EASTERN CONFERENCE PICKS

Mullets Breed Success


Usually when the Eastern Conference is discussed, the media and fan-hyped rivalry between Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin always seems to be the most dominant topic. The Caps were a Game 7 away from battling the Pens in a dream second-round series, but the Flyers spoiled that party and the Pens ended up going to the finals. Can Pittsburgh do it again? They ARE missing some key players to last year's run (Hossa, Roberts, Malone), but did help themselves by acquiring Miroslav Satan and Ruslan Fedotenko. And how about the Capitals? What did they learn in their first trip to the playoffs in a few years, and how will they use it to improve this season; and will Jose Theodore, who was awful in the playoffs last year, be the answer?

When all is said and done, I don't think that either of the above teams will be representing the Eastern Conference in the finals this year. There is another tea that already had a decent amount of players with Stanley Cup Final experience, and then added a few players the Penguins (Adam Hall, Ryan Malone, Gary Roberts) to solidify their lineup. On top of that, they have a veteran goaltender in Olaf Kolzig and a strong up and coming goalie in Mike Smith that are convincing enough for me to pick them to go to the finals. Besides, it didn't take Melrose long to lead the Kings to the finals in the early 90s! Figured out who it is yet? I'll give you a clue, they finished DEAD LAST in the east last year. Time to turn it around.




WHO WILL SUCK THIS YEAR: Toronto Maple Leafs
They can't even resign Sundin, and I don't think Jamal Mayers, Niklas Hagman and Curtis Joseph were free agent signings that will solve their problems

WHO WILL SURPRISE THIS YEAR: New York Rangers
For about a decade, the Rangers have signed tons of big name free agents and either missed the playoffs or exited early. They continued the free agent trend by getting Markus Naslund and a very unknown and underrated Nikolai Zherdev from Columbus. Hell, veteran Petr Nedved is even trying to make a comeback with the team. As long as goaltending is solid, I can see this team doing well

WHO IS OVERRATED: New Jersey Devils
The Devils always perform well and have always had Martin Brodeur as the backbone of their team, but after a first round exit last season you could start to see the signs of a potential decline. They did bring back some old faces (old being the key word ) in Bobby Holik and Brain Rolston, but they have been relying on the same core of players (Elias, Parise, Gionta, Langenbrunner, Parise) for the past few years with no results.

DID NOTHING TO IMPROVE IN THE OFFSEASON: Philadelphia Flyers
Unless you count Steve Eminger and Ossi Vaananen as big signings, it appears that the Flyers are counting on the same guys improving enough to leap past the Eastern Finals this year

OUCH: Carolina Hurricanes
Looks like one of their star forwards Justin Williams is gonna miss a month or two to start the season

UNDER THE RADAR: Boston Bruins
Remember? The Bruins gave the top seeded Canadiens all they could handle in the first round of the playoffs. The addition of Michael Ryder will boost the offense, and perhaps young skater Blake Wheeler will make his way on the roster and make some noise. Plus, Tim Thomas had an outstanding year last year

MOVE THE TEAM TO WINNIPEG: Atlanta Thrashers
They suck, their jerseys are absolutely ridiculous, they can't sell tickets and ownership is doing nothing to put any solid players on the ice around Kovalchuk. Move them to Winnipeg and the West and move the Red Wings to the East! (I know...it will never happen)

WHO WILL MAKE THE CUP FINALS: Tampa Bay Lightning
It could happen...they do have lots of talent and added a lot of solid players. Plus, I think there was a lot of behind the scenes issues with coaching and they players that caused this team to have a tough year last year.

DIVISION CHAMPS: Tampa Bay, Montreal, Rangers
OTHER FIVE TEAMS IN: Pittsburgh, Washington, Boston, Philly, Buffalo
JUST MISSED: Ottawa, New Jersey, Islanders
LONG YEAR: Toronto, Atlanta, Florida, Carolina