NHL Preview: Northeast Division Defense

Boston Bruins
Defensemen
Zdeno Chara - Andrew Ference
Dennis Seidenberg - Mark Stuart
Johnny Boychuk - Matt Hunwick

Goaltender
Tuuka Rask - Tim Thomas

This is the most consistent set of blueliners in an otherwise rather deep crop of Northeast defensemen. I gave the edge to Boston because Chara will be a Norris candidate, while Toronto has a few guys that might be and Tyler Myers may be some day. Additionally, Rask played very solidly as a young goalie and if he suffers a slump, the Bruins have a Vezina Trophy winner keeping the bench warm.

Buffalo Sabres
Defensemen
Tyler Meyers - Shaone Morrison
Jordan Leopold - Steve Montador
Andrej Sekera - Craig Rivet

Goaltender
Ryan Miller - Patrick Lalime

Tyler Myers is a young, up-and-coming stud and will likely be a Norris Trophy candidate some day. The only reason I don't have the Sabres up higher is because we have only seen one season of young Tyler. The other guys are very solid -- Morrison, Leopold, Montador, Sekera, and Rivet aren't going to hurt the Sabres.

That said, the Sabres have the best goalie in the division -- and one of the best in the NHL in Sparty the Goalie. The returning Vezina Trophy winner has a steady blueline in front of him. Expect another fantastic year from Sparty -- and keep an eye on Myers.

Toronto Maple Leafs
Defensemen
Tomas Kaberle - Dion Phaneuf
Mike Komisarek - Luke Schenn
Francois Beauchemin - Jeff Finger

Goaltender
Jean-Sebastien Giguere - Jonas Gustavsson

Toronto is starting to put together a very respectable team on the blueline and are decent in net. They should start to shut some teams down with these respectable defensive pairings and if Phaneuf and Schenn can find the game that they are capable of playing, this team could be very scary in the back -- and that's even with Jeff Finger on the team!
Note: Finger has been since waived.

Giggy and the Monster are both capable goalies who have even more upside. If either of these guys find their games, the Maple Leafs may have the most stout defense in the Northeast. However, if neither of these guys find their game (or injuries linger for the Monster), this could be a very bad team, especially without much scoring up top.

Montreal Canadiens
Defensemen
Jaroslav Spacek - Roman Hamrlik
Josh Gorges - P.K. Subban
Hal Gill - Ryan O'Byrne

Goaltender
Carey Price - Alex Auld

The Candiens defense is pretty respectable. P.K. Subban is an interesting blueliner. He's young with a rocket of a slap shot and could be a stud waiting in the wings. Hal Gill is Hal Gill, which really isn't all that bad for a third-pair guy. Spacek and Hamrlik have been top-pair guys for quite a while.

Now we get to the netminding situation. Umm.... Hmm... Yeah... Carey Price is apparently the man again in Montreal, and he needn't worry about Jaroslav Halak taking his net from him -- not from St. Louis. As a Carey Price fan, this must make you incredibly enthusiastic. As a Montreal Canadiens fan, this must make you incredibly worried. Price is going to get his shot...again. If not, I guess Alex Auld is okay -- nah, not so much. Price better man up.

Ottawa Senators
Defensemen
Sergei Gonchar - Chris Phillips
Chris Campoli - Matt Carkner
Erik Karlsson - Brian Lee

Goaltender
Brian Elliott - Pascal Leclaire

The Senators goaltending and blueline situation is just as precarious as the Canadiens goaltending situation. Gonchar is awesome if this were 1998 and you were in a bet with your best buddy that a Senators blueliner wouldn't add 20 power play goals this season. A more respectable bet might be Gonchar going minus-15 this season, though Chris Phillips is a respectable pairing for him.

In net, Brian Elliott might as well be Billy Elliott and Pascal Leclaire has a lot of questions to answer.

Northeast Division Defense Rankings
1. Boston Bruins
2. Buffalo Sabres
3. Toronto Maple Leafs
4. Montreal Canadiens
5. Ottawa Senators

NHL Preview: Central Division Forwards

Ahh, the Central Division. Home of the defending Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks. I just puked all over my new Hextall t-shirt.

Chicago Blackhawks
Tomas Kopecky - Jonathan Toews - Marian Hossa
Troy Brouwer - Patrick Sharp - Patrick Kane
Viktor Stalberg - Dave Bolland - Fernando Pisani
Bryan Bickell - Jake Dowell - Jack Skille

While the "core" group of forwards remains for the defending champs, we saw plenty of departures up front from this group over the summer. Specifically, the Hawks come into this season without the services of Dustin Byfuglien, Kris Versteeg, Andrew Ladd, John Madden, Ben Eager, Colin Fraser, and Adam Burish. Hmm, who's left to call Pronger funny names? Despite these departures, the Blackhawks are dangerous up front. Toews and Kane lead the way in this department with Sharp and Hossa rounding out most of the scoring. Two guys that are going to have to step it up this year are Troy Brouwer and Dave Bolland. Brouwer put up a decent regular season last year (40 points), while Bolland got hot during the playoffs (16 points in 22 games). It looks like there's a void for a scoring winger on that 2nd line. Overall, this is still a dangerous group of forwards but they lack depth compared to last season.

Columbus Blue Jackets
Kristian Huselius - Antoine Vermette - Rick Nash
Nikita Filatov - Derick Brassard - Jakub Voracek
Ethan Moreau - Samuel Pahlsson - R. J. Umberger
Jared Boll - Andrew Murray - Chris Clark

While Antoine Vermette and Kristian Huselius had good statistical years last season (27G, 38A and 23G, 40A, respectively), I can't help but look at this lineup and think once again that Rick Nash doesn't have an adequate supporting cast around him. What would prove me wrong? Well, there are plenty of young developing forwards in the top 6 here, so one could always play the "potential" card. For example, 3rd-year man Jakub Voracek looks to improve on a 50-point campaign last year while leading what is a young and talented 2nd line. R.J. Umberger will likely be moved around a bit throughout this lineup. He's a guy who can fill in on top-line duty if needed, provide secondary scoring on a 2nd line, or be in more of a defensive checking role on the 3rd line. Long-time Oiler Ethan Moreau will provide a veteran presence to this lineup. Overall, we can expect this group to perform similarly to last year's group, unless the young forwards develop faster than expected. Columbus fans should just be happy that the Fat Man didn't eat Nikita Filatov before his departure.

This burger could have been Nikita Filatov.

Detroit Red Wings
Henrik Zetterberg - Pavel Datsyuk - Tomas Holmstrom
Johan Franzen -Valtteri Filppula - Todd Bertuzzi
Dan Cleary - Mike Modano - Jiri Hudler
Patrick Eaves - Kris Draper - Darren Helm

I know that our resident editor hates the Red Wings, but it's hard to look at this lineup and not be at least a little intrigued. Coach Babcock has the freedom to mix and match throughout this entire lineup, and he probably will. It remains to be seen how much gas is left in the tank for newcomer Mike Modano (prediction: not much), but that won't matter very much. The Red Wings got Jiri Hudler back from the KHL, where he had a point-a-game campaign last year. The guy still looks like a mutant, though. Overall, this is a group with plenty of scoring ability, well-roundedness, and depth, and Matteau hates that.

Nashville Predators
Steve Sullivan - Cal O'Reilly - Patric Hornqvist
Colin Wilson - Matthew Lombardi - Martin Erat
J.P. Dumont - David Legwand - Joel Ward
Sergei Kostitsyn - Marcel Goc - Jordin Tootoo

Let's be clear about this lineup: I hate it. They don't have a legit first line, the middle of the lineup seems disjointed, and there's a Kostitsyn on the 4th line. But, let's also be clear about the fact that Barry Trotz will prove me wrong by once again making due with a mediocre group, waving his magic wand, and allowing this team to be competitive. Realistically, this isn't a group that's going to score a ton of goals. They were 18th in goals scored last year, and I don't see many reasons to think that will improve. However, they might get decent scoring support throughout the lineup, but the strength of their team clearly lies outside of the forward department.

St. Louis Blues
T.J. Oshie - Andy McDonald - Patrik Berglund
David Perron - David Backes - Brad Boyes
Alex Steen - Jay McClement - B. J. Crombeen
Brad Winchester - Vladimir Sobotka - Cam Janssen

Warning: here's where my bias will be apparent. Whenever you have a guy tell the media that in preparation for the Olympics, he's trying to fight every Canadian from the Olympic roster he can, that guy jumps to "elite" status. I don't care if David Backes finishes with 4 goals and 8 assists this year. He's awesome. He'll be joined by T.J. Oshie, a scrappy little guy who will look to improve upon a 18G, 30A 2nd year. Brad Boyes had a disappointing season last year compared to his previous 2 seasons of 33 and 43 goals. He'll need to have a rebound season to help along youngsters Patrik Berglund and David Perron. One acquisition I like is Vladimir Sobotka. He was fiesty for the Bruins in the playoffs last year, and I think his rough upbringing along the docks in Baltimore will do him well in the NHL. Overall, this is still a young group that has some growing to do. But, if the pieces come together, they might surprise some people.

Central Division Forward Rankings
1. Detroit Red Wings
2. Chicago Blackhawks
3. St. Louis Blues
4. Columbus Blue Jackets
5. Nashville Predators

NHL Preview: Northeast Division Forwards

Note: The above pic is my creation, not Weagz's, so don't blame him.  - Matteau


Toronto Maple Leafs

Kris Versteeg - Tyler Bozak - Phil Kessel

Nikolai Kulemin - Mikhail Grabovski - Colby Armstrong

Luca Caputi - John Mitchell - Fredrik Sjostrom

Mike Brown - Christian Hanson - Colton Orr

I gotta confess: I am a huge fan of the moves that front offices make and how they structure a team. I don’t know why it is, but I guess I think that success starts at the top. When the Maple Leafs named Burke their GM in 2008, I said to my friends--well, “our fun in the sun is over, we will not be able to laugh at how bad the Leafs are much longer…” Well, we’re still waiting, aren’t we? I would have thought that the Leafs forwards three years into the Burke experiment would look something like this…

Jagr - Gretzky - Hull

Bossy - Lemieux - Selanne

Kurri - Messier - Dionne

Nieuwendyk - Forsberg - Ciccarelli

By the way, in my bizarre world, Brian Burke also has superpowers. Yet, instead, we get Phil Kessel, some young guys, and a bunch of brutes.

Tyler Bozak is the most interesting of the young guys, putting up 27 points in 37 games last year and placing him alongside Kessel will obviously help to bring him along, but I’m not sure how well this line will do on the road against some of the big defensive pairings in this conference (Chara - Seidenberg; Myers - Leopold; Markov - Gorges). Versteeg is an interesting add to this team, but he does not scream “top-line scoring” guy to me.

On the second line, Kulemin is another young guy that might come into his own, but Grabovski and Armstrong are not really consistent scorers--this isn’t really a second line that’s going to pitch in that much. Caputi and Mitchell are too young to assess and Fredrik Sjostrom is well, a third-liner for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Colton Orr? Christian Hanson? Really? Come on Burke! The first line is an average second line for a decent team. The second line is an average third line for most teams. The third line is a fourth line for most teams and the fourth line doesn’t belong in hockey.

How much longer do we have to wait, Burke? Hockey needs the Toronto Maple Leafs to be relevant--and this group ain’t doin’ it.

Montreal Canadiens

Mike Cammalleri - Scott Gomez - Brian Gionta

Travis Moen - Tomas Plekanec - Andrei Kostitsyn

Tom Pyatt - Lars Eller - Maxim Lapierre

Benoit Pouliot - Jeff Halpern - Mathieu Darche

The Canadiens are an interesting group--at first glance you have to be somewhat impressed, especially since the Habs are about defense and goaltending, they do not need to roll four scoring lines. They appear to have a really nice top line; Cammalleri can do some damage, Gomez is a stud, and Gionta scored 48 goals. That’s when you start to pull back the covers on this thing. Gionta hasn’t gotten anywhere near 48 goals since 2005-06 and Gomez is a 6% shooter, folks. The second line is Travis Moen (huh? Who?), Andrei Kostitsyn, and Tomas Plekanec--admittedly, I’m impressed with Plekanec’s 70 points last year and 20 goals in each of the last five years. Yet, one man does not a line make. Then it gets dicey. Tom Pyatt, Lars Eller, Maxim Lapierre, Benoit Pouliot, Jeff Halpern, and Mathieu Darche are steady defensive-forwards, but let’s not expect more than a handful of goals from these guys.

I like some of the pieces for the Habs; Cammalleri and Plekanec are gamers, Gomez and Gionta are still riding off the coattails of the Devils success early in their career, Andrei Kostitsyn isn’t in prison--so that’s something. The rest of these guys--I just don’t see it.

Ottawa Senators

Milan Michalek - Jason Spezza - Daniel Alfredsson

Peter Regin - Mike Fisher - Alexei Kovalev

Nick Foligno - Chris Kelly - Chris Neil

Jarkko Ruutu - Jesse Winchester - Roman Wick

At first glance, this too looks like a well-constructed NHL team, but a closer look reveals that there are cracks in the ice. Spezza and Alfredsson are so good, though, that they instantly make this set of forwards better than the Habs. However, in his first season since coming over from San Jose, Milan Michalek greeted the fans in Ottawa by laying a fresh steaming -12 +/- rating turd on center ice--his first negative rating in his career.  His points dropped precipitously as well. Hockey GMs have to start to realize that just because you put up points in Washington, San Jose, or Chicago, that doesn’t mean you are going to put up points everywhere.

On the second line, Mike Fisher married shorthanded in life, but he has to play with Dr. Alexei and Mr. Kovalev on his right side.  Dr. Alexei is still capable of flashes of greatness, but Mr. Kovalev is often mired in long stretches of indifference. Peter Regin pitched in 29 points in 75 games, which is a nice contribution for a second-liner. This group is capable of generating a second scoring option, but as Kovalev goes, so does this line and I don’t think he’s capable of doing it much this year--and surely not for 82 consecutive games.

Nick Foligno, Chris Kelly, and Chris Neil do a yeoman's job on the third line. Jarkko Ruutu is on the fourth line--can somebody tell me why this guy is still in the league? Winchester and Wick are fourth liners.

If Michalek and Kovalev show up, this could be the best line of forwards in the Northeast, but I am guessing that they will each show up for about 20 games this year, which is not quite a full season.

Buffalo Sabres

Thomas Vanek - Derek Roy - Jason Pominville

Jochen Hecht - Tim Connolly - Mike Grier

Tyler Ennis - Paul Gaustad - Patrick Kaleta

Nathan Gerbe - Rob Niedermeyer - Drew Stafford

This is what I call a big-boy lineup. The Sabres have what you would want in a set of forwards--they’ve got a big-name sniper that can pitch in as much as 40 goals, they’ve got a center who can get him the puck, and even a winger on the other side that's not much of a slouch. The second line is centered by a guy that can find the back of the net and some wingers that aren’t strangers to the net themselves. The third line is young, but has already demonstrated that they know how to get the rubber past the goalie as well. The fourth line is centered by a guy who has made a career of being one of the best fourth line centers in the game and also pitching in more than a handful of goals himself, while getting limited ice time. When you consider that these guys historically play within their system and are often very solid defensively, the pieces are here for a very silent-but-deadly set of forwards.

Vanek gets the press, because he’s the sniper, but don’t discount the contributions by Roy, who has put up 81, 70, and 69 points in the last three years. Pominville has strung together three straight seasons of 20 goals and Hecht found twine 21 times last year. Connolly had almost 50 assists last year, to boot. Ennis only played 10 games last year, but he had 9 points in those games! Gaustad may reach 30 points on the third line. To be able to get 80 goals from a first line, 60 from a second line, 40 from a third line, and 20 from a fourth line is about as good as a team in the Salary Cap Era can hope for--Buffalo’s forwards might be able to make that happen.

Boston Bruins

Marco Sturm - Marc Savard - Nathan Horton

Milan Lucic - David Krejci - Mark Recchi

Blake Wheeler - Patrice Bergeron - Michael Ryder

David Paille - Tyler Seguin - Shawn Thornton

On talent alone, the Bruins are pretty tough to beat, especially down the middle. Savard was injured last year and the Bruins appeared to suffer across the board. Now Savard is back and they have also added Nathan Horton, who is often injured himself, but is a legit winger to add some scoring power along the wings to support the depth down the middle. Tyler Seguin is listed as the fourth line center, but he isn’t really a fourth-liner, but we can’t assume that he’s going to come into the league and be better than Savard, Krejci, and Bergeron.

Ed. Note: It appears that Savard might still be suffering from post-concussion syndrome, and will be out for a while.  As of right now, Tyler Seguin has a good chance at being the replacement for however long Savard will be out.

Savard may be able to set Horton up for a big season (again, health issues aside)--Sturm will ride along for lots of points. Lucic will also get to ride shotgun for Krejci setting up Recchi--although it’s hard to say how much Recchi has left.

Blake Wheeler may take a few steps forward, he pitched in 38 points last year and he’s at that age where a lot of guys take their career to the next level. Ryder, Paille, and Thornton aren’t exciting but they aren’t going to hurt you that much either. Ryder can even add some scoring on the third line.

The question is whether or not their two dangerous wingers (Horton and Recchi) can stay healthy and contribute. It will also be interesting to see if Seguin gets some PP time as well. Overall, we are going to assume that Savard is going to come back to form and boost the Bruins to the best group of forwards in the Northeast.


Northeast Division Forwards Ranking
1. Boston Bruins
2. Buffalo Sabres
3. Ottawa Senators
4. Montreal Canadiens
5. Toronto Maple Leafs

NHL Preview: Atlantic Division Forwards

New York Islanders

Matt Moulson - John Tavares - Kyle Okposo

Josh Bailey - Rob Schremp - Blake Comeau

Jon Sim - Frans Nielsen - Trent Hunter

Trevor Gillies - Doug Weight - Zenon Konopka

The Islanders are a team with no more than a top line. And really, it’s not much of a top line…I’m sure Scott Gordon can make something happen with these guys since he’s been coaching for two years in the NHL and is very consistent(ly bad). Ok, so maybe this won’t be the year for the Isles, and the same may go next year. But rebuilding a team is tough, and you have to live with a few shortcomings…or many shortcomings. The top line is very young and showed they know how to stir a defense when on top of their game last year. The only problem is they have no history of repeating that. 2010-11 will be the year that tests whether the top line is or isn’t for real. Players like Okposo and Moulson need to continue last year’s production or Gordon won’t be afraid to throw in replacements. Bailey, Shremp, Comeau, Nielson, and Hunter all showed signs of talent and really could fit anywhere on this roster. In fact if you put this roster through a random generator, I bet you’d come out with roughly the same output. They will be the team that whoops up on a high seed a couple times this year because of the consistent lines, but they most definitely will be at the bottom of this division…again.

New York Rangers
Vaclav Prospal - Erik Christensen - Marian Gaborik

Alexander Frolov - Brandon Dubinsky - Ryan Callahan
Sean Avery - Chris Drury - Todd White
Brandon Prust - Artem Anisimov - Derek Boogaard

The Rangers have been in limbo for the last 15 years and are due to challenge the division leader. Their top line will be great, and their second will be as good as the Isle’s first. Their third is perfect and their fourth is just plain scary (Boogeyman). The only problem is you never know what happens within the Rangers’ locker room (apart from Boogaard getting snapped in the ass with a wet towel). I don’t think the coach has real control over his team and I think his team is trying to figure him out, without success. Torts is such a strange fella (probably the guy on the other end of the wet towel). He will flip out, and he will sit with all his Torty looks:

These looks are what make the lines for the Rangers so unpredictable. When Torts stops shuffling lines and “teaching his players a lesson” the Rangers will level out into a strong competitor.

New Jersey Devils

Zach Parise - Travis Zajac – Ilya Kovalchuk
Patrik Elias – Jason Arnott – Jamie Langenbrunner
Brian Rolston – Dainius Zubrus – David Clarkson
Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond – Rod Pelley – Vladimir Zharkov

The rise of the Devils is always as scary as their top lines, and this year will be deadly. Parise has proven he is the young foundation of this team and Zajac will forever be at his side. With last year’s addition of Kovalchuk, and the possibility of Kovy moving over to the right to accommodate Parise, line 1 could be in the top 5 of the NHL. They have sufficient depth that was proven by big performances last year by Zubrus and occasionally Clarkson. The comeback of Arnott will solidify the defensive side of the game. Expect a rock solid performance that could land them in the top spot in this division.

Philadelphia Flyers
Scott Hartnell - Mike Richards - Nikolai Zherdev

James van Riemsdyk - Jeff Carter - Claude Giroux
Ville Leino - Danny Briere - Ian Laperriere
Darroll Powe - Blair Betts - Daniel Carcillo

The Flyers loss of Gagne may just work with the addition of Zherdev. Zherdev’s second attempt at the NHL could pay off after having a pretty good season in the KHL (52 games, 13 goals, 26 assists, and 39 points). The youngsters of years past should be primed enough to fulfill the roles they are expected to. If Hartnell gains back what he once had, the outlook for Philly could be a repeat with a better ending. Their depth is near perfection, and the only thing they don’t have is a forward who we know will put up a point-per-game, though at least two forwards certainly could. The possible addition of Guerin (signed to a tryout) would top the tank. Their depth is the strongest in the division.

Pittsburgh Penguins
Chris Kunitz - Sidney Crosby - Mike Comrie

Eric Tangradi - Jordan Staal - Evgeni Malkin
Tyler Kennedy - Max Talbot - Pascal Dupuis
Matt Cooke - Mike Rupp - Arron Asham

Can the Penguins do it again? It’s hard to say. We all know they have two of the best in the league, and their power play is superb (though less now without Gonchar). They do have a new top-line right wing that we all don’t believe in. Comrie has proven he’s not what everyone hoped he’d be. I will be upset however if he’s the target of high expections just because he can occasionally fumble around with a pass from Sid. I know the Penguins try to create depth, but the truth of the matter is we’d like to see Malkin and Crosby together. It’s like taking Backstrom away from Ovechkin; no one needs to see that. Kunitz has proven he was a fluke in Anaheim and will continue his sub-Saku numbers here in the Pitts. I do like the last two lines because they play the way the team needs them to play. With the addition of Asham, I think the fourth line will get a little more time than most others in the league and it will show on the scoreboard. Look for them to squeak out a top spot in the division.

This division is a crap shoot for the top three, and I may even be inclined to say four, but the only thing I can say for sure is the Islanders will hold strong at number 5.

Atlantic Division Forwards Ranking 
1. Pittsburgh Penguins
2. Philadelphia Flyers
3. New Jersey Devils
4. New York Rangers
5. New York Islanders