The lockout season of 2004-05 resulted in the premature retirement of many beloved NHL superstars, such as Scott Stevens and Brett Hull. The most notable departures after the lockout were not permanent, however.
Big name players around the league said goodbye to the franchises where they had gained recognition, and hello to new cities, scenarios, and game plans. Most of these moves paid off for both players and teams and started a trend that will undoubtedly be replicated in future offseasons.
In this vein, many key players left this offseason, some for good. Longtime Detroit Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman retired this summer after a 22-year career. The Wings won three Stanley Cups with Yzerman at the helm, as he provided invaluable leadership for a perennial contender.
Brendan Shanahan also hung up his Red Wings' jersey this summer, signing a multi-year contract with the New York Rangers. Currently the league leader in goals, Shanahan has made an immediate impact, leading the Rangers' power play along with captain Jaromir Jagr. The Rangers are currently tied for the lead in the Atlantic Division with the New Jersey Devils.
Behemoth defenseman Zdeno Chara has also joined a new team this year, heading south from the Ottawa Senators to the Boston Bruins. The 6'9" Chara pushes 7' when on skates and has been a dominant defensive force both in the NHL and the Olympics for many years. Chara joins a rebuilding Bruins team, and has already been elected captain of the young squad.
The Senators thrived last season on supernatural production from the majority of their starters. Their first line of Dany Heatley, Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson was the highest producing line in the league; however, like all great teams, it was the second- and third-line players whose production tipped the scales. Left wing Martin Havlat played only a small amount of last season, but helped the Senators clinch the Eastern Conference. He signed with the beleaguered Chicago Blackhawks this summer and is now using his years of experience to turn around the franchise.
Havlat currently leads the league in points with 12 and joins veteran Nikolai Khabibulin, who won the 2003-04 Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning. A storied franchise, the Blackhawks have suffered abysmal seasons since the mid-90s, when they lost superstars like Jeremy Roenick (currently with the Phoenix Coyotes). The Blackhawks are trying to rebuild, adding former Philadelphia Flyer stars Michael Handzus, Patrick Sharp and Jim Vandermeer, to boost their young, contending team.
The offseason trades are not the only moves paying dividends during this young season; several key trades from last year are proving fruitful this fall. Last spring, the Colorado Avalanche traded Swiss goaltender David Aebischer to the Montreal Canadiens for goaltender Jose Theodore. Aebischer currently leads the league in goals against average at 1.44, while Theodore has sunk the Avalanche to the bottom of the Northwest Division with a 3.26 GAA.
The goaltender question has proven a troublesome one for many teams. Some, like the Anaheim Ducks and the San Jose Sharks, have two proven, stellar goaltenders to provide stability in an uncertain league. The biggest advantages and surprises, however, come from the youngsters who have stepped up in the beginning of the year.
The NHL leaderboard is a virtual who's-who of young talent at the goalie position. Tomas Vokoun of the Nashville Predators and Cam Ward of the Carolina Hurricanes emerged as premier players at the position last season, and Keri Lehtonen of the Atlanta Thrashers and Alexander Auld of the Florida Panthers are among this season's new surprises at the position. Carrying their play into the 2006-07 season, the pair has turned heads thus far this year with two shutouts apiece during the first four games.
While promising young stars characterized last season, this season's "newcomer" crown has yet to be claimed. Look for rising stars over the next few weeks to start challenging Alexander Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby and Eric Staal for the rights to the best young player.
