Northeast Division Preview

The Northeast division is going through a changing of the guard. No longer are the Senators, Leafs, and Sabres the only teams battling for the division title while the Habs and Bruins watch from the sideline. The Canadiens surprised everyone in 2008 by finishing first in the conference while the Bruins made the next step by making the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Senators are coming off a season where they proved critics wrong (and not in a good way) by performing below expectations. After losing both Chris Drury and Daniel Briere, the Sabres were not the same team as in seasons past. And the Toronto Maple Leafs had possibly their worst season (both on the ice and off the ice) in over a decade. In what will be the Canadiens centennial year, Montreal hopes to make the next step and battle for the Stanley Cup. With the additions of Alex Tanguay and Georges Laraque, it doesn't seem that far- fetched.

Montreal Canadiens: 2nd

Timing is everything. And when Bob Gainey promised in 2003 that he would build the Montreal Canadiens into a Stanley Cup contender by 2009, he certainly made good on his word. The Canadiens now find themselves in a position where they can win their 25th Stanley Cup in their 100 year anniversary, giving them a Stanley Cup in every decade of their existence.

With the addition of Alex Tanguay, Montreal gets a winger who can 'thread the needle' to streaking wingers and possesses a quick snap shot from the slot. Tanguay should give Saku Koivu a premier winger to play with, and give Alex Kovalev more space on the powerplay. The Canadiens already have an abundance of highly skilled forwards, so adding Tanguay should make the Habs attack even more potent than last season.

Bob Gainey deciding not to wait around for Mats Sundin could prove to be an excellent move if Robert Lang produces in Montreal alongside his former linemate Alex Kovalev. Lang, a solid faceoff winner, comes over from Chicago as a consistent 20 goal, 50 point producer who provides Montreal with a much needed right handed shot and depth down the middle. At 37, he will provide leadership to a young team that is expected to make a deep playoff run.

Gainey also made sure that the Habs young forwards won't be pushed around this season. Georges Laraque will give the Canadiens a high profile fighter up front to protect their developing young guns, and bring character to the locker room. And with Tom Kostopoulos, Steve Begin, Ryan O'Byrne and Francis Boullion all willing to drop the gloves, the Habs have officially dropped their tag line of not being tough enough.

The only question mark for the Habs is if they can replace the offensive production of Mark Striet on the power play, who signed with the Islanders in the off-season. That being said, everyone questioned how the Habs power play would recover after losing Sheldon Souray in 2006, and we all know how the Habs power play responded last season ...(just in case you didn't know, they finished first in the league for the second consecutive season).

This is the year for the Canadiens. With Koivu, Komisarek, Lang and Kovalev all eligible for UFA status at the end of the season, the Canadiens need to capitalize on what seems like perfect timing.

Bob Gainey set it up; the Habs just need to knock em' down.

Ottawa Senators: 5th










The Ottawa Senators made bold changes this off-season. The most notable absence that the Senators (and their fans) will notice is the departure of Ray Emery. After taking the Senators to the Stanley Cup finals in 2007, Emery did a complete 180 and proved to cause more problems for the Senators than solve. Despite acquiring goaltender Alex Auld, Ottawa's new backup does not address the inconsistent play of Ottawa's net minders.

Last season was also a forgettable one for Ottawa's offesnive trio. Although the Senators top snipers (Jason Spezza, Dany Heatley and Daniel Alfreddson) should regain their status as one of the best offensive trios in the league, Ottawa's defence will take a huge hit this year with the subtractions of Wade Redden and Andrej Meszároš. The Senators should have a difficult time in transition as both those defenders were excellent first passers who were more than capable of jump starting their attack. New coach Craig Hartsburg will be hoping he finds a young defenceman during training camp who is capable of leading the rush and making the jump to the NHL level.

Despite some question marks surrounding the team, the Senators should rebound from last season and compete with Montreal for the Northeast title. But with a glaring hole between the pipes and the loss of two key defenceman, the Sens will not be nearly as good as when they made it to the cup finals in 2007. Expect the Senators to battle with the Rangers and Flyers for home-ice advantage come playoff time.

Boston Bruins: 10th

The Boston Bruins turned heads last season after scrambling into the playoffs and forcing the Canadiens to seven game series in the opening round of the playoffs. Now the Bruins will look to turn the stiff necks of others who refuse to accept that they should be taken seriously.

Acquiring a winger who struggled last season certainly won't make the critics believers, but if Michael Ryder can regain his 30 goal potential, then look out. Boston will look for Ryder to replace the aging winger Glen Murray, who was put on waivers earlier this summer. Back into the mix should be center Patrice Bergeron, who will give the Boston's offense a much needed jolt after his absence for most of the 2007-08 campaign.

The Bruins are still rebuilding, but they have put the right pieces in place for a playoff contending team in 2008-09. That being said, the Bruins will be in tough in a tight eastern conference that should see teams from the Southeast division challenging them for the final playoff spot in the east.


Buffalo Sabres: 11th

The Buffalo Sabres made little noise last season finishing out of the playoffs. They have lost a lot of talent in the last couple of years, and it shows on the ice. Their offensive production was not nearly as strong last season without Drury and Briere, and their power play and transition game should take a huge hit this season with the loss of defenseman Brian Campbell. Craig Rivet will make the Sabres rough around the edges, but beyond that, there is not much substance to a team that will once again finish in the 10-13 range of the Eastern conference.

Toronto Maple Leafs: 12th

Now that Leafs fans know what to expect this year, the reality of the Leafs not making the playoffs this season will be handled much less dramatically than last season. The Leafs dumped injury riddled Kyle Wellwood, the aging Darcy Tucker, and scapegoat Bryan McCabe and went with youth for what seems like the first time in years. Added to the lineup was defenceman Jeff Finger who should give the Leafs blueline some stability; something that they seriously lacked last season. The Leafs also nabbed Habs prospect Mikhail Grabovski who had a tough time cracking Montreal's top 12 up front. Look for 'Grabs' to inject some speed in the Leafs attack, and don't be surprised to see the young German rack up 40-50 points playing on the Leafs' top line. Grabovski has the skill to play at the NHL level, but just wasn't given many chances to show it off in 'La Belle Province'.

If top prospect Luke Schenn can crack the lineup (which is a very real possibility), the Leafs' defensive game shouldn't be much different (if not better) than last season. That being said, Fletcher has made it clear that he won't rush the young prospect, who is being compared to a young Adam Foote.

Up front the Leafs lineup is plagued with open roster spots for taking. Without Mats Sundin (almost certain he will not return to the Leafs), Darcy Tucker, and Kyle Wellwood, Toronto will need many of their young prospects and developing forwards to actually make the next step; not hide in the shadows and be taken under the wing of Sundin. After taking away the goal production of Sundin, Tucker and Wellwood, the Leafs need to make up 60 goals this season. For this to happen, Mat Stajan, Alex Steen, Nik Antropov and the newly acquired Nicolas Hagman will all need 20+ goal seasons to keep the Leafs' offense respectable. Not helping the case of the young forwards is Fletcher stating that the Leafs only have one top-6 forward in Nik Antropov. If their young players don't score, the Leafs will once again need to rely on winning gritty, one-goal games.. something that the team has had a problem with in recent years.

This season will be a year in transition for the Leafs. Gone are the faces of the franchise, and in place comes a new era of young talent. Expecting the Leafs to challenge for the playoffs this season is probably not realistic...but maybe next year.

To reach Christos, send an email to christos10@gmail.com