The Eastern Conference that could be making some noise in the upcoming season due to many transactions or lack there of:
The Favorites
Boston Bruins- It is never easy to repeat a championship. But if anybody can do it, it’s the Bruins. The Bruins are led by their Fish-out-of-water mentality goaltender and reigning Vezina winner Tim Thomas. Minus the deadline acquisition Tomas Kaberle and add in streaky power forward Benoit Pouliot and defenseman Joe Corvo and this is the team that will try to repeat the feat. The Bruins will be hoping for breakout years from second overall pick Tyler Seguin and hardnosed Brad Marchand who both shined in the playoffs. If Tim Thomas has one more trick up his sleeve, Zdeno Chara can continue to torture the NHL and the offense led by Lucic, Krejci and Horton there could be no stopping a repeat.
Washington Capitals- If there is anybody with a chip on their shoulder this year it is Alexander Ovechkin and his Washington Capitals. The Capitals have become the new San Jose Sharks of the NHL. The Capitals had a great regular season (finishing 1st in the east) but then having a quick exit from the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Another impact player who could be playing for a lot more is Alexander Semin, after being called out by multiple former teammates. Some big arrivals should help their chances signings of veteran defenseman Roman Hamrlik, 2 way grinder Joel Ward and the biggest name goaltender on the free agent market Tomas Vokoun. They lost notables such as Scott Hannah and Eric Fehr. The Capitals are looking even scarier, if Backstrom, Oveckhin, Semin can deliver, Vokoun can hold the fort, and defensive studs Green and Carlson can be a threat from the blue line there the cup could be finding its way to the white house.
The Surprise
Buffalo Sabres- the surprise team from the east is the Buffalo Sabres. With All Star Ryan Miller, Myers signed being the cornerstones of this franchise and a new owner who doesn’t seem to be afraid to pay to be competitive. Expect big things to come of the small market Sabres, huge pickups in breakout player Ville Leino and offensive minded defenseman Christian Ehrhoff add to an already gritty hardworking team. This team could turn heads this year, if Miller stays healthy and Myers can returns to his rookie campaign numbers. There could be a lot to cheer about in Buffalo.
Dark Horse
Tampa Bay Lightning- The dark horse team is the Tampa Bay Lightning, who gained plenty of experience in last year’s playoffs. They were within one game of going to the Cup finals, and now the Tampa Bay Lightning seemed to be poised to take their success to the next level. They have one of the brightest superstars in Steven Stamkos firing on all cylinders, along with veterans Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier. There was not much off season action in Tampa, notable signings of Bruno Gervais and Matt Gilroy to help the back end, while Mathieu Garon will share the workload with aging veteran Dwayne Roloson. Out of the picture are Sean Bergenheim, Simon Gagne and Mike Smith. Yzerman has put together a great team with many important pieces can add to their success. If Stamkos can continue his pace, Lecavalier and St. Louis can defy their aging bodies, Victor Hedman can be the player that can hit, score and kill penalties and some solid goaltending. The sunshine state could be very happy.
The Retooler
Philadelphia Flyers- The times have changed in the city of brotherly love. The bright lights of Philly decided to say goodbye to long time fan favorites Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, they acquired an equally potent players in return including Jakub Voracek, Wayne Simmonds, highly regarded prospect Brayden Schenn and Columbus’s first round pick which turned out to be Sean Couterieur. Other notable departures were Ville Leino, Kris Versteeg and Nikolav Zherdev. The moves for the Flyers did not stop there they also went out and got two huge free agents in Ilya Bryzgalov and the return of Jaromir Jagr. This new look Flyers team is will now be led by ageless, fearless and newly appointed captain Chris Pronger. The defensive back end is strong with solid Braydon Coburn, Andrej Meszaros. The offense will be run by the two new superstars Claude Giroux and James Van Riemsdyk. Both players are coming off career years and are looking to take their game to the next level. If the Flyers can count on a good season from veterans Jagr, Pronger and Brierre, along with scoring from from Simmonds, Hartnell, Voracek, Giroux and Van Riemsdyk and if Bryzgalov is the savior in net that the Flyers have needed since the days of John Vanbiesbrouck, the Liberty Bell could be ringing in celebration of a Stanley Cup win.
The Disappointment
New Jersey Devils- from first to worst, a tale of the New Jersey Devils, we didn’t know how much Martin Brodeur meant to the Devils until it was too late. When he went down with injury last year, so did the any hopes of the Devils making a strong playoff push. Last year was a huge year for the devils signing Ilya Koalchuk to a huge 15 year contract that in stride changed the rules of the NHL bargaining system. Sadly, he did disappoint last year only amassing 60 points over 81 games. Other than the hiring of new bench boss Peter DeBoer, the Devils did not make many moves this summer, hoping that last year was just a small stepping stone in the great things that the Ilya-Era will do. Zach Parise will also be back after missing all but 13 games of last year’s schedule. One notable pickup for the future was getting 2nd ranked Swedish Adam Larsson who has made the opening day roster for the Devils and could be an offensive stud. If the Devils can stay healthy this year they could have a solid year but if age and injury has its way they will be drafting high again next year.
