Season Outlook – Part 1

01 Oct 2008 by Craig in NHL 2008

Anaheim Ducks - The Ducks ran into some cap issues this off season and had to make some tough decisions about there club. They bought out Todd Bertuzzi and traded Mathieu Schneider, so they could get under the cap. Anaheim is still very talented and will be looking to have a good season. Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger will lead the team from the back end and they still have all world goalie J.S. Giguere. Defense will not be the problem with the Ducks, they are going to need to manufacture ways to score goals. Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf and Teemu Selanne will have to have good years for Anaheim up front. The Ducks aren’t as good as they were when they won the Cup a couple years ago, but they are still contenders in the West. Look for them to play great defense and fight for there division title.

Atlanta Thrashers - There’s not much to say about this team, there is a better chance they finish in dead last place then make the playoffs. They still have Ilya Kovalchuk as by far there best player and only true goal scorer. They made a trade for Mathieu Schneider and have a couple decent players in Colby Armstrong. Slava Kozlov and Jason Williams. Well this team straight up, isn’t good at all, in fact they might be the worst team in the league. If you are a Thrashers fan, get ready for a long season and a good draft pick next year.

Boston Bruins – The Bruins look good, they look like a playoff team. Bruins fans should get excited, the team is heading in the right direction and making the right decisions. Every night the Bruins will put out a solid top 6 forwards that will include Marc Savard, Michael Ryder, Patrice Bergeron and youngster Phil Kessel. Zdeno Chara is the captain and one of the best defenseman in the NHL. Its yet to be seen who the starting goalie is, but a healthy Manny Fernandez and Tim Thomas will make a good one two punch in net. I see Boston as a playoff team, but they need to stay healthy. They are heading in the right direction, but I don’t think they are deep enough yet to withstand major injuries.

Buffalo Sabres – This team is a confusing one I can’t figure out if they are going to be very good, or miss the playoffs. They are fast up front with Maxim Afinogenov, Derek Roy and Thomas Vanek and should score some goals. They finally managed to keep a player by signing under rated forward Jason Pominville to a multi year deal. They have one of the best goalies in the NHL with Ryan Miller and a veteran defense core. The Sabres should fight for a playoff spot this year and be tough to play on a nightly basis. Miller is going to have to have a good season in the net, and Thomas Vanek will have to earn his money.

Calgary Flames – The Flames look good, they look like Western Conference favorites this season. Once again they will be led by super star Jerome Iginla, but Flames management went out and got him some help with Mike Cammalleri and Todd Bertuzzi. Secondary scoring will be key to Calgary having a great season. The defense is big and tough with Robyn Reghir and Dion Phaneuf. Miikka Kiprusoff will need to be back to his Vezina self because they don’t have much of a back up. The Calgary Flames will be an extremely tough team to play as they always are. They are big and physical and may intimidate some teams. Iginla is one of the best goal scorers in the NHL and if they get contributions by other players the flames will win. This team will hit, hard, fight and claw there way to a division title this year.

Carolina Hurricanes – I’m not to sure what to say about Carolina, they aren’t the worst team in the East, but they are far the best. They may be a team in limbo, they have some good pieces, but not a whole team yet. Eric Staal is the leader on the ice and they also have streaky forwards Tuomo Ruutu and Sergei Samsonov. Cam Ward is a good goalie and a healthy Frank Kaberle will lead the defense. The Hurricanes don’t look like a playoff team this year, but if they play hard they should have an alright record.

Chicago Blackhawks – This is the best young team in hockey, and I think this is the year they finally make the playoffs. Young super star forwards Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Sharp will lead the offensive charge. The three of them will combine to be one of the best top lines in the NHL. In free agency the Hawks went out and got all star defenseman Brian Campbell and steady goalie Christabel Huet to improve there club. Campbell will lead the team on the power play and be the puck moving d – man they desperately needed last season. This team is offensively talented and I think they have a good chance of leading the league in power play goals. They are young and they will be the best team to watch in the league this season, like last years Washington. All offensive, all the time. Check out this team this year, if they stay healthy they will make the playoffs.

Colorado Avalanche – Goaltending is the big question mark with this team, Petr Budaj isn’t a proven starter and they don’t have a suitable back up. There are lots of good veterans on this team including team captain Joe Sakic, Adam Foote, Darcy Tucker and Ryan Smyth. This team will have to play tough games every night to make the playoffs. Budaj will have to surprise everyone and become a true number one goalie, and the young forwards will have to provide a lot of offense.