Showing posts with label Eastern Conference. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Eastern Conference. Show all posts
Monday, November 3, 2008
Monthly Evaluation: Eastern Creme de la Creme
New York Rangers (10-3-1): I was never a Sather fan but I must admit he has built a very strong team in New York. The production of Jagr & Shanahan has been replaced and the bluieshirts can now count on two good offensive lines and two strong checking lines.
There are however a few dark clouds on the horizons: 1- Chris Drury is paid way too much to be a 3rd line center with 30 points a year but even more important is the minimal cap space available next summer, the same summer both Zherdev and Dubinsky become restricted free agents. Can the Rangers afford to lose those two young guns? Who will be sacrificed to keep them in the fold?
The defense is a nice mix of developing young talent (Girardi & Stall) and serviceable yet underachieving veterans (Redden, Kalinin & Mara) which accomplish enough to protect one of the best goaltender in the league in Henrik Lundqvist. Whispers of ankle troubles were worrisome in training camp but so far, the swedish man is been dominant for the Rangers.
Rating: A
Outlook: same
Montreal (8-1-1): With 4 games in hand and only 4 points behind New York, the Canadiens may well be in first place quite shortly and very few people would be surprised. This team is talented top to bottom and some players struggling for ice team in Montreal would be 2nd liners in other towns.
There is so much speed among those forwards and coupled with an extremely effective backcheck, it makes the Canadiens one of the hardest team to play against.
The defense is anchored by two veterans but there are a whole bunch of young extremely talented guys right behind them to provide steady help to the young goaltenders.
I was critical of Price last year, mostly of what I perceived as bad technique on lateral movement and a very slow glove hand but the kid seems to always find a way to stop the puck and he has been exceptional so far this year.
Halak has also played great and I cannot believe a team in need of goaltending has not made an offer Gainey could not refuse for him. The guy is young and looks like he has the tools to be a very good goalie in the league.
Gainey is the slow and steady improvement type but there has to be some crazy spark all over the Habs front office about going all the way in this 100th year.
Rating: A
Outlook: going up (there is still improvement to be had here)
Carolina (6-3-2): The affirmative action program of the NHL, the SouthEast division, once again propulses a middle of the road team to 3rd place.
Once old-timers Whitney & Brind'Amour retires, Eric Staal is going to feel extremely lonely on this team. There is a complete void of offensive talent and the prospect list is short too.
The defense is also awful to watch and lacks in talent and prospects (unless 28 year old Seidenberg is your idea of a talented prospect). Good thing Cam Ward is over his sophomore slump and playing so well or this team would be fighting with Florida for the 13th spot.
Rating: A
Outlook: going down
Buffalo (7-2-2): It took some time to get over all those free agent departures but this pesky ultra speedy team is back on track.
Vanek leads the league in goals and a lazy shift cannot be found anywhere on this team.
Ryan Miller is up to this usual tricks in goal and makes a weirdly constructed defensive squad look better than they are.
Rating: B
Outlook: same
Boston (6-3-3): Another rebuilding process going well. With Savard, Chara, Ryder and Wideman, the Bruins are adding nice pieces to their homegrown talent of Bergeron, Kessel, Lucic and Krejci.
Some more pieces are needed, especially on the blueline (Aaron Ward & Andrew Ference should enver be playing 20mins a night) but there is a very interesting core in Boston.
It will tough to keep this 5th place in the competitive Eastern Conference especially since Tim Thomas will not be able to keep that .944 save percentage all year but the Bruins have the talent to clinch one of the last playoff spots available.
Rating: B
Outlook: same
Monthly Evaluation: Eastern Meddling Middle
New Jersey: Where would this team be without Parise & Brodeur? The greatest goaltender in the history of the NHL, Brodeur is not letting up as he gets up in age, having played in all 10 games of his team and sporting a nasty 2.16 GAA with 2 shutouts. And that is a good thing too as this team is not generating much offense. Parise has elevated his game and is among the league leaders with 9 goals and 14 points but this group of forwards scare very few in the league.
Greene, Martin, Oduya, White, Mottau & Salvador form a nice group that appears better than they are due to stellar goaltending behind them.
It's hard to see this group win the Atlantic but it's also hard to see them slip down much. This is a hard working group that belongs right there in the middle of the pack.
Rating: C
Outlook: same
Pittsburgh: What does that tell you when a team has the best goalie in the league (so far) and 2 of the top 3 point leaders and is 7th in the conference standings? Something will need to be done to find wingers for Crosby & Malkin! and not bottom shelf free agency pick ups like Satan & Fedetenko (shouldn't the fact the Islanders didn't want them tell you something???). Jordan Staal doesn't appear ready to resign before reaching restricted free agency next summer so it would be wise to see what type of return he may bring before Carolina or another team lays out a long heavy-handed contract for him.
On the back end, youngsters Letang & Goligoski are picking up the slack for injured Gonchar but this team will need better stay-at-home defensemen than Hal Gill, Eaton & Scuderi to be considered a complete team. Especially with smallish, offensive-minded guys like Gonchar, Letang & Goligoski, this team will need some strong complements to provide some support to Fleury, even though the young goaltending finally seems to blossom into one of the elite.
Rating: D-
Outlook: going up
Toronto: This is simply unbelievable. How can this team be 5-4-3 and 8th in the Conference?? Noone has more than 9 points, the goalies are not even over .900 in save percentage & Dominic Moore is playing 16mins a night.
Ron Wilson deserves some serious credit for turning this team into a tough opponent. It seems to be a case of Buffalo jr with all lines contributing their little bit with the team somehow finding a way to win.
I really doubt this will continue though. Goal differential (34 goals for, 41 against) do show that there is a far amount of luck and "good breaks" which tend to disapear as things get heated and the season progresses.
Still a great step in the right direction for the Leafs... unless it turns management's head and they think they have the makeup of a contender and move away from the rebuilding process.
Rating: A
Outlook: way down
Washington: Weren't the Caps supposed to run over the SouthEast this year? Maybe once Ovechkin gets back on track and decides to score more goals than Dave Steckel but this is a team with many holes. Semin & Green have been great but there is flagrant lack of talent at the forward position. Fleischmann, Gordon, Steckel, Fehr, Bradley have all shown some nice potential but seem unable to get over the hump and produce at the NHL level.
The defense corps has the makings of a nice group with Green, Schultz & Erskine but some serious talent will need to be added if the goaltending situation is not addressed. The Theodore signing which looked like a passable yet desperate move in August is now looking like the mistake of the year, Free Agency wise. The Caps would have been better saving that money and going with Brent Johnson until the kids grow up or a better option appears.
Missing the playoffs would be extremely disapointing for last year's Cinderella team.
Rating: D
Outlook: going up
Tampa Bay: The simple fact a team coached by Barry Melrose has more than 1 win is quite an accomplishment and should warrant an A rating! Regardless of their weird coaching choice, I like the retooling done by the Lightning.
They lack some toughness but can roll out 4 good lines, 3 of them extremely quick on their feet which affects opposing defense more than it may appear too.
The defense group is quite .... let's go with non-descript to stay polite. The group is however mobile and has the ability to make a good first pass out of the zone which might be all that is needed if Mike Smith continues with his .941 save percentage!
Tampa might end up battling for the Southweak division title but I think a hard battle for the 8th spot is where they will end out.
Rating: C
Outlook: same
Greene, Martin, Oduya, White, Mottau & Salvador form a nice group that appears better than they are due to stellar goaltending behind them.
It's hard to see this group win the Atlantic but it's also hard to see them slip down much. This is a hard working group that belongs right there in the middle of the pack.
Rating: C
Outlook: same
Pittsburgh: What does that tell you when a team has the best goalie in the league (so far) and 2 of the top 3 point leaders and is 7th in the conference standings? Something will need to be done to find wingers for Crosby & Malkin! and not bottom shelf free agency pick ups like Satan & Fedetenko (shouldn't the fact the Islanders didn't want them tell you something???). Jordan Staal doesn't appear ready to resign before reaching restricted free agency next summer so it would be wise to see what type of return he may bring before Carolina or another team lays out a long heavy-handed contract for him.
On the back end, youngsters Letang & Goligoski are picking up the slack for injured Gonchar but this team will need better stay-at-home defensemen than Hal Gill, Eaton & Scuderi to be considered a complete team. Especially with smallish, offensive-minded guys like Gonchar, Letang & Goligoski, this team will need some strong complements to provide some support to Fleury, even though the young goaltending finally seems to blossom into one of the elite.
Rating: D-
Outlook: going up
Toronto: This is simply unbelievable. How can this team be 5-4-3 and 8th in the Conference?? Noone has more than 9 points, the goalies are not even over .900 in save percentage & Dominic Moore is playing 16mins a night.
Ron Wilson deserves some serious credit for turning this team into a tough opponent. It seems to be a case of Buffalo jr with all lines contributing their little bit with the team somehow finding a way to win.
I really doubt this will continue though. Goal differential (34 goals for, 41 against) do show that there is a far amount of luck and "good breaks" which tend to disapear as things get heated and the season progresses.
Still a great step in the right direction for the Leafs... unless it turns management's head and they think they have the makeup of a contender and move away from the rebuilding process.
Rating: A
Outlook: way down
Washington: Weren't the Caps supposed to run over the SouthEast this year? Maybe once Ovechkin gets back on track and decides to score more goals than Dave Steckel but this is a team with many holes. Semin & Green have been great but there is flagrant lack of talent at the forward position. Fleischmann, Gordon, Steckel, Fehr, Bradley have all shown some nice potential but seem unable to get over the hump and produce at the NHL level.
The defense corps has the makings of a nice group with Green, Schultz & Erskine but some serious talent will need to be added if the goaltending situation is not addressed. The Theodore signing which looked like a passable yet desperate move in August is now looking like the mistake of the year, Free Agency wise. The Caps would have been better saving that money and going with Brent Johnson until the kids grow up or a better option appears.
Missing the playoffs would be extremely disapointing for last year's Cinderella team.
Rating: D
Outlook: going up
Tampa Bay: The simple fact a team coached by Barry Melrose has more than 1 win is quite an accomplishment and should warrant an A rating! Regardless of their weird coaching choice, I like the retooling done by the Lightning.
They lack some toughness but can roll out 4 good lines, 3 of them extremely quick on their feet which affects opposing defense more than it may appear too.
The defense group is quite .... let's go with non-descript to stay polite. The group is however mobile and has the ability to make a good first pass out of the zone which might be all that is needed if Mike Smith continues with his .941 save percentage!
Tampa might end up battling for the Southweak division title but I think a hard battle for the 8th spot is where they will end out.
Rating: C
Outlook: same
Monthly Evaluation: Eastern Bottom Feeders
Philadelphia: After an awful start, the Flyers are slowly coming alive but the team still has many question marks. Offense is however not the issue. With Richards, Gagné, Carter, Briere & Knuble all over a point a game, Philly has two productive and disruptive lines. The rest of the forward group is full of tough hard working complimentary players who understand their role.
Defense is obviously the biggest issue with this team. Even though his play improved last year, the injury to Derian Hatcher is probably a good thing long term as it cleared not only a big salary but a spot for an improving youngster. The Flyers will however need some serious improvement from those young guys as the current squad is average at best. Timonen, Coburn & Vaananen have been playing well but none of them is a workhorse that can carry the whole team on their backs. Acquired during the offseason, Steve Eminger is continuing his mediocre play and proving day after day that he will never reach the high expectations placed on him.
The one bright spot has been the play of 2008 1st round pick Luca Sbisa, a 6’2 Italian defenseman who is leading all Flyers defenseman at 18 years old with 6 points in 11 games.
I warned Flyers’ fans when they acquired Biron that this would not solve their decade long search in goal. Biron is inconsistent, prone to slumps and not technically gifted. Biron is floating around in that no man’s land between backup and solid goalie. A platoon with another 1B goalie might be the best situation to bring out the talent of Biron. Nittymaki has been playing better than Biron but .904 is still not that great. The Flyers have the weakest goaltending in a strong Atlantic division.
The Flyers should fight once again for one of the last few playoffs places and all will depends on their health and how well their young defense holds up in front of average goaltending.
Rating: D
Outlook: going up
Ottawa: What is going on at the Ontario-Quebec border??? I need to watch more Senators games to understand how this team ends up with only 10 points in 11 games and is last in the NorthEast division.
This team is built the same way as the Canucks’ teams of the early 00s: the best #1 line in the league then a wasteland of marginal players with a few nice pieces on the backend and a big hole in goal. Heatley, Spezza & Alfredsson are premium players but simply cannot produce all the offense every night. Someone out of Vermette, Donovan, Foligno, Fisher & Neil needs to get things going, if only to distract the opposition and give a breather to the big guns.
The defense with Kuba, Volchenkov, Phillips & Picard is not spectacular but efficient and should be good enough with such an offense.
The main issue is of course in goal where the Senators are among the 3 weakest teams of the whole league. Gerber seems to deliver only when slated as the backup but falters everytime a team trusts him with their number one spot. That seesaw play is extremely difficult on a team’s morale and I cannot imagine a team making it far with such a troubling point behind them. Auld has been playing well so far (2.31 and .931 in 6 games) but as a Vancouver resident who watched him for a few years, I doubt he will be able to maintain that pace.
Apart of that strong start of Auld, the expected production of the big 3 and the nice production (12 assists in 11 games) of Filip Kuba, there is extremely little positive to be found on this team. Melnyk made the wrong call: Murray should have been let go and Muckler kept around.
Unless something major happens, I don’t see the Senators making much progress and they will need to battle hard to get one of the last playoff spots.
Rating: F –
Outlook:going down
Florida: Is there any chance Bouwmeester will resign with that group?? Not that the new coming of Chris Pronger has been playing that well but he will still be much sought after and the chances of winning seem higher in probably 28 or 29 other cities than Miami right now.
There are a few good pieces with Horton, Booth, Weiss and Keith Ballard leading all Panthers with 10 pts in 11 games, showing how talent can be hidden and buried behind veterans.
Jacques Martin might have his detractors around the league but he is getting some nice assets for his veteran players: For a past due date and mentally unstable Bertuzzi, he acquired Shawn Matthias who is looking like he might become a good big 2nd or 3rd line centerman… and now Ballard for Jokinen. I have to say that I prefer the package the Panthers got for Jokinen than what Atlanta ended up with for Hossa.
To get back to this 4-6-1 team, the talent level is weak at forward and defense and the mediocre veterans peppered through the lineup are simply not the type of players to elevate the team and their younger teammates to contention. This lineup should be dismantled, veterans traded away and a 3-5 year plan put in place to compete in 2012 or so. Even Vokoun should be traded while he has some value. Craig Anderson has not been playing much but his stats look very good and this is the perfect team to give an unhyped goalie a chance to develop and raise his game.
There are a few good young players on this team but this is not the year things will happen. Chances to make the playoffs are slim to none.
Rating: D
Outlook: same
Atlanta: Not to bash on a team when it’s down… but when Todd White is leading your team in points, you can be considered an awful team, even more awful than a 3-7-2 record indicates.
Similar to Florida, the Thrashers have a superstar closing in on Free Agency (Summer 2010 for Kovalchuk) and little except money to entice him to resign. Bryan Little has been playing great so far (6 goals in 12 games) but there isn’t much offensive talent behind.
Atlanta got many pieces in the Hossa trade last year at the trade deadline but the 1st round pick and Esposito (himself a first rounder) will be more important that the meddling 2nd liners they received. This team lacks firepower, identity and purpose… on top of new ownership as I discussed previously!
Do we rebuild with or without Kovalchuk will be the most important question this year in Atlanta but that will not affect the play on the ice: that will stay awful.
Rating: D-
Outlook: going down
New York Islanders: The Islanders have met all expectations so far by easily winning the much coveted chase for the last place of the Eastern Conference. 5 pts in 10 games… you can’t ask much more than that!
This team going nowhere continues to give the most ice time to veterans Weight, Comrie, Streit and Guerin while showing a lack of confidence in their young talent like Hunter, Nielsen, Bergenheim, Okposo and Tambellini. Another example of a team unwilling to rebuild through youth and grabbing whatever is left over in Free Agency.
However, on an alarming note, this is not even the most troubling issue right now in Uniondale. The physical condition of Rick DiPietro is much more important to this team. The Isle lifetimer cannot seem to be able to stay healthy, a scary thought with his untradeable and unboughtable contract.
There is very little to cheer about on Long Island right now and the rest of the season will not change that.
Rating: F
Outlook: same
Defense is obviously the biggest issue with this team. Even though his play improved last year, the injury to Derian Hatcher is probably a good thing long term as it cleared not only a big salary but a spot for an improving youngster. The Flyers will however need some serious improvement from those young guys as the current squad is average at best. Timonen, Coburn & Vaananen have been playing well but none of them is a workhorse that can carry the whole team on their backs. Acquired during the offseason, Steve Eminger is continuing his mediocre play and proving day after day that he will never reach the high expectations placed on him.
The one bright spot has been the play of 2008 1st round pick Luca Sbisa, a 6’2 Italian defenseman who is leading all Flyers defenseman at 18 years old with 6 points in 11 games.
I warned Flyers’ fans when they acquired Biron that this would not solve their decade long search in goal. Biron is inconsistent, prone to slumps and not technically gifted. Biron is floating around in that no man’s land between backup and solid goalie. A platoon with another 1B goalie might be the best situation to bring out the talent of Biron. Nittymaki has been playing better than Biron but .904 is still not that great. The Flyers have the weakest goaltending in a strong Atlantic division.
The Flyers should fight once again for one of the last few playoffs places and all will depends on their health and how well their young defense holds up in front of average goaltending.
Rating: D
Outlook: going up
Ottawa: What is going on at the Ontario-Quebec border??? I need to watch more Senators games to understand how this team ends up with only 10 points in 11 games and is last in the NorthEast division.
This team is built the same way as the Canucks’ teams of the early 00s: the best #1 line in the league then a wasteland of marginal players with a few nice pieces on the backend and a big hole in goal. Heatley, Spezza & Alfredsson are premium players but simply cannot produce all the offense every night. Someone out of Vermette, Donovan, Foligno, Fisher & Neil needs to get things going, if only to distract the opposition and give a breather to the big guns.
The defense with Kuba, Volchenkov, Phillips & Picard is not spectacular but efficient and should be good enough with such an offense.
The main issue is of course in goal where the Senators are among the 3 weakest teams of the whole league. Gerber seems to deliver only when slated as the backup but falters everytime a team trusts him with their number one spot. That seesaw play is extremely difficult on a team’s morale and I cannot imagine a team making it far with such a troubling point behind them. Auld has been playing well so far (2.31 and .931 in 6 games) but as a Vancouver resident who watched him for a few years, I doubt he will be able to maintain that pace.
Apart of that strong start of Auld, the expected production of the big 3 and the nice production (12 assists in 11 games) of Filip Kuba, there is extremely little positive to be found on this team. Melnyk made the wrong call: Murray should have been let go and Muckler kept around.
Unless something major happens, I don’t see the Senators making much progress and they will need to battle hard to get one of the last playoff spots.
Rating: F –
Outlook:going down
Florida: Is there any chance Bouwmeester will resign with that group?? Not that the new coming of Chris Pronger has been playing that well but he will still be much sought after and the chances of winning seem higher in probably 28 or 29 other cities than Miami right now.
There are a few good pieces with Horton, Booth, Weiss and Keith Ballard leading all Panthers with 10 pts in 11 games, showing how talent can be hidden and buried behind veterans.
Jacques Martin might have his detractors around the league but he is getting some nice assets for his veteran players: For a past due date and mentally unstable Bertuzzi, he acquired Shawn Matthias who is looking like he might become a good big 2nd or 3rd line centerman… and now Ballard for Jokinen. I have to say that I prefer the package the Panthers got for Jokinen than what Atlanta ended up with for Hossa.
To get back to this 4-6-1 team, the talent level is weak at forward and defense and the mediocre veterans peppered through the lineup are simply not the type of players to elevate the team and their younger teammates to contention. This lineup should be dismantled, veterans traded away and a 3-5 year plan put in place to compete in 2012 or so. Even Vokoun should be traded while he has some value. Craig Anderson has not been playing much but his stats look very good and this is the perfect team to give an unhyped goalie a chance to develop and raise his game.
There are a few good young players on this team but this is not the year things will happen. Chances to make the playoffs are slim to none.
Rating: D
Outlook: same
Atlanta: Not to bash on a team when it’s down… but when Todd White is leading your team in points, you can be considered an awful team, even more awful than a 3-7-2 record indicates.
Similar to Florida, the Thrashers have a superstar closing in on Free Agency (Summer 2010 for Kovalchuk) and little except money to entice him to resign. Bryan Little has been playing great so far (6 goals in 12 games) but there isn’t much offensive talent behind.
Atlanta got many pieces in the Hossa trade last year at the trade deadline but the 1st round pick and Esposito (himself a first rounder) will be more important that the meddling 2nd liners they received. This team lacks firepower, identity and purpose… on top of new ownership as I discussed previously!
Do we rebuild with or without Kovalchuk will be the most important question this year in Atlanta but that will not affect the play on the ice: that will stay awful.
Rating: D-
Outlook: going down
New York Islanders: The Islanders have met all expectations so far by easily winning the much coveted chase for the last place of the Eastern Conference. 5 pts in 10 games… you can’t ask much more than that!
This team going nowhere continues to give the most ice time to veterans Weight, Comrie, Streit and Guerin while showing a lack of confidence in their young talent like Hunter, Nielsen, Bergenheim, Okposo and Tambellini. Another example of a team unwilling to rebuild through youth and grabbing whatever is left over in Free Agency.
However, on an alarming note, this is not even the most troubling issue right now in Uniondale. The physical condition of Rick DiPietro is much more important to this team. The Isle lifetimer cannot seem to be able to stay healthy, a scary thought with his untradeable and unboughtable contract.
There is very little to cheer about on Long Island right now and the rest of the season will not change that.
Rating: F
Outlook: same
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