2012 NFL Draft Preview: New York Jets

Notre Dame's, Michael Floyd/AP Images

What will the New York Jets do in next week’s draft?

By Joe Diglio

Super Bowls aren’t won on draft day, but it would certainly help Rex Ryan’s bold predictions if the New York Jets had a successful draft. The Jets had an average season last year, finishing 8-8, giving them the 16th pick of the first round.

For a team just two seasons removed for its second consecutive AFC Championship game, New York has some big holes. Starting linebackers Calvin Pace and Bart Scott are 31 and 32, respectively, so finding a replacement on the outside of New York’s 3-4 defense is key. Alabama linebacker Courtney Upshaw could fill that role.

On the other hand, the secondary depth chart is still looking thin. Although the team signed former Washington Redskin LaRon Landry, they didn’t resign Jim Leonhard and lost Brodney Pool to free agency. The Jets could fill this hole with a different Crimson Tide defender in safety Mark Barron. However Barron is a strong safety like Landry, which wouldn’t solve the free safety issue.

Where the Jets may end up looking is on the offensive side of the ball. If Notre Dame wide receiver Michael Floyd is available at the 16th pick, New York may look to take him. Since the team let go of Braylon Edwards and longtime Jet Jerricho Cotchery, the receiver corps hasn’t been the same. Derrick Mason was brought in, and then promptly traded after just five games. The Plaxico Burress experiment had its moments, but that was never going to be a long-term solution. If the Jets are serious about making it work with Mark Sanchez, or perhaps Tim Tebow, they need to get other weapons. At 6’3” and 220 lbs, Floyd is one of the biggest wide receivers in the draft. He can come in and be a nice complement to top wide out Santonio Holmes. Floyd can add to a unit that also includes second year receiver Jeremy Kerley and recent signee Chaz Schilens, giving the Jets a young group with promise.

2012 NFL Draft Preview: Buffalo Bills

Riley Reiff at the NFL Combine/AP Images

Evaluating the Bills’ options with the tenth overall pick in this year’s draft.

By Joe Diglio


After an impressive 5-2 start, the Buffalo Bills let the wheels fall off its 2011 season, losing eight of its final nine games to finish an unimpressive 6-10. Tied with the Miami Dolphins and Carolina Panthers for the eighth-worst record in the league, the Bills lost out against the two due to a better strength of schedule, leaving them with the tenth overall pick in the first round.


What will they do? All signs point to Riley Reiff, a left tackle out of Iowa. This is a sensible pick; the Bills need a solid tackle to protect the backside of Ryan Fitzpatrick, whom the team agreed to play long term during the season. However many scouts question whether Reiff can make it at the next level. He should offer decent pass protection, but his run blocking is definitely his strong suit. That doesn’t bode well for Fitzpatrick, who probably doesn’t want his Harvard brain shaking violently in his skull.

Last week, though, the team threw a wrench into the equation when they hosted two first round prospects: USC tackle Matt Kalil and Alabama cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick. Kalil has the potential to be a franchise left tackle, but he’s expected to be taken by the time the Bills draft. Drafting Kirkpatrick would fill a need at cornerback as well; however picking him at the ten spot would be a reach.

What these moves could mean is that the Bills are interested in looking at trade offers. The Cleveland Browns, who have the fourth overall pick, have already expressed interest in moving down. Buffalo could make a deal with them to get Kalil, but he might even be gone by then, since many predict the Minnesota Vikings will take him with the third overall pick.

On the other hand, trading down seems more plausible. There will surely be a few teams willing to trade up for a top ten pick, and the Bills could use such a move to get additional picks to fill other needs, such as corner and wide receiver.

2012 Draft Preview: Miami Dolphins

Ryan Tannehill/AP Images

The Miami Dolphins head into the 2012 NFL Draft with a lot of questions.

By Joe Diglio

The 2011 season ended on somewhat of a high note, as the team won six of its last nine after starting 0-7. However the off-season has been a disappointment. The team lost out on every big name quarterback. They won’t get a chance at Andrew Luck or Robert Griffin III because their strong finish lowered their draft position, and they couldn’t land Peyton Manning, Matt Flynn or Alex Smith in free agency, settling instead for David Garrard. The team then made a head-scratching trade, giving away Brandon Marshall, its best skilled position player, for a pair of third-round picks.

Miami is in a good position at the number eight pick in this year’s draft, but the talent of this year’s draft class has put the team in an awkward situation. By position, the Dolphins would be best suited to go after a quarterback, since neither Garrard nor Matt Moore are long-term solutions. The top quarterback after Luck and Griffin is Ryan Tannehill of Texas A&M, though he ranks just 17th on Scouts Inc.’s overall draft board. Picking Tannehill with the eighth pick might be a stretch in terms of talent, but few teams are as desperate to find a quarterback as the Dolphins.

Although there is one team that could get in the way: the Cleveland Browns, who may be done experimenting with Colt McCoy. The team could potentially take Tannehill with the number four pick. That would be an even greater reach, but stranger things have happened in the draft, and this is the Cleveland Browns we’re talking about. Should the Dolphins lose out on the Aggie quarterback, their best bet would be to go after a defensive lineman to fill out their new 4-3 scheme, most likely defensive end Quinton Coples out of North Carolina. Other holes Miami should look to fill are a wide receiver replacement for Marshall and a safety replacement for Yeremiah Bell, who was recently released. In the end, though, expect the Dolphins to grab Tannehill with the eighth overall pick and go from there.

Time To Get Excited

August and September bring a great combination to the sports world. The baseball season edges toward the postseason and college and pro football starts to invade TV sets daily. Gear up for this magical time of year. by Mike Izzo

When I was younger, late August to early September was the worst four-week stretch on the calendar. I suffered in double sessions every day for football and prepared for another school year. Not the best one-two punch. But then I – debatably - grew up and went to college, making this one of the most wonderful times of the year. Seeing friends, going back to your own place, and all the other joys that are not appropriate for this site, what more could a young guy ask for? 

Another thing that the free time of college opens one up for is the ability to appreciate just how great these few weeks are as a sports fan: college football starts, the NFL as well as the wonderful time-filler that is fantasy football return despite threats of a lockout, and baseball rounds the home stretch.

So if you’re still in high school and reading this, cheer up. Things will get better soon, especially if you heed my fantasy advice below. If you’re a college graduate, take the time to reminisce about just how great these few weeks are. And if, like me, you’re back at college (specifically starting your final year) take a deep breath, and slowly begin to sift through all the NFL holdout and NCAA scandal articles until you find some information worth reading. In fact, start right here.

Eastern Conference Preview

by Jeff Laboon

Let's cut the foreplay and get right into EP's 2010/11 Eastern Conference Preview.

1. The New World Order/Miami Heat
General manager Pat Riley had a coup this off-season with the signings of SF LeBron James and PF Chris Bosh. The Heat were already dangerous with Dwayne Wade but now they are scary. And, after about 3 months, the arguments against the NWO have finally become trite and stupid:

1.The Heat have depth. Pretty good depth actually. The team has Carlos Arroyo, Eddie House, Mike Miller, Udonis Haslem, Zyndrunas Ilgauskas, and Dexter Pittman coming off the bench.

2.Mario Chalmers is not the best point guard in the league, but he will certainly not hold the Heat back. Chalmers’ numbers should skyrocket with so many prolific scorers.

3.Chris Bosh is an undersized center. That is why he will play power forward and Udonis Haslem will come off the bench.

(LeBron, Wade, and Bosh join the NWO.)

2. Orlando Magic
Whatever improvements the Magic made will pale in comparison to the NWO’s off-season, but Orlando did pick up PG Chris Duhon to back up Jameer Nelson and retained SG JJ Redick. The depth is still there. With nightly double-double threat Dwight Howard, the Magic should be one of the NWO’s biggest threats in the league.

3. Boston Celtics
The defending Eastern Conference champions are still in a league of their own in the Atlantic Division. The Celtics added depth with Delonte West and centers Jermaine O’Neal and Shaquille O’Neal. The "big shamrock" is getting far too much media attention since joining the Celtics, but he is certainly an upgrade over Rasheed Wallace.

The Celtics may have picked up the steal of the 2010 NBA Draft in SG Avery Bradley from Texas. ESPNU ranked Bradley first overall in their 2009 high school rankings. Though Bradley struggled in his first and only season at Texas, he has all of the tools to be a premier shooting guard in the league, or at least a solid number two for Paul Pierce.

(Pierce with the right hand.)

4. Chicago Bulls
After two consecutive seasons of first round playoff exits, the Bulls look to finally break through to the next round. The addition of PF Carlos Boozer this offseason may just push the Bulls to that next level. Boozer and Joakim Noah will make a dominant duo in the paint. The biggest weak spot for this team is shooting guard. Ronnie Brewer is struggling with the system, so he may be bumped by Keith Bogans for the first few weeks of the season. Regardless, the Bulls still have PG Derrick Rose, who led all point guards with 20.8 points per game last season.

5. Milwaukee Bucks
Fear the Deer. No seriously. The Bucks pushed the Atlanta Hawks to seven games in last season’s playoffs and will look to prove that it was not a mistake. Center Andrew Bogut dominated the position last season and showed why the Bucks picked him first overall in 2005. An elbow injury, though, shortened his season and kept him out of the playoffs. Newly acquired PF Drew Gooden should help in the paint until Bogut returns to form. Plus, the Bucks always have injury-prone/sharpshooter Michael Redd chilling on the bench just in case.


(The rookie Jennings had a 55 point game last season against Golden State.)

6. Atlanta Hawks
If last season’s postseason was any indication, the Hawks are years away from the finals. The Hawks struggled with the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round–despite an injury to Bucks’ center Andrew Bogut–and were swept in epic proportions by the Magic in the second round. The Hawks only improvement this off-season is age. Atlanta will be one year older and hopefully a little wiser. They will still be one of the East’s elite teams, but that doesn’t get you far past the first round.

7. New York Knicks
The New York Knicks made lemons out of lemonade this offseason. The signings of Amar’e Stoudemire and Raymond Felton and acquisitions of Ronny Turiaf, Kelenna Azubuike, and Anthony Rudolph saved the offseason for the franchise that built their entire payroll assuming that LeBron James or Dwayne Wade would come. Sadly, Knick fans now assume that the team will acquire Carmelo Anthony and/or Chris Paul. We aren’t shooting down the prospect here at EP, but we are thankful that the Knicks started to build a starting lineup that can compete.

8. Charlotte Bobcats
The Bobcats reached the playoffs for the first time in franchise history last season, but how will they follow it up? Raymond Felton will be missed, but DJ Augustin should prove to be a solid replacement once he becomes comfortable in the starting role. Small forward Gerald Wallace led Charlotte with 10 rebounds per game. EP doesn’t know if that speaks to Wallace’s skill or Charlotte’s weaknesses at PF and C.


(Get to know Gerald Wallace...who don't do the computer like that.)

9. Indiana Pacers
The Pacers are another team that can benefit greatly from a weak division. The team picked acquired Darren Collison from New Orleans over the off-season. Collison should be an upgrade from Earl Watson, who got most of the starts at point guard for Indiana. You can’t have a Pacers preview without SF Danny Granger, who seems to be one of the most overlooked superstars in the league. Granger was eighth in points per game last season and should be healthy for the season opener.

10. Detroit Pistons
The Pistons have so much talent, but it just doesn’t matter. Frankly, EP wishes someone would explain why the team signed SG Ben Gorden and PF Charlie Villanueva last offseason considering that the two started 33 games between them. Granted the two had their injuries last season, but they also make more than $17 million per year combined. That’s a lot of money sitting on the bench. The Pistons will live and die by their performances this season. Breakout years by Gordon and Villanueva can push the Pistons to the playoffs in a weak Central Division.


(A healthy Tracy McGrady could lead to huge things in Detroit.)

11. Cleveland Cavaliers
Oh, how the mighty have fallen. The Cavs will be without LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal, Delonte West, and Zyndrunas Ilgauskas. Byron Scott has a huge challenge in front of him, but at least the team still has Mo Williams and Antawn Jamison.

12. Washington Wizards
Gilbert Arenas is back. EP just wishes he would be a little quieter. OK, maybe not. The Wizards fined Arenas $50,000 two weeks ago when he admitted that he faked an injury to get teammate Nick Young more playing time in a preseason game. It will be exciting to see Arenas interact with 2010 first overall draft pick John Wall. The Wizards will be missing C Brendan Haywood greatly, though. It will be a rough year in the paint for the Wizards.

(Classic Gilbert Arenas commercial for Adidas.)

13. Philadelphia 76ers
Two steps forward and one step back. The trade of Samuel Dalembert to the Sacramento Kings for young center Spencer Hawes and small forward Andres Nocioni should help the Sixers in the long-run (if Hawes pans out), but in the meantime, the team loses a rebounding machine. Second overall draft pick Evan Turner should put pressure on Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young early in the season and may just take the job away from Young if he gets enough minutes.

14. Toronto Raptors
At least the Cavaliers got something for LeBron James, even if it was just a bunch of draft picks. The Raptors got nothing. We mean nothing. Rough times for a Toronto fan. The Raptors hoped that the acquisition of Hedo Turkoglu last season would push them over the top in their weak division, but Turkoglu could not live up to his insane contract and the Raptors traded him to the Suns for Leandro Barbosa.

At least the Raptors have DeMar DeRozan. The 21-year-old SG from USC finished second to Nate Robinson in the 2010 Sprite Slam Dunk Competition and should get more minutes in his sophomore campaign.

15. New Jersey Nets
It’s easy to make jokes at New Jersey Nets’ owner Mikkhail Prokhorov and his claim that the Nets will win a championship within five years. Sure, the Nets roster is bare, but he wanted to make noise. If he didn’t show that he was committed to winning now, how would the Nets have signed anybody this off-season?

That being said, the Nets really didn’t sign anybody this off-season. The 12-70 team picked up Jordan Farmar, Ben Uzoh, Travis Outlaw, and Troy Murphy in addition to drafting the very talented Derrick Favors from Georgia Tech. With a healthy Devin Harris running point and an older Ben Lopez in the paint, the Nets will be better. A championship in five years? Maybe not. But a playoff appearance? Possible.


(The Nets have 99 problems and Jay-Z ain't one.)

Western Conference Preview

by Jeff Laboon

The wait is over. Meaningful professional basketball games will be played this Tuesday. The winner of the Western Conference has won the last two NBA Championships - the Lakers in both years. Once again, all eyes in the West will be on the LA Lakers, the three-time defending Western Conference champions. Here is the West as EP sees it.

1. Los Angeles Lakers
The defending champions improved over the offseason, adding Steve Blake to back-up for PG Derek Fisher, who looked tired at times during the playoffs last season. The Lakers also added bad boy and former Kobe enemy Matt Barnes.

But how much is left in the tank? The Lakers have played a total of 313 games in the past three seasons en route to three Western Conference Titles and two NBA Championships. Eventually these minutes have to take their toll.


(This commercial is reason enough to root for the Lakers' Lamar Odom.)

2. Dallas Mavericks
Dallas is the biggest threat to the Lakers’ fourth consecutive Western Conference title. The Mavericks’ roster has very few holes, but the Mavs consistently underperform in the postseason. The second seeded Mavs lost in the first round to the San Antonio Spurs last postseason, but their deep bench may finally help the Mavs live up to expectations.

3. Portland Trailblazers
The Blazers finished in a three-way tie for the sixth seed last season, but were eliminated in the first round with star SG Brandon Roy injured. The Blazers strengthened their biggest weakness last year with a mid-season trade for C Marcus Camby to replace the oft-injured Greg Oden. The Blazers, if healthy, can be deadly in the West.


(Brandon Roy with some mid-air improv.)

4. Houston Rockets
Looking at the Rockets’ roster, it’s hard to believe that they missed the playoffs by eight games last year. With C Yao Ming back in a limited role, the Rockets should make a serious case the NBA Championship this season. The backcourt tandem of Aaron Brooks and Kevin Martin are reason enough to fear the Rockets.

5. Utah Jazz
The Jazz did lose leading rebounder Carlos Boozer in the offseason, but the Minnesota Timberwolves pretty much gave them PF Al Jefferson. Jefferson is no Boozer, but he is certainly a capable replacement. If you need any reason to watch the Jazz, look no further than PG Deron Williams. Williams has one of the dirtiest crossovers in the league. He is simply a sight to see.

6. San Antonio Spurs
Age is what hurt the Spurs in the regular season, but experience is what got them to the second round of the playoffs. With PG Tony Parker and SG Manu Ginobili healthy, the Spurs should be back to their dominant form.

DeJuan Blair may be the steal of the 2009 draft. The Spurs drafted the 6’8 forward without ACLs 37th overall, but he started 25 games last season and he is making a strong case for joining the regular rotation.


(DeJuan Blair with destruction at the 2010 Rookie/Sophomore Game.)

7. Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets have the same core that led them to the Western Conference Finals in 2008. Assuming Carmelo Anthony remains on the team, the Nuggets will certainly be a contender in the West. The performance of PF Al Harrington will be crucial for the Nuggets’ success with Kenyon Martin out until about January. The biggest concern for the Nuggets will be if Melo resigns in the offseason.

8. Phoenix Suns
Despite the loss of PF Amar’e Stoudemire to the New York Knicks, the Suns actually improved this offseason. The addition of Hedo Turkoglu provides a talented backup for injury-prone SF Grant Hill. After a down season in Toronto, Turkoglu hopes to return to form in the desert.

The additions of Josh Childress and Hakim Warrick bring some younger legs to the Suns. It will be interesting to see if how Childress performs at first after spending the last two seasons playing in Greece.


(Hedo Turkoglu had a trouble season in Toronto, but this is no excuse for this terrible interview.)

9. Oklahoma City Thunder
If the Heat are everybody’s villain, then the Thunder are everybody’s heroes. This summer has been a total love fest for Thunder forward Kevin Durant and rightfully so. Durant averaged 30.1 points per game last season and almost led the Thunder to a first round upset of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Durant along with PG Russell Westbrook, SG Thabo Sefolosha, and PF Jeff Green started all 82 games last season. Center will be the Thunder’s biggest obstacle to contention. Nenad Krstic is simply not on the same level as Andrew Bynum, Nene, or Brandon Haywood.

10. Memphis Grizzlies
The resigning of Rudy Gay is undoubtedly one of the best moves of the off-season. Gay averaged 19.6 points per game and 1.48 steals per game, fifth in the league most for his position. Forward Zach Randolph averaged a double-double last season. The Grizzlies finished 40-42, a 16 game improvement from the 2008-09 season. Look for the Grizzlies to be in the playoff race until the very end.


(Rudy Gay deserves more attention.)

11. New Orleans Hornets
The second biggest acquisition this season is definitely Chris Paul. OK, so Paul did not really go anywhere, but he only played 45 games last season. A healthy Paul is reason enough to fear the Hornets, who finished 37-45 last season. Despite an off-season trade for SF Trevor Ariza, the Hornets need a consistent Emeka Okafor to make the playoffs.

12. Los Angeles Clippers
Few teams match the Clippers’ off-season improvement. The perennial losers added two rookies to aid starting PG Baron Davis in Eric Bledsoe and Jon Scheyer, backup SG Randy Foye to pressure starter Eric Gordon, starting SF Randy Gomes, returning PF Blake Griffin, and first round pick Willie Warren.

Even with the substantial improvements, the Clippers will still be on the outside looking in this May.

13. Golden State Warriors
The acquisition of David Lee could put the Warriors over the top. In New York, Lee was always forced to play an undersized center, but with Andris Biedrins at center for Golden State, Lee can stick to his roots as a power forward.


(Monta Ellis: fooled you!)

14. Sacramento Kings
Led by 2009/10 T-Mobile Rookie of the Year Tyreke Evans, the Kings have a long road ahead. The Kings traded Andres Nocioni and Spencer Hawes to Philadelphia for C Samuel Dalembert shortly after drafting DeMarcus Cousins fifth overall in the 2010 NBA Draft. This season will be an uphill battle for the Kings with no true starting small forward and a possible controversy at center between Dalembert and Cousins.

15. Minnesota Timberwolves
The Wolves finished 29th last season and this year's team does not look much better. The team is filled with young talent, including PF Kevin Love, PG Jonny Flynn, SG Corey Brewer, SG Wes Johnson, and PF Michael Beasley, but head coach Kurt Rambis needs to figure out how this core group translate on the court. The offseason trade of Al Jefferson for Kosta Koufos and two first round picks helps Minnesota down the line, but definitely not this season.


(Minnesota point guard Jonny Flynn looks to continue his success in his sophomore season.)


Check back tomorrow for EP's Eastern Conference Preview.

Hockey Preview-The Contenders

by Pete Gegick

Ready for Round 2? This time, it’s the Contenders who take center stage. Starting with...


20)New York Rangers

Normally, any team with the scoring power of Marian Gaborik, the goaltending of Henrik Lundqvist, and the defensive duo of Dan Girardi and Marc Staal would be a playoff team. But since this team has little depth at the forward position, refused to sign it’s top defenseman for about three months, and relies on a player known for his injury-prone nature, they’ll probably miss the playoffs. The only good news for Rangers fans is that the team released Wade Redden.

19) Calgary Flames

How bad is this team offensively? Well it signed Alex Tanguay and Olli Jokinen to offseason deals. The same Tanguay that hasn’t been good in three years, and the same Jokinen that got traded from Calgary for his lack of production.

However, the team still boast the deepest defense in the NHL, led by Robyn Regehr and Jay Bouwmeester. Still, the team doesn’t have enough offensive firepower to make the playoffs in the West, or keep fan-favorite Jarome Iginla on the roster.

18) Toronto Maple Leafs
When Brian Burke took over the Maple Leafs, he wanted to find players with “pugnacity, testosterone, truculence, and belligerance.” He then went out and signed physical defenseman Mike Komisarek, Francois Beauchemin. Later, he traded for
Dion Phanuef, a player known for his violent collisions and his propensity for fighting.

(This player now regrets his decision to insult Mr. Phaneuf)

Phaneuf is now the captain of a squad that features a Stanley Cup winning goaltender in Jean-Sebastian Giguere, and two of the top young forwards in Phil Kessel and Kris Versteeg. Still, the team will barely miss a playoff spot due to the lack of forward depth that will haunt them as the season winds down.

17) Montreal Canadiens

They should just rename this team the island of misfit toys. The top four forwards are all undersized. On defense, they rely on the talents of Hal Gill, a player so slow that he’s nicknamed after a warship. And the goalie is Carey Price, a player who wasn’t even trusted during last year’s playoff run. Despite all this though, the team has enough talent and depth to secure the final playoff spot in the East. Expect a huge contribution this year from Mike Cammalleri, who could be a 40-goal scorer before all is said and done.

16) Nashville Predators

Shea Weber is the most underrated player in the NHL today. Not only is he a physical defenseman who impacts every play, he also contributes with a booming shot that can find the net from anywhere.

(He was considered a lock for Team Canada. That's how much talent he has. Original video from Hockey Night in Canada, January 2nd, 2010)

This year, he’s captaining the Predators, as he attempts to lead the team to back-to-back playoff births. Though this will probably be the hardest-working team in the league, this is also a team that just doesn’t have enough talent. Expect them to come up just a little short on this one.

15) Tampa Bay Lightning

Steve Yzerman takes over the helm for the Lightning after choosing Team Canada’s gold medal winning hockey club. Yzerman probably made one of the biggest offseason acqusitions when he traded for talented, yet off-injured forward Simon Gagne. With the 30-goal calibur Gagne added to a lineup that features the league’s leading scorer in Steven Stamkos, the results could be dangerous.

(This is the last thing most defenseman remember before they get sent to the AHL)

Factor in talented forwards Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St-Louis, and the Lighting are loaded offensively. If they give defensive prospect Victor Hedman the time he needs to develop, this team will return to the playoffs

14) Detroit Red Wings

With the talent level that surrounds the Red Wings, it should come as no surprise that the team should make the playoffs yet again. However, the real surprise is that the team is still considered to be in the hunt for the Stanley Cup. An already old team, (the website NHLhotstove.com listed the team’s average age last season at 30.03) the Red Wings haven’t had a transition period to allow younger players major playing time. Still, with Nicklas Lidstrom, Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk on the roster, the team should still be able to make one last playoff run.

13) Chicago Blackhawks

Many people will probably be surprised that a team returning Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Marian Hossa is picked to finish seventh in the Western Conference. But the losses of major role players like John Madden, Brent Sopel and Kris Versteeg could kill the teams chances at a cup. Even more so, the talented defensive trio of Brent Seabrook, Duncan Keith and Brian Campbell will have to protect new goaltender Marty Turco. Though the team has skill, it lost too much in the offseason to truly contend for another title.

12) Colorado Avalanche

Last year, no one thought that the Avalanche would finish over .500, let alone make the playoffs. Yet the team accomplished both goals behind a group of talented rookies, led by Matt Duchene. Duchene, a two-way forward in the vein of Joe Sakic, should have a breakout season, and could be a major factor for this team.

(That's spelled D-u-c-h-e-n-e. Remember it.)

Factor in forwards like Chris Stewart and Paul Stastny, the best defense no one knows about, and a possibly elite goalie in Craig Anderson, and this team could be a definite contender.

11) New Jersey Devils

The team that had the best offseason, the Devils added a possible 50-goal scorer in Ilya Kovalchuk, while also landing a shot-blocking master in Anton Volchenkov. Look for Volchenkov to become the next great shut-down defenseman for the Devils, while Kovalchuk will add much needed scoring.

If Martin Brodeur can have one more elite year under new head coach John MacLean, this year could see the Devils headed to the Finals for the first time since 2003.

Hockey Preview-The Pretenders

by Pete Gegick

Thank god it’s back. It’s like your girlfriend returned from a little three-month vacation. There’s a little rust, so it takes a second to get used to the sight of her again. But when she’s back, it’s just like old times.

Welcome back hockey. Every fan has missed you.

And, to celebrate, here are the 30 NHL teams, which have been ranked, 30-1. So, let’s start with the bottom 10, the Pretenders

30) Florida

If there was any reason to discuss what the Panthers were going to do this season, it would be brought up. But since they have exactly one good player on the entire team in goaltender Tomas Vokoun, a single top-four defenseman in Bryan McCabe, and just enough top-tier forwards in David Booth, Stephen Weiss, and Chris Higgins, they don’t really need to be discussed. Even the farm system is bad, with only youngsters Keaton Ellerby, Dmitry Kulikov and Erik Gudbrandson This is far-and-away the worst team in the league, and it’s not going to get much better.

29) New York Islanders

With talents like John Tavares, Kyle Okposo, Josh Bailey, and new rookie Nino Niederreiter on the offensive side of the puck, the Islanders could turn any game into a shootout…in two years. For now, they all need to mature quickly under NHL veteran Doug Weight, especially with Mark Streit out for at least six months. Other than that, look for Matt Moulson to be top level trade fodder, a shaky defense, and the countdown to see when Rick Dipietro will get hurt.

28) Edmonton Oilers

Edmonton fans are pining for the mid-80’s, when players like Gretzky, Messier, Fuhr, and Coffey dominated, winning four straight Stanley Cups. Heck, they’d probably even want another ’06 run, when bruising players like Ryan Smyth, Chris Pronger and Jason Smith bullied their way to a Finals birth.

Now, they have to talk themselves into Dustin Penner, Ales Hemsky, and Ryan Whitney.


(Defense? What Defense?)

But fear not, because the best two rookies, Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle, will be battling it out for the Calder Trophy. Take Eberle for the award, but Hall for the better career.

27) Anaheim Ducks-The only true remnants from the team that won the Stanely Cup are Teemu Selanne, Todd Marchant, Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. Since Selanne and Marchant will be gone in a couple of years, expect Getzlaf and Perry to team with rising sensation Bobby Ryan to try and keep scores level.

Because when the best defensive player on the team is Lubomir Visnovsky, the offense needs to score as much as is possible.

26) Dallas Stars

It’s hard to believe that the Stars were once contenders every year. Now, the best they can hope is that Brad Richards dominates from center position, while Loui Eriksson, James Neal and Jamie Benn all morph into 30-and-40 goal scorers. Though the defensive situation is better with Stephane Robidas and Karlis Skrastins, it’s not much of an improvement to have Kari Lehtonen and Andrew Raycroft playing goalie.

25) Columbus Blue Jackets
Poor, poor Rick Nash. He might be the best winger in the NHL sans Ovechkin. But since he’s never had anyone who could bring up his level of play, no one will know how good his skill set is.


(All three pray that their kids don't go on Youtube)

Granted, he does have talents now in R.J Umberger and Nikita Filatov, along with defenseman Mike Commodore and Anton Stralman. But even if goaltender Steve Mason comes back to his rookie form(he should), there’s just not enough depth to do anything.

24)Atlanta Thrashers
So they lost superstar Ilya Kovalchuk. They merely replaced him with Dustin Byfuglien, the most unstoppable forward during the playoffs. Though the team is switching him to defense, it could use another offensive spark to help Nik Antropov. But with Byfuglien added to a defense that already features offensive juggernauts Tobias Enstrom and Zach Bogosian, look for Atlanta to finally stop becoming the pushover game on opponents schedules.

23) Ottawa Senators.
This should help describe the Senators off-season. The three biggest events were losing shot-blocking defenseman Anton Volchenkov, gaining offensive-minded traffic cone Sergei Gonchar, and Mike Fisher’s wedding.


(He's a lucky man. We'll leave it at that)

For a team that needs more of pretty much everything to support stars Daniel Alfredsson and Jason Spezza, that’s definitely not enough. Look for goaltending to be the real issue that holds this team back, as neither Brian Elliot, nor Pascal Leclaire is a true starter.

22) Carolina Hurricanes-
Yes, there’s no one on defense after Tim Gleason. Yes, the only true forward is Eric Staal. Yes, the prospects are still developing. But they still have this.


(Cam Ward. The soup nazi of goaltenders)

Cam Ward. And after carrying the defensive load for so long, he’s actually getting pretty good at it. He could potentially care this team until February…but it won’t matter since they won’t get any better in that time frame.

21) Minnesota Wild

Probably the toughest team to judge, especially after the loss of Josh Harding before the season started. But behind solid goaltending from Nicklas Backstrom, and steady offensive play from Martin Havlat and Mikko Koivu, the team could have some success. With so many role players though, it comes down to the contributions of everyone else.

The team could get the 6th spot in the playoffs. Or it could have the 5th overall selection. The toughest team to predict.

Come back tomorrow when the Contenders are ranked, as we head towards Game #1 here at EP Sports.