Boyle impresses enough in camp to be the Kings 4th line center.

DEFENSE:
My Projected Pairings:
1- J.JOHNSON-D.DOUGHTY
2- M.GREENE-S.O'DONNELL
3- T.PREISSING-P.HARROLD
E- D.GAUTHIER-A.MARTINEZ

Much like the forwards, this years group of defensemen are young with a few veterans. Jack Johnson will be the Kings #1 defensemen and will be looked upon to join the few elite defensemen in the league. Him and Doughty could form another good young pairing in the league but both have alot to learn. Doughty has the potential to win the Calder and will be put in every situation.
Matt Greene who came over in the Visnovksy deal will be looked to take the next step and become a top-4 defensemen. Tom Preissing and new acquisition Sean O'Donnell bring the leadership to the group and will be looked to play valuable minutes if the young guys falter. Peter Harrold and Denis Gauthier will battle for the last spot.

GOALIES:
1- J.LaBARBERA
2- J.BERNIER
3- E.ERSBERG

There are the most questions surrounding the goaltending than any other position. It remains to be seen who will even be the starting goaltender for the Kings for the up-coming season. Jason LaBarbera was good at times last season but is probably better suited as a back-up. The battle will be between young guns Jonathan Bernier and Erik Ersberg for potentially the starting job but at least the back-up role. Bernier could have the upper hand with his time with the club last season and with him slotted as the goalie of the future.

OVERALL:

The Kings are still too young to compete this season and there will once again be alot of headaches and dumps in the road during the 08-09 season. The Kings are headed in the right direction with the core of Kopitar, Frolov, O'Sullivan, Brown, Johnson, Doughty and Bernier it is just a matter of time and a few more pieces before the Kings will be legitimate contenders.

PREDICTION: 5th Division, 15th Conference

FLORIDA PANTHERS: 08-09 Season Preview

07-08 RECORD: 38-38-9 85 points
DIVISION: 3rd
CONFERENCE: 11th
RESULT: Missed playoffs

OFF-SEASON:
ARRIVALS: LW Cory Stillman(CAR/OTT), D Keith Ballard(PHO), D Nick Boynton(PHO), D Rory Fitzpatrick(PHI), G Curtis Beckford-Tseu(STL), D Bryan McCabe(TOR)
DEPARTURES: D Jassen Cullimore, D Magnus Johansson, C Oli Jokinen, D Branislav Mezei, D Steve Montador, LW Garth Murray, C Jozef Stumpel, D Mike Van Ryn

Another off-season gone and another franchise player gone for the Florida Panthers. The Panthers dealt their franchise leading scorer, Oli Jokinen to the Phoenix Coyotes in a draft day deal. The Panthers acquired top-4 and rising defensemen Keith Ballard and defensemen Nick Boynton. This leaves the franchise going in a direction no knows where it is going to go. To make things worse the Panthers were unable to lock-up franchise defensemen Jay Bouwmeester to a long-term deal, settling for a one year deal which leaves a ton of speculation that Bouwmeester will test free agency. If Bouwmeester leaves that will be 3 franchise players gone in the last 4 years. Bouwmeester will get the big buck in free agency so the Panthers would be smart to deal him cause it definitely seems like Bouwmeester doesnt want to be a Panther anymore. The Panthers were able to sign Cory Stillman to help the void left by Jokinen up front but had to severely over pay to do it. The Panthers finished off the summer by acquiring Bryan McCabe from the Leafs, which looks like their plan b if Bouwmeester does leave.

CAP HIT: 52.29 million

FORWARDS:
My Projected Lines:
1- D.BOOTH-S.WEISS-N.HORTON
2- R.OLESZ-S.MATTHIAS-C.STILLMAN
3- R.ZEDNIK-B.McLEAN-R.DVORAK
4- V.PELTONEN-K.KREPS-W.BELAK
E- A.STEWART-G.CAMPBELL-M.FROLIK

The pressure is on for the Panthers young guns to really step up into the place of Jokinen. Stephane Weiss and Nathan Horton now become the center-piece of the Panthers offense and the Panthers will live or die by these two. David Booth will also have to improve on his 22 goals even if it is only the 25 mark, that should help the front line. Shawn Matthias looks to be in good shape of centering the Panthers 2nd line, especially after the strong performance in his brief call-up last season. Matthias will center Stillman and Rostislav Olesz. Stillman is good for 60-65 points, while Olesz is another young guy who will have more pressure put on him to produce offensively. Richard Zednik looks like he s healthy again from that horrific incident last season and will add some scoring punch from the third line. He could push for 2nd line time if Olesz isn't able to produce but only time will tell. Brett McLean is a good 3rd line center but the Panthers had a 2nd line role in mind when they signed him last summer. Radek Dvorak and Ville Peltonen will rotate between the 3rd and 4th line depending on how consistent they play.

DEFENSE:
My Projected Pairings:
1- J.BOUWMEESTER-K.BALLARD
2- B.ALLEN-B.McCABE
3- K.SKRASTINS-N.BOYNTON
E- C.MURPHY-N.WELSCH

The Panthers will be alot stronger defensively this season with the acquisitions of Ballard, Boynton and McCabe. Well maybe not McCabe who is a liability in his defensive end but he does add a spark offensively. Bouwmeester and Ballard could make one of the best young pairings in the league and should be counted on for 28-30 minutes a night. Bryan Allen, the only player left from the Luongo trade is a solid top-4 defensemen and could do well with McCabe. Karlis Skrastins and Nick Boynton bring the leadership to the group and will make a solid 3rd pairing. Noah Welsch will push Skrastins for playing time and if he does succeed in making the club, Skrastins could be on the move.

GOALIES:
1- T.VOKOUN
2- C.ANDERSON
3- C.BECKFORD-TSEU

Who knows where the Panthers would have been without Tomas Vokoun last season. Vokoun was simply remarkable and without a doubt the Panthers MVP. He is an elite goaltender and brings huge leadership into the dressing room. Craig Anderson proved he is an excellent back-up and the Panthers shouldn't be worried when Vokoun needs a night off.

OVERALL

The Panthers will live and die with their core of young players up front. Weiss, Horton, Booth and Olesz will be looked upon to step up big time and produce. No more excuses for these guys, the time is now and the Panthers are giving them a chance to shine. New coach Peter DeBoer who is said to be the next great coach, will have his hands full. The Panthers are set on the back-end with Bouwmeester and Vokoun, it is just a question is this Bouwmeester's last season in a Panthers uniform, if so the Panthers whole organization will come into question.

PREDICTION- 4th Division, 12th Conference