Amidst all of this lockout nonsense, many have forgotten about new Penguin Brandon Sutter. He was born to be a Penguin: tough, physical style, good on the penalty kill, and not unfamiliar with scoring goals. Great prize for getting rid of Jordan Staal and his cap hit.
Sidney Crosby is a bottle of energy waiting to burst. He has been skating with his buddies almost every day since september, and he is just waiting to be unleashed on real NHL competition. Should be quite a sight to see. Will give Malkin a run for his money on the scoring title/MVP.
Evgeni Malkin is ready to go, as he has been playing for his hometown in Russia since september. Look for him to get right back into things. Plus he will probably be reunited with his linemates James Neal and Chris Kunitz. One interesting thing is that in Europe, the rinks are wider than in North America. We'll see if that plays into things.
Kris Letang is ready to have a career season. He was poised to do so last year, but he was interrupted by an injury.
Marc Andre Fleury. This one's a puzzler. He had a bit of a meltdown in the playoffs, but he has been good at bouncing back in the past. With solid backup Tomas Vokoun, Fleury will no longer have to do insane things such as start 25 games in a row. He had to do that when the Penguins had Brent Johnson/Brad Theissen backing him up, neither of which could put on a compelling performance.
Hopefully the power play can click this year. The key to doing that is putting Malkin on his favorite spot-- the right half wall-- and putting Crosby down low near the goal line. Letang and someone else can take the points. Throw James Neal out there too.
"It's a Great Day For Hockey"
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