Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
© St. Petersburg Times, published October 5, 2001
It was difficult for Times staff writer Damian Cristodero to find a reason not to pick the Flyers to win their first Stanley Cup since 1975. Philadelphia has firepower, depth and some youthful legs thanks to the Eric Lindros trade. But it's a long season and teams such as the defending champion Avalanche, Devils, Maple Leafs, Stars, Blues and Red Wings won't go quietly.
COACH: Bill Barber (second season).
LAST SEASON: 43-25-11-3, 100 points. Lost to Sabres in East quarterfinals.
WHO'S IN: F Pavel Brendl, C Jiri Dopita, LW Jan Hlavac, D Kim Johnsson, C Jeremy Roenick, D Eric Weinrich.
WHO'S OUT: D Andy Delmore, RW Jody Hull, C Daymond Langkow, C Eric Lindros, LW Dean McAmmond, RW P.J. Stock, C Peter White.
KA-CHING: This is how you win a Stanley Cup in the NHL. After shelling out about $55-million in payroll last season, the Flyers found $45-million for John LeClair and $37.5-million for Jeremy Roenick in five-year deals. Then there was the $3.3-million they gave over two seasons to Czech superstar Jiri Dopita. Good thing the team saved about $8-million by trading perpetual headache Eric Lindros. This could be the second time Lindros sparks an opponent to a future Stanley Cup. After being drafted by the old Nordiques, his hissy-fit induced trade produced the base for the Avalacnhe's championships. For sending Lindros to the Rangers, the Flyers got Brendl, Hlavac and Johnsson all of whom may give the edge in this transaction to Philadelphia. And we haven't even mentioned center Keith Primeau, coming off a career year, goalie Roman Cechmanek, who had the league's best goals-against average, right wing Mark Recchi and defenseman Eric Desjardins.
COACH: Bob Hartley (fourth season).
LAST SEASON: 52-16-10-4, 118 points. Won the Stanley Cup.
WHO'S IN: D Todd Gill.
WHO'S OUT: D Ray Bourque, C Peter Forsberg, LW Chris Dingman, D Jon Klemm, D Nola Pratt, C Joel Prpic, LW Dave Reid.
EMOTION: The Avalanche made great use last season of the adrenaline produced by Bourque's chase for his first Cup. The team was so pumped, the absence of center Peter Forsberg did not seem to affect it. Forsberg is still on the sideline after taking a leave of absence to rest his beat up body. Bourque is retired. But there still is a comfort zone after the signing of top stars Rob Blake, Patrick Roy and MVP Joe Sakic, and with the emergence last season of young forward Alex Tanguay and Milan Hejduk. Still, the loss of the 148 points Bourque and Forsberg scored between them is much to overcome, not to mention losing Bourque's penalty killing. But Colorado set a team record for fewest goals allowed with 192, which speaks to a defensive commitment it will need more than ever.
COACH: Scotty Bowman (29th season, eighth with Detroit).
LAST SEASON: 49-20-9-4, 111 points. Lost to the Kings in West quarterfinals.
WHO'S IN: G Dominik Hasek, RW Brett Hull, D Fredrik Olausson, LW Luc Robitaille.
WHO'S OUT: C Doug Brown, D Todd Gill, LW Slava Kozlov, RW Martin Lapointe, D Larry Murphy, G Chris Osgood, RW Pat Verbeek, D Aaron Ward.
THEY'RE BAAAACK: Consider this: the Red Wings have nine potential Hall of Famers on their roster, including summer pickups Hasek, Hull and Robitaille. This is a very dangerous team if players like Chris Chelios, Brendan Shanahan and Steve Yzerman stay healthy and Nicklas Lidstrom keeps his Norris Trophy form. This is not a concern to be taken lightly. Detroit is one of the league's older teams, and one of the reasons it lost in the first round of the playoffs was because Yzerman, Shanahan, Chelios and Gill, all over 30, were either out because of injuries or played hurt. Funny, though, how an elite goaltender can make a lot of concerns seem smaller. Hasek is among the best all-time and is hungry for a Cup. Hull is a great fit and will score a lot, and Bowman's gaze may even prompt him to play defense. Speaking of the coach, a concern is that his message over seven seasons has gone stale. But he has said he will try a new system, and there is probably no one better at controlling the egos of a team of high-priced superstars.
COACH: Larry Robinson (seventh season, third with New Jersey).
LAST SEASON: 48-19-12-3, 111 points. Lost to Avalanche in Stanley Cup final.
WHO'S IN: D Tommy Albelin.
WHO'S OUT: C Bob Corkum, RW Alexander Mogilny, D Sean O'Donnell, D Ken Sutton, G John Vanbiesbrouck.
HUNGRY HEARTS: Difficult to understand during last season's playoffs was New Jersey's inability to finish off the competition as series against the Hurricanes and Maple Leafs went longer than they should. The lack of killer instinct was especially acute against the Avalanche, which won games six and seven to win the Cup. Expect the hunger to return. The exciting line of left wing Patrik Elias, right wing Petr Sykora and center Jason Arnott still is developing. Scott Gomez had a great preseason and John Madden is a buzz saw on defense. Age is a concern. Defensemen Scott Stevens and Ken Daneyko are 37 and wing Randy McKay is 34. The team plays a smothering defense, which also features Scott Niedermayer and Brian Rafalski, and Martin Brodeur is a house in net. The loss of Mogilny's 43 goals is a bummer, but Elias, who is making a relative pittance ($750,000) in the final year of his contract, will be motivated by a potential big offseason payday.
COACH: Pat Quinn (16th season, fourth with Toronto).
LAST SEASON: 37-29-11-5, 90 points. Lost to Devils in East semifinals.
WHO'S IN: D Anders Eriksson, C Travis Green, RW Alexander Mogilny, C Robert Reichel, RW Mikael Renberg.
WHO'S OUT: LW Sergei Berezin, G Glenn Healy, RW Igor Korolev, D Danny Markov, C Yanic Perrault, RW Steve Thomas.
CHANGLINGS: How to define the Maple Leafs? After losing to the Devils in 1999-00 playoffs, the team felt it needed muscle. That was fine until last season when it had trouble scoring goals and again lost to the Devils. Now the seesaw has tilted back toward offense with the signing of Mogilny, Renberg and Reichel. At least those three give a nod to defensive responsibility. Eriksson was acquired to help the back liners who ran around too much last season and pushed way too much responsibility onto goaltender Curtis Joseph. Stallwarts Mats Sundin and Gary Roberts will help lead the offensive charge. If the defense gets it together, signing Tomas Kaberle would help, and the team chemistry develops some postseason grit, this could be a dangerous team.
COACH: Ken Hitchcock (seventh season).
LAST SEASON: 48-24-8-2, 106 points. Lost to the Blues in West semifinals.
WHO'S IN: RW Donald Audette, RW Rob DiMaio, D Greg Hawgood, LW Valeri Kamensky, D Jyrki Lumme, C Pierre Turgeon, RW Pat Verbeek.
WHO'S OUT: LW Tyler Bouck, D Gerald Diduck, LW Ted Donato, RW Brett Hull, RW Mike Keane, D Grant Ledyard, RW John MacLean.
STAR CROSSED: The Stars looked old while being swept out of the playoffs. Not surprising because consistently high finishes have hurt drafting. Dallas hasn't had a top-24 pick in five years. So what do you do? Get out the checkbook. The Stars acquired Audette, Turgeon and Kamensky, all of whom will have to play well to erase Hull's memory. Still, many of the elements that led to the Stars' five consecutive division titles are still around. A stifling defense with Derian Hatcher, Darryl Sydor and Sergei Zubov was made even better with Lumme, and should ease the burden of goaltender Ed Belfour. Mike Modano is an elite player and Joe Nieuwendyk, if he isn't traded to the Senators, is a dependable warrior. The key may be developing good team chemistry. With so many new faces, that could be difficult. If it happens, Dallas is once again a contender.
COACH: Joel Quenneville (sixth season).
LAST SEASON: 43-22-12-5, 103 points. Lost to the Avalanche in West final.
WHO'S IN: G Fred Brathwaite, RW Mike Keane, D Rich Pilon, C Doug Weight.
WHO'S OUT: LW Lubos Bartecko, D Alexei Gusarov, LW Jochen Hecht, C Marty Reasoner, G Dwayne Roloson, LW Reid Simpson, G Roman Turek, C Pierre Turgeon.
TWO TO TANGO: Only eight players remain from the team that won the President's Cup two seasons ago. Two players will shoulder much of the burden as the Blues look for their 23rd consecutive playoff spot: Weight, who is supposed to make people forget Turgeon, and goaltender Brent Johnson, who is supposed to make people forget Turek. Oh, yeah, that's already happened after his poor play during the conference final. Not that they don't have help. Keith Tkachuk, Scott Mellanby and Dallas Drake increased the team's grittiness factor, and defensemen Chris Pronger and Al MacInnis are as good as it gets. The team is one of the league's quickest. The question is depth at center. Pavol Demitra could shift there from wing. And it will be interesting to see if Scott Young can score 40 again without Turgeon's feeds.
COACH: Ron Wilson (eighth season, fifth with Washington).
LAST SEASON: 41-27-10-4, 96 points. Lost to Penguins in East quarterfinals.
WHO'S IN: C Chris Ferraro, RW Jaromir Jagr, D Frantisek Kucera.
WHO'S OUT: C Glen Metroplit, D Jason Marshall, D Dmitri Mironov, LW Brantt Myhres, C Terry Yake.
CAN'T BEAT 'EM, TAKE 'EM: The Capitals lost to Pittsburgh in the first round of the playoffs the past two seasons. So what did Washington do? Traded three top prospects to the Penguins for Jaromir Jagr, the league's top scorer the past four seasons. With Peter Bondra, who has scored more goals since the start of the 1994-95 season than any player except Jagr, the Caps have a huge 1-2 punch. The two likely will not play on the same line so defenses cannot key on them. Add an older, yet staunch, defense that is led by Sylvain Cote, Sergei Gonchar and Joe Reekie and plays in front of the fiercely competitive Olaf Kolzig, and you've got a real, live contender in Washington. Potential problems: Jagr couldn't find the enthusiasm to play beside Mario Lemieux during last season's playoffs. How will the team react when faced with his moodiness? Also, Adam Oates is miffed because of a likely redution in playing time. Will that be a distraction?
COACH: Darryl Sutter, (eighth season, fifth with San Jose).
LAST SEASON: 40-27-12-3, 95 points. Lost to the Blues in West quarterfinals.
WHO'S IN: LW Adam Graves, C Joel Prpic, D Brandon Smith.
WHO'S OUT: LW Tony Granato, LW Bill Lindsay, D Jeff Norton.
TEAM SPIRIT: San Jose's success last season was based on stingy defense, all-out effort and goaltending from rookie of the year Evgeni Nabokov. But the addition of Teemu Selanne last season and Graves over the summer has given the offense a significant boost. That will be necessary to take the next step because the Sharks were just 24th in the league on the power play. That is somewhat of a surprise considering the presence of centers Vincent Damphousse and Patrick Marleau and right wing Owen Nolan. Maybe a full season of Selanne makes a difference. Motivation: the Sharks also still are hurting from their playoff loss to St. Louis, a team it felt it should have beaten.
COACH: Ivan Hlinka (second season).
LAST SEASON: 42-28-9-3, 96 points. Lost to Devils in East final.
WHO'S IN: C Kris Beetch, G Rob Tallas, D Mike Wilson.
WHO'S OUT: RW Josef Beranek, D Marc Bergevin, D Bob Boughner, LW Rene Corbet, RW Jaromir Jagr, D Frantisek Kucera, LW Steve McKenna, G Garth Snow.
A HUGE HOLE: If this were any other team, the loss of Jagr would be a death blow. But when you have Mario Lemieux, who is expected to have a huge season, the Penguins may thrive. They certainly won't miss Jagr's moods and self indulgence. It helps the team can plug in an Alexei Kovalev, who is no Jagr but did score 44 goals. If he, Martin Straka and Robert Lang can repeat career seasons, Pittsburgh will be fine offensively. The loss of the physical Boughner will hurt on defense, which is why the Penguins signed the 6-foot-6, 212-pound Wilson and why you might see the left wing lock for the entire season. Defenseman Andrew Ference was a force in the playoffs. So was goaltender Johan Hedberg who was given the No. 1 job.
COACH: Jacques Martin (ninth season, seventh in Ottawa).
LAST SEASON: 48-21-9-4, 109 points. Lost to Maple Leafs in East quarterfinals.
WHO'S IN: D Zdeno Chara, D Jason Doig, LW Chris Herperger, C Steve Martins, RW Bill Muckalt, C Jason Spezza.
WHO'S OUT: Rw Andreas Dackell, D Sean Gagnon, LW Bill Lindsay, C Mike Sillinger, C Alexei Yashin, D Jason York, LW Rob Zamuner.
REGROUPING: The Senators are a great regular-season team. They found out how much that's worth when they were drop-kicked by the Leafs in the first round of the playoffs. So Ottawa went out and got the 6-9, 255-pound Chara in the Yashin trade, and is expecting 6-4, 215-pound Andre Roy and 6-1, 213-pound Chris Neil, who had 354 minutes in penalties last season with Grand Rapids (IHL) to make opponents think twice about driving to the net. That, however, does nothing to address the problems at center the Yashin deal has caused. Daniel Alfredsson will take the No. 1 line and right wings Marian Hossa and Martin Havlat better keep developing because Spezza was sent back to juniors. Patrick Lalime is more than solid in net.
COACH: Lindy Ruff (fifth season).
LAST SEASON: 46-30-5-1, 98 points. Lost to Penguins in East semifinals.
WHO'S IN: C Tim Connolly, G Bob Essensa, LW Slava Kozlov, RW Christian Matte, LW Taylor Pyatt.
WHO'S OUT: LW Dave Andreychuk, RW Donald Audette, RW Doug Gilmore, G Dominik Hasek, LW Steve Heinze, C Michael Peca, LW Vladimir Tsyplakov.
TURNOVER: How can the Sabres possibly recover from a summer that left much of the cupboard bare? It may not be as bad as it seems. Buffalo still has Miroslav Satan, speedy Alexei Zhitnik and J-P Dumont, and the defense is solid with Jay McKee and Rhett Warriner. It will get even better if Jason Woolley comes back from an off season and Connolly and Pyatt, two highly regarded youngsters, come to play. Of course, all that is meaningless if Martin Biron, a bright talent, doesn't pan out in goal as he tries to replace Hasek, who was a big part of Buffalo's ability to limit teams to a league-low 184 goals. Until Biron proves himself, the Sabres must be downgraded.
COACH: Paul Maurice (seventh season).
LAST SEASON: 38-32-9-3, 88 points. Lost to the Devils in East quarterfinals.
WHO'S IN: G Tom Barrasso, LW Chris Dingman, D Aaron Ward.
WHO'S OUT: LW Jeff Daniels, LW Rob DiMaio, D Kevin Hatcher, D David Karpa, LW Scott Pellerin.
NEXT STEP: You've got to like the Hurricanes, a quick, feisty team that finally won some fans in apathetic Raleigh by stealing a couple of playoff games from the Devils. G Arturs Irbe played a remarkable 77 games. To take some pressure off, the Hurricanes signed Barrasso, 36, out of retirement. Carolina is as deep as any team at right wing with Jeff O'Neil, Shane Willis and Sami Kapanen. It has the veteran composure of Rod Brind'Amour. And it got better on defense as the season went along thanks to Glen Wesley and the resurgence of Sandis Ozolinsh. One thing lacking last season: grit in the corners, which Dingman should help provide. One thing gained from last season: confidence after putting the Devils on their heels.
COACH: Robbie Ftorek (fifth season, first in Boston).
LAST SEASON: 36-30-8-8, 88 points. Missed playoffs.
WHO'S IN: C John Emmons, RW Martin Lapointe, D Sean O'Donnell, LW Scott Pellerin, LW Rob Zamuner.
WHO'S OUT: C Shawn Bates, LW Ken Belanger, RW Peter Ferraro, RW Andrei Kovalenko, RW Cameron Mann, D Peter Popovic, C Andre Savage, D Brandon Smith, D Darren Van Impe, D Eric Weinrich, RW Dixon Ward, G Kay Whitmore.
A MAIN COG MISSING: Had the Bruins and star C Jason Allison worked out a contract, Boston would be ranked higher. Allison is a talented brute who opens things up for his teammates. He combined with LW Sergei Samsonov, RW Bill Guerin and C Joe Thornton for more than half Boston's scoring last season. There also is the question of Ftorek, who was hired to install a two-way system but whose abrasive manner got him drummed out of New Jersey. All of which means there is lots of pressure on Lapointe, Zamuner and O'Donnell, who it is hoped will emerge as a leader for an unproven back line. A healthy Byron Dafoe will be a welcomed sight in goal.
COACH: Marc Crawford (eighth season, fourth in Vancouver).
LAST SEASON: 36-28-11-7, 90 points. Lost to Avalanche in West quarterfinals.
WHO'S IN: G Alex Auld.
WHO'S OUT: G Bob Essensa, D Greg Hawgood, C Mike Stapleton.
NET VALUE: It apears the Canucks are trusting their season to goaltenders Dan Cloutier and Auld. Cloutier had the same up-and-down performance for Vancouver as he did for the Lightning, and Auld played juniors last season. But the Canucks still will be exciting with Swedish twins Daniel and Henrik Sedin, and a healthy Markus Naslund (41 goals). Vancouver will field basically the same team as last season. That's good for chemistry. But it's bad for the young defense, which has Ed Jovanovski and Mattias Ohlund, but could have used a shot of veteran stability. That makes it even more imperative for Cloutier (not to mention the penalty killing, which was 25th in the league) to step up.
COACH: Andy Murray (third season).
LAST SEASON: 38-28-13-3, 92 points. Lost to Avalanche in West semifinals.
WHO'S IN: LW Ken Belanger, LW Steve Heinze, C Randy Robitaille.
WHO'S OUT: LW Stu Grimson, LW Luc Robitaille, RW Marko Tuomainen.
WHAT'S NEXT?: Hard to say. Does the team step forward or are expectations too high? The loss of Luc Robitaille's 37 goals will be devastating if players such as Adam Deadmarsh, Glenn Murray and Brian Smolinski can't pick up the slack. Then there is goaltender Felix Potvin, who was on his way out of the league until he shined after being acquired from the Canucks. He still has a lot to prove. As do defensemen Mathieu Schneider, Lubomir Visnovsky and Aaron Miller. The addition of defensive forwards Heinze and Randy Robitaille (no relation to Luc) should help. The key may be Murray, who kept the team focused after Rob Blake was traded.
COACH: Ron Low (seventh season, second in New York).
LAST SEASON: 33-43-5-1, 72 points. Missed playoffs.
WHO'S IN: LW Kyle Freadrich, D Sean Gagnon, LW Andreas Johansson, D David Karpa, C Eric Lindros, LW Steve McKenna, D Igor Ulanov, D Darren Van Impe.
WHO'S OUT: F Pavel Brendl, D Brad Brown, D Jason Doig, LW Adam Graves, LW Jan Havlac, D Kim Johnsson, LW Valeri Kamensky, D Rich Pilon, C Tim Taylor.
TOUGH READ: The Rangers are one of the quickest teams in the league with players such as Petr Nedved, Theo Fleury and Radek Dvorak, and will continue to score. The question is, can they keep the puck out of their net? Mike Richter and his gimpy knees will carry the load in goal while Ulanov, Karpa, Brian Leetch and Vladimir Malakhov hold down the blue line. Theo Fleury is out of rehab. Lindros, if he can stay healthy, could be a huge presence and might learn a thing or two from Mark Messier. A little forechecking, something the team forgot to do last season, would go a long way to solving the defensive problems that allowed a league-high 290 goals.
COACH: Barry Trotz (fourth season).
LAST SEASON: 34-36-9-3, 80 points. Missed playoffs.
WHO'S IN: D Andy Delmore, LW Stu Gimson.
WHO'S OUT: C Randy Robitaille.
UP THE LADDER: In their steady climb up the standings, Nashville has earned 63, 70 and 80 points. Can the team make the leap to the playoffs? If you're talking goaltending, the answer is yes with Mike Dunham coming off a season in which his .923 save percentage was second in the league. What the Predators really need is scoring. The team had just 186 goals last season, 35-year-old Cliff Ronning is still its leading scorer and there wasn't much of an upgrade during the summer. That means the pressure is on David Legwand, Scott Walker and Scott Hartnell to help fill the net.
COACH: Craig MacTavish (second season).
LAST SEASON: 39-28-12-3, 93 points. Lost to the Stars in West quarterfinals.
WHO'S IN: LW Jochen Hecht, C Marty Reasoner, D Steve Staios.
WHO'S OUT: C Doug Weight, D Igor Ulanov, C Sergei Zholtok.
MONEY MATTERS: There may not be a grittier group in hockey. But the small-market team with the league's lowest ticket prices cannot afford to keep high-priced talent. That resulted in the devastating trade that sent Weight to the Blues for Hecht, Reasoner and Horacek. Not that they are bad players, but the Oilers are very small up the middle. Mike Comrie was great in the playoffs. But he is 5 feet 9 and played the second line. With the No. 1 unit, the opposition will be tougher. The hope is Anson Carter will be more comfortable this season and Ryan Smyth (31 goals) can continue to develop. The loss of free agent Ulanov leaves a big hole to fill on defense, where highly regarded Tom Poti regressed last season.
COACH: Michel Therrien (second season).
LAST SEASON: 28-40-8-6, 70 points. Missed playoffs.
WHO'S IN: RW Andreas Dackell, C Joe Juneau, C Yanic Perreault, D Stephane Quintal.
WHO'S OUT: RW Jim Campbell, F Juha Lind.
FOUR STRAIGHT: The Canadiens likely will miss the playoffs for a franchise-record fourth consecutive season, but there finally seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel. At least there was until Saku Koivu was diagnosed with abdominal cancer. That blow notwithstanding, Montreal made significant moves during the summer that should complement a fairly good talent nucleus that includes players like Martin Rucinsky, Chad Kilger, Oleg Petrov and Richard Zednik. The Canadiens lack big-time scoring punch but play a defensive style that helps them remain in games. Perrault's faceoff prowess should help there as well. The return of Gino Odjick, who missed 37 games with a wrist injury, should toughen things up in front of the net.
COACH: Peter Laviolette (first season).
LAST SEASON: 21-51-7-3, 52 points. Missed playoffs.
WHO'S IN: D Adrian Aucoin, RW Alexander Kharitonov, G Chris Osgood, C Michael Peca, G Garth Snow, D Ken Sutton, C Alexei Yashin.
WHO'S OUT: D Zdeno Chara, C Tim Connolly, RW Bill Muckalt, LW Craig Berube, RW Steve Martins, LW Taylor Pyatt, D Gary Galley.
REBIRTH: For all the moves the Islanders made -- bringing in Yashin, Peca and Aucoin -- the most important might have been picking up G Chris Osgood in the waiver draft and signing G Garth Snow. No matter how good the up-front personnel, teams don't prosper unless they're solid in goal, and 20-year-old Rick DiPietro, who had an awful .878 save percentage last season, was just not ready. Osgood will be motivated to show the Red Wings they made a mistake. Snow is a steady, reliable backup. The Islanders should score, especially if Mariusz Czerkawski stays focused, Brad Isbister stays healthy, and Oleg Kvasha and Mark Parrish reverse downward trends. The defense is okay with Roman Hamrlik, Kenny Jonsson and Eric Cairns. There could be growing pains behind the bench with a first-year coach, but there seems to be a reason to again go to Nassau Coliseum.
COACH: Greg Gilbert (second season).
LAST SEASON: 27-36-15-4, 73 points. Missed playoffs.
WHO'S IN: G Roman Turek, C Rob Niedermayer, D Bob Boughner, C Dean McAmmond.
WHO'S OUT: D Tommy Albelin, RW Valeri Bure, G Fred Brathwaite, C Jason Wiemer.
FLICKER OF HOPE: With all the problems the Flames had last season, the last thing they needed was for some players to start mailing it in. But that's what happened, and Gilbert, a disciple of discipline guys such as Mike Keenan and Al Arbour, said if it happens again, the penalty will be playing time. The addition of veterans such as Niedermayer and Boughner should make the transition easier. The team must get better playing shorthanded as Calgary's penalty kill was 28th in the league. The team needs more scoring, especially with the departure of Bure. The bright lights are right wing Jarome Iginla and defenseman Derek Morris.
COACH: Bobby Francis (third season).
LAST SEASON: 35-27-17-3, 90 points. Missed playoffs.
WHO'S IN: LW Sergei Berezin, LW Tyler Bouck, C Daymond Langkow, D Danny Markov, LW Todd Warriner.
WHO'S OUT: D Keith Carney, LW Louie DeBrusk, C Travis Green, C Joe Juneau, D Jyrki Lumme, C Robert Reichel, LW Mikael Renberg, C Jeremy Roenick, LW Juha Ylonen.
CHANGING FACES: The Coyotes trimmed about $15-million off last season's $40-million payroll. It will be felt mostly on offense. Phoenix scored two or fewer goals in 48 games last season, and that was while they still had Tkachuk and Roenick. The Coyotes dealt away more than 1,500 goals and 4,000 career points. In return, they got 351 goals and 846 points from 14 new players. The backbone of the team will be the defense, led by Teppo Numminen with help from Markov, Paul Mara and Todd Simpson. Shane Doan will lead the offense. If G Sean Burke repeats his all-star season, they will win a lot of those two-goal games.
COACH: Brian Sutter (11th season, first in Chicago).
LAST SEASON: 29-40-8-5, 71 points. Missed playoffs.
WHO'S IN: D Jon Klemm, C Igor Koralev, RW Steve Thomas.
WHO'S OUT: LW Chris Herperger, D Stephane Quintal, G Rob Tallas.
BIG SHOULDERS NEEDED: Sutter is tough and he wants his teams to play that way, which would be a far cry from how the team played last season. The power play was awful, team defense was lacking (246 goals allowed were most in the West) and there was little physical play. Klemm should help on defense and in the corners. He also will help Sutter establish some discipline in the locker room. There is a blueprint for offensive support. Tony Amonte will be an unrestricted free agent after this season, so he is motivated. He also likely will be traded at some point. C Michael Nylander and RW Steve Sullivan have gotten good reviews in preseason, and Eric Daze is good for 60 points. It all could go for nothing if goaltender Jocelyn Thibault can't improve on a .895 save percentage.
COACH: John Tortorella (third season, second with Tampa Bay).
LAST SEASON: 24-47-6-5, 59 points. Missed playoffs.
WHO'S IN: LW Nikita Alexeev, LW Dave Andreychuk, D Grant Ledyard, RW Jimmie Olvestad, D Nolan Pratt, C Vinny Prospal, C Tim Taylor, C Juha Ylonen.
WHO'S OUT: D Adrian Aucoin, C Stan Drulia, LW Nils Ekman, G Wade Flaherty, LW Kyle Freadrich, C Ryan Johnson, RW Alexander Kharitonov, LW Todd Warriner.
MEANINGFUL GAMES: The company line is they want to play such games in March, and, believe it or not, if G Nikolai Khabibulin returns to elite status, and the rest of the upgrades pan out, it may just happen. This is probably not a playoff team, which is okay as long as significant improvement is shown. We're talking about 35 victories and 80 points. If that doesn't happen, ownership has said it will scrutinize the direction general manager Rick Dudley has taken the team, though a re-evaluation of ownership's unwilligness to commit to a reasonable payroll also should be undertaken. Vinny Lecavalier's holdout has been a disappointment, but not an overwhelming distraction. C Brad Richards is certainly capable of leading the No. 1 line, which should be a good one with right wing Martin St. Louis and left wing Fredrik Modin. Proven firepower is minimal after that, meaning gritiness, special teams and defense, a sore spot last season, will be key.
COACH: Duane Sutter (second season).
LAST SEASON: 22-38-13-9, 66 points. Missed playoffs.
WHO'S IN: LW Valeri Bure, G Wade Flaherty, LW Kristian Huselius, C Ryan Johnson, LW Bill Lindsay, D Jeff Norton, C Jason Wiemer.
WHO'S OUT: LW Greg Adams, LW Len Barrie, D Anders Eriksson, C Rob Niedermayer, C Vinny Prospal, D Mike Wilson.
DECLAWED: So the Panthers have added Bure brother, Valeri. All that means is the team will lose games 7-6 instead of 7-5. It has yet to dawn on the Panthers' front office that NHL success comes grudginly to teams that rely on prima donna stars. That is odd because general manager Bill Torrey helped build an Islanders dynasty that took its first steps to greatness with two-way, team-oriented personnel. Good thing the Panthers have excellent goaltending with Roberto Luongo (.920 save percentage) and Trevor Kidd because a lack of defensive depth and a lack of depth at center will hurt. Pavel Bure may have to go beyond last season's league-high of 59 goals if he is to salvage the Panthers' season.
COACH: Dave King (fifth season, second in Columbus).
LAST SEASON: 28-39-9-6, 71 points. Missed playoffs.
WHO'S IN: D Rostislav Klesla, RW Grant Marshall, C Mike Sillinger
WHO'S OUT: C Bruce Gardiner, RW Alexander Selivanov.
UNDERRATED?: Ron Tugnutt had 22 victories, most for an expansion-team goaltender, and a notable .917 save percentage. That went a long way to making the Blue Jackets' first season a success. If left wing Ray Whitney's back is healed and Geoff Sanderson can repeat his 30-goal performance, Columbus will be a pesky place to play. C Mike Sillinger should add a calming and determined presence. Klesla is one of the most ballyhooed rookies of the season.
COACH: Bryan Murray (14th season, first with Anaheim).
LAST SEASON: 25-41-11-5, 66 points. Missed playoffs.
WHO'S IN: D Keith Carney, D Jason York, LW Denny Lambert.
WHO'S OUT: C Tony Hrkac.
LACK OF QUACK: The pressure is on rare talent Paul Kariya, who must be motivated and stay healthy to give Anaheim any chance of competitiveness. It will be better if Jeff Friesen, who came from San Jose in the Teemu Selanne trade, finds his groove and Steve Rucchin comes back healthy. Steve Shields should be an upgrade in goal from Guy Hebert, and Carney and York should help a woeful blue line that does, however, feature offensive-minded Oleg Tverdovsky.
COACH: Curt Fraser (third season).
LAST SEASON: 23-45-12-2, 60 points. Missed playoffs.
WHO'S IN: LW Lubos Bartecko, C Bob Corkum, LW Dany Heatley, C Tony Hrkac, LW Ilja Kovalchuk, D Todd Reirden.
WHO'S OUT: LW Andrew Brunette, C Steve Guolla, LW Denny Lambert, D Gord Murphy, D Steve Staios.
ROOKIE FINDS: Two of the most-watched rookies will be Kovalchuk, the first overall pick of 2001, and Heatley, the second overall pick of 2000. Both are cocky and have reputations as goal-scorers. But putting pressure on rookies is a dangerous game. The offense is built around 37-year-old Ray Ferraro. The defense is spongy and the goaltending with oft-injured Damian Rhodes and Milan Hnilicka is average.
COACH: Jacques Lemaire (ninth season, second with Minnesota).
LAST SEASON: 25-39-13-5, 68 points. Missed playoffs.
WHO'S IN: D Brad Brown, D Nick Schultz, RW Kyle Wanvig, LW Sergei Zholtok.
WHO'S OUT: G Zac Bierk, RW Jeff Nielson.
SCORE MORE: The Wild scored the fewest goals in the league last season (168), 17 fewer than the next closest team (the Islanders), and was shut out 14 times. Three 18-goal scorers led the team, which scored just 210 goals: LW Marian Gaborik, LW Darby Hendrickson and C Wes Walz. They, along with Brunette and Zholtok, should be the offensive focus. With the departure last season of Sean O'Donnell and Curtis Leschyshyn, the defense will be given over to the kids, and there are bound to be growing pains. G Manny Fernandez was solid last season with a .920 save percentage. This season, that may not be nearly enough.