OVER THE EDGE NEWSPAPER. OCTOBER 11, 2006 SPORTS “7 If you're a Coyotes or Ki Students enjoy the return of hockey in the Wintergarden DYLAN WELLS - STAFF WRITER For hockey fans, there are only two seasons: summer and hockey. NHL fans saw the preseason end this weekend, and eagerly anticipate the puck dropping for real'on October 4. Thete were a lot of off-season player moves this summer and the result is many teams have very differ- ent looks this year. Hopes are high in at least 25 of 30 NHL markets, and only 16 playoff berths available. Here's a quick look at the NHL with some predictions and observations to help the casual and hardcore fan gear up for the start of the 06-07 season. We'll start in the Western Conference. The biggest expectations are probably in So-Cal where the no longer mighty Anaheim Ducks boast two all- star defensemen in Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermayer. An “expert” predict- ed Niedermayer will top 100 points this year. That's just silly, but expect Pronger and Niedermayer to log a lot of time and bring Anaheims special teams into the top-five in the league. They've got goal- tending, scoring, speed and defense. Ana- heim winning their division isn't a lock however, as rival San Jose boasts a lot of firepower starting with big Joe Thorn- ton, 50-goal man Jonathon Cheechoo, Patrick Marleau, Mark Bell, and others. They are deep at all positions and hungry after losing to Edmonton in the playoffs last year. Rounding out the Pacific diy- ision is Dallas, Phoenix and LA. Of the three, Dallas has the best shot at making the playoffs (based on consistency and depth), so if you're a Coyotes or Kings fan, youre in for a long winter. Here's why: Phoenix coughed up over $5 mil- lion per year for Ed Jovanovski, hoping he'll lead the team to the playoffs. Jovo Cop missed a lot of games the past three seasons as a Canuck and his point pro- duction is overrated. The LA Kings are in rebuilding mode and signed Dan Cloutier to be their number one goalie, a guy who hasnt played more than, 30 games since the year before the lockout. T'll say this right now: any team hoping an ex-Canuck will lead them out of the darkness is going to stumble. “Hawks fans expecting newcomer Martin Havlat to put up big numbers should expect about 70 points to avoid disappointment.’ In the Central division, Nash- ville tops Detroit as the early favorite. A rejuvenated Kariya alongside Steve Sullivan and Jason Arnott is going to cause headaches for opposition defense- men. Thomas Vokoun is the third best goalie in the NHL after Kipprusoff and Brodeur. Nashville is looking ready to contend, Detroit lost 40-goal man Bren- dan Shanahan to free-agency and lost perennial leader Stevie Y to retitement. They also put their faith in the goaltend- ing tandem of Dominic Hasek, with his creaky 41-year-old groin, and Chris Osgood. Ouch. Columbus, St. Louis and Chicago are going nowhere. Hawks fans expecting newcomer Martin Havlar to put up big numbers should expect about 70 points to avoid disappointment. Should Khababhulin and Ruutu stay healthy and consistent, they might make a late-season push. Columbus has good firepower with Nash, Federov, Carter, and Zherdev, but traded their number one goalie to Tampa Bay. They might surprise, but it’s doubtful. St. Louis takes the dubious distinction of being the geri- atric capital of the NHL (from Toronto). ‘The Blue's medical staff will be busy this year and the Blues are going nowhere. - One of the toughest divisions is the Northwest, home to the Oilers, Can- ucks, Flames, Avalanche and Wild. The defending Western Conference champs in Edmonton boast three forward lines that can score consistently. Ryan Smyth alone has more heart than some teams do in their entire roster. This team is go- ing to score a lot of goals. Unfortunately, they will be retrieving a lot of pucks from behind Dwayne Roloson after factoring in the loss of Pronger. They'll challenge for a playoff spot. The Flames picked up Alex Tanguay from Colorado and expect him and Iginla to create all the offense, You know what they say about putting all your eggs in one basket. The Flames over rely on the best goalie in the NHL (Kipprusoff), are no longer coached by Sutter, and could finish anywhere from third to eighth. As for the Canucks... no more Bertuzzi, no more Jovo, bye-bye Crawford, see ya: Cloutier. The Nucks have been gutted and welcome Roberto Luongo, Willie Mitchell, Jan Bulis, and new head coach Alain Vigneault, among others. Mitchell helps form a formidable top-three D with rock-solid Mattias Ohlund and Sami Salo, while promis- ing young defensemen Luc Bourdon and Lucas Krajicek appear set to’ make an impact. Captain Markus Naslund and Brendan Morrison should rebound from sub-par seasons. The twins (or sisters if youre a Flames/Oilers fan) should put up 70-80 points each, It’s hard to predict where they'll end up but expect them to make a strong push for the playoffs, ending up anywhere from 3rd to 9th. Colorado is going downhill and out of the playoffs after losing Tanguay and de- fensive anchor Rob Blake (to LA), That's too bad for classy veteran Joe Sakic. Min- “nesota finally has a playmaking center in pavol Demitra to play with Marian Gaborik, which could result in-50 goals for the talented Slovak. Minnesota fans will have plenty to cheer about this year, but not in the playoffs as they lack the depth needed to go the distance. The Eastern Conference At- lantic division has the Rangers, Devils, Flyers, Islanders, and Penguins. The Rangers will come out on top of the div- ANDREW KURJATA ision this year as long as goalie Henrik Lundqvist dodges the sophomore jinx. With Shanahan and Jaromir Jagr play- ing together, the Ranger's offensive and power play numbers should increase. Newcomers Matt Cullen and Aaron Ward will help out with team defense. ‘The Flyers have the same problem they always have: goaltending. Can Forsberg play an entire year? Doubtful. The Philly defense is too slow, and hey could miss the playoffs completely, but they'll likely squeak in and save Bobby Clarke's job for another year. The Islanders and their freshly signed goaltender, Rick DiPietro, (15 years, $67.5 million) are the laughing stock of the NHL. What do you expect from a team that hires Garth Snow as its GM? (Snow is another ex-Canuck!) Alexei Yashin continues to frustrate the Isles faithful. New Jersey moved the re- tired Malakhov to San Jose for a first round pick to free some cap space, so they should get 48-goal man Brian Gionta under contract., They'll make the play- offs riding Marty Brodeur, Patrick Elias, Scott Gomez, and Gionta. The Pen- guins should be a better team than last year, but the playoffs are still a ways off. If Evengi Malkin can come back strong from his shoulder injury, this team will be fun to watch, with Colby Armstrong and Sergei Gonchar offering some of- fensive support to Sydney Crosby and Malkin. And don't forget about Jordan Staal, younger brother of cup winner Eric Staal, He could stick with the Pens as an 18-year-old. The Northeast division is competitive with the Bruins, Senators, Leafs, Habs, and Sabres. I'm. pleased to ptedict the Leafs will not make the play- offs, despite the usual over-abundance of optimism emanating from Toronto because Andrew Raycroft is not the answer in net. Montreal possesses good firepower on theit forward lines, a so-so defense and a pretty good goaltending tandem in Aebischer and Huet. Motiva- Hockey Season Begins ngs fan, you're in for a long winter tional leader Saku Koivu isn't going to put up monster numbers, but the Habs faithful should see their team in the play- off hunt. The Bruins have goaltending issues, overpaid for monster former PG Cougars defenseman Zdeno Chara, and paid $20 million over 4 years for a second line center in Marc Savard. They won't make it. Ottawa is considered a favourite for the cup after picking up Martin Ger- ber to stop pucks, Any team that boasts Dany Heatley, Jason Spezza, Daniel Al- fredsson and Wade Redden needs to be taken seriously, Other than their second- line pivot, they've got good depth for-a playoff run, Buffalo retains the core of their team that had a good run last year. They lost some special teams specialists (Jay McKee, Mike Grier) and that might hurt them a bit. Martin Biron offers excellent ability in net to back up Ryan Miller, and the Sabres should do plenty of damage this year. The Southeast division is home to the cup champion Carolina Hurricanes, The Canes lost a lot of guys and are missing Cory Stillman for an ex- tended period. They still have 100-point man Eric Staal and Rod Brind‘Amour to lead the way, not to mention power for- ward Eric Cole. They're playoff bound unless last year's playoff MVP Cam Ward stumbles in net. Washington? Forget about it, but Ovechkin is a beauty. Florida could have the next big duo in Oli Jokinen and Todd Bertuzzi. They have a decent defense and a lineup with a nice mix of veterans and youth. They should be fighting for the 8th spot when the season is winding down. Atlanta has no one to dish the puck to snipers Hossa and Kovalchuk, inexperienced goaltend- ing, and a sloppy defense. Do the math, Tampa Bay paid too much for its big three: Brad Richards, Vinny Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis and the supporting cast is thin. If new #1 Marc Denis shows that he can be the man in net, they might make the playoffs. Dan Boyle is under- rated and anchors a solid Tampa blue- line. They should finish in the top 8, bur dont be surprised if they don't. “Jovo Cop missed a lot of games the past three sea- sons as a Canuck and his point production is over- rated,” If you're not a hockey fan, you're missing out. This is the most ex- citing time of the year. Every fan is full of optimism about his or her team and with the parity of the new NHL, every team has a shot at winning it all. Will this be the year Stanley comes home? Here's to all six Canadian teams making the play- offs, (If we can only have five, then screw « Toronto!) On Oct. 4th be prepared for the puck drop; wash your jerseys, make sure the batteries in the remote are good to go, stock up on beer and salty snacks, and remember to take pity on your friends without cable and invite them over for some puck. If you have NHL on satellite, please give me a call.