Sergei Kostitsyn

Kostitsyn revived his sputtering career last season following a trade from Montreal to Nashville in June 2010. Having never scored more than 27 points in a season with the Habs, Kostitsyn led the Preds in both goals (23) and total points (50), and was instrumental in leading Nashville into the second round of the playoffs for the first time in team history. This season, look for Kostitsyn to resume his role as one of the Preds' top six forwards along with Martin Erat, Patric Hornqvist, Mike Fisher and David Legwand. Motivation will be the key challenge for Kostitsyn this season. As long as he can avoid the same loss of focus that ultimately caused the Habs to give up on him two years ago, a return to the 50-point level this season should be well within his reach.

Kostitsyn, who joined the Preds as a free agent in the offseason, is expected to win himself a spot in the Predators' lineup this season. Preds assistant GM Paul Fenton has known Kostitsyn since 2003 and likes what he brings to the table. Kostitsyn will likely start out on the Preds' third line but has the skill set to be a top-six forward if given the chance. Keep an eye on him in his new surroundings.

Kostitsyn has a lot to learn in order to reach the level of brother, Andrei. In two stints in Montreal last year, he accumulated 23 points (8 G, 15 A) in 56 contests. With the losses of Kovalev, Tanguay and Koivu, the youngster's playing time should increase, and he could very well have a breakout season. However, he just doesn't seem to have the drive and focus needed to take his game to the next level. He ended last season with a seven-game scoreless streak and failed to score a goal in his last 18 games.

Sergei, the 21-year-old younger brother of Andrei Kostitsyn, entrenched himself as an NHL regular last season after his December call-up from Hamilton of the AHL. Bouncing between the first three lines for most of his time in Montreal the younger Kostitsyn scored nine goals and 27 points in 52 games. More importantly, he quickly established himself on the Habs' second power-play unit whilst playing with brother Andrei and Plekanec. Sergei will start the season on the third line with Robert Lang and Guillaume Latendresse. However, we fully expect the Kostitsyn brothers to play together with Plekanec on the second power play unit again. Kostitsyn may still be a year away from his major breakthrough but he could be useful in very deep leagues now.

Sergei, the younger brother of Andrei, played junior hockey in London of the Ontario Hockey League the past two years. Kostitsyn played on a line with Patrick Kane (drafted first overall in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft) and Sam Gagner (drafted sixth overall in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft) last year. Kostitsyn more than held his own, scoring 40 goals and 131 points in 59 games. The younger Kostitsyn will likely start the season in Hamilton and get accustomed to the pro game with the help of fellow countryman Grabovski (who ironically was shown the ropes last year by Andrei Kostitsyn in Hamilton).