Quest For The Stanley Cup: Eastern Conference Preview
With the National Hockey League season less than a week away, Captain Canada continues in a series of editorials aimed to prepare hockey fans for the exciting season ahead. Today, The Captain previews all 15 teams in the Eastern Conference and offers his fearless predictions.
Pittsburgh: Start your engines, folks. This is a team that can run and gun like no other in the league. We haven't seen an array of young talent on a team like this since the days of the early 80's when the Edmonton Oilers were led by Wayne Gretzky. This Penguins team may not have The Great One, but they have The Next One, otherwise known as Sidney Crosby. At 20 years of age, Crosby is the new face of the NHL. But he's not alone. Youngsters Jordan Staal and Evgeni Malkin are world class talents, and defenseman Ryan Whitney is a top up and coming blue liner. Veterans, you ask? Sergei Gonchar, Gary Roberts, Mark Recchi, and Darryl Sydor provide the Pens with leadership, talent, and grit. The lone question mark remains in goal, where youngster Marc-Andre Fleury still has a lot to prove. But this is Crosby's team, and they are poised to compete for Stanley Cups for the better part of the next decade. Captain Canada says FIRST in the East!
Ottawa: Last year's Stanley Cup run was no fluke. Heatley, Spezza, and Alfredsson are amongst three of the top forwards in the league, and the defense unit, led by Wade Redden and Chris Phillips, is exceptional. Ray Emery proved more than dependable in the pipes in his first year as the starting goaltender. Question marks? The offense falls off significantly after the top two lines. For them to win Lord Stanley's Cup some 3rd and 4th line players will need to step up. Despite last year's success, there have been changes in the front office with assistant John Paddock being promoted to head coaching duties. How well the players respond to their new leader will dictate if they can replicate last year's success. Captain Canada says SECOND in the East!
Buffalo: The summer of 2007 is viewed as the coming of the Apocalypse for the Buffalo faithful. Co-Captains Daniel Briere and Chris Drury both skipped town as fee agents, leaving an apparent stunning gap in offensive productivity between last year's unit and this one. Expectations have fallen from raising a Stanley Cup banner a year ago to hoping for a playoff spot this season. But if you look beneath the surface, it is not all doom and gloom in Sabre-land. They return with all of last year's defense corps, a year older and wiser. They bring back a confident Ryan Miller, who is rapidly emerging as an elite goaltender and the face of this Buffalo franchise. And they return with a young core of forwards led by Maxim Afinogenov and Thomas Vanek. Look for them and other young forwards such as Drew Stafford and Michael Ryan to take the next step in their development, and look for coach Lindy Ruff to play the .5?us against the world' card brilliantly in leading this group beyond expectations. Captain Canada says THIRD in the East!
NJ Devils: Is there any reason to believe this team won't be a playoff caliber team again in 2007/2008? Martin Brodeur is a Hall of Fame goalie still playing at peak level. With scorers such as Patrik Elias and young stud Zach Parise, the Devils are deceptively strong offensively. Brent Sutter is a perfect fit as new head coach, as he demands the type of two way work ethic and accountability that has been a trademark of this franchise for more than a decade. With Sutter steering the ship, the Devils are a Stanley Cup darkhorse. Captain Canada says FOURTH in the East!
NY Rangers: The lights are shining brightly on Broadway this hockey season. The NHL's marquee American franchise made more than a splash by signing two of the top free agents available on the market: Chris Drury and Scott Gomez. They join Jaromr Jagr, Brendan Shanahan, and Sean Avery to form an offensive machine that will be feared throughout the league. Add in franchise goalie Henrik Lundqvist, and this team is being looked at by many to be on the short-list for top cup contenders. But before planning the parade route, let's address some weaknesses. Specifically, a no name defense unit that is neither gifted offensively nor gritty defensively. This poses a problem when the going gets tough in the post-season. Captain Canada says FIFTH in the East!
Tampa Bay: This is a squad with three superstars in Vincent Lecavalier, Brad Richards and Martin St-Louis. An average supporting cast was enough a couple years back when the Lightning rode the big three all the way to a Stanley Cup victory, but it has been a tough feat to duplicate. With an average defense and weak goaltending, it is tough to envision the Lightning re-joining the elite this year. They'll need to catch lightning in a bottle again to make a serious Cup run. Captain Canada says SIXTH in the East!
Toronto: After back to back playoff misses, the natives are restless in Canada's hockey capital. The Leafs didn't have difficulty finding the net last season, and the addition of Jason Blake gives them one more offensive weapon. The issue last year was goaltending, and that has been addressed with the acquisition of Vesa Toskala, who will be given every opportunity to take the #1 job away from Andrew Raycroft. Expect that to happen, and expect to see the Leafs return to the post-season. As for winning their first Cup since '67? Not a chance. Captain Canada says SEVENTH in the East!
Philadelphia: Coach John Stevens and his squad are optimistic about their chances despite being the laughingstock of the league in 2006-2007. The Flyers made a splash in the free agent pool by signing spark plug center Daniel Briere. The additions of Kimmo Timonen on defense and Martin Biron in nets will also pay big dividends. Youngsters such as Jeff Carter and Mike Richards are poised to excel this year. Worst to first? Not quite, but nonetheless this squad will rebound from last year in a big way. Captain Canada says EIGHTH in the East!
Carolina: The Hurricanes went from Stanley Cup Champs to missing the post-season altogether last year. Led by Jason Staal, Carolina has the talent up front to compete with the best in the league, but the defense lacks toughness and Cam Ward was a disappointment between the pipes last year. If Ward rebounds, the Canes are a team to watch. If he doesn't, they will fall short of the playoffs again. Captain Canada says NINTH in the East!
Washington: From Russia With Love? Alexander Overchkin and Alexander Semin are two of the best offensive youngsters in the NHL. Olaf Kolzig is an elite goaltender on a weak team, and the additions of Tom Poti on D and Mikael Nylander at center will add needed veteran experience. If the youngsters continue to progress, this club could win a playoff berth. They are probably still a year away, but the sun will be shining soon in the nation's capital. Captain Canada says TENTH in the East!
NY Islanders: The Islanders shocked the hockey universe last year as first year coach Ted Nolan guided a club of limited talent all the way to a playoff berth. The club is no better this year then a year ago, and will need to bring their lunch pails again night in night out to have success. They do have a terrific goalie in Rick Dipietro, and Coach Nolan is amongst the best in the business. Expect the Isles to play hard every night, but the talent isn't there to achieve any real success. Captain Canada says ELEVENTH in the East!
Atlanta: 2006-2007 was a bittersweet season for the Thrashers. They made the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, but after being demolished in 4 straight games by the Rangers in the 1st round, perhaps it would be better if they hadn't made the playoffs altogether. Ilya Kovalchuck and Marian Hossa will be tough for the opposition to contain, but they are slow on defense and the team lacks leadership. This is a team that could very well take a step back before moving forward. Captain Canada says TWELVTH in the East!
Montreal: A sizzling start to the 2006-2007 campaign brought false hope to the storied Canadiens franchise and its legion of passionate fans. But the roof caved in when goaltender Cristobal Huet got hurt at the midway point of he season, and Montreal slid all the way out of the playoffs. With established defensemen Craig Rivet and Sheldon Souray out of the fold, the slide is likely to continue. There are some promising youngsters, and inspirational leader Saku Koivu is coming off a career year, but the glory days are long gone in Montreal. This could be a tough season for GM Bob Gainey as he assesses a long term strategy to return his team to an elite level. Captain Canada says THIRTEENTH in the East!
Florida: Has there been a worse trade in sports in the last decade than the one the Panthers made in dealing MVP goalie Roberto Luongo for an ineffective Todd Bertuzzi? At least they have addressed the goalie situation by acquiring Tomas Vokoun, who is a proven performer in the regular season. Olli Jokinen is a terrific two way player, and youngsters Stephen Weiss, Jay Bouwmeester, and Nathan Horton have rounded into dependable if unspectacular players. The three will need to make a huge leap for this team to break the six season playoff drought. Expect this team to struggle .5? yet again. Captain Canada says FOURTEENTH in the East!
Boston: The B's have little to boast about. The offense? Amongst the weakest in the league, led by a one-dimensional Marc Savard. 6'9.5? giant Zdeno Chara should rebound from an awful campaign, but the defense ranked 29th out of 30 last year and won't be much better. The acquisition of backstopper Manny Fernandez provides the Bruins with some stability between the pipes, but this franchise is in need of a major rehaul. Captain Canada says FIFTEENTH in the East!
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