BY MIKE BROPHY
sportsnet.ca
Today we continue with our previews leading up to opening night on Oct. 7 as sportsnet.ca NHL analysts Mark Spector, Mike Brophy get you ready for the season by asking a few of the burning questions surrounding each team.
In addition, Hall of Fame writer Jim Kelley presents five features that examines the top prospects to watch, top rookies, coaches on the hot seat, season storylines and narrowing down who has a shot at supplanting Henrik Sedin as league MVP.
Today, we examine the Atlantic Division.
Ilya Kovalchuk signed a 15-year contract that will pay him $100 million and now the Devils, who have lost in the first round of the playoffs the past three years, will attempt to get back to being Stanley Cup contenders.
Of course, to get Kovalchuk they gave up a good chunk of their future in Niclas Bergfors, Johnny Oduya, prospect Patrice Cormier and a first-round draft choice. Then by signing him to such a lucrative contract, they have most likely hampered their ability to give him the supporting cast he needs to lead the team to glory. Not only that, the franchise was fined $3 million and was stripped of two high draft picks because the NHL ruled it tried to circumvent the collective bargaining agreement. All this for a guy who has one playoff victory in eight NHL seasons?
That said, the Devils currently have some great players to skate with Kovalchuk, including Zach Parise, Travis Zajac and veteran captain Jamie Langenbrunner. Problem is, they are over the cap and somebody will have to be sacrificed to make room for the Russian sniper.
On to the Burning Qs:
Is Kovalchuk worth it?
There's no question the 6-foot-2, 230-pound right winger is one of the most powerful and naturally gifted scorers in the NHL. But to make such a huge financial commitment to one player who does not have a track record of winning is very risky business. And yet, Kovalchuk could be the driving force behind a couple of championships in the next few years if things fall into place. This is truly one of those deals that won't be judged properly until years to come, depending on how the Devils fare.
Is the Devils defence good enough to win?
Defence has been this team's Achilles heel the past few years, but while most of the focus was on the team's pursuit of Kovalchuk in the off-season, some may have missed the fact the team upgraded its blue-line significantly with the addition of Anton Volchenkov and Henrik Tallinder. The Devils already had some pretty good defenders in Andy Greene, veteran Colin White and Mark Fraser, but the two newcomers could make a significant impact given their experience.
Will this finally be the year the Devils give superstar goaltender Martin Brodeur more games off in the regular season?
If they haven't learned by now that at age 38 Brodeur cannot play as many games as he has in the past and still be fresh for the playoffs, well, they'll never learn. You would think with the addition of Johan Hedberg, the plan is to give Brodeur more rest. After all, three sub par performances in the playoffs is not a fluke; it's a pattern.
Why would the Devils re-acquire centre Jason Arnott?
For starters, Arnott still has plenty left in the tank. Also, during his four-year tenure with the Nashville Predators, he emerged as a solid team leader. He was a raw, talented youngster when he helped the Devils win the Cup in 1999-2000, but now he's a dependable veteran who adds depth up front and can still produce at a decent level.
How will the Devils do this season?
Out of the gate, the Devils would have to be considered among the teams that are most likely to seriously challenge for the Cup. It will be interesting to see if rookie coach John MacLean opens things up a bit to accommodate Kovalchuk. Trying to get the speedy Russian to play a more responsible defensive game might just throw him completely off track.
The Islanders are getting there. They really are.
Despite missing the playoffs the past three seasons, there are signs of improvement, The Islanders improved by eight victories and 18 points over the year before. Whether or not that translates into a playoff spot this season, well, that remains to be seen.
One thing is certain, the Islanders have some good young players including John Tavares, Kyle Okposo, Blake Comeau, Josh Bailey and Rob Schremp. And if Nino Niederreiter turns out to be the real deal, as many suspect he will, they will add another dynamic forward in the near future.
The Islanders surrendered the third-most goals last season, but hope the signing of veteran defencemen Mark Eaton and Milan Jurcina will help in that regard.
On to the Burning Qs:
What can we expect from John Tavares this season?
His skating, as many suggested when he was in junior, still needs work, but scoring 24 goals and 54 points in 82 games is a decent introduction to the NHL. Tavares may not have a beautiful stride, but he gets from Point A to Point B in a hurry, particularly in the offensive zone, and he has hands of gold. He probably will never get into the same class as Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin, but where's the shame in that? Tavares will be a highly productive NHLer for the next 20 years and he'll take a big step forward this season.
Will Matt Moulson duplicate his amazing breakout 30-goal season from a year ago?
Moulson was signed as a free agent by the Los Angeles Kings coming out of college, but after two years in that organization he was allowed to walk. The Islanders gobbled him up and he paid immediate dividends. As long as he plays with Tavares, there is every chance in the world Moulson will score 30 goals again and perhaps even more. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound left winger drives hard to the net and has a deadly accurate shot.
Will Rick DiPietro return to being both healthy and productive?
Huh, like anybody knows the answer to that one. DiPietro, who signed one of those retirement deals, 15 years worth, had been limited to just 138 games the past four years and only 13 in the past two seasons. At 29, the first-overall pick from the 2000 NHL entry draft has yet to establish himself as the star you'd expect him to be based on that selection. His knee, which has been the cause of his injury woes, is close to being 100 per cent healthy, although the Islanders gave him every third day off early in training camp.
How will the Islanders do this season?
They should continue along the path of respectability. The bigger question might be, when they finally make the playoffs, will they still be located on Long Island?
What to make of the Rangers?
They missed out on a playoff spot by losing in a shootout to the Philadelphia Flyers, who then parlayed that win into a trip to the Stanley Cup final, on the final day of the regular season and there's every possibility they will scratch and claw to get into the playoffs again this season.
Despite the fact they have one of the best pure scorers in the NHL in right-winger Marian Gaborik and one of the top goaltenders in the league in Henrik Lundqvist, the Rangers are woefully thin in terms of depth and talent. That puts the pressure on volatile coach John Tortorella to put together a game plan that can mask his team's shortcomings.
Gaborik and Lundqvist will win games for the Rangers on their own. But can they win enough to make it into the top eight in the East? It's going to be tough.
On to the Burning Qs:
Will the arrival of Alexander Frolov help ease the strain on Gaborik to produce?
Certainly Frolov has an offensive upside. Frolov had a respectable 19 goals and 51 points in 81 games last season and he has averaged 62 points a season the past four years. However, he has been in decline going from 71 points four years ago to 67, 59 and 51. Also, the Kings are making a push in the Western Conference and let him walk for nothing in return. Would they have done that if they felt he still had something left to offer? Nevertheless, Frolov has the potential to bounce back and get to the 25-to-30-goal plateau and 55-to-60-point mark.
Is Lundqvist getting worn down from too much work?
You would have to think the arrival of Martin Biron to be the team's backup goalie would suggest the Rangers plan to give Lundqvist more games off this season. King Henerik played 73 of his team's 82 games last year and has averaged 71 games a season the past four years. While he continues to be one of the most highly regarded stoppers in the league, there is a sense that with a little more rest there's a chance he could be sharper and get his team into the post-season.
Where does the Rangers strength lie?
More than anything else, the Rangers have a collection of decent young defenders. Marc Staal, who signed a new five-year contract just prior to the opening of training camp, has all-star potential. His goals and points have increased in each of his three seasons and his plus-11 last season was second best on the team. Michael Del Zotto, 20, had a very solid rookie campaign, scoring nine goals and 37 points while Dan Girardi and Matt Gilroy both have massive upsides.
Will the Rangers bury veteran defenceman Wade Redden in the minors to create cap space?
It is entirely possible. While Redden had a good start to his season last year, he eventually faded to the point where he was considered a liability. When you couple that with the fact he had four more years at $23 million left on his ridiculous contract, the Rangers might be inclined to send him down and take his money off the books.
How will the Rangers do this season?
It will be a challenge once again for the Rangers to make it to the playoffs. Tortorella has stood behind the bench of a Stanley Cup champion before, but that was in 2003-04 and his Tampa Bay Lightning had a heck of a lot more talent than this version of the Rangers.
Often when a team has success, as the Philadelphia Flyers did last season when they made it to the Stanley Cup final, other teams will try to copy them.
Somehow, it's hard to imagine teams wanting to follow the same route the Flyers took to get to the final.
For starters, it isn't often a team's top players, some youngsters and some veterans, clash with different philosophies on how to prepare for games, and somehow find success. You rarely see a team bring back a troubled goaltender from the KHL, have him get injured, and then turn the crease over to four others with a journeyman ultimately winning the No. 1 job and yet the team still comes within two victories of claiming the Cup.
No, the Philadelphia Flyers were winners last season not because of a well-scripted game plan with everybody on the same page. On the contrary, they won in spite of themselves and they would be advised to find a new game plan.
On to the Burning Qs:
Like the Pittsburgh Penguins before them, do the Flyers have what it takes to lose in the final one year and return to win the Stanley Cup the next?
Given the fact many experts suggested the Flyers were legitimate Stanley Cup threats at the start of last season, it shouldn't have been such a surprise that they made it to the final. What was shocking, though, was the fact it took them winning a shootout in Game 82 to secure a playoff spot. The Flyers added veteran defenceman Sean O'Donnell, who had success in Anaheim playing as Chris Pronger's partner, as well as Andrej Meszaros on the blueline and scoring forward Nikolai Zherdev. If the young players indeed learned that games are won as much off the ice as they are on it, then the Flyers should be capable of winning it all.
Can Pronger still be an effective defenceman?
Pronger was supposed to be affected negatively by the crackdown on obstruction, but in the five seasons since the lockout year, his teams have been to the final three times with Anaheim winning the championship in 2006-07. Yes, the nastiest player in the league slowed down a step, but he is still very effective. Despite the fact the Canadian Olympic team planned to play him sparingly, his ice time increased with each game in Vancouver to the point where he led all skaters in playing time in the gold-medal game. He was absolutely superb for the Flyers in the playoffs and had they defeated Chicago, he likely would have won the Conn Smythe Trophy. He is committed and superbly conditioned. Don't count him out yet.
How could the Flyers improve?
For starters, they need to upgrade the talent on their third and fourth lines. They have too many players who bring toughness but not much else to the table. If James van Riemsdyk takes a step forward, that will be a big help.
Did the Flyers make a mistake by not upgrading their goaltending?
Yes. Leighton deserves props for all he accomplished last season, but at the end of the day he's still a journeyman who, despite his sudden hot streak, has never played more than 37 games in an NHL season. Brian Boucher will give Leighton a run for the money for the starter's job, but he really has never been a bona fide No. 1 NHL goalie, either.
How will the Flyers do this season?
Probably better in the regular season and then not as good in the playoffs. Let's be honest, the Canadiens did the Flyers a huge favour knocking off the Capitals in the opening round. Still, there is no denying Philadelphia has quality frontline talent at forward and on defence. Goaltending is a huge concern as is team discipline.
Although it probably didn't seem like it at the time, maybe being beaten out in the second round of the playoffs by the Montreal Canadiens last season wasn't such a bad thing.
After all, it gave the players a very welcome long off season. When you've been to the Stanley Cup final in back-to-back years, it takes a toll on players. Throw an Olympic year into the mix and it's easy to understand how eventually you hit the wall.
Now, with a decent break, the Penguins should be fresh enough to compete for the Stanley Cup. The good news is they have two of the best players in the world in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. The bad news is a bum foot will prevent third-line centre Jordan Staal, who would be a first-liner on many teams, out of the lineup for the start of the season.
When he returns, though, he'll give the Penguins the most depth of any team down the middle. Whether or not they have enough quality wingers to go with their super centres remains to be seen.
On to the Burning Qs:
What can we expect from Sidney Crosby this season?
More excellence. Crosby was one member of the Penguins who still had plenty left in the tank when the team went down last spring. In fact, you could make the case he got strong as the season progressed. After he helped Canada win the gold medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, scoring the memorable overtime winner against the United States, Crosby delivered the goods in the playoffs for his Penguins. He registered 19 points in 13 games in the playoffs. Crosby averaged 1.35 points per game in the regular season and 1.46 points per game in the playoffs. Crosby had a breakout year in terms of goal-scoring last year popping a career-high 51.
Did the Penguins do enough in the off-season to get back into the thick of things this year?
Losing defenceman Sergei Gonchar certainly hurt the team, but adding veteran blue-liners Paul Martin and Zbynek Michalek will help ease the pain. Neither has Gonchar's offensive upside, but both can play in the league at a high level. Because the Penguins have so much money wrapped up in Crosby, Malkin and goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, they had had to settle for wingers that cannot possibly play at the same level as their top two centres. Chris Kunitz and Pascal Dupuis are good NHL players, but they are not first-liners.
Will Fleury get his game back?
After being pulled more times than the arm on a nickel slot machine last season, Fleury needs to get to a place where his teammates have confidence in his ability to make the big save. He has proven time and again he can get the job done, even if he does have a penchant for allowing the occasional stinker. The Penguins re-signed backup Brent Johnston to a two-year contract, but he doesn't represent a threat to Fleury so it will be up to the goaltender himself to figure out what he needs to do to find his game.
How will the Penguins do this season?
Even though you could poke holes in their overall roster, the reality is with Crosby and Malkin the Penguins have two of the most explosive players in the NHL; two individuals who can single-handedly win games for their teams. Just having those two players automatically makes the Penguins contenders. Having them come back after a long rest should sit very well for the Penguins.
