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Double OT: Three teams to watch this season

Ales Hemsky could be in for big things in Edmonton this season.(Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images)

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Ales Hemsky could be in for big things in Edmonton this season.(Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images)

Mike Brophy

Mike Brophy
2008-09-03 11:25:00

If you have picked up a copy of our annual Yearbook, then you already know we have chosen the Detroit Red Wings to win the Stanley Cup.

And you may also know the last time we were right in our pre-season prediction was in 2004 when the Tampa Bay Lightning won the Cup. So it might just be worth your while to actually watch games this season.

And if you are anything like me, these three teams are worth keeping an eye on:

Los Angeles Kings 
Maybe it’s because I believe GM Dean Lombardi is on the right track, but I just hope ownership in Los Angeles has patience and allows Lombardi to follow through on building a team I believe is very close to being a competitor.

In Anze Kopitar, Patrick O’Sullivan, Dustin Brown and Alexander Frolov, the Kings have some fine young studs up front.

Jack Johnson, Thomas Hickey and Drew Doughty offer hope for the future on the blueline.

An upgrade in goal is definitely required.

Edmonton Oilers
Like the Kings, the Oilers have a host of young guns up front including Ales Hemsky, whom I believe will break out and be a top-10 scorer this season.

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If Shawn Horcoff returns to health he’ll be a quality two-way pivot and Sam Gagner and Andrew Cogliano will certainly be counted on the take the next step in their young careers.

It is time for Rob Schremp to make his move, too.

Phoenix Coyotes
I’m not convinced the Coyotes have what it takes to be a playoff team in the tough Western Conference, but they’ll make a serious run at it.

Olli Jokinen is an excellent addition, though it must be noted he has never played an NHL playoff game. He’ll look great on a line with captain Shane Doan.

How quickly kids such as Peter Mueller, Kyle Turris, Martin Hanzal and perhaps even top draft pick Mikkel Boedker develop will play a big role in the Coyotes success this season.

Keep and eye on the contenders, by all means, but don’t ignore these squads.

Mike Brophy is a senior writer for The Hockey News and a regular contributor on THN.com. 

For more great profiles, news and views from the world of hockey, Subscribe to The Hockey News magazine.

COMMENTS (53)

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Scott S Posted
(2009-04-30 06:57:41)



First of all Daniel your grammar is horrible. Second of all, the rangers traded Backman to Columbus not St. Louis. St Louis traded him to the Rangers last year at the deadline. No he didn't amount to what St. Louis wanted, big whoop, its St Louis their expectations and New Yorks were way too high to begin with. Modin scored twelve points in twenty three games last season which if you project onto a full year equals about 40-50 points, nowhere near washed up. Huselius may be lazy but he's still managed to put up 60-70 points a year. You are right on one thing, this isn't an article about the Blue Jackets directly. However, I do believe the Jackets should have been included in this list and are one of those "teams to watch this season".
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daniel Posted
(2009-04-30 06:56:58)



i didn't know that they were talking about columbus in this column. o wait they didn't mention them at all. maybe because they aren't gonna do anything at all. columbus isn't doing nothing this season people. they don't have a scoring threat at all except for rick nash with no one to help him out at all. columbus is gonna do worse than the kings this season unless leclaire can be a miracle worker for them. they will be in the hunt for tavares or hedman. they aren't gonna be anything worth watching. that is why they aren't on this article and shouldn't be talked about like they are actually gonna do something. give it a rest people. columbus sucks this season.
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daniel Posted
(2009-04-30 06:56:58)



scott, just to say it one more time. modin is washed up, has been for the last 2 seasons. huselius is lazy and can be better than he actually is, but he' lazy. a lazy player goes nowhere in the NHL and he reminds me of jaroslav bednar just the way he plays only maybe a little quicker when he actually wants to skate. umberger will be good, but how good can he be with nobody around him. backman sucks that's why st.louis traded him to colunbus because he didn't amount to what st.louis had hoped. russell is good and will be for years to come. one of the few bright spots is russell. pascal leclaire should have a good season. if he don't then it's gonna be a nightmare for this team because they don't have any depth in goal at all. i don't see columbus doing nothing. there system might be more defenisve minded with hitchcock as the coach, but the offense is where the bright spot is. unfortunately, the bright spot isn't even that bright. columbus goes 13th in overall standings this season.
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Scott S Posted
(2009-04-30 06:56:56)



David - The Blue Jackets finished twelfth or thirteenth lastly year with with a vastly underachieving offense. Modin healthy for even half the season will better than triple his points from last year. Brassard playing between the aforementioned Modin and most likely Voracek for most of the season should get anywhere from 40-50 points (and I have yet to see anyone predict him lower than thirty points) Voracek is a beast. Plain and simple and IMO easily match and most likely out do Brassard. Nash will again be a scoring machine, probably even more than last year with his new and improved team mates Huselius and Umberger (who should both hit the 50 point plateau). Defense wise, yeah it is still a mostly defense first system but this is also Hitchcock we're talking about. However the point production from the backend over all should increase. Backman is offensively talented no matter what he does defensively. Russel is a solid first pass two way defenseman and has the upside to explode offensively if given the time. Tyutin is waaaay underated offensively and I can see him getting at least 20 points on the top PP unit. Commodore, Klesla and Hejda should all match or better their totals from last season with the new and improved offense in front of them. This of course all opinion and prediction but David, nobody in their right mind would call Columbus a trainwreck. You seem to be looking for one big splash one big momentous trade, or pick up, but in doing so you miss the big picture which boils down to a bunch of really smart really solid moves that when put together, have the makings of a really good hockey club.
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David Posted
(2009-04-30 06:55:54)



Jessie, I didn't say Columbus has weak defense what I said is that all the have on defense is defense don't contain one person on the back end to feed the forwards or quarter back the power play. And just like you said yourself they need people up front so now I think we can both come to terms in saying they have no one to feed the offense and not enough to finnish the offense. At best I think Columbus can get 12th if they do something extaordinary they will get 10th. They are not a playoff team they do not have the means to be one.
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Jessie Posted
(2009-04-30 06:55:50)



Also David, FYI, the blue jackets were top 10 in all defensive category with a much weaker roster than they have now. If they can get some offensive help (won't be difficult replacing Fedorov's 9 goals, Vyborny's 7, Peca's 8 and Modin's 6) in their top 6, they will be a playoff team.
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AaronD Posted
(2009-04-30 06:55:40)



Just wanted to clarify something that seems to have gotten lost in the mix here. When the Yotes got Bryzgalov, they were below the Kings in the standings. Within a day or two after the pickup, they leapfrogged the Kings. Burke has stated that he offered Bryz in a trade to L.A. but Lombardi declined. The return that Burke was asking for was never revealed. After Lombardi declined, Bryz went on waivers and got picked up by the Yotes.
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daniel Posted
(2009-04-30 06:55:37)



predictions...predictions...predictions. anybody can go all day long on a comment about predictions. david, i hope you meant nabokov, instead of toskala (teskala). one thing for sure though is i think the kings are heavily being underrated. the goaltending showed promise with ersberg and labarbera, but if you use 7 goalies of coarse you aren't gonna go far. i think if the kings goalies stay healthy, they can help enough not to be in last. at the same time though, i hope they do suck again and we become last in the NHL just to get tavares or hedman. could be just what the doctor ordered. there is one thing for sure about the kings... you can't knock the forwards. if the defense is any better this year, the goalies will be better and that is why i think the kings will be better. they probably won't make the playoffs. but they will be where you think the coyotes will be. i think the coyotes will make the playoffs, bryzgalov is going to be the reason.
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daniel Posted
(2009-04-30 06:55:37)



hey john, are you a ducks or sharks fan? just asking, cause did you know the kings sold out more games than the ducks or the sharks did last season. it might be hard to believe, but it's true. every time i go to a kings game in the regular season it's loud. in the playoffs unfortuantely i haven't been able to witness it in 5 seasons, but the last time when they played colorado and potvin was the goalie on fire. the stands were something you didn't want to knock on cause you would of gotten your teeth kicked in. the fact is even though the kings suck john, they sold out more games then most teams that made the playoffs and actually had something to cheer about. maybe you should question your loyalty to your team, cause there aren't many fans that have the loyalty to there team like the kings, GO KINGS GO!!!
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Gary Posted
(2009-04-30 06:55:37)



Daniel, Most likely John is a Duckie fan. He probably is not old enough to remember that the last time the Kings were in the playoffs was in 2002 against Colorado, as you have stated. I have talked to fans of other teams mainly Detroit, and I was told there is a difference between Kings fans and Ducks fans. Even they have stated, that Staples Center is more energenic than the Honda Center. As for goaltenders, I believe that Ersberg will be one of the top ten in the league for save percentages. As for you John, try a little research on the Kings history. They have been to the playoffs multiple times. They have even played a few of the greatest playoff games in the history of the NHL.
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