1. Washington Capitals- The Caps return with virtually the same team as last year with the exception that Semyon Varlamov is now the number one goaltender with the departure of Jose Theodore. The Caps may not be the best team in the East, but they certainly are in the easiest division. This may be a factor that is overlooked in connection with the Caps' playoff struggles. With a division that consisted of only themselves going to the playoffs and playing those four teams 24 of 82 games, it's hard to get experience against quality teams. Regardless, they are still very talented and will likely claim the East in the regular season.
2. Pittsburgh Penguins- The Pens have shored up an inconsistent defense by adding former Devils defenseman Paul Martin and former Coyotes defenseman Zbynek Michalek, an underrated component to the Coyotes remarkable season last year. The injury to Jordan Staal will not help early on, but the Pens have a lot of motivation to prove themselves after a dismal playoff exit last year.
3. Buffalo Sabres- It always seems like on paper the Sabres have no business being at the top of the conference. However, the emergence of Tyler Myers last year as possibly a more dynamic Zdeno Chara will look to be a force and anchor the defense. It also always helps to have the best goaltender in the world in Ryan Miller. Like the Caps, the Sabres division isn't particulary strong, but it does have some quality teams.
4. New Jersey Devils- Like the Pens, the Devils have brought in and retained quality players. The Ilya Kovalchuk contract saga is mercifully over, overshadowing the signing of Anton Volchenkov, one of the best all-around defensemen in the league. Martin Brodeur is another year older, but it should not stop him from putting up 35+ more wins this year.
5. Philadelphia Flyers- The Flyers injury-bug has already hit and it's just now October. Michael Leighton is already out for a month and superb penalty-killer Ian Laperrier is out indefinitely. This may put more pressure on Chris Pronger to return quicker (like he cares about our opinion). Despite the injuries, the Flyers have shown in the preseason they have a tremendous balance of offensive and defensive depth. Look for Sergei Bobrovsky to take advantage of being Brian Boucher's backup at the start of the season.
6. Boston Bruins- I was bewildered when I saw on the ESPN hockey blog a feature on Tim Thomas trying to reclaim the net from Tuuka Rask. Good luck, Tim. Rask proved last year he belongs in the net as the starter. The continued concussion problems of Mark Savard will impact the team, but Tyler Seguin, the 2010 number two overall pick and the trade for Nathan Horton will look to provide a spark.
7. Ottawa Senators- Ottawa is such an enigma. There are usually two versions of this team. There is the extremely talented one, that shows a combination of speed, grit, and solid goaltending. Then, there is the team that looks completely lost and outmatched. The loss of Anton Volchenkov on the backend leads to their dropoff, however with players such as Spezza, Alfredsson, and Fisher still on the ice every night, this is still a playoff team.
8. Tampa Bay Lightning- This team has been the risky pick all off-season. It's hard to counter the argument though. With the first two lines featuring names such as Lecavalier, St. Louis, Stamkos, and Gagne along with Dan Ellis in the net, this team can compete in an anemic Southeast division.
9. Atlanta Thrashers- The Thrash have become basically the Chicago Blackhawks role players team. This certainly adds more depth, however the loss of Colby Armstrong will be felt and of course Ilya Kovalchuk. Had both still been with the team, they would be a playoff team.
10. Toronto Maple Leafs- Once again, this is not a joke. Brian Burke is a magician and he has assembled a plethora of young talent to revive this original six team. Phil Kessel, Dion Pfaneuf, JS Giguere, Colby Armstrong are now all Leafs, and they will no longer be an embarrassment and start working their way back toward being a prowd franchise and volitile playoff contender.
11. Montreal Canadiens- Les Habs' offseason was simply astonishing. They traded playoff hero Jaroslav Halak and have given the reins to Carey Price, likely since the Habs don't want to admit they were wrong when they annoited him as the next Roy. While they have some talent up front, they do not have a lot of depth and will pay the Price for it.
12. New York Rangers- The New York Mets of the NHL, strapped by outragous and guaranteed contracts, have not improved whatsoever over the offseason. The Blueshirts will once again have to rely on King Henrik to win every game for them. He cannot play all 82 and admitted how fatigued he was at the end of last year. Martin Biron is a capable backup, but like his previous stops, he cannot steal a game for a team.
13. Carolina Hurricanes- Not much remains of the 2006 Cup team. Sure Eric Staal and Cam Ward, two young all-stars still remain, but there needs to be more than an incredible forward and goaltender to sustain success in this league.
14. New York Islanders- The Isles cannot catch a break. Defensemen Mark Streit is out indefinitely after injuring his shoulder in a meaningless scrimmage. Perhaps Rick Dipietro will be availabe for more than five games this season? If not it's up to soon to be 41 year-old Dwayne Roloson. Ouch.
15. Florida Panthers- The Panthers finally did themselves a favor and are blowing the team up and starting over. There are good pieces with Booth and Vokoun in the net. Still, Panthers GM Dave Tallon will have his hands full. He's already proven he can form a championship team with a majority of the players he acquired for the Blackhawks so the fans, however many that are left, have to exercise patience.
Season is six days away, Flyers vs. Sabres tonight, start getting ready!
No comments:
Post a Comment