Revisiting my pre-season predictions: Part I

Way back in the fall I made my predictions for the 2008-09 regular season. Predictions were made for the Eastern and Western Conferences, as well as for major award winners. Now that the season is over and the hardware handed out, it is time to look back in embarrassment at my preseason predictions. This is Part I in the series.

I will rank all my predictions them on a four-letter scale:

A - Nailed the pick exactly right
B - In the ballpark but not right on
C - A pretty misguided pick, but you can kind of understand why I made it
F - Epic fail

Eastern Conference

1st Place
Predicted: Philadelphia Flyers
Actual: Boston Bruins
Grade: C - Philly had a strong team, but finished 17 points behind the Bruins in 5th.

2nd Place
Predicted: Montreal Canadiens
Actual: Washington Capitals
Grade: F - Many observers expected big things from the Habs in their centenary season. I, unfortunately, was one of them. The Canadiens were a gong show from mid-season onwards, and barely made the playoffs by virtue of a tie-breaker with Florida.

3rd Place
Predicted: Washington Capitals
Actual: New Jersey Devils
Grade: B- - Washington managed to finish 2nd, bettering my expectations for them. Although I must admit that I picked them to finish 3rd only by virtue of winning their division:

"I wouldn’t be surprised if the Pens finish second to the Flyers for points - too bad the NHL's screwy division-seeding arrangement, AKA throwing the Southeast Division a frickin' bone, will deny them the second seed in the conference" ('Nucks and Pucks, September 13, 2009).

4th Place
Predicted: Pittsburgh Penguins
Actual: Pittsburgh Penguins
Grade: A- - Yes I nailed it, but see above quotation for my thoughts about the Penguins. Yes theytied for 4th, but they were nowhere close to finishing 2nd in points.

5th Place
Predicted: New Jersey Devils
Actual: Philadelphia Flyers
Grade: C+ - The Devils exceeded my expectations, winning the Atlantic Division and finishing 3rd in the conference.

6th Place
Predicted: Buffalo Sabres
Actual: Carolina Hurricanes
Grade: F - Oops.

7th Place
Predicted: New York Rangers
Actual: New York Rangers
Grade: A - The only thing preventing an A+ was that I referred to Wade Redden as "a defensive upgrade" when I should have said "useless player with a millstone of a contract."

8th Place
Predicted: Boston Bruins
Actual: Montreal Canadiens
Grade: F - So my 8th place team finished first, and my second place team finished 8th. Did not see Boston coming on so strong, but good on 'em they had a great season.

9th Place
Predicted: Ottawa Senators
Actual: Florida Panthers
Grade: A- - Yes Ottawa actually finished 11th, but the point is that I called them to miss the playoffs and continue their freefall away from respectability. And I think I nailed that one pretty much dead on!

10th Place
Predicted: Tampa Bay Lightning
Actual: Buffalo Sabres
Grade: C - Tampa was worse than I thought they would be. What can ya do?

11th Place
Predicted: Carolina Hurricanes
Actual: Ottawa Senators
Grade: F - Carolina not only made the playoffs as the number 6 seed, they shocked the hockey world by making it all the way to the Conference Finals.

12th Place
Predicted: Florida Panthers
Actual: Toronto Maple Leafs
Grade: C- - Florida surprised by making a strong push for the playoffs, ultimately falling just short.

13th Place
Predicted: New York Islanders
Actual: Atlanta Thrashers
Grade: C+ - The Isles finished last in the league.

14th Place
Predicted: Toronto Maple Leafs
Actual: Tampa Bay Lightning
Grade: C+ - Toronto was a little better than I expected. Just a little.

15th Place
Predicted: Atlanta Thrashers
Actual: New York Islanders
Grade: B- - Atlanta finished 13th. Trying to predict the bottom of the standings is a painful and inexact science.

Final Grades:

A: 1
A-: 2
B-: 2
C+: 3
C: 2
C-: 1
F: 4

The "Toronto Maple Leafs Facebook page"

As regular readers will know, 'Nucks and Pucks has made a habit of mocking the Toronto Maple Leafs again and again. And again and again and again and again and again and again. So I highly entertained when I saw this "official" Maple Leafs Facebook page at the Leafs blog Down Goes Brown.

Do check it out, this is brilliant stuff. Many of the feeds are lough-out-loud funny. I especially enjoyed:

• June 27, 2008: Bryan McCabe writing "That sucks! Won't be the same around here without you!" in response to the news that "Darcy Tucker has left the group The Muskoka Five."

• Bob Gainey poking Mats Sundin multiple times before getting blocked by Mats in September.

• December 18, 2008: "Mats Sundin and Leafs Nation changed their relationship status to "It's Complicated."

• "Curtis Joseph completed the quiz "Which 1990s Maple Leaf are you?" with the result "You are Curtis Joseph."

• April 13, 2009: Ian White, Luke Schenn, Jason Blake, Niklas Hagman, Mikhail Grabovski, Martin Gerber and Ron Wilson added Switzerland to the Places I've Been application.

Sorry, no original content in this post. But I had to spread the word on the Leafs hilarity. Enjoy!

Own Goals Addendum

The segue clip to the SportsCentre Top 10 caused the Toronto Sun to run the headline "Brian McKlutz." And yes, because it is the Toronto Sun, it was the headline on the front page of the newspaper. Because, y'know, the Maple Leafs are always more important than anything else that happens in the world. You can check out the cover here.

Additionally, if this Top 10 had been featured this season, this now-infamous Ryan O' Byrne own goal would no doubt have featured highly on the list:



The O'Byrne own goal sent the game to overtime, where the Canadiens lost. This are the same Canadiens who are battling to stay in playoff contention. And if they miss out on the playoffs by one point... well, O'Byrne might just become as big a goat in Montreal as Steve Smith is in Edmonton.

Leafs Bashing Week II - Canucks win, Leafs fans show their class

Last night's game between the Canucks and Maple Leafs was a highly emotional affair given Mats Sundin's return to Toronto. I like giving Leafs fans a hard time, but last night they were all class.

The night had some pretty special moments, beginning when Sundin was treated to a standing ovation when the scoreboard flashed a tribute to him during the first TV timeout (some of them booed when the play started up, but hey, it's hockey and he's on the other team so that's okay):



Then, after a late goal by Alex Burrows to send the game to OT and an exciting extra period, the scene was set for some drama in the shootout.

Blake was stopped by Luongo. Demitra scored on Toskala. Hagman was stopped by Luongo. Wellwood could have ended it, but he shot wide. Next up for the Leafs was Mikhail Grabovski - if he scored, it would give Sundin a chance to win it for his new team:



Classily the fans cheered when Sundin came out to shoot, and even when he scored. Pretty impressive stuff. Sundin was named the game's third star, giving him one more chance to feel the love from Leafs fans and an opportunity to salute them in return:



Ordinarily I would feel the urge to gloat about the Canucks victory over the hated Leafs. But based on what I saw last night I am disinclined to do so. Good on ya Leafs Nation. I hope the Canucks faithful give Markus Naslund a similar show of respect when he visits with the Rangers next season.

Leafs Bashing Week, Game Day Edition

Finally, game day has arrived! Yes, it all goes down today at 400 PM PST. I, for one, can't wait to see the Canucks hand it to the Leafs in the unfriendly confines of the ACC. Here's betting Mats has a great game.

In the meantime, here are a couple images (compliments of http://leafs-suck.com) that nicely dovetail with the theme of Leafs Bashing Week:

At first I thought this picture was doctored. Then I remembered, "Oh yeah, Trevor Kidd used to play for the Leafs!"

Fortunately for Laidlaw, they haven't had to change their sign since May 2004. In the meantime the Leafs traded for Mark Bell. Ironic?


Leafs fans can be forgiven if they've forgotten about Dmitri Yushkevich - Lord knows the rest of us have. Though you've gotta love this exit interview, circa 2003. Seriously, Carlton the Bear is so honest he was calling out Vesa Toskala for terrible performances long before Burke and Wilson jumped on that bandwagon.

Maple Laughs, Redux

Well, I've already presented the best Leafs jokes in an earlier post. That being said, here are a couple more Maple Laughs:

The truth hurts

Q: What's the Maple Leafs best forward line?

A: Antropov-Stajan-Ponikarovsky.

Oh, um, yeaaaaah...

Doggone it

A man walks into a bar to watch a Leafs playoff game (it's called willing suspension of disbelief folks), and with him he brings a poodle wearing a Leafs sweater. The Leafs defeat the Bruins, and when the final horn sounds the poodle jumps on the bar, stands on his hind-legs and high fives all the patrons seated at the bar.

"He does that whenever the Leafs win a playoff game!" the man proudly explains.

"That's amazing!" exclaims the bartender. "What does he do when they win a series?"

"I don't know" replies the man. "I've only had him since 2005."

Tough life

The Leafs scouting staff, instructed to think outside the box by GM Brian Burke, sign an 18-year old ball-hockey play from Iraq to an entry level contract. The Leafs arrange for the player's emigration to, and settlement in, Canada.

In desperation the Leafs start the youngster at left-wing for a game against the Senators, and he blows fans, management and his teammates away by scoring all five goals in an epic 5-4 win.

He calls his mother after the game: "Mother, it was amazing - I played great and everyone in Toronto loves me!"

"Well good for you," replies his mother, "but while you are soaking up the limelight in Toronto things here are terrible: your father was shot at, your brother was mugged and our house was robbed yesterday."

The son apologizes, replying: "Mother, I am so sorry for our family's suffering."

"Sorry?" she replies angrily. "Its your damn fault we moved to Scarborough in the first place!"

Leafs Bashing Week, Part II - Storylines and predictions

First of all, a big thanks to Leafs-suck.com for letting me borrow some images (including the one above) for this, the biggest week on the 'Nucks and Pucks calendar. Now, one with the bashing!

Obviously the biggest storyline for this game is Mats Sundin's first game with the Canucks against the Leafs, the team for which he played 13 seasons and served as captain for 11. What will the reaction be when Mats takes his first shift? Damien Cox is calling on Leafs fans to cheer the big Swede who toiled so long for the organization, often with very little in the way of a supporting cast, and I applaud his stance.

Unfortunately, I am a little more pessimistic than Cox. I think there will be some scattered cheers, but in all honesty I expect there to be a considerable amount of bitter jeering from fans who are upset that Mats did not allow himself to be traded last season. Just think of how the Leafs could've squandered those first and second rounders they would've gotten in return.

Does the return of Kyle Wellwood to Toronto count as a storyline? Probably not. Although Wellwood was pretty darn stoked to score against his former team when the Canucks beat the Leafs 4-2 back in November.

This is also the Canucks' first game against Toronto since the migration of their former front-office tandem of Brian Burke and Dave Nonis to Toronto. However these two, each of whom served a tenure as Canucks' GM, were together in Anaheim to start the season so the novelty is slightly dimmed.

While we can predict with 95% certainty who will start in goal for the Canucks, the Leafs goaltending carousel provides no such certainty. Vesa Toskala has been mediocre, and has been called out in the media by his coach and GM for his poor play. Youngster Justin Pogge got his fourth career start just yesterday, and is sporting a rough 4.26 GAA and .837 save percentage for the season. But he has not been given a chance to settle into an NHL role, and when given that shot will surely shrink those numbers. Will Wilson go to the rookie against a Canucks team that, of late, has been somewhat of an offensive juggernaut?

Can the Canucks continue their offensive outburst? They have 29 goals in seven games this month (over 4 per game, for those of you scoring at home), and the Leafs seem like a prime target against whom to continue this trend. Here's betting that if they score early, they will jump all over the Leafs and put in 4+ goals. If they get off to a sluggish start, however, they will likely be hard pressed to scrape out 3.

Final Prediction: Canucks 5, Leafs 2. The Canucks jump out to a 3-0 lead by the end of the first period, then give up a powerplay goal early in the second before scoring themselves. The teams trade goals in the final frame, and the 'Nucks head to Montreal with another well-earned two points.

Canucks goal-scorers: D. Sedin, Sundin, Burrows, Edler, Demitra
Leafs goal-scorers: Blake, Ponikarovsky

Leafs Bashing Week, Part II

Yes, it's back!!! After the success of the inaugural Leafs Bashing Week back in November, 'Nucks and Pucks is back at it. We'll be filling the site with anti-Leafs material all week, in anticipation of another Canucks destruction of the Buds this Saturday. Stay tuned...

And, just in case you missed it last time around, this is how it all went down when these two teams met on November 15, 2008:

Top 5: People to Feel Sorry For So Far in 2008-09

5. It is hard to feel sorry for any Calgary Flames player or fan. Ever. That being said, you gotta sympathize with Brandon Prust just a little bit for being on the wrong end of this Rick Rypien beating:



4. J.P. Barry is no longer just Mats Sundin's agent, he is also the unintended manager of the Waffle House that is Sundin's indecision on his hockey future. Barry has been forced to defend his client's inaction on multiple occasions since July, and you get the feeling that he knows little more than the rest of us about what is going on inside Mats' glorious, bald head. However, no one will be feeling sorry for him if Sundin accepts that $20 million, 2 year offer from the Canucks. 4% of $20 million is what, $800,000? That's a pretty decent slice of pie to go along with the waffle Barry has been forced to digest since the summer.

3. Did Darren McCarty really need to be reminded of his struggles with alcoholism by George W. Bush? I mean sure it was meant in a complimentary way, but imagine getting called out on that kind of sensitive issue by the US President, at a celebration of your Stanley Cup championship no less. Oh yeah, and a month later the Red Wings put him on waivers and sent him to the minors. When he got recalled he hurt his groin. Not a great start to the season.

2. Mike van Ryn. No, not for getting traded from Florida to one of the only teams that could conceivably be worse than the Panthers this season - rather for being on the receiving end of Milan Lucic's best Trevor Linden impression:



1. Sarah Palin's as-yet-unborn sixth child.

Canucks cap 'Leafs bashing week' by bashing the Leafs

It's been a fun week here at 'Nucks and Pucks, with some good banter in the comments section (I consider 1+ comment to be a popular post - look, it's a small-time blog, 'kay?) and some irate Facebook messages from friends. Tonight was, of course, the Main Event as the Canucks and Maple Leafs faced off at GM Place in front of a sellout crowd and a national TV audience on Hockey Night in Canada. The result speaks for itself:



Clearly the Canucks wiped the floor with the Leafs. After weathering an early storm, including the spectacular sequence in which Captain Luongo barred the door on a Leafs' 2-man advantage without a stick, the Canucks struck back. Kyle "Steve Sullivan" Wellwood struck back against the team that waived him by netting the first goal. From there the floodgates opened, and by the midway point of the second period the game was already 4-0. The Canucks went on auto-pilot the rest of the way, unfortunately surrendering two goals in the game's final 6:07 and allowing the Leafs to escape the West Coast with a modicum of respect.

Despite leaving the game with a pathetic .556 save percentage on the night, Vesa Toskala was not as bad as the stats suggest. Not that that it was exactly possible for him to be worse than that SVP suggests. But if you watch each Canucks goal, you'll see that he is truly culpable on only one of them. On the other three he was the victim of the Maple Leafs weak attempts at defense:

Goal #1: Wellwood was allowed to walk to the net thanks to some shoddy defensive coverage by Matt Stajan. He then tipped the puck top shelf, a tough one to stop.

Goal #2: Blame Toskala for this one. A brutal rebound was left on the doorstep for an opportunistic Ryan Kesler to fire home. Though it would've helped the Leafs', and Toskala's, cause if someone had taken the man in front.

Goal #3: Tomas Kaberle, I thought better of you. I know it was Willie "One Goal a Season" Mitchell, but seriously, you can't just mosey back into your zone like that.

Goal #4: Daniel Sedin scored this goal standing about 10 feet from the Leafs' net in the middle of a square of four Leafs "defenders." Just brutal defensive coverage.

Oh yeah, and Luke Schenn got filled by Rob Davidson. Actually, I think this fight is symbolic of the game: an early stumble by Vancouver was easily corrected by a number of devastating blows to the Leafs, whose late effort to take down the 'Nucks couldn't mask the fact that they got pummeled by a superior opponent. Enjoy!

Maple Leafs metaphorically crushed by Canucks fan!

"Leafs bashing week" continues here at 'Nucks and Pucks with a story of one fan's need to physically manifest his hatred of the Blue & White by crushing a car that is painted, well, blue and white.

The photo above is a scan of Monday's copy of that well-respected journalistic rag, 24 Hours. Widely considered to be the "New York Times of Vancouver," 24 Hours brings its insightful brand of reportage to Vancouver commuters each weekday. Seems it's also jumped aboard the anti-Leaf train with an interesting little contest.

Yes, 24 Hours ran an eBay auction offering one 'lucky' fan the anti-Leafs experience of a lifetime: pushing a button to crush a beater car that is painted up in Leafs colours. The winning bidder paid $212.50 (!) for the privilege of pressing that button, and it all went down last Saturday. If you want to learn more, check out the auction page or the 24 Hours gallery, which has 19 pictures of the mechanical carnage. Or even better, watch the video (slight profanity warning):



Wow. Not quite Citizen Kane, is it? There are a number of things that don't quite work about this video:

1. Who pulls into a scrap yard to use the facilities? What's wrong with Tim Hortons or a gas station?

2. Who pulls over to use a porta-potty? Seriously. The dude's suposed to be in suburban Vancouver, not at Lollapalooza.

3. Why would there happen to be a crowd of Canucks fans hanging out in said scrap yard, when they clearly have no business being there?

4. Wouldn't there be serious legal ramifications for the guys who crushed the car? If I was that Leafs fan the second call I was making after 9-1-1 would be to my lawyer.

5. And finally, what's the deal with what appears to be a set of giant inflatable testicles with a Leafs logo on them, which appear at around the 1:28 mark? If they were onscreen for any less time I think it would qualify as subliminal messaging.

Turns out the guy's a Sens fan too. I think that explains it, because as much as I'm all for anti-Leafs banter this is a tad too ridiculous for me. Anyway, if he wanted to make an anti-Leafs statement doesn't he realize that for $212.50 he could have bought, like, six Eric Lindros Leafs jerseys and burned them? Although come to think of it, wearing a Lindros Toronto jersey might be the ultimate mockery of the Maple Leafs...

On a positive note, the $212.50 will go to Canucks Place which is a very worthy charity.

Maple Laughs

Get your snare drum and cymbal ready, because it's time for the "Top 5 Toronto Maple Leafs Jokes!"

Number 5

Q: How are the Maple Leafs and the Titanic similar?
A: They both look good 'til they hit the ice.

Number 4

Q: What does Toronto have that Montreal doesn't?
A: Black and white photographs of their last Stanley Cup.

Number 3

Q: Where's the red light district in Toronto?
A: Behind the Maple Leafs net.

Number 2



AAAAAAAAND... Number 1

Q: Why can’t Hamilton get an NHL franchise?
A: Because then Toronto will want one!

Thank you folks, you've been a great audience! Remember to try the house special and always tip your waitress. Good night!

Welcome to Leafs bashing week

This Saturday the Toronto Maple Leafs pay a visit to Vancouver for a hotly-contested game with the Canucks. This match-up always creates particular excitement, as there are many transplanted Torontonians in BC and Vancouverites in Ontario (of which I was one for seven years). Western Canadians tend to be particularly antagonistic towards the Leafs, and while I tacitly support the Leafs (in the same way I generally support all Canadian teams that aren't in the Northwest Division) I can't help but join in the fun.

This week, in the build-up to the Canucks/Leafs game on Saturday, 'Nucks and Pucks will feature a number of posts dedicated to Leafs bashing, hating and taunting. If I was still living in Toronto this week would be a great back-and-forth banter session with my friends who are Leafs supporters. In lieu of this annual tradition, I hope that this blog can recapture a little bit of that spirit.

I start with a highlight package from the last time the Canucks and Leafs met. I had the pleasure of attending that game, which took place at the Air Canada Centre in January 2007. There were probably 2000-3000 Canucks fans in the building, creating what was at the time the largest hockey crowd ever at the ACC. You can read a recap of the game here. Or you can watch this video for a visual reminder of the smackdown that the Canucks laid on Toronto. Oh yeah, Andrew Raycroft was in goal. Need I say more?

Did The Hockey News rip me off? Nah, I guess not.

In advance of my Western Conference predictions, I would like to reflect on my predictions for the East which were posted on September 13. Adam Proteau is a respected hockey writer for The Hockey News, and one of my favourite hockey scribes. Is he also a reader of ’Nucks and Pucks and a shameless plagiarist? Almost certainly not. But I’m going to make the argument anyway.

Yesterday (September 25) Adam posted his weekly Screen Shots column, which included his predictions for the Eastern Conference standings in the upcoming season. Check out the article if you want to read his justifications for his choices, but I will list here his predicted order of finish with the ’Nucks and Pucks picks in brackets:

1. Philadelphia Flyers (Flyers)
2. Montreal Canadiens (Canadiens)
3. Washington Capitals (Capitals)
4. Pittsburgh Penguins (Penguins)
5. New Jersey Devils (Devils)
6. Boston Bruins (Sabres)
7. Tampa Bay Lightning (Rangers)
8. Buffalo Sabres (Bruins)
9. Ottawa Senators (Senators)
10. Florida Panthers (Lightning)
11. New York Rangers (Hurricanes)
12. Carolina Hurricanes (Panthers)
13. New York Islanders (Islanders)
14. Toronto Maple Leafs (Leafs)
15. Atlanta Thrashers (Thrashers)

Comparing Adam’s predictions with those made in this blog two weeks ago reveal some startling similarities: the top five finishers are identical; seven of the eight playoff teams are the same; Adam also likes the Sabres to return to the playoffs and the Senators to finish ninth in the conference; and the worst three teams are identical. Nine of Adam’s total picks are identical to those of ’Nucks and Pucks.

My first reaction was to think that this 60% correlation represents plagiarism on a grand scale. However, as I was about to call a lawyer, reason got the better of me. For starters, there are only fifteen Eastern teams and so there is bound to be some overlap in picks (everyone is going to pick the Leafs to finish at or near the bottom of the conference – duh!). Also, there is roughly a 99.9997% chance that Adam Proteau has never read, or even heard of, ’Nucks and Pucks.

So I put down the phone and took it as a flattery that one of my favourite writers thinks along similar lines as me. Because great minds think alike, right? Oh wait… I shouldn’t say that until I post my Western Conference predictions this weekend. If you want to check out Adam’s rankings they are posted here. I won’t give mine away just yet, but suffice it to say that there are only five identical picks and we only agree on six of the eight playoff teams. Can you guess one of the playoff teams we disagree about? I’ll give you a hint: one of my (now) least-favourite hockey writers picks them to finish 14th in the West.

Eastern Conference Predictions

THE TOP EIGHT

1. Philadelphia Flyers

Last year’s runner-up in the Battle of Pennsylvania looks good to take the conference this year. Marty Biron has established himself as a bona fide number one goalie - even if he does receive some fairly intense heckling from some fans. A talented forward corps includes studs such as Daniel Briere, Jeff Carter and Mike Richards. A healthy Simon Gagne and continued solid goaltending from Biron will push the Flyers to the top of the East.

2. Montreal Canadiens

It is the Canadiens 100^th Anniversary and the franchise is keen to cap it off by adding to it its amazing 24 Stanley Cup victories. The Habs brought in Alex Tanguay and lost Michael Ryder, which represents an upgrade. Big questions heading into the season include whether the enigmatic Alex Kovalev can replicate his impressive 07-08 campaign and if 21 year-old sophomore Carey Price can be a consistent starting goalie for a full season.

3. Washington Capitals

Alex Ovechkin and a decent supporting cast are enough to ensure that the Caps will take what is without a doubt the worst division in hockey – yet paradoxically one that has produced two of the last four Stanley Cup champions. Jose Theodore proved last season that he is just decent enough to drag a slightly above-average team into the playoffs and perhaps even to the second round.

4. Pittsburgh Penguins

Sure they lost Marian Hossa to Detroit, and seemingly half of their roster to the Tampa Bay Ex-Pens, but this is still an excellent group of players that are all on the upswing of their careers. Barring injury, Sid the Kid should duke it out with Ovechkin for the Art Ross, while Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal and newcomer Miroslav Satan will provide excellent secondary scoring. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Pens finish second to the Flyers for points - too bad the NHL's screwy division-seeding arrangement, AKA throwing the Southeast Division a frickin' bone, will deny them the second seed in the conference.

5. New Jersey Devils

Marty Brodeur will be his usual excellent self, and the addition of Brian Rolston will add punch to a forward group that includes some pretty solid offensive players.

6. Buffalo Sabres

I think that Buffalo is due to bounce back. While the Sabres struggled last season to cope with the loss of Chris Drury and Briere, they still possess a great deal of firepower upfront including Derek Roy, Thomas Vanek and Maxim Afinogenov. Ryan Miller is among the game’s best stoppers and the defense is solid if unspectacular. Remember, this is the team that won the President’s Trophy two seasons ago.

7. New York Rangers

A pretty solid offense - albeit sans Jaromir Jagr, who is now plying his trade in the brand new Kontinental Hockey League - combined with a defensive upgrade in Wade Redden and one of the league’s best keepers in Henrik Lundqvist should ensure that the Blueshirts make it back to the playoffs in 2008-09.

8. Boston Bruins

A healthy Patrice Bergeron will help solidify a decent group of forwards, which includes new acquisition/reclamation-project Michael Ryder. Goaltending prospect Tuukka Rask, AKA "the blue chip prospect the Leafs traded for Andrew Raycroft," looks to start in the AHL while Tim Thomas and Manny Fernandez will duke it out for the starting job.

BOOKING THEIR TEE TIMES

9. Ottawa Senators

Yes, I am picking Ottawa to miss the playoffs. Sure they have arguably the best and most impressively YouTubed line in hockey, but they lost Wade Redden on the blue line and the tandem of Martin Gerber and Alex Auld between the pipes isn’t scaring anyone. Except maybe Sens fans. On the upside, when the Sens miss the playoffs, there will be no repetition of the most embarrassing pre-game intro in Stanley Cup playoff history.

10. Tampa Bay Lightning

If this was a list of most entertaining teams, the Lightning

would be battling the Penguins and Caps for top spot. Given the Bolts’ patchwork defense and questionable goaltending, they will be relying on a potentially lethal offense to win them games. Fans may need to check that Pittsburgh/Tampa Bay box score twice to realize that it’s not for a Steelers/Buccaneers game - don’t be shocked to see Tampa put up a touchdown on the scoreboard on a few occasions this year. One of many intriguing storylines in the TB soap opera that is the upcoming season involves coach-turned-broadcaster-turned-coach Barry “The Mullet” Melrose. Given the offensive orientation of his squad one can only assume that Melrose will apply the standard mullet-logic: business at the front, party at the back.

11. Carolina Hurricanes

Decent, but not good enough. How will Eric Staal respond to his new mega-contract? If he can recapture his 100-point form of a few years ago then this team might be good enough to scrape into the playoffs. I don’t see that happening.

12. Florida Panthers

Seven years out of the playoffs and counting – sorry Florida, you’re gonna have to keep waiting. The additions of Keith Ballard and Nick Boynton will help solidify the d-line, but the subsequent loss of Olli Jokinen leaves the offence pretty thin beyond the top line. As good as Tomas Vokoun is, you can’t help but wonder how this team would look with Roberto Luongo between the pipes. If Canucks fans want an idea of how their team would be without Luongo, the Panthers probably give a pretty fair indication.

13. New York Islanders

The Islanders should sign Anson Carter and continue to continue the trend of relying on ex-Oilers whose prime was 5-10 years ago for the bulk of the offense. A top line of Mike Comrie, Doug Weight and Bill Guerin doesn’t sound quite as imposing as it would have in 1999 or 2000.

14. Toronto Maple Leafs

A lot of things will need to go right for the Leafs to have a sniff of the playoffs. It’s not impossible, but it’s hard to imagine the Buds cobbling together a respectable season. Fans will have to find a new whipping boy now that Andrew Raycroft and his ’stache have moved on to Colorado.

15. Atlanta Thrashers

Can you name one forward on this team not named Ilya Kovalchuk? How about any of the defencemen? If not, you’re probably in the majority of hockey fans. It will be another long season for Thrashers fans.

Coming soon: Western Conference predictions