I believe that your wrong about bishop. He is an elite goalie! But I don't think they will contend
- Canadianleaf

Bishop might be an elite goalie. Just like Varlamov and Corey Schneider might also be elite. Like to see another season with as many games played and as solid the results. Then I will give him his due. Still might turn into the next Darren Puppa.

I believe that your wrong about bishop. He is an elite goalie! But I don't think they will contend
- Canadianleaf

That's not what I said.

Tampa Bay kinda had an off year last year and with Stamkoes injured and the St. Louis B.S. they hung in there....surprisingly.

I think a lot of that has to do with the TEAM game they play. And I think that style will make them relevant almost every year.

Who knows if Bishop was healthy against MTL?

But, Bishop may BECOME an elite goalie but my point is simple.......where was Andersson last year?

A track record of consistency is kinda important. It's why I'm not sold on Reily Smith for Boston.

Especially with goalies that have books written on there strengths and weaknesses.

That's not what I said.

Tampa Bay kinda had an off year last year and with Stamkoes injured and the St. Louis B.S. they hung in there....surprisingly.

I think a lot of that has to do with the TEAM game they play. And I think that style will make them relevant almost every year.

Who knows if Bishop was healthy against MTL?

But, Bishop may BECOME an elite goalie but my point is simple.......where was Andersson last year?

A track record of consistency is kinda important. It's why I'm not sold on Reily Smith for Boston.

Especially with goalies that have books written on there strengths and weaknesses.
- JIwasinskiJr

An Off year? How many rookies did they ice? Hard to call it an off year with the success they had.

An Off year? How many rookies did they ice? Hard to call it an off year with the success they had.
- Jeropotato

Read much.......?

Tampa is USUALLY one of the top teams in the East. They are one of the best teams as far as goals allowed.

Stamkoes was injured for half the year and then there was the St. Louis BS.

Yes, I would consider that an off year for a team that usually is one of the BEST IN THE EAST.

But wait, I just went back and looked at the last 3 seasons and I was kinda shocked that they dropped off as much as they have. Since the damn trap.
10th 2011-12
14th 2012-13
3rd 2013-14

So, if I was to really make an educated guess, I wouldn't be surprised if the new signings solidified what they did last year and they were a top three team on the east, like it originally said I thought they would,
OR
To see them drop off a bit like Ottawa did last season.

I side with a top three team though. Mainly because of Stamkoes and Callahan.

Although, what is the difference between Andersson and Bishop?
There was a drop off with one, hopefully not with the other.

And your youth movement argument, it's the same we all heard from Ottawa bandwagons last off season. FYI.

I'm not trying to be a d I ck, but it's odd that every year the same excuses and such are made.

Read much.......?

Tampa is USUALLY one of the top teams in the East. They are one of the best teams as far as goals allowed.

Stamkoes was injured for half the year and then there was the St. Louis BS.

Yes, I would consider that an off year for a team that usually is one of the BEST IN THE EAST.

But wait, I just went back and looked at the last 3 seasons and I was kinda shocked that they dropped off as much as they have. Since the damn trap.
10th 2011-12
14th 2012-13
3rd 2013-14

So, if I was to really make an educated guess, I wouldn't be surprised if the new signings solidified what they did last year and they were a top three team on the east, like it originally said I thought they would,
OR
To see them drop off a bit like Ottawa did last season.

I side with a top three team though. Mainly because of Stamkoes and Callahan.

Although, what is the difference between Andersson and Bishop?
There was a drop off with one, hopefully not with the other.

And your youth movement argument, it's the same we all heard from Ottawa bandwagons last off season. FYI.

I'm not trying to be a d I ck, but it's odd that every year the same excuses and such are made.
- JIwasinskiJr

Calm the fck down...I'm not arguing anything. I just thought the Lightning went from non playoff team to playoff team with a very young roster ....hard to call it an off year, despite the hurdles.

1st:Boston
2nd:Montreal
3rd: Tampa Bay
4th:Detroit
5th:Florida
6th:Toronto
7th:Ottawa
8th:Buffalo

This is one worthless guys opinion but may as well take a shot

Nope, he says the same thing every year about the Wings and even admitted he doesn't watch them at all but yet keeps talking like he knows them well and they are garbage.
- dcz28

Contrary to what you might think, I do not have a Red Wing dislike. I have an age dislike. I believe players, forwards in particular, hit peak performance in the 24-28 age range. Many players can make good contributions with players that are age 30+ but you need the young guys in ice leadership roles to drive competitive success.

For example, I can see Columbus as one of the teams that could be regarded a serious Cup contender coming out of the East. Who are the players that might make that possible? How old are they?

1st:Boston
2nd:Tampa
3rd:Montreal
4th:Detroit
5th:Toronto
6th:Ottawa
7th:Florida
8th:Buffalo

1st:Boston
2nd:Tampa
3rd:Montreal
4th:Detroit
5th:Toronto
6th:Ottawa
7th:Florida
8th:Buffalo
- Traceur

I think any of the top 3 are interchangable depending on injury/consistencies.

Detroit and TO are well placed and I see Florida and OTT close to interchangable in 6-7. BUF because of the rebuild I agree in 8th

Contrary to what you might think, I do not have a Red Wing dislike. I have an age dislike. I believe players, forwards in particular, hit peak performance in the 24-28 age range. Many players can make good contributions with players that are age 30+ but you need the young guys in ice leadership roles to drive competitive success.

For example, I can see Columbus as one of the teams that could be regarded a serious Cup contender coming out of the East. Who are the players that might make that possible? How old are they?
- spatso

AGEIST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In regards to SENS, so many aspects were left aside in this blog:

1. Two goaltenders working for their jobs (Andy for a new contract and Lehner for #1 spot) G/A will reduce there
2. Defence voerall will be in better shape (Karlsson not rehabilitating, but training, same for Cowen who will have a training camp) Borocop coming in. Second year for Ceci. Wierchioch will play more and Methot having new contract. G/A will recude there also
3. Lazar will make the team (more scoring blance through 4 lines) more G/F less G/A
4. Legwan replaces Spezza (less G/A by alot, but less G/F)
5. Bobby Ryan in shape (more G/F to replace spezza's)

I could go on and on...I think the SENS will be tough to score on and will be scoring from all 4 lines.

SENS are not going to be in a knifefight...they will be 3rd under Boston and Tampa

Call me a homer but I dont think losing Iginla will totally screw up the offense. I'm excited and nervous to see what the fourth line is this year. I think Florek could do well in that role and add some speed.

I have Montreal ahead of Tampa just because I think Montreal is more consistent. Both have the elite goaltending and game changers like Subban and Stamkos. It should be close.

I think the wings are going to get him with injuries again. Thats what happens with so many aging vets. They may be able to squeak in again, but i see both wild cards going to the Metro this year.

In regards to SENS, so many aspects were left aside in this blog:

1. Two goaltenders working for their jobs (Andy for a new contract and Lehner for #1 spot) G/A will reduce there
2. Defence voerall will be in better shape (Karlsson not rehabilitating, but training, same for Cowen who will have a training camp) Borocop coming in. Second year for Ceci. Wierchioch will play more and Methot having new contract. G/A will recude there also
3. Lazar will make the team (more scoring blance through 4 lines) more G/F less G/A
4. Legwan replaces Spezza (less G/A by alot, but less G/F)
5. Bobby Ryan in shape (more G/F to replace spezza's)

I could go on and on...I think the SENS will be tough to score on and will be scoring from all 4 lines.

SENS are not going to be in a knifefight...they will be 3rd under Boston and Tampa
- SENSpatriot

Has Karlsson learned to play defense yet?

There are a lot of points being overlooked here, mainly that we can't make accurate predictions until we know the rosters are set. Boston still needs to make moves for cap purposes, Ottawa apparently has a few trades to come in order to trim the number of NHL contracts they have on the roster, Toronto's suckage is vastly underestimated, Tampa Bay still has issues with backup goalies who are unreliable and coming from someone who has seen him play over multiple seasons, Bishop in not an elite NHL goalie, he is just a big body. Brian Elliot posted elite numbers the year after he got traded from Ottawa too, that didn't turn out as expected over the long run though...

If we look at each team as their roster stands now, my predictions are as follows:

1. Boston - Still the elite team in the division but eventual trades required for the cap compliance will make the gap between them and others much closer. Chara has 2 years left before a significant regression and I think we will see it begin to accelerate this year which will affect the team's competitiveness. Bergeron will need to carry them and lead by example as he has done so consistently in his career if they expect the same results as last season.

2. Montreal - Made some decent offseason moves and locked up their franchise player. If Price is healthy, they will challenge Boston for the division for the whole season, but their 3rd and 4th lines will hold them back from lack of scoring depth.

3. Ottawa - They have one goalie going into UFA with something to prove and another looking to steal his job this year or next. Plus I would argue they have the highest level of competition for NHL roster spots among their players at both forward and D with a lot of our big prospects (Claesson, Puemple, Prince, and the emergence of Zibanejad, Chiasson, Stone and Hoffman after last year) almost being NHL-regular calibre now. This team has among the four deepest lines in the division (not most elite at the top, but among the deepest depth on all four lines). People will underestimate this team a lot in the first few months, which will work to Ottawa's advantage as it has in the past.

4. Tampa Bay - This is based on 2 arguments - that Bishop will have a down year similar to Elliot's 2nd season in STL and that the majority of the rookie corps from last year has their sophomore slumps (Johnson, Kucherov, Panik, Gudas). TB has a recent track record of doing amazing in one year and then completely pooping the bed the year after, and I believe they will stick to that trend.

5. Detroit - This assumes that Alfie retires. I believe this is the year Babcock gets fired, and also the year that they miss the playoffs for the first time in ages. The offensive depth just isn't there anymore to support the likely injuries to Datsyuk, Zett, Franzen, and the other vets over a prolonged period. Unless Howard has his best season ever next year, I don't see how they make it even with some of the guys like Nyqvist and others stepping up.

6. Florida - This is the last year that this franchise can be considered a lock to miss the playoffs. Luongo is still a good goalie and the forward talent coming up centred around Barkov and Hubs will be difficult to contain. Still not sold on their D corps yet, but this franchise is coming on strong and will not be an easy beat anymore for a lot of teams. They still don't have the elite scoring needed, but that will come in a few years. Not now, though.

7. Toronto - This team made no changes to the group they had last year aside from adding a few plugs )|(Polak, Winnik, Booth). I believe Phaneuf will be traded before the season starts, which affects this ranking a lot, but I just don't see how they can claim to be more competitive this year. Big changes to come next offseason.

8. Buffalo - Lots of elite prospects and this team will be a powerhouse in 2-3 years, but they don't have the NHL roster depth this year to be competitive, and losing their best defenseman last year (Ehrhoff) and franchise goalie won't help. Last by a wide margin.

Now, I caveat that like EVERY other post on here this is just opinion, I am by no means an expert, but I feel more confident in these predictions than I have in years past.

Has Karlsson learned to play defense yet?
- Glatt-iator

Yes, and he is angry that you assume he couldn't play it before, giving him more incentive to keep skating rings around all his opponents and never give anyone else the puck.

Contrary to what you might think, I do not have a Red Wing dislike. I have an age dislike. I believe players, forwards in particular, hit peak performance in the 24-28 age range. Many players can make good contributions with players that are age 30+ but you need the young guys in ice leadership roles to drive competitive success.

For example, I can see Columbus as one of the teams that could be regarded a serious Cup contender coming out of the East. Who are the players that might make that possible? How old are they?
- spatso

No you have a Wings dislike. You said it yourself before that you don't like them and find them boring...can't stand watching them. You constantly talk about how old they are yet they have more young players on the roster than they have had in a decade. You say they have no prospects yet their farm system is the best it has been since the early 90's and even deeper then it was then...not to mention most rank it top 10 in the NHL.

What did Buffalo do to improve their goaltending since the departure of Miller? Pretty key piece to figure out before I decide whether or not they are improved.
- Jeropotato

yes, that is a legitimate concern but i think it will be OK for a few reasons.

1.Enroth and Neuvirth are both servicable, Enroth has shown flashes of being a good NHL goalie but man has he had some bad luck, Last season every time he seemed to have found his groove he either got injured or the team infront of him was just horrendous.....and long term Nathan Lieuwen and Markov have real potential.

2. I think the D will be much improve from last season under the stability of Nolan's coaching. Don't forget that after Ruff was fired, Regier and Rolston opened the doors and essentially let the youngster have free run of the place and that was an epic failure. Lafontaine and Nolan come in and couldn't believe it, 5 teenagers(2-3 on D alone) playing on the team at once and they began to right the ship of bit(or maybe begin the salvage is more apt?). And because there were a lot of rookies the team had ZERO chemistry.

So i guess it's not so much that the goalie position itself has improved but at the least I think we're going to see a much tighter/cohesive group in front of the goalie to start and bring the shots down, which last year were almost 40/game, which is incredible. So, as the team around the goalie improves, so does the goalie.

There are a lot of points being overlooked here, mainly that we can't make accurate predictions until we know the rosters are set. Boston still needs to make moves for cap purposes, Ottawa apparently has a few trades to come in order to trim the number of NHL contracts they have on the roster, Toronto's suckage is vastly underestimated, Tampa Bay still has issues with backup goalies who are unreliable and coming from someone who has seen him play over multiple seasons, Bishop in not an elite NHL goalie, he is just a big body. Brian Elliot posted elite numbers the year after he got traded from Ottawa too, that didn't turn out as expected over the long run though...

If we look at each team as their roster stands now, my predictions are as follows:

1. Boston - Still the elite team in the division but eventual trades required for the cap compliance will make the gap between them and others much closer. Chara has 2 years left before a significant regression and I think we will see it begin to accelerate this year which will affect the team's competitiveness. Bergeron will need to carry them and lead by example as he has done so consistently in his career if they expect the same results as last season.

2. Montreal - Made some decent offseason moves and locked up their franchise player. If Price is healthy, they will challenge Boston for the division for the whole season, but their 3rd and 4th lines will hold them back from lack of scoring depth.

3. Ottawa - They have one goalie going into UFA with something to prove and another looking to steal his job this year or next. Plus I would argue they have the highest level of competition for NHL roster spots among their players at both forward and D with a lot of our big prospects (Claesson, Puemple, Prince, and the emergence of Zibanejad, Chiasson, Stone and Hoffman after last year) almost being NHL-regular calibre now. This team has among the four deepest lines in the division (not most elite at the top, but among the deepest depth on all four lines). People will underestimate this team a lot in the first few months, which will work to Ottawa's advantage as it has in the past.

4. Tampa Bay - This is based on 2 arguments - that Bishop will have a down year similar to Elliot's 2nd season in STL and that the majority of the rookie corps from last year has their sophomore slumps (Johnson, Kucherov, Panik, Gudas). TB has a recent track record of doing amazing in one year and then completely pooping the bed the year after, and I believe they will stick to that trend.

5. Detroit - This assumes that Alfie retires. I believe this is the year Babcock gets fired, and also the year that they miss the playoffs for the first time in ages. The offensive depth just isn't there anymore to support the likely injuries to Datsyuk, Zett, Franzen, and the other vets over a prolonged period. Unless Howard has his best season ever next year, I don't see how they make it even with some of the guys like Nyqvist and others stepping up.

6. Florida - This is the last year that this franchise can be considered a lock to miss the playoffs. Luongo is still a good goalie and the forward talent coming up centred around Barkov and Hubs will be difficult to contain. Still not sold on their D corps yet, but this franchise is coming on strong and will not be an easy beat anymore for a lot of teams. They still don't have the elite scoring needed, but that will come in a few years. Not now, though.

7. Toronto - This team made no changes to the group they had last year aside from adding a few plugs )|(Polak, Winnik, Booth). I believe Phaneuf will be traded before the season starts, which affects this ranking a lot, but I just don't see how they can claim to be more competitive this year. Big changes to come next offseason.

8. Buffalo - Lots of elite prospects and this team will be a powerhouse in 2-3 years, but they don't have the NHL roster depth this year to be competitive, and losing their best defenseman last year (Ehrhoff) and franchise goalie won't help. Last by a wide margin.

Now, I caveat that like EVERY other post on here this is just opinion, I am by no means an expert, but I feel more confident in these predictions than I have in years past.
- ahjnkn

I like the Sens but you are likely going to be disappointed if you think they have some of the best forward depth in the league. They have a crap load of question marks and it could go very bad.

Also funny you think the Wings have a depth problem when they are deeper than the Sens in the NHL with a deeper farm system.

The main thing that could work against the Wings (aside from injuries) is the fact Babcock plays washed up players like Cleary over a better young player and he likes fringe NHL'ers like Lashoff, Glendening because they work hard even if their contributions to the team are mostly negative overall. He also likes to play Abdelkader on the top line even if he can barely score 10 goals playing with Datsyuk. Now if he would only realise it quicker this season and actually start with the better younger players in larger roles or just flat out replacing the dead weight or fringe NHLers right off the bat, the Wings would be much better off.

Wings problems is a coach that refuses to see the obvious about things that just don't work or playing favorites with crap players and a GM that won't make trades to fill holes they have had for years. GM also has a loyalty problem to players who just don't bring much and overpays them based on what they have done for the team in the past when they have better cheaper options right on their team or farm system.

3. Ottawa - They have one goalie going into UFA with something to prove and another looking to steal his job this year or next. Plus I would argue they have the highest level of competition for NHL roster spots among their players at both forward and D with a lot of our big prospects (Claesson, Puemple, Prince, and the emergence of Zibanejad, Chiasson, Stone and Hoffman after last year) almost being NHL-regular calibre now. This team has among the four deepest lines in the division (not most elite at the top, but among the deepest depth on all four lines). People will underestimate this team a lot in the first few months, which will work to Ottawa's advantage as it has in the past.

4. Tampa Bay - This is based on 2 arguments - that Bishop will have a down year similar to Elliot's 2nd season in STL and that the majority of the rookie corps from last year has their sophomore slumps (Johnson, Kucherov, Panik, Gudas). TB has a recent track record of doing amazing in one year and then completely pooping the bed the year after, and I believe they will stick to that trend.
- ahjnkn

So what you are basing this on is that Ottawa's kids will be great and TB's won't? I'm also not buying the contract year talk. Ottawa will get what it has been getting in net.

There are a lot of points being overlooked here, mainly that we can't make accurate predictions until we know the rosters are set. Boston still needs to make moves for cap purposes, Ottawa apparently has a few trades to come in order to trim the number of NHL contracts they have on the roster, Toronto's suckage is vastly underestimated, Tampa Bay still has issues with backup goalies who are unreliable and coming from someone who has seen him play over multiple seasons, Bishop in not an elite NHL goalie, he is just a big body. Brian Elliot posted elite numbers the year after he got traded from Ottawa too, that didn't turn out as expected over the long run though...

If we look at each team as their roster stands now, my predictions are as follows:

1. Boston - Still the elite team in the division but eventual trades required for the cap compliance will make the gap between them and others much closer. Chara has 2 years left before a significant regression and I think we will see it begin to accelerate this year which will affect the team's competitiveness. Bergeron will need to carry them and lead by example as he has done so consistently in his career if they expect the same results as last season.

2. Montreal - Made some decent offseason moves and locked up their franchise player. If Price is healthy, they will challenge Boston for the division for the whole season, but their 3rd and 4th lines will hold them back from lack of scoring depth.

3. Ottawa - They have one goalie going into UFA with something to prove and another looking to steal his job this year or next. Plus I would argue they have the highest level of competition for NHL roster spots among their players at both forward and D with a lot of our big prospects (Claesson, Puemple, Prince, and the emergence of Zibanejad, Chiasson, Stone and Hoffman after last year) almost being NHL-regular calibre now. This team has among the four deepest lines in the division (not most elite at the top, but among the deepest depth on all four lines). People will underestimate this team a lot in the first few months, which will work to Ottawa's advantage as it has in the past.

4. Tampa Bay - This is based on 2 arguments - that Bishop will have a down year similar to Elliot's 2nd season in STL and that the majority of the rookie corps from last year has their sophomore slumps (Johnson, Kucherov, Panik, Gudas). TB has a recent track record of doing amazing in one year and then completely pooping the bed the year after, and I believe they will stick to that trend.

5. Detroit - This assumes that Alfie retires. I believe this is the year Babcock gets fired, and also the year that they miss the playoffs for the first time in ages. The offensive depth just isn't there anymore to support the likely injuries to Datsyuk, Zett, Franzen, and the other vets over a prolonged period. Unless Howard has his best season ever next year, I don't see how they make it even with some of the guys like Nyqvist and others stepping up.

6. Florida - This is the last year that this franchise can be considered a lock to miss the playoffs. Luongo is still a good goalie and the forward talent coming up centred around Barkov and Hubs will be difficult to contain. Still not sold on their D corps yet, but this franchise is coming on strong and will not be an easy beat anymore for a lot of teams. They still don't have the elite scoring needed, but that will come in a few years. Not now, though.

7. Toronto - This team made no changes to the group they had last year aside from adding a few plugs )|(Polak, Winnik, Booth). I believe Phaneuf will be traded before the season starts, which affects this ranking a lot, but I just don't see how they can claim to be more competitive this year. Big changes to come next offseason.

8. Buffalo - Lots of elite prospects and this team will be a powerhouse in 2-3 years, but they don't have the NHL roster depth this year to be competitive, and losing their best defenseman last year (Ehrhoff) and franchise goalie won't help. Last by a wide margin.

Now, I caveat that like EVERY other post on here this is just opinion, I am by no means an expert, but I feel more confident in these predictions than I have in years past.
- ahjnkn

I think you might be disappointed with the results next season....and Ottawa seems to have a real image problem right now with management seemingly not wanting to pay top players what they can get elsewhere(or at least close to it). With Ryan being UFA after next season that's not the type of problem you want to have because it he doesn't resign, you not going to get equal value in any return.

I like the Sens but you are likely going to be disappointed if you think they have some of the best forward depth in the league. They have a crap load of question marks and it could go very bad.

Also funny you think the Wings have a depth problem when they are deeper than the Sens in the NHL with a deeper farm system.

The main thing that could work against the Wings (aside from injuries) is the fact Babcock plays washed up players like Cleary over a better young player and he likes fringe NHL'ers like Lashoff, Glendening because they work hard even if their contributions to the team are mostly negative overall. He also likes to play Abdelkader on the top line even if he can barely score 10 goals playing with Datsyuk. Now if he would only realise it quicker this season and actually start with the better younger players in larger roles or just flat out replacing the dead weight or fringe NHLers right off the bat, the Wings would be much better off.

Wings problems is a coach that refuses to see the obvious about things that just don't work or playing favorites with crap players and a GM that won't make trades to fill holes they have had for years. GM also has a loyalty problem to players who just don't bring much and overpays them based on what they have done for the team in the past when they have better cheaper options right on their team or farm system.
- dcz28[/quote]

I wasn't intending to refer to the entire league, just to their division, sorry for the confusion. The bolded text is Ottawa's problem as well (Phillips, Greening, etc.) and your explanation of why the Wings could fall is essentially the same reasons why I think Babcock will be fired this year.

As for depth, I really don't know which team is better based on these rosters:
DET:
Zetterberg-Datsyuk-Franzen
Abdelkader-Weiss-Alfredsson/plug/Mantha (?)
Tatar-Helm-Nyqvist
Miller-Anderssen-Cleary

OTT:
Macarthur-Turris-Ryan
Hoffman-Zibanejad-Stone (this line will surprise a lot of people)
Michalek-Legwand-Chiasson (again, lots of surprises coming)
Condra-Smith-Greening

Ottawa's group is young with lots of potential, while I see the Wings as being at the same stage Ottawa was prior to their rebuild/retool when Fisher et al. were moved. If Alfie retires, Ottawa comes out ahead in my opinion (which is all this discussion is, opinions layered on top of other opinions with stats used to justify the opinion a person has while disregarding any contradictory evidence.

So what you are basing this on is that Ottawa's kids will be great and TB's won't? I'm also not buying the contract year talk. Ottawa will get what it has been getting in net.
- Glatt-iator

I'm basing it on past trends of rookies going into sophomore slumps and TB's tendency to have one good year followed by one forgettable year (they're very similar to Carolina in that tendency). If that trend continues and they aren't able to find a serviceable backup internally for Bishop, they will have trouble being at the top of the division. Ottawa's team this year, according to local media, apparently has the objective of cutting goals against by 50 this season, and our system will likely change to reflect that priority and focus more on clean zone exits to cut our turnovers and goals against where Andersson and Lehner were caught with their pants down on transitions a lot last season.

I think you might be disappointed with the results next season....and Ottawa seems to have a real image problem right now with management seemingly not wanting to pay top players what they can get elsewhere(or at least close to it). With Ryan being UFA after next season that's not the type of problem you want to have because it he doesn't resign, you not going to get equal value in any return.
- nikel[/quote]

Ryan will likely resign, we need his big contract just to be cap compliant next season, regardless of what others offer we'll be forced to pay out whether Melnyk wants to or not, and the new TV revenues will mean it will be an affordable deal for the team even at a salary level of $8-$9Mx8. I'm not denying the image issues, but Ryan's contract will go a long way towards turning that poor image around, and by next season it's likely we will have new ownership if things continue as they are.

I'm basing it on past trends of rookies going into sophomore slumps and TB's tendency to have one good year followed by one forgettable year (they're very similar to Carolina in that tendency). If that trend continues and they aren't able to find a serviceable backup internally for Bishop, they will have trouble being at the top of the division. Ottawa's team this year, according to local media, apparently has the objective of cutting goals against by 50 this season, and our system will likely change to reflect that priority and focus more on clean zone exits to cut our turnovers and goals against where Andersson and Lehner were caught with their pants down on transitions a lot last season.
- ahjnkn

Good luck with that but seriously I respect the undying hope, even if it is based off a lot a long shots

[quote=dcz28]I like the Sens but you are likely going to be disappointed if you think they have some of the best forward depth in the league. They have a crap load of question marks and it could go very bad.

Also funny you think the Wings have a depth problem when they are deeper than the Sens in the NHL with a deeper farm system.

The main thing that could work against the Wings (aside from injuries) is the fact Babcock plays washed up players like Cleary over a better young player and he likes fringe NHL'ers like Lashoff, Glendening because they work hard even if their contributions to the team are mostly negative overall. He also likes to play Abdelkader on the top line even if he can barely score 10 goals playing with Datsyuk. Now if he would only realise it quicker this season and actually start with the better younger players in larger roles or just flat out replacing the dead weight or fringe NHLers right off the bat, the Wings would be much better off.

Wings problems is a coach that refuses to see the obvious about things that just don't work or playing favorites with crap players and a GM that won't make trades to fill holes they have had for years. GM also has a loyalty problem to players who just don't bring much and overpays them based on what they have done for the team in the past when they have better cheaper options right on their team or farm system.
- ahjnkn[/quote]

I wasn't intending to refer to the entire league, just to their division, sorry for the confusion. The bolded text is Ottawa's problem as well (Phillips, Greening, etc.) and your explanation of why the Wings could fall is essentially the same reasons why I think Babcock will be fired this year.

As for depth, I really don't know which team is better based on these rosters:
DET:
Zetterberg-Datsyuk-Franzen
Abdelkader-Weiss-Alfredsson/plug/Mantha (?)
Tatar-Helm-Nyqvist
Miller-Anderssen-Cleary

OTT:
Macarthur-Turris-Ryan
Hoffman-Zibanejad-Stone (this line will surprise a lot of people)
Michalek-Legwand-Chiasson (again, lots of surprises coming)
Condra-Smith-Greening

Ottawa's group is young with lots of potential, while I see the Wings as being at the same stage Ottawa was prior to their rebuild/retool when Fisher et al. were moved. If Alfie retires, Ottawa comes out ahead in my opinion (which is all this discussion is, opinions layered on top of other opinions with stats used to justify the opinion a person has while disregarding any contradictory evidence.

Babcock won't be fired he will either re-sign or just leave next off-season.

What I expect the lines to be is this:

Zetterberg - Datsyuk - Abdelkader
Franzen - Weiss - Nyquist
Tatar - Helm/Sheahan - Alfie
Miller - Helm/Sheahan - Cleary
Glendening, Andersson/Callahan

What I would like to see is this:

Zetterberg - Datsyuk - Jurco
Franzen - Weiss - Nyquist
Tatar - Sheahan - Alfie
Abdelkader - Helm - Callahan
Andersson, Miller

Waive Glendening, Ferraro and Cleary. Waive Lashoff on defense and replace him with one of Marchenko, Ouellet, Sproul, Backman or just rotate them in to give all of them some games in the NHL.