Summer in the Southeast Division
by David Getz on Jul 27, 2009 11:00 AM EDT
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Print[To start off we need a give a big hat tip to PensBurgh, SBN's Penguins blog for coming up with this idea.]
Over the last several weeks, more than a couple NHL teams have undergone significant makeovers, be it via the draft, trade, or signing every high-school sized NHLer on the free agent market. Here at Japers' Rink we've naturally focused most of our attention on the Capitals, with an eye on what some of the other contenders in the Eastern Conference have been doing. While it's certainly given us a lot to discuss, we haven't talked about the Southeast Division a whole lot.
That changes now, as we take a look at what each of the Capitals' division rivals did this summer and whether we should expect them to be better or worse for it in 2009-10.
Atlanta Thrashers (35-41-6, 76 points, 4th in Southeast)
Acquired: Nik Antropov (UFA, New York Rangers), Evander Kane (draft), Pavel Kubina (trade, Toronto), Anthony Stewart (UFA, Florida)
Lost: Garnet Exelby (trade, Toronto), Eric Perrin (UFA, unsigned), Colin Stuart (trade, Toronto)
Bottom Line: After last season, the Thrashers have nowhere to go but up, but they might be rising faster than most people realize. Antropov's never going to produce numbers that reflect his natural talent but he fills a number of needs for the Thrashers, giving them a legitimate offensive presence to play with Ilya Kovalchuk and size down the middle. The addition of Pavel Kubina to a defense corps that includes Ron Hainsey, Tobias Enstrom, and Zach Bogosian gives the team quality on the blue line (especially considering Bogosian and Enstrom are still developing) and should give the team an asset to move at the trade deadline to help with their continuing rebuild, similar to what the team did with Mathieu Schneider this past season. They'll still finish below .500 in 09-10, but the Thrashers and definitely trending upwards for the time being.
Carolina Hurricanes (45-30-7, 97 points, 2nd in the Southeast)
Acquired: Andrew Alberts (UFA, Philadelphia), Zack Fitzgerald (UFA, Vancouver), Tom Kostopoulos (UFA, Montreal), Aaron Ward (trade, Boston)
Lost: Anton Babchuk (UFA, unsigned), Ryan Bayda (UFA, unsigned), Patrick Eaves (trade, Boston), Dennis Seidenberg (UFA, unsigned)
Bottom Line: The Hurricanes appeared to have three goals in mind this offseason: keep the team together (check: Erik Cole and Chad LaRose signed), upgrade on defense (check: Alberts and Ward are solid depth guys), and add toughness: check, signing Kostopoulos and Fitzgerald helps there). What the team didn't do was make any big splashes, something they're arguably in need of if they want to be Cup contenders. It's possible the Hurricanes notch a few more points in the regular season with their new defensemen and with Cole on the roster for the entire season, but they're probably not going to be one of the East's elite contenders.
Florida Panthers (41-30-11, 93 points, 3rd in the Southeast)
Acquired: Scott Clemmensen (UFA, New Jersey), Ville Koistinen (UFA, Nashville), Jordan Leopold (UFA, Calgary), Graham Mink (UFA, Capitals)
Lost: Craig Anderson (UFA, Colorado), Jay Bouwmeester (trade, Calgary), Nick Boynton (UFA, Anaheim), Jassen Cullimore (UFA, unsigned), Steve Eminger (UFA, unsigned), Ville Peltonen, (UFA, unsigned), Steven Reinprecht (trade, Phoenix), Karlis Skrastins (UFA, Dallas), Richard Zednik (UFA, KHL)
Bottom Line: There's been a heck of a lot of turnover in South Florida, and most of it's not good. Reinprecht, Clemmensen, Leopold, and Koistinen are all solid players but they're simply not going to be able to replace Zednik, Anderson, Bouwmeester, Boynton, and Cullimore (should he wind up signing elsewhere). The Panthers are still young enough to improve and Tomas Vokoun is still good enough to keep his team in it most nights, so the team should be competitive, but don't expect the Panthers to reach 93 points against this season.
Tampa Bay Lightning (24-40-18, 66 points, 5th in the Southeast)
Acquired: Todd Fedoruk (trade, Phoenix), Kurtis Foster (UFA, Minnesota), David Hale (trade, Phoenix), Victor Hedman (draft), Antero Niittymaki (UFA, Philadelphia), Mattias Ohlund (UFA, Vancouver), Stephane Veilleux (UFA, Minnesota), Matt Walker (UFA, Chicago)
Lost: Marek Malik (UFA, unsigned), Josef Melichar (UFA, Czech Extraliga), Cory Murphy (UFA, New Jersey), Matt Pettinger (UFA, unsigned), Karri Ramo (UFA, KHL), Noah Welch (UFA, Atlanta),
Bottom Line: Tampa Bay spent most of the 2008 offseason acquiring forward after forward, ignoring their blue line in the process; not surprisingly, that strategy came back to bite them and the team suffered through an awful 08-09 season. The summer of 2009 has been all about upgrading the defense the Lightning -- with the additions of Ohlund, Hale, Hedman, and Walker the team's defense corps will be made up of more new faces than familiar ones. And that's a good thing for the team. Like the Thrashers, the Lightning will have a hard team reaching .500 this year, but they're going to be a lot more difficult to play against.
Washington Capitals (50-24-8, 108 points, 1st in Southeast)
Acquired: Mike Knuble (UFA, Philadelphia), Brendan Morrison (UFA, Dallas)
Lost: Donald Brashear (UFA, New York Rangers), Sergei Fedorov (UFA, KHL), Viktor Kozlov (UFA, KHL), Michael Nylander (ineffectiveness)
Bottom Line: The Capitals addressed their two biggest needs (a defensively responsible and offensively capable second line center and a net-crashing top six right wing) in the offseason via reasonable contracts both in terms of dollars and length and didn't suffer any major losses. The team is trending up and should repeat as Southeastern champions.
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When all is said and done, here's how we see the offseason's impact on the Southeast:
Trending up:
Atlanta Thrashers
Tampa Bay Lightning
Washington Capitals
Trending down:
Florida Panthers
More or less the same:
Carolina Hurricanes
What do you think? Is Florida not going to miss Bouwmeester as much as everyone seems to think? Is Knuble such a good fit for the Capitals that it's going to make the team even better than we expect? Is Tampa's revamped blueline going to be enough to get them in the playoffs? Take the poll and let us know who you think made the most significant strides the offseason and tell us why in the comments.
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Aaron Ward and his three Cups replacing Dennis Seidenberg is a big deal. In my book that’s a meaningful upgrade…
I’m with you brother, with a backup for the Bolts because they played seemed to play well after getting used to Tocchet.
"Yes, It is a 'Beautiful Game.' It's because we see something meaningful that we hope to someday, somehow, see in ourselves."
by Bald Pollack on Jul 27, 2009 11:15 AM EDT up reply actions
I’m not sold on CAR. They’ve been old for a few years now and refuse to get much younger. They still only have Staal who can play a top 2 C on a contending team. Their D doesn’t have any real anchor (though they showed they can win a Cup without one) and their offense doesn’t have much depth so they are going to rely on a bunch of guys with injury history to stay healthy. I don’t see how treading water is going to make CAR become more competitive in the East.
Not having a clue what the age of the roster turnover has been for both teams, Carolina was barely older than the Caps, they may be in a slight transition to give Sutter a larger role or maybe look at Boychuk, but they come into the year with a fair amount of stability both in front and back. They may come back to Earth, but it won’t be too much of a dip for them.
/wants someone to make the Caps actually work for the division
"Yes, It is a 'Beautiful Game.' It's because we see something meaningful that we hope to someday, somehow, see in ourselves."
by Bald Pollack on Jul 27, 2009 11:40 AM EDT up reply actions
I think that’s misleading because Fedorov, Brash, Nylander, and Clark really brought the Caps’ average age up, but except for Fedorov none of those guys were real contributors to the team. By contrast, CAR had only two forwards do anything that were under 30 (Staal and Ruutu). They have Pitkanen and Gleason under 30 on D. The Caps’ core is all under 30; the guys the team relies on are under 25. How long can CAR keep relying on Brindy, Whitney, Cole, Cullen, and Samsonov? Those guys are all over 30 and have recent injury history/inconsistent play.
by Rob Parker on Jul 27, 2009 11:46 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I say again..
they may be in a slight transition to give Sutter a larger role or maybe look at Boychuk, but they come into the year with a fair amount of stability both in front and back. They may come back to Earth, but it won’t be too much of a dip for them.
Or to put it another way, of the Canes core you mention, at least two of the guys you mention probably won’t see 20 minutes again, Cullen’s point totals would have gotten him more than Kozlov last year, and Cole will have a whole year back in town and will probably also get 20-25 goals in the process. And worse comes to worse, they’ve got a pretty smart GM who can get them whatever else they might need.
"Yes, It is a 'Beautiful Game.' It's because we see something meaningful that we hope to someday, somehow, see in ourselves."
by Bald Pollack on Jul 27, 2009 12:18 PM EDT up reply actions
I don’t see how they can rely on Boychuk and/or Sutter to make them a contender. I don’t see anything in Sutter that makes me think he’ll ever be more than a checking C and Boychuk hasn’t done anything yet. If they have Cup aspirations they’ll have to do better than that. Cullen and Cole could have big years, or they could get hurt and play about 60 games, that’s the problem with them. Their pretty smart GM hasn’t really gotten them a sniff of the Cup since Cam Ward got hot and won them the Cup in 06. I don’t know what you mean “they may come back to Earth.” I thought they were already on Earth (no, I’m not being overly literal), they weren’t a legit Cup contender last year and they won’t be this year. I say again… I don’t see how treading water is going to make CAR a contender in the East this year.
don’t see how they can rely on Boychuk and/or Sutter to make them a contender.
Who said anything about them relying on Boychuk and Sutter? I said that they’re probably going to be transitioning to them. Nobody’s going to hand them 15 minutes a night right off the bat.
Their pretty smart GM hasn’t really gotten them a sniff of the Cup since Cam Ward got hot and won them the Cup in 06.
I thought they were already on Earth (no, I’m not being overly literal), they weren’t a legit Cup contender last year and they won’t be this year.
Aside from the fact that Rutherford has been recognized by his peers for his work, that team, who scored far fewer then the Caps, also gave up far fewer than the Caps, and by playoff result alone performed better than the Caps. If your definition of Earth is a team that’s going to win anything less than 40 games and/or 92 points, then we’ll agree to disagree.
"Yes, It is a 'Beautiful Game.' It's because we see something meaningful that we hope to someday, somehow, see in ourselves."
by Bald Pollack on Jul 27, 2009 1:53 PM EDT up reply actions
The Canes “performed” better than the Caps only if you look exclusively at the fact that the Caps were ousted in the 2nd round and the Canes were ousted in the 3rd round. They both lost to the Pens and I think it’s pretty obvious that the Caps were much more competitive than the Canes. By “Earth” I mean a team that is solid but not spectacular, isn’t going to scare anyone, and isn’t a legitimate threat to win the Cup. They are basically part of the large middle pack in the league, not elite, not terrible.
I understand that Rutherford is widely regarded as a great GM by his peers and the media, but since ‘06 the on-ice performance hasn’t really supported that. This is a discussion about most improved SE team, I don’t see how swapping Ward for Seidenberg makes the Canes that much better, much less most improved.
The Canes "performed" better than the Caps only if you look exclusively at the fact that the Caps were ousted in the 2nd round and the Canes were ousted in the 3rd round.
Well when we’re talking about not getting “a sniff of the Cup” as it was said, maybe the definition should be redefined a little. And as far as the product on-ice since ‘06, I’d take their record over ours.
To clarify, I don’t think Aaron Ward vaults them into the top spot in the SE either, but they do have Maurice for a full year, a guy who they played well for in the past, so the guys newer to him can look to the folks from a few years back. Are they going to be the team that went on an insane run under him last year? No, but by making that move last year, yeah, less is more.
"Yes, It is a 'Beautiful Game.' It's because we see something meaningful that we hope to someday, somehow, see in ourselves."
by Bald Pollack on Jul 27, 2009 3:17 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, they have a Cup since ‘06, that’s what I would take. They’ve also missed the playoffs twice, just like the Caps. They have a less dynamic core. They have less top end talent. Regardless, we are talking about “most improved SE team in the off-season.” I don’t see how turning Seidenberg into Ward even gets them into the discussion. WAS, TBL, and ATL have all improved more than CAR, notwithstanding Rutherford’s golden reputation.
Regardless, we are talking about "most improved SE team in the off-season." I don’t see how turning Seidenberg into Ward even gets them into the discussion.
And I think taking the interim tag off Paul Maurice’s title does.
"Yes, It is a 'Beautiful Game.' It's because we see something meaningful that we hope to someday, somehow, see in ourselves."
by Bald Pollack on Jul 27, 2009 3:46 PM EDT up reply actions
Atlanta will possibly be the most improved simply by virtue of having Bogosian healthy for a season. Enough for the playoffs? We’ll see. Either them or Tampa could be knocking on the door for the 8 seed, but I don’t think either of them can challenge Carolina, much less the Caps, unless either team gets bitten hard by the injury bug.
I don’t think Florida’s going to miss JayBo as much as it might seem, as he was useless for them when it really counted, but they will need a great deal of luck to avoid losing ground to the other risers in the division.
As for Carolina, I don’t think they’ve rally improved much. Ward isn’t a huge improvement over Seidenberg, his game is slowing down as he gets older, but they have been smart about keeping things the way they were already. They’ll miss Babchuk’s offense but their season likely depends on health, and perhaps whether or not Brindy can bounce back. Ward is enough to keep them in contention for the division, if not strong contention.
Seidenberg is a solid NHL D, but as CAR’s No. 3 he was a team-D-worst -9. Aaron Ward has been there, done that. (True: At twice the salary.) I like that switch.
Neither of them should have been Carolina’s #3. Their top 3 should be Pitkanen/Corvo/Gleason.
Ward is just an old team getting older, trying to recapture the magic they used to have. He’s still got his strengths no doubt, but he’s not a great solution at #4 any more than Seidenberg would have been.
In short, good role player, a bit expensive, not likely to make a huge impact. The perfect “status quo” signing really, but nothing to get too excited about most likely.
Correction -- Karri Ramo is a RFA (as is Radek Smolenak) with the Bolts. Both signed with the KHL
The Lightning have retained their rights by making qualifying offers to both.
The Raw Charge -- the Tampa Bay Lightning weblog at SB Nation.
I wasn’t sure how to classify those guys – I know the Lightning still have their rights but, from a KHL standpoint, they were unrestricted, so I ultimately went with that.
I'd treat them as RFA's, that's me though
I wasn’t the one who wrote the article though ;) FWIW we’ve got a roster overview of player movement this offseason up at Raw Charge with other additions and subtractions besides what was listed.
Two ultimate deciding factors on the Lightning trending line: goalie health and Rick Tocchet. Smith has PCS (or is recovering from), Niittymaki has the history of hip injuries (AND a dominant record vs. the Southeast). If both of them are stable, struggling to .500 won’t be the thing…
And if the team IS healthy and players struggle, the microscope has got to be pointed at Tocchet. There were reasons to give him benefit-of-the-doubt as interim head coach last season but with what the Bolts have, what they are trying to bring in (top six forward) and what they’ve added…. Well, it’s Tocchet’s job now to make the team a threat.
The Raw Charge -- the Tampa Bay Lightning weblog at SB Nation.
by John Fontana on Jul 27, 2009 11:33 AM EDT up reply actions
Lost:….Michael Nylander (ineffectiveness)
Bwhaha. Pure genius.
As far as the post, I think that Tampa will be the most improved this coming season. I think that the Capitals additions will be huge but it’s hard to imagine them having a much better regular season than they did last year.
Tampa is a compelling story, but I’m most interested in where Lecavalier is going to get dumped, in spite of B. Lawton’s protestations.
from the house that Red Jesus built
by bigonetimer on Jul 27, 2009 11:16 AM EDT up reply actions
If he wasn’t traded at the draft, he’s probably not getting traded. They had that window before July 1st to trade him without worrying about his NTC, and that’s closed. Too much of a headache at this point I’d imagine, especially since the list of teams that could even afford that whale of a contract has got to be small as it is.
that’s a good point, but unlike our own special fella with an NMC, Lecavalier actually has some upside and value, and I doubt he would turn down a trade to a contender.
from the house that Red Jesus built
by bigonetimer on Jul 27, 2009 12:50 PM EDT up reply actions
Thanks DMG, that was precisely my point.
There are only a handful of teams that could possibly take him even without NTC considerations. Add those in and you’re very possibly down to a single suitor if that, in which case your bargaining position is shot. If they had any deals that they would have been willing to accept, they probably would have taken them before the situation got significantly tougher due to the NTC.
Keep in mind a big part of it was supposedly money-related, meaning the Bolts couldn’t take back equal salary most likely.
Vinny has invested himself pretty heavily in the Tampa bay area, has been very involved in the community and even donated 3 million to a childrens hospital. I’m not saying he would oppose any and all trades, but he may be more attached to the area than we think, which is why he was willing and interested in signing that long term contract.
Because now I can justify browsing and commenting during the work day with the argument that I am promoting my business.
by Sombrero Guy on Jul 27, 2009 1:06 PM EDT up reply actions
@ bigtimer: Comparing Nylander to Lecavalier is like....
Comparing Beluga Cavier to those big pink fish egg eggs you buy at the bait counter at this point…
To say “but unlike our own special fella with an NMC, Lecavalier actually has some upside and value” should be placed in Websters as an example for the definition of understatement.
I’d bet if the Caps could pay Vinny Nyls’ salary and Cap hit we Caps fans would all be embarrassing ourselves in some effusive manner….
Just my feeling on that one…
That said DMG’s point of “But what contender has $7.7M+ in cap space or could clear that much without blowing up their team?” is totally valid.
However, I could see someone blowing up a part of their team to make room for a $7.7+M Lecavalier alot sooner and faster then I can see anybody making ~$5M of Cap space for Nyls right now even if it’s only for a season or two vice Vinny’s contract term.
by markbona-capsfan99 on Jul 28, 2009 8:13 PM EDT up reply actions
To be honest, I think the playoffs mean much more this season than the regular season does.
"It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees." - Delores Ibarruri
My point, much more rudely stated.
"It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees." - Delores Ibarruri
related: you sure can lose any hope of a Cup with a flounder late in the regular season. Anyone else think Philly is still regretting squandering home ice to the Pens for round 1 in April?
I for one feel the regs do matter: our spates of more undisciplined play against weak opponents has to improve this year.
from the house that Red Jesus built
by bigonetimer on Jul 27, 2009 12:58 PM EDT up reply actions
Anyone else think Philly is still regretting squandering home ice to the Pens for round 1 in April?
Considering the Flyers had a 1-2 record in their barn against Pittsburgh, I don’t think they can say that was the difference in the series. If the series went 7 games than maybe, but it didn’t.
Pensburgh.com -- it's like the Max Talbot of blogs*
*not just because we only work for 12 minutes a night
I’m not implying they should say that. But the Philly foldola at the end of the regular season, which squandered home ice to the Pens, set the stage for the series’ outcome. A gimpy Mike Richards did them no favors either. My point was regular season games do matter, especially for setting the tone going into the playoffs.
from the house that Red Jesus built
Fair point, although the boys proved they can generally get away with it in the regular season. In the playoffs, ot so much – tthink we would have run out of gas like that in Game 7 if we’d taken out the Rangers in 5 like we probably should have?
"It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees." - Delores Ibarruri
I think if there’s anything they regret, it’s Carcillo for Upshall and a pick.
by brs03 on Jul 27, 2009 1:08 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Atlanta….they sure as hell won’t be able to defend anybody, but they’ll score a ton and will be fun to watch
Ron and Fez Noon to Three
by YvonLabresMoustache on Jul 27, 2009 11:15 AM EDT reply actions
How’s that? Their D is pretty solid. Bogosian is a beast, Enstrom showed a great deal of improvement after the deadline, and Kubina’s an all around solid veteran. Hainsey’s kinda meh I guess, Valabik’s a bit of a pylon but he’s not getting too many minutes, and Salmela’s a question mark, but the D as a whole seems relatively solid.
Besides, I don’t know if any team made a better move to shore up their D this offseason than the Thrashers did by dumping Exelby…
Healthy goaltending will likely be their big question mark, IMO.
It’s still too early to consider Bogosian a beast in the NHL, especially with the Forwards he’ll have to face in the SE. He will be good no doubt, but he’s only played about 1/2 an NHL season.
Do you think Atlanta or Tampa Bay will be able to challenge Carolina as the #2 team in SE this season?
"My face is my mask."
my 2 cents: no and no.
from the house that Red Jesus built
by bigonetimer on Jul 27, 2009 11:26 AM EDT up reply actions
I think it’s possible, but unlikely. Tampa and Atlanta should both be a lot better but they were also both awful last year and they both have goalies with health issues and superstars facing uncertain futures. Meanwhile, Carolina reminds me of the Atlanta Braves or not too long ago – every year I’d look at them and say ‘well, it’s been a nice run but they won’t compete this year’; then they do.
So if everything comes together for one of those two teams and Carolina has a bad year….maybe.
My feelings is no and no also they might, if they have monster seasons for them this year hit 85points but I actully see them more between 80 and 85 this season – I don’t share the negatism or optimism depending on how you look at it re: the Hurricanes, I think they will make the playoofs for sure this season and if the Caps don’t watch it they could challenge. They shouldn’t and while as always I’m rooting for Theo to have another good season (I can’t wait to see you guys react to that statement but he did win 32 of 57 games last year) I’m not sure how we can be overly confident in our goaltending at this point.
by markbona-capsfan99 on Jul 28, 2009 8:20 PM EDT up reply actions
Glad you guys could use something of ours for a change!
I always seem to fall for Tampa, but if ownership stays out of their way, I look forward to seeing what they can do and seeing Hedman in action….But really I think Carolina is spinning wheels, Atlanta could be a year away from implosion if Kovalchuk bolts and Florida is picking up the pieces…Should be Washington’s division for a long, long time.
Pensburgh.com -- it's like the Max Talbot of blogs*
*not just because we only work for 12 minutes a night
I agree the Caps are in the driver’s seat for the division for the foreseeable future, but I think for this off-season TBL improved more simply because of how bad they were. I think TBL’s D upgrades are going to contribute to a greater increase in standings points then Knuble/Morrison will for the Caps. Agree on the rest of your assessment as well.
Should be Washington’s division for a long, long time.
OK, I know you’re trying to soften us up for the kill, but I do appreciate the kind words. Personally, I agree this is the Caps division to lose, but wins won’t be as easy as they were last year in the SE. I expect both Tampa and Atlanta to be far more competitive and if Mike Smith can stay healthy they could make a run for the playoffs. Any team with Kovalchuk on it can be dangerous, particularly a Kovalchuk entering his contract season. Carolina is always the same, very competitive although their age should be a concern. Florida is the only team that I feel has definitely taken a step back. And Vokoun to me is the most overrated goalie in the league. The addition of Knuble and Morrison (if he’s healthy) is a big plus and then you throw in the maturation of their young players and they should be there with Pittsburgh in the ECF.
Honestly, I think the Caps get it simply because they added what they needed. Morrison isn’t necessarily an upgrade on Feds, but he’s on a contract year and has something to prove; always good for the team housing said player. And Knuble, supposing he comes in and does what he’s supposed to, is filling a hole we’ve had for a long time, and should be dynamite in it.
I’m excited at the potential this year.
by DrinkingPartner on Jul 27, 2009 12:49 PM EDT up reply actions
Well, it’s easier to make big improvements on a team with a lot more room to improve.
"It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees." - Delores Ibarruri
If BMo is truly healthy he will definitely be an upgrade over Feds. This one Caps in a landslide. Thrash finally made a nice move or two for a change, but everything else in division was just window dressing.
They lost Pettinger – it’s a wash.
Btw, David Hale has played the second-most games (263) of any active NHLer with three goals or fewer (and all three of his came after November 25 of this past season). Only Rob Scuderi (300 games played, 3 goals) has played in more games with three or fewer goals, though Andrew Alberts needs a mention here, as he has just 2 goals in 262 career games.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
It seems so highly unlikely someone could play so many games with so few goals scored. You’d think luck would factor in a few times every 45 games or so.
some fellas like to stay @ home….
from the house that Red Jesus built
by bigonetimer on Jul 28, 2009 12:18 PM EDT up reply actions
and Eminger if you look at them for the better part of the regular season… cough, cough, …waiting..snickering…okay ROTFLMAO “They lost Pettinger – it’s a wash” another great one JP…
by markbona-capsfan99 on Jul 28, 2009 8:24 PM EDT up reply actions
I think Hedman’s a wild card here. If he’s as advertised, I think the Bolts have shrunk the distance between their 2008-09 team and the Cup more than anyone else (I also like the Niitty and Ohlund additions). Granted, they’re still miles away and may have had the most room for improvement, but they’ll be a lot better than they were last year.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
what’s that they supposedly say about big men adjusting to the NHL game…?
from the house that Red Jesus built
by bigonetimer on Jul 27, 2009 12:59 PM EDT up reply actions
Another point DMG touched on is, for the first time ever (?) Atlanta ought to have a formidle group of Top 4 defensemen with Enstrom/Bogosian and Hainsey/Kubina.
If Lehtonen stays healthy (which seems to be a big if) and Evander Kane can make an impact his first season maybe Atlanta could be a moderate surprise as the #2 team and in that battle for the 7/8/9/10 positioning?
Might be a stretch, but I think it could happen.
Pensburgh.com -- it's like the Max Talbot of blogs*
*not just because we only work for 12 minutes a night
“formidle” supposed to = formidable
Me fail English?
Pensburgh.com -- it's like the Max Talbot of blogs*
*not just because we only work for 12 minutes a night
Eh, they were supposed to have a good Top 4 last year (swap in Schneider for Kubina). Here’s what Thrashers blogger Ben Wright wrote a year ago:
“With the additions of Schneider and [Ron] Hainsey during the off-season and the returns of Tobias Enstrom and Niclas Havelid the Thrashers now have a very respectable group of top-four defensemen that is arguably the strongest foursome in the Southeast Division.”
Kubina’s an upgrade over Schneider, and Bogo and Enstrom are a year older, but “formidable” (however you want to spell it) may be over-selling ’em.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
(Oh, and I didn’t buy Wright’s argument then and wouldn’t now either)
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
Atlanta has had my favorite offseason of the bunch. Just solid work toward getting to be a contender, with a good understanding of where in the cycle they are.
by Gould Old Days on Jul 27, 2009 3:07 PM EDT up reply actions
I think it’s crazy that so many people voted for the Caps. I think the Caps are improved, but not by a huge amount. Even if you think Tampa’s moves are too dramatic and the team will still be a mess, you have to like what Atlanta did.
I don’t know how crazy it is – Knuble should be a big improvement over Kozlov at 1RW and BMo should be a better 2C than Feds, both at positions where the Caps struggled a bit last year.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
I see three ways to judge this.
(1) In the abstract, how much quality did the team add (net) this summer? For me, that’s Atlanta. They became an NHL team.
(2) How much closer did the team come to really contending? To me, that’s Tampa. Ohlund fills a gaping hole and is a perfect choice with Hedman coming in.
(3) Who made the best moves for actually winning the Cup? For me, that’s the Caps. Knuble and Morrison are the perfect additions given the team’s situation. It may be a small net change, but it subtly changes the team in a really positive way.
by Gould Old Days on Jul 27, 2009 5:36 PM EDT up reply actions
I half agree/half disagree
I’d flip the first two in your order. Tampa was really that awful last year, while Anderson managed to coax at least some decent play out of the Thrashers. Tampa should be much better than they were last year, although still not nearly playoff caliber.
As for the Caps – it’s all about the law of diminishing marginal returns. Yes, we made two smart moves, however, we had less to improve upon. Therefore, the Caps improved less relative to the Thrashers or the Lightning. If they pan out, Knuble and BMo moved us from a 109-point team to a 114-point team (total WAG), whereas ATL and Tampa’s moves took them from being cellar-dwellers to mediocrity – Tampa in particular should see a 10-12 point bounce (even dead cats bounce if you throw them hard enough).
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Southeast Standings
| GP | W | L | OTL | PT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Florida
|
53 | 25 | 17 | 11 | 61 |
|
Washington
|
54 | 28 | 21 | 5 | 61 |
|
Winnipeg
|
56 | 26 | 24 | 6 | 58 |
|
Tampa Bay
|
53 | 23 | 24 | 6 | 52 |
|
Carolina
|
55 | 20 | 25 | 10 | 50 |
(updated 2.10.2012 at 3:26 AM EST)
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