Mandatory Credit: Gary Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Why Your NHL Team Rocks: Anaheim To Boston
Anaheim Ducks
Ducks fans have a lot to be happy and hopeful about right now. Your team is coming off an impressive season that saw the Ducks go down admirably against the eventual Stanley Cup Champions in the Western Conference Finals. Your team hasn’t lost any significant pieces from last season. Matt Belesky is replaceable. By who you ask? This awesome guy named Carl Hagelin. As a Caps fan, I’m ecstatic that I don’t have to watch him carve up the Caps with his speed and skating. Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry are one of the best duos in the league. Your blue line is a bit inexperienced but has a very high ceiling. With the Hawks likely taking a step back, the Ducks might be the best team in the NHL right now.
Arizona Coyotes
Coyotes fans should be extremely happy because they’re still in Glendale. It was inspiring to see fans from all over the NHL rally behind the Coyotes while they were temporarily homeless. Even though Arizona will likely be tanking in 2015-2016, there are some darn good players in Arizona. Oliver Ekman-Larsson is a criminally underrated defenseman. He’s the kind of guy that you can build your blue line around. The best part? He’s only 25 years old. The Coyotes also have some excellent forward prospects in their system. Max Domi and Anthony DuClair both have a good shot at cracking the Opening Night Roster. If they do, they should form an exciting forward line for years to come.
Boston Bruins
This off-season has been a bit confusing for Bruins fans, but they have three reasons why they should be very excited for the season to begin. Two of them are line mates Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron. You might also know them as the best shutdown in the NHL. They can go against any forward line and dominate them in terms of possession. That’s incredibly valuable. After Reilly Smith built up his value with the duo, Loui Eriksson is next in line for the patented Bergeron and Marchand bump that tends to occur when one plays a lot of minutes with the duo. The third reason? Tuukka Rask. You’ve probably heard of him, he’s arguably the second best goalie in the NHL next to Carey Price. As long as Boston has the trio of Bergeron, Marchand and Rask, they will always have a chance to be a contender.
Next: Buffalo Through Carolina