TEN BURNING QUESTIONS

Which rookie should we be most excited about? Which Canadian teams will make the playoffs? On the eve of the NHL season, our panellists answer these questions and more.

1

What prospect or rookie are you most excited about watching this year?

CC: Jesse Puljujarvi, because everyone else will say Auston Matthews. Also, because I think he was a steal in the draft for the Edmonton Oilers, who never seem to catch a break ( joking).

MT: Patrik Laine might not be the second coming of Teemu Selanne, but with his Ovechkin-like release and knack for scoring goals, the Finnish rookie should provide a similar buzz for Winnipeg fans. Unlike Auston Matthews, Laine’s going to a team that’s not rebuilding. SC: Auston Matthews. It will be interesting to see how the teenager’s stats compare with Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel. Unfortunately, Matthews has to play for the Leafs, so it’s going to be a long season for him.

JM: Just as it was for McDavid on every day ending in ‘y’ last season, it’s Auston Matthews this time around. His play at the worlds was an eye-opener for everybody. I can see him getting 50 points with the Leafs.

JB: None will get the opportunities to score that Patrick Laine will. He’ll make good on an obscene number of them, too, making him a lock for the Calder.

2

What off-season addition will have the biggest impact for his new team?

CC: I’m tempted to say Shea Weber because he’ll be super-motivated after all the grief he took for being the return on the P.K. Subban deal. But Brian Elliott in goal for the Calgary Flames could give his team more of a lift in the standings, but only because they signed Johnny Hockey.

MT: The Flames allowed the most goals in the league last season, so naturally getting a No. 1 goalie in Brian Elliott is a huge improvement. How huge? Well, the former Blues netminder had the best save percentage and was top-3 in goalsagainst average last season.

SC: P.K. Subban in Nashville. Sports Illustrated has called the Predators the Golden State Warriors of the NHL and Subban will be the point guard. It will be fun to watch him under Peter Laviolette instead of the defensive-minded Michel Therrien.

JM: Brian Elliott in net in Calgary. He never got an ounce of respect as the Blues’ goaltender, but he battled Corey Crawford in the playoffs last spring and beat him.

JB: P.K. Subban will do the impossible this season. He’ll make the Nashville Predators both relevant and entertaining.

3

What was the worst deal of the summer (free-agent acquisition/ trade/hire)?

CC: It’s the deal the Dallas Stars didn’t make: a contending team that proved in the playoffs that it didn’t have a Stanley Cup-worthy goalie between Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi (yes, he won in Chicago, but ...) just went a summer without filling its biggest hole.

MT: There are a lot of options for worst contract, but the one I didn’t get was Boston signing David Backes to a five-year, US$30-million deal. The Bruins needed to get younger and faster. Instead, they just became older and slower.

SC: The Canadiens better be very good, very soon, or the Subban deal could bring back memories of the Patrick Roy trade to Colorado. At age 31, Shea Weber’s not getting any faster, while Subban brings speed to Nashville and will get better.

JM: I could say Taylor Hall for Adam Larsson because Hall will probably get 80 points in Jersey, but god knows how bad the Oilers’ defence has been. At least Larsson is a legit D, albeit a defenceman who shuts down people, not puts up points.

JB: The only thing more dispiriting than a failed coach being recycled by his old club is when that coach is Randy Carlyle. His best-case scenario is the Ducks get only marginally worse.

4

Who will win the Art Ross Trophy as the league’s top scorer (with how many points)?

CC: I had a hard time seeing anyone playing better, or scoring more consistently, than Sidney Crosby after the Stanley Cup and World Cup MVPs. But now, the concussion worry and who knows where that leads? So Patrick Kane gets it with 98 points.

MT: I look for duos when deciding who will win the Art Ross Trophy. And there are few duos better than Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn, who compiled 74 goals and 162 points last season. Benn won the scoring race two years ago. Now, it’s Seguin’s turn.

SC: Sidney Crosby was my favourite for the Art Ross before being diagnosed with a concussion. That could change things significantly depending on how much time Sid the Kid is out. If it’s for an extended period, I’ll go with Patrick Kane and 95 points.

JM: The homer in me should say McDavid and he’ll get his jersey number in terms of points but c’mon, we all know it’ll be Crosby, assuming the concussion troubles don’t last more than a few weeks.

JB: If Sidney Crosby is healthy, he’ll win by 20. If not, we’ll not only miss some peak Crosby, we’ll have to stomach another Patrick Kane Art Ross win with 94 points.

5

Who will win the James Norris Trophy as the top defenceman?

CC: The best defenceman in the league is Drew Doughty, but that doesn’t mean he’ll win. There may be some remorse among voters for not picking Erik Karlsson, and there will be so much focus on Subban-Weber, the team that gains most from that trade may well be the Norris winner. How’s that for sitting on the fence?

MT: After finally winning the Norris last season and emerging as Canada’s top defenceman at the World Cup, expect Drew Doughty to have his name engraved on the award multiple times.

SC: Since voters often look at points by defencemen when deciding on the winner of the Norris, P.K. Subban will take the trophy for the second time in his career after putting up some big numbers in Nashville, especially if he’s paired with Roman Josi.

JM: I don’t think it’ll be P.K. Subban or Shea Weber. I’m going back to the well to Duncan Keith, who’s won it twice already and looks like he could play 50 minutes one night.

JB: Why do I get the feeling a huge percentage of hockey writers will be itching to vote for Shea Weber? Scary thing is, Carey Price will make Montreal’s defence look stunningly improved and he will.

6

Which Canadian teams will make the playoffs and which will go the deepest?

CC: Montreal and Calgary will make it, and Edmonton and Winnipeg will be on the bubble. The Habs will go furthest if Carey Price stays healthy, because when he’s on his game, you can’t get a BB past him.

MT: Montreal (as long as Carey Price doesn’t get hurt); Calgary (as long as Brian Elliott doesn’t get hurt); and Winnipeg (as long as Connor Hellebuyck doesn’t get hurt). The rest are fighting it out for a chance to draft Nolan Patrick.

SC: If Carey Price stays healthy the Canadiens can squeak into playoffs and anything can happen after that when you have the best goalie in the world between the pipes. Like I said ... if Carey Price stays healthy.

JM: You’re optimistic. TEAMS, plural. Throw out the Leafs and Canucks. No chance. I don’t like Ottawa’s chances, either. I’ll go two: Montreal, because they’ve got Price, and Winnipeg even if they play in the Central.

JB: Let’s face it, Price deserved Hart Trophy considera- tion last season and he only played 12 games. He was 10-2, by the way. I wouldn’t bet against Price in any playoff series.

7

Whose good 2015-16 season was an aberration (player or team)?

CC: I still can’t bring myself to have faith in the Florida Panthers, despite glowing reviews of what they are building there. If Roberto Luongo doesn’t stand on his head, pretty sure they don’t finish 21 points ahead of Montreal again in the lesser of the Eastern divisions. I also think the New York Rangers’ window has now closed.

MT: I didn’t buy that Artemi Panarin was a “true” rookie last season. And I’m definitely not buying that the Chicago Blackhawks winger will put up anything close to 30 goals and 77 points again.

SC: After scoring 24 goals in 201314 and 29 in 2014-15, Tyler Johnson scored only 14 last season for the Tampa Bay Lightning. He’ll bounce back this season and might score 30.

JM: Jagr’s 66 points. He’s a freak of nature and he eats, sleeps and breathes hockey but he’ll turn 45 in February. He may be down to his age in points this season.

JB: John Gibson may have been second last year in goals against average, but it won’t be long before people realize the Ducks traded the wrong goalie.

8

Whose poor season was a solid indicator of reality (player or team)?

CC: Alas, the Vancouver Canucks’ fall out of the playoffs was no accident. The pressure just keeps being heaped upon the aging Sedin twins to produce the offence. Years of lousy drafting (only recently repaired) may take their toll for a while yet.

MT: Henrik Zetterberg scored 13 goals and 50 points last season. The disturbing number, however, was that he played in all 82 games. With Pavel Datsyuk gone, expect another season of decline for the 36-year-old.

SC: The Canadiens learned last season just how important Carey Price is. In fact, with P.K. Subban gone, the goaltender is the franchise now. The Habs took down their No Excuses sign in the locker room and should replace it with Carey Don’t Get Hurt.

JM: Former L.A. Kings’ captain Dustin Brown, 28 points and $5.875 million a season. He can still hit, but his average skating in this racehorse league is a major problem. He’s also 32 in November.

JB: The Vancouver Canucks will need nearly perfect health and luck to keep a safe distance from the Western Conference basement.

9

Which coach or GM is most likely to be fired before the season ends?

CC: I’m thinking John Tortorella had better get off to a good start in Columbus, but Willie Desjardins’ fate in Vancouver is tied to the ability of the Sedins to produce at age 36.

MT: John Tortorella might already be fired by the time you read this, so I’ll go with Florida’s Gerard Gallant. Panthers ownership is expecting the team to contend for a Stanley Cup, but it might not be realistic.

SC: Michel Therrien will have a very short leash in Montreal after last season’s disaster, especially with Kirk Muller now behind the bench as an “associate coach.” Plan B is in place, even though Muller can’t speak French.

JM: Two-way tie. Willie Desjardins, a very nice man, might be piloting the worst team in the league. And how can we forget Torts in Columbus? His shelf life is shorter than most bench bosses.

JB: It’s been two years since the Bruins were in the playoffs and in Boston that feels like 40. Claude Julien got the benefit of the doubt last year, but his time is just about up.

10

Who will win the Stanley Cup and who is the Conn Smythe Trophy winner?

CC: Oh, what the heck. Let’s go crazy and not pick the Penguins. It’ll be a sensational Chicago-Washington final, and the Capitals will finally prevail in a chess match between Barry Trotz and Joel Quenneville. Conn Smythe? Braden Holtby.

MT: From Steven Stamkos’ contract to Jonathan Drouin’s trade demands, it’s a wonder Tampa Bay managed to make the playoffs last season. With all that out of the way, making the final should be a breeze. Victor Hedman gets the MVP.

SC: No team has won back-toback Stanley Cups since Detroit in 1997-98. The Penguins will change that this year as I keep my fingers crossed that Sidney Crosby’s concussion isn’t serious and he caps the season with the Conn Smythe.

JM: I’m going way out on a limb and I’m saying those career underachievers in Washington. If so then, of course, the playoff MVP will be Ovie.

JB: If the Predators get goaltending, they could cruise in a conference where the power teams are declining. And Subban takes the Conn Smythe.