Line Combinations May Be Juggled

After an 0 - 2 start to the 2009-2010 season that not many people predicted, the Canucks and Alain Vigneault are looking to get their season on track Monday night in their home opener as they host the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Craig Anderson and the Avalanche stymied the Canucks and a shakeup in the top two lines could be exactly what the doctor ordered...or at least what the coach is pondering. Alain Vigneault is contemplating the idea of shuffling his top 6 forwards. Keep and eye out for the possibility of Mikeal Samuelsson (one of the few bright spots so far this season) to be promoted to top line duty with Daniel and Henrik, while Alex Burrows may rejoin his agitating partner in crime Ryan Kesler, with shifty youngster Sergei Shirokov.

Kyle Wellwood, Steve Bernier and Mason Raymond should continue to stay in tact for the time being, as they have generated chances and been the Canucks most hard working line so far this season. It remains to be seen if Vigneault will pull the trigger on these line changes for Monday night, or if he'll give his current lineup 1 more game to try and get things on track.

Our Take: I would leave the lines as is. I don't think it's a matter of line combinations that is causing the slow start for this group, it's simply just timing and work ethic. The Canucks simply just haven't looked in synch so far, you can attritbute that to never playing a pre-season game with their full squad, or just having trouble re-gaining chemistry they found with one another last season. Whatever the reason, the Canucks should be boosted by the home crowd at the garage, and should come out with some energy in their home opener. Hopefully that energy is enough to produce some fluidity to their game.

Avalanche blank Canucks 3-0

The Vancouver Canucks fell to 0-2 early in the 2009'10 season with a 3-0 loss to the Colorado Avalanche. Once again, the Canucks came out flat, and got off to an early deficit as Wojtek Wolski finished off a beauty tic-tac-toe from linemates Paul Stastny and Milan Hejduk. Stastny and Darcy Tucker, both on the powerplay, completed the scoring for the Avs who got a 35 save shutout from goalie Craig Anderson.

Vancouver resumes play on Monday night as they return home to face the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Our Take: It's still mighty early but there wasn't too many positives to pull from the game in Colorado. No-one stuck out for the Canucks and there wasn't much emotion in the game until the third. The AVs looked to be the hungrier team and proved that they will not be an easy team to play against. Sure Vancouver hasn't been very good, but so far in 2 games they have come across 2 very good goaltender performances.

Bottomline is with 80 games remaining, alot can happen and there is certainly no need to panic as of yet. With that said, if the Cancucks continue to show little emotion and lose a few more early on, fans might start wondering what the heck is going on.

Flames burn Canucks on opening night

The Calgary Flames scored 3 goals early in the first period, then held off a 2nd half comeback from the Canucks to hang on to a 5-3 win. Mikka Kiprusoff was very strong in net for the Flames, making 39 saves for the win. Roberto Luongo made 19 saves in the loss.

Vancouver clawed back to make it 4-2 after two, and Alex Burrows scored early in the 3rd to make it 4-3, but Calgary weathered the storm and Dion Phaneuf scored an empty-netter to put the game out of reach.

Our take: A tale of two halves as the Canucks came out flat and got dominated in the 1st half resulting in a quick three goal deficit. About midway through the 2nd, Vancouver finally turned on the burners and had Calgary pinned in their own zone for much of the rest of the game. After a weak 1st, the Sedin's and Burrows were absolutely dominant come the 3rd period, and had complete puck possession every time on the ice.

A gross start, but some positives to pull out of it as we looked like the much better team for the last half of the game, and hopefully can build off that in Denver Saturday afternoon. After a slow start which saw Henrik Sedin take 2 bad penalties, the Sedins looked unreal in the third period. Roberto Luongo seemed poised and confident after his rough start.

One reason for concern would be the 4th line. Darcy Hordichuk, Ryan Johnson and Rick Rypien were outplayed, outworked and outmuscled by Calgary's 4th line all night, and looked just plain awful to be honest. They will have to be better in order to stay intact and get a regular shift this season. With that said, there's still 81 games to go, so Vancouver fans shouldn't be sweating just yet.

Man2Man's Season & Award Predictions

Wastern Conference: Anaheim over Vancouver in 7
Eastern Conference: Washington over Pittsburgh in 7

Stanley Cup Final : Washington over Anaheim in 6

Conn Smythe: Alexander Ovechkin
Art Ross: Evgeni Malkin
Rocket Richard: Alexander Ovechkin
Hart: Alexander Ovechkin
Vezina: Roberto Luongo
Norris: Mike Green
Calder: John Tavares
Jack Adams: Randy Carlyle

K-mode's Stanley Cup and Award predictions

Wastern Conference Final: Anaheim over Vancouver in 6
Eastern Conference Final: Pittsburgh over Boston in 6

Stanley Cup Final : Anaheim over Pittsburgh in 5

Conn Smythe: Ryan Getzlaf
Art Ross: Evgeni Malkin
Rocket Richard: Alexander Ovechkin
Hart: Roberto Luongo
Vezina: Roberto Luongo
Norris: Zdeno Chara
Calder: Semyon Varlamov
Jack Adams: Randy Carlysle

Western Conference Predictions

1) Anaheim Ducks

2) Vancouver Canucks

3) Detroit Red Wings

4) San Jose Sharks

5) Chicago Blackhawks

6) Calgary Flames

7) Columbus Blue Jackets

8) Dallas Stars

9) St. Louis Blues

10) L.A Kings

11) Edmonton Oilers

12) Minnesota Wild

13) Nashville Predators

14) Phoenix Coyotes

15) Colorado Avalanche

Northwest

1) Vancouver Canucks

Last year's division winner went out and improved in all areas. With Roberto Luongo locked down long term, and the Sedin's under contract for 5 more years, the nucleus of this team is intact, and GM Mike Gillis went out and improved the depth of this team to complement the stars. The pain of last year's disappointing playoff exit, combined with the hunger to meet and exceed high expectations should make for an exciting season for Canuck fans.

Daniel and Henrik Sedin are in the best shape of their lives and hitting close to 100 points is realistic. Ryan Kesler should improve once again on a career year offensively, while continuing to be one of the best defensive players in the game. Sergei Shirokov is a youngster to look out for as are Steve Bernier, Kyle Wellwood and Mason Raymond.

Expect another battle with Calgary for the division lead.

2) Calgary Flames

They gained Jay Bouwmeester which will improve an already solid backend but they also lost quite a bit of scoring depth. Their biggest move this off-season - getting coach Brent Sutter. The Flames should be better coached and in turn have a better season.

Jarome Iginla is one of the deadliest snipers in the game. Coming off an off-year (for him), expect over 90 points. Iginla is expected to play with Olli Jokinen for much of the year, increasing Jokinen's value tremendously. Dion Phaneuf should bounce back from his awful year, and the aforementioned Jay Bouwmeester could excel playing for a better team.

With little big name depth on the squad, look for players like David Moss, Dustin Boyd and Nigel Dawes to produce decent numbers. As usual, they should be neck and neck with the Canucks at the end of the year.

3) Edmonton Oilers

Edmonton hasn't improved enough to become a Stanley Cup contender, but with the addition of Nikolai Khabibulin in net, they have become a playoff contender. They are too small up front and aren't an overly tough team to play against. With no clear offensive leader, this team is going to have to rely heavily on two defensemen to contribute - Sheldon Souray and Lubomir Visnovsky. Ales Hemsky is very skilled, but can't seem to get passed the 70 point mark and has injury issues. Youngsters Andrew Cogliano and Sam Gagner could breakout this year, and might be relied upon to get some excitement in this hockey-crazed city again.

With new coach Pat Quinn and Tom Renney behind the bench this year, expect a different style of play from the Oilers, but another 9th-12th place finish is probably in the cards.

4) Minnesota Wild

Minnesota has taken a step back this year by losing their only marquee player, the oft-injured Marian Gaborik, and replacing him with the also oft-injured Martin Havlat. Granted, Havlat actually played a full season last year for the first time in years. With Niklas Backstrom in net, they will always be tough to score against, but with a new coach we have no idea what kind of a system they'll play. Regardless, they just aren't talented enough to compete in a tough Western Conference.

If Havlat can stay healthy, another 70-80 point year could be realistic. P.M Bouchard and Mikko Koivu will also be relied upon to contribute offensively with young guns James Sheppard and Benoit Pouliot needing to finally step up their play. A full year from Brent Burns would help this team tremendously.

5) Colorado Avalanche

The Avalanche are in a rebuilding phase that hockey fans in Denver have never seen before. With longtime face of the franchise Joe Sakic retiring in the off-season, and a lack of free agent signings, it's evident this team is going in a new direction. With arguably the worst goaltending in the league, and a team full of young NHLers, look for the Avs to sink near the bottom of the the Western Conference Seas.

A healthy Paul Stastny and Milan Hejduk will be huge if these guys have any chance of competing. Youngster Matt Duchene should contribute right away and could be a contender for the Calder trophy for the league's rookie of the year. A solid, veteran laden blueline should keep these guys from getting lit up like a christmas tree every night, but it will certainly be a long year for Colorado.

Pacific

1) Anaheim Ducks

The loss of Chris Pronger will undoubtedly be a big one for the Ducks, but the off-season additions definitely outweigh their losses this year. Saku Koivu's arrival to a new team should certainly revive his career, especially alongside countrymen Teemu Selanne. Expect some nice chemistry with these two. Joffrey Lupul could pot 30 goals playing with the two Fins. Anaheim also boasts maybe the best line in hockey. Bobby Ryan, Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry could absolutely tear up the league this year, and should pose problems for opposing d-men and goalies alike.

Scott Niedermeyer is an anchor on defense, and your Ryan Whitney might finally breakout now that Pronger is gone. Some good off-season defenseman signings in Nick Boynton and Steve Eminger, along with young Luca Sbisa, the Ducks actually have a solid backend. Throw in two capable goalies and you have yourself a Stanley Cup contender.

2) San Jose Sharks

An already deadly team just added one of the top snipers in the game. A Joe Thornton - Dany Heatley combo is just plain scary. I expect Heatley to get over 50 goals, and Thornton to assist on about 40 of them. San Jose's top six is out of this world, and once again they should compete for the top of the Western Conference. But is this the year they can finally generate some playoff success?

Dan Boyle and Rob Blake will once again anchor the SJ defense, and they will need a few youngsters to step up and play solid defensively. Evgeni Nabokov is one of the best goalies in the game, and should have another solid year.

3) Dallas Stars

Not many people are giving the Stars a chance this year and looking at them on paper, there's a reason for it. The Stars lack the depth necessary to be considered a contender, but with Marc Crawford as their new coach, I think they will be a tough team to play against. A full year from Brenden Morrow will do wonders for Dallas, and if Loui Erikkson can repeat his 36 goal season from last year and guys like Mike Ribeiro and Mike Modano can contribute, these guys might just battle for a playoff spot.

Marty Turco should rebound from a poor season, and a young up and coming D corps might surprise some people resulting in a decent season for the guys from big D.

4) L.A Kings

Every year people say, "In three years the Kings will be unreal!" Well about five years have passed since they were first saying that and they certainly aren't unreal yet. Sure they are an exciting young team who could do some damage this year, but until they get some more proven talent, especially in goal, they will continue to start golfing early.

Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown are a great young nucleus, but the Kings need more than just that. Drew Doughty could be an all-star this year and Jack Johnson could finally breakout for L.A on the backend. This should be an exciting team to watch, but a team who will finish out of the playoffs once again.

5) Phoenix Coyotes

Not much good to say about this team and franchise in general. After an off-season of off-ice distractions, not much has been done to improve the on-ice product. Robert Lang and Taylor Pyatt are the only noticeable additions, which says something about their improvement. The 'Yotes have a great young nucleus in Peter Mueller, Mikkel Boedker, Martin Hanzal and Viktor Tikhnov and veteran Shane Doan is always the anchor, but an overall lack of depth and experience will cost this team yet another playoff berth.

Also, Wayne Gretzky has stepped down as coach in Phoenix, and we are unsure how Dave Tippett will deal with all the youngsters and all of the drama in the desert.

Central

1) Detroit Red Wings

The Detroit Red Wings will always be a contender, at least that's how it seems. With a nucleus of Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Niklas Lidstrom and Johan Franzen all locked up for the near future, expect a team at or near the top of the Conference standings. Throw in Brian Rafalski, Niklas Kronwall and depth untouched by any other organization and you have a recipe for success. Oh yeah, they also have the best coach, GM and scouting in the game.

As long as Chris Osgood can play decent, this team will vie for the Cup.

2) Chicago Blackhawks

No team save for Phoenix is looking forward to puck-drop more than Chicago. A crazy off-season which saw them screw up on their restriced free agent offers (which never ended up affecting anything), their star player getting arrested for allegedly assaulting a cab driver and replacing their General Manager, the start of the season is a welcome sight for this organization. With a promising young nucleus of Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith and Cam Barker and the off-season addition of Marian Hossa, the Hawks look to improve on their Conference Final appearance of a year ago.

The only question mark might be in net where they are relying on Cristobal Huet as their full-time tender. Expectations are high in the Windy City, and deservedly so. This team is a Stanley Cup contender.

3) Columbus Blue Jackets

A year after making their first ever playoff appearance, the Jackets actually have high expectations for the first time in franchise history. Rick Nash is a cornerstone player, and Steve Mason a cornerstone goalie. Having those two guys as franchise players is certainly an exciting thing for hockey fans in Ohio.

A full year from Derrick Brassard, and a bigger, better Jakub Voracek should allow this team to make another run at a playoff berth, and maybe even improve on their first round exit of last season.

4) St. Louis Blues

A young, exciting team that made a crazy end of the season run to earn a playoff spot last year, the Blues are expecting a lot this season. Paul Kariya, Eric Brewer and Erik Johnson are back after missing all or the majority of last year with injuries. Youngsters Patrick Berglund, T.J Oshie and David Perron should all improve on their already impressive 2008'09 stats, and Chris Mason has proved himself as a good starting goalie in the NHL.

Some think this team overachieved last season, but we will soon find out. They should definitely compete for a playoff spot.

5) Nashville Predators

The Preds have maybe the best young defense in the NHL, but their lack of offense will hinder them from making the playoffs once again. Jason Arnott, J.P Dumont and Martin Erat will lead the offense once again, while Ryan Suter, Shea Weber and Dan Hamhuis will run the backend. Pekka Rinne stepped up as the number one goalie last year and should continue with the solid stats that he ended up with last year.

Nashville will be a tough team to play against, but will probably end up on the outside looking in once again.

Season Preview - Eastern Conference

As we approach another NHL season, one that will be interesting in so many ways, in every different NHL city, its that time of year when everyone has predictions - including me.

The Eastern Conference is just as wide open this year, as it was last year. Let's start in the:

Northeast

1. Boston Bruins

The Bruins are poised to win the Northeast again, despite the loss of Phil Kessel as a cap casualty. The B's are solid up front with one of the deepest forward groups in the league. Star playmaker Marc Savard should have a chip on his shoulder this year, after being snubbed again by the experts in hockey by not even being invited to Team Canada's orientation camp in Calgary this past summer.

Look for Savard to be hovering around 85 - 90 points (and still get no respect next year). Along with veterans like Mark Recchi and Marco Sturm, their young players are impressive as well, David Krejci and Milan Lucic should take further strides in their development also. On defense, you can't bet against the big man, Zdeno Chara is unstoppable when he's on his game, and Tim Thomas is awkward, but effective.

This team should be challenging to win the East again.

2. Montreal Canadiens

Two words: major overhaul, come to mind. Never has there been a Habs team that has come off such a complete shakeup, as this one today. Gone is longtime captain Saku Koivu and enigmatic superstar Alex Kovalev. Mike Komisarek has done the unthinkable, and joined the Toronto Maple Leafs, Chris Higgings was dealt in a package for Scott Gomez. In come Brian Gionta and Mike Cammalleri, rounding out the top line in Montreal.

Size can and will be an issue at times for this Canadiens team, but there is enough talent and speed here to score enough to compete in the East. With uncertainty surrounding the other teams in their division (Ottawa, Toronto, and Buffalo) they are expected to give the Bruins a run for thier money for 1st in the Northeast (but fall short). Expect Carey Price to rebound, he won't be near Vezina voting, but he'll get back to respectability and get his career back on track.

Mike Cammalleri should lead this team in scoring. Andrei Markov will continue to be one of the premier offensive defensemen in the league.

3. Ottawa Senators

There was no other team in the NHL last season that had a bumpier and more depressing ride than the team from the nation's capital. A mid season coaching change, a group of underachieving premier forwards, a defense that couldn't move the puck, and a serious lack of secondary forward talent led to a disappointing year for the Ottawa Senators.

All offseason, Dany Heatley was the topic of conversation. Finally, he was dealt to the San Jose Sharks for Jonathan Cheechoo and Milan Michalek, two forwards that can provide some significant depth up front for this Ottawa team. Their biggest offseason acquisition remains Alex Kovalev, who didn't travel far despite switching jerseys, he will be counted upon to bring back the days of the Senators being an offensive power house.

The Senators now have some options up front, and their defense core is solid and servicable. Pascal Leclaire has the talent to be a number one goalie, but will he be rusty and get off to a bad start? The Sens will need him to be durable, something he hasn't been able to do in his career thus far. The Sens should get bounce back years from Mike Fisher, Daniel Alfredsson and Jason Spezza, and breakout years from youngsters Nick Foligno and emerging defenseman Brian Lee.

4. Toronto Maple Leafs

There is just something about this Maple Leafs team that is intriguing enough to not rank them in the basement of their division. The one thing I really like about their team is their blueline. Adding Mike Komisarek and Francois Beauchemin to a defense that already contained Tomas Kaberle and Luke Schenn is a big positive for this team.

Up front, they're young and energetic - especially after Brian Burke landed his big fish - Phil Kessel, from the Boston Bruins. He'll be the go to guy in Toronto, and will be expected to contribute immediately. Veterans Jason Blake and Alexei Ponikarovsky will be counted on heavily for offense as well, but scoring goals wasn't the Leafs problem last year - it was keeping them out of their own net. An area where they should improve. In goal, it should be a two headed monster this year, with Vesa Toskala and Jonas "The Monster" Gustavsson sharing the load.

In the end, the Leafs will fall short of a post season birth (again). Too much youth up front and unstable goaltending will be the downfall of the Maple Leafs, which might not be a bad thing considering they can add to their crop of youngsters (Luke Schenn, Nazem Kadri, Viktor Stalberg and Christopher Hanson)

5. Buffalo Sabres

The Sabres remain virtually the same after last season. They are still a young team with the potential to get better, unfortunately, as everyone in their division is a step ahead of them (except the Leafs, but they're determined to screw themselves out of a lottery pick....again) they may have a tough time keeping up. Forwards Thomas Vanek, Derek Roy and Jason Pominville will be the focal point of the Sabres attack, they are in desperate need of a break out season from promising youngster Drew Stafford.

On the backend, Craig Rivet is the number one defenseman. Supported by Henrik Tallinder, Steve Montador, Toni Lydman, and Andrej Sekera, the Buffalo defense is a simple group that gets the job done - on most nights.

Between the pipes, Ryan Miller is an above avergae starter in this league, but it remains to be seen if he can put it together for an entire year, and stay healthy, which has been a concern surrounding him in recent seasons.

Atlantic

1. Pittsburgh Penguins

The Stanley Cup Champions should find themselves at the top of their division when its all said and done, even though I expect a slight Stanley Cup hangover to occur, which is inevitable for most teams. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are one of the best duos in the history of hockey, and they will battle each other (and Alex Ovechkin) for the scoring title this year.

On the backend, a healthy Sergei Gonchar should make a world of difference, while youngster Kris Letang should continue to mature offensively. Alex Goligoski will be counted on in more of an important role with the departure of Hal Gill and Rob Scuderi.

Marc Andre Fluery proved the doubters wrong last season, as he silenced his critics by winning a Stanley Cup. He is one of the emerging stars in goal in the Eastern Conference and should continue to post solid numbers.

This team will again be a force.

2. Philadelphia Flyers

Different year, same story in the city of Brotherly Love. What will become of the Flyers goaltending situation? Is Ray Emery really the answer? Flyers fans are hoping so. Up front, Jeff Carter and Mike Richards will continue to be the noisemakers offensively. Carter is coming off a career high 40+ goal season, while Mike Richards will be tested early after coming off double shoulder surgery in the offseason. The rest of the forwards, Simon Gagne and Daniel Briere will be counted on in a supporting role, with youngtser Claude Giroux being pegged as the breakout candidate of the year.

On the backend, Chris Pronger finds himself in Philadelphia. The gritty blueliner signed a monster contract in the offseason which will keep him in Philly for years to come. Pronger adds to an already stable and talented blueline, featuring Kimmo Timonen, Ryan Parent, and Braydon Coburn.

The Flyers are the total package - speed, talent and grit. Unfortunately for Flyers fans, the package will remain fragile with Ray Emery between the pipes, who has a lot to prove at the NHL since his exile in recent years.

3. New York Rangers

There is no other team in the Eastern Conference whose offense rests solely in the hands of one player - as much as it does in New York. The addition of Marion Gaborik talent wise, was a massive upgrade on anything the Rangers had in their arsenal in recent years. Although the fact is, Gaborik is rarely in the lineup for more than 20 games a season.

Showing flashes of being one of the better talents in the league, Gaborik provides the glimmer of hope, that if he is healthy, he can challenge for the scoring title and the Rocket Richard - but that is a bif IF. Second line forward Chris Higgins has come over from Montreal, while youngsters Artem Anisimov and Brandon Dubinsky seem ready for primetime in the NHL.

Defensively, the Rangers are an iffy bunch. Wade Redden continues to burden the Rangers with his massive (and ridiculous) contract. Marc Staal remains their most solid defensive option, with Michal Roszival and college standout Matt Gilroy rounding out the top 4.

In goal, the Rangers are strong, Henrik Lundqvist is one of the best in the business.

4. New Jersey Devils

Jacques Lemaire returns to New Jersey. Hopefully that doesn't mean hockey fans can return to their slumber. The defensive minded genius is back behind the bench in Jersey and fans are hoping his presence doesn't include the offensive regression of American star Zach Parise, who put up 94 points and 40 goals in a stunning 08-09 campaign.

The offensive supporting cast is for once, solid in New Jersey. Jamie Langenbrunner and Patrik Elias (out 3 - 6 weeks) will contribute offensively, while Travis Zajac should hover around 50 points this season.

Defensively, the Devils are an unspectacular bunch lead by Colin White and Johnny Oduya. They're underrated but rarely make critical mistakes, so they should be fine on the back end. In goal, Martin Brodeur is coming of a season in which he faced a major injury. Elbow surgery held him out of the line up for a significant stretch of time, but he's expected to bounce back with the extra carrot of Team Canada's Olympic gig being dangled in front of him.

5. New York Islanders

John Tavares to the rescue. But not this season. The Islanders are one of the worst teams in the league, an organization that has fallen flat on its face, got a major boost this offseason. Landing the first overall pick in the entry draft, lead to the selection of John Tavares. A super talented rookie that should be a building block to finally provide some hope on Long Island.

They are a green squad up front, Kyle Okposo (if he ever wakes up after the Phaneuf hit), along with Frans Nielsen and veterans Trent Hunter and Doug Weight (and that's a stretch...) are really the only serious threats to score. Defensively, they'll be a no-name group with Jack Hillen joining Radek Martinek, Bruno Gervais, Andy Sutton and Mark Sreit to form a patchwork defense.

In goal, who knows. Rick Dipietro is skating again, but he's still a ways away. Martin Biron, Dwayne Roloson...it doesn't even matter, they're still finishing last in this division.

Southeast

1. Washington Capitals

One of the most exciting and entertaining teams in the NHL resides in the U.S. capital. Alexander Ovechkin, Alex Semin, Niklas Backstrom, and Mike Green are one of the most talented foursomes in the entire league. Ovechkin is coming off another 100 plus point campaign, and should easily shatter that mark again this year. Let's just put it this way, when you're not only expected to break 50 goals, but expected to destroy that number, you're a special player.

Defensively, they'll have the same core group as last season. Green, Jurcina, Erskine, Poti, Pothier and Morrison make up the top 6. A group that can move the puck with some underrated defensive skills. Mike Green should make the Canadian Olympic squad if he has a year resembling last season.

In goal, Semyon Varlamov and Jose Theodore will battle it out for starts. In the playoffs, Varlamov was solid, but showed signs of youth and inexperience with the collapse in Game 7 against the Penguins. Despite the uncertainty in goal, this team is too good up front to not run away with this division.

2. Carolina Hurricanes

A veteran lineup with one last kick at the can so to speak, the Carolina Hurricanes could be facing a re-tooling in the next year or two. The only real youth on their team right now still remains top scorer Eric Staal, who is coming off a sub-par campaign and is expected to get back above 85 points, and goaltender Cam Ward, who was amazing in the Postseason for the Canes.

Elsewhere, Ray Whitney, Scott Walker, Tuomo Ruutu, Sergei Samsonov and Rod Brindamour are the other notable names up front. On the blueline, Joni Pitkanen and Joe Corvo are two offensive minded defensemen that are solid Powerplay quarterbacks, but they also have troubles in their own end.

This team is the beneficiary of being in the Southeast Division. It should fight for a playoff spot and could get hot again come playoff time. It will be a bumpy ride though.

3. Tampa Bay Lightning

Vincent Lecavalier is coming off the worst statistical campaign of his career. He should have a lot to prove, both for the Lightning, and for Team Canada. Expect the talented Center to get back to at least 80, most likely 90 points, as he finally has a supporting cast around him.

Martin St. Louis is as consistent as they come, and Alex Tanguay should flourish on a fast skating Tampa team that is skilled with the puck up front. Young gun Steve Stamkos should continue the roll he was on at the end of last season, expect a breakout year of 60 - 70 points for Stamkos.

On the blueline, the Lightning landed the 2nd overall pick in the entry draft, and selected Swedish defenseman, Victor Hedman. One of the most highly touted defenseman prospects in the last few years, Hedman is expected to make an impact right away. The signing of Mattias Ohlund from Vancouver was a smart one, as he should pose as a solid mentor for Hedman as he enters his first season.

Mike Smith should be ready to be an above average starter in this league, and with a better defense corps in front of him, expect him to solidify the starting job and finally see some stability in his career.

4. Atlanta Thrashers

Quietly, the Thrashers have built a solid group of forwards that can put the puck in the net. Lead by Ilya Kovalchuk, a consistent point producer and elite level talent, Bryan Little, Slava Kozlov, Todd White, Nik Antropov, and youngster Evander Kane should be a solid offensive group.

Defensively, they will recieve an added boost from Pavel Kubina and another year of development from Zach Bogosian. After those two, it drops off, Boris Valabik is a big, but non-mobile defender, and Ron Hainsey's best days are behind him. This team will have trouble in its own end, especially playing Washington and Tampa Bay 6 times a year each.

Kari Lehtonen has still yet to prove he is ever going to live up to his potential as a star netminder in this league, with the defense in front of him, he'll have to progress fast for the Thrashers to have a shot at a Playoff Spot.

5. Florida Panthers

The loss of Jay Bouwmeester is really going to hurt. an already weak offensive team, just took a huge blow on their back end. The problem with the Panthers is their lack of real star power at any position. Up front, their mediocre, with Stephen Weiss, Nathan Horton, Michael Frolik, Rostislav Olesz and Richard Zednik. 1 bright spot in the forward group will be emerging star David Booth, who is poised to take the next step and possibly break the 40 goal plateau in the next few year or two.

Bryan McCabe, Bryan Allen, Keith Ballard and Jordan Leopold comprise a top 4 defensive group that is respectable, but not overly impressive. Tomas Vokoun will carry the load in the goal, but most nights, he'll face a ton of shots, and will need to play above and beyond his current level to give the Panthers a legitimate shot at the Post Season.