NHL PREVIEW : Embarking on Season of Comebacks

Comebacks are the theme of the NHL’s 77th season.

Wayne Gretzky, who considered retiring after the Kings lost to Montreal in the Stanley Cup finals, has come back to continue his chase of Gordie Howe’s goal-scoring record, the only significant scoring record he hasn’t already shattered. As he begins his 15th NHL season, Gretzky is 36 goals short of Howe’s 801. And considering his average of 55 goals a season, that record seems well within his reach.

Mario Lemieux and the Pittsburgh Penguins will embark on comebacks, too. Lemieux, who overcame Hodgkin’s disease and won his fourth scoring title last season, is recovering from back surgery and is not expected to play until late October. Can he repeat as scoring champion? Can the Penguins, upset by the New York Islanders in the Patrick Division finals last spring, return to their Cup-winning form of 1991 and ’92 under Eddie Johnston, who has returned to coaching after a 10-year absence?

Or will the Montreal Canadiens, surprise Cup winners last season, win consecutive championships?

Not back are the Smythe, Norris, Adams and Patrick Divisions, or the Wales and Campbell Conferences. They have been realigned and renamed, the better to identify a league grown to 26 far-flung teams with the addition of the Mighty Ducks in Anaheim and the Florida Panthers in Miami.

The playoff format is new, too. The division winners will be seeded first and second, based on their point totals, and the remaining teams will be seeded within their conference according to their point totals. No. 1 will play No. 8, No. 2 will face No. 7, etc.

Here’s a league preview, in predicted order of finish in each division:

WESTERN CONFERENCE (FORMERLY CAMPBELL)

PACIFIC DIVISION (FORMERLY SMYTHE)

KINGS

* Coach: Barry Melrose (second season).

* 1992-93: 39-35-10, 88 points.

* Outlook: If Gretzky avoids back problems, the Cup is within their grasp. But to win it, they need offensive sparks from newly acquired center Shawn McEachern, left wing Jari Kurri, who scored 27 goals last season, and Tomas Sandstrom, who had 25 in 39 games. Rob Blake, Alex Zhitnik and Darryl Sydor matured during last season’s run to the Cup finals and are among the NHL’s top young defensemen.

VANCOUVER CANUCKS

* Coach: Pat Quinn (fourth season).

* 1992-93: 46-29-9, 101 points.

* Outlook: They lost a key offensive threat and became thin at center when Petr Nedved (38 goals, 71 points) returned to Europe because of a contract dispute. They have moved Greg Adams and Murray Craven to center, depleting their strength on the wings. Pavel Bure (60 goals, 110 points) and goalie Kirk McLean will carry them, but they will be hard-pressed to repeat last season’s first-place finish.

CALGARY FLAMES

* Coach: Dave King (second season)

* 1992-93: 43-30-11, 97 points.

* Outlook: They are solid at center with Joe Nieuwendyk, who has averaged 46 goals over the last five seasons, defensive stalwart Joel Otto and veteran Kelly Kisio. That freed them to move 1989 draft pick Ted Drury to right wing, after persuading the Harvard graduate to forget playing for the U.S. Olympic team. Defensemen Gary Suter and Al MacInnis can score, but the defense in front of Mike Vernon is otherwise so-so. Brad Schlegel replaces Trent Yawney, idled until November after undergoing surgery on a torn pectoral muscle.

EDMONTON OILERS

* Coach: Ted Green (third season).

* 1992-93: 26-50-8, 60 points.

* Outlook: How the mighty have fallen--and will continue to plummet. They say they can’t pay high salaries and so have dealt away their best players. Their top scorer last season, Petr Klima, had only 48 points, the lowest for any team leader, and he’s gone to Tampa Bay. By notifying the NHL he intends to move the team, owner Peter Pocklington has created enough uncertainty to make a bad situation worse.

SAN JOSE SHARKS

* Coach: Kevin Constantine (first season).

* 1992-93: 11-71-2, 24 points.

* Outlook: They were respectable in their first season with 17 victories and many narrow losses, but after Jack Ferreira’s ouster as general manager, they regressed last season to 11 victories, 24 points and a league-high 414 goals against. Pat Fallon will score and they have some promising defensemen, but the retirement of Doug Wilson and Kisio’s departure as a free agent will hurt.

MIGHTY DUCKS

* Coach: Ron Wilson (first season).

* 1992-93: This is their first season.

* Outlook: With little scoring potential, a disciplined, tight-checking style seems their only hope of staying in games. Wilson, formerly an assistant at Vancouver, has created a defensive system that’s likely to keep them competitive many nights. They need defenseman Alexei Kasatonov to be a leader, perhaps with help from Sean Hill, and they must learn how to be physical without taking foolish penalties that tax their defense and their goalies.

CENTRAL DIVISION (FORMERLY NORRIS)

DETROIT RED WINGS

* Coach: Scotty Bowman (first season)

* 1992-93: 47-28-9, 103 points.

* Outlook: After a first-round ouster by Toronto last spring the Red Wings sent Bryan Murray to the front office and installed six-time Cup winner Bowman behind the bench. He has depth at center with Steve Yzerman (58 goals, 137 points) and Sergei Fedorov (career-high 34 goals, 87 points), on the wings with Dino Ciccarelli (41 goals) and Ray Sheppard (32 goals) and on defense with Paul Coffey, Steve Chiasson and Nicklas Lidstrom. The pivotal spot is goal, where Tim Cheveldae and Vincent Riendeau play.

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS

* Coach: Darryl Sutter (second season).

* 1992-93: 47-25-12, 106 points.

* Outlook: Jeremy Roenick (50 goals, 107 points) ranks among the best two-way players in the league, but without holdout Steve Larmer (35 goals, 70 points), the Blackhawks are weak up front. Their next-highest returning goal scorer is Michel Goulet, who had 23. Chris Chelios won his second Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman and Steve Smith is as rugged as they come, but goalie Ed Belfour (2.59 goals-against and winner of both major goaltending awards) will have to be dazzling again for Chicago to get far.

WINNIPEG JETS

* Coach: John Paddock (third season).

* 1992-93: 40-37-7, 87 points.

* Outlook: Their European-dominated lineup oozes speed and puck-handling ability. Moscow native Alexei Zhamnov struggled upon his arrival but had a marvelous second half and is poised for a big season. He will center a line with Teemu Selanne and Keith Tkachuk on the wings. Selanne tied for the NHL goal-scoring lead with 76, and the American-born Tkachuk is tough and has a nice touch around the net. Winnipeg’s weakness is a lack of muscle.

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS

* Coach: Pat Burns (second season).

* 1992-93: 44-29-11, 99 points.

* Outlook: Can center Doug Gilmour produce another MVP-caliber season? The Leafs won’t have a hope if he doesn’t--and might not have much hope even if he does. Dave Andreychuk (54 goals, 99 points) and Nikolai Borschevsky (34 goals, 74 points) will score, but the Maple Leafs have no second-line center and are wafer-thin on defense. Goalie Felix Potvin had a terrific rookie season (2.50 GAA, .910 save percentage in 48 games).

ST. LOUIS BLUES

* Coach: Bob Berry (second season).

* 1992-93: 37-36-11, 85 points.

* Outlook: In acquiring offensive-oriented defenseman Phil Housley from Winnipeg for Nelson Emerson, they solved none of their problems. They still need a center for right wing Brett Hull, who went from 86 goals to 70 goals to 54 last season, and they didn’t shore up a defense that abandoned goalie Curtis Joseph to a league-high 2,202 shots last season. Craig Janney (82 assists, 106 points) and Brendan Shanahan (career-high 51 goals) will play together but Hull has no qualified setup men. They’ll miss center Ron Sutter, out until December because of abdominal surgery.

DALLAS STARS

* Coach: Bob Gainey (fourth season).

* 1992-93: 36-38-10, 82 points (as Minnesota North Stars).

* Outlook: Gainey did a decent job in a season made uneasy by the rumors of the move to Texas. The Stars had no 40-goal scorers last season--Russ Courtnall had 36--and they still are waiting for Mike Modano to assert himself physically and score consistently. He had no goals in the season’s last nine games, when a playoff spot was on the line. Defenseman Mark Tinordi and Derian Hatcher are brawny and can handle the puck. Goalie Andy Moog, who won a career-high 37 games for Boston last season despite being unhappy, will be the league’s oldest starting goalie at 33.

EASTERN CONFERENCE (FORMERLY WALES)

NORTHEAST DIVISION (FORMERLY ADAMS)

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

* Coach: Eddie Johnston (first season).

* 1992-93: 56-21-7, 119 points (led league).

* Outlook: They added much-needed muscle in defenseman Marty McSorley and fortified an already fearsome offense by signing Swedish winger Markus Naslund. Jaromir Jagr, Martin Straka, Kevin Stevens (55 goals), Rick Tocchet and Ron Francis will keep the offense going while Lemieux’s back heals. Their concerns are better pacing than last season, when pushing for the overall points leadership left them tired in the playoffs, and what would happen if goaltender Tom Barrasso (a league-leading 43 victories, 3.01 GAA) got hurt.

QUEBEC NORDIQUES

* Coach: Pierre Page (third season).

* 1992-93: 47-27-10, 104 points.

* Outlook: Their offense is explosive, powered by 47-goal scorer Matts Sundin and 48-goal scorer Joe Sakic, and they expect to add Swedish junior sensation Peter Forsberg after the Winter Olympics and Swedish League playoffs. Their salary dispute with defenseman Steve Duchesne, who wants his option year re-worked to pay him more than $1 million in U.S. dollars, is a potential problem. Goalie coach Daniel Bouchard has helped Stephane Fiset develop the confidence to replace the traded Ron Hextall despite only 69 games’ NHL experience.

MONTREAL CANADIENS

* Coach: Jacques Demers (second season).

* 1992-93: 48-30-6, 102 points.

* Outlook: Tight defense, Patrick Roy’s spectacular goaltending and Demers’ motivational ability made them surprise Cup winners last spring, but Montreal fans always want more. Vincent Damphousse, Kirk Muller and Brian Bellows are as diligent and consistent a trio of forwards as any in the league, and the defense is admirably disciplined and can be physical.

BOSTON BRUINS

* Coach: Brian Sutter (second season).

* 1992-93: 51-26-7, 109 points.

* Outlook: A first-round playoff defeat by Buffalo wrote a sour ending to a fine season last year. Ray Bourque remains the NHL’s top all-around defenseman but the defense is otherwise mediocre. Rookie center-left wing Joe Juneau (32 goals, 102 points) was a real find. They need a rebound by goalie Jon Casey and scoring from Cam Neely, a two-time 50-goal scorer who was limited by injuries to 22 games the last two seasons.

BUFFALO SABRES

* Coach: John Muckler (third season).

* 1992-93: 38-36-10, 86 points.

* Outlook: Always better on paper than on the ice, they might be one physical defenseman away from contending even though Alexander Mogilny, who tied Winnipeg’s Selanne for the goal-scoring lead last season at 76, will miss the start of the season because the leg he broke last spring is healing slowly. They still have Pat LaFontaine, the scoring runner-up to Lemieux with 53 goals and 95 points, and a fine playmaker in Dale Hawerchuk.

HARTFORD WHALERS

* Coach: Paul Holmgren (second year).

* 1992-93: 26-52-6, 58 points.

* Outlook: Dismal. Left wing Geoff Sanderson had a breakthough season with 46 goals and right wing Pat Verbeek scored 39, but other scoring threats are few. If goalie Sean Burke’s back problems continue, it could be embarrassing.

OTTAWA SENATORS

* Coach: Rick Bowness (second season).

* 1992-93: 10-70-4, 24 points.

* Outlook: They expect center Alexandre Daigle, the first overall draft pick in June, to save a team that scored a league-low 202 goals and won only 10 games in its debut season. Even Daigle, the most heralded junior player in years, can’t right all of the Senators’ many wrongs.

ATLANTIC DIVISION (FORMERLY PATRICK)

NEW YORK ISLANDERS

* Coach: Al Arbour (sixth season).

* 1992-93: 40-37-7, 87 points.

* Outlook: Bright. Arbour, who coached the Islanders to four consecutive Cups from 1980-83, weathered a long rebuilding process. He has a stellar defense, led by pesky Darius Kasparaitis and Vladimir Malakhov, and a potent offense, built around the creativity of Pierre Turgeon (58 goals, 132 points) and ruggedness of Steve Thomas. Hextall’s experience in goal will solidify the defense. Watch for them if the Penguins falter come playoff time.

NEW YORK RANGERS

* Coach: Mike Keenan (first season).

* 1992-93: 34-39-11, 79 points.

* Outlook: Keenan, the taskmaster who took the Flyers to the finals twice and the Blackhawks once, was hired to end a 53-year Cup drought. He will have to get along with center Mark Messier, who unseated Roger Neilson as coach last season, and determine whether goalie Mike Richter can overcome a poor season and take on a full work load. If not, Glenn Healy is waiting. Brian Leetch, recovered from a broken ankle, and James Patrick lead a mobile defense corps. With some breaks, Messier is capable of carrying the Rangers from a non-playoff finish to a Cup parade on Broadway.

WASHINGTON CAPITALS

* Coach: Terry Murray (fifth season).

* 1992-93: 43-34-7, 93 points.

* Outlook: They will miss gritty Dale Hunter, suspended the first 21 games for a vicious hit on Turgeon in the playoffs last spring. Last season, they became the first team to have three defensemen who scored 20 goals in a season--Sylvain Cote, Kevin Hatcher and Al Iafrate--but they have few resources up front. Defensive centers Dave Poulin and Keith Acton will limit opponents’ scoring.

PHILADELPHIA FLYERS

* Coach: Terry Simpson (first season).

* 1992-93: 36-37-11, 83 points.

* Outlook: Despite a recurring knee injury and immense pressure, Eric Lindros collected 41 goals and 75 points in 61 games last season. Big, skilled and fearless, he’s a franchise player. He will get help from Mark Recchi, who had a career-high 53 goals last season, and Rod Brind’Amour, who scored 37 goals, but the Flyers need better second and third lines and a deeper defense to contend.

NEW JERSEY DEVILS

* Coach: Jacques Lemaire (first season).

* 1992-93: 40-37-7, 87 points.

* Outlook: Another season, another coach, their sixth in seven years. This time it’s Lemaire, assisted by Larry Robinson. If they get the Devils to play with half the professionalism they had during their careers, this team has potential. Claude Lemieux, who feuded with former coach Herb Brooks, should be happier and more prolific (30 goals). Scott Stevens and promising second-year player Scott Niedermayer lead the defense.

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING

* Coach: Terry Crisp (second season).

* 1992-93: 23-54-7, 53 points.

* Outlook: Denis Savard, discarded by Montreal, will entertain the fans in Tampa. He and Klima are on the decline but might still be useful. Goalie Daren Puppa will help keep things respectable, but only 1992 top draft pick Roman Hamrlik is worth mentioning on defense.

FLORIDA PANTHERS

* Coach: Roger Neilson (first season).

* 1992-93: This is their first season.

* Outlook: For owner Wayne Huizenga’s $50-million expansion fee, they got strong goaltending in former Ranger John Vanbiesbrouck and Mark Fitzpatrick, the former Islander and King. They also got a plodding defense and no offense. The season highlight film will be a short subject.