Amazingly, we've made it through half of the NHL season. It doesn't seem like that long ago that any discussion regarding the league centered around salary caps and cost certainty.
Now the league is getting ready to jump into the Turin Olympics and teams are prepping for the stretch run into the Stanley Cup playoffs. The New York Rangers, Carolina Hurricanes, and Nashville Predators haven't fallen off yet, Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin remain neck-and-neck, and the defending Stanley Cup champions are still struggling to find their rhythm. Here's a look at some of the storylines sure to dominate the second half of the season:
Trade deadline — The trade deadline has been moved up to the beginning of March instead of the ridiculously-late date that it formerly resided on. This, along with the salary cap, will make it difficult for teams to make trades. Look for teams that are still in the playoff hunt and have room under the cap to make deals, though it's highly improbable that movement as significant as the Joe Thornton deal will occur.
Trending up — The Atlanta Thrashers finally got their No. 1 goalie back when rookie phenom Kari Lehtonen returned to the lineup. The team has clawed back into the playoff hunt with a tenuous hold on the last playoff spot. However, with a high-powered offense and some stability in net, don't be surprised if Atlanta's winning ways propels them even further up the standings.
Similarly, the ship has righted in San Jose since the arrival of Joe Thornton. With the Sharks' 1-2 punch of Thornton and Patrick Marleau up the middle, San Jose has the toughest center combination this side of Brad Richards and Vincent Lecavalier. Though the Sharks are still lacking on the blue line, Western Conference foes clamoring for the eight spot will have to watch out as the Sharks put the heat on.
Fading away — The St. Louis Blues are having their worst season in decades, waning fan support, and an ownership in limbo. Oh, for the days of Chris Pronger and Al MacInnis — or even Brett Hull and Wayne Gretzky. Instead, Blues fans can look forward to the prospects they will get for trading Keith Tkachuk and Doug Weight. Larry Pleau probably wishes he never made the Ladislav Nagy/Michal Handzus for Keith Tkachuk trade.
Still plugging — Let's be honest — the Washington Capitals will not make the playoffs. They probably won't get close. Still, the team is all about Alexander Ovechkin and his meteoric rise to superstardom. The Caps work hard, led by Ovechkin and, well, not a lot else. They'll be in the running for the Phil Kessel draft pick, but their fans should take solace in the fact that the team is going to be very good in several years.
The kid — And of course, there's the other rookie in the NHL. Sid the Kid is experiencing a hype backlash right now, but his numbers prove that Sidney Crosby is delivering as expected. Sure, he's shown some irrationality that comes with being an 18-year-old rookie, but that's to expected and forgiven. What's really telling about Crosby — and the Pens — is how their work ethic and overall success has changed since Michel Therien demanded more discipline and team play from his roster. Since then, Crosby has only gotten better.
Mo' money — The salary cap is going up — how far probably depends on a number of things, including the television and ticket success that will hopefully follow the Turin Olympics. Teams will start to prep for this by February, either by clearing space on a lost-cause season to chase big free agents or by acquiring more parts for a big run in the playoffs.
Dreaming of gold — Though the time zone difference will make the games a pain to watch live, there's no doubt that Olympic hockey is something special to behold. As always, three or four teams have rosters that could win it all, but it's hard to argue with Team Canada — a squad so deep that any combination of its 80-player long list could have put together a gold medal team. Of course, in single elimination tournaments, all it takes is one bad bounce or one bad game and a team of Hall of Famers can be eliminated.
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