Power Rankings

[TO Rapz]

Go hurrrrr.

[TO Rapz]

TO's 1st Round Pick Rankings!

Remember, this is my opinion there is no right or wrong, just one person's thoughts. Try not to hate me, please.


1) Evgeni Malkin - A

Can't **** it up. He's the best player in the world and with Sidney's health issues, it's absolutely the right call.

2) Sidney Crosby - A

Can't **** this one up either... once you see Malkin go, you can't NOT take Crosby at 2.

3) Steven Stamkos - A

60 goals. One thing... his faceoff % sucks, get help with other centres who can take draws.

4) Claude Giroux - A-

I love Giroux and this is a bit questionable I guess but I think I would of taken Pavel Datysuk here. It's not a horrible pick obviously, the first few picks are hard to **** up.

5) Henrik Sedin - A-

Same thing as Giroux. I'm surprised Datysuk fell to 6. Henrik is obviously a top notch play maker.. you can't go wrong as long as you surround him with some talent. I just like centres with a 2 way game.

6) Pavel Datysuk - A+

Great value at 6. IMO the best 2 way centre in the game, a leader, a cup winner, a guy who can do it all. Wins draws, finds other people, scores goals, has unbelievable skill. Great pick.

7) Alexander Ovechkin - B+

I get it he's OV. But his production's dropped off. He wasn't even a 70 point player this year. But he did score 38 goals and again he is OV. Find him a decent centre, it's a solid pick.

8) Jonathan Quick - B

He just won a cup and is ****ing unbelievable, but I think you could of nabbed an electrifying scorer here or a playmaker. I personally wouldn't have gone with a goaltender this early when you have a chance to get a #1 centre, or an Ilya Kovalchuk. It's not a BAD pick, just I would of gone a different way.

9) Ilya Kovalchuk - A

He scares people. When you see Kovie rushing down the wing ready to load up that heavy shot.. it scares people. He is ****ing electric and is everything Ovechkin wishes he was right now. Love the pick.

10) Jonathan Toews - A+

When healthy, Toews is one of the best centres in the league. He has a 2 way game and does everything right. If we have to assume Crosby is healthy in this game, then it has to be the same with Toews. Excellent pick.

11) Henrik Lundqvist - B+

I love Hank, but the same thing as Quick. The reason I like this pick a bit more and gave it a B+ is simply because it's a bit later. I would of gone a different way, but different GMs have different ways of building teams and to all their own opinions. Keep building around the tender.

12) Anze Kopitar - A-

I traded this pick to you Bob. I like Kopitar quite a bit and coming off a cup win it's a fine pick.

13) Corey Perry - B+

Really meh on this pick. He had a horrible year and I personally would of gone with a centre like Spezza or a different wing player. I understand Perry was unbelievable last year, but I don't like it a lot personally.

14) Pekka Rinne - B+

See Lundqvist and Quick. Don't like going tender this early, but again guys, you did the right thing in picking the top 3. These are the studs and the class of all goaltenders right now. Keep building around them.

15) Zdeno Chara - A

He's Chara. You can't go wrong.

16) Shea Weber - A-

Personally I would of gone with a centre again, but it's Weber. It's a good pick, he's arguably the 2nd best d-man in the game.

17) Carey Price - B-

I understand you don't have another pick in a while, but I'm grading these picks value wise. Price is IMO the best goalie available at this pick, so you didn't make the wrong pick, value wise I just think it wasn't sufficient. Price and Kopitar is a nice start though.

18) Jason Spezza - A+

I cannot express how much I love this pick. This is a STEAL at 18. Spezza does everything, he got Michalek involved, he wins draws, comes back and helps out with the backcheck, scores goals, passes well. Such a complete player.

19) Nicklas Backstrom - A+

Again, if Crosby and Toews are deemed healthy, Nicklas Backstrom has to be also. And when healthy, he's one of the best centres in hockey with his vision and scoring ability, Excellent pick.

20) John Tavares - A+

Love these last 3 picks. I firmly believe you need to be strong up the middle to win and Tavares was good value at 20.

21) Erik Karlsson - A-

Karlsson's 1 year in. I get that it was an unbelievable year.. and he racked up points, the kid looked amazing out there and I am envious of Ottawa. It was a good pick.

22) Daniel Sedin - A

People forgot about him after one bad year. Get him a good centre to play with and you're golden.

23) Henrik Zetterberg - A-

Good value with Hank this late. He's still a dynamic player, his points total has just dropped off quite a bit. I believe he's going to be fine but you might have to sell a rebound season from his standards. Even then at 23, you can't ask for more.

24) Joe Thornton - NA

My pick not ranking it.

25) Patrick Kane - A

Good job guys with this pick. We did good auto'ing the Oilers.

26) Ryan Getzlaf - B+

Man his injuries scare me. I like Getzlaf when he's healthy though and again assuming he is healthy.. he's great. This was his 1st time being healthy in I think 2.5-3 years, and his production dropped. But then again all of Anaheim sucked this year. Not a bad pick. I would of taken someone else.

27) Eric Staal - NA

My pick not ranking it.

28) Brad Richards - A

I think this is where the elite centres end. Excellent pick, I was debating between Brad and Staal. Get him some help though, good leader and a cup winner, can't go wrong with him.

29) Drew Doughty - A+

Man I love Doughty. Coming off a cup win without Jack Johnson, as long as you can build a solid offense, this is great value for a top notch d-man almost into the 2nd round.

30) Zach Parise - A

Can't go wrong with Captain Parise. American player, does all the little things and works extremely hard. Not a lazy player at all and has all the tools. Good pick.


My take:

You guys notice no C's? No one royally ****ed up their pick, so kudos to that. Keep going as it seems like everyone's off to a good start really.

[KingsnQueens7]

I shouldnt of picked Ovie...

[jrice9]

Jrice Grades: I'll give a grade and my brief thoughts when seeing the pick. If you want further analysis of the grade ask in the thread. Not that many of you will care, but I'll give you an idea into my thought process with my picks (no grade of course).

1, Evgeni Malkin: B+ You picked the reigning MVP, the most productive player in the league. You didn't get cute by picking Sid or do something horrible like take a goalie or defenseman here so you deserve some credit. Malkin has a bit of an injury history but still the guy is an absolute stud and deserves to go #1, clearly not an A.

2, Sidney Crosby: B Solid pick. I would have likely done the same, considering Sid is he best (or near the best) player in the world when healthy. His health is a huge issue and imo should hurt you in regular season rankings and less so in the playoffs. Still, if you assemble a good deep roster (I would actually try to focus on getting a great #2 center, and getting a bunch of solid if unspectacular wings, then try to build a massive Crosby line). Stammer was also an interesting option and I would have bought it too.

3, Steven Stamkos:B Fine, its an obvious pick. Why not start the game with a 60 goal scorer, two time rocket richard winner (runner up as well). 3 straight 90 points. He's actually the most consistent of the top 3 but with the least complete game or peak dominance. Still, its Steven Stamkos. You can't get an A for an obvious pick. Any of these three are obvious at this point.

4, Claude Giroux: A- This is where it gets interesting. Lots of choices here but I think you went with the right one. Giroux was fantastically productive last season, is young and is clearly on the upswing of his career. Third in points and fourth inn offensive point shares and he was pretty damn good the previous year also. If your drafting at this point you want someone to build your offense around and thats what Giroux is built for.

5, Henrik Sedin B+ Lots of choices but a good one imo. He's a little older and he's had Daniel his whole career, but over the last 3 years there is no one as productive offensively in totality other than Steven Stamkos and over the last 4 years there is no one. He's one of the league's best playmakers. Its not a surefire choice thus why it doesn't get the A grade.


6, Pavel Datsyuk: C I'd be worried about Pavel. He's not the same guy anymore imo. Injuries and age have caught up with him. He's a fantastic two way player but he's averaged about 65 points over the past 3 years and this is still with a pretty talented base around him in Detroit. Look, he has the prestige and that's why he's taken here but I don't totally buy it. Is he really the 6th best player in the NHL if he can't get over 70 points? While the defense matters, ultimately your looking for a franchise forward to carry the load if your drafting this early a forward in the first round. Pavel can be that guy but he's not one of the premier ones anymore. Its not a bad pick but I might have passed here. Why not go Toews instead, when he seems like a better player who does all that Pavel does?

7, Alexander Ovechkin: B+ Ovechkin slipped further than I thought because I thought name value would still drive him into the top 5 but apparantly not. This is right around the spot I thought he should go (I had him 6th or 7th). Look he doesn't look like the same guy the last two years but even diminished he's still one of the league's best offensive players. His upside is what drives the pick. I think he can easily still be one of the league's ultimate offensive workhorses (I think its quite possible he proves it this season). He's not old so his statistical decline has to be taken with a little bit more reservation. Because the top 3, he's easily the most likely guy to crack either 50 goals or 100 points.

8, Jonathan Quick: C- I dislike this pick. I don't really like the stratedgy of taking a goalie in the first round (Barring the best one at 20th or later), the top 10 seems absurd to me. But what really drives this pick is that Quick shouldn't be going first. He wasn't clearly the best goalie last year (there is a good debate between him, Rinne and Smith) and before that he wasn't even in the conversation. As a result, I don't totally buy in. He also has had some of the league's best defensive players on his team to help him out in that way (which admittedly they do have in Nashville and New York as well). I would have easily taken Rinne or Lundqvist before him. Since I wouldn't have taken either in the top 10 and Quick is worse than both for sure its a bad pick. I'm not even convinced Quick is the third best goalie one should take. He's got playoff pedigree and recent name value which should help. The other reason I didn't give this pick a bad grade is because the goalie run did start fairly early with 3 more in the first round and at least its not as bad as Carey Price at 17th overall.

9, Ilya Kovalchuk Consistent amazing offensive producer who now has worked on his overall game. He was higher than 9th and the highest remaining and thus made the most sense. I give him the benefit of the doubt for 2010-2011 considering his bounce back and track record. I debated him or Ovechkin (good conversation for another time) but when the former went 7th, my decision was made for me.

10, Jonathan Toews: B This is about his value. He's not an offensive powerhouse, which I might be looking for in top 10 but he didn't go too early and he's better offensively than many give him credit for. There also is a dearth of truly elite offensive players at this point that are so much better than Toews Still, he has great teammates which help him out. Overall game is fantastic. If the debate is between him and a guy like Kopitar, its close but ultimately I go with Toews. Its a good pick.

[jrice9]

11. New Jersey Devils -- Henrik Lundqvist B- Its not my cup of tea to take a goaltender so early but people have different strategies. Henrik is at least clearly in the right ballpark to be taken if we're talking about the top goalie. He was fantastic last season and made his first real playoff run. Still, there are some doubts to be had that he's better than Rinne. He has the longer run of excellence but over the last two seasons Rinne has been more valuable. There's also some concerns about his age (30 isn't that old for a goalie but it could affect his durability/workhorseness) and lack of playoff pedigree (I dont care but others do). Ultimately, for goalies the head of the class is King Henrik or Pekke so its a good pick if thats your thing.


12. Tampa Bay Lightning (via Toronto Maple Leafs) Anze Kopitar: A- This pick was fine, its your next pick and the thought process behind the whole situation (Reflected in your next grade) which is a bit ****ed up. I grade based on what happened at the time/anticipation of runs on certain positions. Kopitar was a good pick for trading up. He's the second best or best center available (I think he's better than Thornton, Spezza and Backstrom). The only debate is John Tavares at center and Perry on the wing. Tough call but I think you made the right one. Kopitar has consistently shined, is entering his prime and hasn't had amazing linemates either. (The worst of all the players I mentioned besides Spezza (Tavares may have an argument also). Leading the playoffs in points last year in a Cup winning run doesn't hurt. You get points for making a tough call and getting it right.


13. Phoenix Coyotes - B Corey Perry I think its pretty clear to us all that 11-12 seems like an outlier but he still deserves credit for it and I don't think better numbers than he traditionally has (though not quite that outworldly deserve credit. He's a premier goal scoring wing and the best winger on the board. Would I have taken one of the centers over him? Its close but I'm not sure. Perry had his worst year in 4 and scored 37 goals. He's in his prime and should continue to star. A concern that might exist would be his prestigious linemates and his lack of ability to be consistently ppg with those type of teammates.

14. Ottawa Senators -- Pekka Rinne B+/A- This is where I would start thinking about taking a goalie because at least your likely to get a forward at 45. Still, too early imo but I'll only discount it a bit. The Senators nailed this pick because Rinne is the best goaltender in hockey imo and they got him as the third goalie off the board, 3 picks after Lundqvist and 6 picks after Quick. Considering, its round 1, that's a nice edge. Also, consider where Price (who I guess the Lightning felt is the #4) went, this is a sweet job if you want a goalie. You couldn't have traded down and got the best player at his position. He's a workhorse and a beast and despite being 30, doesn't have quite the miles on his tires as Lundqvist and seems to be getting stronger with age. Still, he doesn't have such a long history of eliteness (though 2 years is enough for me), and playoff pedigree isn't ridiculous and played behind 2 top defenseman and a good core.

15. Boston Bruins -- Zdeno Chara, D B- Definition of a Shaiza pick. This is about where I start considering defenseman (Still leaning forward) but if this is where you like picking its not a bad one. Chara a beast but Shea Weber is better at this point imo. He's turning 35 also, making him our oldest pick so far and the first 35+ player taken (and this held true for a while). Still, the second best defenseman whose not far behind the first is not a bad pick.

16. Columbus Blue Jackets (via Detroit Red Wings) -- Shea Weber, D B Still, not sure about taking a defenseman but you get Weber as the 2nd one off the board and you feel good about yourself. He's the best in the league and the fact that he didn't win the Norris last year is a crime to me. It will be interesting how you build around a defenseman but yeah you get the best at a position in his prime (though taking away Rinne and Suter) and your happy.


17. Tampa Bay Lightning -- Carey Price D- Look I don't hate the GM or Price but the management decisions here were awful. Tampa trades up to 12 from round 2 and takes Kopitar but as a result kills their depth. This means they need to make an epic combination and use the high picks to get elite talent. Kopitar fulfills their niche, Price doesn't. Price isn't in the same league as the elite 2 and wasn't having a career season last year. He was fantastic in 2010-2011 but has had some level of mixed results. The biggest issues with this pick is that Price could have been had imo himself in round 2 for sure and a similar goalie if not better or close could be had in round 3. The results did play out that way. Tim Thomas, the next goalie taken didn't go untill late in round 2, same with Ryan Miller. Cam Ward (The GOAT) went in late round 3. All of these goalies have cases against Price. The value selection here is clearly terrible. The other problem is that they gave up a boat load of picks to basically take Price way too early. Hey you might say, they got Kopitar not Price. Sure, but basically at 17 they could have gotten Tavares or Spezza who I admitted both had good/decent cases against Kopitar. That marginal upgrade and the marginal upgrade (if it exists at all) between Thomas and Price (and Price might have gone round 2 just fine) is not worth the picks at all. The planning here seemed to be to pair an elite center in Kopitar with Rinne/Lundqvist (at least I hope) but both those goalies went before 17, thus screwing Tampa and in desperation they reacted by taking Price. The proper course would have been to admit defeat and trade down or gone best available taking Spezza or Tavares and going two centers (the best combo in this league) or later making another trade. The era will likely cost them big.


18. Dallas Stars -- Jason Spezza B+ This is what happens when teams take defenseman and goalies in the top 15, the NHL's 4th leading scorer falls to 18th. Still, in his prime Spezza had a huge season with linemates that were average at best. He has plenty of talent to be a team's #1 center and offensive leader. Still, his performances and injuries from the previous two seasons are concerning and there is a decent concern that last season is not an indication of his true impact. I think its a good value pick being my #2 center left on the board and a guy who should have gone top 15 imo.

19. Minnesota Wild -- Nicklas Backstrom C- I don't think Backstrom can carry an offense and thats what you need in the top 20. He always had great linemates putting up great stats (including the guy who often went #1 in the redraft) and when that guy got worse, Backstrom fell off the map. He was injured last year and was ppg but I have trouble counting on him especialyl after 2010-2011. He hasn't broken 65 points in two years. His upside is the only reason he goes even close to this. I'd rather Thornton or Tavares quite a bit more than him. I don't think he really deserves to be taken so far before Brad Richards for example.


20. Winnipeg Jets -- John Tavares A+ He was the best player on the board by quite a mile. Considering I had him neck and neck with Kopitar who was worth trading up for (and screwing someone's entire early draft) and worthy of going 12, this makes Tavares a pretty big steal. He's made substantial improvement every year, is in his early 20's and was 7th in the league in points last year. I think there's large reason to expect continued improvement out of him next year and he is only getting better and there's little reason that last season was an aberration and not an upward trend. While he might not be a 90 point guy next, he could be and he's making alot of improvement in other areas. Still, his linemates really aren't anything special and he could even have better ones in the redraft. I love the pick and think the fact that you get a clear and likely elite franchise forward at 20 is remarkable. He falls into your lap but no one had taken him either

[jakub]

Jakub's Pacific Division Current Standing ( This is only 1 opinion, everything can change with a move(s) or pick(s).


1. Sharks- The Sharks are led by one of the bet wingers in the game, in Kovy with a good first line. The second line is a question mark as both Stewart and Ruutu came off down years, and Yakupov has yet to play a NHL game. The back line contains only two defenders, but boy can they contribute offensively. Then there's Ward who of core is the GOAT(In all seriousness, he is a solid goalie who makes my top 10 list)
Advise: Get shutdown defenders; Potentilly trade one of your defenders for a lesser D+ upgraded winger on Stewart.

2. Coyotes- Well, for a team that is managed by a guy who can't spell his name, hes putting up a good team thus far. Like the Sharks, the Coyotes have a great winger in Perry. I'm personally a huge fan of Radar( Ryan O'reilly), but I dislike Booth and don't think he should be the 4th option on a team.(Unless you have superstars ahead of him) Legwand is a good 2C, that being said the Yotes have terrible wingers. Perry is great but after hi you only have Booth. At this point, I don't see many top 6 wingers left. They do have a fantastic defense with a solid goalie in net.
Advise: Trade Letang for 2 good wingers or a good wing+lesser D


3.Kings- Led by a very mean GM, who has been trying to remake a team of former and currents Stars(the team). With a solid first line, and then an almost finished second line( which looks fantastic) you'd think they sacrificed other positions to make it happen. You'd be correct as the first pairing is most likely one of the worst in this. Marty in net which isn't bad but, he should back him up with good defense which he hasn't.
Advise: Upgrade that defense. Ribero+Murray for lesser C + better D, then draft D's.

4. Ducks- I personally don't like teams with bad goalies, which the Ducks will draft, unless they make a trade. With no line combinations I can't judge as well, but Bergeron,Havlat,Vanek are great players. Berglund is a below average 2C, and Wheeler exploded, but is he legit? This team has great two way forwards featuring Bergeron,Berglund, and Havlat. I love the Giordono-Byfuglien pairing( one of the better pairings), but waiting this long for a goalie really hurts and you will find out later.
Advise: Move Vanek for a lesser winger(2 way preferably) and a solid D

5. Stars- Phenomenal offense, but I think your lines should be switched around. Spezza-Michalek is a good duo, Iginla is kind of overkill, which doesn't balance your lines well. Pa's stats are inflated since he plays with Tavares, and Stalberg just played with Kane. Ehrhoff is a good defender, but sadly that's all you have. People won't treat Pronger like he's healthy, so that was a terrible pick. No goalie either only makes things worse.
Advice: Trade Iginla for 2 good D's.

[boilerguy2412]

Bruins - An interesting team, not to sure why you have McDonald on the 3rd line fits perfectly on your 2nd line. I like Staal and pairing him with Alfie works for me. Chara is obviously Chara but Martin and Gonchar are not the same players anymore, both very useful as long as you keep them where they are, we talked about Gonchar. Your big problem is Vokoun and Desharnais . I don't trust him to carry the ball and unless you get a stacked defense there is going to be a question mark there. Desharnais is a nice 2nd line centre, your really risking not having someone with some experince who can carry the ball as a top line centre. He's just to small to compete as a number one guy

I would strongly suggest trying to upgrade your goaltending, use a forward you have some depth there, there are some teams with 2 number 1 centre check them out

Sabers - Another interesting team, you have some really good pieces, you will have some importent picks coming up. I know some are down on Statsny but i still think he can produce, you have 2 real solide defensmen but neither have ever carried the ball before, i like Elliot but can he carry a team. Im sorry i don't have alot of advice for you but you have some good talent and with some good picks you could be a threat.

Really do some research there are some good players that could be had that could fill your roster nicely, get a backup who has experince as a stater

Leafs - Obviously 2 very good centre, Sullivan is not a first line player get him out of there, there are still some guys who could be had to fill that spot. not to much to complain about in your forward core. Decent start to your defense with a good combo there, Rask is a question mark, were all going to find out if he can carry the ball or not. You have a great start but depth might be an issue for you, might be worth while downgrading a bit on centre to get some depth

Make sure you have a solid backup

Sens - Jussi is such an up and down player so your never really sure what your going to get from him. Franzen is a warrior i don't know how he keeps it up. Mikku is a good centre not one of the top guys in the league but he is a number 1, Callahan and Krecji are very talented guys good start. I do not like the start to your defense. Wiz is not a number 1 guy so i would strongly suggest you build a strong D. Rinne is obviously awesome but he has always played with one of the best defenses infront of him so make sure you work on that.

Habs - Pommy and Giroux are the same type of player, i don't think they mesh well and without having a sniper on the line they could possible struggle. Good thing for you is that trading these guys would not be a problem or even just juggling your lineup. 2nd line is not as strong as other in your divison, your defense is solid and i personally really like Kipper. You have some decent talent but i would looking at moving Pommy or Giroux for depth. Giroux would fetch you a huge amount

1. Leafs
2. Sabers
3. Sens
4. Bruins
5. Habs.

This could change very easily. all teams have a shot at winning

Canes - I still believe Getzlaf will be a top centre again, pairing him with Hossa will make sure his career numbers stay the same. Kunitz is a fiesty little guy. One issue i have is o don't like Carter at centre, he just hasn't ever looked comfortable there. IMO he is not a centre. JBO is a great player but he hasn't been the same since leaving Florida not a true number one IMO but a 1b. Seids is good. Luongo is a top goalie in the league, guy gets no love don't get it.

I would look at moving Carter out of C, that just wont work

Caps - Question Marks all over this team. Roy, Cammy, Hemsky all question marks. Anderson is a starting goalie in this league IMO, i would rank him in the middle of the pack, defense is ok but nothing special. I would really looking at moving some of those question marks, those players have value and talent but there is just to many importent players on one team with question marks

Jets - Don't think i need to tell you where your weakness is, please don't put Smyth on the first line, he is a solid player but i don't see him being able to keep up with JT and Eberle. other forwards are nice but defense is weak and you have no goalie, you know what you need to

Tbay - I'm just not a fan of your 1st line, you could do some mixing up with your lines you got good players. I guess Jagr moves up a line. I know all about Dupuis numbers but i don't buy him as a top 6 winger. great depth at centre and a very interest D, i like it good mix of players. I like Lubo. Price can get the job done no doubt

I would maybe move some depth at centre for some help at W i am just not a fan

Panthers - Best team in redraft history

Not going to rank

Flyers - Sorry dude just not a fan of this team, full of slow guys who have some question marks, i don't think they mesh well on your team but you for sure have value there, i would strongly suggest making some trade for players who would mesh together better. With some good trades you could really improve this team.

Pens - Im not sure how i feel about your team. I for sure don't like Willie Mitchell as a top pair guy, i know he is solid but i just don't see him eating 30 mins every game all season. Seguin has played a bunch of wing in his career and has never had to carry a team as a # 1 guy, he might be able to but he has some heavy bags to carry in Heater, Bourque is a decent player i don't see him having issues scorign 25 goals again. If you want to get the best out of Garrison make sure you play him with a puck moving guy. You have some good talent here just not seeing the mix so far. Quick is good obviously.

Devils - Simple issues with your team, you have no size upfront which will hurt but that can be worked on. Lundy best goalie in the league.Sorry can't give you much more but you need some size or you might actually have the first player killed in an NHL game

NYI - LOL see above, if you didn't have Clarkson you would have the 2nd player killed on NHL ice. The leafs have struggled for 3 years getting solid play out of there centre and you have 2 of them. I am not saying they don't have there place on a team but it hasn't worked for the Leafs. Your defense is off to a solid start but you know the deal with Backstrom around here. You have talent but i would strongly look at trades, non of these guys really seem to mesh IMO

NYR - Vorachek should be on your top line, him with Toews and Ryder works well for me. Solid forward group i like it, i would have a gritty guy on the 2nd line to play with Nuge and Sergei. Nice start to your defense and Niemi is a middle of the road goalie. I think your in good shape, likely front runner in this divison

1. Rangers
2. Devs
3. Isles
4. Pens
5. Flyers

[Shaiza]

Atlantic Division:

New York Rangers:

Not too much to say as Carson just took over. The team looks great down the middle but the wingers struggle with inconsistency. The defense core is made of underrated defenders. You know what you are getting out of Niemi.

Advice: Offensive depth

New York Islanders

I love the defense core. That's your biggest strength. I hate Bozak as the #1 center on your team, especially in a ReDraft. Offense is lacking a bit. Backstrom, much like Niemi, you know what you're getting.

Advice: Explore options to get more dynamic scorers. I'd move Clarkson to the first line.

Philadelphia Flyers

I liked the defense core here too. Very solid. Michalek and Regehr are defense-minded, however. I don't like Michalek on your first pairing either, he's not meant for that. The offense is probably the weakest in the division. Could use some upgrades.

Advice: Offensive-defensemen; more scorers/point getters

Pittsburgh Penguins

That is a great offense you have there. I mean it's the best in the division for sure. But the defense gets a bit lacking. Mitchell is not a #1. Garrison and Gilbert have their issues, but they are a solid 2nd pairing nonetheless. Quick is Quick.

Advice: Somehow improve the defense, you have a ton of offense so you can spare a part for a defensemen you like.

New Jersey Devils

Lundqvist will be a rock and the first pairing is a solid one. That's a good foundation. I'm not loving the first line too much. Two extremely small guys with a relatively non-physical center. The depth on the 2nd line could improve. I think trading up may have cost you a bit in that department.

Advice: Offensive depth will be key for you.

1. Pittsburgh Penguins
2. New Jersey Devils
3. New York Islanders
4. New York Rangers
5. Philadelphia Flyers

I can see all these teams reforming though. There are many rounds left to make a solid judgment as to their future or potential for the Cup.

[jrice9]

St. Louis Blues vs Toronto Maple Leafs

Two very interesting teams, and we have 3 of the game's best centers in this matchup (including maybe the best when healthy) with some interesting wingers, a #1 defenseman for each team thrown in the books and two goalies who rivaled for the Calder a few years ago.

First Lines
For the Blues it all starts with Crosby who is absolutely dominating especially in a short series. There are concerns about his health obviously but its less worrisome in the playoffs vs the regular season. I'll discount him a little bit but the guy can still be flat out dominate the game. Evander Kane would be a tremendous linemate for Crosby, one of the best he's ever had and obviously for Kane its a huge upgrade. Sykora should be adequate (I think he's getting close to the finish line) and provide some goal scoring and two way play. Crosby has proven he can something out of these type of guys. Overall, Kane + Crosby means its a pretty darn dangerous first line.

For the Maple Leafs, you start off with Joe Thornton, one of the game's premier set up men. There's no doubt Jumbo Joe produces but it does concern me that he's certainly getting worse linemates than he's had in San Jose the last few years. He'll help their production but he really has to shoulder this first line. I'm sorry to tell the Maple Leafs this but Vrbrata is a mirage at 35 goals. It won't happen again, I highly he even hits 30. Generally, increasing your shooting percentage by about 80% in a single season to one that is by far an anomaly is not a good sign. Do I think he's trash? No, Vrbrata was underrated before last season, I suspect that he's about a 25 goal 50 point guy and while Thornton is a nice center if you want to help your stats, he did get to play with Ray Whitney last year, perhaps the premier set up winger. Steve Sullivan had a comeback year last year but still wasn't fantastic, is 38 years old and played with Malkin and Neal for a large portion of last year and Jordan Staal for alot of that also. He's a well below average top line player.

Summary: The Blues have a much better first line than the Leafs. Thornton is a nice piece (and actually underrated defensively) but he's playing with below average linemates (Vrbrata is about average, Sullivan is less than that) while St. Louis gets one of the best to play in Crosby with a young winger who had a great season last year (not fuled by shooting percentage and on a proper age trajectory), giving them both of them much better teammates. Sykora's decent enough.

Big Edge Blues

Line 2: The Blues don't have a stud for this line but do pull out a bunch of really solid players. Teddy Purcell is underrated, he had a really good season last year but he also had the fortune to basically always play with Steven Stamkos and usually Martin St. Louis as well. He also had a huge shooting percentage year last season, enhancing those offensive stats. I'm actually in some ways more impressed with his 2010-2011 when he did a bit less but with way less in terms of teammate help and shooting luck. Still, he's a good winger. Brassard is a guy who has yet to live up to his potential. He's right at the border of what is acceptable production for a center and considering he;s played with Nash and Umberger or Voracuk the last two years, his production is really mediocre. He's a well below average second liner imo. Burrows, has shown what he can do fairly consistently. He's a 25-30 goal, 50 point guy who is actually one of the better defensive wingers in the sport. He's a great complimentary player. The only problem is he has had the benefit of being the Sedins boy the last 2 years and now on this line he has alot less to help him out.

The Maple Leafs obviously start out with Eric Staal. Staal's been a disapointment to those in Carolina as he seems not be a true superstar #1 center. Still, he's still a fine enough #1 center and here in Toronto he gets to be the #2 center and likely be the best one in the competition. He hasn't played with a ton of help since Whitney/Eric Cole has left with average to below average linemates. In Toronto, he gets Honrqvist who has proven he can score goals at a pretty decent clip in the NHL. But he doesnt get a set up winger which might be helpful with his game. Anyone Carolina gets at this point will be fairly ******.

Summary: The Blues have two good second line wingers in Purcell and Burrows (I'm a pretty decent Burrows fan) but have a very weak center in Brassard. Also, both of those two wingers aren't used to even being the second best players on their lines, let alone the best. The Maple Leafs meanwhile have a semi-star to anchor that line and bring in a guy in Hornqvist who is a pretty solid as well. Their third piece will likely be quite poor (I have a few nice ideas in mind though). Ultimately, the star power does win out here as Hornqvist vs Purcell and Brassard vs unknown is not a big enough edge.

Decent Edge Maple Leafs

Neither team has third lines yet. I assume their both going to get some shutdown/two way/PK forwards and a bit of scoring depth. I can't give anyone else an edge there.

Defense Pairing 1:

The St. Louis Blues have one of the chronically underrated defenseman in Brian Cambell as their #1 (I remember he was my #2-3 guy 2 redrafts ago I believe and got doubts). He shut up the doubters last year after being traded, proving he could be premier even as a #1, being one of the largest reasons the Panthers made the playoffs and helping to turn Jason Garrison into a superstar offensively. He's very underrated defensively Campbell, as he isn't a hitter but he's very efficient with the puck and good in his zone. Phillips is an interesting pairing partner. On one hand he's defense first and a bigger defender working well with Campbell. On the other hand, I'm not sure he's up to top pairing minutes anymore (he played the 4th most minutes on the Senators and only by a bit), and he's aging. I think his lesser role helped him be more effective last year than in 2010-2011. He played on the second pairing half the time and the third pairing half the time. Still, he's a decent combination for Campbell who will help him.


The Maple Leafs have a pretty good #1 defenseman in Seabrook though not quite elite. He's one of the premier defensive guys in the league pretty consistently and while not an amazing puck mover (I'm not sure i buy 2010-2011 as a trend) he can contribute offensively. They're pairing him with Jan Hejda who is known for his defensive reputation. He's not as good as he was 3-4 years ago but still does a decent job on that end. Offensively, he's a minor contributer. Seabrook can cover Hejda's limitations decently. I do think he's not a great partner for Seabrook and Seabrook loses Duncan Keith as a partner, hurting his effectiveness a bit.

Summary: Its too tight imo. I will call this one a draw with perhaps Toronto being more talented but St. Louis' pairing better fitting together.

Edge: Even

2nd Pairing:

The Blues try to go chemistry again with this pairing. They have Polak who is a good shutdown dman (leaving aside his 2010-2011) but who contributes nothing offensively. My other concern with him is that i'm not sure he's a 2nd pairing guy (he's borderline) and not a third one considering he played less than 19 minutes a game last season and sort of has settled into a 4-5 defenseman. He was on St. Louis (admittedly a pretty decent defense) 3rd pairing last year. Wideman on the other hand is pretty much the opposite. He's a tremendous offensive player with a great shot. He has his struggles defensively for certain (though I find it often exagerrated) and he can log big minutes. He makes sense on the PP with Campbell. That could be lethal.

Obviously, Toronto is banking on Tobias Ensrom's star power. The problem is Enstrom took a step back a bit in his first season in Winnipeg. His numbers also benefited with his time with Byf. Still, he made progress defensively last year and is a tremendous offensive talent. He's obviously an elite player for the second pairing. Injuries are a little bit concerning. Still, I would try to pair him with a guy with some size, defensive accumen and if possible with a shot. That's difficult to get this late and he'll likely get a below average partner. I think it might be worth making an uber pair with Seabrook.

Summary: One great player vs 2 solid ones (1 good one), I think I'm going to go with the Blues here. They have the offensive/powerplay defenseman they need while adding defense. Enstrom is a nice piece and makes it pretty darn close.

Slight Edge Blues

Goaltending:

The Blues have Jimmy Howard who's been a legitimate starter (a pretty decent workhorse also) for 3 seasons, and was good for two of those. The Red Wings defense was pretty good during that period though not at elite as some think (his rookie year was the best year of that defense from my memory).

Leafs have Rask (ironic) and the edge would be substantial if I was talking regular season since Rask has no expierence at all at being a legitamate starter or a workhorse. Its the playoffs, so his durability is less of an issue but at the same time we havn't seen that much of Rask since his rookie year. 52 games over the last 2 years is not a ton so while he could be as good as Howard or better we can't completely know. The Bruins have had an underrated defense the last few years as well.

Summary: Regular season, Howard gets a larger edge but he still gets a bit considering the circumstances of Rask's last two years.

Bit Edge Blues


Summary: Both these teams have a lot to go but I think its pretty clear the Blues are a better team, in fact, on all three ends of the ice I have them with an edge so far

[theLgndKllr35]

Northwest Power Rankings

Calgary Flames:
We like your offense. However, we’d redo the lines as Landeskog-Malkin-Stafford, Kostitsyn-Gagner-Stewart. This way you can get a little more skill from Stafford, and it’s somewhat redundant to have three players who all drive the net in Landeskog, Malkin, and Stewart. Your defense could use some more defensive players. Yandle has a great offensive game, but his defense is average, and not a pairing (with Hjalmarsson) I would throw against another team’s top line. Your second line is solid, but a little young. A nice veteran presence would be a solid add to this team as well. To maximize the value of Smith, you need a solid defense in front of him, but we both believe he’s entering his prime, so you’re good in net, but could be great. Solid team.

Colorado Avalanche:
First glance, very sexy. Your forwards are little inept defensively, and I’m not sold on Fleischmann on the top line, but he’s serviceable for sure, especially looking at a lot of other offenses. If you can find a nice passing wing to play with Stamkos-Okposo, your lines could look filthy. Fleischmann with Lecavalier and Gerbe with Couturier would be a leg up on just about everyone. The defense also looks very solid. Whitney has lost a good bit, but should be fine with Mez, who had a great season last year. Miller, while on the downside of his peak, is still a top 10 netminder and won’t lose you many matchups. Great offensively, solid defensively, solid in net.

Edmonton Oilers:
You have a lot of good parts, but they seem a little out of place to us. Maybe the lines could go Lucic-Kane-Kessel, Bertuzzi-Hanzal-Williams, or even switch Kessel and Williams. Defensively, love the size, but maybe rework the pairings to Johnson-Stuart, Beauchemin-Schenn. I won’t fault you for no goalie, but your team doesn’t seem well built as a defensive whole. The forwards are somewhat turnover prone and the defensemen aren’t really built to shutdown an offense, but they’re good. Obviously you need to address the goaltender issue, but at this point, player A isn’t going to win you any matchups that players B, C, or D wouldn’t. However, to make the issue less of an issue, upgrade defensively. Whether that’s more two way forwards or on the backend is up to you.

Minnesota Wild:
Nice team, but a rather streaky goalie. He’ll likely get you to the dance, but I’m not sure he’s the guy to take you home. When he’s on, he’ll steal a series, but otherwise it could get ugly, we compared him to Niemi. Offensively, we like Brown-Backstrom-Doan and Marchand-Backes-Read. Offense looks nice though, especially in the playoffs. Bump Kulikov to second line duties unless you see a dynamic first line you want to shutdown. Coming into this year, Kulikov can probably carry a second pairing and Brewer can hold first line minutes with Suter.

Vancouver Canucks:
Your first pairing looks very nice, without a third pairing guy yet, I’d expect them to be split up. Hiller didn’t have a great year last year, but his track record says he should be fine. Very solid defensively on both offense and defense. If it’s possible, this team would really benefit from moving a two way forward for a more offensively gifted forward, especially on the second line, but they’ll suffice if not. Another idea is to move Higgins down with Kelly.

Overall, we have this division Colorado, Minnesota, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton.

[theLgndKllr35]

Central Power Rankings

Chicago Blackhawks:
Despite not having a goaltender, we think this team could make some noise. The top line is a great mesh, and one of our favorites. The second line at first looks great, but the more we looked at it, Hodgson hasn’t put up the results we expected so far, and Hagelin isn’t exactly the best candidate to bring it out of him, making his living off of Richards, Gaborik, and Callahan. Couple this with the scarce remaining top 6 players, and this could be an area of weakness. Speaking of weaknesses, your defense. You have none. Great job. One of our favorite first pairings, and a top second pairing as well. Keep building through this defense and your lack of a goaltender now won’t really hurt you.

Columbus Blue Jackets:
We like the look of your first line, but are a little concerned about Kesler’s health. We both like the Pavelski-Morrow combo, and could possibly get away with a gritty two-way guy to crash the net, something of a Clarkson-lite. Nielsen is also very solid both ways, so your forwards are responsible, however your offense could use a scorer to really round it out. Your defense is well built, especially on the defensive side of the puck. Keep building it to help smooth over the inconsistencies of Nabokov. Overall, solid team.

Detroit Red Wings:
Really interesting to get a first line player this late, but I think he works with Benn and Elias. It’s not overwhelming, but it’s solid. If you really want some firepower, you could move Cleary down and Steen up, however I like the depth and the look of Steen-Fisher-Ennis seems to be one of the better second lines. Your defense is very solid and looks to be a very nice start in front of a goalie who played well last year, but needs to show that same consistency this year. Keep building that defense to help dispel that argument.

Nashville Predators:
This team is built to score goals. Datsyuk and Selanne are built to score goals, and Umberger while lacking the skill will really help on the forecheck, therefore making him a good fit. Duchene and Semin could bounce some teams first line combos, and Glencross to wrap it up makes it one of the best combinations in the game, assuming Duchene has a bounce back season and Semin gives a ****. When it comes to defense, the pairing of Coburn-Timonen should be able to handle a lot of first lines, however, Voynov-Gunnarson could see a lot of issues on a team that runs a good 2nd line. We’d look to improve here, particularly Gunnarson. You definitely have the offense to make some moves. Schneider for the first time will be given the reigns and the heavy workload, so it’ll be interesting to see how that affects voters, but talent wise, he’s very solid.

St. Louis Blues:
Interesting team when you look at the whole roster. Sykora on the first line is the only place you could have him because with Crosby and Kane, he might actually be serviceable, but nowhere else. The second line looks ok with Burrows-Brassard-Purcell, however you might get some questions about the linemates Burrows and Purcell play with. Your defense is ok, however we think Phillips would be better on line two because he’s more defensively responsible than Polak, and Wideman needs more help than Campbell does. However, neither Phillips or Polak probably belong on the top pair, so we’d suggest improving that spot. Howard is a top 10 goalie and won’t lose many matchups.

As for ranking, this was tough, a very solid division that is still up for grabs. We went with St. Louis (1,1), Detroit (3,2), Nashville (2,4), Columbus (4, 3), Chicago (5,5). (We each ranked our 1-5 and went with combined rankings).

[jrice9]

New York Islanders vs New Jersey Devils

Should we call this matchup, the Railroad Rumble or the Tri-State Tumble? It should be interesting as it features two GM's who don't seem to like each other (half joking). Here it goes:

Line 1:

The Islanders are led by Daniel Sedin. Daniel has been one of the premier wingers in hockey since the lockout and darn right elite the last few years. Last year was a struggle (Admittedly by his lofty standards) but before that he was the Art Ross winner. He's an elite winger and I think can lead an offense. Still, he's losing out on playing with his brother Henrik (chemistry here is somewhat incacluable) as well as Alex Burrows. Side note: Daniel is actually a pretty damn good defensive winger as well by a lot of metrics which I found quite surprising. He gets to be centered by Daniel Briere who while maybe not the ideal #1 center is pretty damn effectie. I think last year's down year either means 1 of 2 things. Either it was an off year and a bounceback is happening which considering how much his shooting percentage dropped could be the case. At the same time he's 35 years old now and coudl be entering a decline being less dynamic and therefore a SP% decline isn't so surprising. I suspect its in between (or at least Im betting this) meaning that I don't think he'll ever be a 63+ point guy again but I do think he'll be effectively in the 53-62 range. Playing with Sedin will help as well considering his linemates were fairly mediocre at best last seasn (Wayne Simmonds, Read). Briere is a below average defensive center and could get worse with age. David Clarkson is a pretty decent final piece. Obviously he was great last season scoring 30 goals and while some of that was a fluke (over doubling his shooting percentage from the previous seasons), there have been signs that he would have a better year. 2010-2011 was a bit of an abberation as well in SP% and 2009-2010 he put up 11 goals and 24 points in a little over half a year. Clarkson also had decent linemates (he played with Elias quite a bit admittedly) but nothing as good as Sedin and Briere. His bizzare lack of assists is a bit puzzling. He's a good powerforward but overall is admittedly a below average first liner. He gives that line a bit of toughness though.

The Devils first line meanwhile is led by two pretty damn great veteran forwards in Patrick Marleau and Martin St. Louis. St. Louis has been the best right winger or one of them for a decade now. He was one of the best 7 forwards in the league for 2009-2011 and then took a step back last year to under a ppg. I think while someone might argue for a bounceback and that he's still a superstar forward, I don't think its the case anymore. A 25 point step back is serious plus Marty was 36 last season and is now 37. I think that's his new level. He got a chance to play with one of the 3 best forwards in the league the last few years as well in Steven Stamkos with a good third linemate almost always, that's a damn good situation. His center will be Patrick Marleau (who can play center though I don't think he does so much in San Jose) who is an above average first line player certainly. He's been over 30+ goals 6 of the last 7 years and routinely over 70 or even 80 points peaking in 2009-2010 with 44 goals and 84 points and being one of the top 10 offensive players in hockey that season. Still, Marleau has also seen a rather substantial decline in his number since then with only 30 goals and 64 points last year. This is his worst season since 2007-2008 (a disastorous campaign by his standards). His shooting percentage doesn't indicate too much and I think he is simply aging 1117 games is alot of miles on the tires. Still, he's well above average and while he's benefited from Thornton and other great linemates in San Jose, he's still a great forward whose adept defensively as well. Finally, you have Daniel Zeubrus, another ancient player (this line is I think combined to be over 100) who had a comeback year last year (it wasn't that great though 17 goals 44 points). He brings a big body and decent two way play. Last year's comeback will not last though, he got good linemates and more imporantly another guy whose defiance of a natural age curve is fueled by some shooting percentage luck. I doubt he's more than a 35 point guy this year. Yeah, he'll benefit from Marleau and St.Louis creating space and passes but I doubt he's so good. Zubrus is a well below average top 6 forward.

Summary: Both these teams have elite wingers in St. Louis or Sedin with Sedin being a bit better imo and less of a risk for decline. On the other hand Briere should be decent but not as good as Marleau. The difference lies in that I believe in Clarkson's breakout year fueled by high shooting percentage to an extent but not in Zubrus's comeback.

Slight Edge Islanders

Line 2:
The Islanders are centered by Mikhail Grabovski who can be a powerful offensive force at times (he lacks alot of consistency) but overall is definately a good offense center. He's had back to back solid years, is entering his prime and last season he put up good stats with linemates who crashed back to earth a bit. He gets some more help here. His shooting percentage while high is actually not that much above his career averages and at 27 improvement may still come in that area. Grabovski is flanked on one of his wings by 37 year old Vinny Prospal. Prospal had a tremendous comeback season in Columbus last year after he spent his last season in New York really injured. He also did it with a pretty low shooting percentage which means perhaps he could be better next season in terms of luck. Still, at his age I'm not betting on his career averages. He did get to play with Rick Nash which helped him out but I actually really like Prospal as a second line winger. He's primarily a playmaker which should fit well with Grabovski and Jones who are more goal scorers. Him and Grabovski are not good two way guys though which could be concerning. David Jones is the other winger and he's about average defensively but on offense he adds a physical offensive prescence. He's a solid goal scorer who decline a bit last year and provides little playmaking. Last season's decline may be due a tiny bit to some bad shooting percentage luck but the 28 year old was undoubtedly a bit worse last year. He played with Stastny who also had a down year. Anyway, I would consider him a below average forward for a top 6 but he does fit pretty nicely on this line.


The Devils are centered by their own Travis Zajac, who had huge injury issues this year and really struggled the year before that offensively (still with decent results but clearly down). Still, I buy a bounceback year somewhat out of him. His shooting percentage in his down year was low compared to his career average (and was trending upward) and last year's injury year is too low a sample size to really count as his new norm. He also showed offensive flair during the playoff run scoring 7 goals and 14 points during 24 playoff games. Generally, I don't care about playoff stats. But here's why I do, that stretch was much bigger than Zajac's regular season last year so its better for evaluative purposes. The fact that Zajac performed well offensively when it was difficult to do (playoffs have less scoring) helps me with the idea he hasn't completely regressed. Am I convinced he's back at 60 points especially as a second line center? No, but I do think he'll be closer to 20 goals (if not there) and over 50 points. This makes him a pretty solid second line center offensively and defensively there is little doubt that Zajac is one of the best in the league. On his wings he's got some small guys in Versteeg and Gionta. Versteeg has proven he's an effective enough top 6 winger. He's not special (even though he occasionally has the moves) but he's solid and will get you your 22 goal 48 point year at this point. He benefited from playing on the top line with some decent guys but at the same time I think Versteeg is hitting his prime. I think he'll be a bit under those stats but close as i indicated. Brian Gionta got hit by injuries last year but didn't play too well. He's been hit by injuries pretty hard over the last 3 years which is concerning but he's still a talented goal scorer. Last season does concern me (even in games played he struggled) but I suspect a somewhat rebound out of him. 25 goals and 40 points is a reasonable bet making him a decent enough top 6 winger. He's actually good defensively as a winger as well.

Summary: These are actually two similar lines which are anchored by centers in their primes and flanked by one older and one younger winger. Zajac is the best player on either of these two lines (especially when factoring two way play) and should rebound next season pretty decently. Grabovski is not too shabby either though and Prospal is the best winger at this point (Versteeg may be angry at me though). I would take David Jones and Brian Gionta about equal at this point in their careers though. Overall, its Zajac vs Grabovski that puts this matchup slightly over the edge.

Small Edge Devils

Third Line:

The Islanders have 1 guy (this is easy). Tyler Bozak had a good season last year offensively but I'm going to hesitate a bit with the applause. He benefited heavily from playing with Lupul and Kessel and being a first liner. In this game he won't be able to do that and will be expected to be the best guy on a line (Admittedly the third line). Do I think he can get in the 30's in terms of points? Yes but not more than 15 goals 35 points imo. He's also not good defensively despite what some Leaf fans would tell you. Obviously, I have no idea what your going to get to finish the third line but I assume it will be decent. Bozak is an above average third line center though (where you get your PK center I don't know)

The Devils have two guys on their third line (more work for me). Anisimov is pretty talented but he obviously had a worse year last year despite getting more lucky (mitigated by potential game improvement). You can't blame his line as Anismov got to play with Gaborik or Callahan and Stepan. I'd be a bit worried about him but he obviously benefits from less pressure (though worse linemates). He's a good to very good defensive player and a decent enough offensive player to make a well above average third liner. Tyler kennedy is a very good third liner who had a bit of a down year last year (though he got injured and had bad luck shooting wise). Still, he's proven he can play this role before and I think him and Artem are a nice fit.Obviously, one more spot to fill.

Summary: I think its obvious that the Devils third line is better. Obviously, the Islanders still have 2 spots and time so it mitigates the advantage. But, Anisimov is the best third liner here and Kennedy is close to Bozak.

Solid Edge Devils

1st Pairing Defense:

The Islanders have a pretty damn good defenseman in Duncan Keith, widely regarded as one of the league's best. While I do think some overrate Keith, he's clearly a legitamate #1 defenseman. He's good on both sides of the ice and while I doubt he's the beast he was in 2009-2010 again, he should be a bit more productive than he was last year offensively. (A really low shooting percentage didn't help). He did get to play with Seabrook and splitting those two up will hurt each of them. Still, the Islanders matched him up pretty perfectly with Jordan Leopold, a guy who is not out of place on a top pair. While Keith relies on more of a finesse approach, Leopold is a great shutdown dman and has a great complimentary shot. (3 years in a row with 10+ goals). He's proven he can play somewhat big minutes and he played with all different types of partners last year including Reghr, Myers and Erhoff. I like the fit of these two together and I would say beyond a stacked pairing (like the proposed Enstrom-Seabrook pairing) this is pretty premier.

The Devils meanwhile are going to be setting their hopes on the young Oliver Ekmann Larsson to be their #1 defenseman. OEL did have a great season (in his first full year) for the Coyotes on their #2 pairing but he was a 1A guy last year behind Yandle. His shooting percentage seems a little high for a defenseman (obviously we don't have a base line rate for him yet so its hard to tell exactly) but he's only 20 years old also. He showed a propensity for being good on both sides of the ice. He also played much of the year with a guy currently undrafted so I'm not too worried about a pairing change. The only concern is his lack of being proven and moving him into the prime time defenseman role. The Devils are pairing him with Fedor Tyutin who I know a lot of people like. I think he's pretty talented and can pitch in the offensive aid. He's known for his defensive ability from 2007-2009 as a top shutdown guy. Now, I do feel he's a little overrated off reputation. He can play big minutes and I think playing with OEL will benefit both of them. Still, he's not an ideal second best defenseman on your team either imo.

Summary: Both teams find guys who will compliment pretty well but I think the Islanders are clearly more talented on the backend. OEL is not at a Keith level yet and needs to show me for another year while improving (the raw stats aren't completely honest with the comparison imo) while I think Leopold has been better than Tyutin the last few years as well.

Large Edge Islanders

Pairing #2

The Islanders so far only have 1 defenseman in Joni Pitkanan. Obviously, he missed most of last season with injuries which concerns me considering his injury history passed. In a series this matters less but still discounts him a bit. Pitkanan was pretty awful defensively last season and his relatively high offensive totals (on a per game basis) benefited from some shooting luck. Still, prior to last year Pitkanan had shown the ability on both ends of the ice to be a top pairing guy with his 2008-2009 being #1 defenseman calibre. Still, it does concerns me that his performance has dropped every year since then which plays a role in my mind telling me his injuries are playing a toll. Still, he's got top pairing upside for sure and he's only going to be on the second pairing limiting his minutes a bit. It does concern me for both teams that they don't have a #4 defenseman yet because this means they're probabally going to get someone whose not really prepared for high quality minutes. Still, Pitkanan will make up for that problem to a decent extent. The Islanders have a really nice defensive core.

The Devils meanwhile have Filip Kuba. I am a Kuba fan (I had him in a previous redraft) and he did a fantastic job on Ottawa's top pair last season with Erik Karlsson providing some of the size and defensive ability Karlsson lacked. At the same time, I do think his offensive numbers are a bit of a mirage as I don't think at this point in his career he's doing more than 2-3 goals and 20 points (he got some help from Karlsson and some puck luck). Kuba is probablly better off as a complimentary guy on a top pair (I would suggest sticking him with OEL) but he's fine for a second pairing. He is 36 though which is a bit concerning but the guy had his best season in a while last year. The guy your going to get with him is questionable (I have someone in mind who would be a nice fit though).

Summary: I was thinking that Pitkanan was going to run away with this but Kuba had a fantastic season and is underrated while Pitkanan was hurt last year and has not been the complete stud of the past. I still think he's better but this isn't a huge edge after 2011-2012.

Decent Edge Islanders

Goaltending:

Obviously, this is a mismatch. Backstrom is a decent enough goaltender but whose been Minnesota's starter for 5-6 years (depending on how you count his first year). He peaked in 2008-2009 at age 30 when he had one of the best seasons in the league that year (should have been a Vezina finalist if he wasn't). Since then we've seen some middling years but the biggest concern is a durability drop (Josh Harding is a solid backup but not spectacular). Still, thats less relevant in a short series and Backstrom didn't have the finest defense to put it likely in the land last year I suspect Suter will help him out and the Islanders defense so far at least is far superior to what he's had. His aging process/cure seems to hurt him but I think Backstrom is good enough to get the islanders decently far.

The Devils obviously have Lundqvist, the second best goaltender in hockey. (The Islanders can't seem to escape the great Swedish goalie). There's not much to say but he's a complete beast who wins pretty much every matchup. His durability drop the last two years is interesting on a regular season basis (his 468 games by the age of 29 might be a factor, compare that to Backstrom 327 by the age of 33) but in the playoffs it has little concern as he is still above average in that respect. He did/has benefited from a great defense assembled in New York. Still, he's obviously fantastic and the Devils put a pretty good defense in front of him still.

Summary: Backstrom isn't bad but he can't really hold his own against Lundqvist. He limits the damage but still this is clearly for the Devils.
Large Edge Devils

Winner: Its a tough call and I think a series at this point would go 6 if not 7 for sure but I will lean towards the Devils. I'll say this, I will need to see the final important 7-8 guys from each team to make the call for sure. The Islanders could still win if they build their back end and bottom 6 better.

This was a fun one to compare

[elate]

Tentative PRs. Consider this a spoiler. This WILL CHANGE. Expect it all at once.

5. Carolina Hurricanes

It is a lack of offensive depth that does in the Hurricanes. The first line of Hossa, Getzlaf, and Kunitz intimidates early and finds initial success. Opposing defenses find it hard to outmaneuver the bulky yet skilled combination of Hossa and Getzlaf. Meanwhile Kunitz draws a number of penalties opening up the ice for some quick powerplay success. A quarter of the way through the season, Getzlaf finds himself in the top five point scorers.

The success dwindles quickly as opposing defenses key in on the first line, pressuring the second to do the heavy lifting. A lack of production from Jeff Carter on the wing puts pressure on coach Kirk Muller to swap him with the ineffective Kyle Brodziak. Questions arise as to why Brodziak started at center over Carter in the first place. With Carter now playing center, his production increases but is capped by weak line mates.

The blue line remains solid throughout the year but cannot make up for the lack of offensive production. Jay Bouwmeester sees an increase in point production but his efforts only help an already successful first line unit. When the first line starts encountering stiffer resistant, he too sees a drop in production. The second line is hampered by the lack of a transition game from the back end. By the end of the season, this big back line is embattled and exhausted.

Notables:
Ryan Getlzaf – 71 Points (20th)
Marion Hossa – 69 Points (22nd)
Jeff Carter - 28 goals (35th Goals)
Jay Bouwmeester – 39 Points (20th Defense)

4. Winnipeg Jets

The Jets are another team that found early success. The young, agile team found the back of the net early and often. Their lowly finish was due more in part to injury than lack of talent. Tavares continues to impress, elevating Jordan Eberle to near superstar success. The two combine for explosive goals and confound defenses all year. Their success is quickly overshadowed by injuries. Ryan Smyth goes down early citing lower body injuries (knees). Gulilaume Latendresse joins the line and sees success, leading many to believe he has finally found the form he was supposed to have in Montreal. Midway through the season, Latendresse dashes those hopes with another injury, this time a pulled groin that nags him all year.

Logan Couture finds himself without line mates and the focus of intense defense. His production drops of drastically as the Jets find it hard to score goals outside of the first line. Minor injuries to Logan limit him to 64 games and he can never seem to find efficient rhythm.

Kronwall leads a consistent and underrated defense. Out from underneath the shadow of Nik Lidstrom, he quickly impresses and solidifies himself as a capable number one. All of that changes when Kronwall illegal lands a big hit on ___. The hit lands him a ten game suspension, but worse, a concussion that lasts much longer than ten games. Kronwall misses most of the second half of the season putting pressure on a now suddenly weaker defense. Varlamov, now seeing more shots, fairs well but cannot stem the tide and the Jets fall to the bottom of the standings during the second half of the season.

Noteables:
John Tavares – 91 Points (4th)
Jordan Eberle – 81 Points (10th)
Logan Couture – 67 GP
Nicklas Kronwall – 10 Game Suspension, 55 GP

3. Washington Capitals

Rick Nash seems mired in mediocrity. Despite his success with line mate Hank Zetterberg, he can’t lift his team into cup contention and he has his second line to blame.

Nash and Zetterberg combine for a solid first line, putting up less points than many expected but playing a two way game that puts them among the top 15 for +/- in the league. Hemsky contributes but again is plagued by injuries that see him miss 3-5 games at a time. Still, his production is up from 36 in 2011-12, to 58.

The second line flounders. Marcus Johansson, who plays better than both Roy and Cammalleri, spends about as much time filling in for Hemsky as he does playing left wing for the second line. Roy and Cammalleri find a funk early and, aside from brief spurts of production, stay in it most of the year. They quickly find the ire of the fan base in Washington, leading many analysts to assume they’ll be traded for peanuts at the deadline. It is just another bump in the rocky roads of their careers.

The defense holds up surprisingly well. Adam Larsson makes a huge leap from a season ago, impressing many and fulfilling his pre-draft predictions. A quarter of the way through the season he jumps Burns on the depth chart and finds instant chemistry with countryman Victor Hedman. Burns, who wasn’t playing poorly, finds more open space with Anton and sees his production increase. They both spur a very productive powerplay.

Craig Anderson shines behind this blue line. He is among the tops in GAA and SV% in the league and puts his name in contention for the Vezina trophy. Unfortunately, his team’s finish keeps him from claiming that prize.

Notables:

Rick Nas - 79 Points (12th), +22 (18th)
Henrik Zetterberg - 78 Points (13th), +25 (11th)
Craig Anderson - 2.00 GAA, .934 SV%, 5 SO
Ales Hemsky – 69 GP
Powerplay – 18.5% (8th)
Roy – Traded at deadline
Cammalleri – Traded at deadline

2. Tampa Bay Lightning

Tampa Bay is one of those teams that one paper shouldn’t be overwhelming. In fact, many predicted them to finish near the bottom of the pack. Key injuries to players in their division as well as underwhelming play from a few teams allow them to climb the standings a bit.

It is an underrated core of centermen that lead the Lightning under the tutelage of James Bond villain, Guy Boucher. The under impressive yet gritty group of wingers keep the Lightning in every game they play. As the second half of the season approaches, the Lightning trade Tomas Plekanec for a winger to help increase offensive output. Peverely fills in on the second line without missing a beat. Jagr, however, trails off before the midway point and quickly finds himself on the IR for the second half of the season. He is replaced by young prospect Richard Panik who, while not explosive, fills in nicely.

The defensive core, anchored by Carey Price, holds its line. It neither impresses nor under achieves. Outside of Jagr the Lightning avoid major injuries and hang on to the second spot in the division.

Notables:
Anze Kopitar - 70 Points (21st)
Jaromir Jagr – 57 GP
Tomas Plekanec – Traded at deadline

1. Florida Panthers

Year of the rat? Probably not. Still, the Panthers punch, kick, and claw their way to first in the division. Character is the name of the game for the Panthers who are captained by lead first guys like Jackman, Clutterbuck, and Ladd. It provides spotlight relief, as well as protection, for Hank Sedin who leads the team in points.

Sedin, separated from his eerily identical brother (or whatever cyborgs call each other), proves to the league and fans that it wasn’t just chemistry that made him elite. Bobby Ryan enjoys the Sedin twin just as much as Daniel and sees his point production increase. Clutterbuck, however, cannot keep up and an unusually productive season for Alex Tanguay lands him the first line left wing job early in the season. Clutterbuck, not one to take anything lying down, quickly finds chemistry on a now feisty second line. Andrew Ladd leads the second line to a productive, if underrated, season.

The blue line, much like that of the Hurricanes, is big and bruising. Yet, unlike the Hurricanes, it isn’t relied upon to anchor the team. As a result the defense stays fresh throughout the season and proves difficult to crack. Tim Thomas, though not as stellar as years past, remains one of goaltending’s elite.

Notables:

Hank Sedin - 79 Points (12th)
Bobby Ryan - 66 Points (30th)
Andrew Ladd – 29 Goals (34th)
Clutterbuck – 120 PIM (18th)

[Carlznerson]

I really like the way you did these elate. Thanks for the effort.

[elate]

5. Carolina Hurricanes
It is a lack of offensive depth that does in the Hurricanes. The first line of Hossa, Getzlaf, and Kunitz intimidates early and finds initial success. Opposing defenses find it hard to outmaneuver the bulky yet skilled combination of Hossa and Getzlaf. Meanwhile Kunitz draws a number of penalties opening up the ice for some quick power play success. A quarter of the way through the season, Getzlaf finds himself in the top five point scorers.

The success dwindles quickly as opposing defenses key in on the first line, pressuring the second to do the heavy lifting. A lack of production from Jeff Carter on the wing puts pressure on coach Kirk Muller to swap him with the ineffective Kyle Brodziak. Questions arise as to why Brodziak started at center over Carter in the first place. With Carter now playing center, his production increases but is capped by weak line mates.

The blue line remains solid throughout the year but cannot make up for the lack of offensive production. Jay Bouwmeester sees an increase in point production but his efforts only help an already successful first line unit. When the first line starts encountering stiffer resistant, he too sees a drop in production. The second line is hampered by the lack of a transition game from the back end. By the end of the season, this big back line is embattled and exhausted.

4. Winnipeg Jets
The Jets are another team that found early success. The young, agile team found the back of the net early and often. Their lowly finish was due more in part to injury than lack of talent. Tavares continues to impress, elevating Jordan Eberle to near superstar success. The two combine for explosive goals and confound defenses all year. Their success is quickly overshadowed by injuries. Ryan Smyth goes down early citing lower body injuries (knees). Gulilaume Latendresse joins the line and sees success, leading many to believe he has finally found the form he was supposed to have in Montreal. Midway through the season, Latendresse dashes those hopes with another injury, this time a pulled groin that nags him all year.

Logan Couture finds himself without line mates and the focus of intense defense. His production drops of drastically as the Jets find it hard to score goals outside of the first line. Minor injuries to Logan limit him to 64 games and he can never seem to find efficient rhythm.

Kronwall leads a consistent and underrated defense. Out from underneath the shadow of Nik Lidstrom, he quickly impresses and solidifies himself as a capable number one. All of that changes when Kronwall illegally lands a big hit on Patrick Kane. The hit lands him a ten game suspension, but worse, a concussion that lasts much longer than ten games. Kronwall misses most of the second half of the season putting pressure on a now suddenly weaker defense. Varlamov, now seeing more shots, fairs well but cannot stem the tide and the Jets fall to the bottom of the standings during the second half of the season.

3. Washington Capitals
Rick Nash seems mired in mediocrity. Despite his success with line mate Hank Zetterberg, he can’t lift his team into cup contention and he has his second line to blame.

Nash and Zetterberg combine for a solid first line, putting up less points than many expected but playing a two way game that puts them among the top 15 for +/- in the league. Hemsky contributes but again is plagued by injuries that see him miss 3-5 games at a time. Still, his production is up from 36 in 2011-12, to 58.

The second line flounders. Marcus Johansson, who plays better than both Roy and Cammalleri, spends about as much time filling in for Hemsky as he does playing left wing for the second line. Roy and Cammalleri find a funk early and, aside from brief spurts of production, stay in it most of the year. They quickly find the ire of the fan base in Washington, leading many analysts to assume they’ll be traded for peanuts at the deadline. It is just another bump in the rocky roads of their careers.

The defense holds up surprisingly well. Adam Larsson makes a huge leap from a season ago, impressing many and fulfilling his pre-draft predictions. A quarter of the way through the season he jumps Burns on the depth chart and finds instant chemistry with countryman Victor Hedman. Burns, who wasn’t playing poorly, finds more open space with Anton and sees his production increase. They both spur a very productive power play.

Craig Anderson shines behind this blue line. He is among the tops in GAA and SV% in the league and puts his name in contention for the Vezina trophy. Unfortunately, his team’s finish keeps him from claiming that prize.

2. Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay is one of those teams that on paper shouldn’t be overwhelming. In fact, many predicted them to finish near the bottom of the pack. Key injuries to players in their division as well as underwhelming play from a few teams allow them to climb the standings a bit.

It is an underrated core of centermen that lead the Lightning under the tutelage of James Bond villain, Guy Boucher. The under impressive yet gritty group of wingers keep the Lightning in every game they play. As the second half of the season approaches, the Lightning trade Tomas Plekanec to Pittsburgh in a deal that lands them often criticized Dany Heatley. Peverely fills in on the second line without missing a beat. Jagr, however, trails off before the midway point and quickly finds himself on the IR for the second half of the season. He is replaced by young prospect Richard Panik who, while not explosive, fills in nicely.

The defensive core, anchored by Carey Price, holds its line. It neither impresses nor under achieves. Outside of Jagr the Lightning avoid major injuries and hang on to the second spot in the division.

1. Florida Panthers
Year of the rat? The Panthers punch, kick, and claw their way to first in the division. Character is the name of the game for the Panthers who are captained by lead first guys like Jackman, Clutterbuck, and Ladd. It provides spotlight relief, as well as protection, for Hank Sedin who leads the team in points.

Sedin, separated from his eerily identical brother (or whatever cyborgs call each other), proves to the league and fans that it wasn’t just chemistry that made him elite. Bobby Ryan enjoys the Sedin twin just as much as Daniel and sees his point production increase. Clutterbuck, however, cannot keep up and an unusually productive season for Alex Tanguay lands him the first line left wing job early in the season. Clutterbuck, not one to take anything lying down, quickly finds chemistry on a now feisty second line. Andrew Ladd leads the second line to a productive, if underrated, season.

The blue line, much like that of the Hurricanes, is big and bruising. Yet, unlike the Hurricanes, it isn’t relied upon to anchor the team. As a result the defense stays fresh throughout the season and proves difficult to crack. Tim Thomas, though not as stellar as years past, remains one of goaltending’s elite.

5. New York Rangers
A suspect blue line unravels which could have been a semi successful team in New York. A mediocre offense simply couldn’t overcome the woes of the back end landing the Rangers in lowly last place within the Atlantic division.

Despite John Toews talent and leadership, his weak line mates hamper any productivity. Ryder cannot live up to his previous year goal tally mark, proving it to be a fluke as defenses key in on the 32 year old scorer. His production drops to a modest 22 goals.

RNH continues his development but cannot improve the value of enigmatic Jakub Voracek. Voracek looks just one year out from finally coming into his own. Unfortunately for the Rangers, it doesn’t help them for this season.

The Rangers also suffer from a lack of a transition game stemming from the blue line. A suspect defense to begin with finds itself often trapped in their own zone taking penalties and giving up goals. The team struggles early and deals Orpik at the deadline for Artem Anisimov.

4. Pittsburgh Penguins
The Penguins were one of the biggest disappointments this season. A young and exciting core of players just could not seem to mesh and could not string together enough wins in a row to make noise. As the 2011-12 Edmonton Oilers proved, even a talented young roster still needs room to improve.

Despite what many consider a successful campaign for Tyler Seguin, his point production was well below what he deserved. Heatley provided another underwhelming season which was mired with rumors of being a clubhouse cancer. As a result Heatley was dealt two weeks before the deadline for Tomas Plekanec. Hall saw his minutes improve along with his points after Plekanec joined the squad.

It wasn’t for a lack of effort that found the Penguins near the bottom of the pack but rather their inability to maintain a physical game. Despite the size of some of their youthful talent, they had trouble breaking through bigger defenses.

A solid blue line kept them in most games, but a lack of true leadership limited their ability to win the tight ones. Quick could not relive his previous year’s success. Despite that, he put in an average season, though he simply could not steal enough games to keep the Penguins in contention.

3. New York Islanders
The Islanders were picked at the beginning of the season to finish mid pack and that is just what they did. Lacking anything flashy they developed a squad that could compete in every game but not win that extra one that would snag them the division lead.

Danny Briere, despite a lack of enthusiasm for him being the team’s number one center, exceeded expectations. He enjoyed a bounce back season which was certainly helped by the elite Dan Sedin. David Jones found his goal scoring touch notching a noteworthy 28 goals. Grabovski enjoyed the second line role and put out one of his best seasons to date with 55 points.

Duncan Keith was able to elevate the game of journeyman Jordan Leopold. The two provided an excellent first pairing. Backstrom anchored the average blue line which, as previously mentioned, kept the team in most every game. The lack of explosive depth, combined with a drastic drop in goal production from David Clarkson forced Garth Snow’s hand, dealing David Clarkson at the deadline for Patrick Elias.

2. New Jersey Devils
Unlike the Penguins, the Devils had a few players step up which placed them higher than most people predicted. One paper the team doesn’t appear overly appetizing. Travis Zajac was coming off of an injured plagued season. Most people agreed Dainius Zubrus had no business being a second line center and the blue line appeared a group of misfits. But, as most teams were quick to realize, King Henry makes up for a lot of holes.

But what really made the difference for the Devils, outside of King Henry, was the emergence of Travis Zajac. It is argued that the drastic jump in point production was because of his line mates, a justifiable reason, those who watched him play attributed it to pure talent. The first line for the Devils proved to be one of the most productive in the league. That being said, age in the second half caught up to the Devils top unit which dropped their overall position from first in the Atlantic to second and kept the three from the award ceremonies.

Kris Versteeg and a reemerging Brian Gionta more than made up for slow footed Zubrus. Again, a slow second hand curbed production for the unit.

The blue line found itself to be hit or miss. Devils fans, used to solid defense, were unsure if they were going to see the best blue line in the game or the worst. More often it was the latter. The lack of consistency led the Devils to trade Artem Anisimov and some prospect talent for Brooks Orpik at the deadline.

For what the defense lacked, Lundqvist easily made up for on route to his second straight Vezina trophy. Nevertheless a spotty second half left the Atlantic open for the Philadelphia Flyers to sneak into.

1. Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers snuck in and they did it in Broad Street Bullies fashion.

The Flyers led the league in minor penalties, major penalties, suspensions, and penalty minutes and not one person in Philadelphia complained.

Despite playing much of the games a man (or two) down, they Flyers banged their way into first place within the Atlantic. Brooks Laich was questioned early in the season as the first line center and was quickly replaced by the much more capable Filppula. Filppula didn’t excel as much as coach Laviolette had hoped but all he really needed to do was find Alexander the Great. Ovechkin’s goals didn’t increase, finishing with 36, but they all seemed very well timed. Along with Nathan Horton, the Flyers first line was incredible tough to defend, be it points or PIMs. Opposing units found some relief defending a streaky second line which ended with Dustin Penner being relegated to the third line in place of Antti Miettinen. That, however, made the third line another nuisance to play against as Penner and Raymond combined for some bruising play.

The hits didn’t stop with the offense as crossing the blue line became a hazard with reinvigorated Dion Phaneuf patrolling. What holes the defense gave up with their aggressive play were quickly shut with the terrific play of Marc-Andre between the pipes.

The teams rough and tumble style was just what Laviolette wanted, keeping the team pressing during the second half and overcoming a surprising Devils unit that faded late.

5. Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens have the displeasure of playing in the East’s best division. While enjoying success outside of the Northeast, they put together a poor divisional record. As a result they find themselves at the bottom of a tightly packed Northeast division.

Thomas Vanek and Claude Giroux make an exciting and terrifying first line. It has so much talent it even makes Steve Downie appear not terrible. Despite Giroux’s continued success, he cannot push the team upwards in the division.

The second line plays with heart but struggles to put points on the board. Derek Stepan sees his production value slip despite some terrific hockey. Nik Antropov continues his decline, leaving the second line in the lurch. The blue line is quickly exposed as the weak link in the Canadiens’ chain. Elder and Gleason struggle on the first line and Del Zotto puts forth a forgettable season.

Despite an efficient offense, though admittedly underperforming, the defense dooms the squad which can’t maintain a high enough goals per game average.

4. Ottawa Senators
Everyone had trouble placing Ottawa before the season started. The talent was there to make noise but there was also a question mark or two that could limit their success. The Northeast division happened to be one of the toughest in the league which left Ottawa at the short end of the stick.

The main problem was an underwhelming first line. While Mikko Koivu played very well, as usual, it was Johan Franzen who saw a drastic drop off in production. Instead of potting his usual high 20s, he fell to a mere 17 during this campaign. David Krejci and Ryan Callahan proved the anchors of the team but provided only average offense. Nevertheless the second line netted a respectable +/- rating for a team finishing so low. The Senator’s third line, while full of energy, was unable to make enough offensive contributions to make up for a sub-par team offense.

A defense full of potential proved it was in need of a season or two more before fully functional. Added pressure on Carlson and McBain led to sup-par outings. Wisniewski played well, but couldn’t lock down the defense. Pekka Rinne stemmed the tide but without the near impenetrable wall of his former team in front of him, even his stats fell slightly.


3. Toronto Maple Leafs
If Pittsburgh proved anything over the past couple of seasons it is that solid depth up the middle can decide a season. Now Thornton and Staal aren’t Crosby and Malkin, they are nonetheless elite. Despite a week supporting cast, these two alone pushed the Maple Leafs into third in the Northeast and into playoff contention.

To nobody’s surprise Staal’s second line quickly and consistently out produced Big Joe’s first. It is no more than ten games into the season that Staal’s line gets more ice time and continues to throughout the remainder of the season. Eric has a bounce back season (if you consider 70 points below average), but is limited by a mediocre (at best) group of wingers. In one of the biggest deals at the deadline, the Maple Leafs trade Joe Thornton for Mike Cammalleri and Derek Roy. It proves a boost, just not a large one as the Maple Leafs oversteps the Senators but nobody else but not the Bruins or Sabres.

An underrated defense allows a season long tested Rask to mature. Still Rask performs below what many were expecting/hoping for. A second mid-season trade lands the Leafs some depth on defense in the event that made a push for the playoffs.

2. Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins didn’t hit their way to second in the division, they didn’t make highlight reels or lock down their blue line. They did so with consistency. Healthy seasons from Daniel Alfredsson and Ryan Malone allowed for offensive flexibility when needed.

Erik Cole, however, missed most of the season with an upper body injury. This allowed for Claude Julien to unite Alfredsson with fellow Swede Loui Eriksson. While not dynamic, the line produced throughout the year, proving that Alfredsson still had some left in the tank. David Desharnais had a hard time handling the second line after a successful campaign last season. When moved to the third line in place of a healthy Andy McDonald, both lines saw increases in production.

Chara anchored a solid first pairing. The second pairing of Souray and Martin, however, broke down as the season moved along. Souray missed ten games in the second half, just after the All-Star break. He never seemed to regain his form and the added pressure derailed Paul Martin who faced harsh criticisms as he had the previous year in Pittsburgh. Thomas Vokoun bounced back from a shaky year, though was average at best. It was these holes on the back end that prevented Boston from making a lot of noise.

1. Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres relied heavily on team chemistry, though that isn’t to say they are without talent.

Outside of the Ryans (Ryan Callahan, Ryan Suter, and Ryan Miller) the Sabres boasted the core of the American Olympic team. With it came a tenacity and eagerness to win.

The team boasts Americans: Paul Stastny, TJ Oshie, and Brian Boyle down the middle with wingers: Zach Parise, Dustin Brown, and Drew Miller. Chemistry wasn’t hard to come by, neither was talent. Nevertheless depth beyond those listed was non-existent. A slowing Andrew Brunette and a still developing Vladimir Sobotka rounded out the top nine. Still the team was able to achieve a healthy season out of Stastny, critical for the team’s success.

The biggest question mark on the team was goalie Brian Elliott. Though his numbers were downright gaudy a season ago, they were limited to half a season. Less than stellar stats proceeded his season with the Blues which casted a shadow of doubt on his form. The Sabres addressed that question mark by building a solid defense.

Goligoski and Carle led an offensive transition while big and bruising defenders like Brewer and Grossmann cleared the front of the net. Kevin Klein, having been overshadowed by the aforementioned Ryan Suter and Shea Weber, took another step forward in his career, leading the team in +/-.

Despite a tough division, the Sabres were able to avoid major injury and utilize enough team chemistry to take the Northeast division.