Season Preview - Eastern Conference

As we approach another NHL season, one that will be interesting in so many ways, in every different NHL city, its that time of year when everyone has predictions - including me.

The Eastern Conference is just as wide open this year, as it was last year. Let's start in the:

Northeast

1. Boston Bruins

The Bruins are poised to win the Northeast again, despite the loss of Phil Kessel as a cap casualty. The B's are solid up front with one of the deepest forward groups in the league. Star playmaker Marc Savard should have a chip on his shoulder this year, after being snubbed again by the experts in hockey by not even being invited to Team Canada's orientation camp in Calgary this past summer.

Look for Savard to be hovering around 85 - 90 points (and still get no respect next year). Along with veterans like Mark Recchi and Marco Sturm, their young players are impressive as well, David Krejci and Milan Lucic should take further strides in their development also. On defense, you can't bet against the big man, Zdeno Chara is unstoppable when he's on his game, and Tim Thomas is awkward, but effective.

This team should be challenging to win the East again.

2. Montreal Canadiens

Two words: major overhaul, come to mind. Never has there been a Habs team that has come off such a complete shakeup, as this one today. Gone is longtime captain Saku Koivu and enigmatic superstar Alex Kovalev. Mike Komisarek has done the unthinkable, and joined the Toronto Maple Leafs, Chris Higgings was dealt in a package for Scott Gomez. In come Brian Gionta and Mike Cammalleri, rounding out the top line in Montreal.

Size can and will be an issue at times for this Canadiens team, but there is enough talent and speed here to score enough to compete in the East. With uncertainty surrounding the other teams in their division (Ottawa, Toronto, and Buffalo) they are expected to give the Bruins a run for thier money for 1st in the Northeast (but fall short). Expect Carey Price to rebound, he won't be near Vezina voting, but he'll get back to respectability and get his career back on track.

Mike Cammalleri should lead this team in scoring. Andrei Markov will continue to be one of the premier offensive defensemen in the league.

3. Ottawa Senators

There was no other team in the NHL last season that had a bumpier and more depressing ride than the team from the nation's capital. A mid season coaching change, a group of underachieving premier forwards, a defense that couldn't move the puck, and a serious lack of secondary forward talent led to a disappointing year for the Ottawa Senators.

All offseason, Dany Heatley was the topic of conversation. Finally, he was dealt to the San Jose Sharks for Jonathan Cheechoo and Milan Michalek, two forwards that can provide some significant depth up front for this Ottawa team. Their biggest offseason acquisition remains Alex Kovalev, who didn't travel far despite switching jerseys, he will be counted upon to bring back the days of the Senators being an offensive power house.

The Senators now have some options up front, and their defense core is solid and servicable. Pascal Leclaire has the talent to be a number one goalie, but will he be rusty and get off to a bad start? The Sens will need him to be durable, something he hasn't been able to do in his career thus far. The Sens should get bounce back years from Mike Fisher, Daniel Alfredsson and Jason Spezza, and breakout years from youngsters Nick Foligno and emerging defenseman Brian Lee.

4. Toronto Maple Leafs

There is just something about this Maple Leafs team that is intriguing enough to not rank them in the basement of their division. The one thing I really like about their team is their blueline. Adding Mike Komisarek and Francois Beauchemin to a defense that already contained Tomas Kaberle and Luke Schenn is a big positive for this team.

Up front, they're young and energetic - especially after Brian Burke landed his big fish - Phil Kessel, from the Boston Bruins. He'll be the go to guy in Toronto, and will be expected to contribute immediately. Veterans Jason Blake and Alexei Ponikarovsky will be counted on heavily for offense as well, but scoring goals wasn't the Leafs problem last year - it was keeping them out of their own net. An area where they should improve. In goal, it should be a two headed monster this year, with Vesa Toskala and Jonas "The Monster" Gustavsson sharing the load.

In the end, the Leafs will fall short of a post season birth (again). Too much youth up front and unstable goaltending will be the downfall of the Maple Leafs, which might not be a bad thing considering they can add to their crop of youngsters (Luke Schenn, Nazem Kadri, Viktor Stalberg and Christopher Hanson)

5. Buffalo Sabres

The Sabres remain virtually the same after last season. They are still a young team with the potential to get better, unfortunately, as everyone in their division is a step ahead of them (except the Leafs, but they're determined to screw themselves out of a lottery pick....again) they may have a tough time keeping up. Forwards Thomas Vanek, Derek Roy and Jason Pominville will be the focal point of the Sabres attack, they are in desperate need of a break out season from promising youngster Drew Stafford.

On the backend, Craig Rivet is the number one defenseman. Supported by Henrik Tallinder, Steve Montador, Toni Lydman, and Andrej Sekera, the Buffalo defense is a simple group that gets the job done - on most nights.

Between the pipes, Ryan Miller is an above avergae starter in this league, but it remains to be seen if he can put it together for an entire year, and stay healthy, which has been a concern surrounding him in recent seasons.

Atlantic

1. Pittsburgh Penguins

The Stanley Cup Champions should find themselves at the top of their division when its all said and done, even though I expect a slight Stanley Cup hangover to occur, which is inevitable for most teams. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are one of the best duos in the history of hockey, and they will battle each other (and Alex Ovechkin) for the scoring title this year.

On the backend, a healthy Sergei Gonchar should make a world of difference, while youngster Kris Letang should continue to mature offensively. Alex Goligoski will be counted on in more of an important role with the departure of Hal Gill and Rob Scuderi.

Marc Andre Fluery proved the doubters wrong last season, as he silenced his critics by winning a Stanley Cup. He is one of the emerging stars in goal in the Eastern Conference and should continue to post solid numbers.

This team will again be a force.

2. Philadelphia Flyers

Different year, same story in the city of Brotherly Love. What will become of the Flyers goaltending situation? Is Ray Emery really the answer? Flyers fans are hoping so. Up front, Jeff Carter and Mike Richards will continue to be the noisemakers offensively. Carter is coming off a career high 40+ goal season, while Mike Richards will be tested early after coming off double shoulder surgery in the offseason. The rest of the forwards, Simon Gagne and Daniel Briere will be counted on in a supporting role, with youngtser Claude Giroux being pegged as the breakout candidate of the year.

On the backend, Chris Pronger finds himself in Philadelphia. The gritty blueliner signed a monster contract in the offseason which will keep him in Philly for years to come. Pronger adds to an already stable and talented blueline, featuring Kimmo Timonen, Ryan Parent, and Braydon Coburn.

The Flyers are the total package - speed, talent and grit. Unfortunately for Flyers fans, the package will remain fragile with Ray Emery between the pipes, who has a lot to prove at the NHL since his exile in recent years.

3. New York Rangers

There is no other team in the Eastern Conference whose offense rests solely in the hands of one player - as much as it does in New York. The addition of Marion Gaborik talent wise, was a massive upgrade on anything the Rangers had in their arsenal in recent years. Although the fact is, Gaborik is rarely in the lineup for more than 20 games a season.

Showing flashes of being one of the better talents in the league, Gaborik provides the glimmer of hope, that if he is healthy, he can challenge for the scoring title and the Rocket Richard - but that is a bif IF. Second line forward Chris Higgins has come over from Montreal, while youngsters Artem Anisimov and Brandon Dubinsky seem ready for primetime in the NHL.

Defensively, the Rangers are an iffy bunch. Wade Redden continues to burden the Rangers with his massive (and ridiculous) contract. Marc Staal remains their most solid defensive option, with Michal Roszival and college standout Matt Gilroy rounding out the top 4.

In goal, the Rangers are strong, Henrik Lundqvist is one of the best in the business.

4. New Jersey Devils

Jacques Lemaire returns to New Jersey. Hopefully that doesn't mean hockey fans can return to their slumber. The defensive minded genius is back behind the bench in Jersey and fans are hoping his presence doesn't include the offensive regression of American star Zach Parise, who put up 94 points and 40 goals in a stunning 08-09 campaign.

The offensive supporting cast is for once, solid in New Jersey. Jamie Langenbrunner and Patrik Elias (out 3 - 6 weeks) will contribute offensively, while Travis Zajac should hover around 50 points this season.

Defensively, the Devils are an unspectacular bunch lead by Colin White and Johnny Oduya. They're underrated but rarely make critical mistakes, so they should be fine on the back end. In goal, Martin Brodeur is coming of a season in which he faced a major injury. Elbow surgery held him out of the line up for a significant stretch of time, but he's expected to bounce back with the extra carrot of Team Canada's Olympic gig being dangled in front of him.

5. New York Islanders

John Tavares to the rescue. But not this season. The Islanders are one of the worst teams in the league, an organization that has fallen flat on its face, got a major boost this offseason. Landing the first overall pick in the entry draft, lead to the selection of John Tavares. A super talented rookie that should be a building block to finally provide some hope on Long Island.

They are a green squad up front, Kyle Okposo (if he ever wakes up after the Phaneuf hit), along with Frans Nielsen and veterans Trent Hunter and Doug Weight (and that's a stretch...) are really the only serious threats to score. Defensively, they'll be a no-name group with Jack Hillen joining Radek Martinek, Bruno Gervais, Andy Sutton and Mark Sreit to form a patchwork defense.

In goal, who knows. Rick Dipietro is skating again, but he's still a ways away. Martin Biron, Dwayne Roloson...it doesn't even matter, they're still finishing last in this division.

Southeast

1. Washington Capitals

One of the most exciting and entertaining teams in the NHL resides in the U.S. capital. Alexander Ovechkin, Alex Semin, Niklas Backstrom, and Mike Green are one of the most talented foursomes in the entire league. Ovechkin is coming off another 100 plus point campaign, and should easily shatter that mark again this year. Let's just put it this way, when you're not only expected to break 50 goals, but expected to destroy that number, you're a special player.

Defensively, they'll have the same core group as last season. Green, Jurcina, Erskine, Poti, Pothier and Morrison make up the top 6. A group that can move the puck with some underrated defensive skills. Mike Green should make the Canadian Olympic squad if he has a year resembling last season.

In goal, Semyon Varlamov and Jose Theodore will battle it out for starts. In the playoffs, Varlamov was solid, but showed signs of youth and inexperience with the collapse in Game 7 against the Penguins. Despite the uncertainty in goal, this team is too good up front to not run away with this division.

2. Carolina Hurricanes

A veteran lineup with one last kick at the can so to speak, the Carolina Hurricanes could be facing a re-tooling in the next year or two. The only real youth on their team right now still remains top scorer Eric Staal, who is coming off a sub-par campaign and is expected to get back above 85 points, and goaltender Cam Ward, who was amazing in the Postseason for the Canes.

Elsewhere, Ray Whitney, Scott Walker, Tuomo Ruutu, Sergei Samsonov and Rod Brindamour are the other notable names up front. On the blueline, Joni Pitkanen and Joe Corvo are two offensive minded defensemen that are solid Powerplay quarterbacks, but they also have troubles in their own end.

This team is the beneficiary of being in the Southeast Division. It should fight for a playoff spot and could get hot again come playoff time. It will be a bumpy ride though.

3. Tampa Bay Lightning

Vincent Lecavalier is coming off the worst statistical campaign of his career. He should have a lot to prove, both for the Lightning, and for Team Canada. Expect the talented Center to get back to at least 80, most likely 90 points, as he finally has a supporting cast around him.

Martin St. Louis is as consistent as they come, and Alex Tanguay should flourish on a fast skating Tampa team that is skilled with the puck up front. Young gun Steve Stamkos should continue the roll he was on at the end of last season, expect a breakout year of 60 - 70 points for Stamkos.

On the blueline, the Lightning landed the 2nd overall pick in the entry draft, and selected Swedish defenseman, Victor Hedman. One of the most highly touted defenseman prospects in the last few years, Hedman is expected to make an impact right away. The signing of Mattias Ohlund from Vancouver was a smart one, as he should pose as a solid mentor for Hedman as he enters his first season.

Mike Smith should be ready to be an above average starter in this league, and with a better defense corps in front of him, expect him to solidify the starting job and finally see some stability in his career.

4. Atlanta Thrashers

Quietly, the Thrashers have built a solid group of forwards that can put the puck in the net. Lead by Ilya Kovalchuk, a consistent point producer and elite level talent, Bryan Little, Slava Kozlov, Todd White, Nik Antropov, and youngster Evander Kane should be a solid offensive group.

Defensively, they will recieve an added boost from Pavel Kubina and another year of development from Zach Bogosian. After those two, it drops off, Boris Valabik is a big, but non-mobile defender, and Ron Hainsey's best days are behind him. This team will have trouble in its own end, especially playing Washington and Tampa Bay 6 times a year each.

Kari Lehtonen has still yet to prove he is ever going to live up to his potential as a star netminder in this league, with the defense in front of him, he'll have to progress fast for the Thrashers to have a shot at a Playoff Spot.

5. Florida Panthers

The loss of Jay Bouwmeester is really going to hurt. an already weak offensive team, just took a huge blow on their back end. The problem with the Panthers is their lack of real star power at any position. Up front, their mediocre, with Stephen Weiss, Nathan Horton, Michael Frolik, Rostislav Olesz and Richard Zednik. 1 bright spot in the forward group will be emerging star David Booth, who is poised to take the next step and possibly break the 40 goal plateau in the next few year or two.

Bryan McCabe, Bryan Allen, Keith Ballard and Jordan Leopold comprise a top 4 defensive group that is respectable, but not overly impressive. Tomas Vokoun will carry the load in the goal, but most nights, he'll face a ton of shots, and will need to play above and beyond his current level to give the Panthers a legitimate shot at the Post Season.