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 | | Posted on: 11/6/2008 |
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Around the Spectrum: LIVE Recent Shows |
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| Written by Greg Gibeault |
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Posted on 9/10/2008 7:26:01 PM |
ATLANTIC DIVISION
New Jersey Devils
The Devils will again rely heavily on G Martin Brodeur to carry them into the playoffs. As much as I like the signings of LW Jay Pandolfo, RW Brian Rolston and to a lesser extent C Bobby Holik, I’m not sure what to think of the Devils. Every year, I look at their roster and think “this is not a playoff team”, and every year they are – so, I guess New Jersey will somehow be in the playoffs yet again. They do have a lot of grit and are stacked with players who will give you their all every shift. Their style of coaching, as boring as it is, does fit the style of play of the players on the roster. So perhaps this is what I underestimate – what can I say, I’m at a loss to explain their success in the new NHL.
New York Islanders
Maybe this is why teams with even the slightest amount of talent are successful in the East. They get to play the likes of Florida, Atlanta, Buffalo, Toronto, and everyone’s favorite – the New York Islanders. Somehow, the Islanders made a bit of noise the last few seasons under Ted Nolan... unfortunately, he is no longer with the team and I think that sad days are ahead. If a grab bag of “who’s thats” and “he’s still playings”, which now include D Mark Streit and C Doug Weight, can come together, maybe the Islanders can have some limited success. What’s beyond me is how a team with so many high draft picks over the years cannot seem to bring up any talent worth mentioning? Obviously, there are some issues here and I’m sure it has something to do with their owner and G Garth Snow turned GM. Not to say that former GM “Mad” Mike Milbury was any better.
New York Rangers
The Rangers made some nice additions in the offseason and even addressed some of their needs on the back end. It’s amazing how long the Rangers have gone without any significant help on the blueline, considering that they once had the likes of D Sergei Zubov and D Brian Leetch. Anyone wonder if that’s why the perennially talented Rangers never seem to really contend? Maybe this is finally the year. Through resignings and free agency, the Rangers have assembled a solid group, which includes D Wade Redden, D Dmitri Kalinin, D Michal Rozsival and D Paul Mara. Not to mention D Marc Staal on his way and the potential that D Marek Malik will resign. It may not be the best in the league, but it sure makes previous year’s defense corps look inadequate. The Rangers also filled some holes up front with LW Marcus Naslund and RW Nikolai Zherdev. RW Jaromir Jagr’s departure will be felt, but I think that overall, the Rangers are an improved hockey club.
Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers have not been very active thus far, but I think that is mostly due to the high level of activity they had last offseason. They put in a lot of effort righting the ship last year and were quite successful in doing so, after an abysmal 2006-2007. D Steve Eminger and D Ossi Vaananen should help round out their defensem and the continued development of C Jeff Carter and C Mike Richards (along with C Daniel Briere) make the Flyers a dominant team up the middle. Quality centers can have a big impact on a team’s success and I think that the patience they are displaying is warranted. The Flyers may have the pieces to contend for their division title and could be a team that you don’t want to face in the playoffs.
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Penguins are, in my opinion, the team to beat in the East. Everywhere you look, you find players with boatloads of talent that fit well in the new NHL. Admittedly, the team had some losses up front in the offseason which could potentially be problematic, but I think that this is finally the year that C Sidney Crosby puts the team on his back. No question that he has been the driving force behind this franchise for a few years now, but he did get hurt last year. C Evgeni Malkin did step up his game and lead the Penguins to second in the East, but the Penguins are still Sid’s team and I feel like we didn’t see Sid at his absolute best in the playoffs. Other than that, the only significant news with the Penguins is the return of LW Pascal Dupuis and the additions of RW Miroslav Satan and RW Ruslan Fedotenko. All three are capable NHL forwards and will help maintain the high level of depth the Penguins already possess. Look for G Marc-Andre Fleury to have a bit of a bounceback year after having a slightly sub-par effort during parts of the year last season.
NORTHEAST DIVISION
Boston Bruins
The Bruins are a team on the rise in the East and should not be taken lightly this season. They added some depth with the signing of RW Michael Ryder, and if he regains the form he had prior to last season, he could be a difference maker in Boston. If C Patrice Bergeron can return from the devastating hit he took last year and play at even 80% of the level which he was at prior to his departure, then the Bruins will have two potent scoring lines. The signing of D Dennis Wideman to a multi-year contract could be one of the most underrated moves by any club this offseason. He is a bit under the radar, but Wideman provides a lot of bang for the buck as well as a ton of offensive upside. Other than that, this team is full of potential, although they will have to rely on G Tim Thomas to have another standout season in order for that potential to be realized.
Buffalo Sabres
How quickly the mighty have fallen. Don’t get me wrong, they still have a lot of talented players, but nowhere near where they were just a few short seasons ago. The Sabres continue to get great mileage out of guys like RW Jason Pominville and C Derek Roy – they have become first line talents – but if I’m to compare them to the elite top lines in the league, they’re in a different category. Buffalo likely has the best lineup for rolling all four lines and getting nearly equivalent production from each, which can win you hockey games. Sometimes though, you need your top unit to be unstoppable and in a class above that of your opponent. G Ryan Miller looks like he is going to be busy this season, considering that he has one of the most ho-hum set of blueliners in the league in front of him.
Montreal Canadiens
I know that most people still have them in the cream of the crop in the East, but when I look at Montreal’s “notable” additions, I cringe. If you think that RW Georges Laraque, G Marc Denis, and LW Alex Tanguay are difference makers, you are delusional or an obsessed Habs fan. I feel so strongly about this that I’m going to make a bold prediction – the Canadiens will be the biggest disappointment of the year. Don’t get me wrong, they are still a good team that will not drop out of the playoff picture, but they are not going to contend for the Eastern title. You can only go so long losing quality defenseman in the offseason before you start to feel an impact, especially when you’re starting basically a rookie goaltender.
Ottawa Senators
Sorry, Senators fans, but I think that you are in a bit of trouble again this year – the big three cannot be on the ice every shift and your goaltending is not up to snuff. That sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Tampa Bay ring any bells? Where did they finish last year? Maybe I’m taking this comparison too far, but honestly, the similarities are incredible. Plus the Sens have done pretty much nothing this offseason other than lose D Andrei Meszaros and D Wade Redden. Admittedly, G Ray Emery appears to be on his way to Europe and that should remove a distraction from the dressing room. I’m just saying that maybe he was not the sole reason for why the Senators were a huge disappointment last year.
Toronto Maple Leafs
The departure of LW Darcy Tucker, the trading of D Bryan Mccabe, and the potential loss of C Mats Sundin have all contributed to the Leafs being well under the cap at this point. On the flip side, the signing of D Jeff Finger to a four-year $14 million contract makes me cringe. I guess that Toronto decided they wanted to sign a dud player for big bucks for old time’s sake or something. Needless to say, the Leafs rebuilding has begun. Personally, I think that this team really hopes that Mats Sundin doesn’t come back, as he will just prolong the inevitable – the Leafs need to hit rock bottom to find their next star to build their franchise around.
SOUTHEAST DIVISION
Atlanta Thrashers
Thrashers fans could be waiting a long time for their team to return to the playoffs - it’s time to rebuild in Atlanta and I think that it’s probably time for a new GM as well. They managed to sign RW Jason Williams and D Ron Hainsey, both of whom are quality players. Unfortunately, they are not enough to give Atlanta any hope at making the playoffs this season. The Thrashers do have some good young talent that is starting to show some life. Most notably, D Tobias Enstrom came into his own last season, although he tailed off late in the year. Teams will key on LW Ilya Kovalchuk’s line and continue to pepper G Kari Lehtonen with shots until his groin gives out yet again.
Carolina Hurricanes
The Hurricanes finally made the move for a puck moving defenseman that they have desperately needed since D Frantisek Kaberle lost his mojo as the powerplay quarterback. Adding D Joni Pitkanen could be what Carolina needs to make it back into contention, especially if he lives up to the potential he displayed back in his days with the Flyers. The loss of LW Erik Cole should not have that much of an impact on the offensively deep Hurricanes. The biggest obstacle for the Hurricanes is how much the Capitals improved last year and potentially the Lightning this offseason – it isn’t the cakewalk to the division title that it once was.
Florida Panthers
Most would say that the Panthers are potentially the worst of the worst in the East, and that they look like they’re in for a dreadful season. I don’t want to make a bold prediction that the Panthers will actually be good this season, but I think that they are heading down a path which most teams should work towards. On defense, they have assembled Bryan Allen, Keith Ballard, Jay Bouwmeester, Nick Boynton, and Cory Murphy. All of them between the ages of 24 and 29, and all of them are solid NHL defenseman. Not to mention the recent addition of D Bryan Mccabe, who should help improve their powerplay. In fact, if they live up to what I expect out of them, they could end up being one of the top couple of defensive units in the league. Combine that with G Tomas Vokoun and his quality goaltending, and you have a recipe for keeping opposing teams off of the scoresheet. Unfortunately, the compliment upfront isn’t nearly as good, especially with the departure of C Olli Jokinen. They do have emerging RW Nathan Horton, under the radar LW Rotislav Olesz (breakout of the year candidate), and the recently signed LW Cory Stillman. If some of their high draft picks of years past finally hit their stride, the Panthers may be able to fill in a suitable set of top six forwards who can at least make them competitive.
Tampa Bay Lightning
So, who didn’t Tampa Bay sign or trade for should really be the question we’re asking here. In fact, they have so many players now that I’m not sure how they’re going to get enough playing time for all of the players on their roster – LW Ryan Malone, LW Gary Roberts, LW Vaclav Prospal, RW Radim Vrbata, G Olaf Kolzig, RW Mark Recchi, D Andrei Meszaros, and D Matt Carle just to name a few. The only issue I see is the loss of D Dan Boyle, which could be a bigger hit than they realize as his presence on the blueline has not been replaced by anyone of note. Regardless, the combination of Kolzig and G Mike Smith, whom they acquired last season, puts their goaltending at a level it has not seen since the departure of G Nikolai Khabibulin. To think that we have not even mentioned potential superstar rookie C Steve Stamkos yet and you realize the Lightning will be a far different team than a year ago.
Washington Capitals
Resigning D Mike Green and the addition of G Jose Theodore highlight the Capitals offseason. Both should help the Caps pick up where they left off last year. There is definitely a lot of talent in Washington, and it made them a dangerous team to face in the playoffs. Unfortunately, the lack of experience left them a little short, but this season could be a different story. Most people don’t realize that LW Alexander Ovechkin and C Niklas Backstrom are as good a combo as C Sidney Crosby and LW Evgeni Malkin. It isn’t super obvious as Backstrom was a rookie last season, but look out for a monster year from the young center. Plus, the Caps have ultra-talented LW Alexander Semin and the aforementioned D Mike Green. And even further, here’s a little secret you should look out for – D Karl Alzner.
FEAST IN THE EAST: EARLY PREDICTIONS
Maybe not as tight as the West, as the bottom feeders are far worse, but there are going to be some tight races late in the year for the 7th and 8th playoff spots…
1. Pittsburgh (division)
2. Washington (division)
3. Boston (division)
4. Philadelphia
5. Tampa Bay
6. Montreal
7. New York Rangers
8. Carolina
9. New Jersey
10. Buffalo
11. Ottawa
12. Florida
13. New York Islanders
14. Atlanta
15. Toronto |
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