The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Gazing into my crystal ball, I take on the role of Nostradamus and predict the future...of how Canadian NHL teams will perform this season. I know what you're thinking. How can he make predictions with teams still working to improve? Few unrestricted free agents remain and training camps quickly approach, the mystery of knowing how teams may fare is fun. Besides, the media has always been known to do this so why break tradition? Another reason for doing this early is because there's no fear in being wrong. If I'm reasonably accurate, I can look like a genius. Starting in Eastern Canada, the Canadiens have been relatively quiet. They let Patrice Brisebois walk and replaced him with former Red Wing Mathieu Dandenault and re-signed Alexei Kovalev, who was a Canadien the season before the lockout. Keeping him is key to the Habs having offensive power. They also re-signed most of their restricted players. Expect Montreal to finish in the sixth spot in the East. The Leafs biggest splash in free agency have been signing concussion victims Jason Allison and Eric Lindros. Losing Gary Roberts and Joe Nieuwendyk may hurt though Nieuwendyk has become injury prone. Maple Leaf fans will be happy that fan favourite Tie Domi didn't become a Penguin after all. Depending if Allison can be an offensive threat for the Leafs as he was while with Boston and Los Angeles, he could be an incredible bargain. If the gamble pays off with Lindros also, the Leafs look good at center with Allison and Sundin. Look for them to finish fifth in the East. Staying in Ontario, the Senators don't need to do anything as they have a solid team. If Dominik Hasek plays the stellar game he's known for they may have the best chance to win the Stanley Cup. Don't forget the word that sentence started with. The only player loss saw Todd White go to the Minnesota Wild. The Senators have been busy re-signing their restricted free agents to solidify the existing roster. Expect the Senators to finish tops in the East. Moving West the Battle of Alberta may reignite as the Oilers added Chris Pronger and Michael Peca while the Flames brought in Tony Amonte and tough guy Darren McCarty. With the Oilers adding a defensemen of Pronger's caliber, that should help Ty Conklin and Jussi Markkanen do their jobs better. It's the first time the Oilers have had a player with Mike Peca's abilities. Both should help the Oilers make the playoffs after missing them the year before the lockout. A lot of ifs with various players will give the Oilers a chance to claim a higher playoff position. Expect them to finish seventh. The Stanley Cup finalist Calgary Flames boosted their offense and toughness with Amonte and McCarty. The losses of Martin Gelinas, Dean McAmmond and Craig Conroy shouldn't be costly. The goaltending situation for Calgary is good with Miikka Kiprusoff recently signing and the newly acquired Phillipe Suave from Colorado. Making the playoffs shouldn't be a problem as long as the newcomers develop chemistry sooner rather than later. Look for a sixth place finish. On the West Coast, the Canucks calmed the nerves of fans by re-signing Markus Naslund and silenced any thought of Todd Bertuzzi wanting out. They have since signed other key players. The only losses in player personnel were the trade of defensemen Brent Sopel to the Islanders and Marek Malik signing with the Rangers. Their most recent signing was Richard Park, who played for the Minnesota Wild. He will likely fill a third or fourth line role. The goaltending tandem of Dan Cloutier, who has something to prove, and Alex Auld should help Vancouver finish second in the West. When the regular season is done, Canadian fans should be happy with all six teams qualifying for the playoffs. Keep your eyes glued on Edmonton and Calgary as their performance should be interesting to watch.
