No longer do we have to concentrate on the finer points of labour negotiations and contract possibilities for the next decade, but instead we can focus on actual hockey. Finally. And while the shortened season means we're denied a complete look at the teams of 2012-13, long suffering fans could be in store for an exciting few months. Trades in the off-season have changed some teams dramatically and by extension shifted the possible outcomes in entire divisions – that is, if everyone stays healthy. Here are the top ten things to look forward to this (short) year.
Injuries
With a shortened (read: barely any) training camp season and not every player necessarily in game-ready condition, watch out for a lot of injuries. In fact, some players are already injured – like L.A. Kings main man Anze Kopitar, who is apparently suffering form a knee sprain. In Vancouver, Ryan Kessler is looking like a no-go for the start of the season, thanks to a post-surgery-state shoulder and wrist. The shortened schedule will compel teams to have a fully-suited top squad right from the start, and the pressure will be on to perform. Guys might be liable to play through things they might otherwise take time off to heal before making a dash for the playoffs. Well, this is the dash. Look out.
Divisional rivalries
For anyone still lamenting that the re-shuffle of the conferences died out quickly last year, there'll at least be a slightly different format to things this time around. As the schedule lays out, each team will play 18 games against divisional rivals: Four each against two of the other teams in the division and then five each against the other two. Then, each team will play three games against each of the 10 remaining non-divisional opponents from within the conference. So, get ready for some serious rivalries to either start, or heat up again. It might be a short sprint, but it'll be an intense one (possibly contributing more to the first item on this list), and one that, in the West, anyway, might be a low-point total affair.
Pittsburgh vs. Philadelphia
Speaking of rivalries, the Pens and Flyers are set to rekindle their relationship the first night of the season. We last left them all scattered somewhere outside the blast radius of that insane first round last spring, complete with its goals, hits and general mayhem. Sidney Crosby will be back at (presumably) some kind of full strength, as will Evgeny Malkin and, on the other side (one assumes), their collective superstar nemesis, Claude Giroux. Oh, and Ilya Brzygalov, who Philly can only hope has figured out the secrets of the universe during his extended break from the NHL and can concentrate on getting them a bit further into the playoffs.
The Minnesota Wild
Do two major signings a full team make? Ryan Suter and Zach Parise signed with the Wild in the off-season, and are now essentially in charge of taking that team all the way to the promised land. Can they do it? They're both wildly talented, for sure, but the Wild still need a few things to click, namely in the back end. We'll see if the defensive core can, with Suter's help, gel into what this team needs to carry them to (and past) the first round. And can Mike Yeo, only in his second year as a head coach (formerly assistant in Pittsburgh) wrangle that talent into a workable system? Also, in an unexpected turn of events, goalie Josh Harding was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in October. He plans to start the season.
The KHL issue
Wither the Russians? Or some of them, anyway. Last week, at the Globe and Mail, James Mirtle pointed out the KHL's apparent intention to push back at the contract recognition agreement it has with the NHL, and allow some players to stay in Russia for a bit. Reportedly, Alexander Ovechkin said "a handful of Russian stars had met and discussed possibly staying in the KHL" if they didn't like the NHL's collective bargaining agreement. There might have even been some bribes on the table. Scandal! If the tiff continues, Ilya Kovalchuk might not be back in New Jersey to help the Devils make another run at the finals. It may come to nothing, but worth keeping an eye on.
Will the L.A. Kings keep their crown?
I'm not totally sold on the potential for a repeat, but I have to admit a bit of a bias for the Kings these days. This is a team to be reckoned with, as we all saw last year as they quickly disposed of one top-seeded team after another. Can Jonathan Quick continue his incredible streak as the unsung-goalie-come-to-prominence? Can the Jolly Rancher, coach Darryl Sutter, manage another win with his focus on that physical defensive style? Of all the teams probably designed for a rough-and-tumble short charge to a championship, it's the Kings of spring 2012. Whether that's the same team that shows up this time around (and in the West against the potentially deadly Minnesota Wild) is anyone's guess. I'm not great at making predictions... but the Kings' success I feel is a good bet.
Rick Nash in New York
If there was ever a time for the Rangers to make it to the Cup, it was last year. So, now that they've added sniper Rick Nash to the lineup, they really have no excuses left. And for Nash, it's pretty much the same story. For years, he's been holed up in Columbus with all the potential in the world, but always having a fallback excuse that the rest of the team wasn't up to par. There's no room for that kind of thinking now. If Henrik Lundqvist is healthy and sharp, if Brad Richards is still a playmaker, if Ryan Callahan is still a leader, if Marian Gaborik still has a bit of magic left, if Mike Rupp can still make the fourth line a threat, and if Ryan McDonagh is still a burgeoning defensive star... I mean, come on. It's really now or never on Broadway. No pressure, Rick.
Will anything finally happen in Edmonton?
The Oilers are probably due. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle didn't quite make the magic happen in Edmonton in 2011-12, but there were flashes of brilliance. They were by far the most fun team to watch lose. They've since added a bit of steadiness in the defence, picking up Mark Fistric from Dallas in the off-season, along with a new head coach, Ralph Krueger, whose main job might turn out to be less keeping the goals coming than it will be finding a way to keep them out. Goaltending remains an issue for the Oilers: Devan Dubnyk has proven a bit shaky. And Nickolai Khabibulin is not a young man anymore, so the question is how much he can be relied upon if he's not getting regular ice time. Still, as always, there's promise. Maybe this is finally the year it all pays off.
Roberto Luongo
A lot of people still care about Roberto Luongo's future, and most of them live in the Greater Toronto Area. It only took a day or so after Brian Burke was turfed as the general manager in Toronto for the Luongo rumours to start swiring. Did Burke inaction on Luongo cost him his job? Possibly, says ESPN's Pierre LeBrun, via the feelings of "several NHL team execs." Maybe that's true, but who really knows. Still, whether Luongo stays or goes, it probably shouldn't worry many people in Vancouver. The Canucks have a good starter either way in Cory Schneider – they have for a while. It just took a trouncing from the Kings to really make everyone realize it. Toronto, you can worry about your goalie situation. Vancouver? You're fine. A young goalie like Schneider will benefit from a short campaign, and he'll be even more energized if he knows he's got the number one job.
The playoffs
The playoffs will transpire with the same format they did last year – the difference being everything that came before them. For all the reasons listed above (apart from the possibility of injuries), this could be one of the better playoff seasons we've seen recently. If everyone's health holds out, the simple fact that we're starting at what would normally be that crucial half-way, post-Christmas turning point just dials everything up a notch. And not to mention that since everyone will be only playing intra-conference, the final will be the first chance the East will meet the West in the shortened season. Don't forget also the divisional rivalries will make the first round of the playoffs potentially more explosive than last year, and that's saying something. Watch for big hits, tight games, and, yes: a Stanley Cup presentation for 2013, which in light of all that's come prior to this, is probably the nicest thought of all.
