• See also: Connor McDavid and five players to watch
The Stanley Cup has finished its tour of the victorious players' home towns, the injured warriors have had their off-season surgeries, the World Cup of Hockey has been won (by Canada, obviously) and now the NHL's 30 teams are in the midst of their training camps for the 2016/17 campaign. The National's hockey writer Rob McKenzie previews the season ahead, from the elite teams to the dregs.
A new season
The regular season begins on October 12 with four games. Two are all-Canadian contests – Toronto Maple Leafs at Ottawa Senators, and Calgary Flames at Edmonton Oilers. The other two are rematches from the spring’s play-offs – St Louis Blues at Chicago Blackhawks, and Los Angeles Kings at San Jose Sharks. At the end of this slideshow, one of these eight teams will be our pick to win the Cup this season (it’s not Toronto).
Defending champs
On the league’s second night, Sidney Crosby’s Pittsburgh Penguins will lift the 2015/16 Stanley Cup banner to the rafters. Crosby, the reigning play-off MVP, was also the most valuable player at the World Cup of Hockey in September. Pittsburgh haven’t changed their line-up much. Matt Murray, the play-off sensation, could miss the first few weeks of the season because of a broken hand, but the team should not miss a beat with Marc-Andre Fleury in net. The Penguins are one of the five teams in the league’s elite.
• Update: Crosby suffered a concussion at practice on Oct 7 and his return date is uncertain; this news has cast a pall on the Pens' season.
The elite
The other four teams in the elite? Those would be the Blackhawks, Washington Capitals, Tampa Bay Lightning and up-and-coming Florida Panthers. The Hawks are the only Western team on this list. Los Angeles and Anaheim not only lost but seemed weak in the play-offs. San Jose won the conference but is unlikely to get a second helping of the magic fairy dust that propelled the team to the Cup final. Their older players could show their age.
Waning West
Chicago, winner of three Cups this decade, are the last team standing in the Western Conference. The Hawks have maintained their core and they shored up their defence by bringing back Brian Campbell. Their star forwards Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, at 27 and 28 respectively, are still in their prime years. The Hawks also have last season’s Rookie of the Year in 30-goal wingman Artemi Panarin.
Underachievers
The Capitals were the league’s best team last year – in the regular season, that is, when they piled up 120 points. Only Dallas scored more goals, and only Anaheim allowed fewer. Then in the play-offs the Caps got smoked by Pittsburgh. Now Washington are what Pittsburgh used to be: a team that people get tired of having high expectations for, thus now underestimate. The Caps changed little in the off-season, but still have a ton of talent.
The two Florida teams
The Tampa Bay Lightning are the consensus favourites to win the Cup, with stars at every position. The Florida Panthers (who play in Miami) are at an earlier stage but their young core – Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau and Aaron Ekblad – is the envy of the league. The Panthers were led in points last season by Jaromir Jagr, who turns 45 in February. But he stank in the play-offs. If Florida wants to succeed in the postseason, they should give grandpa a day off every now and then. A nap in the afternoon, and he’ll be perkier in the evening.
The shift
No Canadian teams made the play-offs last season. But by and large the northern outposts will rebound. Edmonton have their hero in Connor McDavid, Calgary mended their hole in net by acquiring Brian Elliott from St Louis, while Montreal have the world’s best goalie, Carey Price, back from injury. Toronto and Winnipeg landed potential superstars with the draft’s first two picks in Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine. Ottawa, on the other hand, are spinning their wheels. As for Vancouver ...
Dumbest team in the league
The Canucks are without a doubt the dumbest team in the league. Their mulish belief that they are play-off-calibre keeps them fixated on the Miss Havisham's cake of the Sedin twins, and adding good-to-OK players who supposedly can get the Vancouverites to the post-season. The smart thing to do? Ditch the twins, nuke the Nuks, bottom out and get high draft picks for a couple of years.
Game of the year
The runner-up is the outdoor game in Winnipeg on October 23. Could be a little cold. Death toll under 50, and it’ll rank as a success. But the most anticipated game of the season surely is Nashville at Montreal on March 2. Expect wild applause for the beloved PK Subban – traded to Nashville in the off-season for Shea Weber – from fans who pine for the sight of him circling at the blueline, readying for a rush in the bleu blanc et rouge. And if the scoreboard somehow shows an image of Montreal’s general manager, the booing should be audible all the way to Ajman.
Cup prediction
The experts say this is Tampa’s year. The Lightning were semifinalists last season and finalists the season before. They ooze offensive talent and have a great defenceman in Victor Hedman. But I like Chicago. While Tampa has failed to win it all, the Blackhawks have done so three times in the past seven seasons. I would rather pick winners to win than losers to win. Jonathan Toews and his Hawks are winners, and for once they have had some rest in May and June. Hawks over Lightning in six.
rmckenzie@thenational.ae
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