2011/12 predictions: Atlantic Division
The traditional off-season tasks have now been completed for the majority of franchises and they are now at training camps looking to build tactics, skills and stamina for the new campaign.
I will be going around the NHL and looking at each team and how I think they will do in their respective divisions. Firstly, I will start with the strong Atlantic Division consisting of the Pens, Flyers, Rangers, Devils and Islanders.
The Flyers will go into the 2011-12 season looking to make the playoffs for the fifth year on the bounce and I firmly believe this will occur. Philadelphia, who have two Stanley Cups to their name, were knocked out of the 2011 playoffs by the eventual winners Boston, losing 4-0 in the conference semis.
The Flyers have been quite busy in this years off-season, noticeably sending Mike Richards to California and acquiring both Ilya Bryzgalov and Jaromir Jagr, the Czech legend. Why do I believe Phillie can make the playoffs and contend? Well, they have Ilya Bryzgalov between the pipes and this is a huge bonus to the side. Last year the Flyers really struggled to find consistent goalkeeping and that’s the reason they didn’t make the conference finals. With the likes of Brierre, Giroux, Jagr, Pronger and Van Riemsdyk, the Flyers are serious contenders for the title in my eyes and easily have the potential for a 50 win season.
Pittsburgh Penguins played well in the regular season last year as they normally do, but failed in the playoffs and crashed out in the first round to the Bolts in one of the great series which ended 4-3. Looking at their roster it is hard to say they aren’t going to make the playoffs but I think it will be harder than people will first think.
I am going to have to base my estimation of the Pens’ success on the fitness of the 24-year-old Canadian Captain Sidney Crosby. He suffered a serious concussion last year, hence why he only recorded 41 appearances, but remarkably still recording 66 points. As soon as Crosby couldn’t play for the rest of the season, you could tell in game one when he wasn’t there that the team were struggling to adapt to life without him. The start of the season is absolutely key for me as Crosby’s fitness is still in doubt, and if they are without him we may see the Pens slow out of the blocks and playing catch up. I am going to have to give the Pens a playoff spot for next year but I think it will definitely be hard earned!
The Rangers came third in the Atlantic division last season behind the Flyers and the Pens and lost to Washington in the first round in a men versus boys contest. When it comes to playoff teams the Rangers are a team that have lacked the big names but in this year’s off-season they went big and swooped up Brad Richards from the Dallas Stars agreeing a nine year contract worth around $60 million. This addition to the Rangers roster will be huge in my opinion. The one time Stanley Cup winner creates space for his team mates and finds inch perfect passes which are backed up by his sensational points tallies.
The Rangers have made the playoffs more often than not in the last few years and I expect them to do the same again. However, I can’t see the Rangers competing with the big boys of the East and I think they will go out in the first or second round, which is a familiar story for New York.
The New Jersey Devils had a very tough start to last year’s campaign, scraping five wins from the opening 20 fixtures and times were very tough at the Prudential Center. The Devils then went on a streak, winning 22 games from 28 and remarkably a playoff appearance was on the cards.
Canadian Jacques Lemaire took over in New Jersey after John MacLean was relieved of his duties. Lemaire finally retired and after several interviews the Devils appointed Peter DeBoer as their new Head Coach for the 2011-12 campaign. I am going to be brave and give the Devils a playoff spot this year, meaning four teams will make the playoffs from this tough division. The second half of last season will leave the Devils with a huge amount of confidence and there is definitely some class on their roster.
A return to form for Martin Broduer would be very much appreciated by the Devils as he only just recorded over .900 last season but did manage six shutouts. New Jersey boast a lot of experience and these guys will be key in helping the young guns develop. So, a playoff spot for the Devils will happen for me, and what happens in the playoffs is unpredictable.
Finally, the Islanders had yet another poor season last year, which is becoming a trend for the team from Long Island. They haven’t qualified for the post season for four years now and fans are really starting to become frustrated?
Can they compete next year? In a word, no. Many teams will rebuild for one or two years if necessary but the Islanders rebuild seems to have been going for four to five years now. Last season the Islanders had four players over the 50 point mark which is respectable, but none of them made it past 70 or 80 which every team must have if they want to achieve success. One huge positive for New York last season was that their top points scorer was John Tavares, who managed to bag 67 points at a tender age of just 20 – very promising indeed.
Main goaltender Rick DiPietro struggled last season with a save percentage of below .900 which simply can’t be the case if you want to compete and win games. The Islanders iced six keepers last year, yes, six keepers! A key to success is consistency and a consistently good goaltender provides a confidence boost to the defence providing them with the knowledge that they have a solid barrier behind them. The 2011-12 season will be yet another one for rebuilding unfortunately in my opinion.
My final standings prediction:
1) Philadelphia – 102 points
2) New York Rangers – 98 points
3) Pittsburgh – 95 points
4) New Jersey – 91 points
5) New York Islanders – 63 points
