lay some treats

To all the non-hockey people that follow me, I’m sorry, but this has to be done. 

SO…it seems like this summer was crazy for trades and signings and retirements. Several teams are totally rebuilt. I think my playoff predictions for this year could be the worst I’ve ever done, but I’m gonna give it a shot. 

EASTERN CONFERENCE

1. Tampa Bay Lightning: Last year I left these guys out of the mix because I underestimated Martin St. Louis and the experience of Tampa’s goaltending. I think most people did. The Bolts are going to be good for a while. 

2. Boston Bruins: I think the Bruins will struggle this year and narrowly make the playoffs. Much like the Chicago Blackhawks did last year, only not as pathetic. 

3. Pittsburgh Penguins: Malkin is back, and Crosby will probably make it back for the playoffs. I was very surprised by the performance of the role players in the absence of two stars last season. 

4. Washington Capitals: They will make the playoffs. They will not win the Stanley Cup this season, or any season to come until the front office brings in an entirely new coaching staff. If I was a star athlete, I would have a hard time listening to somebody like Bruce Boudreau. The Capitals need somebody like Dan Bylsma. 

5. Winnipeg Jets: Yeah, I said it. Put the Atlanta Thrashers in better jerseys and in a building where people actually give a damn about the performance of their hockey team…and they’ll win ten more games. I think the Jets will make it into the 7th or 8th spot for the playoffs. 

6. Buffalo Sabres: I made the mistake of leaving these guys out last year. Maybe it was because they don’t really have any big name forwards. Still don’t. The scary part is that they can score goals. They had the 4th most goals-for in the conference. 7th most in the league. The problem was defense, and they might have fixed that with the signing of Christian Erhoff. I really really like Buffalo this year. I think they can go far if they get on a roll. 

7. Philadelphia Flyers NJ Devils: I just don’t know about the flyers. Everything inside me is telling me that they aren’t going to make the playoffs because of injuries to defense. The devils are bound to get back on track with a new coaching staff and all the offensive potential on the team. 

8. NY Rangers: I’m liking this team. 5th highest goal differential in the league last year. 5th lowest goals allowed in the league last year. AND they got Brad Richards. 

WESTERN CONFERENCE

1. LA Kings: The Western conference seems much more simple to me. Who got better, who got worse? Well, the Kings got better thanks to the Flyers. They kept the core of the team and signed Simon Gagne and Mike Richards. They made the playoffs last year. It seems clear that they will make it this year.

2. CHI Blackhawks: The Hawks didn’t necessarily get more talented, but they got more Blackhawk-like in a traditional sense. I think we’ll see a Chicago team this year that will harken back to the days of Chelios, with Dan Carcillo and Steve Montador in the mix. This year, the Blackhawks will be more like the Flyers they beat in the finals. 

3. NSH Predators: This team is nasty-good. Circle the days on the schedule that these guys play Chicago, because they’re gonna pound on each other. There’s no reason that Nashville shouldn’t make the playoffs. 

4. VAN Canucks: The Canucks stayed the same, aside from losing Erhoff. They will make the playoffs, but could turn into the Western Conference version of the Caps. 

5. SJ Sharks: The sharks got worse when they traded Setoguchi and Heatley for Havlat. They’ll still make the playoffs for years to come, but I thought their best chance was last year. Now that the Wings and Preds and Hawks are getting better, it’s only going to get harder for them.

6. CO Avalanche: It’s more interesting to talk about how bad the Coyotes will be this year, than to talk about the Avs making the Playoffs. The Coyotes are DONE. Their best player was Bryzgalov and he’s gone. The Avalanche were recovering from injury last year, and they lacked experience. I think this will be a turnaround year for them. 

7. MN Wild: I think the wild are going to be pretty good this year. With Heatley and Setoguchi in the lineup, there will be much less pressure on the Wild defense night after night. Teams will have to play them more honestly, now that they can do some damage in the attacking end. Plus, Minnesota is a great hockey state and the fans have every reason to be pumped about the off season acquisitions. Fan support can translate to more wins at home. 

8. DET Red Wings: Yes yes y’all. 20 consecutive years in the playoffs? That’s nothing. I can’t even put into words how smart and determined the Red Wings organization is. It seems like from top to bottom, owners to players, everybody has this “Not on my watch” mentality. We lost some greats this year. Draper, Rafalski, and Osgood are the types of players that bring a lot of “intangible assets” to the team. Rafalski, not so much. He mostly just brings unbelievable consistency and tape to tape accuracy. Draper is a leader, and still has this burning desire to win. Osgood is a different kind of leader, who probably does a lot for morale in the younger players. We can only hope that somebody can pick up where they left off. Nick Lidstrom is a year older. As fans, I think we should be concerned this year about Nick. His type of play, and the respect he gets from opponents on the ice is a big help. But understand that if Lidstrom tears an ACL, gets a concussion, or suffers anything that would put him out indefinitely, he will retire. This will put the front office in the one situation they are praying not to be in. 

Enough of the negative. Here are some positives that ensure another playoff berth. The Wings had the 2nd most goals-for in the league last year. They had 13 players who scored 10 or more goals, and all of said players are returning, and some of said players had bad years. The biggest problem from last year was goals allowed, because of a struggling defense. The front office addressed that situation by signing two strong, right handed defensemen who double as enforcers. They also signed a quality backup goalie, who is familiar with the organization. They have a whole farm team who are dying to prove themselves in the NHL. They have the winningest coach in hockey, who refuses to let things go bad as long as he’s around, and a team who loves playing for him. They arguably have the largest and most devout fan base in the NHL. And last but not least, they have number 13, number 40, number 93, and number 5.