A new NHL season is upon us and it’s going to be loaded with action and filled with drama from the opening night’s puck drop up to the hoisting of Lord Stanley’s Cup next June. Who are the favorites to win the Cup? Which teams are in the middle of the pack? Find out more about the upcoming season when you read our breakdown of the favorites, high-value sleepers, and longshots below.
You know what else is set to start this October? The NBA season, of course. You can read the highlights of the 2014-2015 NBA season schedule here.
[sc:MultiSportArticles ]Complete 2014-2015 NHL Preview
Favorites: Chicago Blackhawks, Boston Bruins, Los Angeles Kings, Pittsburgh Penguins
[sc:NHL240 ]Young and paid like they just invented the internet, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane will keep the Windy City a perennial Stanley Cup Trophy destination for years to come. That’s after they both signed eight-year extension deals each worth $10.5 million per season starting next year. Chicago, though, isn’t just a top Cup contender just because of the two players. The Blackhawks, who finished last season second in scoring with 3.2 goals per game, have a raft of lethal scorers outside of Toews and Kane. Remember Patrick Sharp, who scored 34 goals last season? Yeah, he’s still with the team. And so is that Marian Hossa guy who had 30 goals.
Then add to the mix Brad Richards, who is coming off a 20-goal season with the New York Rangers. With championship experience, depth, and the brilliant coaching of Joel Quenneville, the Blackhawks are poised to win their third Cup in six seasons as they are priced +650 to do that next June.
Championship experience, depth, and great coaching? The Boston Bruins know a thing or two about those qualities. After all, they just won the Cup in 2011 and has a balanced roster that ranked third in scoring (3.1 GF/G), third in power play conversion (21.7%), and second in goals against (2.1 goals against per game) last season.
Plus they got Claude Julien behind the bench to steer a team led by the likes of David Krejci, Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand – finished first-second-third last season in plus/minus category –, who will all play alongside a blue line fronted by Norris Trophy winner Zdeno Chara and rising star Dougie Hamilton. And then there’s Tuukka Rask, who is as bad of a dude as anyone between the pipes. Rask was fourth in 2013-2014 season in goals against average (2.04) and second in save percentage (.930). Jarome Iginla and his stick that’s worth 30-goals may be gone, and so is defenseman Andrej Meszaros, but the Bruins are still among the faves to win the Cup with a prize of +750.
With Marian Gaborik in tow for a full season and a near-intact roster from their title run, the Los Angeles Kings, expect no less than another Cup. Soon. If ever the Kings will win it again as +750 favorites this season, it should be because of an improved offense and the same kind of chokehold defense that finished on top last season with 2.05 GAA.
That means Conn Smythe winning goalie Jonathan Quick will have to be on top of his game throughout the season and Gaborik must play well upfront with projected linemates Anze Kopitar and Justin Williams. The Kings just did all that though during the last Stanley Cup Playoffs, so it’s safe to assume that things are going to be fine next season.
Lastly, the Pittsburgh Penguins. The poster team for the motto “win or bust” for quite some time now. With Sidney Crosby on the team, the Pens have no choice but to live up to the grand expectations of everyone. They are currently priced +900 to etch their names on the Cup this season, and Pittsburgh is tasked to do that under new coach Mike Johnston, who filled in for the fired Dan Bylsma.
The Pens are still a dangerous team no matter who’s working behind the bench, though, and Johnston should be thankful that along with Crosby, he also has another all-world center at his disposal in Evgeni Malkin. If Marc Andre Fleury plays this season like a man with a burning desire for a rich payday (his contract is set to expire after the upcoming season), then there’s going to be a lot of reason to expect a Cup parade in downtown Pittsburgh next year.
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High-Value Sleepers: New York Rangers, Minnesota Wild
Few people thought the Rangers had a shot at making the Stanley Cup Finals last season. But they did, only to lose to Los Angeles in the finals. The road back is going to be difficult, but not impossible. With a goalie like Henrik Lundqvist, there’s always a chance of hitting it big time. The Rangers +1,600 are good bets to make the Playoffs despite parting ways with Brad Richards, Anton Stralman, Brian Boyle, and Benoit Pouliot. Dan Boyle was a nice pick up in the offseason, but New York will have to get more scoring from its holdovers, particularly Rick Nash, who was a dud in the last Playoffs with only three goals in 25 games.
The Minnesota Wild, meanwhile, addressed their own woes on offense in the offseason when they signed Thomas Vanek to a three-year $19.5-million deal. The Wild finished last season 24th in scoring with a 2.4 GF/G, with the bulk of the offense coming from Jason Pominville (30 goals) and Zach Parise (29). Nino Niederreiter, a 22-year-old right wing, has shown tremendous upside last season when he netted 14 goals.
One glaring concern for Minnesota, however, is goaltending. Josh Harding, who owned the NHL’s best mark of 1.66 GAA last season is supposed to be the answer to the Wilds’ issues between the pipes but is out indefinitely because of a broken foot. That leaves a shaky pair of netminders in Niklas Backstrom (3.02 GAA) and Darcy Kuemper (2.43 GAA), filling the void while Harding recovers. Coach Mike Yeo can also opt for Ilya Bryzgalov (2.12 GAA), who seems to be enjoying his stay with Minnesota.
Long shots: Florida Panthers, New York Islanders,
Priced +6,000 and +8,000 respectively, the Florida Panthers and the New York Islanders can call it a successful season if they can make it to the Playoffs. While winning the Cup will remain a pipe dream for each of these hockey clubs, that doesn’t mean fans should stay away from watching the Panthers and the Islanders.
Over the offseason, Panthers GM Dale Tallon brought in a new coach in Gerard Gallant and a raft of new players, notably Dave Bolland, Shawn Thornton, and Willie Mitchell, whose collective experience in winning the Cup with their former teams injects a much-needed winning attitude to a team that finished 29-45-8 (66 points) last season. Then there’s ex-Canuck Roberto Luongo, who will start a new life with the Panthers after being exiled to Florida traded last March. Panthers fans may also get to see 2014 NHL Draft first overall pick Aaron Ekblad on the ice at some point during the season.
As for the Islanders, a healthy John Tavares will always be fun to watch. The center scored 24 goals and 42 assists last season before going down with a knee injury at the Sochi Olympics. GM Garth Snow also mended major issues in the team’s goaltending when he upgraded the goalie position by signing former St. Louis Blue Jaroslav Halak. Halak was eighth last season with a 2.25 GAA and fourth in shutouts with five. He’ll be a big boost on the Islanders’ defense that ranked 28th with a 3.2 GAA clip.
Writer’s Prediction
Boston and Chicago meet in the Stanley Cup Finals for the second time in three seasons with the Bruins winning the Cup and avenging their loss to the Blackhawks in 2013.
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