2011-2012 NHL Predictions

     Alright, so I have reflected about this last season and what a great season it was, not only because my Bruins won but the playoffs were so outstanding throughout and as a hockey fan, I was thrilled. So I have turned my attention to next season and have thought about what could happen. I haven't really analyzed the draft yet, but putting the rookies aside, here are some possible scenarios and key players that will have a major impact on next year.

The Return of Sidney Crosby and Evengi Malkin 

Evengi Malkin 

     Malkin tore his ACL and Crosby suffered two concussions. Even with two of the best players in the NHL going down, the Penguins still managed to play good hockey at the end of the regular season. They blew a 3-1 series lead in the quarters to a very good and up and coming Tampa Bay team and this is without Crosby and Malkin. God only knows what the Penguins will do when they comeback. I'm going to assume Malkin will be back at pretty much 100 percent health, but what about Crosby. I hope he is fine, but I have seen with Marc Savard that these concussions can ruin a career. If Crosby comes back healthy along with the return of Malkin, the Penguins will be contending once again.

Sidney Crosby 

Impact on East: At full health, the Penguins are a Stanley Cup caliber team because they have a balanced and explosive team. If you add Crosby, the best player in the NHL and Malkin, one of the best players in the NHL, I'm going to say that the Penguins will reach the Eastern Conference Finals at least. I'm that sold on the Penguins as a whole. If Crosby, god forbid gets another concussion or Malkin isn't at full strength, then the Penguins are still a definite playoff team. Hell, they almost were the top seed in the East. So the Penguins are still formidable but they are not a Stanley Cup caliber team.
Prediction: Sid the Kid and Malkin return at full health and the Penguins get the top seed in the East but ultimately fall short of the Stanley Cup Finals, either being upset in the Semifinals by Boston or maybe Philadelphia or a team like that or they will fall just short in the Eastern Finals to Washington. However, if Washington continues to struggle in the postseason, then Pittsburgh could very well be back in the Cup Finals and hoisting their second cup. 


Stanley Cup Hangover? 

Milan Lucic 

     Their hasn't been a repeat champion in the NHL since Edmonton back in the late 80's early 90's and the Bruins, given their remarkable run this year, will need an even more improbable run next year. That being said, that doesn't mean the Bruins can't make some noise in the East. They have goaltending. Tim Thomas is the best in the NHL right now, no question. Tukka Rask is very good as well. They are also a very young team besides Thomas and Zdeno Chara, so I expect their young players to continue to improve. The Bruins could also get off to slow start like championship teams have done in the past and a slow start in a very deep Eastern Conference could lead to a low seed and a first round exit. I don't expect the Bruins to decline that much, but even a slight decline could mean they don't win their division and they end up facing a Washington or a Pittsburgh in the first round.

Impact on East: The Bruins are a formidable matchup for anyone in the East, but it is much easier for a team playing the Bruins if they have home ice because the Bruins looked unbeatable in big games last year at TD Garden. The odds are stacked against the Bruins, but with Tim Thomas in net, you never know.
Prediction: The Bruins will be just as good as last year, but the fact that the road to winning the Stanley Cup is harder than any other playoff run in professional sports will take its tole on the Bruins, ultimately having them fall short in the Eastern Semis or Eastern Finals to a Washington or Pittsburgh. There is that outside chance however that the Bruins go back to the Finals. 


Stanley Cup loss used as motivation? 
      The Canucks were miserable in the Stanley Cup Finals this past June in their four losses to the Bruins. Absolutely miserable. And they were the best team in the NHL throughout the year. They return three of the top ten best players in the NHL in Daniel Sedin, his brother Henrik and Ryan Kesler. They boast a good, not very good but good, defense and one of the league's top goaltenders (except when he plays in Boston). So Vancouver could come back next year and reclaim the leagues best regular season record and roll back into the Cup Finals or they might slip and end their season in the first or second round like in years past.

Impact on West: The Canucks are more talented then pretty much every team, we saw what they did to San Jose, the west's second best team technically. So barring any injuries, the Canucks should be just as good next year. Who knows though, Roberto Luongo could continue his erratic play into the regular season. You never know in hockey, any team could come out of anywhere at any moment. A team like Calgary could very easily claim the Northwest Division next year.
Prediction: The Canucks have another very good regular season and they have another deep playoff run. But something about this team, their dirty play, the smallness of the Sedin's in big playoff moments and the shaky play of Roberto Luongo will contribute to the Canucks ultimately falling short of winning the Stanley Cup, most likely in the Western Finals to a team like Detroit. 

Alex Ovechkin

Other Major Storylines 
- Will Washington fall short of expectations once again in the playoffs next year? 
- Will Philadelphia's major off-season shake up be better for the team, only one year removed from the Stanley Cup Finals or worse? 
- Will a team like Los Angeles or Anaheim with some of the best young talent in the West break through with a deep playoff run?
- Will Tampa be as hot offensively as they were last year and head to the Stanley Cup finals on the back of Steven Stamkos, Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier? 
- Will a team like Nashville, Montreal, Philadelphia or Buffalo ride a hot goalie like Boston or Tampa did last season deep into the playoffs? 


Here are a few things I could see happening next year


1) Boston does not win the Stanley Cup, simply because it is nearly impossible to repeat in the NHL and the Bruins don't have a star-laden enough team to do so
2) Sidney Crosby and Evengi Malkin both lead Pittsburgh to their second Stanley Cup title
3) Alex Ovechkin and co. finally break through and hoist their first Stanley Cup
4) Detroit, after two years of running into San Jose, head back to the Stanley Cup Finals but fall short
5) The Ilya Bryzagalov trade pays off in some ways but not in others as Philly ultimately doesn't get past the second round 
6) Montreal gets even more dangerous next year, possibly cracking the second round 
7) Montreal, Buffalo, New York (Islanders that is) and New Jersey head my East sleeper list and at least 2, probably 3 of them make the playoffs
8) Los Angeles goes to the Western Conference Finals 
9) Alex Burrows bites someone again
10) The Edmonton Oilers once again end up with the Number One pick 


I want to hear some reaction to these thoughts and feel free to add some thoughts of your own