2009 NHL Predictions

Happy October everyone! As you may or may not know, the greatest month in sports is finally back. So many things to watch, so little time. The NFL season is fresh, the MLB playoffs are upon us, the English Premier League is in full swing, NHL hockey is back, and the countless highlights of Lebron James dunking over inferior opponents are nowhere to be seen. Sounds like utopia to me. As I mentioned, Hockey has returned. So after completing my fantasy NHL draft and reading up on what all 30 teams have been doing this summer, I roll out the official…

2009/2010 WHITSPORT NHL PREDICTIONS

In years past I have gone a long way on pure luck, guessing, and gut feelings. This year, I put a tad more research in and attempted to make more logical predictions for what to expect this upcoming season. Therefore, you can expect them to be dead wrong… regardless, on we go:

Playoff Bound:

EAST	WEST
1. Capitals 2. Penguins 3. Bruins 4. Flyers 5. Rangers 6. Devils 7. Hurricanes 8. Sabres	1. Red Wings 2. Sharks 3. Flames 4. Canucks 5. Ducks 6. Blue Jackets 7. Blackhawks 8. Wild

While the art of selecting teams seems easy, it is not. Looking back at last years standings I attempted to figure out which teams that missed out on the playoffs could make a climb this year. The only newcomers on this list are Buffalo and Minnesota. I think that Ottawa and Los Angeles both have a chance at surprising people, but I played it safe and did not go out on a limb… story of my life.

Coming this Summer:

If my predictions for final standings were to hold true, some interesting first round playoff match-ups would be created, including Philly vs N.Y. and the Sharks vs Blackhawks. Overall, things probably won’t play out this way, so I won’t even humor you…

My money is on two teams in the Eastern Conf., the Caps and Pens. Gary Bettman dreams about this Conference Finals matchup, but we’ll have to see how things play out. The West is a bit trickier; the top 5 teams all have a great shot at making a Cup run, and it’s a definitely a toss up. Who will get hot at the right time?

My picks for the Cup will be the Capitals and the Sharks. Both teams really bolstered their lineups in the off season and have fewer question marks than the other teams in the mix. Expect the Red Wings to return with a vengeance, but fatigue could play spoiler as it did last season. The well balanced Flames will also likely contend, but fall short in the highly competitive western conference playoffs.

Expect a drop in performance from a few teams that were highly touted not long ago. The Devils may still have Brodeur, but they also lost a lot of offense in the offseason. The Blackhawks’ youth played extremely well last year, but I see a slight fall in the mix, after losing some key role players. Alot of people are picking the Bruins to fall from grace, but I see them as a contender still. The loss of top scorer Phil Kessel may hurt them slightly, but their team is built on defense, which they have no shortage of.

Award Show:

Back this year to claim individual awards are a few familiar faces:

Hart Trophy (MVP)- Alex Ovechkin (WAS)

Art Ross (Most Points)- Joe Thornton (SJ)

Vezina (Best Goalie)- Henrik Lunqvist (NYR)

Calder (Rookie of Year)- Matt Duchene (COL)

Norris (Best Defender)- Niklas Lidstrom (DET)

Jack Adams (Coach of Year)- Mike Babcock (DET)

Rocket Richard (Top Goal Scorer)- Alex Ovechkin (WAS)

As for team awards, I think we’ll see one team return to their normal place and one surprise…

Presidents Trophy (Most Points) – Red Wings

STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS- San Jose Sharks

The addition of Heatley will be huge; the Sharks deep lines and experience should be their greatest assets. Washington will be really impressive and expect another awesome year from Ovi, but I’ll give the goaltending edge, and therefore the Cup, to San Jose.

For more details and a team by team break down of what to expect this season, check out the NHL OUTLOOK 09/10 tab, or click here:

https://whitsport.wordpress.com/nhl-outlook-0910/