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An Early Look At The East
by Paul on 07/13/09 at 12:17 PM ET
Comments (6)
from Terry Frei at ESPN,
As with the West last week, this look at the events in the East is listed in a highly conditional predicted finish in the conference next season, albeit with the slotting of the defending division champions in the top three spots.
1. Pittsburgh Penguins
The only significant loss was Rob Scuderi, who signed with the Kings. Otherwise, with the young core (Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal and Marc-Andre Fleury) locked up for years to come, the only way they can slide is if it becomes clear that the Penguins are just too top-heavy in the cap age….
2. Washington Capitals
The somewhat under-the-radar and late signing of Brendan Morrison adds a steady and calming veteran voice up front, not to mention a reliable two-way center. The league would greatly benefit if it gets another Alex Ovechkin versus Malkin/Crosby matchup in the conference finals, and if this rivalry stays heated in the regular season….
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Comments
The only significant loss was Rob Scuderi, who signed with the Kings.
Tell me his next column will be how he watched all the playoffs and never noticed Gill.
Posted by HockeyTownTodd on 07/13/09 at 01:29 PM ET
Hockeytowntodd: If he had watched the playoffs he might have heard about some guy named Varlamov too.
Posted by eric from baltimore on 07/13/09 at 02:53 PM ET
If he had watched the playoffs he might have heard about some guy named Varlamov too.
I never read past the Pittsburgh observation. That alone confirmed my general avoidance of ESPN regarding hockey.
Posted by HockeyTownTodd on 07/13/09 at 03:38 PM ET
I don’t have a huge problem with Frei putting the Habs out of the playoffs—nobody knows what to make of that makeover and pointing them at 9th is fair enough.
My problem is with where he places the Leafs.
Nevermind my problems with Brian Burke’s defensive makeover and how I think he’s assembled a lot of pretty good players that are too similar and too lacking in crucial puck skills to create a working group as a whole.
Nevermind that he better hope Gustavsson steals Toskala’s job because Toskala is a very average goaltender.
What I want to know is, how do the Leafs make the playoffs with one of Ponikarovski, Hagman, or Grabovski as their top forward? Underrated only carries you so far.
I think an argument can be made that, right now, the Leafs are worse than last year. I think that if Brian Burke wasn’t their GM, that argument would be made.
Posted by MathMan on 07/13/09 at 03:40 PM ET
1. Pittsburgh (Champs again!)
2. Boston (2nd Best in East)
3. Washington (Not as good as last year, but weak division other than Carolina)
4. Carolina (See above)
5. New Jersey (Lamaire, enought said)
6. Philadelphia (Led NHL in minor penalties, with Pronger could set NHL record)
7. New York Rangers (King Henrik and nobody else)
8. Florida (will hopefully improve on last year)
The Rest: Montreal, Toronto, Buffalo, Ottawa, Tampa Bay, Atlanta, New York Islanders (#8 seed is very tough, 8-12 are equally terrible, but 13-15 putrid)
Philadephia could be the choke of the season. Pronger deal was the stupidest thing the Flyers did since the Lindros deal. Ray Emery? Please! They also choked away the #4 seed last year, and Richards and Carter are going to feel quite lonely other than Giroux. Couldn’t happen to a better town and stupid franchise/fans!
Let’s Go Pens!
Posted by Pens Fan in DC on 07/13/09 at 09:36 PM ET
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Top 3 spots for division winners? I know Pitt won the Stanley Cup but they didn’t finish 1st, they finished 2nd in thier division, maybe a technicality. Although I do agree the Penguins should be the favorites in the East. It should be a close race.
Posted by Lindas1st on 07/13/09 at 12:54 PM ET