It feels like only yesterday that the Anaheim Ducks became the first California team to take home Lord Stanley's Cup. Still, me and thousands of other fans can't wait for the new season to start. And with training camps on the way, the premiere games are just around the corner.
So, what will the 2007-08 season be like? Which team will surprise us by reaching the play-offs and which will do the same by not clinching a berth in the post season. We will, as always, have to wait and see.
Personally, I would have to agree that the Ducks are looking good enough to repeat (with or without the still undecided Niedermayer), San Jose and Detroit will certainly give them a good run for their money. As for my money, I am putting them on Colorado to be the upset team of the west. Edmonton aren't looking too strong (which only indicates that they may be a surprise team), and Calgary and Mike Keenan could be a match made in heaven (though I doubt Kristian Huselius thinks so).
Out east it looks like Ottawa will go far, being one season wiser after losing the final to Anaheim. They are pretty much intact and except for the performance in that final I still think they played the best hockey of all teams during the post season. The Rangers and the Flyers are looking awesome offensively but the Broadway Blues will, as before, leak defensively. Pittsburgh will definitely be better this time around, with experienced guys like two-time cup winner Darryl Sydor on the team, while Washington has the most exciting line-up with Ovechkin, Nylander, Kozlov, and Backstrom. They will surprise a lot of people this season.
So, get the training camps going and out of the way, so we can start the season already!
1 comment:
Predicting which team gets to skate circles with the Stanley Cup next June is really tough. In my opinion, there's a handful of teams that are able to go the distance so I'm not gonna try to delve into that debate. Instead, I'll highlight a small group of teams that will NOT get anywhere close to a shot at the Cup: Boston, Chicago, Phoenix, Edmonton, Los Angeles, Montreal, Toronto, NY Islanders, and Washington.
As far as the-most-exciting-line-up award goes, my vote goes to the team with the most upside, namely, the Pittsburgh Penguins. A teenager by the name of Sidney Crosby just won the scoring title in a league for men and he pulled it off almost effortlessly. Jordan Staal, age 18, found the net 29 times and led the league in shorthanded goals if I remember correctly. Malkin walked away with this year's Calder Trophy and some scouts labeled him better than Ovechkin. Ryan Whitney showed promise on the blue line. Marc-André Fleury has all the tools to develop into a top-10 netminder this season. In the system, they have a blue-chip prospect in defenseman Kristopher Letang who just captained Canada to WJC Gold in Sweden last winter. Not to mention this summer's drafting of Angelo Esposito.
The only way to go is up for this franchise. Of course, the abovementioned players will want a hefty pay-day when contract talks begin and fitting all these names under the same cap space will pose a grave challenge. But that day, and that headache, is at least two seasons away and Sid the Kid just re-upped for 5 years and specifically asked for less than the maximum to allow a little extra cap wiggle room down the road in the years to come. And a deal for a new arena has finally been sealed. Forecast: future looks...kinda bright.
Post a Comment