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 The
soap opera at the ownership-level of this team is starting to impact the
players on the ice – as player personnel decisions are being dictated in the
board room and not the GM’s office. Apparently, the marching orders for
management are to keep this team’s payroll at about $40M. In order for that
to happen, some tough decisions are going to have to be made regarding one
of this team’s superstars. The smart money is that Ilya Kovulchuk is about
to be dealt – if the right buyer can be found. However, with Marian Hossa
entering the final year of his contract, and likely demanding upward of
$6-$7M per season, it’s very possible the team would grudgingly move him.
Re-signing Pascal Dupuis and Slava Kozlov, while adding new 2nd line center
Todd White, should help the offence, but scoring goals was never the issue
for the Thrashers last year; preventing them was. More help on the blue-line
is needed, and Kari Lehtonen needs to rebound as the Thrashers proven #1
guy, rather than tiring and losing confidence down the stretch and into the
playoffs. It’s an understatement to say that it will be a very interesting
year in Atlanta.
 After
winning the Stanley Cup two years ago, the Hurricanes were the classic
championship hangover team. They looked out of sync early last season, and
by the time they finally got it together, the playoffs were just an
afterthought. This season, the two Erics (actually one Eric and the other an
Erik) are expected to lead the team in offence. Staal and Cole are
legitimate NHL talents. Staal needs to prove that he can be the #1 center,
while Cole just needs to prove that he can stay healthy an entire season!
The supporting cast remains very similar to their Stanley Cup winning club
with Stillman, Brind’Amour, Whitney, Williams and Walker all returning.
After a disastrous season in New York, under-rated Matt Cullen is back with
the ‘Canes and will be a big addition, but mostly on the PK. On defence,
Carolina has the same non-descript blue line corps that simply rolls out 6-8
deep and prides themselves on trying not to get scored upon. In net, Cam
Ward has got to be better than he showed last season. Right now, the team
has some cap room, but if the Hurricanes’ think they have a shot to return
to the Cup finals, and goaltending is the missing link, expect GM Jim
Rutherford go on the hunt for a top ‘tender.
 Questions
still abound about the strength and conviction of the Florida Panthers’
ownership and the long-term success of the team in south Florida. The team
has very little to show for the Todd Bertuzzi – Roberto Luongo trade;
Bertuzzi was dealt at the trade deadline last year and Alex Auld was not
re-signed as a free agent and ended up in Phoenix. Bryan Allen did re-up
with the team, but he is hardly the answer on the blue-line for any fantasy
owner. Newcomers Radek Dvorak and Richard Zednik are soft, perimeter players
and - while talented - may simply not play with enough conviction to make
them pool-worthy. The heart and soul of the team is still Olli Jokinen who
remains the team’s only legitimate offensive weapon. Jay Bouwmeester is
rumored to be looking to sign a long term deal with the club, and that
almost assuredly needs to happen if the organization is going to send any
kind of positive message to their fans. Newcomer, Tomas Vokoun will patrol
the crease after being jettisoned in a salary dump by the Predators. We’re
not convinced it will be a great experiment. Vokoun has not been able to
remain at the upper echelon of netminders due to injuries and some serious
confidence issues. If he doesn’t step up, this season could be another long
one for the Panthers.
 Tampa
Bay Lightning – as the ‘Ning approach this coming training camp, it’s
evident that they have made minor attempts to try and alleviate the
offensive workload that is placed on the big 3 – Lecavalier, Richards and
St. Louis. Chris Gratton is back to try and patrol the wing with Richards,
and they are also auditioning Michel Ouellet (from Pittsburgh) and recycling
Jan Hlavac as well. The team’s management expects much better seasons out of
Vaclav Prospal and youngster Ryan Craig, and continued improvement from Paul
Ranger. The Lightning have some cap room, but their focus has to be on
trying to improve their blue-line and leaving themselves some wiggle room to
address any issues that may not be resolved between the pipes. Dan Boyle
still logs a lot of minutes amongst the defence corps, while Marc Denis and
Johan Holmqvist have not been able to distinguish themselves as viable #1s.
If push comes to shove, the Lightning would likely try and move St. Louis
for a legitimate #1 goalie.
 Washington
– this appears to be the season where the Capitals may actually begin to
turn the corner to respectability. There is no doubting Alexander Ovechkin’s
goal scoring ability. He might be the single most dangerous player
one-on-one, and he’d rival Crosby as the next best thing for the league if
he played in a larger media center. This year, the Capitals decided to
support Alex, and went out and spent some UFA $ to bring in a legitimate
play-making center in Michael Nylander. Alexander Semin will have another
year under his belt and the Capitals also added Tom Poti to help generate
some offense from the blue-line. The Caps have a number of decent offensive
prospects in their system (Backstrom and Klepis are two) but in order to
grow with them, the team has to expect to make mistakes – and there will be
plenty. On defence, the team is led by Poti and the unheralded duo of Bryan
Pothier and Steve Eminger. In goal, it’s Olaf Kolzig who will continue to
lace them up for the team and at age 37 he’s seen a lot of rubber. But, by
all accounts, his desire still remains strong. The Capitals are on a plan
that will see them grow their own and add a few missing pieces along the
road to success. Don’t expect them to make much in the way of moves prior to
the beginning of the season despite the fact they are way under the salary
cap.
...up next: The Atlantic |
