The offensive talent is matched by a young defensive line. John-Michael Liles and Brett Clark lead the backend of a dangerous power play. Free agent Scott Hannan will bring toughness to the unit.
Jordan Leopold, meanwhile, has yet to justify the loss of sniper Alex Tanguay to Calgary.
From a goaltending perspective, GM Francois Giguere made a big mistake in taking on Jose Theodore’s $5.5 million salary. With young netminder Peter Budaj on the rise, Colorado will need to make a quick decision in net.
Any false moves could result in another subpar finish.
Prediction
The Avs have a young and improving team—but only when they resolve their goalie situation will they contend for the playoffs.
Fans in Denver will be expecting nothing less than a postseason berth. For now, a fourth-place prediction seems fair.
5. Edmonton Oilers
What a difference a year can make.
After reaching Game Seven of the Stanley Cup Finals, the Edmonton Oilers have officially hit rock bottom.
With the Chris Pronger drama shaking up all of Edmonton, the Oilers struggled mightily in '06-'07. In shipping Ryan Smyth to the Islanders, GM Kevin Lowe officially launched the rebuilding process in Oil Country.
The jury is still out on Lowe. Unable to convince top-line center Michael Nylander to move up north, the Oilers resorted to signing restricted free agents. They were unable to land Austrian superstar Thomas Vanek, but did manage to sign Dustin Penner to a five-year, $21.25 million offer sheet.
The addition of Penner fails to replace Smyth, though, who was Edmonton’s heart-and-soul player. On the bright side, the Oilers return budding superstar Ales Hemsky and gritty two-way forward Jarrett Stoll.
The disappointing Joffrey Lupul was dealt away after only one season in Edmonton, and Petr Sykora, the Oilers' leading point-scorer, left via free agency.
Up front, the Oilers simply don’t have the firepower to produce points on a consistent basis.
Defensively, Lowe took a very big gamble when he traded Lupul and former captain Jason Smith to the Flyers for Joni Pitkanen.
Pitkanen is coming off a rough year in which he finished with a horrifying –25 +/- rating. Combine that with a –28 from free agent addition Sheldon Souray and the Oilers have a recipe for disaster on the backline.
At least the Oilers did manage to keep hardworking defensemen Steve Staios and pick up point-man Dick Tarnstrom.
Prediction
All hope is not lost for Edmonton.
The Oilers have a promising group of prospects in Cogliano, Schremp, Nilson, O’Marra, and Gagner. In time, they'll make for a formidable team. For now, they have a long way to go.
A last place finish in the Northwest is inevitable for head coach Craig MacTavish and his club.
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