NHL 2010-2011 Regular Season Standings Predictions: Eastern Conference

It's that time of the year again! Time to predict the NHL 2010-2011 regular season standings. Today I will be analyzing the Eastern Conference teams. 

15. Florida Panthers

Why?

Because of this man. Dale Tallon has done nothing this offseason to fix his broken team. If sources are correct, Tallon will be making a huge mistake by signing Antti Niemi. Also he traded away top-six scorer Nathan Horton for whipping boy, Dennis Wideman, from Boston. Yes the draft went well for the Panthers and the future does look bright, but for now the Florida Panthers are flawed all around and Tallon has no quick fix for it. 

14. Toronto Maple Leafs

Why?

There are tons of reasons why the Maple Leafs will once again finish at the bottom of standings. To keep this short, I will go through a few.

Firstly, the whole Kaberle fiasco has become sickening to the point where many are asking "Is he going to even play on opening night if he isn't traded?"

Secondly, the team is very young, which is good. However, the lack of veteran presence will be the Maple Leafs' downfall. Instead of slowly growing their players, the Maple Leafs are throwing them onto NHL ice as soon as possible.

Thirdly, there is a lack of scoring. Was Phil Kessel worth Tyler Seguin plus a few more draft picks? Time will tell, but for now he was not. Many see Burke's move to get Kessel as poor asset management and I'm on the same boat as them. 

13. New York Islanders

Why?

The Islanders are looking scary. In a few years that is. Ever since the Milbury era, Islanders' management has been making some great moves. Little was done this offseason as they are sticking with the youth movement.

The Isles have a bunch of kids (Tavares, Okposo, Moulson, etc.) coming through the system nicely. However, those kids need some veteran support. It's not good when your highest paid player (Alexei Yashin) plays in the KHL and your number one goalie hasn't played more than a dozen games in the past two years. The isles are going in the right direction, but they've hit a few bumps in the road.

12. Ottawa Senators

Why?

The Ottawa Senators aren't getting better anytime soon. That is a fact. Alfredsson is getting old and Spezza is looking human again. Maybe they did need Heatley? The Senators are letting the kids play, but when you compare their prospect pool to other teams', they are severely lacking all over. They barely have any top prospects (save Karlsson) and sooner or later the Senators will have to look at future drafts for more talent.

11. Montreal Canadiens

Why?

Call me crazy, but I do not see the Canadiens getting any better. Firstly, management traded away playoff hero Jaroslav Halak for a few prospects. Secondly, Carey Price (mark my words) will not fare well this season. Thirdly, the entire Canadiens lineup has struggled injury-wise in the past (see: Cammalleri, Markov, etc.). Pair that with an unproven goalie and there will be riots in the streets of Montreal. 

10. Carolina Hurricanes

Why?

The Canes will do much better this season. They had a terrible start to last season and will most definitely have a better start this season. Cam Ward will have a great season and the team will be younger ever since Rod Brind'Amour retired. There will be a slow youth movement which is key for the Canes' future success. Expect the Canes' young defensive corps to really turn heads this season. 

9. Atlanta Thrashers

Why?

The Atlanta Thrashers are going to boom this season. They've finally found their future goalie in Ondrej Pavelec and with the additions of Chris Mason, Dustin Byfuglien, Andrew Ladd, Ben Eager, and Brent Sopel, the Thrashers will be a force once again. Although they do not have a superstar presence in Kovalchuk anymore, the Atlanta Thrashers will be a much better team that is solid all around. Expect them to fight for the number eight spot. 

8. Buffalo Sabres

Why?

Thomas Vanek will emerge once again. Ryan Miller will be a Vezina nominee once again. The Sabres even have two solid scoring lines. However, their defense is lacking and is the hole that is preventing them from going over the top.

7. Tampa Bay Lightning

Why?

The Lightning should have made the playoffs last year. Now under new management, they have drastically improved the team adding the likes of Simon Gagne, Dan Ellis, Pavel Kubina, and Brett Clark. Stamkos will get better and continue to impress. The defense is slowly getting better. The only question mark is the defense which is solid, but not great. The tandem of Ellis and Smith should give the Lightning the number seven spot.

6. New York Rangers

Why?

The Rangers took a huge gamble last season by signing Marian Gaborik to a huge contract. That gamble has been paying off so far. However, the Rangers experienced an offensive drought last season that kept them out of the playoffs for the first time since the lockout. With the re-signing of Vaclav Prospal and the additions of Alexander Frolov and Mats Zucarello-Aasen, the Rangers should have enough offense to take that number six spot. 

5. New Jersey Devils

Why?

Unless the Devils re-sign Kovalchuk somehow, expect them to finish around the fifth spot. The Devils improved their defense, which was one of their holes coming into the offseason, but there are bigger problems looming for the Devils. For instance, Brodeur isn't getting any younger soon. As he gets older, his play will decline, which is natural at his age. 

4. Philadelphia Flyers

Why?

They reached the Stanley Cup Finals for a reason. They're deadly. They drastically improved their defense this offseason with Andrej Meszaros. They traded away beloved fan favorite, Simon Gagne, but they made a lateral move by signing Nikolai Zherdev. Overall, Philly's defense and offense improved. However, the goaltending circus in Philadelphia continues to this day, but both Leighton and Boucher have proven their worth for at least one more year. Expect the Flyers to take the fourth spot. 

3. Boston Bruins

Just like wine, the Boston Bruins will get better with age. They went through the very short rebuild period and now all they could do is wait for the results. They drafted the highly touted Tyler Seguin at the NHL Entry Draft in June. Also, management has traded for power forward Nathan Horton. Adding Seguin and Horton to the lineup makes the already strong Bruins' offense much more potent. The defense remains one of the Bruins' strongest areas. Most importantly, the best goaltending tandem of Tim Thomas and Tuuka Rask returns this season. Expect the Bruins to nab the third spot. 

2. Washington Capitals

Why?

Ovechkin is a monster, Backstrom is coming into his own, and Green still dominates the blueline. However, Green must work on his defensive game if he wants to keep his label as the number one defenseman on the team. The offense is still very dangerous. However, their goalie situation looks a bit muddy. Varlamov did not impress last year after his amazing performance in the '09 playoffs and age is catching up to Theodore. There should be a bit of a battle for the number one spot, but I see the Capitals staying at number two.

1. Pittsburgh Penguins

Why?

The best just got better this offseason. After a disappointing playoffs, management went to work this offseason. They addressed a few of their needs by bolstering their defensive corps. However, they are still lacking another legitimate top-six forward. Not to worry though since Jordan Staal should be playing wing on either Crosby or Malkin's line. The bottom-six is looking fine with the addition of another grinder in Arron Asham and the goaltending situation is under control with Marc-Andre Fleury between the pipes. I fully expect the Pittsburgh Penguins to take the number one spot in the East.