NHL 2010-2011 Atlantic Division season preview
With the Flyers making it all the way to the Stanley Cup final last season and the Pittsburgh Penguins winning it all the year before, the teams from the Atlantic division will hope the trend of representing the Eastern Conference in the Stanley Cup finals
continues. Given the talent that exists within the division such a scenario isn't just possible it's likely.
New Jersey Devils
The Devils finished top of the division and second in the conference behind the President's trophy winning Washington Capitals, and they did so in large part courtesy of the ageless Martin Brodeur. In fact, the Devils were the only team in the NHL to surrender
less than 200 goals. At age 39 it's questionable whether or not Brodeur will be able to do it again. The Devils have had the attitude that if he did it last year then there's no reason he can't do it again this year, and Brodeur has proved them right every
time. Add to that the fact that the Devils will have Ilya Kovalchuk for the entire season after offering the free agent forward one of the most lucrative contracts in NHL history and the Devils should be in okay shape.
Pittsburgh Penguins
If you had either Sidney Crosby or Evegeni Malkin on your team you would consider yourself in the hunt for a playoff spot. The Pittsburgh Penguins just happen to have both. They lost their defensive leader Sergei Gonchar to free agency, but have added Paul
Martin and Zybnek Michalek to fill the void. They also possess a clutch goalie in Marc-Andre Fleury and over the last few seasons have to put together a system of combining a good mix of youth and experience. They will contend for the Stanley Cup every year
that their core of players can manage to stay together.
Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers were a bit of a surprise representative for the Eastern Conference last season but they have the Montreal Canadiens largely to thank for disposing of both the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins for them. That's not to take anything away
from the Flyers who upset the Devils in five games and then came back from three games down to win their series against Boston. Mike Richards proved last year that he is one of the elite players in the NHL and one of the game's best two-way players, as well
as a remarkable leader. With the likes of Chris Pronger and
Andrej Meszaros the Flyers are pretty solid on defence, and they have some extra weapons up front with Jeff Carter and Danny Briere. Their biggest question mark will be their goaltending.
New York Rangers
The Rangers finished ninth in the conference and failed to make the playoffs last season and will find it difficult to make it there again this year. Most of the load will be placed on the shoulders of goaltender Henrik Lundqvist and forward Marian Gaborik.
Last season Gaborik led the team in scoring with 86 points – second was Vinny Prospal with only 58. They also shipped one of their only other offensive weapons in Olli Jokinen who will be playing with Calgary this season.
New York Islanders
It seems like the Islanders have been rebuilding for a long time as they have been mired in mediocrity. But with Rick DiPietro back between the pipes after missing two seasons, and John Tavares with a full season under his belt, there should be a bit of
optimism in Long Island that they might be able to contend for that seventh or eighth playoff spot.
What to expect
The Penguins will more than likely be the class of the division and the NHL. Key factors in determining who fits where will be goaltending as that's where all the question marks lie. Can Brodeur still be the NHL's best goalie at 39? Can Rick DiPietro stave
off injury for a full season? Will the Flyers solve their goaltending question? The answers to these questions will have drastic results. Even with mediocre goaltending the Devils will be able to compete night in and night out, but look for Brodeur to get
his 40 wins once again. In: Penguins, Devils and Flyers. Out: Islanders (but barely) and Rangers.
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