I'm a big fan of the show, too, but I'm reserving judgment until I've seen a few more episodes of the new season. I have seasons 1 through 5 on DVD, but the show seems to have lost some continuity with all these new characters in the season premiere.
We had never seen this guy before, the guy who inherited the two mil from his aunt. It struck me as being more than a little contrived to introduce him, then frantically build his character into someone we're supposed to care about just so they could show him in his death throes as he does his best impression of a yo-yo in his garage (which, by the way, wasn't a very good one - what he did could only be called a yo). This was a long way to go for the obvious allegory that Family Comes First (Tony tells him, "You took an oath ..." He couldn't get out of "this thing of ours," so he offs himself so his wife and kids can have their dream house in Florida).
Foreshadowing is a staple of any good organized crime saga, and normally I think they do a good job with it. This character, "Rusty," though, whom we met for the first time in the funeral scene, seemed remarkably out-of-place, as did many of the new characters we've never seen, as though they were inserted with a shoehorn. Again, I think the message here is, "A lot has happened since you've been gone, viewer ..."
Just my opinion, mind you, but there were several points in the episode when I felt that the writers painted themselves into a corner, and then didn't know what to do next, so they just got up and walked over wet paint to get to the next scene.
Anyway, moving on ...
I look for Janice The Pig to betray Tony when she overestimates her position and makes a power grab. She'll try to manipulate things in order to elevate Bobby's position, believing she'll be pulling the strings behind the scenes (much like Livia did with Uncle Junior, when she tried to have Tony killed for putting her in Green Grove). I don't think her husband is as weak as she believes he is, a lesson she'll learn the hard way.
I think Christopher will be the one to pull the trigger on Philly Leotardo (wish I could do it; I hate that guy). Everything will come together for Chrissy as Tony is recovering from the present his uncle gave him at the end of the episode. When Phil has Johnny Sack killed in prison, Christopher will realize what's going on, and he'll take Phil out before he can move against the Soprano Family, but not before Phil's crew kills Paulie Walnuts.
Vinnie has delusions of becoming Boss one day. His hopes will be dashed once his little secret is exposed when he's caught going down on some guy. After that, he won't have to worry about his weight anymore; there are no calories in bullets.
Carmella will finally get her house built, and then will revert to her plans to leave Tony, believing she'll live happily ever after in her new home, which she tricked Tony into paying for. That ain't gonna happen; Carmella will be invited to move in with Adriana, and then she'll settle down and accept the life she chose when she married Tony.
Meadow is a smart girl, and she might ring in with some surprising insights in order to protect her father. I think this will be the season when she realizes and accepts that she is a Soprano after all, and that nothing she does will ever change that. Her criticism of her father and his lifestyle will turn to admiration and respect, and she'll be instrumental in helping Tony as he tries to save his crumbling empire.
A. J. could go either way. He might get busted for drug possession or something equally stupid, and the feds will offer to give him a walk in return for gathering information about his father. Sleazy, I know, but that's the feds for you (as they're portrayed on the series, anyway). On the other hand, he might become a bargaining chip when he's snatched and held hostage by their rivals in New York after Christopher declares war.
Finally, Silvio will come up with a scam involving lottery tickets.
Well, somebody had to say it ...
Regardless of whether these things come to pass, in my opinion it's one of the two best shows on television today (the other being "Monk" on USA).
It's like a soap opera with guns and baseball bats. What could be better?