Opening Night... I'll be camped in front of Vs. watching hockey... WoooHOOO!!!

Last of my predictions/previews... the Central division...

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Chicago • Active in the offseason again after last year’s disaster area, the Blackhawks have added Martin Havlat, Michael Handzus and Bryan Smolinsky, frankly overpaying for Havlat… GM Dale Tallon added Patrick Lalime who got injured so they signed Brian Boucher in free agency to back up Khabibulin. If the Bulin Wall is back to form the Hawks will be better. Once again the worst owner in the NHL has an enigmatic team that will either compete for a 7 or 8 spot in the conference, or finish dead last…

Columbus • Addition of Fredrik Modin is a real positive, trading Marc Denis for him still has me confused… Pascal Leclaire showed flashes last year, if he doesn’t work out then you’re looking at Ty Conklin. GM Doug MacLean has to be thinking that he can make a deal for a goaltender if this plan doesn’t work out. Huge expectations have been placed on rookie Gilbert Brule from a team that needs him to come out and play like a veteran. Large question marks on the blueline remain… the biggest question mark for the Jackets? Nikolai Zherdev… sure he’s signed, but how does he react to the scorched earth approach that GM McLean took with this negotiation, ripping the agent and the player on various radio shows. I just don’t sense a clear direction for this franchise. Some have picked this team to win the Central… I can't see that but they could contend for the playoffs...

Detroit • No matter what you hear, the losses of Yzerman and Shanahan are huge to this team. Lindstrom will do a fine job as captain, but he is no Stevie Y. Any team with Datsyuk and Zetterburg will score goals, there is plenty of talent on this team and coach Mike Babcock will get the most from it. Now… to the goaltending… where do you begin? While Manny Legace just couldn’t get it done in the playoffs, it would be unfair to lay it all at his feet, after all he did end up with a 2.19 GAA and 37 wins last year in the regular season. The return of Dominic Hasek makes for interesting talk show (and rumor site) fodder, if he can stay healthy (and that’s a big if), the Wings are still a solid team… if he doesn’t stay healthy, then all depends on when the injury happens. If he goes down before the trade deadline, then the Wings can make a deal, after the deadline? Then they go into the playoffs with Osgood… in the 90's that worked, in 2007? Yikes!

St. Louis • Age is creeping up on the Blues with the addition of Doug Weight and Bill Guerin to Keith Tkachuk… Great upgrade in goal with the addition of Manny Legace and on the blueline with Jay McKee, however there is just not enough talent on this team to contend. The Blues are heading in the right direction and will be better after last years debacle, but I don’t see them contending for a playoff spot this year.

Nashville • After their second consecutive first round exit, the call went out… Get Bigger… Get Younger… The Preds did both. They got bigger down the middle in acquiring Jason Arnott and “yet-to-live-up-to-potential” Josef Vasicek. The team got younger in jettisoning Greg Johnson, Scott Walker, Danny Markov and Brendan Witt. The team gets a new captain in Kimmo Timonen, and a whole lot younger on the blueline. The late offseason acquisition of JP Dumont only adds more pop to the offense, and helps with the grooming of superstar in training Alexander Radulov, who begins the season in Milwaukee. With all-star goaltender Tomas Vokoun locked up for the next five season, it may be the time for the Preds to take on favorite status. Playoffs are a lock... First in the division is a real possibility.

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