New York Rangers 2009-10 record 53-22-7, 113 point, 1st. LOST in the conference quarterfinals to TB.
A streaky team early on, the Rangers poured it on over the second half of the season to move past the Flyers into the top spot in the division and a fourth
place finish in the league. Can they do it again? GM Pat Webber hopes so, keeping the core of the team intact and waiting to see what full seasons from
Patrick Marleau and Simon Gagné can bring. FORWARDS: Not many teams try to rebuild their scoring lines mid-season, but that's what the Rangers did by bringing in top scorers Marleau, Gagné, and Cory Stillman. Holdovers Chris Drury, Vinny Prospal, and youngster Artem Anisimov round out the scoring punch. Michael Peca was signed as a free agent to add to the checking line prowess, joining Brian Sutherby and Wayne Primeau. Chris Higgins and Ryan Callahan are valuable tweeners. Rookies Dane Byers and Ethan Werek will get a look as well. DEFENSE: The unit will try to get it done without a big gun from the blueline once again. Kimmo Timonen, Michael del Zotto, and Rostislav Klesla lead the offensive effort while providing quality two-way play. Defensive anchor Marc Staal was seriously missed during the playoffs last year. Rookie Ryan McDonagh gets a shot this year and vet Brett Clark comes over from the Capitals to round things out. GOAL: Everything begins and ends with Henrik Lundqvist. The Vezina nominee looks to bring it again this year. New addition Daniel Larsson should offer better play than last years backup, while Marek Schwarz is AHL-level insurance.
OUTLOOK: A repeat could be in the cards but it's not getting any easier. Age might catch up to this team soon.
Philadelphia Flyers 2009-10 record 49-28-5, 103 points, 2nd. LOST in first round of playoffs to NYR.
The Flyers nearly had a great season in the inaugural EHEC go-round, until a post-Olympics swoon cost them the division crown, and saw the team go down in the first round of the playoffs. GM Ryan Spurrell has kept last year's team largely intact, opting to forego significant free agent signings for now, bringing on only #1 goalie Jonas Hiller, who spent last season with Anaheim. FORWARDS: The Flyers have one of the deepest rotations at center in the league. Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, and Claude Giroux are all first-rate talents. Daniel Carcillo is a top-notch checking forward. Scoring from the wings will be problematic however, with only Daniel Brière and Scott Hartnell being top-line options. The team will lean more heavily on Lukas Kaspar and expect some development from Andreas Nödl. Don't be surprised to see coach Stevens slide a center over to wing early in the season. Carcillo, Kaspar, Steve Ott, Sean Avery, Arron Asham, and Ian Laperriere also bring the lumber every night, making these Broad Street Bullies a hard team to face. DEFENSE: A solid if unspectacular unit, led by veterans Chris Pronger and Wade Redden. Braydon Coburn has emerged as a capable two-way blueliner, and Ryan Parent is a typical stay-at-home type. After that, questions arise. Matt Carle and M-A Bergeron should battle to be the third offensive option, while Francis Bouillon and newly-acquired Tyler Cuma should fill out the 6/7 spots. Bobby Sanguinetti and O-K Tollefsen could also figure into the mix. GOAL: Hiller gets the call for 10-11, but he'll be keeping the seat warm for #1 pick Calvin Pickard. Johan Backlund is the likely backup.
OUTLOOK: Should battle it out for the division top spot again.
Pittsburgh Penguins 2009-10 record 39-35-8, 86 points, 3rd. OUT of playoffs.
Despite missing the playoffs by just four points, the Pens Matt Bernier has been one of the busiest GMs on the planet this summer. Gone are the cornerstones of Pittsburgh's 2009 championship team: Crosby, Malkin, Staal, Gonchar, Fleury, et al. In is a mix of old names and new blood. The remodeling began last season, bringing in youngsters Nazem Kadri, Cody Hodgson, and Dmitry Kulikov, and veteran D Mark Streit. The off-season saw a more veteran presence added to the lineup, with the additions of Jarome Iginla, Mats Sundin, Anze Kopitar, Radek Bonk, Mike Modano, Owen Nolan, Eric Brewer, Barret Jackman, Pavel Kubina, Antero Niittymäki, and Jonathan Bernier. As if that weren't enough, GM Bernier brought back fan favorites Erik Christensen and Colby Armstrong as well. FORWARDS: It's an almost entirely new look up front, and Bernier should have the horses to field two competent scoring lines. The checking lines will be rather thin, however, beyond Armstrong, and the fading Modano and developing Greg Nemisz. DEFENSE: A unit that should get better as the season moves along, especially with the development of Kulikov and rookie Simon Despres. Streit and Kubina will lead the offense, while Brewer and Jackman will anchor the back end of things. Just don't anyone get hurt... GOAL: The Bernier/Niittymäki duo should be solid, with the former set to move into the upper echelon of EHEC netminders.
OUTLOOK: The vets should make this team more competitive while the newbies develop. Playoff-caliber.
New York Islanders 2009-10 record 31-47-4, 66 points, 4th. OUT of playoffs.
The Isles struggled through another tough season while waiting for their young core to develop. GM Dave Gerdevich has stayed the course over the off-season, forgoing huge free agent contracts and patiently developing the new blood. FORWARDS: Jonathan Tavares is the cream of the crop. Maxim Afinogenov and Josh Bailey are also quality players, but there's a drop-off after that group. Trent Hunter, Jeff Tambellini, and Kyle Calder are the other scoring options. The team needs a healthy year from Ryan Malone, and for Kyle Okposo and Blake Comeau to step up. The Isles would like to see 2010 draftees Maxim Kitsyn and Emerson Etem develop in a hurry. DEFENSE: Mostly a cast of defensive grinders, with offense coming from Alex Goligoski and Bruno Gervais. Brendan Witt is the best of the rest. Look for some development from Calvin de Haan and Aaron Ness, and maybe some early playing time for new pick Erik Gudbranson. GOAL: Rick DiPietro keeps the Fishsticks in most games, but backup Martin Biron needs to play much better than last year. He may be pushed by Mikko Koskinen come the new year.
OUTLOOK: Another year of suffering.
New Jersey Devils 2009-10 record 29-49-7-4, 62 points, 5th. OUT of playoffs.
GM Rob Gray has begun the rebuilding process in Jersey, casting out the old and bringing in a few veterans while giving the prospects a chance to earn spots in the roster. A bottom-dwelling finish to 2010 brought in two top-notch talents early in the draft in forward Tyler Seguin and defenseman Cam Fowler. Though they have yet to make a showing in camp, expect to see them in Newark sooner than later. FORWARDS: Besides Seguin, the biggest news up front is the addition of premier scorer Ilya Kovalchuk. He brings an immediate scoring upgrade to a unit that sorely needs it. Top returnees Travis Zajac, Danius Zubrus, and Brian Rolston should be joined by Mattias Tedenby, Alexander Vasyunov, and Nicklas Bergfors. Alex Burrows brings some grit to the checking lines, where Nick Palmieri should see more time as well. The Devils should do much better than the 194 goals they managed last year. DEFENSE: Paul Martin is a quality puck-mover, but needs more help. Johnny Oduya tops the rest of an aging bunch, along with Bryce Salvador and Steve Staios. Andy Greene and Kevin Klein round out the group. Look for Fowler to join this gang sooner than later. Fast development from new pick Simon Lof wouldn't hurt either. GOAL: A pick-em between youngsters Devin Dubnyk and Riku Helenius, each looking to establish himself as the next great Devils netminder. Dubnyk had the better numbers last year, so we'll pencil him in for now. One of these two could be trade bait to bring in some help elsewhere, as AHL minder Jeff Frazee could become a quality backup.
OUTLOOK: Improving. Probably won't challenge Pittsburgh but will be a tougher out than in 09-10.
Yeah, these predictions are only good until the season starts...
