Awake from summer hibernation: The NHL season opener is less than three weeks away. Most teams reported for physicals Wednesday, with first skates generally set for Thursday and preseason games beginning next week. Here are the biggest questions facing the New York-area teams as the first blades scratch the ice:
RANGERS
The Rangers open camp with a new coach and the same expectations.
Last season, under the demonstrative John Tortorella, the Rangers flamed out in a second-round playoff loss to the Bruins, getting outclassed – or running out of gas – in a five-game series. Tortorella’s abrasiveness and hard-nosed style of play apparently began to wear thin inside the dressing room, and that prompted general manager Glen Sather to fire him after a successful 4 ½-year tenure when the team regained respectability and realigned their sights on the Stanley Cup.
Now former Canucks headman Alain Vigneault is at the helm, and he inherits a very similar roster with the same goal. As his first preseason on Broadway arises, so does the first question:
*How will the players react to the new coach?
Teams often change from a dictator-type coach to a players-type coach for the perceived need for a change in message. Although Tortorella is the former, Vigneault is not exactly the latter. He is not going to ask players to block shots by the bushel, but he won’t exactly be goofing around like Rex Ryan on skates. How the players react to his delivery will be key to their mental outlook and eventual success of failure.
*Who is Brad Richards?
Last season was the worst in the former Conn Smythe-winner’s celebrated career, and it almost got his contract bought out. Instead, Sather brought Richards back into the fold in the hope he can regain some of his old form. He doesn’t necessarily have to be a first-line center again, but he can’t be the borderline healthy scratch he was in the playoffs if the team wants to win.
*Can Rick Nash carry an offense?
There were moments last season when Nash, in his first year with the Blueshirts after an offseason trade with the Blue Jackets, showed how he can utterly dominate games with his size and skill. Yet battling through a wrist injury that he downplayed, Nash’s production — including just one goal in 12 playoff games — was not as consistent as the team would have liked. Considering the roster isn’t overflowing with offensive talent, a lot of the load will have to be carried by Nash.
*Will franchise bedrock goaltender Henrik Lundqvist get a contract extension signed, and if not, will it affect him on the ice?
At last season’s breakup day, Lundqvist was very guarded – if not lukewarm – about the prospects of re-signing with the Rangers after his contract expires following this season. He has since made it clear he wants to end his career with the team, but no extension has been reached as training camp opens. There is no way either Lundqvist or Sather wants to negotiations to be a distraction during the season, but if nothing is done in the next few weeks, rest assured it will be.
*Can the team weather an early-season road trip without some key parts?
Captain Ryan Callahan and speedy winger Carl Hagelin will miss the start of the season as they each recover from shoulder surgery, and the Rangers will be almost entirely on the road during that time. Because of the ongoing renovations at the Garden, the Rangers play their first nine games away from home, not returning until a Oct. 28 game against the Canadiens. The team hopes Callahan and Hagelin can be back for that game, but how they stand at that juncture could set a tone for the season.
*Will Derek Stepan get a deal done?
The Rangers’ presumptive first-line center has not signed a new deal as training camp opens, and will sit out until it’s done. A restricted free agent without arbitration rights, Stepan is looking for a long-term contract while the team is trying to sign him to a bridge deal for two seasons. The recent signing of the Maple Leafs’ Nazim Kadri for two years at $2.9 million per could lower Stepan’s asking price.
ISLANDERS
The Islanders are no longer just talking about progress — they’re actually seeing it.
Last season, the team made the playoffs for the first time since 2007, and even with a six-game, first-round loss to the top-seeded Penguins, the fan base finally saw prolonged misery start to abate. After years of bad teams playing in an awful building, the franchise will have a new home in Brooklyn’s Barclays Center starting in 2015-16, and is captained by one of the game’s best players.
John Tavares will be 23 years old when the season starts in the crumbling Nassau Coliseum, but was handed the captaincy of a young team that now has realistic expectations for the postseason. So that begs the first question:
*Can Tavares’ meteoric rise continue?
All signs point to Tavares’ nomination last season as a Hart Trophy finalist (league MVP) being the first of many, but that is far from a guarantee. Having dramatically improved every season since being the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 draft, Tavares is poised to lead this team into the future. Yet much of the team’s success last season was predicated on his play, and if teams can shut him down, a lot of the Isles’ offense goes with him.
*Will the supporting cast be good enough?
Though Tavares was outstanding last season, the real reason the team was able to make the postseason was the progress from the players around him. That most notably includes forwards Josh Bailey and Kyle Okposo, who after seasons of growing pains, matured into poised contributors. They cannot drop back to previous levels of production if the team is looking for another postseason run.
*Does 38-year-old goalie Evgeni Nabokov show signs of breaking down?
Coming in as a savior between the pipes last season, the cagey veteran was a stabilizing force in a position that has been nothing but questionable since 2008 (Rick DiPietro’s final good season). Yet after playing 41 of 48 regular-season games, Nabokov faltered in the playoffs, getting pulled twice and putting up a crooked 4.44 goals-against average. He signed another one-year deal in the offseason. With no reliable backup in place, the Isles’ goaltending load will be all his to carry.
*Which young players can immediately contribute?
The Islanders are continuing to attempt to improve their team from within, choosing not to bring in any big-name (and big-money) veterans and making roster spots open for competition among their homegrown prospects. That is especially true on defense, where young players such as Calvin de Haan, Matt Donovan and Aaron Ness will have distinct chances to make the team. Up front, center Ryan Strome, the No. 5 overall pick from the 2011 draft, is expected to show he is ready, as well.
*Can the role-player additions amply fill in?
General manager Garth Snow added free-agent forwards Cal Clutterbuck and Pierre-Marc Bouchard to the mix. Clutterbuck, often tops in the league in hits, is here for his physicality, and Bouchard is a low-budget (one-year, $2 million contract) chance on a 29-year-old player who was a first-round pick in 2002 and once scored 20 goals for the Wild in 2006-07. They are trying to carve out roles and provide depth up front.
DEVILS
The Devils finally get some financial security, and just as that happens, their most expensive player decides to “retire.”
The drama surrounding Ilya Kovalchuk and his abrupt departure for the KHL in his native Russia is utterly unprecedented as well as unpredictable going forward. As Kovalchuk left, Josh Harris and business partner David Blitzer bought the Devils out of substantial debt accrued by former owner Jeff Vanderbeek and put the franchise on solid financial footing.
The purchase hasn’t changed too much for longtime general manager Lou Lamoriello, though now he’s probably more confident the checks will clear for his new-look Devils team, which is hoping to rebound from a disappointing spring devoid of postseason play. Yet questions still remain in quantity, and they start at the top:
*How can the team begin to fill the void left by Kovalchuk (and David Clarkson)?
Simple answer: They can’t. Kovalchuk was a unique talent, a player who was on the ice more than any other forward in the past three years, contributing just as much as a penalty killer as a power-play scorer. He would dominate both ends of the ice when he wanted to, and that kind of presence is irreplaceable. Clarkson had become a leader on the team — along with one of its most potent offensive weapons — before leaving for the wealthier pastures of his hometown Maple Leafs. Somehow, the Devils must adjust, and that means getting contributions from every corner of the roster.
*How much does Martin Brodeur have left, and how long is his leash?
The 41-year-old lifelong Devil is arguably the best goaltender in history and a lock for the Hall of Fame, but has one more year left on his contract before his presumed retirement. But Brodeur has made it clear this season is not about a Mariano Rivera-like tour to celebrate his legacy. He wants to contribute to a successful team. With Cory Schneider coming over in a draft-day trade with the Canucks, his successor is already in place – and could take his place if good ol’ Marty starts to see his years catch up with him.
*Can the new additions pick up enough of the slack?
Despite the ownership instability, Lamoriello did not sit on his hands this offseason. He signed free-agent forwards Michael Ryder and Rostislav Olesz in hopes of boosting the offense, along with bruising forward and former Ranger Ryane Clowe. By adding some different dimensions to the roster, Lamoriello is hoping they can gel into a unit that creates more wins as a group than individually.
*Can the veterans hold up?
A lot will be expected of the Devils’ veteran leadership group, which includes forwards Patrik Elias, Dainius Zubrus and now 28-year-old Travis Zajac, who signed an eight-year, $46 million deal. With age catching up to the 37-year-old Elias, and injuries a concern for Zubrus and Zajac, their ability to contribute consistently will be paramount to the team’s success.
*Will contributions come from the young wave?
That starts with recently signed center Adam Henrique, who finally ended his restricted free agency by inking a six-year, $24 million contract. Henrique, 23, is coming off a forgettable sophomore campaign when he battled back from a broken thumb suffered while playing in the AHL during the lockout. The hope is he can regain the form that made him a Calder Trophy finalist two seasons ago, when the Devils made it to the Stanley Cup finals. There’s also winger Stefan Matteau, the 19-year-old who made a memorable 17-game debut last season.
With an older defensive corps, Lamoriello made it clear he would like to see a contribution from some members of the group consisting of Eric Gelinas, Alexander Urbon, Jon Merrill and Damon Severson. That means 20-year-old Adam Larsson is being penciled into a full-time role, supplementing veterans Marek Zidlikcy, Bryce Salvador and Andy Greene.