Here’s a team-by-team preview of the NHL’s Eastern Conference as the first weekend of action gets underway along with predictions:
15. Nashville Predators- Barry Trotz has worked wonders with this team, and he could do it again, but it is impossible to predict this offense scoring enough goals to challenge for the playoffs. Shea Weber and Ryan Suter headline a good defense that plays in front of outstanding goaltender Pekka Rinne.
14. Dallas Stars- Kari Lehtonen will almost certainly get injured and when he does there is... Andrew Raycroft. There are some very good young players on this team, Loui Eriksson and James Neal are particularly exciting, but the defense looks fragile and the West is very deep.
13. Minnesota Wild- John Madden and Matt Cullen bring good experience and a defense with Brent Burns and Cam Barker looks decent. Martin Havlat is excellent, but he never seems far away from injury, a possible exciting team, but just as likely to suffer another season of re-building.
12. Edmonton Oilers- Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle and Magnus Paarjarvi give the Oilers one of the most exciting young trios in the game. Nikolai Khabibulin starts the season fit in net and this should be a better year for a re-building Edmonton team.
11. Phoenix Coyotes- Can the Coyotes repeat last year’s success? Of course they can, but will they? They quietly lost a couple of good pieces in the offseason and offensive punch might just be lacking, though it will be interesting to see how Kyle Turris performs now that he appears ready for the NHL.
10. Columbus Blue Jackets- Steve Mason is very talented and should be better this season, which is vital for the Blue Jackets. Other than that this team didn’t change much and still just lacks that punch to support Rick Nash and reach the postseason.
9. Calgary Flames- Alex Tanguay and Olli Jokinen return and it is all too familiar for the Flames. The team has a little more depth than those of the past, but why should these players gel when they failed to before?
8. Anaheim Ducks- The Ducks defense will have a new identity after Scott Niedermayer retired and it should benefit them, they have a few very good young players and three premier scorers in Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Bobby Ryan. They will just about sneak into the playoffs.
7. Detroit Red Wings- Can Jimmy Howard avoid a sophomore slump? How much longer can Nicklas Lidstrom and for that matter this Red Wings franchise maintain its high level of performance?
6. Los Angeles Kings- The Kings are starting to put it all together. Jonathan Bernier will be a better goaltender than Jonathan Quick, if he isn’t already. Willie Mitchell and Alexei Ponikarovsky are solid additions backing up a very strong young core led by Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty.
5. Colorado Avalanche- Craig Anderson is the real deal and so is this Avalanche team. They have depth and skill at forward, Matt Duchene should improve further and their defense should be mobile with John Michael-Liles and Kyle Quincey as key pieces.
4. Chicago Blackhawks- The defending champions managed to hold onto their core with a few exceptions, but being successful for a second year won’t be easy. Viktor Stallberg could be an interesting addition to the offense, while Marty Turco is the man between the pipes.
3. St. Louis Blues- Jaroslav Halak gives the team a very good goaltender, meanwhile the defense will be led by an ever-improving Erik Johnson and the offense has plenty of young players ready to break out. This is a team brimming with talent that is ready to shock the NHL.
2. Vancouver Canucks- Keith Ballard and Dam Hamhuis strengthen the Canucks defense in front of Roberto Luongo, who should have a much more consistent year. The offense might not replicate last year’s production, but should still be solid enough.
1. San Jose Sharks- The Sharks have a new goaltending tandem in Antti Niemi and Antero Nittymaki, the rest of their super-talented team returns, but the depth is still a concern and this structure still doesn’t have the looks of a playoff winner.
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