Calgary Flames
Must-haves: Jarome Iginla, Dion Phaneuf, Miikka Kiprusoff, Michael Cammalleri
Contributors: Daymond Langkow, Adrian Aucoin, Todd Bertuzzi, Matthew Lombardi, Robyn Regehr, Craig Conroy
Sleepers:
Mikael Backlund, Eric Nystrom, Mark Giordano
Wannabes:
Jim Vandermeer, Dustin Boyd, David Moss, Cory Sarich, Marcus Nilson, Rhett Warrener, Curtis Glencross, Rene Bourque, Andre Roy, Anders Eriksson
Offseason analysis: The Flames landed
Cammalleri, their biggest offseason catch, in a three-team trade with
Los Angeles that also saw Alex Tanguay
pack his bags for Montreal. Calgary also lost Kristian Huselius to free agency, but expects Cammalleri and Bertuzzi to
fill the voids. Bertuzzi has battled injury the last few seasons, but
had some of his best seasons playing north of the border with Vancouver.
Calgary was able to get Giordano back in the fold after he spent last
season in Russia. He is a good offensive-minded blue liner. All eyes
will be on the 19-year-old Backlund during training camp. Signed to an
entry-level deal, Backlund, who is considered a premier playmaker, will
either make the roster out of camp or spend the season playing in his
native Sweden. Calgary is a bit weak on the right side of the ice,
especially with the loss of Owen Nolan,
and will be looking for some able bodies to pick up the slack. The
Flames would like to see improvement out of Nystrom, their 2002
first-round pick (10th overall). He has had a slow progression since
leaving Michigan in 2004-05 and many wonder if he is top-six forward
worthy?
Colorado Avalanche
Must-haves: Paul Stastny, Milan Hejduk, Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg (if he returns)
Contributors: John-Michael Liles, Ryan Smyth, Wojtek Wolski, Peter Budaj, Ruslan Salei, Darcy Tucker, Andrew Raycroft, Brett Clark, Marek Svatos, Jordan Leopold, Tyler Arnason, Scott Hannan
Sleepers: T.J. Hensick
Wannabes: Adam Foote,
Kyle Cumiskey, Ian Laperriere, Cody McLeod, Ben Guite, Brian Willsie, Daniel Tjarnqvist
Offseason analysis: The Avalanche were
overjoyed when Sakic opted to return for another year in August and now
hope the injury-prone Forsberg will also decide to entertain playing
another season. Sakic and Forsberg still have point-per-game ability.
The big question remains: Can Raycroft and Budaj bridge the gap in net
now that Jose Theodore is with the
Capitals? Colorado couldn't convince Jeff Finger,
Andrew Brunette or Jaroslav Hlinka to stay, and now they hope Tucker can rekindle his glory
days and be a viable top-six forward. The Avalanche only brought in one
new face on defense -- Tjarnqvist -- but getting Clark back from a
serious shoulder injury is like a free-agent signing. Colorado has a lot
of burgeoning talent, particularly Hensick. The Michigan native was an
AHL All-Star in 2007-08 and even had some nice moments in a few recalls
with Colorado (11 points in 31 games). He could play a key role in
2008-09.
Edmonton Oilers
Must-haves: Shawn Horcoff, Ales Hemsky, Lubomir Visnovsky, Sheldon Souray
Contributors: Erik Cole,
Robert Nilsson, Andrew Cogliano, Dustin Penner, Mathieu Garon, Dwayne Roloson, Kyle Brodziak, Tom Gilbert
Sleepers:
Sam Gagner, Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers
Wannabes: Ladislav Smid, Steve Staios, Fernando Pisani, Ethan Moreau, Gilbert Brule, Denis Grebeshkov
Offseason
analysis: Keep an eye on the Oilers' blue line in 2008-09. They are
getting Souray back from a serious shoulder injury and traded for
Visnovsky in the offseason. Even if they choose to split up the duo,
they both are gifted offensive players and can carry a line. Gilbert,
who is entering just his second full season, also is a developing talent
on defense as he showcased in 2007-08 (33 points) when Souray was
sidelined. The Oilers had to give up defenseman Joni Pitaknen in a trade
with Carolina to land Cole. But what they did is get a bonafide top line
left winger and another scorer to complement Horcoff, who is also coming
off serious injury. Edmonton is still trying to figure out their
situation in net, but it appears as though Garon will open the season as
the starter and Roloson as the backup. If neither player is careful,
Edmonton might have to dip into their farm system and bring up
Drouin-Deslauriers, their second-round pick (31st overall) from 2002.
Minnesota Wild
Must-haves: Brent Burns, Marian Gaborik, Marek Zidlicky, Niklas Backstrom
Contributors: Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Andrew Brunette, Eric Belanger, Mikko Koivu, Josh Harding, Owen Nolan, Kim Johnsson
Sleepers: Marc-Andre Bergeron, Antti Miettinen, James Sheppard, Benoit Pouliot
Wannabes:
Nick Schultz, Derek Boogaard, Stephane Veilleux, Craig Weller, Martin Skoula
Offseason
analysis: The most important issue the Wild dealt with in the
offseason was the health of Gaborik, who underwent hip surgery. The
26-year-old forward played most of 2007-08 with a bum hip, but still
managed career-highs in goals (42), assists (41) and points (83). He is
expected to be ready for training camp and could be a free agent next
summer, if the Wild can't work out a long-term deal as they would hope.
Minnesota lost two top-six forwards in Pavol Demitra (Vancouver) and Brian Rolston
(New Jersey), but managed to lure Brunette back from Colorado. They also
signed Bouchard to a long-term deal, brought in a developing Miettinen
and added Nolan for another veteran presence. Minnesota took precautions
and added depth along the blue line by trading for Zidlicky and
Bergeron. Both players are offensive-minded and it will be interesting
to see how they mesh with a defensive team like Minnesota. The Wild are
willing to dig into their farm system and want to showcase Sheppard and
Pouliot for a full season in 2008-09, if they can handle it. Sheppard
has the more immediate offensive impact since he meets the defensive
requirements head coach Jacques Lemaire wants of his centers.
Vancouver Canucks
Must-haves: Henrik Sedin, Daniel Sedin, Roberto Luongo, Pavol Demitra
Contributors: Kevin Bieksa, Sami Salo, Alexandre Burrows, Mattias Ohlund, Alexander Edler, Taylor Pyatt
Sleepers:
Steve Bernier, Ryan Kesler, Kyle Wellwood, Mason Raymond
Wannabes: Ryan Johnson,
Jeff Cowan, Darcy Hordichuk, Matt Pettinger, Lukas Krajcek, Willie Mitchell, Curtis Sanford
Offseason analysis: The Canucks didn't make a
lot of noise in the free-agent market, but GM Mike Gillis is over the
moon about landing his former client Demitra. Vancouver was forced to
make a move after Markus Naslund left for
New York. Demitra's offense was kind of stagnant with Minnesota since
Jacques Lemaire preaches defense, but Gillis signed Demitra with the
hopes of him being a 30-goal scorer once again. The Canucks' blue line
was beat up in 2007-08, but everyone is expected to be healthy for the
most part come training camp, and keeping Bieska and Salo on the ice is
vital. Outside of the team's top offensive trio -- The Sedin Twins and
Demitra -- Vancouver is looking to increase their offensive production
on their second and third lines. That's a main reason why they signed
Wellwood and Bernier. Both of those players have let down expectations
in recent seasons, but couple them with burgeoning talents like Kesler
and Raymond, and just maybe Vancouver can improve on last season's
scoring output -- 22nd in goals per game (2.52).
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