Following is a list of five teams to keep an eye out for and why in the upcoming National Hockey League (NHL) season:
WINNIPEG JETS
After an off-season full of tragedy and soul-searching following the shocking deaths of three players, the Winnipeg Jets will be a feel-good story to the new season as the NHL returns to the Canadian Prairie city after a 15-year absence.
The relocation of the cash-strapped Atlanta Thrashers to Winnipeg sparked a burst of national pride as hockey-mad Canada reclaimed one of its lost franchises that some believed was gone forever.
Giddy Winnipeggers have been celebrating ever since the NHL made the announcement in May and the party looks set to continue for some time.
PHOENIX COYOTES
While the Winnipeg Jets have found a welcome home, the Phoenix Coyotes remain the NHL’s problem child given an uncertain ownership and arena situation. The NHL continues to operate the Coyotes, who landed in the desert when the Jets relocated from Winnipeg in 1996, as it searches for a new owner who will keep the team in Phoenix, Arizona.
Despite the off-ice distractions and playing in front of the NHL’s smallest crowds, the Coyotes reached the playoffs in each of the last two seasons, but a third trip would seem unlikely.
Unable to sign players to long-term deals because of the unstable and murky ownership picture, the Coyotes said goodbye to No. 1 netminder Ilya Bryzgalov, who signed a US$51 million nine-year deal with the Philadelphia Flyers. Also gone is All-Star defenseman Ed Jovanovski, who jumped to the Florida Panthers.
The big question hanging over the Coyotes this season is not whether than can they find their way back to the playoffs, but can they find an owner and survive in the desert.
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
The NHL’s most valuable franchise, the Maple Leafs are winners at the box office, but have been a flop on the ice, missing the playoffs the last six seasons.
One of NHL’s most storied teams, the Leafs have not hoisted the Stanley Cup since 1967, a 44-year drought that is now the NHL’s longest, and there are signs that Toronto fans’ endless patience is finally wearing thin.
High-profile general manager Brian Burke was brought in with much fanfare in 2008 and charged with restoring the fabled franchise to respectability and is under pressure to deliver a playoff appearance this season.
Toronto was recently named the worst sports city in the world by Grantland.com, part of the ESPN media empire, but the Maple Leafs could help remove that stain from the city’s battered sporting reputation with a decent playoff run.
VANCOUVER CANUCKS
As a new campaign begins, Vancouver are still recovering from a crushing Game 7 loss to the Boston Bruins in last season’s Stanley Cup final and a riot that left a black mark on the team and the city.
The Canucks and Vancouver enter next season determined to erase those unpleasant memories and prove they are both winners.
Vancouver finished last season with the NHL’s best record and have the talent to once again be the class of the Western Conference.
After falling one game short of the summit, the Canucks resisted the temptation to overhaul their lineup, making only a few tweaks, losing high-scoring defenseman Christian Ehrhoff to the Buffalo Sabres and bringing in seasoned German forward Marco Sturm.
The core of the team remains the same with high-scoring Swedish twins Daniel and Henrik Sedin leading the way.
However, all eyes will be on Roberto Luongo, who must rebound from a jittery post-season performance and prove he can provide the consistent goaltending that will allow the Canucks to take that final step and claim their first Stanley Cup.
PHILADELPHIA FLYERS
Having missed the playoffs just once in the past 16 years, expectations run high in Philadelphia and, after crashing in the conference semi-finals last season, unhappy general manager Paul Holmgren decided it was time for a fresh start.
Gone are captain Mike Richards and leading goal scorer Jeff Carter; in are goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov and former league most valuable play Jaromir Jagr, who returns to the NHL after a stint in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League.
The Flyers will also have Norris Trophy-winning defenseman and captain Chris Pronger back patrolling the blueline after missing a chunk of last season because of injuries.
Goaltending has long been viewed as the Flyers Achilles heel and the addition of Bryzgalov, who recorded 78 wins over the last two seasons with Phoenix, should provide Philadelphia with the quality netminding the team has lacked.
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