Before my regular column - We have some big doings on the radio this week, tune in to SportsRadio 560 at 6pm Wednesday for some special announcements regarding the radio show. We’ll be chatting with Jeff Marek from Hockey Night in Canada Radio to preview the Eastern Conference series, then Terry Crisp will join Pete and I as we break down the West and the Predators / Blackhawks series.

Plus, brush up on your Pred Playoff Trivia as Pete and I will be giving away two pair of tickets for Game 3 of the Predators / Blackhawks series. Tune in Wednesday night at 6pm on SportsRadio 560 WNSR or listen online at www.wnsr.com.

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It’s time for my annual “Holding Myself Accountable” column where I take credit for the things I got right in my pre-season predictions, and I get hammered for those “what was I thinking?” predictions. Last September, I did a 30 teams in 30 days thing, taking a look at what I expected out of each team… here’s what I wrote… and what really happened.

Anaheim –

“This is a team in transition as the Ducks moved some key cogs in their Stanley Cup winning team. If the chemistry comes together for the Ducks I expect them to compete for a playoff spot come April.”

OK… I got the transition part correct, but they only competed for a playoff spot through March.

Atlanta –

Adding Nik Antropov could be key for this team. He will obviously be paired with Ilya Kovalkchuk and should improve the fleet Russian’s stats. Signing first round draft pick Evander Kane may be an indicator of a plan to get him in the lineup sooner rather than later. The Thrashers are still a fairly young team that has a bit of talent. If Kari Lehtonen stays healthy, their goaltending may keep them close. I see improvement, just not enough to make the playoffs.

another mixed bag, Antropov was a key for the Thrashers, Lehtonen ended up getting dealt at trade time and Kane did indeed get into the Atlanta lineup sooner rather than later. The team improved but didn’t make the playoffs…

Boston –

If the Bruins are able to get Kessel signed, they are the odds-on favorite in the East this year. If they can’t get him signed, they will still be in the playoffs and still have the capability to do some damage… Tim Thomas has the B’s solid in net and the addition of Dany Sabourin gives them solid backup.

The Kessel situation affected this team, but they still made the playoffs. The goaltending situation took an interesting turn with Rask.

Buffalo –

Buffalo has talent, excellent goaltending, decent offense, and a solid if unspectacular blueline. The Sabres will make the playoffs if they stay healthy.

Bingo… kinda nailed this one, except they were even better than I expected…

Calgary –

Calgary was busy over the summer and now can brag about having a four-deep blueline that would be on the top D pair on any team in the league. Shoring up a defense that has dropped to 23rd in the league in goals against last season was a major goal… mission accomplished. The team can score goals in bunches and has the capability to take first in the division, playoffs are a lock.

WOW… how wrong was I? Even though they made a late run, they had trouble scoring, moved Phanuef and really disappointed. Lock for the playoffs? Not this year...

Carolina –

Minor off season tweaks to this team means they believe they can ride this horse for another season… This is a deep, solid team that knows how to turn it on when it counts. If the ‘Canes get off to a good start, they will challenge the Caps for the division, if not, a lower seed won’t concern them. Playoffs are a lock.

Nope, nope, and nope… challenge Caps for the division??? What was I smokin’???

Chicago –

The Blackhawks have a stockpile of young talent and free agent signings... there are big question marks in goal as Cristobal Huet had to be replaced last year by the departed Nikolai Khabibulin. Chicago has a very good blueline, solid scoring and young stars. They have also had chaos in the front office and in the locker room. Chicago should be a favorite to unseat Detroit for first in the division, but the questions in goal may prevent that from happening.

Huet was replaced last year by Khabibulin, this year by Niemi. Front office chaos did not affect this team and they did indeed unseat Detroit, I’ll count that as a win.

Colorado –

It’s rebuilding time in the Rockies as the Av’s try to build a team around Stastny and first round draft pick Matt Duchene, who many observers compare to Joe Sakic. You should expect to see a lot of youngsters on this team with the loss of Sakic, Ryan Smyth and Ian Laperriere. Colorado may have bottomed out last season and should show improvement, but they are at least a year or two away from getting back into the playoff mix.

BWAHAHAHAHA… no seriously, what did I write? Really??? I wrote that??? Wrong, wrong and wrong again…

Columbus –

Columbus is the “it” team for a lot of pre-season prognosticators… I’m not one of them. I really wonder what the impact of last season’s playoff sweep will have. Steve Mason was a gem last year, does the sophomore slump hit him? What about his tailed off performance at the end of the season… did the rest of the league finally figure him out? Rick Nash is signed long-term, sending a clear message to the rest of the team. They are solid up the middle, but have question marks on the blueline. The big issues in Columbus are… how do they react to the egg they laid in the post season? Do they use it as fuel to make themselves better? Or do they follow the Atlanta model and fall apart in the next season? It wouldn’t surprise me is the latter happens.

as wrong as I was with Colorado, I sure nailed this one. Changes behind the bench happened, with no real quantifiable impact, you wonder what’s next in C-bus?

Dallas –

I expect Dallas to bounce back this season, they have good young talent mixed with good experience at most positions. Marty Turco is excellent between the pipes. There are some questions on the blueline as the team is thin in prospects at D. Divisional opponents have improved but I think Dallas makes a run and is back in the playoff hunt come April.

A bounce back sorta happened, but age caught up with this team, a makeover is necessary in Big D. No run, no playoffs…

Detroit –

Detroit remains the class of the Central Division and a favorite for a deep playoff run. That being said, cracks are beginning to show in the armor… I wonder if two consecutive Stanley Cup final runs may take its’ toll on this team, two consecutive seasons of a short offseason does have an impact. You may have even seen the beginning of it in the last couple of games of the final in June. The Red Wings will have a strong regular season and I expect them to be a factor in the playoffs.

Strong regular season? Not by Detroit standards due to injuries, but a great post-Olympic run has the rest of the league shaking in their boots, not many cracks showing as this team heads into the playoffs.

Edmonton –

They have a good solid core of young talent and new voices in the locker room for the veterans. The changes behind the bench may be the most important move this team made and one that I believe will pay dividends for this franchise. The Oilers grabbing UFA goalie Nikolai Khabibulin should make them better, the question I have is… which Bulin Wall did they get? The one that took the Lightning to the cup and the Blackhawks to the Western Conference Finals? Or the one that showed up in Chicago after landing a big contract. That may be the key to the Oilers playoff fortunes.

How many goaltenders did Edmonton go through this season? Improvement? Nope… I was off base on this one, but the question about Khabibulin was and is valid.

Florida –

There is change in the GM role as Jacques Marin left for the Canadiens head coaching job. Good young forward talent and very solid goaltending are hallmarks of this team. Tomas Vokoun now has super backup Scott Clemmensen in the 2 role. Defensively the team underwent a makeover as they were unable to re-sign Jay Bouwmeester. The Panthers brought in Jordan Leopold from Calgary and Ville Koistinen from Nashville to help rebuild the blueline. I wonder if there is enough change in the culture to finally push the Panthers over the playoff hump but one thing is for sure, a quick start will be essential for this team to not fall into past habits.

No quick start, Koistinen failed, no late season run to give hope for next year and another season with no playoffs in south Florida.

Los Angeles –

The Los Angeles Kings are being touted as the dark horse team this year, kinda like they were last year, and the year before that. The endless rebuilding process of this team may start to show results this year as I do anticipate the Kings to be better. The add of veteran leader Ryan Smyth does that. His influence should be felt on and off the ice, helping some of the youngsters improve their work ethic. Rob Scuderi brings some veteran leadership to the blueline and there is complementary talent across the roster. To steal a phrase from the NHL marketing last season… Is this the year? In a division with less firepower at the top... maybe, in the Pacific, nope.

Wrong again… this is the year as the Kings have been solid wire-to-wire, good goaltending, timely scoring and a solid blueline.

Minnesota –

Big turnover in the Twin Cities, new GM, new head coach and a host of new players to round out a change in direction. The team has offensive talent with Pavol Dmetra, Martin Havlat, Mikko Koivu… veteran leadership in Andrew Burnett... an improved blueline with the addition of vulcanized rubber magnet Greg Zanon and potentially great goaltending with Nik Backstrom. The Wild will be competitive and will be a lot more fun to watch, I expect them to be in the playoff hunt all the way to the end.

They were competitive, they were more fun to watch at times, they also didn’t really seriously contend for the playoffs and have some needs to be addressed.

Montreal –

Questions abound for this team… How will Carey Price react to his sophomore slump? Is Jaroslav Halak ready for the number 1 if Price falters? Why did GM Bob Gainey let the Rangers off the hook for their crazy Scott Gomez contract? The Habs have been torn down and rebuilt, which leads to perhaps the largest question for Montreal… what will the chemistry of this team be? Coach Jacques Martin comes over from the GM job in Florida to take the reins behind the bench. I expect the Canadiens to be a much faster team and if their chemistry comes together quickly, they will compete for one of the last playoff slots in the East. If the chemistry doesn't happen, more changes may have to be made.

More changes were made, in the front office… Montreal made the last spot in the east but can’t feel very confident going up against a machine in Washington.

New Jersey –

Any team with a healthy Martin Brodeur will be a contender. Expect lots of responsible defense from across the lineup and plenty of tight, low-scoring games. Brodeur has to stay healthy as last year's backup sensation Scott Clemmensen is now backing up Tomas Vokoun in Florida. A nagging question in my mind... What will the impact of their heartbreaking playoff ouster last year be? The Devils can’t be considered a favorite to repeat as division champs but should be a playoff contender right up till the end of the season.

Well… they did repeat as division champs, however, the goal scoring problems were there as they are the third lowest in goals scored coming into the playoffs.

New York Islanders –

Some nice players on this team… Doug Weight will be a guide and mentor to John Tavares, I just don’t see the Islanders competing in the rugged Atlantic… another year out of the playoffs on the Island, but improvement is happening. If Islander fans and management show some patience, this team is close to being a power maybe as soon as the 2010-2011 season.

Not too far off on this one, the Islanders were better than I expected and appear to be heading in the right direction.

New York Rangers –

A lot of change for this club… Gotta give Glen Sather credit, he certainly managed to get out of cap jail with his trade of Scott Gomez to the Habs. The addition of Kotalik and Gaborik should give the offense some pop… Solid between the pipes with Henrik Lundqvist, the Rangers glaring improvement need is on the blueline. Lundqvist covered a multitude of sins for this group last year and may have to do it again. There’s too much talent on this team for them not to be in the mix for a playoff spot.

and in the mix they were coming down to a shootout in the final game of the regular season. Improvement happened, but not enough.

Ottawa –

Ottawa still has a talented team that new coach Cory Clouston got the most out of during the second half of last season. There’s quite a few youngsters coming out of Binghamton that will compete for roster spots. Coming over from San Jose is Milan Michalek and Jonathan Cheechoo who should add a little grit to this lineup. Two big questions for Ottawa… Can they find an effective second line to ease the burden on the Alfresson line? Is Pascal LeClaire the answer for a team that has had a revolving door in goal? The answer to those two questions will determine if this team is in the hunt at the end of the season.

Those questions were answered, only not how I saw it… different goaltender, different complimentary players resulted in a surprise playoff berth for the Sens.

Philadelphia –

I have been scratching my head a bit since the announcement of Ray Emery’s signing… another head case goaltender? I’m not sure if he’s the answer… Adding Chris Pronger gives the blueline a mean streak… adding to an already good group, Head coach John Stevens has the horses to make a run this year, I expect them to challenge the Pens for the division and make a run at the President’s Trophy.

I may have had my Philly goggles on a bit too tight… John Stevens fired mid-season, struggles from multiple players and the inevitable goaltending problem, Ray Emery kept his head together, it was his body that failed him and the Flyers have huge question marks heading into the playoffs that they barely made… again.

Phoenix –

In a word… grim… Unless… the team decides to use the chaos swirling around the franchise as a rallying cry. There is a good core of young talent here that will benefit from their experience last season however there is not a great deal of veteran leadership on this team beyond Shane Doan and Ed Jovanovski. Goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov has been great in spurts and needs to put together a consistent year, the adds from free agency need to contribute as well to avoid the basement. The off ice drama has to permeate the team, especially given that head coach Wayne Gretzky is MIA behind the bench as of this writing. No matter what happens in bankruptcy court, this is could be a very long season for Coyote fans.

In a word... WRONG! No one saw this one coming… I expected the team to come together a bit, adversity does that for you, but what Dave Tippet has done with this team has been nothing short of astounding. It’s a shame they pulled the Red Wings in the first round.

Pittsburgh –

…This is a deeply talented team, led by a pair of superstars in Sydney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin and solid in net with Mark-Andre Fluery. The only question I see in Pittsburgh is how to fill the holes in the blueline? The loss of Scuderi and Gill takes two of their best defensive d-men out of the mix. The add of Jay McKee fills one of those holes… who fills the second? A youngster? A late camp add? The other question becomes, how does the team react to its’ second consecutive short summer? I expect Pittsburgh to contend for the division and the 1 seed in the conference.

While they did have their struggles, most of what I wrote was true, especially about the blueline, I believe they have acutely felt the loss of Scuderi. This team is still dangerous…

San Jose –

If it was possible to have a monkey on your back as an organization, the Sharks may have one the size of King Kong. The weight of expectations has been crushing to this team. There is a lot of talent on the roster. The addition of Dany Heatley can do nothing but improve their offense, which is a terrifying thought to other Western Conference teams. The addition of character guys like Scott Nichol and Manny Malhotra will add elements that have been missing from the lineup. A solid defense and good goaltending will mean another very good regular season… but that is not enough in San Jose. A deep playoff run will be the only thing that sends King Kong packing.

Dead on here, the crushing expectations will be the thing that needs to be overcome with this team, the added role players have helped, but until there’s a WCF of a Cup Final appearance, well let’s just say that King Kong lives by the bay.

St. Louis –

The Blues have excellent coaching in Andy Murray, a solid core of vets and rapidly developing youngsters. Veteran leadership like Paul Kariya and Keith Tkachuk is invaluable, especially come playoff time. Up and comers like David Perron, TJ Oshie and the potential impact of an Alex Pietrangelo leave great hope for the immediate future of this team on the ice. The only question for the Blues is in net. The addition of Ty Conklin covers the loss of Manny Legace. Chris Mason earned a shot at the number one slot with his performance last year... It will be interesting to see how Chris handles his second shot at being a number one from jump street, as he had difficulty with the position two seasons ago in Nashville. This team is built for success this year… if they can stay healthy they will compete with Chicago and Detroit for the division, playoffs are a lock.

Health was an issue again, but it was more than staying healthy, a change in coaches indicated issues with this team mid-season. It seemed the team believed they could just turn it on and make another late run… which they almost did. Chris Mason was solid as the starter, but is a UFA. I got this one wrong, no playoffs.

Tamps Bay –

The Lightning have been busy in the offseason, removing the interim tag from head coach Rick Tocchet and rebuilding a porous defense. This team is set for the future as Steven Stamkos had a solid first year and 09 #2 pick Victor Hedman will make an impact on this team, perhaps as early as this season. The defense will be better, it couldn’t get much worse, with the addition of Mattias Ohlund and David Hale. Mike Smith struggled last year, playing through a concussion in net, Antero Niittymaki will be a serviceable backup and may provide a push to Smith as the number 1. This will be a transition year for this franchise. They will be better… but moving up in the Southeast Division will be difficult, if everything falls right for this team, they will contend for a playoff spot. I don’t expect everything to fall right…

Nothing really fell right for this team, which drove the inevitable fall of the axe on the GM and coach… this franchise is floundering a bit and needs some stability.

Toronto –

Brian Burke has brought in the muscle in an attempt to toughen the image of these Leafs. Their blueline should be much improved and I expect Vesa Toskela to be MUCH better this year... I do expect them to struggle a bit in the scoring department until Kessel gets well… and even then, they may not have enough firepower, but tough hockey will keep them in a lot of games. The playoffs may be a stretch, but the earlier they get Kessel on the ice, the better their chances.

Pretty close on this one… Burke has this franchise moving in the right direction, if the Toronto media would back off a bit and let the guy operate, he could fix this team, I don’t expect that to happen either…

Vancouver –

Getting the Sedins and Luongo locked down to long term deals is an obvious feather in the cap of this organization. Now the question becomes, how does this team react to the over one month of not having a home game during the Olympics? The Olympic break itself lessens this impact and I don’t expect it to hurt the team at all. An outstanding defense, excellent goaltending and a serviceable offense makes Vancouver a strong contender this year. They will be a force in the West and contend for the Cup.

Pretty well on target here, I expect the Canucks to go far in the playoffs.

Washington –

The big questions in Washington are how much does Alexander Ovechkin want a Cup? Crosby now has a cup, will Ovechkin do what is necessary to get one of his own? There’s a solid supporting cast in Alexander Semin and Nicklas Backstrom. The addition of Mike Knuble won’t hurt. Question marks remain in net … The Capitals all come down to this… will Ovechkin adjust to a more team oriented concept to help his team? The trick is in the balance between carrying the team and letting his supporting cast rise. This may be the year for another step for the Capitals, playoffs are a lock and a deep playoff run is probable… unless they can’t get the goaltending stable.

I’ll stand by this one, and more is yet to be proven…

Nashville –

Health is the watchword for Nashville this season. A healthy Nashville team will be competitive and will be in the mix for a playoff spot. If the injury bug bites too hard, or bites at the wrong time, or bites the wrong player, well… things will not be good. This Predator team is not deep at forward and needs their top five to play at their maximum in order to stay in the race. The top line of Arnott / Dumont / Sullivan will get their share of points, it’s the second line that must step up. David Legwand and Martin Erat will make almost $10 million between the two of them in ’09-’10. They need to produce like their salaries. Goaltending will be strong, truth be told, Dan Ellis looks to be the hotter goaltender coming out of camp, but Pekka Rinne will not give up the top spot easily. The Predators will be in the playoff mix in March but crossing the finish line in the top 8 will be a herculean task in the ultra competitive West.

Well… surprise, surprise… it’s another playoff appearance for the Preds, I can’t say that I was sure on this one, I expected the Central to be a bit tougher than it ended up being, given the failures in Columbus and St. Louis. Legwand and Erat had spurts of success in scoring… Legwand had his normal strong year defensively, but needs to produce more on the scoresheet. Injuries were there, but not extensive and younger players stepped up to cover. The goaltending battle was fierce, ultimately won by Rinne who finally played like he did last season to solidify the number one slot in March.

Overall… a decent year for me, some real turkeys, but some gems as well… my playoff previews begin tomorrow.

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COMING UP ON THIS WEEKS RADIO SHOW…

For the most updated guest information go to our website. You can check out our podcasts atour show's podcast page.

Wednesday 4/14 – Playoff preview edition of the show with Hockey Night in Canada Radio’s Jeff Marek previewing the Eastern Conference, and our own Terry Crisp will be joining Pete Weber and I to break down the West and focus on the Predators / Blackhawks. We get it going at 6pm Wednesday on SportsRadio 560 WNSR. Plus, we’ve got two pair of tickets to give away for the Preds/’Hawks series home opener that takes place on Tuesday 4/20… brush up on your Pred Playoff Trivia Knowledge to score a pair of primo seats.

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You are invited to follow me on Twitter. Search for PredPAPaul… Not only will I be updating when I get news or updates… I’ll also be updating during Pred home games in season with information and explanations from the PA box.

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Mark your calendars… The Predators are having an open house tonight from 6pm to 8pm at Bridgestone Arena. This Open House will feature free pizza and drinks, locker room tours, inflatables, Gnash and the Predator Dancers plus a special “Select-A’Seat” event.

Available season ticket locations will be tagged so you can easily see available locations and try out the view before purchasing. Full and Half Season tickets will be on sale with a special gift with each season ticket purchased. Each full season ticket seat purchased receives a $100 gift certificate to the Predators Pro Shop, half season tickets get $50 per seat purchased. You can get your seat and your gear at the same time!

The Open House is tonight at the Bridge from 6-8pm.

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