Brace Yourselves NHL Fans, We Have Puck-Drop

With the NHL season finally starting up, it is time for some predictions on the up coming year from EP's NHL beat writer Andrew Miller

(LA Kings Insider)

Come Saturday, the NHL season will start with the Stanley Cup banner being raised in Los Angeles. 26 of the 30 teams will be playing on January 19, including the Kings versus Blackhawks matchup. With a condensed season, the playoff picture will quickly take shape as April approaches. It’s time to look into the crystal ball and see what the 2013 season holds.

Regular Season Western Conference Winner: Los Angeles Kings

Coming off the Stanley Cup victory, surprisingly the Kings are not the favorites to win the cup this year, or even the Western Conference for that matter. Nonetheless, I’ll still take them as my regular season champs as they are not losing any of there key players that helped them in their run to glory. After closing out last season with 29-9-3 run including their playoff magic, the hot end will lead to a hot start as the Kings win the West.

Regular Season Eastern Conference Winner: Philadelphia Flyers

Even more of a dark horse in the minds of most people is the Philadelphia Flyers. I can see why as they did not make any significant additions to the roster while losing Jaromir Jagr and Matt Carle. However, Jagr is quickly reaching retirement and the young core of the Flyers will only get better. Sean Couturier and Brayden Schenn are coming off of impressive rookie campaigns as well as other noteworthy youngsters. Add in the veteran Danny Briere and the 25-year-old sensation Claude Giroux and you have a competing team. For them to win, the Flyers need a strong season from goalie Ilya Bryzgalov, but I believe the Russian will find his way back to consistency between the pipes.

Regular Season MVP: Claude Giroux (Philadelphia Flyers)

Of course my regular season champs have to have an MVP on it and ‘G’ is that guy. Last year he put up 93 points in 77 games due to a concussion. Those are the only games Giroux has missed in the past three seasons and to put up numbers it helps to be on the ice. As I mentioned before, he is only 25 and has only had three full seasons in the NHL. To think about his possible potential is scary and I’m willing to predict him to average 1.3 points per game, which would give him 106 points in a full season and 62 in the condensed format.

Vezina Trophy Winner (Best Goalie): Cory Schneider (Vancouver Canucks)

After finishing last season third in GAA and second in save percentage, Cory Schneider will become the main man in the pipes after Vancouver deals Luongo early in the season.  With a powerhouse offense and solid defense, he has the pieces around him to win 25 games on the season, the equivalent of 43 wins in a full year. He is ready to take on the responsibility of a full time starter for the whole season and I cannot see the Canucks keeping Luongo around.

Stanley Cup Match Up: Chicago Blackhawks vs. New York Rangers

After the Rangers acquired Rick Nash in the off season, most think he will be paired with Brad Richards up front. This would leave Marian Gaborik on the second line with Derek Stepan, a budding center. An impossible team to match up to, if the Rangers live up to the hype up front, Henrik Lundqvist will show up in net and lead them in the Stanley Cup.

The Blackhawks are also loaded with talent. Toews, Sharp, Kane, Keith, and Seabrook are about as good as it gets for top five skaters on one team. Also, the youthful team will be able to handle the condensed schedule slightly better than older squads, setting them up nicely for a playoff run.

Your 2013 Stanley Cup Champions are…..The Chicago Blackhawks

They have been there and done it before after winning it all in 2010. They have all the pieces in place and Corey Crawford will turn out to be the biggest surprise of the season, filling the need for a steady top ten goaltender. They are going to upset the Rangers in seven, bringing the Cup back to the Madhouse on Madison.