January 8, 2012, National Hockey League Eastern Conference Preview for Metro Newspaper in NYC
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CHRISTIAN PETERSEN/GETTY IMAGES
Sidney Crosby and the Penguins are
our pick to win the regular season in the Eastern Conference.
Think back to before hockey-related revenue, variance and
disclaimer of interest replaced goals, saves and absurdly short John
Tortorella press conferences in the lexicon of NHL fans.
Do you remember when they actually played hockey?
The Los Angeles Kings authored the franchise’s first Stanley Cup. The
Devils reached the finals despite not having home-ice advantage in any
of their three Eastern Conference playoff series. And the Rangers won
the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference regular-season championship
for the first time since 1993-94.
The lockout should officially be over within a day or two — the votes to
approve the collective bargaining agreements by both sides should take
place over the next two days — and training camps will likely open on
Saturday. The season will start as soon as Jan. 19, a week later.
Before training camps open, Metro breaks down the Eastern and Western
Conferences, starting with our picks for how the East will finish,
including Sidney Crosby at the top and the Rangers descending from 2012.
Predictions ...
1. Pittsburgh Penguins: Call it a painful lesson
learned. The Penguins entered last spring’s playoffs as the prohibitive
favorite to win the Cup, but exited after six-game first round series
loss to the in-state rival Flyers. That series was marked by
Pittsburgh’s inability to defend, allowing an almost unfathomable 30
goals (an average of five goals allowed per game). To strengthen the
Penguins’ overall defense, General Manager Ray Shero was able to pry
checking line center Brandon Sutter and reserve goaltender Tomas Vokoun
in trades with Carolina and Washington.
2. Boston Bruins: The biggest question about the Bruins
is goaltending. When Tim Thomas announced on his Facebook page in early
June that he was going to take the season off “to reconnect with the
three F’s: Friends, Family and Faith,” it forced the Bruins to name
Tuukka Rask the No. 1. While he has played well (11-8-3, .929 save
percentage, 2.05 goals against average last season) in the past, can he
be the goaltender for a Cup-winning team?
3. Carolina Hurricanes: Historically, a franchise that
viewed spending in the same prism as Paul Ryan and Eric Cantor, the
Hurricanes spent freely and intelligently in the off-season. General
Manager Jim Rutherford traded for Pittsburgh Penguins center Jordan
Staal at the draft, and subsequently agreed to terms to a 10-year, $60
million extension that kicks in beginning next year. Rutherford also
signed left wing Alex Semin (one year, $7 million) and defenseman Joe
Corvo (one year, $2 million) to bolster a core of Eric Staal (Jordan’s
older brother), Jeff Skinner and goaltender Cam Ward.
4. New York Rangers: On Memorial Day, John Tortorella
said the Rangers “have to continue to improve as an organization, not
just skill but all throughout.” Fifty-six days later, general manager
Glen Sather landed sniper Rick Nash from Columbus. The power wing is
expected to provide offensive potency to a team that reached the Eastern
Conference Finals.
5. Philadelphia Flyers: Among the NHL’s most explosive
teams, the Flyers have very real concerns with its defense corps and
goaltending. Philadelphia settled for Luke Schenn (acquired in a trade
with Toronto) after Nashville matched the 14-year, $110 million RFA
offer sheet to Shea Weber. Expect the Flyers to exercise their
compliance buyout on Ilya Bryzgalov if the goaltender struggles as he
did last season (33-16-7; 2.48 GAA; .909 save percentage).
6. Tampa Bay Lightning: Goaltending — or the lack
thereof — kept the Lightning out of the playoffs last spring. Rather
than relying on Steven Stamkos and Martin St-Louis to outscore
opponents, General Manager traded three picks to Nashville for
goaltender Anders Lindback. The reserve to Pekka Rinne in Nashville,
Lindback compiled a 5-8-0 record in 16 games with a 2.42 GAA and .912
save percentage.
7. Ottawa Senators: The Senators caught the NHL by
surprise in 2011-12. That won’t happen this year, not coming off a
playoff appearance and the reigning Norris Trophy winner in Erik
Karlsson.
8. Washington Capitals: The Capitals aren’t exactly
entering this truncated season as a model of organizational stability.
Adam Oates is the third head coach in 14 months and it will be
interesting to see the reaction of teammates to defenseman Roman Hamrlik
and goaltender Michal Neuvirth, after both garnered headlines for
criticizing the NHLPA during the lockout.
9. Florida Panthers: The Panthers qualified for the
playoffs for the first time since 2000 despite losing 44 games (26 in
regulation; 18 in overtime and/or the shootout). Much of the playoff
berth had to do with the Panthers winning the moribund Southeast
Division. Florida is well-positioned for the future but Carolina, Tampa
Bay and Washington look to be better this year.
10. New Jersey Devils: Following a charmed spring run
to the Stanley Cup Final, it was a painful summer on Mulberry Street.
The Devils lost Zach Parise (Minnesota), Alex Ponikarovsky (Winnipeg),
Eric Boulton (New York Islanders) and Matt Taormina (Tampa Bay), while
Jeff Vanderbeek had to restructure the team’s debt so he can retain
ownership.
11. Buffalo Sabres: The two moments crystallized the
Sabres’ 2011-12 season both involved Boston Bruins left wing Milan
Lucic. On Nov. 12, Lucic steamrolled Ryan Miller after the Sabres
goaltender played a free puck in the Buffalo zone. Eleven nights later,
at the First Niagara Center, Paul Gaustad challenged Lucic to a fight
and was summarily pummeled. In response, General Manager Darcy Regier
traded for agitator Steve Ott and John Scott. Will additional muscle
lead to wins?
12. Montreal Canadiens: The legendary bleu blanc et
rouge was tarnished in 2011-12, which led to the hirings of GM Marc
Bergevin, head coach Michel Therrien and a complete overhaul of the
Player Development Department. Their first order of business was to add
grit, which was accomplished by the free agent signings of right wing
Brandon Prust, left wing Colby Armstrong and defenseman Francis
Bouillon.
13. Toronto Maple Leafs: The Leafs are in the midst of
an organizational overhaul from the small, speedy team that ex-coach Ron
Wilson preferred to a physical outfit favored by Brian Burke and Randy
Carlyle. Did we mention the Leafs’ need for a legitimate No. 1
goaltender? Other than that, the Leafs are in prime position to win the
franchise’s first Cup since 1967.
14. Winnipeg Jets: The NHL’s return to Winnipeg was a
commercial success as every home game at the MTS Centre was sold out
despite missing the playoffs. They won’t make the playoff this year but
core of Mark Scheifele, Jacob Trouba, Patrice Cormier, Zach Bogosian and
Tobias Enstrom appear solid. The only questions are Dustin Byfuglien’s
weight and Evander Kane’s maturity.
15. New York Islanders: The good news is that the
Islanders will stay in New York after announcing in late October a
25-year agreement to play in the Barclays Center beginning in the
2015-16 season. With apologies to the Beastie Boys, the bad news is that
there probably won’t be too many wins to Brooklyn.
Follow NHL beat writer Denis Gorman on Twitter @DenisGorman.
Follow NHL beat writer Denis Gorman on Twitter @DenisGorman.
http://www.metro.us/newyork/sports/article/1159207--nhl-eastern-conference-preview
posted by Denis P. Gorman at 12:06 PM
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