NHL analysis

Major Additions: Ryan Smyth, Scott Hannan

Major Subtractions: Patrice Brisebois, Ken Klee, Pierre Turgeon

Analysis

Colorado made the kind of moves I respect the most. Faced with an immovable Jose Theodore, an aging but still dominant Joe Sakic, and an improving crop of youngsters, they made few changes - but big ones. Ryan Smyth - though arguably not worth the length nor cost of his big contract - was one of if not the best free agents on the market. Scott Hannan received less attention but could be even more important to a blueline still adjusting to the losses of Rob Blake and Adam Foote.

When teams make a large number of big moves - such as the Philadelphia Flyers this summer - there is typically a “letdown” season during which the new team molds itself into a unit. When you replace cogs like Turgeon and Brisebois a few at a time, there is less shock to the system and an easier transition for the new players. Expect big things from the Avalanche this year, IF…

… if Peter Budaj is the real deal. It seems pretty obvious at this point that Theodore is done, at least as a starter in the NHL. He is in the final year of his contract so a resurgence is not out of the question - it would be the only thing that would land him another decent contract - but the Avs cannot count on it. If Budaj falters and Theo fails to pick up the slack, expect to see Colorado seek some outside help - perhaps signing Curtis Joseph or attempting to lure Ed Belfour back from Europe. Note that either goalie would have to clear waivers if signed after the start of the season.

The Avalanche have at most a few seasons left with both their current and future face of the franchise on board. If Budaj does play like a genuine star, look for the Avalanche to begin picking up some veteran additions to make a serious run this summer. That being said, the goaltending situation remains too murky for me personally to count on anything but another fight for the playoffs.

Major Additions: Dustin Penner, Sheldon Souray, Geoff Sanderson, Joni Pitkanen,

Major Subtractions: Petr Sykora, Jason Smith, Joffrey Lupul

Analysis

Oh the poor Oiler fans. Expectations were so high a year ago. It’s almost a blessing that this year they almost can’t do any worse than will be expected.

Kevin Lowe went into the summer with a vengeance but came out looking like he could be on his last legs in Edmonton (probably unfairly). He managed to acquire a big name UFA defenceman in Souray, a young puck moving defenceman in Pitkanen, admitted to and dumped a costly mistake in Lupul, and succeeded in prying Penner from the Stanley Cup Champions.

Unfortunately, there are a few problems. Firstly, the acquisition of Penner involved a huge chunk of cap space and three draft picks. Even worse, if the Oilers don’t improve dramatically this year, those draft picks will be valuable indeed. Thirdly, teams that make sweeping changes tend to do somewhat poorly for at least a year or two, while the new additions attempt to gel with the old guard.

I believe that Lowe will be (mostly) vindicated but it won’t be for at least 3-4 years and he will likely never receive credit for it. He acted out of desperation with Penner and has been unable to attract the free agents he has been after, but that can’t be entirely blamed on the man in charge. What he has done is stockpile draft picks and prospects. No, he wasn’t able to pull off a trade at the draft this summer but you also shouldn’t ignore that he drafted three times in the first round.

Too many changes

to the roster to expect much, but the franchise is definitely not floundering. Lowe is making the best of a bad situation and the Oilers could still surprise a few people this year. That being said, a playoff spot seems unlikely unless players like Hemsky have major bounceback years.

Major Additions: Todd Bertuzzi, Matthew Schneider

Major Subtractions: Dustin Penner, Teemu Selanne*, Scott Niedermayer

* - both Selanne and Niedermayer are considering retirement but neither has confirmed their choice as of yet

Analysis

The defending Stanley Cup champions kept a significant portion of their core together but lost a few key pieces - particularly if their captain and leading scorer from last season both elect to retire. Since GM Brian Burke did an admirable job filling both of those holes, should the two elect to play in the upcoming season the Ducks could be an even stronger team than they were a year ago. That is, of course, assuming they can fit their team under the salary cap, which could take some magic.

If, on the other hand, one or both of the two decide to retire, the Ducks are undeniably a weaker team. Schneider’s best days are behind him and Bertuzzi’s $4 million salary is a payment for the way Todd has not played in many years.

There is good news, however. Dustin Penner is gone but the influx of draft picks - not to mention the cap space - will be instrumental in Anaheim’s future. Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf are each a year older and more experienced. Bobby Ryan should be ready to make the team. Burke has a pretty solid roster and several big bargaining chips - notably Bryzgalov - should he decide to seek a trade.

The road to defending the Stanley Cup is a long shot, but you have to consider the Ducks contenders as much today as they were a year ago.

Major Additions: Alexei Semenov

Major Subtractions: Scott Hannan, Vesa Toskala, Mark Bell

Analysis

One of the best teams in the league got better mostly by subtraction this summer, shedding some unnecessary/wasteful pieces and preparing to lock up others.

Vesa Toskala’s value would never have been higher - as an impending UFA he would be of interest only to other contending teams, whom the Sharks would prefer not to strengthen heading into the playoffs. Mark Bell was proving to be an expensive mistake, and one who has since been sentenced to jail time (albeit a sentence that will not impact his playing time in Toronto).

In shedding these two players salary (Bell makes over $2 million per year, Toskala was already well on his way to the $4 million per year new salary Toronto has already granted him), San Jose paves the way to re-signing captain Patrick Marleau sometime over the next 8 months. Even if they choose a different path, or even if Marleau chooses to test free agency, the cap room will be essential in signing RFA’s like Joe Pavelski, Ryan Clowe, Matt Carle and more. For a team so close to the Stanley Cup these past few seasons, the Sharks are as rich as any other of young talent.

The Sharks are just run oh so well. It makes me jealous. They field a solid, exciting, competitive team while turning excess pieces into draft picks and prospects to ensure they remain competitive long after their current core players are gone. They look poised to make another deep playoff run, and while they lost their top defenceman in Hannan to free agency, the majority of their blueline will return a little older and more experienced. Craig Rivet also returns and will anchor the blue

Major Additions: None

Major Subtractions: Darryl Sydor, Eric Lindros

Analysis

I expected the Stars to be significantly more active in the free agent market this summer. While the Stars boast among the strongest goaltending tandems in the league and a very impressive blueline (Philippe Boucher is third on their defensive depth chart), they also lack scoring up front and did nothing to fix that lack.

The good news is that Dallas has plenty of cap space to work with this year, but with nearly all of the big name UFA’s already signed there’s little they can do to improve themselves without parting with their own assets. Dallas should be expected to have trouble filling the opposition’s net once again, and that spells trouble. This is the team that couldn’t score enough goals to get past the Canucks in the playoffs last season.

Dallas looks like a pretty solid lock to make the playoffs but it’s difficult to see them making much noise once they get there. They would need to add more than one top six forward and have them integrate themselves into the team all but instantly. Not likely.

Major Additions: Brad Stuart, Michal Handzus, Tom Priessing, Kyle Calder, Ladislav Nagy

Major Subtractions: Alyn McCauley, Mathieu Garon, Aaron Miller

Analysis

The Kings were busy over the summer. They shored up a number of weak areas while patiently giving their young prospects more time to develop. However, their upcoming season doesn’t really look much different than last year. They remain weak in goal and while they added a number of veteran pieces, they were mostly supporting cast members.

The Kings face the same situation as the Coyotes - a very difficult division and a long rebuild. The good news is that the Kings’ prospects seem further along than Phoenix’s, and

Major Additions: Alex Auld (UFA), David Aebischer (UFA), Mike York (UFA)

Major Subtractions: Curtis Joseph (currently unsigned), Owan Nolan (signed with Calgary)

Analysis:

The Coyotes are a team that aught to have been better by now but still doesn’t look set to improve anytime soon. Despite year after year of finishing well out of the playoffs, the Coyotes have few prospects of note to show for it. They also seem to have trouble attracting unrestricted free agents despite Wayne Gretzky behind the bench. Perhaps the most notable change in Phoenix’s corner this summer is the change that occurred in the General Manager’s position. For the immediate future, however, that won’t likely change much. GM changes tend to take several seasons, at least, before changes on the ice become readily apparent.

All this adds up to another likely disappointing season in the desert. Curtis Joseph was exchanged for Auld and Aebischer (with Michael Tellqvist and David LeNevau both waiting in the wings), creating more of a crowd but no more stability or confidence. Nolan was a non-factor. Shane Doan is an excellent captain and team player but he’s not much of an elite talent to build around.

Perhaps most worrying of all, look at the Pacific division teams above the Coyotes: Los Angeles improved significantly, Dallas stood pat, San Jose is just as strong with extra cap room, and Anaheim is somewhere between treading water and slightly worsened, depending on whether Niedermayer and/or Selan