NHL Preview 2009-2010 Season

I am sorry for being a little bit late on this one. The life was been hetic lately with alot of news.

No hockey fans, I do not diss the puck like everyone else! I promise you, especially with three local teams on all year, and the NHL Open Ice Package ready to go.

The NHL finally got some TV Ratings last season, as the Penguins/Capitals clash, and the eventual Stanley Cup Finals between the winning Pens and the Red Wings got the general public back into watching. As the league is trying to generate some momentum off of that, here are some of the questions leading into the new season.

The Top Ten Storylines for the 2009-2010 NHL Season:

1. Can the Penguins repeat?

The young core is set and will be intact for a long time, consisting of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal, and Marc-Andre Fleury. Although they took a big hit on the blueline, losing Rob Scuderi and Hal Gill, the Pens also have veterans that are now willing to take less money to play with this core. Bill Guerin took a paycut to remain in the fold in Pittsburgh.

The real question is, can the Pens be more consistent than last season? If they cannot, they will need to catch fire at the same exact time as they need last season.

2. How much will the Olympics effect teams?

Most teams will be well represented with players from their rosters playing for their National Teams. Some teams will be heavily represent,  like the Red Wings, Capitals, Sharks, and Flyers. These teams will not have the luxury of having a break that could be well needed rest.

No team will be effected more by the Olympics than the Vancouver Canucks. Since the Games are being held in Vancouver, the Canucks will have a very lengthy road trip that could spell out diaster for the franchise. If are in a bad funk going into that road trip, they might even miss the playoffs.

3. Just how good is Alexander Ovechkin?

There is no real answer for this. The sky is really the limit. Ovy is just about the complete package. He has an excellent playmaking Center that he is lined with in Nicklas Backstrom. He has a lethal shot, skates like the wind, and unlike most Euro players, he hits like a freight train. Expect 60 goals and 110 points again, like always. If Ovy decides to play with a chip on his shoulder, he is the guy that could possibly catch Wayne Gretzky's goals records for both the season and career.

4. Did the San Jose Sharks finally acquire the missing piece?

Sniper Dany Heatley basically bitched and whined his way out of Ottawa this offseason. He has now landed on a team that can never get over the playoff hump. It is now time to put the pacifier back in your mouth, be quiet, and produce. He should see plenty of goals with Joe Thorton dishing him the puck all season.

This has to be the year for the Sharks. Patrick Marleau is a UFA at season's end, and alot of the good young players will soon be due for hefty pay raises. They are hoping Heatley is the guy that will not disappear in the postseason. That has been a bit of a problem the past few seasons in the Bay Area.

5. Pronger in Philly is understandable, but Ray Emery?

When the Flyers made a draft night deal to acquire physical Defensemen Chris Pronger from Anaheim, it was a move that made a bold statement that they want to win now. Pronger will clear the crease for the Flyers goaltenders.

That is the thing. The Flyers Stanley Cup hopes are on the shoulders of a guy that did not even play in the NHL last season. Ray Emery was basically banished to the Russian League the past couple of seasons. Now, he is back, but is Emery really up to this pressure? Remember, it is Philly, where the media and fanbase eat athletes in situations like these.

6. Did the window finally close on the Red Wings?

Hockeytown took a hit this offseason. The Red Wings lost alot of scoring when Marian Hossa, Mikel Samuelsson, Jiri Hudler, and Tomas Kopecky left the team via Free Agency or bolted overseas. The Wings are relying on kids, Ville Leino, Darren Helm, and others, along with reclammation project Todd Bertuzzi.

Nicklas Lidstrom is turning 40. The goaltending is not exactly top notch. This is the season that the Wings still make the playoffs, but not at the dominanting level they have done it in for the past decade.

7. Welcome back Coach

The New Jeresy Devils brought back former Head Coach and Stanley Cup winner Jacques Lemaire to lead the team behind the bench. The question now is, do the Devils have the personnel that Lemaire requires to play his defensive style of play?

Well, the Devils were more of a scoring team last season, led by superstar in the making Zach Parise. To be at their most effective, Lemaire is going to have to find a median between the two. Marty Brodeur back healthy for a full season will help reguardless of the style of play.

8. The Rebuild/Reloading of Brian Burke in Toronto

GM  Brian Burke said he needed to do two things in the offseason. First, was to get more tough and physical. The Maple Leafs got rough up last season, and it was not going to happen two years in a row. So Burke went out in Free Agency and signed D Mike Komisarek and Franny Beauchemim, and RW goon Colton Orr. I do not think many teams will want to mess with the Leafs this year.

Burke's second endeavor was to find a goal scorer, and one that will be a permanent fixture in Toronto for years to come. Burke had one target in mind the entire time, and that was former Bruin Phil Kessel.

Burke was rumored to try and trade for Kessel at the draft and it fizzled out. Two months later, Burke went very proactive, and dealt a boatload of draft picks for the 21 year old sniper. Kessel was immediately signed long term.

Burke accomplished what he wanted in the offseason, now will it be enough to make it back into the playoffs this season?

9. The Rookies

This year's Entry Draft had a Top 3 that could one day rival any other drafts. The New York Islanders selected the well known talent of  C John Tavares. The Tampa Bay Lightning immediately snatched up huge D Victor Hedman. Last, the Colorado Avalanche selected all around great talent C Matt Duchsene.

All three have made the Opening Night rosters, and will most likely remain on the club the entire season.

The Islanders hope they finally got the new face of their struggling franchise in Tavares, who Islander fans hope can score goals like former legend Mike Bossy.

Hedman is the type of Defensemen that front offices drool over. Hedman is 6'6", he can skate, and has a bomb of a slapshot. The Lightning envision that he could become their anchor on the blueline in the mold of another Defensemen that should be playing power foward somewhere, Zdeno Chara.

Duchsene is the guy of the three that can become the all-around, gritty two way foward that can one day wear the "C" for a team. Some even questioned if Duchsene should of went 1st overall in the draft over Tavares.

Other rookies to watch out for this 09-10 season is the Flyers LW James vanRiemsdyk, Thrashers C Evander Kane, Blue Jackets LW Nitika Filatov, Red Wings F Ville Leino and Justin Abdelkader, Rangers D Michael Del Zotto, Panthers D Dmitri Kulikov, and Leafs G Jonas Guastavsson.

10. What will happen to the Phoenix Coyotes?

With ownership up in the air, this offseason has been utter chaos for the Coyotes. Canadian tycoon Jim Balsillie offered to buy the Coyotes and relocate them back into Canada, where they first came from. With the NHL rejecting his offer, and now Wayne Gretzky resigning from being behind the bench, the Coyotes are sort of a lame duck this season.

Do you really think the fans want to go cheer on a team that most likely will not be there in 2010-11? How are the players going to react to being in limbo? Yotes Captain Shane Doan takes offense to being overlooked by this, but how do they overcome this mess?

Predictions: (Playoff Seed in parenthesis)

East                                                                                    

Atlantic Divison                                                                    

1. Philadelphia Flyers (1)

2. Pittsburgh Penguins (4)

3. New York Rangers (7)

4. New Jeresy Devils

5. New York Islanders

Northeast

1. Boston Bruins (3)

2. Buffalo Sabres (6)

3. Montreal Canadiens

4. Toronto Maple Leafs

5. Ottawa Senators

Southeast

1. Washington Capitals (2)

2. Carolina Hurricanes (5)

3. Tampa Bay Lightning (8)

4. Florida Panthers

5. Atlanta Thrashers

West

Central

1. Chicago Blackhawks (3)

2. St. Louis Blues (4)
3. Columbus Blue Jackets (5)
4. Detroit Red Wings (7)
5. Nashville Predators

Northwest

1. Calgary Flames (2)
2. Vancouver Canucks (8)
3. Minnesota Wild

4. Edmonton Oilers

5. Colorado Avalanche

Pacific

1. San Jose Sharks (1)

2. Anaheim Ducks (6)
3. Los Angeles Kings
4. Dallas Stars
5. Phoenix Coyotes

Stanley Cup Finals : Calgary Flames over Philadelphia Flyers in 6 games.