EASTERN
CONFERENCE - Atlantic Division
1. Tampa
Bay Lightning
The
reigning Eastern Conference champions are built for another strong year and
even another run to the Stanley Cup Finals. Captain Steven Stamkos will remain
in hot content for the goal scoring title. However, Stamkos is entering
the last year of his contract. Until he signs a long-term deal, the Bolts will
have to wait to make any moves so they can have space to sign their All-Star
center. The Triplets line of Ondrej Palat, Tyler Johnson, and Nikita Kucherov
will continue to dominate and be one of the best new lines in hockey. The Bolts
are a young team with a ton of assets, and will sit atop the Eastern
Conference standings once again.
2.
Montreal Canadiens
You can't have the best goalie in hockey and not expect to
win. Carey Price did just that last season for the Habs and will do that yet
again while remaining the most dominant goalie in the game. PK Subban matures
more and more every year and will rise to the top as one of the dead-set
top 5 defensemen in the league. Forwards troops Max Pacioretty and Tomas
Plekanec will be relied on as the leaders of the Habs forefront, and will gain
a bit of a boost in their forward department with addition of winger
Alexander Semin. Semin has had a disappointing last couple seasons, but
the former 40 goal scorer should feel ignited again playing for a Cup
contender.
3.
Detroit Red Wings
24 consecutive playoff appearances. Absolutely unheard
of in sports. Red Wings fans can look to celebrate a 25th consecutive year of
playoff madness in 2016. They are always a threat. With veterans Pavel Datsyuk,
Henrik Zetterberg and Niklas Kronwall leading the way, Detroit will grind
its way into the postseason yet again. With the emergence of Gustav
Nyquist and Tomas Tatar as some of the better young forwards in the game, Detroit
is set on forward depth for the future. The blueline is where
Detroit should be concerned. Past Niklas Kronwall and newly-added
Mike Green, they are below average. Jakub Kindl and Kyle Quincey are
underwhelming, and Jonathan Ericsson is about as average a hockey player as
they come. Look for the Wings to snag a low-seed playoff spot.
4. Ottawa
Senators
The Pesky Sens are still quite pesky. The Senators will be a playoff
team again this season, but look for them to get one of the two wild
card spots. Erik Karlsson will enter his second season as captain of the
Senators, while many question his leadership ability, I believe that EK
has what it takes to lead an NHL squad. Bobby Ryan will have a bounce back
year after a fairly disappointing 14-15 campaign. Ottawa has a lot to
be excited about with their future. Winger Mike Hoffman and Calder Trophy
finalist Mark Stone will enter their sophomore seasons looking to pick up right
where they left off. Backstopped by goalies Craig Anderson and breakout-sensation
Andrew Hammond, Ottawa can look for another push into the playoffs this
season.
5.
Florida Panthers
Florida was a team that last season found themselves in and
out of a wild card spot at the butt end of the year. The veteran goalie
presents of all-star Roberto Luongo helps bolster the net for the Cats. 2015
Calder Trophy winner Aaron Ekblad enters his sophomore season and will continue
his pace from last season. Young forwards Jonathan Huberdeau and Alexander
Barkov will remain the core of the Florida forwards. This team got more
leadership last year from the ageless Jaromir Jagr. At the ripe, young age of
43, Jagr will lead the otherwise young Panthers team to a higher finish in the
upcoming season. A possible stab at the final wild card spot? It's a
possibility in Miami.
6.
Buffalo Sabres
While they will probably will not make the playoffs this season,
the Sabres are sure enough building to become one of the better teams in the
next few years. 2015 2nd overall pick Jack Eichel will make his NHL debut this
season and will look to make an immediate impact centering Buffalo's top
line. New additions include winger Evander Kane, Ryan O'Reilly and Robin Lehner
in goal, the Sabres pose a promising future. Tyler Ennis continues to get
a little better each year and has the looks of making a fine 2C behind Eichel.
After suffering many less-than-mediocre seasons, Sabres fans will finally have
something to cheer about yet again as their team continues to get better and
better.
7. Boston
Bruins
Regression at it's finest. The Bruins are not what they used to be
just two years ago. After failing to make the playoffs in 2015, Boston has not
gotten any better. Veteran defenseman and captain Zdeno Chara is getting very
old and is almost a shell of his former self. After trading away winger Milan
Lucic and promising young defenseman Dougie Hamilton and getting virtually
nothing in return, the Bruins have taken one giant leap back. The edition of LW Matt Beleskey will help ever so slightly, but nothing to bat an eye at. Goaltender
Tuukka Rask hasn't had a stellar season for a couple years and will be tasked
with more work now that the Bruins have a weaker defense. The Bruins cup window
is officially closed.
New head coach Mike Babcock will only be able to do so much. The Leafs will sit at the very bottom of the Eastern Conference in the upcoming season. What has been a bit of circus in Toronto cooled down a tad after the long-awaited trade of star winger Phil Kessel finally happened in the offseason. While that might make the Leafs locker room a bit more subdued, it will up to captain Dion Phaneuf to lead the Leafs in the right direction. They are a very inexperienced team and don't have much to show on paper. Toronto may want to get used to the bottom of the standings for a couple seasons.
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