In the past few weeks, various media outlets have begun the annual ritual of ranking NHL teams as we inch closer and closer to the beginning of training camps across the country. I wanted to hold off to see how the Kovalchuk and Kaberle rumors pan out as they could potentially alter the landscape of the Eastern Conference. But since others have begun their preseaon rankings, here is a look at how I see the Eastern Conference playing out next year. I will start with my top 5 teams, and the update the rest throughout the weekend. As always, thanks for reading.
1) Washington Capitals
Last year's runaway for the President's trophy has had a quiet offseason choosing only to make small moves here and there. Besides for the 2nd straight early exit from the playoffs, the Caps have been the team to beat, but cleary have struggled in the "Second Season." They are interested in beefing up the blue line and have been rumored to be in on both Kevin Bieska (VAN) and Thomas Kaberle trade rumors. Until they prove me wrong in the regular season, they are again the favorite to grab the #1 seed come late spring.
2)Boston Bruins
Call me a homer, but it really came down to who has the more complete team here between Pittsburg and Boston. With Pitt's questionable wing presence and the Bruin's aquisitions of both Horton and Seguin, I had to give them the slight edge. Boston should be a motivated team come this fall as they need to get off to a solid start early. The "Meltdown in Beantown" is certainly still with the players, and they will still be looking to respond to that. Last year, the B's could not find a rhythm early and that continued throughout the 09-10 campaign. Look for them to get hot early and not look back as both Krejci and Horton have breakout seasons.
3) Pittsburgh Penguins
See above. Is Bill Guerin coming back? That should be the big question in Pittsburgh these days, and any Penguins fan should be praying for yes. To say this team lacks depth and skill on the wing would be an understatement. I guess that is the price to pay when you are paying for three #1 centers, who will undoubtly carry the team again. There has been some rumblings that Malkin could move to wing, which would give opposing defenders nightmares with Crosby and Malkin both roaming the ice. Sergei Gonchar left but was replaced with Paul Martin and Michalek Zbynek, so the defense looks just as good if not better. It will be important to see if Fleury can recover from last year's sub par perfomance between the pipes.
4)Philadelphia Flyers
Sure, Simon Gange is gone. Sure, they don't have a stellar goaltender. And yeah, Pronger's health is questionable at the start of the season. But the Flyers we saw in the playoffs last year was the team everyone expected to see throughout the year last season. The young players on their roster (Giroux, Van Riemsdyk, and Coburn) will continue to get better next year. They took a chance on Nikolai Zhedev and if it works out, may be one of the best free agent signings of the offseason. Brad Richards really came alive last year and if his play continues at that level, this team can be scary good, and will challenge Pitt all season long for the top spot in the division.
5) New Jersey Devils
I don't want to say the fate of this team lies with the fate of Kovalchuk, but it would be a crushing blow to have him signed, then have it reversed for him to only sign elsewhere. I do think he will remain in NJ. The Devils, with or without Ilya have a solid roster from top to bottom as has become the norm for any Lou Lamoriello team. Brodeur continues to be strong in net, and the addition of Anton Volchenkov will only help.
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