Taking Flight

PHILADELPHIA FLYERS

2013-14 record: 42-30-10 (94 points)
Lost to NY Rangers in Conference quarterfinals
Captain: Claude Giroux

A chaotic season began with a change in coaches just three games in and ended with an early playoff exit.  The off-season, while relatively quiet on the free agent front, was eventful, from Ron Hextall being named General Manager to Claude Giroux having a new hobby with male police officers.  The only real change in the lineup is that R.J. Umberger will be joining the team after coming over in a trade with Columbus that saw Scott Hartnell go the other way.  Other than that, the lineup remains the same, although the Flyers would love to get rid of Vincent Lecavalier's contract.  Offensively, Giroux leads the charge, and though there are plenty of secondary scoring options, most of the players aren't consistent enough to overcome the defensive shortcomings.  Speaking of the defense, it remains a problem, as Kimmo Timonen, their best defenseman last year, had to be talked out of retirement for this year.  Braydon Coburn is still inconsistent, Mark Streit is strictly an offensive defenseman, and the average age of the six defensemen slated to start the season is north of 30.  Despite the 20th rank on defense, it was Steve Mason who kept the Flyers in it most nights.  His absence was felt the most in the playoffs, where the Flyers were simply shellacked when he wasn't there.

Prediction: 4th in the Metropolitan Division

Offensively, the Flyers can compete with anyone in the league, and as long as Steve Mason is healthy and building upon a solid 2013-14 campaign, the Flyers could be a dark horse to make a deep playoff run.  However, the blue line unit remains average at best, and are in desperate need of a dominant number one player.

Righting the Ship

OTTAWA SENATORS

2013-14 record: 37-31-14 (88 points)
Missed the playoffs
Captain: TBA

The Ottawa Senators were expected to build upon a 2013 season that saw them make the Conference semi-finals.  Instead, the defection of Daniel Alfredsson in the off-season, combined with some dysfunction in the locker room led to the Senators missing the playoffs last season and now with them looking for a new captain...again, the future of the team this season is uncertain.  They have youth on their side, but it's time for them to deliver, as Jason Spezza and mid-season acquisition Ales Hemsky left for Dallas.  Where Ottawa needs improvement from the most is from the blue line backwards, as they were 27th in the league on defense.  The blue line on paper, should be a solid unit.  However, they weren't all that great, though the normally reliable goaltending had something to do with it.  A fully healthy Erik Karlsson and a more focused Jared Cowen will be key to the team's successes from the blue line this season.  As for goaltending, no goaltender had a GAA below 3.00, and though Craig Anderson signed an extension in the off-season, he will still be pressed by Robin Lehner, who is the team's future in goal.

Prediction: 4th in the Atlantic Division

If everything breaks right, the Senators will be back in the playoffs.  However, there is a lot of questions that have to be answered, and coach Paul MacLean will have to have the full faith of the players once again.

Winterhawks Weekly: Still Working on it

The Portland Winterhawks kicked off their 2014-15 season with seven players unavailable due to NHL training camp.  Friday, they opened at home against Seattle, and for the first two periods, the Winterhawks and Thunderbirds were even, with Tyson Predinchuk getting the Winterhawks on the board first in the second period.  However, Keegan Kolesar would even things up later in the period.  The third period was when things got away from the Winterhawks, as Alexander True and a couple of Ryan Gropp goals would put the Thunderbirds ahead 4-1, which was how the game ended.

Saturday, the Prince George Cougars came into town, and things weren't great from the word go.  Chase Witala and Jansen Harkins would put the Cougars up 2-0 after the first period.  Goals from Paul Bittner and Jari Erricson would make it 3-1 in favor of Prince George heading into the final period.  Layne Viveiros and Bittner would pull the Winterhawks within one, but the comeback was not to be, as Chance Braid would add two goals and give Prince George a 6-3 win.

The Winterhawks are back in action this weekend, as they will hit the road against Vancouver on Friday before coming home for back-to-back games against Everett on Saturday and Sunday.

Bright Lights, Cup Dreams

NEW YORK RANGERS

2013-14 record: 45-31-6 (96 points)
Lost to Los Angeles in Stanley Cup Finals
Captain: TBA

The improbable run to the Stanley Cup Finals for the New York Rangers should in theory, be a springboard to better things.  However, a deflating five game loss to the Los Angeles Kings could say something different.  A team that wasn't expected to advance very far in the playoffs, they exceeded expectations, and now that the Rangers have an idea of what to expect from Alain Vigneault, it will be up to the Rangers to put it all together to finish their business.

Offensively, the Rangers had a hard time in the regular season, as Mats Zuccarello led the team in scoring (of all the players that were there the entire season).  Rick Nash scored 26 goals, but his disappearing act in the playoffs underscores the fact that he still hasn't done enough.  30-plus goals is where he should be, and that is a number he has not been at since coming over two summers ago.  Martin St. Louis struggled when he came over in a mid-season trade, but found his way come playoff time, and he will be better for having a full season with the Rangers this season.  A predominantly young group will have to step up, which means the likes of Derek Stepan, Chris Kreider, and Carl Hagelin will need to improve their scoring totals.

Defense is no problem, as the Rangers can roll out three solid pairings.  Ryan McDonagh is emerging as a superstar, and players such as Dan Girardi, Marc Staal, and Kevin Klein are a good supporting cast.  Dan Boyle replaces Anton Stralman, and while Boyle isn't the defensive stalwart Stralman is, he does provide offense from the blue line.  This unit plays in front of Henrik Lundqvist, who has plenty left in the tank.  A less than sterling first half gave way to a stellar second half and carried over to the playoffs, where he kept the team in it most nights.

Prediction: 2nd in the Metropolitan Division

The Rangers have the pieces in place and now carry experience of a deep playoff run with them.  but with that experience comes expectations.  The Penguins and Bruins are still in the same Conference, and both will want the spot the Rangers occupied last season.

Getting Off the Island

NEW YORK ISLANDERS

2013-14 record: 34-37-11 (79 points)
Missed the playoffs
Captain: John Tavares

The New York Islanders will be playing their last season on Long Island, moving to Brooklyn in 2015.  Ending that time with a playoff run is probably going to be easier said than done, but at worst, they will have an offense that can compete with other teams most nights.  It begins with John Tavares, who is the by far, the team's best player.  His absence after getting injured during the Olympics was felt, as the offense was sparse, with only Kyle Okposo and Frans Nielsen joining Tavares in the 40-plus point club.  Okposo led the club in points, but was only three points ahead of Tavares.  Mikhail Grabovski and Nikolai Kulemin join the team and will add secondary scoring to a club in desperate need of it.  Other players to watch for include Ryan Strome and Michael Grabner, as Strome will be better acclimated to the NHL after a 37-game stint with the big club while Grabner hopes to rebound after an injury riddle season.

Defense is where things get dicey.  Right now, the top pairing is Travis Hamonic and Lubomir Visnovsky, and while Hamonic would be a solid option on the top pairing on most teams, Visnovsky is the team's best offensive option from the blue line by default, and he's nearing 40.  The rest of the group is what can be best described as average, at best.  There was a reason the Islanders went with all defensemen in the 2012 NHL Draft, and it appears that the first pick from that year Griffin Reinhart is ready to join the Islanders.  2013 first round pick Ryan Pulock may not be far behind.  At least the Islanders have a better duo in goal than last year, as Jaroslav Halak and Chad Johnson bring 2.25 and 2.10 GAA, respectively, to a team that was the third worst in the league on defense.  How either will handle the team in front of them remains to be seen, as the Islanders are a far cry from the defensively strong Blues and Bruins.

Prediction: 6th in the Metropolitan Division

The Islanders have the ability to score, and this time, they won't have to rely on Tavares for all the scoring.  However, until their blue line gets fixed and we find out just how well the goaltending tandem will handle facing many shots a night, the Islanders are not likely to make the playoffs in their last season before Brooklyn.

New Era for New Jersey

NEW JERSEY DEVILS

2013-14 record: 35-29-15 (88 points)
Missed the playoffs
Captain: Bryce Salvador

The biggest story surrounding the New Jersey Devils is that Martin Brodeur will not be in a Devils uniform for the first time since he was drafted in 1990.  The goaltending job is now 100 percent Cory Schneider's, and though his record didn't show it, he proved to be the guy that can replace Brodeur.  Playing behind a blue line unit that is still strong even with the subtractions of Mark Fayne and Anton Volchenkov helps, thanks in large part to the nice mix of veterans and young players.  Offensively, the Devils would love for someone other than Jaromir Jagr and Patrik Elias to step up.  To that end, Mike Cammalleri was brought in to provide goals, something that last year's acquisitions Ryane Clowe and Michael Ryder did not do enough of, leaving Jagr and Adam Henrique to do the heavy lifting.

Prediction: 7th in the Metropolitan Division

Though Schneider and the defense will keep the Devils in the playoff hunt, it is the offense that will determine if they end up above the cut off line.

Singing a New Tune

NASHVILLE PREDATORS

2013-14 record: 38-32-12 (88 points)
Missed the playoffs
Captain: Shea Weber

Two straight seasons of hitting the golf course early prompted major changes for the Nashville Predators, which included a coaching change for the first time in franchise history.  Out is Barry Trotz and in is Peter Laviolette, which means there is also a philosophy change for the team.  A more offensive oriented approach is something that the new coaching staff is going for, and to that end, they brought in James Neal to help on the wing.  Secondary scoring also got some help, as Mike Ribeiro, Olli Jokinen, and Derek Roy were brought in, giving the Predators much needed depth, particularly since Mike Fisher will miss part of the season due to a torn Achilles tendon.  The defense remains largely intact, as Shea Weber remains the leader of the unit.  However, the pressure will be on Seth Jones to show improvement from a less than stellar rookie season.  It will help that defensively responsible Anton Volchenkov joins the team, not only giving Jones more room to operate, but also take away some of the penalty killing workload from Weber, who played a lot of minutes on the special teams.  All eyes will be on Pekka Rinne, as he aims to prove that his injury issues from this past season are behind him.  Backup Carter Hutton showed that he is a capable goalie, though his GAA was just average despite the 20 win season.

Prediction: 6th in the Central Division

The Predators improved their lineup up front, but how quickly they adapt to the new style of play and the health in goal are question marks that are likely going to leave the Predators out of the playoff race once again.