NHL preview - Northeast division

Division overview

Outside of Buffalo and Ottawa, the Northeast is an enigma. Montreal barely made the playoffs last season, and is arguably no better than last year. Toronto should have an upgraded defense corps after shelling out big money for Pavel Kubina and Hal Gill, but questions in goal and up from remain. Throw Boston, who picked up proven talent in Marc Savard and Zdeno Chara, into the mix and this division is going to be about taking advantage of the few opportunities that come a team’s way during the season.

Buffalo Sabres

The Sabres (and their snazzy chest-patch uni numbers) figure to dethrone Ottawa at the top of the division. Buffalo will run with the same deep and balanced attack they had last year, but are hoping for better fortune on the injury front. A full season from captain Dan Briere probably means a 100-point campaign, while the Sabres are hoping the other parts can continue to chip in. Eleven Sabres notched 40 or more points last season, and there is little reason to believe they can’t produce at the same rate this year. At the back end, losing Jay McKee hurts. McKee was a good locker room guy and led the league in blocked shots last season. The Sabres believe (pylon) Jaroslav Spacek can make up for McKee’s on-ice presence. In goal, the job is all Ryan Miller’s now, and he is going to have to prove his worth.

Fantasy Sleeper: Jason Pominville scored 30 points in 57 games as a rookie last year and figures to move to the second line this year.

Rookie Watch: Jiri Novotny maintained his rookie status by one game, and the big centre will be given a chance to make an impact after four years in the American League.

Ottawa Senators

Make no mistake, these are not the Senators you’ve gotten used to seeing the last five seasons. In the last two off-seasons they’ve sacrificed high fliers Marian Hossa and Martin Havlat in the pursuit of a blood-sweat-and-tears kind of team. The result is an explosive top line in Jason Spezza (Art Ross trophy within three years), Dany Heatley (Rocket Richard award as soon as this season) and whomever they feel like playing with on a particular night. Beyond that, Mike Fisher and Peter Schaefer lead the way with great two-way play that leaves them on the verge of an offensive breakout any minute. The Sens have also upgraded their production from the blue line, adding offensive but steady defensemen Joe Corvo and Tom Preissing to Wade Redden’s crew. Andrej Meszaros and new goalie Martin Gerber will be under pressure to prove last season was no fluke.

Fantasy Sleeper: Patrick Eaves (29 points in 58 games) figures to see time on Ottawa’s top line, while Corvo will likely step into the top power play unit.

Rookie Watch: Alexei Kaigorodov will give play-by-play teams fits, and the Sens are confident he’ll give the opposition just as many.

Montreal Canadiens

Make no mistake, Montreal is very much a bubble team this season. Cristobal Huet was the team’s hero last year, rescuing a season that looked in jeopardy. The Habs are hoping to have improved team defense, and will look to their young players to step up and contribute more offense than they did last year. Chris Higgins, Tomas Plekanec, and to a degree Michael Ryder all performed beyond expectations last year. Higgins and Plekanec became penalty-killing staples, while Ryder led the team in goals. Higgins and Plekanec will be asked to produce more offense, and Plekanec will get that chance playing on a line with Alex Kovalev and Sergei Samsonov. Montreal’s defense will have to stay healthy, and if they can, the Habs have a good mix on the blue line. Francis Bouillion had an excellent season and Andrei Markov looks ready to be the number one guy. Huet will again probably be the difference between a win and a loss most nights.

Fantasy Sleeper: Plekanec’s ability to step into the role of a second-line centre will be critical to the team. If he succeeds, his big numbers will mean big things in Montreal, but if he falters…

Rookie Watch: After nearly making the team out of camp last year, 19-year-old Guillaume Latendresse looks ready to make the jump. His play in camp this year forced the Habs to keep the junior-aged player.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Not that anyone outside of Toronto wants to read this, but there is a very good chance the Leafs will ice a better team this year than last year’s edition. Immediately jumping out is the addition of Hal Gill and Pavel Kubina to the defense corps. Though the Leafs overpaid for both, they will bring stability to the back end, which was taxed endlessly by injuries and inconsistent play of minor-league call ups last season. Up front, the time is now for youngsters Kyle Wellwood, Matt Stajan and Alex Steen. While they seemed to be held back under Pat Quinn’s coaching, they will play lots of key minutes under new head coach Paul Maurice. The way they adapt to their new roles will be a big factor in the Leafs’ fortunes this season. And the biggest factor of all will be new goaltender Andrew Raycroft. After Tim Thomas and Hannu Toivonen played admirably in Raycroft’s injury-induced absence last season, the Bruins cut him loose and shipped him to Toronto. There is no real reason he can’t succeed in Toronto. All that said, this team will be in a dogfight for the playoffs.

Fantasy Sleeper: Stajan had something of a sophomore jinx last year, tallying just 27 points, but that total should increase with a bump in ice time.

Rookie Watch: Ian White appears to have the inside track of the last defense spot. He notched six points in 12 games last season.

Boston Bruins

This may come as a surprise, but the Bruins spent some money in the off-season. The big new additions are defenseman Zdeno Chara and forward Marc Savard. But the really good pick-ups are Shean Donovan and Paul Mara. All four players bring unique sets of attributes that will help the Bruins immediately. Chara and Mara are physical and mean defenseman, who are capable of chipping in some offense. Savard piled up 97 points with Atlanta last year, and the Bruins are hoping he can kick start Glen Murray, while Donovan is a speed demon with the heart of a champion, and the special teams prowess needed to compete in today’s game. Incumbents Brad Boyes, Patrice Bergeron and Marco Sturm will give Boston a solid two-line attack, while P. J. Axelsson and Wayne Primeau will anchor one of the best checking units around. Brad Stuart found a home at the top of Boston’s defense chart last season, and looks to play on the top unit with Chara. In goal, this is Hannu Toivonen’s team now, while backup Tim Thomas figures to see action in about a third of Boston’s games. The B’s feel they are set in goal.

Fantasy Sleeper: No real sleepers here, but expect Murray to get back over the 30-goal mark.

Rookie Watch: Defenseman Mark Stuart is two games past Calder eligibility, though 17 games hardly makes a player a veteran. The Bruins hope he can pick up where he left off at the end of last season.