Despite aging roster, Wings will raise Cup
Easier pick is Crosby cleaning up awards again, namely Hart Trophy as MVP
Claus Andersen / Getty ImagesDespite an aging roster that includes 45-year old Chris Chelios, contributor Kevin Dupont says the Detroit Red Wings will be the ones to take home the Stanley Cup this season.
Q: Think the Devils will be able to handle paying their first nine games on the road while the finishing touches are being done on their new home in Newark?
— Steve from Toms River, N.J.
A: Should not be a big problem, Steve. The Devs won't play on home turf until Oct. 27 (vs. Ottawa), but their last three matches of that opening nine-game stretch are at Philly, at the Islanders and at the Rangers. In fact, their only game between Oct. 20 at Uniondale, N.Y. (vs. the Isles), is the trip through the Lincoln Tunnel to face the Rangers on Oct. 25.
The Devils will return to the Garden State without leaving the EDT time zone and their longest hike will have been to Sunrise, FL, for stops against the Panthers Oct. 6 and 11.
All in all, it's about the easiest opening nine-game road stretch, at least in terms of travel, that anyone could ask. No surprise that GM Lou Lamoriello, among the shrewdest in the business, knew how to work the schedule maker.
Q: Will Jeremy Roenick stick around long enough to get his 500th career goal with the Sharks?
— Paul from Irvine, Calif.
A: JR is in great shape, but I must admit, with no shortage of regret, that his act has grown repetitive and old.
Now 37-years-old and well past his playing time, Roenick all but said he was retired as last season drew to a close. He was still out of work late into the summer when the Sharks came along with an offer to buttress their forward corps, leaving him stacked below top pivots Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau.
It's a nice situation for JR, who needs only five goals to reach the 500 plateau (1,252 games, 495-675—1170). He'll easily get that handful of goals, and unless he grows restless (one of his trademarks), then he might have a good run into the playoffs with the Sharks. But his last two seasons, first with the Kings and then the Coyotes, have been very disappointing. What he needs now more than five goals is to polish up his game, realize he is only in a support role in San Jose, and most of all, not gripe and whine if head coach Ron Wilson decides to scratch him for a few games.
Q: Which new coaches are likely to have the most/least impact this season?
— C.N. from Utica, N.Y.
A: Mike Keenan hardly qualifies as a new coach, but he's new in Calgary (one of the few teams left that he hadn't coached), and Iron Mike has a history of making an impact (be it negative or positive) wherever he goes. I am willing to bet that the Flames shake the slow starts that have plagued them, especially the last two years.
The Bruins were a mess last season under the tutelage of Dave Lewis (now an asst. coach in Los Angeles). They played below their talent, again finishing out of the playoffs. Claude Julien is the man of the hour now in Boston--at least at last check--and his defined, disciplined approach could have the Bruins poking around for a No. 7 or No. 8 playoff seed. Sorry to say, that would be a big improvement for the Spoked-B's.
John Paddock is back in the bench business, having taken over in Ottawa with Bryan Murray's ascension to the GM job. Tough spot for Paddock, who inherits a team that went to the Cup final. Reaching the final might be the best this team can do, which means it might only get worse. No coach wants a team that can only get worse.
Raw rookie Brent Sutter takes the job in New Jersey, where Julien got whacked with the club ranked second in the East. Now it's a roster that could be challenged to play much above .500. That wouldn't be Sutter's fault, but then, Julien wasn't much to blame either.
Kevin Dupont writes regularly for msnbc.com and covers the NHL for the Boston Globe.
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Check out highlights as the New Jersey Devils advanced to the Stanley Cup finals by defeating the New York Rangers, 3-2, in overtime.
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