Playoff Predictions: The Finals

We are now down to the wire: The Stanley Cup Finals

It's Pittsburgh's young guns vs. Detroit's experienced crew.

Predicting who will win Lord Stanley's Cup this year is virtually impossible. I started thinking it when the Pens and Wings were up 3-0 in their respective conference finals, and I only made a decision on Monday. It was probably the hardest decision I've made so far in these playoffs, and the most painful.

You see, I predict that the Red Wings will win in 6, with Lidstrom taking home the Conn Smythe.

Both teams have great offenses, and I'd give Pittsburgh the edge in this respect. Detroit has the Datsyuk/Zetterberg line, which is fantastic, but Pittsburgh has two number one lines centred by Crosby and Malkin. If Detroit gets Johan Frazen back (and it looks like they will later on in the series), then the Red Wings' offense pretty much matches Pittsburgh's.

Where this series will be won and lost is with defence. Pittsburgh has an underrated defensive corps and they will make things hard for the Red Wings, but they have yet to come across a team that is as solid defensively as Detroit. Ottawa was a mess, New York was inexperienced, and Philly was injured. The Red Wings are healthy and very good. The top two Pittsburgh lines will have to penetrate either Lidstrom/Rafalski or Stuart/Kronwall, and that will be very difficult to do. Add to that the fact that those top two defensive pairings for Detroit are very good offensively, and you have a team that will make it hard for the Pens to maintain puck possession.

Did I mention that Datsyuk and Zetterberg are also Selke nominees this year, or that Detroit is #1 in face-offs (and Pittsburgh is dead last)?

The buzz word going into this series is 'experience' - will Detroit's experience trump Pittsburgh's lack of experience? I tend to lean towards yes; Detroit has 20+ Cup rings on its roster, compared to Pittsburgh's three (if you count Sydor). Detroit also has a cast of players who have experienced failure in the playoffs, whether it be from defeat to the 8th seed (in 2006) or from defeat in the Conference Finals (in 2007).

If you look at history, lack of experience tends to go against a team in the Finals. Look at Edmonton's first run at the Cup in the early 80's, when they ran over the West but were then swept by an experienced Islanders team. Or how about last year's Ottawa Senators? Or how about Lebron James' Cavaliers in last year's NBA finals? Sometimes you need to lose it all before you can win it all.

All of this doesn't mean that I believe that the Red Wings will easily beat the Penguins. Heck, I think that there is a very good chance that the Pens can steal the Cup from the Red Wings. They have overcome so much adversity this year that it should not be surprising if Sidney Crosby leads his team to the ultimate prize. I WANT Pittsburgh to win, and I will be cheering for them to no end, but my gut feeling is telling me that Detroit has just a little bit more of an edge.

[Go Pens]

Okay, so now that I've stated my reasons for predicting that my team will not win this year, let's see what everyone is thinking. Faceoff Factor has an ever-updated list of what the media is thinking.

PITTSBURGH VS. DETROIT
Ashley: DETROIT
Susie: PITTSBURGH
Maggie: PITTSBURGH
Dreger: PITTSBURGH
Duthie: no response
Milbury: DETROIT
Panger: no response
McKenzie: DETROIT

And here's an updated look at the standings so far:
Ashley: 11/14
Susie: 5/14
Maggie: 9/14
McKenzie: 10/14
Duthie: 6/10 *
Panger: 7/10 *
Milbury: 7/10 *
* I don't have the 2nd round predictions for Duthie, Panger or Milbury. I suck.

Playoff Predictions: Round 3

I know I'm a little late putting these up, but better late than never, right?

On April 23rd, I made my second round predictions, and I got half of them right. That's not too bad considering Keith Jones - who went 8/8 in round 1 - only got one correct prediction in round 2.

Here are the standings so far:

Ashley: 9/12
Susie: 3/12
Maggie: 6/8
McKenzie: 8/12
Duthie: 5/8 *
Panger: 5/8 *
Milbury: 5/8 *
* I don't have the 2nd round predictions for Duthie, Panger or Milbury. I suck.

Now, I am clearly beating everyone, even the so-called 'hockey insider' Bob McKenzie (sorry Bob, I love ya anyway).

Here's what everyone is thinking for Round 3...

PITTSBURGH VS. PHILADELPHIA
Ashley - PITTSBURGH
Susie - PITTSBURGH
Maggie - PITTSBURGH
Duthie - PITTSBURGH
Milbury - PITTSBURGH
Panger - PITTSBURGH
McKenzie - PITTSBURGH
Cherry - PITTSBURGH <--maybe it's because he loves Staal

DETROIT VS. DALLAS
Ashley - DETROIT
Susie - DETROIT
Maggie - DETROIT
Duthie - DALLAS
Milbury - DETROIT
Panger - DETROIT
McKenzie - DETROIT
Cherry - DETROIT

Check out Faceoff Factor for staff predictions. I'm tied for the lead because I'm just that damn good. Or, the hockey gods are smiling down on me and giving me a whole lotta luck.

Let's just hope that my predictions are spot on this time around, especially in the East. It would suck big time if Philly started prancing around with Stanley Cup dreams in their heads.

And just so everyone knows, I made my predictions Monday night before I heard what everyone else was saying.

Playoff Predictions: Round 2

A few weeks ago, I made my first round playoff predictions and compared them to Susie, my dog, and the TSN crew: Maggie the Monkey, James Duthie, Darren Pang, Mike Milbury, and Bob McKenzie. Here's the results:

Ashley: 7/8
Susie: 1/8
Maggie: 5/8
Duthie: 5/8
Panger: 5/8
Milbury: 5/8
McKenzie: 6/8

Now, I don't mean to 'brag' or anything, but I did better than the so-called experts when it came to round 1 predictions. Unfortunately, in the dog vs. monkey category, Maggie is running away with the title so far.

Tonight, TSN had their round 2 playoff special and Maggie, McKenzie, and Darren Dreger offered their predictions. Here's how it all went down...

MONTREAL VS. PHILADELPHIA
Ashley - MONTREAL
Susie - MONTREAL
Maggie - MONTREAL
McKenzie - MONTREAL
Dreger - PHILADELPHIA

PITTSBURGH VS. NEW YORK
Ashley - PITTSBURGH
Susie - NEW YORK
Maggie - NEW YORK
McKenzie - PITTSBURGH
Dreger - PITTSBURGH

DETROIT VS. COLORADO
Ashley - DETROIT
Susie - DETROIT
Maggie - DETROIT
McKenzie - DETROIT
Dreger - DETROIT

SAN JOSE VS. DALLAS
Ashley - SAN JOSE
Susie - DALLAS
Maggie - SAN JOSE
McKenzie - SAN JOSE
Dreger - SAN JOSE

UPDATE:
I was watching Up Front on OTR tonight and Landsberg said that Keith Jones went 8/8 in round one. He gave his predictions for round 2, so I thought I'd put them down...
PHILADELPHIA
SAN JOSE SHARKS
NEW YORK RANGERS - on their way to the Cup (WTF?)
COLORADO

Playoff Predictions: Round 1

MONTREAL VS. BOSTON
Ashley - CANADIENS
Susie - BRUINS
Maggie the Monkey - CANADIENS
James Duthie - CANADIENS
Darren Pang - CANADIENS
Mike Milbury - CANADIENS
Bob McKenzie - CANADIENS

PITTSBURGH VS. OTTAWA
Ashley - PENGUINS
Susie - PENGUINS
Maggie the Monkey - PENGUINS
James Duthie - PENGUINS
Darren Pang - PENGUINS
Mike Milbury - PENGUINS
Bob McKenzie - PENGUINS

WASHINGTON VS. PHILADELPHIA
Ashley - FLYERS
Susie - CAPITALS
Maggie the Monkey - FLYERS
James Duthie - CAPITALS
Darren Pang - CAPITALS
Mike Milbury - CAPITALS
Bob McKenzie - CAPITALS

NEW JERSEY VS. NEW YORK
Ashley - RANGERS
Susie - DEVILS
Maggie the Monkey - DEVILS
James Duthie - RANGERS
Darren Pang - DEVILS
Mike Milbury - RANGERS
Bob McKenzie - RANGERS

DETROIT VS. NASHVILLE
Ashley - RED WINGS
Susie - PREDATORS
Maggie the Monkey - RED WINGS
James Duthie - RED WINGS
Darren Pang - RED WINGS
Mike Milbury - RED WINGS
Bob McKenzie - RED WINGS

SAN JOSE VS. CALGARY
Ashley - SHARKS
Susie - FLAMES
Maggie the Monkey - SHARKS
James Duthie - SHARKS
Darren Pang - SHARKS
Mike Milbury - SHARKS
Bob McKenzie - SHARKS

MINNESOTA VS. COLORADO
Ashley - AVALANCHE
Susie - WILD
Maggie the Monkey - WILD
James Duthie - WILD
Darren Pang - AVALANCHE
Mike Milbury - WILD
Bob McKenzie - AVALANCHE

ANAHEIM VS. DALLAS
Ashley - DUCKS
Susie - DUCKS
Maggie the Monkey - DUCKS
James Duthie - DUCKS
Darren Pang - DUCKS
Mike Milbury - DUCKS
Bob McKenzie - DUCKS

NHL ON TSN PREDICTIONS FOR THE CUP:
Pittsburgh Penguins beating the New York Rangers in the East
San Jose Sharks beating the Detroit Red Wings in the West
San Jose Sharks winning the Stanley Cup against the Pittsburgh Penguins

interesting...

How my pre-seasons predictions panned out...

Back in August, I decided to make a few predictions concerning the 2007-08 season. Those predictions centered around how the final standings would look. Well, since the season is now over, maybe we should take a look at those predictions and laugh about how dumb I was last summer.

Eastern Conference
1. Ottawa (President's Trophy)---Montreal
2. New York Rangers---Pittsburgh
3. Atlanta---Washington
4. Pittsburgh---New Jersey
5. Buffalo---New York Rangers
6. Toronto---Philadelphia
7. New Jersey---Ottawa
8. Philadelphia---Boston

9. Tampa Bay---Carolina
10. Montreal---Buffalo
11. Washington---Florida
12. Carolina---Toronto
13. New York Islanders---New York Islanders
14. Florida---Atlanta
15. Boston---Tampa Bay

Western Conference
1. Detroit---Detroit (President's Trophy)
2. Anaheim---San Jose
3. Colorado---Minnesota
4. San Jose---Anaheim
5. Vancouver---Dallas
6. Calgary---Colorado
7. Dallas---Calgary
8. Minnesota---Nashville

9. St. Louis---Edmonton
10. Chicago---Chicago
11. Edmonton---Vancouver
12. Nashville---Phoenix
13. Los Angeles---Columbus
14. Columbus---St. Louis
15. Phoenix---Los Angeles

Where I was wayyyy off base:
Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Washington, Atlanta, Boston...basically most of the Eastern Conference
Vancouver, St. Louis, Minnesota...I did much better in the West.

Where I was spot on:
Islanders, Chicago, Detroit

Better luck next year, I suppose....

Tomorrow night I'll post my predictions for round 1 of the playoffs, along with my dog's predictions and the predictions of the TSN crew and Maggie. I'll keep tabs on how everyone does and we'll see who is the best playoff predictor in June.

Pre-Season Predictions: End of Season Standings

Now that I have made comments about each team in the League, I will try to predict how the teams will sit in April (and then in April we can all see just how wrong I am).

Eastern Conference

1. Ottawa (President's Trophy)
2. New York Rangers
3. Atlanta
4. Pittsburgh
5. Buffalo
6. Toronto
7. New Jersey
8. Philadelphia

9. Tampa Bay
10. Montreal
11. Washington
12. Carolina
13. New York Islanders
14. Florida
15. Boston

* I believe that the teams will be very close in the standings (especially those teams in the 5th to 12th spots, as well as the race for the Southeast crown), and that the final standings may not be set until the last day.

Western Conference

1. Detroit
2. Anaheim
3. Colorado
4. San Jose
5. Vancouver
6. Calgary
7. Dallas
8. Minnesota

9. St. Louis
10. Chicago
11. Edmonton
12. Nashville
13. Los Angeles
14. Columbus
15. Phoenix

* I think that we will see a lot more parity in the West this season, and those teams in the 9th to 12th spots may still be in playoff contention in the last week or two of the season.

* Since I think that we will see a lot more parity in the League this year, similar to what we saw in the Eastern Conference last season, it only makes sense that injuries will play an even bigger role in whether a team makes the playoffs.

Pre-Season Predictions: Pacific Division

The Anaheim Ducks celebrated their first Stanley Cup win this June, and it will be interesting to see what kind of roster changes happen before training camp. They already lost Penner to the Oilers and picked up Bertuzzi from the Red Wings (though I’d rather take Penner than Bertuzzi for $4M). Schneider also decided to leave Detroit for sunny California. The big question, though, is if Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne retire. If they do, the Ducks will certainly miss them – but their play won’t really suffer. It says a lot about a team when they can lose two of their top players and still have the potential of going deep into the playoffs.

The Dallas Stars is a quiet team, at least in this part of the world, but that doesn’t mean that they’re not good. They have a lot of good players, starting with Mike Modano, but the guy I really like is Marty Turco. I felt really bad for Turco this spring in the playoff series against Vancouver because he had to prove himself by getting the Stars to the second round, but his teammates in front of him let him down. Turco played 7 outstanding games with 3 shutouts and a ridiculous GAA; I hope he doesn’t get any flack because the Stars lost in the first round. In my opinion, all of that blame lies with the forwards who couldn’t score.

I think the Stars will land themselves in the playoffs once again. I expect that they’ll find a little more success in the post-season.

The San Jose Sharks have what’s looking like a crazy good team. Rivet’s looking better in California than in Montreal, ‘Pickles’ is developing into something good, and then you have the forwards: Thornton, Michalek, Cheechoo, Marleau, and so on. If Nabokov can stay solid in net, and if Thornton can push through the playoffs with consistency, then there won’t be much slowing this ‘big’ team down.

The Los Angeles Kings have been hanging around the basement of the League standings for awhile, and I think they’re finally on the upswing. If Cammalleri, Frolov and Kopitar can keep up the good work, and the new guys (like Stuart and Nagy) can contribute, then the Kings might get closer to the playoffs this year. They definitely got a good deal when they acquired Jack Johnson in a trade – something tells me that Carolina will be smacking their heads over this one. The Kings won’t be in the playoffs this season, but they won’t be at the bottom of the League.

That’s because the Phoenix Coyotes will be bringing up the rear come April. The GM may have lost his job this year, but new guy Maloney didn’t do anything to improve the team. Their biggest free agent signing was probably David Aebischer, and that’s not a good thing considering how he finished his season in Montreal.

Jeff Mackie put it best when he wrote, “Who’s going to score goals?” When your team has only one player who scored more than 20 goals in the previous season, something is desperately wrong. Kyle Turris may be able to help the team on the scoring front, but he won’t be available for duty for at least a year. And does anyone else think it’s a little ironic that this score-less team is coached by Wayne Gretzky?

The only bright spot that I can see (and it’s really just a dim ‘light bulb moment’) is that Gretzky acknowledged this spring that the Coyotes have to start building their team through the draft. It certainly is better than loading up on veterans who can’t sign elsewhere. I guess Phoenix fans will be spending the next several years getting their biggest thrill from the Entry Draft.

Pre-Season Predictions: Southeast Division

Of the three divisions in the Eastern Conference, I think that the Southeast will be the weakest. We may see just one team of the bunch get to the playoffs.

The Atlanta Thrashers were definitely humiliated by the Rangers during the playoffs this spring, and it will be interesting how they bounce back after that embarrassing debut. They seem to be good in goal, they have a pair of really nice looking players up front in Hossa and Kovalchuk, and they have a pretty good team overall. They’ll be in a race with Tampa for the top spot in the Southeast.

The Tampa Bay Lightning just changed ownership, but I’m not sure that they’re going to be a much better club this season than they were last year. Granted, they have the “Big 3” in Lecavalier, St. Louis, and Richards, who will all continue to play hard and carry the team. They also have underrated defenseman Dan Boyle and pretty good goaltending, so I think that they have a chance to make the playoffs if their star players remain healthy. But another run for the Stanley Cup? Nope.

The Carolina Hurricanes captured the Stanley Cup in 2006, and then fell out of the playoffs in 2007. The big question is whether they will turn their luck around and make another run at it. I’m not inclined to think so. They have a number of players who look pretty good on the ice (Staal, Williams, Commodore, Brind’Amour, Ward), but I’m not sold on the team as a whole. About half of the team is in their 30’s, with 4 being 35 and older. It’s not necessarily bad to have older players on the team, since they bring experience and leadership to the mix, but there’s always the question of whether they can keep pace and not show the signs of age.

The team as a whole will have to get their act together this season and fight for one of the last playoff spots, but I'm not sure they'll make it.

The Florida Panthers are a team that has some really good players (hello Horton, Jokinen, and Bouwmeester), but they are a disaster as a whole. They did make an upgrade in net this season with Vokoun, but I think everybody would agree that they should have kept Luongo (well, everybody but Mike Keenan). Noah Welch and Cory Murphy are the new guys on D, and they should do pretty well. I really liked the look of Murphy at Worlds, and he’ll probably become a power play specialist in the NHL. But will the Panthers be golfing in April? Yep.

The Washington Capitals is a team that is a bit of a question mark. You have a feeling that they are going to break out of their shell soon and really stir things up, but will that happen this year? Eh, probably not, but don’t count them out of the running for a playoff spot. Ovechkin was very ticked off last season because his team missed the playoffs and his own stats were not as impressive as they were the year before – look for him to pound his way back. Semin is also a really good player, but since he doesn’t speak English and seems to be a quiet guy in general, he has really been under the radar (I bet a lot of people haven’t even heard of this other Alex). Michael Nylander and Nicklas Backstrom should also add some offensive punch to the lineup. I expect that hockey people will be talking about the Capitals a little bit more this year, but they are still years away from being a Cup-contending team.

Pre-Season Predictions: Central Division

The Detroit Red Wings are always a threat in the race for the Stanley Cup, and this year won’t be any different. They lost Schneider, but immediately signed a capable defenseman in Rafalski – he should fit in nicely with the likes of Chelios and Lidstrom. The Red Wings still have a nice little trio up front that should give the opposition headaches; it’s hard to believe that Zetterberg, Holmstrom, and Datsyuk were drafted so late in their respective years. And don’t forget Hasek, who proved last season that he’s still got the goods.

I predict that the Red Wings will win their division by a mile, and they might even make it to the Western Conference Finals again. Considering how well they played last season, and how they few changes they made this off-season, expect big things from Detroit.

Now there’s the Nashville Predators. Last season, they played extremely well and probably should have made it to the second round of the playoffs, but San Jose stood in the way. You would expect good things this year, but that won’t happen. The team has been essentially blown apart, with their best players either traded or leaving before disaster strikes. They still have some pretty good players in Hamhuis, Weber, Radulov, and Dumont, but they lost Timonen, Hartnell, Kariya, Forsberg (unless he resigns), and Vokoun.

It seems stupid that the Predators would completely unload their talent when have a winning team, but it has to be in order to (1) not lose as much money this year, and (2) facilitate a move to another market. I think that putting a team in Nashville was a bad idea to begin with because it is simply not a hockey market, and Craig Leipold’s finances seem to agree because he has lost about $70M on this franchise. The average attendance was under 14,000 this past year, and if they can get the same record this coming season, the Preds will be able to break their lease and move out of town. Why not help things along by having a somewhat crappy team? I really don’t think that Nashville will be around for the playoffs this year.

The St. Louis Blues is a team that has fallen on hard times, but I like some of the guys on their team. I haven’t really seen them play as a team, but I watched a number of them play for Team Canada at the World Championships this past summer. Brewer, Jackman, Mayers and McClement really impressed me. They’ll also have some fresh faces on the team, like Erik Johnson and Paul Kariya, and veteran player Tkachuk is back for another go at it.

I don’t know of the Blues will actually make the playoffs this year – I expect them to finish between 9th and 11th in the conference. But who knows? Head Coach Andy Murray is an extremely likeable guy and capable coach (I was uber-impressed with him at Worlds), and he could very well make a huge difference this year and get the team into the post-season.

The Columbus Blue Jackets have never made the playoffs, and they won’t be breaking that trend this year. Longtime GM Doug MacLean got his walking papers this spring because he failed to make the team better, but his replacement Scott Howson hasn’t done anything this summer to better the team either. Maybe he has something up his sleeve, but that sleeve’s looking pretty empty to me. I’d like to see Nash and Zherdev play better hockey (especially the latter). I’d also like to see Voracek play a few games to see how he’ll do after a great year in Halifax, but don’t get me wrong – he’s no Sidney Crosby or Jordan Staal. He very well might get a chance with Columbus, but I expect he’ll be back with the Mooseheads this fall.

Evan Grossman said that the Chicago Blackhawks could be the next “Pittsburgh Penguins” and I tend to agree. Years of poor performances gave them high draft choices, and the Blackhawks are on the upswing as a result. Toews has proven to be a skilled player who can perform under pressure (hello World Juniors ’07). Kane is also an offensive threat, and hopefully his size won’t give him trouble at the NHL level. But it’s not just the rookies that will bring excitement to Chicago: they also have Ruutu, Havlat, Khabibulin, and a number of young defensemen who are looking good. Hopefully Samsonov will regain his Calder Trophy-winning play and not be the disaster we saw in Montreal. Will the Blackhawks make the playoffs this year? Probably not, but they’ll be thisclose.

Pre-Season Predictions: Atlantic Division

I think that the Atlantic Division will be one of the more exciting divisions to watch this season.

First off, the New Jersey Devils. Losing Brian Rafalski and Scott Gomez to free agency was like being kicked in the stomach, but all’s not lost. Jersey’s known as one of the best defensive teams in the League, and I think that they will still make the playoffs this year, although they won’t repeat as divisional champs. The EGG line may not be intact, but there’s still an EG in the likes of Elias and Gionta – and perhaps a “Z” with Zubrus? Who can argue about the strength of the Devils’ checking line? And then there’s still the youngsters – look for Parise and Zajac to really pick things up. Questions about goal? Didn’t think so, since you can’t get any more stable than Brodeur.

It should be interesting to see how Brent Sutter makes out as the new head coach in Jersey. Sutter has had a lot of success in Juniors, with his own Red Deer team and with the national team. Here’s the question mark: he’s used to doing things his own way, controlling everything – how will he adjust in “Lou” Jersey?

It’s hard to deny that the Pittsburgh Penguins have something truly special. They crawled around the basement of the NHL, collected their high draft picks in the process, and selected a group of kids who are turning out to be the face of the NHL. The sky seems to be the limit for this group, and a lot of people are comparing the Pens to the Oiler dynasty of the 1980’s. Pens fans around the world are ecstatic at what might be around the corner – especially after last season’s showing.

Fleury is quickly developing into everything the Pens hoped him to be, but he’ll be expected to be even better next year as he gets more comfortable on the NHL stage. I’m thinking along the same lines as Pierre McGuire in that Fleury might soon belong on the same page as Luongo and Brodeur. It’s a lot to ask for a 22 year old goalie, but considering how good his teammates are, he doesn’t want to be the weak link that jeopardizes a run for the Cup.

It’s clear that the Pens are strongest up front, and who wouldn’t be with Crosby, Malkin and Staal. Thankfully, Shero resigned Recchi and Roberts, as many of the younger players look up to these guys. The addition of Sykora was good, given that he put up a fair number of points on the disaster team that was Edmonton. It’s also great to see Armstrong staying with the team, as his energy and work ethic will be valued (and perhaps he’ll regain his scoring touch…perhaps?).

Will the Pens have the defensive skills to carry them to the Holy Grail? That’s still a bit up in the air, for now, but I am honestly not that worried. If Whitney can keep doing what he’s doing, and Gonchar can stay consistent, things won’t be too bad. Hopefully Eaton can stay healthy to really show us what he’s all about, and I’m counting on Letang to make a big splash this year and show the world what he’s got up his sleeve. Sydor was a great addition this summer, as he can be a mentor to the kids the same way that Roberts is to the young forwards.

I am a huge fan of the Penguins, so I acknowledge that I am biased, but I am truly excited for this coming season. We all know that the core of this team is basically a bunch of uber-talented kids, but I think that Shero has turned this group into a future Cup contender. The team has more grit than it did last summer, and the kids are now surrounded by a group of talented veterans who are Stanley Cup Champions. Crosby may be the captain, but they will all follow the lead of the veterans who know what it takes to win it all. I get the impression that this group wants to improve on last year’s playoff performance, and I would not be shocked to see them make it to the Eastern Conference Finals.

The team that made the second biggest splash in the free agent pool this summer was the New York Rangers. They were a really good group before July 1st, and now with Drury and Gomez, they are downright scary. Resigning Shanny was a really smart move, since he works harder than most players. Jagr looked to have regained some of his interest in the game towards the end of last season, and he should retain that enthusiasm if he sees the potential in this team.

The Rangers’ defense isn’t looking too bad, especially with Lundqvist in net. If Lundqvist can stay sharp, he’s almost unbeatable. I also wouldn’t be surprised to see the introduction of Marc Staal to the NHL.

One big question mark over the Rangers regards the Sean Avery factor. Will his mouth get him (and his team) in trouble? We already know that the Rangers feel as though Avery is a detriment to the team because his mouth and his style of play. He has never played for a Cup contender before (and I think that the Rangers could make it to the Finals in 2008), so he will have to tone things down if he wants to see ice time. The team will not put up with Avery’s needless penalties if it hurts their chances, and I don’t think that Avery’s biggest fans in New York will put up with it either.

The New York Islanders squeaked into the playoffs last year, but the same fate will not greet them this year. I don’t think that Ted Nolan will have that much to work with this season, and it certainly doesn’t help that they are playing in a division that should be very tough.

DiPietro is a very good goalie, but I wouldn’t put him in the same class as Luongo or Brodeur, and he doesn’t have the defense in front of him to give him much help. Bergeron played fairly well for the Islanders after he was traded from Edmonton late last season, and hopefully he will get better. Hopefully Guerin will show the consistency and leadership that will be required of him, but I still think that the Islanders will find themselves near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings come April.

Speaking of the bottom of the standings, there’s the Philadelphia Flyers. Without a doubt, the Flyers take the prize for making the biggest off-season splash, and considering last season’s embarrassing performance, it’s no surprise. Philly has been blowing up their team since the trade deadline. Everybody seems to be getting rich in Philly (hello Briere, Timonen and Hartnell), and hopefully it will pay off.

Considering the seemingly endless talent that has been brought into the Flyers’ organization, you’d think that they’d take the cake this year. I think that the team will certainly do better this year, and I think that they might make the playoffs, but I’m not sure how good they will be. The big question mark with the Flyers concerns their team chemistry: can a team develop into a cohesive unit when half of the players are new? It is certainly possible, but nothing is certain just yet. After all, you can assemble a team with the greatest hockey players in the world, but it doesn’t mean that the team will win.

Pre-Season Predictions: Northwest Division

The race for the Northwest Division crown will be interesting this year. The Vancouver Canucks will certainly look to repeat this season, armed with Luongo in goal yet again. Luongo carried this entire team on his back this year, but especially in the playoffs. His teammates in front of him just couldn’t seem to find the net in the post-season, but Luongo somehow managed to get the team to the Western Conference Semi-Finals; it was a shame that the last goal against Luongo was a bad one. Look for this Montreal-born goalie to continue to be his brilliant self.

The Canucks have been relatively quiet this off-season, but I don’t think that they needed to necessarily make a lot of changes. Something that they do need is consistent scoring from their top forwards (hello Naslund and Sedin twins) – which was definitely absent in the playoffs. I expect that they will be fine during the season and they will make the playoffs, but they may want to add a little something at the trade deadline if they think they have a legitimate Cup contender.

Something Vancouver fans should be excited about: Bieksa’s going to be hanging around for awhile!

The Calgary Flames will certainly want to improve on their consistency this season by winning as many games on the road as at home. I think that the Flames have a really good team in place. They are solid in goal with Kiprusoff, their defense is looking good with shutdown guy Regehr, superstar-in-the-making Phaneuf, and the newly acquired Aucoin. And with Iginla leading the way, the Flames aren’t a bad team.

The big question mark that pops into my mind concerns new head coach Mike Keenan, who is certainly not a stranger to the NHL. If a good kick in the rear is what the Flames needed to play consistently, then Iron Mike is the guy to dish it out. But will Keenan go overboard and risk alienating the team? I guess this is where Iginla has to really step it up to rally the troops and keep them going. The Flames should be able to make the playoffs this year, but Keenan might ruin it all with his iron fist.

I think that fans of the Colorado Avalanche have something to be excited about this season. The Avs is one of many teams that missed the playoffs by thismuch, but they made a few big splashes in the free agent pool. Newcomer Scott Hannan improves the Avs defense; Ryan Smyth adds grit, leadership and offensive punch to a group of forwards that include youngsters Stastny and Wolski; and Budaj has proven himself worthy as a starting goaltender (although expect Theodore to make a push for that job).

The Avs have a history of success, and last year’s early end to the season should not be worrisome. The team is stocked with young talent, and they have the leaders to take them to the playoffs in 2008. Joe Sakic has led this team for 15 years, has won the Cup twice before, and still has more talent than most players in the NHL – I would not be shocked if he made another run for Lord Stanley’s Mug before he retired.

The Minnesota Wild is a team that I don’t know that much about, but I do know that they have some talent. Backstrom was very solid in net last season (you don’t win the Jennings Trophy by being a slacker) and I expect this trend to continue. They seem to favour a defensive style of play but they aren’t slouches up front, with the likes of Koivu, Rolston, and Gaborik. I think they are going to make it to the post-season, but I’m not sure if they can catch the Canucks and the Avs in the divisional race.

Finally, we come to the limping Edmonton Oilers. I feel really bad for this team and all the adversity and instability it has faced in the past 14+ months. They squeaked into the playoffs in 2006 and somehow made it all the way to Game 7 of the Finals before losing to Carolina. Not long afterward, Pronger bolted to Anaheim, Spacek left for Buffalo, and Peca wound up in Toronto. The Oilers had a tough season to begin with, but with injury trouble and the loss of Ryan Smyth, the team seemed to lose its heart and soul. Watching the Oilers play after losing Smyth was like watching a team that just simply gave up – and the fact that they only won 2 games illustrates that point.

MacTavish and the rest of his coaching staff will be fighting an uphill battle this year as they try to stabilize this team and develop some pride. There are a lot of young players in the Oilers’ dressing room - about 16 players have less than 3 years of NHL experience – so the veterans will really have to step up and lead the way through adversity. Without “Captain Canada” or Captain Smith in the lineup this season, leadership might just be the thing that will make or break the Oilers in 2007-08.

I have serious doubts that the Oilers will make the playoffs this coming season. Even though they were the Cinderella team that made it to the Finals in 2006, they are currently light years away from that team. Kevin Lowe made some serious mistakes with Smyth, and his escapades this summer are questionable (though understandable, in my opinion). If things get worse in the “City of Champions” – could they possibly get worse? – K.Lo. will certainly be shown the door.

Pre-Season Predictions: Northeast Division

The pool of free agents is shrinking by the day, and training camp begins in about a month. What shall I talk about? Perhaps a little pre-season prediction for each team? Let me see, who will succeed, and who will flop around like a fish…

Northeast Division

Saku Koivu let it slip that he’s a little disappointed that his Montreal Canadiens was unable to attract a big name. He may be a “little” disappointed, but Habs fans are wildly disappointed with Gainey for doing little to improve the team. The team was already on the rocks with fans for missing the playoffs by thismuch.

One problem that was solved was that of backup goaltender: Abby was a UFA and not given another chance with the Habs. That leaves Halak and Price to fight over the job, and since they are both projected to be starting goaltenders in the not-too-distant future, I think the Canadiens are okay in goal.

It’s hard to predict the impact of Souray’s departure on the team. While he was certainly a great powerplay quarterback who could help offensively, his defensive skills had so many holes – holes big enough to pass pucks through and score. So while the Habs will miss his contributions on the scoreboard…they also won’t miss his contributions on the scoreboard.

I don’t think that they really upgraded on defense with the signing of Brisebois, and they are pretty much the same up front as last season. Unless they can recapture the magic they had last fall, and not fall apart with the smallest sign of adversity, I can’t see the Habs making the playoffs in April – and that would surely bring about a change in coaching and management.

The Toronto Maple Leafs is another team that missed the playoffs by thismuch. But unlike the Habs, the Leafs did manage to make a few big signings this summer. First off, I believe that the Leafs solved their goaltending problem. Raycroft was the starting goaltender and even though he posted a franchise record for number of wins in a season, his stats and consistency were not becoming of a Calder Trophy-winning goaltender. Aubin, the backup, was shown the door to free agency and Vesa Toskala was ushered in. Toskala will force Raycroft to work harder if he wants to keep his job as a starter.

The Leafs also made a splash in the free agent pool when they signed Blake to a contract. He scored 40 goals with the Islanders last season, which will be greatly welcome in Toronto. I imagine that he’ll play alongside longtime captain Mats Sundin and I wouldn’t be surprised if they started scoring in bunches. The fact that he plays with an edge will likely make him a fan favourite in Toronto.

Their defensive corps was not really upgraded this off-season, which will cause fans to cry in frustration because certain defensemen are still hanging around and are still overpaid. That being said, I still think that the Leafs have a better chance at making the playoffs this season than the Habs. If not, John Ferguson Jr. can start looking for another job.

I was glad to see that Bryan Murray kept the Ottawa Senators pretty much intact this summer, which isn’t much of a surprise considering the Sens made it to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in 80 years. These guys are a talented bunch who found out that they could win by playing a physical, hard-hitting game. It’s a shame that they lost this edge in the Finals, because I thought that they would’ve ended Canada’s 14 year Cup drought. I believe the Senators learned their lesson the hard way back in June, and that they will come back in full force. I think we will see a new Sens team that is not the fragile team of years past, and they will go deep into the playoffs (perhaps making another run for the Cup).

The Buffalo Sabres have been kicked around and toyed with all summer, and this will surely have an impact on their season. First, they saw both of their captains bolt for big, fat salaries with big market teams. Then, big, bad K.Lo. from the West made the Sabres hand out a big, fat contract to Vanek, who hasn’t proven himself to be worthy of such a raise. While they will remain a run-and-gun team that will score in bunches, they will not score the most goals of any NHL team this season. The Sabres will be offensively gifted, solid in goal, and acceptable on defense (which is probably underrated), but I can virtually guarantee that they will not repeat as winners of the President’s Trophy. The biggest thing the Sabres will miss in this season’s playoff run: Drury’s leadership and clutch play.

The Boston Bruins. In years past, they were a force to be dealt with. In recent years, not so much. And I don’t believe that this coming season will reverse that trend. I think that Fernandez will definitely help with the goaltending situation, but I’m not convinced that the team can band together and make it to the playoffs. They certainly have some good players, like Savard and Bergeron, but you could say that about every team. I think that they’ll be in a bit of a rebuilding phase for another year or two.