Preseason grades and the annual Fearless Predictions

[Hobbes]

So the preseason is winding down and I've seen this in other forums. What do you love and hate about your team this year and what do you think their prospects look like?

Colorado Avalanche:

Forwards. This is the brightest spot for the Avs. There was already a good core of players with Sakic returning for another year, Hejduk picking up the pace, and Wolski and Stastny having great rookie seasons. Svatos gets another chance to show that he can stay healthy and consistent, but he's still an asset. Rounding out the forward corps are role players like Brunette, Arnason, Laperriere, Guite and Rycroft. I would have been happy with standing pat at forward, but then they went and added Captain Canada to the mix, and I think Colorado has as talented a group of forwards as anyone. I've been waiting years for a honest-to-goodness, go-to-the-net, garbage goal guy on the roster. Guys like this have killed the Avs in the past ('sup Tomas Holmstrom) and it's nice to see they'll be dishing it out this year as well. Two rookies have really impressed in camp, Hensick and Hlinka. The Avs are actually faced with the problem of trying to figure out which forwards to send down to get their roster to 23. I think Colorado will be among the league leaders in goals for. Grade: A

Defense. Giguere had to do something on D and to his credit, he went out and got it done. Hannan brings size and nastiness to the blue line, something the Avs have been singularly lacking since Adam Foote and Rob Blake left. Liles is still a nice puck moving defenseman and almost adds the dimension of having a fourth forward on the ice. Leopold has looked good in preseason, and if he can stay healthy, the Avs will start to reap some of the benefits of the Tanguay trade. Skrastins will be back there again, the model of consistency, blocking shots and steadily defending his own zone. Brett Clark has had two solid seasons, with no reason to think he won't continue. Kyle Cumiskey proved he can play with the big club last season during a couple callups, and Jeff Finger and Johnny Boychuk will serve as decent reserves. If Leopold can stay healthy, I think this is the best blue line the Avs have seen since Bourque retired. Grade: B+

Goaltending. Ah yes, here is where it gets a little muddled. Peter Budaj played well, even spectacularly, toward the end of last year. He will get the nod as the de facto starter. However, the organization chose not to buy out Theodore's contract, so there's this 6 million dollar albatross still hanging around their necks. They want to get their money's worth, so Budaj knows that Theodore is going to get some quality starts, and must know that his starting job is tenuous. Q won't hesitate to yank one in favor of the other if their play is not up to his standards. Theodore has a lot to prove if he wants to get any kind of respectable contract from anyone, let alone Colorado. It may turn out to be good motivation for him. I see him as being potential trade bait as the deadline approaches, if he elevates his performance. If not, he will go down as the worst goalie to ever win a Vezina. Grade: B-

Great offense, good defense and decent goaltending. The Avs are going to win a lot of 5-3 and 6-4 type of games. They'll be back on top of what promises to be one of the better divisions in the NHL, securing a second or third seed in the playoffs. Goaltending will ultimately be their Achilles heel and they'll be ousted in the Western Conference Semis or Finals.

[Shoalzie]

Gotta get these in before the opener...can't believe the season starts today!

DIVISIONAL PREDICTIONS
Eastern Conference
ATLANTIC
1. Rangers (2)
2. Penguins (4)
3. Flyers (7)
4. Devils
5. Islanders

NORTHEAST
1. Senators (1)
2. Sabres (5)
3. Maple Leafs (6)
4. Canadiens
5. Bruins

SOUTHEAST
1. Hurricanes (3)
2. Panthers (8)
3. Lightning
4. Thrashers
5. Capitals

Western Conference
CENTRAL
1. Red Wings (2)
2. Blues
3. Predators
4. Blackhawks
5. Blue Jackets

NORTHWEST
1. Flames (3)
2. Canucks (5)
3. Avalanche (6)
4. Wild (8)
5. Oilers

PACIFIC
1. Ducks (1)
2. Sharks (4)
3. Stars (7)
4. Kings
5. Coyotes

PLAYOFF PICKS
Eastern Conference
Senators over Panthers
Rangers over Flyers
Maple Leafs over Hurricanes
Penguins over Sabres

Senators over Maple Leafs
Rangers over Penguins

Rangers over Senators

Western Conference
Ducks over Wild
Red Wings over Stars
Flames over Avalanche
Sharks over Canucks

Ducks over Sharks
Flames over Red Wings

Ducks over Flames

Stanley Cup Finals
Ducks over Rangers

MAJOR AWARDS
Hart: Dany Heatley
Norris: Chris Pronger
Vezina: Henrik Lundqvist
Calder: Nicklas Backstrom
Art Ross: Sidney Crosby
Rocket Richard: Alexander Ovechkin
Jack Adams: Jacque Martin
Conn Smythe: Jean-Sebastien Giguere