EASTERN CONFERENCE PREVIEW
BY HELENE ELLIOTT >>> The Eastern Conference is home to New York and Toronto, the largest media markets in the U.S. and Canada, and players on East teams regularly win the NHL’s major individual trophies. But the biggest trophy of them all — the Stanley Cup — has taken up residence out West. An East team has won the Cup only once in the last six seasons, when the Boston Bruins triumphed in 2011. That interrupted championships for the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010, the Kings in 2012, Chicago in 2013, the Kings in 2014 and Chicago again last season. However, the Tampa Bay Lightning — which lost to the Blackhawks in last season’s Final — and the Montreal Canadiens appear capable of challenging the West’s dominance. Here’s how the East shapes up, in predicted order of finish:
Atlantic Division
1 TAMPA BAY 50-24-8 (108 points), 2nd Speed, skill, scoring — the Lightning has it all. The impending free agency of franchise center Steven Stamkos (43 goals, 72 points) might be a distraction but even that shouldn’t slow this talented group. To the productive triplets (Tyler Johnson, Nikita Kucherov and Ondrej Palat) add the potential of skillful Jonathan Drouin. This team competes hard at both ends and should be competing through June. 2 MONTREAL 50-22-10 (110), 1st Carey Price (1.96 goals-against average, .933 save percentage) deserved his haul of the Hart (MVP) and Vezina (best goaltender) trophies. The Canadiens might consider repaying him by providing more offensive support, but that’s not a huge concern. New team captain Max Pacioretty might be ready for the opener after suffering a leg injury in July, a big boost. Signing deadline acquisition Jeff Petry to a new contract keeps the defense balanced. Love or hate defenseman P.K. Subban, he’s always worth watching. This team can go deep. 3 DETROIT 43-25-14 (100), 3rd It will be an interesting year for the Red Wings, with longtime coach Mike Babcock gone to Toronto and replaced by former minor league coach Jeff Blashill. He got two nifty welcome gifts in free-agent forward Brad Richards — fresh off a championship with Chicago — and defenseman Mike Green. Goaltenders Jimmy Howard and Petr Mrazek might share the No. 1 job, not ideal but probably adequate. Pavel Datsyuk (ankle surgery) isn’t expected to play until mid-November but the Red Wings have a knack for smoothly easing kids into their lineup. 4. FLORIDA 38-29-15 (91), 6th, missed playoffs Jaromir Jagr found the fountain of youth in Florida, collecting six goals and 18 points in 20 games after arriving in a trade with the New Jersey Devils. Jagr, 43, ranks fourth in NHL scoring with 1,802 points and fifth in goals with 722. And he’s older than the combined ages of his dazzling linemates, Jonathan Huberdeau, 22, and Aleksander Barkov, 20. Other than Jagr the Panthers will rely heavily on kids, including defenseman Aaron Ekblad, last season’s rookie of the year. Expect some downs and some exciting ups. 5. BOSTON 41-27-14 (96), 5th, missed playoffs Preseason games don’t count but injuries in preseason games do. Defenseman Zdeno Chara’s upper-body injury threatens to put the Bruins in a hole because they traded Dougie Hamilton to Calgary for draft picks and will open without steady Dennis Seidenberg (back surgery). Winger Matt Beleskey parlayed a career-best 22-goal season with the Ducks into a five-year, $19-million contract, but can he do it again? The low-scoring Bruins, who traded winger Milan Lucic to the Kings, need him to produce. 6. OTTAWA 43-26-13 (99), 4th, wild card 1 Goalie Andrew (the Hamburglar) Hammond was 20-1-2 down the stretch but fell to earth with a thud as the Senators lost to the Canadiens in the first round of the playoffs. A groin injury late in training camp will idle him for about two weeks; Craig Anderson will start, with rookie Matt O’Connor as the backup. Defenseman Erik Karlsson last season won the Norris Trophy (best defenseman) for the second time and forward Mark Stone (26 goals, 64 points) was a finalist for rookie of the year, so there’s individual talent but not enough depth. 7. BUFFALO 23-51-8 (54), 8th, missed playoffs No. 2 draft pick Jack Eichel is a fine reward for loyal and long-suffering Sabres fans. Center Sam Reinhart, 19, isn’t far behind Eichel in skill. The Sabres did well to sign free-agent defenseman Cody Franson, but acquiring goalie Robin Lehner to be their starter is debatable after Lehner’s mediocre season with Ottawa. New Coach Dan Bylsma will have lots of young talent to mold, including on-the-rise Finnish defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen. It will take time, but there’s real reason for hope. 8 TORONTO 30-44-8 (68), 7th, missed playoffs If Maple Leafs President Brendan Shanahan didn’t signal the start of a new era by trading prolific scorer Phil Kessel and hiring Coach Mike Babcock, he certainly hammered it home by hiring Lou Lamoriello as general manager. Winner of three Stanley Cup titles in 28 years with the Devils, Lamoriello is hard-driving and won’t accept a lack of effort, a new concept around a moribund team. This will be a slow rebuild but the Maple Leafs appear to have the right leadership, at least.
Metropolitan Division
1 WASHINGTON 45-26-11 (101 points), 2nd The Capitals responded well after squandering a 3-1 playoff series lead over the New York Rangers last spring: They traded for T.J. Oshie and signed free agent Justin (Mr. Game 7) Williams. Center Nicklas Backstrom (hip surgery) might not be ready opening night, giving Evgeny Kuznetsov time to shine. Alex Ovechkin (53 goals) has won three straight goal-scoring titles and five overall; goalie Braden Holtby (2.22, .923) is approaching elite territory. 2 NEW YORK RANGERS 53-22-7 (113), 1st, and first in the NHL (2.25, .922) will again be their strengths, but they flourished offensively last season, rising from 18th in goals in 2013-14 to third. Rick Nash (career-high 42 goals) was their main scoring threat but they’re looking for big things from right wing Kevin Hayes, who had 17 goals as a rookie, and Chris Kreider (21 goals). They’re built for playoff success. 3 PITTSBURGH 43-27-12 (98), 4th, wild card 2 Toronto had become a toxic atmosphere for Kessel (25 goals, 61 points), and he should thrive because he’s not expected to carry the Penguins. Playing alongside Sidney Crosby (28 goals, 84 points) will ease his transition. Putting Evgeni Malkin (28 goals, 70 points in 69 games) on the second line provides great balance. There’s no doubting the Penguins’ scoring depth, but their defense corps is iffy beyond Kris Letang and Olli Maatta. 4 COLUMBUS 42-35-5 (89), 5th, missed playoffs A late push almost got the Blue Jackets into the playoffs after they endured a mind-boggling wave of injuries. If they stay healthy they will open some eyes. Adding winger Brandon Saad from the cap-strapped Blackhawks was smart because he’s a legitimate scoring threat. Center Ryan Johansen (26 goals, career-high 71 points) hasn’t reached his prime yet. Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky (2.69 goals-against average, .918 save percentage) gives them stability. 5 NEW YORK ISLANDERS 47-28-7 (101), 3rd Their final season at the Nassau Coliseum didn’t have the happy ending they wanted, as the Islanders lost in the first round to Washington. They’re basically the same team, which is good — John Tavares was the runner-up for the scoring title with 38 goals and 86 points — and also bad, as their penalty killing has to get better than last season’s 26th ranking. They have some good parts but this is a top-heavy division. 6 PHILADELPHIA 33-31-18 (84), 6th, missed playoffs This looms as another long season for the Flyers, who went to the college ranks to hire North Dakota coach Dave Hakstol — and the leap from college coaching to the NHL doesn’t always go smoothly. The good done by Jakub Voracek (22 goals, 81 points) and Claude Giroux (25 goals, 73 points) was undermined by a shaky defense, though goalie Steve Mason is solid. The drought since their last title, in 1975, will continue. 7 NEW JERSEY 32-36-14 (78), 7th, missed playoffs New General Manager Ray Shero has a massive rebuilding project on his hands. The Devils missed the playoffs for the third straight season and fourth in five, and their prospects don’t look bright. New Coach John Hynes, fresh from the American Hockey League, will have to hope goalie Cory Schneider (2.26, .925) can duplicate last season’s valiant effort and keep them competitive. 8 CAROLINA 30-41-11 (71), 8th, missed playoffs The Hurricanes’ talent and performance never quite mesh. Center Eric Staal (23 goals, 54 points) was their only 20-goal scorer and they don’t have many other offensive sources besides center Elias Lindholm (17 goals, 39 points). Defenseman Justin Faulk is a standout and might have help from rookie Noah Hanifin, drafted fifth overall out of Boston College.