Key Offseason Additions: Jordan Leopold, Shaone Morrisonn, Rob Niedermayer

Last Season Ranking: 3rd in East

Offense:

The Buffalo Sabres carry a very skilled pair of centerman to anchor their top two lines in 2010-11. Leading the way is Derek Roy, the teams leading scorer from last season with 69 points. He will continue to be productive this season, and should post similar numbers to the past few seasons. Next in line is Tim Connolly, a highly skilled play maker. Unfortunately, Connolly hasn’t been healthy enough to play a full season in the NHL since 2002-03. Last season, however, Connolly made great strides and posted 65 points in 73 games, including a 16 game point streak (25 points) in December and January. Barring any serious injury, Connolly is capable of a 70-80 point campaign. He has great success on the power play and will see a lot of time there as well.

On either wing, the Sabres look good. Jason Pominville and Thomas Vanek are potential point per game players, but have both failed to realize that potential in recent seasons. Their lack of production hasn’t hurt the team, however, as players such as Jochen Hecht and Drew Stafford add some secondary scoring. Look for the wingers to pick up their productivity this season as they come in stronger and more experienced to their role in Buffalo.

Further on down the line, you’ll see Buffalo continues with their depth players and secondary scoring. The addition of Rob Niedermayer will provide veteran leadership as well as a guy who can go out, skate hard, block shots and kill penalties. Mike Grier will see a similar role. He’s a big guy and should be able to throw his weight around a bit and create some energy when necessary.

Defense:

Leading the way on defense will be the reigning rookie of the year, Tyler Myers. He had an exceptional rookie campaign, shutting down the opponents top players, as well as leading the defense in scoring with 11 goals and 37 assists. New to the team this year will be Jordan Leopold and Shaone Morrisonn. Leopold joins his fifth team in three seasons, and looks to finally have a home. Expect him to get settled into his new role quickly, and become a solid defenseman as he has been in the past. Shaone Morrison should fit in well with the Sabres too, and will prove to be a nice addition.

Ryan Miller is approaching his prime and should put up great numbers again in Buffalo.

Goaltending:

Ryan Miller was an absolute stud last year, in case anyone doesn’t remember. Besides leading Team USA to a silver medal in the 2010 Olympics, Miller set personal bests in both goals against average (2.22) and save percentage (.929) during the NHL campaign. His 41 wins was also a personal best. This season, he will be back between the pipes for the majority of Buffalo’s games, and seems to just now be approaching his prime as his numbers have continued to improve year after year. On the rare night when Miller is due for a rest, we’ll see Patrick Lalime take his place. Lalime will be a steady backup, but if Miller is out for any extended period of time, the Sabres could be in trouble.

Season Outlook:

While Buffalo is playing in a very competitive Northeast Division, they should still remain near the top of the pack if Miller is healthy. Low scoring wins will be the Sabres specialty again this season, unless the offense puts up the numbers that they are truly capable of. Expect the top forwards to put up roughly 70 points, with Tyler Myers only getting better on defense as well. Ultimately, Miller will be the star of the show, however, and as he goes, so do the Buffalo Sabres.

Key Offseason Additions: Dustin Boyd, Alex Auld, Lars Eller

Last Season Ranking: 8th, East

Offense: Montreal returns its top four offensive threats. Included in that are top line of Mike Cammalleri, Scott Gomez, and Brian Gionta. They have a top line that isn’t as flashy as some of the other teams in the East, but they do have the ability to carry the Canadiens. Their main issue last season was staying healthy. They each were effective when they played, but they don’t have the depth necessary to survive if the injuries start to climb. Tomas Plekanec returns to anchor the second line, and should be able to come close to matching his team-leading 70 points from a year ago. Further down the depth chart is where it could become cloudy. Benoit Pouliot is the top returning scorer not from the top two lines, and he posted a 15-goal, nine assist season last year. If he can improve on those numbers, it could help give Montreal the depth down the roster needed to compete. Look for new additions Dustin Boyd and Lars Eller to make contributions to the third and fourth lines.

Expect Mike Cammalleri to carry a large chunk of the offensive workload for Montreal this season.

Defense: This is the area where they lost significant at the top. In addition to Halak in goal, the Canadiens lost Marc-Andree Bergeron. This is significant because he was one of 22 defensemen who scored double-digit goals on the season. Defensive scoring the way Bergeron could is hard to come by, but they do return Andrei Markov. Markov won’t be ready until at least Thanksgiving as he underwent surgery to repair an ACL he injured in game one of the Pittsburgh series. Habsinsideout.com reported last week he resumed skating on his own, but he is still behind his teammates in terms of being in top condition for training camp. Look for top prospect P.K. Subban to make a big impact in his first full season. Subban litthe lamp several times last season in the AHL with Hamilton, and continued to do so when Markov went down in the playoffs. He finished second in team playoff points for defensemen with eight. He’s their top defensive prospect and could contend for the Calder Trophy if he can contribute the way he did in the playoffs.

Goaltending: With Halak gone, it’s do or die time for Carey Price. Price has been given the keys to the car and it’s his job to perform in net. He has to rid his inconsistency and play the entire season the way he does when he’s on his game. Because if he struggles, Alex Auld is not the goalie Halak was. Price was 13-20-5 last season. Those are the numbers you don’t expect from the goalie you signed to a two-year, 5.5 Million dollar contract last week. Just to add a little pressure on Price, top minor league goalie Cedrick Desjardins was traded to Tampa Bay last week for Karri Ramo. And Ramo will remain in the KHL this season and honor his contract before returning to the NHL in 2011.

Season Outlook: Montreal has a chance to win the division and have an encore performance to last season’s magical run to the East finals. If they can surprise everyone and improve on the defensive side of the puck, expect them to make a deep run to the playoffs. In the flipside, if Carey Price struggles, so could the rest of the team.

Key Offseason Additions: Alexander Frolov, Martin Biron, Todd White, Derek Boogaard, Tim Kennedy

Last Season Ranking: 9^th in East

Offense:

The New York Rangers lost out on a postseason bid last year in the final game of the regular season. This year the team hopes to turn it all around and lock in a postseason appearance well before the end of the season with some key offseason additions.

Much of the team’s success will again depend on the health of Marian Gaborik. With 42 goals last season for 86 points in 76 games, Gaborik was a stud for the Rangers, but questions about his health continue to linger as Gaborik has had several injury-shortened seasons in his brief NHL career. Vinny Prospal, the team’s second highest scorer last season, will return for his second year with the Rangers. With 58 points last year, Prospal quietly puts together solid campaigns and will be expected to continue contributing on the top two lines. Recent trade acquisition Todd White will fight for a spot as a top-six forward and could be a great fit centering Gaborik on the first line. White is capable of anywhere between 50 and 70 points and will bring offensive depth and a veteran presence to the lineup.

Alexander Frolov may be the biggest name coming to the Big Apple this season. Frolov showed flashes of brilliance in Los Angeles but never really became a huge impact player. Frolov is capable of producing 70 or more points if he can work hard and keep his attitude in check.

The team will also look for center Brandon Dubinski to keep taking steps forward and become a huge part of the team’s offense. Young players like Tim Kennedy, Erik Christensen and Artem Anisimov will certainly get their chance to contribute as secondary scorers as well.

Defense:

Marc Staal is considered by many to be the prolific defenseman of the organization but remains unsigned by the team. Assuming that Staal comes back, the Rangers will look for him to continue to lead the way on the blue line for the blue shirts. But at plus-11 last season, Staal had the best plus/minus of any New York defenseman while Michael Del Zotto had a team-worst minus-20. Still, Del Zotto tallied 37 points in 80 games last season. If he can be better in his own zone, Del Zotto could be a difference maker for the Rangers this year. Michael Rozsival is also capable of being much better than the 23 points and plus-3 he exhibited last year. The Rangers definitely need to play better defense this season if they intend to compete.

Goaltending:

Henrik Lundquist was a workhorse last season for the Rangers where he played in 73 games, tallied 35 wins and had a 2.38 goals against average. In fact, Lundquist has started in 70 or more games in each of his past four NHL seasons and has never had a goals against average higher than 2.43. However, now that the team has a suitable backup goaltender in Martin Biron, expect Lundquist to work less – possibly in the range of 55-60 starts, but still exhibit the same level of top-notch play.

Season Outlook:

The Rangers made some good additions in the offseason and certainly added some depth on offense, but a lot of their success hinges on health and attitude. If Gaborik can stay healthy and if Frolov can ditch his prima donna attitude then the Rangers could really make some big strides this season. Todd White is a very versatile player and could turn a lot of heads if he gets time on the top line with Gaborik. Lundquist is constantly a stud in net for the Rangers but adding Biron into the mix will help keep Lundquist fresh and healthy for the postseason. But as a whole, the Rangers need to play much better defense this year in order to stay competitive in the East. A playoff spot isn’t out of the picture, but it’s a long season and there are still a lot of “ifs” for the Rangers this season.

Key Offseason Additions: Nikolai Zherdev

Last Season Ranking: 7th in the East

Captain Mike Richards should lead the Flyers to another productive season, possibly even the Stanley Cup.

Offense: The Flyers are coming into their own as a team offensively lead by a very physical and talented Captain Mike Richards. Richards has a supporting cast of Jeff Carter, Danny Briere, Claude Giroux and Scottie Hartnell. Sure it seems I’m just listing the whole team, but when you really look at the production of all these players, all 40+ point players, the team has 3 solid lines. Throw into the mix playoff stud Ville Leino and young gun James van Riemsdyk, it is very possible that the Flyers are capable of making another push for the Cup.

Philadelphia had a tough decision to make in the offseason and ended up trading away Simon Gagne. Gagne posted 40 points in 58 games played last year. To ease the pain of his loss, the team acquired a personal favorite player of mine in forward Nikolai Zherdev. Zherdev took a season off and played overseas with the KHL and did not put up great numbers. Perhaps he viewed it as a vacation as in his last two NHL seasons he had near 60 point seasons.

Defense: What’s not to love about the Flyer’s defense? They have grit, size and skill. Lead by veterans Chris Pronger and Kimmo Timonen, the defense will once again be solid.  Second pairings should note the production Matt Carle who had 6 goals, 29 assists and a +19 rating. The team also picked up Andrej Meszaros from the Tampa Bay Lightning to add to their depth and line the 3rd pairing. Meszaros could sink or swim as with Tampa Bay he was mediocre at best, but while previous to them with the Ottawa Senators, Meszaros had 3 seasons of near 30 points each season.

The only other note in regards to the worry of Pronger resting for the start of the season recovering from surgery will not be a factor as he should be prime come later in the season.

Goaltending: Last year Philadelphia had some goalie problems, problems to the extent of starting 4 different goalies throughout the season problems. All that should be behind them as the team should split time between Michael Leighton and Brian Boucher. Leighton was by far the better goalie of the two producing a .920 save percentage with a 16-5-2 record. Boucher still was not bad in the save percentage category, .900, yet when it came to his record, it was a mere 9-18-3.

Season Outlook: The Flyers almost did not make the playoffs last season, but once they did, almost won the Cup but lost to a better team in Chicago. This year expect another stellar performance from the Bullies and a drive like none other after the sour taste from losing after being so close. The addition of Zherdev should prove fruitful for the organization, and with the team mainly being players in their prime, Philly will be tough to beat this season.

Key Offseason Additions: Paul Martin, Zbynek Michalek, Arron Asham

Last Season Ranking: 4^th in East

Offense:

The Penguins will again be anchored by the offensive production of team captain Sidney Crosby and winger Evgeni Malkin with secondary scoring coming from Chris Kunitz and Jordan Staal. However, in the off season the Penguins again failed to address the pressing issue of finding a suitable right winger to play alongside Sidney Crosby, prompting many to believe that Malkin and Crosby could end up together on the top line this season. Such a move would extremely hinder the offensive depth of the Penguins. A more likely scenario will see Staal moving up to the second line where he will center Malkin, which should benefit both players immensely and put Malkin back up to 90-100 points this season. Players like Pascal Dupuis and Maxim Talbot may be called upon to help provide more offensive depth while players like Eric Tangradi will need to show that they deserve a consistent spot with the big club this season.

Whatever Pittsburgh lacks in offense they make up for with grit. Tough guy Arron Asham signed a one-year deal with Pittsburgh where he will have good company in fellow tough guy Eric Goddard, who accumulated 76 penalty minutes in 45 games last season, and super pest Matt Cooke. Asham may even get an opportunity on the wing of Jordan Staal on Pittsburgh’s second line, which would be beneficial for Pittsburgh if Asham can create space for the other scorers.

Defense:

Pittsburgh lost a lot of skill on their power play with the departure of Sergei Gonchar, who was the team’s third-leading scorer with 50 points last season. But the team hopes that defenseman Alex Goligoski will help fill the void left on the point by Gonchar’s departure. The additions of Paul Martin and Zbynek Michalek will also help solidify the Penguins’ blue line and make the team difficult to play against. Martin has twice been plus-20 or better in his past three seasons and could have career highs in points with a more offensive-minded team like the Penguins.

Goaltending:

Marc-Andre Fluery and Brent Johnson will again handle the workload in net. Fluery had a solid season last year with 37 wins and a 2.65 goals against average along with a .905 save percentage. Expect more of the same from Fluery this year as the Penguins will need to him to steal a few games along the way. While Fleury will handle the majority of the workload, Johnson is more than capable as a backup and could get himself 15-20 starts and around 10 wins again this year.

Season Outlook:

Any team that boasts the likes of both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin is dangerous offensively, but the Penguins will need to be good on defense this year too. The loss of Sergei Gonchar will hurt the team, especially on the power play, but the additions of Martin and Michalek will certainly help fortify the team’s blue line and make them tough to score on. Expect the Penguins to definitely be playoff contenders come next April.

Key Offseason Additions: James Wisniewski, Mark Eaton, Milan Jurcina, Nino Niederreiter, Zenon Konopka, P.A. Parenteau

Last Season Ranking: 13th in East

John Tavares needs to have a big season for the Islanders to have a chance in 2010-11

Offense:

The New York Islanders are continuing to work with a young squad, spending much of the past decade rebuilding their team. This season, we should see tremendous growth out of the 2009 first overall draft pick, John Tavares. He started the 2009-10 campaign on a roll, and finished strong as well. Over the last 8 games of the season, he tallied 11 points. Throughout the middle of the season, however, Tavares struggled. As he develops and gets better, so will the Islanders.

To compliment Tavares, the Islanders have brought back 30 goal scorer Matt Moulson to play on his left wing. On the right wing will be Kyle Okposo. He put together a nice season last year, picking up 19 goals and 52 points, but is still only 22 years old. Okposo’s numbers have increased in each season with the Islanders, but with another year of experience under his belt, and playing alongside Tavares and Moulson, look for Okposo to have a real break out season.

Beyond the top line, the Islanders don’t have too much going on. While their lack of depth will hurt again this season, they have made some big strides. Blake Comeau is another youngster who put together a nice season last year, putting up 35 points in only 61 games. If he stays healthy, he’ll be a nice threat on the 2nd line. Additionally, we could see Rob Schremp really have a break out season. He was a highly touted prospect with the Oilers organization, but management didn’t really think he had a shot with the team. Instead, after coming to the Islanders, he put up 25 points in only 44 games, including 5 goals and 5 assists on the power play.

Finally, we have a couple of new additions to the squad. First, Nino Niederreiter, the 5th overall pick in the 2010 draft. He’s a Swiss stud who’s only 17 years old right now. He’ll turn 18 on September 8th, but is said to already have NHL size, and could very well see time with the big boys this fall. Nino has put up good numbers everywhere he’s been, including a 60 point campaign, in 65 games, last season with the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL. Beyond that, the Islanders brought in Zenon Konopka to protect the current and future stars. Konopka bullied his way to 265 penalty minutes with the Lightning last season, and will more than likely have a repeat performance.

Defense:

The defense continues to build up and add depth, just like the offense, but the 2010-11 line-up still won’t be enough. Leading the way is Mark Streit, one of the better defenseman in the game. He moves the puck very well, and is a star on the power play. Streit ended last season pretty hot, and should pick up right where he left off.

The new guys, James Wisniewski, Mark Eaton, and Milan Jurcina are all experienced defenseman. Wisniewski is the youngest, and has the most potential as well. He’ll see lots of time on the power play, and should have a pretty big impact at that role. Eaton should see time on the power play as well. Both he and Jurcina will pick up more responsibility with the Islanders than they had with their previous teams. Radek Martinek and Jack Hillen will also battle for ice time on defense.

Goaltending:

The Islanders have two skilled goaltenders in Rick DiPietro and Dwayne Roloson. However, DiPietro has only started 12 games in the past two seasons combined. His injury troubles have certainly plagued the team, but with Dwayne Roloson on the squad as well, they have two netminders who are capable of holding the number one spot. Expect a strong battle through training camp, and even into the season, for the number one goaltending position. If DiPietro can stay healthy, and regain his old form, he could earn back his position.

Season Outlook:

The New York Islanders are still in the midst of a rebuilding project, but the situation is definitely progressing. Youngsters like John Tavares, Kyle Okposo, Matt Moulson, and Rob Schremp will lead the way this season, while future stars such as Nino Niederreiter try to make the squad. Doug Weight will also return to add veteran leadership. Unfortunately, the Islanders still lack enough depth to be a true contender this season. A playoff appearance might not be out of the question though if all the pieces fall in to place and the Islanders can add some additional help at the trade deadline.

Key Offseason Additions: Jason Arnott, Johan Hedberg, Ilya Kovalchuk (?), Henrik Tallinder, Anton Volchenkov

Last Season Ranking: 2nd in the East

Offense: The New Jersey Devils have always been a defensive minded team but with the retirement of head coach Jacque Lemaire, the team is trying to spark some play in the opponents zone. With forwards such as Zach Parise and Travis Zajac it should be relatively easy to do. Include the possibility of a free agent signing of superstar Ilya Kovalchuk and  gritty forward Jason Arnott and the team has two solid lines of offensive threat.

The problem though lies in the third and fourth lines. With the new NHL being as fast paced as it is, all four lines need to produce. With the loss of gritty forward Rob Niedermayer, unfortunately veteran Brian Rolston is really incapable of carrying the load. Expect a top heavy team of only two NHL lines.

Goaltender Martin Brodeur is still the face of the franchise, yet with the lack of depth this season, don't expect the team to go far in the playoffs.

Defense: head coach Jacque Lemaire has retired and the defense that the Devils have been known for will go out the window. Well, perhaps not, as the team has picked up some quality defenders in Anton Volchenkov and Henrik Tallinder.

Much like the woes of the offense being only two lines, New Jersey will only have 1 defensive pairing worth while. Sure Andy Greene had a breakout year last season with 31 assists and 37 total points, but don’t expect that to happen again this year.

Goaltending: Is there really much to say besides the fact that goaltender Martin Brodeur is still unbelievably good at his age of 38? No, that just about sums it up really. The man is a beast, starting 76 games last season. Yet as some critics may say, all those games played during the regular season uses up just about everything come playoff time.

The Devils though may have come to their senses with the signing of Johan Hedberg. Hedberg comes in with a 2.93 goals against average and a .900 save percentage from a much lesser defensive minded team the Atlanta Thrashers.

Season Outlook: The New Jersey Devils are always a good team, as they need to be in one of the closest and toughest divisions within the East. The team though lacks the depth needed to really have a Stanley Cup run, especially if superstar Ilya Kovalchuk does not sign with the team. This late towards the start of the season, the Devils have put all their eggs in one basket and that is never a good thing. The major off season acquisitions are completed leaving a diluted free agency pool to fill the shoes of Kovalchuk, as if that is even possible.

Eastern Conference:

(1) Washington Capitals vs (8) Montreal Canadiens

Washington is one of the most deadly teams in terms of offense. They have a lot of firepower with Ovechkin, Backstrom, and Green. Expect this to be one of the shorter series in the playoffs, as Montreal doesn’t have much to overtake the Capitals. I won’t be surprised of Halak steals a game however. The juicy subplot to look is Caps goalie Theodore making a return to Montreal.

My Pick: Washington

(2) New Jersey vs (7) Philadelphia

Philly made the playoffs because they beat New York in a shootout. Most people hate the shootout, but I applaud Gary Bettman for bringing in the shootout to have every game a winner because under the old system, NY would have to win outright to make the playoffs. At least they came a shootout away from making it. New Jersey is perhaps the only team that can take out Washington, but first things first: and that’s to get past Philadelphia.

My Pick: New Jersey

(3) Buffalo vs (6) Boston

Buffalo goalie Ryan Miller has a lot of expectations this year. Sabres fans are expecting a deep playoff run, but if there is an upset here in the first round, it could be the pesky Bruins. Bruins backstop Tukka Rask is 4-1 against the Sabres, so he has the potential so steal a game or two in the series. It’s up to the rest of the Bruins to hold up their end of the deal to beat the Sabres.

My Pick: Buffalo

(4) Pittsburgh vs (5) Ottawa

Pittsburgh’s title defense begins with Ottawa. Pittsburgh has to hope for an upset in another series to avoid Washington in the second round. But they have to take care of their own business first. Ottawa simply isn’t as deep as Pittsburgh. Both goalies are like Sieves so expect a lot of goals in this series. Malkin’s return helps the Penguins score a few more goals than the Senators.

My Pick: Pittsburgh

Will these Chicago Ice Dancers continue to dance come June?

Western Conference

(1) San Jose vs (8) Colorado

San Jose is the top seed in the West. Can they make the championship run this season? They sure have the players needed. But it takes a couple steals of close games to push them over the top. If the West has a sweep in any series, look for it to be this one. San Jose can use the rest and clutch goaltending in the second round where their playoff trouble usually begins.

My Pick: San Jose

(2) Chicago vs (7) Nashville

Nashville did catch a break and will face someone not named Detroit or San Jose. But they did draw Chicago, which ended Detroit’s eight-year stranglehold on the division. This series will come down to the play of Rinne vs Chicago’s powerful offense. Look for Chicago to win the series, but Nashville’s defense will steal at least one, maybe two games.

My Pick: Chicago

(3) Vancouver vs (6) Los Angeles

Vancouver is like the west coast version of Buffalo. They both tend to get past the first round, but can’t get past the second. Roberto Luongo needs to get his head on straight because the Kings are no slouch. Los Angeles will be the surprise team of the playoffs, which is why I’m going out on a limb and saying that the Kings will win this series. The Canucks have been a fraud just like the Sharks and until both teams can advance to a Stanley Cup final, they will continue to be frauds.

My Pick: Los Angeles

(4) Phoenix vs (5) Detroit

Phoenix drew the unlucky draw and the pleasure of facing the hottest team in the league Detroit. The teams haven’t met in the playoffs since 1998 when the Red Wings advanced in six games on their way to the Stanley Cup. Jimmy Howard has the opportunity to play himself into Red Wings lore as the young goalie who can win a championship like teammate Chris Osgood. Or he can prove the doubters wrong like they did Curtis Joseph several years ago. Phoenix isn’t easy but it was the best matchup Detroit could have asked for.

My Pick: Detroit

Below is my playoff bracket.

Yesterday the “small” three conferences were previewed. Today, the “big” three conferences are previewed.

Hockey East: Terriers Hope to eat Competition Again

Boston University won the National Championship in one of the greatest hockey games you will ever see. With an extra-attacker on the ice and trailing Miami 3-1, the Terriers scored twice in the final minute and took the title 11:47 in the first OT period to win the title for the first time since 1995. In one of the toughest conferences in the nation, the Terriers received six of the 10 first-place votes in the coaches poll. In addition to the Terriers, look for UMass-Lowell and  Boston College attempt to dethrone Boston U with Vermont leading the rest of the teams in the conference.

CCHA: Both Coaches and Media Hail to the Victors in Michigan

Michigan forward Louie Caporusso hopes to lead the Wolverines to the Frozen Four at Ford Field in April.

For the first time in four years, both the coaches and media agree on the same team in the preseason poll. The Wolverines are always a favorite in the conference, as they have qualified for the NCAA Tournament 19 years in a row. That is quite an astonishing streak considering the amount of turnover due to graduations and players turning professional. Like Michigan State in basketball, Michigan hockey has the chance to play for a national title in its own backyard as it’s only 44 miles from Yost Ice Arena to Ford Field. Look for Miami and Notre Dame to challenge Michigan at the top of the standings, with Miami taking the tournament championship.

WCHA: Pioneers are Head of the Class

Denver finished last season with a bad taste in its mouth. One of the top teams in the nation, they lost to #5 seed Minnesota- Duluth in the WCHA Championship game. The following weekend they lost in the first round to eventual runners-up Miami. The Pioneers look to bounce back in what was a down year for the league as only three teams qualified for the tournament. A sharp contrast compared to 2005 when five teams qualified and all Frozen Four participants came from the WCHA. There’s several teams that can challenge the Pioneers, including Minnesota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin. Look for the Badgers to take the conference title this season.