Well, it's official - the sporting world no longer sucks. We no longer have to be subjugated to meaningless baseball for the final month of the season, and can ride the NCAAF/NFL wave for just one month before the NHL season gets underway.
All off-season, we've heard both insanely optimistic/pessimistic discussion about all of the thirty National Hockey League teams, and now it's time to put them to the test. Ahead: Thirty bold NHL predictions.
Atlantic Division
New Jersey Devils - The Devils challenge all year for one of the top spots in the Eastern Conference, but will rely on one of the game's most potent attacks to carry them. Defensively, the Devils begin to trend downward, and Martin Brodeur statistically has the worst season in his illustrious career. Kovalchuk-gate is long forgotten, as he finishes just behind Crosby and Ovechkin in the goal column.
New York Rangers - Reports about this team being just one injury away from disaster turn out true, as Marian Gaborik fails to play more than thirty games on the year. Remarkably, the team remains competitive thanks to Henrik Lundqvist
doing plenty of this.
New York Islanders - Rick DiPietro manages to play a full season, and Richard Park triumphantly returns during the stretch run via loopholes in the Swiss League contract system, leading the Islanders to their first playoff bid since '06-'07 on a Gretzky-esque scoring streak.
Philadelphia Flyers - The Flyers pick up right where they left off, but the most notable carry-over is Daniel Briere, who jumps ahead of Jeff Carter and Mike Richards in the goal column after tallying 36 on the year.
Pittsburgh Penguins - Marc-Andre Fleury has a strong year after exhibiting some real inconsistency during the '09-'10 season, thanks in large part to the bolstered defense that includes newcomers Paul Martin and Zbynek Michalek. They finish a pedestrian third in the division, but return to the Eastern Conference Finals after Crosby goes on a two-series heater.
Northeast Division
Boston Bruins - Neck and neck with the Washington Capitals for the top seed all season long, the Bruins rely on their newfound scoring talent in Nathan Horton and terror of a defense/'tending tandem to run away with the Northeast division. The Bruins go on to represent the Eastern Conference in the Stanley Cup Finals, and I root against them because I'm a Yankees fan and inherently hate all things north of The Boogie Down.
Buffalo Sabres - The Buffalo Sabres have one of the smoothest regular seasons in the NHL, coasting into the playoffs without a shadow of a doubt. When they reach the post-season, the failure to acquire a proven scorer takes its toll on the team, and the Sabres are again bounced in the first round to a much more physical and intimidating club.
Ottawa Senators - Pascal Leclaire and Brian Elliott both struggle out of the gates, but the top-six in Ottawa proves to be among the leagues best. The Senators blow away last year's goal totals, but again find themselves in a precarious situation on the defensive end. Ottawa relies on the ultra-talented Tomas Vokoun to carry them in the first round, but run into a much more well-rounded and complete Boston team in the second, losing in an unimpressive five games.
Montreal Canadiens - The Jaroslav Halak trade? Yeah, it doesn't work out. Carey Price proves to be a little too thin-skinned for the Montreal media, and although the rest of the team makes a valiant effort to lift their goaltender, the Canadiens fall just short of the playoffs. A bright spot? P.K. Subban, who emerges as one of the best young defensemen in the NHL.
Toronto Maple Leafs - With eighty games left in the season, the Maple Leafs still aren't eliminated from playoff contention. Phil Kessel is again the team's top scorer, but is challenged by the red-hot Nikolai Kulemin, who outplays all of the youngsters on the Toronto roster.
Southeast Division
Atlanta Thrashers - The Thrashers influx of talent doesn't pan out, and the ressurection of Chris Mason turns out to be a running joke in the ATL. Ondrej Pavelec eventually wins the starting job, but the team garners some serious hope for the future, as both Evander Kane and Niclas Bergfors continue to reach for new heights.
Carolina Hurricanes - Carolina, much like Toronto, is still alive during the final two games of the season, giving hope to a Southeast division that has been plagued by mediocrity for years. Young guns Jamie McBain and Brandon Sutter(Long Island, represent!) turn out to be key cogs in the Hurricanes offense, but the most important of all is Cam Ward's ability to stay healthy for a full season. Jiri Tlusty finishes first in awkward pictures taken that surface on the internet.
Florida Panthers - Brass in Sunrise, Florida is put to the ultimate test at the trading deadline. The team still is in the race, but the youth movement underway in Florida has given this team more hope in the long-run than the short-run. The Panthers decide to trade Tomas Vokoun to the Ottawa Senators for two blue-chip talents and gear up for a potential run in 2011-2012.
Washington Capitals - Alex Ovechkin scores 120 points and runs away with the Hart Trophy, yet the team is bounced again in the first round after Alex Semin and Mike Green do their best disappearing act. After scoring thirty-two points in a seven-game series loss, Ovechkin is blamed for not being "clutch".
Tampa Bay Lightning - With Steven Stamkos, Simon Gagne, and Martin St. Louis all throwing up mind-blowing point totals, the Lightning remain a tough out on the schedule. But, the team is again plagued by defensive and goaltending problems, and Dan Ellis learns what its like to play behind a completely permeable defense.
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