2010-11 NHL Season Thread

[Still MIGHTY]

With training camps open and the preseason days away, I thought it'd be high time we moved away from the offseason chatter into real hard talk.

We can get predictions started, your thoughts on your team, and any other news that comes up. I'm gonna post my predictions in a while, I have to take some more thinking to mine.

Will the Coyotes still be in Phoenix for the Winter Classic? Will the Sharks decision to cut Nabakov and sign Niemi finally get them to the Stanley Cup? Will Chicago be able to overcome their salary cap crunch and Turco in net to defend their title? Will Taylor Hall make the same impact on the Oilers as past #1's? Will the Ovechkin and the Capitals figure out how to play playoff style defense? Can the Flyers play at their playoff level for the entire season? Will Carey Price actually play well in Montreal? Can the Maple Leafs actually make the playoffs? How early will the Panthers drop confetti on their losing season, and will anyone even know if they did?

Let's hear it, and drop the puck...

[NEW.ERA]

Flames rolled out a Tanguay-Joker-Iggy line at the opening day of training camp today.

I will be tuned into the preseason more then ever this year.

[crashcarson15]

I'll go ahead and make some preliminary predictions for the hell of it

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Northeast Division

Buffalo Sabres (46-29-7, 99 Pts)

Boston Bruins (43-34-5, 91 Pts)

Ottawa Senators (41-34-7, 89 Pts)

Montréal Canadiens (38-38-6, 82 Pts)

Toronto Maple Leafs (35-43-4, 74 Pts)

Atlantic Division

Pittsburgh Penguins (47-26-9, 103 Pts)

New Jersey Devils (43-32-7, 93 Pts)

New York Islanders (41-33-8, 90 Pts)

New York Rangers (40-37-5, 85 Pts)

Philadelphia Flyers (37-40-7, 81 Pts)

Southeast Division

Washington Capitals (50-27-5, 105 Pts)

Tampa Bay Lightning (46-28-8, 100 Pts)

Carolina Hurricanes (42-29-11, 95 Pts)

Atlanta Thrashers (37-40-5, 79 Pts)

Florida Panthers (28-48-6, 62 Pts)

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Central Division

Chicago Blackhawks (46-30-6, 98 Pts)

Columbus Blue Jackets (45-29-8, 98 Pts)

Detroit Red Wings (43-30-9, 95 Pts)

St. Louis Blues (38-38-6, 82 Pts)

Nashville Predators (34-41-7, 75 Pts)

Northwest Division

Vancouver Canucks (49-27-6, 104 Pts)

Minnesota Wild (42-29-11, 95 Pts)

Calgary Flames (40-36-6, 86 Pts)

Colorado Avalanche (39-34-7, 85 Pts)

Edmonton Oilers (30-47-5, 65 Pts)

Pacific Division

Los Angeles Kings (49-28-5, 103 Pts)

Phoenix Coyotes (48-30-4, 100 Pts)

San Jose Sharks (45-30-7, 97 Pts)

Anaheim Ducks (41-36-5, 87 Pts)

Dallas Stars (36-40-6, 78 Pts)

Stanley Cup Playoffs

First Round

(1) Washington over (8) New York (I), 4 to 2

(2) Pittsburgh over (7) Boston, 4 to 1

(3) Buffalo over (6) New Jersey, 4 to 3

(4) Tampa Bay over (5) Carolina, 4 to 1

------------------------------

(1) Vancouver over (8) Minnesota, 4 to 3

(7) Detroit over (2) Los Angeles, 4 to 2

(6) San Jose over (3) Chicago, 4 to 3

(5) Columbus over (4) Phoenix, 4 to 1

Second Round

(4) Tampa Bay over (1) Washington, 4 to 2

(2) Pittsburgh over (3) Buffalo, 4 to 3

------------------------------

(1) Vancouver over (7) Detroit, 4 to 1

(5) Columbus over (6) San Jose, 4 to 3

Conference Finals

(4) Tampa Bay over (2) Pittsburgh, 4 to 2

(1) Vancouver over (5) Columbus, 4 to 1

STANLEY CUP FINAL

Game 1: Tampa Bay 5-3 Vancouver

Game 2: Tampa Bay 0-2 Vancouver

Game 3: Vancouver 2-3 Tampa Bay

Game 4: Vancouver 3-1 Tampa Bay

Game 5: Tampa Bay 2-1 Vancouver

Game 6: Vancouver 2-3 Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay wins the Stanley Cup!

AWARDS

Hart (MVP): Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay

Vezina (Top Goalie): Roberto Luongo, Vancouver

Calder (Top Rookie): Taylor Hall, Edmonton

Norris (Top D-Man): Mike Green, Washington

Conn Smythe (Playoff MVP): Vincent Lecalvier, Tampa Bay

Jack Adams (Coach of the Year): Guy Boucher, Tampa Bay

Richard (Top Goal Scorer): Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay

[Don]

I'll go ahead and make some preliminary predictions for the hell of it

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Northeast Division

Buffalo Sabres (46-29-7, 99 Pts)

Boston Bruins (43-34-5, 91 Pts)

Ottawa Senators (41-34-7, 89 Pts)

Montréal Canadiens (38-38-6, 82 Pts)

Toronto Maple Leafs (35-43-4, 74 Pts)

Atlantic Division

Pittsburgh Penguins (47-26-9, 103 Pts)

New Jersey Devils (43-32-7, 93 Pts)

New York Islanders (41-33-8, 90 Pts)

New York Rangers (40-37-5, 85 Pts)

Philadelphia Flyers (37-40-7, 81 Pts)

Southeast Division

Washington Capitals (50-27-5, 105 Pts)

Tampa Bay Lightning (46-28-8, 100 Pts)

Carolina Hurricanes (42-29-11, 95 Pts)

Atlanta Thrashers (37-40-5, 79 Pts)

Florida Panthers (28-48-6, 62 Pts)

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Central Division

Chicago Blackhawks (46-30-6, 98 Pts)

Columbus Blue Jackets (45-29-8, 98 Pts)

Detroit Red Wings (43-30-9, 95 Pts)

St. Louis Blues (38-38-6, 82 Pts)

Nashville Predators (34-41-7, 75 Pts)

Northwest Division

Vancouver Canucks (49-27-6, 104 Pts)

Minnesota Wild (42-29-11, 95 Pts)

Calgary Flames (40-36-6, 86 Pts)

Colorado Avalanche (39-34-7, 85 Pts)

Edmonton Oilers (30-47-5, 65 Pts)

Pacific Division

Los Angeles Kings (49-28-5, 103 Pts)

Phoenix Coyotes (48-30-4, 100 Pts)

San Jose Sharks (45-30-7, 97 Pts)

Anaheim Ducks (41-36-5, 87 Pts)

Dallas Stars (36-40-6, 78 Pts)

Stanley Cup Playoffs

First Round

(1) Washington over (8) New York (I), 4 to 2

(2) Pittsburgh over (7) Boston, 4 to 1

(3) Buffalo over (6) New Jersey, 4 to 3

(4) Tampa Bay over (5) Carolina, 4 to 1

------------------------------

(1) Vancouver over (8) Minnesota, 4 to 3

(7) Detroit over (2) Los Angeles, 4 to 2

(6) San Jose over (3) Chicago, 4 to 3

(5) Columbus over (4) Phoenix, 4 to 1

Second Round

(4) Tampa Bay over (1) Washington, 4 to 2

(2) Pittsburgh over (3) Buffalo, 4 to 3

------------------------------

(1) Vancouver over (7) Detroit, 4 to 1

(5) Columbus over (6) San Jose, 4 to 3

Conference Finals

(4) Tampa Bay over (2) Pittsburgh, 4 to 2

(1) Vancouver over (5) Columbus, 4 to 1

STANLEY CUP FINAL

Game 1: Tampa Bay 5-3 Vancouver

Game 2: Tampa Bay 0-2 Vancouver

Game 3: Vancouver 2-3 Tampa Bay

Game 4: Vancouver 3-1 Tampa Bay

Game 5: Tampa Bay 2-1 Vancouver

Game 6: Vancouver 2-3 Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay wins the Stanley Cup!

AWARDS

Hart (MVP): Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay

Vezina (Top Goalie): Roberto Luongo, Vancouver

Calder (Top Rookie): Taylor Hall, Edmonton

Norris (Top D-Man): Mike Green, Washington

Conn Smythe (Playoff MVP): Vincent Lecalvier, Tampa Bay

Jack Adams (Coach of the Year): Guy Boucher, Tampa Bay

Richard (Top Goal Scorer): Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay

MORE DETAIL PLEASE!!!!

[NEW.ERA]

Eastern Conference

1. Washington 106pts

2. Boston 100pts

3. Pittsburgh 98pts

4. Tampa Bay 97pts

5. New Jersey 94pts

6. Philadelphia 94pts

7. Ottawa 91pts

8. Buffalo 90pts

------------------

9. Montreal 89pts

10. Carolina 86pts

11. Toronto 81pts

12. NY Rangers 79pts

13. Atlanta 76pts

14. NY Islanders 73pts

15. Florida 66pts

Western Conference

1. San Jose 104pts

2. Vancouver 102pts

3. Detroit 100pts

4. Los Angeles 99pts

5. Chicago 96pts

6. Anaheim 95pts

7. Calgary 94pts

8. St Louis 92pts

--------------------

9. Nashville 90pts

10. Colorado 88pts

11. Phoenix 85pts

12. Columbus 83pts

13. Minnesota 78pts

14. Dallas 75pts

15. Edmonton 74pts

Playoffs

East

1 Washington over 8 Buffalo

4 Tampa Bay over 5 New Jersey

6 Philadelphia over 3 Pittsburgh

2 Boston over 7 Ottawa

1 Washington over 6 Philadelphia

2 Boston over 4 Tampa Bay

2 Boston over 1 Washington

West

1 San Jose over 8 St Louis

4 Los Angeles over 5 Chicago

6 Anaheim over 3 Detroit

2 Vancouver over 7 Calgary

6 Anaheim over 1 San Jose

4 Los Angeles over 2 Vancouver

4 Los Angeles over 6 Anaheim

Stanley Cup Final

2 Boston over 4 Los Angeles

[Lee.]

Flames rolled out a Tanguay-Joker-Iggy line at the opening day of training camp today.

I will be tuned into the preseason more then ever this year.

Three guys, all of whom want nothing more than to shoot the puck.

I predict they'll each score 30+ goals, but get less than 40 assists between them.

[OMMF]

Flames rolled out a Tanguay-Joker-Iggy line at the opening day of training camp today.

I will be tuned into the preseason more then ever this year.

Three guys, all of whom want nothing more than to shoot the puck.

I predict they'll each score 30+ goals, but get less than 40 assists between them.

The Wade-Bosh-James line of the NHL?

[Corvus]

Well, with all the pre-season hype for Canucks prospects Schroeder and Hodgson, I get the feeling neither is going to make the team, unless Scrhoeder's performance in main camp is much better than in the propsects camps, and Cody, well, I don't think he's healthy enough yet, I predict him starting in Manitoba.

I'm not sure there's anything to bringing ex-canucks Peter Schaefer and Brendan Morrison in on tryouts beyond creating competition for jobs. I don't see either of them fitting into the top six, and B-mo is not really a third/fourth line kind of player. Maybe he could centre a third line with Mahlotra and Torres on the wings, but I don't know how good an idea it is to move Manny to wing. Morrison is certainly not physical enough for third line wing duty.

[NJTank]

Hmmmm Ill take a Prelim shot

Eastern Conference

1. Penguins 112

2. Capitals 110

3. Bruins 102

4. Devils 104

5. Sabres 100

6. Lightning 96

7. Senators 91

8. Canadiens 90

------------------

9. Flyers 88

10. Maple Leafs 86

11. Hurricanes 84

12. Islanders 82

13. Thrashers 78

14. Rangers 76

15. Florida 60

Western Conference

1. Sharks 106

2. Red Wings 102

3. Canucks 101

4. Kings 102

5. Ducks 98

6. Blackhawks 96

7. Flames 94

8. Avalanches 92

--------------------

9. Predators 91

10. Blues 90

11. Coyotes 88

12. Blue Jackets 86

13. Wild 78

14. Stars 72

15. Edmonton 74pts

Playoffs

East

1 Penguins over 8 Canadiens

4 Devils over 5 Sabres

6 Lightning over 3 Bruins

2 Capitals over 7 Senators

1 Penguins over 6 Lightning

2 Capitals over 4 Devils

2 Capitals over 1 Penguins

West

1 Sharks over 8 Avalanche

4 Kings over 5 Ducks

6 Blackhawks over 3 Canucks

7 Flames over 2 Red Wings

1 Sharks over 7 Flames

4 Kings over 6 Blackhawks

1 Sharks over 4 Kings

Stanley Cup Final

2 Capitals over 1 Sharks

[Lee.]

Well, with all the pre-season hype for Canucks prospects Schroeder and Hodgson, I get the feeling neither is going to make the team, unless Scrhoeder's performance in main camp is much better than in the propsects camps, and Cody, well, I don't think he's healthy enough yet, I predict him starting in Manitoba.

I'm not sure there's anything to bringing ex-canucks Peter Schaefer and Brendan Morrison in on tryouts beyond creating competition for jobs. I don't see either of them fitting into the top six, and B-mo is not really a third/fourth line kind of player. Maybe he could centre a third line with Mahlotra and Torres on the wings, but I don't know how good an idea it is to move Manny to wing. Morrison is certainly not physical enough for third line wing duty.

The best thing for either one of them would be to start the year in Manitoba, especially Hodgson. He hasn't played in almost a year, and he's gonna need at leat 4-6 weeks in Winnipeg to get a feel for the speed of the pro game; and considering how weak his skating has been, he's gonna need that time.

Schroeder will be good, next year. He's quick, but he's small, and at the moment, there's not much room on a third or fourth line for that kind of player (see: Brendan Morrison).

The top six are set, at least they are once Burrows gets back from his rehab. Who makes that jump onto the right side with Kesler and Raymond until then? Who the hell knows. Torres might get some time up there, they might try Shirokov again, or they might give Hodgson a tryout there if his back is up to it. It's that bottom six that is completely up for grabs.

At the moment, common sense dictates that the third line will contain some combination of Malhotra-Torres-Somebody else. Local media's been playing up Jeff Tambellini as being on the other side, but I really don't know enough about him to make that call. Fourth line is completely in the air. From all accounts, Oreskovich has size, and is quick as hell, but no hands, so he might be perfect on that third line too. Sweatt? Bliznak? Hordichuk? Beats me.

At least our defense looks good. And this Eddie Lack kid might be a helluva goalie one day.

[NEW.ERA]

Flames rolled out a Tanguay-Joker-Iggy line at the opening day of training camp today.

I will be tuned into the preseason more then ever this year.

Three guys, all of whom want nothing more than to shoot the puck.

I predict they'll each score 30+ goals, but get less than 40 assists between them.

Tanguay's the set up guy so at least Joker and Iggy don't need to fight it out for shots.

[Don]

I hope the Caps face as much adversity as possible in the regular season. They had no idea what to do when they were down vs Montreal last year. I hope Tampa and Atlanta have improved, but we'll see.

[Corvus]

Well, with all the pre-season hype for Canucks prospects Schroeder and Hodgson, I get the feeling neither is going to make the team, unless Scrhoeder's performance in main camp is much better than in the propsects camps, and Cody, well, I don't think he's healthy enough yet, I predict him starting in Manitoba.

I'm not sure there's anything to bringing ex-canucks Peter Schaefer and Brendan Morrison in on tryouts beyond creating competition for jobs. I don't see either of them fitting into the top six, and B-mo is not really a third/fourth line kind of player. Maybe he could centre a third line with Mahlotra and Torres on the wings, but I don't know how good an idea it is to move Manny to wing. Morrison is certainly not physical enough for third line wing duty.

The best thing for either one of them would be to start the year in Manitoba, especially Hodgson. He hasn't played in almost a year, and he's gonna need at leat 4-6 weeks in Winnipeg to get a feel for the speed of the pro game; and considering how weak his skating has been, he's gonna need that time.

Schroeder will be good, next year. He's quick, but he's small, and at the moment, there's not much room on a third or fourth line for that kind of player (see: Brendan Morrison).

The top six are set, at least they are once Burrows gets back from his rehab. Who makes that jump onto the right side with Kesler and Raymond until then? Who the hell knows. Torres might get some time up there, they might try Shirokov again, or they might give Hodgson a tryout there if his back is up to it. It's that bottom six that is completely up for grabs.

At the moment, common sense dictates that the third line will contain some combination of Malhotra-Torres-Somebody else. Local media's been playing up Jeff Tambellini as being on the other side, but I really don't know enough about him to make that call. Fourth line is completely in the air. From all accounts, Oreskovich has size, and is quick as hell, but no hands, so he might be perfect on that third line too. Sweatt? Bliznak? Hordichuk? Beats me.

At least our defense looks good. And this Eddie Lack kid might be a helluva goalie one day.

The fourth line baffles me. Last year, it was Rypien and Hordichuk and Ryan Johnson's broken feet, but then, they didn't want to play either Ryp or Hord in the playoffs. Bolduc might have a shot at fourth line centre I guess.

Also, its the NHL, so we're going to see one third of the coaches fired before the season is over, and probably someone gassed before October is over. My comedy choice for first man up is: Ron Wilson.

[TFoA]

As usual, the hope in Blueland is a simple one: Just make the damn playoffs. They've got a pretty interesting assortment of talent, most of it being young & carrying plenty of potential. The defense has improved & could be even better if this whole "Let's put Buff on D" thing works out. If the rest of the team can live up to their potential, they should have a shot at the playoffs. However, that's a LOT of guys that need to step up from their performance from last year. So if Atlanta makes the playoffs, it'll be by the skin of their teeth in the 8 spot. The stars will have to align for this squad to do anything more than that, but damned if I'm not crossing my fingers & hoping that they do align & this team actually has some success.

In other news, here is Example #345667 of Montreal being crazy about hockey: Carey Price gave up 4 goals on 8 shots, got pulled and was subsequently booed off of the ice...in a preseason game. I understand that was incredibly :censored:ty & an awful first impression as "the man" in net for the Habs...but wow. Montreal, you so crazy.

[gingerbreadmann]

In other news, here is Example #345667 of Montreal being crazy about hockey: Carey Price gave up 4 goals on 8 shots, got pulled and was subsequently booed off of the ice...in a preseason game. I understand that was incredibly :censored:ty & an awful first impression as "the man" in net for the Habs...but wow. Montreal, you so crazy.

I think that is mostly because it wasn't really a "first impression."

[habsfan1]

In other news, here is Example #345667 of Montreal being crazy about hockey: Carey Price gave up 4 goals on 8 shots, got pulled and was subsequently booed off of the ice...in a preseason game. I understand that was incredibly :censored:ty & an awful first impression as "the man" in net for the Habs...but wow. Montreal, you so crazy.

Let me be the first to tell you that I have not yet got over the Halak trade.

It's not Carey Price's fault he is always in the hotseat. He has been shoved down Habs fan's throats so many times in the past. This year, he has to fill the shoes of last year's playoff hero. He's being pushed too hard and the fans are letting him know that they are sick of it. Give the man a ing break!!

[crashcarson15]

In other news, here is Example #345667 of Montreal being crazy about hockey: Carey Price gave up 4 goals on 8 shots, got pulled and was subsequently booed off of the ice...in a preseason game. I understand that was incredibly :censored:ty & an awful first impression as "the man" in net for the Habs...but wow. Montreal, you so crazy.

I think that is mostly because it wasn't really a "first impression."

I remember the Habs game I went to in the spring, they booed Carey Price. The Habs lost 2-1 IIRC. lol

[oddball]

Carey Price = Kevin Kolb. Situations of teams thinking too much of their scouting that they give their favorite player more chances to fail, and let more talented players go. The difference is at least the Eagles had someone with actual skill behind Kolb, the Habs... well, who knows, but I suspect whoever is the backup to Price this season will be the #1 by Christmas time. This isn't saying Price won't succeed, but it won't be with Montreal. I firmly expect him to be traded at the deadline. Will he succeed somewhere else? Who knows. He hasn't exactly shown he is NHL caliber mentally, if he was, no one would know who Halak is. If you want to understand what a good goaltender mentally is, take a look at the history of Jonathan Bernier. When he got sent out two years ago by the Kings, he floundered for half a season at Manchester, then he got his bearings with him. Last year he showed up to camp willing to learn and when he was sent down, he was given the instructions to go and dominate the AHL, which he did a good job of doing. This year he has a very good shot at backing up Jonathan Quick and getting in about 20 games. Carey Price on the other hand, is just this enigma, a mental blob of a goaltender that is no better today than what he was two or three years ago.

[Viper]

Speaking of goalies, the Wild just lost their backup Josh Harding for (probably) the entire season with two torn knee ligaments.

This is a shame for Harding, who quite a few teams could have used as their #1 goalie. It's not quite so bad for the Minnesota organization, who re-signed their pleasant surprise Anton Khudobin during the offseason and will likely make him Niklas Backstrom's backup, but now we can only wonder what the Wild could have gotten for Harding in a trade.

[BrySmalls]

I hope the Caps face as much adversity as possible in the regular season. They had no idea what to do when they were down vs Montreal last year. I hope Tampa and Atlanta have improved, but we'll see.

Even during the 2009-10 Regular Season, the Canadiens presented quite the challenge for the Capitals. Case in point, the Canadiens were the team to end the Capitals 14 game winning streak back in February.