NHL: 7 Potential Rivalries in the Making

The NHL is full of fierce rivalries between teams and individual players, and unlike a lot of sports, these rivalries are fierce even when one or both of the teams is not very good.

It doesn't matter if one team is in first place and the other is in last, both will want to kick the crap out of each other.

Hockey benefited from one of the best rivalries in sports becoming good again—the Boston Bruins versus the Montreal Canadiens—which is back because of some intense playoff battles over the last few seasons.

Let's look at seven rivalries, team or player, that the NHL will enjoy in the future.

 

Drew Doughty vs. Duncan Keith

Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings and Duncan Keith of the Chicago Blackhawks are two of the best young defenseman in the NHL, and a rivalry between these two would be awesome for the sport.

Both play on very talented teams that could become rivals themselves, and could easily meet in the playoffs a few times over the next few seasons.

Doughty and Keith will be Norris Trophy candidates many times over their careers, and it would be exciting for the league to have them battle to see who can win the bigger awards, like the Clarence S. Campbell Trophy (West Champs) and the Stanley Cup.

Boston Bruins vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

The Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning met in the Eastern Conference Finals last season, and both are fully capable of meeting there again in the next few years.

Both teams have a great combination of talented young players and veteran experience.

Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos and Boston's Tyler Seguin are two of the best young players in the NHL, and will lead their teams for years to come.

The Bruins and Lightning will be among the two best teams in the East this season, and their intense seven-game battle in the playoffs last year will help raise the intensity of their regular season matchups this season.

Chicago Blackhawks vs. Vancouver Canucks

For two teams to have a legitimate rivalry, both need to win a few times, regular season or postseason.

The Canucks finally beat the Blackhawks in the playoffs last season, but they had to win a Game 7 after jumping to a 3-0 series lead on Chicago.

That first-round series was intense and full of excitement, and both teams will be Stanley Cup contenders for the next several seasons.

The Blackhawks have been an NHL power again for just a couple of seasons, and their rivalry with the Canucks is new to many younger fans.

Steven Stamkos vs. Tyler Seguin

Steven Stamkos and Tyler Seguin are two of the best young offensive talents in the NHL, and they could become a new rivalry this season.

Seguin will be a major part of the Bruins' offense after a nice rookie season and a great performance in the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals against Stamkos' Lightning.

Stamkos has scored 96 goals the last two seasons and is only 21 years of age. He will be a superstar for at least another decade, and will keep the state of Florida loving hockey for years to come.

Both of these players could very likely face each other again in the playoffs the next few seasons, and Stamkos and Seguin will be at the forefront of their respective team's successes. 

David Krejci vs. Mike Richards

This rivalry may be slow to further develop with Mike Richards being traded to the Los Angeles Kings this summer, but Richards and Boston Bruins center David Krejci do not like each other one bit.

Richards ended Krejci's 2010 season in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, and the Bruins were unable to overcome the loss of their playmaker.

This season, Krejci and the Bruins swept the Flyers in the East Semis, with Krejci scoring the overtime winner in Game 2.

These are two of the better centers in the NHL, and both have teams capable of making a Stanley Cup run.

Washington Capitals vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

The Tampa Bay Lightning swept the Washington Capitals out of the playoffs in the Eastern Conference Semifinals last season, and the two could become rivals for many more seasons.

The NHL would love for two non-traditional hockey markets to form a rivalry, and the Caps and Bolts are talented teams with young and marketable superstars.

Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos and Washington's Alexander Ovechkin are two of the best payers in hockey, and could even form their own personal rivalry.

These two teams will likely face each other in the playoffs again in the near future.

Ryan Callahan vs. Brad Marchand

This is a rivalry I hope takes off this season. The Rangers will be better this season, and the Bruins are the defending Stanley Cup champions.

These two teams benefit from the New York versus Boston hype, but on the ice, the two teams don't have the typical hate most teams from these two cities have toward one another.

That could change this season, however, and Marchand and Callahan, along with being talented forwards, are two of the most passionate players on either side.

The NHL needs the Rangers and Bruins to form a new rivalry, and this season could be the time it erupts.

Nicholas Goss is a Boston Bruins featured columnist for Bleacher Report and was the organization's on-site reporter for the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals in Boston. Follow him on Twitter for NHL news and analysis. Follow @NicholasGoss35.