TORONTO,ONT- The Northeast Division looks to be one of the stronger divisions in the NHL going into the 2008-09 season. With the Ottawa Senators already registering three points on the board as the NHL faced off in Stockholm, Sweden this past weekend we take a look at each team from the Northeast, picking the winners and the losers and look closer at who has the ability to go all the way to the Stanley cup final. Montreal Canadiens : Division Winners Keys to success: The Habs have made modest signings going into the 2008-09 season, Guy Carbonneau has addressed the problem of toughness bringing in no-nonsense Georges Laraque. Adding to the already prolific forward line and powerplay unit are Alex Tanguay and Robert Lang and with netminder Carey Price playing in his first full season as a pro the Habs have a well balanced team of skill, power and toughness without giving up goals. Look for the Habs to be Stanley cup contenders not just Division and Conference winners. Reason to fail: Not many but injuries could be a factor if Kovalev or Saku Koivu struggle. The Habs have put alot of faith in Tanguay finding his scoring touch once again after coming off last seasons tally of just 18 goals, his lowest since 2001 when he was with the Colarado Avalanche. Rookie watch: All eyes will be once again on the sensational Carey Price in net. Final summary: Last season no-one gave the Habs a hope of doing anything but they showed what they can bring to the table. A disappointing exit to the tough Philidelphia Flyers in round two showed what the Habs were lacking to go all the way. As the Pittsburgh Penguins proved you need a tough player to protect your stars and they don’t come much tougher than big Georges Laraque who will no doubt be worth his weight in gold to the Quebec franchise. Ottawa Senators Keys to success: Without doubt if the top line of Dany Heatley, Jason Spezza and captain Daniel Alfredsson. The most prolific forward line in the NHL will once again reek havoc with defenseman across the league. Heatley will once again have his sights set on a 50 goal haul for the third season running. Bringing in agitator Jarkko Ruutu will also be a big plus giving the Sens a one-two combination with Chris Neil on the third line. Reason to fail: Head-coach Craig Hartsburg having to spread the scoring across the lines by separating the Spezza, Heatley and Alfredsson combination. Defense could also be an issue with the departed Wade Redden and Andrej Meszaros. The Sens have brought in the gritty Jason Smith from the Flyers but he doesn’t have the same speed as Redden or Meszaros. Rookie watch: Jesse Winchester, impressing in training camp the young Winchester has already been used in rotation for Alfredson. A great two-way player in the making. Final summary: To much reliance will be on the first line. Any injury to Heatley, Alfredson or Spezza could see the goals dry up. This season the Sens will grind out results but gone are the days of the high one-sided wins that took them to the finals two seasons ago. Possibly contenders for the final playoff spot in the east. Boston Bruins Keys to success: The surprise team of last season, the Bruins were supposed to be a team in transisition simialar but not as drastic as the Maple leafs but what turned out was a last gasp push for the playoffs ending in a round one exit to the another surprise package the Canadiens. The success of the Bruins will one again rest on Giant blueliner Zdeno Chara and his defensive core of Dennis Wideman, Shane Hnidy. The scoring threat will be boosted by the return of star centre Patrice Bergeron. Overall the key strength will be the defensive core. Reason to fail: Lack of goals, the Bruins play a very defense minded game which could cost them wins in close games. Rookie watch: Blake Wheeler, the Phoenix Coyotes 2004 pick exploited a loop hole in the CBA that allowed him to become a free agent opting to sign for the Bruins. At 6″4` Wheeler has high hopes of being a big power forward in the mould of Todd Bertuzzi. Final summary: After last seasons achievements the Bruins will look to build on that. Its debatble the Bruins have the ability to go far in the post season but if Bergeron and Kessel stay injury free the Bruins could give the Habs a close run to the Division winners. Buffalo Sabres Keys to success: Scoring has never been a problem Sabres and despite having Ryan Miller in net the Sabres were just to easy to score on in 2007-08 season. Head-coach Lindy Ruff has addressed this bringing defenseman Craig Rivet and netminder Patrick Lalime. The Sabres will also welcome back Teppo Numminen who returns after a season out with a heart problem. With this combination and sniper Maxim Afinogenov hopefully finding his shooting stick again the Sabres should make the playoffs. Reason to fail: To many holes in the defense. If the Sabres don’t fix last seasons problems they will once again struggle. Rookie watch: Andrej Sekera, The offensive defenseman will shine in his first full season as a Sabre. The young Slovak has been tipped to continue where Brian Campell left off. Final summary: On paper the Sabres have a good team, if they can all click and with the addition of players like Rivet, the Sabres could be a Eastern Conference dark horse. Miller will once again rule between the pipes but with Lalime coming in this will give the franchise netminder periods of rest that was missed from last season. Toronto Maple Leafs Keys to success: This is a tough one to call, success for the Leafs will be not finishing last in the NHL. With any club going through transition it will be hard to achieve the playoffs let alone win a Stanley cup. But as the saying goes every journey starts with a single step but unfortunatley for the Leafs it will have to be a quick march as the Leafs nation are not the most patient fans and who can blame them. 2008-09 season will be measured on the success of the young stars like Luke Schenn and Russian prospect Nikolai Kulemin. If the future of the Leafs can gel together as unit then it will set the Leafs in the right direction but the fruits of thier labour will not bring success for a number of seasons. Reason to fail: Simple, a club going through a re-build. Not enough experience and the reliance of Vesa Toskala playing superb every night is a big ask. Rookie watch: Luke Schenn, not sure how long the Leafs first round pick will be will the blue and white but while he his, all eyes will be on him. A superb player who will thrive with the Leafs. Final summary: The Leafs will struggle this season, the ultimate goal is to re-build a franchise in tatters. Cliff Fletcher has stuck to his word and cleared out the locker room of dead weight and brought in what he could with limited resources. Summary The Habs will dominate this division and will strive to reach the Stanley Cup final. They are a well organised team this season and if Carey Price can have a standout season then look for the Habs to be serious contenders. At the other end of the scale the Leafs will have a rough ride this year, lets hope this doesn’t hinder the development of Schenn. Losing will come very common to the Leafs this season something the fans will have to accept as the re-build continues. The Sens, Sabres and Bruins will have a three way tussle for second but with the Bruins looking more solid across the roster they could very well be the surprise package this season. Contact the author at Kevin.oconnor@prohockeynews.com
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