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DChero
Out of Work Superhero
I love these kinds of stories. My favorite is number 14.
What We Learned: 20 bold predictions for the NHL season - Puck Daddy - NHLBlog - Yahoo! Sports
What We Learned: 20 bold predictions for the NHL season - Puck Daddy - NHLBlog - Yahoo! Sports
1. After missing by a single point last year, the Predators will break 100 points again — and challenge for the division title — as their young forwards start contributing more. Barry Trotz will finally win the Jack Adams as a result.
2. There won't be a tighter three-team division race in hockey than the Northeast.
3. This will be the victory lap season for Teemu Selanne(notes) and Nicklas Lidstrom(notes), who ride off into the sunset as the best two European players to ever play the game. Teemu will also score the 59 points necessary to edge past fellow Finn Jari Kurri on the all-time scoring list.
4. Brent Burns(notes) will quickly become one of the highest-scoring defensemen in the league this year. Getting power play time with Joe Thornton(notes), Patrick Marleau(notes) and so forth will help that.
5. Rick Nash(notes), who finally has a real center, will push Steven Stamkos(notes) for the Rocket Richard.
(Coming Up: The phenomenal Evgeni Malkin(notes); Clarke MacArthur's(notes) Shanny protest; Antti Niemi(notes) could be ready for Sharks; Petr Sykora's(notes) waiting game; Jimmy Howard's(notes) preseason stinkfest; RHN gets caught on a junior move; Ducks are Finnish rock stars; Olli Jokinen's(notes) Datsyuk obsession; Jonathan Toews(notes) ailing; ESPN's devilish fail; Stars go bankrupt; Ryan Johansen(notes) makes the Jackets; Brooks Laich(notes) shifts back to center; Viktor Hedman vs. stardom; great goal by Gustav Nyquist(notes); and San Jose pisses off pizza lovers.)
6. The Islanders are going win a good amount of games thanks to a decent power play, but still won't make the playoffs due to that whole "goaltending" issue.
7. The Capitals will win the East by at least eight points when their offense bounces back big-time after a sub-league-average finish in goals for last year. You can expect a big year from Mike Green(notes).
8. Only two coaches will get fired this year. At most.
9. The Coyotes will miss the playoffs for the first time in two years when the can't-miss tandem of Jason LaBarbera(notes) and Mike Smith(notes) do indeed miss. No one will notice.
10. Jaromir Jagr(notes) will begin to really slow down in the second half of the year because he's old. He'll still finish with 50-something points.
11. Drew Doughty(notes) in the Norris conversation. Believe it.
12. The Central Division will send four of its five teams to the playoffs. Sorry, St. Louis.
13. Dany Heatley(notes) will adjust well to Minnesota. Devin Setoguchi(notes) will not.
14. Sidney Crosby(notes) will miss 10 or 15 games and still finish in the top five in scoring. But Evgeni Malkin will win the Art Ross and the Hart in a walk.
15. Jacob Markstrom(notes) will at some point take over the Panthers' starting goaltending job.
16. The Canucks will win the President's Trophy once again, even if most of the Northwest did get better in the offseason (not so fast, Calgary).
17. The Lightning will wholly fail to replicate their success from the stretch run and playoffs last year for some unknown reaso… their goalie is HOW old?
18. The Oilers will finish 30th once again. Obviously.
19. The Devils will "miraculously" make the playoffs when their best player is healthy for the whole season and their coach isn't a complete dolt like John MacLean apparently was. Last year is going to end up like the 2006-07 Flyers': forgotten among another characteristic run of success.
20. Dallas will be out of the playoffs well before the last game of the season this time around.
Have fun out there, gang. It's finally hockey season again.