Peepin' Foes Preview Edition: Master Post

A one-stop shop for my silly scribblings about the other teams ahead of this coming season ...

Atlantic
New Jersey Devils
New York Islanders
Philadelphia Flyers
Pittsburgh Penguins

Northeast
Boston Bruins
Buffalo Sabres
Montreal Canadiens
Ottawa Senators
Toronto Maple Leafs

Southeast
Atlanta Thrashers
Carolina Hurricanes
Florida Panthers
Tampa Bay Lightning
Washington Capitals

Central
Chicago Blackhawks
Columbus Blue Jackets
Detroit Red Wings
Nashville Predators
St. Louis Blues

Northwest
Calgary Flames
Colorado Avalanche
Edmonton Oilers
Minnesota Wild
Vancouver Canucks

Pacific
Anaheim Ducks
Dallas Stars
Los Angeles Kings
Phoenix Coyotes
San Jose Sharks

Scotty Nostradamus '09-10

Just like last season, I am going to shake the magic sno-globe and see where everything lands. It is kind of ridiculous - let's face it meteorologists have science on their side and they stink at predicting the future. But we all like to play prognosticator so I will step into the role again. Granted, many of my predictions last season were wrong, but what the hell?

Standings
Eastern Conference
1. * Washington - Ovie, Backstrom, healthy Semin, healthy Green, Mike Knuble ... even Poti can't pull them down.
2. * Boston - Even without Kessel they can score and Timmy T and Mount Zdeno make sure other teams don't.
3. * Philadelphia - Pronger's elbows help make up for Emery's woes.
4. Pittsburgh - No Scuderi hurts more than expected but Cindy, Gina and the Flower are still around.
5. Carolina - Staal bounces back and hits 100, while the Wizard Whitney continues his mightily unappreciated wizardry.
6. New Jersey - Mmmmmmaaaaaarrrrrtttttyyyyy. Mmmmmmaaaaaarrrrrtttttyyyyy.
7. Buffalo - Population of Pominville surges back to norm while Miller makes his case for Olympic starter.
8. Toronto - Strong defense gives the Monster some confidence and Kessel comes out strong ... in December.
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9. NY Rangers - Tortorella's tough talk can only go so far with a flawed superstar and a overburdened goaltender.
10. Montreal - MexiCan't can't make up for Steve Penney Carey Price and Cammalleri is no Kovalev.
11. Tampa Bay - Healthy Mike Smith with an improved defense helps Vinny04 find his game again.
12. Atlanta - Offense will have more punch but no XLB and weak goaltending spells doom.
13. Florida - Loss of Bouwmeester and Anderson hurts. A lot.
14. Ottawa - No Heatley, injury-prone goaltending and Jarkko Ruutu aren't a recipe for success.
15. NY Islanders - Too many kids, too terrible a defense but I have a bad feeling that they will be damned good in the near future. And that's one helluva bad feeling.
* = Division Leader

Western Conference
1. * Detroit - They're the Red Wings, 'nuff said.
2. * San Jose - Regular season stars yet again.
3. * Calgary - Top three D can't be beat as Sutters star in home province.
4. Dallas - Healthy captain Morrow doesn't let Turco slide, proves that the Avery distraction was indeed the reason they sucked.
5. Vancouver - Improved defense helps Lou chase Stanley silver along with Olympic gold.
6. Chicago - Twenty-Cent leads charge in last season before cap woes kill dream.
7. Anaheim - No Pronger, no problem as Hiller is no Swiss cheese.
8. St. Louis - Prepare to get Oshied as JD's brats come up big again.
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9. Columbus - Even Hitch can't stop Mason from pulling a Price.
10. Los Angeles - The kids are alright. Not good, not bad, alright.
11. Nashville - No Radulov, no goals. No Zanon, no blocked shots.
12. Phoenix - Off ice turmoil too much, even for Captain Canada Shane Doan.
13. Minnesota - Lemaire was there for a reason. Can't attack without any offense.
14. Edmonton - Two coaches not better than one, especially if twitchy Bulin Wall crumbles.
15. Colorado - Everything will be downhill after the Sakic ceremony.
* = Division Leader

I won't do individual awards but here are 10 other shots in the dark:

*The NHL will have more than three 100 point scorers. And Zach Parise will be one of them.
*Bobby Ryan will score 45 goals.
*Jeff Carter will not.
*The Olympics will cost the Detroit Red Wings the Stanley Cup.
*Mats Sundin will return to the NHL, and will play for the Rangers.
*Mmmmaaarrrtttyyy Brodeur will get injured again.
*Los Angeles will trade for a goaltender at the deadline, thinking they can run for the playoffs.
*Jacques Martin won't last the season in Montreal.
*Versus and Direct TV won't come to terms, screwing hockey fans yet again.
*I will finally make it to Philly for a game and will escape without a criminal record.

Now for some personal certainties: Aside from crossing Philly off my arena list, I am also going to get out to a few Olympic games in Vancouver - have tix to two Russia games, one Sweden, one Finland and trying to get one for a USA game as well. While I am out west I will catch my first junior game (Seattle vs. Vancouver) and may even get a NCAA DI game in this season to; I may not hit the Winter Classic this time around - no one worth rooting for - but will try to get to Fenway for BU/BC the next week. Fingers crossed.

Here on the blog I have no big plans for new types of content: no podcasts, radio or video shows. If you can think of something you want - aside from me to stop hating on Brashear - feel free to chime in. I hope to have a new masthead hopefully by the end of the weekend though. Peepin' Foes for the Pens and for the Sens will both be up by Friday afternoon.

Scotty Nostradamus

As I already did Four-casts for every team, I figured I would add a one-stop shop of predictions - the main purpose of which is to see how entirely wrong I always am at the start of a season. I've already made some changes from my four-casts, so I reserve the right to change them again, and again, and again. It's my party, I can do what I want to. Nyeh nyeh.

So, without further delay, here are the Scotty Hockey 2008-09 Predictions:

Standings
Eastern Conference
1. * Montreal - If Price proves to be more than Penney, then they should ace their centennial season.
2. * New Jersey - Return of Rolston and Holik will help big-time.
3. * Washington - Ovie. 'Nuff said.
4. Pittsburgh - Healthy Cindy? Dammit.
5. Philadelphia - Solid line-up and Richards is only getting better.
6. Ottawa - Still have the best line in the league.
7. NY Rangers - King Henrik reigns supreme.
8. Carolina - New mobile D will be huge, as will a healthy RB'A.
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9. Boston - Not enough offense.
10. Buffalo - Young but dangerous.
11. Tampa Bay - Melrose is a joke.
12. Florida - No Jokinen but Vokoun will keep them responsible.
13. Atlanta - Poor Kovy; where have you gone Marc Savard?
14. Toronto - Toskala can't do it himself.
15. NY Islanders - Hahahahaha.
* = Division Leader

Western Conference
1. * Detroit - Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too good not to take first.
2. * Dallas - I heart Brendan Morrow. And add Sean? Go Stars!
3. * Calgary - Iggy remains one of the best in the biz.
4. San Jose - Dan Boyle should be huge and Nabby is a rock.
5. Anaheim - Get Jiggy with them.
6. Phoenix - One or two defencemen and one or two years away from challenging for the conference.
7. Chicago - Huet and Soupy will be the toast of the town.
8. Edmonton - So young, so fast and soon to be so good.
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9. Columbus - Major changes will mean major improvement.
10. Minnesota - Gabby without buddy Demitra? Sorry ...
11. Vancouver - Captain Luongo still can't score.
12. Colorado - Sad to see Joe come back to such a disappointing team.
13. Nashville - Ellis may be a one-year wonder.
14. St. Louis - J.D. is still building.
15. Los Angeles - Tough luck in Tinseltown.
* = Division Leader

Award Winners
Art Ross Trophy (Top Point Scorer): Cindy Crosby - If the Cole Harbour Queen stays healthy, she is just too good not to rack up the points, even with a pair of loser ex-Islander wingers.

Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy (Qualities of Perseverance and Sportsmanship): Chris Chelios - Cheli is like what, 60 now? He shows a passion and dedication that everyone should mimic, both inside and outside of hockey.

Calder Memorial Trophy (Rookie of the Year): Steve Stamkos - I am hoping Kyle Turris is deserving in Phoenix, but this No. 1 draft pick just looked too damn good this weekend. If the shots start going in, the trophy is his, no matter how terrible his +/- will be.

Conn Smythe Trophy (Most Valuable Player in the Stanley Cup Playoffs): Johan Franzen - The Mule probably won't come close this season but he would have had it last spring if he had stayed healthy so it would be nice to see a grinder-type player get some hardware.

Frank J. Selke Trophy (Top Defensive Forward): Jere Lehtinen - If he stays healthy, and that is a huuuuuuuuuge IF, Lehtinen is one of the best up-and-down wingers in the league. Unfortunately this never goes to the actual top defensive forward, just one who scores some points while playing well in his own zone. If things were proper and it went to the forward who excelled the most in the defensive zone, I would nominate Blair Betts.

Hart Memorial Trophy (NHL Most Valuable Player): It would be great to see Ovie repeat, but if Crosby ends up atop the leaderboard then the Hart will go to the golden child.

Jack Adams Award (Coach of the Year): Dave Tippett - The Dallas head coach will have to balance the lunacy of Sean Avery, Brett Hull and Steve Ott and anyone who can do that deserves an award.

James Norris Memorial Trophy (Top Defenseman): Niklas Lidstrom - He may be the best overall defenseman since Bobby Orr.

Lady Byng Memorial Trophy (Player who Displays Gentlemanly Conduct): Pavel Datsyuk - I just hope he wins something so we can get another great speech at the awards show.

Lester B. Pearson Award (Most Valuable Player as selected by the NHLPA): Alexander Ovechkin - Everyone loves Ovie because Ovie so clearly loves playing hockey and man, is he good at it ...

Maurice Richard Trophy (Top Goal Scorer): Ovechkin - 70 goals? It's possible, for him.

Vezina Trophy (Top Goalie): Evgeni Nabokov - I still think Brodeur robbed Nabby of the award last year and see no reason why justice won't be served this time around since Fatso is getting older and should, should play less this season.

Ten Other Predictions
*Barry Melrose won't last the full season as coach of the Lightning.

*It won't snow in Chicago on New Years.

*Ranger fans will give Sean Avery a loud ovation upon his return to the Garden and to the Prudential Center.

*Philadelphia will trade for the Sedin twins at the deadline while Ottawa overpays for Gaborik and Jersey makes a play for Jason Arnott. But no one will be willing to trade for Max Afinogenov.

*Mats Sundin will stay in Sweden. Peter Forsberg won't.

*I will call Kalinin Malik at least 50 times.

*Nashville will not average 14,000 fans, will lose their revenue-sharing payments, find another crooked investor while Jim Balsillie sits back and counts his money.

*After not selling out their home opener despite their insane ticket offer, the Phoenix Coyotes will sweeten the deal by having Dan Carcillo beat up your child's school bully.

*Someone, perhaps the Hawks, will beat the Oilers in a shootout when Mathieu Garon is in net (he went 10-0 last year).

*Not only will the Islanders finish in last place, they will lose the draft lottery to Toronto. There is no way Bettman won't Pat Ewing that draw for Tavares. Ha ha!

Not much longer until we get to see how right/wrong I am so good luck to all and Let's Go Rangers!

NHL Four-cast: Washington Capitals

1 - Why is this team worth watching? AO. When you have a player who can do this, and this, and this, and especially this and enjoys it this much, you have it made. Ovechkin's enthusiasm is infectious and a true pleasure to watch.

2 - Are they better or worse than last year? Worse. Yes Ovie and Backstrom and Semin all have more experience under their belts but they don't play defense. Letting Cristobal Huet go and replacing him with Jose Theodore is a definite downgrade, especially as Theodore stepped up his game purely to get a new contract, and he didn't even do that great in going 28-21-3 with a 2.44 GAA and .910 save percent. Huet, who went a remarkable 11-2 with a 1.63 and .936 in 13 regular season games with them, is still proving he is a top goaltender in the NHL and this team needs a star in net, especially with their poor defensive corps. Mike Green was a revelation last season with his offense from the blueline but there are no Rod Langways, Scott Stevenses or Brendan Witts back there to help out the netminder. Letting Ollie the goalie go is just depressing as he was synonymous with Washington for a long, long time. They still have the rock solid Brent Johnson as a backup but they had better pray that their offense can average at least four goals a game ... And I don't understand why they let Matt Cooke go to Pittsburgh, he added good grit to a pretty soft roster, especially with Chris Clark injury-prone.

3 - Who should YOU draft in fantasy? I had the first overall pick in one of my (many) leagues and picked Ovie. Backstrom and Semin should both be good for 70 points. Viktor Kozlov is still dangerous and good for 50 points, and Michael Nylander will get that number easily if he stays healthy. If. Mike Green had a spectacular year and a lot of people think it was his arrival. Some people also draft Tom Poti for blueline points but I want to punch those people in the face. I hate Tom Poti. A lot. And, as you could guess, I wouldn't put much faith in Theodore either. Keep an eye on the Caps depth chart because Brooks Laich had a strong finish to his season and if he gets on a scoring line, he may be able to keep the momentum. While I am a fan of Clark, with his injury and the progress of the other forwards, he may have lost his spot among the scorers so he isn't likely to bounce back to his 30 goal form.

4 - "Maybe next year the Stanley Cup?" Sorry Ovie, you can keep winning individual trophies but it doesn't look like your team will take the hardware this year - not unless they make a big trade at the deadline and get a 2002-esque performance from Theodore. I think they can in a few years, if Ted Leonis can accept a few seasons of first or second round playoff exits and keeps Bruce Boudreau around while prospects like Simeon Varlamov, Karl Alzner, John Carlson and Chris Bourque grow up. The first three will secure the Caps end of the ice while Bourque will be another sniper up front to help draw attention away from Ovie.

NHL Four-cast: Vancouver Canucks

1 - Why is this team worth watching? I don't know about you, but identical twins always trip me out but I have to say, Vancouver's pair is pretty damn good at hockey. Roberto Luongo, despite a 'down' season of 35 wins, 2.38 gaa and .917, is still one of the best goaltenders in the league. As I've mentioned before, I personally enjoy watching Willie Mitchell work. And it will be interesting to see if Kevin Bieksa can recapture his form from two years ago.

2 - Are they better or worse than last year? Hard to say, because you just don't know which Pavol Demitra is going to show up - is he the slick playmaker that worked so well with Marian Gaborik, or is he a regular member of the injured reserve? He will expected to replace the oft-injured Brendan Morrison, just as Steve Bernier will be counted upon to replace Markus Naslund's offense - as limited as it was last season. Losing Matt Cooke to free agency will hurt but they still have the agitating Alex Burrows. They also brought in goon Darcy Hordichuk and former Leaf Kyle Wellwood, neither of whom will be counted on for anything more than minor roles.

3 - Who should YOU draft in fantasy?Luongo is the only player worth a damn for your first round. The Sedins should offer up a point per game, especially of they mesh well with Bernier but they can slip as far as the third or fourth rounds. Don't get suckered in by Mattias Ohlund or Sami Salo ... trust me, I have - several times. They are just injured too often to be relied upon. If Bieksa can recapture his form then he will get you solid stats across the board. Two interesting youngsters to follow are defenseman Alex Edler and winger Mason Raymond. Edler will get you 25, 30 points but he needs to find some consistency and Raymond is fast as hell and a former college scoring star - with the right linemates and some power play time, he can reach 60 points. Burrows likely won't reach the 179 PIM he had last year with Hordichuk on board so don't waste your time drafting him, just grab him for Vancouver's grudge matches against Minnesota.

4 - Does any other NHL team have a worse reputation? Think about it, most every memorable Vancouver moment is negative - Roger Neilson surrendering (and thus starting the annoying towel waving phenomenon), breaking the Rangers' 54 year curse, Todd Bertuzzi ... having the ugliest jersey in history (I admittedly and proudly own a yellow Flying V myself). I mean, the only positive thing I can recall is the sendoff for Trevor Linden which, to me, was as much about Calgary's class as it was anything else. These guys need something good to happen, and soon ... perhaps Roberto Luongo will break Sam LoPresti's record 83 saves in a game?

NHL Four-cast: Toronto Maple Leafs

1 - Why is this team worth watching? Are they? Um, let's see ... why to watch the Maple Leafs ... hmmm ... You can see the downfall of a once proud Original Six team as they try to break a 41 season Cup-less streak. Or catch the seminar on why teams shouldn't be owned by companies (not that solo owners are unimpeachable, but at least then there is a face to the franchise). Tune in to see what a $3.5 million third pairing defenseman looks like. And keep your eyes peeled for one of Borat's rare displays of talent.

2 - Are they better or worse than last year? Amazingly, yes, yes they are worse. As bad as they were last season, they fell even deeper when Mats Sundin just couldn't find the passion to return to see the new scoreboard at the ACC. While some may say they added by subtraction by sending Bryan McCabe packing, it really wasn't his fault ... except when it really was. Mike Van Ryn will have to bounce back from wrist surgery to make the deal worthwhile because McCabe logged a ton of minutes. And, having watched plenty of Toronto games with unbiased eyes, Raycroft wasn't as bad as his numbers showed. There is a certain upgrade with Cujo in his place, but you just can't bail out the Titanic with a bucket.

3 - Who should YOU draft in fantasy? Is this question really worthwhile for these guys? Personally, I wouldn't bother with anyone. Borat and Alexei Ponikarovsky could get 60 points each, but there is no Sundin to get them the puck and draw the defense away so who knows. Their numbers will hinge on the progress of Mikhail Grabovski, who has serious skills but has only played 27 NHL games to date. The Leafs don't have an outright goon, but Ryan Hollweg should be good for over 100 PIM. If you draft a superstar goaltender early, you probably can pick up Vesa Toskala for your backup with a late round pick. Your star will help keep your team's GAA and save % reasonable while Toskala adds 30 wins - no matter how bad they look on paper (and sound in the Toronto media), the Leafs can't possibly lose every game. Can they??

4 - Can John Tavares save this franchise? It will be tough but it is possible. Even though critics say Tavares may not be the best person in his draft anymore, the Leafs will still go after him to try to satisfy the rabid fanbase. The thing is that the kid will have the weight of the world on his shoulders when he pulls on the blue and white, and he will have little help as he struggles to handle it. Gretzky didn't do it alone in Edmonton and Crosby has Malkin in Pittsburgh. Instead of drafting what could have been Tavares' Jari Kurri in Nikita Filatov last year, the Leafs chose Luke Schenn - a defensive defenseman, yawn. The only hope for Tavares is if Marian Gaborik is available and willing to play in Toronto when next July 1st comes around ... something I wouldn't bet on happening.

NHL Four-cast: Tampa Bay Lighting

1 - Why is this team worth watching? Apparently this Steve Stamkos kid has a guaranteed roster spot and he has some sweeeeeet moves. Then there are mighty midget Marty St. Louis and Vinny04, who have been reunited with Vinny Prospal to make one of the best lines in the league. Oh yeah, and they added former Crosby errand boy Ryan Malone, aging pitbull Gary Roberts and the classy Olaf Kolzig, who I still can't believe Washington wouldn't re-sign. And keep an eye on the monstrous Evgeny Artyukhin (6'4, 254), who has a wide variety of weapons in his arsenal.

2 - Are they better or worse than last year? They were woeful last season. I mean like, really, really woeful. Could they be any worse? Not really, although the Islanders managed to do it so I guess the Bolts could have ... but they didn't. With new owners in town they went on a drunken spending spree and rebuilt their roster. And they did a decent job of it too. They will be in the hunt for a playoff spot and should play some exciting, defenseless hockey under Barry Melrose. Most pundits are jumping all over the fact that they didn't replace Dan Boyle but they did get Andrew Hutchinson from the Rangers and he had an incredible season in the AHL. He should work well to compliment and kick young Matt Carle into gear, just as Kolzig will mentor Mike Smith and Gary Roberts will show Stamkos what it is to be a professional.

3 - Who should YOU draft in fantasy? The MVP line are all top flight and Prospal may even fall to the mid-rounds of your draft. It's hard to imagine that neither Radim Vrbata nor Malone will be able to repeat their solid stat lines from last season but if Melrose does indeed go for all offense, all the time, who knows. Mark Recchi will be good for power play points, as he always has been, but don't expect too much. All of their plus/minus will suck. Well, maybe not all - Michel Ouellet somehow was a +11 last season, even though the Bolts blew. He also had 36 points in 64 games so if he stays healthy and is placed alongside Stamkos, watch out - he will be a good late round pick in deep drafts. Stay away from their goaltenders and, unlike the Tampa Bay owners, don't spend too much on Andrej Meszaros - at least until he proves himself. Meszaros received a ton of ice time in good situations with Ottawa and managed just 36 points. You can turn to Paul Ranger instead and he should provide a cheap 35, 40 points if he stays healthy.

4 -Why aren't more owners like Oren Koules and Len Barrie? Because all of the other owners are old white guys with no sense of humour. They like hockey so they bought a team. They like winning so they spent some of their money to do it. They have strong opinions and have no problem voicing them. And, most importantly, they are fans of the game and - at least for now - respect the other fans ... let's just hope it lasts ...

NHL Four-cast: San Jose Sharks

1 - Why is this team worth watching? Evgeni Nabokov is a superstar - if he wasn't Kazakh he would be a household name. Joe Thornton may not come through in the playoffs but he is still one of the best pivots in the league. Jody Shelley is a true heavyweight, Mike Grier is the definition of a professional and two more words: Jeremy Roenick.

2 - Are they better or worse than last year? Par for the course. They watched Brian Campbell go despite their best efforts and sold the farm to bring in Dan Boyle. Boyle is better but they did mortgage a chunk of their future to get him, but that is a problem for a few seasons from now. They did have to deal Craig Rivet, which was disappointing, but they added Rob Blake, who is still relevant after all these years. Devin Setoguchi, Douglas Murray and Ryane Clowe all added more NHL experience but Setoguchi will have a tough time getting the ice time he needs, Murray won't be more than a third defenseman and Clowe is coming off of knee surgery.

3 - Who should YOU draft in fantasy? Thornton, Boyle and Nabokov are all top flight guys. You may be able to get Boyle later than usual because he had 'just' 25 points in 37 games and was an awful -29, something that shouldn't be a problem this year. Jonathan Cheechoo killed me last year so screw him, but he should do better if Todd McLellan loosens the reins. Milan Michalek got his clock cleaned the last time we saw him so you are gambling if you think he will improve over last year. And if you really want to roll the dice, Patrick Marleau is your man. Marleau is incredibly skilled but has been the subject of rumour after rumour after rumour - it has clearly screwed with his mind but if McLellan gives him a vote of confidence, watch out.

4 - How cool would it be if Jeff Friesen could really come back? Very cool indeed. Now I don't think he can do it, considering the extent of injuries in his past and his age but Owen Nolan pulled the same thing and he is back to being a solid NHL citizen. At the most, Friesen makes it back and fills in Patrick Rissmiller's third/fourth line spot. At the least, San Jose did the right thing by giving a former player and a fan favourite at that a shot. Best of luck to him.

NHL Four-cast: St. Louis Blues

1 - Why is this team worth watching? Did you know Brad Boyes had 43 goals last year? Dude can score. Manny Legacy? Dude can stop pucks (I still don't understand why he was run out of Detroit). Barret Jackman and Jay McKee are two of the better defensive defensemen in the league. D.J. King is good at defending his teammates and Cam Janssen is insane.

2 - Are they better or worse than last year? Better. They did lose stellar penalty killers in class act Jamal Mayers and Ryan Johnson but they replaced them with younger grinders in Matt Foy and Brad Winchester. They gave the incredibly underrated Legace a safety net in Chris Mason, who flunked as a starter last year but was wonderful as a backup two years ago (some folks can't take the pressure I guess). Plus the kids they played last year have a year's experience and a new crop is already coming in - T.J. Oshie is a stud.

3 - Who should YOU draft in fantasy? Boyes is the only guarantee. Erik Johnson hasn't grown into a power play QB yet but is getting there. Andy McDonald has gotta do better, he can't be as bad as he was last year ... -17 in 49 games? Eesh, but he did have 36 points. If plus/minus doesn't scare you the the over-the-hill gang of Paul Kariya and Keith Tkachuk should be good for the 60 or so points they put up last year. David Backes is growing into a Tkachuk-esque player (some points, some PIM) and Lee Stempniak is only getting better. Keep an eye on them and while you are at it, take a peek at David Perron - he scored 27 points in 62 games and somehow put up a +16 on St. Louis. St. Louis. That's damn impressive. Legace had five shutouts and 27 wins and probably will better each number as the young Blues mature.

4 - If this on-going rebuild fails, if it doesn't result in a return to prominence (the kind that 25 straight playoff years gets you), will John Davidson have ruined his reputation in hockey? I don't think so. Davidson built a one incredible reputation around the league as an analyst after an above-average career. Many people complimented him for reaching out and taking this job, as crappy a gig as it seemed. If he fails, and I don't think he will, then those same folks will still think he is a great guy. You can't wash away 30+ years with a few bad ones in this business - Cliff Fletcher just got rehired for crissake. But if I'm right, and the team does bounce back and start making the playoffs (say, two, three years from now), then J.D. should be on the ballot for the Hall of Fame as a builder ...

NHL Four-cast: Pittsburgh Penguins

1 - Why is this team worth watching? Did you enjoy Beijing? If so, the Cole Harbour Crybaby is one helluva diver (and, I must grudgingly admit, a decent hockey player). Brooks Orpik is capable of more rock n' roll shifts like this, that Kris Letang kid is a shootout ace (even if he is a little weasel the rest of the time) and that Malkin guy ain't half bad.

2 - Are they better or worse than last year? Worse. Gone are key wingers Ryan Malone and Marian Hossa, who were replaced by two Islanders - Miro Satan and Ruslan Fedotenko - because when you think scoring, you think Islanders /sarcasm. Gone is the Conkblocker, who picked up the team on his back for several months, and in his place is Dany Sabourin, who isn't very good. And gone is the league's best enforcer, Georges Laraque. In his place? Eric Godard.

3 - Who should YOU draft in fantasy? There is that Malkin guy, and that Crosby girl. Sergei Gonchar puts up huge points from the blueline every season. Remember, Ryan Whitney is out for a while. His replacement on the power play will likely be Letang, who does have some good skills and should have a breakout season. Petr Sykora slowly but steadily puts up his 50 points per year. I am not sold on Jordan Staal, but I will allow that he may have just had a sophomore slump last season. Staal should do better than 28 points and -5 but I don't expect a return to the 29 goals he scored his rookie year. Marc-Andre Fleury won over a lot of fans with his play during the postseason but keep in mind that he did it after missing months of action with injury. He put up some great numbers though and will be relied upon to play 65 or so games so he is still worthy of a second-starter position on your team.

4 - Is this the year Cindy Crosby finally becomes a man? Nope. She is too wrapped in a cocoon of sycophants who worship the ice she skates on. Sadly, they include a legion of parasites who depend on her happiness for their livelihood: Bettman, NBC, Versus, Pittsburgh, even Don Cherry ... someone to get in Cindy's face and explain to her that it isn't honourable to dive, it isn't honourable to take cheap shots and it isn't honourable to run to the refs demanding protection.

NHL Four-cast: Phoenix Coyotes

1 - Why is this team worth watching? There are so many reasons ... I heart Dan Carcillo. Dave Strader and Darren Pang are probably the best announcing pair in the NHL. Gretzky freaks out with the best of them. Shane Doan holds the flag as the last Winnipeg Jet with the franchise. He is joined by a ton of young talent and play a fun up-tempo game. And let's face it, even when they are bad, you never know what wonderful things can happen.

2 - Are they better or worse than last year? Definitely better. Phoenix shipped two mediocre defensemen to Florida for Olli Jokinen, who will easily put up a point per game alongside Doan. He will be a better scorer than Radim Vrbata, who jumped ship to Tampa, and probably the best playmaker the team has had since Alexei Zhamnov or even Dale Hawerchuk. And while it may have hurt to deal away Keith Ballard, the Coyotes turned around and picked up a more-than-adequate replacement in Kurt Sauer. Brian McGrattan will be their first heavyweight since Georges Laraque left and he should help keep Carcillo in the lineup.

3 - Who should YOU draft in fantasy? Ilya Bryzgalov had a 2.42 g.a.a. and a .921 save percentage with Phoenix last year. Look at that, he is incredible and incredibly underrated in most drafts. Carcillo was a stud last season grabbing points and PIM and even with McGrattan he should do well again. Jokinen and Doan are both quality and Peter Mueller should only improve upon his 54 point rookie campaign. All of the hype around Kyle Turris is well deserved; he is definitely a early candidate for the Calder, especially with Doan and Jokinen around to show him the ropes.

4 - Do they have the funniest promotion in the NHL? Perhaps ... On November 29th, the night they play the San Jose Sharks, the Coyotes will give out winter gloves. Winter gloves. In Arizona. Yes, the desert temperatures can dip to the low 40s, but they are giving out winter gloves. In Arizona.

NHL Four-cast: Philadelphia Flyers

1 - Why is this team worth watching? They may not be the Broad Street Bullies anymore but you still never know when someone is going to get absolutely hammered.

2 - Are they better or worse than last year? Worse. The Flyers let R.J. Umberger go despite a breakthrough postseason, just to keep the mediocre Jeff Carter. Vinny Prospal headed back from whence he came, returning to Tampa after putting up 27 points in 35 games with Philadelphia. Captain Jason Smith is in Ottawa, leaving a veteran leadership vacuum in the Philadelphia dressing room. They did bring in Glen Metropolit, a personal favourite since his time with the Jawz, but for all of his class, he isn't a cult of personality that can power this team. That will probably be left to Mike Richards and while he has the nasty skills, he has yet to pick up the mantle of team leader (perhaps give the C to Jim Dowd until Richards is ready?). They did add Ossi Vaananen and Steve Eminger to the blueline, but seriously, who cares? Now Arron Asham on the other hand ... he just seems to be making the rounds to antagonize the Rangers - first the Isles, then the Devils, now the Flyers - and he is a tough, hard working guy.

3 - Who should YOU draft in fantasy? Richards is a given, as is Danny Briere, who should bounce back from his god-awful -22 season. Carter and blue collar Mike Knuble should be good for 50 points each while Scott Hartnell and Scottie Upshall should get 45 each and grab you a good number of PIM as well. Kimmo Timonen is unspectacular but steady from the blueline while Braydon Coburn is turning into a solid fantasy citizen - 17 of his 36 points were on the power play, he was +17 and had 74 PIM. Marty Biron is the clear-cut starter and should easily repeat his 30 win performance with decent numbers, even with Vaananen and Eminger getting regular shifts in front of him. The wild cards on this team are Steve Downie and Simon Gagne - you just can't guess what you will get from them this year. Gagne can be a beast but is coming back from a serious injury to his head, while Downie seemingly doesn't have anything in his head.

4 - Who plans memorial services weeks in advance? Apparently the family of a friend of Eric Lindros. He used that excuse to get out of participating in a pre-game ceremony before the final Flyers game at the Spectrum. At least he didn't say he couldn't remember where the Spectrum was or his parents wouldn't let him go.

NHL Four-cast: Ottawa Senators

1 - Why is this team worth watching? They have the best line in hockey. Dany Heatley, Daniel Alfredsson and Jason Spezza are simply scintillating (sorry Tampa, they are better than the reunited Vinny, Vinny and Marty). But you had better tune in early: Ottawa flew out of the gates last season with some of the best hockey played since Montreal in the '70s but the sheer amount of ice time took its tole on their superstars and all three of them experienced injury woes to some degree later on. One would think that management would work to fix that but ...

2 - Are they better or worse than last year? ... but management didn't. This team has no secondary scoring and they did nothing to get any. Cory Stillman and Martin Lapointe weren't successful so they were let go and weren't replaced. They let Wade Redden, Mike Commodore and now Andrej Meszaros go and subbed them with Jason Smith, Filip Kuba and Alexandre Picard - unless Picard matures into a Norris candidate, that is a tremendous downgrade. Ottawa also worsened by allowing pariah Ray Emery go. The media may have made him an outcast but he was incredibly talented and a helliva lot better than Alex Auld, who couldn't get playing time on his last three teams, even though they all gave him opportunity and frankly all sucked (Florida, Boston and Phoenix). The only decent deals they made were to trade tough guy Brian McGrattan away and add pain-in-the-ass Jarkko Ruutu to a team that already includes the aggressive Chris Neil. They won't be fun to face but shut down the one line and you can chalk up a win.

3 - Who should YOU draft in fantasy? Heatley, Alfredsson and Spezza are all first rounders. Antoine Vermette should be good late in the draft as he will nab 60 points. Mike Fisher will get 50 but be careful as he somehow got nailed for a -10 plus/minus despite getting good ice time, especially when Spezza went down for a half dozen games. I'm a fan of Nick Foligno but, like his dad, he isn't going to put up great numbers. Martin Gerber is Ottawa's No. 1 and with Auld behind him, you can expect him to get the majority of starts which means at least 30 wins but beware shaky numbers.

4 - What the hell? The Senators are a pretty good team, they put on a good show and have a nice arena so why do they have to sweeten their ticket packages with tickets to the sold-out 2009 IIHF World Junior Championship?? Or hmmm, is it the other way around? To get to the good stuff, you have to submit to the Sens ... ? Man, that's sad.

NHL Four-cast: New York Rangers

1 - Why is this team worth watching? Did you enjoy high school science class? You know all of those chemistry experiments where you get to see if the light bulb goes on or stuff bubbles and blows up? That's the 2008-09 New York Rangers. There are a slew of new faces and with them will be a new philosophy on the ice. What's worth watching is seeing how the formula works out. Will the alchemy work and create Stanley's silver or will it just fizzle out? But if seeing red goo ooze out of a paper mache volcano isn't enough for you, then tune in for Nik Zherdev, who can be incredible when he wants to be.

2 - Are they better or worse than last year? It is so, so very difficult to say. My initial instinct is worse but the building blocks are there to make something great - it will just take them all coming together lego-style to create a winner. The foundation is still the same, but at this point, who can really say what is built on top of it?

3 - Who should YOU draft in fantasy? As I said, the foundation is still the same. Henrik Lundqvist has been a finalist for the Vezina Trophy three years running and there is little reason to think it won't happen again this year. It's true he list the only crease-clearer on the team in Tyutin, but Tom Renney's defensive philosophy remains. That being said, one hopes that the reigns will be loosened for the mercurial Zherdev, who can flourish alongside Scott Gomez if he works hard. Even if Zherdev bags it, Gomez should be good for the same 70 points he got while sleepwalking through last season. Little Leaguer Chris Drury, Brandon Dubinsky and Michal Rozsival should all benefit from a new, more aggressive power play bereft of Jaromir Jagr's puck-hogging, time-wasting possession. As for the big signings - Markus Naslund and Wade Redden - I would say wait and see since they both appear on the down-swing of their careers but may be rejuvenated in a new setting. Then again, they may just be happy to collect their over-inflated paychecks ... but at least Naslund is saying all the right things.

4 - If they are my favourite team, why am I so down on them? What can I say? I'm a pessimist by nature. If you look at the recent Stanley Cup winners you can see that all of them were built from within. Instead of fostering that development, Glen Sather reverted back to the open wallet policy and that scares me. But no matter how much I disagree, they are the still Rangers and I love them. Awwww.

Save Your $$$

Yet again the Sporting News came up way short on their NHL season preview issue. It is an utter and complete waste of eight bucks with outright mistakes and insane rankings. As you can imagine, I read as many season previews as I can get my hands on and this rag is by far the worst. A few examples:

*Even though the issue mentions that Alexei Zhitnik was bought out in their Atlanta Thrashers preview, the Rankings By Position on page 12 has him ranked as the 25th best defenseman in the NHL, ahead of Michal Rozsival (37th), Lubomir Visnovsky (44th) and Brent Burns (47th). Luckily he is behind No. 11 Keith Duncan (it's Duncan Keith morons) and No. 15, Florida's Keith Ballard (what??). Ballard, who by the way, is ranked one better than Chris Pronger.

*Also notable/curious in those Rankings is Atlanta's Kari Lehtonen at 16th among goaltenders, ahead of Carey Price (22), Ilya Bryzgalov (25th), Tim Thomas (26th) and Cristobal Huet (30th).

*The Rankings were all sorts of screwed up as they put Alex Kovalev ranked 31st among wingers, 28 positions behind Dany Heatley. Now, I don't think Kovalev is nearly as good as Heatley but seven pages later Kovalev was selected over the Sen as the All-Northeast left winger.

*The two-page spread on the Swedish influence to the Detroit Red Wings has eight Swedes in the picture, yet the article talks about the nine on the team and the seven who played a big part of the Wings Cup run. Pick one or the other you clowns.

*After being disgusted by all that, I jumped right to the Rangers page but couldn't get past the opening paragraphs:

"When three of your five leading scorers vanish into the thin air of unrestricted free agency, the general manager better have a backup play he believe in."

Really? I recall that all of the Ranger free agents were waiting on Glen Sather to make his move, not vice versa. Shanny still hasn't gone anywhere as he waits for an offer to come back, and both Jagr and Straka wanted to return but Sather didn't give them what they wanted ... so they didn't vanish by any means.

I am sure I can find many more faults and fallacies in this joke of issue but let's just get to the point, DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY ON IT!!!

Let's face it, all of these preview magazines are out of date by the time you get them so you are better off sticking to the world wide interweb. The Hockey News issues are both rushed to the newstand so they hit the street in early August - two months before the season starts. Also, their fantasy guide neglects to include shorthanded points, which is a make-'em-or-break'em category in many leagues. For all of the gloss, FaceOff's is bland and boring while McKeens does a pretty good job but they are almost impossible to find (click on the link to order it). The internet is a big place with a lot of sites that you can turn to for good, up-to-date info and, with thousands of obsessive armchair GMs like me around to call bulls--t, there are a lot fewer inaccuracies.

You would think I would have learned by now ...

NHL Four-cast: New York Islanders

1 - Why is this team worth watching? Because minor league hockey is always entertaining. Turn them on, turn the audio off and play the Benny Hill music. If you want me to be serious, and it is difficult considering this is the Islanders after all, then tune in to watch the development of Kyle Okposo. The kid has some serious skills and let's face it, he has no pressure on Long Island as expectations are rock bottom. You just have to be patient.

2 - Are they better or worse than last year? Worse. They banished Ted Nolan after all he did was keep them respectable and now they have a AHL coach to coach what is essentially a AHL team. They let former sniper Miro Satan, Ranger-killer Ruslan Fedotenko and steady defenseman Aaron Johnson all go while bringing in a way, way past his prime Doug Weight, the overrated one-year-wonder Swiss Miss Mark Streit and goon Mitch Fritz (traitor). And golden boy DP's medical chart is getting longer and longer ...

3 - Who should YOU draft in fantasy? No one. Stay away like the plague, much like hockey fans do on Long Island. Okposo might put together a 50 point season but his plus/minus will be dreadful. And unless your league counts games lost to injury, then DP isn't worth your time. He will get most of the Isles wins - however few they may be - and probably will have a good save percentage but his g.a.a. will blow.

4 - Will every Islander game this season resemble this? I certainly hope so!!!

NHL Four-cast: New Jersey Devils

1 - Why is this team worth watching? Did you enjoy Beijing? If so, then the second best diver in the world will be in the crease for the Devils. Fatso puts on a show every night, the overrated, classless ass. Other than Mmmmaaaarrrrttttyyy, the less-famous John Madden is really a defensive genius and Brian Gionta proves that members of the Lollipop Guild can make the NHL. And if those three are enough to convince you to watch these guys, then have fun with the other thousand or so Devil fans who sit in the empty Prudential Center. Hey, I never said these Four-casts weren't going to be unbiased - this is a Ranger blog after all.

2 - Are they better or worse than last year? Better. Bobby Holik is happy to be back in Jersey - I can't imagine why after a stint in Atlanta - and you can expect him to play happily and well. Holik, when used properly, is the best shut-down center in the league and that includes Madden, Draper and Datsyuk. Brian Rolston also is making a return to the Garden State and he adds a little offense.

3 - Who should YOU draft in fantasy? I said Rolston adds a little offense and that is it. Do not expect him to improve on his 59 points from last year, not in New Jersey. Zach Parise should be good for 70 points and Patrik Elias, aka Hepatitis B, should hit the 65 mark. If Gionta can find any chemistry with Rolston, then he could regain his 30 goal form. Jamie Langenbrunner showed signs of breaking out in coach Sutter's system so keep an eye on him. If you are in a deep league and PIM is one of many categories, then David Clarkson is worth picking up - 20 points, positive plus/minus and plenty of penalties as the only tough guy on the team. John Oduya should continue to improve across the board and get 30 points, plus 30 and 50 PIM. As for a dark horse, Noah Clarke played one NHL game and scored one goal and has a injury-filled-yet-solid AHL resume that had 230 points in 314 games.

4 - What are five ways that the Devils can sell-out the Prudential Center? 1 - Play the Rangers 41 times, 2 - Have Bon Jovi or Bruce Springsteen play during the intermissions, 3 - Slot machines since New Yorkers aren't willing to go all the way to AC, 4 - Free tickets for the mentally challenged, and 5- Cheap beer, E and bad techno music could bring da guidos in from da Shore.

NHL Four-cast: Nashville Predators

1 - Why is this team worth watching? Well, I watch to see former Ranger Jed Ortmeyer (get well soon!) but for someone not in the Jed fanclub, you should tune in to see Jordin Tootoo. Tootoo is the Little Ball of Hate for the new generation and is a little crazy to boot. Other than that ... well, I donno what to tell you. They play some up-tempo hockey but don't necessarily have the guns to pull it off, at least not yet.

2 - Are they better or worse than last year? Worse. They gave away puck-mover Marek Zidlicky, goaltender Chris Mason and tough guy Darcy Hordichuk while acquiring a few minor leaguers and some draft picks. And you can't forget that sniper Alex Radulov jumped ship to go to home. So all of that adds up to one happy fanbase. All five of those guys must be pissed!

3 - Who should YOU draft in fantasy? J.P. Dumont and Jason Arnott are both good for 70 points while the streaky Martin Erat should come in around 60. Ryan Suter is on his way to becoming a top flight defenseman and he is good for numbers across the board - points, plus/minus and PIM. Shea Weber will get a lot of ice time as well and he likes to shoot the puck. Dan Ellis put up some magical numbers last season so it will be interesting to see how he handles the burden of being a starter. If Steve Sullivan can actually make it back to the NHL from the back problems that kept him out of the league last year, then he will certainly be worth grabbing. But he is no Mario so I don't think we will see him again and that is a shame because he was a helluva player.

4 - What should we re-name this team ('cause Predators is lame)? Back in the early '80s there was minor, minor league hockey in Nashville named the Southern Stars. Why the hell didn't they go with that? It would have been fantastic and endearing and I would imagine that the jersey wouldn't end up on a zombie somewhere.

NHL Four-cast: Montreal Canadiens

1 - Why is this team worth watching? Because they are pretty damn good and if destiny has anything to say about it, they will win the Stanley Cup in their Centennial season (even though there is controversy over this as they don't turn 100 until December 4th, 2009 and the lockout robbed a year). But whatever, they decided to celebrate it and have more Cups than anyone else so what better way to celebrate than to add another one? Along the way, you should also watch Long Island boy Mike Komisarek, who is steadily becoming the best defensive defenseman in the NHL. Komisarek plays his position strongly, blocks shots and makes some huge hits. They really need to start giving out the Rod Langway Award.

2 - Are they better or worse than last year? Better. I don't think Alex Kovalev will slack off like some pundits are predicting and they added Alex Tanguay to help carry the offensive burden. They also added big Georges Laraque, the top tough guy in the NHL and a gentleman to boot. The Kostitsyn's are only getting better and Carey Price now has some actual experience under his belt - even though I think he will prove to be a modern day Steve Penney. It's true that Mark Strait has left to piss his career away with the Islanders, but I wouldn't be shocked if they make a deal to replace his offense from the blueline by the deadline.

3 - Who should YOU draft in fantasy? Tomas Plekanec is one of the most underrated players in the NHL. He works hard, goes to the net and does well on both sides of the ice. He should put up a point per game this season, as should Kovy and Tanguay. The Kostitsyns should be good for 60 points or so, as should Andrei Markov - a solid offensive defenseman. Buyer beware with their goaltenders as Price could well be supplanted by Jaroslav Halak (who subbed in for a game in the playoffs) and don't be shocked if Marc Denis bounces back to push them because he used to be a helluva goaltender when he had no pressure in Columbus.

4 - Is there any way they can top last year's Comeback? I really don't think so. As a Ranger fan, it was one of the most horrifying things I have ever seen, utterly disgraceful. As a hockey fan, it was one of the most remarkable. Watch out NHL, no five-goal lead is safe when the Habs are around ...

NHL Four-cast: Minnesota Wild

1 - Why is this team worth watching? Marian Gaborik can put the puck in the net, at least when his groin is feeling alright, Brent Burns is growing into a all-around defensive dynamo and you just can't beat the Boogeyman.

2 - Are they better or worse than last year? Worse. Andrew Brunette is solid but no Brian Rolston and they didn't even bother replacing Pavol Demitra - a player who Gabby clearly enjoyed playing with. Marek Zidlicky should add to an already mobile defensive corps but who knows, he could get injured early and often like Kim Johnsson or Kurtis Foster. Antti Miettinen, Mark Parrish and Owen Nolan will be fine additions to their system but none of them bring anything new to the table. Edmonton should give them a run for the division title this season.

3 - Who should YOU draft in fantasy? Even without Demitra, Gabby is good for a point per game. He has all-world talent and one shudders to think what numbers he would put up away from Lemaire's system. Burns will get you points and PIMs from the blueline, while Zidlicky and Foster should just get points (figure 40 or so each). Mikko Koivu was headed for a huge season before the Ohlund incident last year so who knows just how high he can go? I will definitely be targeting him in some of my drafts. Pierre Marc Bouchard also has a ton of offensive skills but he signed a big deal so beware of complacency. Niklas Backstrom is one of the top goaltenders in the game and has the assistance of the Wild's not-so-wild system so he should be among the first goaltenders taken (Brodeur, Giguere, Lundqvist, Nabokov, Osgood and then him).

4 - Will the Wild ever be as beloved as the North Stars? Inside Minnesota, sure. The team sells out every game with what I hear is a fantastic crowd of hockey fans. But outside of Minnesota? Notsomuch. They play some pretty boring hockey and have no characters. There is no boy model Modanos, no gold medal Brotens, no missing Links and no tit f--ker Bellows. Sorry guys, we still love the North Stars.