Jump to content

The balance of power has shifted East


Derek21

Recommended Posts

Just read Ryan Lambert's post on the East's improvement. He's probably the worst Puck Daddy writer. Never really backs anything up. Says the Rangers won't play disappointingly due to the coach. Whatever that means. He also seems to have written off Toronto. And this gem:

 

New Jersey could be truly awful, and I'm not sure how much I trust Washington to do well outside the Southeast, or Alex Ovechkin to replicate anything close to an MVP performance. I suspect the answer is "very little."

 

 

THN also picked the Devils to finish 14th. How I would pre-rank it.

 

1.Pens

2.Bruins

3.Red Wings

4.Rangers

5.Senators

6.Capitals

 

Bubble

 

7.Leafs

8.Canadiens

9.Blue Jackets

10.Devils

11.Lightning

12.Islanders

13.Flyers

 

Lottery

 

14.Sabres

15.Hurricanes

16.Panthers

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think the Devils will be a bubble team. a lot hinging on not necessarily what new 'signee's" bring, but what we get from previous 1st rounders. If JJ is going to be an NHL'er? will Teddy do anything? will Henrique show us he can excel wherever needed? can Boucher be good right off the bat? I'm not as worried about our "D" Larsson/Urbom/Gelinas/Merrill because we have depth.  I think we have an underrated defense corp>

Link to comment
Share on other sites

if everyone can step up and do their jobs.. henrique rebounds zajac comes back to life along with the new additions this team will be fine certain players just need to remember that theyre being paid to contribute and need to figure out how to do that again ..zajac cough cough

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's easy to pick those teams to finish in the top 6. He wants to sound smart and knowledgeable.

Besides the Pens and Bruins I don't see what makes those other 4 teams any more better than the Devils.

 

I don't think the Wings are any great shakes for sure. They weren't that great last year either and their defense still rots. The Rangers unless they play more possession hockey are gonna be middling again. The Sens are probably better than NJ especially with Ryan a big upgrade over Alfredsson and Karlsson back for the whole year and Anderson being healthy presumably. The Capitals are nothing I'm afraid of, and lost Ribeiro though Grabovski's probably as good a cheap replacement as you could get. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

if the devils start schneider heavy, and bring up boucher, i guarantee a january of 'what the fvck is this why are the devils first overall' grunt from every soul in hockey.

book it.

I agree on Schneider, but not on Boucher. Pretty much every scouting report says his game isn't well rounded yet.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's easy to pick those teams to finish in the top 6. He wants to sound smart and knowledgeable.

Besides the Pens and Bruins I don't see what makes those other 4 teams any more better than the Devils.

 

Detroit has a strong core (Howard, Kronwall, Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Franzen) and a potential breakout player (Nyqvist).

Rangers have a good foundation. It hinges on the health of Staal and returns of Callahan and Hagelin.

Senators should benefit from a full year of Karlsson. Strong goalies. How will the Walrus handle Ryan? Who assumes leadership?

Capitals I put here based on talent. As long as Holtby doesn't fold, they should be in the mix.

 

None of these rankings mean as much with the new format. The two divisions are ultracompetitive. Five can make it from either. If anything, it'll be more challenging to make it. The Devils, Flyers, Jackets and Islanders are all bunched up.

 

If you *don't* write off Toronto based on what they've done, it'd be stupid FWIW. My god they'll be horrendous this year 

 

They now have two goalies (Reimer, Bernier) who can start. How they're handled will prove large. They added strong character in Clarkson and Bolland. Bolland is being overlooked. He's a strong player when healthy. Kessel is in his walk year. Van Riemsdyk, Lupul and Bozak. They still need to re-sign Kadri. The only area I don't like is their D. Phaneuf isn't a leader. They need a good year from Gardiner.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

you put that kid on left wing, and watch the left top post light up, game doesn't have to be well rounded, no team is expecting a rookie to light it up from the sharp angle on left wing.

 

I'm not arguing his talent. He clearly has an NHL level wrist shot and can get open, but the NHL game is far quicker than the OHL. His game absolutely needs to be more well rounded. The organization will want him to have more to his game, so unless he blows people away next month, he's going to need a full year in Albany.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Personally I think it all depends on Clowe can he deliver time will tell. They need to make up TOI and Goals scored the lost from Parise, Kovy and Clarkson. Lou spent a lot thinking he can.

 

Ryder should also be good for some of that. He's been a consistent scorer. I'd love to see Olesz surprise us as well. He was promising before the knee injury.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Detroit has a strong core (Howard, Kronwall, Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Franzen) and a potential breakout player (Nyqvist).

Rangers have a good foundation. It hinges on the health of Staal and returns of Callahan and Hagelin.

Senators should benefit from a full year of Karlsson. Strong goalies. How will the Walrus handle Ryan? Who assumes leadership?

Capitals I put here based on talent. As long as Holtby doesn't fold, they should be in the mix.

None of these rankings mean as much with the new format. The two divisions are ultracompetitive. Five can make it from either. If anything, it'll be more challenging to make it. The Devils, Flyers, Jackets and Islanders are all bunched up.

They now have two goalies (Reimer, Bernier) who can start. How they're handled will prove large. They added strong character in Clarkson and Bolland. Bolland is being overlooked. He's a strong player when healthy. Kessel is in his walk year. Van Riemsdyk, Lupul and Bozak. They still need to re-sign Kadri. The only area I don't like is their D. Phaneuf isn't a leader. They need a good year from Gardiner.

Leafs were not a good team last year. Based on shot differential, they were the worst team to make the playoffs in 20 years. Nonis just got rid of his best center in Grabovski and another top possession player in MacArthur. He doesn't know what he's doing

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

 

They now have two goalies (Reimer, Bernier) who can start. How they're handled will prove large. They added strong character in Clarkson and Bolland. Bolland is being overlooked. He's a strong player when healthy. Kessel is in his walk year. Van Riemsdyk, Lupul and Bozak. They still need to re-sign Kadri. The only area I don't like is their D. Phaneuf isn't a leader. They need a good year from Gardiner.  

 

Ok they already had 2 good goalies last year. Bolland<<<<Grabo and Clarkson's 40 points aren't top 6 minutes he'll get. Bozak's just god awful and should be on a 3rd line. Phaneuf's the only good D they have besides Gunnarsson and their centers may be the worst in the league. I would be shocked if they don't have a top 10 pick next year. 

 

When all you do is downgrade from Grabo and MacArthur to Clarkson and Bolland, you're not getting better when all your advanced stats scream luck at the top of their lungs 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree with top three: Pens (with Scuderi back), Boston (much deeper in depth) and Detroit ((Alfie). But Sens are now a bubble team without Alfredson and also Gonchar. Washington is also iffy. Devils are a far better team this year.

 

Ottawa upgraded to Bobby Ryan from Alfredsson, I think they'll be fine

Bernier is a very good goalie though. That alone should help them stay in the playoff hunt. They're also very well coached.

 

and lol at Toronto being well coached. Go tell that to any non-mouthbreather leafs fan. They're probably the worst coached team in the league 

Edited by DH26
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.