Members Login
Username 
 
Password 
    Remember Me  
 
GOHABS.com -> GOHABS.com Message Board -> GOHABS.com Message Board -> Ten players to watch in the NHL
Post Info TOPIC: Ten players to watch in the NHL
MC Girl


Guru

Status: Offline
Posts: 1977
Date:
Ten players to watch in the NHL
Permalink Closed

Canadian Press


9/27/2006 1:44:57 PM


(CP) - Another NHL season, another intriguing Pittsburgh Penguins rookie for fans to keep an eye on.


It's become a familiar story for the perpetual cellar-dwellers, who have started hoarding young talent like a gifted program at a high school.


Evgeni Malkin makes his much-anticipated NHL debut this season after fleeing his Russian league team over the summer. Considered the best player outside of North America last year, expectations are high for the skilled centre.


The only problem? Fans will have to wait about a month to see Malkin's debut after he dislocated his left shoulder during his first pre-season game.


A look at 10 players to watch this season:  


1. Malkin, Pittsburgh. Turned heads at Penguins camp before suffering the shoulder injury. A good skater with quick hands, there seems to be no limit to the kind of rookie season he could have. Questions remain - how will his recent injury affect his initiation to the league? How will he adapt to life in North America? Will the ongoing dispute with his Russian team become a distraction?


2. Tomas Vokoun, Nashville. One of the best goalies in the NHL last year, he had 36 wins in 61 games before being sidelined late with blood clots. Is feeling healthy now, which has many thinking Nashville is on the verge of something special. Vokoun's the key to that potential success. "With Tomas (in goal), we've got a chance to win every game and every playoff game," said Preds GM David Poile.


3. Chris Pronger, Anaheim. Just might be the best acquisition of the off-season. The towering defenceman stood tall in Edmonton's playoff run last year and joins an Anaheim defence that already includes Scott Niedermayer. Pronger's presence on the West Coast could help the Ducks pile up wins.


4. Roberto Luongo, Vancouver. Question marks surround a Canucks team that has seen its share of changes, but Luongo might be the only answer Vancouver needs. Considered one of the game's best, he should see fewer shots than he did in Florida but one thing remains constant - as much as any other player in the NHL, his team's fortunes are tied directly to his performance.


5. Jonathan Cheechoo, San Jose. Led the league with 56 goals last season. What can the man from Moose Factory do for an encore? Will get the chance to play a full season with Joe Thornton and could be the NHL's first 60-goal scorer since Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr did it in 1995-96.


6. Cam Ward, Carolina. He's got a Stanley Cup ring and the Conn Smythe Trophy, but doesn't have a full season as a No. 1 goaltender under his belt. The 22-year-old was a big reason why the 'Canes won the Cup so it will be interesting to see if his solid play carries over. Martin Gerber's gone so Ward will be counted on for far more than the 28 games he played during the regular season in 2005-06.


7. Alex Tanguay, Calgary. He's the other man in Calgary's new dynamic duo. Tanguay had 78 points with Colorado last year but his performance in Calgary will be largely measured on how well Jarome Iginla performs alongside him. The Flames could be Cup contenders if the two find some chemistry.


8. Brendan Shanahan, N.Y. Rangers. Will he bring his best to Broadway? After 10 years and three Stanley Cups in Detroit, Shanahan joins a promising-looking Rangers team. If the veteran can match the 40 goals he scored last season, New York will have a formidable 1-2 punch with him and Jagr.


9. Saku Koivu, Montreal. He's the heart and soul of the Habs. Koivu's the Canadiens' top centre and captain but suffered a serious eye injury during last spring's playoffs. He is still without some peripheral vision and it remains to be seen how that will affect his performance over a long season.


10. Todd Bertuzzi, Florida. Coming off what many consider to be an "off" year with the Canucks - and still had 71 points. Free of the expectations and intense scrutiny he received in Vancouver, Big Bert could be poised to break out. Don't be surprised if he approaches the 100-point barrier



-- Edited by MC Girl at 16:33, 2006-09-27

__________________
Mad Habber


Member

Status: Offline
Posts: 46
Date:
Permalink Closed

I look at that list, and I see #4 and #10.  Both traded for each other.  The Bertuzzi part says he had an off year last year.  I think he had a good year.  Afew lows and some ups, but the ups were more numerous than the lows.  Now he goes from a team that just missed out on the playoffs to a team that was far out of the playoffs, whose goaltending is now a question mark.  His new center is better than the center he had in Van but the other winger he will have is nowhere close to the one he used to play with.  All and all I think I would prefer to play with Naslund than Jokinen.  My prediction is that Bertuzzi will be regressing in production this year.


As for Luongo, the defense in Van isn't as good as last year's.  So he might end up seeing just as much rubber as he has in the past.  The Sedins should be better, but the other lines, especially Naslund's won't be as good.  I think Van could very well finish out of the playoffs again.  My prediction is that Luongo doesn't do any better in Van.  He has been praised so much in the past few years, he has no other place to go but down. 


As for the rest of the 10.  I feel that maybe Shanahan might finally show his age and wear and tear on his body.  Ward should have a good season, although he will see more pucks at first because of the injuries on D.  I don't see another Conn Smythe for him.  Malkin should win the Calder if he stays out of the infirmary, and the rest, should be business as usual.



__________________
Page 1 of 1  sorted by
 
Quick Reply

Please log in to post quick replies.
GOHABS.com -> GOHABS.com Message Board -> GOHABS.com Message Board -> Ten players to watch in the NHL
Tweet this page Post to Digg Post to Del.icio.us


Create your own FREE Forum
Report Abuse 		Powered by ActiveBoard