Glancing at NHL 2010: Way Too Early Eastern Conference Playoff Picks

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Eastern Conference Final Standings Prediction

Division Winners (Seeds 1 to 3)

1. Washington Capitals

115 Points

The Caps are loaded with talent, and they're only going to inch towards their prime, all the while gaining plenty of experience.

Mike Knuble was also a big addition this offseason, as his age gives him the leadership ability this team needs. Former Dallas Star Brendan Morrison will also give the Caps a gritty yet talented forward.

Right now, it seems the only thing that could stop Washington is if Ovechkin tries to fire up his stick in the All Star Game, melts the ice, and gets thrown out of the league. Yeah, sure.

2. Pittsburgh Penguins

112 Points

The Pens are coming off a miraculous Stanley Cup win, which is leading most to put them easily at the top of the East. Not so soon. The Pens have already suffered quite a few tough losses this offseason, losing most importantly Hal Gill and Rob Scuderi. They did manage to ink Mike Rupp, who will be a decent replacement for Gill.

However, Pittsburgh still has loads of young talent, and will continue to be a dominant force in the Eastern Conference for a while.

3. Montreal Canadiens

105 Points

This is tough, but I have a feeling that the Habs will be able to slip past Boston for the division title. The Canadiens have a completely revamped roster, as at first they were eating up free agents one after another.

However, more recently, their lack of cash has also led to the losses of major stars Kovalev and Koivu, as well as All Star defenseman Mike Komisarek and gritty winger Tom Kostopoulus.

New in town is former Sabre Jaroslav Spacek, Stanley Cup winner Hal Gill, breakout Flames star Mike Cammalleri, Devils scorer Brian Gionta, and 09' Ranger Scott Gomez, as well as Travis Moen, Darche, and Paul Mara.

If the goaltending can hold up, than Montreal may be very dangerous indeed.

Best of the Rest (Seeds 4 to 6)

4. Boston Bruins

103 Points

Added depth with some sub-par guys this offseason, despite losing Shane Hnidy and Jeremy Reich.

However, any way, this is still a loaded team. Phil Krejci was resigned, and Marc Recchi is going to be around another year, too. Tim Thomas is looking like he's definitely the top goalie in the NHL right now, and the depth of this team is amazing, too.

Still, they lack the quantity of superstars that Montreal now has, which will lead to a slip from the division title.

5. Carolina Hurricanes

100 Points

The Hurricanes went into last year's playoffs as a hot team yet not regarded by most as a top NHL team, but they've come out of it as a real threat to the rest of the league.

This free agency, Carolina started off slow with just a couple re-signings but seems to have gotten it going a bit recently. The addition of former-Canadien Tom Kostopoulos adds valuable grit and physicality to the speedy Canes, and Andrew Alberts from Philly will fill in the spot that Dennis Seidenburg may end up leaving. Neither of their two losses were full-time starters.

Watch out for the Canes again, because if Cam Ward is on his game, he's one of the league's elite goalies and the offense can then take it from there.

6. New York Rangers

95 Points

A big drop from the Hurricanes down to them, but a sixth seed still isn't bad. The Rangers made a nice showing in the playoffs last season despite falling in the first round, and have made some major changes this offseason, too.

The losses of Sjostrom, Gomez, and Antropov will hurt, but Marian Gaborik is a big time scorer if he stays healthy, Donald Brashear can knock about anything out of anyone who gets within a yard of him, and former Oiler Kotalik has the power to be a superstar if he's in the mood...

So, if their goaltending keeps up the stellar work, the Rangers may have finally established themselves as a reliable playoff team.

Just Over the Bubble (Seeds 7 & 8)

7. Florida Panthers

94 Points

The Panthers have financial trouble and lack fans, which causes them to be thought of as a lower-class team. However, they're not. Tomas Vokoun is perhaps the most underrated player in the league and certainly a top-five goalie in my opinion, and the Panthers have also managed to hold on to most of their balanced roster from last season.

Jordan Leopold has been added to try to provide a star to this balanced team, and Scott Clemmenson was brought in as backup goalie, too. Despite the losses of top-class defenseman Jay Bouwmeester and Skrastins heading to Dallas, this is a very talented team. If they can hold their excellent chemistry together, it is likely they can sneak into the playoffs.

8. Philadelphia Flyers

92 Points

The Flyers are going to be thanking their lucky stars to make it into the playoffs on a tiebreaker.

The got more beat up than most think this free agency. Lupul and Sbisa was too much for expensive defenseman Chris Pronger, who is also beginning to near the final years of his career, and they also lost Andrew Alberts to Carolina, veteran leader Mike Knuble to Washington, and goaltender Niittymaki to Tampa Bay (basically, half the roster took a migration to the Southeast Division).

Philadelphia also has some major issues in the net. I'm not sure what the management was thinking, but Brian Boucher and Ray Emery are nothing compared to Niittymaki and Biron. Fight me all you want, Flyers fans, but this could be a tough year for the Flyers' "goals against" category.

The only deal is that they have more experience than Ottawa, which will eventually end up propelling them into the playoffs.

Not Quite There (Seeds 9 to 12)

9. Ottawa Senators

92 Points

They have the stars, the talent, and the fans. Just not the goalie. Sorry, Senators, but you're going to end up falling just short of the playoffs.

10. New Jersey Devils

89 Points

It's called a "silent nuclear bomb". And it happened to explode on the Devils' roster page about two weeks ago.

11. Atlanta Thrashers

86 Points

They've always had the stars and the talent, with Kovalchuk, Little and White.

They just don't have the goalie, and they certainly don't have the chemistry. And Thrashers fans, if you've forgotten what "chemistry" means, just make sure you send in a couple dictionaries during the Thrashers yearly fundraiser.

12. Toronto Maple Leafs

85 Points

Some may say this is too low for the Leafs, and I can almost agree. I just don't see where else to put them.

2011, Please...Wait, Thats a LONG TIME!!! (Seeds 13 to 15, a.k.a. the losers)

13. Buffalo Sabres

78 Points

Seven point difference between them and Toronto. It's too bad. Ryan Miller could be an excellent goalie if he just had a team with talent (and a franchise with cash).

14. Tampa Bay

74 Points

They improved this offseason, adding some good defensive talent with Matthias Ohlund and Matt Walker. Then again, it was going to be pretty hard not to improve after last year. So, despite a roster upgrade, it's still fourteenth place. Whoo-hoo.

15. New York Islanders

80 minor league players isn't what the Islanders want...although they seem to think it is. They need stars, not backups.