2012 NHL Free Agency: 6 Teams One Marquee Signing Away from a Playoff Run

It appears the chances of there being an NHL season is much greater than it was just a few days ago.

It could happen sooner, it could happen later, but now there are real indications that the two sides are not foolish enough to let the season slip away like it did in 2004-05.

There could still be some halting moments, but the process will likely go forward at some point.

Then it will be the time to get back to hockey.

At this point, it looks like the New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Los Angeles Kings and Vancouver Canucks have enough talent on the roster to make long runs through the playoffs.

However, there are six NHL teams that can be contenders in 2012-13, but will need to address one area of the roster if they are going to make significant postseason runs.

Chicago Blackhawks: Goaltending

The Blackhawks have lost consecutive first-round series to the Vancouver Canucks and the Phoenix Coyotes after winning the Stanley Cup in 2010.

The Blackhawks had to refresh their roster after their title run due to salary-cap problems, and they decided that they could do without Stanley Cup winning goalie Antti Niemi.

Have they really gotten the kind of goaltending from Corey Crawford that could lead to another Stanley Cup? No.

Crawford had a 2.58 goals against average and a .893 save percentage in last spring's NHL playoffs. He also let in two of the softest overtime goals against the Coyotes in Games 3 and 4. That's not going to get it done.

If the Blackhawks are going to join the battle again, get past the first round and make a run at the Stanley Cup, general manager Stan Bowman has to address the team's deficiency in goal.

Philadelphia Flyers: Defense

The Philadelphia Flyers have one of the most explosive offenses in the NHL.

However, their defensive issues are significant. While some of that has to do with goalie Ilya Bryzgalov's inconsistency in the net, much of it is due to a lack of talent on defense.

That's perfectly understandable considering that Chris Pronger missed a majority of the 2011-12 season as a result of concussion issues and there are no signs that he will be coming back soon.

The Flyers ranked 21st in goals against last year. They traded forward James van Riemsdyk to Toronto for Luke Schenn, but it seems unlikely they have done enough to improve their defense to make a strong run at the Stanley Cup.

A marquee signing on defense could go a long way for the Flyers.

St. Louis Blues: Goal-Scoring Forward

The St. Louis Blues charged up the NHL ladder last year after head coach Davis Payne was let go and veteran Ken Hitchcock was brought in to lead the team.

The Blues combined the stellar goaltending of Brian Elliott and Jaroslav Halak with very solid defense to key their run to the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.

The Blues also got timely goal scoring during the regular season. However, when they played the Los Angeles Kings in the second round, they just did not have enough firepower.

The Blues appear to be a team that can contend for several years, but if they are going to make a long postseason run, they need more goal-scoring talent.

Ottawa Senators: Goal-Scoring Forward

The Ottawa Senators shocked the hockey world when they went from the third-worst team in the Eastern Conference in 2010-11 to playoff qualifier in 2011-12.

Ottawa responded to the coaching of Paul MacLean, who took over for the tightly-wound Cory Clouston. The Senators played a much more focused game and at one point had the lead in the Northeast Division over the Boston Bruins before they gave it back.

They have excellent leadership from Jason Spezza, Daniel Alfredsson, Milan Michalek and Erik Karlsson; however, Spezza, Alfredsson and Michalek were the only players to score 20 or more goals.

If they are going to continue to climb, they need more goal-scoring help. It's imperative if they are going to make a playoff run.

San Jose Sharks: Right Wing

Martin Havlat played 39 games for the San Jose Sharks last season. He missed the majority of the season because of a lower-body injury.

Havlat scored 27 points in those games. He was the Sharks' leading scorer among right wingers.

The Sharks have more than enough talent at center with Joe Thornton, Logan Couture and Joe Pavelski. They also get solid production at left wing from Patrick Marleau and Ryan Clowe.

However, even if Havlat can stay healthy this season, they are going to need help at right wing to give them more balanced scoring distribution. This will give them a much better chance of making a Stanley Cup run.

Boston Bruins: Backup Goaltending

By definition, a backup goaltender is not a marquee player.

However, a backup goaltender in hockey can be incredibly important.

The Boston Bruins had one of the strongest goaltending situations in the league for the past four seasons with Tim Thomas and Tuukka Rask.

This year, Thomas decided to take a year off.

Rask has shown that he can handle the No. 1 goaltending situation, but what happens when he gets fatigued, injured or goes into a slump?

Anton Khudobin is the Bruins' backup goalie and scouts like his talent and make-up.

However, he is unproven at the NHL level. If anything happens to Rask, their Stanley Cup dreams may disappear in a heartbeat.

They need an excellent backup goalie if they are going to make a run at another title.