2011/12 NHL Preview - Central Division

After previewing the Pacific yesterday, today we turn our heads to the Central, a division where all five teams could be seen as having realistic post-season aspirations.

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS

Projected depth chart / lines:

Patrick Sharp - Jonathan Toews - Patrick Kane

Andrew Brunette - Dave Bolland - Marian Hossa

Michael Frolik - Rostislav Olesz - Bryan Bickell

Daniel Carcillo - Ben Smith - Viktor Stalberg

Brent Seabrook - Duncan Keith

Niklas Hjalmarsson - Steve Montador

Sami Lepisto - Nick Leddy

Corey Crawford

Alexander Salak

The Blackhawks got deeper over the summer with a number of veteran roleplayer signings like Andrew Brunette, Daniel Carcillo, Steve Montador, and Sami Lepisto, enabled by the trading of Brian Campbell. Up front, the team has plenty of offensive firepower but lacks depth at the center position. In the projected line-up above, both newly acquired Rostislav Olesz (who will feel some pressure to put up a good year as his career appears to be sputtering) and surprising youngster Ben Smith are natural wingers, but might be pressed into duty down the middle depending on the club's final moves. Either that or the team may opt for a more balanced roster by moving Patrick Sharp off of a top line and back into a center role where he is equally at ease.

On defense, the duo of Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith is one of the best in the league, equally as good in their own end as they are in supporting the rush. Look for former first round selection Nick Leddy to break out as a solid NHL d-man as a 20 year old this year after getting in 46 games with the Hawks last season, straight out of college.

While I'm not personally 100% sold on Corey Crawford as a top notch starting goaltender, he will certainly be given the chance to prove me wrong, as though Alexander Salak has shown quite a bit of potential, he is much less proven than Crawford. Of course, both may find themselves out of the starting spotlight if training camp invitee Ray Emery shows he is healthy enough to earn a contract.

YourCanadiens Verdict: Conference contender.

COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS

Projected depth chart / lines:

Vaclav Prospal - Jeff Carter - Rick Nash

R.J. Umberger - Antoine Vermette - Derick Brassard

Matt Calvert - Ryan Johansen - Kristian Huselius

Derek Dorsett - Samuel Pahlsson - Jared Boll

Marc Methot - James Wisniewski

Fedor Tyutin - Radek Martinek

Kris Russell - Grant Clitsome

Steve Mason

Mark Dekanich

The Jackets are a very deep offensive team bolstered by big ticket off-season moves on which many felt they overpaid. If Chicago has a lack of centers, they should look no further for a trade partner than Columbus, as 5 of the team's top 6 forwards (everyone but Rick Nash) are natural C's. Winger Kristian Huselius will be sidelined to start the season, but the money freed up allowed the club to sign Vaclav Prospal to a reasonable contract, and he should be a perfect set-up man for Nash and Jeff Carter. No disrespect to Carter, but I think it will be fun to monitor who has more points at year's end between him and Jakub Voracek - the player sent to the Philadelphia Flyers along with a first round selection for Carter. Big things are expected from rookie Ryan Johansen, who will be well insulated thanks to the club's depth, and may play alongside 21-year old Matt Calvert who is looking like a complete steal as a 5th round pick in 2008.

Columbus took a huge gamble in handing a very large contract to former Canadien James Wisniewski this summer, one that many consider the off-season's worst deal. The Wizz provided valuable service to Montreal, though, and Marc Methot seems like an ideal partner for him being a reliable no-nonsense defense-first type.

In goal, it looks like the team will give Mark Dekanich a shot at an NHL job after his dominance in the American League, but ultimately a big part of Columbus's fate will rest on starter Steve Mason's ability to bounce back after two subpar years.

YourCanadiens Verdict: Bubble playoff team.

DETROIT RED WINGS

Projected depth chart / lines:

Valtteri Filppula - Pavel Datsyuk - Todd Bertuzzi

Johan Franzen - Hernik Zetterberg - Tomas Holmstrom

Patrick Eaves - Jiri Hudler - Daniel Cleary

Drew Miller - Darren Helm - Justin Abdelkader

Nicklas Lidstrom - Brad Stuart

Ian White - Niklas Kronwall

Mike Commodore - Jonathan Ericsson

Jimmy Howard

Ty Conklin

The Red Wings are perennial contenders, though for a change, they were quite quiet this summer, leaving the team with more cap space than they've had at any point in recent memory. Offensively, the team looks just like that which was bounced from the playoffs, but one could make a strong case that they were as good as any other club remaining had the injury bug not stricken many of their stars. Pavel Datsyuk is arguably the best all-around player in the league, and the team makes good use of big body wingers like Tomas Holmstrom, Johan Franzen, and Todd Bertuzzi - the type of players Habs fans have been craving for years. The club was supposedly in on Jaromir Jagr until the final hours, which means they may still look to bring in some additional scoring punch, particularly with an aging group of wingers.

While the offense looks the same, Detroit had some holes to fill on defense after the surprising retirement of Brian Rafalski. With Rafalski contributing at both ends of the rink, Ken Holland looked to two players to fill the roles - Ian White for the powerplay, and Mike Commodore for his defensive game. As per usual with the Wings, both were signed for good value, perhaps a reason why the team wasn't more active on other players with many receiving far more than they are worth in a shallow market. A big question for the team will be how much longer Nicklas Lidstrom decides to play, as there is no heir apparent for his very large skates to fill.

In goal, Jimmy Howard showed to be a reasonable starter last year, though Detroit's puck control game tends to limit shots on net better than most, offering support for whoever is between the pipes. The retired Chris Osgood was replaced by Ty Conklin, a suitable back-up but not one who will take the team far if pressed into service.

YourCanadiens Verdict: Solid playoff team.

NASHVILLE PREDATORS

Projected depth chart / lines:

Martin Erat - Mike Fisher - Sergei Kostitsyn

Blake Geoffrion - Colin Wilson - Patric Hornqvist

Cal O'Reilly - David Legwand - Jordin Tootoo

Niclas Bergfors - Nick Spaling - Jerred Smithson

Shea Weber - Ryan Suter

Francis Bouillon - Jonathan Blum

Kevin Klein - Jack Hillen

Pekka Rinne

Anders Lindback

Every season I predict a drop-off for the Predators, and yet every year they manage to prove me wrong. Do I just severely underrate them? Is it all Barry Trotz's coaching? I will again suggest that a few key losses and no real additions will mean that the Preds miss the playoffs in 2011-12, but that's not to say they can't make it interesting. Mike Fisher was a big ticket addition prior to last season's trade deadline, and a big part of his role will be mentoring Colin Wilson into the top 6 center that he projects to be. 6'1" winger Blake Geoffrion (grandson of Habs legend Bernard "Boom Boom" Geoffrion)had a great rookie season at the pro level, putting up 37 points in 45 AHL games and adding 8 points (including 6 goals) in 20 with the Preds, something he hopes to build on in the coming year. Certainly a good candidate if your pool obliges you to take a rookie (he's still Calder eligible). This could be former first round pick Niclas Bergfors's last chance to prove he belongs in the NHL, as he joines his third club in the past year and will have to battle for ice time.

If Geoffrion has legitimate Calder aspirations up front, Jonathan Blum might be one of the league's best rookie rearguards, rounding out a top 4 anchored by the newly re-signed Shea Weber and the pending UFA Ryan Suter. With a lack of star presence at forward, Weber's offense from the blueline is key to Nashville's success.

Pekka Rinne proved last season that he is amongst the most solid netminders in the game, while Anders Lindback showed he is more than capable of stepping in when called upon - perhaps a future asset for the team to move to add some scoring. But will a Weber-led defense in front of Rinne be sufficient for the team to make the West's top 8? It looks like it will be a tall order.

YourCanadiens Verdict: Bubble playoff team.

ST. LOUIS BLUES

Projected depth chart / lines:

David Backes - Patrick Berglund - Chris Stewart

David Perron - Andy McDonald - T.J. Oshie

Matt D'Agostini - Jason Arnott - Alexander Steen

B.J. Crombeen - Vladimir Sobotka - Jamie Langenbrunner

Barret Jackman - Alex Pietrangelo

Roman Polak - Kevin Shattenkirk

Carol Colaiacovo - Ian Cole

Jaroslav Halak

Brian Elliott

The Blue look like an up and coming exciting young team ready to do some damage. Offensively, bringing in veterans Jason Arnott and Jamie Langenbrunner on one year deals makes the forward group exceptionally deep and nicely surrounds the younger players. Chris Stewart was on a torrid pace after being acquired from the Colorado Avalanche, scoring 15 goals and 23 points in 26 games, while Andy McDonald quietly produced another 50 point season despite injuries limiting him to only 58 games. McDonald isn't the only one hoping for better health, as 23 year old David Perron scored 7 points in the only 10 games he was able to play last season. With a bit of luck, it is far from unreasonable for this team to have 7 or 8 50-point scorers, a testament to how dangerous the offense is.

The trade of Erik Johnson will be felt on defense, though his offensive production is easily replaced (and even surpassed) by the acquisition of Kevin Shattenkirk in that same deal. As a rookie last season, Shattenkirk scored an impressive 43 points - 5 more than Montreal's P.K. Subban - to lead all freshman blueliners. Ian Cole is another young d-man who will be entering his first full season at the NHL level, making for a great young core along with Shattenkirk and of course top pairing stalwart Alex Pietrangelo.

In nets, Jaroslav Halak will have to shake off a season of injuries and inconsistencies to prove that he is capable of shouldering the load as a full-time #1. He shows flashes of looking like a dominant goaltender, but has yet to show the endurance to carry it over a full year. Still, he adds to a group that the Blues hope to keep together for a while and may not be far off from contender status.

YourCanadiens Verdict: Low seed playoff team.

Thanks for reading. Tomorrow we preview our first Canadian teams as we hit the Northwest Division!

Jagr Rumour Update: All But Gone

Various internet reports - most notably from Pierre LeBrun - have the Jaromir Jagr camp on the verge of making a decision as to where he'll play in 2011-12. It seems he has all but settled on a return to the NHL, and according to his agent, narrowed his focus to three teams: the Detroit Red Wings, the Pittsburgh Penguins, and a third option he preferred not to name. Based on earlier reports from Jagr's agent Petr Svoboda himself, Pierre Gauthier showed little interest initially, meaning that third team is likely NOT the Montreal Canadiens. LeBrun adds that Pittsburgh is only willing to pay a very minimal price for Jagr, likely below the $2.5M he seeks (in the neighbourhood of $1M for 1 year).

A little disappointing to me as a Habs fan, but if Gauthier feels Jagr doesn't fit into his plans, I will have faith that he has something better in mind. One of the main advantages to signing him would have been that it'll likely be a 1 year deal, which means you are free to look at other options next summer. If Montreal's plans involved pending UFAs like Brooks Laich or Erik Cole, they will in all likelihood be looking for a longer term commitment, tying up valuable cap space into the future.

Jagr Update: Looks Like Detroit or Montreal

As the Jaromir Jagr Saga continues to unfold (not unlike the Mats Sundin saga of a couple of years ago), the latest reports seem to indicate that it is near certain Jagr will be returning to the NHL, with identified frontrunners for his services being the Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Canadiens. In fact, a report out of New York claims the Rangers were out of the running, and Montreal is his most likely destination.

Numerous sources quoting Jagr's agent, former Hab defenseman Petr Svoboda, directly have indicated that the Jagr camp spoke with Ken Holland and the Detroit brass yesterday, then the Canadiens camp and possibly other teams today. It seems rumour is likely to turn to reality sooner rather than later, so keep Dan's Daily Dose - Your Canadiens bookmarked for the news as it breaks!

Jagr is likely to get a one year deal, with the dollar amount hard to predict. Initial reports had him willing to play for between $2.5 and $3 million, but the fact that multiple teams are interested may drive bidding north of $4M. If Jagr were to come, Pierre Gauthier would likely owe big thanks to the powers of persuasion of Tomas Plekanec, though the newly married Plekky is likely out of commission the next few days enjoying his honeymoon.

Sources:

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=566248&cmpid=nhl-rxl-twt

http://twitter.com/#!/Real_ESPNLeBrun

http://www.rds.ca/canadien/chroniques/321448.html

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/hockey/rangers/2011/06/18/2011-06-18_blueshirts_seek_to_ice_drury_pact.html

Jagr Update: A Fourth Contender Takes the Lead

UPDATE 15/06/2011, 4:00 PM EST - New article with quotes from Jagr himself in stark contrast to earlier reports indicates he is still 50-50 on deciding between the NHL and the KHL, with no specific teams mentioned: http://www.sportovninoviny.cz/zpravy/jagr-moznost-hrat-khl-nebo-nhl-vidim-padesat-na-padesat/651844

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When Jaromir Jagr was initially asked about his intentions for the 2011-12 season, in considering the NHL, he mentioned Montreal, New York, and Pittsburgh as destinations he could be interested in.

Now, a report out of the Czech Republic indicates a fourth team is in the mix, the Detroit Red Wings, and would in fact even have an edge in competing for his services.

http://isport.blesk.cz/clanek/hokej-nhl/106683/jaromir-jagr-ma-pred-sebou-novy-cil-detroit.html

If you saw yesterday's post, I consider Jaromir Jagr to be my most desired free agent for the Canadiens this summer, so the news of the Wings entering the picture is a bad sign. But in reality, which is a better fit?

Well, in Detroit's favour, they are a perennial Stanley Cup contender so Jagr would be well placed to take one last shot at winning it all. If a strong point to playing in Montreal was Jagr's chemistry and experience playing with Tomas Plekanec, I can't see how he would be upset about instead slotting on to a line with Pavel Datsyuk, a player much in the same style as Plekanec, yet even better at everything Tomas already excels at. And there's cap room; with a number of players leaving (mostly retiring) this summer, Detroit has the ability to meet the reasonable demands Jagr may have.

On the other hand, the article suggests Jagr is a fit as a replacement for the retiring Mike Modano. If the team's goal is to keep their average age consistent, then sure, he's a replacement, but that's about it. First, the obvious, Modano is a center while Jagr plays the wing. More importantly, though, Modano was far from a key piece of last year's Red Wings, playing only 40 regular season games (scoring 15 points) and getting into only 2 of the team's postseason contests. This to say that Detroit doesn't really have a major need to replace Modano.

The bigger need for the Wings would appear to be on the back end. With Brian Rafalski catching many by surprise with his retirement announcement, Niklas Lidstrom still pondering his future (though the Wings are optimistic about a return), and the emerging Jonathan Ericsson potentially testing the UFA waters this summer, there could be some very large skates to fill. While Jimmy Howard is a reasonable goaltender, he is not the kind to carry a team should he play behind a porous D group, so one would surmise the team's focus will be on keeping pucks out of its own net with their summer transactions rather than supplementing a mostly-unchanged forward troupe.

So even if this report indicates Detroit leading the way, I wouldn't count the Habs out just yet. Jagr would be wise to talk to his good friend Alex Kovalev about what it's like to play in Montreal, as he lived the highest highs and the lowest lows here, yet left feeling like a true Canadien in his heart.