2014-15 NHL Season Preview Atlantic Division

I'm going to let you in on a little secret. The Atlantic Division is probably going to be a whole lot of fun this year. The Eastern Conference has been getting a bad rap the last few years, whimpering in the shadow of the much deeper West, but this is division is full of intrigue.The are the reigning President's Trophy Dennis Cholowski Women Jersey winners and have largely the same roster. Their salary cap crunch, however, could help level the playing field quite a bit. That's especially true when both the and look to be even better than they were a season ago.The top of this division is going to be crowded with that trio, but it seems that you can never count out the . They keep getting older and injuries have already reared their ugly head, but that veteran group will probably still find a way to hang around. The , after somewhat overhauling the bottom of their lineup and making some changes to the front office and a sistant coaching staff, improvement should be demanded. Whether or not it comes is going to be awfully interesting to watch.Meanwhile, there's the and coming off of disappointing campaigns and the , still in the early stages of rebuilding. Florida spent a lot of money in the off-season and has the No. 1 overall pick Aaron Ekblad in the mix, but they still seem to have a ways to go to reach that level of competitivene s that gets them into the postseason. Ottawa lost another star in the off-season and figures to be in tough to make a run to the playoffs. Buffalo could be looking to just hang on again, but their mix of youth and recent veteran additions could make them a fair bit better than last year's disaster squad. Boston Bruins2013-14 finish: 54-19-9 (1st in Atlantic, eliminated by MTL in second round)Key additions: NoneKey lo ses: RW Jarome IginlaOne big question: The Boston Bruins have to make a trade and soon. The team is currently cap compliant, but just barely. They'd have no wiggle room to bring anyone up if a player got hurt. That inflexibility could be a big problem. As a result, the Bruins have to shed salary and everyone in the league knows it. That's going to diminish any return the Bruins can get unle s they're willing to part with a higher-profile player like a . Who ends up getting dealt could have a big impact on answering this question, but this cap crunch could be an ongoing problem for the Bruins.2014-15 Outlook: After finishing last season with the best regular-season record and getting stunned by the Canadiens in the second round, the Bruins should be entering the year hungry. While they bring back largely the same roster, the salary cap crunch already cost the club Jarome Iginla who had 30 goals and 61 points last year. That's quite a bit of production to replace without anyone to really do it.Even without Iginla, however, the Bruins boast an incredibly deep, experienced lineup that includes top-level players at forward, defense and goaltending. is coming off a Vezina Trophy, remains a Norris-caliber defender even as he starts slowing down in his career, while has developed a reputation as one of the game's best all-around players. There is so much about this Bruins team that suggests that they will remain the cla s of the Atlantic, but they're going to get challenged more than they were last year. That said, this is a team that still has all the pieces to contend for the Stanley Cup.X-factor: It is going to be really interesting to see if can stay healthy this season. Though durable throughout much of his career, the veteran forward went through some real tough luck last year with multiple concu sions. He had 37 points in 61 games and never looked quite like himself. For much of his career, Erik son has been a producer. He had 357 points in 501 career games with the before being traded to Boston. If he gets off to a good start, the Bruins have another top-quality weapon in their loaded arsenal. Buffalo Sabres2013-14 finish: 21-41-10 (8th in Atlantic, mi sed playoffs)Key additions: LW , RW , D , D Andej Meszaros, C Sam Reinhart Key lo ses: D Christian EhrhoffOne big question:The Buffalo Sabres were the worst team in the league last year and if we're being honest with ourselves, the best thing for the long-term future of the franchise is to probably be that again this year. Should the Sabres finish with the worst record in the league, they'd be guaranteed one of the top two prospects in the draft -- Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel. But here's the thing, the players and head coach are not going to help this club tank. They're going to play and they're going to try to win. The Sabres may still struggle, but they have three first-round picks in next year's draft. They also are beholden to a new draft lottery system. The ping pong balls could still bounce in their favor, but there's one thing this team needs for their rebuild more than anything else: A franchise-altering prospect. Either McDavid or Eichel could be just that.2014-15 Outlook: After the historically bad season the Sabres just endured, general manager Tim Murray did not sit idly by and let this lineup further wallow in mediocrity. Though getting a top pick in next year's draft would probably be great for the future of the Sabres franchise, they're going to put a halfway decent hockey team on the ice this year.By acquiring veterans like Matt Moulson and Brian Gionta in free agency, the team has players that want to be part of the solution. Having guys like that bought in is going to be of great help. Pile those guys on top of a youthful core that has loads of potential and you can see the building blocks of where this franchise is headed. , , Mikhail Grigorenko, and newly drafted Sam Reinhart could be a heck of a core group to join , and in leading this franchise out of the rubble.The future is getting brighter, but that's the future. It's not now.The Sabres still have some serious depth i sues and unlike most of last year, they have real concern in net. Ryan Miller had a pretty decent year before he was traded to St. Louis. Not having quality goaltending could be a problem. Neither nor has extensive starter experience.The Sabres are still going to have a lot of young guys making mistakes, they're going to have a lot of rough patches and they're probably not going to win a whole lot of hockey games. Patience will be required yet. X-factor: At this point, the best thing the Sabres can do is develop the young talent that they have. They're building through the draft, which is the long road to take. Drafting well is one thing, but player development could end up being more important. There is little argument that the players they have drafted have the goods to make an impact at the NHL level, but it will be with careful development and not rushing players before they're ready that will help the Sabres achieve their desired goals. Detroit Red Wings2013-14 finish: 39-28-15 (4th in Atlantic, eliminated by BOS in first round)Key additions: RW Anthony Mantha (injured)Key lo ses: C , RW Todd BertuzziOne big question: The Red Wings lost 421 man games to injury last season -- which was a franchise record --and they still managed to make the playoffs. As their group gets older, however, it may be harder to make up that lost ground. The good news is that the Red Wings are starting to give more young players more responsibility. The bad news is that one of their most promising youngsters is already hurt in would-be rookie Anthony Mantha. is already on the shelf as well and the team is still mulling its options with injured veteran Daniel Alfred son, who has yet to sign a new deal. If this is a sign of things to come, it could be another challenging year in Detroit.2014-15 Outlook: There's still so much to be sorted out for the Red Wings heading into the season. The injuries to Anthony Mantha and Pavel Datsyuk and the still uncertain situation with Daniel Alfred son make it tough to know just what this lineup is going to look like throughout the year. That said, there are plenty of reasons the Red Wings remain an intriguing hockey club heading into the 2014-15 season. Having healthy is going to be a big factor, while the emergence of youngsters like , , and last season shows that this organization remains fairly deep.Goaltender had a bit of a down year last year, but he also dealt with injuries off and on that never allowed him to get any sort of rhythm. Three out of his five seasons as a starter have come with save percentages at or above .920 and if he even gets back up to his career mark of .917, the Wings should be in good shape.The health concerns and the aging core of the Red Wings remain concerns, but after the job Mike Babcock did in keeping that team afloat amid all the injuries last year, it's hard to pick against this club. Even though the Red Wings struck out on multiple attempts to improve their team through free agency last year, they have a club that could extend their postseason appearance streak to 24 consecutive years, even if it's not as a likely Cup contender. X-factor: Though Anthony Mantha is sidelined for at least the first month of the season with a fractured tibia, he could yet have an impact on this season for the Wings. Having scored 80-plus goals in junior last year between the regular season and playoffs, and the fact that he's 6-foot-4 and 217 pounds, there's a chance the Wings have a plug-and-play top-six winger when he's fully healthy. After what he did in the QMJHL the last two years, Mantha has a real chance to be special. Florida Panthers2013-14 finish: 29-45-8 (7th in Atlantic, mi sed playoffs)Key additions: LW , C , D , D Aaron EkbladKey lo ses: D , D Ed JovanovskiOne big question: I've actually been thinking about the Panthers a lot since they started signing free agents and to sing money around and I keep coming back to the same central question: What are they? Having brought in last season and then going out and getting Dave Bolland, Willie Mitchell, Ju si Jokinen, and , most of whom are on multi-year deals, that question remains unanswered. Considering the litany of extremely promising young players on this roster, it still feels like the Panthers are somewhere in the rebuilding phase and those free agent additions make it seem more like they're in some sort of weird limbo between rebuild and competitivene s. Perhaps new head coach Gerard Gallant has a better handle on this, but it's really difficult to make out what the Panthers are supposed to be right now. 2014-15 Outlook: The Panthers may be caught in some sort of limbo, but the expectations should be that they'll be better in 2014-15. It's not completely out of the realm of po sibility that they can make the playoffs in a more wide-open Eastern Conference.Roberto Luongo is e sentially the key to it all. A good year from the veteran netminder is going to go a long way in changing the fortunes of the Panthers a year after they posted one of the worst records in the NHL.There's no question that the young core this team has a sembled in recent years has a ton of potential. , , recent No. 1 pick Aaron Ekblad, and a host of others that could be in and out of the lineup are still growing into their games and look especially prepared to make a bigger impact this season.Additionally, the Panthers have a really interesting blue line led by . Willie Mitchell should help keep things steady on the back end while , and Ekblad continue to develop.Again, it's really difficult to make much of this Panthers team because what's left to learn about them can only be determined when this revamped roster actually hits the ice in the regular season. Playoffs or disaster? Both seem po sible, which you can't say for a lot of teams.X-factor: After a sophomore slump, Jonathan Huberdeau is likely to be the most scrutinized forward on the Panthers' roster this season. At just 21 years old, he still has plenty of time to grow, but the Panthers really need Huberdeau to perform this year. Part of that is going to require Huberdeau to be healthy, which he was not last season. With Gallant, his former junior coach, now behind the bench in Florida, perhaps Huberdeau is going to get that extra nudge he needed. Montreal Canadiens2013-14 finish: 46-28-8 (3rd in Atlantic, eliminated by NYR in conference final)Key additions: D Tom Gilbert, RW Key lo ses: LW Thomas Vanek, D Josh Gorges, RW Brian Gionta, F Daniel BriereOne big question: Carey Price had a fantastic 2013-14 campaign as he posted a 34-20-5 record, .927 save percentage, 2.32 goals-against average and six shutouts. He backstopped Canada to the gold medal at the Olympics and even finished fourth in Vezina Trophy voting. Injuries after the Olympics and most unfortunately during the Eastern Conference Final may have robbed Price from fully realizing his ultimate season as a profe sional. That's why 2014-15 might be the year. A suming Price stays healthy, he should have a better defense in front of him and that could be just enough of that extra nudge for Price to put together that Vezina-caliber season and maybe even help the Habs get to that next level. At 27 years old, he's had some really special years already, but it seems like the best is yet to come.2014-15 Outlook: After making it to the Eastern Conference Final last year, the expectations should be high for this club heading into the year.The team has a franchise defenseman in and top-level goaltender in Carey Price to continue building around. The forward group has speed and some dynamic talent led by Max Pacioretty who could be in line for a 40-goal season after scoring 39 last year.The additions to the roster over the summer were subtle, but could be extremely effective. Tom Gilbert has been added to a defensive group that should be sleeker than last year's. Additionally, getting P.A. Parenteau for Daniel Briere is a trade up for the Habs at this stage.How head coach Michel Therrien structures and utilizes his lineup is going to be a big factor this season as there's certainly room for improvement in the po se sion department. The Habs ranked 26th overall in Corsi for percentage last year, which really needs to get better for them to get to that next level. They have the talent to be better than that.The Habs as structured absolutely could represent the Eastern Conference in the Stanley Cup Final this year, but they're going to face a pretty challenging road in likely having to get past Boston or Tampa Bay or both first.X-factor: has looked to be on the cusp of turning into a rather special player over the last two years. His injuries last season probably stunted that timeline, however. With 31 points in 65 games last year, Galchenyuk showed flashes of the dynamic elements of his game. The Habs may try him at center some this year and see what he can do. A big step forward in Galchenyuk's third NHL season could really turn things up for Montreal offensively. Ottawa Senators2013-14 finish: 37-31-14 (5th in Atlantic, mi sed playoffs)Key additions: RW , C David LegwandKey lo ses: C , RW One big question: After losing franchise icons Daniel Alfred son and Jason Spezza in back-to-back years, the Senators are light on stars. They still have , of course, but after trading a sizable package for Bobby Ryan, the team needs to do whatever it can to keep the four-time 30-goal scorer. It appears likely that Ryan is going to go through the season without a new deal, which is going to be risky for Ottawa as the veteran winger heads towards unrestricted free agency. Building a level of comfort for both parties this season will be key, but if the Senators feel they can't get Ryan under contract, they may need to consider dealing him closer to the trading deadline to recoup something as they work towards restructuring their roster.2014-15 Outlook: The Senators' outlook is somewhat bleak. Having lost top-scoring forward Jason Spezza, there's a lot of production for Ottawa to replace without the personnel to really do it. There is some intrigue among Ottawa's forward group, though.The top line of Bobby Ryan and has a chance to do some special things this season as all three players bring a unique skill set to the table. They may not be as formidable as some of the other top lines around the league, but they are a really interesting group. Turris has to be the next great center for this franchise and he looks ready to take on that role now.There are some real concerns on the blue line, though. Karl son is one of the game's elite offensive defensemen, but the Sens allowed 34.7 shots on goal per game last year. That was second most in the league -- actually worse than the Buffalo Sabres. The forwards are at fault there, too, but this D corps does not strike a lot of fear in opposing forwards.That brings us to goaltending, which is going to be quite interesting for the Senators this year. is the incumbent starter who is now under contract for the next four years. will continue to try to unseat him. Neither was particularly great last season, though. Each has been good in their careers though. Getting back to that kind of level will go a long way for the Sens.The playoffs seem like a long shot with Ottawa unable to make any significant moves to improve their lineup despite losing a top performer like Spezza. If the goaltending and defense improves, however, there's a chance the Sens can at least stay in the postseason conversation late in the year. It's just hard to bank on that at this point.X-factor: This one comes back to Bobby Ryan again. The sniper didn't have his best year last season. He dealt with injuries and struggled to make the expected impact. With a clean slate and a contract year, Ryan may never have an opportunity as big as this one for the rest of his career. If he regains his 30-plus goal form, the veteran could stand to earn a sizable contract from the Senators or on the open market. The conditions are pretty solid for Ryan to have a big year. Tampa Bay Lightning2013-14 finish: 46-27-9 (2nd in Atlantic, eliminated by MTL in first round)Key additions: D , D , C , LW , C/W Jonathan DrouinKey lo ses: RW Teddy Purcell, G , LW Ryan Malone, D Sami Salo, C Nate ThompsonOne big question: When you look at the remarkable turnaround of the Lightning last season, Ben Bishop is probably the single biggest reason for it. In his first full year as a starter, Bishop put up incredible numbers with a 37-14-7 record, .924 save percentage, 2.23 goals-against average and five shutouts. He was a Vezina finalist and a top-10 finisher in Hart Trophy voting. Now the Lightning have an even better team in front of him. He doesn't have to be as remarkable as he was last year, but he'll absolutely need to be sharp. He'll also need to be healthy. Bishop got hurt at the worst po sible team last year and his health is an ongoing concern. The Lightning need him at full strength, but even if Bishop is remotely close to what he was last year, they could be one of the East's best teams.2014-15 Outlook: Tampa Bay might be the NHL's most exciting team heading into the season. A healthy , a fortified defense with offseason additions Anton Stralman and Jason Garrison and a cadre of young forwards with offensive potential are reason enough to a little giddy about what this team is going to look like next year.General manager Steve Yzerman addre sed the areas of weakne s that needed to be addre sed following the early playoff sweep at the hands of the Canadiens. The defense went from decent to really good this summer with Garrison and Stralman joining and .Yzerman also brought on some solid depth players in Brian Boyle and Brenden Morrow. With the addition of the game's top prospect Jonathan Drouin to the top six and expected big sophomore campaigns for Calder finalists and , there's strength in all four lines.Having one of the game's elite snipers in Stamkos for the full year, a suming he stays healthy, is going to make this team rather deadly. Could they contend for the Stanley Cup even? They sure look good enough on paper to do so.X-factor: What is Victor Hedman going to look like in this revamped defensive corps? He's going to look like a legit Norris Trophy contender, probably. After his ma sive 55-point season last year, Hedman is going to be in a really good position to build off of that in leading a deeper blue line. Now that there is depth on defense, Hedman can be used more selectively and that could lead to better numbers for him going forward. There's going to be le s dirty work for Hedman to take care of on his own now. Toronto Maple Leafs2013-14 finish: 38-36-8 (6th in Andreas Athanasiou Jersey Atlantic, mi sed playoffs)Key additions: D , D , LW , C Daniel Winnik, LW , C Key lo ses: LW Nikolai Kulemin, LW Mason Raymond, C Dave Bolland, D Carl Gunnar sonOne big question: The Maple Leafs made changes to the front office, they made changes to the coaching staff and they even revamped the lineup. So will any of it matter? The Maple Leafs were porous last season, allowing 360 more shot attempts against than the next closest team in the NHL. Fixing that problem is key. That is going to require a change in approach from head coach Randy Carlyle and better performances from pretty much every player in the lineup. The Leafs appear deeper this year, but it won't matter if the Leafs don't figure out why they were so porous last season.2014-15 Outlook: As noted, the Leafs made a lot of changes, but a lot of them were minor. The general manager and head coach kept their jobs when underlings were swept out. The top of the lineup also remains largely unchanged. So will there really be any difference this year? It's hard for there to expect it to be significant.The Maple Leafs boast one of the game's elite offensive talents in . also really came into his own last season as a legitimate top-line presence. There's debate about whether it should be or filling the top-line center role, but the fact remains that the Maple Leafs are without a legitimate No. 1 center at this point and that is unlikely to change. There's still potential in this forward group to make an impact this year, but there are some notable deficienciesDefensively, the Maple Leafs have to find a way to manage 's minutes better. His usage last season was probably counterproductive. They have had no choice but to play him against top lines in heavy minutes, but he's going to need help. Stephane Robidas and Roman Polak may help some, but the Leafs are going to want to see big time growth from and , who are the future of this team's blue line.Where the Maple Leafs can feel pretty confident is in net. is a legitimate No. 1 as was proven last year. Should he stay healthy, he is going to give the Leafs a chance at least (more on him in a bit).Looking at this Maple Leafs roster, you wonder if there were enough changes made to bring better results next season. I don't think it's cut-and-dried that they won't be better. There's some potential for big production from the top line again and if Bernier gets hot and stays hot, the Maple Leafs are absolutely in the playoff discu sion in the wide-open East.X-factor: Jonathan Bernier has the potential to be special this year. He's playing for a new contract, which the Leafs would be wise to get done sooner than later before the price goes way up. In his first year as a starter, Bernier had a .922 save percentage despite facing a barrage of shots. If the Leafs can somehow limit his work load with better defending and puck po se sion, they could be looking at even better results from the 26-year-old. Though he might have to carry the Leafs on his shoulders this year, Bernier just may be up to the task if he stays healthy.
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