A certain player will score a certain goal to end this season’s Stanley Cup finals, and his skate will be in the crease, and guess what? It won’t matter. No controversy, thanks to a return to the “no harm, no foul” policy for goaltenders on crease violations. The only controversy will be the player the Tribune says will score that goal-Detroit’s Steve Yzerman. Yes, the Red Wings are old. Yes, they flamed out badly last postseason. But the guess here is that Chris Osgood will stay healthy, the veteran leadership will coalesce nicely with some younger talent, and Chris Chelios will be drinking from the Cup. As always, accuracy is optional.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Northeast Division
BUFFALO Sabres
1998-99: 37-28-17 (Lost to Dallas in Stanley Cup finals.)
Key changes: Lost winger Joe Juneau to free agency.
Outlook: All-universe goalie Dominik Hasek announced his retirement–after this season. That means the runner-up Sabres will be hungrier than ever, as if a certain controversial overtime goal didn’t already have their hackles raised. The Sabres are young–their top four scorers last season were all 25 or younger–and sport an extremely solid defense in front of Hasek.
OTTAWA Senators
1998-99: 44-23-15 (Swept by Buffalo in first round of playoffs.)
Key changes: Traded Andreas Johansson to Tampa Bay for Rob Zamuner; lost backup goalie Damian Rhodes.
Outlook: Paging Alexei Yashin. The All-Star center has been seen at the U.S. Open tennis tournament and in Russia–pretty much everywhere but training camp. He is demanding his $3.3 million contract be ripped up, and with each day, it appears he will either be traded or won’t play this season. With or without Yashin, the Senators need Marian Hossa to play at or above the level that earned the winger a runner-up finish in Calder Trophy voting.
TORONTO Maple Leafs
1998-99: 45-30-7 (Lost to Buffalo in Eastern Conference finals.)
Key changes: Coach Pat Quinn adds GM duties after messy split with former associate GM Mike Smith.
Outlook: Watching most Maple Leafs games last season rivaled watching a tennis match as Quinn implemented a wide-open style. But Toronto needs an improved defense, especially since it’s unlikely Curtis Joseph can match his consistent brilliance of last season. Signing holdouts Bryan Berard and Dimitri Yushkevich would help. Sergei Berezin needs to prove last season’s breakthrough wasn’t a fluke.
BOSTON Bruins
1998-99: 39-30-13 (Lost to Buffalo in Eastern Conference semifinals.)
Key changes: Signed free-agent winger Dave Andreychuk; exercised walkaway rights on forward Dmitri Khristich after arbitration.
Outlook: This is a team on the rise, even without leading scorer Khristich. Goalie Byron Dafoe, who remains unsigned, is coming off a stellar year with a 1.99 goals-against average and Joe Thornton and Anson Carter are only getting better. Ray Bourque enters his 21st NHL season with the Bruins, third to only Detroit’s Gordie Howe and Alex Delvecchio for consecutive service with one team.
MONTREAL Canadiens
1998-99: 32-39-11 (Fifth place.)
Key changes: Traded for forwards Trevor Linden and Jim Cummins; lost defenseman Stephane Quintal to free agency.
Outlook: Oh, the blasphemy, as one of the league’s Original Six teams and a proud franchise appears headed for a second straight last-place finish. Jeff Hackett is back in goal with a nice contract after his best season, and Linden should perk up a stagnant offense. But Montreal didn’t have a 20-goal scorer last year and needs marked improvement from forwards Martin Rucinsky and Brian Savage.
SOUTHEAST DIVISION
CAROLINA Hurricanes
1998-99: 34-30-18 (Lost to Boston in first round.)
Key changes: Lost winger Ray Sheppard to free agency.
Outlook: The Hurricanes enter a new arena in Raleigh and hope the change of scenery will awake a moribund power play, which finished last in the NHL. Carolina also needs forwards Ron Francis and Gary Roberts to match the consistency of Keith Primeau and Sami Kapanen, as the offense struggled to score goals. Arturs Irbe is solid in goal, but the backup picture is in question.
WASHINGTON Capitals
1998-99: 31-45-6 (Third place.)
Key changes: Traded for backup goalie Craig Billington; signed free-agent winger Ulf Dahlen.
Outlook: If the Capitals incur as many injuries as last year, they’ll not only play poorly again, they’ll file for a new medical plan. Peter Bondra, Adam Oates, Richard Zednik, Calle Johansson and Dmitri Mironov were all held to less than 70 games by the injury bug. Bondra, a natural goal-scorer, still managed 31 goals in 66 games. Olaf Kolzig is still solid in net. The defense is strong. Any kind of offense–and health–and Washington should be back in the postseason picture.
FLORIDA Panthers
1998-99: 30-34-18 (Second place.)
Key changes: Traded for goalie Trevor Kidd; signed free-agent defenseman Lance Pitlick.
Outlook: Ray Whitney, take a seat, you’re not going to lead the Panthers in scoring this season. Florida has the Russian Rocket, Pavel Bure, for a full season. And if his 13 goals in 11 games after coming over from Vancouver in a trade and before suffering a season-ending knee injury is any indication, the offense will improve. If the knee holds up, of course. Speaking of holding up, Rob Niedermayer needs to hold up his end of the bargain as a first-line center.
TAMPA BAY Lightning
1998-99: 19-54-9 (Fourth place.)
Key changes: A new GM (Rick Dudley), coach (Steve Ludzik) and several new faces, most prominently winger Andreas Johansson.
Outlook: With all the changes, including new ownership, the Lightning is poised to escape the NHL basement it has occupied for two seasons. Dan Cloutier, acquired from the Rangers, should battle Daren Puppa for the No. 1 goalie spot. Vincent Lecavalier may not have been “the Michael Jordan of hockey” in his first year, as previous owner Art Williams called him, but he flashed enough talent for high expectations. The defense should be significantly improved.
ATLANTA Thrashers
(First season.)
Outlook: Former Detroit assistant GM Don Waddell is the general manager. Former Hawk Curt Fraser is the coach. And phenom center Patrik Stefan is the overall No. 1 draft pick. The Thrashers may not be your typical expansion team. They have veteran leadership in center Ray Ferraro and defenseman Gord Murphy. They have scoring touch in Nelson Emerson and Stefan. And they have potentially solid goaltending in former Senator Damian Rhodes and former Red Wing Norm Maracle.
ATLANTIC DIVISION
PHILADELPHIA Flyers
1998-99: 37-26-19 (Lost to Toronto in first round.)
Key changes: Goalie Ron Hextall retired.
Outlook: A less schizophrenic season. The Flyers’ up-and-down season flamed out with Eric Lindros’ collapsed lung on April 1 and a second straight first-round playoff exit. But this team has enough veteran savvy and plenty of offensive firepower–Lindros, John LeClair and Keith Jones to name a few–to compete with anybody. Defenseman Eric Desjardins needs to bounce back from major knee surgery.
NEW JERSEY Devils
1998-99: 47-24-11 (Lost to Pittsburgh in first round.)
Key changes: Lost winger Dave Andreychuk to free agency.
Outlook: The Devils have very few holes, sport plenty of depth and are young up front. But they seem to be allergic to the playoffs. Scoring isn’t a problem, with four forwards near 30 goals and topped by Petr Sykora’s 29. Goaltending isn’t either, although Martin Brodeur faded in the playoffs again. The defense needs to play better, and former Kings coach Larry Robinson is on board as an assistant to help that unit.
NEW YORK Rangers
1998-99: 33-38-11 (Fourth place.)
Key changes: Signed free agents Theo Fleury, Valeri Kamensky, Stephane Quintal, Kirk McLean and Sylvain Lefebvre; center Wayne Gretzky and defenseman Jeff Beukeboom retired.
Outlook: Some bang for the bucks because the Rangers sure spent a lot of them. Fleury and Kamensky should help revive a stagnant offense that has pushed the Rangers out of the postseason for two years running. The defense is solid with the return of Brian Leetch and the additions of Quintal and Lefebvre. And McLean will bolster Mike Richter in net. Add a great draft–forwards Pavel Brendl and Jamie Lundmark–and the Rangers should be a much-improved team.
PITTSBURGH Penguins
1998-99: 38-30-14 (Lost to Toronto in Eastern Conference semifinals.)
Key changes: Mario Lemieux is new owner.
Outlook: Lemieux’s magic tough continues in Pittsburgh, saving the franchise from bankruptcy. Now the Penguins need to perform on the ice. There are few better places to start than Hart and Art Ross Trophy winner Jaromir Jagr. Toss in center Martin Straka, who had a breakthrough season last year and played great in the playoffs, and offense isn’t a problem. Goaltending may be: Tom Barrasso has become injury-prone and the backup job is up for grabs.
NEW YORK Islanders
1998-99: 24-48-10 (Fifth place.)
Key changes: Traded Ziggy Palffy, Bryan Smolinski and Trevor Linden; Butch Goring takes over as coach.
Outlook: Felix Potvin will be in goal for a full season. Kenny Jonsson, Eric Brewer and Zdeno Chara form a solid defensive corps. Other than that, there isn’t much to shout about on Long Island. The Islanders, who lost a reported $25 million last season, went through a serious fire sale–and that was from a team that has just one winning season in the past 11.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
PACIFIC DIVISION
DALLAS Stars
1998-99: 51-19-12 (Won Stanley Cup.)
Key changes: Traded goalie Roman Turek, defenseman Craig Ludwig retired, lost Pat Verbeek to free agency.
Outlook: Don’t let the losses fool you. Prime prospect Marty Turco is expected to plug the hole left by Turek as Ed Belfour’s backup, and the Stars are loaded with young players–including local product Blake Sloan–who will get more opportunities now that some veterans have moved on. Oh, and they still have forwards Mike Modano, Joe Nieuwendyk, Brett Hull and Jamie Langenbrunner. Defensively, few teams can match the Stars’ combination of skill and size.
PHOENIX Coyotes
1998-99: 39-31-12 (Lost to St. Louis in first round.)
Key changes: Hired Bob Francis as coach, traded defenseman Oleg Tverdovsky for center Travis Green, signed free-agent defenseman Todd Gill.
Outlook: We’re talking regular season, right? Phoenix flamed out in the first round again, and it cost former coach Jim Schoenfeld his job. Francis has promised a more wide-open, freewheeling system, and the Coyotes have the skill to do it, especially on the blue line. Goalie Nikolai Khabibulin, an unsigned restricted free agent, is coming off his best season. Keith Tkachuk and Jeremy Roenick should thrive under Francis.
ANAHEIM Mighty Ducks
1998-99: 35-34-13 (Swept by Detroit in first round.)
Key changes: Traded for winger Ted Donato and defenseman Oleg Tverdovsky; winger Tomas Sandstrom signed with Swedish team.
Outlook: As Teemu Selanne and Paul Kariya go, so go the Ducks. The team is 34-4-8 when both score in the same game. But GM Pierre Gauthier is slowly surrounding the terrific twosome with talent, and Tverdovsky should improve a potent power play (league-leading 22 percent success rate). Donato, Matt Cullen and Marty McInnis should form a second scoring line.
SAN JOSE Sharks
1998-99: 31-33-18 (Lost to Colorado in first round.)
Key changes: Traded for winger Niklas Sundstrom, lost winger Joe Murphy to free agency.
Outlook: A brighter one, thanks to the schedule alone. Last season, the Sharks began the season in Tokyo and also endured a 10-game trip in February. Combined with some early-season contract hassles, the Sharks never completely recovered from a slow start. This season, Vincent Damphousse is in place for a full season, Gary Suter appears recovered from major elbow surgery and Mike Vernon and Steve Shields are back to form a solid goaltending corps.
LOS ANGELES Kings
1998-99: 32-45-5 (Fifth place.)
Key changes: Hired Andy Murray as coach, traded for Ziggy Palffy and Bryan Smolinski.
Outlook: With a new building and a new coach comes a new optimism. Surely, the Kings will score more this season with the addition of Palffy and Smolinski, not to mention winger Luc Robitaille coming off his best season of the last five. The defense is solid, with Mattias Norstrom allowing Rob Blake to take chances offensively.
NORTHWEST DIVISION
COLORADO Avalanche
1998-99: 44-28-10 (Lost to Dallas in Western Conference finals.)
Key changes: Lost Theo Fleury, Valeri Kamensky and Sylvain Lefebvre to free agency.
Outlook: Plenty of firepower was lost. Peter Forsberg is likely out until December following off-season shoulder surgery. Still, this team will remain among the elite–and in a new arena to boot. Joe Sakic, Adam Deadmarsh and Calder Trophy finalists Chris Drury and Milan Hejduk should pick up the slack until Forsberg returns. Sandis Ozolinsh and Adam Foote form a solid defensive tandem.
EDMONTON Oilers
1998-99: 33-37-12 (Swept by Dallas in first round.)
Key changes: Hired Kevin Lowe as coach, signed free-agent goalie Bill Ranford.
Outlook: Lowe, a high-intensity guy, seems a perfect fit for a team that underachieved last season and still made the playoffs. He’ll also have center Doug Weight back from an injury that limited him to just 43 games and six goals last season. Chad Kilger and Ethan Moreau–and where have Blackhawks fans heard this before?–need to improve scoring balance. Goaltending should be improved, with Tommy Salo on board for a full season and Ranford returning to the scene of former glories.
CALGARY Flames
1998-99: 30-40-12 (Third place.)
Key changes: Traded for center Marc Savard and goalie Grant Fuhr, lost Andrew Cassels to free agency.
Outlook: The forwards are young and brimming with potential, which is a nice way of saying the Flames could be goal-challenged. Nobody on the roster has scored 30 in a season. Still, wingers Jarome Iginla, Cory Stillman and Valeri Bure flashed serious potential last season. Defense will remain the team’s strength, with a nice mixture of tough (Steve Smith) and skill (Derek Morris, Phil Housley.)
VANCOUVER Canucks
1998-99: 23-47-12 (Fourth place.)
Key changes: Traded defenseman Bryan McCabe to the Hawks, signed free-agent center Andrew Cassels.
Outlook: Brian Burke’s dizzying, draft-day wheeling and dealing netted him the prized Swedish twins Daniel and Henrik Sedin, who then promptly announced they would remain in Sweden for another season. And this team has offensive problems. Markus Naslund and second-year winger Bill Muckalt are solid, but the left side is suspect, and Mark Messier and Alexander Mogilny need to have better years.
CENTRAL DIVISION
DETROIT Red Wings
1998-99: 43-32-7 (Lost to Colorado in Western Conference semifinals.)
Key changes: Signed free-agent goalie Ken Wregget.
Outlook: Perhaps the biggest “key change” was preventing one: All-everything defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom re-signed with the team instead of returning to his homeland in Sweden to play. Lidstrom heads a defensive corps that is aging but still solid. Offensively, Sergei Fedorov and Brendan Shanahan need to play more consistently. Chris Osgood has quietly emerged as an elite goalie, and his playoff injury underscored his value.
ST. LOUIS Blues
1998-99: 37-32-13 (Lost to Dallas in Western Conference semifinals.)
Key changes: Traded for goalie Roman Turek, traded goalie Grant Fuhr.
Outlook: By trading Fuhr, the Blues squarely placed their trust in Turek, who served as Ed Belfour’s backup in Dallas last season. How well the 29-year-old fares in his first season as a legitimate No. 1 will go a long way in determining St. Louis’ success. Pavol Demitra emerged last season as a bona fide scoring threat, and defensively, there are few better than Al MacInnis and Chris Pronger.
CHICAGO Blackhawks
1998-99: 29-41-12 (Third place.)
Key changes: Signed free agents Wendel Clark and Steve Passmore, traded for defenseman Bryan McCabe.
Outlook: Everything is based on potential, but at least the potential looks better. If the Hawks stay healthy and if Doug Gilmour’s back holds up and if Jocelyn Thibault emerges as a consistent No. 1 goalie . . . the Hawks should end their run of two straight seasons out of the playoffs. Jean-Pierre Dumont is a leading candidate for the Calder Trophy, and Tony Amonte and Alex Zhamnov should thrive in Lorne Molleken’s more wide-open system. The defense has been completely overhauled and significantly improved.
NASHVILLE Predators
1998-99: 28-47-7 (Fourth place.)
Key changes: None.
Outlook: In its first season last year, Nashville played an entertaining style and remained in the playoff hunt longer than expected. It may be hard-pressed to maintain that level, especially if Sergei Krivokrasov fails to match his team-leading 25-goal output. The Predators lack physical presence.
