5. Coming in at number five is the Washington Capitals. This is already one of the most exciting teams to watch in the NHL night in and night out. This season, they're still led by Alex Ovechkin, who despite having his most sub-par season to date in 11-12, is still capable of producing point-per game numbers, and doing so with flair. It will be interesting to see how his production is effected by the acquisition of center Mike Ribeiro, who is consistent in the faceoff circle, reliable offensively, and dazzling in the shootout. The Caps also added Wojtek Wolski who can add solid secondary scoring, but hasn't broken 35 points since 09-10, and even had a brief stint in the AHL last season. Further down the depth chart, expect young gun Marcus Johansson to have a breakout season, with an offensive output not too far behind the likes of Ribeiro and Nicklas Backstrom.
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Washington goalie Brayden Holtby, having some sort
of universe epiphany. |
What really makes this team interesting is young goalie Braden Holtby, who certainly made a case for the job of starting goaltender with his impressive performance in last season's playoffs. After knocking off the defending champion Bruins, he led the Caps through a low scoring, seven game series against the New York Rangers, eventually losing the final game by a single goal. The Capitals have a few story lines going into the 12-13 season (well, I guess now it's just the '13' season), not the least of which being Ovechkin's quest back to the top. Can he make it there? Will the addition of Mike Ribeiro be enough to help the Caps reclaim the Southeast division title? What effect will recently-hired coach Adam Oates have on the team? Is Braden Holtby the real deal?
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| Alexander Semin, smiling at yet another coach's demise. |
4. I'm sure that last place in the Southeast division, behind the likes of Florida and Winnipeg, didn't sit too well with the Carolina Hurricanes last season. Recognizing their scoring to be a weakness, they signed not only one big name during the offseason, but two. In addition to uniting Eric Staal to newly acquired brother Jordan, Carolina did what most teams were apprehensive towards; they signed the controversial Alex Semin. The rumor floating around was that he's not a good locker room guy, and Pierre McGuire went as far as to call him the "ultimate coach killer". But then again, Pierre does say a lot of things..
On the back end, the return of veteran Joe Corvo should help solidify a talented defensive group who's average-at-best performance last season is something the Canes will look to improve on. Goaltender Cam Ward will man the pipes again with arguably more to prove than ever. After winning both the Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe award as a rookie, Ward has taken the back-seat to a number of the league's star goalies, and is rarely mentioned among the league's best. Can he rise back up this season? How much help will the defense give him along the way? Will the improved offense be able to get the Canes back into the playoffs? Will Alex Semin make a fool of Pierre McGuire? Does Pierre McGuire even need help making a fool out of himself?
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| Pierre McGuire saying something smart. |
3. With players like Mikko Koivu, Dany Heatley, and Devin Setoguchi up front, and goalies like Niklas Backstrom and Josh Harding in net, the Minnesota Wild look pretty good on paper, but perhaps their no-name defense was the root of their problems last year. Or maybe the lack of scoring depth put too much of a load on Koivu and Heatley's shoulders, and they simply weren't able to carry it all. Last season, Minnesota finished dead last in goals scored, and headed the bottom half of the goals against category.
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Ryan Suter and Zach Parise's reation upon hearing
that Carolina signed Alex Semin. |
The Minnesota Wild were the center of attention this off-season, and for good reason. Seeing that nothing was clicking, general manager Chuck Fletcher landed the two biggest free agents; forward Zach Parise and defenseman Ryan Suter. Parise is coming off a Stanley Cup run with New Jersey, and Ryan Suter was alternate captain of the US olympic team that took silver. So they both have their credentials, to say the least.
One other notable story surrounding this team is back-up goaltender Josh Harding's recent diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis. According to him, he intends to continue playing as long as his body allows him to, but how long will that be? Consider that just another question on Minnesota's long list coming into this season. Can the addition of Zach Parise boost offense in the State of Hockey? Can the addition of Ryan Suter help do the same on the defensive end? Can Niklas Backstrom continue to provide solid goaltending, and if not, will Harding be available to aid him? Playoffs?
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Rick Nash, who because of his time spent in
Columbus, has apparently forgotten how to smile. |
2. A team in New York City doesn't really need interesting storylines or big-name signings to be interesting, yet the Rangers have them in bunches. There's no doubt the Rangers have been a team on the rise for the last couple seasons, and they seem to be hitting their peak now, with no telling how long it will last. Over the summer, they traded away a bit of their depth for Columbus forward Rick Nash, aka the best player on the worst team for as long as we can remember. It'll be interesting to see how the Nash fits with a team that's actually good, where he won't be solely responsible for the team's offensive output. Kovalchuk experiment, part II.
I was quick to call into question the depth that the Rangers traded away in order to get Nash, but with Derek Stepan, Carl Hagelin and Chris Kreider on the rise, the Rangers seem to have themselves in pretty good shape. Having versatile guys in the mix like Ryan Callahan and Brian Boyle helps too. Their defenseman are also on the rise, with the oldest being only 29. A seemingly no-name defense a few seasons ago is entering it's prime and becoming one of the most recognized in the league.
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| "Just go stand somewhere else." |
I've yet to even mention the Rangers goaltending, which is among the best in the league. You can't really argue with a Vezina winner in Lundqvist (actually you can, when you look at the season Jonathan Quick had, but that's besides the point), and he's got a reliable back-up, Marty Biron. Right now, it seems that every aspect of this team is hitting it's prime, which is why they've been considered by many as a Stanley Cup favorite coming into this season. How much will the lockout effect that? What kind of impact will Nash have? Will the young guys contribute enough? Will Kreider compete for the Calder trophy, and will Lundqvist compete for the Vezina again? Speaking of trophies, will Glen Sather be in contention for GM of the year? Will John Tortorella be in contention for the Jack Adams award? Or will Larry Brooks finally push Tortorella over the edge?
1. I doubt that there's any team more exciting to follow coming into this season than the Edmonton Oilers. The last several season for them have been, well, miserable. But the silver lining is that during that time, they've been building up their depth, and are creating a team that will grow and improve together for many, many years. Aside from having three first overall draft picks on offense, they've got a few young d-men and a good young goalie. Mixed in are a few older veterans that will help develop the younger guys during the few years they have left. If they can live up to the hype, young forwards like Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Magnus Paajarvi, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Sam Gagner, and Nail Yakapov will develop into one of the most relentless offenses in the league. Add in young defensemen like Theo Peckham and Justin Schultz, along with first round draft pick Devan Dubnyk in net, and the Oilers may be in control of a perfect storm that hasn't even begun to wreak havoc yet.
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". . . And with Rick Nash out of the way, we'll never
finish in 15th place again." |
Edmonton used to be one of the most dominant franchises during the Gretzky days, but now, has only squeaked into the playoffs a few times since the late 80s. Could this be the beginning of a new era for Edmonton? Can their young stars develop into a dominant team, or is it all just hype? Can Khabibulin still tend net well? If not, can Dubnyk make a name for himself? Is he ready? Can all the right parts come together to put the Oilers back into the playoffs? Could this finally be the end to the 'Oil Change' series!?
Photo credits courtesy of Evan Vucci/AP, Jamie Kellner, Hannah Foslien/Getty Images, Andrew Theodorakis/New York Daily News, Getty Images
Dubinsky and Anisimov were not depth nor youth. Dubinsky was invisible last year and Anisimov was tradeable especially with guys like Krider and Jt Miller coming through the system. If Nash bombs oh well. But I always though Dubinsky was very overrated and only played up to his potential once (2010-11) while Artie was gonna be traded sooner or later.
ReplyDeleteWell it's hard to argue that Dubinsky and Anisimov don't make for good third line contributors, but you're right, they were flimsy at best in a top 6 role. Like I said, at first I questioned getting rid of their depth, but the Rangers have one of the best young crops in the league, which put to rest my initial doubts about the trade. However, when I say the depth they traded away, you need to factor in Tim Erixon, who doesn't stack up to most of the other defensemen on the team, but would be good to have should a few top defensemen get injured. You also need to factor in the 1st round draft pick they traded away, but again, with Kreider and Stepan coming up, and a young, solid defensive core, it doesn't seem as if this team will need a first round draft pick for a few years. Only time will tell whether or not this ends up being a good or bad trade, but I think he'll do well.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment, Tom