Oct 4, 2008 - 4:35 AM
0 shoutsBy Bill Bernardi PA SportsTicker Staff Writer
The rich got richer - and spent less to do so.
One month after capturing the 11th Stanley Cup in franchise history, the Presidents' Trophy-winning Detroit Red Wings emerged victorious in the bidding war for Marian Hossa, who widely was considered this summer's premier free-agent forward.
A two-time 40-goal scorer, Hossa (29 goals, 37 assists last season) was instrumental in guiding the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Finals, notching 12 tallies and 26 points in 20 postseason contests.
While certainly not working for free, the high-scoring right wing reportedly turned down the Edmonton Oilers' multi-year contract worth at least $9 million per season to accept a lesser offer - well, financially - and increase his odds of winning the sport's grandest prize.
By doing so, the 29-year-old Slovakian joins a Red Wings club that is overflowing with All-Stars.
Selke and Lady Byng Trophy winner Pavel Datsyuk (31 G, 66 A) led the NHL with a career-best plus-41 rating, and Conn Smythe Trophy recipient Henrik Zetterberg (43 G, 49 A) still is in his prime as he will celebrate his 28th birthday when the Red Wings raise their championship banner before their season-opening game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on October 9.
Add into the mix Nicklas Lidstrom (10 G, 60 A, plus-40), who won his third consecutive - and sixth overall - Norris Trophy. The first European-born captain to hoist the Stanley Cup, the talented Swede led all defensemen with 70 points and was the leader of the Red Wings' league-best defense corps, which allowed just 2.16 goals per game last season.
Forwards Johan Franzen (27 goals in regular season - 13 in 16 postseason games), Daniel Cleary (20 G, 22 A), Tomas Holmstrom (20 G, 20 A) and Valtteri Filppula (19 G, 17 A), defensemen Brian Rafalski (13 G, 42 A), Brad Stuart (23 points) and Niklas Kronwall (plus-25) and goaltender Chris Osgood (27-9-4, 2.09 goals-against average, .914 save percentage) add depth and stability to a club which has won four Cups in 11 seasons and qualified for the postseason 17 consecutive campaigns.
So, who is bold enough to provide a serious challenge for the champs?
How about Vezina Trophy runner-up Evgeni Nabokov and the Pacific Division champion San Jose Sharks? Named to the NHL's First All-Star Team, Nabokov (46-21-8, 2.14 GAA, .910 SP) has many believing that he - not New Jersey's Martin Brodeur - should have skated away with the league's top goaltending honor.
Former Hart Trophy winner Joe Thornton (29 G, 67 A) headlines an impressive top line with Milan Michalek (24 G, 31 A) and Jonathan Cheechoo (23 G, 14 A), and the team also boasts the league's best penalty-killing unit (85.8 percent).
The Sharks also added Stanley Cup-winning defensemen Rob Blake, Dan Boyle and Brad Lukowich to overcome the loss of talented blue-liner Brian Campbell (8 G, 54 A), who signed with the Chicago Blackhawks in the offseason.
And if you like defense, take a gander up in St. Paul, where the Northwest Division champion Minnesota Wild place great pride in shutting down the opposition.
Backstopped by Niklas Backstrom (33-13-8, 2.31 GAA, .920 SP) and a tenacious penalty kill (85.2 percent, fourth-best) that is as stingy as an elderly uncle, the Wild are primed for a deeper run in the playoffs.
Who knows? If Marian Gaborik (42 G, 41 A) remembers he's a goal-scorer in the postseason, Minnesota could become a major player in the Western Conference.
Well, now that we've looked at last year's division champions, let's weed out the contenders from the pretenders.
In the Central Division, there's a refreshing buzz coming out of the Windy City.
The first overall pick in the 2007 draft, Calder Trophy winner Patrick Kane (21 G, 51 A) led all rookies - as well as the Blackhawks - in scoring with 72 points.
Throw in fellow Calder finalist and budding star Jonathan Toews (24 G, 30 A), along with the additions of Campbell and goaltender Cristobal Huet (32-14-6, 2.32 GAA, .920), and this "Original Six" club has made considerable strides in a relatively short period of time.
Not too shabby for a team which finished three points shy of a postseason berth. In addition, you can now watch the Blackhawks on local TV in Chicago as well.
Although they qualified for the postseason for the fourth straight season, the Nashville Predators seem to be creating more noise off the ice than on it.
Constant rumors swirl in regard to moving the franchise, while Alexander Radulov (26 G, 32 A) tested the waters and signed with Ufa of the Kontinental Hockey League in Russia over the summer despite still being under contract with the Predators.
J.P. Dumont (29 G, 43 A) and Jason Arnott (28 G, 44 A) both finished with 72 points last season, but do they have enough support to make the Predators feared once again?
As for the Columbus Blue Jackets, captain Rick Nash (38 G, 31 A) welcomes newcomers R.J. Umberger (13 G, 37 A with Philadelphia) and Kristian Huselius (25 G, 41 A with Calgary). Goaltender Pascal Leclaire (24-17-6, 2.25 GAA, .919 SP) is dominant when healthy - he posted a franchise-record nine shutouts last season.
A porous defense has been bolstered, but to what degree is debatable. Another year without a postseason looks likely in Ohio.
Firmly entrenched in the Central cellar is St. Louis, which has difficulty scoring - especially on the power play. What's more, the Blues did little to address the problem in the offseason.
In addition, 2006 first overall pick Erik Johnson (5 G, 28 A) suffered a season-ending injury, courtesy of a golf cart. That's just the way things have been going in St. Louis.
Moving to the ultra-competitive Northwest Division, the Edmonton Oilers are poised to make a run thanks to a pair of new acquisitions and the marriage between youthful exuberance and steady veteran leadership.
The offseason saw Edmonton acquire Erik Cole (22 G, 29 A) from the Carolina Hurricanes and defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky (8 G, 33 A) from the Los Angeles Kings.
Cole will be teamed with Ales Hemsky (20 G, 51 A) and Shawn Horcoff (21 G, 29 A) on the top line, while Visnovsky will replace blue-liner Joni Pitkanen (8 G, 18 A), who is now in Carolina.
If the team can stay healthy - which was a big problem in Edmonton last season - and if netminder Mathieu Garon (26-18-1, 2.66 GAA, .913 SP) can duplicate his career season in 2007-08, the Oilers may once again be a prominent team in the Western Conference landscape.
Their provincial neighbors also are in the mix, thanks to the Calgary Flames' three studs - First All-Star Team members Jarome Iginla (50 G, 48 A, plus-27) and stud defenseman Dion Phaneuf (17 G, 43 A, 182 penalty minutes), as well as goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff (39-26-10, 2.69 GAA, .906 SP).
While each member of the trio can make a case for being the best at their respective positions, the Flames are limited in terms of depth.
Moving west to British Columbia, the Vancouver Canucks boast a shorter-haired Roberto Luongo (35-29-9, 2.38 GAA, .917 SP) - who became the first netminder to be named team captain in 61 years - in goal and a team that is having considerable trouble finding the net on offense.
The Canucks also are dealing with the departures of mainstays Brendan Morrison (Anaheim Ducks), Markus Naslund (New York Rangers) and Trevor Linden (retired).
As far as who is headed to the Pacific Northwest, well, Pavol Demitra (15 G, 39 A) has escaped defensive-minded Minnesota for the greener pastures of Vancouver. Also, Steve Bernier (16 G, 16 A) bolted out of Buffalo and will be flanked alongside the Sedin twins on the top line.
These two additions, as well as staying away from the injury bug, will go a long way in telling if the Canucks bounce back into the postseason.
One year removed from making a great deal of noise in the offseason, the Colorado Avalanche barely made a peep this summer. The Avalanche welcomed Toronto Maple Leafs castoffs Darcy Tucker (18 G, 16 A, 100 PIM) and goaltender Andrew Raycroft (2-9-5, 3.92 GAA, .876 SP) but failed to address an anemic power play and penalty kill that ranked 28th and 21st, respectively.
New - and former - coach Tony Granato also saw Jose Theodore (28-21-3, 2.44 GAA, .910 SP) head to the nation's capital. In his stead is Peter Budaj (16-10-4, 2.57 GAA, .903 SP), who is unproven at best as a starting netminder.
In short, aspirations are not high in the Rocky Mountains for this season.
The 2007 Stanley Cup champion Ducks no longer are everyone's target, but 2000 Hart and Norris Trophy winner Chris Pronger (12 G, 31 A) and former first-round picks Ryan Getzlaf (24 G, 58 A) and Corey Perry (29 G, 25 A) are determined to atone for their early exit from last season's playoffs.
The Ducks also are banking on Getzlaf and Perry - literally. The team signed the duo to five-year, $26.625 million pacts in the offseason.
With 2007 Conn Smythe Trophy-winning goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere (35-17-6, 2.12 GAA, .922 SP) in tow, it's not far-fetched for the Ducks to waddle back to the Stanley Cup Finals again.
Let's not forget the Dallas Stars, who gave the Red Wings a scare in last season's conference finals.
Former New York Ranger Sean Avery (15 G, 18 A, 154 PIM) brings his star from Broadway to join the likes of captain Brenden Morrow (32 G, 42 A, 105 PIM), Mike Ribeiro (27 G, 56 A) and Brad Richards (20 G, 42 A) as 20-something talents who are hitting their prime.
Add into the mix 38-year-old standouts Mike Modano (21 G, 36 A) and defenseman Sergei Zubov (4 G, 31 A), and Dallas has the ingredients necessary to navigate its way through the conference.
Dependable Marty Turco (32-21-6, 2.32 GAA, .909 SP) finally found success in the postseason, posting a 2.08 GAA and .922 SP in the sport's second season.
The desert may no longer be barren in Phoenix.
Long the face of the Florida Panthers, Olli Jokinen (34 G, 37 A) was traded to Phoenix on draft day. The franchise leader in both goals and points, Jokinen surpassed Scott Mellanby for first place in both categories last season.
He joins captain Shane Doan (28 G, 50 A) and goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov (28-25-6, 2.44 GAA, .920 SP), who is nearing a full year under his belt with the Coyotes, as well as youngsters Peter Mueller and Kyle Turris.
For the Kings, the future may not be now, but they do have some stars who will make an impact.
Anze Kopitar (32 G, 45 A), Alexander Frolov (23 G, 44 A), Dustin Brown (33 G, 27 A) and Patrick O'Sullivan (22 G, 31 A) contributed mightily last season, but the team still is devoid of too many weapons and will continue to languish in the conference's cellar.
This past June's second overall pick, defenseman Drew Doughty will be thrown into the fire almost immediately.
So, how will the West be won this season? We're about to find out.
