Blue And White Beat: 2010-11 NHL predictions

Blue And White Beat – 2010-11 NHL predictions

TMLfans.ca offers the following forecast of the order of finish of each of the 30 NHL teams, within each division.

This site bears no responsibility for any fantasy pool losses incurred, as a result of this column.

(x – playoff team)

Northeast

x – 1. Buffalo – Vezina trophy winner Ryan Miller is showing no signs of slowing down. With veteran defencemen Toni Lydman and Henrik Tallinder gone, the torch is passed to rookie of the year, Tyler Myers.
x – 2 .Boston – The offensive output will suffer if Marc Savard is out for a considerable length of time. However goal prevention is bolstered with having Zdeno Chara on defense and Tuukka Rask in net.
x – 3 .Ottawa – Sergei Gonchar gives the blueline a boost, while Alfredsson, Spezza and Fisher can still light the lamp. Goalie Pascal Leclaire needs to stay healthy.
4 .Montreal – The merciless Montreal environment is a bad fit for anointed starting goalie Carey Price. Last year’s playoff overachievers will crash back down to earth.
5. Toronto – Goaltending is upgraded from last year, but Dion Phaneuf and Phil Kessel have inadequate supporting cast. The playoff drought will continue for a sixth year.

Atlantic

x – 1. Pittsburgh – After losing Game Seven to the Habs, Sidney Crosby found himself in yet another photo that he doesn’t want to be in. Ex-Devil Paul Martin leads the commitment to team defence as the Penguins reclaim the Stanley Cup.
x – 2. Philadelphia – With relatively low turnover, the most significant change is bringing in enigmatic winger Nikolai Zherdev to replace oft-injured Simon Gagne. The challenge is for goalie Michael Leighton to repeat his playoff heroics.
x – 3. New Jersey – After the most complex free agent signing in recent memory, the Devils finally landed their man in Ilya Kovalchuk, but now Lou Lamoriello has to dispatch some personnel to get underneath the salary cap. Supreme shot-blocker Anton Volchenkov is a fine addition to the blueline.
4. NY Rangers – The dispatching of one-time great defenceman Wade Redden to the waiver wire epitomizes the decade-long plague of Glen Sather’s regime; no bang for the big bucks.
5. NY Islanders – The loss of Mark Streit is a damaging blow to the defensive unit. Up front, the youth movement continues with John Tavares and Matt Moulson carrying the load.

Southeast

x – 1. Washington – Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom provide the spark for arguably the most potent scoring tandem in the league. Semyon Varlamov carries the torch between the pipes, with the departure of Jose Theodore.
x – 2. Tampa Bay – Steve Yzerman leads the charge to respectability, adding Simon Gagne to a dynamic forward unit that already includes Steven Stamkos, Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis.
3. Carolina – Eric Staal leads a core of inexperienced players that will challenge for a playoff spot, at best. The defense isn’t very deep beyond Joni Pitkanen, Tim Gleason and Joe Corvo.
4. Atlanta – General manager Rick Dudley has his work cut out for him as the team enters its first full season with Ilya Kovalchuk. Evander Kane and Zach Bogosian are the centrepieces of the team’s future playoff contention, which is still a couple of years away.
5. Florida – The team’s most consistent scorer Nathan Horton was dispatched to Boston, leaving David Booth to replace the goals, which he is capable of doing provided that the Mike Richards hit leaves no ill-effects. It will be a long year for Pete DeBoer’s crew.

Central

x – 1. Chicago – Despite the mass exodus of players out of the Windy City, the core group of players led by Patrick Kane Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith has the talent to overcome any Stanley Cup hangover. If the now departed Antti Niemi can take the team out of the West, there’s no reason that Marty Turco can’t do the same.
x – 2. Detroit – The core of the perennial Cup contenders is essentially unchanged. If Calder Trophy nominee Jimmy Howard can avoid a sophomore jinx, Hockeytown USA will be a force once again.
x – 3. Nashville – The acquisition of Matthew Lombardi should offset the departure of veteran Jason Arnott, while Patric Hornqvist will be expected to build upon his 30-goal campaign. Shea Weber should emerge as a Norris trophy candidate.
4. St. Louis – The Blues have pinned their goaltending hopes on Jaroslav Halak, but the jury is still out on whether the netminder was a one-year playoff wonder. Never wager on players in the first year of a new contract.
5. Columbus – Rick Nash remains the only marquee player among this group of underachievers. Goalie Steve Mason needs to shake off a regrettable second-year campaign.

Northwest

x – 1. Vancouver – Roberto Luongo can now focus solely on the puck after being relieved of the unnecessary burden of being captain, while Hart Trophy winner Henrik Sedin might have an even better season than last year if brother Daniel stays healthy.
x – 2. Colorado – The Avalanche have a pair of young productive centers in Paul Stastny and Matt Duchene, while Craig Anderson provides a consistent last line of defense in goal.
3. Calgary – The Olli Jokinen experiment has proven to be a previous flop. Just as in an ill-advised reunion between two ex-lovers, there’s no reason to believe that the Finn’s second tenure with the club won’t end in a divorce.
4. Minnesota – Martin Havlat is the only proven top-line forward on the club, and his stock plummeted to just 54 points last season. He needs to regain his scoring prowess if the Wild are going to have even a respectable finish.
5. Edmonton – Oilers fans can look forward to a bright future that includes Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle and Magnus Svensson-Paajarvi. But they’ll have to go through some growing pains, first.

Pacific

x – 1. San Jose – The top line of Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley and Patrick Marleau should be dominant again, for at least 82 games. It’s a crapshoot, after that.
x – 2. Phoenix – Coach of the year Dave Tippett will be out to prove that last year’s 50-win season was no fluke. Captain Coyote Shane Doan is motivated by missing the conclusion of the franchise’s first playoff appearance in two decades due to injury.
x – 3. Los Angeles – Drew Doughty shows the poise of a seasoned veteran on the back end, while up front, Dustin Brown and Anze Kopitar will be relied upon heavily to produce.
4. Dallas – A thin blueline leaves general manager Joe Nieuwendyk with few reasons for optimism. Goalie Kari Lehtonen needs to remain free of back problems.
5. Anaheim – The retirement of future Hall of Famer Scott Niedermayer leaves a huge void on the blueline. Netminder Jonas Hiller must play as well as he did down the stretch last season, and live up to the expectations of the 4-year, $18 million deal that was his reward.

Western Conference champions – Chicago

Eastern Conference champions – Pittsburgh

Stanley Cup champions – Pittsburgh

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