Post by The Hockey Hitman on Sept 26, 2008 18:33:05 GMT -5
ramblings from a fan
2008-09 predictions edition
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2008-09 predictions edition
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- Suffering from subpar goaltending, Colorado will trade for Nikolai Khabibulin in hopes of salvaging their season.
- A player's career will be put in jeopardy as a result from yet another hit from behind against the boards. Both players involved in the incident will be from Eastern Conference teams.
- The first head coach firing of the season will be Peter Laviolette in Carolina, before Christmas. His replacement? John Tortorella.
- The Sabres line of Vanek - Roy - Pominville will produce more points than any other line in hockey.
- Unhappy with the lack of icetime hes getting, Tampa's Evgeny Artyukhin leaves the team and signs with KHL. Chaos ensues.
- The NHL will form a new alliance with ESPN for a television deal.
- Columbus tough guy Jared Boll will lead the NHL in penalty minutes with just under 300 minutes.
- Sheldon Souray has another injury plagued season in Edmonton while new teammate Erik Cole has an injury free, career year on route to unrestricted free agency.
- Chicago's blueline tandem of Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook will be among the Top 10 league leaders in plus/minus.
- Los Angeles will finish last overall in the NHL standings, but lose the draft lottery to the New York Islanders.
- After seasons of declining production, veterans Paul Kariya, Patrik Elias and Pavol Demitra all have turn around seasons for their respective clubs.
- Miikka Kiprusoff's production continues to decline in Calgary and becomes the subject of trade rumors by December.
- Nashville will trade Alexander Radulov to an Eastern Conference team before the season is up.
- After making his intentions to walk via unrestricted free agency known right before the trade deadline, Florida deals Jay Bouwmeester to an Atlantic division team.
- Andrei Markov will be a top 5 scoring defenseman on route to yet another career season, as the Montreal blueliner seems to get better with age.
- Boston's Patrice Bergeron will not play more than 40 games.
- Dallas coach Dave Tippet forms the "Kamikaze line" of Brenden Morrow - Sean Avery - Steve Ott, which quickly forms into the leagues most feared and hated line.
- Atlanta defenseman Mathieu Schneider will be traded back to Anaheim at the trade deadline in exchange for a 2010 2nd round draft pick.
- Steven Stamkos and Kyle Turris will go neck and neck all season for top scoring rookie, with Stamkos eventually being named Calder Trophy winner.
- Mats Sundin will return to the NHL around mid. December, with Toronto, after the Leafs have shown to be a surprise and seemingly capable of making the playoffs. He will then be traded to San Jose in Feb. at the trade deadline due to the Leafs quick fall in the standings.
- All of the following players will be unrestricted free agents next season: Buffalo's Maxim Afinogenov, Chicago's Martin Havlat, Detroit's Henrik Zetterberg and Marian Hossa, Florida's Jay Bouwmeester, Minnesota's Marian Gaborik, Montreal's Mike Komisarek, New Jersey's Brian Gionta, Ottawa's Filip Kuba, Pittsburgh's Miroslav Satan, Ruslan Fedotenko and Petr Sykora, Vancouver's Sedin Twins and Washington's Viktor Kozlov. At least three of those players will sign with the KHL league in russia.
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