It’s a bit late, but here’s my season prediction. There’s no point predicting who will finish where in the conference this year, but a legit look at the real contenders, the possibilities, and the also-rans. Hell, I might as well give my choices for the division and conference leaders. Here goes.
Eastern Conference
In the East, we’re looking at four teams with a decent shot, seven in the middle of the pack – and those can be split in two groups – and four bottom feeders.
Top teams:
These four will make the playoffs. Smart money would be put on them finishing in the top 4.
Boston
They were a good team last year, and another year together will just make them better. Thomas is getting the recognition he deserves as a top goalie (I would consider him the post-lockout, Canadian Hasek); Chara has always been great, and they’ve got a whole lot of forward depth that can really put this team forward. Look for them to do a lot of damage and to be deadly hungry for playoff success this season (ala Pittsburgh two years ago).
Pittsburgh
Defending champs won’t be going away any time soon. Will they repeat? Probably not. Will they make the finals again? Probably not. Will they be dominant all through the regular season? Absolutely. No team with that much offensive talent wouldn’t be, but the lengthy season coupled with the Cup hangover will be too much for them to handle. Not only that, but Philly and Boston will be hungry to take them down.
Philadelphia
The Broad Street Bullies are back (did they ever go away?). Adding Pronger, like him or not, just makes a good team better. The only question mark here is Emery. If he plays the way he did in 2007, the Flyers will be deadly. If his off-ice actions are that much of a factor, the team will still make it into the playoffs, but look for an early exit in the post-season.
Washington
As I said above, Ovechkin is on pace for 246 points this year. Obviously, he won’t keep that up – but damn, it would be nice to see him do it – but the most exciting player in the league can win games on his own. When he can’t, you still can’t count out the supporting cast the Capitals have. The only worry is their best player getting burnt out by the time the playoffs come around, a concern usually reserved for the 70-plus-game goalies.
Middle of the pack: The Good
Seven teams fighting for four playoff spots, but there’s too much missing with these teams to make a deep drive. With that said, I think there are three dark horses in this group.
Carolina
Inconsistency has been this team’s trademark over the years, but they have the experience from the Cup win in ’06 to drive them. If they find that strength again, they’ll win the division and go deep in the playoffs thanks in large part to the potentially Olympian play of Cam Ward.
New Jersey
Never count out a team with Marty Brodeur in net. Bringing back Lemaire means more boring hockey in East Rutherford, but it also carries the potential for an excellent season.
Tampa Bay
Stamkos, Hedman – with a great mentor in Ohlund – supporting St. Louis and Lecavalier. Like Carolina, this team has been inconsistent recently, but if they can find some chemistry, they’ll not only make the playoffs, but they’ll go far.
Middle of the Pack: The Bad
Basically, if things go the right way for the above three teams, these four will be fighting for one playoff spot in the East.
Buffalo
What the hell happened to this team? They used to be a threat every year, and now they just can’t seem to win consistently. You can’t say it’s the competition in their division. Excluding Boston, they should be better than the other three teams. Maybe this is the year the results echo what they have on paper.
Montreal
Probably the best out of this bunch, but you’d think they would have learned a lesson from Toronto and the Rangers: you can’t build teams through free agency. They’re going to have all kinds of problems developing chemistry this year, not to mention getting beaten up regularly by the Bruins, Leafs, and Flyers. It’s going to be a tough season for Habs fans.
New York Rangers
They’ve lost a few players, but they’ve brought in a few as well. They won’t be a joke this year, but they’re far removed from being a serious threat. It’s too bad, too – Lundqvist is a fantastic goalie who deserves a better team in front of him.
Ottawa
They got rid of the Heatley drama, but he will be missed. Kovalev, Michalek, and Cheecho should give them some scoring depth, and they did start to turn things around last season with Clouston, but that’s the only reason I don’t place them in the bottom-feeder category. Sad how quickly the mighty have fallen.
Bottom Feeders: The Ugly
Go ahead, count these teams out. No one will judge you. Except maybe Leafs fans.
Atlanta
It’s a shame that Ilya Kovalchuk can’t play for a better team in a better market, but that’s Bettman’s NHL for ‘ya. This is a team that would be first one my list of candidates for contraction.
Florida
They almost made the playoffs last year, but they just don’t have the team to do anything this time with Tampa, Carolina, and Washington to compete with in the division. They lost Bouwmeester; there are problems with attendance and ownership, so they won’t be able to go get the help they need to push further. Another Bettman casualty. Too bad, too. I’ve always liked the Panthers.
New York Islanders
They might be on the way up, but it’s a long time and a lot of early draft picks away. They probably won’t be playing on Long Island the next time they make the playoffs.
Toronto
Memo to Brian Burke: you won the Cup in Anaheim with a big, physical team, but that was a big, physical team with some offensive talent, two of the best defensemen in the league, and all-star goaltending. The bruisers were the last piece of the puzzle, not the first – or the only – one. Let’s make it five straight without the playoffs. Maybe they'll finally figure out that the plural of 'leaf' is 'leaves', not 'leafs'.
Division leaders:
Northeast: Boston.
Runner-up: Montreal (but surprising to make the playoffs)
Atlantic: Philadelphia.
Runner-up: Pittsburgh
Southeast: Washington.
Runner-up: Carolina
Prince of Wales trophy: Boston. Maybe Philly.
That’s enough for now. Check tomorrow for Part 2: The West.
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