1. Boston- Boston fell short of its second Stanley Cup in almost as many years, in our latest bought for lord Stanley's mug. They also left the finals in the same fashion that they beat Toronto, to cling to life in the post season. Although they lost Tyler Seguin in a trade to Dallas, they picked up a TOP notch winger in Loui Eriksson, as well as some nice prospects, so the deal shouldn't rattle Boston fans too much. Although, I'm sure a lot of them are scratching their heads in bean town. Why trade for the pick to get Seguin, if you're eventually just going to trade him away? Either way, the B's are probably hoping that Matt Fraser and Reilly Smith can make an impact. Matt Fraser is no joke by the way. Thats one tough kid, he'll hit with the best of them, and he'll get in your face right after too. Reilly Smith could add depth, if he is able to crack the roster. Awkwardly bringing in Jarome Iginla will help also, who will replace Jagr. The departure of Nathan Horton should hurt the B's, but their biggest question isn't scoring. It's who is going to step up on the defensive end, because the mighty Chara isn't getting any younger. I'm expecting, and I'm sure the Bruins brass is as well, that Dougie Hamilton is going to have a serious coming out party this year. I mean.. Marchand needs a new buddy to go out with now.
Can you imagine him out in Los Angles with Jeff Carter and Mike Richards? I'm annoyed just thinking about it. This is pretty much the same team as last year, they're strong throughout their line up, so they're going to hit you. They have skill up front, so they can score, And they're anchored by one of the best defenses and goaltenders in the NHL.
2. Pittsburgh- This team has one of the best top six forward lines in the NHL. How could you not with Crosby and Malkin on your team? No matter what, every year they lose a key role player, and another guy is brought in and fills that role perfectly. Beau Bennett will be the man this year, as he'll likely get top six minutes to replace Iginla. Throughout the year he made the most of his ice time only averaging around 10 minutes a game. There's no reason he shouldn't play well with Malkin, and veteran Pascal Dupuis, or James Neal. The Pens also lost Douglas Murray, and Brendan Morrow. Rob Scuderi made his return to the Penguins this offseason and he should have no problem coming into the season, in stride with this team. Don't forget this was one of the Pens best defensemen during their cup run, and played the same role for the Kings in their run. Scuderi knows his role, and will play the same solid D he always does, as well as coach some of the younger guys making the jump to the NHL. Smart move by Pittsburgh to bring him back. Although they will also miss Tyler Kennedy's penalty killing, the inevitable emergence of Brandon Sutter will cover that no problem, and the Pens will eventually have the best 1-2-3 centers in the NHL. Another loss was agitator Matt Cooke, who I think the team is personally better off without. Who is going to replace that edge though? There's a lot of guys that like to complain on this team, and captain Penguin himself is one of them. Who's gonna be the guy that puts foot-to-ass to govern the ice, instead of these guys complaining. Another glaring hole is Marc-Andre Fleury. Maybe glaring isn't the best word, but since this guy had that incredible post season to win the cup, he has been incredibly soft. That's being nice also. This team posts a pretty solid defense, as well as one of the most prolific offenses. There's no reason Fleury can't steal them a game or two when these guys have an off night. If the pens want to book another flight to canyon of heroes, its strictly contingent on their keeper, and if he can return to form.
3. N.Y. Rangers- lol where do I even start with this team. It's so frustrating knowing how good this team could be, and how they actually play. I mean lets be real, a lot of teams would love to have Stepan, and Brassard as their top two centers. But this team is ran by the STUPIDEST smart person on the east coast, possibly a product of the man in the article below this. Now that, that's on the table the Rangers have three things to worry about:
- Derek Stepan
- Chris Kreider
- Marc Staal
The Rangers moronic decision not to buy out Brad Richards, is now keeping them from signing their #1 center, and overall best player last year, Derek Stepan. It was stupid not to buy out Richards, but I condemn Sather for sticking to his guns on this one, and not over paying Stepan. Forwards in the NHL are a dime a dozen, you can be hot one year, and cold the next, but the same goes with any position. Its just tougher to find franchise D-men, and goaltenders. Anyone remember Petr Prucha? He was gonna be huge for the blueshirts.. Stepan also needs to realize he's losing his #1 center position by holding out, and a potential shot at the team USA roster for the upcoming Olympics.
Another interesting case is Chris Kreider. The kid was a stud in Broadway's playoff run two years ago, but has since fallen short of expectations. He was mediocre in his first season with New York's minor league team, and has had trouble cracking the roster. The kid has potential, but I can honestly see him as trade bait later in the season if he doesn't prove himself. There's no reason you shouldn't be preforming if you're playing on a line with Nash and Richards.
Marc Staal had an unbelievably terrible injury to his eye last season. A lot of people didn't think he would be back to %100 percent, but has been taking huge strides since training camp. He's had an unbelievable pre-season so far, and has found himself shooting the puck a lot more which has to have Ulf Sammuelson grinning on the bench. I think it's gonna be a big year for him, The only problem is whether he stays after his contract is up..
The blue-line, and goaltending for the Rangers will be the same, really good. I personally would really enjoy if Dylan McIlrath made the roster this year, that'll really have Ulfy grinning. Side note: stop freaking out about Lundqvist, he's going to resign. Oh yeah, and they have this guy..
4. Detroit- The Red Wings are now back east. A lot of you peeps forgot that they made the jump back to the Eastern Conference and thats why I have them up here. They're going to bring that West Coast style of hockey that so many Eastern teams have trouble playing against. Headed by one of the best coaches in the league, Mike Babcock, I have a feeling the Red Wings are going to have their way with a lot of teams out here. They just slid into the playoffs last year, but had one of their best runs since their second cup run with Marian Hossa and Chris Osgood. Although they finished lower than expected in the standings, their team took a different rout and infused some young players like Brandon Smith, Joakim Andersson, and Michigan native, big boy Danny DeKeyser. A lot of these guys should bring in a new era for the Red Wings, who never seem to get older. They will however miss Ian White, Vlatteri Fillpula, and Damien Brunner. I can understand not bringing back Brunner because of his age, and the year that he entered the league, but he was a great fit for Babcock and his system. They'll miss Ian White for sure because the Wings don't have a shutdown pair. Kronwall played nicely with more responsibility, but you can't overwork him, as he exceeded 25 minutes a game during the playoffs. They have legitimate NHL calibre defensemen, but no one to fill that roll. They'll need to upgrade that position to return to their defensive status they used to hold. This whole team is backstopped by a very talented Jimmy Howard, who has a legitimate shot at starting for Team USA this Olympics.
5. Ottawa- There's a lottttttttt of people sleeping on this team, and they're going to be really good. A lot of people saying, will Craig Anderson return to form? He does every year. Are they really that deep? Go look at their top 9, as well as their top line, and don't forget that they gave up Jacob Silfverberg to bring in Bobby Ryan. This team is loaded with young talent up front. Kyle Turris, Corey Conacher, Colin Greening, Mika Zabinejad.. on top of that all of those guys are FAST. Lets not also forget about Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who had 4 points in 9 games for the Sens, and added another 6 in 10 during the playoffs. They'll miss the leadership of former captain Daniel Alfredson who moved to the team above, but this team is so loaded with talent up front that losing Alfredson was really just a sentimental loss. The biggest glaring problem is the Sens defense. Although they're anchored by Erik Karlsson, they're next best defensemen is Chris Phillips, and it drops off. They have good, young defensmen, but they still need some time to be seasoned in the NHL, and we all know that a young defensemen takes a little more time to develop than other positions. This year will really be a test to see which young defenemen are going to step up to the plate.
Sleepers-
Hate to say it but the Islanders are going to be a really good team next year. Their biggest problem are holes on the defense, and their aging goaltender Evgeni Nabakov. The Isles need another legitimate defensemen, and an heir to Nabby so they can continue the progress that they've made. Making John Tavares Captain was inevitable, and he's stood up in the spotlight every time he's been asked. Lets see what happens to the Isles when they're ran by the guy of the future. I can tell you something though.. they're going to need to set out a couple of these to get some fans, since they're moving into Ranger territory. Its perfect though, the Islanders are good, and under the radar, way hipster.
Another team I hate to include on this list is New Jersey. There's a lot of people sleeping on them because of the departure of Kovalchuck, but lets not forget that Lou is no slouch at putting a solid team together. Although they may be running a retirement home in New Jersey, they have young standouts like John Merill that will make the roster, and a really good "1A" goalie in Corey Schneider. Even when they give Marty a Job in the front office, Uncle-daddy will still be at prudential saying, "well.. I'm here, I might as well play."
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