Plus:
1. Coaching: Although I still think it is a really a-hole move by Brent Sutter to leave New Jersey in the midst of a contract to coach Calgary, brother Darryl could not have chosen a better candidate. With two World Junior Championships and some quality seasons in Newark, Brent Sutter has shown he is a quality coach who can lead an NHL team to the postseason.
2. Improvement: Although they lost Mike Cammalleri and Jordan Leopold, the Flames were able to bring in Jay Bouwmeester. With prospect Mikael Backlund coming into the NHL this season, he may be able to learn some strings (and eventually take his place). All together, the Flames may have actually improved, contrary to popular belief.
Minus:
1. Management: By this I don’t mean that Darryl Sutter is a bad GM. I just have this feeling that having a brother/brother GM/coach combo will turn into disaster. If Brent screws up, will Darryl be able to be honest with him and fire him? Or will the “family” thing kick in and prevent it from happening?
2. Soft goaltending: Miikka Kiprusoff is a great goalie, but not as great as people make him out to be. He is a bit overrated and constantly has slow starts; he never hits his strides until mid-November and at that point the Flames may be 20 points back.
Analysis:
Prediction: 1st in Northwest, 2nd in West.
Plus:
1. New look staff: Motivation. The key to this is motivation. With a brand new coach and GM, the team will have a new look and perhaps be able to drive themselves to victory.
2. Goaltending: With Niklas Backstrom and Josh Harding, the Wild boast one of the best goaltending tandems in the league. Backstrom, a Vezina Trophy nominee, is one of the top netminders in the league. Harding is an incredible young goalie who is a phenomenal backup. Key stat: Minnesota’s goalies had a combined .924 save percentage last season.
Minus:
1. Losing skill: After losing Gaborik, the Wild only were able to sign Martin Havlat. Although Havlat is a great player, the Wild need improvement and Havlat is not a one man show.
2. Lack of prospects: The Wild passed on Jordan Schroeder to take hometown boy Nick Leddy, a defenseman who may never be more than a top-four NHL D-man. The Wild lack talent in their farm system and desperately need to beef up in that category if they hope to have a future.
Analysis:
Prediction: 4th in Northwest, 12th in West.
Plus:
1. Youthful talent: There isn’t much more the Oilers can do other than wait for their prospects to develop. It’s better to have a few bad years and have home-grown talent on the roster as opposed to signing big name free agents who wind up hurting the team. The Oil will be fine in another year or two.
2. Goaltending: Nikolai Khabibulin is a great goaltender and should be able to backstop Edmonton to one of the final playoff spots in a competitive Western Conference. Along with the young talent coming out, the Oilers are almost set for the next few years. Much more development is needed, though.
Minus:
1. Coaching: Does Pat Quinn still have it?
2. Defense: They have a weakness of depth on the backend.
Analysis: Jordan Eberle is the best prospect the Oilers have and he should very well be a second line winger for his career. It may take him a bit to get used to the NHL game, but he has the talent to succeed in the big league. Along with the other young guys and great goaltending from Khabibulin, the Oilers may perform better than expected. However, give them another few years before they’re any good.
Prediction: 3rd in Northwest, 11th West.
Plus:
1. Sedins coming to town…again: Finally signing the Sedin twins at the last second was a life-saver for Mike Gillis, whose job many said was at stake. By keeping the Swedish twins (calling them that is very disturbing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6tBr6PMkBY), he prevented the Canucks from losing 164 points of offense, which would not have been replaced by anyone on the roster.
2. Goaltending: Two words: Roberto Luongo.
Minus:
1. Defense?: Letting Mattias Ohlund go was not ideal, however it seemed he was ready to move on. The money being thrown at him by Tampa Bay, plus the opportunity to mentor Victor Hedman is one that few would pass up. Christian Ehrhoff, Mathieu Schneider and Brad Lukowich were great pickups that should really help the team, but many are still not sold on the Nucks’ defense; there are too many top-four defenders and no top defenders.
2. Offensive depth: Other than the Sedins and some talent here and there, the Canucks are weak on their third and fourth lines. The easiest way a team can beat the Canucks is to shut down the Sedins. There is almost no one left to score, otherwise.
Analysis: Other than signing the Sedins, Gillis did very little to improve the team. The Canucks didn’t make it past the second round for the eighth time in their last eight playoff appearances. With an All-Star goalie in net and two of the best players in the league on offense, that is inexcusable. Normally I would mention that the Canucks have to advance past the second round or they’re management is in trouble, but we all know that’s not going to happen. And for all you nay-sayers, I give you three pieces of evidence: Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks and Vancouver’s defense.
Prediction: 2nd in Northwest, 6th in West.
Plus:
1. Development: Trading away Ryan Smyth for Kyle Quincey and Tom Preissing (and a draft pick) was a great move by the Avs management. Two young, capable defenders to boost the team was a perfect step to take in rebuilding this horribly disheveled team.
2. Matt Duchene: Matt Duchene, the third overall pick in this year’s draft, is ready for the NHL. He has a free year to develop on a team that is poised to be in the running for the Taylor Hall sweepstakes, without fear of making a mistake that ruins the season. It’s the best thing a young player can do. Have the confidence to develop his skills without fears of getting berated by the management.
Minus:
1. Talent: The team is so screwed this season. Get your popcorn, kiddies.
2. Coaching: Is Joe Sacco really an NHL-ready coach? I have my doubts, but I’ll trust the NHL executives on this one. For now.
Analysis: Sakic’s retirement leaves a huge hole in the team, both talent-wise and leadership-wise. People point to Paul Stastny to replace Sakic, but Stastny will never be as good as Sakic was. Not to say he can’t produce, but Sakic is a one-of-a-kind player whose absence will leave a sour taste in the team’s collective mouth. Look for a terrible season, but one that can be used to develop farm players.
Prediction: 5th in Northwest, 14th in West.
Alan Bass is a Senior Writer for Bleacher Report, the Community Leader for the NHL and Philadelphia Flyers’ section, and a writer for TheHockeyNews.com, Prohockeynews.com, Insidehockey.com and Hockey54.com. You can contact him at BergHockey24@gmail.com.
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