Ah, yes, that's nothing more entertaining than the return of hockey. Okay, maybe there's the playoffs, but that'll take many months to get to. Meanwhile, which teams are we to watch for? Well, I'll give you one. The Pittsburgh Penguins. Sidney Crosby is coming back his season, but he'll be out a little bit longer while the coaching staff makes sure he is tip-top shape before making his return to the ice. Another team to watch is the San Jose Sharks. Will they make it past the Conference Finals to the Stanley Cup Finals? Sure, unless they manage to get the Canucks or the Red Wings with them, in which case, it'll be a lot harder, considering the fact that Dany Heatley, even though he performed poorly in last year's playoffs, is gone to Minnesota. Also Devin Setoguchi is gone. He was a big player for the Sharks and without his presence, how will they do, especially down the stretch?
No more Sean Avery? That's right, the New York Rangers just waived his contract, meaning he could head to Europe soon. Right now, he just cleared waivers and is currently playing in the AHL. Should Sean Avery just go to Europe? It sounds like it's a better deal for him than playing in the AHL. The mouther is officially without a team...again! But the Rangers have more problems and one of their top players, Marc Staal, is on the IR with concussion symptoms. Will he be able to play soon? Or will this be another Sidney Crosby thing? I doubt it. This is not as bad as what Sidney Crosby went through, but anything is possible. There is a chance that he might not be back for a long, long time.
The Coyotes and the Stars? They have question marks concerning ownership. Can they stay in their respective cities? Or is it time to start packing? The Coyotes will be able to play in the desert one more year but after that, it looks like it's time to hit the road to Quebec City. The Stars are in a better position but not by much. Will Dallas keep its recent struggling franchise? Or is it goodbye and off to either Seattle or Thunder Bay, Ontario?
Well, puckheads, there's more. Below are the teams I believe are going to win each division respectively, the East, the West, and finally, the Stanley Cup. Below that are the players I think you should keep a close eye on.
Atlantic: Philadelphia Flyers
Northeast: Buffalo Sabres
Southeast: Washington Capitals
Central: Chicago Blackhawks
Northwest: Vancouver Canucks
Pacific: Los Angeles Kings
Eastern Conference: Washington Capitals
Western Conference: Vancouver Canucks
Stanley Cup: Vancouver Canucks
MVP: Alex Ovechkin
Vezina: Ryan Miller
Norris: Duncan Keith
Selke: Pavel Datsyuk
Rookie of the Year: Not sure yet.
Coach: Bruce Boudreau
As you may have remembered, I picked the Kings and the Lightning to go to Finals and certainly that didn't happen. This year, even though the Kings are slightly better, I'm not sure they can beat out the Canucks. The Capitals are going to have to go eventually and I think this is their year. Bruce Boudreau knows he's on the hot seat. If he doesn't perform well, he's out. So I think he knows what must be done to get this team to the Stanley Cup. For the player awards, I don't know who all the rookies are this season, but I'll know who my favorite is sometime later this season. Come back in December and I'll probably have the idea.
Regular season's on us, fans. We got a great cast of teams this season. The players are ready, the fans are ready. The question is: Are you ready? Three games to start it off tomorrow, then on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, the big games overseas. Should be an interesting season, puckheads. Get that puck dropped!
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