2009 NHL PREVIEWS

[Lumi]

It was a case of out with the new and in with the old for the New Jersey Devils this summer.

When Brent Sutter resigned from the Devils head coaching job to take the same position in Calgary, New Jersey general manager Lou Lamoriello responded by replacing him with Jacques Lemaire -- the all-time winningest coach in franchise history.

Lemaire was head coach of the Devils when they won the first of the franchise's three Stanley Cup titles back in 1995.

His trapping style proved to be a deadly combination with a goaltender like future Hall-of-Famer Martin Brodeur, who is back for another year as New Jersey's main man between the pipes.

The Devils, however, did lose some key pieces from its team this offseason as forwards Brian Gionta and John Madden opted to sign free-agent contracts elsewhere. Gionta was a productive scorer during his time in New Jersey, while Madden's value as a penalty killer will be tough to replace.

Lemaire inherits a team that suffered first-round playoff exits in each of the last two seasons and New Jersey hasn't moved past the second round since winning its last Cup in 2003.

However, just by bringing Lemaire back Lamoriello succeeded in drumming up nostalgia for the glory days of the Devils recent past. Whether or not that will get Jersey back to the promised land is another question.

ON THE ATTACK
Lemaire employed his neutral zone trap while serving as the head coach in Minnesota for the last eight seasons and there is no reason to think he won't use that strategy this season.

Sutter had decided to try more of an aggressive offensive strategy during his two seasons in the Garden State and that style of play probably helped New Jersey's budding superstar winger Zach Parise take a huge leap forward in 2008-09.

Parise, 25, had an outstanding season last year in every sense of the word. He led New Jersey in goals (45), assists (49), points (94), power-play goals (14) and game-winning goals (8) and set career bests in all those categories as well. The young Minnesotan also played a responsible defensive game and was second on the team with a plus-30 rating.

Travis Zajac, another Devils youngster, centered the top line for the Devils in 2008-09 and the 24-year-old set personal bests with 20 goals and 42 assists.

Zajac and Parise paired with veteran winger Jamie Langenbrunner to form the top unit. Although Langenbrunner, 34, may not be as young as his linemates he also managed to have a career season in 2008-09, registering career bests in both goals (29) and assists (40).

The Devils also have the makings of a solid second line, although the departure of Gionta and his 60 points from last year does hurt. However, the unit will still be anchored by Patrik Elias, who had 78 points (31 goals, 47 assists) for his best offensive season since notching 81 points with the Devils in 2003-04.

Veteran winger Brian Rolston will try to have a rebound season in 2009-10 after being slowed by an ankle injury and playing in just 64 games. The 36- year-old Rolston, who inked a four-year, $20 million deal with New Jersey last summer, had just 15 goals and 17 assists in 2008-09 after recording at least 30 goals in each of his previous three seasons with Minnesota.

Perhaps Rolston could also benefit from a reunion with Lemaire, who coached the Flint, Michigan native in the late 1990s as a Devil and again with the Wild in recent years.

David Clarkson, 25, impressed with 17 goals and 32 points while playing in all 82 games for the Devils last year and he is expected to play opposite Rolston on the right wing.

The Devils also opted to bring back Brendan Shanahan this year after the 40- year-old winger joined the team as a free agent halfway through the 2008-09 campaign. Shanahan is a lock for the Hall of Fame with 656 career goals under his belt, but he will likely see action on the third line after notching 14 points (6g, 8a) in 34 games with the Devils last year.

Outside of winger Dainius Zubrus, who had 15 goals and 40 points last year, the Devils won't boast a great deal of scoring depth on their third and fourth lines.

ON DEFENSE
Even though the Devils tried to play a more up-tempo game under Sutter, defense and goaltending is still what led the club to their third Atlantic Division title in four years in 2008-09.

New Jersey had the fourth-best defensive club in the NHL last season, allowing an average of just 2.52 goals per game. A fact that is even more impressive considering Brodeur missed nearly four months of the season due to a torn biceps muscle.

The Devils blueline is filled with players who play a sound defensive game, but the unit does lack a big-time offensive weapon at the back end.

Paul Martin and Johnny Oduya make up the top pairing for New Jersey and the duo were also the top scorers on the Devils blueline a year ago. Martin led the club with 33 points (5g, 28a), while Oduya had seven goals and 29 points. Meanwhile, both players finished the year with excellent plus-21 ratings.

Colin White (18 points in 2008-09) and Bryce Salvador (16 pts.) supply size and checking ability at the back end. Mike Mottau (15 pts.) and Andy Greene (9 pts.) will also be back on the Devils blueline.

The Devils also signed free agent Cory Murphy in the offseason to add depth to the defensive corps. As a result of a shoulder injury, Murphy played in just 33 games with Florida and Tampa in 2008-09.

IN THE CREASE
Most hockey pundits believed the Devils season had gone down along with Brodeur when he suffered a biceps injury that required surgery in early November.

Instead, the Devils regrouped behind backup Scott Clemmensen and did more than hang on until Brodeur was able to return in late February. Clemmensen, however, won't be there to save the day if Marty goes down again, as he signed with Florida over the summer.

Brodeur, 37, went 19-9-3 with a 2.41 goals against average and .916 save percentage in 31 games last year. It was the first time the workhorse had played in less than 70 games in a season since 1996-97, when he saw action in 67 contests.

Despite the shortened season, Brodeur was able to set the NHL's all-time win record in 2008-09, passing Patrick Roy with his 552nd career victory on March 17. Brodeur will likely set another league standard this year, as he enters the season 101 career shutouts, two shy of Terry Sawchuk's record.

The Devils have brought in Yann Danis to serves as Brodeur's backup in 2009-10. Danis toiled on the New York Islanders last year and went 10-17-3 with a 2.86 GAA and .910 save percentage in 31 games for the league's worst team.

WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE
Brodeur's health will be a factor for the Devils once again, but the fact that the team won without their franchise netminder last year should serve as a source of confidence this season. Lemaire's style will be familiar to many of Jersey's players and that should make the transition a smooth one. Expect the Devils to challenge for the Atlantic crown as usual, but don't count on the team making a deep run in the postseason.

 

[Lumi]

The New York Islanders are coming off a season in which they finished dead last in the NHL, and yet for the first time in quite a while there is promise in the air.

That's because the Islanders' dismal 2008-09 campaign allowed them to land the No. 1 overall pick in the June draft. General manager Garth Snow and company surprised few when they selected highly-touted centerman John Tavares, whose amazing junior career suggests he has the ability to at least make the Islanders an exciting team once again.

But, Tavares will still be a 19-year-old rookie at the start of the season and his presence this year will do little to alter New York's cellar-dweller status.

Islanders head coach Scott Gordon will once again have the difficult task of trying to find wins on a roster consisting mainly of unproven youngsters and a few solid veterans. On the bright side, at least the arrival of Tavares means New York has a chance of not finishing last in attendance like it did last year.

ON THE ATTACK
Tavares is now the face of the Isles franchise, for better or worse, and he'll get plenty of ice time to prove his worth as a rookie.

Last year, Tavares split time with Oshawa and London of the Ontario Hockey League and finished with 58 goals and 104 points in just 56 games. He ended his career as the all-time leading goal-scorer in OHL history with 215 tallies.

The Ontario native will likely anchor New York's second line, as veteran centerman Doug Weight is back to handle first-line duties. Weight, 38, played in just 53 games during an injury-plagued 2008-09, but still finished third on the club with 38 points (19 goals, 28 assists).

Young winger Kyle Okposo was the top prospect in the Isles organization prior to Tavares' selection and the 21-year-old is coming off a solid rookie campaign. Okposo was the top-scoring forward for New York in 2008-09, finishing second on the team with 39 points (18g, 21a).

However, Okposo suffered a concussion after getting hit by Calgary's Dion Phaneuf in a preseason game and his status for the start of the season is uncertain.

Sean Bergenheim skated in just 59 games for the Isles last year, but the 25- year-old winger managed to finish third on the team with 15 goals. He is expected to skate on the top line with Weight and Okposo.

It will also be interesting to watch the development of young centerman Josh Bailey, who will turn 20 years old just prior to the start of the season. Bailey, the eighth-overall pick in the 2008 draft, skated in 68 games with the Isles last year and notched 25 points on seven goals and 18 assists.

Also, a primary concern for the Isles this year is staying healthy. Last year, only two New York players, forward Richard Park and All-Star defenseman Mark Streit, played in 70 or more games.

ON DEFENSE
Streit was easily the MVP of the woeful Islanders in 2008-09, and while that might not sound all that impressive he actually turned in one of the best seasons by any NHL defensemen last year.

When Snow signed Streit as a free-agent last summer he knew the Isles were getting a highly-skilled offensive defensemen and the new acquisition didn't disappoint. The 31-year-old Swiss led New York with 56 points and was second on the club with 16 goals.

However, Streit also proved his worth in his own zone and somehow managed to record a plus-six rating for the season, an amazing feat considering New York was 28th in the league in team defense last year.

The problem is that there isn't much talent on the blueline after Streit and that issue was compounded in 2008-09 by a rash of injuries to defensemen. Only Streit, who played in 74 games, Bruno Gervais (19 pts. in 69 games) and Brendan Witt (9 pts. in 65 games) stayed remotely healthy.

Gervais and Witt will be back in the defensive rotation for the Isles in 2009-10 and will be joined by fellow returnees Radek Martinek, Andy Sutton and Freddy Meyer.

IN THE CREASE
Once upon a time the Islanders felt as though they had one of the best young goaltenders in the NHL in Rick DiPietro. In fact, Snow and the Isles front office thought so highly of DiPietro that they signed their No. 1 netminder to a 15-year, $67.5 million contract prior to the 2006-07 season.

It didn't take long to realize that signing DiPietro to such a mammoth deal may have been a mistake. Beginning with a concussion suffered late in the 2006-07 campaign, DiPietro has fell victim to a series of injuries and has undergone three surgeries to repair hip and knee ailments.

Last year, injuries limited DiPietro to just five games and the club was forced to use journeymen goaltenders Joey MacDonald and Yann Danis.

Preparing for the worst again this season, Snow decided to shore up the goaltending position through free agency. If healthy, DiPietro is expected to be the club's No. 1 puck-stopper, but the team also has solid backup options in Dwayne Roloson and Martin Biron, who were both starting goaltenders for their respective teams in 2008-09.

Roloson, 40, was signed to a two-year deal this summer after going 28-24-9 with a 2.77 goals against average and .915 save percentage last year in Edmonton.

Biron, 32, was 29-19-5 with a 2.76 GAA and .915 save percentage in 55 games for Philadelphia a year ago. If DiPietro is healthy, Biron could wind up being the odd-man out. New York only committed one year to Biron, making him more valuable as trade bait.

WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE
Nothing is expected of the Islanders as a whole this year, but everything is expected of Tavares in the long run. For the time being, however, the Isles' franchise player will be allowed to ease into the NHL game. New York will be an improved team if they can avoid the injury bug this year, but anything other than a last-place finish in the Atlantic Division would be a huge surprise.

 

[Lumi]

Rangers head coach John Tortorella, who took over the team with 21 games to play last season, stated a few days after the Rangers lost a seven-game series to Washington in the opening round that he had a good idea of who he wanted to stay and who he wanted gone.

Out of the 21 names on the playoff roster last season, 10 of them are gone from the bright lights and big expectations of New York City.

All that change has led to a new look for the Rangers, who have made it to the playoffs the past four seasons, but have not made it out of the second round. However, this team is sorely lacking in depth and talent amongst their forwards and defensemen and Tortorella has his work cut out for him if this team is going to be successful.

ON THE ATTACK
Two years ago, the team made two big free agent acquisitions in Chris Drury and Scott Gomez. However, the two did not perform as expected in their two seasons in the Big Apple and in the offseason the Rangers were able to find a team to take on Gomez's big contract as the team packed him off to Montreal for left winger Chris Higgins.

So, general manager Glen Sather rolled the dice again in the free agent market and is hoping to come up big with the signing of sniper Marian Gaborik. The 27-year-old Slovakian is an elite talent in the league and can score goals with the best of them. However, his big problem is that he can't stay healthy.

Over the past five seasons, Gaborik has battled through injuries and last season he appeared in just 17 games as he battled a hip injury. However, in those 17 games he did score 13 goals and in his 502 career games with a defensive-minded Wild team he had 219 goals and 218 assists.

A recent addition to the team saw the Blueshirts sign former Tampa Bay left winger Vinny Prospal. While his production has dropped since his career-high of 80 points in the 2005-06 season, he is still a potent threat in the offensive zone. His play with New York in the preseason has been excellent and he could start the season on the top line, but it is unclear at what position as Tortorella has stated he could be under center.

Two of the other top players in the corps of forwards are Sean Avery and Brandon Dubinsky. Avery will be his usual annoying self to other teams and can be expected to chip in some points here and there. Meanwhile, Dubinsky is expected to develop further, even though he is just getting into training camp after holding out for eight days before signing a two-year contract on September 19.

Higgins can be expected to put up at least 25 goals and should total 50-60 points on the season and, depending on which line Prospal winds up on, he will be put on a line with Drury and Ryan Callahan. Drury has offensive potential, but has been a disappointment since coming from Buffalo as a free agent after the 2006-07 season. Callahan scored 22 times last season and is expected to only get better.

Also new to the Rangers this season are 20-goal scorer Ales Kotalik, known tough guy Donald Brashear and centers Brian Boyle and Tyler Arnason.

The wild card of this group is rookie Artem Anisimov, who possesses the necessary tools to be a good power center: size, strength, skating ability and a feel for the game. Should he blossom early, it will only increase New York's chances to compete.

Looking to break into the roster is young center Evgeny Grachev, who won rookie of the year honors in the Ontario Hockey League last season. Playing for Brampton, the Russian native had 40 goals and 40 assists in 60 games last season. He's in good company as past winners of this award include Hall of Famers Mike Gartner and Wayne Gretzky along with current San Jose Sharks star Joe Thornton. Grachev also helped Team Russia take a Bronze Medal in the 2009 World Junior Hockey Championships.


ON DEFENSE
The defensive statistics from this team last year are somewhat misleading.

While the Rangers finished last season sixth in goals-against, much of that can be attributed to the play of the goaltenders, not the guys on the blueline, who were middle of the pack when it came to shots-against.

Without a doubt, Tortorella is looking for third-year defenseman Marc Staal to develop into a No. 1 defenseman. The 12th overall pick of the 2005 draft will see his role increase and Tortorella is hoping for him to develop his offensive skills while continuing his defensive job.

Another young face that will be looked at to assume a larger role is Dan Girardi. He saw a dip in his production in his second full season as his goal production and plus/minus both dropped, but he has the skills to complement Staal and his improvement is something Tortorella is counting on.

While Girardi and Staal provide hope for the future, veterans Wade Redden and Michal Rozsival were both disappointments for the Blueshirts last season.

When the Rangers signed Redden to a six-year contract prior to the start of last season, the team was thinking they got a No. 1 defenseman who would be an asset in both zones, especially on the power play. Redden, though, responded to the challenge by having the worst season of his 12-year career. His goal output and plus/minus were the lowest ever while his 26 total points were the second fewest and worst since the 1997-98 season.

Going into last season, Rozsival had shown flashes of, if not brilliance at least competence. But that flew out the door last season as he finished with a career-worst minus-seven and totaled just 30 points with eight goals.

Possible rookies who could play with the defense this season include Ryan McDonagh, who came over with Higgins in the Gomez trade, and Bobby Sanguinetti, a New Jersey native who the Rangers took with the 21st overall pick of the 2006 draft.

IN THE CREASE
The only place on the ice where the Rangers start the season off strong is between the pipes.

While his numbers dipped a bit statistically last season, Henrik Lundqvist was the only reason that the Rangers made it into the playoffs last season thanks to a 38-25-7 record with a 2.43 goals against average and three shutouts.

His strong play gave him his first All-Star appearance last season and he became the first NHL goaltender to have at least 30 wins in each of his first four seasons.

Thanks to his presence between the pipes, the Rangers can sometimes take chances with rushing the puck up-ice as Lundqvist can be counted upon to stop many odd-man rushes.

"King Henrik" will also backstop Team Sweden for the upcoming Olympics in Vancouver. In the 2006 Olympics, he went 5-1 and allowed just 12 goals to help Sweden win a Gold Medal.

Stephen Valiquette is a competent backup to Lundqvist. Standing at 6-foot-6, Valiquette is one of the biggest goaltenders in the league. He posted a record of 5-5-2 last season with one shutout and a 2.84 GAA.

WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE
This team lacks depth amongst their forwards and defensemen and injuries to Gaborik, Lundqvist or Staal could devastate the club.

That being said, should Gaborik have a healthy season and be the sniper that New York is hoping for, Lundqvist put up Vezina Trophy numbers and the team can generate some scoring from the blueline, then this Blueshirts might surprise many in the league.

However, the general consensus is that this club will be on the outside looking in come the end of the season as a tough Atlantic Division coupled with a long road trip towards the end of the year will most likely keep them out of the playoffs.

 

[Lumi]

For all that went right during the Flyers' surprise run to the conference finals two seasons ago, that's how much went wrong for the Orange and Black last season.

Head coach John Stevens had to learn some hard lessons along the way, in a year which saw personnel problems and salary-cap issues linger from the preseason forward, bafflingly inconsistent play from top forwards and defensemen, the general manager's public questions about the level of commitment from his players, and a stultifying first-round playoff collapse to a bitter rival.

If there's one buzzword for the upcoming season which can be twisted into a corporate slogan and pressed into brightly-colored tee shirts, it has to be "passion."

With the infusion of some bona-fide nastiness and the release of talent who was pegged as caring more about off-ice issues, the Flyers are seeking another quick turnaround by harnessing the spirit of the Broad Street Bullies once again.

Blowing a three-goal lead at home in an elimination playoff game with some uninspired play does have a tendency to overshadow most of what the Flyers actually accomplished and cast into doubt what they have yet to achieve.

Mike Richards continues to blossom into a leader in the Bob Clarke mold, breaking team and NHL records in the process. Jeff Carter needs a little more prodding but has the potential to become a sniper the club hasn't seen since Ilkka Sinisalo. Braydon Coburn, Matt Carle and Ryan Parent showed flashes of potential and Claude Giroux was a revelation late in the year.

As always, the man behind the bench remains a wild card. This is Stevens' fourth year and third full turn as head man. He will be expected to repay the patience of his bosses but it may be his biggest challenge yet, having been given a mandate in the summer to rethink his entire game plan at both ends of the ice.

ON THE ATTACK
Offense wasn't a problem last year, the Flyers having a league-high six players scoring 20-or-more goals, including four cashing in at least 30 times. They punctured the opposition 264 times in 2008-09, tied with Pittsburgh for third most in the East.

Jeff Carter was at the head of the pack, posting career highs in goals (46), assists (38) and points (84). His 46 tallies ranked second in the NHL to Alex Ovechkin, the first time a Flyer has ranked so high in a full season since Tim Kerr's 58 scores was second to Wayne Gretzky's 62 in 1987.

Simon Gagne (34), Mike Richards and Scott Hartnell (30), Joffrey Lupul (27) and Mike Knuble (25) rounded out the barrage.

Well, this time around, subtract Lupul who has gone back to Anaheim via trade and wave goodbye to Knuble who left as a free agent to Washington. If a healthy Danny Briere (11 goals in 29 games) and his flashy fellow Quebecois Giroux (27 points in 42 games) step in to their full potential, the front lines will be every bit as potent.

The club's second-overall choice in 2007, James vanRiemsdyk, may get his first real crack at the big show depending on his training camp. Even if he doesn't get a spot right away, he's expected to land in the AHL for some fine tuning before a call-up.

The bottom two lines, which were the anchors of the club's resurgence two years back, went through a state of total flux last year with almost a dozen skaters providing support in six slots.

At the very least, bringing in veteran firebrand Ian Laperriere from Colorado should provide more guidance and stability. It will benefit guys like Arron Asham, Darroll Powe, Dan Carcillo and Riley Cote -- players who need a steady hand and the wisdom to know when to be physical and when to provide scoring support. Castoffs such as Mark Bell, Krys Kolanos and Blair Betts may also be in the mix, competing to be this year's Glen Metropolit or Jim Dowd.

ON DEFENSE
It wasn't so much a paper-thin defense as it was a case of total mental letdown plus lack of physicality which capped that crushing Game 6 loss to the Penguins, but by trading for All-Star, former MVP and nasty SOB Chris Pronger the Flyers aren't going to let anyone get away clean -- not even themselves.

Nothing hurt the club more than having the presence of Derian Hatcher removed due to a career-ending knee injury as well as Jason Smith's departure to Ottawa, so bringing in Pronger is the strongest sign yet that clearing space in the middle of the ice is priority number one and keeping composure under pressure is a close second.

Along with consummate vet Kimmo Timonen, he'll have his hands full trying to shepherd a defense which has yet to mature or gel. A little bit of tough love is warranted for an inexperienced corps which includes the speedy Carle, punishing Coburn, traffic-cone substitute Randy Jones and Parent.

Depth and toughness issues were further addressed when the club elected not to bring back the often-hesitant Andrew Alberts, lured Ole-Kristian Tollefsen back from Europe and retained Ossi Vaananen. Danny Syvret and Michael Ratchuk are next in line to prove themselves in the final spot that Luca Sbisa occupied last season.

How all the pieces fall together and if they manage to pick up an offense which goes through yearly mid-season slumps should be a prime indicator of how the club will finish the year.

IN THE CREASE
It's the same old song year after year, that the situation in the Flyers crease is always unsettled at the outset and works itself out far too late.

Martin Biron's two-plus season run as the starter was pretty good but not great, and Antero Niittymaki emerged as the scourge of the Atlanta Thrashers but little else.

The never-ending search to find a successor in the Parent-Lindbergh-Hextall line wound up plucking Ray Emery, the disgraced ex-Ottawa Senator, all the way from Russia's KHL.

Apparently, the front office believes that it can tame Emery's wild side and refocus his energies into becoming the netminder who helped the Sens to the 2007 Finals. He went 33-16-6 with five shutouts and a 2.47 GAA that year, his only full one as an NHL starter, and displayed a fiery streak that old-time hockey fans latched onto.

Spelling Emery will be Brian Boucher, back for a third term with the club. The one-time wunderkind must once again prove himself worthy of an NHL roster on a full-time basis after a solid campaign backing up Evgeni Nabokov in San Jose.

WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE
There's been an interesting trend with Flyers clubs over the last 25 years.

In the first season of a new regime pulled from the ashes, the club exceeds all expectations, then in the second year, takes a big step backwards only to find the balance in a long playoff run in year three. It happened under Mike Keenan from 1984-87, then again with Terry Murray in charge from 1995-97. If there's any logic and justice in the hockey world, Stevens and the revamped roster should give the city of Philadelphia quite a thrill come spring.

The cycle seems to depend upon the continued maturation of top players into team leaders, and that points squarely to Richards, Carter, Coburn and Gagne along with a huge assist from Pronger. They've done well so far but need that extra kick in the pants to reach their full potential.

What will be a better indicator of where the team is headed will be the maturation of Stevens. He needs to be able to demonstrably shake off the label of an unemotional, unimaginative bench boss and kick up his hockey IQ several points in order to avoid falling into the same traps that defined stretches over the last three seasons.

Nonetheless, if everything fails to come together right away, the Flyers are not going to disappoint if they post their usual 40-win, 90-point, middle-of- the-pack playoff seed campaign.

 

[Lumi]

With an amazing array of youthful talent it was only a matter of time before the Pittsburgh Penguins were able to win another Stanley Cup title.

The Penguins decided to arrive at the goal earlier than expected after they downed the Detroit Red Wings in seven games to give the franchise its first world championship since 1992.

However, it wasn't the straightest of paths to glory, as the club didn't even seem like it was going to make the playoffs as late as February. In fact, when head coach Michel Therrien was fired and replaced by Dan Bylsma on February 15, Pittsburgh was 10th in the Eastern Conference.

Bylsma led the team to an 18-3-4 record to end the regular season, a stretch that placed the Penguins as the fourth seed in the conference.

The Pens also fell behind 0-2 and 3-2 in the seven-game series against the Red Wings, but persevered and exacted revenge for Detroit's triumph in the 2008 Cup Finals.

Pittsburgh now heads into the 2009-10 season as the favorite to win it all once again.

ON THE ATTACK
The secret to the Pens success isn't a secret at all. The club has two of the NHL's elite centermen in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, and another steadily improving young pivot in Jordan Staal.

The scariest thing about Pittsburgh is that all three of those players are under 24 years of age. Staal recently reached the legal drinking age, while Crosby and Malkin turned 22 and 23, respectively, over the summer.

Crosby and Malkin essentially allow the Penguins to have two top lines as both players can create an unbelievable amount of offense from the center position.

Malkin turned in an absolutely magnificent campaign in 2008-09, as he led the NHL in scoring during the regular season with 113 points on 35 goals and 78 assists.

The Russian superstar also led everybody in the postseason, recording 36 points (14 goals, 22 assists) in 24 playoff games to earn the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the tournament. It marked just the fifth time since 1968 that a player led the regular season and playoffs in scoring during the same season, as Malkin joined Hall-of-Famers Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Guy Lafleur and Phil Esposito in achieving the feat.

Malkin may have overtaken Crosby as the team's best offensive weapon last year, but Sid the Kid still draws a lot of water as the team's captain and emotional leader. In fact, Crosby made some history as his own, becoming the youngest captain in NHL history to lead his team to a Stanley Cup. Crosby was 21 years old when he hoisted the Cup, finishing ahead of Gretzky, who was 23 when Edmonton won its first title in 1984.

Crosby wasn't far behind Malkin in scoring either, as he finished third in the NHL with 103 points (33g, 70a) during the regular season and added 31 points in 24 postseason contests.

Staal, meanwhile, finished third on the team with 49 points (22g, 27a) while playing in all 82 games for Pittsburgh last year. He was even better offensively in the playoffs, chipping in nine points (4g, 5a) to aid Pittsburgh's cause.

With such consistently great players down the middle, Bylsma has the ability to interchange wingers on the top three lines, especially when it comes to Crosby and Malkin's units.

The biggest name on the wings is veteran Bill Guerin, who was acquired in a trade at the deadline with the lowly New York Islanders. The 38-year-old had five goals and seven assists in 17 regular-season games with Pittsburgh after the trade and added nine points (4g, 5a) in the playoffs.

Guerin skated mainly on a line with Crosby last year and that is likely to remain unchanged this year. Chris Kunitz should also be back on the line after putting up 12 points (5g, 7a) in 17 games after being traded from Anaheim. Kunitz also was third on the club in the playoffs with 15 points (7g, 8a).

Ruslan Fedotenko, who plays on a wing with Malkin, is back after putting up 16 goals and 39 points in just 65 games last year.

The biggest loss on offense was the departure of veteran winger Petr Sykora, who had 25 goals and 21 assists in the regular season. However, Sykora battled injuries in the playoffs and managed just one assist in seven postseason games.

ON DEFENSE
A big reason Pittsburgh struggled early on last season was an injury to defenseman Sergei Gonchar, who is invaluable to the Pens as the club's go-to power-play quarterback.

In fact, one could make the case that Gonchar had as much to do with Pittsburgh's late-season resurgence as did the coaching change. Gonchar played his first game of the season on February 14, just one day before Bylsma was brought in to replace Therrien.

Gonchar had 19 points (6g, 13a) in 25 regular-season game and added three goals and 11 assists in the postseason. The 35-year-old's health will also be a key to Pittsburgh's repeat chances in 2009-10.

Along with Gonchar, Brooks Orpik, Mark Eaton, Kris Letang and Alex Goligoski will all be back. However, the Pens did sustain some considerable offseason losses on defense, as Rob Scuderi (free agent, Los Angeles), Hal Gill (free agent, Montreal) and Philippe Boucher (retirement) are no longer with the team.

The Pens did sign Jay McKee to add depth to the blueline. The 32-year-old veteran played in 69 games with St. Louis last year and notched one goal and seven assists.

IN THE CREASE
As if the youthful talent on offense wasn't enough, the Penguins also boast one of the NHL's best young goaltenders in Marc-Andre Fleury, who will turn just 25 years of age on November 28.

Fleury played in 62 games during the 2008-09 regular season and went 35-18-7 with a 2.67 goals against average and .912 save percentage. But, the Quebec native has really made his bones in the playoffs, posting a 30-14 record over the past two postseasons.

Fleury also became a legend in Pittsburgh for his diving save against Nicklas Lidstrom in the closing seconds of Game 7 of the Cup Finals. The save preserved Pittsburgh's one-goal lead and allowed the club to begin its playoff celebration just a few moments later.

All told, Fleury went 16-8 with a 2.61 GAA and .916 save percentage in last year's playoffs.

The Pens will have a new backup for Fleury this season, as they signed veteran netminder Brent Johnson over the summer. Johnson saw action in 21 games with Washington in 2008-09 and went 12-6-2 with a 2.81 GAA and .908 save percentage.

WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE
The Penguins are heavy favorites to repeat as Eastern Conference champions and the club is right up there with Detroit as the picks to win it all in 2010. It's possible that fatigue from back-to-back Stanley Cup appearances will take its toll, but the team's youth could prevent that from happening. As long as Crosby and Malkin are on the ice in Pittsburgh, the Pens will be a threat to win the Cup and this year is no different.

 

[Lumi]

It's hard to argue the speed at which the Bruins have matured. Three years removed from the disastrous Joe Thornton trade which ripped the guts out of the last disappointing era and two years from a last- place finish, the Black and Gold posted their best season since the glory years of the 1970's.

A Northeast Division title, fifty-three wins and 116 points which were the most since 1971-72, and those signs pointed to a run to the Stanley Cup -- until the Carolina Hurricanes brought an abrupt end to those lofty predictions.

Although head coach Claude Julien and his charges have set the bar impossibly high, a failure to repeat those gaudy stats is no indicator that last season was a fluke. It was enough that the club's return to winning ways brought back the droves of fans who stayed off Causeway Street for hockey for most of the last half-decade, and any additional success should further restore interest for a fan base with hockey coursing through its veins.

One key to success which teams strive for but rarely accomplish is depth; the Bruins boasted one of the deepest rosters in the entire NHL, with multiple players pulled from their AHL farm club in Providence filling in crucial roles due to injuries.

Having the pipeline just 50 miles away stocked with so many capable youngsters will be the key to keeping the tradition of the franchise alive after some desperate hours.

Julien, returning to the bench with a multi-year contract extension, has worked wonders mixing in veterans and rookies and shouldn't have to alter his plan much to achieve similar results.


ON THE ATTACK
Almost every top forward recorded career seasons, with David Krejci (22 goals, 73 points) and Phil Kessel (36 goals, 60 points) the young breakout stars. Marc Savard, who had played himself out of several cities before arriving in the Hub, led the charge with 25 goals and a team-best 88 points.

Ex-Hab Michael Ryder's success (27 goals, 53 points) might have been a deciding factor in luring former teammate Steve Begin from Montreal, while Chuck Kobasew and Blake Wheeler (21 goals each) turned in solid two-way play with scoring touch.

A void in true veteran leadership up front was filled when two-time Cup winner Mark Recchi (16 points in 18 games) was stolen late in the season from Tampa Bay. The 40-year-old oft-traveled Recchi returns for what will presumably be the full season, while both Patrice Bergeron (concussion) and Marco Sturm (knee surgery) are presumably ready to make an impact once again.

They will have to step up, now that the petulant Kessel, who never endeared himself to his teammates and was embroiled in a contract dispute all summer, has been shipped off to division rival Toronto for draft picks.

The Bruins also lost one of the best defensive forwards in club history when 11-year vet P.J. Axelsson elected to return to Sweden, then also let Stephane Yelle go as a free agent. Nonetheless, Begin and players like Vladimir Sobotka, Milan Lucic and Byron Bitz will get their chance to cement their roster spots on a full-time basis as part of the more physical bottom two lines.


ON DEFENSE
The biggest reason for the Bruins' success a season ago was a punishing defense led by a player who once symbolized the NHL's swift and inept jump to hulking behemoths who may or may not know how to skate: Zdeno Chara.

Chara enjoyed nothing less than a monster season, posting a career-best 19 goals with 50 points, set a new league record for hardest slapshot at the All-Star skills competition, was a plus-23, and took home the Norris Trophy as best defenseman.

Even if he doesn't come close to the numbers or consistency he displayed, his continued steadying presence since arriving as a free agent from Ottawa in 2006 should ensure a similar outcome for a backline which helped allow the fewest goals in the NHL.

Focus will also shift on both ends of the ice toward fifth-year pro Dennis Wideman (13 goals, 50 points, plus-32), Matt Hunwick, Andrew Ference, Mark Stuart and free-agent puck-mover Derek Morris to at least maintain the same level of excellence in all three zones.

They will have to pick up the slack after veteran blueliner and mentor Aaron Ward (10 points, plus-16 in 65 games) was dealt back to Carolina after a successful two-plus year stint with the B's.

Boston's defensive capability spurred a dangerous transition game, aided the sixth-best power play and punished opposing forwards on virtually every part of the rink. As a unit, they may be the best collection of backliners in the conference.


IN THE CREASE
Say all you want about the men in front of the net, it always comes down to who's guarding it. Tim Thomas and Manny Fernandez turned in the club's best goaltending tandem since Gerry Cheevers and Gilles Gilbert, winning the Jennings Trophy together and netting Thomas the Vezina as best netminder.

Now that the eyes of New England will be attuned to his every stride, all Thomas (36-11-5, 2.10 GAA, five shutouts) has to do is avoid the fates of Boston's last Vezina winner (Pete Peeters, who won in 1983 but was traded away 2 1/2 inconsistent seasons later) and late 90's hero Byron Dafoe and he can elevate into the class of goaltender who is able to carry the team when necessary.

An inconsistent and injury-plagued Fernandez was not re-signed, clearing the way for former first-round pick Tuukka Rask, who has waited patiently down I-95 for his time to shine. The young Finn will now be expected to carry the load of any legitimate back-up since Thomas is not a goaltender in the Martin Brodeur mode who can remain fresh while starting 60-plus games.


WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE
A sophomore slump, while a relative term, may be right around the corner for the men in the Spoked B, but the Northeast Division is once again for the taking after the other four clubs vying for the title are dealing with salary-cap issues and roster reshaping.

Traditionally on the wrong end of the Montreal Canadiens' former dominance, it will be a tremendous confidence boost heading into the year knowing they wrecked the Habs' centennial plans by kicking them to the curb in the first round.

Last year's disappointing end to an expected deep playoff run need not be a harbinger of doom, either.

In 1996, the Red Wings tore through the NHL with a league-record 62 wins only to be derailed in the conference finals by eventual champion Colorado. The next season, sporting a pared-down roster stocked with more heart and grit, the Wings won only 38 games but took home the franchise's first Cup in 42 years.

With Julien's steady hand, continued production from a stocked roster and relative health from start to finish, the Bruins are capable of putting together another memorable season.

 

[Lumi]

The Buffalo Sabres committed to a youth movement a few years back and watched as a great deal of veteran talent departed through trades and free agency.

With the team sitting out the playoffs in each of the past two seasons, the transition has been less than smooth, but the franchise hasn't fallen flat on its face either.

Last year, Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff, the longest tenured coach in the NHL, brought his team within just two points of a playoff berth. In 2009-10, Ruff's 13th season with Buffalo, his Sabres will be expected to do a little bit better and join the postseason party.

Another year of experience should help this growing team get back to the playoffs. However, if the youngsters happen to take a step back this year it could mark the end of Ruff's lengthy stay in western New York.


ON THE ATTACK
The most-feared weapon in Buffalo's offensive arsenal is Thomas Vanek, who has averaged 36 goals per season over his first four years in the NHL.

Last year, Vanek recorded 40 goals and 24 assists in 73 games, marking the second time the winger has reached the 40-goal plateau. However, the Sabres would like to see more overall production from the 25-year-old Austrian, who has posted back-to-back 64-point seasons after notching a career-best 84 points in 2006-07.

Vanek could have led the Sabres in points last year if not for a fractured jaw that caused him to miss nearly a month of action. His linemates, however, were able to play in all 82 games and both players finished ahead of Vanek on the Sabres leading scorers list.

Centerman Derek Roy paced Buffalo with 70 points and finished second to Vanek with 28 goals. Roy's point total dropped off from 81 points (32 goals, 49 assists) in 2007-08, but the 26-year-old is still far-and-away the Sabres top producing player down the middle.

Jason Pominville is Buffalo's top winger not named Vanek and finished second on Buffalo last year with 66 points (20g, 46a). Pominville's goal-scoring total has dipped in each of the last two seasons, as he posted a career-high 34 markers in 2006-07 before tallying 27 the following year. He has proven to be extremely durable, playing in all 82 games in three straight campaigns.

Getting better production from their top three players is key to getting the Sabres back to the playoffs, but the club also needs to get a greater offensive boost from the remainder of its forwards. Outside of Vanek, Roy and Pominville, the Sabres failed to get 50 points from any another player on their roster.

Second-line center Tim Connolly could help add some scoring depth, that is, if he can find a way to stay healthy.

Since posting a career-high 55 points in 2005-06, Connolly has played in a total of just 98 regular season contests and managed to suit up for just 48 games in each of the last two campaigns. Despite the injury problems, the Sabres showed their faith in Connolly in March by signing the 28-year-old to a two-year, $9 million deal.

Buffalo would also like winger Jochen Hecht to bounce back from a dreadful 2008-09 campaign. The 32-year-old winger had just 12 goals and 15 assists in 70 games last year, marking his worst season output since he had 26 points in just 49 contests in 2002-03.

The Sabres would also benefit greatly from a step forward by young winger Drew Stafford, who set career bests last year in games (79), goals (20) and assists (25). The 23-year-old American was given a vote of confidence earlier this month when Buffalo signed him to a two-year deal worth a reported $3.8 million.

Dan Paille, who like Stafford is a former first-round pick, also needs to improve on the 27 points he posted for the Sabres last season.

One of the few new faces added to the Sabres roster this summer was veteran winger Mike Grier, who decided to return to Buffalo by signing a one-year deal with the club. Grier played parts of two seasons with the Sabres in 2003-04 and 2005-06 before spending the last three years in San Jose. But don't expect a great deal of production from Grier, who had 23 points in 62 games with the Sharks last year and hasn't reached the 20-goal plateau since 2000-01 with Edmonton.


ON DEFENSE
The Sabres didn't generate a great deal of offense from the blueline last year and that weakness will likely get worse this year thanks to the departure of Jaroslav Spacek and Teppo Numminen.

Spacek led all Sabres defensemen with 45 points in 2008-09, but opted to sign a three-year deal with Montreal in the offseason. Numminen, meanwhile, decided to retire after posting 17 points in just 57 games last year.

Craig Rivet will take the lead at the back end this season after notching 24 points in 64 games. Rivet, 35, is a steady all-around defenseman, but is certainly more valuable in his own end than as a puck-mover.

Toni Lydman, who had 23 points in 80 games last year for Buffalo, will also help the Sabres push the puck up ice.

The Sabres added some depth to the blue line in the offseason by signing journeymen defensemen Steve Montador and Joe DiPenta. Both players are known primarily for their physical play and will do little to help improve Buffalo's attack from the blueline.

An intriguing option for Buffalo this year would be to keep highly-touted defensive prospect Tyler Myers at the NHL level rather than let him spend another year in juniors. Myers, 19, possesses unique size at 6-foot-8, 210 pounds and is also projects as a puck-moving defenseman at the NHL level.


IN THE CREASE
The job of starting goaltender as well as emotional leader falls to Ryan Miller, who is about to enter his fifth year as the main man between the pipes in Buffalo.

Miller turned in another strong season in 2008-09, going 34-18-6 with a 2.53 goals against average and .918 save percentage. Both his GAA and save percentage represented career bests for the Michigan native.

Miller's importance to the club was clearly illustrated last year when he suffered an ankle sprain in late February. The goaltender watched as his team went 4-7-2 without him and fell out of the Eastern Conference playoff race. Miller eventually returned to action in late March, but it was to late to save his club's postseason chances.

Once again, Miller will be backed up by veteran goaltender Patrick Lalime, who struggled to a 5-13-3 record in 2008-09.


WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE
The young Sabres are still trying to establish their identity and it's difficult to say whether the club will take a step forward or back in 2009-10. Buffalo needs to improve in the scoring department and that could be difficult considering the Sabres are relying on largely the same players as it did last year. Still, a playoff appearance is certainly within reach, especially if the Sabres are able to keep Vanek and Miller healthy for the entire season.

 

[Lumi]

After a disappointing finish in what was supposed to be a season of celebration, the Montreal Canadiens made some bold moves this summer.

Montreal was the top seed in the Eastern Conference in 2007-08 and the Habs were picked by many to win it all heading into last year. Instead, the Canadiens, who finished second in the Northeast Division and eighth in the conference, were bounced out in the opening round of the playoffs, suffering a four-game sweep at the hands of the rival Boston Bruins.

The Canadiens will continue their franchise's centennial celebration this year, but many of the faces have changed since the club's 99th campaign left Montreal's passionate fan-base unfulfilled. Most of the new faces will be seen on the ice, but the Habs also hired a new bench boss on June 1, when they brought in Jacques Martin.

What followed was a busy summer as Habs general manager Bob Gainey made trades and signed numerous free agents to effectively change the face of his team.

This year, Montreal's top line will likely feature at least two of Gainey's offseason acquisitions, and fan-favorites Alexei Kovalev and Saku Koivu won't be seen at all wearing the Le Bleu-Blanc-et-Rouge.

ON THE ATTACK
On June 30, the day before free agency began, the Canadiens landed centerman Scott Gomez in a trade with the New York Rangers. As surprising as that was, it was only the beginning.

Gomez came over to Montreal along with a pair of prospects, while the Habs sent four players to the Big Apple, including Christopher Higgins, a three-time 20-goal scorer in the last four seasons with Montreal.

The Canadiens then brought in four new players on the first day of free agency. Two of those new additions, Mike Cammalleri and Brian Gionta, join Gomez to form Montreal's new offensive core.

Gomez will be the top center on a team with not a whole lot of depth down the middle. The 29-year-old American has been one of the NHL's better playmaking pivots during his nine-year career, recording 430 of his 578 career points on assists.

However, Gomez had a down season with the Rangers last year, as he ended with 58 points (16 goals, 42 assists) in 77 contests. It was Gomez's lowest point total since 2002-03, when he had 55 points in 80 games with New Jersey.

The Habs will try and pair Gomez with Cammalleri, who turned in a career year with Calgary in 2008-09. Cammalleri set personal bests with 39 goals and 82 points while playing in 81 games with the Flames. The 27-year-old will have significantly more pressure on him in Montreal, however, as he signed a five-year, $30 million deal with the Habs.

The Habs will probably use Gionta on the second unit, but the veteran winger could also see time on the top line with Gomez, his former Devils teammate. Gionta, 30, played in 81 games last year with New Jersey and recorded 60 points (20g, 40a).

Montreal's top-two scorers from last year, Kovalev and Koivu, both signed free agent contracts elsewhere. As a result, Montreal's top returning scorer is Andrei Kostitsyn, who had 23 points and 41 points in 74 contests. The 24-year-old Belarusian could benefit greatly if the Habs decide to play him on the top line with Gomez and Cammalleri.

The Canadiens are also hoping for the continued development of young winger Guillaume Latendresse, who played in just 56 games during an injury-plagued 2008-09 campaign. The 22-year-old Quebec native had 14 goals and 26 points in the shortened season and could improve greatly if he remains healthy this year.

Tomas Plekanec had a solid year with 20 goals and 39 points in 80 games last year, but Montreal needs to get even more out of its second-line center this season.

ON DEFENSE
The Canadiens blueline was given an even bigger overhaul than the offense, as three of the club's projected top-six defensemen were signed over the summer.

However, Andrei Markov will still be the top all-around defensemen on the team. Last year, the veteran Russian had almost twice as many points as the next highest-scoring blueliner on the Canadiens, recording 64 points on 12 goals and 52 assists. Roman Hamrlik, who will also be back in Montreal this year, was next on the club with 33 points.

Jaroslav Spacek was brought in by Gainey to help with point production from the blueline. Spacek, 35, tied a career-high with 45 points (8g, 37a) in 80 games with Buffalo.

Spacek can also help Markov run the Montreal power play, which was the 13th-ranked unit in the NHL last year after leading the league in the 2007-08.

Of course, Montreal had to lose some players in order to welcome the new additions at the back end. Among the departed is Mike Komisarek, the 6-foot-4, 245-pound American who is considered to be one of the best defensive defenseman in the league. Even worse, Komisarek jumped ship to join the hated Toronto Maple Leafs.

Free-agent signee Hal Gill will try to fill Komisarek's role and he certainly has the size aspect covered. Gill is 6-foot-7, 250 pounds and played a key role in helping Pittsburgh to a Stanley Cup title last spring. Gill also had 10 points and was a plus-11 in 62 games for the Pens during the regular season.

Paul Mara was also picked up via free agency after playing 76 games and posting 21 points for the New York Rangers.

Returnees Josh Gorges, Ryan O'Byrne and Yannick Weber will also battle for playing time on the Montreal blueline.

IN THE CREASE
Two years ago, Carey Price shined as a 20-year-old rookie and was being compared to the great Patrick Roy. However, the 2009-10 season will be a shot at redemption for Price after he slumped as a sophomore.

Price played in 52 games in 2008-09 and was 23-16-10 with a 2.83 goals against average and .905 save percentage. He was much worse in the postseason, surrendering 15 goals while going 0-4 in the sweep against the Bruins.

Despite the step backwards, at just 22 years of age Price is still very much the Habs goaltender of the present and future.

The Canadiens signed Curtis Sanford to serve as Price's this year after Jaroslav Halak went 18-14-1 in that role last year. Sanford played in just 19 games for Vancouver in 2008-09, going 7-8-0 with a 2.59 GAA as Roberto Luongo's backup.

WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE
With all the roster changes, the Canadiens are somewhat of an enigma heading into this season. Montreal did bring in a great deal of talent over the summer, but it's uncertain how long it will take to build chemistry between the returnees and new arrivals. The club will likely be in the same situation as last year when they battled for the last playoff spot in the East.

 

[Lumi]

For the first time in over a decade there was no playoff hockey in Ottawa last spring, and while the team is not quite ready for a rebuilding phase, those days are probably not too far off.

The Senators came into the league as an expansion team for the 1992-93 season and didn't make the playoffs until 1997, beginning a stretch of 11 straight playoff appearances -- a streak that ended with Ottawa's mediocre 83-point season of a year ago.

To make matters worse, superstar winger Dany Heatley demanded a trade in June, citing difference with head coach Cory Clouston as the reason for the request.

Ottawa eventually accommodated Heatley, sending him to the San Jose Sharks in a deal that also saw forwards Jonathan Cheechoo and Milan Michalek head to Ottawa.

A return trip to the postseason is certainly an achievable goal for this season, but make no mistake, this is no longer a team on the rise.

ON THE ATTACK
Heatley's departure effectively breaks up the NHL's most explosive line and opens up the left wing spot on Ottawa's top offensive unit.

Jason Spezza is back to center the top line and captain Daniel Alfredsson, a 36-year-old right winger, will return for a 14th NHL season, all of which have come as a member of the Senators.

Alfredsson led Ottawa in scoring in 2008-09 with 74 points in 79 games, but his 24 goals marked the Swede's worst output since he also tallied 24 while skating in just 68 games during the 2000-01 campaign. It seems as though Alfredsson's best days are behind him, but he'll still challenge for the Sens scoring lead this year.

Spezza finished second on the club with 73 points and his 32 goals were second on the team behind Heatley's 39 markers. However, the 26-year-old centerman struggled with turnovers and finished the season with a minus-14 rating.

Alex Kovalev is a prime candidate to replace Heatley on the top line after the veteran Russian signed a two-year, $10 million deal with Ottawa this summer. Kovalev led Montreal with 65 points (26 goals, 39 assists) in 78 games last year, but that was a big drop-off from his 34-goal and 84-point season in 2007-08.

Mike Fisher is Ottawa's second-line center and needs to bounce back after turning in his worst statistical season since playing in just 24 games during the 2003-04 campaign. Fisher turned in 13 goals and 19 assists in 78 games last year, marking his lowest career point total for any season in which he played in 60 or more contests.

Fisher could have better linemates this year, however, as Cheechoo and Michalek come over from San Jose with solid credentials.

At 29 years old, Cheechoo will likely never regain the form that allowed him to score 56 goals for the Sharks in 2005-06, but he may benefit from a change of scenery. Cheechoo has been on a downhill trajectory, scoring 37 goals in 2006-07 and 23 in 2007-08 before bottoming out with just 12 tallies and 29 points in 66 games last season.

Michalek, on the other hand, is entering the prime of his career after averaging 24 goals and 59 points per season over the last three years. The 24- year-old Czech notched 23 goals and 57 points in 77 games with San Jose in 2008-09.

The problem for Ottawa is that the offensive production fizzles out after that. However, Nick Foligno, a first-round pick in 2006, had a promising season in 2008-09, posting 17 goals and 15 assists in 81 games.

ON DEFENSE
While Ottawa's forward rotation still boasts its share of highly- skilled players, the same cannot be said for the defensive unit.

Filip Kuba had the best season on the Ottawa blueline in 2008-09, as he led the defensive corps with 40 points (3g, 37a) in 71 games. The next highest- scoring Ottawa rearguard was Chris Phillips, who had just 22 points on six goals and 16 helpers.

Phillips and Anton Volchenkov form Ottawa's top pairing, while Kuba and Brian Lee could serve as the second tandem. Volchenkov is a tough and strong blueliner with a penchant for blocking shots, but his 10 points in 68 games last year are a clear indication of his lack of offensive skills.

Lee is just 22 years old, but was the fifth overall pick in the 2005 draft. He skated in 53 games with Ottawa last season and notched 13 points (2g, 11a).

Also returning to the Senators blueline are Alexandre Picard and Chris Campoli. However, Jason Smith won't be back as he announced his retirement over the summer.

IN THE CREASE
Ottawa's inability to find a No. 1 goaltender has dogged the team since its inception, but general manager Bryan Murray hopes to have solved that problem.

Murray traded for goaltender Pascal Leclaire at last year's trade deadline, but the former Blue Jackets netminder didn't get to play in a single game as he was already sidelined for the remainder of the season with an ankle injury.

Leclaire, the eighth overall pick by Columbus in the 2001 draft, had his best NHL campaign just two years ago when he went 24-17-6 with a 2.25 goals against average and .919 save percentage. However, with the emergence of Steve Mason as the No. 1 guy in Columbus, Leclaire became expendable.

The 26-year-old Leclaire, who is signed through the 2010-11 season, played in just 12 games last year for Columbus and was 4-6-1 with a 3.83 GAA and .867 save percentage.

The Senators will go with Brian Elliott as their backup once again. The 24- year-old went 16-8-3 as a rookie in 2008-09 and posted a 2.77 GAA and .902 save percentage.

WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE
The days of contending for a Cup seem to be over, but that doesn't mean Ottawa won't be able to sneak into the Eastern Conference playoffs this year. The team's strength lies in its scoring depth and the defensive liabilities could be minimized with a strong year from a healthy Leclaire. Still, the Sens are a team on the decline and missing the playoffs for a second straight season is a very real possibility.

 

[Lumi]

Brian Burke is known for being outspoken, so it's fitting that his first offseason as Toronto Maple Leafs general manager was anything but quiet.

Burke took over as Toronto's President and GM in November of last season and since then he has done his best to rebuild a once-proud franchise that has fallen on hard times.

The GM's goal this year is to stop Toronto from extending its franchise-record playoff drought, which reached four seasons last spring after a second straight last-place finish in the Northeast Division.

Burke, who helped build a Stanley Cup champion in Anaheim earlier this decade, has added a great deal of toughness to the Toronto lineup and was also able to trade for a top-line centerman.

The ultimate goal is to lead Toronto to its first Stanley Cup title since 1967 and while the Maple Leafs are still far removed from making that a reality, the club finally seems to be on the right track.

ON THE ATTACK
Burke's boldest move since taking on his new job happened just a few weeks ago when the Maple Leafs acquired the young and talented Phil Kessel from the rival Boston Bruins.

However, Kessel, who will turn 22 on October 2, didn't come cheap as Toronto sent two first-rounders and a second-round pick to the Bruins in exchange for the rising star. The Leafs then promptly signed Kessel to a five-year contract worth $27 million.

Kessel is coming off his third and finest season as pro, as he led Boston with a career-high 36 goals while playing in 70 games. The American center also set personal bests with 24 assists, 60 points and a plus-23 rating.

While there is no doubt Kessel has tremendous upside, it's uncertain how he will handle the role of Toronto's go-to guy on offense. After all, he thrived in Boston as part of a talented and well-balanced roster and has yet to prove he can lead a club all by himself.

Still, Kessel at least gives the Leafs a player with a chance at filling the hole in the offense left by Mats Sundin, who departed Toronto after the 2007-08 season as the franchise's all-time leader in goals and points.

The Leafs top scorer last year was winger Jason Blake, who paced Toronto in goals (25) and points (63) while playing in 78 games. Blake's 2008-09 campaign marked an improvement over his first season as a member of the Leafs and Kessel's arrival could help continue to push that trend in the right direction.

Right winger Alexei Ponikarovsky would fit in nicely on the top line with Blake and Kessel. The 29-year-old had a strong season a year ago, finishing second to Blake on the team in goals (23) and points (61).

The Leafs are also hoping 25-year-old forwards Mikhail Grabovski and Matt Stajan can improve once again after both players turned in career bests for Toronto in 2008-09. Stajan had a career-high 55 points (15g, 40a), while Grabovski notched 20 goals and 28 assists in his first-full NHL season.

Burke also added depth and size at the forward position by trading for veteran centerman Wayne Primeau and winger Colton Orr. Orr is expected to serve as Toronto's main enforcer after finishing third in the NHL with 193 penalty minutes in 82 games with the New York Rangers.

ON DEFENSE
By adding free-agent signees Mike Komisarek and Francois Beauchemin to a unit that already boasts Tomas Kaberle and Luke Schenn, the Leafs appear to have the makings of two strong defensive pairings.

Komisarek, who is considered to be one of the better defensive defenseman in the NHL, was lured away from the rival Montreal Canadiens with a five-year, $22.5 million contract. The 6-4, 240-pound blueliner is a heavy hitter and posted two goals, nine assists and 121 penalty minutes in 66 games with the Habs last year.

Beauchemin, who won a Stanley Cup title in Anaheim with Burke, is not as big as Komisarek, but offers more in the way of mobility and offense. He played in just 20 games last year for the Ducks before suffering a season-ending ACL tear, but had 21 points (2 goals, 19 assists) while playing in all 82 games in 2007-08.

Following the trade of Pavel Kubina to Atlanta over the summer, Kaberle will have even more responsibility as Toronto's top offensive defenseman. The 31- year-old Czech had 31 points (4g, 27a) in just 57 games during an injury- plagued season for Toronto in 2008-09, but he averaged over 59 points a year in his previous three campaigns.

Schenn, the fifth overall pick in the 2008 draft, delivered on his promise right away, as the rookie displayed remarkable poise while playing in 70 games for the Leafs last year. The 6-2, 216-pound Schenn, who is a strong, stay-at- home defenseman, added 14 points on two goals and 12 helpers in 2008-09. He will start this season as a 19-year-old before turning 20 on November 2.

Ian White, another young blueliner, will also try to build off a strong year after the 25-year-old recorded 10 goals and 16 points in 71 games for Toronto last season.

Garnet Exelby came over from Atlanta in the Kubina trade and should work his way into the defensive rotation. Returning blueliners Jeff Finger and Mike Van Ryn will also battle for playing time on the back end.

IN THE CREASE
The Maple Leafs are entering their third season with Vesa Toskala as the club's starting goaltender, and so far the results have been less than spectacular.

The Leafs traded for Toskala in the summer of 2007 and he has turned in two sub-par seasons. The 32-year-old Finn was 33-25-6 with a 2.74 goals against average and .904 save percentage in his first year with Toronto and things got even worse in 2008-09.

Toskala had a lofty 3.26 GAA and .891 save percentage in 53 games last year and finished with a 22-17-11 record. His season was also cut short in early March by a torn labrum.

Serving as the backup to Toskala this season will be Jonas "The Monster" Gustavsson, who was signed to a one-year free-agent deal this summer.

Gustavsson, 24, has never played a game in the NHL, but was impressive while playing the past two seasons for Farjestads BK of the Swedish Elite League. Last year, Gustavsson had a 1.96 GAA and .932 save percentage during the regular season and then led Farjestads to the league title.

WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE
Burke has made a slew of changes since he began calling the shots for the Leafs last fall, but Toronto is still in the process of rebuilding. The Leafs should improve upon last year's 12th-place finish in the East and they could challenge for one of the last spots in the conference playoff race. Toronto isn't quite were it needs to be, but the addition of players like Kessel, Komisarek and Beauchemin are steps in the right direction.

 

[Lumi]

Hockey has always been a tough sell in Atlanta.

The Atlanta Flames, who were named after the famous burning of the city by William Sherman during the Civil War, lasted from 1972 through 1980 before moving to Calgary. The team was relatively successful on-ice with five straight playoff appearances, albeit without ever advancing past the first round, but the team had poor ticket sales, rising operating costs and a lack of a television deal. After the 1979-80 season, the team was purchased by a group of businessman from Calgary and the club promptly relocated there.

Flash-forward 19 years and the city got its second NHL franchise as the Atlanta Thrashers hung their flag at Philips Arena. The second incarnation of a cold-weather sport in a city that rarely sees cold temperatures has met with little success. Also, the Thrashers have just one playoff appearance over their nine seasons, and, perhaps more importantly, they have never broken the top 20 in attendance figures.

How long will it be before the Thrashers join the Flames in a city that is more predisposed for hockey (re: Hamilton)? Well, one thing that might prompt the move is the possible departure of the one player worth watching on this team, All-Star forward Ilya Kovalchuk.

ON THE ATTACK
Kovalchuk, the first overall pick of the 2001 draft, has lived up to his expectations as he has been a consistent producer on a poor team. Over his 545 games he has averaged better than a point per game with 297 goals and 260 assists, producing most of the offense on his team.

However, he is going to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of season and, considering that Atlanta has the fourth lowest payroll in the league right now, it is unlikely he will be back with the Thrashers next season, or even at the end of this season.

While a liability on the defensive end of the ice, the 26-year-old left wing is undeniably one of the most talented offensive players on the ice and his services will be in demand at the trade deadline for those teams that wish to make a serious run for the Stanley Cup.

One of the things that would make Kovalchuk stay in the city is improvement in the organization and general manager Don Waddell tried to address that need with the center Nik Antropov.

Antropov is a big man (6-foot-6, 230-pounds) who gives a size boost to a group of small forwards. He can throw the body and put points up on the board as he registered career-highs with 28 goals and 31 assists last season. He started last season with Toronto, where he had played since his first season during the 2000-01 campaign, but was acquired by the Rangers prior to the deadline. Also, Antropov has played with Kovalchuk before as the two were on Ak Bars Kazan in Russia during the lockout.

Veteran Slava Kozlov returns for another year with the team as do blue-collar forwards Todd White, Colby Armstrong and Marty Reasoner.

Bryan Little, who played a little over half of the 2007-08 season, appeared in 79 games last year and turned into an offensive threat as he finished second on the team with 31 goals while Rich Peverley shined on the team after coming from Nashville.

Eric Boulton is as tough as they come in the fighting department and his 176 penalty minutes last season were a testament to that.

Evander Kane, Atlanta's first-round pick in the 2009 draft and fourth overall, is an 18-year-old Vancouver native who is a gritty player and was compared to Darcy Tucker by a coach who guided both Tucker and Kane.

ON DEFENSE
Defense was the big problem with Atlanta last season as the team finished second to last in goals against last season.

To address the need on the blueline for a top defenseman, the Thrashers made a trade with Toronto in the offseason to acquire Pavel Kubina.

Kubina fills a spot in the undersized defensive corps of Atlanta as he stands at 6-foot-4 and weights 244 pounds. He finished last season with 14 goals and 26 assists to tie his career-high in points. Also, he was an asset on the power play as he tallied nine goals on the man advantage. He will provide veteran leadership for this young group of defenders.

Youngster Zach Bogosian, Atlanta's first-round pick in the 2008 and third overall, missed time last season with a broken leg, but showed his talent in the 47 games he did appear in as he had nine goals and 19 points and finished at plus-11.

Tobias Enstrom, along with Bogosian, saw more playing time last season after veterans Mathieu Schneider and Niclas Havelid left the team. Enstrom had five goals and 27 assists and his development will continue this season with his larger role.

Atlanta's defensive group will be able to put points on the board, but will have problems when it comes to defense, despite the addition of Kubina to the roster.

IN THE CREASE
It's not that the Thrashers lack any good goaltenders, it's that they lack a No. 1 goaltender.

Much was expected of Kari Lehtonen when he was taken with the second overall pick of the 2002 draft. However, his career has not lived up to the expectations as injuries and inconsistent play have haunted him throughout. When he's not on the injured reserve he's shown signs of brilliance as there are nights where he will be dominant, but then he'll come back the next game and let in four goals on four shots. He is still the No. 1 in Atlanta, but more is needed from him if the team is to go anywhere.

Behind Lehtonen is Johan Hedberg, who will see a significant amount of playing time. He is a solid backup who can also play extended amounts of time should Lehtonen struggle or get injured.

Lastly, there is Ondrej Pavelec, who Atlanta took with its second pick in the 2005 draft. The 22-year-old has made 19 appearances over the past two seasons and could see his playing time increase if either of the top two guys struggle or go down with an injury.

WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE
The biggest splash this team will make this season is sending Kovalchuk to a playoff contender. That being said, Atlanta did finish strong last season as the team won 12 of its last 18 games to finish with a respectable 35-41-6 record. This team has some good offensive talent on it and probably the strongest group of defensemen in team history.

While finishing first in the Southeast Division is out of the question for this team, as long as the offense stays strong, the defensemen play up to standard and Lehtonen finds his game, they will compete in the Eastern Conference and could sneak into a playoff spot.

 

[Lumi]

The Carolina Hurricanes made a surprise run to the Eastern Conference finals last spring, but if the franchise's recent history has taught us anything, that could mean bad things on the horizon.

The Hurricanes won their first-ever Stanley Cup title back in 2006 and followed up that triumph by missing out on the postseason in each of the next two seasons. And when Carolina made the Cup Finals in 2002 and lost to Detroit, the Hurricanes also failed to make the playoffs in 2003.

But, history doesn't always repeat itself, right?

The biggest factor in Carolina's success last year came midway through the regular season when general manager Jim Rutherford fired Peter Laviolette and replaced him with Paul Maurice, who actually preceded Laviolette as the 'Canes head coach.

Carolina went 33-19-5 in Maurice's second tour of duty and qualified for the postseason as the sixth seed in the East. Not content to simply be back in the playoffs, the 'Canes beat New Jersey in the opening round and ousted top- seeded Boston in the conference semifinals, winning both series in seven games.

Maurice's magic wore off in the East finals, however, as Pittsburgh disposed of Carolina in four games en route to a Stanley Cup crown.

Of course, Maurice is back behind the Carolina bench this season and his goal should be to avoid a letdown, something he couldn't do following the Hurricanes trip to the Cup Finals in '02.


ON THE ATTACK
The main weapon in Carolina's offensive arsenal is centerman Eric Staal, a player who has already accomplished quite a bit in his career and won't even turn 25 years old until the end of October.

Staal led the Hurricanes in goals (40) and was second on the team with 75 points. He also had the club's best plus-minus rating, recording a plus-15 mark for the season.

A three-time All-Star, the 6-foot-4, 205-pound Staal has the ability to take over a game on any given night, a fact solidified by his team-record four hat tricks during the 2008-09 campaign.

While Staal led the way in the goal-scoring department, Ray Whitney paced the Hurricanes last year with 77 points. The veteran winger has been a steady contributor during his tenure with the 'Canes, averaging 24.5 goals and 69 points a season since joining Carolina before the 2005-06 campaign.

Scoring production for the wing positions is a strength for the Hurricanes, who also received solid season from Tuomo Ruutu, Sergei Samsonov and Chad LaRose in 2008-09. Ruutu was second on the team with 26 goals and third in points with 54. Samsonov wasn't far behind with 48 points and LaRose added 19 goals and 31 points.

In addition, the Hurricanes will have Erik Cole for a full year after he was brought back to Carolina in a trade at last year's deadline. Cole, who was a member of the 2006 Cup champion Hurricanes, notched 15 points (2 goals, 13 assists) in 17 games with Carolina following the trade. He did struggle in the playoffs, posting just five assists in 18 contests.

The Hurricanes also have depth down the middle with Matt Cullen and Rod Brind'Amour centering the teams second and third lines. Cullen had 22 goals and 21 assists in 2008-09 for Carolina, while Brind'Amour, who turned 39 years of age last month, recorded 51 points for the second straight year.

Despite their scoring depth at the forward positions, Carolina needs to improve its power play this year after finishing in the middle of the pack with an 18.7-percent success rate in 2008-09.

ON DEFENSE
If you don't think the Hurricanes' defense is a liability, take another look at what the Penguins did to Carolina in last year's conference finals.

Granted, few teams in the NHL have the defensive answer for Pittsburgh's dynamic duo of Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby, but Carolina was outscored by a pitiful 20-9 margin in the sweep.

The Hurricanes do have a pair of puck-moving defensemen in Joni Pitkanen and Joe Corvo, but the team's blueliners generally don't excel in their own zone. The addition of steady veteran Aaron Ward, who was picked up in a trade with Boston this summer, should help shore up the back end.

Corvo led Carolina defensemen in scoring last year, recording 14 goals and 38 points, while Pitkanen added 33 points (7g, 26a). Anton Babchuk also turned in strong offensive numbers with a team-high 16 goals from the blueline and 35 points total.

Ward, who is back with Carolina after spending four seasons with the club from 2001-06, had 10 points in 65 games with the Bruins last year. In addition to Ward, the Hurricanes also added Andrew Alberts to the defensive rotation this summer after he played in 79 games with Philadelphia in 2008-09.

Tim Gleason and Niclas Wallin will also be back on the Hurricanes roster this season to provide some blueline depth.

IN THE CREASE
Goaltending was the biggest reason for Carolina's deep postseason run last spring, as Cam Ward reclaimed the swagger he had displayed in winning the 2006 Conn Smythe Trophy.

Ward, who is just 25 years of age, turned in his best regular season ever in 2008-09, going 39-23-5 with a 2.44 goals against average and .916 save percentage. He went 8-10 in the playoffs with a 2.67 GAA and .915 save percentage, but those numbers were inflated in large part due to Carolina's poor showing in the conference finals.

Ward also showed his durability last season, as he started 28 consecutive games at one point during the season. He started 68 games total in 2008-09, leaving little work to be done by backup Michael Leighton, who is expected to take on the same role this season.

Leighton was mediocre in 19 outings last year, posting a 6-7-2 record to go along with a 2.92 GAA and .901 save percentage.

WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE
The Hurricanes showed renewed energy and dedication with Maurice back as the bench boss and that should help the club avoid another letdown like the one following the 2006 championship. Expect Alexander Ovechkin and Washington to win a third straight Southeast Division crown, but look for Carolina to finish a close second.

 

[Lumi]

The last time the Florida Panthers tasted playoff hockey, twittering was something that only birds did. The world was changed a great deal since then, but unfortunately for Florida hockey fans, too much has remained the same.

For the eighth straight season the Panthers saw their campaign end before the start of the playoffs. In fact, since Florida made it to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1996, the club has played just nine playoff games and lost eight of those contests.

To their credit, the Panthers came extremely close to ending the postseason drought a year ago.

They actually finished the season tied with Montreal for the eighth and final seed, but were eliminated as a result of a tiebreaker.

The near-miss would be a more encouraging sign heading into this year if the Panthers didn't lose their best player, defenseman Jay Bouwmeester, this offseason. Even worse, Florida could have received a lot more in return for Bouwmeester if they had traded him at the deadline last March, but they kept him in order to try and make a playoff push.

Florida eventually received veteran defensemen Jordan Leopold and a third-round pick in the 2009 draft from Calgary for the negotiation rights to Bouwmeester. However, the Panthers will have a hard time replacing a player who led the NHL with over 2,213 minutes of ice time in 2008-09.

It seems as though it all adds up to yet another season without a playoff appearance for the hapless Panthers and a ninth straight year out of the postseason would tie the NHL's record for consecutive non-playoff seasons.

ON THE ATTACK
The Panthers were able to record 93 points last season -- the most for the club since it had 98 in its last playoff year of 1999-2000 -- but that success had little to do with the team's offense.

Florida finished 17th in the league with an average of 2.82 goals per game, meaning the Panthers had to grind out most of their wins with defense and goaltending. It figures to be more of the same in 2009-10, as the Panthers added little help to their offense over the summer.

The Panthers do have the making of a solid top line with centerman Stephen Weiss, and wingers David Booth and Nathan Horton.

Booth could be the best of the bunch so far and he appears to be getting better every year. The 24-year-old had his best campaign in 2008-09, setting career-highs in goals (31), assist (29) and points (60). He finished one point behind Weiss for the team scoring lead despite sitting out 10 games due to injury.

Weiss also had a career year in 2008-09, setting personal bests in assists (47) and points (61). The 26-year-old also plays a responsible all-around game and led Florida with a plus-19 rating.

Horton had a down year in part due to injures, but it also could've been due to the fact that he was asked to play center rather than playing on the wing. In 67 games, the 24-year-old had 22 goals and 45 points, marking his lowest numbers in the last four seasons.

Steve Reinprecht will give the Panthers another solid defensive centerman and adequate scoring as well. Last year, the veteran had 14 points and 27 assists in 73 games with Phoenix.

Cory Stillman, who was third on Florida with 49 points last year, should see time on the second line with Reinprecht, giving the Panthers a solid veteran presence on that unit.

The veterans could help with the development of winger Michael Frolik, who began last season as a 20-year-old rookie and was impressive in posting 21 goals and 45 points.

Radek Dvorak (15 goals, 21 assists in 2008-09) and Gregory Campbell (13g, 19a) will need to pick up the scoring this year to help Florida overcome its offensive deficiencies.

ON DEFENSE
It won't be easy dealing with the departure of Bouwmeester, and in reality it could be years before the Panthers find another defensemen with as much promise.

With Bouwmeester gone, Keith Ballard assumes the role of Florida's top overall defensemen. Ballard was third in scoring behind Bouwmeester and Bryan McCabe on the Panthers blueline last year, posting 34 points.

Ballard also led Florida with a plus-14 rating, but with no Bouwmeester he'll have to play against the opposition's best players this year.

McCabe will likely be Florida's best offensive weapon from the blueline in 2009-10. Last year, he notched 15 goals and 39 points, finishing behind Bouwmeester in both categories. However, McCabe is not a shutdown defenseman, but he can run a power play efficiently.

The Panthers hope Bryan Allen can stay healthy this year after he suffered a season-ending knee injury in the second game of the 2008-09 campaign. The 29-year-old is solid in his own zone and has a plus-17 rating for his career.

A pair of newcomers will see action on the blueline this year, including Leopold, who was acquired in the Bouwmeester deal. Leopold started the year in Colorado and was traded to Calgary at the deadline. He wound up playing in 83 games total and recorded 24 points (7g, 17a).

The Panthers also signed Ville Koistinen over the summer to help out in the back end. The 27-year-old Finn saw action in 38 games with Nashville last year and posted three goals and eight assists.

IN THE CREASE
Florida received excellent goaltending in 2008-09 and will need it to be even better if it wants to compete for a playoff berth again.

Tomas Vokoun was the main man between the pipes, playing in 59 games, but he was kept fresh thanks to the presence of Craig Anderson. Even with Anderson gone to Colorado, the Panthers may employ the same strategy this year, giving free-agent signee Scott Clemmensen plenty of action in the back-up role.

The 33-year-old Vokoun, a two-time All-Star, went 26-23-6 with a 2.49 goals against average and a .926 save percentage, pretty good numbers for a guy who faced an average of 31.44 shots per game last season.

Clemmensen, meanwhile, was in many ways the savior of New Jersey's season in 2008-09. He played his way into a starting role after future Hall-of-Famer Martin Brodeur went down with an elbow injury in early November and missed the next few months.

Clemmensen went 25-13-1 with a 2.39 GAA and .917 save percentage in 40 games for the Devils, but he was still demoted to New Jersey's AHL affiliate upon Brodeur's return in late February. He was recalled to serve as Brodeur's backup in the playoffs, but never saw any action.

WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE
All signs point to the Panthers missing out on the playoffs for a ninth straight season, as the club will have difficulty replacing a workhorse defensemen of Bouwmeester's stature. Florida will need a great deal to go right in order to end the drought, but it's hard to imagine the Panthers finishing better than third in the Southeast Division.

 

[Lumi]

The Tampa Bay Lighting's fall from grace since winning the franchise's first Stanley Cup title in 2004 has been as swift as it was unexpected.

This year, however, there is a renewed sense of hope, thanks to the arrival of one very big defensemen.

Tampa Bay finished second-to-last in the NHL with just 66 points last season and suffered the embarrassment of bringing head coach Barry Melrose out of retirement only to fire him after the Bolts got off to a 5-7-4 start to the season. Rick Tocchet took over coaching duties and despite leading the Lightning to a 19-33-14 mark the rest of the way, will be back behind the bench in 2009-10.

On the bright side, that dismal season resulted in Tampa Bay being awarded the second overall pick in the June draft and the Lightning used it to select Victor Hedman, a 6-6, 220-pound Swede who is considered to be one of the best defensive prospects to come down the pike in quite some time.

Hedman is just 18 years old, but is expected to get significant ice time this season as a member of a revamped defensive rotation. His presence should at least make Tampa Bay a more exciting team to watch this year, but don't expect the club to be considerably better than it was last season.

ON THE ATTACK
With Hedman garnering most of the headlines coming into this year, it's easy to forget about Steven Stamkos, who was the top overall pick in the 2008 draft.

Stamkos is just 19 years old and is coming off a solid, if unspectacular rookie season. The Ontario native suffered through a very slow start to his NHL career, registering just two goals and two assists in his first 17 games, but he slowly improved and wound up with 23 goals and 23 assists in 79 contests. His strong finish brings hope for a breakout season in 2009-10.

Stamkos is expected to center the team's second line, while the top line features a couple of familiar veterans, including another former No. 1 overall pick.

At just 29 years old, team captain Vincent Lecavalier is back for an 11th season with the Lightning, who selected the centerman with the top pick in the 1998 draft. Lecavalier will try to bounce back from a down season after posting 67 points (29 goals, 38 assists) in 77 games last year. It was Lecavalier's lowest point total since registering 66 points in 2003-04 and also marked the first time he finished with less than 30 goals in a campaign since 2001-02.

For the better part of his eight seasons in Tampa, Martin St. Louis has played alongside Lecavalier on the Lightning's top line and despite numerous trade rumors over the years, the duo is still together.

St. Louis led the Lightning with 30 goals and 80 points last season, marking the fifth time in the past six seasons that he has reached the 30-goal mark. The diminutive winger also played in all 82 games for the third consecutive campaign and has missed just two contests over the last six seasons.

Ryan Malone, meanwhile, is a relatively newer addition to the top unit after signing with Tampa Bay prior to last season. Malone, 29, was third on the club with 26 goals and finished fourth behind Stamkos with 45 points. The 6-4, 224- pounder brings size, toughness and scoring ability to an already potent line.

The Lightning added a few pieces to their offense over the summer, including the recent signing of left wing Alex Tanguay, who had 41 points (16g, 25a) in just 50 games with Montreal during an injury-plagued 2008-09 campaign. The 29- year-old veteran could be a good fit on the Stamkos line.

Tampa also signed winger Stephane Veilleux away from Minnesota. Veilleux notched 13 goals and 10 assists in 81 games for the Wild last season.

ON DEFENSE
Even at 18 years old, Hedman is expected to improve a defense that was simply awful in allowing an average of 3.28 goals per game in 2008-09.

Unlike many players coming out of this year's draft, Hedman has the added advantage of having played against grown men in the Swedish Elite League over the past two seasons. After posting just four points in 39 games for Modo as a 16-year-old rookie in 2007-08, Hedman took a huge step forward last year with 21 points and a plus-21 rating in 43 games.

Hedman's experience in one of Europe's best professional leagues is expected to make his transition to the NHL easier than it would be for the average rookie defenseman.

As it turns out, Hedman's selection was just the starting point for GM Brian Lawton's comprehensive overhaul of the Tampa Bay blueline. The Lightning signed Mattias Ohlund, Matt Walker and Kurtis Foster on the free-agent market and added David Hale in a trade with Phoenix. The new acquisitions are expected to be a considerable improvement over departed blueliners Cory Murphy, Josef Melichar, Marek Malik and Noah Welch.

Mattias Ohlund is considered to be the class of the new group of blueliners and comes to Tampa after playing the first 770 games of his NHL career with Vancouver. At 6-3, 220 pounds, the 33-year-old Swede has excellent size and is also a terrific all-around defenseman. Ohlund played in all 82 games with the Canucks last year and recorded 25 points (6g, 19a) and 105 penalty minutes.

Ohlund is expected to skate on Tampa's top pairing and his experience could help in the development of his compatriot Hedman.

In addition to the new arrivals, the Lightning will also return Andrej Meszaros and Paul Ranger to the blue line.

IN THE CREASE
Considering the problems Tampa Bay had on defense last season, goaltender Mike Smith could have had a much worse year.

Smith played in 41 games for the Lighting in 2008-09 and despite a 14-18-9 record, he turned in a decent 2.62 goals against average and a solid .916 save percentage.

Last year, marked Smith's first full season as a starting goaltender in the NHL, as the 27-year-old had served as a backup to Marty Turco in Dallas before coming over in a trade during the 2007-08 campaign. With the improvements on defense, Smith will be expected to take another step forward in 2009-10.

Four different goaltenders had a crack at the backup job last season, but a newcomer will take on the role this year. The Lightning signed Antero Niittymaki, who had previously been the backup in Philadelphia. Niittymaki went 15-8-6 with a 2.76 GAA and .912 save percentage in 32 games with the Flyers last season.

WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE
The Lightning added talent through the draft, free agency and trades over the summer, but the team still has a long way to go if it wants compete for another Stanley Cup title. Hedman and the rest of the defensive improvements will make a difference, but the club still has holes in too many places. Expect the Bolts to be more competitive, but also count on the club missing the playoffs for a third straight year.

 

[Lumi]

The Washington Capitals are sticking to the philosophy that if it isn't broke, don't try to fix it. But that doesn't mean the club didn't do some minor tinkering, and it hopes that is enough for it to finally break through into the conference finals.

After their disappointing Game 7 loss to the Penguins in last season's semifinals, the Capitals weren't major players in the offseason, nor did their roster feature a mass exodus either.

While the defense remains largely in tact, the Capitals did see center Sergei Fedorov and Viktor Kozlov head home to Russian to play in the KHL, but both players were adequately replaced in forward Mike Knuble and center Brendan Morrison.

It doesn't matter too much what the Capitals do to their offense as long as reigning Hart Trophy winner Alex Ovechkin is still around. The league's most complete package, the Russian-born Ovechkin is capable of single-handedly carrying Washington on the scoreboard. And with Mike Green at the forefront on the blue line, the defense appears in good shape as well.Instead, the Capitals enter this season with only one major concern; that of it's goaltending issue. Is 21-year-old Semyon Varlamov ready to be a full-time netminder? If not, can Jose Theodore play well enough to keep Washington in games?

Goaltending could be the only thing holding the Capitals back from forming the type of dynasty expected out of rival Pittsburgh. After all, with a roster that features at least six potential 20-goal scorers and a defensive group that is expected to be bolstered by 2007 fifth-overall pick Karl Alzner, Washington is primed to make a run at the Cup for years to come.

That shouldn't be too much pressure on Varlamov, should it?

ON THE ATTACK
Ovechkin is coming off a 56-goal, 54-assist season that was actually a two-point decline from 2007-08. He netted nine fewer goals last year, but his assists went up seven, a small indication that he has more support around him.

Washington, though, showed signs in the playoffs of leaning on Ovechkin a bit too much. He netted a hat trick in the Pittsburgh series, but scored just one goal combined in Games 6 and 7.

Fedorov (11 goals, 22 assists) and Kozlov (13g, 28a) combined for 74 points last year, but Knuble and Morrison should be able to fill that void. Knuble had 27 goals and 47 points with Philadelphia last year and makes his living in front of the net. That should open up ice space for Ovechkin, especially on the power play, where the Caps already ranked second last year (25.2 percent) and Knuble scored 11 times.

Morrison, meanwhile, totaled 16 goals and 15 assists in 81 games with Dallas and Anaheim.

Not much else will change on offense for Washington as long as it stays healthy. Nicklas Backstrom (22g, 66a) will continue to feed Ovechkin on the top line and the 21-year-old could also see more shots with Knuble taking up space, while Semin (34g, 45a) will hope to bounce back from separate back and ankle injuries that slowed him a bit last year.

Chris Clark, meanwhile, played in just 32 games a year ago due to wrist surgery.

Washington lost its muscle when Donald Brashear joined the Rangers as a free agent, meaning Matt Bradley (59 penalty minutes) will take over as the enforcer.

The Capitals also hope to get more out of bust Michael Nylander, who had just nine goals and 24 assists in 72 games after an 11-goal, 40-game season in 2007-08.

Tomas Fleischmann, 25, could also improve on his 37-point season last year in which he fell one goal shy of netting 20. Brooks Laich totaled 23 goals and 53 points a season ago and anchors the third line.

ON DEFENSE
While the goal of the defense is to prevent the other team from scoring, no blueliner contributes to the offense better than Green.

The 23-year-old netted 31 goals in 2008-09, becoming the first defender in the league to score 30 or more goals since Washington's Kevin Hatcher in 1992-93. Green also set a NHL record for defenseman by scoring in eight straight games. Not only that, but the 200-pounder plays with a bit of an edge as well.

While Green looks to jump into the offense, Tom Poti has no issues with hanging back. He logged 13 points with a plus-three rating and was second among Washington defenders with 21 minutes and nine seconds of ice time per game.

While not technically a new player, Brian Pothier returns after missing all but nine games in 2008-09 because of a concussion and will add depth to the defensive group, along with Shaone Morrisonn (13 points, 77 PIM), Milan Jurcina (14p, 68 PIM) and Jeff Schultz.

Alzner should figure into the mix this season as well after getting a 30-game taste of the NHL last year. while Washington also has high hopes for 2008 first-round pick John Carlson, a 6-foot-2, 218-pound 19-year-old who might still be one year away from being a NHL regular.

IN THE CREASE
Despite having played in only six regular-season games, the Capitals elected to go with the 21-year-old Varlamov in Game 2 of last season's opening round with the Rangers after Theodore allowed four goals on 21 shots faced in the opener.

Varlamov lost his first playoff start -- and just sixth in the NHL overall -- by a 1-0 score in Game 2, but helped rally the Capitals from a 3-1 deficit to a series win by allowing just four goals over the series' final three games.

Though he did his best against the Penguins, he was ultimately tagged for 25 goals in the seven-game series.

However, his performance in the postseason should be enough to earn him significant playing time this year, though Theodore is still under contract for this year. Theodore went 32-17-5 in 57 games last year with a 2.87 goals- against average and .900 save percentage.

The 21-year-old Michal Neuvirth could also get into the equation if the Capitals decide to trade Theodore.

WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE
The Capitals have nearly all the tools necessary to not only take a run at unseating Pittsburgh as Eastern Conference champions, but for a Stanley Cup title as well. If Varlamov plays as well as the Capitals hope he can, the road to the conference title will certainly detour through the nation's capital. Few teams outside the elite clubs in the NHL can match Washington goal-for-goal, while the returning Pothier and the developing Alzner give the Caps a solid defensive group as well, led by Green. This might all be too much for Varlamov to handle in 2009-10, but make no mistake, there is a dynasty forming in DC as well.

 

[Lumi]

After a tumultuous offseason, the Chicago Blackhawks have to be chomping at the bit to get back on the ice and back to the business of playing hockey.

The 2008-09 campaign was triumphant in many ways for the Blackhawks, as they returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2002 and the club wound up making the conference finals before being ousted by Detroit in five games.

But, the 'Hawks didn't stop making headlines just because the season was done. Chicago hired Stan Bowman as its new general manager after reassigning previous GM Dale Tallon within the organization.

Tallon was replaced just a week after getting winger Marian Hossa, the most-coveted prize in this summer's free agent market, to sign a lucrative 12-year deal.

Shortly after came the news that Hossa would need to undergo shoulder surgery and the procedure would result in him missing the first few months of the regular season.

There was also the legal troubles of star winger Patrick Kane, who was arrested along with his cousin in Buffalo on August 9 after allegedly punching a cab driver. Kane originally faced felony charges for the incident, but the counts have been reduced to misdemeanors.

The Kane situation won't result in any serious legal penalties and hasn't stopped the 2007-08 Calder Trophy winner from getting ready for the season. Still, the incident was just another story that the Blackhawks didn't want to deal with.

On the bright side, the Blackhawks have the attention of Chicago hockey fans for the first time in years and the club feels like it has the talent to compete for a Stanley Cup title. Hopefully, the turbulent offseason won't hinder the Hawks in reaching that goal.

ON THE ATTACK
The Blackhawks have a roster filled with terrific young talent, but they felt the need to add a veteran scoring threat and the club certainly achieved that goal with the signing of Hossa.

Hossa is a proven scorer and is coming off a 2008-09 season where he led the Detroit Red Wings with 40 tallies. All told, the Slovakian star has recorded 339 goals and 719 points in 775 career games. Hossa could return to action in November, but until then the Blackhawks will have to rely on their young corps to do the scoring.

Chicago did part ways with a big chunk of its offense from last year, as Martin Havlat, who led the 'Hawks with 77 points in 2008-09, signed a free-agent deal with Minnesota. The Blackhawks had to lose salary in order to fit Hossa under the cap and Havlat, who has had a history of injuries, fit the bill.

The combination of losing a leading scorer and having a player of Hossa's caliber miss the first few months of the season would be deadly for many teams, but the Blackhawks still have enough scoring to go around.

The team's young corps is led on offense by the trio of Kane, captain Jonathan Toews and Kris Versteeg. Kane was second to Havlat last year with 70 points, while Toews led the team with 34 goals and also chipped in 69 points as the club's top centerman. Versteeg, meanwhile, finished second amongst NHL rookies last year with 53 points and was chosen as a finalist for the Calder Trophy.

Kane is the youngest of the group and won't turn 21 years of age until November 19, while fellow winger Versteeg is the elder statesman at 23. Toews, who last summer became the third-youngest team captain in league history, is still only 21 years old.

And the youth movement doesn't end there. Dave Bolland, 23, is Chicago's second center behind Toews and recorded 47 points (19 goals, 28 assists) in 81 games last year. Dustin Byfuglien, 24, is a big body with an adequate scoring touch and posted 15 goals and 16 assists last season. He was also a key contributor in the postseason, adding nine points (3g, 6a) in 17 playoff contests.

Another big piece on the offensive end for Chicago is Patrick Sharp, who missed 14 games due to injury but still wound up with 26 goals. Sharp notched a career-high 36 goals while playing in 80 games in 2007-08 and the Blackhawks would love to see him reach those numbers again this year.

In addition to adding Hossa through free agency, the Blackhawks also signed a pair of centers to add depth down the middle. John Madden, a former Selke winner with New Jersey, is one of the league's best penalty killers and has also recorded 297 points during his nine-year career with the Devils.

Like Hossa, Tomas Kopecky also jumped ship from the rival Red Wings and should see action as the club's fourth centerman. The Slovakian had 19 points in 79 games with Detroit in 2007-08.

ON DEFENSE
The Blackhawks have a superb top pairing on defense in Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook and the scary thing is that the duo is just entering their respective primes.

Keith, 26, led all NHL defensemen with a plus-33 rating and the 24-year-old Seabrook was tied for seventh on that list with a plus-23. Keith also finished second amongst Chicago blueliners with 44 points (8g, 36a) and Seabrook chipped in with eight goals and 18 assists.

The Blackhawks top offensive defensemen is Brian Campbell, who signed a big free-agent contract with Chicago prior to the 2007-08 campaign. Campbell couldn't match the hype of his signing in his first season with the Hawks, but the 30-year-old still led the team's defensemen with a career-high 52 points.

Campbell is expected to be Chicago's point-man on the power play once again.

Following the youth trend, the Blackhawks will also utilize the skills of Cam Barker and Niklas Hjalmarsson, a pair of promising blueliners. Barker, 23, has been somewhat disappointing considering he was picked third overall in the 2004 draft, but did manage to record 40 points in 2008-09, helping to offset his mistakes in the defensive zone. Hjalmarsson, who turned 22 over the summer, should see more action this year after playing in just 21 games with Chicago last season.

Brent Sopel and Aaron Johnson are also expected to be in the defensive rotation for the Blackhawks.

IN THE CREASE
One of the biggest questions heading in to the 2009-10 Blackhawks season is whether or not Cristobal Huet can handle starting goaltending duties.

Huet was signed to a four-year, $22.4 million contract last summer and was given the inside track on the Blackhawks starting job. However, Nikolai Khabibulin outplayed Huet from the start of the season and eventually took over the No. 1 role, a job he didn't let go of until an injury sidelined him at the end of the playoffs.

Still, with all that money committed to Huet, the Blackhawks had no choice but to unload Khabibulin, who signed with Edmonton on the first day of free agency.

Huet saw action in 41 games during the 2008-09 regular season and went 20-15-4 with a 2.53 goals against average and .909 save percentage. The Frenchman also played the final three games of the postseason against Detroit, going 1-2 with a 3.23 GAA.

The Blackhawks are hoping Huet can regain his confidence and once again play like the goaltender who had a .920 save percentage and 2.32 GAA in 52 games with Washington and Montreal in 2007-08. If not, Chicago won't have a Plan B as solid as Khabibulin this time around.

Corey Crawford, Chicago's top goaltending prospect, is expected to serve as Huet's backup this year. Crawford, 24, saw his only action with the Blackhawks last year in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals. He has played in just seven regular-season games at the NHL level.

WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE
The Blackhawks will fight Detroit for the Central title this year and Chicago has a great chance at ending the Red Wings' eight-year run as division champs. As for the Hossa injury, the youngsters should be able to hold down the fort until their new star winger is ready to roll. In reality, the only thing that could stop Chicago from making another trip to the playoffs is another big step backwards by Huet. On the other hand, a big rebound year by the goaltender could help Chicago realize its dream of winning the franchise's first Stanley Cup since 1961.

 

[Lumi]

Last season featured a host of firsts for the Columbus Blue Jackets franchise.

The club that draws the tough task of making hockey relevant in Ohio did just that in 2008-09, going over 40 wins (41) and 90 points (92) for the first time since its inception in 2000. That of course also led to the Blue Jackets' first-ever playoff berth.

That's where the good times stop. Columbus will have to wait a little longer for its inaugural postseason victory, as it was swept out of the NHL's second season in four games by mighty Detroit.

Also, the Blue Jackets are still trying to figure out how to win in the Central Division. Columbus has finished above fourth place just once in its history -- a third-place finish in 2005-06 -- though it will take fourth place and a playoff berth any day of the week.

Despite their quick postseason exit, the Blue Jackets have a massive foundation to build on. They locked up the face of the franchise, Rick Nash, for eight seasons, while rookie netminder Steve Mason turned a 61-game campaign into 33 wins and a Calder Trophy award.

Also, youngsters Derick Brassard, Jakub Voracek and Kris Russell all got valuable playoff experience, battle scars the club will need if it returns to the postseason again this year.

The fact that Nash decided to stay in Columbus through the 2017-18 season should go a long way in making people take notice of the Blue Jackets. After all, Nash is gambling the prime of his career on the franchise continuing to take steps forward.

Now he just hopes that his loyalty will pay off.

ON THE ATTACK
The Blue Jackets may have saved their current fan base when Nash elected to sign a long-term deal with the club rather than test the waters of free agency following this upcoming season.

Columbus didn't stop after locking up Nash through 2017-18, either. Also getting extensions this summer were 22-year-old center Derick Brassard (4 years) and 27-year-old forward Antoine Vermette (5 years), while the Blue Jackets brought in veteran center Samuel Pahlsson to the mix with a three-year deal.

The biggest name though was the 25-year-old Nash, who had 40 goals and 39 assists in 2008-09. The club captain is Columbus' all-time leader with 194 goals, shared the Maurice Richard Trophy in 2003-04 as the league's top goal scorer and is primed for a 50-goal season as the Blue Jackets continue to add talent around him.

Vermette, meanwhile, added seven goals and six assists in 17 games with the Blue Jackets after getting acquired at last year's trade deadline from Ottawa.

While Pahlsson's addition likely won't generate the kind of offense that first-year Blue Jacket skaters R.J. Umberger (26 goals, 20 assists) and Kristian Huselius (21g, 35a) provided a season ago, he will add experience to Columbus' young nucleus.

Nash should have more help on the top line with the return of Brassard, whose rookie season ended after 31 games last year due to a shoulder injury, but not before he posted 10 goals and 25 points. His presence should also improve a Columbus power play that finished 30th (12.7 percent) last season.

Jakub Voracek also had a rookie season to grow on, notching nine goals and 29 assists in 80 games, and should be joined full-time on the roster this year by 19-year-old Nikita Filatov. The sixth overall pick of the 2008 draft skated in eight games a year ago and notched four goals, including a hat trick.

If Filatov can make some major strides this year, he could add depth to a third line that will feature Pahlsson in the middle.

Jared Boll (180 penalty minutes), Derek Dorsett (150 PIM) and Raffi Torres provide the muscle.

ON DEFENSE
The Blue Jackets have sacrificed points for defense at their blue line, something that may change in the future but not in 2009-10.

Columbus did not add nor subtract a big name to its defensive grouping, a unit that helped the Blue Jackets ranked ninth in goals allowed last year at 2.72. They did add speed at this year's draft in first-round pick John Moore, but he is likely a season or two away from being NHL ready.

Instead, a core of Jan Hejda, Mike Commodore, Rostislav Klesla, Fedor Tyutin and Russell return.

Hejda broke his own club record by notching a plus-23 rating last year, and will team with Commodore to form Columbus' top shutdown pairing. Commodore signed a five-year contract with the club last year and posted five goals and 19 assists with a plus-11 rating.

Tyutin, acquired from the Rangers before the 2008-09 season, led the defense with 25 assists and 34 points and can also stop opposing offenses at the other end along side Klesla (1g, 8a).

Russell, 22, is the club's lone speed option at the back end and posted 21 points in his second season last year.

IN THE CREASE
Though he didn't begin the season with the Blue Jackets, Mason was perhaps the biggest contributor to their successful regular season.

Mason led the NHL with 10 shutouts and was second with a 2.29 goals-against average in 61 games, as he became the first rookie to lead the league in whitewashes since Tony Esposito had 15 shutouts in 1970.

The 21-year-old was tagged for 17 goals versus the might Red Wings in the postseason, but that should do little to rattle the youngster long term.

With Mason offering so little experience, the Blue Jackets signed Mathieu Garon to a two-year deal to be his backup. Garon split time with Edmonton and Pittsburgh last year, going 8-9-0 with a 3.04 GAA and .894 save percentage in 19 games.


WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE
Hockey looks as though it is here to stay in Columbus, but how about playoff hockey? Though the club got valuable experience last year on what it takes to get to the playoffs, it only finished three points ahead of Minnesota for the ninth spot in the Western Conference. The Blue Jackets are sticking with what worked for them last year, and all of the young players should improve, but the club is still young nonetheless and tough to predict. However, with Nash now in tow for the long haul, his presence should provide enough of a lift to get the Blue Jackets back into the postseason. Hey, they might even win a game or two.

 

[Lumi]

A second straight Stanley Cup title was in Detroit's reach back in the spring, but in the end it was not to be.

The glory instead went to the youthful Pittsburgh Penguins, who avenged their 2008 Cup Finals loss to Detroit. Now, with a handful of Red Wings players flying the coop this summer, it's possible that Detroit's Cup-contending days are, for the near future, behind them.

Detroit held leads of 2-0 and 3-2 against the Penguins, but the Wings were never able to seal the deal.

Then, a few weeks after Pittsburgh claimed Lord Stanley's Cup, the Red Wings watched Marian Hossa, the club's leading goal scorer during the 2008-09 campaign, sign a lengthy and lucrative deal with the division rival Chicago Blackhawks.

Hossa's fellow wingers Mikael Samuelsson, Jiri Hudler and Tomas Kopecky followed suit, leaving Detroit with less than adequate scoring depth, an unusual situation for a modern-day Red Wings club.

But don't feel bad for the Wings just yet. After all, the Motor City will still have Nicklas Lidstrom, Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Johan Franzen and a host of others to cheer for and that group should make a 19th straight appearance in the postseason a foregone conclusion.

Claiming a 12th Stanley Cup title, however, is another story altogether.

ON THE ATTACK
The Red Wings will miss all of the offseason departures -- especially since nothing much was done to replace what was lost -- but the club will really notice the Hossa-shaped hole left in the offense.

Hossa accounted for a team-high 40 goals last year and added 15 points (6 goals, 9 assists) in 22 playoff games despite the ill-effects of a shoulder injury that is expected to cause the Slovakian sniper to miss the beginning of the 2009-10 campaign.

Still, the Red Wings won it all in 2008 without Hossa, who was on the losing Penguins squad that year, and the club has a loaded roster.

Without Hossa, Detroit will go back to getting the lion's share of its offense from the excellent 1-2-punch of Datsyuk and Zetterberg, who are two of the league's best all-around players.

Datsyuk, 31, led the team in scoring with a second straight 97-point season and also claimed his second consecutive Selke Trophy as the league's top defensive forward. The Russian also won his fourth straight Lady Byng Trophy, proving that playing physical is not the only way to be an effective fore-checker.

Zetterberg, meanwhile, needs to return to his 2007-08 production to help offset the losses on offense. Two years ago, the veteran Swede posted career highs in goals (43), assists (49) and points (92), but he dipped to 31 goals and 73 points in 77 games last year.

After the top-two forwards, Franzen is the next-best offensive option for the Wings. The "Mule" improved upon his 27-goal performance in 2007-08 and wound up with career highs in goals (34) and points (59) in 71 games last year.

Along with Datsyuk and Zetterberg, Valtteri Filppula and Kris Draper give the Red Wings tremendous depth down the middle. Draper, one of the league's top faceoff men, plays a huge part in making Detroit's puck-possession style work.

Darren Helm can play center or wing and could be in line for a breakout season. Oddly enough, the speedy 22-year-old has played more playoff games (41) than regular-season contests and has showed flashes of brilliance in the postseason. However, a shoulder injury suffered in practice earlier this month could cause the youngster to miss the start of the season.

ON DEFENSE
Despite the presence of Lidstrom, the team captain and six-time Norris Trophy winner, the Red Wings faltered defensively in 2008-09 and the back end could be a problem for Detroit again this year.

Detroit was 20th in the league in team defense last year, surrendering 240 goals. The Red Wings were also dreadful on the penalty kill, finishing 25th in the league with a 78.3-percent success rate.

The reason for Detroit's sudden demise in the defensive department has a great deal to with the increasing age of the team's blueline. After all, the Red Wings' top two defensemen, Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski, will be 39 and 36 years old, respectively, at the start of the season.

For all their troubles in their own zone last year, the Red Wings still generated a great deal of offense from the blueline. Lidstrom and Rafalski each chipped in 59 points in 2008-09, placing them in a tie for third in the league in terms of scoring by defensemen.

Niklas Kronwall also turned in a superb offensive campaign a year ago, posting 51 points (6 goals, 45 assists).

Brad Stuart, Jonathan Ericsson, Andreas Lilja and Brett Lebda will provide depth on the blueline, but Chris Chelios will not be back as the Red Wings opted not to re-sign the 47-year-old.

IN THE CREASE
The Red Wings also head into this season with some questions at the goaltending position. Chris Osgood was excellent once the postseason began, but his poor 2008-09 regular season could be a sign of things to come.

Osgood played in 46 games last year and was 26-9-8 despite posting a lofty 3.09 goals against average and .887 save percentage. In the postseason, however, the 36-year-old veteran went 15-8 with a pristine 2.01 GAA and a .926 save percentage. Osgood has posted five shutouts over the last two playoff years -- just 10 less than he has in 710 career regular-season contests.

The Red Wings were able to work around Osgood's inconsistencies during the 2008-09 campaign thanks to the presence of backup Ty Conklin, who saw action in 40 contests last year. However, Conklin won't be there to cover Osgood this year after signing to play in St. Louis.

That means Jimmy Howard, the club's longtime goaltender of the future, will likely serve as the backup this season.

Howard, 25, has spent the last four years primarily as goaltender for Detroit's AHL affiliate in Grand Rapids and has yet to show he has the ability to be an everyday goaltender in the NHL. The former University of Maine standout is just 1-5 with a 2.76 GAA in nine career games with the Red Wings.

WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE
The Red Wings have recorded an NHL record nine straight 100-point seasons, and, even with the offseason departures the club could make it an even 10 this year. The team certainly has enough talent to win another Stanley Cup title, but unlike last year, Detroit won't be everybody's favorite pick to hoist the chalice in the spring. The Red Wings will also find winning a ninth straight Central Division title to be a difficult task as the young and dangerous Blackhawks get another year of experience under their belt. Another playoff appearance is nearly assured, but don't count on a third straight Western Conference title.

 

[Lumi]

The Nashville Predators had made a habit of flying under the radar in making four straight postseason appearances, but that surprising playoff streak came to a halt last spring.

Nashville, which has never actually won a playoff series in its brief history, finished 10th in the West and three points out of a playoff berth in 2008-09.

The Predators strengths lie in stopping the opposition from scoring, but an inability to score is what kept them out of the playoffs. Not much changed over the offseason and this year's Nashville squad is going to have to try and win with defense once again.

Head coach Barry Trotz, the franchise's only coach in 10 years of existence, has been able to get the most out of teams that always seem to lack big-name talent. He'll have to do it again if the Predators want to get back in the playoffs.

ON THE ATTACK
The Predators were ranked 24th in the NHL in offense during the 2008-09 season, averaging just 2.52 goals per game. The club's power-play unit was even worse as Nashville converted on just 15.7-percent of its chances and finished 26th in the league on the man advantage.

Nashville general manager David Poile is like Trotz in that he's the only man to hold his position in franchise history and is also asked by ownership to do more with less. This summer, that meant Poile couldn't simply improve his team's offense by luring a big free agent to the Music City.

Instead, the Predators will try and make due with a roster that scored just 207 goals in 2008-09.

Nashville's top line is anchored by veteran centerman Jason Arnott, who last year led the Predators with a club-record 33 goals and was second on the team with 57 points. Arnott's 33 tallies were by far the most by a Nashville forward as defensemen Shea Weber was next on the club with 23 markers in 2008-09.

The team would love for Arnott to add to last year's goal total, which equalled the personal best he had set as a rookie with Edmonton back in 1993-94. Arnott, who will turn 35 years of age on October 11, has scored at least 20 goals in 10 straight seasons.

Winger J.P. Dumont led Nashville in points last year with 65 points on 16 goals and 49 assists. Dumont is valuable as a playmaker on the top line, but he did score 29 goals two years ago for the Preds and the team would benefit greatly if he approached that total in 2009-10.

Steve Sullivan provided a great deal of inspiration for Nashville last season, as he returned to hockey after sitting out almost two full years with a back injury. After scoring 31 goals for Nashville in 2005-06, Sullivan suffered the injury in February of the following season. He came back in January of last season and finished the campaign with 32 points (11 goals, 21 assists) in 41 games.

At 35 years of age, Sullivan is still an injury risk, but if healthy he could provide a big offensive boost on the top line.

The second line is expected to be centered by David Legwand with Martin Erat and Joel Ward on the wings. Erat had 50 points (17g, 33a) last season, while Legwand notched 20 goals and 22 assists. Ward set career-bests in games played (79), goals (17) and points (35) last year, prompting Nashville to sign him to a two-year deal.

The offensive production plummets even more after that, as no other player on this year's roster managed to score 30 points in the NHL last season.

ON DEFENSE
Thanks to Weber and his defensive partner Ryan Suter, the Predators are able to generate some offense from the blueline.

In addition to his 23 goals, Weber also set career bests in assists (30), points (53), power-play goals (10) and game-winning goals (4). He also became the first Nashville draft pick to play in the NHL All-Star Game.

Suter also had a banner year in 2008-09, setting personal bests in assists (38) and points (45). He also led Nashville in ice time, averaging 24 minutes, 15 seconds per game.

Dan Hamhuis is not as productive offensively as Weber and Suter, but he could be the club's best defensive defenseman. Hamhuis played in all 82 games last year and ended with 26 points (3g, 23a).

And the best thing about Nashville's defensive corps is that the players are still improving. Of that group, Hamhuis is the oldest at 26 years of age, while Weber and Suter are 24 and 23, respectively.

The rest of Nashville's blueline will also feature youngsters like 24-year-old Kevin Klein, who should see increased action this year after posting four goals and 12 points in 63 games for the Preds last season.

Rookies Cody Franson, Alexander Sulzer and Jonathon Blum, who was a first- round pick by Nashville in 2007, are expected to battle for the remaining defensive slots.

IN THE CREASE
The biggest surprise of the 2008-09 season was the play of Pekka Rinne between the pipes.

Rinne, a 6-5, 207-pound Finn, was expected to back up Dan Ellis last year, but the rookie would eventually win the starting job. The 26-year-old Rinne played in 52 games in 2008-09 and posted a 29-15-4 record to go with a 2.38 goals against average and .917 save percentage.

The Predators couldn't have expected Rinne to reach those heights when they selected him in the eighth round of the 2004 draft, but Trotz trusted the rookie enough to start him in 30 of Nashville's final 35 games last year.

Meanwhile, Ellis will serve as Rinne's backup as he tries to regain his form from two years ago. As a rookie in 2007-08, Ellis went 23-10-3 with a 2.34 GAA and .924 save percentage. However, he took a big step back last year, going 11-19-4 with a 2.93 GAA and .900 save percentage.

WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE
The Predators have a promising future ahead of them thanks to the young talent on defense and in net and that will help the team remain competitive in the fight for the postseason in 2009-10. However, the club's lack of offensive punch will likely leave them out of the playoff picture for a second straight year.

 

[Lumi]

The St. Louis Blues caught many folks off guard by making the playoffs last year. Some were simply surprised that the club made the postseason, while everybody was shocked at how they qualified.

The Blues were dead last in the Western Conference in the middle of February before going 19-6-3 in the final 28 games to vault into sixth place in the West. All told, head coach Andy Murray led St. Louis to a 25-9-7 record in the second half to get the Blues back to the postseason for the first time since 2004.

St. Louis was promptly swept in four games by Vancouver in the opening round, but that wasn't so bad considering the Blues were hardly picked by anybody to make the playoffs.

Another thing that made the Blues' mad dash to the playoffs so impressive is that they pulled it off without Erik Johnson, Eric Brewer and Paul Kariya, who all suffered season-ending injuries before the 2008 calendar year was completed.

Winning without three of the team's top players helped build confidence throughout the rest of the roster and that could make a healthy St. Louis even more dangerous in 2009-10.

ON THE ATTACK
With Kariya missing all but 11 games last season, the club was without one of its main offensive threats for nearly the entire campaign.

After all, Kariya tied for the team lead with 65 points in 2007-08 and the veteran winger was being counted on to supply a sizeable chunk of the offense. The 34-year-old was off to a great start in 2008-09, posting 15 points (2 goals, 13 assists) before suffering a season-ending hip injury in early November.

The Blues are hoping for a bounce back year for Kariya, who will likely play left wing on the club's top line

Brad Boyes led the Blues in scoring in 2008-09, posting a career-high 72 points on 33 goals and 39 assists. Since coming over to St. Louis in a trade with Boston during the 2006-07 season, the 27-year-old winger has recorded 80 goals and 149 points in 183 games.

With Boyes and Kariya manning the top wing spots, the Blues are again expected to use David Backes as their No. 1 center. Backes was second in goals (31) and points (54) for St. Louis last season, setting career highs in those categories as well as assists (23), games played (82) and penalty minutes (165).

Patrik Berglund turned heads as a rookie centerman last season and is just one of the many big-time prospects on this Blues team. Berglund, 21, recorded 21 goals and 47 points in 76 games last year and could be used as the team's second-line center this year.

Meanwhile, David Perron, who is also 21 years old, took a step forward in his sophomore campaign in 2008-09, finishing third on the team with 50 points (15g, 35a). T.J. Oshie, a 22-year-old winger, was a huge boost in the second half of the year and ended with 39 points (14g, 25a) while playing in just 57 contests.

Oshie, Berglund and Perron were first-round selections by the Blues in 2005, '06 and '07, respectively, and are all keys to St. Louis' future success.

Also returning for another year in St. Louis is veteran winger Keith Tkachuk, who notched 25 goals and 49 points in 79 games last year. The 37-year-old American has registered 20 goals or more on 15 different occasions during his career and has 525 tallies in 1,134 games.

Winger Andy McDonald was yet another Blues player to miss significant time in 2008-09, as he was forced to sit out nearly three months after suffering a fractured leg on November 16. McDonald wound up with 44 points (15g, 29a) in 46 games.

The Blues added some depth down the middle in early September, singing free- agent center Derek Armstrong to a one-year deal. The 36-year-old veteran recorded just five goals and nine assists in 56 games with Los Angeles last year after posting 35 points (8g, 27a) with the Kings in 2007-08.

ON DEFENSE
A freak accident kept Johnson, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2006 draft, from playing in a single game last season, essentially making 2009-10 his sophomore NHL campaign.

Johnson turned in a strong rookie season as a 19-year-old in 2007-08, recording 33 points (5g, 28a) in 69 games with the Blues. The 6-4, 219-pound native of Minnesota is expected to log considerable minutes this year and his offensive skills should help to improve a power-play unit that was already ranked eighth in the NHL last season.

The 21-year-old Johnson could form the Blues' top pairing with Barret Jackman, at least until Brewer, one of St. Louis' best defensive defenseman, is ready to return from injuries.

Brewer played in just 28 games in 2008-09 and was shut down for the season in early December. The veteran has undergone back and knee surgeries since then and it's uncertain when, or if, he will be able make a return to the ice this season. The 30-year-old has yet to join the Blues in training camp, but has been skating on his own in Vancouver.

Jackman, meanwhile, skated in all 82 games for the Blues last season and was second amongst the club's blueliners with 21 points (4g, 17a). Carlo Colaiacovo led St. Louis defensemen with 29 points (3g, 26a) in 63 games after coming over from Toronto in a trade on November 24.

Mike Weaver and Roman Polak will also be back on the St. Louis blueline this year. Polak had 15 points (1g, 14a) in 69 games last year, while Weaver turned in seven assists in 58 contests.

Darryl Sydor, Alex Pietrangelo, Tyson Strachan and Jonas Junland are currently battling for the remaining two defensive spots to start the season. Sydor, 37, was invited to camp earlier this month, and the longtime veteran appears to have the inside track on one of the spots.

IN THE CREASE
Chris Mason came into the 2008-09 season as the Blues' back-up goaltender, but wound up as a crucial piece in the club's amazing run to the playoffs.

Mason started the Blues' final 33 games of the regular season and posted a 24-8-6 record in those crucial outings while recording a 2.08 goals against average and .924 save percentage. All told, the 33-year-old backstop played in 57 games in his first season with the Blues and went 27-21-7 with a 2.41 GAA and .916 save percentage.

The Blues are counting on Mason to turn in a repeat performance this year and the club could be in trouble if he falters.

St. Louis will head into the season with Ty Conklin serving as the backup to Mason. Conklin, who signed a two-year deal with the Blues this summer, was 25-11-2 with a 2.51 GAA and .909 save percentage in 40 games with Detroit last season.

WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE
The Blues won't catch many teams by surprise this season and that could make returning to the postseason more difficult. Then again, St. Louis should be ahead of the game if they manage to stay healthier than they did last year. In the end, expect the rising Blues to be one of the clubs battling for the last few playoff berths in the West. Even if Murray's team falls short of that goal this year, the young Blues still have time on their side.