Plus:
1. Offensive Depth: Despite losing Mike Knuble and Joffrey Lupul, the Flyers gained a full season (hopefully) of Danny Briere and Claude Giroux. The statistics should equal out, if not surpass, the production of the departed Flyers.
2. Top three defenders: The Flyers have the best top three defense corps in the Eastern Conference. Just think of the look on Alex Ovechkin’s face when he found out that he’ll have to get past Chris Pronger, Kimmo Timonen, and Braydon Coburn at least six times a year.
Minus:
1. Questions in net: I don’t doubt Ray Emery’s behavior, but I do doubt whether he will be able to adjust back to the North American game in the time that the Flyers need. It cannot take Emery three months to get in the swing of things, because in the toughest division in the East, the Flyers will crash and burn. If he plays like he did in Ottawa in 2006-07, the Flyers will (pardon the pun) fly.
2. Defensive depth: After Coburn, the Flyers’ defense drops off. Matt Carle may come-to this season, but Ryan Parent, Randy Jones, and Ole-Kristian Tollefsen still have to prove themselves. One of them may still be moved, with the Flyers being over the cap and all.
Analysis:
The Philadelphia Flyers are going to win the Atlantic Division. It won’t be by much, but they will just barely squeeze it out. With some of the best depth in the league offensively and two top defenders on their back end, they look to be poised for success.
Their success, however, will be determined by Emery’s play in net. As previously stated, if he plays to his potential, the Flyers will easily beat out the Devils and Penguins.
Prediction: first in Atlantic, third in East.
Plus:
1. Vezina-worthy goaltending: Many call Henrik Lundqvist the most overrated goalie in the league. I strongly disagree. If you watch him often, you will see that he is the real deal. However, he has been forever plagued by the weak defense in front of him. Look for King Henrik to continue his solid play in net.
2. Potential for offensive success: With Chris Drury, Marian Gaborik, Brandon Dubinsky, Artem Anisimov, and more, the Rangers do have the potential. But of course, it never does seem to pan out, does it?
Minus:
1. No defense: When your top defender is Marc Staal, you know there’s a problem. Staal is a great defenseman, without a doubt, but he is not yet a number one NHL defenseman. An overpaid Wade Redden, Michal Rozsival, and Dan Girardi round out this terrible defensive unit.
2. No depth: After the first line, who will score on Broadway? Enver Lisin? Chris Higgins? Ales Kotalik?
Analysis:
Rangers fans may not want to hear it, but their team isn’t going to do anything this year. The Hockey News is predicting them to finish 13th, but I won’t go that far. Just outside the playoffs is where they are going to finish.
There is no secondary scoring (or primary scoring, for that matter) and after Gaborik gets injured in the third game, there is no replacement for him.
Prediction: fourth in Atlantic, ninth in East.
New Jersey Devils
Plus:
1. They’re the Devils: They always find a way to win, right?
2. Martin Brodeur: Arguably the best of all-time is still in net, rested up and stronger than ever.
Minus:
1. Offensive depth: Zach Parise, Travis Zajac, and Patrick Elias. That’s the extent of the offense in Newark. Guys like Brendan Shanahan may also contribute, but the Devils are not going to be scoring much more than last year, if at all.
2. Adjusting to the trap: Jacques Lemaire’s trap worked in the nineties for the Devils when their defensive corps could handle it. But how will it rate when the top defender is Paul Martin? Martin is a good defenseman, but can he handle the tedious execution of the trap for 82 games plus some playoff contests
Analysis:
The Devils won’t do much worse than last year. In fact, they might even win the division. However, don’t expect them to go further than the first round in the playoffs. Teams will find a way to beat Jersey and send them packing. There are numerous weaknesses on the roster and teams will pick the Devils apart come crunch time.
Prediction: second in Atlantic, fourth in East.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Plus:
1. Two superstars: Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby, as everyone knows, are two of the best players in the game. Now they are Stanley Cup champions. Doesn’t get much better than that.
2. Coaching: If he had been there for about 20 more games, Dan Bylsma may have won the Jack Adams last season. Unfortunately, he came way too late to be nominated for the award. Nonetheless, he is the best coach Pittsburgh has had in years and it showed down the stretch when Pittsburgh was more prepared than its opponents almost every game (see: Stanley Cup Final, Game Seven).
Minus:
1. Stanley Cup hangover: True, everyone thought this would happen last season. But after two straight years of making the final, can they really keep up the pace, especially with such dominant up-and-coming teams in the conference?
2. Loss of depth: After losing Hal Gill, Rob Scuderi, and others, the Penguins lost the depth that they barely had last year. Max Talbot doesn’t perform in the season, only in the playoffs, while others on the roster have yet to prove themselves.
Analysis:
The Penguins will make the playoffs easily, once again. However, with fatigue, lack of depth, and the presence of stronger teams around them, they will not enjoy the same success as last year and most certainly will not be challenging for a repeat. The Penguins are not done; they will win another Cup in the next four years. But count on 2009-10 being a rest year for the organization.
Prediction: third in Atlantic, fifth in East.
Plus:
1. Johnny T: Ever seen this guy play? If not, make sure you turn on a lot of Isles games, like the rest of the country will be.
2. New fan excitement: See Plus No. 1. And this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5InHleCOI0
Minus:
1. No depth: Come on, do I really need to explain this one?
2. No team: This, too
Analysis:
Okay, so it’s going to be a while before the Islanders are back on top of the league. But after drafting Taylor Hall in the 2010 draft (you can count on that), the Islanders will be on their way. Plus, they need to sign and develop some people who can actually play hockey. Isles fans, it is indeed time to get excited. But don’t crank up the expectations just yet.
Prediction: fifth in Atlantic, 15th in East.
Alan Bass is a writer for The Hockey News and THN.com. You can contact him at BergHockey24@gmail.com.
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