30 Teams/30 Days: Montreal Canadiens

Outlook:

We all know what happened during the Montreal Canadiens 100th season in 2008-09; From the drama both on and off the ice up until the season ended on a sour note when their arch-nemesis the Boston Bruins swept them in the first round. With the housecleaning project during the offseason, it is now time for the Habs to put the Centennial Drama aside.

The first order of business at the Bell Centre was the sale of the Canadiens.

With a sale almost signed, sealed, and deilivered, George Gillett will sell the team to Geoff Molson, who along with brothers Andrew and Justin, will take over the majority ownership of the team. Let’s not forget the Molson’s are no stranger to hockey or the Habs. Under the Molson family, the Habs won 11 Stanley Cups and not to forget when the Bell Centre opened in 1996, it was first known as the Molson Centre.

Another priority was to name a new head coach.

After General Manager Bob Gainey fired Guy Carbonneau on March 9, Gainey himself took over in interim duties, which resulted in a disastrous finish to the season.

This year ex-Florida Panther GM Jacques Martin will come in as head coach. This will be Martin’s fourth NHL team as he was previously a coach for two teams; the St. Louis Blues and the Ottawa Senators.

The pieces were in place for the Draft and free agency period. While Gainey and the Habs were relatively quiet on draft day, the team made some noteable moves during the offseason.

Scott Gomez was acquired by the Canadiens as part of a seven-player trade from the New York Rangers who in return got Chris Higgins as the big return.

The day after, the Habs signed Brian Gionta from the New Jersey Devils on the first day of free agency. Gomez and Gionta in the past had great chemistry with the Devils, so it will be interesting to see what happens there.

That same day, the Habs signed Mike Cammallieri, who had a career year with the Calgary Flames in 2008-09, and defensemen Jaroslav Spacek and Hal Gill. Travis Moen, Gregory Stewart and Paul Mara were signed by the Habs post July 1.

However, with the notable additions made during the offseason, there was some significance of those who departed. Along with Higgins, former captain Saku Koivu signed with Anaheim, Alexi Kovalev is heading to Ottawa, Alex Tanguay will make his home in the sunshine state with Tampa Bay and Mike Komisarek has departed for Toronto.

The current core from last year is still solid however. Andrei Markov is still an elite defenseman and a power play threat while veteran Roman Hamrlik and Josh Georges will depth to the defensive core and Ryan O’Byrne will be an extra on the blueline.

Returning forwards include Andrei Kostitsyn and Tomas Plekanec, who both should light the lamp more often in 2009-10. Guillaume Latendresse and Maxim Lapierre provide more offense, while Georges Laraque and Sergei Kostitsyn will stabilize the checking line.

While there are a lot of questions about the Canadiens season in 2009-10, Habs fans should still see some postseason hockey. The Boston Bruins are still the team to beat in the Northeast Division, even without Kessel and even though they haven’t made the playoffs in two seasons, the Buffalo Sabres are slightly ahead of them.

However, looking at the Eastern Conference in general, the New York Rangers still don’t have a No. 1 center, and Toronto, Ottawa and Tampa Bay are still beneath the Habs.

Montreal will be in the playoffs again in their 101st season. After that however, goaltender Carey Price will need to show up if the Habs are to go anywhere in the playoffs.

Prediction: Third in Northeast, Eighth in East

Projected Lines:

Michael Cammalleri – Scott Gomez – Brian Gionta
Guillaume Latandresse – Maxim Lapierre – Andrei Kostitsyn
Travis Moen – Tomas Plekanec – Sergei Kostitsyn
Max Pacioretty – Glen Metropolit – Georges Laraque

Andrei Markov – Roman Hamrlik
Jaroslav Spacek – Hal Gill
Paul Mara – Josh Georges

Carey Price
Jaroslav Halak

30 Teams/30 Days: Minnesota Wild

Outlook:

The Marian Gaborik era in Minnesota is over and now the Wild will move on. Okay injury history aside, it might have been risky to sign him, but he’ll still be a big loss nonetheless.

With Gaborik off to Broadway and playing for the New York Rangers, the Wild went out and signed Martin Havlat, who was last seen with the Chicago Blackhawks. Havlat, who was instrumental to the Hawks playoff run last year, comes to a team that had Mikko Koivu, Andrew Brunette and Owen Nolan as their only 20-plus goal scorers. The addition of Havlat should help the goal-scoring department, but other players have to step up.

Pierre-Marc Bouchard has stepped up in the offensive department for the past few years, and has posted one 20-goal season in his career. If the native of Sherbrooke, Quebec can post anywhere between 20 and 30 goals this year, then the Wild could make some noise, with that extra goal scorer. Antti Miettinen could be on the verge for a career year, while Eric Belanger should also chip in on offense.

While the offense still has question marks in Minnesota, the Wild’s defense is still very strong.

In his first season in Minnesota, Marek Zidlicki showed that he’s still a threat on the power play as he tied his career high in power play goals with 10. The former Nashville Predator had 12 goals last year for the Wild.

Brent Burns returns to the Wild blueline along with Kim Johnsson and Nick Schultz. Two notable additions during the offseason were Greg Zanon from Nashville and Shane Hnidy from the Boston Bruins.

Elite goaltender and Niklas Backstrom is back for 2009-10, while Josh Harding, should get some time in as the No. 2 goaltender.

This year will be a season of change for the Wild. Gaborik is gone and so is General Manager Doug Risebrough, who was the first GM in Wild history, and head coach Jacques Lemaire.

With new GM Chuck Fletcher and new head coach Chuck Fletcher with the team, this year will be a work in progress. But with that said, they are still one of many playoff contenders in the Western Conference.

Prediction: Fourth in Northwest, 13th in West

Projected Lines:

Andrew Brunette – Mikko Koivu – Martin Havlat
Owen Nolan – Pierre-Marc Bouchard – Antti Miettinen
Benoit Poullot – James Sheppard – Eric Belanger
Robbie Earl – Colton Gillies – Kyle Brodziak

Kim Johnsson – Brent Burns
Marek Zidlicky – Nick Schultz
Shane Hnidy – Greg Zanon

Niklas Backstrom
Josh Harding

30 Teams/30 Days: Florida Panthers

Will the Panthers make the postseason for the first time since 2000?

Outlook:

The Florida Panthers have not made the playoffs since 2000, and while they were in the playoff race during the last week of the 2008-09 season, don’t expect head coach Peter DeBorer and company to have similar results in 2009-10.

While it is true that the Panthers have a lot of young and up-in-coming talent on the roster, particularly at forward, they’re still going to be hit hard at defense, with the departure of Jay Bouwmeester.

Not all news is bad news however at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise. The Panthers went out and signed goaltneder Scott Clemmensen during the summer, filling the void left by Craig Anderson, who signed with Colorado. While Tomas Vokun might be the No. 1 goaltender right now (and deservingly so), lets not forget that Clemmensen did a great job filling in for the winningest goaltender of all time—Martin Brodeur—last year in New Jersey.

Two other notable additions to the Panthers are forward Steven Reinprecht and defenseman Jordan Leopold.

Reinprecht, who was last wearing a Coyotes uniform, might not be the most exciting player on the ice, but he brings a lot to the table, especially on special teams.

A former Hobey Baker winner at the University of Minnesota, Leopold had his best year with the Flames in 2003-04 during their run to the Stanley Cup. The ex-Flame and Avalanche has not seen similar success in the post-lockout era, but he’s a good playmaker on the blueline nonetheless.

As mentioned before, the young and up-in-coming forwards on the Panthers roster could shine this year. David Booth led the team in goals last year and should benefit from having Nathan Horton and Stephen Weiss with him on line one. Michael Frolik had a solid rookie season in 2008-09 and should improve on that with Reinprecth and Cory Stillman beside him on line two.

There are still a few question marks however with the checking lines. Can Radek Dvorak remain consistent? Will this be a breakthrough year for Gregory Campbell? Which veteran forward will step up? All these questions, obviously, still need answers.

Defensively, the Panthers of course lost Bouwmeester, Nick Boynton and Karlis Skrastins during the offseason. While they only added Leopold the losses of Boynton, Skrastins and Jay-Bo will hurt significantly, at least for now.

Bryan McCabe, who was acquired via trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs last year, is back and Keith Ballard, after spending the first three years of his career in Phoenix, had a solid first season in Florida. Bryan Allen returns from injury and his presence will help, and former Nashville Predator Villie Koistinen, should see more playing time with the Panthers.

That leaves one spot left on the blueline. Many believe that will go to Keaton Ellerby, a first round pick of the Panthers from 2007. Jordan Henry should also compete for that spot, but Ellerby has more upside.

The departure of Jay-Bo will hurt the Panthers in 2009-10 and right now there is not enough goal scoring on the roster, despite having Booth, Horton, and Frolik on the roster. Those three are up-and-coming stars don’t get me wrong, but they still need additional goal scoring.

And while Vokun and Clemmenssen make a good goaltending combination, opposing offenses will be firing at will on these two goaltenders.

The Panthers have gotten a bit worse, and will still have to wait to make their first trip to the playoffs since 2000.

Prediction: Fourth in Southeast Dvision, 13th in Eastern Conference

Projected Lines:

David Booth – Stephen Weiss – Nathan Horton
Cory Stillman – Steven Reinprecht – Michael Frolik
Rostislav Olsez – Gregory Campbell – Radek Dvorak
Michal Repik – Kamil Kreps – Shawn Matthias

Bryan McCabe – Keith Ballard
Jordan Leopold – Bryan Allen
Villie Koistinen – Keaton Ellerby

Tomas Vokun
Scott Clemmensen

30 Teams/30 Days: Edmonton Oilers

Outlook:

A few years removed from a Stanley Cup appearance, the Edmonton Oilers have done nothing much since, missing the playoffs in each of the last three seasons. Needless to the say, it was time for some housecleaning for the upcoming season.

The first order of business was in the management department. On May 26, the Oilers named two-time Jack Adams award winner Pat Quinn as their head coach.

An ex-Memorial Cup dual champion as an owner and a player (with the Edmonton Oil Kings), Quinn has led two teams to the Stanley Cup Finals—Philadelphia and Vancouver. Quinn also had a stint as head coach with the Los Angeles Kings and most recently with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Although he hasn’t coached since 2006, make no mistake about it, Kevin Lowe, Steve Tambellini and company made the right choice to hire Quinn. Former New York Rangers head coach Tom Renney comes in as the associate head coach.

The biggest acquisition for the Oilers roster unquestionably is goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin. A former Stanley Cup champion with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004, “The Bulin Wall” was least seen in a Chicago Blackhawks uniform from 2005-09.

While spectacular at times, Khabibulin has shown some inconsistency at times as well, but his addition is an upgrade from the departed Dwayne Roloson, who signed with the New York Islanders during the summer.

With that being said however, the Oilers did not improve much on offense, which was ranked in the bottom half of the league in scoring. Mike Comrie returns to Edmonton, but he has been plagued by inconsistency since his last 30-goal season in 2005-06 with Phoenix.

The missing piece in Edmonton is consistent goal scoring from the forwards. Defenseman Sheldon Souray had 23 goals and so did forward Ales Hemsky, but those were the only two players who lit the lamp over 20 times last year.

Andrew Cogliano and Sam Gagner should continue to improve this year but Dustin Penner and Shawn Horcoff need to step up need to step up their game. A healthy Fernando Pisani and a full season from Patrick O’Sullivan—who was acquired from the Kings in the Trade Deadline—should also help the Oilers this year.

The presence of “The Bulin Wall” should help the Oilers D, which was ranked 22nd in goals against last year. Souray, Lubomir Visnovsky and Tom Gilbert are good puck moving defenseman and should all contribute to the power play, while Steve Staios and Ladislav Smid stay at home on the blueline. Denis Grebeshkov, had a career high in points, and can play both roles.

While the Oilers should improve this year, let’s not forget they are in a brutal Western Conference. As stated before, the battle for the eighth and final playoff spot could come down to the final day of the season.

Columbus, Minnesota, Nashville, Dallas and Los Angeles all could be in the battle with Edmonton for eighth. While I have Edmonton out of the playoff race, and finishing 11th in the West, they should improve on their 85 point total from 2008-09.

Prediction: Third in Northwest, 11th in West

Projected Lines:

Mike Comrie – Shawn Hocroff – Ales Hemsky
Patrick O’Sullivan – Sam Gagner – Dustin Penner
Ethan Moreau – Andrew Cogliano – Fernando Pisani
Robert Nilsson – Marc Pouliot – Zack Storini

Sheldon Souray – Lubomir Visnovsky
Denis Grebeshkov – Tom Gilbert
Ladislav Smid – Steve Staios

Nikolai Khabibulin
Jeff Delsauriers

30 Teams/30 Days: Columbus Blue Jackets

Outlook:

Despite being swept by the eventual Western Conference Champion Detroit Red Wings, the Columbus Blue Jackets made their first playoff appearance in team history. That alone is a notable accomplishment.

Under head coach Ken Hitchcock, many Blue Jackets had career years in 2008-09, and more importantly, they should be set in goal with last year’s Calder Trophy Winner, Steve Mason.

In 61 games, the then 20-year-old goaltender had a year that any rookie goaltender would want to have. To prove that, Mason had 10 shutouts, which was tops in the league, a 2.29 goals against average, second in the league, and was tied for ninth in wins with 33.

While Mason certainly deserves a lot of credit, the CBJ also saw Rick Nash post another 40-goal season and R.J. Umberger, who played his college nearby for the Ohio State University, had a career high in goals.

Nash and Umberger are back for another year and Antoine Vermette, who was acquired from Ottawa at the Trade Deadline, had seven goals in 17 games with the Blue Jackets. With his first full season in Columbus ahead of him, Vermette should benefit from the presence of Nash and Umberger.

Kristian Huselius also returns for the upcoming year for his second year with the CBJ. The veteran from Sweden and five-time 20-plus-goal scorer should see similar results from his first year in Columbus.

Former first round pick Derick Brassard should see more playing time this year and has plenty of potential. Another first round pick from 2007, Jakub Voracek, should see more ice time in his second season.

With a lot of upside and potential in the scoring department, the Blue Jackets did lose their share of forwards. Jason Williams left the team and went back to Detroit, while Michael Peca, Manny Malhotra and Jiri Novotny are still on the free agent market.

On defense, the Blue Jackets are looking solid for the upcoming year. Fedor Tyutin is a reliable option for the power play and while Mike Commodore and Jan Hejda are both more of a stay-at-home defenseman, they too can be puck movers when needed. A healthy Rostislav Klesla should help improve the defense and Kris Russel and Mark Methot should see improvements in their games.

After their first playoff appearance last year, and with a lot of talent, this will still be a difficult task for the CBJ to return to the postseason for a second straight year. The Western Conference is very competitive, and a lot of teams beneath them have improved.

On top of that, the central division looks like one of the toughest divisions in the NHL. Detroit and Chicago are the teams to beat still, while the St. Louis Blues have what it takes to be a potential sleeper team, and Columbus and Nashville are certainly playoff worthy.

Outside the division there are more contenders with an improved LA Kings squad as well as the Minnesota Wild (even with a shakeup in management) and the Dallas Stars, who should never be counted out of contention even though they missed the playoffs last year.

There could be four or five teams battling it out for the last playoff spot or two come crunch time, and while Columbus is one of those teams right now, I see them just missing the playoffs in 2009-10.

Prediction: Fourth in Central, Ninth in West

Projected Lines:

Rick Nash – R.J. Umberger – Jakub Voracek
Fredrik Modin – Derick Brassard – Kristian Huselius
Raffi Tores – Antoine Vermette – Jared Boll
Jason Chimera – Andrew Murray – Sammy Pahlsson

Fedor Tyutin – Mike Commodore
Jan Hejda – Rostislav Kesla
Kris Russell – Marc Methot

Steve Mason
Mathieu Garon

30 Teams/30 Days: Colorado Avalanche

Outlook:

Once a dominant franchise, the Colorado Avalanche have taken a step back in the post-lockout era. Granted the team has seen their share of injuries, but the Avs have also seen their fare share of departures as well. During the 2009 offseason, the departures hit hard.

Joe Sakic, the team’s leader since they were located in Quebec, has retired after 20 seasons with the organization. While it was time for Sakic to hang up the skates, he was certainly the face of that franchise, and his presence on and off the ice is irreplaceable. However, some consider that the future of the Avalanche organization was drafted in the first round of this year’s draft.

Matt Duchene, drafted third overall, tallied 79 points (31 g, 48 a) last season with Brampton of the Ontario Hockey League. Fellow Avs forward Wojtek Wolski also played for Brampton and scored 128 points in his last season in 2005-06.

Another notable addition coming to Denver was goaltender Craig Anderson.

A native of Park Ridge, Illinois Anderson spent the last three seasons with the Florida Panthers, and has shown signs of brilliancy in the past. The most games he has played in a season is 31, however, even though he’s been a career backup, Anderson should be the No. 1 guy between the pipes in Denver. Peter Budaj will be the backup for the Avs this upcoming year.

On defense, the Avalanche return Scott Hannan, Brett Clark, John Michael-Liles, Ruslan Salei and Adam Foote. In exchange for forward Ryan Smyth, who was sent to the Los Angeles Kings, the Avs acquired Tom Preissing and Kyle Quincey to help the blue line.

Offensively, the Avs are still looking for firepower, as they were ranked dead last in the league in scoring last year. While veteran Milan Hejduk is still around, and a healthy Paul Stastny should help the offense, there are still some questions on who else could step up in the frontline. Duchene’s presence should also benefit the team, but they still need more help.

In addition to Duchene, the Avs do have a lot of potential up front. Ryan Stoa could see some time in his rookie year and T.J. Hensick, Cody McLeod and Chris Stewart should see more ice time as well.

On the checking lines, Darcy Tucker and Brian Willsie return for another season.

While the future of the Avalanche is worth looking forward to, the 2009-10 campaign is not one to be hyped about.

Yes it is true that October 1 (Joe Sakic night) will be a night to remember for Avs fans, but other than that it will be a down year for first year head coach Joe Sacco.
Since it will be a down year, don’t be surprised if veterans such as Hejduk, Foote, Hannan or Tucker are traded by the trade deadline.

Prediction: Fifth in Northwest, 14th in West

Projected Lines

Wojtek Wolski – Paul Stastny – Milan Hejduk
Cody McLeod – Matt Duchene – Marek Svatos
Ryan Stoa – T.J. Hensick – Darcy Tucker
Chris Stewart – Cody McCormick – Brian Willsie

Adam Foote – John Michael-Liles
Scott Hannan – Brett Clark
Ruslan Salei – Tom Preissing

Craig Anderson
Peter Budaj

30 Teams/30 Days: Chicago Blackhawks

Outlook:

Say what you want about the Chicago Blackhawks 2009 off-season, but they are ready for a run at the Stanley Cup in 2009-10.

While some consider the off-season to have been quite a mess, there are plenty of areas where the Hawks improved. Marian Hossa—yes that guy who was a Stanley Cup runner-up two years in a row—signed a 12-year deal with the Hawks during the summer. While he won’t be available for the first two months of the year, Hossa will bring some firepower to Chicago’s offense, which was fourth best in the league in 2008-09.

With the plus side of Hossa comes the negative side of the Hawks off-season. Hossa was signed by then General Manager Dale Tallon. The former GM is now a Senior Adviser of Hockey Operations, while team adviser and legendary head coach Scotty Bowman’s son Stan, takes over the GM duties.

On top of that, Hossa’s 12-year $62.8 million contract is being investigated by the NHL, but nothing major has come up since the investigation began.

More drama hit the Hawks during the off-season just last month with star forward and NHL 10 cover athlete Patrick Kane. Kane was arrested in Buffalo when he punched Jan Radecki, the cab driver for Kane and his brother James, when they were owed 20 cents. By now, everyone knows that Patrick Kane has a good stage name for the rest of his life.

Off-season drama aside, the Hawks still look like a solid team for 2009-10. But the state of the franchise beyond this season still has questions.

Jonathan Toews, the team’s captain, is a restricted free agent at the end of the year and so are Duncan Keith and Kane. Given the Blackhawks Salary Cap situation, they could walk out and sign elsewhere, but that still remains to be seen.

The time is now for the Hawks to win the Cup. Along with Hossa, the team brought in John Madden to add some playoff experience. Madden won two Stanley Cups during his tenure with the New Jersey Devils and was a Selke award winner as the leagues best defensive forward.

Martin Havlat and Nikolai Khabibulin have left the Windy City and while their presence might be missed, they are replaceable.

Cristobal Huet will be the No. 1 guy between the pipes, but the backup situation remains to be seen. Corey Crawford, a second round pick of the Hawks in 2003, has good potential and should be the favorite to fill that role.

The defense in front of Huet should continue to progress. Brian Campbell, Brent Seabrook, Cam Barker and Keith are the top four defensemen on the team, while Aaron Johnson, Brent Sopel and Niklas Hjalmarsson are the most likely candidates to fill the last two voids on D. Keep an eye out for Jordan Hendry as well.

While Hossa, Kane and Toews are the top three forwards for the Hawks; there are still a lot of weapons up front. Kris Versteeg had a good rookie season and was a Calder trophy finalist in 2008-09. Look for Versteeg to improve from his 53-point season (22 goals, 31 assists) this year.

Andrew Ladd, Dave Bolland and Dustin Byfuglien each had 15-plus goals last year and Patrick Sharp, if healthy, could be a difference maker.

Overall, head coach Joel Quenneville has a team in front of him that has the potential to take home the Cup. The Blackhawks will overtake the Detroit Red Wings in the Central Division this season, but those two will be in war for that top spot. Chicago, Detroit, Vancouver and San Jose remain the top four teams in the West.

I would not be surprised if Chicago is the best team in the West, but for now I’ll put them slightly behind San Jose for the time being.

Prediction: First in Central, Second in West

Projected Opening Night Lines (without Hossa):

Patrick Sharp – Jonathan Toews – Patrick Kane
Andrew Ladd – Dave Bolland – Kris Versteeg
Ben Eager – John Madden – Dustin Byfuglien
Colin Fraser – Tomas Kopecky – Adam Burish

Duncan Keith – Brent Seabrook
Cam Barker – Brian Campbell
Niklas Hjalmarsson – Aaron Johnson

Cristobal Huet
Corey Crawford

30 Teams/30 Days: Carolina Hurricanes

Outlook:

They weren’t supposed to defeat the New Jersey Devils in the 2009 Eastern Conference quarterfinals, but the Carolina Hurricanes did just that in dramatic fashion. They weren’t supposed to defeat the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference semifinals, but the Carolina Hurricanes did just that…in dramatic fashion.

While the ‘Canes made it to the Eastern Conference finals last year, they lost the energy in the end and got swept by the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins. However Paul Maurice—who took over in Carolina on December 3, 2008 for his second stint—helped the team fight through adversity throughout the season.

It is true that some people thought Scott Walker got away with only a slap on the wrist after game five of their series with the Bruins. It was also true that in December many people thought the ‘Canes would miss the playoffs for the third year in a row.

By now, I hope everyone got the point that the ‘Canes were not to be taken for granted in 2008-09. They were under the radar then, and they are still under the radar entering the 2009-10 season.

The ‘Canes won the Stanley Cup in the first season of the post lockout era and after two straight years without a playoff appearance, they look like a team that has what it takes to make some noise again this year after their playoff run in 2009.

Many players still remain from that 2006 team under then head coach Peter Laviolette: Rod Brind’Amour, Erik Cole (re-acquired at the trade deadline last year from Edmonton), Matt Cullen, Ray Whitney, Chad LaRose, Niclas Wallin and Cam Ward have all stuck around while Aaron Ward—the guy who Walker sucker punched in game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals—has returned to the ‘Canes after stints with the Bruins and Rangers.

So now the question remains, can those eight players guide the underrated ‘Canes to another Stanley Cup in 2009-10? Here’s a look at the rest of the roster.

Sergei Samsonov has the talent to help a stabilized scoring attack. The former first round pick of the Bruins played in 81 games last year—his most since 2000-01 where he played 82 games (only time he did so)—and had 48 points (16 goals, 32 assists). He also haunted his former team in their seven-game series.

Jussi Jokinen had three game winning goals during the playoffs (and a dramatic game-tying goal in game seven with their series against the Devils). Jokinen could be one of the ‘Canes who could truly shine in 2009-10.

Whitney, Staal, LaRose, Cullen, Cole and Tuomo Ruutu round up the top nine forwards in Carolina. All will contribute to a potent offense in Carolina this year.

Stay at home defensemen Aaron Ward and Andrew Alberts were added to the ‘Canes blue-line. Goaltender Cam Ward will certainly appreciate that. Puck moving defensemen Joe Corvo and Joni Pitkanen return, while Tim Gleason, Anton Babchuk and Wallin add more depth on the blue-line.

With seven defensemen with NHL experience, Maurice has options for his lineup; expect either Babchuk or Alberts to be a healthy scratch when they open the season October 2 against the Philadelphia Flyers (that’s already smelling like a good playoff matchup). For now Alberts, a former Flyer, looks like the leading candidate.

In the Southeast Division, the ‘Canes are still beneath the Washington Capitals and will once again be the second best team ahead of Tampa Bay, Florida and Atlanta. After their playoff run in 2009, expect a top five finish for the Hurricanes in the East.

Prediction: Second in Southeast, Fifth in East

Projected Lines:

Ray Whitney – Eric Staal – Tuomo Ruutu
Erik Cole – Rod Brind’Amour – Jussi Jokinen
Sergei Samsonov – Matt Cullen – Chad LaRose
Scott Walker – Stephane Yelle – Tom Kostopoulos

Joe Corvo – Joni Pitkanen
Anton Babchuk – Aaron Ward
Niclas Wallin – Andrew Alberts

Cam Ward
Michael Leighton

30 Teams/30 Days: Calgary Flames

Outlook:

In 2003-04, the season before the dreaded lockout (which sadly we might be heading back in that direction after 2011), the Calgary Flames made it to the Stanley Cup finals, losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning. By now, that seems like ancient history in the post lockout era.

Since that Stanley Cup run in ’04, the Flames have made the playoffs in each of the four post lockout seasons. The Flames have had little success during the second season however as they were eliminated in the first round during that time (2006-2009). “The Sea of Red” in Calgary is certainly hoping for that to change in 2009-10.

After spending the last two seasons with the New Jersey Devils, Brent Sutter heads to Calgary and will attempt to escape from his own playoff nightmares during that time. His brother Daryl is the GM in Calgary, and lead the Flames during their ’04 run.

Craig Conroy, Miikka Kiprusoff, Robyn Regehr and captain Jarome Iginla are the only four players that remain from the 2003-04 team. Those four played a major role during that time and will look to get the Flames out of their playoff funk they have suffered recently however, the “supporting cast” also has to step up.

Forward, Olli Jokinen—who was acquired by the Flames at the 2009 Trade Deadline—will be in his first full season with the squad. Iginla could really benefit from having Jokinen, which could lead to one of the best 1-2 combos in the NHL in 2009-10.

Gone from that line is Michael Cammalleri but either Rene Bourque or Curtis Glencross could be reliable replacements to fill that void.

Outside of the top line, the Flames have veterans Conroy and Daymond Langkow as reliable options and David Moss and Dustin Boyd also return. Gone from last years squad however is Todd Bertuzzi and Matthew Lombardi.

While the Flames might lose Bertuzzi and Lombardi for 2009-10, they added enforcer Brian McGrattan, Garth Murray, Nigel Dawes and Fredrik Sjostrom have been added to the roster. Brent Sutter also has Brandon Purst, Mikael Backlund and Greg Neimsz to consider for his lineup as each of these players have a bright future.

The defense seams to be the Flames’ strength for the upcoming season. Having Kiprussoff in net certainly helps and the addition of Jay Bouwmeester adds to the stability, but don’t forget about Cory Sarich, Reghr and of course, Dion Phaneuf; Mark Giordano and Adam Pardy fill the last two spots on defense. Adrian Aucoin is another notable departure, but the Flames certainly got the upgrade they needed on D.

Looking at the Northwest division, the Vancouver Canucks still look like the top dogs, but the Flames could give them a run for their money. In the Western Conference, the Flames will still be in the top five for the 2009-10 season.

Prediction: Second in Northwest, Fifth in West

Projected Lines:

Rene Bourque – Olli Jokinen – Jarome Iginla
Curtis Glencross – Daymond Langkow – David Moss
Dustin Boyd – Craig Conroy – Mikael Backlund
Fredrik Sjostrom – Garth Murray – Brian McGrattan

Jay Bouwmeester – Dion Phaneuf
Mark Giordano – Robyn Regehr
Cory Sarich – Adam Pardy

Miikka Kiprusoff
Curtis McElhinney

30 Teams/30 Days: Buffalo Sabres

Outlook:

After making the Eastern Conference finals in 2006 and 2007, the Buffalo Sabres have hit a bump in the road in the last two seasons by missing the playoffs both years.

While 2007-08 saw the departures of key players such as Chris Drury and Daniel Briere, a lot of the up and coming stars of the Sabres picked up their game that year under head coach Lindy Ruff.

During the 2008 Trade Deadline however, puck-moving defenseman Brian Campbell was dealt to the San Jose Sharks, which hurt the Sabres during their fight for a playoff appearance finishing in 10th place with 91 points.

In 2008-09 the Sabres had very similar results finishing in 10th place with 90 points. Even though the team did not make the playoffs, they did have some bright spots during the season.

Former University of Minnesota forward Tomas Vanek scored 40-plus goals for the second time in his career and fellow Sabre forwards Drew Stafford and Clarke MacArthur made a big leap forward in their careers. And while Derek Roy and Jason Pominville had a decline in their game (at least in the stats department), people should expect them to have a better season in 2009-10.

The biggest question mark on the Sabres frontline is the health of center Tim Connolly. The former New York Islander and native of Syracuse has not played a full season with Sabres since 2001-02 because of injury.

In fact, in the post lockout era alone the injury plagued forward has only managed to play in 151 regular season games during that span. Even though the Sabres have guys like Roy Vanek and Pominville, their success for 2009-10 will depend a lot a healthy Tim Connolly.

A notable addition to the Sabres is forward Mike Grier who last played for the San Jose Sharks. A member of the Sabres for two seasons, Grier adds some toughness to the team and is a reliable third or fourth line forward. Jeff Cowan is also worth noting as an addition as he brings a style similar to Grier’s game.

On defense, the blue and gold still look like a reliable bunch even with the loss of Jaroslav Spacek to the Montreal Canadiens and Teppo Numminen, who announced his retirement about a month ago.

The Sabres still have captain Craig Rivet and veterans Henrik Tallinder and Toni Lydman on the roster and they’ve added Joe DiPenta and Steve Montador. There also seems to be a lot of future talent on defense with Chris Butler and Andrej Sekera and Nathan Paetsch could be used as both a defenseman or a forward.

Ryan Miller returns as the man between the pipes in 2009-10. This will be Miller’s seventh season with the Blue and Gold and has posted 30-plus wins since 2005-06. Miller certainly deserves credit for their Eastern Conference Finals appearances in 2005-06 and 2006-07, even though he had guys like Briere, Drury and Campbell. Now that they’ve had a full season without Briere, Drury and Campbell, Miller, in particular, could have a career year with the Sabres this upcoming season.

The No. 2 goaltending spot however, remains to be seen.

While Patrick Lalime returns to the club, he seems to be slowing down with age. The 35-year-old goaltender from St. Bonaventur, Quebec has Sabres prospect Jean-Phillipe Lamoureux looking over his shoulder, but expect Lalime to hold the backup spot at least for the time being.

What does the upcoming season have in store for the 2009-10 Sabres?

In their division, the Boston Bruins are still the team to beat and are the runaway favorites. However, the next four spots remain to be seen.

The Montreal Canadiens were plagued by inconsistency in their Centennial season, but still managed a playoff spot in the end. Expect the Habs to fight for their playoff lives again next year.

The Ottawa Senators still have the Dany Heatley saga on their plate, so a lot remains to be said on that. And Toronto’s beloved Maple Leafs should improve, but are still a long shot for the playoffs.

The Sabres are in a good position right now, and should take advantage of the situation in the division and the Eastern Conference. They will make the playoffs in 2009-10.

Prediction: Second in Northeast Division, Seventh in Eastern Conference

Projected Lines:

Tomas Vanek – Derek Roy – Jason Pominville
Clarke MacArthur – Tim Connolly – Drew Stafford
Dainel Paille – Johan Hecht – Mike Grier
Jeff Cowan – Adam Mair – Patrick Kaleta

Craig Rivet – Toni Lydman
Henrik Tallinder – Chris Butler
Steve Montador – Andrej Sekera

Ryan Miller
Patrick Lalime