So without further deliberating, here's one person's view of how the East will stack up.[table][tr][th]Ranking[/th][th]Team[/th][th]Goaltending[/th][th]Defence[/th][th]Offence[/th][th]Prospects[/th][th]Key In/Out[/th][th]Analysis[/th][/tr]
[tr ][td]1[/td][td]Leafs[/td][td]B[/td][td]B[/td][td]A-[/td][td]B-[/td][td]In: None Out: None[/td][td]The talent and depth on this team is a testament to the negotiation skill of the team's previous GM. After sending off 6 top players. They still have enough quality core to be ranked at #1.Star players like Kratna, Persson and Nurmi will carry this team. They are solid and still have lots of potential to be a contender. S[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]2[/td][td]Senators[/td][td]B[/td][td]B-[/td][td]A-[/td][td]B-[/td][td]In: None Out: None[/td][td]Could this be the year for the Sens? It sure seems like it with their run and gun offensive production. If they can get the same output and solidify their D then this team will be even harder to beat. Overall the jury is still out whether they should be on top of the East[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]3[/td][td]Canadiens[/td][td]B-[/td][td]B[/td][td]B+[/td][td]B+[/td][td]In: Chabot, St.Onge Out:[/td][td]Rising from the bottom of the league last season, this team will look to keep moving up the East. Having St. Onge on D will surely help solidify their defensive core. The trio of Chabot/Bilodeau/Dobryshkin will be the key down the middle. Watch for them to generate a lot of scoring chances.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]4[/td][td]Penguins[/td][td]B-[/td][td]B[/td][td]B+[/td][td]C+[/td][td]In: Olofsson Out: Wagar[/td][td]Steady does it for the Pens, they have a very balanced team that can be competitive every night. On D, Fabian and Forest will be called on to help offensively, but the D group need to be stronger. Will Olofsson be able to replace Wagar's production. If not then this team will be a bit further down.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]5[/td][td]Thrashers[/td][td]B[/td][td]B-[/td][td]B+[/td][td]B[/td][td]In: Castonguay Out: None[/td][td]Dealing MacKay away was their GMs solution to quickly rebuilt this team's core with draft picks. The recent addition of Castonguay will help with this transition but better drafting is still needed to build up this team's depth[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]6[/td][td]Flyers[/td][td]B+[/td][td]B-[/td][td]B+[/td][td]C+[/td][td]In: Mackay, Isomaki, Herman Out:[/td][td]Superstar MacKay has landed in the City of Brotherly love, will he be able to get the rest of the team to raise their game? Many believe that the Flyers should be a very strong team coming into the season but the jury is still out.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]7[/td][td]Capitals[/td][td]B+[/td][td]B-[/td][td]B[/td][td]C+[/td][td]In: St. Pierre Out:[/td][td]An under-rated team, combine with the arrival of St. Pierre. This team will be batlling hard for a place in the top 8. Will they make it or not will be on how well their rookie GM adapt to the league.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]8[/td][td]Ranger[/td][td]B-[/td][td]B-[/td][td]B[/td][td]B[/td][td]In: Yakutsenya, Hodge, Shroder Out: Laukkanen[/td][td]The Rangers are a team on their way up, but they face stiff competition from the rebalancing. They are missing a marquee player or two to make the next jump so they will be forced to battle it out for the final PO spot throughout the season. Soderberg and Hodge definitely help their offense to produce[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]9[/td][td]Panthers[/td][td]B-[/td][td]B-[/td][td]B[/td][td]C+[/td][td]In: Out: Kostyuhkins[/td][td]Could last season's performance in the PO be a sign of the resurgence of the Big Cat? This team is talented enough to be considered a contender but their GM has not been able to find the few missing pieces to get them there. A talented team but will they be able to replace Kostyukin's 110 pts? very unlikely.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]10[/td][td]Lightning[/td][td]B-[/td][td]B[/td][td]B[/td][td]B-[/td][td]In: Locke, Boutin, Khlebnikov Out: Jonasen, Ruzicka[/td][td]Another team that could be anywhere from 8th to 12th. The addition of Boutin, Locke and Kheb will be a huge boost for them but their rookie GM need to be on top of his game to get them higher.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]11[/td][td]Sabres[/td][td]B-[/td][td]B-[/td][td]B-[/td][td]A-[/td][td]In: Ruzicka, Jonasen Out: Locke, Khlebnikov[/td][td]This team is full of talented young players, guys like Ruzicka, Divisek, Jonassen and Lyubimov will blossom over the next few years. Their GM made some nice picks in the last draft also. Other teams in the East should definitely lookout for this up and coming squad[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]12[/td][td]Islanders[/td][td]B-[/td][td]B[/td][td]B[/td][td]C+[/td][td]In: Out: Lawson, Isomaki, Herman[/td][td]The Isles went out and hired a HOF GM to guide them back to the Finals. This will be a rebuilding year for them but look for their wily GM to make many crafty moves to get them back to the top of the East in a season or two. Sigouin and Howard are the face of the franchise and recent draftees, Boisclair and Platil will form the foundation of a solid defensive group.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]13[/td][td]Hurricanes[/td][td]B[/td][td]B-[/td][td]B[/td][td]C-[/td][td]In: Out: Clark[/td][td]Many believed that last season their D would collapse but they obviously didn't. This year will be different however, combined with the departure of Conor Clark. Carlson's day as a premier Dman in the league will come to an end this season. The team will need to retool fast in order to avoid a big dip in the competitive level.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]14[/td][td]Devils[/td][td]A[/td][td]C+[/td][td]B-[/td][td]B-[/td][td]In: Magnusson Out:[/td][td]The Devils GM has been working hard to get them to a competitive level. In many fronts they have improved but not enough to be able to get them out of the basement in our opinion. Having a Vezina winner and Magnusson to build around is a very good base.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]15[/td][td]Bruins[/td][td]B+[/td][td]C+[/td][td]B-[/td][td]B-[/td][td]In: Aubin Out:[/td][td]The Bears are still hibernating in the coming season. Resigning Clark from FA is a bonus but will he be able to keep up his fitness. Their GM has done a good job in reshaping them to his vision but they will need to be patience with trades and development. A few marquee players away from being competitive vs the big teams.[/td][/tr][/table]