Last season: Easy to forget!  They SUCKED and finished last

Coach: Bob Pulford (second season)

Biggest challenge
Goaltending is a hot topic in the Motor City with Glen Hanlon, at times, struggling with consistency. After an atrocious season that saw a demotion to the AHL, Hanlon will once again be relied upon to offer something close to #1 goaltender status. Rookie Grant Fuhr will get his reps as the club’s primary backup, but the feeling is as Hanlon and the goaltending go, so too will the Red Wings.

How they make playoffs
Detroit expects a return to prominence after the dumpster fire that was last season.  With star forwards Pierre Mondou and Jari Kurri expected to lead the way offensively again, scoring should not be an issue. Barring any major injury issues, Detroit is expected to be among the top teams in the Great Lakes Division and with a talented core led by Mondou and Kurri, should qualify for the playoffs without much difficulty.

Most intriguing addition
It’s tough to imagine the addition of a 36-year-old defender in Al Sarault being anything more than a depth piece at this point in his career, but for the Red Wings it’s quite the opposite.  Sarault was brought in on a 1-year deal to help quarterback the power-play and offer a veteran presence for another young offensive defender in Rod Langway.  The hope is that the elder-statesman can help unlock some of the untapped potential in the 25-year-old Langway.

Biggest potential surprise
Locked in for another three years with a full no trade clause included, forward Miltcho Nenov is a player the Red Wings will definitely need to be better if they hope to have any kind of success.  A couple of seasons removed from being an explosive force in the league, Nenov, 33, will need to get back to his scoring ways for Detroit to make some serious noise.

Ready to contribute
Second overall pick Steve Yzerman could potentially make the jump to the pro ranks in year one.  At just 17 years old, Yzerman has the offensive acumen to hang with the big boys, but the concern would be the overall pace.  Some have wondered out loud if Yzerman’s skating can handle playing with men.  There’s no denying the skillset, the smart play might be a season in the AHL to build confidence and be better prepared for the Show.  

Projected Lineup

Mietinger - Mondou - Kurri
Propp - Savard - Nenov
Gillies - Duguay - Kehoe
Walton - Miller - Holmgren
Bridgman

Langway - Lariviere
Lapointe - Scamurra
Sarault - MacCrimmon
Wilson

Hanlon
Fuhr
 

With the new season underway, the Oilers seem to be getting younger every year! 

Out with the old in with new, seems to be taken literally in Edmonton as they continue to add young players to their NHL roster. 

Promoted were the likes of, Neal Broten and Doug Smail while the new leadership of the latest Captain Bernie Federko presents a changing of the old guard. 

Will this youth movement pay off or will they continue to start slow and blow leads as was evident through the first 6 games?
Stay tuned to find out!




 

Bruins GM made some big moves before the draft, landing 2 top 5 picks, which they selected Patrick Roy and Cam Neely.   Roy only played 1 season in Sherbrooke before declaring for the draft, the Bruins are hoping he will turn out to be their Goalie of the future.

Cam Neely comes to the Bruins from the Portland Winterhawks, where he dominated enough to jump to the Big Show and get drafted 5th overall.

Other notable hard-nosed player additions were Craig Berube, John Kordic, Mike Peluso and David Jensen, all of which know how to throw the knuckles to give the squad some future toughness.

Returning is the scoring core of Captain Bryan Trottier along with stand-outs Ernst Hofner, Marku Kimalainnen, Greg Malone and Dino Ciccarelli.

Defense is certainly a question mark this season, as the core of blue liners, most of which played for the Brass last season are inexperienced and will be looking to veterans like Perry Miller and Joachim Reil to show them the way.

The Calgary Flames Roster looks very different this season! Last year a sense of complacency, took over an aging Calgary Flames roster that had become used to success this seemed to lead to a decline with the on-ice product.  The GM frustrated by a lack of effort and concern from his players decided it was time to move on and begin a youth movement. The team already had some very good young players in place that were still keeping the team competitive.  Despite the best efforts of the team, they unfortunately could not find there way to a winning form as the season wound down, but they were rewarded with a 1st overall draft pick. In this case it was young Superstar Mario Lemieux, the buzz around this guy is immaculate! Big! Strong! Great Skater! Great Passer! Even better Scorer! Potential Hall of Famer and he hasn't even touched the ice!  This young man is a genuine Game Changer, a Franchise Altering player! With Eric Vail at his disposal for a veteran presence and the teams Captain he will take Mario under his wing and help guide him. Bernie Nicholls, Rob Ramage, Mats Naslund, Paul Reinhart and Hakan Loob are also young guns that are coming up for the Flames looking to rebuild this once promising team.  Pelle Lindbergh and Andy Moog will be backing up the team in the pipes giving the team a amazing 1-2 punch in net.  The fans are clamoring to see this team on the ice! With the regular season firing up this evening lets get ready to burn! 

1. blackhawks: is chouinard worth the hefty price tag ($387,500 for each of the next 6 years), and do they have enough defense (only 2 dmen with an OV over 75+)
2. bruins: how long must we wait until roy starts his HOF career, and do they have enough defense (only 1 dman with an OV over 75+)
3. canadiens: which "vlad" is their best option in the net, and do they have enough defense (0 dmen with an OV over 75+)
4. canucks: what will kuhnhackl do with all that money ($500,000), and which backup goalie will be the most expensive in the league (froese/brodeur are each making more than $250,000)
5. flames: is lemieux the best 17-year old we have ever seen (99 rating in CK/PH/PA/SC/PS), and have we ever seen a more interchangeable goalie situation (all 5 are 77-78 OV)
6. flyers: who gets to be my 3rd center (smith/gretzky/messier), and will gratton be better than favell after saving me more than $500,000/year
7. islanders: do they have enough defense (only 2 dmen with an OV over 75+), and when will 37-year-old vachon retire
8. leafs: do they have enough centers (only 2 with an OV over 70+), and do they enough non-alcoholic beer for farm parties (due to a majority of the roster being under age 21)
9. will kelly get any ice time while making almost $175,000 with a 67 OV, and do they have enough defense (0 dmen with an OV over 75+)
10. penguins: is there a better long-term contract for a star player in the league than potvin ($115,000 for 5 years with a 79 OV), and which backup goalie will be the most expensive in the league (smith/hrudey are each making more than $250,000)
11. rangers: how amazing is your roster when bossy is your 3RD-BEST RW, and is there a better goalie duo in the league than dryden/plasse
12. wings: how much ice time will yzerman get in the pros (as he has anywhere from 3-6 guys ahead of him at both C/LW), and is there a better goalie in the league under age 21 then fuhr (79 OV at age 20)

For the third time in five seasons, the Vancouver Canucks will open up the new season by raising a Stanley Cup banner.

The Stanley Cup, the President's Trophy, the Hart Trophy, the Art Ross Trophy, the Rod Langway Trophy, the Selke Trophy, the Ted Lindsay Trophy and Conn Smythe Trophy will all be at center ice for the team photo too..

Yes, Canucks fans have been spoiled in recent years. And they expect more.

The Canucks will basically bring back the same team as last year. Jack Valiquette is gone and rookie Vyacheslav Bykov joins the team up front. The blue line sees a bit more of a shuffle, with Kevin Lowe and Craig Hartsburg on the team. But otherwise the team is the same.

"We have had to make a lot of room for our many young players in our development system," explained GM Joe Pelletier. "As much as we demand focus on the process, the regular season has become about developing the next generation of players. If we want to turn this five year dynasty into a ten year dynasty, the players who are going to replace John French, Lanny McDonald and Erich Kuhnhackl have to be ready. We did it last year when we replaced the great Tretiak. Now we need to see our young skaters take the next step."

In addition to the rookies, Pelletier has high hopes for Tim Kerr, Thomas Gradin and Kelly Kisio in particular.

The Canucks have the same attention to detail at the farm level. Pelletier fully believes about half of the farm roster will one day be regulars in Vancouver.

"Our development system is the absolute key to our dynasty," he says.