Let's Make a Deal

Well, it's time of the year when hockey prognosticators make their fearless predictions about which teams will win the Stanley Cup and why Johnny Canuck or Joe Maple Leaf will lead his team to victory next June. I'll spare you the time and let you in on a little secret.

Newsflash: You don't have to have a Stanley Cup contender on Day 1 of the season. I don't know much, but I know that to be true. Sure, there's teams that are in better position than others when the puck drops at the start of October, but this is a marathon not a sprint.

Here's what we learned about the NHL last year. Skating and special teams count for a lot more than they used to. Thanks, Sherminator, real enlightening. Here's what else we found out: you just have to play well enough to be in playoff contention come the end of February. That's when the good teams make their move for the postseason.

The NHL's frozen four - Anaheim, Buffalo, Carolina, and Edmonton - all had those things in common last year. Yeah, they skated well and killed penalties, but with the exception of the Sabres, every team upgraded at the trade deadline. Anaheim brought in Jeff Friesen and Sean O'Donnell to add speed and shore up its defence. Carolina added more firepower in Doug Weight and Mark Recchi. Edmonton picked up Rolly the Goalie from Minnesota and also acquired Sergei Samsonov. The Oil had already made deals for Jaroslav Spacek and Dick Tarnstrom. If the Sabres would have added those two defencemen, they might have been parading around with Lord Stanley's oversized chalice last June.

Bottom line is this. All you really need is a team that can keep its head above water for the first four months of the season. That's when the X-factor comes in. With the type of game that hockey is, I'm confident that a good GM can make the biggest difference late in the season. In the NFL, it's coaching that turns the tide as teams have a week to prepare and change schemes in between games. In the NHL, it's the GM that pulls the trigger on a deal to enhance his team's current personnel that makes the pendulum swing.

It's nice to have Barker's Beauties adorning the media guide of your favorite NHL club. But if you've got Monty Hall in the front office, you'll be watching hockey in June.