Best Team in NHL Next Year: Meet The Hurricanes

I don't get it. No one is talking about how good the Carolina Hurricanes are going to be next year.

Everyone is talking about the Flyers getting Pronger (Ray Emery is still their starting goalie), the Big Bad Bruins (didn't we beat you guys?), Chicago Blackhawks (they are good, but Havlat will be injured for most of the year, won't he?), and the Wings (not getting any younger).

The Hurricanes were four wins from appearing in their third Stanley Cup this millennium, and they have only improved during this offseason.

Mark my words, the Canes will be 2010 Stanley Cup Champions.

They managed to get to the Eastern Conference Finals with a brittle roster that had no big guy, and any team could easily take liberties with the Canes and get away with it.

Not next year.

They have managed to add Tom Kostopolous (6'0'', 201lbs), former Canes defenseman Aaron Ward (6'2'', 209lbs), and the big Andrew Alberts (6'5'', 218 lbs). That doesn't just add size, but it also doesn't lose any of the Canes' team speed, which is what wore down the Bruins and Devils in the 2009 playoffs.

These big boys will open the ice for the likes of Staal and the rest of their speedy forwards. Teams last year could clamp down on their forwards because they didn't have that physical aspect to work along the boards, but this year should be different.

Another bold prediction of mine is that No. 25 will be the next Vezina Trophy award winner. The last quarter of the year, Cam Ward was arguably the best goalie in the NHL, and he stole many games in the playoffs.

The Carolina Hurricanes, I promise, will be the 2010 Stanley Cup Champs once again.