Atlantic Division Preview

Pittsburgh Penguins: 1st

To put it boldly, the Pittsburgh Penguins ran into a brick wall last June: the Detroit Red Wings. What was easily their best season in over a decade, the Penguins were ever so close to winning it all...only to see their championship hopes and dreams fall at the hands of Nicklas Lidstrom and the Wings. Skip ahead only four months and some key pieces of the Pittsburgh puzzle have moved on; Ryan Malone, Marian Hossa, Gary Roberts, Jarkko Ruutu and Georges Laraque have all found other teams. The biggest name to leave was undoubtedly Marian Hossa, who moved on to "Hockey town, USA" in an ironic twist that bellows "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em".

That being said, the core of the Penguins is still intact. Marc-Andre Fleury, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Sergei Gonchar are all back seeking redemption. And it was this same group of players that lead the 'Steel City' to the finals. Despite losing high-end players on the wing, Pittsburgh did make some decent moves to recover, acquiring Miroslav Satan (41 points in 07-08), Ruslan Fedotenko (33 points in 07-08) and Matt Cooke (capable of 200+ hits in a season). Although these are probably not the marquee wingers Ray Shero was hoping for, Crosby and company should bring out the best in each one of them.

The bottom line is that with Crosby, Malkin, and Jordan Stall down the middle, these Penguins are still capable of winning the Eastern Conference despite losing key wingers. This year they'll do so while turning some heads. Look for Jordan Stall to have a breakout year with 60+ points.

New York Rangers: 4th

The New York Rangers grabbed headlines this off-season when star forward Jaromir Jagr packed his bags and left for Europe followed by Martin Straka. After losing super-pest Sean Avery to the Stars, it was obvious the Rangers needed to fill the voids left by three important players.

But have no fear Rangers fans... Glen Sather is here.

Sather redeemed himself by signing big-name guys, including trading for winger Nikolai Zherdev of the Columbus Blue Jackets. However, the biggest reshuffling for Sather came on the blue-line, where he simply overhauled his defensive unit dramatically. After letting go of promising rearguard Fedor Tyutin, the steady Christian Backman and top AHL prospect Andrew Hutchinson, Sather needed to make a bold move and sign an elite defenseman to take over the reigns. In Wade Redden, the Rangers get an experienced defenseman who is capable of leading their attack. With the solid Michal Rozsival, the physical Paul Mara, and the well-rounded Dimitri Kalinin, the Rangers have a reliable top four. Not forgetting about young studs Daniel Girardi and Marc Staal, and it's easy to see that the Rangers now have an above-average defensive corps. In goal the Rangers are lead by Henrik Lundqvist, who was the Rangers' best player last season. The acrobatic goaltender thrives under a heavy workload, but should see less rubber this season following the shakeup on the back-end.

Up front, New York's two notable acquisitions are the fading (but talented) Markus Naslund and Nikolai Zherdev who is primed for a breakout year. If paired with either Scott Gomez or Chris Drury, Naslund and Zherdev should both have strong 2008-09 seasons.

It is evident that on paper the Rangers have an excellent team with potential to win the East. However, the daunting question surrounding this Rangers team (and Rangers teams in the past) is if this team will 'click'. Sather has had this problem in the past when his continuous re-shuffling, year after year, does not lead to any long-term success or stability, with the byproduct being a lack of team identity.

This team has more balance than last season, but with the core of the Penguins still intact, an Atlantic division title is a bit optimistic. Instead, look for the Rangers to battle with Philadelphia and Ottawa for home ice advantage heading into the playoffs.

Philadelphia Flyers: 6th

Heading into the 2007-08 season, the Flyers were looking to improve on what was a disastrous 2006-07 campaign. Making the playoffs was still considered an unlikely goal, but making the Eastern Conference finals? That was dreaming.

But following some major re-tooling, the Philadelphia Flyers exploded last season and found themselves in that very dream as they faced the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Stanley Cup semifinals. Unfortunately for the Flyers, they didn't seem to wake up from the dream and were disposed of rather easily by Pittsburgh.

Looking ahead to 2008-09, the Flyers look to make the next step. They are a young, tough, talented team whose strength lies down the middle. Lead by Daniel Briere, Mike Richards, and Jeff Carter, the Flyers' centers are getting better every year. Despite losing R.J. Umberger to Columbus, the Flyers have a great package of speed and power on the wing. Simon Gagne, Scott Hartnell, Joffrey Lupul, Mike Knuble, etc... It's evident that this is a group of forwards that can not only score, but take care of themselves during battle. Look for Jeff Carter to have a breakthrough year while Flyers' rising star Mike Richards takes big leaps in 2008-09.

On the blue line, Philadelphia has a top six that is battle-tested and primed for an in-your-face style. Although the loss of Jason Smith does take a hit on the Flyers' leadership, their gritty identity remains as a reckless blue line that takes no prisoners. To sum it up, they're tough-as-nails. In an Atlantic division where we also see Pittsburgh, New Jersey and the Rangers boast a strong defensive corps, the Flyers are the most prepared to endure the physical divisional games that lie ahead.

It's hard to say where exactly the Flyers will finish in the standings. With an Atlantic division that contains so much parity, picking a clear cut winner is impossible. Look for them to battle with New York and Ottawa for 4th place in the Eastern Conference. However, being in a division where they will play New York, Pittsburgh and New Jersey 24 times, look for Ottawa (whose only real divisional competition is Montreal) to leapfrog the Flyers towards the end of the season when the majority of divisional games are played.


New Jersey Devils: 7th

It's almost as if no one notices how consistent and solid the Devils have been over the past decade. Missing the playoffs only twice in the last twenty years says a lot about management's commitment to building a winner, especially since the Devils have walked the talk winning Stanley Cups in 1995, 2000, and 2003. However, there have been major changes to the Devils over the past couple seasons... they are not the Devils of yesteryear's.

Entering the 2008-09 season, the Devils have made a couple changes up front adding ex-Devil Bobby Holik and the much-coveted Brain Rolston. Overall, New Jersey has improved from last season, but have they improved enough to challenge for a Stanley Cup?

With Martin Brodeur between the pipes, the answer to this question has always been 'yes'. But with a blue line that has been in steady decline in recent years, the 'Martin Brodeur factor' no longer exists. With no disrespect meant towards the future Hall of Famer, other teams are developing exceptional netminders, who although may not be as strong as Brodeur, still give their team a chance to be just as good as the Devils themselves. In a division that includes the likes of Marc-Andre Fleury, Henrik Lundqvist, Martin Biron, and even Rick DiPietro, the Devils cannot simply rely on reminding themselves that 'Martin Brodeur will save the day'. Brodeur is still an exceptional goalie and one of the best in the league, but unless the Devils sure up their blue-line and start developing some young prospects (besides rising star Zach Parise), the Devils may soon find themselves out of the playoff picture in a few years.

But for now, they'll find themselves yet again in the playoffs competing for the Stanley Cup.

New York Islanders: 15th

The Islanders are clearly moving in a new direction. Despite boasting some older veterans that include Bill Guerin, Mike Sillinger, and Doug Weight, Islanders management has made it clear ( after years of losing), that it will welcome the youth movement. It will take at least a good five years before the Islanders start competing regularly for a playoff spot, but until then, the Islanders will continue to be a lottery team once more. They are on course, but Isles fans will have to be patient.