Season Preview-Atlantic Division

1. PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

Last Season: 49-25-8, 106 points. 4th in Conference (2nd in Div.)-Lost in Conference Quarterfinal vs. TBL

Key Gains: Steve Sullivan, Jason Williams

Key Losses: Maxime Talbot, Mike Rupp, Chris Conner

Coach: Dan Bylsma

Forward Lines: 1. Chris Kunitz, Sidney Crosby, Pascal Dupuis

                         2. James Neal, Evgeni Malkin, Steve Sullivan*

                         3. Matt Cooke, Jordan Staal, Tyler Kennedy

                         4. Dustin Jeffrey, Marc Letestu, Joe Vitale

Defensive Pairings: 1. Kris Letang, Brooks Orpik

                                2. Paul Martin, Zbynek Michalek

                                3. Matt Niskanen, Ben Lovejoy

Goalie Tandem: Marc-Andre Fleury, Brent Johnson

Analysis: This was a tough choice between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia for top team in the division. Both teams are extremely deep and talented in every facet of the game. But when it comes down to it, my reasoning for choosing Pittsburgh is what the Penguins did last season. While missing both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin for the entire second half of the season, the Penguins stilled finished the season with their second highest win total in team history, and had the same amount of points as the division leading Flyers. If they were that good with a mediocre offensive lineup, imagine what they'll be like with Crosby and Malkin back in the lineup. It is still uncertain as to when Crosby will return, but adding the Art Ross caliber talent of Evgeni Malkin will provide enough of a spark as it is. Scoring from the wings will, as usual, be the one thing lacking from the Penguins this year.

2. PHILADELPHIA FLYERS

Last Season: 47-23-12, 106 points. 2nd in Conference (1st in Div.)-Lost in Conference Semifinal vs. BOS

Key Gains: Jakub Voracek, Maxime Talbot, Andreas Lilja, Wayne Simmonds, Brayden Schenn, Ilya Bryzgalov

Key Losses: Ville Leino, Daniel Carcillo, Brian Boucher, Darroll Powe, Sean O'Donnell, Jeff Carter, Mike Richards, Kris Versteeg, Blair Betts

Coach: Peter Laviolette

Forward Lines: 1. Scott Hartnell, Danny Briere, Jaromir Jagr*

                        2. James van Riemsdyk, Brayden Schenn*, Claude Giroux

                        3. Jakub Voracek*, Sean Couturier, Matt Read
                        4. Andreas Nodl, Maxime Talbot*, Wayne Simmonds*

Defensive Pairings: 1. Chris Pronger, Kimmo Timonen

                             2. Matt Carle, Andrej Meszaros

                             3. Braydon Coburn, Andreas Lilja*

Goalie Tandem: Ilya Bryzgalov, Sergei Bobrovsky

Analysis: After a season which saw them stay atop the Eastern Conference for most of the year, the Flyers were swept in the second round of the playoffs by the Bruins thanks to their game of musical chairs in net. The first major move they made in the off-season was to correct their long-standing net issues by acquiring Ilya Bryzgalov from Phoenix. Many question how he will fare in Philly, but keep in mind that he has put together stellar, Vezina-caliber seasons behind a team that is really not very good. Imagine what difference he will make with a team that has as much talent as the Flyers. The Flyers continued a questionable array of salary dumping moves, shipping off Captain Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, and Kris Versteeg to L.A., Columbus, and Florida respectively, but their adequate gains from these deals mixed with the presence of Bryzgalov and a healthy Chris Pronger will make the Flyers extremely tough to beat. They are not as talented as the Penguins down the middle, but their scoring ability from the wings is far superior, and they WILL be deep at center within a few years thanks to the acquisitions of Brayden Schenn and the 8th overall pick from Columbus which they used to draft Sean Couturier.

3. NEW YORK RANGERS

Last Season: 44-33-5, 93 points. 8th in Conference (3rd in Div.)-Lost in Conference Quarterfinal vs. WSH

Key Gains: Brad Richards, Mike Rupp

Key Losses: Matt Gilroy, Sean Avery, Vinny Prospal, Bryan McCabe

Coach: John Tortorella

Forward Lines: 1. Ruslan Fedotenko, Brad Richards*, Marian Gaborik

                        2. Wojtek Wolski, Brandon Dubinsky, Ryan Callahan

                        3. Artem Anisimov, Brian Boyle, Derek Stepan

                        4. Mats Zuccarello, Mike Rupp*, Erik Christensen

Defensive Pairings: 1. Marc Staal, Dan Girardi

                             2. Michael Sauer, Ryan McDonagh

                             3. Steve Eminger, Michael del Zotto

Goalie Tandem: Henrik Lundqvist, Martin Biron

Analysis: The Rangers are definitely a better team then they were last year with the addition of Brad Richards. He should spark Marian Gaborik back into 40, even 50, goal form if he can stay healthy. The rest of the lineup is extremely deep with 20-goal talent. Henrik Lundqvist is perennially a top-5 goaltender, which makes up a little bit for the fact that the Rangers are not very deep on defense. All-around, this should be a very good team. But they are in a division with two powerhouse teams, and their habit of choking despite owning high-priced talent makes me hesitant to say they will go very far into the playoffs, despite their very obvious reasons for signing Richards (who is a former Conn Smythe trophy winner) and Rupp (who scored a Cup winning goal for the Devils), as well as resigning Ruslan Fedotenko (who scored two goals in Game 7 when Richards won the Cup with the Lightning and Tortorella).

4. NEW YORK ISLANDERS

Last Season: 30-39-13, 73 points. 14th in Conference (5th in Div.)-Did not qualify for playoffs.

Key Gains: Marty Reasoner, Brian Rolston, Steve Staios, Jay Pandolfo

Key Losses: Bruno Gervais, Zenon Konopka, Trent Hunter, Radek Martinek, Jack Hillen

Coach: Jack Capuano

Forward Lines: 1. Matt Moulson, John Tavares, Michael Grabner

                        2. Blake Comeau, Frans Nielsen, Kyle Okposo

                        3. P.A. Parenteau, Ryan Strome, Nino Niederreiter

                        4. Jay Pandolfo*, Marty Reasoner*, Brian Rolston*

Defensive Pairings: 1. Mark Streit, Travis Hamonic  

                             2. Andrew MacDonald, Milan Jurcina

                             3. Mark Eaton, Steve Staios*

Goalie Tandem: Al Montoya, Evgeni Nabakov

Analysis: The Islanders are always a tough team to call because of their lack of depth and experience. This year however, I see them doing a little better. They are still not a playoff team, but they have a ridiculous amount of young talent up front, and now have some veterans in Reasoner, Pandolfo, and Rolston to guide them. Tavares is getting better every year, Grabner and Moulson had 30 goal seasons a year ago, Okposo is set to break out finally if healthy, and Strome and Niederreiter are likely to make the team and add an extra youthful spark. Mark Streit will be healthy on defense, which will make a huge difference. Travis Hamonic was very promising in his rookie season, and veteran Steve Staios will help round out a now more experienced blue line crew. The goalie situation is questionable as always: Al Montoya was very good at the end of last season, but is still unproven; Rick DPietro is oft-injured and unreliable; Evgeni Nabakov flat-out refused to play for the Islanders last season.

5. NEW JERSEY DEVILS

Last Season: 38-39-5, 81 points. 11th in Conference (4th in Div.)-Did not qualify for playoffs

Key Gains: Cam Janssen, Eric Boulton

Key Losses: Colin White, Brian Rolston, David Steckel

Coach: Peter DeBoer

Forward Lines: 1. Ilya Kovalchuk, Travis Zajac, Zach Parise

                        2. Patrik Elias, Dainius Zubrus, Petr Sykora

                        3. Mattias Tedenby, Jacob Josefson, Nick Palmieri

                        4. Eric Boulton*, David Clarkson, Cam Janssen*
Defensive Pairings: 1. Anton Volchenkov, Henrik Tallinder

                             2. Adam Larsson, Mark Fayne

                             3. Andy Greene, Bryce Salvador

Goalie Tandem: Martin Brodeur, Johan Hedberg

Analysis: The Devils surge late last season showed that they are capable of great things. But that doesn't mean they will achieve them. Thanks to a decent D, decent goaltenidng, and expected bounceback seasons from Parise, Kovalchuk, and Zajac, the Devils will win some games, but likely not nearly enough to put them anywhere near a playoff spot. They have three major problems in their way: depth, and, paradoxically, youth and age. Outside of Patrik Elias, there is not a reliable scorer after the top line, depending on how Petr Sykora is after a year off from the NHL. They have many young inexperienced players who are unproven, and not expected to perform other than Adam Larsson, and should they fail or other players become injured, there are only more inexperienced callups to plug into the lineup. Outside of these players, most of the remaining lineup is very old. Brodeur is likely in his last season. Elias was an All-Star last year, but is still only getting older. Sykora may not have much left in the tank either. Many aged veterans have proven they can still play, but it is still hard to expect much of them. The Devils have a very talented top line, but that's really about it.