The Carolina Hurricanes spent big last summer, bringing in Jordan Staal and Alexander Semin, but still missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the fourth straight season and for the sixth time in seven seasons since winning the Stanley Cup in 2006. A combination of injuries and poor play can be blamed for last season's rough run, when the Hurricanes plummeted from the top of the Southeast Division at the beginning of March to 13th in the Eastern Conference when the season ended. On March 3 the Hurricanes defeated the Florida Panthers 3-2, but lost Cam Ward 8:56 into the second period with what was diagnosed as a third-degree sprain of the medial collateral ligament in his left knee. He missed the remainder of the season, and with him went any hope of a playoff spot; the Hurricanes won seven of their final 27 games. Ward is 29 but played at least 68 games in four of five seasons prior to 2012-13, putting a lot of wear and tear on his body. Anton Khudobin, who went 9-4-1 in 14 games last season with the Boston Bruins, was brought in as the backup, but coach Kirk Muller said he expects Ward to be healthy when the season starts and to be hungry to disprove any doubters. Last season, through injuries and poor play, the Hurricanes had 12 defensemen play at least one game, tied for the second-most in the League; four played at least 40 games. That inconsistency showed in the results: The Hurricanes allowed the second-most non-shootout goals last season (151) and had the second-worst goals-against average (3.31). GM Jim Rutherford made some changes on the back end, trading for Andrej Sekera and signing free agent Mike Komisarek. Joe Corvo, who led the team's defensemen in scoring, was not re-signed, and a few others were not asked back. Ryan Murphy, a 2011 first-round pick who got into four games last season, likely will play a prominent role this season, and other younger players, among them Michal Jordan, Austin Levi, Danny Biega and Tommi Kivisto, could earn playing time with strong training camps. When the Hurricanes opened the 2012-13 season, Muller opted to flank franchise center Eric Staal with Jiri Tlusty on the left wing and newcomer Semin on the right. The result was a trio that combined for 54 goals (42.5 percent of the team's total) and 135 points. Assuming the knee injury Staal sustained during the 2013 IIHF World Championship heals and he's ready to play opening night, that line should return intact to start the 2013-14 season. But can it have the same magical touch? Staal, if healthy, easily could be in the 30-goal, 75-point range, and Semin averaged 31 goals per season in six seasons with the Washington Capitals before joining the Hurricanes. Tlusty could be the wild card. The 25-year-old set career-highs last season with 23 goals and 38 points playing all 48 games. That production prorated to 82 games is 39 goals and 65 points; can Tlusty hit those marks when teams have a season's worth of video to draw from and are focused on shutting down his line? Muller said he believes so and compared his top line to the line of Mike Modano, Brett Hull and Jere Lehtinen, which he played with as a member of the Dallas Stars. The Hurricanes were 27th on the power play last season (14.6 percent) and 28th on the penalty kill (77.6). It's become an annual problem in Carolina; the power play hasn't ranked above the bottom-third in the League since the 2008-09 season, when it was 19th, and the shorthanded unit has killed off better than 81 percent of opposition power plays once (81.2, 2010-11) since the 2008-09 season. The power play could be where Murphy makes the biggest impact. The offensively gifted defenseman could be the missing ingredient on the point, getting pucks through to the team's talented forwards in good scoring position. The penalty kill could benefit from having two full-time healthy pairs on the back end. Last season Faulk and Gleason played the majority of the minutes; having Komisarek, Sekera and a healthy Pitkanen would ease some of their burden. Muller will enter his third season with the Hurricanes, but this fall will mark his first full training camp. Though he certainly has had time since his arrival in November 2011 to get his team playing the way he wants it, having a full training camp to reinforce his systems could be vital to improving. Rutherford didn't need to watch Elias Lindholm long at the team's prospect camp to make a strong determination on the future of the team's 2013 first-round pick (No. 5). The 6-foot-1, 192-pound forward had 30 points in 48 games with Brynas in the Swedish Hockey League last season and is lauded for his versatility and two-way abilities. But can he showcase his full skill set in the NHL at 18 years old?
Columbus - For a team that has made the Stanley Cup Playoffs just once since entering the NHL in 2000, there's an awful lot of optimism surrounding the Columbus Blue Jackets as they prepare for their first season in the new Metropolitan Division of the realigned Eastern Conference. It's amazing what a fast finish can do. The Blue Jackets came up just short of the playoffs last season. They tied the Minnesota Wild for eighth place in the Western Conference, but lost on a tiebreaker (Columbus had 19 non-shootout victories, three fewer than Minnesota). Most of their 55 points came during the last two months of the 48-game schedule, Columbus went 20-5-3 after February after a 4-12-4 start. The biggest reason for the turnaround and the optimism surrounding the team was the performance of Bobrovsky, acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers last summer. The 24-year-old Russian got his chance after Steve Mason continued to struggle, and played well enough to earn the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goaltender, finishing with a 21-11-6 record, a 2.00 goals-against average and a .932 save percentage. He was at his best in the final weeks of the season, going 8-1-0 in his final nine starts, while allowing 15 goals. Winning the Vezina obviously was a big achievement for Bobrovsky, but Richards feels it also was a big deal for the organization. The Blue Jackets signed Bobrovsky to a two-year contract this summer, and he'll have to prove he can carry the load for a full 82-game season; the only backup goaltender in the organization with any NHL experience is 30-year-old journeyman Curtis McElhinney, who spent last season playing for the Blue Jackets' American Hockey League affiliate, the Springfield Falcons. He is 19-26-4 with a 3.10 GAA in 69 NHL games with four teams. Center Brandon Dubinsky, starting his second season in Columbus, has no doubt that Bobrovsky can match his breakout season. The Bobrovsky signing was one of two major moves for the Blue Jackets this summer. The other was bringing in veteran forward Nathan Horton, a Stanley Cup winner with the Boston Bruins in 2011. Horton was second on the team during 2013 postseason with 19 points and led all players with a plus-20 rating, signed a seven-year, $37.1 million contract with the Blue Jackets on July 5. He won't be ready for the start of the season after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery, but he and late-season acquisition Marian Gaborik will give the Blue Jackets a 1-2 punch on right wing. Horton said one reason he came to the Blue Jackets, a team not previously regarded as a likely destination for top free agents, was the perception that the team is moving forward under president of hockey operations John Davidson, general manager Jarmo Kekalainen and Richards. The Blue Jackets hope that Gaborik's every-other-year trend carries through to 2013-14. In each of the past six seasons beginning with an odd number, he's scored 40 goals and finished with at least 76 points and a plus-15 rating. Gaborik had three goals and eight points in 12 games after coming from the New York Rangers at the NHL Trade Deadline, but he's scored 30 or more goals seven times and gives the Blue Jackets the kind of home-run hitter they lost when Rick Nash was dealt to the Rangers last summer. Gaborik is one of five ex-Rangers on the roster. Defenseman Tim Erixon and centers Anisimov and Dubinsky arrived last summer in the trade that sent Nash, the franchise's all-time scoring leader, to New York. Veteran defenseman Fedor Tyutin has spent the past five seasons with the Blue Jackets.
You can't get much closer to the Stanley Cup Playoffs than the Columbus Blue Jackets did last season. A surge during the final two months of the regular season enabled the Blue Jackets to finish with 55 points in 48 games, the same number as the Minnesota Wild. But the Wild's 22 non-shootout victories were three more than Columbus' 19, giving Minnesota the final playoff berth in the Western Conference. Realignment has moved Columbus to the newly formed Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, meaning that the Blue Jackets will be spending a lot less time in airplanes this season. Columbus' season took off at the start of March when coach Todd Richards made Sergei Bobrovsky his No. 1 goaltender. The Blue Jackets went 20-5-3 from March 1 to the end of the season largely because of Bobrovsky's brilliance. He finished the season with a 21-11-6 record, a 2.00 goals-against average and a .932 save percentage, good enough to earn him the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goaltender. General manager Jarmo Kekalainen signed Bobrovsky to a two-year deal this summer, meaning that the 24-year-old Russian will have to continue to excel to get a long-term contract. The Blue Jackets have no one ready to step in should Bobrovsky falter, so if he can't come close to last season's performance, their playoff hopes will vanish quickly. Marian Gaborik, a three-time 40-goal scorer, came to Columbus from the New York Rangers at the NHL Trade Deadline after struggling to recover from offseason shoulder surgery. He also was not a favorite of (since-departed) coach John Tortorella. Gaborik had three goals and eight points with his new team, capping a disappointing season that saw him finish with 12 goals and 27 points before undergoing abdominal surgery. The good news for the Blue Jackets is that Gaborik has had an on-year, off-year career since 2007-08 -- and this would project to be an "on" season. Beginning in 2007-08, Gaborik has alternated 40-goal seasons with seasons in which he's battled injuries and inconsistency. A 40-goal season from Gaborik, who's in the last season of a five-year contract, would go a long way toward pushing Columbus into the playoffs. Nathan Horton probably surprised a lot of people when he opted to sign a seven-year free-agent deal with Columbus, a team that never has been a prime destination in free agency. The good news is he brings a winning background (he was part of Boston's 2011 championship team and had 19 points in 22 playoff games for the Bruins last spring), good size and scoring ability. The bad news is he needed offseason shoulder surgery and may not be back until December. On a team not overflowing with skill up front, the Blue Jackets need Horton in the lineup sooner rather than later. The Blue Jackets took Ryan Murray, a defenseman with the Everett Silvertips of the Western Hockey League, with the second pick in the 2012 NHL Draft and were hoping he'd be able to step right into the lineup. The lockout meant that Murray began the season back in the WHL, and any hopes that he'd join the Blue Jackets were ended when he injured his shoulder in November and underwent season-ending surgery. He was cleared for contact prior to development camp and showed quick hands and good awareness on the ice. The Blue Jackets are hoping he'll be ready to grab a spot on the blue line. When Columbus selected Ryan Johansen with the fourth pick of the 2010 NHL Draft; the hope was he'd be the No. 1 center they've never had. They're still waiting. Johansen played perhaps the best hockey of his NHL career down the stretch last season, but he wasn't a big offensive threat (five goals and 12 points in 40 games). Nor was he impressive when he was sent to Springfield to help the Blue Jackets' AHL team after the NHL season concluded. Columbus needs Johansen to contribute a lot more offensively if it hopes to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Moving from the Central Division of the Western Conference to the new Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference will cut down on travel (about 6,000 miles less than 2011-12) and means all but 14 games will be played in the Eastern time zone. But it also means battling a division that had four playoff teams in 2012-13, not including the improved Philadelphia Flyers and Carolina Hurricanes, as well as the 2012 Eastern Conference champion New Jersey Devils and the Atlantic Division looks even stronger. With only three guaranteed playoff berths in each division, the Blue Jackets figure to have a tough task making the postseason for the second time since entering the NHL in 2000. Tyutin and Jack Johnson, a February 2012 acquisition from the Los Angeles Kings, formed a solid pairing down the stretch on a defense that could get a boost from the arrival of Ryan Murray, the second player taken in the 2012 NHL Draft. A shoulder injury that required surgery derailed his hopes of making the team as an 18-year-old, but he says he's completely healthy now and eager to show what he can do. The Blue Jackets will need big seasons from Gaborik and Horton after finishing 24th in offense last season. Mark Letestu led the Blue Jackets with 13 goals, and Anisimov was the only other full-time Blue Jacket still on the roster to reach double figures. Richards said he feels the additions of Gaborik and Horton should give the Blue Jackets enough of a boost to push them into the top eight in the East. The late-season surge has enthused the Blue Jackets' fan base, which never has seen their team win a playoff game. Richards said he can feel the excitement as well, but one of his jobs is to make sure expectations aren't too large for a team whose only playoff appearance was 2009.
Washington - The ability for Adam Oates to succeed as a first-time coach with the Washington Capitals always likely was to hinge on his relationship with Alex Ovechkin and the other star players on the roster. Oates arrived with a detailed plan because he is a coach who is all about the details, just as he was as a Hall of Fame player. His ability to execute that plan was hindered at first because of the shortened training camp after the lockout. It wasn't without some adversity, but Oates found harmony with Ovechkin and the Capitals in his first season. The early returns were not great. The team slogged to a 2-8-1 start, and Ovechkin and the other top players weren't producing. McPhee knew patience was required, but this is an organization and a fan base that has known only success in the regular season for the past half-decade. Part of Oates' plan was to move Ovechkin, a two-time NHL MVP, from his natural position at left wing to the other side of the ice. Former Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau had done this a couple of times in brief spurts, but Oates wanted to make it a permanent switch. It took a while, but eventually Ovechkin not only figured out his new position but thrived, scoring goals and dominating games consistently like he hadn't in the previous two seasons. The Capitals started to turn things around as well. Oates helped everyone on the power play, and it converted 26.8 percent of the extra-man chances by the end of the season. Ovechkin led the League in goals and became a three-time MVP. Nicklas Backstrom finished third in the League in assists and had 48 points in 48 games. Almost quietly, Mike Green led defensemen in goals playing 35 games. The second pivotal point for McPhee started with another loss. Washington went to play the Pittsburgh Penguins, and he felt his team played its best game of the season to that point in a 2-1 loss. From there, the Capitals went to play the Winnipeg Jets in two critical games. The Capitals finished the regular season with a 15-2-2 flurry to win the Southeast Division, but the Stanley Cup Playoffs left the club with an all-too-familiar ending. The New York Rangers knocked the third-seeded Capitals out in the first round, finishing them with a 5-0 victory at Verizon Center in Game 7. The second half of the postseason remains an elusive place for these Capitals, who have won three playoff series in six years and lost a Game 7 on home ice four times in that span. Now there is renewed optimism in Washington. Oates will have a full training camp for the first time, and the players will be more comfortable with his system and his teachings. Erat and Laich combined to play 18 games for the Capitals in 2012-13, and their returns, along with the addition of free-agent center Mikhail Grabovski, give the team a formidable forward group (though restricted free agent Marcus Johansson needs a contract). The biggest question in the lineup is, can the Capitals find a competent top-four defenseman from a group that includes Dmitry Orlov, Jack Hillen and John Erskine? The top three of Green, John Carlson and Karl Alzner is a strength, as is the goaltending, with Braden Holtby entrenched as No. 1 and Michal Neuvirth a capable backup. Washington is moving to a new division (Metropolitan) with some old rivals, but the expectations remain the same: Compete for a division title then figure out a way to navigate an extended stay in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time with this core group of players. Oates was well-liked in this city as a player, but he'd be revered if he becomes the coach who led this franchise to its first Stanley Cup.
For an organization that has built a roster it expects to contend for the Stanley Cup every year, the past couple seasons have been a little rocky compared to the previous four for the Washington Capitals. There was a pair of coaching changes, but Adam Oates drew rave reviews from his players and his bosses in his first season and appears to have provided stability moving forward. The top stars on the team had dips in production but rebounded in a big way the second half of 2012-13. The Capitals won a fifth division title in six seasons but lost another Game 7 on home ice. It was a quiet offseason, but given the way Washington played in the second half and the free-agent addition of Mikhail Grabovski, the Capitals expect to be back in the hunt for a high seed in the Eastern Conference and another chance to finally break through in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Capitals finished the first half with a pair of lopsided losses at home to the New York Islanders and New York Rangers. At that point the Capitals were 10-13-1, an improvement after a 2-8-1 start. They lost three of five to start the second half but finished with a 15-2-2 run and rallied from nine points down to win the Southeast Division. The schedule softened, their top players got hot, other teams in the division faltered; all of it combined for a remarkable surge. Washington is moving to a tougher division (the new Metropolitan) but will open training camp with a better roster than it had in January. The Capitals will have their first full training camp with Oates, and there could be a built-in, impact, late-season addition (more on that later). The Capitals performed at a 71-point pace in the first half of 2012-13 and at a 123-point clip in the second half. The middle is a 99-point team, and somewhere slightly higher than that might be the right range for this season. After two consecutive seasons of diminishing returns, Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Green each rebounded in a big way in 2012-13. Ovechkin won his third Hart Trophy, Backstrom finished third in the League in assists, and Green led defensemen in goals for the fourth time in six seasons. Alexander Semin is no longer around, but the other three the team once marketed as "Young Guns" are all grown up and were back among the best at their position. This Washington team could be better defensively and have more consistent goaltending than some of the high-flying editions from a few years ago. If Ovechkin, Green and Backstrom remain among the elite offensive producers, this group of Capitals won't need a late-season surge just to get into the playoffs. Green, John Carlson and Karl Alzner are a strong top three. The problem for the Capitals last season was the chasm between them and the bottom three, regardless of who was in the lineup. There are several candidates to earn the No. 4 role, which likely means playing in a pair with Carlson. John Erskine was there a lot last season. Dmitry Orlov had injury issues but has the most upside. Another possibility is Jack Hillen, who missed about half the season because of injury but was around for the big run to the finish. Backstrom and Grabovski are set in the middle of the top two lines, and there are options for No. 3. The most likely candidates are Mathieu Perreault and Brooks Laich, but which one it is might be decided by someone else. That would be Tom Wilson, the 16th pick in the 2012 NHL Draft who could force his way onto the team with a strong training camp. If Wilson makes the team, he probably will slot in as one of the wings for the third line. Laich will be on that line, either as a wing or the center. Eric Fehr is likely to be there too, so Wilson's arrival could push Perrault down the depth chart. The short answer to this is probably, yes it will. That could be misleading because the Capitals finished the 2012-13 season with a power-play proficiency rate of 26.8 percent. Not only was that tops in the NHL, it was the best figure in more than a decade. Over the course of a full season, it will tougher to replicate that prowess. Oates earned a reputation as a power-play technician before he got the Washington job, so it won't be a surprise if the Capitals remain an elite team with the extra man. A healthy Martin Erat and Grabovski should make up for the departure of Mike Ribeiro, who signed with the Phoenix Coyotes. Evgeny Kuznetsov is one of the best players in the world who won't be at an NHL training camp. He was Washington's first-round pick in 2010 (No. 26), and the Capitals want the center in their lineup as soon as possible. They thought it was going to be two years after they drafted him, but this will be season No. 4 for Kuznetsov in the Kontinental Hockey League since then. His KHL contract is up at the end of its season and that could mean it's time for him to come to North America. The 21-year-old is a dynamic offensive player. The Capitals have a deep group of forwards, but they will make room for him when he's ready.
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