2043- Offseason Eastern Conference Team Review
Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2014 2:44 am
It's that time again in the East. I'm probably way off so let's hear your thoughts on how your team will be in the new season!!! 
[table][tr][th]Rankings[/th][th]Team[/th][th]Goaltending[/th][th]Defense[/th][th]offense[/th][th]Prospects[/th][th]Analysis[/th][/tr]
[tr][td]1[/td][td]Leafs[/td][td]A-[/td][td]A-[/td][td]A[/td][td]A-[/td][td]Some things never change, such as the perennially dominating Leafs. Blessed with an astute GM, they keep getting better with every passing season if. Next season will be another dominating one for this star studded team. Their D and goalie will be just as dominating as their forward group. A spot at the Finals is a must, anything else would be a disappointment for this roster.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]2[/td][td]NYI[/td][td]A-[/td][td]B+[/td][td]A-[/td][td]C+[/td][td]A talented team on paper but will they deliver? Their D is talented but does not have the depth to be feared if injuries do occur. Offensive production is not a concern for a group with Hill, Akins, Howard and Co. Depth is an issue for them if a major injury happens[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]3[/td][td]Thrashers[/td][td]A-[/td][td]B-[/td][td]A-[/td][td]C+[/td][td]Bringing back Bjornberg will give the Thrashers a decent run at the Finals. McKay and Co. Can still hang on to that contender status for a bit longer. A good blend of youth and vets on this team but RW is getting a old and LW needs an elite player or two[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]4[/td][td]Penguins[/td][td]B+[/td][td]C+[/td][td]A-[/td][td]B-[/td][td]Added MA St. John to their team is a huge boost but will their Defence be enough to hold opponents at bay. GM will have to address their D otherwise Green will have to have a stellar year.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]5[/td][td]Panthers[/td][td]B-[/td][td]B[/td][td]B+[/td][td]B-[/td][td]The winner of the FA sweepstakes, Kostyukhin should give Radulov a finisher that he’s been missing. If this combo can click then watch out!!! Kaartinen will need to bring his A game also.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]6[/td][td]Canadiens[/td][td]B[/td][td]B+[/td][td]B+[/td][td]B+[/td][td]The upcoming season will be the turning point of this franchise. They’ve added a few veterans to mentor their youths. The addition of veterans like JM Cooke, Zhuravlev and Silin will go a long way to solidify their anaemic offence of previous years. The biggest weakness is still in goal but Viitanen should do well enough with a good mix of talents in their Defensive corp this year. Look for them to be competitive all year long and will climb into a PO spot in the East.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]7[/td][td]Sens[/td][td]B[/td][td]B[/td][td]B[/td][td]B[/td][td]A good mixture of youths and vets on this team. Their D is good but not great so someone will have to really step up. Offensively, they have an assortment of weapons to call on but will the young kids step up as they did last year. Vellucci, Sykora will carry the Sens scoring.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]8[/td][td]Canes[/td][td]B+[/td][td]B[/td][td]B+[/td][td]C+[/td][td]The biggest concern for the Canes going into the season is, will their old men on D make it through the entire physical season. They should be ranked higher but many scouts do not believe that they can hold up for the entire season. Flaman will need to raise his game to elite status for the Canes to stay near the top of the East. Connor Clark is ready for retirement so let’s hope they can bring him a Cup.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]9[/td][td]NYR[/td][td]B[/td][td]B-[/td][td]B+[/td][td]A-[/td][td]How far up the ranking the young Rangers will go up is really all up to them. Their GM has done a great job in rebuilding and now he will just let them battle it out for a roster spot. Down the middle, some questions around the skating ability of their C but overall this is a very talented team down the road.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]10[/td][td]Sabres[/td][td]B-[/td][td]B+[/td][td]B-[/td][td]B-[/td][td]They were supposed to be rebuilding last season but they kept motoring along. This season will prove a bit harder for them to stay in a PO spot due to the emerging team. Simon (G) will be their starter which will be tall order for him. Forwards are good and young so the future bodes well for them.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]11[/td][td]Flyers[/td][td]B[/td][td]B-[/td][td]B[/td][td]B[/td][td]The Flyers will probably or should be higher in the ranking but there’s a few glaring holes that their GM has not addressed in the offseason. Defensive corp is not physical enough and perhaps not offensive either. Recently acquired Ledaire will definitely help Gill and Racicot produce. If they can put it all together than their GM will be Manager of the year.
[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]12[/td][td]Lightning[/td][td]B[/td][td]C+[/td][td]B[/td][td]B-[/td][td]Vokey’s major injury last season really hampered the team’s success. What’s in store for them this year? Vokey should rebound and set up Ruzicka nicely. This combo should propel them higher up the standings but their depth will need to be addressed before they can compete consistently. Defence is average at this point in the offseason.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]13[/td][td]Caps[/td][td]B[/td][td]B-[/td][td]B-[/td][td]B-[/td][td]This AI run team is a fairly good team, they are missing elite talent upfront but overall they should be able to keep up with the lower teams in the East. Ronkainen has his work cut out for them since their forwards won’t be producing on a regular basis.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]14[/td][td]Devils[/td][td]B[/td][td]C[/td][td]B-[/td][td]B[/td][td]There are some nice looking prospects on this team. The big question is whether their GM can develop them all together to produce a consistent team effort every night. Turgeon will look to make his mark as the cornerstone on D, while the offence will be everyone for themselves competing for the top 6 positions. It will be another season of experimenting for this team.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]15[/td][td]Bruins[/td][td]B-[/td][td]C+[/td][td]B-[/td][td]B[/td][td]Their new GM has definitely put his mark on this franchise. Whether it will pay immediate dividends, we will have to see as he has brought in new coaching staff and signed a long list of prospects to experiment with. It will be a challenging season for Krikunov and Gusmanov, Lawson might be a bit too old to keep up with these two young wingers. On Defense, Kokuev has retired so the torch has been passed to Manninen and Ouellette. Are they prepared to play 1-2? We will find out soon enough.[/td][/tr][/table]
[table][tr][th]Rankings[/th][th]Team[/th][th]Goaltending[/th][th]Defense[/th][th]offense[/th][th]Prospects[/th][th]Analysis[/th][/tr]
[tr][td]1[/td][td]Leafs[/td][td]A-[/td][td]A-[/td][td]A[/td][td]A-[/td][td]Some things never change, such as the perennially dominating Leafs. Blessed with an astute GM, they keep getting better with every passing season if. Next season will be another dominating one for this star studded team. Their D and goalie will be just as dominating as their forward group. A spot at the Finals is a must, anything else would be a disappointment for this roster.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]2[/td][td]NYI[/td][td]A-[/td][td]B+[/td][td]A-[/td][td]C+[/td][td]A talented team on paper but will they deliver? Their D is talented but does not have the depth to be feared if injuries do occur. Offensive production is not a concern for a group with Hill, Akins, Howard and Co. Depth is an issue for them if a major injury happens[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]3[/td][td]Thrashers[/td][td]A-[/td][td]B-[/td][td]A-[/td][td]C+[/td][td]Bringing back Bjornberg will give the Thrashers a decent run at the Finals. McKay and Co. Can still hang on to that contender status for a bit longer. A good blend of youth and vets on this team but RW is getting a old and LW needs an elite player or two[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]4[/td][td]Penguins[/td][td]B+[/td][td]C+[/td][td]A-[/td][td]B-[/td][td]Added MA St. John to their team is a huge boost but will their Defence be enough to hold opponents at bay. GM will have to address their D otherwise Green will have to have a stellar year.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]5[/td][td]Panthers[/td][td]B-[/td][td]B[/td][td]B+[/td][td]B-[/td][td]The winner of the FA sweepstakes, Kostyukhin should give Radulov a finisher that he’s been missing. If this combo can click then watch out!!! Kaartinen will need to bring his A game also.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]6[/td][td]Canadiens[/td][td]B[/td][td]B+[/td][td]B+[/td][td]B+[/td][td]The upcoming season will be the turning point of this franchise. They’ve added a few veterans to mentor their youths. The addition of veterans like JM Cooke, Zhuravlev and Silin will go a long way to solidify their anaemic offence of previous years. The biggest weakness is still in goal but Viitanen should do well enough with a good mix of talents in their Defensive corp this year. Look for them to be competitive all year long and will climb into a PO spot in the East.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]7[/td][td]Sens[/td][td]B[/td][td]B[/td][td]B[/td][td]B[/td][td]A good mixture of youths and vets on this team. Their D is good but not great so someone will have to really step up. Offensively, they have an assortment of weapons to call on but will the young kids step up as they did last year. Vellucci, Sykora will carry the Sens scoring.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]8[/td][td]Canes[/td][td]B+[/td][td]B[/td][td]B+[/td][td]C+[/td][td]The biggest concern for the Canes going into the season is, will their old men on D make it through the entire physical season. They should be ranked higher but many scouts do not believe that they can hold up for the entire season. Flaman will need to raise his game to elite status for the Canes to stay near the top of the East. Connor Clark is ready for retirement so let’s hope they can bring him a Cup.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]9[/td][td]NYR[/td][td]B[/td][td]B-[/td][td]B+[/td][td]A-[/td][td]How far up the ranking the young Rangers will go up is really all up to them. Their GM has done a great job in rebuilding and now he will just let them battle it out for a roster spot. Down the middle, some questions around the skating ability of their C but overall this is a very talented team down the road.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]10[/td][td]Sabres[/td][td]B-[/td][td]B+[/td][td]B-[/td][td]B-[/td][td]They were supposed to be rebuilding last season but they kept motoring along. This season will prove a bit harder for them to stay in a PO spot due to the emerging team. Simon (G) will be their starter which will be tall order for him. Forwards are good and young so the future bodes well for them.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]11[/td][td]Flyers[/td][td]B[/td][td]B-[/td][td]B[/td][td]B[/td][td]The Flyers will probably or should be higher in the ranking but there’s a few glaring holes that their GM has not addressed in the offseason. Defensive corp is not physical enough and perhaps not offensive either. Recently acquired Ledaire will definitely help Gill and Racicot produce. If they can put it all together than their GM will be Manager of the year.
[/td][/tr][tr][td]12[/td][td]Lightning[/td][td]B[/td][td]C+[/td][td]B[/td][td]B-[/td][td]Vokey’s major injury last season really hampered the team’s success. What’s in store for them this year? Vokey should rebound and set up Ruzicka nicely. This combo should propel them higher up the standings but their depth will need to be addressed before they can compete consistently. Defence is average at this point in the offseason.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]13[/td][td]Caps[/td][td]B[/td][td]B-[/td][td]B-[/td][td]B-[/td][td]This AI run team is a fairly good team, they are missing elite talent upfront but overall they should be able to keep up with the lower teams in the East. Ronkainen has his work cut out for them since their forwards won’t be producing on a regular basis.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]14[/td][td]Devils[/td][td]B[/td][td]C[/td][td]B-[/td][td]B[/td][td]There are some nice looking prospects on this team. The big question is whether their GM can develop them all together to produce a consistent team effort every night. Turgeon will look to make his mark as the cornerstone on D, while the offence will be everyone for themselves competing for the top 6 positions. It will be another season of experimenting for this team.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]15[/td][td]Bruins[/td][td]B-[/td][td]C+[/td][td]B-[/td][td]B[/td][td]Their new GM has definitely put his mark on this franchise. Whether it will pay immediate dividends, we will have to see as he has brought in new coaching staff and signed a long list of prospects to experiment with. It will be a challenging season for Krikunov and Gusmanov, Lawson might be a bit too old to keep up with these two young wingers. On Defense, Kokuev has retired so the torch has been passed to Manninen and Ouellette. Are they prepared to play 1-2? We will find out soon enough.[/td][/tr][/table]