NHL Predictions: 50 Most Important Storylines to Follow Heading Into the Season

The time is finally almost here. This time next week, the 2011-12 NHL season will already be underway.

Besides the season itself, there are many things to look forward to. This season is full of changes—from many personnel, coaching and rule changes. 

More importantly, there are plenty of storylines to follow this season.

Here are the 50 most important storylines to follow heading into the 2011-12 season. 

Brendan Shanahan and NHL Discipline

This season is the first regular season that Brendan Shanahan will take over as the NHL disciplinarian.

Already he's showing that he takes his new role seriously, having suspended seven players so far. Six of those players' suspensions extend to the regular season.

The longest was James Wisniewski's suspension for targeting the head of Cal Clutterbuck. Wisniewski is suspended for four preseason games and the first eight games of the regular season.

Will Shanahan continue to suspend or will he ease off once the season starts? 

Will Suspensions Have an Effect on Head Shots and Number of Concussions?

One of the reasons Shanahan and the NHL have suspended so many players is to show that they are serious on cracking down on head shots and preventing concussions and other serious injuries.

It will be interesting to see if all of these suspensions have an effect on the game.

Will these suspensions finally crack down on the number of head shots because players won't want to get suspended? Will it negatively impact the physical aspects of the game, as some have argued? 

Most importantly, will we see the number of concussions decrease? 

Sidney Crosby

Speaking of concussions, another big storyline is when Sidney Crosby will finally make his return after suffering that concussion almost 10 months ago.

Yes, I know you're tired of hearing about him, but people are anxious to see how long until he finally returns, as well as how he plays when he does return.

How will his game be affected, if at all? 

Pittsburgh Penguins

While the Pittsburgh Penguins are waiting for Sidney Crosby to come back, however long that may take, how will they play without him? 

Evgeni Malkin

While Crosby gets most of the publicity, the Pittsburgh Penguins will get another of their stars, Evgeni Malkin, back this season.

Will Malkin be able to return to his Art Ross and Conn Smythe Trophy-winning ways? 

Is Matt Cooke a Changed Player?

This summer, Matt Cooke explained that his behavior last season wasn't the real him, that he was going through a tough time at home.

He said he's a changed man.

Is he? We'll have to wait and see. 

Brad Richards

This summer, the Dallas Stars could not afford to re-sign Brad Richards and they had to let him walk in free agency.

He chose to sign with the New York Rangers. 

It will be interesting to follow how the Rangers do, compared to the other teams that were competing to sign Richards. 

Mike Richards

Last season, Mike Richards was the captain of the Philadelphia Flyers and was battling a nagging wrist injury.

This season, Richards has a new home and new role with the Los Angeles Kings and a surgically-repaired and healthy wrist.

How will Richards fit into his new role? 

New Members of the Columbus Blue Jackets

The Columbus Blue Jackets have two big new additions this season: forward Jeff Carter and defenseman James Wisniewski.

It will be interesting to see how the pair perform for the team, although we will have to wait a little longer to see how Wisniewski plays since he will be suspended for the first eight games.

Will their new additions make them into a playoff contender? 

Florida Panthers

The Florida Panthers were one of the worst teams in the league statistically last season, but they dramatically changed their roster over the summer.

They added many new players either through free agency or via trade.

New faces include: Sean Bergenheim, Matt Bradley, Tomas Fleischmann, Marcel Goc, Tomas Kopecky, Scottie Upshall, Kris Versteeg, Brian Campbell, Ed Jovanovski and Jose Theodore. 

Plus, they have a new head coach: Kevin Dineen. 

It will be interesting to see how these new additions affect the team. 

Buffalo Sabres

The Buffalo Sabres have a still fairly new owner, Terry Pegula. 

The team has made some changes for this coming season, including the additions of Christian Ehrhoff on defense and Ville Leino at forward.

They will also be playing in the newly-named F'N Arena, which is awesome.

Will the additions of Ehrhoff, Leino and others help the Sabres go farther in the playoffs? 

Ilya Bryzgalov

The Philadelphia Flyers felt that the only piece of the puzzle that their team was missing was an elite goaltender. 

They believe they have found that goaltender with Ilya Bryzgalov.

How will Bryzgalov and the team perform? Will this be the Flyers year? 

Jaromir Jagr

Jaromir Jagr has returned to play in the NHL for the Philadelphia Flyers, after spending the past few years in the Kontinental Hockey League in Russia.

So far in the preseason, Jagr has shown that he still has some legs left. 

How many points will he put up during the regular season? 

Philadelphia Flyers

More importantly than how Ilya Bryzgalov and Jaromir Jagr perform for the Philadelphia Flyers, is how successful all the changes to the team are.

Basically, do the Flyers finally win their coveted Cup? 

Washington Capitals

The Washington Capitals have finished their seasons disappointingly the past few years, following very successful regular seasons.

They have made a few more changes this summer, in the hopes of changing that. They added veteran goaltender Tomas Vokoun, veteran defenseman Roman Hamrlik and forward Joel Ward, among others.

Will this finally be the Caps year? 

Alex Ovechkin

Offensively and statistically, last season was Alex Ovechkin's worst season yet as a player in the NHL. 

Will he be able to rebound or will this year be about the same? 

Alexander Semin

Speaking of the Washington Capitals, will the team finally trade Alexander Semin, as the rumors would tell you? 

For the past few seasons, the rumor mill has been buzzing that Semin will be traded. So far, he hasn't been.

Will that change this season? 

Phoenix Coyotes

The Phoenix Coyotes will be a different team this year.

They will be without goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov, who they couldn't afford to keep, and defenseman Ed Jovanovski, who chose to return to the Florida Panthers. 

How will those losses impact the team? 

Will This Be the Phoenix Coyotes Final Year in Phoenix?

The Phoenix Coyotes are still looking for a buyer. Buyers occasionally seem to come out of the woodworks, but so far, a deal hasn't gone through. 

If a deal doesn't go through, perhaps the team will be moved.

Especially after the Winnipeg Jets franchise relocated this summer—might make it easier to allow another relocation next year.

The Coyotes record and attendance will be things to keep an eye on. 

New Jersey Devils

The New Jersey Devils finished poorly in the standings last season, but that was without their biggest offensive weapon: Zach Parise.

Parise will return this year, along with other additions that the team has picked up along the way.

Plus, they have a new head coach, Peter DeBoer. 

Will it be enough to get back into the playoffs? 

Zach Parise

Zach Parise will make his regular season return this coming season, after missing most of last season due to injury.

Will Parise come back and play as well as he did before?

Also, when will Parise and the Devils sign a new contract, for how much and for how long? 

Will Drew Doughty Ever Re-Sign with the Los Angeles Kings?

Drew Doughty and the Los Angeles Kings are still waiting for the other side to blink first in contract negotiations. 

Will Doughty ever sign and when will it happen? 

Boston Bruins

The Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup Finals and managed to keep most of their championship-winning roster for next season as well.

If they won the Cup with this team last year, they have a good shot of doing it again.

Will the Bruins become the first team since the 1998 Detroit Red Wings to win back-to-back Stanley Cups? 

Vancouver Canucks

As for the team on the losing end, how will the Vancouver Canucks react this year?

Will they be able to rebound and go back-to-back, like the Pittsburgh Penguins did in 2009?

The Vancouver Canucks Goaltending Situation

The Vancouver Canucks have two top goaltenders statistically: Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider. 

Luongo has some issues with consistency, particularly in high-pressure situations, so it will be interesting to see how he plays this year.

Plus, this is the last year on Schneider's contract. Will the Canucks trade him or re-sign him? 

Winnipeg Jets

The Winnipeg Jets are finally back, beginning this season. 

Will merely being back in Canada and having the time difference advantage in their conference help them do well in the standings? 

Dallas Stars

The Dallas Stars had to let Brad Richards become a free agent and free to choose another team to join this summer.

How will the Stars be affected? 

Will the Dallas Stars Ever Sell?

The Dallas Stars are another team looking for a buyer.

Will they get it this season? 

St. Louis Blues

The St. Louis Blues are the third NHL franchise currently looking for a buyer.

Will St. Louis get a new owner this season as well? 

San Jose Sharks

The San Jose Sharks went to the Western Conference Finals again this past season, but fell to the Vancouver Canucks.

They traded away Devin Setoguchi and Dany Heatley this summer in exchange for Brent Burns and Martin Havlat of the Minnesota Wild.

Will these moves help get them to the Stanley Cup Finals? 

Minnesota Wild

The Minnesota Wild, the other team involved in the previous slide's deals, received a couple of new offensive threats.

Will the presence of Dany Heatley and Devin Setoguchi help? Or will the losses of Brent Burns and Martin Havlat be greater? 

Colorado Avalanche

The Colorado Avalanche have been looking for a consistent goaltender to be their starter.

This summer, they made a trade with the Washington Capitals to get young goaltender Semyon Varlamov.

Will Varlamov work out as their consistent starting goaltender? 

Shea Weber

Shea Weber is currently on a one-year deal with the Nashville Predators, after being awarded the largest contract in arbitration history.

Will the Predators and Weber agree to a long-term deal this season? 

Will the Nashville Predators Make a Trade?

The Nashville Predators have three players they need to re-sign before July 1 of next season: defenseman and captain Shea Weber, defenseman Ryan Suter and goaltender Pekka Rinne.

It is unlikely that they will be able to retain all three. 

Will they trade one of them or just let one walk next summer? 

Tampa Bay Lightning

The Tampa Bay Lightning shocked many by vying for the Southeast Division title, then going on to defeat both the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals in the postseason.

How will they follow that up this season? 

Dwayne Roloson

After moving to the Tampa Bay Lightning last season, Dwayne Roloson became a beast in net—virtually unbeatable most nights.

Roloson is 41 years old—can he maintain that same dominance again this season? 

Steven Stamkos

Steven Stamkos has become one of the best goal-scorers in the NHL and a regular contender for the Rocket Richard Trophy.

He's scored more than 90 goals in the past two seasons. 

Will he top that now that he has a large new contract? 

Toronto Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs made some moves this summer and could be expected to make more, knowing the unpredictability of Brian Burke.

Could this be the year that the Leafs finally make it back to the playoffs? 

Jonas Hiller

Last season, Anaheim Ducks goaltender Jonas Hiller missed considerable time battling vertigo.

It seems that those symptoms are behind Hiller, as he's been able to play in the preseason. 

If so, will having Hiller back and healthy help the Ducks go farther and be more successful in the postseason this year? 

Teemu Selanne

Following a very personally successful 2010-11 season, Teemu Selanne decided to return for at least one more season.

How will Selanne follow up last season? 

New York Islanders Arena

Another compelling storyline is whether or not the New York Islanders will ever get their new arena on Long Island.

If not, will they get a new arena somewhere else? 

New York Islanders Goaltending

The New York Islanders currently have three goaltenders competing for the starting goaltender position: Rick DiPietro, Evgeni Nabokov and Al Montoya.

Which goaltender will it be? And if it is DiPietro, how long until he gets injured? 

Nicklas Lidstrom

Nicklas Lidstrom won his seventh Norris Trophy this summer, as the league's best defenseman. He has the opportunity to win his eighth this season.

If he does, he'll tie Bobby Orr for the most Norris Trophy wins.

That would be an amazing accomplishment, since Orr was the greatest defenseman in hockey history.  

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins

The Edmonton Oilers selected Ryan Nugent-Hopkins with the first overall pick in the NHL fact, despite the fact that they were more in need of a defenseman or goaltender than a forward.

How will Nugent-Hopkins perform in his rookie season? Will he be the Calder Trophy winner as Rookie of the Year? 

The Changes in Travel

Even though the Atlanta Thrashers moved to western Canada to become the Winnipeg Jets, for this season they will remain in the Southeast Division.

How much of an effect will that have on the division and conference standings? 

Philadelphia Flyers-New York Rangers Rivalry

The Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers have a long historic rivalry. They are division rivals, as well as the rivalry between the two cities.

The second installment of HBO 24/7: The Road to the Winter Classic should be very interesting again this year. 

Brent Sutter

This will be Brent Sutter's third season as the head coach of the Calgary Flames. In his two previous seasons, Sutter hasn't been able to lead the team into the postseason. 

If the Flames fail to make the playoffs again this season, Sutter's job could be on the line. 

Ron Wilson

This will be Ron Wilson's fourth season as the head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs have failed to make the playoffs each of those three seasons.

If they fail again this season, will Wilson be on the chopping block too? 

Tom Renney

Last year was Tom Renney's first year as the head coach of the Edmonton Oilers. They finished dead last in the league for the second year in a row.

If they do that again this year, even though it will have only been Renney's second season as head coach, Renny's job might be on the line too. 

Bruce Boudreau

This will be Bruce Boudreau's fifth season as the head coach of the Washington Capitals.

Each year he has been head coach, the team has performed well and made the playoffs. However, the teams have never advanced farther than the second round.

If the Caps disappoint again this season, will Boudreau get the sack?