There are a number of questions going into the 2004-2005 NHL season, but none is more important than this: Will there be a hockey season this year? The NHL's collective bargaining agreement with the players' association expires on September 15. The owners want a salary cap, which the players are firmly against. Until a new agreement is signed, there will be no NHL hockey.
If the owners and players do settle their differences, the season will be shortened. At the very least, there are plans to eliminate regular-season play between the conferences.
Last season, the Tampa Bay Lightning shocked the hockey world by winning the franchise's first Stanley Cup, beating the Calgary Flames in seven games. Look for both teams to be competing in the playoffs again. The Lightning Hart Trophy winner, Martin St. Louis, and the Flames all-star, Jerome Iginla, are two of the game's most exciting players. Although both are restricted free agents, they are expected to re-sign with their respective team.
While you can never count out perennial powerhouses Detroit Red Wings, Colorado Avalanche, Philadelphia Flyers, or New Jersey Devils, these teams are aging and in the midst of personnel changes.
One of the most intriguing situations to watch is in Colorado. This team of superstars is losing its best player, Peter Forsberg, who has decided to return to his native Sweden. Can the Avalanche, even with all of its other talent, make the playoffs without Forsberg?
Every year, one or two teams emerge as the league's Cinderella. Two years ago it was the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. This past year, it was the Calgary Flames. Who will the next Cinderella team be?
Teams to keep an eye on are Minnesota Wild, Buffalo Sabres, and Atlanta Thrashers. The Wild surprised everyone in 2003 by making it to the Western Conference finals and were expected to be a contender in 2004. Having elite player Marion Gaborik (who sat out part of the 2003-4 season with a contract dispute) back for an entire year, and a stable goal-tending situation will likely return the Wild to the playoffs. The Thrashers had to deal with the death of teammate Dan Snyder and devastating injuries to all-star Dany Heatly. With Heatly's return, the Thrashers have the best young talent in the game. Buffalo may have made enough strides in the past year to push the team into a play-off run.
