Pre-Season Report: Atlanta Thrashers

The post-Kovalchuk era has begun in Atlanta, leaving us looking to a group of youngsters to pick up the slack. The Thrashers have now turned the page on a decade that saw the likes of Dany Heatley, Marian Hossa, and now Kovalchuk come and go. Armed with some new acquisitions and rookies waiting in the wings, the rebuild is officially underway in Atlanta. Now the Thrashers, with a new GM and coach, can focus on building and developing from within. This, of course, means that it might be another tough year for fans in Atlanta.

The Forwards
The Atlanta Thrashers have an impressive group of young forwards. After some wheeling and dealing this off season, GM Rick Dudley brought in some Stanley Cup winners in forwards, Dustin Byfuglien, Andrew Ladd, Ben Eager, and defenseman Brent Sopel. These are all good players in their own right, but are merely role players. They add experience, toughness, and solid work ethic to a team that sorely lacks those attributes. They wont however, replace Kovalchuk's ability to dominate offensively.

Along with the new additions, the Thrashers have a good young cast of forwards. Centreman, Nik Antropov has been a reliable 60 point producer, who at age 30 still has some good years ahead, while Rich Peverley has shown that he can score 15-20 goals. On the wings, the Thrashers have some scoring potential with Niclas Bergfors and Bryan Little. Bergfors was acquired by Atlanta in the trade that sent Kovalchuk to New Jersey and played well for the Thrashers, scoring 17 points in 27 games as a Thrasher.

Bryan Little had a bit of a rough 2009-2010 season, but at 22 is still developing. He is more than capable of getting back to the 30 goal plateau that he hit in the 2008-2009 season. Then there's Evander Kane, the 19 year old who showed the league what he is capable of scoring wise and physically (just ask Matt Cooke of the Penguins). At six-feet, 2 inches and 190 pounds, Kane utilizes his size in driving to the net. He is capable of reaching the 40-50 point range, but can also dominate on the ice with his toughness and tenacity. With prospect Patrice Cormier moving up in the depth chart as well, the Thrashers have some solid players in which to build around.

The Defense

Despite having lost Pavel Kubina to free agency, Atlanta's defense is one that has the potential to surprise people. With Sopel the only player over 30, the defense is young, but also quite experienced. Zach Bogosian and Tobias Enstrom have shown that they have some serious talent, but their offensive output slowed after the Kovalchuk trade. However, these two are talented and greatly improve the Thrashers ability to move the puck.

Johnny Oduya, who was also acquired by the Thrashers in the Kovalchuk trade, is a solid defenseman that can be used in many situations. He was a solid acquisition by the Thrashers management. Ron Hainsey and Freddy Meyer round out a pretty solid top six.

The Goalies

Now that Kari Lehtonen and Johan Hedberg have moved on, the Thrashers hope that Ondrej Pavelec can continue to develop and grow into a number one goaltender. Pavelec has shown that he has the ability to be Atlanta's starter, but he will be eased into the position, especially now that Chris Mason has been added. To me this was a great move by Thrashers management. They not only have signed a solid goaltender, but they have signed someone who is willing to work with Pavelec. At 34 years old, Mason will share the goaltending duties, until Pavelec is ready to take the job full-time.

The Scoop
On paper the Thrashers aren't the greatest team to look at, but in all honesty, I believe that they have a pretty solid club. Their defense and goaltending are strong, but their forwards will need some more time to grow. Now that Kovalchuk is gone, the team will put more focus on defense and their all around game. This is the type of team that will have a few players in the 40-60 point range, but lack that game breaking forward. As this team grows, they will rise up the standings.

My Prediction: 11th in the East. I would love to put them higher, but I think the East is going to be so tight that the Thrashers will simply be pushed down.

Pre-Season Report: Anaheim Ducks

The big question the Anaheim Ducks face heading into the 2010-2011 NHL season, is whether or not defensemen, Lubomir Visnovsky and Toni Lydman can fill the shoes of all-time great, Scott Niedermayer on the blueline, and more importantly, on the powerplay. The Ducks will miss the smooth skating, Niedermayer, as he was a catalyst for the Ducks transition game and offense. However, the Ducks do boast two forward lines that can match up against almost any team in the NHL. And with dependable winger, Teemu Selanne deciding to come back for another season, the Ducks continue to have a veteran presence on the team.

The Forwards

In my opinion, the Ducks' first line rivals any in the NHL. It has speed, tenacity, and scoring ability that will frustrate any team. Bobby Ryan, Ryan Getzlaf, and Corey Perry are young, tough, and very talented. The second line features Finnish veterans, Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu. They are both getting a little long in the tooth, but both are great leaders and still capable of potting 20 goals. Forward depth is somewhat lacking in the bottom six, but this offers the chance for prospects like, Brandon McMillan, Matt Beleskey, Dan Sexton, Ryan Carter, and Troy Bodie to prove their worth to the team. They will get the chance to perform on Anaheim's third and forth lines.

The Defense

The Ducks have lost their best puck moving defenseman, and captain, to retirement, but added an offensive blueliner to help fill the void left by Niedermayer. Lubomir Visnovsky was acquired from the Edmonton Oilers with the hope that he will continue to produce from the back-end like he has over the past five years. In his last 354 NHL games, Visnovsky has collected 242 points, with 66 goals. Compared to Niedermayer's 264 points over the same period of time. An excellent output for the Russian defenseman.

Toni Lydman and Andy Sutton were also added to the blueline to provide stability and leadership. The rest of the blueline is rounded out with a good combination of young players and veterans, like Sheldon Brookbank, Luca Sbisa, and Brendan Mikkelson.

The Goaltenders

With the departure of J.S. Giguere to Toronto last season, Jonas Hiller has finally become the uncontested number one goalie in Anaheim. Hiller has impressed many with his skills and calm presence in goal. At only 28 years of age, Hiller is in his prime, and should offer stability in the Anaheim net for years to come. He is very capable of achieving 30+ wins this season.

After dealing Vesa Toskala to the Calgary Flames for Curtis McElhinney last season, the Ducks may have finally found a solid backup to serve behind Hiller. Since going to the Ducks, McElhinney seemed to find some confidence, going 5-1-2 in ten starts with the Ducks. Finding a good backup is so important, and I think the Ducks have done a good job filling that role.

The Scoop
The Anaheim Ducks have some great forwards, some good defenseman, dependable goaltending, and exceptional coaching, but they will be in tough to make the playoffs in 2011. As many teams in the Western Conference improved this summer, the Anaheim Ducks mainly stood pat. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but competing against the other Western Conference powerhouses will take its toll. There is a lot of potential with this team, but more depth is needed moving forward. Ducks GM Bob Murray will need to find the right mix to complement his young stars. I for one, believe this team will once again be fighting for supremacy in the Pacific division. Just not this season.

My Prediction: 12th in the West