So I REALLY slacked off on this for September, my apologies, lets just say life got in the way. Anyway, there should be a flood of season predictions today just so I can complete them. And I'm still talking like these guys are in Training Camp so forgive any mention of a guy who's on the farm, I realize they're on the farm. Anywho, the Atlantic division
New Jersey Devils: 49-24-9, 1st in the Atlantic, 7th in the NHL
A team that wasn’t expected to do much surprised everyone again by winning another Atlantic Division championship but was quickly pushed aside in the 2nd round yet again. This was followed by the loss of both Scott Gomez and Brian Rafalski, the Devils have gotten significantly worse this offseason. Danius Zubrus was lured to replace Gomez but rarely ever feels like playing to his potential while Karel Rachunek was brought in as the Rafalski replacement, ask Sens or Rags fans how good he is, you won’t get a decent response. The biggest acquisition however though would be the hiring of long sought after coach Brent Sutter from the WHL’s Red Deer Rebels. The job he did with the 2004 and 2005 Canadian Junior Championship winning teams got him a lot of attention and should continue the New Jersey tradition of hard-nosed hockey. They’ll definitely be hurting for offense and will need the prized possessions of Travis Zajac and Zach Parise. A strong camp from 2005 1st round pick Nicklas Bergfors wouldn’t hurt either. Patrik Elias is going to have to work extra hard and Brian Gionta is going to have to rebound from last year to keep the Devils competitive in the division. In goal, theres nothing left to say about Martin Brodeur. Truly one of the best the game has seen, he can steal a game any given night. A playoff appearance could be in the cards with some hard work but I wouldn’t expect a return to the top of the division.
Pittsburgh Penguins: 47-24-11, 2nd in the Atlantic, 10th in the NHL
Honestly, it was really good to see Pittsburgh have some kind of success again. Another season for Crosby to mature and the additions of Malkin and Staal worked wonders for this team. Now they look to expand upon the success of their new found success and have two solid UFA additions in Petr Sykora and Darryl Sydor. Coming off a down season with a bad Edmonton team, Sykora should re-discover his offensive flair on the top line with defending Hart winner Sidney Crosby and Calder finalist Jordan Staal. Not only is the situation good for Sykora, it’s good for Crosby as he finally has a couple of high-end wingers to play with, now the sky is the limit for Crosby who should only improve on his 120 point season last year. Depth at forward could be a problem as the team really tails off once you get to the third line, apart from Ryan Malone. Pens GM Ray Shero has left himself in good position though to make improvements throughout the season should he feel they’re necessary with 10 mil in remaining cap room. On the blueline, Darryl Sydor brings a wealth of experience to kids like Brooks Orpik, Ryan Whitney and Kris Letang who many expect to stick with the team after camp. They’re still missing that one imposing defenceman but Orpik has all the tools to fill that role and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Therrien help guide him into such a role. And in goal, they’re going full-time with Marc-Andre Fleury who, despite coming off a 40 win season, faced a lot of criticism for having a slow finish to the season while even being benched at one point. It’s good to see management gave him a vote of confidence after that by letting Thibault go and all in all, this is a much stronger team with only minor weaknesses defensively. They could still face growing pains which every young team is prone to but at the very least, a 2nd round appearance seems to be expected. A trip to the Stanley Cup finals isn’t out of the question either.
New York Rangers: 42-30-10, 3rd in Atlantic, 15th in NHL
Oh, New York, New York. They looked like the pre-lockout Rangers on July 1st, dishing out the big bucks for both Chris Drury and Scott Gomez. This is the first time I actually see them improving their team rather then getting a big name just for the sake of getting a big name. If Jagr could produce at a high rate with Michael Nylander, just imagine what he can do with a guy like Scott Gomez. While I agree they may of overpaid, they’re also a lot better. A 2nd line that contains Chris Drury and Brendan Shanahan is nothing to scoff at, improving on old #2 C Matt Cullen. Center was a question mark last year for the team, now they’re one of the best teams in the league at the position. Another one who should enjoy the arrival of Drury is the, and I absolutely hate to admit this, much underrated Sean Avery. The trade for Avery sparked a revival in New York and the team played with a lot more energy and excitement which should benefit a player like Gomez who has the same kind of tenacity as Sean Avery with more of an emphasis on offense and not so much on being a douchebag (I’m sorry, I had to. I meant to say defense). They face the same kind of problems as Pittsburgh though with a plethora of talent on the top 2 talents but a dramatic drop-off once you get to the 3rd and 4th lines. Even if you look to Hartford, the team has very few forward checkers to speak of rather going with undersized energy guys like Ryan Callahan, Ryan Hollweg and Jarkko Immonen. Someone like Hossa or Dubinsky will have to step up and take advantage of their big size. Finally moving onto the blueline, there is nothing spectacular about the group but in post-lockout hockey, they’ve proven to be a reliable group that gets the job done. Marek Malik and Michael Rosival are both solid defenseman while Tyutin is a former first-rounder on the rise. This could also be the year we see the third Staal brother make an impact in the NHL as it’s likely he grabs the Rangers 5th or 6th spot. There isn’t much to be said about goaltender Henrik Lundqvist that 2 Vezina nominations in his only 2 NHL seasons doesn’t already say.
New York Islanders: 40-30-12, 4th in Atlantic, 17th in NHL
Few teams saw as many changes to their club during the offseason as the Islanders did. After adding Ryan Smyth at the deadline and finishing a wild race to the playoffs, they were no match in the 1st round against Buffalo. One positive to take from that playoff series though is it could be viewed as Rick DiPietro’s coming out party. He was at the top of his game every night and gave the Islanders every chance to win, their forwards were just no match for the speedy group the Sabres put together. Following the playoffs however, the Islanders lost their entire first line with Blake off to Toronto, Smyth in Colorado and the buyout of beleaguered center Alexei Yashin (who is probably done with the NHL now). Coming in as replacements are Ruslan Fedotenko, Mike Comrie and Bill Guerin. If Isles fans thought Yashin was a headcase, they haven’t seen Mike Comrie who has already brought the Hilary Duff sideshow to Long Island and, despite all of Yashin’s deficiencies, is still a step down. Again, trying to replace Jason Blake’s 40 goals with Ruslan Fedotenko will be a tough task for head coach Ted Nolan. Finally, taking over the leadership role Ryan Smyth held for a small time will be Bill Guerin who is clearly primed for the downslope to an otherwise solid career. Aside from those three however, nothing has changed on the Island which isn’t technically a good thing. Unless guys like Satan, Tambellini and Hunter can step up, I see this team struggling to score goals and struggling to keep them out.
Philadelphia Flyers: 22-48-12, 5th in Atlantic, 30th in NHL
No team has retooled since the trade deadline like the Philadelphia Flyers have. They added Upshall, Coburn (in a HUGE steal) and Biron at the deadline while later adding the off-season’s best free agent in Daniel Briere along with Scott Hartnell, Joffery Lupul, Kimmo Timonen and Jason Smith. While still retaining guys like Derian Hatcher, this is going to be a much quicker Philly team from years past. Timonen is quite possibly one of the more underrated offensive d-men in the league with the ability to make a great outlet pass to a plethora of speed the Flyers have put together up front. Briere, Carter, Lupul, Gagne, Richards. Any one of them can benefit from the offensive abilities of Timonen and Coburn on the back-end. Jason Smith brings a huge amount of experience and the ability to play a great defensive game without taking a hit in speed like the Flyers have experienced with Hatcher or Rathje (no longer with the team). They can run three great scoring lines while the fourth should carry young players who have the potential to be greater in the future like RJ Umberger or Steve Downie. In net, Mathieu Biron finally has his chance to show he can be a stand-alone #1 in the league. He’s got a good defence in front of him and has the mobility to make great acrobatic saves. This is a team that can score, play defense and keep pucks out, I don’t see how they miss the playoffs this year. Winning the division should be difficult however with the Rangers and Penguins.
New York Rangers: 48-22-12 108 points
Pittsburgh Penguins: 45-29-8 98 points
Philadelphia Flyers: 42-30-10 94 points
New Jersey Devils: 37-34-11 85 points
New York Islanders: 28-45-9 65 points
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