NHL training camps: 10 questions, answers as 2015-16 season gets underway
Here are 10 questions asked and answered going into Friday's opening of NHL training camps
1. Will the new 3-on-3 overtime format dramatically decrease the number of shootouts?
Absolutely. Only the most skilled players are going to be on the ice in these situations, and there is going to be ample room for them to operate.
The best guess is about 75% of all games that are tied in regulation will be decided by 3-on-3 overtime, and there could be more because odd-man breaks and breakaways will be plentiful.
The NHL is allowing each team to have a 3-on-3 overtime in three preseason games, regardless of what the score is after regulation, so coaches and players can get more experience in the format.
The one-defenseman, two-forward alignment may be the go-to lineup, but coaches will try using three forwards and some may play two defensemen and a forward. If the Penguins put out Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel, wouldn’t you put out two defensemen and your best defensive forward?
2. How difficult will it be for Jeff Blashill to follow legendary Mike Babcock as coach of the Detroit Red Wings?
He was an assistant coach in Detroit not that long ago, and he knows most of the veterans. They liked him. He was also Detroit’s American Hockey League coach and has coached all of the team’s younger players.
Detroit’s young stars have all known considerable success under Blashill and trust his abilities. Some of them were with him when he won an AHL championship.
Although Babcock is clearly an elite coach, the change behind the bench could spark the Red Wings. Babcock can bedifficult to play for. Blashill offers a fresh style of coaching. Some players are welcoming of the change.
Still, this isn’t a walk in the park for Blashill. He inherits a 24-season playoff streak and high expectations.
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3. Which team takes the most steps forward this season?
The Columbus Blue Jackets. They were impressive after they got healthy last season, and they possess most of the attributes of a contending team.
This is a gritty, tough lineup that can score. Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky can be a difference-maker.
The only question about the Blue Jackets is whether their defense is strong enough. Their budget allotment is forward-heavy and they need to increase defense spending.
4. How many NHL coaches are vulnerable?
All of them. But we have seen so many coaching changes over the past couple of seasons that we may not see too many this season.
But Ken Hitchcock (St. Louis Blues) and Claude Julien (Boston Bruins) seem most vulnerable because the Blues have been ousted in the first round for three consecutive seasons and the Bruins missed the playoffs last season. Both of these coaches own Stanley Cup rings.
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5. Will Eric Staal (Carolina Hurricanes), Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay Lightning) and Anze Kopitar (Los Angeles Kings) get re-signed before they can become unrestricted free agents next summer?
In the past, this would be a given. But the Hurricanes don’t seem to have the budgetary room to re-sign Staal unless he accepts a deeply discounted contract.
Even with Kopitar and Stamkos, there seems to be less certainty about their future than we would have anticipated in the past.
Perhaps the Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews contracts (averaging $10.5 million per season) have pushed up the price tag for stars to the point that hardball negotiations are now inevitable.
It seems these players all want to stay in their cities, but it would not shocking if at least one is playing elsewhere in 2016-17.
6. How much impact will Connor McDavid have with the Edmonton Oilers?
If he stays healthy, he could produce 60 points as a rookie. He'll be surrounded by highly skilled wingers, so the rookie has potential to put up big numbers.
But GM Peter Chiarelli is having a bigger impact. The moves he made this summer – particularly the acquisition of Coach Todd McLellan, goalie Cam Talbot and defenseman Andrej Sekera – will make this team far more competitive than it has been in recent seasons.
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7. Are the Dallas Stars now a contender?
They will be if their goaltending is strong enough. Their offense, particularly with the addition of Patrick Sharp and the continued development of Valeri Nichushkin, will be among the NHL’s most dangerous.
The Stars' defense will be better than expected, particularly if Stephen Johns can be a dependable third-pairing regular. Johnny Oduya will stabilize the back end.
You aren’t going to be able to stop an offense that boasts Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn and Jason Spezza.
If Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi can give the Stars a .918-to-.920 save percentage goaltending, the Stars can be one of the interesting teams in the Western Conference. Lehtonen was at .903 last season and .919 the season before.
8. Will there be major goaltending changes this season in the NHL?
It is supposed to be a competition in Detroit, but it sure feels as if Petr Mrazek has moved ahead of Jimmy Howard on the depth chart. Howard is the incumbent, but Mrazek was the playoff goalie last season. He showed overflowing confidence.
Frederik Andersen is the No. 1 in Anaheim, but you can’t discount John Gibson’s potential. The Ducks also have Anton Khudobin lurking in the background.
Jonas Hiller is supposed to be No. 1 in Calgary, but the Flames didn’t give Karri Ramo a one-year, $3.8 million contract to be a traditional backup. The Flames also like Joni Ortio.
Ottawa fans are still buzzing about Andrew Hammond’s incredible performance last season, but don’t rule out Craig Anderson still making a case to be No. 1. Hammond has a small body of NHL work, and Anderson has been a consistent performer for a very long time.
St. Louis will have another battle between Brian Elliott and Jake Allen.
The Hurricanes traded for Eddie Lack at the draft, and he'll compete with Cam Ward.
Finally, aren’t the Vancouver Canucks always required to have a goalie controversy? Is this the season when Jacob Markstrom makes a case to be a No. 1 NHL goalie? Ryan Miller is 35.
9. Can Phil Kessel make a difference for the Penguins?
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He’s going to make a difference for Crosby. With Kessel on his wing, Crosby has a legitimate shot at 100 points. Kessel could score 40 goals.
Kessel will make the Penguins more dangerous offensively, but the big question in Pittsburgh is whether the team’s defense is strong enough.
10. With all of the changes the Blackhawks have made, could they win their fourth title in seven seasons?
It’s unlikely because no team has been able to win back-to-back championships since the Red Wings did it in 1997 and '98.
But it is not impossible, and the Jonathan Toews-led Blackhawks probably have a reasonable shot of pulling it off because they have the best understanding of what it takes to win.
While the team traded away or lost Brandon Saad, Patrick Sharp, Johnny Oduya, Brad Richards and Antoine Vermette, they added some intriguing pieces such as young winger Marko Dano and proven No. 2 center Artem Anisimov and offensive-minded defenseman Trevor Daley. Rookie Artemi Panarin has the potential to be a show-stopper. Teuvo Teravainen could blossom into a 50-point guy this season.
The one truth about the Blackhawks that is unassailable is that you can’t rule out the possibility that they will figure out how to get the job done.
