Penguins had a good offseason; let's not get too ahead of ourselves and call it a great one. A lot of their success will be hinging on young defensemen taking the next step and there are often missteps during that process.

The Rangers had a good offseason; don't see how people can kill them when they basically lost depth players and replaced them all with room to spare to sign their more important RFAs.

Philadelphia didn't do much to improve their team from last season but they should still be competitive; depending on Mason having another good season.

Columbus will likely sign Johansen but remind me, all of you Blue Jacket proponents, why you think this team is bound to take that next step into the upper echelon of the conference? What did they do to improve their team from last season?

Washington has the potential to be quite horrible next season and, unless they pull off a heist of a trade, they have little wiggle room to change their fortunes if they do.

New Jersey should be much improved simply because Schneider will get the bulk of the starts and I think he is on the verge of becoming a great goalie.

The Islanders should be fun to watch, and are much more secure in net, but their defense is average at best and that might be giving that unit too much credit.

Carolina is lottery bound unless the rest of the division is beset by injuries to all of their top players simultaneously.

If I had to take a guess, at how this division will look at the end of the season, it would look something like this:

Rangers
Penguins
Devils
Flyers
Blue Jackets
Islanders
Capitals
Hurricanes

Now now, I am sure if any of you read this you will call me a homer, but that's fine. Those that think the Penguins are a lock to finish first are blinded by the Crosby-Malkin factor. Their defense has the potential to be good but it's going to be rather young and inexperienced. James Neal getting dealt for two lesser players isn't exactly a win for Pittsburgh either. Hornqvist is a good player but by no means a great one. How will Dupuis respond from major knee surgery? Will Kunitz still be an elite goal scorer? They improved their depth but the bottom two lines are still far from stellar.

There are questions with the Rangers too but less than the legion of detractors think there are. Remind me again of what they really lost and how their expected replacements aren't capable of filling in for them. To me, the biggest hole to fill, at least in the regular season, will be the decent production of Brad Richards. But, if other returning players step up last year's numbers, it can be done.

Depth, defense, goaltending, coaching. Basically how we beat you guys in the playoffs.

Give me a (frank)ing break with this possession crap

Also this post is extremely wrong. Glass is Dorsett's replacement. Pouliot played on our 3rd line with Zuccarello and Brassard. Lombardi fills in on the 3rd line for Pouliot and Stempniak replaced Boyle on the 4th line...yea, the Stempniak that was your 2nd best offensive player in the 2nd round behind Malkin. Then you completely disregard JT Miller.

Stralman was our NUMBER 4 defenseman and if you actually analyze the advanced statistics correctly and adjust for zone starts and only look at close game situations, Stralman played the EASIEST competition out of all 6 of our defense.
- rangerdanger94

You are talking about the same Tanner Glass that was a complete boat anchor on the Pens 4th line last year. Have fun with that.m

Penguins had a good offseason; let's not get too ahead of ourselves and call it a great one. A lot of their success will be hinging on young defensemen taking the next step and there are often missteps during that process.

The Rangers had a good offseason; don't see how people can kill them when they basically lost depth players and replaced them all with room to spare to sign their more important RFAs.

Philadelphia didn't do much to improve their team from last season but they should still be competitive; depending on Mason having another good season.

Columbus will likely sign Johansen but remind me, all of you Blue Jacket proponents, why you think this team is bound to take that next step into the upper echelon of the conference? What did they do to improve their team from last season?

Washington has the potential to be quite horrible next season and, unless they pull off a heist of a trade, they have little wiggle room to change their fortunes if they do.

New Jersey should be much improved simply because Schneider will get the bulk of the starts and I think he is on the verge of becoming a great goalie.

The Islanders should be fun to watch, and are much more secure in net, but their defense is average at best and that might be giving that unit too much credit.

Carolina is lottery bound unless the rest of the division is beset by injuries to all of their top players simultaneously.

If I had to take a guess, at how this division will look at the end of the season, it would look something like this:

Rangers
Penguins
Devils
Flyers
Blue Jackets
Islanders
Capitals
Hurricanes

Now now, I am sure if any of you read this you will call me a homer, but that's fine. Those that think the Penguins are a lock to finish first are blinded by the Crosby-Malkin factor. Their defense has the potential to be good but it's going to be rather young and inexperienced. James Neal getting dealt for two lesser players isn't exactly a win for Pittsburgh either. Hornqvist is a good player but by no means a great one. How will Dupuis respond from major knee surgery? Will Kunitz still be an elite goal scorer? They improved their depth but the bottom two lines are still far from stellar.

There are questions with the Rangers too but less than the legion of detractors think there are. Remind me again of what they really lost and how their expected replacements aren't capable of filling in for them. To me, the biggest hole to fill, at least in the regular season, will be the decent production of Brad Richards. But, if other returning players step up last year's numbers, it can be done.
- MidnightMarauder

I personally think the Penguins will struggle a bit out of the gate if only because it will take some time to integrate all the faces and because Maata and Pouliot are going to start off injured.

I'm also in the camp of not being sold on CBS yet. I remember how everyone was high on the Islanders last year because they took the Pens to 6 games the year before and we know how that worked out. I do think CBS is better positioned for longevity than he Isles were, but that has yet to be seen.

I personally think the Penguins will struggle a bit out of the gate if only because it will take some time to integrate all the faces and because Maata and Pouliot are going to start off injured.

I'm also in the camp of not being sold on CBS yet. I remember how everyone was high on the Islanders last year because they took the Pens to 6 games the year before and we know how that worked out. I do think CBS is better positioned for longevity than he Isles were, but that has yet to be seen.
- Emperor Filonius

Penguins are a playoff lock because they still have a better team, than most in the East, that can't be debated.

But they are far from locks to run away with the division. The Rangers aren't locks for a division title either but I am still failing to see how they got significantly worse than last season.

The players they lost, aside from Richards, are simply depth players. The Rangers are going to get better production from players like Kreider, Stepan, Hagelin and Zuccarello. If that holds true, the offense lost from Richards departure will be compensated for.

Nash and St. Louis should produce at close to a point per game clip. The two X-factors, at forward, will be Brassard and JT Miller. Both will have their roles escalated from last season.

The power play has killed their offensive output for the longest time. Dan Boyle wasn't brought here to shut down top opposing offensive players; he is here to quarterback the power play.

Folks can kill the Glass signing and the numbers don't lie about that. But, the numbers don't lie for Brian Boyle's poor corsi numbers as well. Why, all of a sudden, has Boyle become a significant loss for the Rangers and the Glass signing is simply the worst signing of the offseason?

The rest of this division is a toss up, besides Carolina. Anyone that takes a look at that lineup and can honestly say they have a shot, at the postseason, is absolutely out of their minds.

You are talking about the same Tanner Glass that was a complete boat anchor on the Pens 4th line last year. Have fun with that.m
- Emperor Filonius

the penguins had a 4th line?

Penguins had a good offseason; let's not get too ahead of ourselves and call it a great one. A lot of their success will be hinging on young defensemen taking the next step and there are often missteps during that process.

The Rangers had a good offseason; don't see how people can kill them when they basically lost depth players and replaced them all with room to spare to sign their more important RFAs.

Philadelphia didn't do much to improve their team from last season but they should still be competitive; depending on Mason having another good season.

Columbus will likely sign Johansen but remind me, all of you Blue Jacket proponents, why you think this team is bound to take that next step into the upper echelon of the conference? What did they do to improve their team from last season?

Washington has the potential to be quite horrible next season and, unless they pull off a heist of a trade, they have little wiggle room to change their fortunes if they do.

New Jersey should be much improved simply because Schneider will get the bulk of the starts and I think he is on the verge of becoming a great goalie.

The Islanders should be fun to watch, and are much more secure in net, but their defense is average at best and that might be giving that unit too much credit.

Carolina is lottery bound unless the rest of the division is beset by injuries to all of their top players simultaneously.

If I had to take a guess, at how this division will look at the end of the season, it would look something like this:

Rangers
Penguins
Devils
Flyers
Blue Jackets
Islanders
Capitals
Hurricanes

Now now, I am sure if any of you read this you will call me a homer, but that's fine. Those that think the Penguins are a lock to finish first are blinded by the Crosby-Malkin factor. Their defense has the potential to be good but it's going to be rather young and inexperienced. James Neal getting dealt for two lesser players isn't exactly a win for Pittsburgh either. Hornqvist is a good player but by no means a great one. How will Dupuis respond from major knee surgery? Will Kunitz still be an elite goal scorer? They improved their depth but the bottom two lines are still far from stellar.

There are questions with the Rangers too but less than the legion of detractors think there are. Remind me again of what they really lost and how their expected replacements aren't capable of filling in for them. To me, the biggest hole to fill, at least in the regular season, will be the decent production of Brad Richards. But, if other returning players step up last year's numbers, it can be done.
- MidnightMarauder

Homer!

the penguins had a 4th line?
- rangerdanger94

Rangers are a better chance to fall victim to that joke this season with Glass there compared to the Penguins

the penguins had a 4th line?
- rangerdanger94

The kind of line that wraps around your leg tied to a giant shark that pulls you under. They were a drain on the team, not an asset. We got frustrated with Bylsma, putting the same ball and chain unit out there night after freaking night! I wanted to throw a brick at my TV.

Rangers are a better chance to fall victim to that joke this season with Glass there compared to the Penguins
- Guile

Glass will be playing with 2 people that can actually play hockey in Stempniak and Dominic Moore. Yes, Stempniak will likely be on our 4th line while he was in top-6.

Those 2 are massive upgrades over Adams and Vitale. The only thing Glass has to do is not be a total defensive liability and he'll fit right into Dorsett's old role.

The kind of line that wraps around your leg tied to a giant shark that pulls you under. They were a drain on the team, not an asset. We got frustrated with Bylsma, putting the same ball and chain unit out there night after freaking night! I wanted to throw a brick at my TV.
- powerhouse

Glass was a nightmare in Pitt, no denying that. But he's always been touted as a great leader and was even captain back in his minor league/junior days I believe. When the lockout ended, apparently the 1st person Bylsma called was Glass because he loved having him in the lockerroom so much. Glass is a free agent, and the first person AV calls is him. I think there's something to his character that coaches love but we as fans can't appreciate from just watching the on-ice product.

Regardless, Glass is like our 13th forward. People are acting like he's our 2nd line center replacement for Brad Richards that we need to score 60 points to have a chance of making the playoffs.

Glass was a nightmare in Pitt, no denying that. But he's always been touted as a great leader and was even captain back in his minor league/junior days I believe. When the lockout ended, apparently the 1st person Bylsma called was Glass because he loved having him in the lockerroom so much. Glass is a free agent, and the first person AV calls is him. I think there's something to his character that coaches love but we as fans can't appreciate from just watching the on-ice product.

Regardless, Glass is like our 13th forward. People are acting like he's our 2nd line center replacement for Brad Richards that we need to score 60 points to have a chance of making the playoffs.
- rangerdanger94

Dear God... you guys are now putting him up on the 2nd line? And here I thought you would still make the playoffs

the penguins had a 4th line?
- rangerdanger94

2 of them actually

Homer!
- Guile

Perfect

Glass was a nightmare in Pitt, no denying that. But he's always been touted as a great leader and was even captain back in his minor league/junior days I believe. When the lockout ended, apparently the 1st person Bylsma called was Glass because he loved having him in the lockerroom so much. Glass is a free agent, and the first person AV calls is him. I think there's something to his character that coaches love but we as fans can't appreciate from just watching the on-ice product.

Regardless, Glass is like our 13th forward. People are acting like he's our 2nd line center replacement for Brad Richards that we need to score 60 points to have a chance of making the playoffs.
- rangerdanger94

He is good for hitting and checking but that was about it here, good luck. For the record I thought the Rangers were over achievers. When St Louis' mom died the team rallied around him emotionally. Good for them and him. This next season will show their mettle. They also took a while to adjust to their coach too. They had a nice run there though, no doubt about it and I'm sure it was fun for the Ranger fans. Us, not so much.

Am I the only one that thinks the Rangers may miss the playoffs entirely?

They lost a lot of depth in the offseason (Richards, Stralman, Pouliot, B. Boyle). D. Boyle was brought in as an old man, who knows if he will prove useful. Today they signed Brassard to a horrible deal (Gagner contract v 2.0 imo). They got a lot softer and more one-dimensional and their best player got a year older. They also signed Glass for some toughness, but he is barely an NHL caliber player.

I'll take my stab:

PIT
CBJ
NYR
NYI
WAS
NJD
PHI
CAR

Perfect
- MidnightMarauder

You know I kind of love the Rags... well, I don't hate them at least. I love to (frank) with you guys though ^_^

the penguins had a 4th line?
- rangerdanger94

if we had the choice between the glass-vitale-adams line and just rolling three lines a game, i think a vast majority of us would take the 3 line approach.

glass is a good guy who can fill a need... he just couldnt play in an up tempo system for the penguins. his linemates were complete crap which also didnt help but he is a guy who was willing to block 3 shea weber slapshots on one shift so he'll give you his all most nights but will often disappear for weeks.

Penguins had a good offseason; let's not get too ahead of ourselves and call it a great one. A lot of their success will be hinging on young defensemen taking the next step and there are often missteps during that process.

The Rangers had a good offseason; don't see how people can kill them when they basically lost depth players and replaced them all with room to spare to sign their more important RFAs.

Philadelphia didn't do much to improve their team from last season but they should still be competitive; depending on Mason having another good season.

Columbus will likely sign Johansen but remind me, all of you Blue Jacket proponents, why you think this team is bound to take that next step into the upper echelon of the conference? What did they do to improve their team from last season?

Washington has the potential to be quite horrible next season and, unless they pull off a heist of a trade, they have little wiggle room to change their fortunes if they do.

New Jersey should be much improved simply because Schneider will get the bulk of the starts and I think he is on the verge of becoming a great goalie.

The Islanders should be fun to watch, and are much more secure in net, but their defense is average at best and that might be giving that unit too much credit.

Carolina is lottery bound unless the rest of the division is beset by injuries to all of their top players simultaneously.

If I had to take a guess, at how this division will look at the end of the season, it would look something like this:

Rangers
Penguins
Devils
Flyers
Blue Jackets
Islanders
Capitals
Hurricanes

Now now, I am sure if any of you read this you will call me a homer, but that's fine. Those that think the Penguins are a lock to finish first are blinded by the Crosby-Malkin factor. Their defense has the potential to be good but it's going to be rather young and inexperienced. James Neal getting dealt for two lesser players isn't exactly a win for Pittsburgh either. Hornqvist is a good player but by no means a great one. How will Dupuis respond from major knee surgery? Will Kunitz still be an elite goal scorer? They improved their depth but the bottom two lines are still far from stellar.

There are questions with the Rangers too but less than the legion of detractors think there are. Remind me again of what they really lost and how their expected replacements aren't capable of filling in for them. To me, the biggest hole to fill, at least in the regular season, will be the decent production of Brad Richards. But, if other returning players step up last year's numbers, it can be done.
- MidnightMarauder

i personally think the rangers either have it all together like they did the last few months of the year or i could see them pull a philly and just tank and not make the playoffs. they sure have some good pieces but if you continue to rely on one guy to bail you out again and again, eventually he's going to be off his game. not calling hank bad or anything, but just saying he's human also.

it is going to be a dog fight all year. other than carolina and washington, i think all teams have a reasonable shot at making the playoffs.

i wouldnt be shocked if someone beat pitt for the division and to be honest, i wouldnt mind. top dog usually doesnt win the cup. if i had to pick between a penguins team finishing 2nd in the division but playing consistently strong playoff type hockey all year versus a penguins team finish 1st and just coast like normal, i'll take the 2nd place team.

I see you're posting from the 09/10 season.
- jmatchett383

Says the guy banking on Steve Mason.

1. Pens (still have 87 & 71)
2. Rangers (still have Hank)
3. Caps (if the smart alecks can stop chuckling about Orpik's deal for a sec, they might notice they also added Niskanen and Trotz)
4. Isles (adding Halak, Grabbo and Kulemin for nothing but $$=playoffs)
5. Jackets (2nd wild card spot ending the Wings' playoff streak)
6. Devils (adding Cammo and Havlat for nothing but $$ =/= playoffs)
7. Flyers (old man Comcast blew a gasket for Richards and Carter drunkenly partying with Temple sorority girls; what does he do with a player attempting to drunkenly party with an Ottawa policeman?
8. Canes (some nice pieces but seem to be cheaping out on adding to them.)

Really? Are you upset ? Lol its the internet if that upsets you maybe you shouldnt be on it as it was clearly a joke and I will have fun because I love watching hockey lol I don't need my team to win every year for me to be happy lol I have a life outside of this and hockey.
- blizzzard

Ah don't worry about it. He is a Penguins fan. That means he only posts here when the site is going good. He will disappear when the quality of the site starts going downhill.

Penguins had a good offseason; let's not get too ahead of ourselves and call it a great one. A lot of their success will be hinging on young defensemen taking the next step and there are often missteps during that process.

The Rangers had a good offseason; don't see how people can kill them when they basically lost depth players and replaced them all with room to spare to sign their more important RFAs.

Philadelphia didn't do much to improve their team from last season but they should still be competitive; depending on Mason having another good season.

Columbus will likely sign Johansen but remind me, all of you Blue Jacket proponents, why you think this team is bound to take that next step into the upper echelon of the conference? What did they do to improve their team from last season?

Washington has the potential to be quite horrible next season and, unless they pull off a heist of a trade, they have little wiggle room to change their fortunes if they do.

New Jersey should be much improved simply because Schneider will get the bulk of the starts and I think he is on the verge of becoming a great goalie.

The Islanders should be fun to watch, and are much more secure in net, but their defense is average at best and that might be giving that unit too much credit.

Carolina is lottery bound unless the rest of the division is beset by injuries to all of their top players simultaneously.

If I had to take a guess, at how this division will look at the end of the season, it would look something like this:

Rangers
Penguins
Devils
Flyers
Blue Jackets
Islanders
Capitals
Hurricanes

Now now, I am sure if any of you read this you will call me a homer, but that's fine. Those that think the Penguins are a lock to finish first are blinded by the Crosby-Malkin factor. Their defense has the potential to be good but it's going to be rather young and inexperienced. James Neal getting dealt for two lesser players isn't exactly a win for Pittsburgh either. Hornqvist is a good player but by no means a great one. How will Dupuis respond from major knee surgery? Will Kunitz still be an elite goal scorer? They improved their depth but the bottom two lines are still far from stellar.

There are questions with the Rangers too but less than the legion of detractors think there are. Remind me again of what they really lost and how their expected replacements aren't capable of filling in for them. To me, the biggest hole to fill, at least in the regular season, will be the decent production of Brad Richards. But, if other returning players step up last year's numbers, it can be done.
- MidnightMarauder

I honestly don't know what to expect of the Caps next season - I do know that they were a train-wreck last season and still finished only 3 points out of the playoffs, so I think there is reason to believe they can compete for a playoff spot. Trotz replacing Oates is a huge upgrade, and the defense has been upgraded regardless of how much we hate the Orpik contract (Niskanen/Orpik > Erskine and "fill in the blank" AHL guy).

I honestly don't know what to expect of the Caps next season - I do know that they were a train-wreck last season and still finished only 3 points out of the playoffs, so I think there is reason to believe they can compete for a playoff spot. Trotz replacing Oates is a huge upgrade, and the defense has been upgraded regardless of how much we hate the Orpik contract (Niskanen/Orpik > Erskine and "fill in the blank" AHL guy).
- MadCap2008

The Capitals will make the playoffs. People can say what they want but for next year they got better defensively. Now Orpiks contract is brutal and might slow down but that's another year from now to discuss. The addition of D and Trotz plus having Ovi, Backstrom, Carlson and a few others, my only concern would be the G.
But I'll go on record and say they make PO's.....

My only redeeming thing for the canes is that this is the exacxt position the Hurricanes were in heading into 05-06. The Hockey News predicted them to finish 30th in the league due to inexperience and a roster seemingly assembled on the cheap.

Carolina turned out to be a top 3 team all season. So... *shrug*