The NHL season's been in swing now for a few weeks, and there's been no shortage of surprises or talking points. From rookie phenoms to surprise division leaders, here are four of the biggest stories kicking off the 2009-10 season — and a look to see how they'll play out over the coming months.
Can the Coyotes Keep Winning?
Looking to re-create a scenario straight out of epic sports films like "Major League," the Phoenix Coyotes are off to a rollicking start. Well, rollicking might be overstating it — they are winning, but they sure aren't playing rollicking hockey. In fact, new coach Dave Tippett's system is a throwback to the bad old days of trap-tastic hockey. A win is a win, or so say the remaining Coyotes fans, and wins will do more to re-establish a team in its marketplace than anything else.
While Ilya Bryzgalov's numbers are scary good so far, one has to look at the new defensive structure Tippett has in place to fully understand why that goals-against is as low as it is. Throw in shot-blocking machine Zbynek Michalek and a commitment to team defense, and you've got a team that's able to win 1-0 and 2-1 games, with the occasional scoring outburst from skill guys like Radim Vrbata and Shane Doan.
Prognosis: Cautious optimism. Like many teams before them, the Coyotes will continue to win based on solid team defense. However, their record is a house of cards, and any sort of setbacks — extended scoring slumps, major injuries, etc. — will reveal that team defense can only go so far. If all goes right, they'll battle for anywhere from sixth to eighth place.
Are the New York Rangers For Real?
Yes, Virginia, there is such a thing as up-tempo hockey and it's been played quite well in New York right now. Consider last year a transition phase, as the New York Rangers went from Tom Renney's snoozefest to John Tortorella's safe-is-death style. The biggest benefactor to this is Marian Gaborik, who longed for a way to unleash his offensive skills, but was forever squashed by former coach Jacques Lemaire. Throw in strong starts from rookie blueliner Michael Del Zotto and emerging forwards Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan, and things seem golden in the Big Apple.
Or do they? The Rangers have everything going their way right now, but the specter of injury always looms over Marian Gaborik. Much like Pavel Bure in his day, Gaborik can be one of the biggest game-changers in hockey — and his groin can snap with a single stride on the ice. If Gaborik falls for any extended period of time, the entire dynamic of the Ranger attack changes.
Prognosis: Unclear. Gaborik's health will be a wildcard for his entire career. The Rangers' fortunes aren't tied exclusively to Gaborik, but he's a huge part of it.
How High Can John Tavares Go?
His team isn't winning, but John Tavares is already proving his worth — passing vision, strong puck control, and a quick shot, Long Island hockey fans are already lapping it up. How long can he go and how high will it be? He's got things working for him and against him. Tavares already has shown great chemistry with Kyle Okposo, and he's being put in situations designed to simultaneously help him grow and provide immediate dividends. In other words, he's getting a ton of ice time, and why not? If he's the future of the organization, might as well see what he can do.
Of course, there will be the inevitable rookie slump. And after a dozen or so NHL games, coaches will better understand his tendencies and how to contain them. As Tavares can't legally buy a beer in Long Island yet, he's yet to fully develop his upper-body strength. At some point, the rigors of the season — and the brutality of opposing defensemen — will wear him down.
Prognosis: Good. So far, Tavares is meeting expectations. A 75-point rookie campaign isn't out of the question, with 80-85 points possible if all goes well.
What Will Happen in Chicago?
For all of the positives that have blessed Blackhawks fans since the passing of Bill Wirtz, they've got a pretty interesting road ahead. When you've got your two best forwards (Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane) and your best defenseman (Duncan Keith) up for new contracts at the end of the season, there might be some internal tension as the days turn to months. When you're up against the cap facing those issues, that internal tension might change into a big fan headache. And when you're stuck with three huge and unmovable contracts (Marian Hossa at $5.4 million cap hit over 12 years, Brian Campbell at $7.1 million over the next eight years, Cristobal Huet at $5.625 million over the next four years), well, you've got a disaster waiting to happen.
Some might say that these off-ice cap issues shouldn't be taken into consideration this early in the season, but the on-ice product has already been directly involved. Huet's play has been, to put it politely, disappointing, and he's never shown a consistency that's warranted his big contract. Campbell always thinks offense first, and the 'Hawks saw first-hand how that could bite them at the wrong time (the playoffs), and Campbell's even been booted off the first power play unit for parts of this season.
Prognosis: Shaky. If those long contracts and cap issues weren't an issue, Campbell would be sold to the first bidder and Huet would be sitting in favor of an alternative. However, the Blackhawks are handcuffed by these awful contracts, and they've got no cap room to get health. While they may be highly entertaining to watch, these issues create problems that could eventually change the face of the roster come trade deadline time.
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