Road to glory only got tougher over summer
Free agent misses mean lost ground in Cup chase
The Bruins earned home-ice advantage in the playoffs last season and were close to nailing it down throughout the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Don’t expect that to happen again.
While the B’s haven’t been saddled with the NHL’s toughest division, considering the Atlantic has three surefire DNQs, it is pretty top-heavy. The Lightning may not have landed Erik Karlsson, but the team that beat the B’s in five games didn’t get any worse. And the Maple Leafs, whom the Bruins barely survived in Round 1, added an elite centerman in John Tavares.
The B’s tried to upgrade, and they may yet do so, but for now they’ll have to rely on a kid or two to fill the holes up front. The good news is that the kids at least seem to be all right, though it’s still not clear if their time is now.
But the feeling here is that the Atlantic Division does not produce the Stanley Cup champion. Here’s a look at how all four divisions break down and who’ll emerge in June with the Cup raised overhead. Here’s a hint: Canada will break its long, dreary drought.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
ATLANTIC DIVISION
1. Tampa Bay Lightning — The Bolts are still the team to beat, and they got over their Bruins bugaboo last spring. Outgoing general manager Steve Yzerman left the cupboard full for Julien BriseBois. Yzerman was generous with Ryan McDonagh’s extension (seven years at $6.75 million) and it could make money tight in the future, but this team is the most formidable in the East.
2. Toronto Maple Leafs — The Leafs still may not be built to go all the way as the defense is suspect and goalie Frederik Andersen did not hold up well in the playoffs, but the firepower up front, especially down the middle, will carry them far in the regular season, and maybe further in the playoffs. There’s not a better 1-2-3 punch than Tavares, Auston Matthews and Nazem Kadri.
3. BRUINS — Get ready for another B’s-Leafs first-round matchup, and the Bruins may not have the luxury of a Game 7 at home. That proved to be pivotal for them to advance past Toronto last year.
4. Florida Panthers — The Panthers were a good team once they got their footing under coach Bob Boughner, good enough to cost the B’s home-ice advantage in the second round. They’ve got good building blocks in Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau and Aaron Ekblad and they added punch with the acquisition of Mike Hoffman, still a good player despite his baggage.
5. Buffalo Sabres — The Sabres, perpetually spinning their wheels, undertook major changes, dishing excellent two-way center Ryan O’Reilly to St. Louis for size and edge in Patrik Berglund, Vladimir Sobotka and prospect Tage Thompson (plus a first- and second-rounder). They also added Jeff Skinner and Conor Sheary. On the back end, they have first overall pick Rasmus Dahlin. No, things aren’t getting any easier for the B’s.
6. Detroit Red Wings — Jeff Blashill is a good coach, Dylan Larkin has the tools to be a star along with promising youngsters Filip Zadina and Evgeny Svechnikov. But if the Wings don’t get off to a decent start, they could be playing in front of a lot of empty red seats in their new palace.
7. Montreal Canadiens — This clearly isn’t what Claude Julien was expecting when he signed with the Habs. They don’t have a No. 1 center, Shea Weber is not expected to return till Christmas and Carey Price can win them only so many games. They finally ended the Max Pacioretty saga by trading him but they’re a poorer team for it in the short run.
8. Ottawa Senators — The Sens officially bottomed out with the Karlsson trade to San Jose. They did get one bit of good news when they got first-round pick Brady Tkachuk to sign, but its going to be a long road back to respectability. They don’t even have a firstround pick next June after it was dealt in the Matt Duchene deal.
METROPOLITAN DIVISION
1. Pittsburgh Penguins — The Pens lost Sheary in a money-saving deal, but the feeling here is that the hunger will be back for Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, et al, after the Capitals finally made it a rivalry by bouncing the two-time champs. We’ll see if Mike Sullivan can still get the most out of Phil Kessel.
2. Washington Capitals — The loss of defensive specialist Jay Beagle is not insignificant, but there is still an awful lot of firepower up front. The question is how much of a toll will the Stanley Cup hangover take on the champs. Also, reliable backup Philipp Grubauer is no longer with the Caps, which could adversely affect Braden Holtby.
3. New Jersey Devils — The Bruins went 3-0 against the Devils but they were three of the toughest wins of the season. Taylor Hall settled into the franchise player everyone thought he’d be when Edmonton drafted him first overall and New Jersey plays a relentless style under John Hynes.
4. Columbus Blue Jackets — The Artemi Panarin situation is a cloud hanging over the Jackets. If they trade him early enough and get fair value, then they might be OK. But they’re not in the best position, with Panarin unwilling to negotiate a new contract beyond this his walk season.
5. Philadelphia Flyers — James vanRiemsdyk, out of Mike Babcock’s doghouse in Toronto, is back where his pro career began and should be rejuvenated. He’s added to a strong group of forwards led by Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek as well as talented youngsters Nolan Patrick and Travis Konecny. Still without a true No. 1 goalie and with holes on defense, the Flyers will make another run at a playoff spot.
6. Carolina Hurricanes — There’s talent up front in Teuvo Teravainen and Sebastian Aho plus talented prospects Martin Necas and Andrei Svechnikov. The already good defense was fortified with not just the acquisition of Dougie Hamilton, flipped for Noah Hanifin, but the signing of solid veteran Calvin de Haan. But with Scott Darling and now Petr Mrazek as the netminders, most nights will still be a challenge.
7. New York Rangers — The Blueshirts, now under the guidance of former Boston University coach David Quinn, are in self-professed rebuild mode, with a few former Bruins — Adam McQuaid, Rob O’Gara and Ryan Spooner — in the fold. Even if Henrik Lundqvist steals his share of games, the Rangers will be hard-pressed to make the playoffs.
8. New York Islanders — Despite the soul-crushing loss of Tavares for nothing, the Islanders will one day compete again under the aegis of Lou Lamoriello. That day, however, is not yet in sight. It will be interesting to see how Mathew Barzal handles the No. 1 center duties.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
CENTRAL DIVISION 1. Winnipeg Jets — By the end of the regular season, the Jets had become one of the toughest teams in the league — big, skilled, fast and mean. Blake Wheeler has grown into the leader few here expected him to be and the high-end youth — Patrik Laine, Kyle Connor, Nikolaj Ehlers — is impressive. They took a big step last year, only to be derailed by the one of the greatest Cinderella stories in sports history in Vegas.
2. Nashville Predators — With the most explosive blue line in hockey, the Preds will knock at the door once again. They’re also excellent down the middle with Ryan Johansen, Kyle Turris and Nick Bonino. They might do well to continue cutting back on Pekka Rinne’s workload and feed Juuse Saros more games.
3. St. Louis Blues — The Blues are trying to rebuild on the fly, surprisingly ditching Paul Stastny at last year’s deadline and making a complexion-changing trade for O’Reilly, one of the best two-way centermen in the league. This should successfully reboot the proud franchise, but it’s tough sledding in the league’s most competitive division.
4. Colorado Avalanche — Nathan MacKinnon is a star who should be in the Hart Trophy discussion for the next decade. Mikko Rantanen might be the most underrated player in the league. With the Avs in possession of Ottawa’s 2019 first-round pick, which could be first overall, this could be the start of something big in the Rockies.
5. Dallas Stars — Jim Montgomery will be jumping from college to the NHL and he’s charged with getting more out of this collection of talent than a couple of good coaches, Lindy Ruff and Ken Hitchcock, could. Tyler Seguin, who got his bigmoney deal, Jamie Benn and Alexander Radulov comprise a powerful top line, but there’s a dropoff after that. Perhaps the return of Valeri Nichushkin can help Jason Spezza locate his game.
6. Minnesota Wild — Eric Staal enjoyed an amazing resurgence last year and the Wild have a very productive defense corps, led by Ryan Suter. A healthy Zach Parise, limited to 42 games last year, would make all the difference in the world for this team.
7. Chicago Blackhawks — It was stunning to see the Hawks, threetime Cup winners this decade, fall out of the playoffs last year. Jonathan Toews had his lowest point total as a pro (not counting the 2013 lockout year) and if that trend can’t reverse itself, they could be on the outside again in the spring.
PACIFIC DIVISION
1. San Jose Sharks — The Sharks acquired the best offensive defenseman in the league in Karlsson and gave up little from their current roster. The Sharks were already a good team but this move added a new dimension.
2. Los Angeles Kings — The acquisition of Ilya Kovalchuk is just what the Kings needed, giving the stingiest team in the league much needed firepower. He may not be a 40-goal scorer anymore, but he’ll help. If Anze Kopitar can replicate his 2017-18 season, the Kings will be tough.
3. Vegas Golden Knights — Magical rides don’t continue from year to year and the Knights will come back to earth in Year 2. But they’re still a good team, and added a lessstressed Pacioretty. They inked Stastny to a pricey contract (three years at $6.5 million) and landed Pacioretty, who should offset the loss of James Neal.
4. Calgary Flames — On paper, at least, it looks like the Flames won the deal that sent Hamilton to Carolina, netting them both Hanifin and Elias Lindholm. That could be enough to catapult the Flames back into the playoffs. Johnny Gaudreau remains one of the most entertaining players in the game.
5. Anaheim Ducks — Corey Perry’s game has deteriorated the last couple of seasons and it was announced last week he’d miss the first five weeks after knee surgery. If there’s a hint of that kind of dropoff with Ryan Getzlaf, who like Perry is 33, it’ll be the beginning of the end for this group. But the Ducks still have enough to challenge for a playoff spot.
6. Edmonton Oilers — If Cam Talbot can regain the form he showed in 2016-17, then we’ll reassess this prognostication. But already the tea leaves are producing ominous readings as veteran defenseman Andrej Sekera will start the season on the shelf after tearing an Achilles during camp. He was missed last year when he was limited to 36 games.
7. Arizona Coyotes — Alex Galchenyuk will get a chance to prove he is a center, far away from the glare of Montreal. But the ’Yotes will still be challenged to make a postseason push. Hockey can work in non-traditional markets. This isn’t one of them.
8. Vancouver Canucks — The Canucks begin their post-Sedins era. Loui Eriksson has been a bust (21 goals in two seasons) since signing after his Bruins stint. There are a couple of nice young pieces (Brock Boeser, Bo Horvat) and good prospects but not enough to contend.
PREDICTIONS
CONFERENCE FINALS Tampa Bay over Pittsburgh Winnipeg over San Jose STANLEY CUP CHAMPION Winnipeg — The sun finally shines in the ’Peg.