You can't really call them predictions, how about "heads ups."

Here's 15 not-so-obvious things to watch for in the upcoming season:

	Andrew Cassels, left, rejoins former Hartford Whalers teammate Geoff Sanderson in Columbus.

1. If Dave Lewis knows what's good for him, he'll hitch his wagon to the star that is Sergei Fedorov and hope for the best. Fedorov is finally out from under the oppressive shadow that was Scotty Bowman and also has center stage while Steve Yzerman rehabs from offseason knee surgery. Fedorov can be one of the best players in the NHL, and Lewis has the soft touch to bring a lot out of the enigmatic center. Plus, with Fedorov contemplating a run at unrestricted free agency in the summer, Lewis also can convince the most complex mind in the Red Wings locker room that Detroit isn't such a bad place to finish out your career. (Sidenote: It'll also be interesting to see how GM Ken Holland views the Yzerman recovery and the Fedorov season. If he plays his cards wrong, Holland could be left without a No. 1 center).

2. Best new on-ice chemistry: You could go with Adam Oates and Paul Kariya in Anaheim or Pierre Turgeon and Scott Young in Dallas. But the sleeper pick for best chemistry might be in Columbus, where Andrew Cassels and Geoff Sanderson have the opportunity to revive their Hartford Whalers act. In 1992-93, the duo proved a better Mall act than Tiffany, as Sanderson had 46 goals and Cassels 64 assists.

3. Go ahead, laugh out loud. Get it out of your system. But a review of the Buffalo Sabres' lineup says the Bankruptcy Boys ain't that bad. Tim Connolly is a year older and nobody knows how Jochen Hecht might respond to his trade from Edmonton. If the Sabres get their power play going once again, a fight for No. 8 in the East isn't out of the question.

4. Here's a wake-up call for Curtis Joseph: The Detroit Red Wings last season allowed 2,159 shots, the 13th fewest in the league. Joseph's much-maligned defense in Toronto allowed 2,044, the third fewest. Now, numbers don't tell you about the quality of chances, but it's downright shocking to think Joseph had it better with the Maple Leafs than he will in Detroit.

5. Two numbers that have to improve this season? How 'bout the Flyers' power play and the Stars' penalty kill. Philly went from second in the NHL on the power play in 1999-00 (69 goals, 20.3 percent) to 28th last season (39 goals, 13.0 percent). Dallas, meanwhile, dropped from an NHL-best 89.3 percent (33 goals allowed) in 1999-00 to 28th at 81.5 percent (59 goals allowed) in 2001-02. Coaching and personnel changes affected each number -- and the decline did come over the span of two seasons -- but you have to believe each team will be better in areas that were considered their respective specialty.

6. Not to belittle what the Hurricanes accomplished last season, but it's interesting to note that Carolina went 11-3-5-1 against the Southeast Division and finished with a 14-15-7-2 record against the rest of the Eastern Conference. Of course, the Hurricanes weren't the only team to fatten up on the Southeast. Philadelphia went 16-1-3-1 and Boston was 14-3-1-1. The fight to win the division promises to be tougher this season. But then … how can it not be?

7. If Alex Tanguay isn't signed before the season starts, Colorado could start the year with Mike Keane as its No. 1 left wing along side Joe Sakic. Keane is a converted right winger who scored six goals last season. It's either going to be a banner year for the 35-year-old or the Avalanche could be in trouble at the position.

	Turco

8. There might not be a player in the NHL with more to gain -- and lose -- this season than Stars goalie Marty Turco. The 27-year-old is in his third NHL season and has an amazing record as a backup -- 28-12-3 with a 1.99 GAA. But now, Turco will have the weight of a $60 million budget on his back and the expectation that anything short of winning the Stanley Cup is probably going to be looked upon as disappointing. That's the key reason the Stars brought in Andy Moog as a full-time goalie coach. It might be the most important move the team made this summer.

9. Best chance for increased attendance? How about Carolina, where the Hurricanes could be selling out after averaging 15,052 last season. Honorable mention goes to Anaheim, which has no place to go but up after averaging 11,646 last season. Best chance for decreased attendance? Boston could have a tough time keeping its 15,404 happy and St. Louis has a high goal trying to meet the 18,485 it averaged last season.

10. Rick Dudley is a man to watch. The Panthers' GM loves to roll the dice and trust his instincts -- something that scared Lightning ownership. Dudley stood strong on his commitment to move Vincent Lecavalier, despite the fact he knew it would cost him his job in Tampa Bay, and he's been strengthened by the fact he was hired so quickly by the Panthers. Florida might have the best group of young wingers in the NHL with Kristian Huselius (23), Niklas Hagman (22), Ivan Novoseltsev (23), Marcus Nilson (24) and Pierre Dagenais (24). Huselius is a potential superstar and the rest could score anywhere from 15 to 25 goals apiece. Look for Dudley to move one or two wingers to supplement the center position.

11. Fantasy sleeper? How about L.A.'s Bryan Smolinski? The 30-year-old center is coming off a horrible season (13 goals, 25 assists) and has too many good players on his wings not to produce. He has 55-point potential and will be an unrestricted free agent next summer, so there's a lot on the line.

12. The best player that nobody will care about this season is Tampa Bay goalie Nikolai Khabibulin. The 29-year-old backstop had a .920 save percentage and seven shutouts last season on a Lightning team that was dreadful. In his last full season before his holdout and trade from Phoenix, Khabibulin had eight shutouts for the Coyotes in 1998-99 and posted a .923 save percentage. Hmm, maybe people finally will care.

13. The Capitals have given slumping Jaromir Jagr a little help in the form of center Robert Lang, but what have they done for slumping goalie Olaf Kolzig? Right now, Calle Johansson is coming off a season lost to rotator cuff surgery and rookies Nolan Yonkman and Jean-Francois Fortin are in the top six on the blue line. Washington is hoping the healthy return of defensive-minded forwards Steve Konowalchuk and Jeff Halpern will help.

14. Sean Burke is a great goalie, but he'll turn 37 on Jan. 29 and his trade value has to start declining after that. If Brian Boucher, 26, shows the slightest sign of being a capable No.1 -- which he did two seasons ago -- the Coyotes have to look at the possibility of trading Burke. The problem is unrestricted free agent Byron Dafoe is also sitting out there and no team seems to want to take the risk on making a move for a No. 1 goalie. If the Flyers or Rangers start to falter, they might be making a call to the desert.

15. Say all you want about the play of Owen Nolan and Teemu Selanne, the most important forward for the Sharks this season might just be Patrick Marleau. The 22-year-old center, taken second overall in 1997, showed at the end of last season he can be a superstar (and his six goals and five assists in 12 playoff games didn't hurt). If the Sharks want to take the next step, Marleau might be the man to get them there.

Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News is a regular contributor to ESPN.com.