1. A season: The CBA, as of today, is still not close to be completed. A lockout is going to happen. However, many are predicting NHL doors to only be closed for about a month or two, which means, hopefully, we’ll only miss a fraction of the season. NHL fans are furious over the greed of both players and owners and the NHL will be hardpressed to find as many sell out games this year. The big-money-teams won’t have a problem bringing their fans back, but the low-end teams like Phoenix and Columbus will be begging fans to fill the seats.
2. Sidney Crosby: I’ll admit it – I am a Crosby fan. I’m not partial to his personality as he is a whiner and kind of a crybaby, but I really love watching him play. He’s exciting, he’s dominating, and he’s healthy. If the NHL wants to bring back fans after the potential lock out, he’s going to have to help lead the charge. Two years ago he was on pace for something like 150 points until he was injured and sat out over a year. If Sid can do that again, and he very well could, the NHL will have it’s poster boy back and every one will be tuning in to watch the boy wonder and the Penguins play.
Courtesy: Associated Press
3. Alex Ovechkin: Since he became captain of the Washington Capitals, Ovechkin has kinda sucked. When the Caps decided to completely destroy their identity and switch to defense, Ovechkin really sucked. Adam Oates is going to lead the charge this year and, with any luck, ignite Ovechkin’s passion for the game. The Caps were once the most feared regular season team in the league, and Ovie was a Hart and Art Ross candidate almost every year. The Caps must get him going if they want to be taken seriously again. The Ovechkin-Crosby rivarly (that the NHL made up because they were so desperate for attention) needs to be rekindled and both players need to be hungry this year for both teams to succeed.
4. The New York Rangers: They were so close last year, but the Rangers were exhausted by the time they beat the Capitals that they ran out of gas in the Conference Finals. Lundqvist is the reigning Vezina winner and he will not stop until he has the Cup under his belt. The addition of Rick Nash will spark an already deadly offense, but Nash has a lot to prove this year. He’s been stuck in Columbus his whole career, but he’ll face more pressure being in New York as everyone will expect him to score 50 goals. Nash finally has his centerman in Brad Richards, and the two of them will be lethal together once they find their chemistry. Coach Tortorella always pushes the right buttons on his players to get them to play a hard-nosed, no nonsense style. The Ranger players would go to war for Torts, and they’re going to be a very hard team to beat.
5. The Los Angeles Kings: The Kings dominated the playoffs last year going 16-4 en route to their first ever Stanley Cup Championship. Unlike most teams who suffer from a ‘Stanley Cup Hangover’ the Kings are poised to defend the title as almost every player from last years roster is returning. GM Dean Lombardi has managed his teams cap very well and Conn Smythe winner Jonathon Quick will be gunning for his first ever Vezina trophy this year. Solid leadership from Dustin Brown and Mike Richards will fuel a young, talented team who could become the first team to repeat since the Detroit Red Wings in ’97 and ’98.
Courtesy: NHL
6. The Winter Classic: The Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs will face off at the University of Michigan on New Year’s Day. It is the first time teams from each conference will play each other in the Winter Classic and it could be the largest crowd to ever attend an NHL game with an estimated 110,000+ fans. The big draw in my opinion will be the Alumni Game on New Year’s Eve. There are two alumni games scheduled at Comerica Park and The Big House respectively, and the line up’s are extraordinary. If the lockout goes farther into the season and the Winter Classic is affected, the NHL has an ‘out clause’ which will cost the league only $100k. Hopefully that won’t happen as this is the biggest event of the season.
7. Ryan Miller: He had a brutal season last year, not to mention missing time due to a concussion. The Buffalo Sabres are a different team this year and Ryan Miller isn’t going to let last year get the best of him. He is still one of the best goalies in the NHL and when he plays well the Sabres play well. He may not get a Vezina nod, but he will definitely win 30+ games and get the Sabres back in the playoffs.
8. The Edmonton Oilers: They’re young. They’re loaded with talent. They’re ready to make a a serious dent in the standings. The Oilers are the cliche’ youth movement and last year they showed the NHL that can do some damage when healthy. Hall, Nugent-Hopkins, and Eberle lead a very lethal offense and rookies Yakupov and Schultz will learn the trade and make a name for themselves. They are still young and still learning, and they may not make the playoffs but they are exciting. It all depends on how tough they can be and how aging goaltender Khabibulin withstands the season.
9. The NHL All-Star Game: HA… just kidding. You should see your face. That game’s a sham and a waste of time and money. No one likes it, not even the players like it and it should be revamped into something different. Just sayin…
9. For real this time: Teemu Selanne and Martin Brodeur. Two of my favorite players. I have watched them since they were rookies and it’s weird to think that this may be their last season. Selanne proved he can still score by leading the Ducks last year in scoring with 66 points while Brody led the Devils to the Stanley Cup finals. Can they do similar feats this year? Maybe. At any rate, they deserve a good farewell as they are two of the greatest to ever play the game.
10. Expansion: It’s been on the lips of almost every blogger and pundit. The NHL will most likely expand to 32 teams after the new CBA is completed. I can’t say that I am totally against it, but it also makes this whole lockout thing seem a little more rediculous than it already is. Each team will have to pay a league fee of $250M that goes into the owners and players pockets not to mention all kinds of merchandise that is generated. IF there is expansion, the two most likely destinations that I have heard are Quebec City and Seattle. I love the idea of hockey returning to those areas and I thank the Hockey Gods that I haven’t heard of any potential teams going down south again. However, the NHL is already a thin talent pool with 30 teams and I really think it would just water down the talent even more. It’s tough to say though because those two locations, IF they are the locations of potential expansion, would do very, very well for the league. We’ll see…
