Toronto-Summer is over. In many regions of North America, the leaves have begun changing colors, temperatures have dipped, and cold, snow-filled winter days seem imminent. With that comes hockey!
A couple of weeks ago, a family friend joked that every year, a team’s legions of supporters often remark that their favorite club is “younger and faster.” They may not be able to score, play defense, or have sufficient goaltending. Nonetheless, the youngness and fastness of the group ensures success.
So, with all teams being “younger and faster,” the prognostications below mean nothing. Everyone is on a level playing field.
Alright, let us dispense with the sarcasm! Here are Anabolic Stories’ much-anticipated predictions for the upcoming season.
Regular Season Standings
1.*Pittsburgh Penguins-With a similar group to last year’s Stanley Cup Champions, Pittsburgh is a force to be reckoned with.
2. *Washington Capitals-Pure firepower!
3. *Boston Bruins-The loss of top goal scorer Phil Kessel will sting. Tim Thomas had a career year last season; this corner does not believe that it will be repeated. Still, top to bottom, Boston is in good shape.
4. Carolina Hurricanes-Head coach Paul Maurice turned the Hurricanes around when he took over for Peter Laviolette last December. Eric Staal is one of the best goal scorers in the NHL. After the Hurricanes re-acquired Erik Cole from Edmonton at the deadline, Staal’s play improved significantly. The Thunder Bay, Ontario native had 26 points in the 18 games of the campaign, 17 of which were played alongside Cole.
5. Philadelphia Flyers-Ray Emery is a goaltending downgrade.
6. New Jersey Devils-The losses of John Madden and Brian Gionta will likely hurt. Brodeur and Parise should keep the Devils in the postseason.
7. Tampa Bay Lightning-The additions of Victor Hedman, Antero Nittymaki, Alex Tanguay, and Mattias Ohlund should have a positive impact on the Lightning.
8. Montreal Canadiens-This is a team of overpaid, overrated players.
9. New York Rangers-The Rangers are so thin on defense.
10. Ottawa Senators-While Ottawa has a more balanced offense, the Dany Heatley trade was a net loss.
11. Toronto Maple Leafs-The Leafs are without three of last season’s key offensive players: Nik Antropov, Dominic Moore, and Pavel Kubina. Even though Phil Kessel is expected to return in mid-November, he is coming off a serious injury, which should result in a significant dip in production. Goaltending and offense could turn out to be huge issues.
12. Atlanta Thrashers-Antropov and Kubina are “not enough” to get the Thrashers over the hump.
13. Buffalo Sabres-A mediocre offense and defense is not a recipe for success.
14. New York Islanders-The additions of John Tavares, Martin Biron, and Dwayne Roloson should keep the Islanders out of the Eastern Conference cellar.
15. Florida Panthers-With Jay Boumeester now in Calgary, the Panthers are thin in all areas but goaltending.
1. *San Jose Sharks-Dany Heatley, Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton, Devon Setoguchi, Dan Boyle, Ryane Clowe, Joe Pavelski…that’s scary!
2. *Detroit Red Wings-Zetterberg, Lidstrom, Datsyuk, and Rafalski are back. Enough said.
3. *Vancouver Canucks-The acquisitions of Mathieu Schneider and Christain Ehrhoff should make up for the loss of Ohlund. Mikael Samuelsson was a solid pick up. With Robert Luongo signed long-term, top goaltending prospect Cory Schneider is now expendable and could be moved to add the “missing piece.”
4. Calgary Flames-Boumeester gives Calgary a fantastic group of defenseman. But, the loss of 39-goal scorer Michael Cammalleri should hurt.
5. Anaheim Ducks-With two legitimate starting goaltenders and a deep defense corps, Anaheim is in good shape. Newcomers Saku Koivu, Joffrey Lupul, and Luca Sbisa should help. A (potential) full season of Bobby Ryan, combined with Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Teemu Selanne, and Lupul should give Anaheim a potent offense.
6. Chicago Blackhawks-The loss of Nikolai Khabibulin should hurt. Moreover, with Marian Hossa out until at least December, the departed Martin Havlat’s 29-goal production will be missed.
7. Minnesota Wild-Havlat can be a huge boon to the Wild’s offense.
8. Columbus Blue Jackets-Look for rookie Nikita Filatov to have a big impact.
9. St. Louis Blues-The Blues did not significantly improve over the summer. It is unlikely that Chris Mason will repeat his magical run of last season.
10. Nashville Predators-Same old!
11. Los Angeles Kings-A lack of defensive depth will likely keep the Kings out of the playoffs.
12. Edmonton Oilers-Considering how well Roloson played last year, Khabibulin is not a major upgrade.
13. Dallas Stars-Not much has changed.
14. Phoenix Coyotes-Phoenix is thin not only in cash, but in all on-ice departments (goaltending could be an arguable exception).
15. Colorado Avalanche-This team is far away from being competitive.
A “*” denotes a division winner.
National Hockey League Awards
Hart Trophy (Most Valuable Player): Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
Norris Trophy (Top Defenseman): Shea Weber, Nashville Predators
Vezina Trophy (Top Goalie): Mikka Kiprusoff, Calgary Flames
Calder Trophy (Rookie of the Year): Nikita Filatov, Columbus Blue Jackets
Rocket Richard Trophy (Most goals): Eric Staal, Carolina Hurricanes
Art Ross Trophy (Most Points): Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
Lady Byng Trophy (Sportsmanship): Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings
Selke Trophy (Best Defensive Forward): Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit Red Wings
Daniel Alfredsson, Ottawa Senators
Comeback Player of the Year: Antoine Vermette, Columbus Blue Jackets
First General Manager Fired: Steve Tambellini, Edmonton Oilers
First Coach Fired: Lindy Ruff, Buffalo Sabres
Big-Name Players on the Move: Tomas Kaberle, Nathan Horton, Alex Frolov
Bold Predictions
Eastern Conference Runner Up: Pittsburgh Penguins
Eastern Conference Champions: Washington Capitals
Western Conference Runner Up: San Jose Sharks
Western Conference Champions: Vancouver Canucks
STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS: VANCOUVER CANUCKS
