RHL16 preview edition - part 2 of 4

The second installment looks at what will certainly be an interesting division. There are three teams that all could be considered cup contenders, a very wide gap, then three other teams that will have to deal with the first three more often then they would like.

Saskatoon Funboys
Projected finish: 1st
43-19-4

Got it: After some aignst during the FA auction, the FUN managed to bring back the best defensive pairing in the RHL in Redden and Niedermayer. Some solid supporting pairs give the squad what is probably the best D in the league… which should make life even easier for newly-acquired Roloson, not that he really needs it.

Need it: The FUN are a little thin on the left wing, with Schaefer, Varada and Sedin leaving a little to be desired, but look for some of their centres to platoon on the wing. They also haven’t left themselves with any room to manuever salary-wise, which could make it difficult to address any needs as the season progresses.

In: Roloson, Perreault, Spiller
Out: Hasek, Drake, S.Thornton, C.Adams, Skrastins, Yeats

Dollars and cents: $5.5M over revenue. The FUN have left just enough room in their committed salaries to get through the regular season. Hopefully a long playoff run with replenish the vault, but change is coming to Saskatoon what with Redden, Niedermayer, Guerin, Lindros, Schaefer, Varada and Ferrence set to be UFAs.

RHL16 salaries: $33.0M
RHL15 salaries: $31.1M

Magic 8-ball playoff prediction: ‘you may rely on it’

Bottom line: With the acquitition of Roloson, the resigning of Redden for one more year and the impending loss of a handful of key cogs in Saskatoon’s machine, it’s now or never. Will it be the year of ‘fun’ in the RHL?

So. Edmonton Sockeyes
Projected Finish: 2nd
41-19-6

Got it: A banner to raise to the rafters on opening night in South Edmonton. The defending champs enter RHL16 as THE team to beat, and they did it by finding the right mix of scoring, defense and intensity. Most teams would be happy to have half their depth on the wings, what with St.Louis, Elias, Morrow, Cheechoo, Mogilny and Knuble on the flanks. They also have one of the best on the point in Lidstrom and in the nets with Nabokov.

Need it: The team lost #1 centre Koivu in the expansion draft, and critics are not as confident that Morrison can adaquately fill that role. The SOC signed Oates and Larionov to address the position, but they’re about a decade too late. They also lost some depth on the point, as they enter the season with only seven defensemen under contract.

In: Mogilny, Oates, Larionov, Suchy, Odelein,
Out: Koivu, Cooke, Sydor, P.Boucher, Robitaille, Brunette, Young, J.York

Dollars and cents: The SOC loaded up last year for a push and it paid off big time. Their salaries have fallen back to a very reasonable level, and with the injection of the maximum amount of playoff cash that comes with hoisting the Kings Cup, look for the team to add pieces as the season progresses.

RHL16 salary: $26.8M
RHL15 salary: $31.0M

Magic 8-ball playoff prediction: ‘it is decidedly so’

Bottom line: The SOC are at the kings of the castle right now and the usual question is whether they can keep that title or will they become one of the many dirty rascals. They’ve set themselves up to give it a good run again, but only one team will get to represent the conference in the finals… and they have plenty of stiff competition.

Baffin Isle Rovers
Projected finish: 3rd
39-20-7

Got it: There’s plenty of talent to spare for the ROV when P.Bergeron is their 5th line centre. The team will score with anyone out there and could have up to eight or nine 20-goal scorers in the lineup. Only when the 4th line is out for its token 10 minutes will opposing squads get a reprieve from offensive attacks. They will also be able to keep the puck out with a very good top five D and a capable puck stopper in Gerber.

Need it:. They also traded away one of the best defensemen in the game in Pronger, which would leave a big hole on the backline for any team that was able to rely on 30 minutes of consistency night in, night out. With only six natural wingers in camp, it could make for some tricky line juggling to get the right people out when needed.

In: Halpern, Carney, Richardson, Thibault
Out: Pronger, Recchi, Hill, Maholtra

Dollars and cents: The ROV entered the offseason with a heavy payroll, but were able to shed some with a couple of moves—the top of which was moving Pronger and his $5M+ salary. They are now in a much more comfortable range and have put together a deep squad at a reasonable price.

RHL16 salaries: $27.9M
RHL15 salaries: $33.9M

Magic 8-ball playoff prediction: ‘it is certain’

Bottom line: Winning a championship in year three can create some lofty expectations, but the ROV have managed to meet them. The team will again challenge for a division title and could find themselves going all the way if they play their cards right and they win the arms race with divisional rivals SOC and FUN.

San Diego Aviators
Projected finish: 4th
26-35-5

Got it: The AVI landed their ‘Big Three’ in the offseason, signing Doan, Drury and Schneider to long term deals. They also cleared the way for consistency in net by acquiring a number one guy in Turco. Leetch and Schneider will provide a nice offensive spark from the backend, which should help the powerplay emmensely.

Need it: Depth up front. The AVI have a solid #1 line (Smolinski-Drury-Doan) and a good #2 centre in Walz, but the ranks thin out dramatically after that. Look for teams to try and lean on the top line knowing there isn’t much help after them. Goal scoring could be a challenge this year. Defensively, the unit could be considered soft as Allen is the only one who has brings much physical play to his game.

In: Doan, Schneider, Drury, Turco, Straka, Smolinski, Pyatt, Morrisonn, Sopel
Out: Cole, Jovanovski, Tucker, Cassels, Cowan, Lilja, Salei, Rathje, Brathwaite

Dollars and cents: $1.4M over revenue. For a rebuilding team, the AVI are being fairly liberal with the checkbook and are currently on course to zero out before the end of the season. With the playoffs not an automatic, management is walking a thin line.

RHL16 salaries: $28.9M
RHL15 salaries: $23.9M

Magic 8-ball playoff prediction: ‘cannot predict now’

The bottom line: Expect the AVI’s limited depth and struggles to score to put them in the group that will need to battle hard to make the playoffs. Results will judge the team’s experiment to try and rebuild through high-priced free agents, while also trying to replenish the prospect pool.

Victoria Cougars
Projected finish: 5th
20-37-9

Got it: Cornerstone to build a new franchise around: check. Brodeur will give the COU opportunities to win games they otherwise shouldn’t. While on the downside of stellar careers, Yzerman and Lemieux should help lead this team in the locker room and give it some direction.

Need it: While long on character, the COU are short almost everywhere else. Goals will be few and far between for the expansion team. Hopefully Brodeur can chip in a couple in this department… the squad’s going to need it.

Dollars and cents: Like their expansion cousins, the COU opted not to hover at the league minimum for salary and spend some dough to try and be somewhat competitive. They have some serious coin tied up in a handful of players, but that is not unusual for an expansion team.

RHL16 salaries: $25.6M
RHL15 salaries: N/A

Magic 8-ball playoff prediction: ‘don’t count on it’

Bottom line: It will be interesting to see just how much impact Brodeur can have being the only real player in his prime with talent… one can argue that we already know since playing on the now-defunct Purge was like playing on an expansion team.

Airdrie T-Men
Projected finish: 6th
12-49-5

Got it: The TME sit on the largest bank balance in the league, but seem reluctant to spend it on talent that will make an immediate impact. The squad has a reasonable supporting cast, but unfortunately are asked to play above their level. Grahame was a shining light in RHL15 and will hope to carry this team on his back again.

Need it: Some relief from having to match against the FUN, SOC and ROV many more times than any team would like, especially when a team just doesn’t matchup in talent like the TME. The team could use some help just about everywhere, but the wings are especially devoid of skill, with the exception of S.Kozlov.

In: Robitaille, Svoboda, Kloucek,
Out: Zhamnov, G.Johnson, Kostopoulos, Chistov, Barnaby, Weinhandl, Nieminen, Vorobiev, Mironov, Woolley

Dollars and cents: The league continues to wait for the shoe to drop in Airdrie when management decides to dip into their vast savings to bring in some fresh talent. The team is projected to have $20M to spare by the end of the season, which is an incredible amount given the current financial climate in the RHL.

RHL16 salaries: $21.0M
RHL15 salaries: $29.7M

Magic 8-ball playoff prediction: ‘very doubtful’

Bottom line: Fans are beginning to grow impatient with a team that doesn’t seem to have a clear vision for where it wants to go. They continue to lay out hard-earned dollars for tickets hoping that the TME will one day rise to the top. Their waiting won’t last forever, and expect a mutiny if fans think the owner is profiting too much at the expense of a competitive hockey team.