Good Day, Eh;
As this is the first post on the Emule Hockey Blog, I intend to follow the “go big or go home” principle – and, since I’m not at home right now (on campus), it flows naturally that I better go big if I am going to make it to my next class.
The topic of my first blog is:
Why the
*note: yes, this will be biased – they are my two favorite teams….
But, in order to do this, I must engage in a comprehensive analysis of every single team….before my next class of course (in 2.5 hours)… this will be a challenge J.
The format – power rankings style, with a “player to watch”. Feel free to hold me accountable at the end of the year.
The Habs have put together a well-balanced team for the 2006-07 campaign. With two solid goalkeepers, including Christobal Huet who led the NHL in save % last season, and a phenomenal core of defencemen, the Canadiens will be a tough team to score against. In addition, the team improved its offense in acquiring Sergei Samsonov, while Mike Johnson is an excellent two-way forward who is built for the “New NHL”. This season, the team has been custom-built to cater to type of hockey Bob Gainey, Guy Carbonneau and Kirk Muller exhibited as players – hard working, two way hockey, played by guys who have a few offensive tricks in the bag. Almost every player on the team fits this mould. It will be a great year for Habs fans.
Chris Higgins – Chris Higgins is the best thing to happen to the Montreal Canadiens since Saku Koivu. The guy is an absolute hero and has already been dubbed "my favorite player after Koivu retires." He has it all. He's gritty, he's a hard worker, and he plays a strong two way game. He sees the ice well, makes hard tape-to-tape passes, and he has an awesome shot. After a phenomenal performance in the last half of last season, Higgins is ready to shine as a top line NHL player who will be worth a billion times more than what his stats show.
With the additions of Lupul and Sykora, the Oilers may very well have the best offense in the NHL this year. Sure, last year the Oilers made it to the finals. But this year, the team really has embraced the notion of “Oilers Hockey”. That means that they will be fun to watch, they will play a fast-paced game showcasing phenomenal passing and scoring skills, and the players are going to have a blast on the ice – and that should produce results. Roloson may have to stand on his head, given the question marks on D, but he is a bit wild (like Oilers’ goalies of the past) and I think he thrives on the madness. Either way, this team is full of guys that watched the Oilers play during the “glory days” and who are Oilers fans at heart, so I expect them to embrace a similar style of hockey. The Oil should contend yet again…but, if they aren’t clearly #1 in their conference, they will probably just “squeak” into the playoffs just because it will make things more fun.
Petr Sykora – Sykora is a great hockey player, and I believe that he will thrive in
Putting my biases aside, the Carolina Hurricanes will be the best team in the NHL this season.
It appears that the management team at
Erik Cole – Yes, he had a pretty good year last season – but I expect more. He is a force to be reckoned with, and his strength, speed, and determination are nearly impossible for defenders to handle. If Cole can stay healthy for the entire season, he will challenge for the Maurice Richard Trophy.
Well, Lou Lamoriello pulled it off. He unloaded salary to stay within the limits of the salary cap, and he signed Brian Gionta…and he’s got a cup contender. Also, gotta love the management team in
Patrik Elias – Hepatitis Shmepatitis. Elias came back in the middle of last season, and then he notched 45pts in just 38 games. He’s an elite player who never gets mentioned in the same sentence as Jaromir Jagr and Joe Thornton. But, expect Elias to hit the 100 point plateau this year.
Kudos to Bobby Clarke for tendering an offer sheet to Ryan Kesler – it’s nice to see one of the GMs using the new CBA to his advantage – that is, until one of his talented youngsters becomes an RFA and receives a phenomenal offer sheet from somebody else (wouldn’t Pitkanen look great in Pittsburgh?). Anyway, given the Flyers’ four dangerous lines up front, I wouldn’t want to be in front of that shooting range. Their defence may be a bit big and immobile, but their experience and drive should be enough for them to hold off opposing forwards. Add two quality goaltenders, and the Flyers will be tough to beat, as usual.
Joni Pitkanen– Joni Pitkanen will compete for the Norris Trophy this year. He is the complete package, and he’s prepared to explode into the big time. Last year was just a primer for the 6’3, 200lbs hard working, gritty, offensively talented and smart defenceman. This year, fans will see just what he is capable of doing.
Mikka Kiprusoff is considered by many to be the clear-cut #1 goalie in the NHL.
Dion Phaneuf – There will not be a sophomore jinx for this anvil-headed defencemen. Back in prehistoric times, dinosaurs were afraid of cavemen who looked like Dion Phaneuf – and now, everybody in the NHL should be afraid of the caveman that is Dion Phaneuf. Given his solid defensive play, his powerful Al MacInnis style slapshot, and the fact that he does just about everything else right, increased playing time and responsibility will give Dion the potential to win a Norris Trophy in the 2006-07 season.
Dustin Penner - Penner showed flashes of absolute brilliance in the playoffs last year. This 6’4, 245lb behemoth continued to shine during preseason, leading Ducks players in points (6GP 2G 6A 8PTS). I expect Penner to establish himself as a serious threat in the NHL this season. Potential Rookie of the Year.
This is the year Predators fans have been waiting for. The Predators have become a legitimate contender this year – and the beautiful thing about it is that they have built a very substantial part of their team from good drafting and player development. Given some excellent offseason acquisitions, the Predators have filled in their holes and don’t appear to have any glaring weaknesses. Another scary thing about this team is that they have a relatively young team, and it’s hard to justify calling them “unproven” or “inexperienced”. This team will be very good for a lot of years, so now it’s time for
No Stevie Y, no Shanahan…and still, the team looks pretty good. The defence is getting older, Hasek, 41, is back for another stint, but I don’t think anybody is writing the Red Wings off. In fact, they are still quite the threat. A core of very good young players, developed within the organization, are continuing the tradition that the Red Wings have for bringing along talent that is team-focused and can compete for a Stanley Cup.
I think the loss of Jason Arnott will hurt the Stars more than most people think. The Stars have a lot of question marks on their top two lines – can the young guys perform? Can Ribeiro and Lindros perform? That said, the team has some excellent two-way forwards, a solid and proven defence core and excellent goaltending. They should make the playoffs, but their contender status will depend upon the big “ifs”.
With a re-vamped defence and some additions up front, the New York Islanders are, subtly, a team much improved from last year. Lets not forget that the top-notch head coach Ted Nolan is more than prepared to show every other team in the NHL that they made a mistake in not hiring him. The Islanders are my dark horse pick of the year; they will turn some heads if Nolan can convince his players that there is no “I” in “TEAM” – and the “ME” in doesn’t count because the letters are out of order.
What a difference a year can make, eh! If at the beginning of last year I would have said the Bruins wouldn’t have Thornton, Samsonov, or Boynton – and that Brad Boyes, Zdeno Chara, Paul Mara, and Marc Savard would be on the roster…I would have probably been banned from my hockey pool for being such an idiot. But, that’s the nature of the NHL’s new economic model. After being in the tank at the end of last year, this Bruins team has a solid team both on offence and defence. But, they are a bit of a crapshoot at the same time. Goaltending is a clutch issue for the Bruins – can Toivonen and Thomas hold the fort? Also, the Bruins’ success will largely depend upon whether or not their youngsters and newcomers can live up to expectations in a Bruins uniform.
The success of the Tampa Bay Lightning won’t rely on the four players that they have committed a substantial part of their cap room to – rather, it will depend upon how well their supporting cast can hold up. I have a feeling that they will start to pick it up as the season progresses, but I believe that whenever you have to “patch” elements of your team with whatever is convenient, you’re shooting yourself in the foot.
Paul Ranger – Ranger really made an impression on me in the playoffs last year. He has the potential to be a solid all-around player, and he should be able to, at the very least, establish himself as a top-4 defenceman this year.
The
Jay McKee – If the Blues are going to improve substantially, Jay McKee has to be a major part of the movement. This hard-hitting, shot-blocking defenceman is as solid as they come on the blueline, and he should provide some much needed stability on this St. Louis Blues team.
I don’t know about the Thrashers. Given the fact that this league looks so balanced this year, I don’t think they quite have “it”. They do have highlight-reel scorers Ilya Kovalchuk and Marian Hossa to light the lamp, and their defense is strong and solid. But, Kari Lehtonen needs to have a break-out year and Bob Hartley is going to have to build a strong team culture if the Thrashers are going to be a legitimate threat.
Andy Sutton – Andy Sutton gets my honorable mention here because I don’t think he gets enough credit. It’s not easy to score against the Thrashers when the 6’6, 245lbs Sutton is on the ice. Given the fact that he is of intimidating stature and is one of the NHL’s most consistent shot blockers, he makes life hard on opposing forwards and defencemen. Sutton rocks!
The Columbus Blue Jackets have some excellent top-end talent, especially now that Zherdev didn’t book it to
Gilbert Brule – All eyes will be on 2005 first-rounder Gilbert Brule. Some consider him to be the next Joe Sakic. In seven games last year, he looked very good, and given the fact that
The Kings lost quite a few key elements this off-season, and it appears that they are going into a stage where they will be developing their youngsters. That said, they did go out and acquire Rob Blake and Oleg Tverdovsky, giving them a very intriguing defence. With a lot of very offensively talented defencemen, the Kings may be extremely effective at breaking out of their offensive zone – and (drawing at strings here) I don’t think it would be out of the question for them to play three defencemen on the PP, which is something I haven’t seen probably since Boston did it in the 90s.
Dustin Brown – Dustin Brown should have an opportunity to crack the top 2 lines in LA this year. He has great work ethic and, if you look at his track record you’ll notice that he has improved steadily every single year. He is a good two-way player as well, so the coaching staff shouldn’t hesitate to utilize him in various circumstances.
Although the acquisition of Martin Havlat is a step in the right direction, it’s going to take a miracle for the Chicago Blackhawks to make the playoffs this year…or some absolutely phenomenal coaching by Trent Yawney and Denis Savard combined with great goaltending from one of the ex-Phoenix Coyotes goaltenders. There are simply too many question marks on this roster, and they don’t have enough talent on their top two lines.
Brent Seabrook – Last year, Seabrook was one of the top rookies in the NHL, and he has the potential to be a #1 defenceman. This season, Seabrook deserves a greater role and more ice time. With this, we will hopefully see him develop into a true leader for the Chicago Blackhawks.
Sure, Malkin will likely come in and have a very substantial impact on the Pittsburgh Penguins. However, the team is still a bit raw, and their inexperience will hurt them against the more weathered teams. This season, the Penguins should concentrate on developing the youngsters, providing an exciting on-ice product, and making sure that they have some cap room next year (and extra money in the bank – ie. new owner) so that they are well positioned to launch from the bottom to the top.
Colby Armstrong – With everybody watching Sidney Crosby last season, nobody noticed Colby Armstrong. Armstrong notched 40pts in 47 games and was a ridiculous +15 (the next best player on the team was +5). Armstrong has always been considered a hard-working two-way player. If Colby Armstrong can continue to perform like he did last year, he will continue to gain responsibility and will be well on his way to being recognized as an elite NHL player.
The Capitals are taking steps in the right direction. This year, the additions of Richard Zednik and Alexander Semin should help create some sustainable chemistry and support for Alexander Ovechkin. However, the team’s goaltending is questionable, and their defence….well I’m not confident that their defence will hold up under pressure. But, like I said, the Capitals are getting closer to establishing a set of forwards that will be competitive long-term.
Richard Zednik – Zednik needed to get out of
Maybe I’m a tiny bit biased…but the Leafs are going to suck this year. They have a lot of baggage and a number of players who don’t belong in the NHL. Ugh…Leafs make me sick to the stomach so I’m going to stop here. I hope they draft the next Alexandre Daigle with their first overall draft choice.
Mike Peca – Because Mike Peca hasn’t been tainted by Leafdom yet, he should still have a pretty good year. If he can play half as good as he did in the playoffs last year, he’ll be the best player on the team. All of the other Leafs should watch and learn.
In the end, I missed my “next class” – luckily, thanks to a friend we’ll call M.G., I have some good notes – but this is an absolutely massive post, so I lived up to principle – and I got ‘er done…well, today. Anyway, now I must pray:
“GO HABS GO! GO OILERS GO! Oh great god of hockey, Mr. Brian Burke, may we please have seven Heritage Classics in May 2007. Amen.”
Cheers,
Emule
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