Post by hockeyfreak (Hurricanes GM) on Aug 16, 2011 18:05:14 GMT -5
#15: Detroit Red Wings
The Wings left their team largely untouched over the off season, a decision that could prove very costly. With no big time scoring on their roster, the Wings dont appear to be in a position to make a run. Their biggest offensive threat may very well come from their blueline in Erik Karlsson. If such is the case, the Red Wings could be in for a disappointing season.
#14: New Jersey Devils
Making a big splash this summer by acquiring Rick Nash, the Devils are poised to make a playoff run. With another year of experience for Victor Hedman and Adam Larsson, the Devils could be a surprise team. Scoring depth could be an issue, but as long as Nash plays like the franchise forward that he is, the Devils should be able to ride their defense to a playoff birth.
#13: Buffalo Sabres
Trading Tyler Seguin and Brayden Schenn was a gutsy move, butif Kovalchuk can pay off, the Sabres one be missing them. Still very shaky in net, but anything should be an upgrade to Patrick Lalime last season. No standout defenders here, but they do have the luxury of rolling six top 4 defenders.
#12: Boston Bruins
The Bruins have maintained their plan, and with one year under their belt, they could make some noise this season. They have a very potent top 6 up front, and a defense led by Zdeno Chara can always do some damage. With Jonathan Blum ready to make his presence known, the Bruins are in a position to take a major step forward. If Tuukka Rask has a good season, the Bruins could be a major dark horse candidate this year.
#11: Pittsburgh Penguins
The Penguins find themselves Malkinless this season, and I am not sure I like that decision. However, they are a very well rounded team and they feature an extremely strong defensive core led by Marc Staal and Karl Alzner. Despite losing Crosby and Malkin, Patrick Kane and Eric Staal are extremely capable replacements. The Pens will still have to prove that they werent a two player team. Without much scoring support behind their top line, there are still many questions left to be asked regarding the Penguins.
#10: San Jose Sharks
The Sharks paid a massive price to land Simon Gagne this summer, but the management team is confident in the group they have compiled going forward. With a well rounded top 6 and a strong core on the backend, the Sharks hope to improve on a disappointing 2011-12 season that saw them missing the playoffs. This year, making the playoffs shouldnt be the issue so much as making some noise once they're there.
#9: Carolina Hurricanes
The Canes dealt an entire top line this summer in Zach Parise, Danny Briere and Rick Nash. In return comes Loui Eriksson, Mike Ribeiro, Tomas Plekanec and Nick Ebert. On paper it would appear as though the Hurricanes lost a lot of the punch that made them favorites last season, but Hurricanes management maintains that they hope to play a more defensive system this year. The Hurricanes could go either way at this point, but they are certainly not as sure a thing as they were last season.
#8: Toronto Maple Leafs
The Leafs featured some truly spectacular performances last season from Andrei Kostistyn, Marty St. Louis and Phil Kessel. Well, now St. Louis is gone, and it is up to Kostitsyn and Kessel to prove that they were no fluke. It remains to be seen whether or not they will be up to the challenge. A similarly dominant campaign shouldnt be expected but there's no reason to doubt that this team could win the Northeast once again.
#7: New York Islanders
The Islanders have made a strong case for themselves this summer and there seems to be an endless line of youth flowing through the system. Led by Jamie Benn, and Jordan Staal up front with Erik Johnson and Travis Hamonic on the back end, the Islanders could be a surprise team this year. If they could improve their defensive depth, I would go as far as to say that they could challenge the Flyers for the Atlantic division.
#6: Vancouver Canucks
The Canucks, while still living off the glory of their previous management, feature a deep and powerful offensive core led by the Sedin twins and Ryan Kesler. Supported by the Dustin Byfuglien himself on the blueline, it is very difficult to find any holes in the Canucks line up. A run to the WCF last season will be difficult to duplicate, but they certainly have the talent to do so.
#5: St. Louis Blues
By far the most complete team in the league, what the Blues lack in star power, they more than make up for in depth. With the acquisition of Johan Franzen and James Neal, the Blues are poised to improve on a season that saw them come in 4th in the league. The Blues are a team built for post season success, and that's all that GM PR99 should care about.
#4: Philadelphia Flyers
With a stacked D core led by Shea Weber, Andrej Meszaros and Kris Letang, the Flyers are one of the heavy favorites to make a real run next year. With a disappointing loss to the Hurricanes in the first round, the Flyers have beefed up their two way play by acquiring Jonathan Toews. If Toews can provide the clutch playoff abliilty that we know he has, the Flyers could find themselves a trip to the SCF.
#3: Los Angeles Kings
The Stanley Cup finalist Kings didnt make many moves in the off season, but when you have a team that worked as well as the Kings did last season, it would seem illogical to fix something that isnt broken. The Kings will keep their core together in Anze Kopitar, Mike Richards, Dustin Brown and Drew Doughty, and that is more than okay given what they accomplished last season.
#2: Chicago Blackhawks
The Hawks took huge strides this summer acquiring Nicklas Backstrom, Dan Girardi and Travis Zajac. Giving up Jonathan Toews is difficult to swallow, but Nicklas Backstrom provides most of the difference and with a top shut down defender in Girardi, the Hawks have become a much more well rounded team. Having Joe Thornton on the second line is a luxury not many other teams can boast, and that is the kind of center depth that wins teams Cups.
#1: Washington Capitals
The Stanleu Cup champs havent taken a step back. In fact, the Caps werent even content and took quite a few steps forward next year acquiring franchise defender PK Subban to join their D core. Having locked up Mike Green for the next decade, the Caps could very well have the makings of a dynasty if they can retain some key players whose contracts are expiring next summer. There's no reason to expect the Caps cant repeat their magic of 2012.
The Wings left their team largely untouched over the off season, a decision that could prove very costly. With no big time scoring on their roster, the Wings dont appear to be in a position to make a run. Their biggest offensive threat may very well come from their blueline in Erik Karlsson. If such is the case, the Red Wings could be in for a disappointing season.
#14: New Jersey Devils
Making a big splash this summer by acquiring Rick Nash, the Devils are poised to make a playoff run. With another year of experience for Victor Hedman and Adam Larsson, the Devils could be a surprise team. Scoring depth could be an issue, but as long as Nash plays like the franchise forward that he is, the Devils should be able to ride their defense to a playoff birth.
#13: Buffalo Sabres
Trading Tyler Seguin and Brayden Schenn was a gutsy move, butif Kovalchuk can pay off, the Sabres one be missing them. Still very shaky in net, but anything should be an upgrade to Patrick Lalime last season. No standout defenders here, but they do have the luxury of rolling six top 4 defenders.
#12: Boston Bruins
The Bruins have maintained their plan, and with one year under their belt, they could make some noise this season. They have a very potent top 6 up front, and a defense led by Zdeno Chara can always do some damage. With Jonathan Blum ready to make his presence known, the Bruins are in a position to take a major step forward. If Tuukka Rask has a good season, the Bruins could be a major dark horse candidate this year.
#11: Pittsburgh Penguins
The Penguins find themselves Malkinless this season, and I am not sure I like that decision. However, they are a very well rounded team and they feature an extremely strong defensive core led by Marc Staal and Karl Alzner. Despite losing Crosby and Malkin, Patrick Kane and Eric Staal are extremely capable replacements. The Pens will still have to prove that they werent a two player team. Without much scoring support behind their top line, there are still many questions left to be asked regarding the Penguins.
#10: San Jose Sharks
The Sharks paid a massive price to land Simon Gagne this summer, but the management team is confident in the group they have compiled going forward. With a well rounded top 6 and a strong core on the backend, the Sharks hope to improve on a disappointing 2011-12 season that saw them missing the playoffs. This year, making the playoffs shouldnt be the issue so much as making some noise once they're there.
#9: Carolina Hurricanes
The Canes dealt an entire top line this summer in Zach Parise, Danny Briere and Rick Nash. In return comes Loui Eriksson, Mike Ribeiro, Tomas Plekanec and Nick Ebert. On paper it would appear as though the Hurricanes lost a lot of the punch that made them favorites last season, but Hurricanes management maintains that they hope to play a more defensive system this year. The Hurricanes could go either way at this point, but they are certainly not as sure a thing as they were last season.
#8: Toronto Maple Leafs
The Leafs featured some truly spectacular performances last season from Andrei Kostistyn, Marty St. Louis and Phil Kessel. Well, now St. Louis is gone, and it is up to Kostitsyn and Kessel to prove that they were no fluke. It remains to be seen whether or not they will be up to the challenge. A similarly dominant campaign shouldnt be expected but there's no reason to doubt that this team could win the Northeast once again.
#7: New York Islanders
The Islanders have made a strong case for themselves this summer and there seems to be an endless line of youth flowing through the system. Led by Jamie Benn, and Jordan Staal up front with Erik Johnson and Travis Hamonic on the back end, the Islanders could be a surprise team this year. If they could improve their defensive depth, I would go as far as to say that they could challenge the Flyers for the Atlantic division.
#6: Vancouver Canucks
The Canucks, while still living off the glory of their previous management, feature a deep and powerful offensive core led by the Sedin twins and Ryan Kesler. Supported by the Dustin Byfuglien himself on the blueline, it is very difficult to find any holes in the Canucks line up. A run to the WCF last season will be difficult to duplicate, but they certainly have the talent to do so.
#5: St. Louis Blues
By far the most complete team in the league, what the Blues lack in star power, they more than make up for in depth. With the acquisition of Johan Franzen and James Neal, the Blues are poised to improve on a season that saw them come in 4th in the league. The Blues are a team built for post season success, and that's all that GM PR99 should care about.
#4: Philadelphia Flyers
With a stacked D core led by Shea Weber, Andrej Meszaros and Kris Letang, the Flyers are one of the heavy favorites to make a real run next year. With a disappointing loss to the Hurricanes in the first round, the Flyers have beefed up their two way play by acquiring Jonathan Toews. If Toews can provide the clutch playoff abliilty that we know he has, the Flyers could find themselves a trip to the SCF.
#3: Los Angeles Kings
The Stanley Cup finalist Kings didnt make many moves in the off season, but when you have a team that worked as well as the Kings did last season, it would seem illogical to fix something that isnt broken. The Kings will keep their core together in Anze Kopitar, Mike Richards, Dustin Brown and Drew Doughty, and that is more than okay given what they accomplished last season.
#2: Chicago Blackhawks
The Hawks took huge strides this summer acquiring Nicklas Backstrom, Dan Girardi and Travis Zajac. Giving up Jonathan Toews is difficult to swallow, but Nicklas Backstrom provides most of the difference and with a top shut down defender in Girardi, the Hawks have become a much more well rounded team. Having Joe Thornton on the second line is a luxury not many other teams can boast, and that is the kind of center depth that wins teams Cups.
#1: Washington Capitals
The Stanleu Cup champs havent taken a step back. In fact, the Caps werent even content and took quite a few steps forward next year acquiring franchise defender PK Subban to join their D core. Having locked up Mike Green for the next decade, the Caps could very well have the makings of a dynasty if they can retain some key players whose contracts are expiring next summer. There's no reason to expect the Caps cant repeat their magic of 2012.