NHL analysis

Additions: Keith Carney, Pavol Demitra, Kim Johnsson, Mark Parrish, Branko Radivojevic, Wyatt Smith

Subtractions: Filip Kuba, Patrick O’Sullivan, Randy Robitaille, Daniel Tjarnavist, Andrei Zyuzin, Kyle Wanvig, Andrei Nazarov

Analysis

Minnesota is a team on the upswing. I for one am glad about that, as the fans in Minnesota have been very patient thus far. A number of years of slow, patient building and defence first team philosophy have kept the Wild from being much of a party to watch or cheer on. With star forward Marion Gaborik only a short year away from unrestricted free agency, management knew they had to make a splash this summer, and splash they did.

First they acquired Gaborik’s countryman and friend Pavol Demitra from the L.A. Kings, a move that cost them a promising prospect and a high draft pick. The move should pay off immediately however, and the Wild still boast considerable up and coming depth at all positions on the ice. However, prospects and picks are one thing, and an established scorer like Demitra is another thing altogether. He should have immediate chemistry with Gaborik and the two should both have fantastick years.

The Wild also managed to woo Mark Parish and Kim Johnsson over to long-term contracts. Johnsson is a very capable puck moving defenceman, although his health must be a concern. He missed about half the season last year with a concussion, and those injuries never really dissapear. If he stays healthy, however, $4.85 million per year is a bargain considering what other blueliners were getting this summer. Parish was probably overpaid but he’s been a consistent goal scorer through his career (173 goals in 518 games) and if he improves with the significant ice time and responsability he’s likely to see this year, he’ll be a bargain for years to come.

In goal, Manny Fernandez is an excellent young goaltender who’s development had progressed sufficiently to allow the trading of the older Roloson to the Oilers last year. This will also give the younger goaltenders in the system an opportunity to get some NHL experience.

In many ways the Wild are a similar team to the Calgary flames - defence first but with a few offensive studs, solid goaltending and a team oriented plan. While the defence in Minnesota is not as experienced or deep as in Calgary, the Wild still managed to be tied for 4th in the league for goals against. Their only problem was scoring enough goals. Locking up Gaborik and adding Demitra, Johnsson and Parish will help in that department.

Minnesota will need to work hard to make the playoffs next year, but I think they deserve a spot. If they played in either of the other Western Conference divisions I would call them a lock to make the second season, but all 5 teams in the Northwest can be said to have legitimate shots at cracking the top 8. And while it’s technically possible for all 5 to make it, the 8 intra-division games virtually guarrantee that that will not happen. I would expect Minnesota to leapfrog over Colorado and possibly Edmonton, and even Calgary and Vancouver are not out of reach. They will be a longshot once the playoffs roll around, however, with not nearly enough experience on the team to carry them very far.

Additions: Roberto Luongo, Lukas Krajicek, Willie Mitchell, Marc Choinard, Taylor Pyatt, Jan Bulis, Yannick Tremblay

Subtractions: Alex Auld, Todd Bertuzzi, Bryan Allen, Nolan Baumgartner, Keith Carney, Dan Cloutier, Jarkko Ruutu, Eric Weinrich

Analysis

Vancouver was not supposed to miss the playoffs last year, plain and simple. They were expected to be a contender and make a long run through the playoffs. And despite the emergence of the Sedin twins as legitimate first liners, a number of factors led to their disapointing 9th place finish. The first was a horrendous string of injuries. Dan Cloutier missed the majority of the season, though I for one thought that Auld more than handled the job. Worse were the injuries on the blueline, and even up front. At one point all three of Vancouver’s top defencemen were injured, and though not publically disclosed during the season, Naslund at the least, and possibly Brendan Morrisson and a few others were battling injuries through most of the year.

Assuming Naslund and Morrisson can bounce back, the Sedin twins continue to develop, and Vancouver can find a couple wingers to fill out their top two lines, Vancouver can legitimately claim two of the best lines in the NHL. However, I find it more likely that Morrison will be left to play without Naslund, and with weaker linemates will see his ice time and points diminish. A line of Sedin-Sedin-Naslund however could be very dangerous.

The blueline may look very different from last season but little has actually changed. Weinrich and Carney, brought in at the trade deadline to replace injured bodies, are gone, as is Ed Jovanoski. Willie Mitchel was brought, and I see that as a great move. Jovo is an excellent defenceman but his defensive play was lacking at times, to say the least. Mitchell should be rock solid and should make the Canucks much better in their own end. And you’d have to expect Ohlund and Salo to be healthier than last season.

Easily the biggest change for the Canucks was the Bertuzzi for Luongo trade. While I didn’t like how Luongo treated Florida last year, he’s a definite upgrade from Auld or Cloutier. Luongo in my mind has yet to prove himself - zero playoffs games - but he’s spent his entire career keeping Florida in games they had no business being in. He and Vancouver should be very good for themselves. Losing Bertuzzi was no loss - he was a distraction more than anything and will almost certainly never repeat his career highs from a few years ago with his past weighing him down. Even though it also cost them young Alex Auld, Vancouver pulled a fast one on Florida, acquiring one of the best goaltenders in the league for Bertuzzi.

Anson Carter is not on the list of subtractions but probably will not be back. Vancouver is too close to the cap for his (reported) asking price. That’s too bad, since he really clicked with the Sedin twins. That kind of chemistry is hard to find and would have benefitted all three players - not to mention the Canucks team - more than Carter may realize. Oh well, that’s the business end of things.

Vancouver’s simply too good a team to miss the playoffs again, barring another year of unforseen injuries. Luongo will get his chance to prove himself in the playoffs. The Sedin twins should be even better and will complete their takeover of the first line.

Additions: Joffrey Lupul, Ladislav Smid, Marty Reasoner, Daniel Tjarnqvist, Jan Hejda, Petr Sykora

Subtractions: Chris Pronger, Ty Conklin, Georges Laraque, Jaroslav Spacek, Sergei Samsonov, Mike Peca, Dan Smith

Analysis

Last year’s Cinderella Team, the Edmonton faithful got to watch the team that came within one game of the Stanley Cup get pretty solidly dismantled in the offseason. From the shocking news that Norris-caliber defenceman Pronger had requested a trade, to the departure of Spacek, Samsonov, Laraque and Peca, it seemed for a while like the team was coming apart at the seams.

Give credit to Kevin Lowe for salvaging what he could and preparing yet another young, fast, hungry team for next season. His first major task - an unexpected and unwanted surprise no doubt - was squeezing maximum benefit out of his stud defenceman. Unfortunately, since Pronger had requested a trade, and since there were so many high level blueliners soon to be available for free, his job was not as easy as one would hope.

The best possible result would have been replacing Pronger with a defenceman who could immediately step in, eat up the majority of Pronger’s minutes, but be younger with more room to develop, and also grab a prospect or pick to pick up the slack (there aren’t many Pronger caliber guys in the world). This proved to be either impossible or simply not in the interests of the Oilers, so Lowe did the next best thing. While he did ship Pronger to a conference rival (watch out for the Ducks next year), he got back one of the best defensive prospects (Smid) who is expected to slide into the team (albeit not close to Pronger’s 30 minutes per game) and projects as a top two defenceman, an almost as young forward who managed 28 goals in only his second season in the NHL and also managed 9 more in the playoffs - including one four goal night against Colorado. Finally, Lowe picked up a couple high end draft picks that hopefully will eventually make the fans in Edmonton saw “Chris who?”

Unfortunately, that still leaves a big hole on the blueline, and Spacek didn’t help matters when he departed shortly thereafter. The defence in Edmonton this year will be much younger, much less experienced, and will face some growing pains. Hopefully Edmonton doesn’t try to rush Smid into too much too fast. Plenty of players with big P potential have flubbed after facing too much pressure early in their careers. I think it’s safe to say however that Lowe and McTavish are too smart for that.

Locking up goaltender Dwayne Roloson and forwards Fernando Pisani, Ales Hemsky, Shawn Horcoff and Jarrett Stoll has occupied much of the rest of Lowe’s time, and it has been time well spent. Edmonton has perhaps the best crop of young forwards in the NHL this year, and they’ll all be a year older. Speed and depth will be had aplenty, and should make Edmonton both a fun team to watch and a hard team to face. The addition of Sykora adds even more depth and scoring punch. No team ever can have too many 20 goal scorers, but the Oilers are taking a run at being the first.

Edmonton should be safely in the playoffs next year and could walk away with the division title if Roloson stays healthy. Rolly the goalie has been a consistent performer his entire career and should continue that trend. The blueline may have been thinned too much to repeat a deep run, but the forward lines will roll all the way over most opponents. I doubt the Oilers can get much beyond the first round of the playoffs, but I wouldn’t be surprised if, with their combination of speed, youth, and that great ice in Edmonton, they put up the best home record in the league next year.

Additions: Tyler Arnason, Jordan Leopold, Michael Vernace, Matt Murley, Ben Guite, Mark Rycroft, Michal Vernace

Subtractions: Rob Blake, Dan Hinote, Alex Tanguay

Analysis

Colorado is a team undergoing a major changing of the guard at all positions on the ice. It started a few years ago with the retirement of Patrick Roy, continued last summer when Rob Blake left for Columbus and Peter Forseberg departed for the Eastern Conference and marches on this summer with the departure of Rob Blake. To solidify the defence promising young forward Alex Tanguay was shipped to division rival Calgary for rock solid Jordan Leopold. Tyler Arnason, fresh off a very dissapointing stint with the Ottawa Senators (healthy scratch for most of it) was also brought it to add a bit more scoring depth at center. He will have every opportunity to take the #2 center position from Pierre Turgeon, who is really too old to be the #2 guy on a contending team (though he adds class, dependency, experience and more for a very low price).

Trading for Jose Theodore at the deadline last year initially appeared foolish but did pay dividends in the playoffs. Giving up essentially no one (Abeischer was as good as finished in Colorado anyways) for a goaltender who has recently won the Hart Trophy and is locked up for another couple years cost the Avalanche nothing but cap space for the next two years. Theodore played pretty well during the playoffs (certainly outplaying Marty Turco in the first round, though with Turco’s playoff performance that isn’t saying much), enough to get the seventh seeded Avalanche past the highly favoured Dallas Stars. A change in scenary should be good for Theodore, who should bounce back from his very poor season last year. The Avalance can only hope. Moving an inconsistent goaltender making more than $5 million a season is not an easy task.

Colorado will have a tough time making the playoffs next year, but if Theodore holds up they should squeeze in. Sakic is still one of the best players in the league, though he won’t have Tanguay on his wing this year. Mark Svatos, though still unsigned, had 32 goals in 61 games last year before being injured. He will be counted on to step up even more this season. Another young player to keep an eye on is John Michel-Liles. This kid put up 49 points (28 on the power play) playing BEHIND Rob Blake last year. This season he will be the undisputed power play quarterback and should far outpace his previous totals.

Are the emerging youngsters and additions enough to overcome the loss of Blake and Tanguay? Tough to tell. I have a feeling Colorado may well drop out of the playoff picture this year, unless Theodore can recover his form. Although trading for Theodore didn’t cost Colorado much, it did stop them from pursuing a goaltender this summer, from a crop that counted guys like Martin Biron and Manny Legace, both of who could be had for a fraction of Theodore’s $5.3 million. Playing against Calgary, Vancouver, Edmonton and Minesota 8 times each next year will expose the deficiencies this team has not had in many years.

Additions: Jamie McLennan, Alex Tanguay, Jeff Friesen, Andrei Zyuzin, Brad Ference

Subtractions: Shean Donovan, Jordan Leopold, Craig MacDonald, Chris Simon

Analysis

For the past few years, Calgary has been well known as a nearly impregnable team, with stalwart Miikka Kiprusoff in net and a very strong defence in front of him. Little has changed on the back half of the team, as Kipper will of course return as Calgary’s starter, and the defence, though thinned by the loss of Leopold, still bosts Hamrlik, Warrner and Regher. Calgary will continue to be a very difficult team to score against.

Where Calgary was lacking the past few years has been at the opposite end of the ice. Scoring goals may have been a specialty of Jarome Iginla, but the power forward didn’t have much help in that department. Cue the arrival of Alex Tanguay, one of the most promising young stars the Western Conference has to offer. While it is not yet certain if GM Sutter will use Tanguay as a centerman or seek to acquire someone to play between him and Iginla, Calgary should also be a more difficult team to defend against next year.

A candidate for the Calder Trophy last year, Dion Phaneuf will be given more responsability this year and should continue to pile up points, especially on the power play. He’s fun to watch and an absolutely spectacular defenceman, especially for a young man only entering his second season. As if Calgary needed another star defenceman.

A few other minor moves should help in small ways, as well, Jamie McLennan is a pretty solid backup goaltender, especially for a guy like Kipper, who likes to play plenty of games. McLennan can and will play a very few games but can always be counted on to be on his game - not easy to do with frequent lengthy waits between games. He won’t have a major impact, but he isn’t recquired to. Similarly, Jeff Friesen adds speed to the front lines, even if he won’t break games open by himself. As many teams learned last year, speed wins games in the new NHL.

Calgary was a top contender last year and should continue to be so for the forseable future. They didn’t make major upheavals, but rather tinkered with a successful, if imperfect lineup. Playing in arguably the toughest division in the league, Calgary will have a big challenge to relaim the Northwest titile, but making the playoffs should not be too tough. I wouldn’t want to meet the Flames in the playoffs next season.

Additions: Bill Guerin, Dan Hinote, Jay McKee, Doug Weight, Martin Rucinsky, Manny Legace

Subtractions: Patrick Lalime, Mark Rycroft, Jeff Hoggan, Dean McAmmond, Kevin Dallman, Brendan Buckley, Trevor Byrne

Analysis

St. Louis managed to beat out Pittsburgh, Columbus and Chicago for last place last year, ending a streak of playoff appearances that was almost legendary. Admitting the season was a lost cause, they traded away Dough Weight at the trade deadline. True to his word, and fresh off his Stanley Cup victory, Weight returned to the Blues once free agency began. They also picked up Bill Guerin for a paltry $2 million, thogh incentives in his contract could push his salary closer to $4 million before the season is up - and I’m sure St. Louis would be happy to have to pay those incentives. Weight proved something last year and this year Guerin has something to prove. Keith Tkachuk played only 41 games but managed 36 points playing on a very poor team. He is also entering the last year of his contract. Could this be the end of his career in St. Louis? Tough to tell. The three American All-Stars should form a formidable front line, provided they can stay healthy.

In net, Manny Legace will likely be considered the backup out of training camp, as St. Louis will want to give young Jason Bacashuhui every opportunity to grow and develop. However, Legace is a capable goaltender who will provide a mentoring, solidifying influence, and a guy who will be a competent backup or a more than acceptable starter depending on how the youngster performs. Legace’s numbers will not be as solid as last year (playing for Detroit is better than playing against them) but he’s got the right attitude to deal with that and do the best he can.

Jay McKee is a very solid defenceman, but I think he may be asked to do too much in St. Louis. Last year he played for a Buffalo team that was deep at every position, a team that rolled four lines and three pairs on defence. In St. Louis Jay Mckee steps in as the second highest paid player. He makes more than Dough Weight. He makes more than Manny Legace. He makes nearly as much as Backman and Brewer combined, the two men directly behind him on the blueline depth chart. St. Louis made a long term, significant commitment to McKee and he will be expected to earn it. I expect this deal will pay off. McKee played plenty of minutes for Buffalo, blocked a ton of pucks, and was counted upon in important situations night in and night out. He will be counted on even more this year, and should thrive on the challenges he will face. However, McKee is not going to drag his team over the substantial hump to the playoffs.

St. Louis will improve greatly as a team next season, but they will still struggle mightily to climb from the basement and will fall well short of the playoffs for the second straight year.

Additions: Denis Arkhipov, Patrick Lalime, Martin Havlat, Bryan Smolinski, Craig MacDonald, Sebastien Caron, Michal Handzus, Reed Low

Subtractions: Craig Anderson, Curtis Brown, Matthew Barnaby, Mark Cullen, Mark Bell, Michal Barinka, Shawn Thornton, Kyle Calder, Jason Morgan

Analysis

Few teams underwent as many changes as the Blackhawks this summer. Given their disapointing season (understatement by about a hundred degrees) last year, changes have to be for the better. Right?

Trading for Martin Havlat and signing him to a big contract was a mistake, but a good mistake, if that makes any sense. Havlat will bring some excitement to a city that hasn’t seen much on the ice lately. The reason I say it was mistake is that I don’t believe Havlat is or can be a true leader, even in a hockey backwater. Havlat has a very inflated sense of his own worth, and won’t like playing second fiddle if Chicago can lure any more talent in the future. Despite Havlat’s talent, despite his skill and his finesse, he will not stay in Chicago long term and will never lead the team deep into the playoffs. Of course, I’m sure Chicago would be pleased to merely make the playoffs.

Smolinski, also part of the Havlat deal, will help to deepen the team and was a solid addition. However, Smolinski, despite 14 years in the NHL, Smolinski never managed to solidly take over the #1 or 2 center spot in Ottawa, a team that baddly needed someone to fill that gap. There’s no reason to suspect he can take a further step in Chicago.

To acquire those two players, Chicago dealt away Mark Bell. Chicago may be able to join Boston next year and form a club. After changing teams, Joe Thornton exploded and went on to win the scoring race. Bell is expected to be slotted alongside Thornton and last year’s Rocket Richard Trophy winner Jonathan Cheechoo. Expect big things from the big forward.

Chicago also dealt for Michal Handzus. This should be a good deal for both clubs involved. Handzus was not being used to his full potential in Philly, and was a fan favourite. He should get as much responsability as he can handle - and maybe more - now that he’s not squished between Forseberg, Primeau and three promising rookies on the depth chart. He should also give the fans in Chicago another reason to get excited.

So a number of smart additions in the offseason should help Chicago rebound from their last season. They should also benefit from the virtually guaranteed improved seasons Adrian Aucoin and Nikolai Khabibulan will have next year (much like Chicago, they basically can’t possibly have worse seasons). Will the changes be enough to get them into the playoffs? Doubtfull. To do so Chicago would have to jump over Phoenix, Minnesota, Los Angeles, Vancouver and at least one team that did make the playoffs last year. That’s a tall order for any team.

Chicago should be a more exciting team to watch next year, but they likely won’t move up much in the standings. It’s too bad for the fans of what used to be such a strong hockey city.

Additions: Ty Conklin, Anders Eriksson, Tomas Kloucek, Fredrik Modin, Fredrik Norrena, Filip Novak

Subtractions: Andy Delmore, Marc Denis, Trevor Letowski, Michael Rupp

Analysis

Last year was a dissapointing season for Columbus. After bringing veteran defenceman Adam Foote in, the Blue Jackets were expected to compete for their first post-season appearance. They fell short, to say the least.

Things are looking up for next year. A healthy Rick Nash will be the first plus. Nash is easily the most explosive player on the team, and since the Jackets don’t have the depth of a team like the Carolina Hurricanes, they simply cannot replace a player of Nash’s calibre. Though Columbus at least has Sergei Federov and David Vyborny, offensively they have very much been a one dimensional team since they came into the league. Hopefully Nikolai Zherdev’s contract can be negotiated to bring another fast, skilled player into the fold. However, even without Zherdev, the Jackets look to be much deeper up front.

Pascal Leclaire has probably deserved a shot at the number one role for some time now, and Columbus felt confident enough in the young netminder to deal Denis to Tampa Bay, bringing in a very solid 20 goal scorer in Fredrik Modin. Modin brings a Stanley Cup ring, an Olympic Gold Medal, nearly a decade of NHL experience, and a solid offensive contribution. By bolstering the second line, Modin will make Columbus much harder to defend against.

The Columbs blueline is solid if unspectacular, led by the ageing Adam Foote and the smooth skating Bryan Berard. In goal, Leclaire will have every opportunity to assert himself as the new number one man. If he falters, Conklin will likely be called upon to man the pipes, although young Norrena, acquired from Tampa Bay as part of the Denis deal, may also see some games. Norrena is more of a long term solution, but Conklin may not be much of a short term solution, so if Leclaire falters Columbus could be in for some rough times. There are goaltenders available for trade, but they never come cheap, and the last thing a team like Columbus wants to do is canobalize their young players and prospects for immediate success.

Last year Columbus was 21 points out of the playoffs, and only beat out divisional “rivals” Chicago and St. Louis for the basement of the Western Conference. Being a deeper, more balanced team, they should gain some ground, but the playoffs are likely out of reach. Sensational play by Leclaire (or as Huet proved in Montreal last year, an as yet unknown source), a signing of Zherdev, or unexpected performances from the youngsters on the team could combine for a spot in the playoffs, but the odds of enough of these things happening to actually catapult the team five or more spots in the standings seem low, to say the least. It also doesn’t help that Sergei Federov eats up over $6 million dollars of annual salary cap space. I don’t doubt he -can- play like a six million dollar center, I just doubt that he -will- play that way. Lucky for Columbus salary cap concerns aren’t pressing as of yet.