Bottom Feeders In the NHL Eastern Conference: Which Teams Miss the Playoffs?

With the NHL season just weeks away everyone is wondering about their favorite team. Did they do enough in the off-season to secure a playoff spot?

The Eastern Conference will be a dog fight from start to finish, there will be little room for error, a strong start is a must for those that yearn to represent the East in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Without further adieu, here is my list of teams that will be left on the outside looking in when it comes to making the playoffs.

Atlanta Thrashers

2008-2009 rankings—Goals For= 9th; Goals Against= 29th; Finish= 13th Eastern Conference, 27th Overall.

To put it mildly, this is a make or break year for the Thrashers. If not moved by the trade deadline, franchise player Ilya Kovalchuk will become an unrestricted free agent at season’s end. Kovalchuk is likely to be distracted by the unrelenting trade rumors, which should lead to a tough season for the skillful Russian.

The Thrashers added forwards Nik Antropov, former Florida Panthers prospect Anthony Stewart and former Toronto Marlies standout Tim Stapleton to the mix. Outside of Antropov, who should see his totals increase playing alongside Kovalchuk and Todd White on the first line, the impact of Stewart and Stapleton should be minimal.

Veteran forward Slava Kozlov isn’t getting any younger. One of these days the wheels will fall off, but don’t hold your breath. Playing alongside Rich Peverley and up-and-comer Bryan Little should ensure Kozlov’s production does not slide too far down the ladder. Fact is, Atlanta’s second line is a good one.

The departure of defenseman Garnet Exelby will be felt from the physical side, but the additions of former Toronto Maple Leafs’ defenseman Pavol Kubina should bolster the power play and his veteran presence will be welcomed.

Overall the defense should be improved. Atlanta’s top four is decent, if unspectacular. Ron Hainsey had what can only be called a disastrous 2008-2009 season, so the only place for him to go is up. Tobias Enstrom will be asked to play a more controlled, physical game and to be a factor on the power play. A healthy Zack Bogosian should see plenty of ice time, while little known Noah Welsh and Anssi Salmela will get minimal minutes.

Goaltender Kari Lehtonen has had his share of ups and downs in the NHL. Many point to his lack of support from the defense and a system that puts offense first. Lehtonen is an average goaltender at best and, while I wish him all the best, I suspect he will continue to struggle this season.

Unfortunately, backup Johan Hedberg is hardly the answer if Lehtonen falters. Both of these goaltenders are known for their inconsistency, I expect more of the same in the coming season.

Atlanta’s poor depth, marginal goaltending and unproven defense will make it pretty tough for the Thrashers to make the playoffs in the tough Eastern Conference. If Atlanta managed to make it into the Eastern Conference’s top ten I would be shocked. More likely, the Thrashers will find themselves at the bottom of the pack competing for the first overall pick in the 2009-2010 NHL entry draft.

Buffalo Sabres

2008-2009 rankings—Goals For= 12th; Goals Against= 14th; Finish= 10th Eastern Conference, 18th Overall.

An ugly economy, an ugly arena, an ugly city and an ugly team. Can it get any worse for Sabres’ fans?

Buffalo always seem to find a way to play well in the face of adversity. Last season starting goaltender Ryan Miller spent an extended amount of time on the disabled list, yet the Sabres—for the most part—were a competitive club.

With stiff competition from Tim Thomas for the starting spot on team USA’s Olympic entry, expect Ryan to have a heck of a season in net for the Sabres. Ryan is one of the games best, he will have to be spectacular if the Sabres have any chance of winning consistently.

The arrival of defenseman Tyler Myers should bolster the Sabres defense, as should the arrival of steady Steve Montador. That said, when grey beard Craig Rivet is listed as your No.1 defenseman you have issues on the blue line.

The Sabres strength comes in the form of their first line. Thomas Vanek, Tim Connolly and Jason Pominville make up on of the NHL’s best first lines. As long as Connolly can stay off the DL the Sabres should see great offensive output from this line. But will it be enough?

It’s fair to say that the Sabres are unlikely to re-sign enigmatic forward Maxim Afinogenov, he will not be back. This is an example of addition by subtraction for the Sabres. Afinogenov, while talented, simply wasn’t pulling his weight and was a pain in the butt for head coach Lindy Ruff.

Nathan Gerbe, will be given every opportunity to make the roster out of training camp, but it remains to be seen what the young prospect is capable of.

In order to make the playoffs the Sabres will have to rely on spectacular goaltending and tremendous special teams. If the power play sags or the penalty kill has too many off-nights the Sabres will be in trouble.

Look for the Sabres to be in the mix for most of the season, ultimately Buffalo don't seem to have enough soldiers to be apart of the 'elite eight'. The Sabres have a ton of good prospects, so all is not lost. That said, the playoffs looks very unlikely this season. Look for the Sabres to finish in the 9th-11th spot in the Eastern Conference. Close, but no cigar.

Florida Panthers

2008-2009 rankings—Goals For= 17th; Goals Against= 10th; Finish= 9th Eastern Conference, 14th overall.

The Panthers didn’t make the playoffs with All-Star defenseman Jay Bouwmeester in the lineup. What makes you think they are going to make it this year?

The Panthers added several players to their roster in the off-season. Amongst them, defenseman Jordan Leopold and Ville Koistinen replace Bouwmeester and Nick Boynton. Clearly these additions are not enough to off-set the loss of Bouwmeester and Boynton.

In goal the Panthers will rely heavily on starter Tomas Vokoun. Vokoun is one of the NHL’s most underrated goaltenders and has the ability to win games on his own. His injury troubles allowed career backup Craig Anderson to make a name for himself last year, the Panthers are hoping Vokoun is injury free this season.

In the event that Vokoun succumbs to injury, the Panthers—who said goodbye to backup Craig Anderson—will look to former New Jersey Devil Scott Clemmensen to bail them out. Both of these goaltenders had career years last year, so you’d like to think the swap is pretty even.

Up front the Panthers are thin. The first line of David Booth, Stephen Weiss and Nathan Horton should provide the Panthers with decent offense. That said, the Panthers playoffs hopes will rely heavily on the performance of their second line of Steven Reinprecht, Michael Frolik and Cory Stillman.

If this line can produce on a regular basis the Panthers will be tough to beat, otherwise, the third and fourth lines will be asked to supply the offense, and that’s simply not gonna happen.

The Panthers look to be destined for yet another year out of the playoffs. Look for them to struggle with their special teams. The penalty kill and power play will be a huge factor for the Panthers and it doesn’t look pretty from here.

The Panthers should be at the bottom of the Conference for most of the season. Look for the Panthers to struggle mightily and finish in the 12th-15th position.

New York Islanders

2008-2009 rankings—Goals For= 29th; Goals Against= 28th; Finish= 15th Eastern Conference, 30th Overall.

The Islanders have been the perennial laughing stock of the NHL for quite sometime. For Islanders fans, the pain and suffering of one the worst seasons in franchise history had a happy ending, the drafting of blue chip prospect, John “Jesus” Tavares.

Tavares, who is expected to be the savior of the Islanders franchise, will be under an extraordinary amount of pressure to perform at a high level in 2009-2010, which should make for an extremely difficult season for the talented youngster.

The Islanders seem to have given up on goaltender Rick Dipietro, having signed both Martin Biron and Dwayne Roloson to contracts. Roloson, who had a lot of success in Edmonton as a member of the Oilers should stabilize the Islanders goaltending, while Biron is a legitimate backup option.

Up front, the Islanders, while talented, look to be over-matched. Kyle Okposo, Josh Bailey, Blake Comeau, Jeff Tambellini and Tavares are all young and will require tutoring and seasoning before they are legitimate NHLer’s.

On the defensive side of the game, veterans Mark Streit and Brendan Witt will be asked to log heavy minutes and will likely play in every situation. Radek Martinek, Andy Sutton, Bruno Gervais and Freddy Mayer make up the rest of the Islanders underwhelming defense-corps. Clearly, defense will be one of the Islanders weak spots and should cause the goaltenders fits.

Look for Gervais, Streit, Tavares, Okposo and relatively unknown Sean Bergenheim to make up the first power play unit. Not sure who makes up the Islanders penalty kill, needless to say they ought to be busy and probably ineffective for the most part.

Once again, special teams will be a huge factor in the Islanders making the playoffs. Offensively the Islanders should pop a few more goals into the nets, but don’t expect miracles.

Look for the Islanders to make minimal improvement and be at/near the bottom of the Eastern Conference when everything is all said and done. The Islanders finish 13th-15th in the East, another bottom five finish is not out of the question.

Ottawa Senators

2008-2009 rankings—Goals For= 23rd; Goals Against= 15th; Finish= 11th Eastern Conference, 23rd overall.

Surprise, the Ottawa Senators are a mess! Highlighted by the Dany Heatley fiasco, the Senators look to start the 2009-2010 season right where they finished off, in turmoil.

Heatley is an albatross hanging over the Senators organization. If the Sens do manage to trade him the players coming the other way will be under intense media and fan scrutiny to perform.

If they don’t trade the selfish Heatley, Senators GM Bryan Murray will be under the gun to make something happen, which should prove to be a huge distraction, not to mention the uncomfortableness that will undoubtedly take a stranglehold on the Sens dressing room.

Offseason additions Alex Kovalev and Erik karlsson should help the Senators, but don’t expect miracles. With the likes of Jason Spezza, Dany Heatley and Daniel Alfredsson in the lineup last season the Sens ranked a paltry 23rd in goals for, simply put, that is not good enough.

The addition of former Columbus Blue Jackets standout Pascal Leclaire in-between the pipes should bolster the Sens shaky goaltending, but it is yet to be seen how Leclaire comes back from his injuries. If Leclaire falters the Sens have Brian Elliot waiting in the wings, which should be a decent, if unspectacular option.

Chris Phillips, whose game has been on a downward trend, and Anton Volchenkov will be asked to log upwards of 20-22 minutes a game a piece, which should pose huge problems. The Sens defense is mediocre at best and may very well struggle at the physical end.

For the Sens, a strong start is imperative. This is a notoriously weak team mentally, a poor start would only serve to fuel the Sens downward spiral. A question that will need answering—Can head coach Corey Clouston continue to work his magic behind the bench or will he succumb to the pressures surrounding this club?

Look for the Senators to struggle on and off the ice. It is no picnic being a Senator these days, I suspect the poor atmosphere will contribute to numerous mental lapses, resulting in bad penalties and lost opportunities.

Expect the Senators to finish in the 10th-12th spot in the Eastern Conference. Sadly, the Senators are still not a “Force United”.

Tampa Bay Lightening

2008-2009 rankings—Goals For= 25th; Goals Against= 27th; Finish= 14th Eastern Conference; 29th overall.

Tampa Bay were expected to compete for a playoff spot last year, boy were the pundits wrong on that one!

The 2008-2009 season was a nightmare both on and off the ice for the Bolts. A coaching change, ownership squabbles and an inability to produce on the ice all conspired to catapult the Bolts into the NHL’s basement—well, close anyways...

Offseason additions of veteran defenseman Mattias Ohlund and prized rookie Victor Hedman should improve the Bolts 27th ranked defense and add a little punch to their power play.

The buyout of veteran Vinny Prospal was warranted, but if nobody steps up into the No.2 left wing spot the Bolts will be in trouble.

In goal the jury is still out on starter Mike Smith. Former Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Antero Nittymaki was brought in to supply depth, but he is hardly the answer if Smith falters.

With a full year of NHL experience under his belt, Steven Stamkos should have a better overall season. Expect Stamkos to be featured on the power play alongside veterans Vincent Lecavalier, who has been the subject of numerous trade rumors this summer, Martin St. Louis, Ohlund and either Ryan Malone or Hedman.

Goaltending will be the Bolts demise. I am not sold on Smith, and Nittymaki hardly impresses. Up front, the Bolts are talented, but they were the 25th ranked team offensively last season and have done nothing to bolster that group.

Expect the Bolts to struggle to find their way. While I do see them making some strides towards respectability, a top 10 finish in the Eastern Conference would be a decent, if unlikely goal. More likely, the Bolts finish in the bottom five in the NHL...again!

Montreal Canadiens

2008-2009 rankings—Goals For= 13th; Goals Against= 14th; Finish= 8th Eastern Conference, 14th overall.

Talk about your soap operas! The Montreal Canadiens endured more controversy than any NHL club last season. Players allegedly involved with the Mafia, All-Star ballot stuffing by the fans, questionable moves by GM Bob Gainey, the Alex Kovalev saga, the Carey Price salute in the playoffs, you name it, it happened in Montreal last year.

Well folks, the offseason was no different. The hiring of former Florida Panthers GM Jaques Martin as head coach was hardly heartily endorsed by the fans. Additionally, the offseason acquisitions of Mike cammalleri, Scott Gomez, Brain Gionta, Travis Moen, Hal Gill, Paul Mara and Jaroslav Spacek hardly brought Hab fans out of their seats.

One thing is for sure, if this collection of players gets off to a soft start they will definitely feel the wrath of Hab fans everywhere. This is not a patient group, tempers are running hot in Montreal, one slip up and the town and press will explode unmercifully on the team, it’s players, and GM Gainey all at once.

The departure of Alex Kovalev can be seen as a positive thing, but there are those that wanted the Russian superstar to remain in the Rouge, Blue and Blanc. If Kovalev gets off to a hot start in Ottawa and the Habs struggle, once again, there will be hell to pay.

Looks like the 2009-2010 season has the potential to be a long one in Montreal.

Overall I felt the Canadiens free agent signings were poor. Most of the players are complimentary types, not first liners, unless you consider Cammalleri a "Money" player. The contracts signed were for huge sums of money, further hampering the Canadiens in the future and making it tough for the Canadiens to add depth at the deadline.

Look for the Canadiens to take a step back this season, missing the playoffs. Too much pressure, lack of size, unrealistic expectations and a tough Eastern Conference will all conspire to beat down les Canadiens.

The Habs finish in the 9th-11th position in the Eastern Conference. Decent year, but hardly good enough for Hab fans. Oh, and, as for Bob Gainey...He’ll be fired sooner rather than later.

That’s it for the Eastern Conference Bottom Feeders. That means I expect the Pittsburgh Penguins, Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals, Philadelphia Flyers, Carolina Hurricanes, New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers and yes, the Toronto Maple Leafs to make the Eastern Conference playoffs.

What say you? Pittsburgh, Washington, Philadelphia, Boston and Carolina are pretty much “locks” to make the playoffs, who are your bottom three? You can certainly make a case for New Jersey and the Rangers missing the playoffs and Toronto will be in tough...Make your case in the comment section.

The Western Conference Bottom Feeders is coming soon....

Until next time,

Peace!

Written By: Mark “The Hard Hitter” Ritter