The Countdown is on. Twenty-four hours to go. Hockey nerds like myself have been waiting all summer, we’re tired of all the hype, tired of all the what “could” happen, we’re ready to see what will happen. All thirty NHL teams have a plan and fans of all the franchises have something to look forward to, some more exciting than others. Just like we did yesterday for the western conference, let’s see what the eastern conference teams have to look forward to.
Boston Bruins- See how good their team really is. That is kind of an odd thing to look forward to. After missing the playoffs last season the Bruins had one of the most interesting offseasons to say to least. Starting with big trades, Dougie Hamilton to Calgary and Milan Lucic to LA, having three first round picks in the 2015 draft and picking prospects that weren’t ranked as high as they were picked. You got the sense Boston was in a mini rebuild or possibly a retool. I’m not sure anyone really know hows good this Bruins team will be, they still have great players like Bergeron, Krejci, Chara and Rask. A return to the playoffs is likely for a team like this but Cup predictions like previous seasons isn’t as popular.
Buffalo Sabres- A better season. Bottom line the Sabres won’t have to endure another season like last season. The Sabres couldn’t win hardly anything last season and that included the draft lottery. Fortunately for Buffalo losing the lottery wasn’t all that bad, sure they lost a generational player but they possibly got another one anyways. With new players like Jack Eichel and Evander Kane the offense should be easier to watch. Defense and goaltending still need addressing but the team is getting younger and this could be an exciting team in years to come.
Carolina Hurricanes- Another rough season. The Hurricanes have seemingly been a team stuck between rebuild and quick fix team. That strategy rarely or never works. Carolina does have some good players, the Staals, Skinner, Faulk and highly touted rookie Noah Hanifin as well as some other nice young players. But this team won’t make the playoffs out of their division and probably won’t hit a wild card spot either. It would be better if the Hurricanes struggle, trade some of their bigger players and start the full rebuild around their youngsters.
Columbus Blue Jackets- A healthy team. You can make a valid argument that the only reason the Blue Jackets missed the playoffs last season was because of some awful injury luck. They finished pretty far out of the playoffs but they made a run late wining 16 of their last 19 games. Columbus seems to be that popular choice, people think great things will come from the Jackets, I still have them behind a couple of teams in their own division but playoffs are definitely doable if the stay healthy.
Detroit Red Wings- 25th playoff berth. The Red Wings continue to be that quiet team not a lot of people talk about. The biggest news out of Detroit was the loss of head coach Mike Babcock and that seemed to be obvious the later the season got that he was leaving. The star players continue to get older but the young guys are stepping up. The signing of Mike Green and some people are claiming rookie Dylan Larkin has a chance at rookie of the year over Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel. The team is deep and their playoff streak will hit a 1/4 of a century.
Florida Panthers- Their young team taking a step forward. A lot of the key players on this team are under 25 years old, Ekblad, Huberdeau, Barkov, and others, then you have solid veterans, Jagr, Campbell, Mitchell, Thornton, Jokinen, Luongo, that’s a pretty good mix. 91 points last season was pretty good and the Panthers are expected to one again take a step up. If Boston and Ottawa slip a little bit you could see Florida claim a playoff spot.
Montreal Canadiens- Stanley Cup or bust. This is what the media will tell you, at least in Montreal most likely. If you ask me, this team isn’t that good. They’ll be in the playoffs, but Tampa Bay and Detroit are probably above them. The Canadiens need Carey Price to have another MVP season or this could be a little ugly in Montreal.
New Jersey Devils- The 2016 draft. This team did not have a player over 50 points last season. Their offense was awful last season. The team was old and they need to finish low in the standings to get younger and get great young prospects. The rebuild has started in New Jersey.
New York Islanders- A playoff run. The Islanders were one of the better teams for a good majority of last season. A late season slump as well as a surging Capitals team gave them a first round loss. This season it’s time to make their run. Led by John Tavares one of the best players in the league, can he lead his team past the Rangers, past the Capitals, past the Penguins then past the Atlantic teams? The Isles will have to fend off an improved Blue Jackets team but they should make the playoffs anyways but it’s time to make a run.
New York Rangers- Stanley Cup or bust. Since 2012 the Rangers have made the conference finals three times and get to the finals once. If the Rangers don’t win the Cup this season, heads might roll. They won’t go to full rebuild mode but this is one of the best teams in the entire league and NHL GM’s don’t have much patience for a great team who can’t get it done.
Ottawa Senators- The playoffs. The Senators could take a step up but I don’t see them being on the same level as the Red Wings and Lightning. If the Senators go into the season with confidence after their late season surge last season, getting into the playoffs in the third spot in their division is possible. Since we don’t know how good Boston will be and Maybe Montreal falling a little bit, Ottawa could jump some teams.
Philadelphia Flyers- Another rough season. It’s not often you see the NHL have two leading scorers from the same team, then that team missing the playoffs. That’s where the Flyers are right now. Not very deep with some big holes. An Iffy team on defense and a young team will see Philadelphia miss the playoffs again which probably isn’t the worst thing. Finish low in the standings get a good draft pick and add to you prospect pool. The Flyers will be good again in a couple of season but not this season.
Pittsburgh Penguins- A very exciting team. Crosby, Malkin, Letang, Fleury, now add Phil Kessel, someone who could score 40-50 goals. Could they make a playoff run? Yes, but they always seem to get shut down by the Rangers or Bruins or teams like that in the playoffs. Maybe this year will be different, I’m not predicting this team to do much in the playoffs because teams they have to get through are better built for the playoffs than them. But if nothing else this could be one of the most exciting teams to watch this season.
Tampa Bay Lightning- Stanley Cup or bust. The Lightning are the team everyone wants to be, deep forward group, good defensive team and good goaltending. They have everything they need and now they have playoff and Stanley Cup Final experience. They’ve proven they can beat everyone is the east and they should be able to again the question now is will they? If not nothing will happen most likely unless it’s a bad or quick exit from the playoffs, but this is a young team that has a ton of depth. And for the Bolts fans I won’t mention Stamkos contract situation, oh look at that I just did, woops!
Toronto Maple Leafs- The 2016 draft. This should be the case. Have a bad year, get a high pick get a great young player and add to the prospects they already have. The Maple Leafs never seem to do the right thing though so I’m sure they’ll probably make the playoffs this season. Leaf fans should look forward to progress though, just be a tad better than last year and even if they get around the same amount of points as last season, show a good compete level. Start the good habits this season, that’s what Toronto fans should look forward to.
Washington Capitals- Stanley Cup or bust. Out of all the teams in the eastern conference, this team might have the most pressure. Yes the Lightning have pressure, yes the Canadiens have pressue as well as some other teams, but those teams haven’t had Cup or bust mentalities as long as the Capitals have. Ovechkin and Backstrom are creeping up into that age 30 and up. The window won’t stay open forever and the Capitals have a great shot this season. If they don’t win the cup or even get past the second round I don’t even know what will happen, but for the Capitals it could be ugly.
If you read my western conference preview you’ll know I said the western conference has more teams that could be great. The eastern conference on the other hand probably has more teams that have Cup or bust potential. Teams like the Rangers, Lightning, Canadiens and Capitals are probably hoping to win the Stanley Cup and bring the eastern conference their first Cup since 2011 when the Bruins won it.
