1. Pittsburgh Penguins Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, now joined by off-season additions Paul Martin and Zbynek Michalek that should help the Pens answer questions about their grittiness on the defensive end, form arguably the most talented all-around team in the NHL. Without the pressure of defending the Stanley Cup, the Penguins are in great position to open their new arena with the 3^rd championship in franchise history. Marc-Andre Fleury was somewhat of a mixed bag a season ago, though by no means a major disappointment. Should the former 1 overall pick max out his potential in his 3^rd year full-time in net, delivering more consistently on a nightly basis, the Penguins could be considered league-wide frontrunners going into the year.
2. Washington Capitals Two words should keep the Caps towards the top of the conference regardless of other team’s personnel maneuvering: Alexander Ovechkin. While the team arguably lost more than they gained in over the course of the summer’s wheeling and dealing, having the best player in the NHL never hurts the cause. The defending Eastern Conference champs may take a small step backwards, but with the offensive arsenal already in place they should have no problem staying atop the standings, particularly in a the relatively tame Southeast Division.
3. New Jersey Devils A tough call between the Devils and Sabres, as the Sabres have Ryan Miller, the best goaltender in hockey today, only to have the Devils counter with Martin Brodeur, perhaps the greatest of all time. At this point, Brodeur has question marks as a full time starter, better utilized more sparingly to preserve for a playoff run, but the Devils simply overpower the Sabres on the offensive end. Devils brass obviously has 100 million reasons why a full year of Ilya Kovalchuk is exactly what this team needs to take the next step, so who are we to judge.

Dark horse: Tampa Bay Lightning When in doubt, go with Stevie Y. The Lightning’s GM has been moving and shaking in his first year, bringing in Simon Gagne among a host of other valuable assets, bolstering what was already a dangerous club.

This entry was posted on Sunday, September 26th, 2010 at 7:45 am and is filed under Eastern Conference. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.