NHL 2009 Preview - Eastern Conference Breakdown

9. Ottawa Senators (+1600)

Trade one cancer, add a train wreck. That’s essentially what the Senators did when they got rid of 70-point getter Dany Heatley, and brought in Alex Kovalev to replace him. Kovalev is capable of scoring 70-points, but he’s a malcontent that takes off nights when he doesn’t feel like playing (it’s an old school, Russian thing). The Senators have lots of potential upfront with Fisher, Alfredsson, Spezza and Kovalev, but Pascal Leclaire is in net and he’s one of the biggest Band-Aids in the league.

8. New York Rangers (+1400)

Chris Drury can’t carry a team. Scott Gomez is gone, and nobody cares. Marion Gaborik will be lucky to last 40 games this year. Markus Naslund retired in a whisper. Nikolai Zherdev is alright, and the rest of this team is pretty thin down the middle, especially on the blue line.

Their saving grace is Henrik Lundqvist, who faced an average of 29.7 shots on net last year. The problem was that the Rangers couldn’t get goals in net, averaging just 2.44 goals per game and 2.59 against. Sure, Gaborik will show up to win some games, but he’ll just injure himself while he’s tying his skates and hit the shelves for three weeks anyways. Can someone tell this team how to build a team through a draft?

7. Toronto Maple Leafs (+1800)

The Brian Burke era in Toronto continues to make waves. Burke has brought in a slew of defenseman to serve behind top liners Tomas Kaberle and Luke Schenn, and shipped in Phil Kessel from Boston to add a scoring touch. The biggest acquisition, literally, might be the goalie known as “The Monster”. The 6-foot-3, 192 pound Jonas Gustavsson was one of the more sought after goalies not playing in the NHL, and he’s played pretty damn well in the preseason.

But at the end of the day, the Leafs are the biggest joke in the league. They have vowed to be tougher to beat at home, where they were 16-16-9 at home, and while we won’t expect magic on the road, the Leafs are going to be a steadier team with a tougher blue line and some help in net.

6. Buffalo Sabres (+1800)

Ryan Miller stands in net as one of the best goal tenders in the league, and yet nobody talks about him. In fact, nobody talks about anybody on the Sabres, and that’s just silly. This team had three 60+ point getters and have three solid blue lines, now that Mike Grier’s in time to anchor the top checking line. Depth and coaching go the distance in the NHL, and the Sabres are playoff bound.

5. New Jersey Devils (+1200)

The Devils will be lucky to achieve this standard, but if there’s any team that loves proving prognosticators wrong, it’s these guys. Zach Parise is becoming the back bone of this team, and his production last year bonifide him as one of the top-5 players in the league.

But Parise is one of the highlights on a team haunted by age. Martin Brodeur became the all-time leader in the wins column, passing Patrick Roy, but he also lasted just 31-games last year and the team took a swan dive without him playing at his best. This team has ridden Brodeur’s back for too long, and this is perhaps the final year they can do so. Expect Brodeur to push these boys past their potential, in what could very well be his final year as a standout goal tender.

5. Carolina Hurricanes (+1400)

The Canes have been all over the damn map since winning the Stanley Cup, but they have a solid, young core that is becoming more reliable as the seasons pass by. With Eric “The Big Bathroom” Staal, and Cam Ward in net, the Canes have a reliable set of leaders that can push this team in to the playoffs.

The Hurricanes are the most frustrating bet in hockey because its always easy to throw them under the bus. “Hockey in Carolina? Seriously?” But I’m not getting caught under the treads this year. Instead, I’m backing Carolina from the start and won’t be surprised when they’re spanking teams early on as they try to prove that they deserve some damn recognition. We’re talking about a team with a ton of scoring potential, and a defense that ranked seventh with just 2.7 goals against. Don’t sleep on this team.

4. Philadelphia Flyers (+800)

Ray Emery has apparently turned a new leaf, but if this team wants to win in the playoffs, they have to prove they can finish as well as they start. The Flyers were amongst the best in the NHL heading in to the All-Star break before Mike Richards and Jeff Carter decided to get cold hands.

This team is stacked down the middle and on the wings, and the arrival of Chris Pronger on the blue line makes this team a scary blue-line defender. Pronger in the East has completely changed the landscape in the Conference, and the Flyers could very well laugh all the way to the bank.

3. Boston Bruins (+450)

The top-seed from last year was sent packing by the Hurricanes, and with the loss of Phil Kessel it’s hard to imagine them recreating the offense that put teams on their heels last year. Still, its hard to go against a team with Zdeno Chara manning the blue line, and Tim Thomas riding the momentum train better than any goalie in the East. Still with the loss of Kessel as their only major loss this season, it’s hard not to imagine this team recreating their 100+ point season from last year.

2. Washington Capitals (+500)

Alexander Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Alexander Semin and Mike Green all breached the 70-point ceiling last year. Semyon Varlamov also emerged as their best goalie, averaging just 2.37 goals against with a .918 save percentage. The scary part? They all stand to get better this season.

1. Pittsburgh Penguins (+300)

They started their supposed dynasty by toppling one of the greatest in the NHL’s recent history. Virtually nothing has changed this year except that the target on their back has gotten bigger. Sidney Crosby will be out to prove that he is the MVP of the league, with Evgeni Malkin doing his usual spotlight stealing job. It’s not a question of a talent, because Pittsburgh has it in boat loads. It’s a question of whether a young squad can handle the pressure of being the defending Stanley Cup Champions.