NHL Season Predictions!

Thank goodness it’s Pucktober! And not a moment too soon for us hockey fans!

The 2009-2010 NHL regular season officially gets underway tonight, and I’m stoked. I’ll bet you are too.

This season promises to be filled to the brim with interesting teams, players, stories and controversies. We had a very busy off season that saw a great draft in Montreal, a lot of players changing addresses in free agency, a tug of war over the Phoenix Coyotes, yet more turmoil within the NHLPA, and announcements of Olympic hockey team hopefuls.

No matter which team you follow, there’s something to look forward to, or to keep a very close eye on for signs of trouble. These things all set up the kick-off to the season, that begins tonight. Yes, TONIGHT! Mere hours from now! To quote Terrell Owens: “Getcha popcorn ready!”

Here’s some things I’ll be keeping a close eye on as the season goes along:

• Are the Penguins a dynasty in the making?
• Are the Red Wings going to take a step back? Competition is stiffer and a lot of their players are potential Olympians (will fatigue get to them?)
• Are the Blackhawks poised to overtake the Wings in the Western Conference’s Central Division?
• Can the Maple Leafs, with their lack of offensive punch grind their way to the playoffs through “truculence”?
• Will the Canadiens’ radical facelift pay off for GM Bob Gainey?
• Will the Los Angeles Kings’ & St. Louis Blues’ plethora of young horses bring them back to respectability?
• Is Jacques Lemaire going to turn the 2009-10 Devils in to the 1995-96 Devils?
• How are the top 3 picks of John Tavares, Victor Hedman and Matt Duchene going to fare with their teams?
• The Vancouver 2010 Olympic games…what’s better than Olympic hockey?
• Who will be the first coach to lose his job this season?
• Are the Bruins going to be as good without Kessel as they were last year with him? Can Thomas repeat his Vezina performance?
• How is Alex Kovalev, who left his heart in Montreal, going to perform with the new look Senators?
• Are the Flyers going to pound everyone in to submission? Will Ray Emery keep it on the rails?
• Will the San Jose Sharks, specifically Marleau and Thornton finally make a name for themselves in the playoffs?
• Will “Mr. Glass”, a.k.a. Marian Gaborik stay healthy long enough to make the Rangers competitive?
• Will we hear from Gretzky again this year?

Add your storyline in the comments below. Surely there are tons of other topics worth following this coming year that I have not listed here.