I honestly can't remember a season where I had such a lack of enthusiasm on Opening Night. I honestly don't see this team making playoffs, and there's really not a lot to build around at the moment. Thank god I've got the Sox for a few more weeks (I hope) and the Pats for several months.
Goaltending - Tim Thomas and a slightly more experienced version of Tim Thomas named Manny Fernandez. I've never cared for either, and I don't think either one is that great. Some hope for the future in Rask, but he's not going to be a difference maker for a couple of years most likely.
Defense - Ugh, now this is a disaster. Chara needs to rebound in a HUGE way. Some decent young guys in Stuart and Wideman, but they'd likely be #5-6 on most other teams. Don't even ask me about the the 2 guys from Boston College (Alberts and Allen).
Forwards - Bergeron, Kessel, Bochenski are all great young forwards. Savard's a hell of a playmaker, but without a true sniper, what good is he? Glen Murray? Yeah, a few years ago maybe. Krejci and Lucic are rookies, so I'm not judging them yet, but Krejci looked pretty good in Providence last year. Most of the rest of the team is 3rd-4th liners at best.
My Prediction: 33-41-4-4 Fighting with Montreal for last in the Northeast.