Okay, getting down to specific skaters and some more thoughts....
Jeremy Abbott: PLEASE DON’T PEAK AT NATIONALS!!!!!!!!!!! Okay, just had to get that out. How this guy gives world champion level skates at Nationals or the GPF than underperforms at Worlds/Olympics is one of the most disappointing things about current skating. He’s got the skills to be compared to Takahashi. He just doesn’t show it at the right times. His tango program this season looks fascinating and I really hope he can skate to its level (it’s got a combination of machismo and frenzy that’ll be difficult to pull off)
Patrick Chan: I view this very much as re-grouping year for Mr. Chan. He parted from his coach less than a year ago and suffered a pretty major injury just before that. Meanwhile, he was aiming for a more difficult jump layout (including the quad). That didn't happen. It's unfortunate that it didn't happen in an Olympic year, and that the Olympics were in his home country no less, but it did. Like everyone else, I was a little disappointed he kept his POTO program. It's not a "Chan" program. It requires more outward, outsized expression - Takahashi did it, and so did Vanagas/Drobiazko (Davis/White didn't, but they were so technically superior to everyone not named Virtue/Moir that it didn't matter). But I wouldn't assign that to a Kozuka/Rippon like-skater, and Chan fits that category. On the other hand, I'm glad he's keeping the program. With the new rules in place, jumps matter more than ever before in COP. That should be his number one focus. This is Chan pre-injury:
Four Continents 2009, SP. That triple axel is gorgeous. But his triple-triple combo is a little "abrupt." While he holds the landing edge on the axel quite well, the end of his 3-3 has very little flow. You tend to see that in three-jump combinations, but he has to put his foot down quite quickly after the triple toe. Seniorita mentioned something similar to this when she saw him live in Turin, and I've noticed this in general in other events as well. I'm not sure exactly the reason for it, though.
Anyway, using Liberty as our guide, he's going for a quad out of steps in the short, quad in the long as well as a 3A-3T (along with all the other stuff) which is easily the most ambitious jump layout he's given us. I'm not entirely sure why he's keeping POTO, to be honest. At first, I thought it was so he could focus on the jumps side of things, but he/Nichol are re-choreographing it considerably (apres-lui). Again, using Liberty as the example, he's taking out some of the harder transitions (which is probably wise. Though the transitions were my favourite part of that program) so he can focus on the jumps and spins (he's mentioned he finds level four spins difficult, so he's focusing on that as well).
I have to admit, the sheer level of invective hurled at him over the past year means I feel a little bit protective of him. He's such a beautiful skater - I could watch him stroke for hours without getting bored and I think his footwork is among the most athletically expressive things in modern figure skating. Hell, even Blades "don't want him on the podium" has me grumbling to myself, even if I understand where he's coming from and will admit he has a point. Under duress. In tears. But I'll admit it.
What makes him so awesome, though, his that
he’s still potential. In a way, I’m glad he didn’t win Worlds/Olympics. The temptation would be there to leave (which he’s stated outright). In the same way that people are glad we got Michelle Kwan post-Nagano, it’ll be incredible watching Patrick Chan mature as a figure skater.
Brian Joubert: 5 STRAIGHT world medals. Six in seven years. He's the only skater of this quad to do a gold-medal season sweep (06-07: won both GPs, GPF, Euros, Nationals, French Masters and Worlds). He's gonna join the shortlist of great skaters that haven't won an Olympic medal (regardless of my personal opinion, natch). I have to admit that I don't think there's much more for him to accomplish (that's reasonable). I don't think he's gonna beat Takahashi or Chan and he doesn't compete for bronze. So then there's skating for the joy of it. I have to admit, I haven't seen that from him very often. There was his Calgary LP which was a delight. There was his LA ex ("Hallelujah") that surprised me for the way it suggests feeling (Joubert remains the most surface-y of major skaters for me). But other than that, I’m not at all interested in him. It’d be nice for him to go out on a high point and the narrative lover in me would have that be 2012 in Nice. I don’t want to see a slow decline – that’s just not fun for anyone and tarnishes a great career (see Domnina/Shabalin), though. I think a championship skate in Nice would be perfect climax to a storied career.
Daisuke Takahashi: He’s just AWESOME. If I were to introduce someone to COP skating and say “this is why this rocks” I’d show them Swan Lake and La Strada (along with Poeta, Camile Saint Saens and Naqoyqaatsi). The idea of Takahashi working with Bourne or Lambiel excites me immeasurably. Lambiel understands skate-performance more than anyone right now and Bourne understands COP in ways that still feels individual. I’m just excited to see what he pulls off.
.
They each have different strengths and each one brings something different to the table. It will be interesting to see whom comes out on top. And not just internationally, but also nationally. For example, Daisuke Takahashi will most likely reign supreme as #1 in his native Japan, after having medalled at the Olympics and also becoming the first Japanese man to win at Worlds, so after him it will be a dogfight between Oda & Kozuka (& perhaps young newcomers as well) for those much coveted #2 & #3 spots. And maybe even one of them might have a breakthrough this season to steal the #1 spot away from Takahashi. Anything is possible. Next there are the Americans, which looks to be even more exciting (leastways for me, lol). With Evan & Johnny not competing this season, that leaves the door wide open for the young ones to come blazing through! Thus far it looks to be Adam Rippon's time to shine, but one wonders if he will fade by the time Nationals comes round, or if he can keep the momentum up! If not, there is always others close on his heels, ready to make their mark. Like Mroz, whom is even younger than Rippon by a year; this youngster has the quad, but still needs to prove that he can bring it when it counts the most. That's where Adam has him beat, thus far. And last but not least there is Jeremy Abbott, whom is the only one that impressed me moreso than Adam Rippon when I saw him for the first time at NHK last year. Alas, Jeremy appears to be a head case (not in the vein of Alyssa Czisny mind you); one moment he's brilliant, the next the complete opposite. In a head-to-head competition I would still pick Jeremy over Adam if both skated cleanly, but that margin is getting narrower by the minute. If Jeremy doesn't eventually overcome his consistency problems (he's 25 yrs. old now), then he'll be left behind in the dust, most likely choking on the dust that Adam Rippon will leave behind in his wake as he overtakes everybody else on his quest to be the very best!!!!! 
