NHL 2008-09 Season: 30 Teams, 30 Questions

I'm so eager for the season to start in North America that I'm literally counting the hours. The action in Europe was great, but the weekend is coming, and every team will get going.

Whether it's for your team, or fantasy hockey, there's still plenty of questions waiting to be answered for the upcoming season. I will go through every team in alphabetical order and pose a question for each about all sorts of different elements.

If you'd like to answer any, feel free to do so by commenting.

Anaheim Ducks

Is Chris Pronger going to get suspended this year?

All fantasy owners of Pronger have to be going through this in their heads. He's made some dumb decisions in the past—to say the least—which have cost him a few games. Who can forget the old love tap with the foot on Ryan Kesler? His point production wasn't too great last year either.

Atlanta Thrashers

Who is the No. 2 guy, offensively, on this squad?

Ilya Kovalchuk is going to carry the load once again. There's a few options for who will possibly trail Kovy in point totals. Slava Kozlov can bounce back from last year and easily put up 70-plus points. Jason Williams put up nearly a point per game with Chicago last season, and packs a heavy shot too.

Let's not forget Mathieu Schneider on the back end. He'll be the go-to guy once again, and should put up solid numbers.

Boston Bruins

Is Patrice Bergeron ready to get back to work?

If preseason is any indication, he sure looks 100 percent. Bergeron has got so much talent and value to add to this team. If he's healthy, your'e looking at Boston's leading scorer throughout the season. Assists for Marc Savard, goals for Bergeron.

Buffalo Sabres

Can they make the jump back to the playoffs?

Last year was an experiment after losing Daniel Briere and Chris Drury. Buffalo nearly made the postseason, and their nerves should be settled for this year.

Calgary Flames

Is the second round of the postseason a possibility?

Calgary has been eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in each of the last three seasons. Anahem, Detroit, and San Jose have done the honours in those years. Kristian Huselius and Alex Tanguay gone. Mike Cammalleri and Todd Bertuzzi in. Better or worse?

Carolina Hurricanes

Is Sergei Samsonov going to keep up the good work in Carolina?

Justin William and Rod Brind'Amour are both going to miss a significant amount of time. Eric Staal, Ray Whitney, and Matt Cullen should be the leaders offensively. Samsonov found new life in Carolina after joining them in the middle of last season. With these injuries, he's got to keep producing for the Canes. If he doesn't, it could be all she wrote.

Chicago Blackhawks

Is this team for real?

It all looks good on paper. Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Sharp, Brian Campbell, Cristobal Huet, Duncan Keith, and Martin Havlat. The talent is certainly there—but can they make it happen?

Colorado Avalanche

Does Joe Sakic still have it in him?

There's no denying Sakic has the ability to continue playing in the NHL. Can he still put up 80 points or more though? Injuries reduced his season last year and he still managed to put nearly a point per game. He isn't your average Joe Schmoe, that's for sure.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Can R.J Umberger shine in his new home?

In Philadelphia, Umberger was overshadowed by a number of players. In Columbus, he'll get the chance to be one of the main men, along with Rick Nash and Kristian Huselius. With a terrific postseason behind him, Umberger could be ready for a career year.

Dallas Stars

Will Marty Turco avoid the Detroit curse?

Turco hasn't faired well against Detroit throughout his career. However, taking the Red Wings to Game Six in last year's Western Conference Final has got to boost his confidence. Perhaps Turco and the Stars will take the next step this year if the two teams meet again in the playoffs.

Detroit Red Wings

How many awards will they win this year?

What can you ask about the Detroit Red Wings? Rock solid every year. Always a threat to win the President's Trophy and Stanley Cup. Plenty of players winning individual awards. The sky is the limit, and Marian Hossa will have something to say as well.

Edmonton Oilers

Mathieu Garon or Dwayne Roloson?

Garon seemed to have won the battle for No. 1 goaltender last season. It's anyone's ball game this year though, and Roloson has the ability to go on good or bad streaks. It'll be interesting to see for the Oilers.

Florida Panthers

Can Bryan McCabe get the world off of his back?

A fresh start for McCabe awaits with the Florida Panthers. He can either bring back the offense from the blue line that made him a fan favourite, or feed the other team the puck and get plenty of boos. Maybe he'll think they're cheering Boooooth, for David Booth.

Los Angeles Kings

Is 29th place a pipe dream?

Once again, Los Angeles is coming off a last-place finish in the NHL. Anze Kopitar, Alexander Frolov, and Dustin Brown are the names that'll appear on scoresheets most often. Patrick O'Sullivan just signed a three-year extension today—which is great news, considering he's turning into quite the overall player.

Minnesota Wild

Can Marian Gaborik stay healthy for two consecutive seasons?

A full season of Gaborik means plenty of danger for the opposition. Gaborik played nearly all of last season, and put up career numbers across the board. Who can forget the five-goal game against the New York Rangers? If he's healthy, Minnesota is deadly.

Montreal Canadiens

Has Carey Price learned his lesson?

Yes, he's got great mental fortitude and doesn't let goals get to his head. However, last year R.J Umberger in particular made Price's postseason a living nightmare in the second round. Price let in some soft goals, but the experience should serve him well.

Nashville Predators

Is Dan Ellis ready to take over in Tennessee?

Ellis took the starting job from Chris Mason last year, and posted some tremendous numbers along the way. His play in the first round of the playoffs against the Red Wings was especially unreal.

New Jersey Devils

Martin Brodeur, Zach Parise, and..?

When Martin Brodeur retires, this team is in serious trouble. He did pretty much all of the work again last season, and Zach Parise was the only real scoring threat up front. Guys like Patrik Elias and Brian Gionta need to regain their 30-goal form.

New York Islanders

The Rocket Richard trophy goes to..?

Well, it most likely won't go to anyone from the Islanders team. Mike Comrie is their only real decent scoring threat, and Bill Guerin fell right off last season. However, Kyle Okposo and Frans Nielsen have a chance to prove themselves. Mark Streit will be the new powerplay quarterback for the Isles.

New York Rangers

Can Markus Naslund come back in full force?

Naslund tallied two points in the two matches in Europe, and looked like his former self for the first time in quite a while. Only two games in, things are certainly looking up for the Swede.

Ottawa Senators

Is Alex Auld finally a starter?

Martin Gerber looked shaky, and Alex Auld looked great in Stockholm. It's a shame he couldn't get the shutout, but I think he's still a safe bet for starting the next Senators game.

Philadelphia Flyers

Will the C on Mike Richards stand for captain or choke?

A lot of money and responsibility is coming towards Mike Richards. After signing a long-term contract, and being named captain of Philadelphia, he's got to answer the call and show that last year was no fluke. Players have performed badly in the past after signing big contracts.

I know Alan Bass is looking closely at this. Personally, I like Richards. He's a hard worker. He plays on the power-play and penalty kill. Scores goals. Throws hits. Gets in your face. He's basically the total package, and I'm looking forward to seeing him beat last year's great totals.

Phoenix Coyotes

Is this the season that nobody scores a highlight-reel goal in their arena?

I don't mean to disrespect the Coyotes, but I just have to mention this. In 2005-06, Ovechkin scored on his back in Phoenix. In 2006-07, Crosby scored on his rear end. Last year, Rick Nash went through two defensemen and the goalie.

The Coyotes have been posterized by some individual in each of the last three seasons. More humiliating is the fact that each goal took place in their arena.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Who will be Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney's replacements?

Kris Letang was probably the answer that came to most people's minds. I've got another name for you, though—Alex Goligoski. I'm not sure why he wasn't in the lineup for the season opener, but he was included in the roster for the second game in Sweden.

Goligoski scored Pittsburgh's lone goal. It was meaningless, but the kid showed his great offensive instincts and promises to be a rookie sensation.

San Jose Sharks

Who will rebound?

Jonathan Cheecho, Milan Michalek, and Patrick Marleau all struggled last season. Will any of them rebound this year? Whoever has Joe Thornton for a linemate will have the best hope of achieving that.

St. Louis Blues

Can Brad Boyes repeat the feat?

Boyes tallied 43 goals last season and became a huge surprise for plenty of fantasy-league owners. The line of Boyes, Paul Kariya, and Andy McDonald looks great on paper, and the three should be even better this season.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Was anything solved in the summer?

Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis, Vaclav Prospal, Steven Stamkos, Radim Vrbata, Ryan Malone. The roster looks great—but this team would've been embarrassed in Europe had it not been for their goaltending.

Lecavalier, St. Louis, and Prospal will all lead the way again. Will anyone join them, though?

Toronto Maple Leafs

Besides Nik Antropov, who will score 20 goals?

Mats Sundin is gone, and the Leafs need all the offense they can get. Nik Antropov should crack the 20-goal mark again and even possibly hit 30. Jason Blake, Alex Steen, and Matt Stajan all have to step it up in the absence of Sundin.

Vancouver Canucks

Will there be more offense this season?

Vancouver struggled to score last year, and brought in the likes of Pavol Demitra, Steve Bernier, and Kyle Wellwood in hopes of solving that issue. Ryan Kesler was on a line with less than tremendous players and still hit 20 goals last year. I wonder which lucky player gets to play with the Sedins.

Washington Capitals

Is Jose Theodore ready to take Washington back to the promised land?

The Capitals made the postseason last year behind some stellar goaltending from Cristobal Huet. Why did they let him go?  I have no idea.  Jose Theodore is the new starter now and we'll see if he can outdo Huet's performances.