The National Hockey League has come a long way since the 2005 lockout, and while there's still some work to be done—most notably with regard to concussion prevention—there is little denying the fact that hockey is in a great position these days. The reason for this is two-fold:
1. With the NBA lockout in full force, it is imperative that the NHL takes advantage of the opportunity to grab the attention of a new audience. While the chances of the league getting basketball fans to watch its games are pretty slim, it is still a perfect time for more marketing and exposure, even if it's something as simple as more highlights on SportsCenter.
2. The league's success is partially due to the abundant amount of young talent. Players like Sidney Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin, Patrick Kane, Matt Duchene, Steven Stamkos, Drew Doughty, and Phil Kessel are a lot of fun to watch. These players' speed and skills are on full display every night due in large part to post-lockout rules eliminating clutching and grabbing.
Here are four players who, in my opinion, are due for successful years.
Tyler Seguin: Last year, Seguin was arguably the best player on the Stanley Cup-winning Bruins team, but his best years are still ahead of him. All indications coming out of the Bruins locker room indicate that he got bigger and stronger in the off-season. This is a scary thought considering that he is arguably the Bruins' best player at only 19 years of age.
Seguin has made a huge impact already this year, especially on the power play, and his vision and skating abilities are noticeably improved from last year. Bruins fans have a lot to be happy about with this kid.
Claude Giroux: Getting rid of Mike Richards, Jeff Carter and Ville Leino this summer certainly shocked some of the Philadelphia Flyers' faithful, but right now General Manager Paul Holmgren doesn't seem to be looking back, and with good reason. While the bulk of this confidence has to do with new net minder Ilya Bryzgalov, Giroux has also enlivened the team.
This guy has unbelievable hands and has a knack for scoring—in the team's first five games this year, he had four goals. There's no denying he's the future face of the Flyers franchise. Now if only he could play with a great player like Jaromir Jagr, wouldn't that chemistry be great? Wait, he is playing with him. Yikes.
Mike Richards: I love what the L.A. Kings did with this move over the summer. There's little denying that adding Richards gives them great second line centerman and an outstanding special teams player, but it is his leadership and winning mentality that will benefit his teammates the most.
Richards is the perfect combination of skill and grit: He plays with a chip on his shoulder, similar to his new teammate Dustin Brown, but he also has a lethal shot. Los Angeles is a legitimate Stanley Cup contender and is my dark horse out west this year.
Kris Letang: No Sidney Crosby, no Evgeni Malkin, no problem. Letang's come a long way since he first came into the league. Questions about his defensive play and toughness are now concerns of the past, as he's molded himself into one of the league's premier complete defensemen. Even though night in and night out he faced the opposing team's top line, he posed an impressive plus/minus rating of 15 last season.
While Letang's offensive skills have never been in question, he continues to prove that he's one of the most gifted offensive defenseman in the league and may be the closest thing to automatic in shootout situations. This could be the year Letang wins the Norris Trophy as the league's top defenseman.
Jam of the Week: Not going to lie, I struggled this week trying to find a good jam. Not that much new stuff out there that's really making me want to throw my Boom Boom Room shoes on, but with that being said, here's one that always puts me in a good mood that I think you will enjoy. "We Found Love" by Rihanna featuring Calvin Harris.