Stanley Cup and off-season predictions

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My Stanley Cup Final predictions and other random off-season prognostications:

1) The Los Angeles Kings will defeat the New Jersey Devils in six games to win the franchises first Stanley Cup.

2) Kings goalie Jonathan Quick will win the Conn Smythe award as postseason MVP.

3) The first teammate captain Dustin Brown will hand the Cup to will beAnze Kopitar, not Mike Richards.

4) In the event Im wrong about the Devils, the first teammate Zack Parise hands the Cup to will be Patrik Elias.

5) Since were on the subject of individual awards, heres the rest:

Hart: Evgeni Malkin

Vezina: Henrik Lundqvist
Norris: Shea Weber
Selke: Patrice Bergeron

Adams: Ken Hitchcock
Calder: Gabriel Landeskog

6) Flyers forward Claude Giroux will receive more votes than Nashvilles Pekka Rinne and will grace the cover of EAs NHL 13 video game. Despite how addictive and realistic the game may be, I have not purchased one since Calgarys Jarome Iginla was on the cover. How long ago was that?

7) Unfortunately, Chris Pronger will not be medically cleared to return to the Flyers and will still be dealing with post-concussion symptoms.

8) As a result, the Flyers captaincy will be handed over to Giroux over 37-year-old Kimmo Timonen, who has one year remaining on a six-year deal and his future uncertain after 2012-13.

9) Flyers GM Paul Holmgren will trade the teams first-round pick in the upcoming draft and the Flyers wont make their first pick until the third round.

10) Predators GM David Poile, who currently doesnt have a first-round pick after the trade for Paul Gaustad, will acquire one when he trades the rights to future unrestricted free agent Ryan Suter to an Eastern Conference team in an effort to keep Suter from signing with the Detroit Red Wings or another Western Conference team.

11) The Edmonton Oilers will trade the No. 1 overall pick for more experienced veteran help.

12) The Flyers will not re-sign future UFA defenseman Matt Carle, who will get 5 million next season from one of three teams: Colorado, Detroit or Tampa Bay.

13) By July 2, Holmgren will have added a depth forward, a top-4 defenseman and a backup goalie through free agencytrades.

14) The Flyers will also acquire a player who previously played with the organization.

15) The Vancouver Canucks will discover how hard it is to trade a goaltender signed through 2022, but Mike Gillis will somehow unload 33-year-old Roberto Luongo for little return to one of the following teams: Chicago, Columbus, Florida or Tampa Bay, with Winnipeg as a dark horse.

16) After their inability to score during the postseason, New York Rangers GM Glen Sather will finally pull trigger and acquire Columbus forward Rick Nash.

17) Despite the teams success this season, Zack Parise will not return to the New Jersey Devils. I believe hell settle with one of the following five teams: Minnesota, the Flyers, Rangers, St. Louis or Ottawa.

18) A gut feeling, but the Buffalo Sabres will shake things up and it could lead to the trade of goaltender Ryan Miller.

19) Devils assistant Adam Oates will be named coach of the Washington Capitals.

Ill revisit these predictions come September around the time the current collective bargaining agreement expires and the two sides still havent reached an agreement for a new CBA, which will lead to another lockout ...

E-mail John Boruk at jboruk@comcastsportsnet.com

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