Season Preview: Calgary Flames

September's finally here. And given how slowly teams are coming together, we decided to put off the previews until September this time. We go in alphabetical order because hey, why not? We'll be doing this until September ends. With that said here we go.

And now, the Calgary Flames.

Team M.O.: The team has always been known as one of the toughest teams in the Western Conference. Though the team was more of a "run-and-gun" type of team in the past, the team will likely start putting more focus on defense to keep in line with what's happening in the league. Nevertheless, teams will know when they're playing the Flames because they have a balanced group of forwards and defenders; not to mention one of the best goaltenders in the league.

Last Season: Tenth in the Western Conference and out of the playoffs. The team had some chemistry issues throughout the season and had to change directions midway through through a series of trades involving the Toronto Maple Leafs and the New York Rangers. However, they're going into this season with not only pieces they acquired before the trade deadline, but even a few they've given up along the way too.

Offense: If there were ever two people who ever needed to find each other to salvage their hockey careers, it was Olli Jokinen and Alex Tanguay. Jokinen was taking heat for not being able to do what was needed of him, but many teams overlooked the fact that he was a goal-scoring centerman, not one of the playmaking variety. Tanguay, meanwhile, hasn't done as well since leaving Calgary (going from an 80 point season when he left to a sub-40 point season last year) and would stand to benefit from dishing passes to two guys who can score goals. Put them on a line with Jarome Iginla (who can do everything right) and you have a unit that could conceivably get 80 points or better. What's more is when you look at the next three scoring forwards (Rene Bourque, Matt Stajan, and Nikas Hagman) you see a second scoring unit that should generate an additional 50-60 points. Daymond Langkow would be a better option, but he's still recovering from his freak injury that shattered a vertebrae. Due to his injury, his salary, and the Flames' own salary cap concerns, it would be better for everyone for him to start off the season on the IR while they ensure his complete recovery/figure out who to move to make the salary cap work. Alex Kosalik is one of the people suggested to move, so he'll have to make the most of whatever ice time is given to remain with the Flames in a Top-9 forward role. If he stuck around, I could see him being on a line with Curtis Glencross and either Stajan or Langkow, with that unit being good for around 30-40 points.

With the Flames being able to roll seemingly three scoring lines, they're free to figure out how they'll want to use their last five forwards. No doubt will Tim Jackman and Raitias Ivanans hold two of those spots; Jackman's a nasty checking winger while Ivanans is a pure enforcer. David Moss will be in that group of forwards but doesn't seem as effective at defense as he is at offense. Michael Backlund will get a good look at camp, yet Craig Conroy could reasonably steal the job from him; it should be a good competition. If the team has room for another forward, Ryan Stone will likely get the nod.

There's really nothing more the team can do at this point in terms of addition; they're solid as is.

Defense: So Jay Bouwmeester wanted to play in a market where "hockey mattered" and he got his wish by going from the Florida Panthers to the Flames. He apparently got more than he bargained for, as he put up his lowest point totals since the lockout ended. If he can get stronger between the ears, he'll dominate for the Flames like he was able to for the Panthers. Robyn Regehr may not have had the highest plus/minus in recent history (he's usually double digits in that department) but he was still a plus player on a non-playoff team and can still provide the team with a premier level of defense. Mark Giordano managed to thrive on the team last season, putting up 30 points while Ian White remained productive after being traded from Toronto; both should play an effective role as good puck-moving defensemen on a team that has such a deep corps of forwards. Cory Sarich may have tumbled down the depth chart due to injuries but still provides the team with a solid defender who drops the mitts when he has to. One has to wonder why the team decided to take on Steve Staios's contract from the Edmonton Oilers; though a solid defender, he seems redundant and his contract was one of the last things the team needed. Adam Pardy might not be a house hold name in the NHL, but he's definitely a solid depth option and will figure to make the team.

Calgary's best bet would be addition through subtraction. Though Staios would be the most ideal to move, other teams would be more likely to take on either White or Sarich (Giordano won't be moved because the Flames are getting excellent value out of him.) If one of those guys could be sent off to a team that needs defensive help (hello Anaheim) then they could either take a depth defender back in trade or give Matt Pelech the opportunity to make the team.

Goaltending: While Miikka Kiprusoff is the undisputed starter for this team, he's appeared in over 70 games for each season since the lockout; and each of those seasons ended in either a Conference Quarterfinals exit or a non-playoff berth. While Henrik Karlsson is making the team for no other reason than his salary cap hit ($500,000), he has been excellent for the past two seasons that he's played in the Swedish Elitserien. If he can seamlessly adjust to the North American-sized rinks, the Flames may have the luxury of not having to play Kiprusoff so much and extend his effectiveness deeper into the post-season than they have in the recent past.

Management: A lot of people give Darryl Sutter hell for the moves he's made but I think he's put together a fine squad this year and will do well once he gets his salary cap issues figured out. If anything, the heat's now on coach/younger brother Brent Sutter to get a high-caliber team to perform the way on the ice as they should on paper. Might Darryl have to fire his own brother? Flames fans should hope it doesn't have to come down to that.

Prediction: Second in the Northwest Division and in the playoffs.

It's hard to be the best when you're in the same division as the Vancouver Canucks but it's hard to be the worst when you're in the same division as the Edmonton Oilers. I don't think the Minnesota Wild have improved significantly enough to be better than the Flames while the Colorado Avalanche may have devolved since last season (they traded a great scoring forward for a kid with concussion and attitude problems.) Put it together and while they may not crack the top-four teams in the conference, they should at least break one of the 5-8 spots and make the playoffs. How deep they can go relies on how much they're forced to lean on Kiprusoff during the regular season.

Season Preview: Buffalo Sabres

September's finally here. And given how slowly teams are coming together, we decided to put off the previews until September this time. We go in alphabetical order because hey, why not? We'll be doing this until September ends. With that said here we go.

And now, the Buffalo Sabres.

Team M.O.: These guys are one of those "small market" teams that has difficulty retaining those "star" players but still finds a way to consistently ice a good squad that's balanced and competitive. Defense reigns supreme for these guys and they have two excellent building blocks in regards to that aspect. Both Ryan Miller and Calder Trophy winner Tyler Myers were excellent for their team last season and had definitely set some higher expectations for the team than they were able to enjoy for the past few seasons.

Last Season: Third in the Conference yet eliminated from the playoffs in the opening round by the Boston Bruins. Yes it was disappointing but in retrospect, maybe Miller shouldn't have started in all those regular season games... plus the Olympics.

Offense: One thing's for certain: Buffalo's top line will likely be Derek Roy centering Tomas Vanek and Jason Pominville. For good reason too; Roy is an excellent playmaker while both Vanek and Pominville have the hands to score. Tim Connolly is also very much capable of dishing out the plays while Jochen Hecht displays enough solid two-way ability to warrant top-six forward minutes. Whomever ends up on the line with them will likely be decided in camp. Drew Stafford has the size you would want but is awfully streaky. Tyler Ennis, on the other hand, is small but was nearly a point-per-game player for the team during his 10 game regular season audition and did nearly as well in the playoffs; he'll likely get a good look at camp. And if the Sabres decide to go smaller there's always Nathan Gerbe, who's 5'6" but is definitely skilled enough to make an NHL roster (and he's from Michigan too so we like him already :-P .) The group of scoring forwards isn't spectacular but is suitable for a "defense first" type of team.

The second half of Buffalo's depth chart shows an attention to defensive detail and has enough toughness to handle the rigors of the Eastern Conference. Paul Gaustad, Mike Grier, and the newly-signed Rob Niedermeyer are the type of players you'd want in a checking role so Buffalo's happy to have them. Both Matt Ellis and Cody McCormick returned as unrestricted free agents in the off-season; Ellis brings leadership and determination while McCormick will likely be relied on as the guy to "take out the trash.", having racked up 168 penalty minutes last season for the AHL Portland Pirates and having a solid build at 6'3" and 215 lbs. And there's always Patrick Kaleta, who is as effective and "the grind" as he is in terms of annoying the nonsense out of his opponents.

Of course teams can always improve; but the Sabres will likely go into camp with this group of forwards and rely on their farm system in the event of injuries. They should be solid enough to hold their own.

Defense: Expectations will be high for Myers based on his astounding rookie season but he seems poised for great things this season as well. Team captain Craig Rivet didn't have the type of offensive output he's been used to having for the past few seasons, but he still brought his "A" game and broke the century mark in penalty minutes. Jordan Leopold and Shaone Morrisonn were brought on board and will handle the ice time and roles that the departed Toni Lydman and Hendrik Tallender provided for the team last season. Andrej Sekera has the tools be be a premier breakout defender but needs to start avoiding the injury bug to maximize his efficiency. Steve Montador was solid for the Sabres last season and is an optimum option for a Number 6 defender. The seventh spot will likely go to Chris Butler who had a career season in points last year despite posting a -15. Tim Conboy and Mike Weber have a chance to earn that spot as well, though they'll both be playing the role of the "enforcing" type of defender.

Much like the forwards, you can always improve but their situation looks set as is.

Goaltending: Miller's hitting the prime of his career and is no doubt the Number 1 goaltender for the team. The question is how much playing time should he receive and how much playing time should go to his backup Patrick Lalime? Granted he put up his best individual numbers since the lockout last season (2.81 GAA to go with .907 save percentage) but he also appeared in less games than he had the previous two seasons. On top of that, Jhonas Enroth is starting to knock on the door and will have graduated from the minors soon enough. If I were a Sabres fan, I really wouldn't want to see Miller get overused so he can remain effective come playoff time so if I were Lindy Ruff, I would cap him at 60 starts, at most. If Lalime can be effective as a backup; then he should be able to handle the 22 other starts and the platoon could be the good ol' starter/backup system. However if Lalime poos the bed, then Enroth would have to be brought up. Should that happen, the Ruff's going to have the unenviable task of using Miller less so that way their 22-year-old goalie prospect can receive the playing time necessary to not throw a complete and total wrench in his development.

In short, it's not a problem of goaltending depth with this team; it's all in how they'd use it.

Management: Darcy Reiger assembled a solid team that makes financial sense while Lindy Ruff will be going into his 13th season as the Buffalo Sabres head coach. Though Ruff's teams have ups and downs, he manages more often than not to lead them to victory. If they could just get that elusive Stanley Cup for their 40th anniversary season it would put both of them in the upper echelons of hockey management.

Prediction: First in the Northeast Division and in the playoffs.

I don't see the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, or Ottawa Senators being better than these guys this season; and the Boston Bruins will most certainly have injury issues to deal with. That said, these guys are definitely a playoff team. How ever far they go will rely largely on both how consistent their group of forwards can be and, to a lesser extent, how the goaltending's applied. If all goes well for the Sabres, this could be a very surprising season for them this year.

Season Preview: Boston Bruins

September's finally here. And given how slowly teams are coming together, we decided to put off the previews until September this time. We go in alphabetical order because hey, why not? We'll be doing this until September ends. With that said here we go.

And now, the Boston Bruins.

Team M.O.: The Bruins seem to have everything you'd want in a hockey club: talented point producers, solid defense, and two capable goaltenders; all of whom are built to play a physical brand of hockey. Simply looking at them you'd think they'd be a Stanley Cup caliber team. Yet in 2009, they lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in the Conference Semifinals as a first seed. And last season...

Last Season: ... they finished sixth overall in the Eastern Conference and were eliminated in seven games by the eventual Prince of Whales winners Philadelphia Flyers. That wouldn't be so bad if they didn't have a commanding 3-0 lead in the series.

In short, they really need to get that monkey off their backs but they have to stay healthy to do so.

Offense: This team has the forward depth to roll 4 lines but may hot be able to afford that luxury from either a health or financial standpoint. As it stands, the Bruins would be over the salary cap if they were going into the season with Marco Sturm (and that's with a 21 man roster...) He's on the shelf following a torn MCL and ACL and won't be back until late November or December. Considering he was their leading goal scorer (in addition to being a solid two-way performer) last season, it isn't really much of a relief to not have his salary count against the cap. Marc Savard missed half of last season with various injuries (most notably a concussion due to a vicious hit by Pittsburgh Penguins player Matt Cooke) and wasn't necessarily his best when he returned come playoff time while David Krejci was primed for a career playoff season until he broke his wrist (and the team subsequently missed him dearly.) Nevertheless, both are excellent playmaking centers who should only make the talent surrounding them prolific and scary for other teams. Milan Lucic also fought some mid-season injuries, but he was able to turn it up come playoff time; he could put up 50 points or better if he can stay healthy next season.

It's not all bad though. Top prospect Tyler Seguin joins the team after being drafted second overall and appears ready to handle "easing in" to the Boston Bruins thanks to their excellent depth at center (and if he isn't ready, he goes back to Junior and saves the team cap space.) Nathan Horton was also acquired in a trade with the Florida Panthers to provide the team with a big, talented goal-scoring winger. Mark Recchi managed to break the 40 point barrier and was in all but one game last season; both of which are impressive considering that he's 42. Patrice Bergeron had the most appearances last season that he's had in the pass three (with 73) and managed to remind people why he was able to break into the league as a 18 year old. Blake Wheeler wasn't as prolific as he was the past season, but for a "sophomore slump" on an injury-riddled team, he wasn't half bad (38 points on a third-unit.) Michael Ryder provided the team with a solid goal scorer, but if anyone's going to be the odd-man out in the "cap crunch" it appears to be him. Daniel Paille and Greg Campbell (also from the Panthers) will provide the checking while Shawn Thornton will be the resident enforcer who can actually play games.

At this point, the team looks like they'd do well to trade one of their big money players for a not-so-big money player and re-sign Steve Begin; who plays the agitator role well (and that's a necessity in the East.) If the team decides to trade a big-money player for a pick/prospect and go with a fringe player as their 14th forward (looking at you Trent Whitfield) then that would work too.

Defense: Well one thing's for certain: The team certainly doesn't need to go shopping for a Number One defenseman. Zdeno Chara has done everything asked of him and more because he can do anything asking of him. Dennis Seidenberg was looking good as a result of his acquisition from the Florida Panthers until, surprise, he suffered a wrist injury. Hopefully for Bruins fans he can play well to that four-year extension he just received. Andrew Ference and Mark Stuart play a solid stay-at-home style of hockey and will be a great benefit to their squad if they can avoid the infirmary. Matt Hunwick wasn't able to capitalize much on the team's defensive shortcomings last season (16 points but -18 during the regular season) but has the skill to produce significant points from the blueline. Johnny Boychuk did the exact opposite, however, going from being a depth defender who was sent to the minors on a conditioning assignment to putting up career bests (15 points and +10) to secure a two-year contract extension.

Beyond this, all the team needs is depth, which they have, so the blueline can remain as is.

Goaltending: Tuukka Rask was given his opportunity last season and ran with it; going 22-12-5 in 45 games played; making him Number 1 on the pecking order for goaltenders. His Number 1A counterpart Tim Thomas put up legitimate individual numbers last season but still posted a losing record overall, causing many to wonder how the team's going to deal with his salary as a "backup." Frankly, I think the team should keep Thomas to the bitter end. No one was making a big fuss over how little he made while he threw the team on his back and carried them as they rebuilt after the lockout; I think the honorable thing to do is to let him wear the Black and Gold while the team honors the contract he deserves. The team can use their depth goaltenders as emergency backups if need be, but this team, again, has a supreme Number 1/1A setup that seems to be the new model of consistency for competitive teams.

Management: Give Peter Chiarelli credit; he may have some cap issues to deal with but he's done well to put together a legitimate team on the ice (and if he can now just get a better medical staff...) If anything, it's on Claude Jullien to figure out how to get the team to work. Otherwise, he's going to be looking for new employment come mid-season.

Prediction: Second in the Northeast Division and in the playoffs.

Let's face it; the Northeast Division's teams don't look frightening (except for the Buffalo Sabres, who seem to have just "enough" to win), so Boston has a solid chance of making the playoffs as is. How deep they go, however, depends on exactly how healthy they can remain and how much resolve the healthy players can have to persevere in times of distress. They're certainly built to contend; now they just need to prove that they're able to.

Season Preview: Atlanta Thrashers

September's finally here. And given how slowly teams are coming together, we decided to put off the previews until September this time. We go in alphabetical order because hey, why not? We'll be doing this until September ends. With that said here we go.

And now, the Atlanta Thrashers.

Team M.O.: The Thrashers are perennial underdogs. They've only made the playoffs once in the ten seasons and have yet to win a playoff game at all (and people ask why hockey doesn't succeed in Atlanta.) As such, they've had problems attracting star players (see: Ilya Kovalchuk saga) because of the lack of winning and subsequent fan apathy. Nevertheless, the team has quietly assembled the right amount of tools and need a better toolbox to put them in so they can make "the jump."

Last Season: Tenth in the Eastern Conference and out of the playoffs. Yes they were second in the Southeast Division, but that's not much to talk about considering how weak the division was (save the Washington Capitals, but their first-round playoff exit suggests that capitalizing on that isn't always a good thing.)

Offense: There isn't so much a high-amount of "star" power as there are a group of guys who could collectively get their team over if they can play their game right. Nik Antropov was the leading point-producer for anyone not named Kovalchuk and showed a solid commitment to two-way hockey. He will now be joined by another two-way forward in Andrew Ladd and a quality power forward/defenseman/front-of-the-net power-play specialist Dustin Byfuglien; both of whom are coming over from the Stanley Cup-winning Chicago Blackhawks. Rich Peverley continues to be Marc Savard's reincarnate for the team, as his playmaking abilities led him to yet another career season with 55 points. Niclas Bergfors didn't embarrass himself as a member of the Thrashers after being traded in the Kovalchuk deal and should only improve as a full-time member of the Thrashers club. Evander Kane is young, but he's definitely emerging as a valuable power forward in all the right ways. Bryan Little suffered a pretty steep drop in points and needs to work hard this campaign to right the ship; he definitely has the ability to do so.

Going further down the depth chart shows more attention to defense and the grind but doesn't necessarily have the level of NHL experience you'd hope to have. In terms of NHL proven talent, Jim Slater provides the team with a speedy defensive winger while Ben Eager, Chris Thorburn, and Eric Boulton will no doubt do their jobs to supply the sandpaper. However, the next seven or eight players on the depth chart have a cumulative total of three NHL games played in all of last season (those three belonging solely to Jared Ross.) Moreover two of them, Patrice Cormier and Angelo Esposito, missed a significant amount of playing time due to discipline and injury issues, respectively. Save Alexander Burmistrov or perhaps Spencer Machacek, no one appears duly ready, rookie or veteran, to make the jump from minor-leaguer to NHLer (unless Jason Krog figures to stick with the team.)

I don't think it would be a disadvantage for the team to take advantage of any of the remaining available forwards and sign a couple who can play whatever role they need them to; there's plenty of versatility in this group of forwards for the team to do exactly that. Perhaps a veteran forward like Miroslav Satan, Bill Guerin, or Brendan Morrison could supply the team with leadership and some complimentary point production.

Defense: The defense on this team looks remarkably solid and really doesn't need any additional fine tweaking. Tobias Enstrom continues to rack up the points from the blueline and would be an elite NHLer if he could add more mass without sacrificing speed. Johnny Oduya (another benefit of the Ilya Kovalchuk trade) should give the team a mobile defender with supreme defensive smarts (and perhaps a little production if the results of last year's trade indicate anything.) Zach Bogosian had something of a sophomore slump last season but I wouldn't panic yet as to what he can supply the club once he puts it together. Ron Hainsey's a legitimately talented defender, but he needs to be able to find a higher level of consistency to his game if he's going to justify the salary he's earning. Brent Sopel provides the team a solid third-pairing defender who can play second-pairing minutes while a healthy Boris Valabik gives the team a solid physical defender that any team would want at Number 6 on their depth chart. The last spot will likely go Andrei Zubarev, who had an impressive campaign in the KHL last season that saw him thrive as a two-way defender, while Freddy Meyer figures to rack up the frequent flyer miles between Atlanta and Rosemont, Illinois where the Thrasher's AHL affiliate Chicago Wolves play. Not many teams will be better defensively than these guys.

Goaltending: Chris Mason was snagged from the St. Louis Blues and will compete with Ondrej Pavelec for playing time. Considering how many teams are successfully going with a Number 1/1A system over a starter/backup setup, these guys should thrive nicely in a platoon together. The team has sufficient AHL depth at goal so they shouldn't figure to add anyone else.

Management: Former GM Don Waddell was finally given a different role in the organization and Rick Dudley was brought in to act as the new GM. Formerly of the Chicago Blackhawks organization, the moves he's made have, so far, fortified the club with a solid core that will have to rely on someone to stand out as opposed to being build around a "star" player. Newly-crowned coach Craig Ramsay hasn't acted as a head coach in an NHL game since the 2000-01 season but wasn't shabby even then and has since acted as an assistant coach for some legitimate Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins teams. Should be interesting to see what he does.

Prediction: Fourth in the division and out of the playoffs.

On paper, these guys have a gutsy team that will play hard every single night to earn the points necessary to make it to the playoffs. The reality is that once injuries set in, their depth will be tested and as it stands, the group of forwards they're going into the season with are somewhat slim in comparison to the powerhouse Capitals, Steve Yzerman's Lightning, or the quietly-improving Florida Panthers. All things considered, this is yet another rebuild year for the Atlanta Thrashers. However, their performance will improve as a team and the young guys will get invaluable hockey experience at the NHL level. If they can keep it together after this season, they'll be absolutely fantastic for years to come (and if some of the other aforementioned teams struggle out of the gate, they could very much prove me wrong and snag a playoff spot.)

Season Preview: Anaheim Ducks

September's finally here. And given how slowly teams are coming together, we decided to put off the previews until September this time. We go in alphabetical order because hey, why not? We'll be doing this until September ends. With that said here we go.

First off, the Anaheim Ducks

Team M.O.: The team still has the reputation as being one of the toughest and most offensively-skilled teams in the NHL. Time, however, has caught up to them and while the Ducks aren't necessarily candidates for being in rebuild mode, there's definitely some concerns about the corps of defensemen that they're going into the season with.

Last Season: The team finished 11th in the Western Conference and fourth in the Pacific Division. It was their first non-playoff season since winning the Stanley Cup in 2007.

Offense: Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry remain one of the best offensive tandems in the NHL to play the good ol' North American style of hockey. The second unit isn't shabby either, as Temmu Selanne and Saku Koivu give the team some scoring of the veteran-European variety. Yet while they have an interesting combination of offensive forwards to round them out, there seems to be some concerns with them as Jason Blake's becoming increasingly inconsistent, Joffery Lupul's on the shelf with an infection, and Bobby Ryan remains an RFA. In an ideal situation everyone would be signed and healthy while Blake would be the team's Number 7 forward; but he might end up coming in a bit higher than that if no one else is capable of taking the job in camp. Nevertheless, that's as good of a group of scoring forwards as you're going to find in the NHL.

The Ducks' group of checking forwards began to blossom last season and now boasts the makeup that every team would love to have on their "bottom-six". Todd Marchant is absolutely no slouch as a penalty killer while Dan Sexton showed the club (and the league) that his blazing speed could land him a checking role, if not more. Kyle Chipchura enjoyed something of a breakout season in Anaheim last season and looks set to center the team's fourth line. George Parros is now the veteran toughguy on the team while Aaron Voros and Troy Bodie will no doubt supply the club with a definitive amount of toughness. Matt Beleskey supplies plenty of energy and Ryan Carter rounds the group out with a useful set of tools everyone needs in a depth forwards.

In short, this is one of the best group of forwards you'll find on any "Top-Six/Bottom-Six" style of team.

Defense: Defensively speaking, however, this team looks like they could definitely use reinforcement.

As it stands right now, the only defenders who are proven to be "Top-four" defenders are Lubomir Visnovsky, Toni Lydman, and Andy Sutton (and in Sutton's case: he's a Number 4 defenseman at best.) Though Luca Sbisa and Cam Fowler figure to break into one of those units, Sbisa hasn't quite established himself as an NHLer while Fowler was drafted a mere 3 months ago and could stand to benefit from some additional development. The third unit would ideally feature tough-as-nails Sheldon Brookbank and the defensively sound Brett Festerling, being rounded out by whomever could win the job between Brendan Mikkelson and Danny Syvret (neither of which would be bad as Number 7 options.)

The team, essentially, needs a defenseman to replace Scott Neidermeyer (and the decision to trade James Wisniewski almost seems like a personal one.) Since that opportunity passed itself up when the Tomas Kaberle trade window closed, they could hope that the Edmonton Oilers would waive Sheldon Souray and expose him to re-entry waivers (picking him up for half the salary.) But a more likely option would be to sign a offensively-minded defender such as Marc-Andre Bergeron or Mathieu Schneider and have them around as a second or third pairing option depending on how well Festerling could handle a second-unit shutdown role with Sutton. Otherwise, they could make a trade (Kevin Bieska comes to mind and might benefit from a change of scenery), go with a rookie, or lean on Lydman for additional production and try to get an established defensive-minded defender (to be honest, I wouldn't be entirely thrilled with those last two options.)

Goaltending: Jonas Hiller has shown that he can be the man since the 2007-08 season. What's more is that backup Curtis McElhinney showed that he can be come more effective if given more ice time that the sporadic amounts of games he played in relief for Miikka Kiprusoff when he was a member of the Calgary Flames. If the team gives McElhinney 20-25 starts and has Hiller start for the rest of the 82 game schedule, then goaltending should not be a problem for the team this season.

Management: I can't say I've been enthused with Bob Murray's moves so far and while he's done well to keep the team reasonably fortified, he hasn't done enough to make them into contenders or better. Resolving the Bobby Ryan/defensive situations (respectively) will give me a higher opinion on how well he's doing as a GM. Coach Randy Carlyle is an excellent coach but could it be that his voice is lost in the locker room? He has the beginning of the season to figure that out.

Prediction: Fourth in the division and out of the playoffs.

Simply stated; the Ducks are in one of the toughest divisions in the league and need to have their problems figured out to even be considered a legitimate playoff contender and much less anything else. Given the emerging talent of the Los Angeles Kings, the award-winning leadership of the Phoenix Coyotes, and the likelihood that the San Jose Sharks will sign Antti Niemi tomorrow, it's going to be hard to best those teams without a properly fortified defense; no matter how good your group of forwards are.

Thoughts On Free Agency Season (so far...)

Yawn, what a relatively quiet free agency period this has been. Let's take a look at what's happened so far:

L.A. Kings: The plan to snag Ilya Kovalchuk fell through and though his contract's currently under review, the Kings decided to pass on him and went for Alexei Ponikarovski. IMO, this was a better move for them to get his established two-way abilities than it was for them to get Kovalchuk (who's pure offense) or bringing back Alexander Frolov, who really needed a change of scenery (and got it in the form of signing with the New York Rangers.) The team looks pretty good going into the fall, but now that Matt Greene needs to recover from shoulder surgery, it looks like either a depth defensemen could be signed or one of the prospects/minor-league guys will have a shot at getting a spot in camp. Should be fun to watch.

Detroit Red Wings: No major signings here, but Mike Modano's been offered a contract in excess of $1M to be Detroit's third-line center. Considering the fact that Detroit's third-liners are as talented as the second line of any other NHL team, Modano would do well to return home, as he was born and raised in good ol' Livonia. Also, Aaron Downey's been offered a PTO to compete for the enforcer spot on the Wings roster. He was cut out of camp by the Phoenix Coyotes and didn't play professional hockey last season, so this could be an uphill battle for him/wishful thinking for proponents of Red Wings toughness than it could be something that becomes legitimate. Related note: Brad May will likely retire, though he has yet to make a formal decision.

Phoenix Coyotes: Well, the team signed Andrew Ebbett to a one-year, two-way deal and he will compete for a spot out of camp. They're hoping that they signed the guy who was nearly a point-per-game producer for the Anaheim Ducks in 2008-09 and not the guy who bounced around the waiver wire all of last season. The team made a bunch of minor signings in hopes of fortifying the San Antonio Rampage with toughness and veteran leadership for the young guys next season.

Anaheim Ducks:Um... the Ducks announced their new ECHL affiliation with the Elmira Jackals? Actually, that's not fair, because Cam Fowler was signed to a deal this week (no work on whether or not Long Beach's Emerson Etem will be signed as well) and Brendan Mikkelsson signed his qualifying offer. The team is set to go to arbitration with James Wisniewski while both RFA Bobby Ryan and UFA Teemu Selanne remain unsigned. Oh, and the team still needs another Top Four defender to have a solid chance at being competitive next season.

Bob Probert: 1965-2010

One of hockey's most feared enforcers (and one of Detroit and Chicago's most beloved players) passed away today at 45 years old after collapsing on his boat on Lake St. Clair in Windsor, Ontario. Rest in peace Probie.