Season Preview: Eastern Conference

15.Buffalo Sabres Last Year: 36-46-4, 76 points, 13^th in the East

The Good: The team has a solid group of bonifide top 6 wingers on the team. With Ray Whitney and Erik Cole the team has a strong veteran presence. The team also holds a few solid defensemen.

The Bad: The centre depth is atrocious, headed by Dave Scatchard. The team’s defense is weak after Johnsson and Grebeshkov. And overall the team’s forward depth is pretty poor. The goaltending is headed by Manny Legace, whose best days have past him.

And The Verdict: Going to be a really bad year in Buffalo. But holding three 1^st round picks should really push along the suffering. The team made great movement to improving the overall depth of the team by having 3 1^st rounder’s last year also, even taking future #1 netminder Jack Campbell.

14.Carolina Hurricanes Last Year: 40-42-4, 84 points, 11^th in the East

The Good: The team has a solid base of veteran defenders who play a solid game and should keep the team out of trouble. Dwayne Roloson is aging but still plays a solid game and can win games, so can Antero Niittymaki.

The Bad: There is a glaring weakness on this team, and that is their offense and that’s because they have none. It’s going to be a hard time finding goals on this team that it would even be shocking for them to have a 20 goal scorer, it’s that bad. If Pavol Demitra can even muster half of what he used to be then some nights might not be as dreadful.

And The Verdict: This team is going to be competing for a high pick, and they know it. They should keep the puck out of the net, but they sure as hell won’t score enough.

13.New Jersey Devils Last Year: 31-52-3, 65 points, 14^th in the East

The Good: Jason Spezza is one of the better centres in the game, and will have to be a big part of the offense if this team wants to compete. Adding Khabby should really add some stability to the net, and Brent Burns is one of the better young defenders in the game if he pulls himself together.

The Bad: After Spezza their offense is very weak, a lot of past their prime players or 3^rd liners will not cause any problems for any team. Their defense is intriguing but very weak. And the backup goaltending is abysmal, if Khabby gets injured or is given the night off, the Devils should either forfeit or try to score 8 goals.

And The Verdict: A very weak team, too many holes and not enough top players to slow the bleeding. And with their 1^st traded by the previous GM, it’s not going to be a good time. Unfortunately, Jersey Shore will be the best thing in the city this year.

12.Florida Panthers Last Year: 17-65-4, 38 points, 15^th in the East

The Good: Everything…….ok that’s a little biased. The offense is led by two very good young centres in Zajac and Duchene, along with young wingers such as Tyler Ennis and Luca Caputi. The team is also headed by some solid veterans up front in Smithson, Sullivan and Nolan. The team’s defense is the best it has ever been after signing Brian Campbell and rookies Del Zotto and Gunnarsson joining the ranks, and Steve Mason is a rising star in the league.

The Bad: Goaltending is a big question mark; you have a sporadic young goalie in Mason, an often injured Rick Dipietro and an aging Chris Osgood. The offense is pretty weak in depth, the wings could use help and the team is counting too much on its rookies to sustain success.

And The Verdict: After finishing near the bottom the past two years, things are looking up for the franchise. Though expect them to finish well below the playoff mark again this year.

11.Washington Capitals Last Year: 37-44-5, 79 points, 12^th in the East

The Good: A very strong top line, with one of the better passers in the league, Marc Savard, feeding one of the better wingers in the league, Ales Hemsky, has all the makings of something good. The defense is compact and solid, with a veteran in Jovanovski and a young star in Erik Johnson looks good. And JSG is not far removed from his great years and is still relatively young.

The Bad: No secondary scoring, and when I say that, I mean none! After the top 3, Canada would have a better chance scoring more goals than them………in a soccer game. Goaltending looks ok, but could falter and cause a lot of headaches for management and the fans.

And The Verdict: Probably the 4^th wheel in the fight for the final playoff spot. If they can get more offense, they should because they will definitely need it.

10.Toronto Maple Leafs Last Year: 45-34-7, 97 points, 6^th in the East

The Good: They still have a lot of good pieces. Turco is still a capable #1 goalie, the offense is weaker but still contains some good players and the D is weaker also but still remains strong.

The Bad: While a lot of the team remains strong, it’s not as good as most. Losing Niedermayer to retirement left a big blow to the defense in which it may not recover. The offense is strong, but aging and with little top young forwards waiting, it could be trouble.

And The Verdict: A weaker team than in past, they will compete to the last day for a playoff spot, but in the end will probably end up short.

9.Montreal Canadiens Last Year: 38-40-8, 84 points, 10^th in the East

The Good:  The Canadiens are led by 1^st line centre Ryan Getzlaf who should really put a stamp on this offense. They are also heading into the season with a strong veteran defense that will play a well rounded game. The team may not have a top tier goalie but they have two very good goalies in Price and Mason, and both are capable of carrying this team.

The Bad: Offense is weaker than it should be; the team has some solid players but no pure goal scorer. With Getzlaf at centre it should help create some more but secondary scoring isn’t as high as other teams.

And The Verdict: They have some very intriguing pieces in place but not enough to be a scary competitor. The Habs are definitely a bubble team and their playoff hopes could come down to the wire.

8.Tampa Bay Lightning Last Year: 39-39-8, 86 points, 9^th in the East

The Good: The Lightning hold a very strong top 4 defense, led by Dan Boyle. The team also has two top 2 goaltenders in Anderson and Rinne, which should make the competition very big between the two.

The Bad: The team holds some good offensive players but overall it’s pretty weak.  After their top line (excluding Stillman) finding goals will be hard to come by.

And The Verdict: If the goalies can’t stop the puck it could mean the difference between a playoff spot to the bottom of the standings. Though they have some guys who know how to win, which always can help.

7.Ottawa Senators Last Year: 48-36-2, 98 points, 5^th in the East

The Good: The Sens have two great cornerstones in their franchise with Backstrom and Doughty. The team has a lot of good scoring depth with the likes of Ponikarovsky and Weiss. Their D is just amazing and probably one of the best in the league, it has a lot of talent in both offense and some real good shutdown guys, so beware.

The Bad: Brian Elliot is not a clear cut #1, and he is known to let in a weak goal or two. The offense is solid but like others, the team holds no definitive scorer to go along with Backstrom.

And The Verdict: A team that has some great young pieces at D and Forward. The goalie is weaker than most but should keep them in games, along with their Defense.

6.Philadelphia Flyers Last Year: 49-29-8, 106 points, 4^th in the East

The Good: With recent signing, Vincent Lecavalier joining the team to along with Teemu Selanne, the offense looks that much better. The defense is all around solid with veterans Tomas Kaberle and Chris Phillips. And the goaltending is headed by aging but still able Tim Thomas along with injury riddled but promising netminder Kari Lehtonen.

The Bad: Nothing much wrong with the team, Selanne is aging but he can still score. The biggest weakness is that although they are solid and destined for a playoff spot, they are just not as good as most of the teams in their division.

And The Verdict: Playing in a strong division could hurt them. They really have a lot of great tools, and could easily burst the bubble on this prediction and finish much higher.

5.New York Islanders Last Year: 40-38-8, 88 points, 7^th in the East

The Good: The offense is well rounded and has a lot of scoring depth. The D is strong with some physical shut down D, and they have one, if not the best goalie in net with Ryan Miler should keep them in it every night.

The Bad: A top tier sniper is missing from this squad. While Afinagenov can score, he’s a little inconsistent, but with Paajarvi in the waiting, their hope is that this problem is gone next year. Other than that the team is solid, maybe a little help at D though.

And The Verdict: Very solid team that should be on everyone’s radar.  And if Miller is really on his game then watch out.

4.Pittsburgh Penguins Last Year: 40-40-6, 86 points, 8^th in the East

The Good: The Pens offense is scary; it is littered with defensive guys, two-way players, pure snipers and one of the best players in the game in Crosby, making all of this hard to contain for pretty much every team. The defense is pretty solid right now, but will be scary in a few years with Shea Weber and guys like Myers, Kulikov, Carson, Karlsson and Letang all starting to enter at the top of their play.

The Bad: Probably the most glaring weakness will be its best strength soon is their defense. While it holds a lot of promise, it’s still very raw and with so many rookies and no real veteran presence, could cause a lot of teams taking advantage of the many rookie mistakes we’ll see this year, and their hope is that Nabokov can keep as many of them out of the net.

And The Verdict: They have a good chance at taking the division just so long as the defense remains solid, and Nabokov plays well. Odd how Bennett’s two previous teams(Toronto and New Jersey) are predicted not to make the playoffs but his new one is. Let’s see how venture #3 will go, and if he lasts the entire year.

*3.Boston Bruins Last Year: 48-30-8, 104 points, 3^rd in the East

 The Good: The offense remains strong, after trading Backes they quickly went out and got Nathan Horton. The team also got a young #1 netminder in Jimmy Howard and will be a key to their success. The offense is solid, led by Jonathon Toews and Alex Semin. And the team sits with a great stable at D with many solid prospects behind them.

The Bad: Not too much wrong here, offense coming from their 2^nd line might be in question which might result in the team breaking up the big 3 to create more offense. Jimmy Howard should be solid, but it remains to be seen if he can carry a heavy workload and with McElihnney as the backup he might have to play more than he should.

And The Verdict: A very strong contender for the division title. Have a lot of good pieces on the team and with a stable of great young prospects and three 1^st rounder’s, it should be a good year in Beantown.

*2.Atlanta Thrashers Last Year: 61-20-5, 127 points, 1^st in the East (President Trophy Winner)

 The Good:  Top line is deadly with Eriksson, Briere and Antropov. The defense is very solid, along with the dynamic PP specialist Mike Green. Their bottom 6 is solid with the addition of rookie Ryan O’Reilly. Having the best in Brodeur in net really makes this team competitive.

The Bad: The 2^nd line is a bit weak and finding the secondary scoring on this team might hurt them. The D core is solid but not as deep as others which could bode trouble against higher powered offensive teams, though Brodeur can bail them out.

And The Verdict: Have been the tops in the East for two straight years. Always competitive but after losing in the finals two straight years, this team is out to set the record straight and finally win the whole thing.

*1.New York Rangers Last Year: 57-24-5, 119 points, 2^nd in the East

The Good: Their offense is the deepest in the East, basically 4 scoring lines. Kovalchuk and Kopitar could be deadly and having Vermette and Backes together just adds a lot of offense. Their D is made up of a lot of very good veteran D who can win. And the team finally has a #1 goalie by getting Jonathon Quick.

The Bad: Losing Weber hurt, the team lost a great D and that could be a huge loss to this team. The D is solid but aging and could get burned some nights.

And The Verdict: The best in the East if my word counts for anything. A lot of great pieces on this team and will be very hard to beat.