Yesterday Devin brought you a look at the upcoming season for the Western Conference. Today, I'll guide you through the East as we get ready for the puck to drop tonight on yet another year of NHL action, though if you have DirecTV, you likely won't even see it. Yes, added to the long list of problems the NHL faces in trying to remain a viable entity in the US is the fact that major TV provider is in a dispute with one of the largest providers of programming, and therefore will not be shown until a resolution is reached. But that's a story for a different time perhaps. On to a breakdown of all the teams in the East and my stab at predicting who will reach the postseason, as well as a potential Stanley Cup representative.

Atlantic Division

New Jersey Devils - The Devils won the division last year with a solid 103 points and hit the playoffs as the #3 seed, but all those happy feelings vanished quickly as they were ousted in 7 games by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 1st round. Coach Brent Sutter hit the bricks and headed out to Calgary to lead the Flames this season. The Devils then brought back former coach and 1995 Stanley Cup Winner Jacques Lemaire from Minnesota to try and rekindle their winning ways. That likely means the trap will be back in it's full glory, making the Devils almost impossible to watch on a nightly basis.

New Jersey lost star right winger Brian Gionta via free agency, but his numbers over the last 3 years were nowhere near those of his breakout season in 05-06. Long time Devil John Madden also departed the team in the offseason, taking his 10 years experience and heading to a young Chicago team. Finally, goaltender Scott Clemmensen, who did a remarkable job of filling in for an injured Marty Brodeur last year, earned himself a sizeable pay day with the Florida Panthers. In terms of additions, the Devils didn't do a whole lot with the offseason, with Rob Neidermayer coming back to New Jersey on a one year contract probably being the highlight.

The Devils were one of the best teams in the East last year, despite their all world goaltender missing significant time with a busted up elbow, but it meant nothing come the postseason. They have one of the most exciting offensive players in hockey when it comes to Zach Parise, but their offense may sputter after that. With Lemaire and the trap back, and Brodeur healthy, it's going to be a flashback to years gone by as the Devils try to use defense to their advantage and pull out low scoring games on a nightly basis. It may be successful to some extent, but I expect to see a drop off in terms of standings this year.

Pittsburgh Penguins - The defending Stanley Cup Champions return, hoping to make a 3rd straight trip to the Finals this season. Pittsburgh edged out Philadelphia at the end of last season for the #4 spot and earned themselves home ice in the first round matchup. After getting past the Flyers, they then dispatched of the Capitals in a fantastic 7 game series and finally swept the Hurricanes to meet up with Detroit in a rematch for the Cup. 7 more exciting games later, the Penguins had their first title since 1992.

The offseason didn't bring a great deal of chance as some role players left and some were brought aboard. The most notable move each was probably Rob Scuderi leaving to sign with the Kings, while veteran defenseman Jay McKee signed a modest 1 year deal to suit up in the black and gold. McKee's best years are past him and he's had a history of injury problems, but if healthy, he's a solid player at a cheap price.

The core remains solidly in tact for Pittsburgh, and all still quite young as well. Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury has thrown his name into the ranks amongst the best in the league at this point. The Penguins also have perhaps the best group of centers in the league with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Jordan Staal, none of which are older than 23. The Pens have these three plus Fleury locked up together through the 2012-2013 season and the possibilities are scary as to how good they could be. For all the hype surrounding Crosby as the golden boy of the NHL, I still maintain that Malkin is the better player at this point. He won the Conn Smythe as the playoff MVP last year as well as the Art Ross Trophy for leading the league in points.

With a solid surrounding cast still around these 4 young superstars for the next 2 years or so, it won't be a surprise to see them take another run or two at the Cup. Pittsburgh will surely be back in the postseason this year, and will likely be playing deep in them as well.

Philadelphia Flyers - The Flyers made the postseason for the 2nd consecutive year in 08-09, finishing 5th in the East and battling in state rivals Pittsburgh in the first round of the playoffs. The Flyers couldn't hang with the eventual champs and are now looking to build on a fairly successful season as they head into 09-10. The Flyers were one of the more offensively talented teams last year, and spent their offseason trying to bolster other areas to improve their squad.

The first move Philly made was to sign goaltender Ray Emery from the depths of the Russian KHL and bring him back the NHL where he formerly played for Ottawa. Emery is a big gamble in my book, as he never showed me a ton of promise in his previous stint in the league, often looking shaking between the pipes. It's a one year deal, so it's probably all or nothing for Emery this year, perhaps the pressure will help him to excel, but I'm kind of doubting it. They signed their insurance policy soon after, bringing back Brian Boucher from San Jose, where he put up decent numbers in backup duty last year. He's never proven himself as a full time starter however.

Besides departing goaltenders Marty Biron and Antero Niittymaki, the Flyers also lost Mike Knuble and his 27 goals and 20 assists to the Washington Capitals. Gone also is Joffrey Lupul (25 G, 25 A) to Anaheim, but the Flyers brought in defensemen Chris Pronger in return. Pronger's resume is impressive, including 5 All Star Games, the 2000 Norris and Hart Trophies, as well as winning a Cup in 2007. Pronger has always been a very good scoring defenseman, but is now 34 years old and the Flyers signed him to a 7 year extension, paying him almost $5 million/year into his 40s. Pronger should fit in well and give the D a big boost in Philly, but the length of the deal seems kind of silly to me.

It all comes down to goaltending for me when figuring out how Philly will fare this year. Pronger boosts the D, while Jeff Carter, Mike Richards, and Simon Gagne are all solid up front. The Flyers are finally hoping a healthy Daniel Briere can live up to his massive contract and produce consistently in the place of Knuble and Lupul, but now in his 30s, it doesn't seem likely. If Emery can be solid for Philly, they'll find themselves in the middle of the playoff hunt yet again, but if he goes back to his shaky ways, this could be a long year in the City of Brotherly Love.

New York Rangers - The Rangers squeaked their way into the playoffs as the 7th seed last season, but were dispatched by the Capitals in 7 games. This year, they will look to make a 5th straight trip to the playoffs, and perhaps even do something once they get there. It wouldn't be a Rangers offseason without some ridiculous contracts flying around, and this summer didn't disappoint.

The Rangers started off with something that seemed rather intelligent, unloading the outlandish contract they gave Scott Gomez in 2007 at nearly $7.5 million/year to Montreal in a trade, getting quietly solid Chris Higgins in return. Brilliant right? They got rid of a huge cap hit for a guy that couldn't maintain his production from his time in New Jersey and got solid and much cheaper player in return. But then of course, this is the Rangers, a splash had to be made. Marion Gaborik was signed away from Minnesota and promptly handed a $7.5 million/year contract himself, payable for the next 5 years. No doubt Gaborik is a highly explosive offensive player, but he is also highly injury prone. He's averaged just 52 games per season over the last 4 years, though he does bring just over 57 points/season during that span as well. So, he scores more than a point a game when he's on the ice, but will he stay there?

Luckily for the Rangers, they do have one of the best goaltenders in the league in Henrik Lundqvist. He is probably the main reason the Rangers made the postseason to begin with last year, as the team scored the 2nd fewest goals in the Eastern Conference. Lundqvist had a 2.43 GAA in 70 games last season for the Rangers and will need to put up similar numbers this season. Add him to the long list of guys to watch during the Olympics this year, as the Rangers really don't have anything behind him and need him to stay healthy to have any chance at all of getting back to the postseason.

New York Islanders - Where do you even start with the Islanders? They were hands down the worst team in the league last season, which I guess can be a plus considering they got the #1 draft pick and snagged the highly coveted John Tavares from the Ontario Hockey League, where he put up numbers like 72 goals and 62 assists in 67 games in 06-07. He's clearly a talent, but he'll be drowning in a sea of awful this year. He should produce decent numbers on a team where defenseman Mark Streit lead the team in scoring last season. (at least I hope, since he's on my fantasy team!)

Beyond that, the biggest thing I can say about the Islanders is that they are approximately $19 million under the salary cap this season, in desperate need of a new arena, and average under 14k fans per game. They are a team nobody really pays attention to unless your team happens to lose to them, at which point you stop and ask yourself how? The Islanders have a fairly safe lock on the cellar again this season, which will allow them to acquire another top draft pick and little else. This franchise hasn't mattered at all since the lockout and barely mattered before that. The last time they won a playoff series was 1993 and nothing is going to change anytime soon it seems.

Northeast Division

Boston Bruins - The Bruins were the cream of the crop in the East last season, finishing with 116 points and just missing out on the President's Trophy for the best record in the NHL. After wiping the floor with Montreal in a 4 game sweep, the Bruins had their hearts broken in multiple ways, losing to Carolina in 7 games. Scott Walker of the Canes, who sucker punched Boston's Aaron Ward in Game 5, but was not suspended, scored the winning goal late in the first overtime of Game 7 and ended the Bruins' magical year. In an interesting twist of fate, Ward was traded to Carolina in the offseason and will now be teammates with Walker... should make for quite the interesting team dynamic.

The Bruins got it done with defense and goaltending primarily last season, giving up the fewest goals in the league. Goalie Tim Thomas found a new lease on life it seemed as he had what was by far a career best year, allowing just 2.10 goals/game and earning himself the Vezina Trophy in the process. The question is can he repeat the peformance? It's a bit unusual for a goaltender to wait until his mid 30s to play his best hockey, but that's what Thomas did. It doesn't hurt to have guys like Zdeno Chara and Dennis Wideman in front of you though on defense.

That's not to say the Bruins can't score either, as they netted 274 goals last season, trailing only Detroit. Guys like Marc Savard and David Krejci put up great numbers like last year, and the Bruins forward lines roll deep. The most curious move of the summer for the Bruins however is letting Phil Kessel go. The 21 year old had 36 goals and 24 assists in a breakout year last season, but was traded to Toronto after being unable to reach an agreement in Boston.

Boston should have no trouble being successful again this season, though Tim Thomas will absolutely have to stay healthy and have another solid year in between the pipes. Yet another of those goalies to look out for later in the year as he's expected to battle Ryan Miller for the spot of the United States #1 goalie for the Olympics. At 35, Thomas is no spring chicken and the added games might take a toll.

Montreal Canadiens - Les Habitants sqeaked into the playoffs last year, narrowing grabbing the last spot over the Panthers, only to be run over by a Boston steamroller in the first round. How will the Canadiens try to build on last year? By completely blowing up the team of course! I would compare Montreal's offseason to a Dr. Seuss book... It made absolutely no sense at all, but it was pretty fun to check out just the same.

Gone are: Mike Komisarek, Alexei Kovalev, Saku Koivu, Alex Tanguay, and Matthieu Schneider via free agency, as well as Christopher Higgins via trade. In now are: Michael Cammalleri, Hal Gill, Brian Gionta, Jaroslav Spacek, and Scott Gomez. Also gone is a boatload of money. Those 5 new acquisitions are on the books for just about $25 million of cap space this season. Tack on another $11.25 million for the contracts of Andrei Markov and Roman Hamrlik and you've got $36 million tied up in 7 players this season and it's the same next year. Not only is that outrageous money for a handful of players, sadly, most would concure that none of them are really worth it.

Gionta and Gomez won a Cup together in New Jersey, but their numbers have been dwindling the past few seasons. Spacek got paid $11.5 million over 3 years after 3 lackluster seasons in Buffalo where he was decent, but not to the tune of nearly 4 million a year. Gill did win a Cup last year in Pittsburgh, but only racked up 10 points on the year, his contract is not as gaudy, but considering he will be at best the #4 d-man, it's still a bit much. Cammalleri may have been the lone one to earn his payday. He put up 39 goals and 43 assists in Calgary last year and was consistent in LA before that as well.

Montreal is coming off as desperate to me. They have a rabid fan base and know they have to do something to appease them. They last won the Stanley Cup in 1993 and haven't made it past the 2nd round of the playoffs since. Throwing a ton of cash at slightly above average players isn't going to get the job done. Montreal will be lucky to make the playoffs this year in a very tough Eastern Conference where there is a ton of parity and it's going to be a scrap to find yourself in the Top 8 at the end of the season.

Buffalo Sabres - I'm not going to spend a ton of time on the Sabres as Devin fully previewed the team already, check it out HERE. I will add a few thoughts however. The Sabres likely would have made the postseason last year had Ryan Miller and Thomas Vanek stayed healthy, but came up just short instead. They addressed their main issue of a lack of toughness by bringing in guys like Steve Montador and Mike Grier, but I'm not sure it was enough. Talented young forwards like Vanek, Derek Roy, and Jason Pominville need to produce at a high rate this year as they are all being paid like top level guys.

The glaring question mark for this team remains the defense. Several youngsters are looking to prove themselves while veterans like Rivet and Montador need to be solid on the ice as well as leaders both on and off. The biggest issue falls on two heads, Toni Lydman and Henrik Tallinder. Since being perhaps the Sabres best pairing a few seasons ago, both have become major disappointments as of late. Buffalo practiced addition by subtraction this offseason when they let Max Afinogenov, Jaro Spacek, and Teppo Numminen walk, Lydman and Tallinder may be next in line with that theory.

The Sabres have what it takes to get back into the postseason this year, and as long as Miller holds up, they should find themselves in that position. My doubts lie in whether they can actually make any noise once they get there though. Miller is the key to everything as he is one of the best in the league when on top of his game. While I'd love to see him represent the US as the top goalie in the Olympics, his durability is a huge concern to me as a Sabres fan.

Ottawa Senators - Ottawa has fallen hard as of late, going from Stanley Cup finalist in 2007, to first round sweep victims in 2008, to 83 points and 11th in the Conference in 2009. If this offseason is any indication, things aren't going to get a lot better. Star forward Dany Heatley made it known he wasn't pleased with his playing time at the start of the offseason and wanted out of Ottawa. GM Bryan Murray had difficulty finding a deal to his liking for most of the offseason, but finally in mid September a partner was found.

Heatley was sent to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Jonathan Cheechoo primarily. Officially signaling the end of the Heatley/Spezza/Alfredsson line, causing Sabres fans to rejoice. Heatley's 39 goals and 33 assists were a bit of a down year for him, and may not be entirely missed. Cheechoo's numbers have dropped off year after year since his stunning 56 goal season in 05-06, but the Senators did sign Alexei Kovalev from Montreal as well. He brings 65 points in 80 games with him at a $5 million/year for the next 2 years cost.

As is usual with Ottawa, the top line brings all the scoring and it drops off dramatically after that. Defense and goaltending has been the concern as of late. The Sens brought over Pascal Leclaire from Columbus at the trade deadline last year and he is expected to assume the role of starter this season. Leclaire had a solid run in 07-08 with the Blue Jackets but was supplanted by the top rookie in the league last year, Steve Mason. Leclaire is a big question mark in my book and if he doesn't succeed, it's going to be a long season in Ottawa, likely without a playoff berth as well.

Toronto Maple Leafs - Remember when the Maple Leafs mattered in the NHL? No... me neither. Ok, so that's only partially true. Before the lockout, the Leafs were pretty much an annual contender and made some noise in the playoffs most years. Of course, they haven't been in the Cup Finals since they last won it, which was 1967. And of course, you have to keep in mind that at that time, only 8 teams even existed, so it wasn't quite the accomplishment it is today. At any rate, since the NHL resumed play in 2005, the Leafs haven't sniffed the playoffs at all and I don't think 2009-2010 is about to change in that department.

The Leafs finished 12th in the East last year and had a pretty lousy season all the way around. You may remember their starting goaltender was Swiss Cheese... wait no, I mean Vesa Toskala, or maybe Curtis Joseph... Martin Gerber? Oh wait, it was Justin Pogge... Regardless of who was actually in the net, so was the puck more often than not. The Leafs gave up 293 goals last year, easily the worst in the NHL. So what did Toronto do to address this situation? Signed Jonas Gustavsson from the Swedish Pro League to back up Toskala. That will surely cure what ails them right?

Toronto did go out and sign Mike Komisarek from Montreal to a healthy deal to help bolster their defense and also traded for Phil Kessel from Boston. Kessel is very young and has a great offensive skill set which will certainly help a Leafs offense that averaged right around 3 goals/game last season. However, Kessel is still recovering from shoulder surgery and is likely out until sometime in December. I rip on Toronto a great deal because they're a major rival to Buffalo, and it drives me nuts that they pack so many fans into our arena all the time, but in all honesty they deserve better. The Leafs are going to have another lousy season ahead of them and have just about no chance at making the playoffs yet again. Something major needs to be done there to turn the team around and Kessel is a good first step, but he'll need plenty of help.

Southeast Division

Washington Capitals - The Capitals finished 08-09 with the best regular season in franchise history, amassing 108 points and capturing the 2nd seed in the East. They also won a playoff series for the first time since their run to the Cup Finals in back in 1998. Washington seems to be taking the approach that they were close last year and meddling with success won't do them any favors. To that end, they only had one major change in the offseason, signing free agent Mike Knuble from Philadelphia. At 37, he brings some veteran leadership to a fairly young team and in addition to his consistent scoring ability, he's a little more hard nosed than the Caps current lineup.

Washington has the single most skilled player in the NHL when it comes to Alexander Ovechkin. The 24 year old Russian is coming off back to back Hart Trophy seasons as the league's MVP as well as consecutive Rocket Richard Trophies for leading the NHL in goals. Last year he racked up 56 goals and 54 assists during the regular campaign and added another 11 and 10 in 14 playoff games. Simply put, he's worth every cent of the 13 year, $124 million contract he signed in 2008. Anybody who has seen him play cannot deny his skills, nor the passion with which he plays the game. It's the latter that gets him in a little trouble here and there and the reason Crosby is the face of the league instead, but it's also the latter that makes him so damn fun to watch.

It's not all about Ovechkin though. Last year Washington started to figure out the puzzle and show they had the right pieces around him. Guys like Nick Backstrom and Alex Semin are ultra talented as well and help the Caps light the lamp to the tune of over 3.3 goals/game, barely trailing the Bruins for tops in the league last year. Add in high scoring defenseman Mike Green to the mix as well as he contributed 31 goals and 42 assists last year. It's not the scoring that concerns me in the least with the Capitals though. They gave up goals at a pretty high clip also last year and still have questions marks in their defense, and more particularly at the goalkeeper spot.

Semyon Varlamov had his official coming out party in the playoffs last year. After going 4-0-1 in the regular season, Varlamov took over for Jose Theodore in Game 2 of the first round series with the Rangers and finished the playoffs with a 7-6 record. The 21 year old looks to take over the starting job permanently this year and if he can play solidly, the Caps will have no trouble finding themselves back near the top of the East.

Carolina Hurricanes - I think I've made it abundantly clear in the past how I feel about my adopted hometown Carolina Hurricanes, or more pointedly, their "diehard fans" who don't even sell out playoff games, so I'll try to keep my bias tucked away for the remainder of this section. The Hurricanes struggled for much of last season but got red hot down the stretch and managed to grab the 6 seed in the postseason. They continued to play extremely well all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals, where the lucky bounces ran out and a much better team swept them back to Raleigh for the summer.

Carolina didn't make much in the way of moves this offseason, but instead focused on re-signing many of their own guys, including: Jussi Jokinen, Erik Cole, Chad LaRose, and Tuomo Ruutu. They also obtained veteran defenseman Aaron Ward from Boston, bringing him back to the site of one of his three Stanley Cup titles. Also placing him on the same team as the man who sucker punched him in last year's playoffs, as I mentioned in the Boston preview. Not sure how that dynamic is going to work out, but I suppose they don't have to really like each other.

The Hurricanes have a very veteran team with a great deal of playoff experience and are lead by two star players. Eric Staal is only 24 but already has 3 All Star Games and a Stanley Cup Championship under his belt. He posted 40 goals and 35 assists last year and is solid year in and year out for Carolina. Cam Ward tends the goal for the Hurricanes and does it quite well for the most part. Only 25 himself, Ward has a Cup as well as the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP for that same year. Ward had a career best 2.44 GAA last season along with 6 shutouts and a 3rd straight season with at least 30 wins.

If the Hurricanes can avoid their usual mid season slump this year, it would do them a lot of favors in the long run. They got hot at the right time last year and made a deep run in the playoffs, but they could easily be a 4 or 5 seed in the East if they played consistently all year. At any rate, expect them to be back in the playoffs again this year, though I don't think they'll make it back to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Florida Panthers - I'm willing to bet that you don't remember that the Florida Panthers made it to the Stanley Cup Finals in only their 3rd season back in 1995-96, I know I certainly had forgotten. They were swept by the Avalanche in the Finals that year and have only returned to the playoffs twice since then. The last time they made the postseason was 2000, but they came as close as they could without getting in last year. They finished the season with an identical record to Montreal, but lost the regular season series with them and therefore were able to hit the golf course as usual.

The Panthers lone big offseason move came when they shipped star defenseman Jay Bouwmeester off to Calgary in return for Jordan Leopold and a draft pick. Florida then signed Leopold to a 1 year deal worth $1.75 million. Jordan actually played in 83 games last year between Colorado and Calgary, totaling 24 points between the teams. The injury plagued d-man had only played one full season previously in his 7 NHL seasons. Florida also signed Scott Clemmensen, who as I mentioned in the New Jersey preview, played very well in place of Martin Brodeur last season. Tomas Vokoun makes the big paycheck and figures to remain the starter, but Clemmensen could challenge him for time this season.

Florida is one of those teams where if you're not an absolute die hard fan of the sport, you probably don't recognize at least 75% of the roster... oh hell, more like 95% really. They do have some talent there however. David Booth was a 31 goal, 60 point guy last year, and Nathan Horton added 45 points and is just 24 years old. The problem is that if these guys don't start winning and soon, they could be in trouble. We've discussed at length on this site the problem with hockey teams in warm weather markets where fans don't care, and quite frankly fans in Miami don't support ANY of their teams in any sport very well. If they want to keep the Panthers, it's going to take some trips to the postseason and a buzz around the team to do it.

Atlanta Thrashers - Speaking of teams in warm weather markets with completely indifferent fans... The Atlanta Thrashers entered their 10th season in the NHL with exactly one playoff appearance and 0 postseason wins to their credit. Sadly, last season's 35 wins was good enough for 3rd best in franchise history. It was still only good enough for 13th place in the East however.

The two biggest signings for the Thrashers in the off season were Nik Antropov, who had 27 goals and 31 assists between time in Toronto and with the Rangers, at the rate of $4 million/year for 4 years, and Max Afinogenov. The player that Sabres fans universally learned to hate after years of showing so much flash and sizzle and delivering absolutely nothing. Many of us wished he would have been dealt a few years ago when he still had some value, but instead Buffalo chose to keep him until his contract finally expired and let him walk. Afinogenov hit rock bottom last year with just 6 goals and 14 assists and found himself being benched when a nagging groin injury wasn't keeping him from playing.

Atlanta essentially has 2 things going for it. One is Ilya Kovalchuck, the 26 year old Russian who has 6 straight seasons with at least 38 goals. Last year he scored 43 times and added in 48 assists. The second thing is low expectations... The offense is talented, they tied for the 8th most goals scored in the entire NHL last season with 257. The problem is they gave up the 2nd most goals in the league as well. Goalie Khari Lehtonen has showed flashes of brilliance at times, but is often highly inconsistent. He split time with Johan Hedberg last year, and you can expect more of the same this year unless one or the other steps up their game big time.

Atlanta really doesn't have anywhere to go but up. If they could solidify their defense and goaltending situation even slightly, the offense would propel them towards making the playoffs, but they seem disinterested in doing so... almost as disinterested as their fan base. In terms of arena capacity, the Thashers were the worst in the league in attendance, averaging a hair under 80% of capacity. Even Phoenix was at 85% and they truly have nothing to be excited about at this point.

Tampa Bay Lightning - Wow, this division truly is terrible isn't it? Just when you think it can't get worse, we get to the cluster... um, you know what I mean, known as Tampa Bay. Barry Melrose was brought back from obnoxious ESPN analyst land to coach the Lightning last year and made it through exactly 16 games before getting canned. Melrose's 5-7-4 record wasn't good enough, so Rick Tocchet was given the keys and managed to put up a 19-34-14 record of his own, which was apparently much better because he got himself a 2 year deal in the process.

On the ice, Tampa still has Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier, who as usual, lead the team in scoring last year with 80 and 67 points respectively. Tampa signed Alex Tanguay and Mattias Ohlund in the offseason in a feeble attempt to help out both sides of the puck. Goalie Mike Smith started half the games last year, while 4 others also saw time between the pipes. Tampa signed Anterro Niittymaki from Philadelphia, who will likely become the main backup to Smith this season.

One of the few plusses for the Lightning is the fact that they do have some solid young talent as well. Center Steven Stamkos was 3rd on the team in scoring last season with 23 goals and 23 assists and is just 19 years old. They also won the runner up prize in the John Tavares sweepstakes at the NHL draft, picking 2nd and taking defenseman Victor Hedman from Sweden. While St. Louis and Lecavalier's stats are likely in decline from here on out, both are still stolid point getters and team leaders. Tampa should have a better year this season with a little more stability and more experience for their youngsters, but they're still not playoff material at this point.

Predictions
Playoff Teams:
Pittsburgh
Washington
Boston
New Jersey
Carolina
Philadelphia
Buffalo
Florida

Eastern Conference Champion:
Pittsburgh Penguins