IC Radio: Eastern Conference Preview

The following team previews have been paraphrased from Saturday’s Illegal Curve Hockey Show Season Preview. Download the podcast from IllegalCurve.com or subscribe to the Illegal Curve Hockey Show on iTunes.

Atlantic Division

New York Rangers

Last season: Place in NHL 2^nd, Goals for Rank: 11^th, Goals against Rank: 3^rd, Power Play 23^rd, Penalty Kill 5^th, Face offs 18^th.

Off-season acquisitions: Rick Nash, Taylor Pyatt, Arron Asham

Subtractions: Artem Anisimov, Brandon Dubinsky, Tim Erixon, Ruslan Fedotenko, Brandon Prust

Richard: I personally think the Rangers are the best team in the Eastern Conference this year. Credit to Glen Sather because Staal, Girardi, McDonagh and Del Zotto are the top four defensemen, and only one of them is making over $3 million. Each of them is under $4 million.

Ezzy: You’ve got a great team, the best team. They have the same goalie, same defense, as a group they are amazing defensively. Adding Rick Nash should improve the power play, while still playing the same defensive, shot blocking, “controversial” style.

Bold prediction: Rick Nash may be able to exceed the goals of all of the subtractions combined

Pittsburgh Penguins

Place in NHL: 2^nd, Goals for rank: 11^th, Goals against rank 3^rd, Power play 23^rd, Penalty Killing 5^th, Face offs 13^th.

Additions: Brandon Sutter, Tanner Glass, Thomas Vokoun

Subtractions: Jordan Staal, Steve Sullivan, Zybanek Michalek

Ezzy: I see them picking up a depth defenseman at the deadline. Their defense isn’t as good as it was, three or four years ago, but good enough to get them into the playoffs as the 4^th or 5^th seed.

Richard: Niskanen and Engelland can’t compete with the opposition that they will be matched up against. The young players need to take a step forward because the veterans they had last season didn’t provide much value.

Philadelphia Flyers

Last season: Place in NHL 6^th, Goals for rank 2^nd, Goals against rank 20^th, Power play 6^th, Penalty Kill 17^th, Face offs 24^th.

Additions: Luke Schenn

Subtractions: Sergei Bobrovsky, Matt Carle, Jaromir Jagr, Pavel Kubina, James Van Riemsdyk

Ezzy: The defense is weaker than it was a year or two ago, but they will still be a top team.

Richard: The loss of Pronger will hurt, but Philadelphia played the majority of last season without him. The top nine forwards are great, the question is, will Bryzgalov be able to make up for the defensive deficiencies. They aren’t in the same class as Boston, New York Rangers, and Pittsburgh.

New Jersey Devils

Last season: Place in NHL 8^th, Goals for rank 8^th, Goals against rank 8^th, Power play 14^th, Penalty Kill 1^st, Face offs 29^th.

Additions: Krys Barch

Subtractions: Zach Parise, Alexei Ponikarovsky, Petr Sykora, Matt Taromina, Eric Boulton

Ezzy: The Devils have taken a step back from last season. Zach Parise will be too big of a loss for them. They won’t make the playoffs this year because of the lack of offense and they will run into an injury or two.

Richard: You can’t lose the skill of a Zach Parise, not replace it, and think that it won’t become a problem. Brodeur won’t be able to play as well as he did last year. The Henrique injury is debilitating in a shortened season.

New York Islanders

Last season: Place in NHL 27th, Goals for rank 28th, Goals against 27th, Power play 8th, Penalty kill 22nd, Face-offs 26th.

Additions: Brad Boyes, Eric Boulton, Lubomir Visnovsky?, Matt Carkner

Subtractions: Mark Eaton, Milan Jurcina, Al Montoya, Jay Pandalfo, PA Parenteau, Steve Staios

Drew: I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Islanders finish ahead of the Devils.

Richard: They have a nice base, but this is not the year. Hopefully they trade Nabakov for some type of an asset. Last year they were bottom third in every significant category we’ve discussed except for power play.

Ezzy: I’m not confident in Nabakov or Dipietro, and have them finishing in the bottom of the division.

Northeast Division

Boston Bruins

Last season: Place in NHL 7^th, Goals for rank 3^rd, Goals against 6^th Power play 15^th, Penalty Kill 11^th, Faceoffs 1^st.

Additions: Garnet Exelby

Subtractions: Joe Corvo, Benoit Pouliot, Greg Zanon

Drew: Was last year’s defeat in the playoffs an aberration, or are they poised to make a run in the playoffs?

Richard: It was an aberration, looking at their lineup 1 through 12, I don’t know if you have a better 1 through 12 in the East. The teams that win have strength up the middle, Krejci, Bergeron, Seguin, Greg Campbell, Chris Kelly, they are strong up the middle. They are solid defensively, with great goaltending and a good coach.

Ezzy: Tukka Rask is an excellent goaltender and has a lot to prove in the last year of his contract. They didn’t make any offseason moves, but they re-signed key pieces in Marchand, Lucic, Kelly. Five on five, they may be the best team in the NHL.

Ottawa Senators

Last season: Place in NHL 16^th, Goals for 4^th, Goals against 24^th, Power play 11^th, Penalty Kill 20^th, Face-offs 16^th.

Additions: Guillaume Latandresse, Mike Lundin, Mark Methot

Subtractions: Nick Foligno, Bobby Butler, Nikita Filatov, Filip Kuba, Zenon Konopka

Drew: Is the arrow still pointing up for the Senators, how high can they go after last year?

Ezzy: They overachieved last year, and many teams in the East have gotten better. The future looks bright in Ottawa, but I don’t have them as a playoff team.

Richard: They’re interesting and hard to predict because they surprised everyone last year. If you are able to play two netminders in a shortened season, that may be a benefit. I do worry about their back end, the Jared Cowen injury is massive, how do they replace him? Gonchar and Phillips are getting older. Their defense costs them in sustaining what they did last year.

Buffalo Sabres

Last season: Place in NHL 19^th, Goals for 17^th, Goals against 18^th, Power play 16^th, Penalty Kill 19^th, Face-offs 19^th.

Additions: Steve Ott, Adam Pardy, John Scott

Subtractions: Brad Boyes, Derek Roy

Richard: Why would they sign Adam Pardy who is now buried in the minors, and John Scott, who is slower than Adam Pardy?!?!  Cody Hodgson is the key, I love Tyler Ennis, he is my breakout pick of the year. This is a skilled roster, with Ryan Miller in goal, you can’t help but think they will be better. How is this not a playoff team, top to bottom?

Ezzy: I have the Sabres making the playoffs, they finished 9^th last season, and underachieved big time. Ryan Miller went in a 19-3-2 run last season, he is one of the top 3 goaltenders in the NHL. Grigorenko will be a top rookie, the Sabres will have a bounce back year, they underachieved way too much (last season).

Toronto Maple Leafs

Last season: Place in NHL 25^th, Goals for 10^th, Goals against 29^th, Power play 10^th, Penalty Kill 28^th, Face-offs 4^th

Additions: James Van Riemsdyk, Jay McClement, Keith Aucoin (who has been since claimed on waivers)

Subtractions: Colby Armstrong, Jonas Gustavsson, Luke Schenn

Richard: You look at the Leafs, and there is nothing there to inspire confidence. You’d like to see improvement from Kadri, and maybe they’ll be able to get some assets for their veterans. Randy Carlyle should improve the team defensively. Their goaltending will be better because Carlyle is putting in a defensive system. Top to bottom, this roster is awful!

Ezzy: I like the decision of returning first round draft pick Morgan Reilly to the OHL. They’re not going to score enough goals, James Reimer and Ben Scrievens will struggle with the defense group that they have. The Leafs will be better than last year, but I still have them at 12^th or 13^th in the Eastern Conference.

Montreal Canadiens

Last season: Place in NHL 29^th, Goals for rank 19^th, Goals against 11^th, Power play 28^th, Penalty Kill 2^nd, Face offs 25^th.

Additions: Colby Armstrong, Francois Boullion, Brandon Prust, Cedrick Desjardins

Subtractions: Matthieu Darche, Brad Staubitz, Andreas Engqvist, PK Subban?

Drew: Without PK Subban, they have no chance.

Richard: They could be a pleasant surprise if everything falls into place.

Ezzy: I think the Montreal Canadiens will be better than last year. PK Subban concerns me because he wanted the same amount of years as Drew Doughty (seven). We don’t know when he will sign, but the Habs are going to improve (over last season), but I don’t think they’ll make the playoffs. Alex Galchenyuk will be a top rookie in the NHL this year.

Southeast Division (less the Jets)

Florida Panthers

Last season: Place in NHL 14^th, Goals for rank 27^th, Goals against 12^th, Power play 7^th, Penalty kill 25^th, Face offs 11^th.

Additions: Filip Kuba, Peter Mueller, George Parros, Casey Wellman, Alex Kovalev

Subtractions: Jason Garrison, Mikael Samuelsson, Wojtek Wolski

Ezzy: I look at the team, and it doesn’t slap me in the face and say, “this is a really good team like the Bruins or Flyers.” It’s a good team, they’ll be competitive, but they overachieved last year, and I don’t think they can replicate it. I don’t think they make the playoffs.

Richard: I think a lot of their season is dependent on the second line. It has Peter Mueller, who has a concussion history, but there is no question about his skill level, Jonathan Huberdeau and Alexei Kovalev. Their season is very much dependent on their second line, if they can provide enough offense. Second line and goaltending is the key to me. I don’t think they make the playoffs either, but this division is a total crapshoot.

Washington Capitals

Last season: Place in NHL 15^th, Goals for rank 14^th, Goals against 21^st, Power play 18^th, Penalty kill 21^st, Face offs 17^th.

Additions: Mike Ribeiro, Wojtek Wolski

Subtractions: Alex Semin, Jeff Halpern, Dennis Wideman, Tomas Vokoun, Cody Eakin

Drew: Do the Capitals regain the Southeast division title?

Richard: I think they do. New Head Coach Adam Oates is the key here. I think this division is up for grabs. Is Backstrom healthy? Does Ovechkin regain his old form? Because then, Ribeiro can anchor the second line and create offense for Wolski and Brouwer. If Oates can get Backstrom and Ovechkin back to their old form, while keeping them healthy, they can take the division. But they could also end up missing the playoffs, this is no shoo-in.

Ezzy: Adam Oates is going to make the Capitals’ special teams better, and open the game up. Alex Ovechkin will get back to the top ten in league scoring. Dale Hunter did good things with the Capitals last season, but Oates will change some things. The penalty kill and power play will get better; I think they will make the playoffs.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Last season: Place in NHL 21^st, Goals for rank 8^th, Goals against 30^th, Power play 25^th, Penalty kill 26^th, Face offs 11^th.

Additions: Matt Carle, Anders Lindback, Sami Salo, Benoit Pouliot

Subtractions: Bruno Gervais

Drew: Can they keep the puck out of their own net? They were dead last in goals against last year.

Richard: I like the moves they have made; they haven’t lost any significant pieces. Lindback is the key, but the defense looks a lot deeper. This is a tough division; it’s not the SouthLeast anymore. I think Guy Boucher is the best coach in the division.

Ezzy: The Lightning will be back in the playoffs. I think Sami Salo is a bigger addition than Matt Carle. The forward group is exactly the same (aside from Pouliot), the defense is improved.

Carolina Hurricanes

Last Season: Place in NHL 23^rd, Goals for rank 16^th, Goals against 25^th, Power play 20^th, Penalty kill 23^rd, Face offs 10^th.

Additions: Alex Semin, Jordan Staal, Joe Corvo, Marc-Andre Gragnani

Subtractions: Bryan Allen, Brandon Sutter

Drew: They are a sexy pick to make a big leap, do they have it in them?

Richard: I don’t think so, I think they are weak on the wings, and I think their defense is overrated. Joe Corvo is not a top four defenseman. They are great up the middle, but weak on the wings. I don’t think they will be an easy team to play against, but this is not a playoff team.

Ezzy: This is one area where we disagree most, I have them winning the Division (as does Drew). Cam Ward is a top five goaltender in the NHL, they are excellent up the middle. The reason I differ with Richy is I think that certain forwards will be adequate on the wings playing with the Staal brothers. They are a team on the up for sure.