NHL Preview
Pittsburgh, PA – Team-by-team capsules for the Eastern Conference, listed in 2008-09 season order of finish:
ATLANTIC DIVISION
NEW JERSEY DEVILS
LAST SEASON: 51-27-4, 106 points. Lost to Carolina 4-3 in first round.
COACH: Jacques Lemaire, 6th season, 199-122-57 (1993-1998); 16th overall, 540-414-177.
ADDED: C Rob Niedermayer. G Yann Danis, D Cory Murphy.
LOST: RW Brian Gionta, C John Madden, D Niclas Havelid, C Bobby Holik, G Kevin Weekes, LW Michael Rupp, G Scott Clemmensen.
PLAYER TO WATCH: G Martin Brodeur, who became the NHL’s winningest goalie last season with his 552nd victory, is one game away from 1,000 and 30 shy of tying Patrick Roy for career games played by a goalie (1,029). He needs two shutouts to tie Terry Sawchuk’s career mark of 103.
back in 1995. Zach Parise had a breakout year last season, posting career highs with 45 goals, 49 assists, 94 points and 14 power-play goals. He even netted 14 winning goals as the Devils overcame the loss of Brodeur for 50 games and won the Atlantic Division. New Jersey will have to shake off the crushing Game 7 loss to Carolina in which the Devils allowed the tying and winning goals to be scored in the final 80 seconds.
—
PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
LAST SEASON: 45-28-9, 99 points. Won Stanley Cup 4-3 over Detroit.
COACH: Dan Bylsma, 2nd season, 18-3-4. 2nd overall.
ADDED: LW Mike Rupp, D Jay McKee, G Brent Johnson.
LOST: RW Petr Sykora, RW Miroslav Satan, D Rob Scuderi, D Hal Gill, D Philippe Boucher, C Mike Zigomanis, G Mathieu Garon, RW Bill Thomas.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Evgeni Malkin, who burst out of the shadow of Sidney Crosby to lead the NHL in scoring in the regular season with 113 points and in the playoffs with 36 points. That was enough to earn the Conn Smythe Trophy as postseason MVP.
seasons. He was seventh in the league with 185 blocked shots and posted a plus-11 rating with St. Louis last season. Crosby, the youngest NHL captain of a Stanley Cup champion, has 397 points in 290 NHL games over four seasons. His 1.37 points-per-game average is fifth highest in league history.
—
PHILADELPHIA FLYERS
LAST SEASON: 44-27-11, 99 points. Lost to Pittsburgh 4-2 in first round.
COACH: John Stevens, 4th season, 107-98-33. 4th overall.
ADDED: D Chris Pronger, C Ryan Dingle, G Ray Emery, RW Ian Laperriere, G Brian Boucher, D Ole-Kristian Tollefsen, C Blair Betts.
LOST: G Antero Niittymaki, G Martin Biron, RW Joffrey Lupul, D Luca Sbisa, RW Mike Knuble, D Andrew Alberts, D Lasse Kukkonen.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Ray Emery. The Flyers’ seemingly never-ending search for consistent goaltending has led them to the fiery Emery, who wore out his welcome with the Ottawa Senators two seasons ago and then spent a troubled year in Russia’s KHL.
turns to the Eastern Conference for the first time since 1995 with the Hartford Whalers. The easier travel should help Pronger and his mid-30s legs. 6-6, 214-lb. Pronger has been in the playoffs 11 times in 16 NHL seasons. With Anaheim last season, he was second in the NHL in total ice time (2,183 minutes, 20 seconds) and average per game (26:57). Jeff Carter will try to match last season, when he posted career highs with 46 goals and 38 assists.
—
NEW YORK RANGERS
LAST SEASON: 43-30-9, 95 points. Lost to Washington 4-3 in first round.
COACH: John Tortorella, 3rd season, 12-10-3 (including 1999-2000 season); 10th overall, 251-232-77.
ADDED: RW Marian Gaborik, LW Donald Brashear, D Matt Gilroy, LW Chris Higgins, C Tyler Arnason, RW Ales Kotalik, RW Enver Lisin, F Vinny Prospal.
LOST: C Scott Gomez, RW Nik Antropov, RW Nikolai Zherdev, LW Markus Naslund, D Paul Mara, D Derek Morris, LW Lauri Korpikoski, LW Fredrik Sjostrom, C Blair Betts, RW Colton Orr.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Marian Gaborik. He will be needed to carry the offense in a way the Rangers haven’t had since Jaromir Jagr. Gaborik was brought in to replace Scott Gomez, who was traded to Montreal after two disappointing seasons, but will need to stay healthy to do it.
ls and 17 games last season due to injuries. After sitting out first four preseason games this month due to groin soreness, Gaborik had two goals and two assists in two games. The Rangers’ fortunes, however, are in the hands of All-Star goalie Henrik Lundqvist. He is sixth in team history with 142 wins in four seasons, and seventh in shutouts with 20. Lundqvist allowed fewer than three goals 44 times last season and became the first NHL goalie to start a career with four straight 30-win seasons.
—
NEW YORK ISLANDERS
LAST SEASON: 26-47-9, 61 points. Out of playoffs.
COACH: Scott Gordon, 2nd season, 26-47-9. 2nd overall.
ADDED: C John Tavares, G Dwayne Roloson, G Martin Biron, LW Matt Moulson.
LOST: C Mike Sillinger, C Dean McAmmond, D Thomas Pock, G Joey MacDonald, LW Andy Hilbert.
PLAYER TO WATCH: John Tavares. Although he has yet to play in a regular-season NHL game yet, Tavares – the No. 1 pick in this year’s NHL draft – is already being counted on to rescue the Islanders on and off the ice.
ted Nassau Coliseum. For now, Scott Gordon will make due with a roster loaded with youth and lacking much veteran talent. Roloson and Biron will share goaltending duties in the absence of franchise player Rick DiPietro, who has no timetable to return from knee injuries that limited him to five games last season. Look for further development from past first-round picks Kyle Okposo and Josh Bailey. Okposo had 18 goals and 21 assists in 65 games last season, his first full year in the NHL.
—
NORTHEAST DIVISION
BOSTON BRUINS
LAST SEASON: 53-19-10, 116 points. Lost to Carolina 4-3 in conference semifinals.
COACH: Claude Julien, 3rd season, 94-48-31; 7th overall, 213-134-64.
ADDED: Signed C Steve Begin, D Johnny Boychuk, D Derek Morris, D Andy Wozniewski.
LOST: C Phil Kessel, G Manny Fernandez, LW P.J. Axelsson, D Steve Montador, C Stephane Yelle, D Aaron Ward, D Shane Hnidy.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Tim Thomas. The goalie led the Bruins to 53 wins and 116 points, their highest totals since the 1971-72 season. He led the NHL in goals against average (2.10) and save percentage (.933) and earned a career-high 36 wins. The Vezina Trophy winner has his sights on a repeat performance and a prominent place on the U.S. Olympic team.
rom the No. 8 seed in 2008 to No. 1 in 2009, the season ended in disappointing fashion with a Game 7 home loss to upstart Carolina in the second round. Chara helped the Bruins allow a league-low 2.29 goals per game last season. He was sixth in average ice time at just over 26 minutes per game and 12th among defensemen with 50 points – including 19 goals. Boston will need to find a way to replace the team-high 36 goals scored by Phil Kessel, who was traded to Toronto after the Bruins failed to reach a contract agreement with the restricted free agent.
—
MONTREAL CANADIENS
LAST SEASON: 41-30-11, 93 points. Lost to Boston 4-0 in first round.
COACH: Jacques Martin, 1st season; 15th overall, 517-406-175.
ADDED: C Scott Gomez, LW Mike Cammalleri, D Jaroslav Spacek, D Hal Gill, RW Brian Gionta, D Paul Mara, LW Travis Moen.
LOST: RW Alex Kovalev, C Saku Koivu, LW Alex Tanguay, C Robert Lang, D Mathieu Schneider, LW Chris Higgins, RW Tom Kostopoulos, RW Mathieu Dandenault, D Mike Komisarek, D Francis Bouillon, D Patrice Brisebois.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Scott Gomez. After spending his first nine NHL seasons with either New Jersey or the New York Rangers, the Alaska native heads north of the border. He will be expected to return to his strong playmaking ways and pick up the offensive slack created by the departure of former Canadiens star forward Alex Kovalev.
g intensive French language courses to fit in better in his new surroundings. Having grown up in the Devils system under general manager Lou Lamoriello and a strong Montreal influence, he is well-versed in the ways of discipline and how the Canadiens run their organization. Martin, the former longtime coach of the Ottawa Senators, returns to the Northeast Division after a stint with the Florida Panthers. Cammalleri’s arrival from Calgary should help the offense, too. He posted 82 points (39 goals, 43 assists) in 81 games last season. He was second in the NHL with 19 power-play goals. It will be strange to see someone else wearing the ‘C’ now that longtime captain Saku Koivu has left for Anaheim.
—
BUFFALO SABRES
LAST SEASON: 41-32-9, 91 points. Out of playoffs.
COACH: Lindy Ruff, 12th season, 438-334-130. 12th overall.
ADDED: D Steve Montador, D Joe DiPenta, C Cody McCormick, RW Mike Grier, LW Jeff Cowan.
LOST: C Dominic Moore, D Jaroslav Spacek, RW Maxim Afinogenov, D Teppo Numminen, LW Andrew Peters, G Mikael Tellqvist.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Ryan Miller. He needs 11 victories in goal to move into second place on the Sabres’ career list behind Dominik Hasek. Miller is 146-86-26 in 264 games and will be the driving force if the Sabres are to return to the playoffs after a two-year absence.
at least 30 games in four straight seasons. The Sabres went 7-14-3 when Miller didn’t get a decision. C Derek Roy led the team in scoring for the second straight season. His 70 points, including 28 goals, were six more than Thomas Vanek, who scored 40 goals. Vanek hit the 40-goal mark for the second time in three seasons and scored half of his goals on the power play. He has 65 man-advantage goals in four NHL seasons.
—
OTTAWA SENATORS
LAST SEASON: 36-35-11, 83 points. Out of playoffs.
COACH: Cory Clouston, 2nd season, 19-11-4. 2nd overall.
ADDED: RW Alex Kovalev, RW Jonathan Cheechoo, LW Milan Michalek.
LOST: LW Dany Heatley, C Mike Comrie, D Brendan Bell, D Jason Smith, G Alex Auld.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Alex Kovalev. The enigmatic forward switches sides in the heated Canadiens-Senators rivalry after five seasons with Montreal. Kovalev has 394 goals and 547 assists in 1,151 games in 16 NHL seasons with the New York Rangers, Pittsburgh and Montreal.
‘s team-high 39 goals. Cheechoo scored an NHL-best 56 goals in the 2005-06 season with San Jose, but has totaled 72 in the three seasons since – including only 12 last season in 66 games.
—
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
LAST SEASON: 34-35-13, 81 points. Out of playoffs.
COACH: Ron Wilson, 2nd season, 34-35-13; 16th overall, 552-461-160.
ADDED: D Mike Komisarek, C Phil Kessel, RW Colton Orr, D Garnet Exelby, D Francois Beauchemin, G Jonas Gustavsson, C Wayne Primeau, G Joey MacDonald.
LOST: D Pavel Kubina, D Anton Stralman, C Boyd Devereaux, LW Brad May, G Martin Gerber, RW Jeff Hamilton, LW Ryan Hollweg, G Justin Pogge, G Curtis Joseph, RW Ben Ondrus.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Phil Kessel. The 21-year-old forward got out of Boston, and the Maple Leafs paid a big price in players and salary to get him. He will be hard-pressed to match the career-high 36 goals he scored last season as he is expected to miss the start of the season while recovering from rotator cuff surgery.
ange of 200 in each category. He will also help in the development of 19-year-old defenseman Luke Schenn, who made his presence felt in his rookie season – leading rookie defensemen with 206 hits and all first-year players with 119 blocked shots. He recorded over 20 minutes of ice time in 49 games last season.
—
SOUTHEAST DIVISION
WASHINGTON CAPITALS
LAST SEASON: 50-24-8, 108 points. Lost to Pittsburgh 4-3 in conference semifinals.
COACH: Bruce Boudreau, 3rd season, 87-41-15; 3rd overall.
ADDED: RW Mike Knuble, C Brendan Morrison.
LOST: C Viktor Kozlov, C Sergei Fedorov, LW Donald Brashear, D Bryan Helmer, D Sami Lepisto, G Brent Johnson.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Mike Green. He led NHL defensemen with 73 points last season, including 31 goals. Green set an NHL record for defensemen by scoring a goal in eight consecutive games, and was the seventh defenseman with a 30-goal season.
letting the puck fly. He recorded 528 shots on goal last season, second only in NHL history to the 550 Phil Esposito had during the 1970-71 season. The Capitals also have strong offensive firepower up front with Nicklas Backstrom and Alexander Semin. An interesting competition in goal could be waged between veteran Jose Theodore and Semyon Varlamov, who emerged as a clutch player when he seemingly came out of nowhere and backstopped Washington’s comeback from a 3-1 series deficit to the New York Rangers in the first round. He struggled after that against eventual champion Pittsburgh.
—
CAROLINA HURRICANES
LAST SEASON: 45-30-7, 97 points. Lost to Pittsburgh 4-0 in conference finals.
COACH: Paul Maurice, 11th season, 301-310-120 (including 1995-2004); 13th overall, 377-376-142.
ADDED: RW Tom Kostopoulos, D Andrew Alberts, C Tuomo Ruutu, D Aaron Ward, C Stephane Yelle.
LOST: D Anton Babchuk, D Dennis Seidenberg, RW Patrick Eaves, LW Ryan Bayda, LW Dan LaCouture, D Frantisek Kaberle.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Eric Staal. The Hurricanes’ top offensive threat scored 40 goals last season, the fourth time he netted at least 30. He sparked the Hurricanes’ deep playoff run with a winning goal with 32 seconds left in Game 7 at New Jersey against Martin Brodeur.
al, and carried that over to the playoffs. They won seven of the eight games in which he had a goal. He has missed only one game due to injury, and has played in 336 consecutive games – the second-longest active run in the NHL. Under the guidance of Paul Maurice, who came on in December for his second Carolina stint, the Hurricanes went 33-19-5 before topping New Jersey and top-seeded Boston in the playoffs. Maurice coached Carolina to the finals in 2002. Cam Ward, who backstopped Carolina’s championship run in 2006, was on top of his game last season, too. He started 28 straight games from Feb. 7-April 9, going 19-7-2 with a 2.30 goals-against average. LW Ray Whitney scored 24 goals, the eighth time in 17 NHL seasons he netted at least 20.
—
FLORIDA PANTHERS
LAST SEASON: 41-30-11, 93 points. Out of playoffs.
COACH: Peter DeBoer, 2nd season, 41-30-11; 2nd overall.
ADDED: C Steve Reinprecht, D Jordan Leopold, G Scott Clemmensen, D Ville Koistinen, C Jeff Taffe, D Dennis Seidenberg.
LOST: D Jay Bouwmeester, RW Richard Zednik, LW Ville Peltonen, D Steve Eminger, D Jassen Cullimore, C Anthony Stewart, G Craig Anderson.
PLAYER TO WATCH: C Steve Reinprecht. An acquisition from the Phoenix Coyotes, Reinprecht has scored at least 40 points in five of his eight NHL seasons. He will provide a veteran presence to a group of young forwards. He has scored 120 goals in 552 NHL games.
CING: LW David Booth has gone from three goals in the 2006-07 season to 22 the following season to a team-high 31 last season. Tomas Vokoun hasn’t missed a beat in two seasons with the Panthers after spending the bulk of his career with Nashville. He went 26-23-6 with a 2.49 goals-against average and a career-high six shutouts in 59 games. He has won at least 25 games in six straight seasons, and has 56 wins and 10 shutouts since joining Florida. Under DeBoer in his first season as coach, the Panthers posted their best record in nine years. Florida earned points in 31 of its last 45 games.
—
ATLANTA THRASHERS
LAST SEASON: 35-41-6, 76 points. Out of playoffs.
COACH: John Anderson, 2nd season, 35-41-6; 2nd overall.
ADDED: C Evander Kane, D Pavel Kubina, RW Tim Stapleton, RW Nik Antropov, C Jason Krog, RW Anthony Stewart, D Noah Welch.
LOST: C Eric Perrin, D Garnet Exelby, LW Colin Stuart.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Nik Antropov. The towering free-agent forward joined the Thrashers after splitting last season between Toronto and the New York Rangers. He has scored 54 goals over the last two seasons, including a career-best 28 along with 59 points last season.
g 43 goals, in 79 games. Kovalchuk is the only NHL player with at least 40 goals in the past five seasons. Bryan Little has been a great addition to the offensive mix. The No. 12 pick in the 2006 draft scored 31 goals last season, his second in the NHL. Rookie D Zach Bogosian bounced back from a broken leg that forced him to miss 10 weeks of his rookie season and played a season-high 28 1/2 minutes on March 14 at Buffalo. He recorded points in 10 of his final 16 games, netting six goals and 11 points.
—
TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
LAST SEASON: 24-40-18, 66 points. Out of playoffs.
COACH: Rick Tocchet, 2nd season, 19-33-14; 2nd overall.
ADDED: D Victor Hedman, D Mattias Ohlund, D Matt Walker, LW Stephane Veilleux, D Kurtis Foster, G Antero Niittymaki, LW Todd Fedoruk, D David Hale, LW Drew Miller, LW Alex Tanguay.
LOST: LW Vaclav Prospal, RW Evgeny Artyukhin, RW Radim Vrbata, D Cory Murphy, LW Matt Pettinger, D Josef Melichar, D Marek Malik, LW David Koci, D Noah Welch, G Karri Ramo.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Young D Victor Hedman and veteran D Mattias Ohlund, both from Sweden. Ohlund was the Canucks’ career leading scoring defenseman with 325 points – 93 goals – in 11 seasons. Hedman is 6-foot-6 and only 18 years old. He had seven goals and 14 assists in 43 games in the Swedish Elite League and was the rookie of the year.
for the Lightning, who fired coach Barry Melrose last season just 16 games into the season. RW Martin St. Louis scored 30 goals for the fifth time in six seasons and led the team with 80 points. He has missed only two games in six seasons. Vincent Lecavalier is all over the Lightning record book, topping the team in career goals (302), assists (367), points (669), power-play goals (85), game-winning goals (47) and games (787). He will be able to mentor Steven Stamkos, last year’s No. 1 overall draft pick, who finished with 32 points (19 goals, 13 assists) in his final 39 games. He had only 14 points in the first 40 games.
Posted: 9/25/09 8:23PM ET