Random thoughts going into 2010-2011 season

With the 2010-2011 NHL season officially underway today, it is time for hockey fanatics to start pouring their hearts, souls and waking minutes back into this glorious sport.

In honour of the start of a new season, I've created a list of ten things that I believe will be interesting story lines to follow as the season progresses. Note: I skipped over the obvious ones (Stanley Cup favourites, Art Ross Race, etc.) and focused instead on some lesser-known, but possibly more-intriguing, outcomes.


1) Will Carey Price survive Montreal?


I'm going to go out on a major limb here and say that Alex Auld will be the #1 goalie in Montreal by the end of the season, and not Carey Price. Don't get me wrong, Price is an incredibly talented goaltender, but I don't think he will survive the pressure cooker that he's trapped in. The rabid Habs fans and media were intense enough to boo Patrick Roy out of the city, even after Roy won them two Stanley Cups and two Conn Smythes, and the same, almost inhuman expectations are enough to kill any young, talented goaltender. Auld is by no means a great goalie, but he's hit 30 wins before and will fight long and hard for any good fortune in his journeyman career.


2) How will Dion Phaneuf fare as Leafs captain?


Speaking of hockey pressure cookers, Toronto can often times be just as bad. Now the burden of the team's horrible misfortunes fall squarely on the shoulders of the team's newest captain, Phaneuf. Though Phaneuf possesses enough raw talent to make him a prototypical NHL defencemen, questions have arisen in the past about his work ethic and hockey sense. Many Calgary fans were glad to see Phaneuf, who was voted as the NHL's most overrated player last year by his peers, leaving town. A bad season from him could quickly see his status turn as welcome new captain to yet another scapegoat.


3) Goaltending duel in Los Angeles


When was the last time that the Los Angeles Kings had an elite netminder before Jonathan Quick grabbed them 39 wins last season? I can't remember either (and Kelly Hrudey doesn't count). Now the Kings might have two quality stoppers with Jonathan bernier's ascension from the AHL, where he exploded last year and won honours of AHL goalie of the year. Quick won't want to relinquish ice time, but the Kings won't want to let Bernier rot on the bench, so the ensuing battle between the two for the starter position could result in the best one-two goaltending punch that the NHL's seen in more than a decade.


4) Rookie Race too tight to predict


Has there ever been a Calder class that looked as good as this ones does? Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Magnus Paajarvi, Marcus Johansson, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Jeff Skinner, Alexander Burmistrov, Logan Couture, Derek Stepan, Johnathan Bernier, Cam Fowler, PK Subban, Brayden Schenn, Nick Leddy...and that's just the short list. All talented, all highly-touted, all very possible recipients of the Calder Trophy at the end of the season.


5) Will the real Mike Leighton please stand up?


Just months removed from being written off as a journeyman, waiver wire pickup, the Philadelphia Flyers found themselves possessing a diamond in the rough when Leighton guided them to the Stanley Cup Finals. But can he do it again? Did he magically change over the course of a half season from a career backup into a playoff hero, or was he the benefactor of a tight Flyers defensive core that was too tough for most teams to crack? The answer will come this season, as Leighton's been given the starting role. His performance will also be pushed by the rise of rookie netminder Sergei Bobrovsky, another promising rookie.


6) Can former greats play their way out of the AHL?

It has to be tough to be Wade Redden and Sheldon Souray right now. Just three years ago both men were among the NHL's elite defencemen, and were paid accordingly. Now, due to poor play and pricey cap hits, the two find themselves playing in the AHL to start the season. Let's be honest: both these guys, despite their recent failings, are still NHL-level defencemen, and would easily crack almost any NHL roster if the price tag was more affordable. Teams will undoubtedly fall upon injury woes at some point in the season, and strong minor league showings could prove to be the perfect gamble for teams with enough cap room to afford them.


7) Will Big Buff find his niche?


In the playoffs, he's one of the hardest players in the league to contain. In the regular season...ehh, not so much. Dustin Byfuglien gained fame for being a power forward unlike any other that the NHL's ever seen, but has never maintained consistency throughout the regular season (though, much of that has to do with splitting time between D and forward). Now in Atlanta, Big Buff will be counted on more consistently to play the big games that he's known for in the playoffs. Can he heed the call?


8) Can Tavares pull a Stamkos?


As a rookie, Steven Stamkos (drafted 1st overall in 2008) had a lower point total than Alexander Daigle did in his rookie year. Yeah, shocking, right? Stamkos, playing with the elite Martin St. Louis as his linemate, was a scoring machine last year, netting 51 tallies, tying Sidney Crosby for the league's lead. If he avoided the sophomore slump with such a vengeance, can John Tavares (1st overall, 2009) follow suit? His first season with the Islanders was far from spectacular, but his team desperately needs him to prove why he was selected in such a prestigious spot. He has the talent to do so, but will be mostly on his own with a team in as rough shape as the Isles.


9) Who will be the bounce back player of the year?


In the cap crunch NHL of today, players are in a harder spot than ever to stay in the league, especially when considering how quickly young new superstars are being developed. Mike Comrie, Jose Theodore, Patrick O'Sullivan, Jeff Finger and other formerly highly regarded players have found themselves in tough spots this offseason, unwanted and now playing for their careers, many of which on bargain bin salaries. Will any of them be able to play their way back to the trusted roles that they once held?


10) And the darkhorse team of the year will be...

...the Los Angeles Kings, if you ask my opinion. I already mentioned their goaltending, but this team has scoring (Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown, Ryan Smythe, etc), defense (Drew Doughty, Jack Johnson, etc.) and a rich stable of rookies (already mentioned Schenn, but also Thomas Hickey, Andrei Loktionov, etc.) that could play their way onto the team in impressive fashion. The Penguins and Blackhawks are picture-perfect examples of rebuilding through smart drafting and prospect development, and the Kings have followed suit to a tee. This may not be their year to win it all, but it will be their year to demonstrate themselves as one of the league's elite.