page 17
sports
Puck prognostications
ANDREW CYR
Sports Editor
Canadian hockey fans had more to cheer about
than usual in the lockout-shortened 2012-13
NHL season, as four Canadian teams made
the playoffs for the first time in seven years.
The question going into this full-length 201314 edition of the NHL season is whether this
newfound success will continue for Canadian
franchises. The division realignment will
certainly have an impact on this question, as
Ottawa, Toronto, and Montreal will now have
to contend with the consistently competitive
Detroit Red Wings for a playoff spot
in the revamped Atlantic. Similarly,
Edmonton, Vancouver, and Calgary
will have to pave a route to the playoffs
through sunny California, as they join
Los Angeles and San Jose in the new
Pacific Division. Meanwhile, while the
realignment was approved largely for
the benefit of the Winnipeg Jets, they
will be moving from a cushy Southeast
Division to the fierce Central. How
will it all shake out? To save you
from going through the painstaking
process of watching actual games and
following the standings throughout
the year, I have performed the analysis
necessary to accurately predict the fortunes of each of Canada’s NHL clubs.
ence’s 2th seed in 2012-13. The youth movement in Montreal, fueled by super-rookies Alex
Galenchyuk and Brendan Gallagher, allowed
the Canadiens to overachieve last year. They
will surprise no one, however, this season, and
will face intense competition in the new Atlantic division. Unless goaltender Carey Price
delivers a Vezina-caliber season, it is unlikely
that the Canadiens will repeat as division champions. Instead, they will battle it out for one
of the East’s final playoff spots, and will most
likely come up short.
Biggest strengths: Goaltending
Biggest strengths: Balanced scoring and goaltending
Biggest weaknesses: Inexperience and health
Projected finish: 2nd in the Atlantic Division
Montreal Canadiens
The Habs may have shocked even their own
fans by winning the Northeast Division and
making the playoffs as the Eastern Confer-
the obiter dicta
Projected finish: 4th in the Atlantic Division
Winnipeg Jets
While most Jets fans were simply happy to have
an NHL team back in Winnipeg for the past
two seasons, the franchise is growing desperate to make the playoffs for the first time since
the 2006-07season. This goal was made more
difficult, however, due to divisional realignment which will place the Jets in a division
with the defending champion Chicago Blackhawks, among other strong clubs. The Jets
have demonstrated improvement in
their time in Winnipeg, and the top
line of Andrew Ladd, Brian Little,
and Blake Wheeler has evolved into
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