What's Next 2011: Boston Bruins

It took almost 40 years, but the Bruins get to drink for Lord Stanley's chalise once again. A team that played with a lot of heart, a lot of grit, and had their fair share of controversial moments got the ultimate prize in hockey and will now get a chance to revel in the moment.

You could say the Bruins wouldn't be this far with Tim Thomas, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy for Playoff MVP and bounced back from hip surgery last season and was able to regain his #1 spot over Tuukka Rask. Thomas went through a lot in his career and it was definitely a great story for him to win the Cup. Considering he and Rask will be together once again next season, the Bruins should be in good shape in next for their defense of the title.

The forwards, who really had a committee scoring system this year-- are mostly all back for next season; with Brad Marchand as a RFA and Michael Ryder being the only UFA with Mark Recchi retiring. The question will probably be if there will be any movement from the forwards to get Marchand under contract, especially with the possibility of Marc Savard coming back. However, if Savard or even Nathan Horton have some relapses, that could give the Bruins a bit of breathing room when it comes to their salary cap situation. There shouldn't be any adjustment needed in terms of welcoming new guys into their system; which could be good or bad.

The same circumstance is happening with the defense, as the same guys are back for the Bruins, with only Tomas Kaberle and Shane Hnidy not having a contract, and odds are they may not be brought back either. My thought is that as long as the Bruins have Zdeno Chara back there, the rest are just filler. That said, Johnny Boychuk and Adam McQuaid played solidly on the blue line, while Andrew Ference added more veteran presence back there along with Chara.

Whether or not this solidifies Claude Julien being behind the bench for a while, he did show that he didn't let the rumors of his possible demise rattle him too much and was able to deal with some serious injuries and really bring home a winner to the Boston fateful-- the city who has won all four major sports titles in North America in a seven year span.

What's Next 2011: Vancouver Canucks

They looked like they were destined for their first Cup in franchise history, but a bad bounce here and there; as well as some bad performances on the road were the downfall of the Canucks. Especially with a load of defensemen and some grinders needing contracts, it could be busy for GM Mike Gillis this summer, especially after dealing with a loss.

First, let's look at goaltending. I don't care what anyone says, but Roberto Luongo is a world-class goalie. He's got a Gold Medal in the Olympic and in the World Championships. Sure, he was shaky and sure he has 11 years left on his contract.....but he's a goalie who can win in big situations. I don't know what the hell happened in the Finals, but he played great at home up until Game Seven and he may need to work on the mental side of his game to be the best. Luongo is there for a while, but the big question is if Cory Schneider will get more time in net next year or will be dealt in the off-season so he could get a chance with another organization; but after next season-- odds are he won't want to be in Vancouver, knowing he'd be second fiddle to Luongo.

The defense could be the big issue, as Kevin Bieksa, Christian Ehrhoff, and Sami Salo are the big names on the blue line that are free agents. While Salo's injuries will probably take his stock down, I wouldn't be surprised to see the other two back in the fold, especially with the offensive prowess they possess. The bad part is that Keith Ballard is still under contract for the next four seasons, which will probably be buried or tried to be moved considering how much faith the team lost in him this playoffs. The core was sturdy this season and Gillis will probably do what he can in order to keep them together.

Up-front, the core of the Sedins and Kesler are going to be back, but the questions will be if the Sedins they can show up in the playoffs, which they had trouble doing this playoffs. Kesler was a guy who gave his heart in the playoffs, even if he wasn't scoring he was bring energy. When it comes to who to re-sign; two RFAs in Maxim Lapierre and Jannik Hansen will probably be retained; but the future of the UFAs like Raffi Torres and Chris Higgins will probably be up in the air. Torres probably not, if only because there's plenty of agitators on the team as it is and they don't need another, while Higgins could get retained if only for the point that he'll be affordable and can adapt to situations regardless of what they are. The forward lines can be a mix-n-match and still be solid like clockwork because of the top-six being solidified.

It'll be a long off-season for the Presidents Trophy holders, but they won't have too many wholesale changes-- which bodes well for the team next season, as they aren't losing out on too much of the players and will probably have the motivation going into next year and actually want to finish it off rather than have all off-season to think what could have been.

And as a comment on the rioting-- I'll say this: the city doesn't deserve the idiocy of the meat-heads who don't follow the team as closely as others and didn't get their frustration out with the UFC last weekend. I feel bad for the true fans who get grouped into this and hope the idiots who did this get brought to justice and the city can recover.

What's Next 2011: Tampa Bay Lightning

While it wasn't the Cinderella story we all thought it would be, the first year of the "new" look Lightning set the bar pretty high for next season. However, with the GM and coach tandem they have, this playoff was probably a warning for the rest of the East to look out for the revitalized Bolts.

The biggest question heading into the off-season is the goaltending. Dwayne Roloson is probably not going to be back, mostly due to his age and possible price tag after the playoffs he had. Yet, Mike Smith is also a UFA, which will be interesting to see how that negotiation goes with how he played in the Conference Finals. With two young goalies like Dustin Tokarski and Jaroslav Janus signed and ready to go, but are they ready to back-up Smith?? You can bet GM Steve Yzerman will shop the market for a decent back-up for Smith if they retain him.

Obviously, the big thing for Yzerman before that is locking up Steven Stamkos, who is a restricted free-agent and probably will get a nice long-term deal to stay around with Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier for the future. Granted, while Simon Gagne won't be back-- other role players like Sean Bergenheim and Teddy Purcell will be top priority for Yzerman over Gagne. The offense was very solid and they have plenty of firepower up and down the line-up; which should take pressure off the top-three guys. Plus, you have to look for James Wright and Carter Ashton to make a big push to get into the everyday line-up and even bump some of the role players.

On the blue-line, the core seems to be there with Victor Hedman, Mattias Ohlund, and Pavel Kubina will be back-- but what could be something to look at is whether or not Eric Brewer will be back with the team. Brewer won't light the score sheet on fire, but could be an invaluable defensive resource. There's not much on the horizon, so the free agent market should be solid for the Bolts to replenish what they may lose.

Regardless of what happens and whatever parts are actually in the line-up; Guy Boucher will be able to mold those guys into his kind of players and will be able to keep this solid run alive and build off of that. So long as the players buy-into it, they'll be fine. If they don't, then they may have a long-bumpy road to get to this spot again.

What's Next 2011: San Jose Sharks

While they did win one more game than they did in last season's playoffs-- the Sharks really have some interesting questions to ask themselves, especially when the production of their top stars was so far off of last year's pace.

We'll start there, as the big-three of Patrick Marleau (-10 in points from last year), Dany Heatley (-18), and Joe Thornton (-19) were very off kilter. Luckily, the role players like Joe Pavelski and Ryane Clowe were able to help counterbalance the lack of production that the big-three didn't put up. Rookie Logan Couture was also a pleasant surprise for the Sharks this season; potting 32 goals and 56 points; allowing the Sharks to see that they have a bright future. Another concern for the Sharks is that Heatley was virtually invisible during the playoffs, going goalless in the last eight games, only collecting three assists in those games-- which could create issues for the remaining three years of his contract, which holds a no-movement clause.

Defensively, Dan Boyle had a slight hiccup, but he was able to actually keep the offensive side of things going for the Sharks, while Jason Demers definitely cemented his regular spot for the line-up with his play and leading the team in plus/minus rating. When Ian White came over from Carolina, he provided a solid help, but it's doubtful he'll be back considering how well that Justin Braun played in his 28 games coming up from Worcester. Douglas Murray was again solid for the Sharks (for the most part), while Marc-Edouard Vlasic played stellar in his stay-at-home role he plays.

The goaltending of Antti Niemi was shaky at the start, only putting up only five wins in 12 games in the first two months, but while Antero Niittymaki couldn't overtake the starting gig that was handed to him; Niemi took hold. Niemi showed that he could be a starter in this league and his Stanley Cup victory was no fluke at all. With Niemi locked up long-term, it's his team to guide. Niittymaki only has one more year left, but he probably won't see much time behind Niemi.

I don't know if the Sharks could every wipe off the "choker" label, despite being in the Western Finals for two years straight. The fact is that this is a team that always comes short on expectations, which could be due to the high expectations they have set on them. Whichever way you dice it, the signs of greatness for this team is there-- it's a matter of following through on the actual signs.

What's Next 2011: Detroit Red Wings

After breezing through the first round, injuries and a hot team caught up to the Red Wings. They will always be a force as long as they keep pumping out those late-round picks that become superstars, but who knows how many teams have caught up to to them with that certain thing.

Up-front, Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg are superstars on this team and really should keep this team together for the long-run. Luckily, their contracts are still good for three seasons, which will help the team along. The big thing now is the the transition processes that are going to happen, as odds are that Kris Draper and Mike Modano will retire and the Wings will need to re-sign Drew Miller and Patrick Eaves in order to fill their roles. While it's good enough to bring the youth movement thing, you have to wonder how much leadership they'll be losing in the older guys and if they'll bring in another veteran guy for next season to counteract things.

On the defense, Nicklas Lidstrom is still a force, and you can almost bet he'll be back for yet another season to anchor the Wings defense. While he's on the older side of the spectrum, he can still get the job done and looks effortless doing it. Things are looking up for Niklas Kronwall, as he had a solid bounce-back season from a knee injury last year. Brian Rafalski and Brad Stuart will be back and while Rafalski played well, Stuart is probably capable of a lot more. With all things going as they are, what's going to happen with replacing guys leaving-- as Ruslan Salei won't be brought back, but Jonathan Ericcson is a solid young defenseman and will probably be part of any rebuilding process the Wings could endure.

Goaltending wise, a lot of people are still questioning Jimmy Howard-- which is odd considering he had another 37 win season, like last year-- but his GAA and save percentage ballooned a bit. The question now is what to do with a back-up, as Chris Osgood's injuries are probably going to have him out of the organization and probably the league. There's a nice crop of back-ups out there, but you need to get a guy who's able to play back-up, but get on a run as a starter if needed.

A lot of people are pondering of the Red Wings are going to be blown up, but I don't see a reason why. They have a solid bunch of players who are stars and have a lot of veterans to teach the younger guys how to actually win. They have a good young core moving forward and GM Ken Holland can always turn anything that glitters into gold; and they should be worried about the day he leaves the organization.

What's Next 2011: Nashville Predators

It was a banner year for the Nashville Predators, going further than any previous Predators teams and then actually showing they could keep up with the top team in the NHL. However, the downfall of the team was something that could very well be fixed in the off-season for them.

When it comes to defensively, the Predators are definitely solid-- with Shea Weber leading the charge and getting him signs should be top priority, because if it gets to July 1st-- he will be offer-sheeted at 12:01 AM. That said, with Weber as the cornerstone-- the young core they have is stellar; Ryan Suter helps the offensive cause with Weber, Cody Franson is slowly developing into a solid two-way player, and Kevin Klein rebounded from last year nicely and honing his stay-at-home prowess. The defense is definitely the main point for the Preds game-plan and they've build it up very nicely.

In net, it seems that Pekka Rinne has really broken the curse of Tomas Vokoun leaving and has solidified himself as top-tier goalie-- especially with his Vezina Trophy nomination. Even so, Anders Lindback had a decent season as a back-up in his first season in North America; which could provide a solid 1-2 punch going forward-- but Rinne is going to be the guy for years to come, or so the Preds hope.

Offense is really the big thing that could be holding the Predators back. With only two guys hitting the (exactly) 50-point plateau and only two guys having more than 20 goals; it could be the reasoning they couldn't have beat the Canucks. That said, Martin Erat and Patric Hornqvist are definitely guys who can reach for a big output if they're given the free reign, while Sergei Kostitsyn did a lot for getting paid a little-- which could turn out to give him a solid payday this summer. Also, Joel Ward's performance in the playoffs should get him a nice contract this summer as well. The addition of Mike Fisher should bring not only a veteran presence, but a solid forecheck for the defensive front.

In the end, the Preds did more than many expected and brought the city alive and into hockey, which many people doubt for the past........several years. They have a lot to build on and all the tools to make Nashville a hot spot for hockey in the next few years.

What's Next 2011: Philadelphia Flyers

History did not repeat itself, as the Philadelphia Flyers couldn't come back from a 0-3 second round deficit against the Boston Bruins; getting swept this time around. There's a lot of questions with the Flyers, but it starts from the back out.

Since 1999, the Flyers really haven't had a solid goalie. Sure, they've had a lot of stop-gaps, but the patch-work continues. While Sergei Bobrovsky did a solid job in the regular season-- the playoffs were a much different story as they leaned more on Brian Boucher and Michael Leighton for a small window. Is this something that's going to continue?? Well, both Bobrovsky and Leighton are under contract, so I assume they'll lean on Bobrovsky more and maybe he'll learn, while Leighton just hangs around, hoping for a chance to pop in there.

To the positives, the Flyers were able to get a lot of former first-round pick Claude Giroux, who lead the team in points this season, whilst his landlord, Daniel Briere proved to be a solid goal-scorer in the first round, but didn't seem to appear much in the second round. Mike Richards and Jeff Carter also had solid seasons, though the scoring all sound was spread out for the Flyers-- having seven 20-goal scorers with Ville Leino only one goal away from joining that club. There's not much to worry about when it comes to the offense in the coming years-- just have to hope that it's as spread out as it was this year.

On the blue line, Matt Carle continues to excel, leading the Flyers' D in points and tied for the lead in plus/minus with Andrej Meszaros. Meszaros himself had a pretty solid year, bouncing back from some subpar seasons in Tampa Bay. Chris Pronger missed a good chunk of the season due to various injuries, including some of the playoffs where he dealt with a lingering hand injury. All in all, the defense probably had to play better, given the fragility of the goaltending at any given moment.

It definitely wasn't the rebound from the Stanley Cup finals appearance last year-- but the Flyers did what they could. Peter Laviolette may be on a tight leash next season, but with a healthy squad-- who knows what this team could have done. Yet, until something is done about the goaltending, odds are there won't be many other question as prominent as that one.

What's Next 2011: Washington Capitals

Another year of expectation and another year of playoff disappointment. There were a lot of ups and downs through the year, but the fact is they tried to adapt to the system that was put out for them after their playoff failure last season-- yet it seemed to elude them in the second round this year.

The biggest question is what to do with the coaching staff. Bruce Boudreau is going to be at the front of the fire storm, but odds are-- he won't be fired....yet. While he's almost in year five of the five-year plan, I'm sure the brass of the Capitals will keep a close eye on the coaching staff and see how they play out at the start of the season to see how the player's react to any new style that may come through the pike from this off-season test.

This season was one of different looks from the Caps. Alex Ovechkin was exciting, but not as productive as previous years, with only 32 goals and 85 points. Nicklas Backstrom was definitely off his game, being down 36 points from last season-- which will probably result in us learning that he had an injury holding him back, with only two assists in nine playoff games. Two big questions is (1) can they afford to keep Brooks Laich in the Caps jersey and (2) what to do with Alex Semin?? The first question should be an easy "yes", but depends on how much is too much for the Caps. The second, like the player, is much more difficult and could change at any minute.

Another big question for the Caps was goaltending, but it seems that Michal Neuvirth stepped up and took over the role as the top goalie in the Caps fleet. The next question is who to keep for a back-up or 1b?? While Semyon Varlamov has been injury proned and threatened KHL migration-- Braden Holtby has been a great surprise for the Caps. Odds are that Holtby will be retains and Varlamov could be on his way out.

Defensively, it's hard to argue that the pairing of Karl Alzner and John Carlson were the go-to combination; but the Mike Green and Jeff Schultz pairing created some headaches in the playoffs; coupled with Green's injuries that limited him to 49 games. Luckily, John Erskine upped his game and a full year out of Dennis Wideman should provide some added help on the blue line.

When all is said and done, this will be a disappointment for Caps fans and fodder for the people who think the Caps are overrated from their sudden rise to popularity; yet for those (like me) who have been through the ringer with the Caps-- it's not unexpected. In the immortal (paraphrased) words of the Great JonnyP, "The Caps are like the girl at the bar who you flirt with and she flirts back and you think you have something. You exchange numbers and you call and leave a message and she never calls back. The Caps never called back."

What's Next 2011: Pittsburgh Penguins

In what started off like a runaway championship season, coupled with a home outdoor game-- a series of unfortunate events came to fruition through the season and karma seemed to catch up to the Pens, who went up 3-1; but losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning in seven games.

While the loss of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin cannot go unnoticed, the team seemed to step up without them during the regular season and then in the start of the playoffs. While they couldn't catch up to the pace Crosby has, the likes of Chris Kunitz, Tyler Kennedy, and the trade deadline acquisition of James Neal was able to keep the Pens afloat, as well as almost taking the Atlantic Division crown. Pascal Dupris even added things to the offensive side while keeping up in his defensive responsibilities. However, there's a lot of question in regards to the likes of Dupris, Kennedy, Max Talbot, and Mike Rupp-- just to name a few; as they are free agents and it's a question of whether GM Ray Shero will keep their services as $55.7M is tied up in 17 players for next season, which-- even if the salary cap goes up, could be hard to juggle in keeping all the character players.

Luckily, the defensive side is all signed for next year-- lead by Kris Letang, who really jumped out of his shell and started to show the offensive side which the Pens sought when they drafted him. The new acquisitions of Zbynek Michalek and Paul Martin played solidly defensively, while Ben Lovejoy did while while playing the shuttle from press box to playing time, putting up 17 points in 47 games-- which could be a nice in-between from Letang and Martin. Also, Matt Niskanen, who came over with Neal, will also have a full-season to show off and see if he can get an extension with Pittsburgh.

In net, the Flower-- Marc-Andre Fleury-- was solid as always, continuing his solid play with his third straight year of 35+ wins, which was a little more meaningful this season, with many of the top guns out for the year and the goal-support not really there. A lot of fans were trying to campaign for the MVP nomination for Fleury, which would have been great for the team MVP, but overall-- may have been a stretch. Brent Johnson also was solid in his games, which included 13 wins and one KO decision-- which made him a folk hero in Pittsburgh, as did his role in Winter Classic 24/7.

As a whole, the season could have been a lot different if the Crosby and Malkin tandem were in the line-up for the full season; but the role guys shows their valor and showed their worth without their big guys in the line-up; and did a damn good job, as well.

What's Next 2011: Montreal Canadiens

For the team who was the miracle of last year's playoffs, they couldn't get it done this year. It was a different goalie, but one who played as good, if not better, than the one last year, but they ran into their arch-rivals and couldn't seem to solve their Vezina nominated goalie. Now, what is there to do with the Montreal Canadiens.

Starting in net, which was the big story in the off-season, Carey Price did seem to live up to what the critics set out for him. While playing 72 games and winning 38 of them, Price was able to be 8th in save percentage (of goalies who played 25 or more games) and 10th in GAA (25 or more games). With that kind of workhorse ability and consistent play; the Habs look like geniuses in terms of which goalie was the right one to pick. However, they may want to get their back-up some more playing time, as not to burn out they young netminder. Alex Auld did well in his appearances and could probably be re-signed at a low cost.

The defensive story was that of PK Subban, who had solid rookie-campaign point-wise, though his minus-8 leaves something to be desired. Yet, the bigger issue is that only PK Subban and Jaroslav Spacek are under contract as defensement-- James Wisniewski, Roman Hamrlik, Andrei Markov, and Hal Gill are all UFAs. While Hamrlik will probably be gone and it'll take a big discount for Markov to come back-- Wisniewski will probably be a big focus on getting back into the fold, as he had 30 points and +4 rating in 43 games with the Habs. He brings a lot of intangibles and can log a lot of minutes for the team. Gill could be up in the air because he does bring shot-blocking ability and size....but there's not too much else that makes him overly worth keeping.

As for offense, the Habs came into the playoffs as the lowest scoring team out of the 16 teams that were in the start of the playoffs. They spread out their scoring throughout the depth chart, but at the same time-- didn't have someone who was one to take the reigns. While captain Brian Gionta lead the team, he still had under 30-goals, while they only had three other players with more than 15 goals on the year. Yet, with a lot of RFAs and only six forwards under contract-- who knows what will be done to try and get some secondary or primary scoring when it comes to this team.

They had the big run last season, but just couldn't get it going this year. Even so, the play of certain players, like Price and Subban, could have hushed the harshest of critics; even if it's just for a little while. The Habs will always be under an intense microscope and will never get any relief; but if they can get the right crew assembled-- they'll be able to drown out all the obnoxiousness from the press.

What's Next 2011: Chicago Blackhawks

There were ups, downs, and a glimmer of hope-- but in the end, the defending Stanley Cup champions will not be back-to-back champs. While they had quite the uphill climb, they showed the heart of the champion in coming down from 0-3 in their series to push it to overtime in Game Seven against the top team in the NHL.

While a lot of the depth and character players left, the play of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, and Patrick Sharp kept the offensive wheels going, while Marian Hossa provided some solid secondary scoring for the Hawks. While you can't replace guys like Andrew Ladd, Dustin Byfuglien, Kris Versteeg, and others-- Dave Bolland, Bryan Bickell, and Michael Frolik filled in the roles as best as they can. However, you bet that they're going to just fill in the pieces with the roster because of the salary cap and because they have their big players filled out for the long-term.

Back on the blue-line, Duncan Keith had quite the downturn, having half the goals as he did last year and was down 24 points from last year; although he had a hell of a playoff series against Vancouver. It could be a Norris Trophy season-long hangover, but expect a bounce-back for Keith. His partner in crime, Brent Seabrook had a career-points year; matching his career-high in goals and setting an assists high. His offensive spark came out and picked up the slack for Keith's short-comings. One bad sign was Brian Campbell, who set a post-lockout career-low in points, which at $7.14M a year for the next five years....could be an alarm or just hopeful that it's a small blip on the radar.

Yet the most interesting storyline was the same as last year-- an unknown goalie coming to take an establish goalie's spot. Corey Crawford has been in the Hawks' system for six seasons, finally getting his break and thanks to the shortcomings of Marty Turco, was able to shine for the Hawks and will probably create yet another conundrum, as Crawford is due for a raise as a RFA and it may be too much for the Hawks to afford, as they have 14 contracts at just over $51M, leaving little space for much of a raise. Hopefully something can get done, because Crawford looks like he could be the next big thing for the Hawks netminding woes.

It was a valiant effort for the Cup champions, but it seemed the emotion from the clawing back was what drained them in the end. Coach Joel Quenneville did what he could with the bad hand he was dealt. And they almost pulled it off, which would have been like a Cup victory for them.

What's Next 2011: Buffalo Sabres

While it looked like the they had things in hand and were going to do it for not only a new owner, but for a fallen legend, the Sabres couldn't get the job done and will have to await a full season with the new owner to see if they can actually have a playoff change of fortune.

The story of the team was Ryan Miller, per the usual-- but more over, the play late in the season by back-up Jhonas Enroth, which is a welcome sign. While the goaltending controversy won't be for another couple of year, the play of Enroth will actually give the Sabres some options when it comes to rest Miller and not wear him down as the season rolls forward. Not to say that it was the lack of endurance that sealed Miller's fate, but he hasn't really had a solid back-up in many years and probably has been burning out from the years of overuse.

Offensively, the Sabres were the fourth highest in the East; which you would never know as it is almost scoring by committee. Thomas Vanek and Brad Boyes were 30-goal scorers, while both Tyler Ennis and Jason Pominville were 20-goal getters. In all, 12 of the Sabres were in double-digits in goals, which bodes well for the depth of scoring they could possess, especially considering Derek Roy was out most of the season due to his freak leg injury. Should Roy come back as good as he left off, he'll make the Sabres that much more offensively dangerous.

Tyler Myers had a bit of a sophomore slump, but he played well in the new calendar year to try and save a year that could have been lost. Yet, the rest of the defense had plenty of guys you don't often equate to solid performer-- because many don't know their name. Andrej Sekera had a solid bounce-back season with 29 points and a +11 rating, while Steve Montador continued to be consistent on the blue line with a +16 rating. The next big thing could be Mike Weber, who put a good effort when he was in the line-up and was eased into a regular role, thanks to injuries and what-not. If the youngsters continue to mature consistently, then they should round-out the rest of the team and give the Sabres that final piece for a dominant team.

Luckily, the Sabres will have a decent amount of cap-space even after they re-sign their RFAs and with new owner Terry Pegula willing to spend money to put together a winner; odds are they will be big players on the market this summer, which should bring a lot of promise to the Sabres fateful. Things are looking up in Buffalo, but at least for this season-- it's without a Cup championship.

What's Next 2011: Los Angeles Kings

While trying to build from last year, the Los Angeles Kings looked primed to be the next big team out there to build themselves up from nothing to something big. That will have to wait another year, as they were eliminated by in-state rival San Jose Sharks. It was another case of a team's star player being injured and tampering with a long run in the playoffs.

Said injured player, Anze Kopitar, was again fantastic on both sides of the puck, but due to the unfortunate ankle injury, his season ended earlier than the Kings. Also, Dustin Brown was a solid performer, leading the team in goals. However, one issue could be what's to make of Wayne Simmonds, who didn't seem to have the buzz surrounding him as he did a year ago. While Simmonds only had a 10-point drop off, he didn't seem to have the same flair that got a lot of buzz around him last season. Maybe it was just a sophomore slump, but for many saying that Simmonds is going to be an explosive force for the Kings in their future-- it may be a hit in that progress. That said-- Justin Williams and trade-deadline addition Dustin Penner could help out the Kings for next season.

Defensively, Willie Mitchell was a solid pick-up for the Kings, although he missed 25 games due to injury and once Drew Doughty overcame his slow start, he and Jack Johnson were the offense for the defense. Doughty should be set for a nice raise, as he is a RFA this summer. Yet, another drop-off was Davis Drewiske, who was talked about a lot during last season; but was usurped by Alec Martinez; who is somewhat similar to Drewiske and could actually be one to be the next unknown defenseman who comes up and takes over without a lot of people taking notice.

One interesting note should be what will happen in goal, as Jonathan Quick didn't play horribly in the playoffs or in the season; but you have to wonder if Jonathan Bernier will start to pick-up some more games here and there. Granted Bernier may not be able to take the starting role away from Quick just yet-- he played well enough to get around 30 games in next season-- which depending on the play of both; may give us some interesting controversy or a two-headed monster that is unbeatable.

There are baby-steps in the process of progress, and the Kings are taking their steps. Luckily, with Brayden Schenn on the horizon, the future can only get better and could only take off from here. The question is whether or not all the promise in this team can actually be fulfilled or if this is a mirage of what could have been.

What's Next 2011: Anaheim Ducks

After the ups and downs of this season, after some injuries and uncertainty, the Anaheim Ducks had their luck come to an end, but luckily for them-- plenty of positives came out of it, though they were the first team with home-ice advantage to go out in the playoffs; which could be a cause of concern-- but nothing needing drastic changing.

The one issue is what's going to happen in net and whether or not Jonas Hiller is going to be able to return to form. As you may remember, Hiller had vertigo-like symptoms after the All-Star Game due to getting hit in the mask with a puck, but luckily the unlikely duo of Dan Ellis and Ray Emery were able to carry the workload and be a solid tandem down the stretch, but it seemed to fall off when the playoffs came. While Ellis is signed next year, Emery is a free agent and has shown he could be a solid insurance policy, all dependent upon what's up with Hiller. Emery is probably groomed to be a 1b goalie, which he may not get in Anaheim; while this may be a mirage for Ellis.

Offensively, there's little doubt that Corey Perry is now a big star, especially this year being the only 50-goal scorer in the NHL. That whole top line of Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, and Bobby Ryan could be in the running for the best lines in the NHL, which works out well with them being signed for the next two years together; they'll have more time to prove how well they can grow. A big question mark is whether or not Teemu Selanne will come back, and after the season he had (31g, 49a) and playoffs he had (6g, 1a)-- he'd almost be a fool not to come back with how well he's played. Though, at the same time-- he may want to go out while the gettin' is good and not tarnish what he built up this past year. That will probably be the biggest issue this off-season, whether or not Teemu will not only sign-- but be able to repeat this year's astonishing performance.

Cam Fowler was a kid who had to grow up on the spot, and while he had a feeling out process and while he still has to work with his defensive game (minus-25 this season) he will get better and better as the season goes along. All the while, Lubomir Visnovsky of all people, had an amazing year with 18 goals and 50 assists, leading all defensemen in the NHL in assists and points, while being second in goals. Added to his plus-18, his all around game was something that will give the Ducks hope and maybe a mentor for Fowler in the absence of Scott Niedermayer on the ice. Also, good for Fowler, was Toni Lydman, who was plus-32 on the year and could give the youngster some pointers.

As a whole, it was a bumpy ride for the start of the season; but at the end of the day-- they rode out the rest of the year; albeit they only lasted a short while. Randy Carlyle may have to re-look at this playoffs as something of a failure, but the season they had and the comeback from a dismal start showed character in a young team.

What's Next 2011: New York Rangers

Unlike last year, the Rangers could not pull out a miracle on the Washington Capitals like happened last year with the Canadiens, making it the second time in three seasons the Rangers have been eliminated by the Capitals. Yet, it's not all bad-- this year they actually made the playoffs. Though the undoing of the team could be the injuries.

The loss of Ryan Callahan for the playoffs could have been the turning point for the team before the series even started, because while he may not have had a complete turnaround for the Rangers, he could have definitely provided an impact. They could have not been in the 8th slot if guys like Chris Drury and Marian Gaborik weren't injured for a decent amount of the year. It's always a "what-if" when it comes to injuries, but it probably couldn't have hurt to have all their guys in the line-up.

Yet, the best part of the Rangers continues to be Henrik Lunqvist, who put his 5th straight 35+ win season and sixth 30+ win season. However, the injury to Martin Biron, who wasn't playing horribly, may have worn down King Henrik; which could be the downfall if they can't get a guy who is able to get some help down the line. Maybe next season, Biron can stay healthy and will be able to help out Lundqvist with the workload, which will help Henrik for the playoff time.

The offense for the team yielded five 20-goal scorers, but out of the East-- only the Canadiens had a worse goals-for total of the playoff teams. Gaborik is a guy who could actually be an offensive force like last season, but he also has to stay healthy-- which has long been a problem for him. A decent story is the young guns coming up through the ranks, like a Derek Stephan and Mats Zuccarello (Aasan), who made a decent impact in their rookie campaigns. The big question is what to do with Chris Drury, who was fighting off an injury this year, but his tenure has never been the best in the Big Apple, which could result in a buy-out for the former Little League World Series champion.

On the blue-line, Marc Staal really showed his true colors and is starting to show his world-class shutdown ability. Being paired with Dan Girardi really helped the Rangers slow down a lot of the offenses, but beyond that-- now much to scream home about for the defense. Matt Gilroy spent a lot of time in press box, while Ryan McDonagh played decently while up on the team, but could be on the bus between Hartford and NYC. Luckily, Bryan McCabe will be off the Rangers.....if they don't do anything stupid like re-signing him.

All in all, it wasn't a total failure in terms of doing better than last year-- but how many more of these subpar performances will it take for John Tortorella to stay behind the bench. While he was able to bring some spark to the Rangers and spirited debates with Larry Brooks of the New York Post.....there's only so much a team could take before you have to cut bait and look elsewhere.

What's Next 2011: Phoenix Coyotes

Didn't know it would be this early, but this is the series in the playoffs were I'll take a look at what possibly could be next for the teams that were just eliminated and what they can do in the off-season and all of that.

The Phoenix Coyotes have a lot of questions off the ice, but that's been very well documented and done to death. They have some issues on ice, as well-- as we've seen after being swept by the Detroit Red Wings.

The first thing is going to be what's going to happen with Ilya Bryzgalov. While he did have a stellar regular season, he didn't seem like he could handle the post-season this year very well and will definitely make some teams thing-- the Coyotes included. That said, the main thing is getting Bryz re-signed because he has given the Coyotes great life and the ability to get into the playoffs. One of the questions though is whether or not Bryzgalov would want to re-sign if there's uncertainty about the future of the team in the current locale. He may or may not be willing to move with the team, which could be a stumbling block-- but if they want him bad enough; the team could find a way to sway him.

Another cause of concern could be the offensive output for the team. While they passed around some of the goal-scoring, the fact is they only had one 20-goal scorer and one guy over 60 points. Shane Doan can only do so much and they do have a lot of better guys on the roster to pot some goals, but doesn't seem to happen. If they were able to get Lee Stempniak going again-- they should be able to have a solid secondary scoring besides Doan. Stempniak had 19 goals in 82 games this year with the Coyotes, while he had 14 in 18 games last year; which may be a concern for him and the team. The concern is definitely there for them when it comes to the long-run in terms of points on the board.

Defensively, the Coyotes are solid. Keith Yandle has come out as a solid defenseman and part of the new-breed of offensive defenseman that are in the league right now and will be a great asset to the team moving forward, which should yield a big raise for the RFA this year. While Ed Jovanovski will may not be back unless it's at a discount, he has molded the defensemen into a solid corp and Adrian Aucoin could pick up the role for next season if JovoCop doesn't come back. Though Rostislav Klesla could be an interesting case, going from a plus player in Columbus to a minus in Phoenix-- which may be detrimental to that side of things for the next three years.

However, the biggest question mark is the team's future in their current locale. With all the news and buzz around one way or another-- it's all going to come to a head, probably sooner rather than later. If the NHL draws this out for another couple of months-- it's a shot in the nads to the fans of the Coyotes and fans in Winnipeg for stringing them out for longer than they should have if they know what's going to happen next. It's a delicate process, but it's one that needs to be toppled as soon as possible.

It was another solid year for the Coyotes with another less than desired first-round exit, but in a swifter fashion than last year, but to the same team. They have a lot of promise and with Dave Tippett behind the bench, they'll do great things-- whether it's Arizona or Manitoba.

What's Next: Chicago Blackhawks 2010

First off, I CALLED IT!!

Second, like I said on my Twitter-- it's a damn shame that former GM Dale Tallon (now with Florida) couldn't be there on the ice to celebrate with the team that he pretty much created from the bottom up. I'm sure it's a bittersweet moment for him to see the team he help build do the laps with the Cup.

That said, it was a folly by Tallon that made the Hawks have to really get to this moment with this team, especially with the money that was doled out to the likes of Marian Hossa, Brian Campbell, and Cristobal Huet. Notwithstanding, the Hawks were able to pull it off and win the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1961, snapping the longest drought to date for years between the Stanley Cup.

Now, the inevitable question of what's going to happen next with this team.

Up-front, the likes of captain Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, David Bolland, and Hossa will be there for the long-term, but Tomas Kopecky, Troy Brouwer, and Dustin Byfuglien having one year left and Kris Versteeg and Patrick Sharp with two years left; it makes you wonder how they're going to dance around it. Obviously, Byfuglien will be a big guy to get signed due to his versatility and intensity; but could you get rid of the other guys without having to deal with any big shake-up. Versteeg and Brouwer are great when a man-down, but could you have other guys come up at a lesser price. Sharp and Kopecky could just be cut down to a numbers game, even with their secondary scoring ability at times. Even all of that: Adam Burish, Ben Eager, Bryan Bickell, and Jack Skille all need contracts for next season, plus the likes of Kyle Beach and Akim Aliu knocking on the door to get into the big club. I do not even GM Stan Bowman trying to figure this mess out in time for next season.

Defense is no better for Bowman, who has Campbell with six more years at over $7M, Brent Seabrook needing a new contract after next year and probably looking for a raise, Duncan Keith, who has 13 years left at a $5.5M cap-hit; all the while having Brent Sopel with a year left and probably trade bait and needing to sign others like Niklas Hjarmalsson or Jordan Hendry or someone else to fill out the six defense; though Byfuglien could drop back to play some and kill two birds that way. While the Hawks may have a great core of players, the odds of them staying together are going to be rough to manage. Again-- not envious.

Even more over, Antii Niemi is without a contract after this year and his Cup win will only make his asking price higher. Offer sheets may be out there, but even so-- the Hawks may do anything to keep him, especially because the faith in Huet is lost and Corey Crawford may still not be the answer, even though he's been waiting in the wings for the longest time. It'll be hard to deal Huet's contract, especially with two years left and ability to collapse like a house-of-cards on a windy day. This could be the biggest situation to fall on the Hawks, as Niemi did keep the Hawks in it more often than not when the going got tough.

Joel Quenneville definitely earned his keep and showed that his pick-up was something that was definitely needed for a team this young and with this kind of skill set. And while Bowman did inherit a gong-show of a payroll, they got the job done they needed. Rocky Wirtz did what his father couldn't and made hockey relevant again in Chicago and the fans came out. If anything, Wirtz could be....check that...is the savior of this market and could be looked at by many on how to conduct business even when you have a lot of strikes against you from a previous ownership.

Regardless of what's going to happen next year, in two years, or whenever-- the Chicago hockey fans should revel in this victory. They need to take it all in and enjoy every minute, as it may be fleeting. They believed in the new direction and the kids did alright. Let the worries begin in July-- the fun needs to continue through June.

What's Next: Philadelpha Flyers 2010

All good things must come to an end and it finally did for the Philly Crew. After all the turmoil that this team had gone through-- the goalie carousel, the coaching change, winning on the last day in a shootout-- the Flyers were much better than a seventh seed in the Eastern Conference and it showed as they were within two games of winning a Stanley Cup. However, they have plenty of momentum to build on.

Daniel Briere's performance in the playoffs shows that he is able to produce and is worth his money that GM Paul Holmgren has put into him over the long-term. Captain Mike Richards showed his try guts and really stepped up when needed, despite a disappointing output in the Finals. True warriors are the duo of Jeff Carter (playing with essentially two broken feet) and Simon Gagne (out with various injuries), who will have contracts up at the end of next season and the organization will have to shuffle some money around if those guys will be there beyond next season. While Daniel Carcillo (RFA), Darroll Powe (RFA), and Aaron Asham (UFA) are the only forwards without contract next season in all of this, the Flyers look pretty solid up and down the roster regardless of their re-signings.

The two issues result in the back-end. First, the defense, where Chris Pronger and Kimmo Timonen account for a cap-hit of $12.5M for the next three years, while Matt Carle and Oskar Bartulis are the only other defensemen with contracts next season. Decisions will be made about Ryan Parent (doubtful) and Braydon Coburn (very likely) when it comes to their RFA status, but there's going to be little money to go their way; which will hurt them in terms of depth. Even so, Pronger and Timonen showed they can still long huge minutes without wearing down too much, though fatigue could have been the reasoning for many of Pronger's penalties; though you couldn't deny how much he did rattle the Hawks for the first four games of the Finals.

The other problem is what to do in net. With little money to go around and Brian Boucher the only goalie signed to a deal-- this is where the Flyers will have to get creative. There's no doubt that Michael Leighton was the reason this team was able to get as far as they did and played very well, though it finally caught up to him in the Finals. He should get a contract, but the reality of the situation is that if he asks too much, he will be priced out of the franchise. Odds are the Ray Emery experience is over, which has promise; but was mediocre at best. While Sebastian Caron and Johan Backlund are probably gone to UFA, Jeremy Duchesne and Michael-Lee Teslak could be re-signed to AHL deals. Verdict is still out on the future of Nicola Riopel.

Full marks to Peter Laviolette, who was a big part of the turnaround and motivating the team when they were down. Paul Holmgren should be congratulated, too; but he has his work cut out for himself in the off-season. He'll have to find a way to mix things up in order to get the right guys paid and the wrong guys out of the room. He seems to have the magic touch and probably will be able to get what he needs to get done before the start of the 2010-11 season.

All in all, the Flyers have a lot to build off of, but they have a small window to repeat a performance with the group they have. The money issue is going to catch up to them soon enough and then they will have to hope for the best with the new crop of Flyers coming through the doors of the Wachovia Center. It was a magical run that got the city back up for hockey again and while it was a disappointing ending, the memory will remain fresh for a while.

What's Next: Montreal Canadiens 2010

The last placed team in the NHL when it came to playoff teams; knocking off the top-two Eastern Conference favorites, which had the NHL's top-two marketed players, making a folk hero out of the winner of their goalie dilemma and all from a team who many didn't think had enough to make the playoffs. The Canadiens have a lot to be proud of, even if they didn't get to where they wanted to be.

The defense was the main story of success for the Habs, who had one of the best shot-blockers in the league in Hal Gill in their line-up, who leads the playoffs with 68 blocked shots throughout the playoffs thus far. He is followed by Josh Gorges, who played well enough to have a regular spot and prominent role in next season. With PK Subban emerging, the offensive weight should be off the oft-injured Andrei Markov and relieve Marc-Andre Bergeron of his duties. Roman Hamrlik was less than stellar and could be a candidate to be bought out for Ryan O'Byrne to get more time next season. Moving forward, you'll probably see the like of Yannick Weber and Mathieu Carle get call ups and more time, but it'll usher in the new phase of Habs defense.

The goaltending debate is over, with Jaroslav Halak taking over the top spot from Carey Price. Halak will probably get a nice hefty offer from the Habs. They would be dumb not to offer him a nice contract after what he did for them in the playoffs and regular season; and should do it before offer sheets come rolling in. The bigger issues is what to do with Carey Pirce. Do they try to make him an offer knowing he'll be the back-up or try to get something back from trading his rights. I've mentioned before about what would have happened with Price in a different market, which could happen come this summer-- though I bet the Habs will try to ration with him; though it could fall on deaf ears.

Up front, the Habs will focus on getting Tomas Plekanec re-signed, especially since he was the top guy for the Habs in the regular season. Plekanec should command an affordable price tag, but with 10 forward locked up to over $25M, the Havs may not be able to rationalize a siging to break the bank. Luckily for Bob Gainey, the big three that he got in the summer and underperformed in the regular season stepped it up in the playoffs to save whatever legacy as GM that he had. With four prominent RFAs out there, the odds are they'll have to make a choice quickly on what to do. The Kostitsyns may be on their way out of the country, which would save a bit of money for the Habs since Andrei is under contract for another year, with Sergei a RFA this year. There's going to have to be a lot of shuffling and penny-pinching in order to fill-out the rest of the forwards.

While they overachieved, they made a city come alive. They were able to revitalize a great hockey city and showed that the underdog can still learn new tricks. Jacques Martin did have a lot of detractors, but he did enough to motivate his team to the Conference finals. Yet, at the same time-- how much was that because of his coaching or his players trying to cover for him?? That may never be revealed, but the Habs did a lot for their city and franchise in how they were able to come from the lowest point to almost the pinnacle. The real question is can they do it all again next year....

What's Next: San Jose Sharks 2010

Just when you thought they got over the "choke" label, the question comes back to them. How did a team who looked so good in one round, dominate to the two-time defending Western Conference Champions; look so flat and uninspired when four games away from the Stanley Cup finals. Thus is the enigma of the San Jose Sharks. They had the entire spectrum of emotion this year, but now it ends without the prize and swept by a possible destined team. But, what's going to happen now??

The big question lies about Patrick Marleau and what's going to happen with him. While the turmoil of his captaincy in the summer loomed into this season; he stepped up in the season with a career-high in goals and 2nd best points year in his tenure. In the playoffs, Marleau had eight goals, an eight-game point streak, and 13 points-- but is it enough to get him a new deal?? Probably, if he wants to keep his same wage. While he's consistent, Marleau never had too much explosive scoring prowess, which could help or hinder his leverage. Plus, the Sharks would have to worry about what to do with Joe Thornton who was nothing short of horrific in the playoffs with a minus-11 and only really showed up for the second round, where he got nine of his 12 points in the playoffs. That's right-- only three points in the other 10 games. With one year left on his deal, you have to wonder if the Sharks will press Thornton to move his No-Trade Clause to get money freed up. Luckily-- the likes of Joe Pavelski, Devin Setoguchi, and Ryan Clowe make the future bright for the Sharks with or without the likes of Marleau, Thornton, or Dany Heatley-- who only had 2 goals this playoffs, but doesn't get the heat thanks to the history of Marleau and Thornton.

Defensively, the Sharks are set for the long-haul. With Dan Boyle, Marc-Eduard Vlasic and Jason Demers in the fold for next year and beyond (for the first two, at least), the Sharks will be on the look out to fill out the voids. Rob Blake will probably not be back, but his leadership will have hopefully rubbed off on the young guys and all of that. Who knows what the Sharks could get, but with a lot of key forwards needing new contracts, you may see them build from within or get a couple of fringe defensemen who won't command much of a contract hit on them. With the core group, don't expect much of a shake-up from the Sharks on this front.

What more can be said about Evgeni Nabokov that hasn't been said before. While his number weren't the best, they weren't horrible either. The playoffs saw every side of Nabokov, who couldn't do everything for the Sharks, especially without the support other goalies get. Nabokov could have been gassed after workhorsing it again this year with Thomas Greiss not getting much time behind him and with the Olympics-- but he didn't show it too much. Nabokov is going to be a free agent and it may be wise for the Sharks to re-sign him, especially since the pickings are slim for the free agent market in terms of goalies. For how much and how long-- we'll know in July or earlier.

While the doubt surfaced in the first round, they got erased in the second, but now came back in the Western Final, as the Sharks now move into hearing about the what they could have done better, who could have picked it up, and the other questions they've endured during the last few seasons already. I'm sure they'll take it in stride since they are used to it.....or not.