What's next for the Leafs?

As the losses pile up, the Toronto Maple Leafs' hot start is becoming a distant and fuzzy memory. Having gone 4-0 to start the season, optimism amongst Leaf fans was rapidly growing. Since then, the Leafs have come back down to earth, going 1-4-1 in their last six games. This is in large part due to a complete lack of offense, especially on the power play, where the Leafs converted 21 chances into only two goals in their last six games.

While their defensive play remains strong, the Leafs simply do not have enough scoring. Phil Kessel, the Leafs lone sniper, faces opposing teams top defenders every game and until the Leafs have more secondary scoring, keeping them off the scoreboard will be relatively easy.

So this past week when word came out that Burke had received a couple "solid" trade offers, nobody was surprised. This team needs more scoring, Burke knows this and rival GM's are circling the Leafs hoping that they make a panic move. There hasn't been much information on who these trade proposals include, but there has been speculation that the Leafs could be talking to a familiar trade partner in the Boston Bruins.

Here's a hypothetical look at who could be on the trade market that might interest the Leafs.

Blake Wheeler (Boston Bruins). Wheeler has some offensive upside, but has failed to produce on a consistent basis. Signed to an entry level contract by the Bruins in 2008, Wheeler was expected to provide secondary scoring. But so far this season, Wheeler has only tallied two points in eight games. Having scored 85 points in 171 career NHL games, Wheeler's point plateau seems to be around 40-45 points. At $2.2 million for this year, Wheeler's cap hit is large for his production, but he will become a free agent this summer.

Brad Richards (Dallas Stars). He's not going to the Leafs, but I do believe he will be traded this season, unless the Stars stay in the race for a playoff push. In the last year of a large contact that pays him a monstrous $7.8 million per season, Richards will once again head into unrestricted free agency as one of the NHL's best playmaking centremen. Also, Richards is off to another hot start with 14 points in ten games. There's no doubt that the Leafs would be better with Richards, but it remains to be seen if they have what the Stars would seek in return. Probably not.

David Backes name has been thrown around out on the trade rumor market, much to my surprise. I would definitely think the Leafs have interest in the young forward, but why would St. Louis let this guy go? He is up for a new contract this summer, and negotiations with the Blues have apparently been shelved, but I think the Blues get his name on a new contract. With five points in his first nine games this season, Backes is on pace for a 40-45 point season. In his career he has 72 goals and 161 points in 291 games, with 424 penalty minutes. The offensive potential and the toughness is something Burke would covet in this American bruiser. But, the Blues also see this.

The New Jersey Devils are also apparently interested in shoring up their defense. There have been rumors floating around that Burke and Lamoriello could be talking trade. But who would the Leafs get? Kovalchuk and Parise aren't going anywhere. Zajac? There's a small possibility, but probably not. Langenbrunner? Why would the Leafs do that?

All in all, what this tells us is that there aren't many big talented centres on the trade market. It's a hard commodity to come by, and the Leafs might be stuck with what they've got for now.

Saturday news and notes

It's a big night in the NHL, as there are 14 games on the schedule. Here's a look at the Canadian teams in action and some other news and notes.

- Florida Panthers at Montreal Canadiens. The NHL's hottest team will host one of the worst. The Habs have won their last four games in a row. Price has been excellent in goal, with six wins so far. Habs fans seem to have finally warmed up to Price...for now. Tomas Plekanec and Andrei Kostitsyn have led the team offensively, with 10 points a piece. Rookie defenseman, P.K. Subban has managed a respectable 6 points. Price will start in goal tonight. The Habs might get some additional help back tonight, with defenseman Andrei Markov expected to return from injury.

The Florida Panthers are currently in rebuild mode, which means it's going to be a tough season in Miami. Veteran defenseman, Bryan McCabe is leading the team with seven points, while the Vokoun has provided solid goaltending having faced 188 shots already.

- Boston Bruins at Ottawa Senators. The Boston Bruins have been solid. Tim Thomas is doing what I thought he would do and proving that he is still an elite goalie. He has two shut outs, five wins, no losses, and a .981 save percentage. Newcomer Nathan Horton has been a great fit thus far, leading the team in offense, with nine points in seven games. Tough guy, Milan Lucic has also stepped up his game, with seven points in as many games.

The Ottawa Senators on the other hand, have looked lost for the most of this young season. Goaltending and a lack of production from their top forwards have been the major factors in the Senators slow start. They will get some help tonight, however, as centre, Jason Spezza will return to action. They are on a two game win streak, so they hope to keep the momentum going against Boston tonight.

New York Rangers at Toronto Maple Leafs. Both the Rangers and Leafs have been struggling as of late, so both teams will come out hard tonight. The Rangers have lost two in a row and will try to get back on track with Lundqvist starting in goal. So far, Ryan Callahan is the scoring leader for the Rangers with 10 points in nine games.

The Toronto Maple Leafs started off the season as one of the NHL's best teams. They have come back down to earth over their last four games however, and will look to get their offense ticking once again. The Leafs will be without forward, Colby Armstrong, who broke his hand last week. The Leafs will go back to veteran Jean-Sebastian Giguere in net, who has won four of his six starts. Phil Kessel remains Toronto's highest scorer, with seven goals and nine points. The Leafs might also be without forward Kris Versteeg, who is dealing with back problems.

- Washington Capitals at Calgary Flames. The Washington Capitals have gotten off to a decent start again this season, with young goalie Michael Neuvirth's stellar play. Ovechkin unsurprisingly leads his team with 10 points, while playmaker Niklas Backstrom has struggled with only six points.

The Calgary Flames have been playing well, sitting at 6-4-0 on the season. This is due to some timely scoring from newly signed, Brendan Morrison, who leads the team with nine points. Calgary's defense seems to have tightened up this season, and Miikka Kiprusoff has continued to play well. He will get the start in goal against the Caps.

- The New York Islanders visit the Philadelphia Flyers at 7:00pm. The Isles have been kicking on all cylinders offensively, but will look to snap out of a three game losing streak. Defenseman James Wisniewski leads the team in points despite missing two games to suspension, with 11 points in eight games. He has been on fire this season. Sophomore, John Tavares, has also been playing well, with 8 points in 7 games. Rick DiPietro will start in goal for the Islanders tonight.

The Flyers have been mediocre so far this season, but Claude Giroux has carried over his playoff heroics into this season, leading the team with 6 goals and 9 points. Despite having fired 40 shots in goal in 10 games, Jeff Carter has struggled on the score sheet thus far, with only three goals in 10 games. There's no confirmation on who will start in goal tonight, but Bobrovsky stated last night, so the team might opt to give Boucher the start.

- Pittsburgh Penguins at Carolina Hurricanes. The Pittsburgh Penguins have struggled so far this season, mostly due to sloppy play from starting goalie, Marc-Andre Fleury. Brent Johnson has posted far better numbers than Fleury, and should this continue, coach Bylsma will opt to give the hot hand more starts. The Pens will try to stop a two game losing skid tonight. Sidney Crosby leads the team with 13 points and defenseman Kris Letang has been solid with 11 points. Johnson is likely to start in goal.

The Carolina Hurricanes have showed some promise this season with rookie Jeff Skinner helping create offense. Skinner and Eric Staal lead the team with 7 points. Goaltender, Cam Ward has been given the bulk of starts this season, but coach Paul Maurice will give Justin Peters a chance to show his worth. Peters could get a start as soon as tonight.

- Andrew Raycroft will start his first game of the season for the Dallas Stars against the Chicago Blackhawks tonight.

Leafs on the verge of a trade?

Toronto's AM 640 reports that there might be a trade on the go for the Maple Leafs. Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke told AM 640 that he has received two solid trade offers in the last two days. There are no details on who or what these trades consist of, but with Burke's comments, the speculation will continue to grow.

More to follow as the details to come in.

Probable Starting Goalies (Oct 23, 2010)

It's a big night in the NHL tonight, with 13 games on the schedule. Two of the NHL's hottest teams will square off when the Nashville Predators visit the Dallas Stars. The Boston Bruins will turn to Tuukka Rask tonight to get him some work. Veteran Tim Thomas has been stellar between the pipes for the Bruins so far this season, but the team wants to keep Rask fresh.

Buffalo Sabres (Miller) @ New Jersey Devils (Hedberg)

Toronto Maple Leafs (Giguere) @ Philadelphia Flyers (Boucher)

Atlanta Thrashers (Mason) @ Washington Capitals (Neuvirth)

New York Islanders (DiPietro) @ Florida (Vokoun)

New York Rangers (Lundqvist) @ Boston Bruins (Rask)

Montreal Canadiens (Price) @ Ottawa Senators (Elliot)

Anaheim Ducks (Hiller) @ Detroit Red Wings (Howard)

Pittsburgh Penguins (Johnson) @ St. Louis Blues (Halak)

Nashville Predators (Rinne) @ Dallas Stars (Lehtonen)

Columbus Blue Jackets (Mason) @ Chicago Blackhawks (Turco)

Carolina Hurricanes (Ward) @ Phoenix Coyotes (Bryzgalov)

Los Angeles Kings (Quick) @ Colorado Avalanche (Anderson)

San Jose Sharks (Nittymaki) @ Edmonton Oilers (Khabibulin)

Probable Starting Goalies (Oct 22, 2010)

Calgary Flames (Karlsson) @ Columbus Blue Jackets (Mason)

Tampa Bay Lightning (Smith) @ Atlanta Thrashers (Mason)

Ottawa Senators (Elliot) @ Buffalo Sabres (Miller)

Chicago Blackhawks (Turco) @ St. Louis Blues (Halak)

Minnesota Wild (Theodore) @ Vancouver Canucks (Luongo)

Probable Starting Goalies (Oct 20, 2010)

Buffalo Sabres (Miller) @ Atlanta Thrashers (Mason)

Anaheim Ducks (Hiller) @ Columbus Blue Jackets (Mason)

Vancouver Canucks (Schneider) @ Chicago Blackhawks (Turco)

Carolina Hurricanes (Ward) @ Los Angeles Kings (Bernier)

Early Surprises

It's obviously very early, but so far there have been some surprising teams and players in this young season.

- Despite having John Tavares and Mark Streit out of the lineup for the start of the season, the New York Islanders have shown that they can still score goals. Forwards, Blake Comeau and Josh Bailey each have 3 goals and 3 assists in 5 games.

- The Toronto Maple Leafs are playing some inspired hockey at start of the 2010-2011 season. At 4-0-0 thus far, the Leafs have shown improvements in all areas. Timely goaltending, a decent first line, secondary scoring, and most importantly an excellent penalty kill has led to an improved game. In fact, the thing that impresses me most about this team is its bottom six. Freddy Sjostrom has done incredible job on the penalty kill, along with tough guys Mike Brown and Colton Orr.

- Marian Hossa is off to a blazing start, tied with Brad Richards for the scoring lead at 9 points. Tomas Kopecky has been reaping the benefits of playing on a line with Hossa and Jonathan Toews. He is a solid player that was looked over in many fantasy leagues.

- With Kovalchuk locked in, the New Jersey Devils have got off to a very slow start, going 1-4-1 in six games. Offence seems to be non-existent so far.

- The offence has seemingly dried up in Phoenix as well. With only 8 goals in their first 4 games, it's no wonder they are 1-4-1 to start despite strong play from goalie Ilya Bryzgalov once again.

- The Dallas Stars are also 4-0-0 to start the season, riding Brad Richards and solid goaltending from Kari Lehtonen to the top of the Pacific Division.

- Michal Neuvirth is making a strong case to remain the Capitals' number one goalie, going 4-1 with a .930 save percentage and 2.16 goals against average, while Semyon Varlamov has been benched with injury. Now that Varlamov is healthy, one wonders what coach Bruce Boudreau will do. This is definitely an interesting situation to watch.

- The Boston Bruins are also in the midst of a goaltending controversy. Youngster Tuukka Rask is the obvious star goalie on he team, but veteran Tim Thomas refuses to go away like many thought he would. In my opinion, I've always seen Thomas as one of the most competitive players in the league, and to think he would fade into the background was silly. In two games so far, Thomas has 2 wins, 1 shut out, a .984 save percentage, and a 0.50 goals against average.

Probable Starting Goalies (Oct 18, 2010)

Colorado Avalanche (Anderson) @ New York Rangers (Lundqvist)

Ottawa Senators (Elliot) @ Pittsburgh Penguins (Fleury)

New York Islanders (DiPietro) @ Toronto Maple Leafs (Giguere)

Dallas Stars (Lehtonen) @ Tampa Bay Lightning (Smith)

St. Louis Blues (Halak) @ Chicago Blackhawks (Turco)

Probable Starting Goalies (Oct 17, 2010)

Only two games tonight.

Phoenix Coyotes (Bryzgalov) @ Anaheim Ducks (Hiller)

Carolina Hurricanes (Ward) @ Vancouver Canucks (Schneider)

Probable Starting Goalies (Oct 16, 2010)

It's a big night in the NHL, folks. There are 12 games tonight, with three teams attempting to push their record to 4-0-0. The Tampa Bay Lightning look to keep their season perfect when they visit their rival, Florida Panthers. Same goes for the Nashville Predators (3-0-0) against the Washington Capitals, and the Dallas (3-0-0) against the St. Louis Blues. The Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens square off in Montreal, and out west the Oilers/Flames rivalry will be renewed in Calgary.

Pittsburgh Penguins (Johnson) @ Philadelphia Flyers (Bobrovsky)

Boston Bruins (Thomas) @ New Jersey Devils (Hedberg)

Colorado Avalanche (Anderson) @ New York Islanders (Roloson)

Tampa Bay Lightning (Ellis) @ Florida Panthers (Vokoun)

Ottawa Senators (Elliot) @ Montreal Canadiens (Price)

Washington Capitals (Varlamov) @ Nashville Predators (Rinne)

Columbus Blue Jackets (Mason) @ Minnesota Wild (Backstrom)

Buffalo Sabres (Lalime) @ Chicago Blackhawks (Turco)

St. Louis Blues (Halak) @ Dallas Stars (Lehtonen)

Detroit Red Wings (Howard) @ Phoenix Coyotes (Bryzgalov)

Edmonton Oilers (Khabibulin) @ Calgary Flames (Kiprusoff)

Atlanta Thrashers (Mason) @ San Jose Sharks (Niemi)

Probable Starting Goalies (Oct 15, 2010)

Seven games today. Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver all looking for a win tonight.

Colorado Avalanche (Anderson) @ New Jersey Devils (Brodeur)

Toronto Maple Leafs (Giguere) @ New York Rangers (Lundqvist)

New York Islanders (DiPietro) @ Pittsburgh Penguins (Johnson)

Chicago Blackhawks (Turco) @ Columbus Blue Jackets (Mason)

Montreal Canadiens (Price) @ Buffalo Sabres (Miller)

Atlanta Thrashers (Mason) @ Anaheim Ducks (Hiller)

Vancouver Canucks (Luongo) @ Los Angeles Kings (Quick)

Probable Starting Goalies (Oct 14, 2010)

Six games on the go tonight, with some win streaks to inevitably be broken. The Tampa Bay Lightning (2-0-0) face the Philadelphia Flyers (2-0-1). Dan Ellis will get his first start in goal for the Lightning. The Ottawa Senators look to get their first win of the season, while at the same time handing the Carolina Hurricanes their first loss. One team will end their winning streak, when the St. Louis Blues (2-0-0) visit the Nashville Predators (2-0-0). Same with the Detroit Red Wings (2-0-1) against the Dallas Stars (2-0-0).

Philadelphia Flyers (Boucher) @ Tampa Bay Lightning (Ellis)

Carolina Hurricanes (Ward) @ Ottawa Senators (Elliot)

St. Louis Blues (Halak) @ Nashville Predators (Rinne)

Detroit Red Wings (Osgood) @ Dallas Stars (Lehtonen)

Edmonton Oilers (Khabibulin) @ Minnesota Wild (Backstrom)

Florida Panthers (Vokoun) @ Calgary Flames (Kiprusoff)

Probable Starting Goalies (Oct 13, 2010)

Six games on the schedule tonight folks. The Toronto Maple Leafs are back in action, visiting the Pittsburgh Penguins. The New Jersey Devils (0-2-1) are looking for their first win of the season against the Buffalo Sabres. Meanwhile on the west coast, the Anaheim Ducks are also looking for their first win of the 2010-2011 season against the Vancouver Canucks. The Montreal Canadiens host the Tampa Bay Lightning as well.

New York Islanders (Roloson) @ Washington Capitals (Neuvirth)

New Jersey Devils (Brodeur) @ Buffalo Sabres (Miller)

Toronto Maple Leafs (Gustavsson) @ Pittsburgh Penguins (Fleury)

Tampa Bay Lightning (Smith) @ Montreal Canadiens (Price)

Nashville Predators (Lindback) @ Chicago Blackhawks (Turco)

Vancouver Canucks (Luongo) @ Anaheim Ducks (Hiller)

Probable Starting Goalies (Oct 12, 2010)

Only two games tonight.

Colorado Avalanche (Anderson) @ Detroit Red Wings (Howard)

Atlanta Thrashers (Mason) @ Los Angeles Kings (Quick)

Probable Starting Goalies (Oct 11, 2010)

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving everyone!!! Seven games today, with the first game starting at 1:00pm. Going to be a great day of hockey and turkey.

New York Rangers (Lundqvist) @ New York Islanders (DiPietro)

Anaheim Ducks (Hiller) @ St. Louis Blues (Halak)

Pittsburgh Penguins (Fleury) @ New Jersey Devils (Brodeur)

Colorado Avalanche (Anderson) @ Philadelphia Flyers (Bobrovsky)

Ottawa Senators (Leclaire) @ Washington Capitals (Neuvirth)

Chicago Blackhawks (Crawford) @ Buffalo Sabres (Miller)

Florida Panthers (Vokoun) @ Vancouver Canucks (Luongo)

A case for Price

It's a no win situation for Carey Price in Montreal. After an unpopular offseason trade that sent playoff and cult hero, Jaroslav Halak to the St. Louis Blues, Carey Price now feels the pressure to perform more than ever. It's not fair really, but as Don Cherry said on Hockey Night in Canada last night, Habs fans need to layoff Price.

After getting booed in Montreal's first pre-season game when he let in the first goal, one wonders if Carey Price intends to stay in Montreal past his recently signed two-year contract. Would you want to play in a place that criticizes your every move on and off the ice? Or in a place that will forever compare you to another player (Halak) who always seems to be one step ahead of you?

It can't be a comfortable situation for the young goalie. But Price is a talented young netminder who just needs some space from the media and fans. However, Montreal faithful and media are not known for their forgiving nature.

In fact, Price has had a couple of solid starts in Montreal's first two games, posting one win and 57 saves on 62 shots. But wait, over in St. Louis, Jaroslav Halak posted a win in his first start for the Blues, allowing only one goal on 30 shots. Yes, Halak was incredible for the Habs in last year's playoffs, but he is gone. Management traded Halak and showed their confidence in Price. Habs fans now need to do the same and get behind their goalie. After all, Price will undoubtedly be better off playing in front of fans that respect and support him.

If Price remains the constant whipping boy of Montreal fans and media, you can bet it will be a lot tougher to get him to sign an extension in 2012. Then the Canadiens will be out two number one netminders. So come on Habs fans, get behind your goalie.

Probable Starting Goalies (Oct 10, 2010)

Only three games today folks. Calgary and Edmonton are the only Canadian teams playing tonight.

Boston Bruins (Thomas) @ Phoenix Coyotes (Bryzgalov)

Los Angeles Kings (Bernier) @ Calgary Flames (Kiprusoff)

Florida Panthers (Vokoun) @ Edmonton Oilers (Khabibulin)

Probable Starting Goalies (Oct 9, 2010)

It's the first Saturday night in the 2010/2011 season, and there is plenty of action for people to follow with 12 games on the schedule. Boston Bruins rookie, Tyler Seguin will get a taste of the NHL in his first career game, and Jaroslav Halak will make his first start with the St. Blues against the Philadelphia Flyers. Four Canadian teams will play tonight, with the Battle of Ontario resuming at the ACC in Toronto. The Montreal Canadiens will face the Pittsburgh Penguins, and the Vancouver Canucks host the Los Angeles Kings in their first game of the season.

Phoenix Coyotes (Bryzgalov) @ Boston Bruins (Rask)

Columbus Blue Jackets (Mason) @ San Jose Sharks (Nittymakki)

Dallas Stars (Lehtonen) @ New York Islanders (DiPietro)

Montreal Canadiens (Price) @ Pittsburgh Penguins (Fleury)

New Jersey Devils (Brodeur) @ Washington Capitals (Neuvirth)

New York Rangers (Lundqvist) @ Buffalo Sabres (Miller)

Ottawa Senators (Elliot) @ Toronto Maple Leafs (Giguere)

Atlanta Thrashers (Mason) @ Tampa Bay Lightning (Smith)

Philadelphia Flyers (Bobrovsky) @ St. Louis Blues (Halak)

Anaheim Ducks (Hiller) @ Nashville Predators (Rinne)

Detroit Red Wings (Osgood) @ Chicago Blackhawks (Turco)

Los Angeles Kings (Quick) @ Vancouver Canucks (Luongo)

Probable Starting Goalies (Oct 8, 2010)

Only six games in the NHL tonight, with the Ottawa Senators the only Canadian team in action. Last seasons President's Trophy winning, Washington Capitals, kick off their season against the Atlanta Thrashers and their new goalie, Chris Mason. The Western powerhouse, San Jose Sharks start their season against the Columbus Blue Jackets. And the "sophomore sensation" Jimmy Howard will face the offensive Anaheim Ducks, while the Carolina Hurricanes and Minnesota Wild battle in Europe for the second day in a row.

Minnesota Wild (Backstrom) @ Carolina Hurricanes (Ward)

San Jose Sharks (Niemi) @ Columbus Blue Jackets (Mason)

Dallas Stars (Lehtonen) @ New Jersey Devils (Brodeur)

Anaheim Ducks (Hiller) @ Detroit Red Wings (Howard)

Buffalo Sabres (Miller) @ Ottawa Senators (Leclaire)

Washington Capitals (Neuvirth) @ Atlanta Thrashers (Mason)

Probable Starting Goalies: Oct 7, 2010

Opening night!!! Something we have all been waiting for, for months. I am excited for this season, and once again my starting goalie predictions will hopefully help you in your fantasy leagues. So lets get started. On the first day of the NHL season, we have only five games in the bill.

Carolina Hurricanes (Ward) @ Minnesota Wild (Backstrom)

Philadelphia Flyers (Bobrovsky) @ Pittsburgh Penguins (Fleury)

Montreal Canadiens (Price) @ Toronto Maple Leafs (Giguere)

Chicago Blackhawks (Turco) @ Colorado Avalanche (Anderson)

Calgary Flames (Kiprusoff) @ Edmonton Oilers (Khabibulin)

Pre-Season Report: Chicago Blackhawks

After winning it all last spring, the Blackhawks look to do something that hasn't been done since the Detroit Red Wings did it in 1997 and 1998, and that's win the Stanley Cup two years in a row. It might be one of most difficult things to achieve in sports, but the Blackhawks will once again challenge for the Western Conference crown.

The Forwards

Following an off-season of trades and player movement, the Chicago Blackhawks look a little thinner up front, but were successful in locking in their core players. GM Stan Bowman was pressured by the NHL's salary cap to move out some of Chicago's role players. Fan favourite, Dustin Byfuglien, better known for his explosive in your face playoff performance, was shipped to the Atlanta Thrashers along with Andrew Ladd and Ben Eager.

However, Chicago has some of the best players in the game to build around. Ensuring that they will be a force to be reckoned with for years to come. Centreman Jonathan Toews, the teams captain, is in my opinion one of the best all-around players in the NHL. He can score, pass, back check, win faceoffs, kill penalties, and provide a quite leadership role. Toews does have the potential to score 40 goals and 40 assists, but the 75 point range is most likely where Toews will finish this season.

On the right wing next to Toews, the dynamic speedster Patrick Kane has shown that he is one of the best offensive players in the game. His blinding speed and soft hands make him dangerous around opposing nets. Kane is a solid 80+ point performer. Toews and Kane make up two-thirds of one of the NHL's most solid lines. With Tomas Kopecky slated to play on Chicago's first line, we should also see a jump in his numbers.

Chicago's second line is also solid, with dependable veterans, Patrick Sharp and Marian Hossa scoring goals and killing penalties. Chicago's second line would in fact be good enough to be most other teams' first line. This is a testament to the depth of this Chicago club.

The Defense

Another major reason the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup was due to their defense. One of the best duo's in the NHL has to be Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook. With Keith's puck-moving ability, precise passes, and smooth skating he has cemented himself as one of the premier defensemen in the league. Defense partner, Brent Seabrook doesn't make the score sheet like Keith does, but makes up for all that with his steady defensive play, and toughness. While Keith will be in the 60 point range, Seabrook will be closer to 30, but with more PIM's and a strong plus/minus.

When talking about Chicago's defense, it's impossible to leave out the solid Niklas Hjalmarsson. He had a great playoff last spring, and proved to everyone that he is a top-four defenseman. His partner on the blueline, will most likely be Brian Campbell. Campbell is a great defenseman, amazing skater, and great passer, but his large contract overshadows his play. All in all, Chicago has a phenomenal top-four that will help keep Chicago competitive for years to come.

The Goalies

In the offseason, the Blackhawks walked away from Stanley Cup winning goaltender, Antti Niemi and sent the disgruntled Cristobal Huet to Europe. Going into the 2010-2011 season with a new goaltending duo, veteran Marty Turco will be expected to provide a solid presence in goal. However, at age 35, Turco's best years are behind him.

This is why Corey Crawford will be given the opportunity to make some starts this year. As a solid goaltending prospect, this season will be a good transition to the NHL for Crawford. He will be able to make some starts, and also learn from a solid person like Marty Turco. As back-up, Crawford should prove more than worthy.

The Scoop
The Blackhawks are undoubtedly one of the best young teams in the NHL and will be for some time to come. Despite losing some good players, most were merely role players who are easier to replace than if the Hawks had lost, Toews, Kane, Sharp, or Keith. With good scouting and management, the Hawks are in great shape to compete in the playoffs for a while.

My prediction: 1st in the West. The West is going to be tough as always, but this team solid.