What a difference a year makes. The 2009-10 NHL season ended on a goal by Chicago Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane, whose overtime score closed out the Philadelphia Flyers in six games and saw the Hawks hoist the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1961. Kane was a scoring fiend all season - he not only etched his name in Hawks history with his Cup-winning goal but also led the team in scoring with 30 goals and 58 assists during the regular season. At the United Center, the song "Chelsea Dagger" plays after every Hawks goal and win - but at times it seemed like The Fratellis should have been paying Kane royalties. He even made the cover of EA Sports' NHL 2010 video game.
But about this time last year, before he joined the likes of Michael Jordan and Mike Ditka in Windy City sports lore, Kane was spending the offseason nursing his bruised ego and PR image after he beat up a Buffalo, N.Y. cabbie because of $1.20 in disputed change. "Hide Your Kids, Hide Your Wife" would have been a much more appropriate theme song. Kane dodged any felony charges from the ugly incident, but the Blackhawks organization undoubtedly joined the Chicago media in questioning Kane's character and maturity.
One year later, it's safe to say that Patrick Kane has silenced the doubters and catapulted his game and his name into the ranks of the NHL elite. So how will the upcoming NHL season shake out? To prevent any Blackhawks bias, here are my preseason predictions for the Eastern Conference, alphabetized for your reading pleasure.
Atlanta: If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. The Thrashers subscribed to this theory when they signed four Stanley Cup winners away from Chicago this offseason. Among the new arrivals is Blackhawks playoff revelation Dustin Byfuglien, a forward-defenseman hybrid who terrorized opponents with 11 goals, five assists and countless bone-crunching hits during the postseason. Atlanta also solidified its goalie situation by signing former St. Louis Blues netminder Chris Mason. The Thrashers can't replace the individual production of star forward Ilya Kovalchuk, but small improvements across the board and the benefits of playing in the NHL's worst division should breed chemistry, confidence and a great chance at the second postseason berth in franchise history.
Buffalo: Despite winning the Vezina Trophy at season's end, goalie Ryan Miller deserved better in 2010. He almost willed the U.S. Olympic Team to a gold-medal upset of Canada, only to give up a game-winning softie to Sidney Crosby. He also carried the offensively challenged Buffalo Sabres on his back for the better part of the season but fell to the lower-seeded Boston Bruins during the first round of the playoffs. But Miller seems motivated as ever, and the steady production of forwards Derek Roy, Thomas Vanek and defenseman Tyler Myers - last year's Calder Trophy winner - should sustain a second consecutive divisional crown and deeper playoff push.
New Jersey: If the Patrick Kane edition of "Taxicab Confessions" caused consternation in Chicago last offseason, the Kovalchuk saga was even more damaging for the Devils organization. After being traded to New Jersey midway through last season, Kovalchuk signed a 17-year, $102 million contract with the Devils. The NHL quickly vetoed the deal and later punished the team with a fine and loss of future draft picks, and Kovalchuk was forced to sign at a slightly reduced rate. Now that the signing snafu is finished, expect new coach John MacLean, the franchise's all-time leading scorer, to lean heavily on Kovalchuk, leading scorer Zach Parise and arguably the greatest goalie in the game, Martin Brodeur. The Devils won the uber-competitive Atlantic Division last year but went out with a whimper in a 4-1 loss to the Flyers during the first playoff round. I expect a similar regular season finish, but as the season winds down this time around, the Devils likely will sacrifice a divisional crown to ensure their premier players are healthy and well rested for the Stanley Cup run, and they look to be the early favorite to win it all.
Pittsburgh: I only have room for one Pennsylvania team, and although the Flyers' improbable comeback against the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference Semifinals deserves mention, the rival Penguins boast better talent and didn't have to endure the offseason hangover that frequently affects the Stanley Cup runner-up. After leading the Penguins to the Stanley Cup in 2009, forward Sidney Crosby produced the most balanced 100-point season of his career with 51 goals and 58 assists. The 51 goals tied him with Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos for the league lead and easily surpassed his previous high of 39, but Crosby can only carry the Penguins so far on his own, and Pittsburgh bowed out to Montreal in the Conference Semifinals. In 2009, forward Evgeni Malkin, Crosby's offensive partner in crime, led the league in scoring with 113 points and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, but he disappeared last season and accumulated 100 penalty minutes for the first time in his career. If Malkin can rediscover his scoring touch and stay out of the sin bin, the Penguins have the ability and experience to make their third Stanley Cup Finals appearance in four years.
Washington: As usual, the Capitals have question marks on defense and in net. As usual, they also have an embarrassment of offensive riches to compensate. Fantasy hockey is like fantasy football - it doesn't give us the full picture of the real-life abilities of players and teams. But with three Capitals forwards - Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Alexander Semin - ranked in the ESPN fantasy hockey top 10, plus defenseman Mike Green's 70-point potential, I like the odds on Washington to repeat as the top-scoring team in the NHL. Still, you don't win titles without great goaltending - a lesson the Caps learned the hard way against the eighth-seeded Montreal Canadiens and goalie Jaroslav Halak. A third-straight Southeast Division crown should be a formality this year, but for a team desperate to erase memories of last season's heartbreaking first round collapse and win the franchise's first title, the Caps need at least one of their goalies of the future - Semyon Varlamov and Michal Neuvirth - to grow up fast.
Last year was the year of the Hawk, but the Cup is fair game for all 30 hockey teams starting Oct. 7.
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